Chapter Six
When Travis opened his eyes, it took him a moment to figure out where he was. The bed was too big and comfortable, and the room smelled nice. Not at all what he was used to. He could hear cows mooing and someone laughing outside, too.
He was in Vernon, not Piney Woods, not living with Peggy. He was now a married man, his wife a ranch owner who was clearly good at getting what she wanted. And she wasn’t about to lose what was rightfully hers.
Part of him had to admire her tenacity. A woman would have to be tough to run a ranch, and from the brief moments the day before, Travis could tell that Anna was someone who wasn’t to be argued with. She knew what was needed in the business.
He’d read her letters and felt the passion for what she loved in her words, but seeing it in person was something else. It made him feel like he hadn’t had any passion for his own job at all. Anna could put anyone to shame.
He’d wanted to help out the day before with something, anything, but he’d been given menial jobs to do, going around the perimeter and checking the fence.
Connor stayed with him, pointing out important parts of the ranch, but he wasn’t exactly friendly.
Travis could understand that. From the look on his face, Connor hadn’t realized that Anna was getting married at all, never mind that day.
He had to remind himself regularly that this wasn’t something anyone was used to. They were in the same boat, and they had to make it work. This was Travis’s new life, and he was going to make the most of it.
It was going to be difficult, but he was confident he could manage.
Swinging his legs out of bed, Travis took a moment to get his bearings. He yawned loudly and stretched, feeling his back click several times. He hoped he would be given something more interesting to do. Although he didn’t know what could be interesting as a rancher.
He was feeling out of place, like he’d fulfilled his purpose and nobody was paying him any attention.
Washing himself and getting dressed, Travis stopped by the window and looked out into the front yard.
Anna and Connor were talking, seeming intent on whatever they were discussing.
Connor rested a hand on Anna’s shoulder, and she didn’t push him away.
Travis had gotten the impression that Connor was overprotective of Anna.
He suddenly felt a knot of something building in his stomach, as if it was telling him that this shouldn’t be right. Travis ignored it. He didn’t have the right to be jealous of anyone. Just as long as Anna didn’t humiliate him.
As he went downstairs, he wondered where Edwin was.
Travis could imagine that things were tense between him and Anna.
It had to be hard to be told there would be no inheritance unless something was done first. Anna clearly didn’t like the idea of getting married, but she was doing it for convenience. She got something out of it.
In a way, so did he. He had a new home, a new life, and a fresh start. It just felt a little more stilted.
Travis found the kitchen, where a tall, thick-waisted woman with a warm smile and bright white hair cut short was rolling out pastry. She smiled at his entrance.
“Good morning, Mr. Cooper. I trust you slept well?”
“It was… fine.” Travis grimaced. He’d briefly seen this woman the day before, but he’d not been introduced. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage.”
“That Anna. I swear she forgets her manners at times. I’m Beatrice Mason, the resident cook.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “My husband, Richard, helps out with the cattle in the fields with our two lads, Jamie and Carl.”
“So, your family runs it then?” Travis asked lamely.
Mrs. Mason smiled.
“You could say that. The Masons and the Montgomeries have known each other for years. I’ve known little Anna since she was a newborn and I was about your age.” She laughed. “I don’t wish to be young again, though. It was too much like hard work.”
“And you’re not working hard now?”
“I’m used to it now. When you get to my age, you see it as something relaxing. Your body knows what to do without feeling like you’re floundering.” She gave him a knowing look. “Much like you’re feeling about yourself right now, I shouldn’t imagine. Are you feeling out of place? Unsure what to do?”
Travis cleared his throat.
“You… you could say that.”
“It’ll pass. You just have to find your place in life, and I’m sure you will.” Mrs. Mason gestured at the counter. “Would you like some breakfast? I’ve just made it for the lads, but there’s plenty left.”
Immediately, Travis’s stomach started growling. He saw the scraps of bacon and scrambled egg, along with the thickly cut bread and beans. Now that was a breakfast he could enjoy.
“I wouldn’t mind…” he began, but the cook was already ushering him to a chair.
“Come along. We don’t want you starving on your first day.”
“Do you know what Anna wants me to do?” Travis asked as he sat down. “I saw her outside, so I have a feeling I’d better get a move on.”
“I’m sure she’ll tell you in time what you can do,” Mrs. Mason said cheerfully, placing a full plate in front of him.
“Get that down, and then you can go and find her. I’m sure she’s got plenty of things for you to do.
That poor child has been handling everything on her own since her father passed. She could use the help.”
Travis hoped so. He’d been doing mostly menial tasks the day before along with checking the perimeter fence. He understood that he hadn’t worked on a ranch before, but it was as if Anna didn’t truly trust him with anything.
While she was polite enough, there was a decidedly frosty atmosphere about her, and Travis knew it had something to do with him.
It wasn’t easy for either of them to marry minutes after meeting despite their plan for it to happen, but the fact that it happened so fast was still making Travis’s head spin.
What could he complain about, though? It was a business transaction, as far as both of them were concerned.
Travis knew he should be relieved that he was doing something different, and he was away from the physical reminders of what he’d lost. And yet it felt as if he’d just entered another situation where he would face harsh criticism.
From what he’d gathered from the day before, Anna was a strong, capable worker, and she knew exactly what she wanted. She wasn’t about to let anyone slack off. Travis didn’t want to be seen as one who did that.
Finishing off his breakfast, much to Mrs. Mason’s delight, Travis quickly drank some coffee and left the house.
He needed to find Anna, hopefully to get some work done, rather than walking around doing little.
He didn’t expect to round up the cattle and tame the wild horses, but perhaps he could help feed them and look after the stables.
Or even fix something that needed fixing.
That was up to Anna, though. She was his wife and employer, and Travis was still conflicted as to how he felt about it.
Anna was leaning on the fence surrounding the paddock, watching intently as one of her employees tamed a horse.
The horse looked agitated and kept kicking out, prancing around, trying to get the man off its back.
Travis flinched as the man fell off, only to get up again and try once more.
He certainly couldn’t do anything like that.
“Morning,” he said brightly.
Anna glanced at him, her smile fading a little. Yet again, Travis felt himself transfixed by her eyes. There was something arresting about her, the way her eyes narrowed, and her cheeks flushed a dark red. She was a very pretty woman, and he couldn’t stop himself from staring.
“I see you’ve decided to grace us with your presence,” Anna said with a clipped tone.
“I’m sorry. I’m not used to…”
“You’ll get used to it quickly. I’ll make sure someone wakes you up in the mornings.” She turned away. “Can you do any carpentry work? I know you cut trees down, but do you do anything beyond that?”
“Of course. It’s common to do both.”
“Then you can help with building the new feed store.” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “My old one has finally collapsed, and there’s some rot in the wood. We need a new one before the weather turns bad.”
“I can organize that. That’s fine,” Travis said eagerly.
Anna frowned, but she nodded and turned away.
Travis hesitated. He wanted to stay a little longer, just to get to know her a bit more.
He had to find out what went through his wife’s head.
If he could do that, he would know what she liked and wanted.
It would be preferable to carry on and not upset her.
Besides, the tension between them persisted, and it was awkward. Travis didn’t want that. It felt like he was standing next to a new employer, not his wife. He cleared his throat.
“You’ve done really well with this place,” he said, wincing at how pathetic that sounded.
“Oh?”
She didn’t take her eyes off the horse, which was starting to slowly get tamed, prancing less and starting to trot around the enclosure. Travis nodded, taking off his Stetson and running his fingers through his hair. How was he sweating already?
“You said that your family has owned this ranch since it was first built?”
“Yes. My grandfather built it before the town was even here. It was practically built around the ranch.”
He understood Anna’s strong ties to the ranch and why she wanted to maintain ownership.
“That’s surprising. Normally, the ranches are built around the towns and cities.”
Anna shrugged.
“It just happened that way. I would rather not have my neighbors literally on my doorstep, but it’s still a beautiful place.”
Travis couldn’t argue with that. He could see that for himself.
The scenery was a stark contrast, sloping away behind the buildings to his right and stretching toward a river in the distance, while trees lined the ranch's left side.
He could just about hear the hustle and bustle of Vernon, on the other side of the tree line.
It was isolated, and yet it was close to civilization, a nice combination of the two.
“I’m sure your grandfather would be proud of it now,” Travis remarked. “Especially with someone as competent as you running it.”
Anna turned a cool stare onto him, arching an eyebrow in bemusement.
“Are you trying to flatter me, Travis?”
“What?”
“It sounds like you’re trying to endear yourself to me. You wouldn’t be attempting to compliment me for your own gains, would you?”
“What…” Travis felt surprise, and then outrage, at her suggestion. “Of course not! I was just making conversation…”
“Well, you can stop that. You may have the title of husband, but I’m the one in charge here. I own this ranch, nobody else.” Her tone was telling him she wasn’t going to take any arguments. “All you have to do is do as you’re told.”
He held up his hands, still annoyed at her comments.
“Trust me, I have no intention of running a ranch. I just want us to get along, that’s all.”
Anna sniffed. “We can do that if you do your work. The only difference between you and the rest of my employees is that you sleep in the house with me. That’s it.”
Travis didn’t like being treated like he was a simple employee. He understood their situation, but Anna seemed determined to keep him at arm’s length. It was irritating. Anna was colder than he ever imagined.
He cleared his throat and stepped back, jamming his Stetson on his head.
“I got it,” he said coldly. “I’m just another pair of hands to you. I don’t have an opinion at all.”
“No, you don’t,” Anna shot back. “Now, go and help out with the building. I’m sure we can put you to good use.”
Why was she behaving this way? They didn’t have to be a loving pair, but the way she was treating him as if he were less than an employee smarted. Travis didn’t like it. Sure, it was going to be awkward, but she didn’t have to behave this way.
Maybe she was just as nervous as he was, and this was the way she could cope with the situation. Although Travis wasn’t sure if he believed himself.
Without another word, he turned and walked away, wondering if he’d done the right thing. This was the fresh start that he wanted, but it wasn’t going to be so easy.