Chapter Five
Anna didn’t like feeling out of place. It was disconcerting to know that she was married now and would be referred to as a wife. She hadn’t wanted any of that, but she didn’t have a choice.
At least Travis was very easy on the eye.
She had to agree with Emily on that. There was something about him that made her heart race.
Anna had also noticed several ladies glancing at him as they walked back to the ranch, and she’d had to fight back the urge to glare at them.
Was she jealous of people looking at her husband?
She needed to get her head on straight.
They walked in silence up to the house, the familiar smells and noise floating around them.
It was like a comfort blanket, wrapping around her shoulders and making Anna relax.
This was what she loved doing, what she’d grown up doing all her life.
To have lost it all would’ve been devastating.
Her father had to know that, and yet she had to jump over fences like she was a horse to make sure she got what they both wanted.
She wondered what Edwin was going to do or say.
His reaction would be strong, certainly, especially when he found out that Anna had managed to marry regardless of his attempts to stop her.
He’d tried to intercept her letters, turned up out of nowhere to stop her from talking too long to a man in the street or on the ranch, going so far as to threaten the man for even looking at Anna.
The workers on the ranch just ignored him, while Connor told him to get lost.
He was determined to ensure she remained unmarried so he could get what he wanted. But Anna wasn’t about to let that happen. And she’d gotten what she wanted. She was a wife now, and she could legally take what was hers.
Edwin was going to have to put up with it. If he didn’t like it, he was welcome to leave, although Anna had a feeling that he would make it incredibly difficult for her.
She would deal with him later. Right now, she wanted to show Travis around and get him settled in. She had to make sure Edwin was gone. He lived in his cottage, preferring what was his, but he had been slowly spending more time in the main house. Anna had to keep him out.
She caught sight of Connor coming out of the barn, carrying a pitchfork over his shoulder, and her spirits lifted.
“Connor!” She started waving. “Come here, will you?”
Without missing a step, Connor turned smartly and walked toward her. He gave her an easy smile and squeezed her arm.
“You’re back early,” he commented. “Did you get what you needed to do sorted?”
“You could say that.”
Now Anna was beginning to wish that she’d told Connor about what she’d been doing. Emily had suggested keeping it as quiet as possible so they wouldn’t have the secret slip to Edwin. Secrets in Vernon didn’t last for very long, so it was easier not to say anything.
Bracing herself, she turned to Travis.
“This is Connor Laurie, my foreman. He’s worked for the family for years. Connor, this is Travis.” She swallowed hard. “My husband.”
The stunned silence was immediate, and Connor looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. Then he shook himself.
“I’m sorry, but… what did you say? I could’ve sworn you said…”
“You heard me correctly,” Anna said briskly. “Travis is my husband. And he’ll be working alongside you while he gets used to things on the ranch.”
She caught sight of the way Connor glared at Travis, much to her surprise. Her normally easy-going friend was immediately tense. Clearing her throat, Anna stepped between them.
“Actually, if you wouldn’t mind showing Travis around, that would be great,” she suggested brightly. “I’ve got to make up the bed in his room to make sure he’s settled. Do you have any luggage, Travis?”
“I’ll sort it out myself. Thanks.” Travis patted the large-looking bags attached to the horse’s saddle.
“Oh. Right.” Anna dusted herself down. “Well, I hope you feel settled in soon. If you need any help, just ask Connor. He knows everything around here.”
And with that, she scurried off toward the house. She felt guilty leaving Travis there with Connor, especially with the sudden tension, but needed a moment.
Hurrying into the house and trying to ignore the tension simmering in the air, she began to set about getting things sorted. Mrs. Mason, the cook, appeared in the doorway to the kitchen as Anna carried laundry to the laundry room.
“Goodness, Anna! Who’s lit a fire under you?”
“I’m just getting the house ready.” Anna tossed the sheets into the room and shut the door. “My husband is coming in shortly, and I don’t want him to find the place looking a mess.”
Saying that out loud sounded very strange. Anna never thought she’d ever say that, and here she was just throwing out the word as if it meant nothing. It didn’t feel right.
“Wait, what did you say?” Mrs. Mason’s eyes widened. “Did you just say, husband? You never mentioned anything about getting married.”
“Well, given the circumstances, I think keeping it quiet was beneficial.”
Anna felt guilty about not saying anything to her cook about it.
Mrs. Mason had been part of the household and family since Anna was a baby.
She was a comforting presence in the house, especially as Edwin tried to take charge.
Keeping a secret from her had been hard, but it was the right thing to do.
Anna didn’t want Edwin to know what she was doing until after the wedding.
Mrs. Mason frowned. “I’m sure you know what you’re doing, but I can’t help be worried…”
“You don’t have to be concerned about me, Mrs. Mason. I know what I’m doing.” Anna gave the older woman a smile. “And we could do with another pair of hands. If we’re lucky, he might actually be useful.”
Mrs. Mason sighed. “You’re always thinking about the ranch. I’m surprised you found any time to get married at all.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Anna muttered, rolling her eyes.
“Oh, stop it.” The cook swatted her with the cloth over her shoulder. Then she glanced toward the ceiling. “You’d better be careful, though. Edwin’s in the house.”
Anna froze. “What? Where?”
“I’m not sure, but I heard him going upstairs earlier. He came back singing out of tune and slurring his words together, so I’m guessing he’s just sleeping it off.”
Edwin was drunk. Of all the times for him to be intoxicated, it had to be now. Her cousin had impeccable timing. Groaning, she turned away.
“I’d better chase him out of whatever bed he’s gotten into.”
“Would you like me to fetch some of the boys to help you?”
“Not yet, I think I can manage.”
Anna was curious to see what would happen if she summoned Travis to haul Edwin out of bed. That might prove interesting, but just not yet.
It took a while looking through the upstairs rooms before she found Edwin.
He was in the guest room Anna had planned to give to Travis, sprawled across the bed, snoring loudly.
The sound was so loud that Anna was surprised the walls weren’t shaking.
The stench of alcohol was strong, and it made her eyes water.
She couldn’t decide if Edwin was drinking because it was his way of coping with his own grief over losing Pa, or if he was doing it because he didn’t have someone to watch over him and get him to stop. It was more than likely both, but Anna wasn’t about to be his minder.
She had more important things to do. Like, figure out how to get him out of the room.
“Edwin!”
Edwin barely responded. He snorted and then settled back to his snoring.
Sighing, Anna went over to the dresser, where the jug of water for the basin stood.
Striding over to the bed, she tossed it onto him, splashing Edwin across the face.
He coughed and spluttered and started awake, staring around him in confusion before his gaze settled on Anna.
“Anna? What the…”
“If you want to sleep off your drink, go and do it in your cottage,” Anna snapped. “You’re not doing it in here.”
“But this is my home now.” Edwin sat back on his hands and smirked, his eyes still a little glazed. “I can do whatever I want, and I can choose whichever room I want.”
Anna did her best not to roll her eyes. “Given that mentality, I’m surprised you didn’t choose my room.”
“I was tempted, but the ground was threatening to tip me over, so I came in here.” Edwin belched loudly.
That didn’t give her much relief. Anna pointed at the door.
“Get out. You go back home and get some sleep in your own bed. Even though you’re supposed to be working.”
“Why should I?” Edwin shot back. “I’m the owner now. I can do what I want.”
“First of all, you’re not the owner until next Thursday,” Anna pointed out sharply. “And secondly, even if you were the owner, you’ve got a job. The only reason I haven’t fired you yet is that Pa wanted you to have a job for life, and I’m trying to honor his wishes, but…”
“There’s that as well,” Edwin said smugly. “I can’t get fired. I’ve got the perfect job, the perfect house…”
“It’s not yours, now get out!” Anna cried. She grabbed his arm and tugged. “Now!”
To her surprise, Edwin ended up on the ground with a loud thud. He gasped and struggled to get up, clutching onto the side of the bed.
“What… you… I’m sick! You would throw a sick man out of bed?”
Anna rolled her eyes. “You’re not sick. You’ve just had too much to drink. Now get out!”
“You would throw your own family out?”
Anna folded her arms and stepped back. She wasn’t interested in having a further argument; she had more important things to do. Finally, Edwin stood up, swaying a little on his feet.
“All right, fine. I’ll leave. But this isn’t over, Anna. You’ve got just under a week left, and then I get what is rightfully mine.” He leered at her. “You really have no chance of finding a husband. Nobody was going to look at someone like you.”
“You think so?”
“I know so.” Edwin looked her up and down. “You’re not even that attractive, dear Anna. You’re never going to find that man who is going to be loyal to you. I’ll be able to get them round to my way of thinking.”
Anna scoffed at that. “Do you think that a man can only be loyal to a woman if she’s simply beautiful?”
“It’s how things work, isn’t it?” Edwin asked, belching again and smiling.
“Your logic is incredibly skewed. Now, if you’ll excuse me? I’ve got to get on, and you’ve either got a choice of going back to work and doing your job, or you can go to your cottage and sleep it off.”
“I think I’m going to sleep it off.” Edwin yawned as he walked past her, almost bumping into her. “Then I’m going to spend my evening with my friends in town again.”
“What friends?”
But Edwin seemed to ignore her, half-walking, half-stumbling out of the door. Anna growled and turned back to the bed. It was wet, but it didn’t look soaked. She tugged the coverlet off and saw that it hadn’t soaked through. It should air out enough until Travis retired for the night.
Even then, she felt embarrassed that Edwin had been behaving like he was. Why couldn’t he just straighten himself out? Then again, given his belief that he was going to get the ranch, he was celebrating a little too much.
Anna was looking forward to bringing her cousin back down to Earth.