thoughts for a long time. He cleared his throat, searching for calm.
“Sarah…Sarah MacGregor, right?” He shot her a look of what he hoped was total disinterest. “What a surprise after all these years.”
Swallowing the sour taste in her mouth, she searched his eyes, trying to find any trace of the man she loved in them. “You…you didn’t come here for me?” Her eyes teared at the same moment she sensed movement next to her.
Reaching a hand toward Colin, Caleb smiled. “Good to see you again, Colin. I’m Caleb Stewart. I doubt you’ll remember me, but we traveled west in the same wagon train.”
Colin’s gaze moved from Sarah’s face to the outstretched hand.
“I remember you, Stewart.” Ignoring Caleb’s attempt at friendship, he turned toward Chieftain and grabbed the reins.
“Colin, wait. Where are you going?” The desperation in Sarah’s voice cut through him and he wondered what game she played.
“Good to see you again, Sarah. Perhaps we’ll see each other again before I leave.” Swinging into the saddle, he started to rein his horse away.
“Don’t be daft, MacLaren,” Caleb shouted in a cold, stern voice. “No woman could have been more devoted to a man she hasn’t seen in over five years than Sarah MacGregor. At least show her some respect after all this time. Then open your eyes before you throw away a prize any man would covet.”
Caleb’s words shot through Colin as doubt filled his mind. Forcing himself to take another look at Sarah, he let his gaze roam from the hair he wanted to run his fingers through, to her eyes, now filled with pain. Not allowing his gaze to linger, he continued down until his eyes locked on a bright silver object pinned to her dress. His gram’s brooch. Closing his eyes tight, he felt the pain in his chest recede.
“Sarah…” he breathed out a moment before dropping to the ground and crushing her to him. “When I saw you with Caleb I thought…”
Burying her face in his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as if she’d never let go. Feeling tears soak his shirt, she pulled back to swipe them from her face. Choking back a sob, she looked at him.
“I would’ve waited forever for you, Colin.”
“Seems you’ve lost your girl, Wes. The man she talked about showed up in town tonight to claim her.” Walt took a long drag from a cheroot as he leaned against the bunkhouse. Foregoing his night at the saloon, he’d ridden back to the Bell Ranch as soon as he finished eating at the restaurant where the scene unfolded. “Guess you’re going to have to find another woman to get your mind off your stepma.”
Wes paced a few feet away, paying little attention to Walt’s last comment. He and Dougal had been certain Sarah’s objections to marrying him were a way of getting away from her father rather than a rejection of Wes’s desire to marry her. Neither believed her declaration of being betrothed to MacLaren, or that the man would ever come to claim her. Looks like they’d been wrong.
“You’re certain it’s MacLaren?”
“Yep. They both took off for a spell, but when they returned to eat, I could hear it all. He rode into town with two other MacLarens. There’s something else. Our new man, Caleb Stewart, was having supper with Sarah before MacLaren arrived.”
This got Wes’s attention. He knew little about Caleb except he seemed to be a hard worker, kept to himself, and could handle ranch work better than most. It hadn’t occurred to him that his hired hand knew Sarah. In Wes’s mind, accepting a supper invitation from one of his hired men couldn’t be overlooked. He’d given her time to make the right decision. With MacLaren in town, his patience had been exhausted.
“Where is MacLaren staying?” Wes needed to get MacLaren alone, explain who Sarah belonged to.
“The hotel.”
“Then that is where we start.”
Situated in a section of town several hundred yards from the school, Sarah’s house faced
“Sarah…Sarah MacGregor, right?” He shot her a look of what he hoped was total disinterest. “What a surprise after all these years.”
Swallowing the sour taste in her mouth, she searched his eyes, trying to find any trace of the man she loved in them. “You…you didn’t come here for me?” Her eyes teared at the same moment she sensed movement next to her.
Reaching a hand toward Colin, Caleb smiled. “Good to see you again, Colin. I’m Caleb Stewart. I doubt you’ll remember me, but we traveled west in the same wagon train.”
Colin’s gaze moved from Sarah’s face to the outstretched hand.
“I remember you, Stewart.” Ignoring Caleb’s attempt at friendship, he turned toward Chieftain and grabbed the reins.
“Colin, wait. Where are you going?” The desperation in Sarah’s voice cut through him and he wondered what game she played.
“Good to see you again, Sarah. Perhaps we’ll see each other again before I leave.” Swinging into the saddle, he started to rein his horse away.
“Don’t be daft, MacLaren,” Caleb shouted in a cold, stern voice. “No woman could have been more devoted to a man she hasn’t seen in over five years than Sarah MacGregor. At least show her some respect after all this time. Then open your eyes before you throw away a prize any man would covet.”
Caleb’s words shot through Colin as doubt filled his mind. Forcing himself to take another look at Sarah, he let his gaze roam from the hair he wanted to run his fingers through, to her eyes, now filled with pain. Not allowing his gaze to linger, he continued down until his eyes locked on a bright silver object pinned to her dress. His gram’s brooch. Closing his eyes tight, he felt the pain in his chest recede.
“Sarah…” he breathed out a moment before dropping to the ground and crushing her to him. “When I saw you with Caleb I thought…”
Burying her face in his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on as if she’d never let go. Feeling tears soak his shirt, she pulled back to swipe them from her face. Choking back a sob, she looked at him.
“I would’ve waited forever for you, Colin.”
“Seems you’ve lost your girl, Wes. The man she talked about showed up in town tonight to claim her.” Walt took a long drag from a cheroot as he leaned against the bunkhouse. Foregoing his night at the saloon, he’d ridden back to the Bell Ranch as soon as he finished eating at the restaurant where the scene unfolded. “Guess you’re going to have to find another woman to get your mind off your stepma.”
Wes paced a few feet away, paying little attention to Walt’s last comment. He and Dougal had been certain Sarah’s objections to marrying him were a way of getting away from her father rather than a rejection of Wes’s desire to marry her. Neither believed her declaration of being betrothed to MacLaren, or that the man would ever come to claim her. Looks like they’d been wrong.
“You’re certain it’s MacLaren?”
“Yep. They both took off for a spell, but when they returned to eat, I could hear it all. He rode into town with two other MacLarens. There’s something else. Our new man, Caleb Stewart, was having supper with Sarah before MacLaren arrived.”
This got Wes’s attention. He knew little about Caleb except he seemed to be a hard worker, kept to himself, and could handle ranch work better than most. It hadn’t occurred to him that his hired hand knew Sarah. In Wes’s mind, accepting a supper invitation from one of his hired men couldn’t be overlooked. He’d given her time to make the right decision. With MacLaren in town, his patience had been exhausted.
“Where is MacLaren staying?” Wes needed to get MacLaren alone, explain who Sarah belonged to.
“The hotel.”
“Then that is where we start.”
Situated in a section of town several hundred yards from the school, Sarah’s house faced
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