Chapter 3

A couple of weeks later, Cy hammered nails into the board he held against the support beam with quick, efficient movements. Johnny worked a short distance from him, nails sticking out of his mouth. He reminded Cy of some sort of rabid dog and supposed that he must look the same way.

Hearing horse hooves on the lane, he backed up until he could see the drive. He let out a quiet groan as Rob rode over to him and Johnny.

“Cy, Johnny,” the sheriff greeted them.

Johnny grinned at him. “You here for Cy?”

“That’s right. Can I talk to you privately?” Rob asked.

Cy indicated the damaged barn. “I’m busy right now.”

Rob gave a curt nod. “I see that, but it won’t take long.” His eyes moved to Johnny and then back to Cy.

“Johnny, why don’t you get us something to drink? I’ll take care of this, and we’ll get back at it.”

“Sure. Good to see you, Sheriff,” Johnny said.

“You, too, son,” Rob said. Once the younger man was out of earshot, Rob asked, “Do you know why someone would be investigating you?”

Cy’s brows drew together. “No. No one should be interested in me. Who’s asking questions about me?”

“Some investigator from Massachusetts. Wanted to know whether you’ve ever beaten a woman or if you have a criminal record. That sort of thing.”

Cy’s left eyebrow lifted. “Beaten a woman? That’s specific. I have no idea why someone would be asking that sort of—”

He broke off as something occurred to him. “Connie says that some mail order bride services investigate any potential grooms. It’s a great idea. A woman can never be too careful, especially when she’s coming to a completely new place.”

Rob’s eyes rounded and he tipped up his tan cowboy hat. “You advertised for a mail order bride? I didn’t know you were lookin’ to get married. What’s wrong with the girls around here?”

“None of them would marry a Comanche and I need a woman who can run the ranch,” Cy said, enjoying Rob’s surprised reaction.

“A woman to run the ranch? Now I’ve heard it all,” Rob said.

“That’s right. I can’t afford a ranch foreman, so I figure that I’ll save a bunch of money if I marry one,” Cy said. “There’s gotta be a woman out there who knows her way around cattle and ranching.”

Rob let out a snort, which quickly turned into a full belly laugh. Wiping away tears of mirth, he said, “You never did think like other people, and I can see that you still don’t. That’s the strangest way of getting a ranch foreman I’ve ever heard. What if she’s ugly? You still gonna marry her?”

Cy had thought about that, but it was a business arrangement, so he didn’t attach dreams of finding a great love match to the situation. He’d had that once and that dream had gone up in flames.

“Yep. I don’t care what she looks like as long as she can run a ranch. I was clear in my letter that this was just business. If we’re attracted to each other, that’d be great, but if not...” He gave a shrug of indifference. “So what did you tell the investigator?”