Dawn Comes Early by Margaret Brownley Read Free Book Online

tales in Boston ?” Miss Walker made it sound like Boston was located somewhere in the Boer Republics rather than the States. “I hope you don’t believe everything you heard. It’s my experience that most people have no idea about life in the West. As for cattle drives . . .” She made a dismissing gesture. “Long and costly drives have gone the way of hoop skirts. Now we simply drive the cattle a short distance to the Willcox stockades and train depot.”
    â€œI know ranching has changed, but it was those stories that inspired me to write my books.”
    â€œSo why aren’t you writing?” Miss Walker asked.
    â€œIt’s difficult for a woman to earn her living by writing,” Kate said. At least that much was true. “That’s why I’m here.”
    After her publisher refused to publish more of her books, she applied for a job at both the Boston Evening Globe and Traveler , but no one was willing to hire a disgraced writer.
    Anxious to prove her competence, Kate hastened to add, “I’m quite good at bookkeeping and budgeting and—”
    Miss Walker interrupted her with a wave of her hand. “We’ll get to all that. First things first. We’re in the middle of calving season and it will soon be April. How are you at calving and branding?”
    Kate blinked. Branding . It never occurred to her that she would actually have to work with the animals. “Don’t you employ cowhands to do that?”
    â€œOf course I do. But how do you expect to know if the job is done right if you don’t know how to do it yourself?”
    Kate moistened her lips. “I’ve never actually worked with cattle but like I told you, I do know a little something about the workings of a ranch.”
    Miss Walker frowned. “The only way to learn ranching is through tenacity and hands-on experience. You can’t learn ranching secondhand. Nor can you learn it from books.” She waved toward her extensive library. “But even experience isn’t enough if you don’t have a real passion for the land. It must be in your blood. Do you have anything that qualifies you to run a ranch?”
    â€œI . . . I believe so.”
    â€œBelieve, Miss Tenney, or know?”
    Miss Tenney . If the sudden formality hadn’t already convinced Kate that she was about to be dismissed, the railroad watch Miss Walker pulled out of her pocket most certainly did.
    â€œI’m extremely tenacious,” Kate said, determined to rise to the challenge. She would never have survived her childhood had she not been strong-willed.
    â€œI’m a fast learner and I’m trustworthy. I’m also honest and hardworking.” She continued to recite her qualities as one might recite a list of groceries to a clerk in a mercantile store, but nothing she said pried the skeptical look off Miss Walker’s face.
    Miss Walker stared at her watch for a moment before pocketing it. “This is all very well and good and you do write a persuasive letter. But so far you’ve failed to convince me that a privileged upbringing such as yours qualifies you for ranching.”
    Kate jumped to her feet. “Privileged! Privileged? I’ve worked for everything I have. I earned my education by scrubbing floors, cleaning privies, and—”
    Mortified, she covered her mouth with her hand. All her weeks of careful planning had been wasted in one careless, unguarded moment.
    Expecting Miss Walker to order her out of the house, she was surprised when the woman gestured for her to sit down.
    â€œI see there’s more to you than meets the eye,” Miss Walker said, and this time her face reflected the first signs of approval. “That’s good. I don’t know if mucking out stables is comparable to cleaning privies, but we’ll know soon enough. We can’t let you around cattle until we get the city smell off you, and nothing accomplishes that faster