Greta’s face, on the other hand, had lost its color. She wasted no time in crossing to Astrid and drawing the girl farther into the barn.
Wyatt peered out, taking in three riders approaching the cabin, then he glanced over his shoulder to where Greta huddled with Astrid. “Stay in and don’t come out for any reason, ya hear?”
She nodded, her eyes wide.
With Brawley and his men bearing down, he took an extra few seconds to swing the barn doors closed behind him and whisper a prayer that God would keep Greta and Astrid safe.
Chapter 19
Greta pressed a finger to her lips, warning Astrid to be silent. But her sister was too busy playing with Chase in a pile of hay. The pup was trying to get away, clearly not ready to put an end to his training lesson.
“McQuaid!” Brawley’s voice carried over the pounding of horses drawing near.
“What do you want?” Wyatt shouted.
The stamping plod of the hooves tapered to silence and was followed by a whinny and a snort of protest.
Astrid lost hold of Chase, and the pup bolted across the barn and managed to squeeze through a crack in the door. She jumped up and raced after the dog. “Naughty puppy!”
“Astrid, no!” Greta lurched after her sister, but Astrid was already opening the door and darting through. With her heart pounding, Greta followed her sister outside. Astrid reached Chase quickly, scooped him up, and scolded him again.
Greta rushed toward the two, but Astrid was waving a greeting at the newcomers. “Hi there, Mister.”
Brawley had reined in a dozen paces from Wyatt, who clutched the handle of his revolver but hadn’t drawn it. Yet. Judd leaned casually against the corral post, but his hands rested on his revolvers too.
Wyatt didn’t take his sights off Brawley but gestured toward her and Greta. “Doggone it. Both of you get back in the blamed barn.”
Before Greta could reach the child, Astrid bounded closer to Brawley. “Mister, look, I got a puppy. Do you like him? Isn’t he a sweet little thing?”
Brawley dropped his gaze. “Sure, kid. Real sweet.”
Greta crept up behind her sister, wishing she could thrash the little girl.
Astrid tilted her head and stared hard at Brawley. “I figured it out finally. You sure sound a lot like—”
Greta cupped a hand over Astrid’s mouth and began to drag her backward toward the barn. Thankfully, Astrid was growing too tired and weak to fight.
Once they were safely back inside the barn, Greta took the pup from the girl. He wiggled only a moment before the energy left his body, and he released a noisy half yawn, half whine. Astrid, too, stifled a yawn. The horse-riding lessons had taken their toll, and she needed to lie down.
Greta tugged her sister toward a shadowed corner where a mound of hay could provide a cushion and hopefully a place to remain safe during Brawley’s visit. She bit her cheek to keep from scolding Astrid and pulled her sister down next to her.
“Greta,” Astrid said through another yawn, “Brawley sure sounds an awful lot like the fella who robbed our stagecoach.”
“Hush now.” Greta pressed a finger against Astrid’s lips. It was pretty clear Brawley wasn’t part of the Crooked-Eye Gang. How could he have been with his missing eye? None of the gang members had been wearing eye patches. At least not from what she’d seen through the slits in their sacks.
“You’re not welcome here.” Wyatt was responding to something Brawley had said about the nature of his visit. “It’s late. Go on home.”
“Heard about your bargain with Steele.” Brawley persisted, his tone hard, almost bitter.
“That ain’t any of your business.” Wyatt’s voice was just as hard. “I said to go home.”
Stroking the pup, Greta lifted a silent prayer for Wyatt and Judd’s safety. She’d seen the way Wyatt could shoot, and he claimed he’d learned from Judd, who was even better. Regardless, she didn’t want a gun battle tonight or the chance of anyone getting hurt.
Brawley released a short laugh. “Reckon if Steele’s willing to give you a loan on a herd of Shorthorns in exchange for you marrying and starting a family, he’d do the same for me.”
Greta sat up, and her fingers stilled. What had Brawley just said? That Mr. Steele had given Wyatt a loan for cattle in exchange for marrying her?
She swallowed hard against a sudden tightening in her throat. It couldn’t be true.
“That ain’t how it is,” Wyatt said.
“I’d have done the same thing in your place. Might as well get a wife and cattle all in one deal.”
Deal? The knot inside slipped lower into her stomach and cinched hard. Was that what she really was to Wyatt? A part of some kind of deal?
Her thoughts returned to the night she’d first met him, how reluctant and nervous he’d been to propose. He mentioned that Mr. Steele had been the one to suggest he approach her. But he never indicated he’d done so to gain the cattle deal.
“What do you want, Brawley?” Wyatt asked. “Why are you here?”
“Tell Steele to offer me the same thing.”
“Go on and ask him yourself.”
“I did, and he said no.”
“Then there ain’t nothin’ more to be done.”
Greta shut her eyes to fight back sudden tears. It all made perfect sense now. The wedding at Mr. Steele’s house. Mr. Steele’s insistence that they share a wedding kiss. Even the kiss that day in the Hotel Windsor when she’d sold her first batch of hand pies to Mr. Fehling. Mr. Steele had all but ordered Wyatt to kiss her, and he’d gone along with it.
And the news of the baby? Was that why Wyatt hadn’t been more forceful in correcting Mr. Steele’s false assumption? Because Mr. Steele expected him to have a family as part of the bargain?
Maybe Wyatt’s kisses this past week had been nothing more than his attempt to woo her into bed and get her pregnant. His apology from before—was it part of his selfish scheming?
Greta pressed a hand against her mouth. She’d easily fallen into Wyatt’s arms just minutes ago and believed he didn’t want to lose Astrid and her after he’d offered to accompany them to Denver. But it had all been a farce, just his way of trying to keep her so Mr. Steele didn’t cancel his loan.
What about the wedding band? She fingered it as she had dozens of times since he’d slipped it on. It was exquisite, the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen. She’d thought he’d given it to her because he truly cared. But had it been one more part of a ploy?
The ache in her heart swelled so swiftly and painfully that it pushed for release. She managed to capture a half groan, half cry in her hand.
“What’s wrong?” Astrid peered up at Greta.
Greta could only shake her head and blink back tears. She couldn’t concentrate on the rest of Brawley and Wyatt’s argument—just more of the same threats.
“First you steal my land.” Brawley’s voice had risen and was taut with anger. “Then you steal my business buying up cattle from the miners. And now you’re stealin’ my right to be the first to bring in a herd.”
“Ain’t no one stealing nothing from you. Go find your own investor.”
“Or maybe I oughta do what I’ve been aiming to do all along. Run you out of here.”