This Calder Range (Calder Saga 1)

As she was smoothing the last strand of hair into its neat coil, there was a knock at the door. She went to it, and paused, noticing the key in the lock.

“Benteen?” she asked.

“Yes.”

When she opened the door, his gaze flicked to her dress and back to her face. “I thought you might be awake by now.”

“I got up a few minutes ago,” Lorna admitted. “Is it very late?”

“After nine o’clock.”

It seemed impossible that she could have slept so long. Her exhaustion had obviously been of the mind as well as the body.

“Are you ready to go down for breakfast?” Benteen asked.

“Yes. I suppose you’ve eaten,” she guessed.

He nodded. “I’ll have coffee with you. Then I’ll have to ride out to the herd. There’s a buyer who wants to look over those three hundred head of steers I plan to sell.”

“Oh.” Lorna wasn’t sure why she had expected him to spend most of the day with her. Wasn’t it always the cattle? She was sure if it ever came down to a choice between their marriage and the cattle, the cattle would win.

“You’ll be all right, won’t you?”

“Of course,” she declared on an airily sarcastic note that he didn’t understand.

The cattle buyer stopped by their breakfast table to see when Benteen wanted to ride out to the herd. Lorna could tell how anxious Benteen was, so she suggested that he leave now, assuring him she would manage fine on her own. Then she was irritated when he accepted it without protest.

She wasn’t used to all this idle time, and didn’t really know what to do with it. After breakfast she spent some time in the room. But that was too confining. She ventured out of the hotel for a short walk, and returned in time for lunch.

The dining room was full. When she couldn’t find a place to sit, she started to leave rather than draw attention to the fact she was unescorted. As she turned, Lorna nearly walked right into the man entering the dining room.

“Mr. Giles.” She was surprised to recognize a familiar face after seeing so many strangers.

“Mrs. Calder.” He took off his hat and made a little bow to her. “I thought I might bump into you and your husband here. It’s his usual hangout in Dodge.”

“I guess you brought your herd safely here,” she said.

“They’re a couple miles outside of town, eating grass and getting fat,” he confirmed.

There were some people, Lorna supposed, who would be intimidated by the man’s bigness and his brutish appearance, but she felt completely safe with him. He showed his interest in her as a woman, but always with respect. She knew he wouldn’t make any overtures unless she invited them.

“Have you had lunch, Mrs. Calder?” he inquired.

“Actually, no,” she admitted. “But the tables are all taken.”

“Someone’s just leaving over there.” He nodded toward a table where the men were standing up to leave. “I’d be proud if you’d join me for lunch. Or are you waiting for your husband?”

“He took a buyer out to look at some steers he’s selling. I’m not sure when he’ll be back.” Eating alone wasn’t a pleasant prospect after being left to her own devices all morning. “I’d be happy to lunch with you, Mr. Giles.”

15

Lunch with Bull Giles was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. All that brawn masked a man with a keen mind and a cutting wit. In his dry quiet way he mocked the cattle talk going on around them and the well-dressed men engaging in it. Several times his biting comments made Lorna laugh aloud.

When Bull Giles showed an inclination to linger over coffee and stretch out the lunch, Lorna knew she shouldn’t allow it to happen. It would be too easily misconstrued. As it was, Benteen would not be pleased that she had spent any time with Bull Giles. She was beginning to understand just how strong that possessive streak was in Benteen.

But she was enjoying Bull’s company. It was innocent and harmless, so why should she deny herself of it? That small seed of rebellion had not been completely stamped out. Did she always have to do things to please someone else? Surely she could chat with a person she liked simply because it was what she wanted to do. After all, they were hardly alone, not with a restaurant full of people around them.

Lorna didn’t refuse when a waiter stopped at their table to refill their coffeecups. She lifted the china cup, delicately blowing to cool the coffee before taking a sip. Over the cup’s rim, she noticed the absorbed way Bull watched her.