Last Chance Cowboys Read online

  So when it became known that Nell Stokes and her kind were there at Addie’s invitation, most of those attending the social turned a deaf ear to Pete and his rantings, and went back to the business of enjoying the event. There was a clear division in the room, though, with sheep folks to one side and cow folks to the other, just like during Sunday services where cattle ranchers and their families crowded into pews on one side of the aisle while the few sheep ranchers filled only a few pews opposite them. No one dared cross over. For his part, Pete stormed out of the hall, his wife close on his heels, still trying to calm him.

  Minutes later several women emerged from the kitchen, each carrying a cake. They lined their offerings up on a row of tables set up for that purpose. Trey paid close attention to the cake Addie carried and grinned when he saw the white frosting. Addie wasn’t much of a cook, but it was hard to spoil the simple cake his mother used to make. He was prepared to bid high so that he could leave. It occurred to him that Nell Stokes might have brought a cake as well, one hidden under the cover of tea towels in the large basket she’d been carrying when she arrived. But there was no sign of her among the women setting up the cake display. If he bid on her cake, maybe—

  “Made your choice, little brother?” Jess had returned to stand next to him now that the ruckus seemed to have died down.

  “Addie’s.”

  Jess clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “Good. That means I can save my money. Bid high, okay?”

  “If you’re not bidding against me, why should I?”

  Jess grinned. “Well now, there’s two reasons. One, I happen to know that Addie was out delivering a baby when that cake was made, meaning Addie’s mother made it. And two, do you really want to disappoint Addie by having her cake raise considerably less than any other for the church?”

  Trey frowned. Jess had him cornered. “I’ll bid high, but then since you’ll be eating at least as much of that cake as I will, we’ll split the cost.” He clapped his older brother on the shoulder in return and walked away.

  * * *

  Nell could not understand why Addie had insisted on placing Nell’s cake on the table instead of letting her simply give it to Trey. It had taken her hours to make it. Her first thought was that if she presented the cake to Trey, others would start to whisper and point, causing Nell embarrassment. Addie had shown herself to be a good friend, one who was very protective of the feelings of others.

  “But how will he know the cake is for him?” Nell argued. “I mean what if someone else bids and—”

  “He already knows, but this way, it will raise some money for the church.”

  Nell glanced around the hall, well aware that others were whispering about her and the other sheep ranchers’ wives. “I’m not sure it was the wisest idea for Lottie and me and the others to come here today,” Nell said. “It seems like we’ve upset some folks.”

  “Pete Collins was born upset. Pay him no mind at all.” Addie motioned toward the churchyard where the children were gathered, and Joshua was there with them. He was talking intently to a boy about his age. “That’s my oldest, Isaac,” she said proudly.

  “He’s got his father’s red hair,” Nell said.

  Addie let out a hoot of laughter. “He’s also got his father’s temper. But just look at them, Nell. They don’t give one whit if one’s family raises cattle and the other sheep. They just know they like each other. We could all take a lesson.”

  Nell nodded. She had to admit that it was nice to see Joshua with someone his own age. “Yes, I wish there were some way we could all get along,” she said wistfully.

  “Trey has some thoughts on that,” Addie replied. “You two should talk.” She turned away then, hurrying off to oversee the cake auction.

  Left to herself, Nell found a place near a window where she could watch Joshua. There were other boys around him now, and at least one of them—a heavyset kid carrying a stick—seemed intent on causing trouble. Nell walked quickly to the exit, ready to protect her son. But by the time she stepped out into the yard, Trey Porterfield was already there. As she watched, he spoke quietly to all the boys and relieved the bully of his stick, using it instead as a kind of bat like the boys used when they played baseball.

  “What we need is a ball,” she heard him say as he glanced around the yard. “Jess!” His shout caught his brother’s attention. “We need a ball.”

  She watched as Joshua shyly reached into the satchel he carried pretty much everywhere and produced a ball.

  “Here, Mr. Porterfield.”

  The ball was the one his father had given him for his birthday two years earlier, along with a promise to teach him the game as soon as he was well enough to play. She had often seen him lying in his bed and tossing the ball in the air. He lobbed the ball to Trey.

  “You’ve got the makings of a player, kid.”

  Joshua grinned and ducked his head. It had been a long time since Nell had seen her son looking quite so pleased with himself. Behind her, she heard the minister calling for quiet, and even the boys forgot about the possibility of a ballgame as they crowded inside to hear the announcement.

  “It is time for our annual cake auction, and as you can see, we have a fine selection for you gents to bid on. Of course, you also are buying the privilege of dining with the lady who made that delicious confection!” He swept his hand in the general direction of the tables holding the cakes. “I need not remind you the church relies heavily on the monies raised today, so be generous, my friends, and bless you for your largess.”

  The ladies tittered with excitement as the men moved closer to examine the wares. The youngsters rolled their eyes and went back outside to play.

  Reverend Moore walked the length of the display and back again. “Let’s begin with this luscious-looking entry, shall we?”

  As the minister held up her cake, Nell blushed and edged her way to the back where Lottie sat in a corner, her hands clenched and her eyes darting nervously around the room. She heard Trey make the opening offer; Addie must have put him up to bidding. It was bound to ruin everyone’s fun when others realized he’d just bought the cake made by a sheep rancher’s wife. She tried to think how to stop the bidding and persuade Addie to just give Trey the cake without all this fanfare.

  But Addie was standing next to the minister, grinning broadly at her husband and brother-in-law, who had worked their way to the front of the crowd. “Two bits,” Trey Porterfield called out.

  “Four,” his brother shouted.

  “Two dollars,” someone in the back of the room added.

  “Three,” Jess countered.

  Nell saw Addie frown at her husband and shake her head. Nell searched the crowd for the third bidder and saw that it was the Collins man. Please don’t bid. Of all the ranchers and cowhands she had encountered, Pete Collins was the one she feared most. He was one of those men who smiled with his mouth, while his eyes remained cold and threatening. And while she would prefer no one spend their money on a cake that was supposed to be a thank-you gift for Trey Porterfield, at least if Addie’s husband ended up the winner, he wouldn’t make a scene.

  “Three dollars, going once,” Reverend Moore intoned. “Twice—”

  “Five dollars,” Trey said quietly, glaring at his brother in the process.

  “The bid is five dollars, gentlemen. Any takers?”

  “Too rich for my blood,” Collins huffed.

  “Going once, twice, and sold.” Reverend Moore hit the podium with a gavel. “Congratulations, Trey. Now if you’ll just pay what you owe to my wife there, we’ll go on to the next cake—this beautiful apple slab entry.”

  “Wait a minute,” a cowboy shouted. “Who made the cake? Who’s Trey having his supper with?”

  “My brother and his wife,” Trey said as he prepared to pay Mrs. Moore and grinned at Addie. “And by rights, Addie’s mother, since I suspect
she’s the true baker.”

  Everyone laughed.

  Nell was confused. Why would he think that? She watched as Addie stood on tiptoe to relay a message to Trey. Whatever she said to him had him looking around the room, scanning each face until his gaze settled on her.

  “Well, that’s fine, Addie. Just fine,” he said, his eyes never leaving Nell’s flushed face. He handed over the money and then made his way through the crowd.

  She wanted to run and hide. She wanted to explain that she hadn’t known what Addie was doing. She wanted Addie to stop him. But it was too late. He was within three steps of her, a grin on his face as he held out his hand to her. “Mrs. Stokes, I believe I have the pleasure of your company—and your son’s—for supper.” He glanced at Addie. “Looks like I’ll be staying after all.”

  Lottie stepped forward. “Really, Nell…”

  Trey moved aside to include Lottie in the circle with Addie and himself. “Perhaps you’ll join us as well, Mrs. Galway?”

  Lottie looked like she might faint from being the center of attention. Her lip trembled, and her face flushed bright red. “I…my husband would…”

  One of the boys shoved his way between Nell and Lottie. “Ma ain’t sitting down to supper or anything else with the likes of you, mister.”

  “Now, Ira—” his mother began but bit off the word as her son glared at her.

  “You heard my brother, mister,” Ira’s twin, Spud, said, his voice shifting between the croak of youth and the grumble of manhood. “And that goes for our aunt as well. We don’t eat with your kind, do we, Aunt Nell?”

  What was she going to say? A hush had fallen over the hall as if everyone had drawn in and held a collective breath.

  “You could just leave,” Nell heard someone mutter—a rancher’s wife. “That would be best for all concerned, dear.”

  Maybe it was the assumption that others knew better than she did what was right. Maybe it was that it had been so very long, well before Calvin’s untimely death, since she’d had the pleasure of adult conversation and company for a meal.

  And maybe, just maybe, her decision was born of the fact that she saw something in Trey Porterfield’s eyes and the way he waited patiently for her answer. What she saw was a man who looked at her not as an enemy, but as if he truly wanted her to say yes. Trey Porterfield was a quiet man, a man who seemed to have none of the rage she had seen in other ranchers and even in her own husband. A man who appeared genuinely interested in spending time with her and Joshua. And that was more than enough to make her smile at him and say, “Doctor Porterfield has been suggesting you and my son might have something in common, Mr. Porterfield. If there is anything you might say to help him, I would be most grateful.”

  The release of held breaths surged into whispers as well as outright protests and murmurs of disgust. Her nephews clearly did not like her response, but she realized that although they had the height and bulk of grown men, they were too immature to make more of a protest. They took their mother by the arm instead and led her to a far corner of the hall. All the other sheep-ranching wives followed. After that, some in the large room turned their attention away from Trey and Nell and back to the auction, but others—Trey’s brother, Jess, among them—scowled at her. She realized she had thought she would have his support since, clearly, Addie had arranged this entire business.

  “I’m afraid I have placed you and your brother in an awkward position, Mr. Porterfield,” she said in a voice meant for Trey’s ears only. “Perhaps it would be best if—”

  “Stand your ground, Mrs. Stokes,” Trey replied. “If we are to have any chance of peace in this community, this is an important first step.”

  She hesitated briefly, reflecting on how badly she had misread the way he had looked at her a moment earlier. It had not been beauty he saw, but opportunity. Like many men she had known, Trey Porterfield had an agenda, and while she wholeheartedly agreed with his hope to bring peace, she had no desire to be the pawn he used to achieve that goal.

  When he turned to pick up the cake he’d left on the table while he paid the minister’s wife, Nell touched his forearm. “Mr. Porterfield?”

  His smile when he faced her almost made her lose her resolve. There was such kindness in that smile and a sense of expectation that everything was just fine—or would be. How she wanted to believe in that promise, believe in him. But before she could steel herself to say what she knew must be said and follow Lottie and the others to that corner, Jess stepped between them.

  “Trey, we need to talk.”

  The marshal’s back was like a solid wall separating her from his brother.

  “No, we don’t. Have you met Mrs. Stokes?” Trey stepped around Jess to take his place next to her.

  Jess glanced at her. “Ma’am,” he muttered by way of acknowledgment. “I’m sorry for the trouble you’ve had to deal with since…” He searched for the proper words.

  “Since my husband was murdered?” She would not allow the truth to go unsaid. She owed Calvin that much. “Have you come any closer to identifying his killers, Marshal Porterfield?”

  “It’s really not my jurisdiction, ma’am. Until they close down the fort for good, open territory is still patrolled by the militia, and frankly, there’s not much I could do.”

  She did not miss the way his face flushed at the admission. But it’s been months. Have you even tried? The depth of her anger surprised her, and for the second time in less than ten minutes, she changed her mind about accepting the invitation to share her supper. She had an agenda of her own.

  “Mr. Porterfield?”

  Both men looked at her and then at each other. Trey smiled. “Maybe if you’d be all right with it, we could eliminate any confusion if you called me by my given name?”

  She hesitated. “I suppose it would be all right.”

  “And may I do the same—call you by your given name?”

  Maybe it was because she heard Jess let out a huff of disapproval and saw him roll his eyes that she agreed. And just maybe it was because she was curious to hear the sound of her name coming from Trey Porterfield’s mouth. She nodded.

  “It’s Nell, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” She had always disliked her name—it had no charm. But when he said it, somehow it was like hearing it for the very first time.

  “I’ll go get Joshua, and we can have our supper,” she said and fled the hall.

  * * *

  Nell.

  Her name had strength, not unlike the woman herself. She might be petite in stature, but the tenacity Trey saw in her could not be denied. When she had questioned Jess about his progress, she had spoken without hesitation and looked Jess directly in the eye. Jess was the one who had refused to meet her gaze, looking instead at some point over her head. It also occurred to Trey there was a dignity about her name, a single syllable with no need for embellishment. When he repeated it in his mind, he could not help but smile and forget all about his plan to leave early. Trey chuckled when he realized he’d been right about one thing—his sister-in-law was matchmaking.

  “What’s so funny?” Jess grumbled.

  Trey had long ago learned to read his brother’s moods. “Nothing,” he said.

  “Then wipe that grin off your face. I can’t believe you don’t understand what you and my wife have started here.”

  “I’m having supper with the widow and her son. I haven’t started anything—yet. It’s you as much as Addie that’s been after me to think about finding a wife and starting a family.”

  The look on his brother’s face would have been comical if Trey hadn’t known how truly upset Jess was. “Tell me you only bought a cake that Addie tricked you into buying, and once you’ve lived up to your end of that bargain, there will be an end to it.”

  Trey was tired of Jess always treating him like a kid brother. He was a grown man, old enough to
know his own mind and make his own decisions. “Maybe it’s Addie you need to be lecturing, Jess. I’ve had my fill of it.”

  The day didn’t get much better after that. The auction continued, and the bidding was high, but Trey was distracted when he saw Javier arrive.

  “Fencing’s all taken care of, boss,” Javier assured him.

  “That’s good. Glad you have a chance to enjoy yourself.”

  But a moment later, he saw Javier and Pete Collins huddled together in a corner. He didn’t like the way they kept glancing at Nell, who was speaking quietly with her sister-in-law. Lottie Galway was a timid woman, which stood in sharp contrast to her height and large-boned body. Her sons were big for their age as well, which Trey judged to be somewhere around fifteen. Those two young men looked as if they were spoiling for a fight, and Trey thought Jess would do well to keep an eye on them. But Jess had started working his way through the crowded room toward Javier, and he looked anything but happy. Trey circled around to intercept him, a tactic he used often when herding stray cows, a tactic he’d learned could serve him equally well in intercepting people.

  “Javier’s not doing anything wrong,” he said when he reached Jess’s side. “Leave him be.”

  Jess released a sigh of exasperation, but he stayed where he was. “One of these days, you’re gonna realize that Javier has changed—and not for the better. I know he’s been like a brother to you, but—” Jess broke off the thought and stared hard at Javier and Pete.

  Trey wondered if with the mention of brother, they were both thinking the same thing. There had been a time when Trey had needed his brother’s support and guidance, but Jess had left home and stayed away for months. It had been right after their father died, and by the time Jess returned, Trey had found other sources for the comfort and guidance he needed.