Lloyd knew deep inside that he needed a new wife, someone who would be a good mother to Stephen. Beth would want that too. Katie Donavan Lamont had those qualities, and it didn’t hurt that she was beautiful. He’d been seeing her a few months now, had taken her to the spring dance in Guthrie and stolen a kiss or two, but memories of Beth had held him back from allowing serious feelings, and his job often kept him away for days or weeks at a time, making it difficult to develop a closer relationship. Still, he was pretty damn sure Katie would marry him if he asked.
“Lloyd!”Patrick Donavan came out of the cabin to greet him as Lloyd halted his horse at a hitching post.
Lloyd nodded as he dismounted. “Hello, Pat.”
“Sure ’n’ you came at a good time, boy!” Lloyd had to grin at the man’s strong Irish brogue. “The wife and Katie just took a couple of pies out of the oven. Come on in. You look tired. You been out riding with your pa again?”
Lloyd towered over the much shorter but very stocky man as he tied his horse. “I have,” he answered. He loosened the rawhide string that held his long hair away from his face. “I left Pa back at Winter Point. We had quite a shoot-out with some bank robbers who’d holed up in No Man’s Land—Jack Buckley, two of the Bryant boys, and Brad Buckley’s uncle, Stu Forbes.”
He pulled his hair back better and retied it, thinking how he really should cut it. But constantly being on the trail made it difficult to keep a decent haircut, so he’d just let it grow, and now it was midway down his back.
“We chased them out of there, and they took shelter at a ranch west of here,” he continued. “The worst part is, they attacked the rancher’s daughter in the worst way. You can imagine the rage that put in Pa’s gut. By the time he and I got through with them, they were in bad shape. Jack Buckley is dead. I knew Pa could take them on into Guthrie on his own, so I rested up a bit and decided to take the fork and stop here before I go home.”
“Sure ’n’ I’m glad you decided to visit,” Pat answered. “We’ll feed you good and put you up for the night. You can get all the rest you need before going on into town. We’re heading into Guthrie tomorrow ourselves. You can ride with us. We’ll feel plenty safe with the likes of a Harkner man along.”
Lloyd shook his head as he followed Patrick into the house. “I didn’t come here to eat your food, Pat.”
“Ah, boy, it’s not a problem. The wife will be makin’ a good supper soon.” Pat reached up and patted his shoulder. “When Katie saw it was you comin’, she tore off her dirty apron and hurried up to the loft to fix her hair.” He gave Lloyd a wink. “Come on in.”
Lloyd grasped his arm and gently pulled him aside. “Hold up, Pat.”
Pat frowned and folded his arms. “What is it, son?”
Lloyd removed his hat and glanced at the doorway, then back at Pat Donavan. “Actually, sir, I came here specifically for Katie. I should tell you I’ve decided to ask her to marry me, if you approve.”
Pat’s face lit up like the spark of a match. He grasped Lloyd’s hand and began shaking it vigorously. “Of course you have my approval!” he answered. “Sure ’n’ my Katie girl has a very fond eye for you, and it’s time for the both of you to move on from mournin’ those who are gone. You’re both too young to be livin’ in the past.”
A quick pain stabbed at Lloyd at the memory of losing Beth so soon after finding her again after years apart. “Yes, sir. Just don’t say anything when we go inside, please. After we eat, I’ll ask Katie to step outside with me. I don’t want to rush in there and cause a commotion, and we have a lot of talking to do first.”
Pat was grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll try my best, son. This is such good news. When the wife finds out, she’ll be beside herself.”
Lloyd just grinned and shook his head as Pat took his arm and urged him to the door. “Come! Come! The wife will be happy to see you. She and your mother are such good friends, you know.”
Lloyd stomped dust from his boots before going inside. He actually felt a little nervous. The last three weeks on the trail were the closest he’d come to allowing himself to think about Katie seriously enough to consider marriage. His father had urged him to commit to taking another wife. He wanted Lloyd to be happy and settled again.
Katie Donavan Lamont was only twenty-one years old, but she’d already lost a husband at nineteen to a hunting accident and buried a newborn baby lost to cholera. She was no wilting flower, but a woman who’d known hardship and loss, just as Lloyd had. It only made her more attractive.