“You got what you wanted, too, sweetheart,” Reese reminded her. “Don’t forget that.”
Joy tugged on Faith’s coat sleeve. “Faith, are you mad at Weese for buying me a pony?”
Faith pulled her little sister into her lap. “No, angel,” she assured her. “I’m mad at myself for letting him buy me.” Her voice was too low for Charlie and Sam to overhear.
“I didn’t buy you, sweetheart.” The endearment stung. “I rented what I thought was a fertile womb. And you succeeded in convincing me that you’d borne a child. You should be very proud of yourself, too.” He flung her words back at her.
“Are you mad at yourself, too, Weese?” Joy was concerned.
“No, sprite, just disappointed.” Reese turned his attention back to the horses.
“Reese,” Faith began, shaken by anger, realizing she had embarrassed him in front of his family. “I’m sorry.”
“Forget it.” He didn’t look at her.
“But…”
Reese jerked back on the reins. The buggy jolted to a halt. The wagon slowed down behind them. Reese maneuvered the buggy to the side of the road, then motioned for the others to pass them. Charlie waved goodbye, then he and Sam trotted off to keep pace with the wagon as it rumbled past the buggy.
Reese turned to her. “Look, you’ve been spoiling for a fight since early this morning.”
Faith opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head to forestall her. “If you really want to fight, I’ll oblige you. But not now. Not in front of my family. Your complaint is with me, not them, and I won’t have you embarrassing them again. Is that clear?”
Faith kept quiet.
“Is it?”
“Yes!”
“Then keep quiet about your complaints until we get to the house. We can fight in the privacy of our bedroom.”
“You don’t really think I’ll sleep with you after this, do you?” Faith sat up very straight in the buggy seat, every line of her body tense, waiting for his answer.
“Why not?” Reese asked. “We enjoy each other.”
“I don’t?”
“Hush, Faith.” He hooked a hand around her neck and pulled her to him. She expected his kiss to be hard and angry. She was surprised to find his lips, soft, tempting, persuasive. The blood sang through her veins. This was what she’d been fighting for all morning. This was what she wanted.
Chapter Eighteen
The main house of the Trail T ranch was situated five miles northwest of Cheyenne, just off the road to Laramie, but the ranch itself was spread out over a much larger distance. It was bordered on the north by a section of Lodgepole Creek, and by the foothills of the Laramie Mountains on the south and west. Reese’s father had staked out land surrounding the main house and the outbuildings back in 1862. Under the Homestead Act, each head of household was allowed 160 acres of free land if a man agreed to live on and cultivate it. Benjamin Jordan had used that law to establish title to the section of land adjacent to the creek. A year later, he had purchased an additional nine hundred acres from the government at $1.25 an acre. Reese had filed claim for ownership of those original acres in 1867, just before the Union Pacific Railroad began buying up choice lots around Cheyenne. Reese Jordan now owned close to a thousand acres of prime grass land, grazing land for cattle, but if he hoped to increase his herd, he would have to more. He had spent the better part of the past year lobbying the government into issuing leases and grazing rights to federal land to local ranchers.
Faith studied the ranch house as the buggy bounced over the ruts and potholes in the road leading up to it. After the disappointment of Cheyenne, the main house of the Trail T ranch was a pleasant surprise. The central portion of the two-story house was built of log and stone to withstand the harsh Wyoming winters. It was flanked by long, low one-story wings and fronted by a huge porch.
The drive leading to the house circled in front of the porch steps, making it possible to drive right up to the front door. Had the house been made of white clapboard or red brick, it could have belonged on any Virginia plantation. The arrangement of the house and the other buildings surrounding it reminded Faith of her grandfather Hamilton’s plantation. She found the comparison comforting. From her place in the buggy, she could see two barns, a smithy, stables, a log cabin, the corral, a paddock, and the smokehouse. Yes, everything seemed very familiar.
She squinted against the sun as she looked out over the open range, hoping to see the livestock. She turned to Reese. “Where are all the cows?”
“The milk cows are in the barn. The cattle are out on the range,” he answered.
“By themselves?”
“Oh, they’re probably keeping company with the cattle from a couple of other ranches.”
“How do you know which ones are yours?”
“Mine all have the Trail T brand on them. The herd roams free during the winter. In the spring, we round up all the Trail T stock and brand the calves.” He maneuvered the buggy around the circle drive, pulling it to a halt behind the wagon. Charlie and Sam had dismounted and were busy helping unload the supplies. Reese climbed down from the buggy and held his arms out for Faith. “Let’s go in out of the cold. I’ll show you around the house.” He reached up for Joy and lowered her to the ground.