A Cowboy Worth Claiming

The older man glanced at the closed bedroom door and lowered his voice. Any minute now Lizzie would step out, and Chance noted his urgency to speak before she did.

“I’m dying, Chance. I had to be sure to give this back to you.”

Chance inhaled sharply. He couldn’t say he wasn’t expecting this. The minute he laid eyes on him, he’d seen the weariness in the old man’s body.

“I’m growing weaker every day. Lizzie knows, too, but we don’t talk about it. It’s easier for her to deny it.”

“That’s why you sent for me.”

“It’s one of the reasons. I’m trying to keep the ranch from failing. I need your help. If you’re willing.”

The necklace would have brought Edward Mitchell enough money to keep the ranch going for a time, yet he’d held on to it, saving it for Chance. Just like he promised. Chance’s throat got heavy with emotion. He hated the thought of the older man dying. There weren’t too many men on this earth of such honor and honesty. He took a moment to assemble his thoughts and conceal feelings he rarely showed anyone.

On a shaky breath he said, “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me.” He held up the jewelry box. “For keeping this safe. It’s the only thing I have left of my life before my parents were murdered.” Chance spoke with firm resolve. “You can count on me, Edward. I’ll do whatever you need.”

Chance thought about Lizzie’s crazy notion that he was brought here to marry her. Now, it seemed possible that’s what Edward had in mind.

“Thank you.” Relief crossed Edward’s features as he nodded. Chance could, at the very least, give him that much peace of mind. But then the old man’s face turned beet-red and he began coughing. Chance rose to help him, but he quickly gestured for him to sit back down. When his coughing fit ended, he leaned back against his chair.

Once he’d caught his breath, he explained, “We’re in a bad way financially. Got barely enough to make it through the month. It’ll break Lizzie’s heart, but this here furniture, her mama’s furniture, is next to go. Won’t get all that much for it, that’s why I haven’t brought it up to Lizzie yet. That girl is dang upset about her dolls. She had orders and was rushing off to collect the money in town. Took her more than a month to sew those dolls and the girl feels she’s let me down.” He stopped. Squeezed his eyes shut and pinched his nose. He was near tears. “Only, I’m the one letting her down. My granddaughter has calloused hands from working the ranch. She cooks our meals and at night, she fashions her dolls until she about collapses into bed.”

“I have some cash saved up,” Chance said, wanting to spare the old man any more pain. He’d give him everything he had.

Edward shook his head. “I’m a prideful man. It was hard enough asking you this favor, I won’t take your money.”

“Then what can I do for you?”

“My last ranch hand quit a month ago. Can’t say as I blame him. Toby stuck around without pay for three weeks. Just as a favor to Lizzie and me. Fact is, I need to get my Longhorns to the railhead. We got thirty head that’ll bring a good price. But I got no one to go with Lizzie on the drive.”

“Lizzie? She drives cattle?”

Edward’s eyes lit with pride. “She’s been going on drives with me since she was a youngster. The railhead is in Prescott. Should only take five days to get there.”

His cough took hold again and plagued him for the next half a minute. Chance rose up as he’d done before, wanting to help, to give the man some aid, but once again Edward gestured for him to sit down. Each cough took more life from him, as if an evil force counted down the breaths until he took his very last one.

“Grandpa?” Lizzie called from the other side of the door.

Edward sat up and caught his breath quickly, hiding his true condition from his granddaughter. “I’m fine, Lizzie. Don’t fret.”

Chance questioned him. “She know what you got planned?”

He shook his head. “Nope. But we haven’t got much choice. She won’t put up much fuss once I explain.”

Chance had doubts about that. He’d seen some of Lizzie’s fussing. “Why not sell the steers to a neighbor? Have them drive the cattle.”

“I thought of that. They’d take too big a cut of the profits. Wouldn’t leave us enough to live.”

Chance didn’t like the idea of driving cattle with a female, but Edward wouldn’t have asked if he didn’t think it necessary. And it wasn’t much of a drive. Hell, they’d be back in a week. “Then it’s settled. I’ll go.”

Edward leaned back in his seat and rested his head on the chair’s carved wooden backing, closing his eyes. His voice became a mere whisper. “Thank you, but there’s more. And this…this is going to be a mite more difficult.”

Chance braced himself. “You want me to shoot someone dead?”

The old man smiled. “Of course not.”

“Then how bad could it be?”

He opened his eyes and Chance was hit with the impact of the old man’s determined gaze. “I want you to find Lizzie a husband.”

Chapter Two

After she’d dried off and changed into a brown dress, Lizzie pushed through her bedroom door, keeping her misery close to heart. It wouldn’t do to have Grandpa knowing how desperate she was. She found him and Chance Worth sitting in the front room, head down, whispering, in obvious cahoots about something. The second they spotted her they clamped their mouths shut. What in heaven’s name were they up to? And why did her Grandpa see fit to summon him here in the first place?

“Lizzie, dear girl, come sit with us for a spell.”

“I will for just a little while.” She smiled at her grandpa and plopped down on the sofa as far away from the stranger as possible. She wasn’t afraid of him, no sir, but she’d been close enough to feel his warm breath on her throat, to feel his arms tug her close while riding his mare. Why, she’d practically seen him naked at the lake and didn’t like for one minute the warm sensations he’d stirred in her.

“That’s my girl.” Her grandpa leaned back in his seat and drew a deep breath. His cough was getting worse every day and it scared her to see him look so pale. She cooked hearty meals to keep meat on his bones, but even still, his shirts hung loose from his shoulders. Didn’t matter how much bread she added to the stew, or how much jam she spread across his biscuits, she couldn’t seem to build his strength and fatten him up. “You look nice and dry, Lizzie. Feeling better now?”

She couldn’t feel better. She’d lost their only means of income and just thinking about those dolls soaked at the bottom of the lake made her stomach clench. She looked down at her brown skirt and nodded. “Yes, a little bit.”

“It’s a lucky thing Chance coming along when he did, bringing you home. Course it’s been a while but I recall how cold that lake is. Would have been a mighty uncomfortable walk with you dripping wet. Did you thank him, Lizzie?”

She darted Chance a glance and found him watching her, his gaze flowing over the hair she didn’t bother to untangle, curling every which way now and tied back with a thin strip of ribbon. When their eyes met she found his filled with amusement. “I, uh—”

“She thanked me, Edward.”

She shot him a quick look and he arched his right brow. He’d done a good thing, covering for her, but somehow she still felt pinpricked. If he hadn’t come along, she might’ve had a chance at rescuing her dolls. Now, all was lost and she didn’t know what else to do but to try to replace them with new ones made from the scraps of material she had left in her sewing basket.

Her grandpa coughed again, and the pain she noted on his face made her turn away. Every day she witnessed how much strength his coughing sapped from his body. The doctor from Red Ridge had come out to check on him and gave him an elixir, which she prayed would help, but nothing seemed to do a lick of good.

“Edward, I’ll get you some water,” Chance said, rising from his seat.

“I’ll get it.” She bounded up quickly and rushed to the kitchen area.

“Get…some…for our guest.” Her grandfather struggled to get the words out between coughs.

She poured two glasses of water from a pitcher but by the time she returned, thankfully, his coughing spell was over. She handed the water to her grandfather. “Please, Grandpa, you need to drink more. The doctor says it’ll help.”

“All right, Lizzie.” She stood over him until he took a long sip. Then she turned to Chance and offered up the other glass.

“Don’t mind if I do.” His hand came out to accept the drink and when their fingers brushed, she was startled by the jolt and nearly jumped out of her skin.

Something powerful happened whenever he touched her. The stirrings were unexpected and…and downright confusing. Thankfully, Chance didn’t seem to notice her distress. She figured it’d be a good idea to keep her distance. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be on the ranch too long. “I’d best start supper.”

“It’s early yet,” her grandfather said. “Sit down, girl. Take a rest.”

Lizzie did as she was told. Everyone seemed content to just sit there, comfortably, without uttering a word. She didn’t begrudge her grandfather the rest or her company, but when he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, Lizzie couldn’t help but steal another look at Chance. His throat worked as he finished off the water in his glass. Why did she find watching him swallow so darn fascinating?