Free Petticoat Ranch by Mary Connealy Page B

Cliff? Everyone else seems to believe he’s back.’ ”
    “I was right beside him,” Mrs. Roscoe said in her peaceful voice. “I said, ‘We saw Cliff Edwards buried, and although we are believers in Jesus Christ and as open to miracles as the next person, we aren’tabout to believe God resurrected a man after he was two years dead and buried.’ ”
    “Clay said,” Parson Roscoe continued, “ ‘It does seem like if God’s going to resurrect someone, He’d do it right away when it’d done some good. By two years later everyone’s gotten used to the idea of him being dead.’ ”
    Mrs. Roscoe reclaimed the story, “So Irving said to him, ‘Are you family?’ He said, ‘Twin brother. I’ve come to see about his death and care for his family.’ ”
    “Then I said,” the parson interjected, “ ‘We heard Cliff didn’t have any family.’ ”
    Mrs. Roscoe added, “Clay said, ‘You heard wrong.’ And since there he stood, big as life and as surely a twin brother as any man could be, we welcomed him to Mosqueros. Then he said you were all moving, which is a good thing and high time. We’ve worried about you something fierce out here, Sophie,” Mrs. Roscoe said severely. “So we offered to help, and he said you’d be moving immediately. He said he’d bought a wagon to haul you and could use a driver.”
    “I see,” Sophie said weakly. It wasn’t that she minded moving. The thought of getting back the lovely home that she’d been forced out of made butterflies soar around in her stomach. But it was a little overwhelming to just be whisked away. Why, it bordered on kidnapping!
    Then Parson Roscoe distracted her from the house. “Now you know I’m a Christian man, and if my time is up and the Lord calls me home, I expect to go praising God’s name. But that doesn’t mean I need to be a reckless fool. Time was, a parson’s collar would protect a man of God from most everybody, but those days are gone. You and Clay will have to say your ‘I do’s’ quick. I don’t want to be on the trail after dark. Those vigilantes were out riding again last night.”
    “I do’s?” Sophie stopped listening or caring about anything, except getting her hands around Clay McClellen’s arrogant neck! There was a roaring in her ears by the time they reached the ranch house.
    Clay was already dismounted and coming out of the barn. Sallyskipped along beside him, holding his hand, and Beth stood in the front door of the house wielding a broom. Mandy ran from the corral to take a groggy Laura into her arms. For just a second Sophie forgot her need to beat some sense into her brother-in-law and admired the ranch she and Cliff had built.
    She’d had some money when she left Philadelphia. Her father owned a large farm. He felt the need to be generous to his only child and her new husband. It had been her father’s money that had made the down payment on the ranch and built the house.
    Adam, one of her father’s farmhands who suddenly confessed he’d always wanted to move west, was persuaded to drive the second team and stay with the Edwardses until they were established. Adam, a black man with emancipation papers, did more than help. He did everything. Cliff and Sophie wouldn’t have survived without him.
    Cliff had come to resent Adam. That was Cliff ’s way. Out of loyalty to Sophie, Adam stayed as long as he could stand Cliff ’s rudeness. Before he moved on, shortly after Elizabeth was born, the Edwards ranch had seen itself off to a good start.
    She looked at the large one-story ranch house and remembered the adventure, excitement, and occasional disappointment of coming west as a new bride. Then she remembered her high-handed brother-in-law.
    “Let’s get this marriage over and done, Sophie,” Clay said as he removed his Stetson to whack some trail dust off his pants. “Parson, if you don’t want to climb down, you can just do the pronouncing from where you’re at.”
    Sally giggled and whirled in a