his eyes, a touch of gray at the temples—but he was still a man who exuded power.
He took a sip of his coffee. “Lorna and I were happy to hear you’d survived the stampede,” he said. “What happened to you?”
“When I went over the edge of that wash, my dead horse pinned me against a big tree stump. You and Jesse were right above me. I could hear you talking. But you couldn’t hear me. If you’d let Jesse go down and investigate, he’d have found me. But you had cattle to round up.” Joe felt his anger building. “Cattle—when you could’ve saved a man with a few extra minutes of searching.”
“I see.” Calder’s face was impassive. The sonofabitch didn’t even care enough to say he was sorry.
“By the time I dug myself out from under that horse, you and the herd were long gone,” Joe said. “I damn near died again on the prairie. But I was found, and I did whatever it took to survive.”
“Rusty said he ran into you in Ogallala. You could’ve joined up with the herd again and come back here. We’d have welcomed you.”
Not if Rusty had told you the truth.
“By then I had other plans,” Joe said.
“So I heard. You signed on with Loren Hollister and married his daughter. I might’ve warned you about the man, but since you’re family now, it’s probably too late for that.”
“Hollister may be my father-in-law, but he doesn’t own me,” Joe said. “I’m my own man. And I haven’t forgotten how you walked away and left me for dead. I don’t want you to forget it, either.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Calder finished his coffee and stood. “I see the waiter’s bringing your meal, so I’ll be on my way. I’ll tell Lorna that I saw you. She’ll be glad to hear you’re doing well.”
“Give her my best. She was always good to me,” Joe said. But by then Benteen Calder had walked out of hearing.
He ate his steak and eggs, his spirits somewhat dampened after the encounter with the man he’d come to think of as his archenemy. Joe had held his own with his former boss, but not by much. Calder had walked away unintimidated.
Joe paid for the meal, left the restaurant, and mounted his horse for the ride home. He wasn’t looking forward to the fight he’d be facing at home, when he told his father-in-law about the land he’d acquired. But he had no regrets. He’d found the place to build his dream, and nothing was going to stop him.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
JOE HAD RIDDEN ABOUT HALFWAY HOME WHEN AN IRRESISTIBLE URGE pulled him aside. The last time he’d seen the forested hills, claiming them had been only a dream. Now they were his to build on and use as he chose. He wanted to see them—to run the soil through his fingers, to stand in the shade of his trees, and to drink clear water from his stream. And he wanted to do it now, before the realities of how much work lay ahead of him sank in.
An hour of riding took him to his land. By the time he rode his horse to the level area where he planned to build a house, he was already making a list in his head. First, he was going to need access to his claim. That would mean getting permission to cross someone else’s land, and it might not come cheap. He would have to plan for that. And the house—it made sense to build a cabin first, to satisfy the terms of the claim. After that, he could expand the cabin into the house he wanted. And he would need corrals, shelter for horses, and storage for hay. He couldn’t expect to get it all done himself. He would need to hire some help.
Thinking of the labor and money it would take to make this land pay was almost enough to make Joe lose heart. But when he marked the boundaries of the spot where his future house would stand and gazed out over the sweeping landscape below, he knew he’d made the right choice. With time and hard work, he would build a future here.
By the time he rode through the gate of the Hollister ranch, the sun was going down. Joe was braced for a battle with his father-in-law, but as he neared the house, he saw that Loren had company. Two elegant-looking buggies, drawn by matched black horses, were tied to the