The Cowboy's Convenient Proposal. Linda Ford

she must find the strength somewhere. Somehow.

      Too bad she no longer believed God would help her or she would pray for His intervention.

      Chapter Two

      “Boys.” Eddie stepped into the cookhouse as the cowboys ate their breakfast. “Red is missing.”

      Ward dropped his fork and stared. Yesterday she could barely stand. Now she was gone?

      Eddie continued. “Her room was empty when we got up this morning. I’m telling you, Linette is some concerned about her. Figures she’s lost her memory again and is wandering about, lost and alone. Or worse, passed out somewhere.” He scrubbed at his neck. “Boys, we have to find her before Linette gets it into her head to go looking. We can’t have that. Especially in her condition.” Linette was in the family way, and Eddie worried constantly about her.

      Ward was already on his feet. “I’ll check the barn.” He was out the door while Eddie ordered men to various corners of the yard to search for the missing woman.

      Ward raced to the barn. Had she wandered out in the dark? Fallen in the river? He shuddered as he imagined her alone. Further injured. Suffering. He’d rescued her from a harmful situation. He could only pray she hadn’t fallen into a worse one. The door squawked a protest as he pushed it open and stepped into the warm, dusty interior. “Red,” he yelled, wondering if she could hear his voice. Would she respond even if she did? He headed down the alley, paused at the first stall. It was empty. The horse that should be there was gone.

      Gone? Had the animal let himself out? Probably not, since it was Moon that should have been in that stall and Moon liked the comforts of the barn too much to wander.

      Suspicion crept into Ward’s thoughts. Red kept saying she wanted to go back. He went to the tack room and counted the saddles. Sure enough. One missing.

      His jaw clenched. Even though he knew it was useless to search the rest of the barn, he did so. More out of wishing she was here than thinking she was. Then he headed back to the cookhouse. Eddie paced the floor, waiting for someone to return with good news to ease his wife’s worry.

      “’Fraid I have bad news,” Ward said. “There’s a horse missing. And a saddle.” Even though Eddie looked ready to chew nails, he might as well tell it all. “There were small footprints in the dust. Lady-sized.”

      Eddie groaned. “She stole a horse? Don’t hardly call that gratitude. Do you?”

      Ward didn’t say one way or the other. “I’ll ride after her and get the horse.”

      “You do that.”

      Ward hesitated. Did Eddie want him to turn Red over to the Mountie as a horse thief? Though Ward was beginning to think the only place Red would be safe was behind bars.

      “Just get the horse back.” Eddie spun about and paced to the far side of the room. He stared out the window as Ward waited. With a gut-deep sigh, Eddie turned. “And bring her back, too, or Linette will have both our hides.”

      “Boss, you expect me to tie her to the saddle?”

      Eddie grinned. “Ward, charm her into coming back.”

      “Yeah, right.” So far neither charm nor superior strength had convinced Red she didn’t need to go back to that man Thorton. “Why in the name of all that’s right would she want to return?”

      “I don’t know. Doesn’t make sense. He must have some hold on her, though I can’t imagine what it could be.”

      Ward turned and headed back to the barn. Whatever Red’s reason, he intended to stop her. No way he could stand by and see a person subjected to the abuse he knew she received. As he saddled up, he prayed for a way to convince her. And, Lord, keep her safe. In her condition she could have fallen from the horse and received further injury.

      Following her tracks presented no challenge and he galloped down the trail. The sun rose higher in the east, bringing with it the promise of heat.

      Was Red in that silly dress she clutched in her arms yesterday? If so, she’d soon be burnt a matching color. Though anyone riding back into her situation deserved to suffer some misery. Might make her reconsider her decision.

      But worry soon replaced his annoyance. And a large dose of confusion. He knew firsthand the pain and fear of living with someone who controlled with fists to the flesh and a belt across the back...or anywhere it landed. Why would she return to such a situation? Eddie said the man must have a hold on her. But Ward couldn’t imagine what that could be.

      He settled into a lope. An hour later he glimpsed her in the distance and urged his horse to a gallop.

      As he closed the distance, she turned, saw him and kicked poor old Moon into a jarring trot. Ward knew from experience how rough a ride Moon was and almost felt sorry for her.

      He easily overtook her, grabbed the bridle and pulled them to a standstill. “What do you think you’re doing?” At least she’d chosen to wear the brown dress rather than the revealing red one.

      “I’m going back where I belong.” Her green eyes blazed with defiance.

      “You know the kind of trouble you can get into for stealing a horse?”

      “About the same you will be in for kidnapping me.”

      “Kidnapping!” She had to be joshing. “I rescued you.”

      “Don’t recall saying I needed rescuing.”

      He reached out and touched her back where he’d seen the red welts and knew a fleeting sense of triumph when she flinched. “You planning to tell me you like that kind of treatment?”

      “Wasn’t planning to tell you anything.”

      “I know what it’s like to have a belt used on me. I know what it does to your mind.”

      Her eyes darkened. She pressed her lips together. For a moment he thought she might soften. Admit the pain. Relent. But then her shoulders went back and her chin went up and he knew she wouldn’t give in.

      “Nothing touches my mind.”

      Ward shrugged. “You’ll never convince me, ’cause I know better. Not only does it affect your mind, it affects your heart. Teaches you to build guards around it so no one can get in.”

      “Speak for yourself.” She jerked away and urged the horse forward.

      He grabbed the bridle again. “You ain’t going anywhere.”

      She yanked at the reins, trying to get free. When that didn’t work, she slapped his hands, tried to kick his horse.

      “Stop it.”

      “Let me go.”

      They stared at each other, both breathing hard. He knew his eyes were as hard and unyielding as hers, which blared brittle, green shards. “Why would you want to go back to such a situation?”

      He could feel her measuring him, trying to gauge him. He could see her throat work as if she struggled to swallow.

      Finally she nodded. “He has my little sister. Belle’s only eight.”

      The words thundered through him. A person would do anything to protect a little sister...or brother. Hank was only six when Ward left, Travers, thirteen. He did a little mental arithmetic. That was seven years ago. How had time passed so quickly, silently...sadly?

      He wished he could know if leaving had made it better for Hank and Travers.

      “Has he hurt her?” Each word ripped a piece of flesh from his heart.

      All the starch left Red and she sank forward. “You talk about how cruel treatment touches the mind and heart. I see it in her. But so far I’ve protected her from worse.” She scrubbed at her eyes. “I have to get back to her.”

      He