and horse trails for riding. Plus Yellowstone National Park is close enough for overnight trips.”
She couldn’t recall ever seeing West so excited. But questions crowded her mind, the most critical one spilling from her lips first. “When you say we, what do you mean?”
“I mean me and you, Vienna.” He clasped her hand in his, sending a ripple of feeling through her fingers and arm. Though from the look on his face, he wasn’t even aware of his gesture, let alone its effect. “You can cook the meals, providing the guests with the best food in the country. And I’ll see to the livestock and leading the excursions.”
Vienna turned to look at the ranch, trying to see it through West’s eyes. Only needing two people, at least at first, to run the place sounded far more doable than the large staff of wranglers she’d have to employ if she wanted a regular ranch for Hattie to inherit.
“It’s perfect, really,” West continued. “We’ll combine our resources up front. That way no one’s accepting charity.” He shot her a playful grin that she answered with a chuckle.
Is this what I’m meant to do, Lord?
“Best of all,” West added, “there aren’t likely to be any more unwanted marriage proposals, since we’d be running the place together.”
She had to admit she liked the sound of that. Bertram’s not-so-subtle offer of marriage had been awkward and unwanted. But the stir she and West would create among the area’s gossips, being at the ranch alone together, would certainly bring even more unwanted awkwardness.
“If we do this, the two of us, what would people say? I mean, I’m a widow, and well...” She waved a hand at him, her face flushing with embarrassment. “You’re a bachelor cowboy.”
The enthusiasm slipped from West’s expression, and he frowned. “True. We’d want to do all of this proper-like.”
“Yes.” But what did that entail? Hiring more people so they weren’t on the ranch unchaperoned? And yet, how could they afford to pay anyone wages and still have the money needed to start the dude ranch, even with their combined funds?
He cleared his throat and shot her a sideways glance. “We could marry. In name only,” he hurried to add when she gaped at him.
“Marry?” Her lips tightened in surprise and frustrated confusion. “I just told Bertram I wouldn’t be marrying for the foreseeable future.”
West glanced down at her hand, which he still held. “I know, but it would be a marriage of convenience. A business arrangement. A way to do this on our own, while still keeping things proper. You and Hattie could have the house and I could bunk in the barn. You’d oversee the cooking and housekeeping, and I’d handle the rest.”
The part about concentrating on the household tasks was more than a little appealing. Surely that would give her more time to resurrect the garden than she’d otherwise have as the ranch’s sole caretaker. As West had pointed out, a dude ranch didn’t require such a large volume of livestock, either—just enough to give guests the experience of what a ranch was like. And the less they spent on animals and the cowboys needed to care for them, the more money they would have for other things.
It wouldn’t be as if she and West would actually be married. Not like her and Chance had been. Vienna squelched a shudder at that thought. Was she actually considering the idea?
“So what you’re saying is, if we do this, you’d get your dude ranch and I’d get a home?” The question sounded far more frank than she’d meant it, but she wanted to be certain she understood his motive before she made her decision.
A flicker of emotion she couldn’t identify crossed his face as he glanced down. “Yes, I’d have my dude ranch and you’d have a home.” He withdrew his hand from hers, leaving her feeling a bit cold in spite of the sunshine.
“I do find the whole idea rather interesting.” And she did. “Would our combined savings be enough to get a dude ranch going, though?”
West rubbed his chin. “I think so. It wouldn’t be anything fancy to start, but as we got more guests, we could eventually expand.” When he looked at her again, it was with as much undisguised hope as consternation. “You don’t have to agree to any of it, Vienna. It’s one solution to some of your problems and a plan that could benefit us both, but I don’t want you to agree to anything you aren’t comfortable with.”
“I know, and I can’t thank you enough for suggesting it, West.” That he’d dreamed of owning a dude ranch wasn’t news to her, but the fact that he was willing to include her in that dream in order to help her meant a great deal. “Can I have some time to think and pray about it?”
“Absolutely.” He circled the team, then drove the wagon through the archway and back toward the main road. “If you’d like to see firsthand what a dude ranch is really like, we could take the train to the one I spent my summers at in North Dakota.”
The thought of taking a trip filled her with as much excitement as nervousness. She hadn’t left the area since coming here as a girl. It was a sound idea, though. If she was serious about this venture, she needed to fully understand what it would entail. And traveling with West would surely make the whole experience feel less intimidating.
“How much would it cost to travel and stay there?”
“Leave that to me,” he said. “The Eaton brothers are old friends and I’d like to pay for our train tickets and guest fees.”
Vienna twisted the button on the cuff of her sleeve. “How long would we be gone?”
“Six days ought to be enough time.”
Six days? It sounded so long. “Will Edward let you have that much time off?”
West didn’t hesitate to give a decisive nod. “I think so, especially since it’ll be good practice for Thurston. If you and I decide to move forward with the dude ranch, the young man will need to take over anyway.”
“All right,” she said after a long moment, the frenzy in her middle increasing.
He raised his eyebrows as he regarded her. “All right to which part? Taking the trip to North Dakota or considering my plan?”
“Both.” She laughed at his stunned expression.
“That’s the best news I’ve heard in ages.” He grinned at her, and his renewed eagerness succeeded in quieting her concerns and restoring her earlier optimism and calm. “God willing, I think this may be an answer to both of our dreams.”
“Don’t think that I can’t tell you’re moving slower on my account,” Maggy said, her belly leading the way down the drive of the Running W.
Vienna laughed but maintained her unrushed pace to accommodate Maggy’s. She well remembered how her friend had kindly done the same for Vienna when she’d been pregnant with Hattie.
“I’m going to miss living here.” She linked her arm with Maggy’s.
A flash of sadness appeared in her friend’s blue eyes. “We still have plenty of time before you leave. West only sent off that letter to his friends in North Dakota this morning.”
“Do you think I’m crazy?” Vienna asked her.
The battle of anticipation and anxiety inside her hadn’t stopped since she and West had formulated their plans yesterday. Which emotion was winning largely depended on the hour and the direction of her thoughts. This evening, with her regular duties completed, her nervousness had taken the lead.
“To start a dude ranch or travel to North Dakota?”
Vienna shot her a pleading look. “Both?”
“Then