Chapter Twenty-One
Edwin managed to get back inside the house after stabling the horse, claiming that it was more secure at the house rather than at his cottage. Travis would rather he go there and leave them alone, but knew it was better for them to stay together.
But it did make things awkward. He sat across the room, scowling at them and muttering to himself. Travis wouldn’t be surprised if he was blaming Anna for the tornado.
He wouldn’t let Edmund take the ranch. He would protect Anna as much as he could.
That shocked him more than anything. Travis hadn’t expected that, and he spent some time contemplating what it meant. He didn’t know how to feel about that.
He did like that Anna, who was normally so strong and fierce, was leaning on him, getting comfort from him. That was not something he anticipated when he first arrived.
He couldn’t remember the last time a woman looked to him for support without wanting something in return. And it was nice.
Mrs. Mason entered the room and picked up the tea tray.
“Is there anything else anyone would like?” she asked, a little too brightly.
“I would like…” Edwin began, but Travis cut him off.
“There’s nothing else we want, Mrs. Mason. Thank you.”
Mrs. Mason nodded at him and left the room with the tray. Edwin glared at Travis.
“What do you think you’re doing? I haven’t finished speaking.”
“You don’t need to. Just because Mrs. Mason is trying to keep herself occupied doesn’t mean you can treat her like a slave.”
“She’s practically a slave, isn’t she? She works here!” Edwin spat.
Travis grumbled, which made Edwin fall silent. The other man shifted awkwardly in his seat and looked away, clearing his throat. Anna lifted her head.
“What happened? I just closed my eyes for a moment.” She yawned and sat up. “I didn’t think I would be able to sleep, but I dozed.”
“It’s normal. It’s just your body’s response to stress, that’s all.” Travis gave her a slight smile. “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m not going to get upset if you fall asleep on me.”
She blushed and glanced away. She looked very pretty when she blushed.
He lifted his head and listened.
“I think the tornado’s passed on now,” he said.
“How can you tell?” Edwin asked grumpily.
“Because it’s quieter. I can still hear the wind, but it’s not as strong as before.”
Edwin scoffed. “So we’re doing everything by what you say, are we? You think we’re not going to be swept off our feet as soon as we’re outside?”
Travis ignored Edwin. “At least it’s practically gone now. We won’t need to stay cooped up in here for hours on end.”
“And what if it hasn’t?”
Travis wanted to tell Edwin to shut up, but he could see the terror in Edwin’s face, something the man was desperately trying to hide. He was terrified. He’d been pale and shaken since coming back in after stabling the horse. It took him almost half an hour to stop trembling in his chair.
He knew he should try to have some sympathy for the man, but Travis couldn’t bring himself to do it. Especially not when he was sure Edwin was behind the sabotage.
There was a tap at the door, and Mrs. Mason looked in on them. She looked relieved.
“The tornado’s gone,” she said.
“Thank goodness for that.” Anna stood up, Travis suddenly feeling a little cold. “What’s the damage?”
Mrs. Mason grimaced. “Don’t expect anything to be in one piece. I’m surprised this house is.”
Anna didn’t look happy with that response. She hurried out of the room, Travis following her and Edwin not far behind. They stepped out onto the porch, and Travis stopped in surprise when he saw the mess scattered ahead of them.
Fences were down, and half of the stable walls had been torn off. The grain store looked like it had exploded, and chickens were running loose. A couple of horses and a cow were wandering into the front yard.
Anna groaned, closing her eyes a moment before surveying the horror.
“I can’t believe this. And I thought this place could withstand a tornado.”
“Evidently not,” Edwin replied, his tone biting.
“Shut up, Edwin.” Anna didn’t even look at him. “You’re not helping.”
Edwin shrugged and walked away, although Travis caught him glancing over his shoulder at Anna with a slight smirk.
Travis turned to Anna. “We can fix this.”
“I hope so,” Anna said faintly, still staring at the mess. “I’m sure the cattle have gotten out. I’m going to need to round them up again.”
“We’ll get Connor and the others, and we’ll have this place up and running again in no time.” He squeezed her shoulders. “You know we can do it.”
Even as he said that, he could see the uncertainty in her expression.
She didn’t look confident about anything.
She looked scared. “Anna, look at me.” He gently grasped her chin and urged her to look at him.
“It’s going to be fine. I’ll make sure of it.
We just have to take a deep breath and be patient. ”
Anna nodded, but he wasn’t sure if she’d actually heard him. Then he took her hand and tugged.
“Come on. We’ll get everything sorted. I promise.”
After finding Connor and the rest of the ranch hands in the bunkhouse, Travis could tell that Anna was in no shape to give out instructions.
Connor could do it on his own, but instead deferred to Travis.
So, Travis ended up delegating the workers to where they needed to go.
He suggested that Connor and Edwin work together to put the stable back together while he and Anna went to find the escaped cattle.
Everyone else would be clearing away debris and catching the other animals.
The biggest shock came from the cattle fields.
A few heads of cattle were present, but a lot of them were lying down.
Travis could see that a couple of them were injured, scraped, and scratched, but some were dead.
He felt a sense of horror wash over him as he looked at the sight. It was horrifying.
Anna whimpered when she saw her animals dead, but she didn’t break down. She was pale, but she kept herself together, sitting stiffly in her saddle.
“We’d better go and find the rest,” she said quietly. “I know where they’d likely go.”
Travis followed her obediently, and they found the rest of the herd by the river, which seemed to have broken its banks. The cows huddled together, clearly terrified, and they didn’t look happy as Anna and Travis got closer.
But after a while, they managed to coax the animals away from the river and back to the field.
Anna was at the back, herding them as they moved.
Travis could see the tension in her face.
He wanted to take that pressure off her somehow.
This was her home, her business, and she needed to be in control, and she could see the control slipping away right now.
Somehow, they managed to get back to the field, and he and Anna spent the next hour fixing the fence.
The parts were scattered about, snapped clean through.
They were still sturdy enough and just needed to be fixed again.
Anna had some strong twine attached to her horse’s saddle, and they used it to secure the fence temporarily.
By the time they finished, Travis’s hands were sore and bleeding, and he had a few splinters to boot.
He was also shaking and freezing cold, even though it was very muggy now, and his clothes were sticking to him.
Anna was mostly silent, moving with a stutter, her mouth flattened into a hard line, and her face pale.
Travis wondered how long it would be before she broke down.
Finally, the fence was up and back where it belonged, although it looked a little lopsided. Travis inspected it, wondering how long it would last before it fell apart again.
“That’ll hold until it gets fixed properly tomorrow,” Anna said behind him. “The priority is making sure the animals are safe and penned in.”
Travis turned and looked at the rest of the herd. They were still huddled together, keeping away from the dead cows at the other end of the field. It was heartbreaking to see.. He couldn’t begin to imagine how Anna was feeling.
A whimper came from her direction, and he turned to see her shaking, staring into the distance with her face turning so pale she looked like she was going to pass out. Then she sagged to her knees, lowered her head, and began to sob.
“Anna?”
Travis went to her, hesitating as he hovered over her. What could he say in a situation like this?
Anna’s shoulders were shaking, and he felt sick to his stomach at the sight. He’d never been good at comforting someone like this, and now he felt the words get stuck in his throat.
Not wanting to stand there staring at her, he knelt carefully beside her and put his arms around her shoulders. Anna leaned into him, still sobbing, burying her face into his neck.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she whispered.
It took a moment for Travis to realize what he’d just said.
“What do you mean?”
“Running a ranch. I thought I could do it, I’ve worked on it all my life, but…” She drew a shuddering breath. “I don’t think I can. It’s too much.”
He felt the shock running through him. Anna was always so firm and optimistic about her ability to be in charge. Now her foundations were crumbling. He absently rubbed her back.
“Of course you can. You’ve been doing a great job so far. Barely batted an eye at the recent events.”
“But what if there’s another tornado? What if…”
“This is a freak occurrence around here, isn’t it?” He felt her nod against his neck. “We’ll be more prepared next time. You’re not going to be on your own.”
“Then why do I feel like I am?” She looked up at him, tears streaking her cheeks, looking like dirt lines on chalk. “I feel like I’m alone, that I’m floundering.”
“You’ve got Connor. He’s not going to let that happen.
And Mrs. Mason would say over her dead body if she was told to abandon you.
” Travis attempted a smile. “You’re just exhausted.
This has been a scary day for both of us.
You’re still in shock, and it’s going to take a while to come to terms with what happened.
You’ll see things in a better light when you’ve rested. ”
Anna didn’t look convinced. Her nose was beginning to run, and Travis fumbled in his pocket for a handkerchief.
Anna sat up and took the handkerchief, blowing her nose loudly.
Travis waited, watching her trying to regain her composure.
When she finished, she twisted the handkerchief in her lap, her head down.
“I don’t know about that,” she said softly. “There’s a part of me that should give the ranch to Edwin, but…”
“No!” Travis cut her off. “That is absolutely not going to happen. You went through all this to keep the ranch, and then you want to hand it over to him? That’s exactly what he wants!”
She blinked up at him, still looking dazed, her eyes red-rimmed. Travis cupped her head in his hands.
“This is your life. This is what you’ve always wanted. You’ve made an astounding effort with this place, especially since I’ve been here. I know you’re exhausted, and you’re questioning everything right now, but I know for a fact that you’re the best person for the job.”
“Really?”
“Of course!” He had no idea where the words were coming from. They were just tumbling out of his mouth. “And you don’t have to handle everything by yourself. I’m here. I can help.”
Something in her eyes dimmed a little.
“You mean let you take over?” she whispered as she sighed
Travis shook his head.
“Nothing like that. I mean, you are still the one in charge, but I take on some of your workload. Connor, too. He knows this place as well as you do, doesn’t he?
Take advantage of that, and allow us to help you.
We know what we’re doing. Well,” he backtracked a little.
“I sort of do, but if you need me to help out or take charge when you’re busy or need backup, just let me know. I’ll be there.”
She was staring at him as if she’d never seen him before. She bit her lip, and Travis tried not to focus on her mouth.
“You would do that for me?”
“I’m your husband, aren’t I? No matter what sort of agreement we had, I’m still your husband. And that means we’re a partnership, doesn’t it? You and I will be taking this on together.” He paused. “Don’t you agree that this would work better if we’re equals?”
Anna didn’t say anything for a moment. She was still chewing her bottom lip. Finally, she nodded and gave him a tiny smile.
Travis couldn’t stop himself. Dipping his head, he kissed her, a brief but firm press of his lips on hers before pulling back.
“You’re not alone,” he insisted. “You know I’ll be there.”
They stared at each other, and he was sure he could feel the tension tightening in the air. Then Anna reached up and touched his face, almost as if she was wondering what just happened. Her fingers brushed across his mouth, her eyes following their path.
Now Travis was beginning to wonder if he should’ve kissed her. He cleared his throat and stood up, holding out a hand.
“We’d better get back,” he said gruffly. “I’m sure the rest of the ranch is under control, but if we stay here any longer we’re going to get trampled.”
Anna didn’t move, but then she slipped her hand into his.
She stood, still clasping his fingers as Travis tried to turn away.
She stepped forward, rising up on tiptoe, and kissed him softly.
Travis could feel his heart racing so fast it was making him lightheaded.
Then Anna eased back, giving him a small smile.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
She stepped away, slowly releasing his hand, and hurried back to her horse just as thunder rolled. Travis looked up at the sky, seeing the clouds darkening. He hoped they weren’t going to get another tornado, that was practically impossible to have a second so soon.
But he didn’t want to wait around to find out.