Margaret was the name my mother had chosen, not knowing she was carrying two babies. She died shortly after my sister and I were born, so, since I was born first, my father named me Mary Margaret, and my sister Margaret Mary.”
“Don’t that beat all,” one of them said, she hadn’t caught exactly who because the very thoughtful expression on Steve’s face held her attention.
“How do you know that?” he asked.
“Because my father told me,” she answered the obvious.
“If you’re twins, identical, maybe he mixed the two of you up.” Looking at her over the rim of his coffee cup, he continued, “Maybe she’s Mary and you’re Maggie.”
Confident that had never happened, she smiled. “No, he didn’t. I’m Mary. Mary McCary.”
“How can you be so sure?”
She could tell him the truth. Show him the birthmark on the back of her neck that proved she was exactly who she said she was, or tell him about it and why she and Maggie always wore their hair down, so people were never sure which sister was which. Maggie had no such birthmark, and more than a time or two they’d used their likenesses to their own advantages. She then wondered if he’d be able to tell her and Maggie apart without knowing their secret. There was something about him, his intuition, maybe, that said he might be able to.
Still smiling, she met his gaze eye for eye. “Why are you so suspicious of people? Or is it just me?”
The nervous silence that settled around the table told her what she already knew. Few people questioned Steve Putnam. She didn’t mind being one that did. As crazy as it seemed, she didn’t mind getting under his skin—most likely because he got under hers so thoroughly.
He never looked away while saying, “Saddle up, boys.”
As they all gathered their hats and stood, he added, “Lunch will be at noon, Miss McCary.”
“Yes, it will be, Mr. Putnam,” she replied.
He waited until the rest of the men exited, and then while standing in the open doorway, he said, “Walter won’t be milking any cows tomorrow morning. That’s your job.”
She should have known he’d discover that. “So be it.” As he pulled the door shut, she started gathering dishes off the table and muttered, “Insufferable beast.”
The door opened again and he poked his head through the opening. “I heard that.”
Hoisting the pile of dirty dishes off the table, she merely repeated, “So be it.” She’d learn to milk a snake just to spite him. Of course snakes couldn’t be milked, at least she assumed they couldn’t. She couldn’t be sure about the snakes in this country, though. They had to be different from the ones she’d ever seen. Just as different as the cows. Men, however, were the same everywhere. Insufferable beasts.
Not a single man had ever appealed to her in any shape or form, and Steve Putnam had to be the least appealing of all. At least he should be. The way he antagonized her with nothing more than a look was reason enough. Sure he might be more handsome than all the others, but some dogs were better-looking than other ones, too, and that sure didn’t make them better dogs.
“Mary?”
She let the smile that wanted to appear at the sound of Rex’s voice form and after setting the dishes on the counter, walked into his room. “Yes?”
“Is there something I can help you with this morning? I’m sure I could sit at the table and peel potatoes or something.”
Maybe she was a bit wrong. Rex wasn’t unlikeable or insufferable. A matter of fact, she’d already grown a bit fond of him. Why couldn’t Steve be more like him? She gave her head a quick shake. What was she thinking? She didn’t want to become fond of Steve.
Crossing the room, she said, “I’m sure you could, but I’m not going to let you. You need to stay in bed so that leg heals.” That needed to happen as much for him as for her. She couldn’t stay here any longer than necessary. “However,” she continued, noting the frustration in Rex’s green eyes. “I am hoping you’ll be up to churning butter later today. And...”
He frowned slightly. “And?”
“Telling me how to milk a cow.”
Steve led the group of cowboys toward the house at full speed. It was a half hour or so before noon, but that was how he wanted it. Showing up early and frazzling Mary’s composure a bit would suit him just fine. He couldn’t say why. Normally he was easygoing. He loved his ranch and wanted everyone who worked here to love it, too. It not only made for a happier group, it got more done. Men who liked their work accomplished more than those who didn’t. He should consider that when it came to her, but couldn’t. There was something about her that got to him.
As did the way the men behind him were shouting at each other, guessing what they’d have for lunch and betting it would be one of the best meals they’d ever eaten. They could very well be right. In fact, they better be right. At the fortune it was costing him to feed them, they better enjoy every morsel.
On that thought, Steve reined in his horse, slowing the pace for everyone. Mary wasn’t costing him that much more than he’d paid Rex to cook and clean, and considering the quality of the meals last night and this morning, the extra money was worth it.
They rode into the homestead around the back of the barn, which was where Steve caught sight of the two horses tied up outside the bunkhouse, and the two men sitting in the shade under the awning.
“What are they doing here?” Walter asked, drawing his horse to a stop.
“I don’t know,” Steve said. “But I have a good idea.”
“What?”
“She’s cooking our lunch.” Steve dismounted and handed the reins to Leroy before he crossed the yard to the bunkhouse.
“Sheriff, Mayor,” he greeted as the men stood. “Hot day to be sitting out here.”
Pulling his britches up over his pudgy waistline, Josiah Melbourne puffed out his chest. “You tell that woman to get out here right now.”
“I’m assuming you’re talking about my new cook.”
“Of course I am,” the mayor said. “You can’t hire her as a cook. You never contributed to the Betterment Committee, therefore she can’t be here.”
Tom Baniff stepped forward. He’d been the sheriff for the past two years and was doing a dang good job of it. He always got straight to the point, and did so now.
“Mary McCary is one of the brides,” Tom said. “And Brett Blackwell confirmed he brought her out here right after the train arrived.”
“Brett did,” Steve agreed, “but Miss McCary claims she had no intention of becoming a bride.”
“She doesn’t have a choice,” Josiah barked. “She knew the rules before she left Ohio.”
“Could you have her unlock the door so we can talk to her?” Tom asked. “We’ve been here long enough.”
Steve started for the house, and as the sheriff stepped up beside him, he asked, “How long have you been here?”
“Left town at eight this morning.”
“And you’ve been sitting here the entire time?”
“Yes. Josiah refused to leave, and I didn’t want to have to ride out again because she shot him or something.”
“There’s a town full of men expecting—”
Interrupting the mayor, Steve asked the sheriff, “She pulled a gun on you?”
Tom