Chapter 10
Ronan winced, rolling his shoulder back and trying to alleviate some of the pain.
He hadn’t realized how much it had been jostled in the attempted robbery until he had started trying to work on the barn with Tobin that morning.
It was only when they went to clear away some of the heavier debris that it protested.
But now, the debris was clear, and Ronan was waiting for Tobin to return with the wood they were going to make into shutters for the main house.
Of course, doing so would take some time, but Ronan’s knee had started to ache that morning, and when that happened, there was likely a storm rolling in within the next few days.
He wanted to make sure that the house was as protected as possible, especially since it was going to be another week or two until he could get glass for the windows.
Ronan wiped some of the sweat from his brow as he made his way back to the house, looking at the darkening sky. He turned in the direction of Cressida’s home, not for the first time wishing he could see it from where he stood.
He didn’t think he would miss her, especially not after hardly spending any time with her, but the honesty with which she spoke was nice.
A change from his previous line of work.
Tobin appeared, coming up the road as Ronan took a seat on one of the rocking chairs outside the house.
He pulled up to the barn first, unhitching the cart before letting the horse out into the corral, and then he untied the new horse from the back of the cart.
He looked tense as he grabbed the wood from the cart and turned Ronan’s way.
Ronan sighed, wondering if he had been found out so quickly. He hoped not. This was supposed to be the point in his life when he got lost to the rest of the world and got to spend his days doing what he liked.
His hand drifted up to the pocket watch, brushing against it briefly to reassure himself it was still there.
“You’re resting,” Tobin said, sounding surprised as he put the wood to the right of the front door, the too-long grass nearly swallowing the pile whole.
“Not really. I just sat down. I want to get to work on the shutters while we still have a bit of the light, but I was thinking we would bring them to the dining room once it’s dark and continue to work in there.”
“Fine with me.” Tobin tucked his hands in his pockets, glancing at the horizon. “I saw Cressida in town.”
“You did?” Ronan sat up a little taller, looking at the road only to find it empty. Of course, she wouldn’t be there. Her home was closer to town than his own.
“Yes, and I met the mayor too.” Tobin’s jaw clenched before he looked down at Ronan. “He wasn’t pleased to see me standing with Cressida, even if he put on a good front.”
“You think there’s something to worry about with him?”
“I don’t trust him. There was something about the way he held himself, the way he seemed to stand a little too close to Cressida, that I didn’t like. It felt…possessive with no reason to be.”
Ronan’s hands curled into fists before he sighed and leaned back in his chair, rocking slightly. “Was there anything else in town that concerned you?”
“Cressida and a Mrs. Agatha were walking behind me on the way home for a good while. I was riding ahead. I couldn’t hear much of their conversation, but there were bits and pieces I caught before I got too far.
Seems like Mrs. Agatha is the kind of woman who likes to be in other people’s business, but she doesn’t seem to mean much by it. ”
“How do you suppose she doesn’t mean much by it?” Ronan scrubbed his hand down his face. Remaining hidden was going to be harder when the town gossip was friends with the woman on the neighboring property.
“She made sure the mayor knows I’m allegedly a distant cousin of Cressida’s husband. Won’t have anyone asking any questions. And Cressida and Etta don’t seem like the kind of women to align themselves with someone malicious in nature.”
“You’re right about that.” Ronan closed his eyes.
“Now, are you going to tell me what it is you’re doing hiding out here?” Tobin lowered himself into the chair beside him. “I might not know what it is you’re hiding, but I do know you’re hiding something.”
Ronan sighed, the image of a snake on a shiny silver match case appearing in his mind like it was only yesterday he encountered the gang.
“I’m an ex-lawman.” Ronan chose his words carefully, not wanting to say too much or too little. “I…well, there was a mission that went wrong.”
“You’re running from the past.” Tobin nodded like he understood.
Ronan shook his head, taking off his hat and hanging it on his knee. “No. I’m trying to find a way I can live with it.”
Tobin rocked in the chair, but he didn’t say anything else, the silence stretching between them. Part of Ronan wondered if Tobin was going to get up and leave, or if he was going to stay and ask more questions.
Instead, he drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair before glancing over at Ronan. “I understand.”
That was it. That was all he said before getting up and heading for the tool shed. Ronan waited for a moment, until he saw him coming back with tools to start work on the shutters.
As much as Ronan wanted to help, his ribs hurt too much to swing a hammer, and if he was to hold things above his head, his shoulder would scream in protest.
Once Tobin was working on the shutters, Ronan pushed to his feet and went to walk down to see the new horse. He would need to take it for its first ride.
Which was going to be a problem with his ribs, but he needed to know what the horse was capable of before trying to put it to work.
The black horse stood tall in the pasture. His mane shone beneath the sun, and the long lines of his muscles moved with each step he took. The other two horses kept to the side, still not welcoming the newcomer, but not fighting either. It was good enough for now.
“Come here, boy,” Ronan said, his voice soft as he grabbed the tack from where it had been slung over the fence.
The barn can’t be fixed soon enough.
He put the tack on the ground, starting with the blanket and getting it over the horse’s back. The horse stood still, barely caring as the saddle was fitted and tightened, and then tightened again once the horse blew out the breath it had been holding.
“So, you’re one of the smart ones,” Ronan said warmly, running his hand over the horse’s shoulder before grabbing the bridle.
Once the horse was ready, Ronan swung up in the saddle, shifting on it to see if the horse would have any adverse reactions. Of course, getting thrown from a horse wouldn’t help with the bruises all over his body, but it was a risk he was willing to take.
Surprisingly, the horse didn’t so much as flinch. Whoever had trained him had done a good job in breaking him. He was a docile creature, one who seemed entirely unbothered.
Ronan looked in the direction of the bend in the river. He had yet to go out there, but he needed to see if it would be a good spot to set fishing lines. He would need to make sure that there were enough food stores for him and Tobin to get through the winter.
Thankfully, there would be several months before that point, but it was never too early to start.
I could see if Cressida might be willing to teach me how to preserve fruit.
It would be berry season soon, and there was nothing nicer than having a bit of jam in the middle of a cold winter. Though it also sounded a lot like an excuse to get to spend more time with her.
Ronan shook his head, riding for the river at a slow pace, doing his best not to jostle his ribs too much.
He was supposed to be staying away from her, keeping her out of the kind of trouble that followed him, and yet here he was thinking about ways to spend more time with her.
It was entirely absurd, and if he had any sense about him, he knew he wouldn’t be thinking such things.
Unfortunately, it seemed that all sense left his mind when he thought of those beautiful mossy green eyes.
He rode through the pasture, the long grass rising too high. Goats would be the first animal he would add to the ranch, and cattle would follow shortly after, once he had a bit more time to get another pasture built, one that was larger than the first, since he wanted a fairly large herd.
The scent of wildflowers was still on the wind as he rode to the far edge of his property. He couldn’t see any growing, but he had seen some along the river and all over Cressida’s property.
When he finally made it to the bend in the river, the bright blue water glistened beneath the sun. There were fish visible in the clear water.
It would be a good enough place to set a line or two. Next time he sent Tobin into town, he’d have him pick up a couple.
“Beautiful horse.”
The words came from behind him, and as he turned, he saw Cressida sitting on the edge of the river with a notebook spread in her lap.
A horse grazed not far from her, saddle still on, chestnut coat reflecting the rays of sunlight shining down. She put the pencil to the side, glancing up at him with a smile that sent his heart stuttering in his chest and his pulse pounding in his ears.
“Thank you.” Ronan patted the horse’s neck. “Tobin just picked him up.”
“What’s his name?” Cressida rose to her feet, tucking the notebook beneath her arm as she approached. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a sugar cube, holding it flat in her palm.
The horse nuzzled his nose into her hand, taking the cube from her.
“He doesn’t have one yet.” Ronan watched her, noticing the way strands of hair had slipped free from the knot at the nape of her neck. She had tucked the strands behind her ear, but he supposed this was the least composed he had ever seen her.
“He ought to be called Thunder. Look at him.” She ran her fingers along the white spot on the horse’s nose. “He’s a stunning creature with strong legs. Huge boy. He deserves something that aligns with his presence.”
Ronan gave her a teasing smile. “And what does a teacher know of horses, beyond what they should be named?”
Cressida grinned and put her hands on her hips, notebook firm in her grasp. “I would be willing to wager that I know far more than you think I do.”
“Oh, I think you know a great deal. I spent days in your household, and I happen to think you are rather a fearsome sight to behold.”
Her mouth popped open, laughter ringing out as she shook her head. “I don’t think a man has ever described me as fearsome before.”
“Then that is their flaw.” Ronan leaned down in the saddle, his body pulled to hers as if it were natural.
“And do you mean this fearsome nature of mine to be an insult or a compliment?” Her eyes glittered with amusement.
“A compliment in every sense of the word. I hold you in the highest regard, and one day, I should like to drive fear into the hearts of those around me, too.”
Cressida laughed again, the sound traveling through him, warming the parts he’d long thought cold and dead.
She turned on her heel and strode back to her horse, getting up in the saddle. “Well then, since I am so fearsome, perhaps I should leave you on your own to find your way around the property.”
“Oh, I’m hopeless with navigation,” he teased, riding over to her. “But if you would be so kind as to show me what I need to know about this land, perhaps I should be nearly half as fearsome as you.”
Her eyebrows pulled together, a challenging look in her eyes. “You could only ever hope to be.”
“Lead the way then, and perhaps I will learn your ways.” He chuckled, watching as she took the lead, unable to take his eyes off her as the light breeze loosened the strands behind her ears, playing with them.
“There’s a bridge to cross the river at its shallowest point on my property,” Cressida said, riding along the riverbank. “It narrows pretty drastically there, and I don’t mind you using the bridge as long as you don’t disturb my fishing lines.”
“You fish?”
“Quite often in the spring and summer. There’s some to be had in the winter as well, but they’re scarce.”
Cressida pointed to a grouping of bushes on the far side of the river. “That’s where the best berries grow, but you want to go out there in the morning to get them. They taste the best with the dew on them.”
Ronan watched her, listening to the way she pointed out trees in the distance, talking about the use of their bark and how she took small pieces at a time, leaving the tree in as good a condition as she could so it could continue to grow and help generations to come.
He admired the way she spoke as she pointed out more medicinal herbs, stopping along the way twice to pick some for him. Her knowledge drew him in, and the smiles she gave him as they rode nearly had his heart bursting through his ribs.
“You’re going to want to make some peppermint salve, too. There’s mint that grows all over the properties. It’s easy enough to process into a salve. I could show you how to do it, if you’d like.”
“I have a great many things to learn, it would seem.” He rode beside her, turning to her to give her a smile. “I don’t think there’s a teacher in the world who’s better than you.”
Her cheeks turned a dark shade of pink. “Thank you. I’d be happy to show you what I can.”
I’m not supposed to be spending more time with her. I’m not supposed to be showing such interest in her.
It didn’t matter what he told himself, though, he was enamored with her, and he doubted there was a cure for it.