Prologue

Ironwood, Nebraska

1895

“You need to come now,” the man barked at Mary the moment she answered the door.

The man was hunched inside a well-worn leather coat; his hat, covered in dust, was pulled low across his craggy face. The brim distorted her view of him, but he appeared to be about her father’s age and dressed for ranch work. She focused hard on his face to see if a flicker of memory identified him to her.

Mary vaguely recalled the man working at Joseph’s ranch with her father as a hand. What she wasn’t certain about, though, was why he was standing in front of her door, making demands of her in such a tone. She’d just been preparing dinner for her father’s arrival, knowing her father would come home ravenous after a long day working horses. She couldn’t take off with a stranger with no good explanation if she didn’t want to get a talking to later.

The man didn’t hesitate to turn a full circle back to his horse, not uttering another word.

Mary stared out at the modest ranch as the apprehension tightened in her stomach.

Two rocking chairs creaked softly on the porch to the right of where she stood. The small patch of land might look broken down and barren, minus the one aged barn, but Mary didn’t care how humble the place was; it was home, and she’d worked hard to make it cozy for her father and herself. The single barn had space for the two horses her father had trained to be their transportation, and the single cow was on the other side of the weather-worn building.

She gazed up the dusty road the rider had taken to the front porch.

This tiny patch of land and single-room house had been given to her father as part of his employment agreement with the Hardy Ranch. The large barn had aged wood planks with fresh lumber patching up several spots due to the amount of use. While general maintenance was done on the building, it wasn’t the prettiest sight, to be sure. The dirt road leading up to the house was well-traveled in the direction of a small town to the north for supplies occasionally or toward the massive, sprawling ranch of Joseph Hardy.

She’d made that trip more than a few times to visit her father while he worked or even for holiday celebrations held by the staff.

If something bad happens to my father, all my efforts will be for nothing, Mary noted, her stomach twisting into knots as a cold sweat broke out on the back of her neck. I’ll be evicted from the only home I’ve ever known.

“Sir, I need—”

She didn’t have time to finish her statement as the man with the odd limp mounted back up on the horse he’d ridden in on. As he glanced back in her direction, he tucked his chin into his old jacket and pulled that hat over his head. The only thing about the man that caught her eye was the strange feather he wore in his hat. He appeared to wait momentarily for her to follow his lead, so she forced her feet into action.

Running into the house, she removed the pot from the fireplace that held tonight’s stew. Taking the not fully baked bread out as well, she flung it on the table. Then, Mary was out the door like a shot, headed to the side paddock and her favorite mare. No time for saddles or the like, as she would soon lose the visitor in the prairie’s dust.

As she rode, she soon knew they were headed toward Joseph Hardy’s farm. This realization confirmed that this was probably regarding her father, which was her suspicion despite the brevity of the man’s words.

Her father had ridden out to work that morning, and while nothing had been out of the ordinary, her lungs struggled to pull in enough breath as worry gripped her insides.

Her father’s job was to tame the wildest horses found in this part of the country. Horseflesh was used for ranching, breeding, and other needs at Joseph’s ranch. Getting animals that appeared untamable to finally take a saddle was the most satisfying work he had ever done; she could recall her father claiming this repeatedly. Still, the injuries could be gruesome.

He’d had numerous bruises, cuts that required tending, and once even a bad head injury that put him on bed rest for nearly a week. Animals, when scared, would lash out, and while her father never did feel that horses could be blamed, he always tried to be cautious to avoid further injury. That didn’t prevent all the worst-case scenarios from flitting through Mary’s mind as she raced toward Joseph’s ranch.

The ranch was the biggest spread in the direction she and the man were headed, slightly northwest of town. It was also the same direction her father took off at sunrise each morning. She needed to get there and assure herself he was not injured or ill. Right now, the thought of everything that could go wrong chilled her to her core, making riding that much more difficult.

After losing her mother in childbirth, it had just been the two of them, along with her now-married sister, for years. Her father had been a good provider for his family and did the best he could raising two girls. Unfortunately, while her sister made friends with girls and families nearby to learn the finer traits of being a lady, Mary ran much wilder in her tendencies.

Mary knew many called her unladylike and uncivilized for wearing her father’s hand-me-down pants, but that didn’t bother her. She had the life skills to keep herself alive on a ranch, and that was her biggest worry as a woman in these parts.

Mary rode bareback, not wanting to waste time saddling up her horse. She was comfortable riding in such a manner, as her father had taught her to train and ride from the time she could walk. She easily overcame the man with the feather in his hat as she rode at a breakneck rate toward Joseph’s ranch.

She could handle any injury, as she had in the past. She would cook, change his dressings, and nurse him back to health—maybe even go to work herself so he could take time away from the ranch for a bit. Whatever it took, she would manage as long as he came home to her. He was the only family she had left, and she would do whatever was needed to help him, no matter the situation.

Mary’s heart thudded in her chest and climbed up her throat. She could only pray that this was not bad news. As someone used to hard living and tough breaks, she just wanted one thing to go right for her.

Don’t borrow trouble, she reminded herself.

She needed to get to the ranch and figure out what she was facing before she panicked.

As they pulled to the fence line surrounding Joseph’s property, she felt her heart galloping faster than a wild horse. The dust was up her nose, and she must look frightened. That didn’t matter when she turned to see the rancher behind her waving her down the dirt road to the main farmhouse.

As she rode up, she noticed a buggy and horses standing outside the barn. It looked like the doctor’s rig. She didn’t want to contemplate that as she slid off her horse and ran for the barn, where she now saw the doctor and Joseph framed in the doorway. They immediately stopped talking and turned in her direction.

Joseph’s face was pale, his eyes downturned as he mouthed her name.

The doctor hung his head with a slight shake that chilled her blood.

Mary ran toward them. She had to find her father, and no one would stand in her way. She figured her father had to be inside that building, and she would not be stopped from getting to her father’s side.

“Mary,” Joseph muttered as he came toward her.

She attempted to rush past him. “Where is my father?”

“I did what I could,” the doctor whispered.

“No!” Mary yelled, scarcely hearing his dreadful words. “You have to do more.”

“I’m sorry,” the man told her, softening his tone. “The injuries were simply too much. He’s home with your ma now, Mary.”

With blood rushing in her ears, blocking out all coherent thoughts, Mary turned on Joseph. “Joseph, where is my father?”

He just shook his head. “There was an accident.”

Her legs gave out beneath her, and she sank to the ground. The sobs ripped from her throat like a wild animal. Her father was all she had left…. He couldn’t be gone.

“Come on now.” Joseph bent to pick her up off the ground. “I promised him I would take care of you,” he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace.

She sobbed into the front of his shirt without care, her shoulders heaving and chest constricting tightly. She could not control the pain ebbing from her body in waves of anger, rage, and grief—emptying her from the inside out and leaving a hollow shell behind.

***

Mary stared into the hole in the ground, where the simple box was now lowered. She heard those who whispered their condolences walk away from her. Being newly married and needing to manage her husband’s ranch, her sister could not attend the simple ceremony but sent condolences via a rider when Joseph had volunteered a man to notify her. Only farm hands, the preacher, and Joseph were present to see her father off to whatever came after this hard life.

That was that, and now Mary needed to face the harsh reality. She was alone, unmarried, and needed to find employment. There were few options available to her. How was she to care for herself? She figured Joseph would want their little property back for whoever the new horse trainer would be. She was homeless, with a bit of money her father had left and no prospects in the world.

“What am I to do now?” she asked, raising tear-stained eyes to Joseph, who walked up alongside her.

“I’ll give you a job. I have seen the way you handle horseflesh. Your father didn’t seem to mind you were female and taught quite a bit about horses. He said you were as good with them as any son,” Joseph muttered, tipping his hat off his head. “You can train horses for me and earn your keep. Don’t know that any man will want you, girl, if you turn into a farm hand, but it’s what I know. You have a home here as long as you work for it.”

“I can do that,” she said, swiping at her tears as some of the weight lifted from her chest. “I know horses. You won’t be sorry about taking me on.” After a pause, she couldn’t help but add, “What about the house?”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Joseph said with a chuckle. “Your daddy did good work for me over the years and earned everything fair and square. I’ll take care of all the funeral expenses today. You stay in your house and come to work when you’re ready.”

Mary nodded. It was the best offer in these parts she would get. Most wouldn’t consider taking on a female farm hand. She didn’t mind the hard work if it put a roof over her head and food in her belly.

“You won’t regret this,” she said, holding out her hand.

“A promise is a promise,” Joseph muttered as he shook her hand…sealing her fate with his.

Chapter One

Ironwood, Nebraska

1898

3 years later

Mary held her nephew tight in front of her on the horse. Adam wore his sole pair of black ankle boots, blue trousers, and a light blue shirt. He had brown eyes that reminded Mary of her sister, Annabeth, the little guy’s now-deceased mother. His dark brown hair had been cut short, and his tiny frame was so delicate that Mary worried she might squish him as she kept him atop the horse.

She noted how his hair was the same color as hers, except that she got the curls from her father’s side of the family and struggled to keep the flyways in check. Adam’s eyes were also a family legacy that her father and sister shared with her, which comforted her in some way when gazing at Adam.

The little boy had barely spoken since being ripped from his mother’s side three days ago. Her sister had died on the heels of her husband, succumbing to influenza. She had rasped her final breath within hours of Mary’s arrival.

Mary had felt the loss of her sister for years now since she married and moved nearly sixteen hours away. Communication via the occasional letter was how they attempted to keep in contact. After Mary’s father passed, though, learning horse breeding and training the animals on Joseph’s farm was a role she took seriously, leaving little time for a social life or visits to her sister. She regretted that detachment now.

She glanced into the distance, and all she saw was a dark, bleak horizon. The sand, kicked up by the horse, was chafing her throat. Mary ensured she gave Adam as much water as she could. The boy didn’t really talk back, but he took food and water as she ordered.

“I hope you enjoy Ironwood, the ranch, and living with me,” she murmured against Adam’s head. “Joseph was like the grandfather I always wished I had. Your grandparents both lost their parents early, as did I, and now you.”

Even saying Joseph’s name aloud made her lip quiver. The man had died nearly at the same time she found out about her sister being taken to her bed in illness. Mary had said a proper goodbye to Joseph, who had treated her well in the years since her father died, before she took off to attend to her sister. The weight of grief over Joseph’s loss had made it difficult to balance losing her sister and being made guardian to a small child in a short time.

She had to wonder if this was simply the way of life or her tragedy alone. No one in her family lived to old age, and the bumps and bruises she received from one ornery animal or another took a toll over time. Fortunately, unlike many women in this place and time who didn’t have a male relative to care for them, she had a good job.

“Joseph showed me all I need to know about horses,” she told Adam. “I promise I will pass all I know to you when you are a bit older.”

Adam was just about six. The boy appeared skinny, uncommunicative, and scared…all emotions she knew more than her fair share about.

“We have many people at the ranch who I know will love to meet you,” she continued. “Peggy is the best cook in the world. She’s better than me. I’ll make her give you some of that cornbread and bean casserole she’s famous for. I promise she’ll have you asking for seconds and thirds.

“I know you’re sad and don’t want to talk. I miss Joseph, your mommy, and so many people I’ve lost. I’ll try to do okay with you, though. We might have to be patient with each other,” she whispered as she finally spotted their destination ahead of them.

Mary rode up to the sprawling ranch through the vast fields of swaying grasses. Some wildflowers dotted the horizon, along with cows and horses off to the left of the main barn. The large farmhouse, sitting at the heart of the property, had been freshly painted white this spring and had a wraparound porch. There were two large barns, one of which housed horses that were trained and bred on the property. The other barn was where the cattle were brought in and out for milking time.

There were other clusters of buildings for as far as the eye could see, showcasing the richness of this ranch compared to the small plot of land on which Adam and Mary would live.

Mary noticed smoke curling from the chimney as Peggy was sure to be working on food for the noon-day meal for the hands. She’d cooked for Joseph and others on the ranch her whole life, and the thought of seeing the kind lady today finally cracked a smile on Mary’s face.

“I know nothing about raising a child,” she muttered, continuing to talk to Adam. “Your mama kept me alive. She was about a girl herself but did a fine job. I will do the same for you, as we both get used to not having her with us.”

As Mary rode up toward the ranch, her heart thudded heavily.

Normally, riding was second nature, but she felt herself slide to the right, her vision blurring.

Adam turned to look at her with a furrowed brow as he slid as well.

She swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise in her throat and rolled her shoulders.

The worry of the last few days was making her unsteady in the saddle. She needed to hold it together, though, and take a private cry when she had Adam safely in bed at night. It would help to reset her overly vexed body and soul to have a good period of grief. She just needed to be strong for a little while longer for Adam. That little boy was all she had in this world now; he needed her to be okay for his sake.

As she headed to the main barn, she didn’t see anyone come out to greet her. That was odd, as many of the hands didn’t appear to be out in the field. Joseph had died two weeks ago, mere days before she left to attend to her sister. By now, things should be back to full operations, as the time of mourning didn’t stop things on the ranch.

Peggy rushed from the main house, cheeks red and apron askew. “Oh, I’m so glad to see you.”

She stopped short and stared at Adam with enormous eyes, her mouth falling open.

In the letter Mary sent back about her sister’s death, she hadn’t mentioned this little detail. At that time, she didn’t know if someone from Adam’s father’s side might take him. When that didn’t happen, she couldn’t leave him behind.

“What are you doing with a child?” Peggy questioned, her voice climbing higher.