Chapter 2

2

Hopefully, today he'd finally have a letter from New York City.

Ryder Oakley situated his son more securely in the makeshift sling Clementine had sewn for him. Then he swung open the door to Worth's General Store.

As the waft of spices and fresh produce greeted him, so did silence.

A sweeping glance around the other customers told Ryder all he needed to know. Everyone was staring at him as usual, the same way they'd been doing since back in February, when Sadie had told everyone she was carrying his child. Of course, the day after he'd discovered she was pregnant, he'd married her and, not long after, built her a house on a homestead near Frisco, north of his family's ranch.

If only that had been the end of the scandal. But no, it had just been the beginning. Sadie had quickly gotten tired of married life and being so far from town. She'd left him, found another man, then asked for a divorce.

Now everyone in Summit County, Colorado, knew he was a divorced single father with an infant he was taking care of while at the same time eking out an existence for himself on his new ranch. To make matters worse, they also knew he'd sent away for a mail-order bride... and that he was waiting to hear back from the woman he'd corresponded with.

As much as he wanted to ignore the stares, he couldn't. He threw out a scowl and then started through the store toward the back and the faded curtain that separated the store from the telegram and post office.

Floor-to-ceiling shelves lined every wall of the elongated store and overflowed with every imaginable item a person could need and then some. He passed by his sister Clementine's candy on top of and inside a glass shelving unit—everything from chocolates to hard candies, although she didn't have as much for sale anymore. And it was his fault.

He stifled a growl of frustration at himself for how much he'd inconvenienced his sister over the summer. Clem had never once complained about riding up to his place several days a week to stay with him and help watch Boone, but Ryder had noticed the strain in her face from time to time.

As loving and helpful as Clementine always was, he felt bad about imposing upon her.

And he was tired of having to rely on other people. He wanted to be independent and handle everything on his own, including the baby. But the fact was, Boone was a lot more work than he'd ever anticipated.

Now at ten weeks old, the little fellow was sleeping better at night and taking longer naps during the day. He didn't seem quite so breakable and delicate anymore either. He was becoming more alert and noticing what was going on around him. And over the past week, he'd started smiling—real big smiles that tugged at Ryder's heart.

Ryder patted the underside of the sling, feeling the weight of his son's body curled up against him. He glanced down to find that Boone was peering up at him with dark-brown eyes very much like his own, his smattering of woodsy brown hair also the same color as Ryder's.

At times, he could see Sadie in the shape of the boy's eyes and in his chin. But most of the time, Ryder saw a miniature version of himself: a refined nose, wide forehead, and strongly chiseled jaw—not that anyone could see Ryder's jaw with the short beard that covered it.

Ryder tipped up the brim of his Stetson to get a better view of the baby.

Mr. Worth stepped through a curtained-off hallway at the back of the store, rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, which was covered by a navy vest and topped off with a bow tie. Hatless, his dark brown hair was clipped short, and his beard was neatly trimmed. "How's baby Boone today?"

"Getting big." Ryder liked the storekeeper, which was more than he could say for most people in town.

A stocky, middle-aged man, Mr. Worth had a youthful look about his features. Maybe it was the lack of wrinkles. Maybe it was the friendliness of his eyes. Or maybe it was the warmth in the man's smile. Whatever it was, the fellow made the awkward venture inside the store more tolerable.

Ryder stopped at the back counter and tapped it absently, then dropped his voice. "Came to see if I have any mail."

Thankfully, most of the customers were no longer staring at him and had returned to their shopping. Or at least, they were pretending to browse, probably hoping to pick up more gossip about him.

Mr. Worth shook his head. "Sorry, son, but I don't have anything for you yet."

Disappointment reared up inside of Ryder even more keenly than during his visit to town last week. Maybe Constance Franklin from New York City wasn't planning to come after all. Of the several inquiries he'd received, he'd liked hers the best. Probably because she was an orphan like he was. And because she worked at an orphanage and loved children.

He'd gotten a letter from her initially, letting him know of her interest in the advertisement. That had been in late June. He'd written back, giving her more details about his situation and about Boone, but he hadn't heard from her since then. Now it was already early August.

What if his honesty about being divorced had scared her away? Maybe reputable women didn't want to be linked to a divorced man.

"Sure wish I had better news for you." Mr. Worth had swiped a rag and was wiping down the counter in front of him.

"It's all right. I'm getting along just fine." Ryder tried to project confidence into his voice so that no one would doubt him. Because most of the time, he was getting along without a woman.

He'd had a lot to learn about babies and bottles and burping. He could change diapers and give Boone a bath and settle him down when he was crying.

Yet, for as much as he was surviving, he couldn't deny that his life would be easier if he had a helpmate. Besides, he wanted Boone to have both a mother and a father—something he'd lacked until the Oakleys had adopted him when he'd been eleven and his brother Tanner had been nine.

He didn't like to think of the portion of his life before he'd met the Oakleys. Those years were a blur of being in and out of orphanages and homes, trying to survive and take care of Tanner and not be separated from him. Then when he'd turned eleven and learned he'd have to go to an industrial school and leave Tanner behind, that's when he'd finally decided they would run away to the West.

They'd gotten to Independence by steamboat and then stowed away in a supply wagon leaving on the Oregon Trail. They'd ridden for several days before being caught. Of course, they'd been too far along to be sent back to Independence. But they'd also become a burden on the families who were a part of the caravan, all of whom had brought enough food and supplies for their families and didn't have extra for two growing boys.

Except the Oakleys. Boone Oakley and his wife Hannah had welcomed him and Tanner into their family and treated them like sons. They'd shared everything they had, including all their love and affection. When they'd arrived in Colorado, Boone had asked him and Tanner to stay.

Ryder had wanted that more than anything, and so had Tanner. And everyone in the Oakley family had been excited when they'd agreed to join in the new adventure of establishing a horse ranch. Less than six months later, it had seemed only natural to become a part of their family officially through adoption.

Now fourteen years later, Ryder could hardly remember life without being in the Oakley family—or at least, he didn't like thinking about what life had been like before that. And he'd come to love his adoptive pa so deeply that he'd named his son after him.

Unfortunately, the past months had been hard, starting with the death of his adoptive pa in January. Shortly after that, he and Tanner had gotten into an enormous fight. They hadn't resolved the conflict, and so there was a lot of tension whenever they were together. Then he'd made a mess of things with Sadie and his marriage. And to top it all, his adoptive ma had died in May.

Ryder blew out a tense breath just thinking about all he'd experienced over the past year—more trouble than he'd had in a long time. So much so, the nightmares had started up again—nightmares he hadn't had in years. In fact, just thinking about the nightmares made his skin prickle.

At the tiny wail-like grunt from the sling, Ryder patted his son. Then he placed his weekly list down on the counter for the usual baby formula and food staples. "I'd be obliged if you'd add these items to my tab."

Mr. Worth picked up the sheet, but before he could answer, his eyes narrowed on a newcomer entering the store. "Uh-oh."

Ryder glanced over his shoulder to the sight of Sadie on the arm of her husband, the owner of the Wild Whiskey Saloon, Axe Lyman. Against his white trousers and white vest, the shiny gold of all his buttons stood out, as did the crimson rose he wore in his lapel. His long hair was slicked back with so much pomade it looked wet. Though his face was freshly groomed and smooth, it contained a haggardness that never went away and a hardness that likely came from dealing with the drunks and riffraff who frequented his saloon.

Uh-oh was right. Last time Ryder had come across Axe and Sadie, Axe had been itching for a fight and had thrown a punch at Ryder—had even threatened to kill him if he ever came around Sadie again.

Sadie was gussied up in what looked like a fancy new gown, and her fair hair was piled on top of her head in curls. She was a fine-looking woman, there was no arguing that.

But Axe didn't need to worry about him wanting Sadie back. There was more chance of a rattler growing butterfly wings than of him ever wishing to have Sadie as his wife again.

He could admit he'd always struggled with his lust over women. And he wasn't proud of his waywardness now that he'd matured and had a baby as a result. He honestly wasn't sure why women liked him, since he was gruff and silent and didn't lead them on. Maybe they relished the challenge of trying to win him.

Whatever it was, Sadie had approached him last year and made it clear she was interested. He hadn't been all that enamored with her and shouldn't have spent time in her bed.

At twenty-five, he hadn't been aiming to get married, hadn't wanted a baby or a wife or a family. He'd figured he'd work at High Country Ranch as a cowboy until he was old and limping around with bowlegs.

But when he'd found out Sadie was expecting his baby, he'd done what his adoptive pa would have wanted him to do to fix the situation. He'd asked her to marry him.

"Well, if it ain't the baby daddy himself." Axe's slow southern drawl filled the silence of the store.

"Come on now, Axe." Sadie's retort was as sassy as always. "He's a fine daddy, and you shouldn't be making fun of him." She fixed her big blue eyes upon Ryder, as though waiting for him to thank her for coming to his defense.

He didn't need her defense, though. Didn't even want it. Didn't want anything from her except to leave him alone to raise their child peacefully. A part of him worried that she might change her mind and want Boone back. And if that happened, what if he was forced to relinquish his son to her?

As irrational and unfounded as the fear was, it was another reason he'd taken Clementine's advice to place the advertisements in the newspapers in Denver, Chicago, and New York City. With a wife for himself and mother for his son, he hoped no one would question his right to have Boone.

Axe snorted. "Can't help it if Ryder looks like a woman with the way he carries that baby around."

Ryder also didn't want any more altercations with Axe calling into question his ability to be a good father. He tipped the brim of his hat at Mr. Worth, who was still watching Axe and Sadie with narrowed eyes. "I'll come back for my supplies later."

The store owner gave him a nod, as though he approved of the decision to avoid a fight. "I'll have Grady ride your supplies out to High C to Clementine so she can bring them with her when she helps you this week."

"Much obliged." Ryder tapped the counter and then forced himself to put one foot in front of the other as he headed toward the door. Every eye followed him, but he tried to act again as if he didn't care about the judgment. Or the curiosity. No doubt half the customers were hoping for a fight between him and Axe.

He wasn't about to give them what they were waiting for and avoided looking at both Sadie and Axe, still standing near the door.

"Go on and run," Axe taunted as he stalked past. "You oughta be scared of me."

Ryder's step hitched with the need to halt and prove he wasn't scared of the fellow. But that was exactly what Axe wanted—to provoke him. Ryder tossed the door open and stepped out as empty-handed as he'd been when he'd entered.

And he was still no closer to having the help he needed. It felt a thousand miles away.