Rancher Wants a Wife by Kate Bridges

tomorrow.”
    “Ah, I see.”
    They turned the corner of the house and noticed a commotion. People were running from all directions. There was a buggy and horse tied to the hitching post, which had to be Julia’s, but there was also another horse, a very large dapple-gray mare, still saddled, and drinking from the water trough. A rugged Winchester rifle was strapped to its back. Who had just arrived?
    Men were dashing toward the stables from all sides, coming out of the toolsheds, from the fields, jumping off horses.
    Alarmed that someone might be injured, Cassandra sprinted toward the chaos. Julia followed at her heels.
    “What is it?” Cassandra asked an older ranch hand, her long skirts swinging about her legs.
    “Fight!” the man hollered.
    Fight? Who on earth was fighting? Jack would most certainly put a stop to it, whoever it was.
    Cassandra raced through the open doors of the stables, then past the stalls and horses toward the back. She and Julia stepped out into the sunshine, where a dozen men crowded around the corral.
    Cassandra had a bad feeling. She wrangled her way quietly among the shirts and Stetsons to see what was happening. “Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me.”
    She made it to the front, to find two men circling each other.
    One of them was Jack.
    Good Lord, he wasn’t stopping the brawl, he was in it!
    She looked around wildly—wasn’t anyone going to put a halt to this?
    A brute as tall and muscled as Jack dashed at him, his large fist raised, but Jack stopped it midair. The man swung again, this time punching him in the stomach. Cassandra winced. Jack doubled over, recovered quickly and retaliated with a slug to the man’s ribs.
    “Had enough, Thornley?” Jack cussed.
    The man growled. “Stay away from Elise!”
    Elise again?
    The man took a flying leap and toppled Jack to the ground. They rolled like barbarians.
    “Sir,” Cassandra pleaded to the man standing next to her. “Can’t you stop this? This is mad!”
    “It’s Jack’s call, ma’am. No one interferes unless he says.”
    “Jack!” she shouted, stepping forward. “Stop it! Jack!”
    He turned his head momentarily toward her and was rewarded with a right fist to his temple.
    She covered her mouth in horror.
    “If I hear you ever going near her again,” the stranger yelled, “I’ll rip your heart out!”
    Jack rose to his feet, circled, blocked another swing, and this time hit the man’s jaw full force. A tooth went flying. His opponent thumped onto his back, knocked out cold.
    Jack swore. Then he went to the water trough, filled a tin cup, walked over to the fallen man and splashed water onto his bloody face.
    The man came to, shuddered, then lay there catching his breath. Cassandra tried to step in front of Julia to shield the girl from the violence.
    Unfortunately, the brute on the ground seemed to have worse intentions, for he lunged menacingly toward Jack, who was unaware and making his way toward her.
    In a flash, Cassandra reached down to the holster of the nearest man, smoothly withdrew his Smith & Wesson, held it up in the air and expertly fired.
    The bang startled everyone, including the man about to attack. Jack followed her gaze and sprang around to confront him. Two ranch hands were faster and were already subduing him.
    All eyes turned toward Cassandra. She slowly lowered the revolver and passed it back with ease to the dismayed owner.
    “I believe this is yours,” she said. “Sorry to take it without permission.”
    The man, wearing a plaid shirt and sporting a wide black mustache, shook his head in disapproval. Then perhaps he realized there was no harm done, for a glimmer of amusement entered his eyes. “I trust it won’t happen again.”
    Jack wobbled over to her, blood dribbling from his split lip, red lump on his temple, and pulled her out in front of the crowd. “Gentlemen,” he announced in a slur, “I’d like you to meet my wife, Cassandra. And son of a gun, she knows how to shoot.”
    Men