The Heart of a Cowboy Read online

  His brows lifting, Dr. Howell’s attention snapped to Flynn. “You wouldn’t consider such a thing, would you?”

  Flynn fell back a step. “Marry her? No, sir. I couldn’t.” Not even if someone hog-tied him and dragged him to the altar.

  Dr. Howell opened his mouth to respond but stalled.

  Too late, Flynn realized his blunder. Dr. Howell hadn’t made a single mention of marriage, wouldn’t make such a suggestion to a man he’d just met. “Of course, you ain’t lookin’ to marry her off so soon after she lost her husband. She’s still grieving. And I ain’t sayin’ I’m interested, ’cause it didn’t even cross my mind. Or at least not in the way you’re thinking. . . .”

  Flynn blew out a tense breath and palmed the back of his neck. He needed to shut his mouth and stop making a blamed fool of himself.

  Dr. Howell’s eyes crinkled at the corners with the beginning of a smile. “Don’t worry. She has this effect on most men. In fact, she had half a dozen propositions of marriage when Asa came along and fell head over heels for her at a party her mother hosted last autumn. Even though he was busy preparing for our western expedition, he made time to pursue her, and within weeks proposed marriage.”

  The shade of the tree branches and even the dampness of Flynn’s clothing couldn’t take away the heat of his embarrassment. He drew in a breath of the cool air laced with the wood smoke from the campfire.

  Dr. Howell’s mirth faded. “She could have had her choice from among New York City’s most eligible bachelors, but she decided upon Asa.”

  A sad silence fell between them. Flynn kicked at a lump of flattened grass. He had to say something to ease the man’s sorrow. “Asa must’ve been a good man if your granddaughter picked him out of everyone else.”

  Dr. Howell waved his hand in dismissal. “She chose him because he supported her work in botany, just like her father had always done. Of course, it helped that Asa invited her to come along on the trip . . . as his wife. When I opposed the idea, Asa was the one who stood up for her. She also won the support of her mother, who is much too liberal in her views for what women should be allowed to do.”

  Flynn’s gaze slid to Linnea as if it had a will and a mind of its own. She’d thrown out her fishing line and had her back facing them. Even so, she was still a stunning picture, standing at the river’s edge, her hair unbound and blowing in the wind.

  “I have considered suggesting she marry Dr. Greely, another scientist on our expedition.” Dr. Howell peered in the direction of the crossing, searching among the wagons and riders milling on the upper embankment. “He’s the only single man among the group. He’s quite enamored with Linnea, but I don’t think he’s firm or strong enough to handle her. Even if he was, I doubt she’d consider getting married again.”

  “Because she’s so distraught over losing her husband?” Flynn guessed he was behaving as rudely as Ivy with all his prying, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from finding out more about the fascinating young woman he’d pulled from the river.

  Dr. Howell shook his head. “To be sure, she cared for Asa. But, no, they weren’t married long enough to develop the kind of bond that brings true grief.”

  Flynn shifted the weight off his weak leg, determined not to ask anything more about Linnea. She wasn’t his business. After they started out of the Neosho River valley, they’d part ways, and he’d likely never see her again.

  “So, young man, what do you think? You seem like a fine and decent fellow. And after saving her life the way you did, I have the feeling you’re an excellent candidate for standing guard over her for the duration of the trip.” Dr. Howell gave him a winsome smile, one much like his granddaughter’s, and Flynn guessed not many were able to say no to the older gentleman.

  He didn’t have any intention of guarding Dr. Howell’s granddaughter, but how could he politely refuse? He took a swig of the cold coffee to buy himself a few more seconds.

  “Of course, I’d make it well worth your effort. How does a hundred dollars sound?”

  Flynn choked and then spit out the coffee into the grass. A hundred dollars? After using up every last cent of his savings to pay for their train and steamboat fare to get to Missouri, as well as all the supplies they needed for the next long months of journeying to Wyatt’s ranch, Flynn was broke.

  How could he turn down a hundred dollars? But at the same time, how could he take such an offer? Sure as the crow flies, he couldn’t accept payment for doing good deeds he’d willingly offer for free.

  He opened his mouth to protest, but Dr. Howell spoke first. “Two hundred dollars.”

  Flynn couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping.

  “I’m a very wealthy man, Mr. McQuaid, so you needn’t worry on that score. I’ll pay you half now and half after you deliver her safely to the journey’s end.”

  “Ain’t headed all the way down to Santa Fe. Fact is, I’ll be branching off onto the mountain route and heading into Colorado.”

  “Then that’s perfect. We’re on our way to Colorado as well. We’re planning to work our way through the Plains and up the Front Range to Denver, where we’ll stay for the winter before we head up into the Rocky Mountains next spring.”

  Flynn scrambled to find another excuse to turn down the lucrative deal. “I’m driving a herd of Shorthorns, sir. With close to two hundred head, we’re gonna move at a pace slower than the usual caravans to allow for extra grazing time.”

  “That’s fine too. We actually would appreciate going slower and having more opportunity to explore and document the flora along the way. As long as we reach Denver before winter sets in, I think we’d all be happier to take our time.”

  “Gotta be well up into the high country before the first heavy snows make traveling treacherous.” Once they reached Pueblo, they’d take a northwesterly route, a gradual climb in elevation through mostly level mountain valleys. At least, that’s what Tom Gordon, the Missouri Shorthorn breeder, claimed when he’d sent them on their way with the herd.

  Yep, the plan was to get to Wyatt’s long before they risked winter-like weather. But they couldn’t push the cattle too hard. Tom had warned them that if they didn’t have any major delays, the journey west could still take upward of five or six months and would be rough on the cattle even at the slow pace. The steers would grow weary, footsore, and thin. There was the very real possibility some might die along the way—or even be stolen.

  But Flynn was determined to do the best he could to deliver the herd on time and as healthy as possible. Especially because from the way Tom talked, Wyatt had sunk a fortune into the beeves and needed every last head to make a go at his ranching. If Flynn made any mistakes, Wyatt would end up in big debt to his business partner without the means to finance another venture.

  While Flynn didn’t have the same experience Wyatt had in driving livestock, he knew all there was to know about cattle, having raised plenty on the farm. With help from Nash and Jericho, they hadn’t encountered any trouble moving the herd and finding grass for grazing over the past couple of weeks. He’d been praying mighty hard their spell of luck would hold out.

  With all that was at stake, he didn’t need distractions from what he’d set out to do. “Your offer is tempting, sir. But I’ve got enough responsibility with lookin’ after my family and gettin’ this herd of cattle up into South Park.”

  The older man focused on Linnea again. She was pulling in her line weighted down with a wriggling trout. Her delighted laughter mingled with Ivy’s words of praise. “She’ll be heartbroken if I send her back, Mr. McQuaid.” His voice was low and solemn. “Now that she’s been working so hard to contribute to the research manual, I just don’t know if I can do that to her. And yet, after nearly losing her today, I don’t know how I can let her go on without someone watching over her and keeping her safe.”

  Flynn sloshed the last of the coffee around the bottom of the mug. The swirling reflected the turmoil in his gut. Two hundred dollars was appealing. Mighty appealing. Espec
ially because he planned to stake a claim through the Homestead Act the same way Wyatt had. With that kind of money, he’d have enough to start building a home and making improvements to the land the way the Act required. It also meant he wouldn’t have to rely on Wyatt, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

  He exhaled a tight breath. “If I was to accept your offer, what exactly do you have in mind?”

  Dr. Howell straightened, and his eyes brightened. “Surely keeping an eye on my granddaughter doesn’t have to take away from your regular duties. All you need to do is make a point to travel near her, accompany her when she explores, and make sure she doesn’t wander off too far or get into trouble.”

  All he needed to do? “Sounds to me as if you want someone to stick to her every waking moment.”

  “Not every moment. Of course, that would be impossible. But when you’re not with her, you could keep her in your line of vision, couldn’t you?”

  Linnea was easing the hook out of the fish gills. Her pretty eyes rounded wide with wonder and innocence, and she nibbled her bottom lip.

  From the little he knew about her, she seemed kind and sweet and easygoing. Surely she wouldn’t be too much trouble.

  Truthfully, as they made their way farther along the trail into Indian territory, it would help to have a few more men as part of their group. He’d heard that the larger the party, the less trouble the Indians made, especially with a show of men carrying weapons.

  “Alright.” He stuck out his hand. “I’ll do it.”

  “Excellent.” Dr. Howell reached out and shook with a firm grasp. “Then it’s a deal.”

  Flynn glanced at Nash and Jericho still gawking at Linnea. He had to give them fair warning of the new arrangement.

  As Flynn started to pull away, Dr. Howell held on tighter, his brow furrowing. “Young man, one more thing.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “I think it’s best if we keep this between the two of us. I don’t want Linnea to learn about our arrangement.”

  Unease rattled through Flynn, and he hesitated to respond.

  “She’s—well, she’s sensitive to my more traditional perspective on the roles between men and women. Because her mother is progressive, I’m afraid Linnea has picked up on some of those views.”

  Flynn didn’t have the slightest idea what Dr. Howell was referring to. But he didn’t feel good about keeping anything from Linnea. If they didn’t tell her he planned to look after her, she’d surely get suspicious when he started following her all over God’s green earth. Either that or she’d think he was smitten with her and couldn’t stay away.

  He shook his head and pulled from Dr. Howell’s grip. Nope, the only way he’d agree to guarding her was in telling her the truth. “She needs to know—”

  “Fine. Fine.” Dr. Howell waved a hand impatiently. “I’ll give her some kind of explanation—but let’s not mention I’m paying you.”

  Flynn hesitated again.

  Dr. Howell’s attention drifted to the thrill filling his granddaughter’s face as she examined the fish she’d caught. It chose that moment to wiggle its fin and fall right out of her hands to the ground, where it flipped in the grass.

  She hopped back and pressed her hands to her chest, her laughter filling the air.

  Dr. Howell’s expression softened.

  Ivy laughed too. Gone was the belligerence that made an appearance all too often. Instead, she was carefree—even happy—in a way she hadn’t been in months. Flynn missed that Ivy, the one he could tease and tussle, the one who surprised him with spiders and lizards, the one who loved and looked up to him. He was getting a glimpse of the old Ivy here and now. And he didn’t want her to go away again.

  But the truth was, she needed more than he could give her. Maybe with Linnea’s presence and influence, Ivy would be better.

  Dr. Howell watched Linnea a moment longer, then turned to Flynn. “Please, Mr. McQuaid?”

  Flynn took off his hat and combed back his hair, letting the breeze cool his itchy head. “Don’t feel right about hiding anything from your granddaughter, sir. But I’ll go along with whatever you think is best.”

  “Thank you, young man.” Dr. Howell’s eyes lit with relief. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”

  Flynn hoped the gentleman was right but suspected he was completely wrong.

  CHAPTER 3

  “I’ve made a change of plans,” Grandfather said from where he stood across the campfire, his expression grave and his tone serious.

  Linnea paused in picking a bone out of the tender bite of trout in her mouth, the fish suddenly losing flavor.

  She’d known this moment was coming from the instant she’d fallen into the river. But over the past hour of learning how to fish with Ivy and then frying up their catch, she’d hoped Grandfather would forget everything that had happened, and that they could continue on the journey with no more mention of her near drowning.

  She spit out the bone and swallowed the fish, and at the same time she placed her tin plate in the grass beside the campfire, her appetite gone. A sourness roiled around her stomach at the unfairness of being a woman, but she had to remain strong, especially since Ivy sat beside her.

  The girl was impressionable and needed a good example of what it looked like to stand up for oneself, especially as a female trying to make her way in a world that was too quick to judge a woman as weak and incapable.

  “Please don’t make me go back, Grandfather. I promise I won’t have any more accidents.”

  Grandfather gingerly ate a bite of the fish she’d dished up for him. “You promised me no more issues yesterday when you lagged behind and got lost.”

  From beside his horse where he was loading his revolver, Flynn halted, his brow lifting beneath the brim of his hat.

  “Go back where?” Ivy paused in scraping her plate clean with her fingers.

  Her grandfather started to reply, but Linnea beat him to it. “My grandfather would like me to return to New York City.”

  “Now, Linnea, you know I don’t want that. But I could never forgive myself if something happened to you out here.”

  At the tiredness that flitted over his face, she repressed another ready retort. No doubt he was thinking of her father’s deadly accident, when he’d been trapped out in the Adirondack Mountains doing research on wildflowers and had been caught in a late-spring snowstorm.

  She regretted causing Grandfather undue strain. He’d been planning and looking forward to the trip for several years. And he’d been specifically chosen to be the leader out of the others vying for the position, which was a great honor since now he’d have his name attached to the manual they intended to complete by the end of their trip.

  This was likely his only chance to do something like this, and she didn’t want him to worry about her the whole time. Maybe she ought to give in to his wishes to return.

  “I can help keep track of Linnea.” Ivy licked the grease from her fingers.

  Linnea could only smile at the girl’s offer. From what Linnea had surmised thus far, Ivy needed more supervision than she did.

  “Thank you, young lady.” Grandfather smiled too. “Fortunately, I’ve made arrangements to ride along with your group. With the way Mr. McQuaid was so quick to rescue Linnea, I decided we might be safer under his supervision.”

  “Really?” Ivy paused in swiping the last drop from her plate, glancing from Grandfather to Flynn, her expression filling with hope.

  Flynn resumed working, checking each chamber of his revolver as though his life depended on it.

  “Really.” Grandfather didn’t meet Linnea’s gaze but focused on his fish, picking at a bone.

  “So you’re not sending me back?”

  “Not as long as you promise to do everything Mr. McQuaid requests, since he’ll be our leader now.”

  “I promise.” She’d promise to lasso the moon if it meant she could stay on the expedition. So far she’d loved every minute of exploring, cataloging, drawing, and preserving speci
mens. She couldn’t imagine anywhere else she’d rather be than on this trip doing the work she loved.

  “Yippee!” Ivy jumped up and down. “I told Flynn we oughta be riding with someone else so we ain’t so lonesome, but he said most people don’t wanna travel with a bunch of slow cattle.”

  Linnea listened only halfway to the rest of Grandfather’s conversation with Ivy and instead examined Flynn more carefully. She had a view of his profile. And though he was focused on his gun, his body radiated tension, and the muscles in his jaw flexed.

  He certainly didn’t seem thrilled with the new traveling arrangements. Was he reluctant to have them ride along?

  As though sensing her scrutiny, he shot a glance her way, one confirming that he wasn’t thrilled in the least.

  She dropped her attention to her plate. She was too relieved Grandfather was letting her continue with the expedition to call into question his methods or call attention to Flynn’s displeasure. If Flynn didn’t want to travel with their group, he should have told Grandfather no. It wasn’t her fault he hadn’t and was saddled with them.

  Even so, from now on, she had to do better so neither her grandfather nor Flynn would have any cause for concern.

  An hour later, they were on their way. Linnea walked beside their wagon, which trailed a short distance behind the wagon Dylan was driving. Ivy fell into step next to her, conversing nonstop, clearly starved for a woman’s company.

  Flynn rode alongside the cattle a short distance away from the wagons. One of the other drovers guided the herd opposite him while a third worked the swing position at the rear of the long line.

  Ivy had explained that driving the cattle was fairly simple, that a few natural leaders within the herd took their places at the front and the rest of the cattle fell into line behind them. Mostly the herd walked single file rather than in a group, which made them stretch out quite a distance.

  The trail out of the Neosho River valley led them to a level area of treeless prairie that spread out endlessly in all directions, meeting the vast sky on the horizon. Grandfather and the other scientists had mounted their horses and ridden ahead, having heard from a group passing east that buffalo had been spotted. They were eager to get their first glimpse of the enormous creatures they’d heard so much about.