hath not given us the spirit of fear,” she reminded herself. It had become her favorite scripture.
“Let’s give the house a closer look first,” she said as West assisted her to the ground. “Then I can figure out what needs to be done to make this place livable again.”
West had never been to the HC Bar Ranch before now. Yet even knowing what a scoundrel Chance Howe had turned out to be, he was impressed at the man’s extensive property. And to think, Vienna’s late husband had owned all of this outright.
Still, the signs of neglect and absence were everywhere. The moderate-sized house featured dusty, cobwebbed furniture, a roof in need of new shingles and a back porch with missing boards. Vienna’s earlier determined look lost more and more of its resolve as she led him through the house.
“Maybe the barn has fared better,” she said with what sounded like false cheer.
West followed her around the broken porch boards and into the yard. But a gaping hole in the barn’s roof and the scratching of tiny claws in one of the stalls told an unpromising story.
“I knew it might need work.” Vienna’s shoulders slumped. “But not this much.”
He lifted his hand to touch her arm as he had on the wagon before remembering how she’d twisted away from him after a moment. Clearly she didn’t wish for more than comforting words right now.
“There is a lot to do,” he said, lowering his arm back to his side. “Both structures appear to be sound, though.”
Vienna shot him a rueful smile. “Sound for whom, West? The mice?” She motioned to the stall where the scurrying noises hadn’t stopped.
“Where are all of your livestock?” he asked as he glanced around the empty barn.
She retreated into the yard. “Gunther Bertram told me this morning at the graveside service that he and Chance had an arrangement that Bertram would care for the horses while Chance was...away. As far as the cattle we used to own, most of them were sold to pay off gambling debts. The rest may have been stolen or they could have wandered off as I suspect the milk cow and the chickens did. I heard Chance had to let our ranch hands go before he left, but I don’t know if they took any of the animals with them or not.”
West moved in the direction of the corral. The fence looked in decent condition. Beyond the house and barn, he spied several empty pastures. There were likely spots that needed fixing along their fence lines, though all in all the necessary repairs to the ranch weren’t as significant as he’d expected after being deserted for three years.
One look at Vienna’s expression told him that she begged to differ. “It’s going to take some time and money, Vienna, but you can get this place up and running again. And you heard what Edward said earlier—there are people willing to help you do it.”
He might not like the idea of her leaving the Running W, but he’d accepted it. If living here was what she wanted, then West would do all in his power to help her.
“It’s not that.” She folded her arms as if chilled, despite the pleasant temperature. “I want a home of my own, for me and Hattie. But even with all of the money I’ve saved, I don’t think I have enough to pay for the repairs and buy more livestock. And even if I choose to give it up and move to town, if I don’t fix up the place, it’s hardly livable and unlikely to sell for a good price.”
He felt the familiar squeeze of his heart at her predicament. “I have some money...” He’d been saving for years for his dude ranch, but he would gladly use it to help Vienna. He owed her that.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I appreciate it, West, really I do. But I don’t want to be a charity case anymore.”
He frowned. “That’s not how anyone sees you. Least of all me or the Kents.”
“I’m sure you don’t, but I want to do this on my own. Besides—” she gave him a knowing look “—I seem to recall you saying years ago that you planned to save all you could to have a ranch of your own someday. Is that still true?”
Nodding, West decided not to press her. “What will you do, then?”
“Well—” she spun in a slow circle, her hands resting on her hips “—I think I ought to finish my conversation with Bertram about my horses this afternoon, and sometime in the next while, I’ll need to come back and clean the house. Once that’s done and Hattie and I are moved in, I’ll just have to see how many repairs I can afford.”
As he trailed her back to the wagon, he glanced over his shoulder at the barn. He could easily repair the roof with materials he knew Edward would donate. Plus the Kents had several cats, any of which would solve the current mouse problem. Maybe he could convince Vienna to allow him to do that much. It would be a paltry attempt to appease his deep-seated guilt, but it was still a small chance to begin to make things up to her.
“The boys and I will sure miss your cookin’,” he said to fill the silence between them as he drove the wagon toward Bertram’s place. And while it was the truth, he couldn’t say that what he’d miss most was her and Hattie.
Still, his words brought a tentative smile to her face. “I think I’m actually going to miss cooking for a crowd. The ranch hands at the HC Bar were responsible for their own cooking, so I never cooked for more than Chance and me. Maybe that’s why running a café or restaurant sounds appealing.”
“Maggy is right—your food is incredible. Any establishment you set up is sure to do well.”
Her cheeks flushed an attractive shade of pink. “How do I know you aren’t just saying that?” she teased, though her blush and the sparkle in her green eyes showed she appreciated his compliment.
He’d thought her beautiful from the first moment they’d met. And while he’d kept things between them appropriate and above suspicion ever since, he hadn’t failed to notice that she’d only grown lovelier the last seven years. She’d also lost most of her timidity since coming to live at the Running W, which West had been relieved to see. Vienna wasn’t weak, regardless of what Chance had made her believe about herself. She was strong and lovely and full of faith. Her blond hair had also once been silky to the touch, and he figured that hadn’t changed, though he’d long ago lost the right to test that theory again.
“Is something wrong?” She threw him a puzzled look, which alerted him that he’d been staring at her and hadn’t answered her initial question yet.
Clearing his throat, he faced forward again. “No, nothing wrong. And the promise of your cookin’ after a long day working on the ranch isn’t something I’d joke about.”
“Thank you,” she said with a light laugh. “Hattie is going to miss you and the wranglers.”
West tightened his grip on the reins, making the horses toss their heads. Only Hattie? “We’ll miss her, too.”
“Is Thurston going to take over as foreman soon?”
He welcomed the change in topic. “Not sure.” West still needed to save more money if he wanted to build his dude
