Guardian Bride (12 page)
her throat and pound mercilessly. They hadn't spoken since
the kiss. She wasn't embarrassed by what they'd done—
matter of fact she'd give her right arm to have it happen
again. It was all too confusing and so overwhelming.
She gave her head a clearing shake. "Why did you build
the granary so far from the house?"
His look grew thoughtful for a moment. "Because grain
storage attracts rats and other varmints. Besides, this is Ma's
house. I bought the acreage next to here a few years ago. I
plan on building a house there someday. But not near the
granary. I wouldn't want rats around my house either."
99
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"Will you store the wheat all year?" She kept the
conversation going, mainly because it was a safe subject.
"No. Mr. Everest in Dodge said he'd buy all I wanted to
sell. I'll keep enough to plant this fall and some to experiment
with."
"Experiment what?"
"New crossbreeds. Winter wheat does well out here. The
Russian immigrants know a lot about dry land agriculture and
have had some success doing so here. I've combined their
knowledge with a derivative of wheat. Winter wheat is hearty
and when planted in the fall it establishes a deep root system
as well as thick foliage above ground. When the ground
freezes, the tops of the plants goes dormant, but the roots
stay alive and absorb moisture from the snow. When spring
comes, the plants utilize the moisture they saved up and by
early summer, it's ready for harvest. No irrigation needed.
I've pretty much concluded it's one of the few plants that can
thrive out here without irrigation."
She'd moved to the stove and busied herself by making a
fresh pot of coffee. "What other seeds are you experimenting
with?"
He chuckled. "Everything from trees to flowers. I'm hoping
the irrigation system I created has kept everything growing
while I'm laid up."
The land surrounding the farm yard came to mind. It had
astonished her to see such a variety of trees and plants when
she'd first arrived. Most of this part of the state was covered
with little more than sage brush and soap weeds.
100
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"Several years ago," he said, drawing her attention back to
him. "I went to Garden City with Kid. It's only about twenty
miles south of here."
She nodded, familiar the area.
"A few men who used to hunt buffalo out here had decided
to settle down there." He paused as if just remembering
something. "That's why my father chose this area to settle.
He scouted for wagon trains, and then buffalo hunters. Even
Royalties from England came out here to hunt in those days.
After the hunting died out, he tried his hand at farming.
Guess that's where I get it from."
He sat for a moment in silence, staring at the cup sitting
on the table in front of him. When he lifted his head, he
continued, "Anyway, I went to Garden, well at that time it
was called Fulton, with Kid and some other men because the
cattlemen didn't like the idea of a settlement sprouting up in
the middle of the route they used to get the cows to Dodge.
Kid and the others wanted to talk the folks into moving east a
bit. The folks at the settlement didn't want to move. A
rancher closer to Dodge told them they couldn't grow so
much as weeds in the dry ground. The settlers disagreed, and
thinking he'd prove them wrong, the rancher offered fifty
bucks for every bushel of corn grown. I left town with the
challenge in my head. A few weeks later, I went back to the
settlement and told Mr. Fulton I could help him grow enough
corn that the rancher would go broke paying him off."
Intrigued, she moved to the table and sat down. "What
happened?"
101
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
His smile went from ear to ear. "A year later they renamed
the settlement Garden City because of Fulton's bountiful
garden."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"What had you done to make everything grow?"
"Irrigation."
She waited for him to continue.
"One windmill with a large enough reservoir can irrigate
ten to twenty acres."
"How?"
"The windmill pumps the water out of the ground and into
the reservoir which flows into ditches that carry the water to
the fields from one end of the crops to the other. I put in
gates to slow or increase the water as needed." He glanced
up. "The water under the ground in this region is
inexhaustible, and it's not far below the surface. I've also
discovered several natural springs on my land and use those
to irrigate some fields."
A frown formed between his brows. Summer held her
breath, wondering what he thought about now. Was it the
kiss? It wasn't far away in her mind. The coffee boiled over
behind her, and she leaped to remove it from the heat. Once
the frothing slowed, she filled his cup.
His fingers wrapped around her wrist when she attempted
to move from his side. "You know." His gaze locked onto hers.
"I haven't even told my brothers about how I helped Fulton."
"Why not?"
102
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
He shrugged. "We all have our interests. Kid has his cattle,
one of the largest ranches in the state, and Skeeter has his
dinosaurs." He winked. "That's a long story. Hog was always
in the kitchen, so opening a restaurant seemed fitting, and
Bug can sniff out rock tar from a mile away. He claims the oil
seeps will transform America. They know about my
gardening, but I never told them about Fulton."
She set the pot down and sat in the chair next to him.
"Why? Did he ask you not to?"
"No. He offered to pay me for my help."
"Did he make lots of money from the rancher for his
bushels of corn?"
"No, the rancher never made good on his bet."
He went silent again, and Summer's stomach churned,
believing he must be remembering another bet. The hand
holding hers moved. His thumb softly ran up and down the
underside of her wrist, causing an array of tingles to zip up
her arm.
"I told Fulton he could repay me by buying interests in the
first flour mill they were opening in the city. He kept his word.
I own one fourth of the mill that Bug and Eva took the wheat
to."
"Does your family know that?" she asked. The fact he'd
told her things he'd never told anyone else filled her with a
sweet, heady sensation. No one had ever told her a secret
before and it seemed like a very special gift.
"No."
"If you own interest in the mill, why did you sell your
wheat to the mill in Dodge?"
103
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
His hand left her wrist, and she swallowed at the absence.
He took a swig of coffee before answering, "Because I
don't believe in keeping all my eggs in one basket. The mill in
Dodge is buying my wheat for seed, to sell to farmers. It's a
hybrid I created, so therefore I can set my own price. The mill
in Garden is a flour processing mill. The grain I sent there will
be turned into flour for us to use, not for resale."
"Because you own shares in it, do they process your wheat
for free?"
"No. I pay like everyone else does. The difference is I earn
profits off processing my own wheat, as well as every other
bushel they mill."
"Oh," she answered, rubbing her wrist that still fluttered
from his touch.
"What about you?"
"Me?"
"You must have a secret or two."
She had enough secrets to fill a bushel basket twice over.
Her bottom lip trembled as she wondered what one to tell
him, figured it was only fair. She certainly couldn't tell him
she knew his father—well Jonas' spirit anyway—and she
couldn't tell him how July had killed his father. There were a
million other small things she kept to herself, but nothing
overly interesting.
His eyes had settled on her as he waited patiently. For
some reason, the secret that ate at her like lye sprang
forward. "I don't know who fathered me."
"You don't?"
104
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"No. I don't know if I'm Osage, Arapaho, Wichita, or
Pawnee. I don't even know if he was from one of the tribes in
this region or some other."
"Why not?"
"My mother never told me." Tears formed in the back of
her eyes, but she held them at bay. "She started to once, but
July heard her. He hit her until she was unconscious. I never
asked after that."
"Bastard," Snake muttered under his breath, but she heard
it. He took her hand again. "You don't remember your father
at all?"
"I only remember July. I don't know when nor where he
and my mother met, if it was before I was born or after." She
shrugged as if it didn't matter, but deep down, it did. It
always had. "I used to make up tales to tell people when
they'd asked, especially other children when I was young. But
after mother died..." The lump in her throat made her stop.
"What? After your mother died..." He lifted her hand and
rubbed her knuckles with the point of his chin.
The contact eased the gloom bearing down. "I guess it
didn't matter anymore. I had September and August to take
care of, which left very little time to worry about me and my
past."
"I'm sorry," he whispered. His hold drew her closer.
"You're sorry? Why? None of it's your fault."
"I know, but I'm sorry you've been hurt by it. I'm sorry
you didn't have a wonderful, happy childhood."
"Did you?" she asked. "Have a wonderful, happy
childhood?"
105
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
"For the most part, I think I did. It was hard to lose my
father, but"—he shrugged—"we had each other. We all got
through."
A lump formed in her throat—guilt at knowing who caused
the loss of Jonas. What would this kind and wonderful family
do when they found out it was July? They'd hold it against her
and the children. Who wouldn't?
He'd leaned closer. The warmth of his breath tickled her
lips. Even tormented by the secrets filling her mind, a swell of
excitement rippled from her toes to the top of her head. Her
mind escaped to that wonderful place it went when he'd
kissed her earlier. Where birds sang and breezes blew soft
and sweet, and not a single, dark, gloomy concern darkened
the world.
Her lids fluttered down when his warmth mingled with
hers. The contact, his lips brushing against hers, was gentle
and engaging. She leaned closer, to amplify the touch.
Floating in the dreamlike ecstasy, she parted her lips, enticed
by the way his tongue ran along the swell of her bottom lip.
At that precise moment, when the tip of his tongue slid over
the row of her bottom teeth, someone knocked on the door.
They turned to the sound, noses colliding, and ended up
cheek to cheek, staring at the door as the sound came again.
106
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
Snake leaned back in his chair and squeezed her fingers.
"Don't worry. Wainwright wouldn't knock."
Summer swallowed. The thought it was Wainwright hadn't
entered her mind. Her gaze locked on the door. She had no
idea who stood on the other side, but their knock caused a
deep disappointment that had little to do with who it might
be.
She stood but he kept his grip on her. "Hand me the gun
belt hanging next to the door before you open it."
A quiver happened then, one that told her she'd better not
let her guard down so easily in the future. Nor should she
allow herself to be carried away so swiftly.
By the time she'd done as instructed whoever was on the
other side of the door beat on it steadily and a feminine voice
shouted, "Scott! Scott Quinter, open this door!"
Snake's face contorted into a pained look. "Open it," he
advised. "She won't go away."
Debating if she wanted to open it or not, Summer walked
to the door, knowing there was no choice. As soon as she
turned the knob, the door flew out of her hands.
A whirlwind of pink and yellow flew past her, screeching,
"Scott Quinter, why didn't you call for me?"
Summer caught herself from being knocked down by
grabbing the wall. Once her feet settled beneath her, she
turned to the table. A tiny woman, covered in ruffles and lace,
knelt beside Snake's chair. A fierce rumble rolled across
107
Guardian Bride
by Lauri Robinson
Summer's stomach. The nails of her fingers bit into her
palms. It was all she could do not to stomp across the room
and grab the creature by the back of her blond curls.
A tall man entered then, and seeing her next to the door,
he removed his hat. "Hello," he said, extending a hand. "I'm