Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3)(11)
“No, she worked too hard doctoring me.” Wyatt looked at the terse note again. “I was impatient and cranky all the time. It was me.”
“We talked of being teachers.” Win looked at the note, her brow furrowed with worry. “I thought we had that in common. She even mentioned getting my old teacher’s job. But I told her they would’ve hired someone else by now. I thought all consideration of that was over and done. I should have known she wanted to leave here. It was me, Kevin.”
“Well, it wasn’t me. None of this is my fault.” Cheyenne gave the kitchen stove a mean look, like it was her enemy and she was in no mood to fight a war tonight.
Kevin took the note back and crushed it in his hand. “She should have told us. Talked to us about it. She shouldn’t have just run off like she did.”
He looked at Win again, frowning. “I should have talked to her about plans, about the future. I should have made sure she knew I wanted her to live with us when we get a house built. But we haven’t really talked about the future since . . . since . . .”
“Since you got married?” Win asked.
“Since I ran off and got married without talking to her, then mostly cut her out of my life since I got back.” He bent and kissed Win. “I love being married to you. My life seems so full, but to me that always included my sister and brother. Maybe she didn’t understand that.”
“She might have gone just ’cuz she thinks you’ve got a new family, Kevin,” Wyatt said, “and she wants to let you get on with your life. Andy’s working hard on the ranch. He doesn’t even eat with us in the house anymore. It might not be about liking or not liking anyone, she might just think it’s time she got on with her own life, and she doesn’t see that being here at the ranch.” Wyatt gave Cheyenne a nervous look.
“What?” she snapped. “You’ve thought of a way to blame this on me?”
“No, but it was this morning that you confirmed Pa probably wasn’t legally married to Ma. If it’s true, the will doesn’t stand. Which means Kevin doesn’t own any of it.”
“I told you I don’t want any part of a stolen ranch,” Kevin fumed.
“Yes, and Falcon said it, too, and I believe you. That’s real decent of you.” Wyatt tried to trace down all Cheyenne had told him. “You’re still my brothers, and you are welcome to have a home here on the RHR. But maybe Molly didn’t see herself as part of that. She has no blood relation to me and Cheyenne. This ranch isn’t in any way hers.”
“Yes, but she’s my family even if she’s not yours. Leaving has to be—”
“Maybe,” Cheyenne cut him off, “she just doesn’t like cooking and cleaning all day every day. I know I wouldn’t.” Cheyenne’s shoulders slumped as she trudged over to the stove. “She was a schoolmarm back in Kansas. Maybe she just quit a job that didn’t suit her to get one that did.”
Wyatt’s exhaustion slid away as worry and regret gave him new energy, pushing him to find Molly. “I’ll go with you to look for her, Kevin. If you and Molly haven’t talked about how she fits into your future, it’s a big part my fault because she’s been fetching and carrying for me all day long. I’ve been so useless with my arm bound.”
He circled his shoulder and winced. “She’s done so much to care for me, and I don’t know if she realizes how much I appreciated it.” Had he said thank you? Or had he complained about being more or less tied up for six weeks?
And blamed it on Molly and her doctoring, as if she’d shot him and broken his collarbone.
Kevin turned to Win. “You stay here. It’s cold.”
Wyatt turned to Cheyenne. “We can’t all go haring off and leave Win alone at home. It’s not safe. And you’re right. You’ve done nothing to be sorry for. It’s me that needs to go. Kevin may be part of it, but I reckon she mostly just got tired of me.” He thought of her warm and soft against him. “And she was too decent to leave until I was up and around.”
“She made the most delicious thing I’ve ever had for dessert today.” Cheyenne patted her stomach.
Wyatt thought of that custard. He guessed that’d be what they served for dessert in heaven. He could eat that for three meals a day, every day, for the rest of his life, though her fried chicken was the best he’d ever had, too. “We’ve got to get her back just so she can make more of that.”
“We told her thank you, real nice, when she served that.” Cheyenne looked at the tidy counter. “I wonder if there’s any of it left?”
“I think I remember licking out the pan,” Wyatt said with a shrug. The pain from that motion made him immediately regret the movement. “You and Win can get some supper on. We can eat fried eggs and biscuits. I hope to be back in an hour, even if we have to throw Molly over a saddle and cart her home like a felled elk.”
Bear Claw Pass was a half-hour ride if they goaded their horses. So they’d really have to just grab her and run.
“Hey, get out here,” Falcon called from outside. He must have the horses ready.
Win grabbed Kevin’s wrist. “Maybe you should ride beside her on the way home and have a good long talk.”
Kevin nodded and kissed her.
Wyatt headed out, dreading Cheyenne’s cooking. Especially when she was in a bad mood. He should have told her they’d just eat bread and butter. Molly was ahead with the baking. Cheyenne seemed to cook at a full gallop with little care for charred edges and rare innards. Sometimes, after her more rushed meals, he felt like he had charred edges and rare innards.