Loving Against the Grain (Into the West #2)

Chapter 9

 

“So, when’s the big day, Tex?”

 Bent over and in the process of cleaning out the front hoof of one of the steam donkey’s mule team, Noah Lawson shot a startled, upside-down look at Coffee Boiler as the older man stood in the entrance of the Company barn at early sunset. The horse wrangler and his crew were hard at work putting the animals to bed, and the stable buzzed with activity. In his little corner off the entrance, however, Noah remained alone, except for the animal he’d been tending.  He was spared an immediate answer, when, sensing his inattention, the mule chose that moment to jerk its leg from his gentle grasp, braying its imminent triumph loudly.

 “Whoa! Not so fast, Abe. You’re not leavin’ till I’ve had my way with you,” Noah crooned, the mule’s foot still firmly held within his grasp. A disbelieving snort erupted from behind, while a short-lived tug-of-war between man and beast ensued, with the horse wrangler emerging as the victor. Some, such as the teamster Coffee Boiler, might consider naming a mule after the recently assassinated president impertinent, but Noah had done so out of respect. After all, hadn’t Abraham Lincoln bucked popular opinion to lead their country to freedom for all men, regardless of color, and stood steadfastly behind his choice? And wasn’t a mule just such a mammal, with its superior intelligence, independent thinking, and unwavering loyalty to the owner who earned its trust? Noah felt the comparison held merit, but fully understood peoples’ incredulity when they first heard the animal’s name. Too bad.

 “What’d you say, Coffee?” Noah asked, stalling for time over a question which he realized the answer needed to be worded just so. He and Emmaline had been riding the sled to the cookhouse for nearly ten days now, and people had begun taking notice. It was what they wanted, this curious attention from bystanders, but now Noah felt heat crawl up his neck at the thought of out-and-out lying to people he knew, like Coffee Boiler.

 “I asked, when you gettin’ hitched to that pretty little hasher over at the cookhouse? I’ve seen the two of you canoodling on that big ole sled of yours every morning. Seems to be boilin’ up between the two of you faster than my morning pot o’ coffee. A man’s got a right to know, in case he wants to throw his hat in the ring for her as well.”

Noah dropped Abe’s foot unceremoniously to the ground and straightened, whipping about and narrowing disbelieving eyes on the heavier, older man grinning across the space at him. You’ve got to be foolin’ me, came Noah’s first thought. The man topped his own age by at least ten years, and carried more weight on him than was healthy! The unbidden image of Coffee flattening dainty Miss Emmaline under him in the marriage bed flashed before Noah’s eyes, and the horse wrangler shook his head to clear the sickening notion from his mind. She was only twenty-two, for crying out loud! The teamster would be robbing the cradle!

 Tread carefully, the warning screamed through Lawson’s head as he slapped the hoof pick negligently against the palm of one hand and cocked a hip. Whatever he said here would feed the rumor mill by evening, so therefore he had to lend the answer some credence. Shoving back the very thought of Miss Emmie and Coffee Boiler heating up the sheets from his disbelieving mind, Noah pushed his hat off his forehead using the pick and replied with a hint of his Texas drawl, “Too late, Coffee. Not meanin’ to brag or whatnot, but I’ve lassoed Miss Townsend’s heart pretty firmly. We’ve been seein’ each other in town for a while now, and gettin’ mighty close. I’ve already spoken to her brother, matter of fact. No need to wait for nuptials if both parties are like-minded, I say.” Noah smiled smugly to reinforce his glib comment, the easy-going words belying the anxiety within his mind and heart.

“Piss off!” The other man uttered in disbelief. “The horse wrangler’s gettin’ himself hitched?” Coffee’s eyes narrowed and took on a suddenly mean glint, but it disappeared so fast Noah thought he might have imagined it. But not the words that followed the look.