Pamela Nissen - Brides of the West - Josie's Wedding Dress / Last Minute Bride / Her Ideal Husband

“The best riders in Wyoming come for that race,” he said to her. “You know I want to ride in it, but on what?”

“I have Smoke.”

“Smoke?” Ty’s voice trailed to a whisper. He’d caught and gentled the mustang himself. No one else had ever ridden the crazy stallion, though a few men had tried. Josie or Nate must have bought the horse when the bank auctioned his possessions. He suddenly wanted to ride fast and free, without fences or prison bars to hold him back. He wanted that freedom almost as much as he wanted Josie’s forgiveness. He could take that ride, but Josie’s pardon would have to be earned. Riding in the Maze was a good start. Smoke would be five years older, maybe slower, but he was still a smart, rangy stallion.

A hush settled over the cemetery. The breeze died and the grass went still. Not even a bird chirped as Ty held her gaze. “I’ll ride for you, Josie.”

“We’ll split the prize.”

No, they wouldn’t. He’d give her every cent, but they could argue about it later. Afraid she’d change her mind, he tilted his head toward the gate and said, “Let’s go. I need to check out Smoke.”

She headed to the buggy without a word. Ty would have handed her up, even suggested tying his gelding to the back and doing the driving, but Josie lifted the reins before he could blink.

“You know the way.” She clicked her tongue at the mule, steered around the cemetery and headed for the Bar JB. Ty wanted a final word with Nate, so he walked back to the grave. Instead of taking off his hat, he pulled it lower. “This is it, friend. I’m going to make things right for Josie.”

The burden Ty carried didn’t ease completely, but a bit of weight lifted from his shoulders. If he could win the May Day Maze, he’d be a step closer to atoning for the worst mistake of his life. Blinking, he thought back to Reverend Gaines, the chaplain who visited the prison twice a week. Ty had been among the forty men who gathered in the dining hall for services. He’d never forget the reverend’s first sermon.

Jesus calls us to walk in His shoes. Do you have the courage to love the way He did? It’s the kind of love where you put your own hopes aside for the benefit of someone else.

That evening in jail, Ty had prayed with Reverend Gaines. He’d vowed to be a better man from that day forth, and he’d decided to start by making amends to Josie. The decision had come from the deep well of regret, though today he felt something along with the remorse. He couldn’t stop seeing her face in his mind, and his gut stirred with the feelings they’d shared as a couple. She’d changed, but she had the same fire he’d always loved. His reaction troubled him, because he had nothing to offer except riding Smoke in the Maze.

With the sun beating on his back, he spoke to Nate. “She’s prettier than ever, isn’t she?”

Nate didn’t answer, of course. But Ty knew what he’d have said. He’d have teased his friend about being sweet on his little sister. Nate had heckled him mercilessly, until Ty told him to shut up because he was going to marry Josie whether Nate liked it or not.

Nate had laughed. Ty could almost hear that sound now and he answered back, “I’ll do my best for her. You have my word.”

Determined and unafraid, he left the graveyard, climbed on the gelding and headed for the Bright ranch. With the buggy in the distance, he looked at the hills that hadn’t changed and the ruts that had. He felt more like a rut than a mountain today, but the mountains called to his blood. He was itching for wind and dust, speed, and the May Day Maze. As he took in the sky and the empty meadows, he thought of the Bible verse he’d scratched on the wall of his cell. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.

Feeling better than he had in years, he lagged behind Josie, enjoying the vast meadows and preparing himself for seeing familiar things. Mostly he recalled the porch swing where he’d proposed to her. Ty had spoken first to her father. A big man, Mr. Bright had shaken Ty’s hand and told him to take good care of Josie or else. The “or else” had been a fatherly jab, but Ty felt the burden in his bones. After supper he’d sat with her on the swing. More nervous than he’d ever been, he’d dropped to one knee and asked her to be his wife. She’d said yes and they’d kissed.

Five years in prison had done nothing to dull the memory of that moment.

Five minutes in her presence made it sharper than ever. It cut through the fog of time and the effort he’d made to forget her. If he wasn’t careful, he’d earn Josie’s forgiveness but lose his dignity by falling in love like a calf-eyed kid.

As the Bright ranch came into view, Ty lagged behind so he could take a good look at the old two-story house. The white siding stood out against the sky, and behind it grass stretched as far as he could see. He looked to the west and saw a barn the size of a cathedral. In its day, the Bar JB had been the most prosperous ranch in Rock Creek. Approaching now, Ty saw outbuildings in need of paint, missing shingles and a falling-down fence. He looked back at the house expecting to see a garden to the left of it. He couldn’t remember a spring when Mrs. Bright didn’t tend to her vegetables, but today he saw weeds.

There was no doubt about it. Josie needed help. Eager to get to work—and to see Smoke—he turned the gelding toward the barn. Rounding a curve in the path, he saw Josie going toe to toe with Obie Jones. Years ago Ty had hired the man and fired him a week later. Obie was the laziest, most conniving man Ty had ever met, and the fool had a cigarette dangling from his lips…a cigarette by a barn full of hay and livestock. Ty didn’t know the man behind Obie, but he recognized his type. Judging by the sneer on his face, he didn’t take kindly to a woman giving him orders.

Everyone in Rock Creek knew Obie’s reputation. Josie must have been desperate to hire him. Keeping a respectful distance, Ty climbed off the gelding and waited for her to finish her business.

The wait ended when Obie blew smoke in her face.

* * *

Josie hoped Ty wouldn’t interfere. She’d caught Obie smoking outside the barn…again. Lazy or not, Obie was the only man in Rock Creek who’d work for the pittance she could afford to pay. The other fellow, a drifter named Gordie, had less to offer than Obie. She’d hired them out of desperation. With the bitter winter, most of the local hands had drifted south. If Obie and Gordie quit, she’d be in trouble.

Obie looked past her to Ty and smirked. “Look what the wind blew in… .”

If Josie turned to look at Ty, she’d appear weak. She kept her eyes on Obie, but she heard the creak of Ty’s saddle as he swung off the gelding, then the scuff of his boots on the hard dirt. His shadow stretched to meet hers, and she heard the soft exhalation of his breath.

“Hello, Obie,” he said in a drawl.

Josie stole a glance at Ty’s profile. He had fire in his eyes, the kind that got him in trouble. If he chased off Obie, the trouble would be hers. She didn’t trust Ty to handle this situation, but she couldn’t deal with Ty and Obie and Gordie at the same time. Caught between two bad choices, she said nothing.

Obie aimed his stubbly chin at Gordie. “This here’s Ty Donner. He’s been locked away in that big prison in Laramie.”

Josie wanted to wipe the smirk off Obie’s face. The man had no right to gloat, though why she felt protective of Ty she didn’t want to know.

Next to her, Ty shrugged. “I’m out now.”

“I can see that,” Obie answered.

Ty indicated the man’s cigarette. “Mind if I bum a smoke?”

Obie hurled his tobacco pouch with too much force. Ty snagged it with one hand. Obie smirked. “Help yourself.”