Page 10 of Heart of Stone
“Yes, ma’am.” Stone released her hand and fumbled for something to say. “Luke pointed you out to me at church.”
Agnes nodded. “I do hope Mama has stopped pestering you about dinner.” Her smile became slightly crooked. “She’s a darling, really, but she just won’t give up until she finds me a husband, whether he wants to be found or not. I’m sorry if she’s bothered you.”
The directness surprised Stone, but he was comfortable with direct people who didn’t play games with words, and he found himself actually feeling comfortable with her. “Well, Miss Agnes, a lot of the mamas in town seem to be of the same mind, so you don’t need to apologize.”
That made her chuckle, her brown eyes dancing in genuine amusement. “I hope they haven’t overwhelmed you. You’re a ranch owner, and that makes you a prime target. Just hold your ground, unless you find a girl you really do like, of course. If you give an inch, you’ll probably find yourself standing in front of the preacher before you know what happened.” She lowered her voice and leaned in closer. “To be honest, I’ve seen more than one groom at the altar on his wedding day, looking a little confused about how he got there.”
Despite his innate reserve, Stone found himself grinning. “Serenity ain’t the only place it happens,” he confided. “I reckon mamas are the same all over.”
“I reckon they are.” Luke strolled up to the two of them, regarding them curiously. “Mornin’, Miss Agnes,” he added, touching his hat politely. “I beg your pardon for interruptin’, but we got the wagon loaded up, and I came to see if Mr. Harrison needed an extra hand in here.”
Stone looked at Luke, unable to help himself from noticing the curve of his lips as he smiled at Agnes Wilson. “I’m about done.” He tore his gaze away, looking back to Agnes. “Miss Agnes and I were just havin’ a little talk.”
“Good morning, Luke.” Agnes smiled in a friendly fashion. “I hope you’re doing well.”
“Can’t complain much, although my new boss here does run me ragged,” Luke teased, and as he turned to look at Stone, the polite friendliness he showed to Agnes deepened into warmth, and his smile widened.
Stone felt his face heating up, as it usually did when Luke teased him in front of other people, and his reply was gruff. “Only because I have to keep you busy and out of mischief.”
Agnes glanced between the two of them, looking one eyebrow raised in surprise, but then she smiled. “He’s got you there, Luke,” she said primly. “Which shows that Mr. Harrison is a very insightful man.”
Luke laughed, obviously not taking any offense to his teasing being turned back on him. “That he is,” he agreed, his eyes alight with amusement. “He may not say much, but he don’t miss nothin’.”
“I can see that.” Agnes nodded to them both. “Well, I won’t keep you, gentlemen. I know you must be anxious to get back to the ranch.” She reached out and rested her hand on Stone’s arm. “And don’t worry, Mr. Harrison. Mama won’t be bothering you about dinner again. I’ll make certain of it.”
Stone was surprised, but he wasn’t about to look at a gift horse in the mouth. “Why, thank you, Miss Agnes. I–um–I mean—”
Agnes shook her head and patted his arm before stepping back. “Oh you haven’t hurt my feelings, Mr. Harrison. As it so happens, I’m not looking to get married, at least not right now. I suspect I’ll know the right man when I see him, if I ever do. No amount of wishing and hoping by my Mama is going to make you interested in me, anyway, and I’d rather have you as a friend, like Luke here, than dreading the sight of me. Now then, I’ll see you gentlemen on Sunday at church.”
With another sweet smile at them, she gathered her skirts and turned away. Stone looked after her in surprise, and then he turned to Luke. “That’s one smart lady.”
Luke watched her go, his expression speculative. “That she is,” he agreed, glancing at Stone. “Some man’s goin’ to be right lucky to have her one day.”
Stone nodded. If hehadbeen interested in women, Agnes Wilson would have been at the top of his list, no matter what she looked like. There was something wrong with the men in this town if they couldn’t recognize what a catch she was. He turned to Luke. “Guess we’d better get back to the ranch. Still a lot to do before the snow flies.”
They headed toward the counter, and Stone had the feeling that somehow he’d actually managed to make a friend in Agnes. He wasn’t certain how it had happened, but he found himself rather glad that it had.
CHAPTER7
Luke was tired after a long day in the saddle, but it was a good sort of tired, one he welcomed as a respite from all the necessary bookwork he and Stone had been poring over of late. They were on the back end of November, which meant the grazing season was over, and the ranch wouldn’t have a steady income for a few months, not even from the copper mine. The bank account was padded comfortably enough that they wouldn’t have to quibble over pennies, but Luke was thrifty, and he never liked seeing more money going out than was coming in. He’d be a lot happier when spring rolled around and they would start selling cattle and horses at the market and start working in the mine again.
Stone hadn’t seemed much happier about it either, but Luke had explained that winter was a time to hunker down, trying to reassure himself as much as Stone. It was a time to make sure the fences held, and the livestock survived, and not much else. It was too cold and dangerous to send anyone into the mines, and even riding the fence was more dangerous at this time of year than any other, considering how a storm could blow in and take a man unawares.
Today, however, they’d put the ledgers aside and ridden out to check the fence near the lake; it had been repaired over the summer, and Luke wanted to make sure it was holding up. If there were any repairs to be made or patching to be done, he wanted it done sooner rather than later to prepare for the long, cold months ahead.
Together, he and Stone had covered more ground than he thought they would, which pleased him. They made a good team, he thought as he glanced over at Stone, who was working in silence as usual. If he’d learned anything over the last few weeks, it was that the two of them definitely weren’t two peas in a pod. To his mind, they were more like salt and pepper: different flavors, but both necessary to make a good meal. And he thought they would be spicy as hell in bed, but so far, it was all just wishful thinking on his part.
He grabbed a hoof pick and lifted Mist’s left foreleg, focusing on cleaning her hoof before he got caught staring at Stone like a calf-eyed idiot. He’d been teasing and flirting a little, trying to show Stone how interested he was without pushing too hard, but either Stone didn’t see it or he didn’twantto see it. Sometimes, Luke thought he saw a glimmer of awareness in those dark eyes, but it never went anywhere, and Luke had been a lot friendlier with his own right hand lately thanks to Stone Harrison.
Sometimes, he wondered if it would be worth the risk to grab Stone and kiss him and see if maybethatgot the message across loud and clear enough since being subtle hadn’t worked worth a damn, but as skittish as Stone was, he’d probably bolt. No, Luke would have to be patient and wear him down until he was ready to see how good it could be between them. Until then, Luke saw a lot more buckets of ice-cold well water in his future.
“Doin’ all right, boss?” He knew that if there was going to be any talk between them, he’d have to start it. “I didn’t work you too hard today, did I?” he added with a grin to show he was teasing.
“That’ll be the day,” Stone replied mildly. He was brushing Raider’s coat, taking his time about it as though he really enjoyed the task. “I’ve ridden more miles of fence than I care to think about, and most of it in far worse shape.” He looked over his shoulder back at Luke. “You do a good job keepin’ things fixed up. I bet my aunt would be pleased.”
Luke paused to watch as Stone ran the brush along Raider’s side and followed it with his hand, his long fingers caressing the horse with obvious affection, and Luke tried hard not to feel jealous of a damnedhorse. But if Stone liked touching enough to enjoy brushing a horse that much, Luke could only imagine what he’d be like with another person.
“I hope she would,” he replied at last. “But Copper Lake is my home, too, and I take pride in what’s mine. My name ain’t on the deed, but as long as I’m foreman here, I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”