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  Alone in Austin

  Yours Truly: The Lovelorn

  Dear Lovelorn,

  I am alone and tired of it. I own a ranch, and you’d think with all the men I hire, there’d be one that I would want to marry. Or that would want to marry me. Truth is, they are all kind of scared of me. I’m Texas tough, but I have a heart that wants to pour out my love on the right man, and my own heart is dry and getting brittle. I need the love of a good man. Help me, please. I can drive, whip, and brand cattle, but I am at a loss on how to get a man.

  Help me,

  Alone in Austin

  Dear Alone in Austin,

  You have got a problem. Men don’t want to be branded by a strong woman. They need to see that you’re soft and frilly at heart and that you need a man to take care of you. I admit you’d be a tough one for a man to want to walk down the aisle with. You didn’t say but are you pretty in any way?

  Here’s my advice. Try throwing away your whip and taking off your chaps and wear a womanly dress. Don’t yell and try speaking in a quiet, demure voice with words that would make a man feel like he was a king. And of course, we all know that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Forget about driving the beef and work on cooking it.

  Yours Truly: The Lovelorn.

  Alone in Austin

  Yours Truly: The Lovelorn

  Book 15

  By

  Patricia PacJac Carroll

  Alone in Austin Yours Truly: The Lovelorn Book 15

  Copyright © August 2020

  Published by Patricia PacJac Carroll

  ALL rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, (except for inclusion in reviews), disseminated or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or audio. Including photocopying, recording, or in any information storage and retrieval system, or the Internet/World Wide Web without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Cover Designer: Virginia McKevitt

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Alone in Austin

  Yours Truly: The Lovelorn

  Book 15

  Chapter 1

  Outside of Austin, Texas

  1875

  Jacqueline Baird, better known on the ranch as Jacklin, pulled on her boots and then grabbed her bullwhip before sliding her pistol into the holster at her hip. She glanced in the mirror and at the hardened face of the woman who ran one of the biggest ranches in Jack County.

  Paint Rock Ranch was Jacklin’s and hers alone to run. Her legacy passed down by her father, Jack Baird. She was as tough as her father had been before a rustler’s bullet made her the sole heir of the ranch five years ago.

  Oh, she had a sister Marianne. The woman was married with children and lived in St. Louis and wanted nothing to do with the ranch or Jacklin.

  Jacklin looked out at the grasslands and her vast holdings and felt as empty as the land before her. She hadn’t thought she needed anyone. But as the years wore on, the big house became emptier, and she more alone.

  Most of the men on the ranch and even in Austin, the nearest town, were afraid of her. That or they treated her as one of the fellows. Not that she blamed them. Years ago, it was the way she’d wanted it.

  Her father even encouraged it. He’d given up on Marianne and blessed her marriage seven years ago by giving her the inheritance she was due. The rest, he saved for Jacklin. The child who was supposed to have been his son.

  Her father’s dreams had not all come true. Not only had she been born a daughter, but her mother had died giving birth to her, finishing off any hopes of Jack Baird having a son. He could have remarried, but he only had rights to the ranch because of his wife’s father. Whatever the reason, Jack Baird never remarried and trained Jacklin up to take over the ranch.

  Jacklin shook off the thoughts of the past, strode to the corral to pick up her mount, and swelled with Texas pride at being a ranch owner.

  Her cattle were some of the finest. Father had started with longhorns, but she’d imported Herefords to make them beefier. She pointed to the dun gelding, one of her favorites. “Saddle up Stoney for me.”

  Bucky, the head wrangler, who she’d known all of her twenty-seven years, jumped to do her bidding. Many of the men who worked her ranch had hired on during her father’s reign.

  She’d lost a few men the year her father died. Some just couldn’t imagine working for a woman. But through the years, she’d proven she was Texas tough and had little trouble convincing those who thought otherwise.

  Today came with a bright spring morning, and the air was clean and refreshing. Life was springing up all around, showing winter that it wasn’t finished, and life would go on. Newborn calves dotted the field. Colts were frolicking about, and all of it a reminder of the newness of life.

  And today, it was that clock of life that was bothering her. She tried to push it away, but it seemed everything reminded her that time was her enemy. That is, if she ever wanted to have children, she needed to act soon.

  As for a husband, she couldn’t find a man she respected. There was no way she was going to marry a man who was afraid of her. Nor would she marry one that thought he had to bully her.

  Marianne had told her about being in love when she met her husband-to-be all those years ago. And Jacklin had seen it in her eyes. Whenever they looked at one another, their gazes were so intense that Jacklin doubted in those moments that the world around them existed.

  Bucky brought Stoney over to her. “It’s a fine morning. Want me to ride with you to the far pasture?”

  “No, thank you. I’m going to check on the mares in the west this morning. There’s one I’ve been watching, and I can’t wait to see her colt.”

  He smiled. “That wouldn’t be the black, would it?”

  She nodded. “Yes, it would. I’m hoping her foal is a copy of her, but a colt. We’ll need a new stallion in five years. I’m hoping her colt will be the one.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He grinned and handed her the reins. “Have a good ride. Will you be coming back after that?”

  “Yes, I think so. I have to talk to the accountant.” Jacklin dreaded the weekly meetings. Nick was one man who she couldn’t control. He could be so rude and uncooperative.

  Bucky grinned and pushed his hat back. “I’ll watch for you.”

  “Thank you.” She mounted Stoney and took off at a gallop. She could find nothing more exhilarating than being atop a fast horse and feeling the wind in her face. Stoney was a
reliable horse and fast as the wind.

  She thought it sweet how Bucky watched out for her. Jacklin swept her gaze over the land and saw the tender signs of life. Green sprigs of new grass greened the meadows while redbuds were showing off their flowers down by the creek.

  Yet, her life was unchanging. The same every day. Order the men, keep an eye on the herd, and get ready for those blame meetings with the accountant. Not that she met with him every day, but once a week was enough.

  Her father had hired Mr. Marlin right after he started the ranch. The two got along fine. Then the year before her father died, the senior Martin died of a heart attack, and his son took over.

  Nick Marlin was taller than his father and had dark hair and green eyes like his mother, although when he was reading or doing his bookwork, he wore glasses. They’d gotten along as children, mostly.

  But now that he was grown, he demanded she did things she didn’t want to. Jacklin wasn’t used to being ordered around. Jacklin wasn’t sure what it was that she didn’t like about him, but he irritated her. And today, after her morning ride, she’d have to sit with him while he went over what she was doing wrong and needed to do next.

  She was the boss and didn’t need anyone to tell her what to do. She was almost to the pasture when Harlen Sims rode up to her.

  “Checking out the black to see if she foaled or not?”

  Jacklin nodded. “Yes. How are the cattle in the east pasture? We’re shipping them out, and you need to make sure we have enough dip for them. I don’t want our reputation ruined by a couple ticks that make the cattle in Missouri sick.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. I have it ordered, and it should be in tomorrow. That gives us plenty of time to run the herd through the dip by the weekend.”

  “Great. Good job, Harlen.” Her foreman smiled and rode back toward the east pasture. Harlen was a good man, and she respected him. He was tall, the men obeyed him without question, and most of the time, he knew what she was going to tell him before she even opened her mouth. Yes, they were in tandem. They made a good team.

  Jacklin watched him ride away. Tall in the saddle, he reminded her of her father. She wouldn’t mind marrying him. Or a man like him. But he never seemed to notice her as anything other than the boss.

  Chapter 2

  Jacklin stopped on the ridge overlooking the mares’ pasture. She pulled out her binoculars and searched the herd. Then she saw her. The black stood out with her striking markings of four white stockings and the star on her forehead. That and her coat was shiny and coal black.

  The horse was near the shelter of the creek, and by her side was the prettiest foal. He was big for a newborn colt, and when he got to his feet, she saw that he was sturdy. He had three white stockings and a blaze down his head. Just as striking as his mother, he’d make a good sire for Jacklin’s breeding program.

  Paint Rock Ranch was known for its horses. With the black’s colt, in years to come, she’d be able to make money off the horse breeding program she’d begun on the ranch. She’d felt it coming and, with the accountant’s blessing, had talked about diversifying so that the ranches’ income wasn’t only in cattle.

  Pleased with her find, she turned back to go home. She pondered on just how she could go about finding and marrying the man of her dreams. Not that she’d had many thoughts about having a husband, but that clock inside her was ticking.

  If she wanted a baby of her own, she’d have to find a husband. The other day she’d noticed an advice column in the newspaper by someone called The Lovelorn. The story goes that if you wrote to the column, you would receive advice on how to find your man.

  Jacklin had never been one to be afraid of trying new things, and she desperately wanted a man. But he’d have to be the right one. She wanted the love that came with a marriage. The same kind that she’d seen her sister find with her husband.

  The only looks Jacklin got from the men on her ranch were the kind they’d give to a boss. Hard, quick glances that told her none of the men were interested. The only man she would consider on the ranch was Harlen, her foreman.

  But she’d seen him with a lady at one of the saloons. Jacklin didn’t even own a proper dress for the socials they held in town. She had a closet full of suede and leather split skirts and dark green and blue blouses made for work more than to make her look beautiful.

  After she handed Stoney off to Bucky, she went into the big house made of logs and rock and went into the den. She started a small fire in the fireplace and sat down to write the letter.

  Jacklin was clearly out of her element. She sat down to write and was pleased with what she came up with.

  Dear Lovelorn,

  I am alone and tired of it. I own a ranch, and you’d think with all the men I hire, there’d be one that I would want to marry or that would want to marry me. Truth is, they are all kind of scared of me. I’m Texas tough, but I have a heart that wants to pour out my love on the right man. Yet, as time marches on, my own heart is dry and getting brittle. I need the love of a good man. Soon. Help me, please. I can drive, whip, and brand cattle, but I am at a loss on how to get a man.

  Alone in Austin

  Jacklin folded the letter and sealed it in an envelope. She’d mail it today, somehow. Then she remembered Nick Marlin was coming out to scold her on her spending. She’d get him to send it for her.

  After a quick lunch, Jacklin went to the study and pulled out the books. Oh, how she hated the bookwork. Father had drilled into her how important it was, and while she agreed, that didn’t make it pleasant.

  Maybe if she was better in arithmetic, she’d find it more enjoyable. She’d just sat down and pulled out the pencils when Nick knocked on her door.

  “Come in.” Jacklin didn’t know why she said it because he’d already entered and was headed for the desk and the chair in front of her. Nick was one man she didn’t control.

  Jacklin loved the study. She could still smell the tobacco from her father’s pipe and cigars. It was a man’s room with cowhide chairs. Bookcases were full of books and a big well-polished mahogany desk.

  “Did you have time to look over the figures from the bank?” Nick let the accounting books slam down on the desk as if to emphasize their importance.

  Despite knowing he was going to do it, Jacklin still jumped at the loud noise. Oh, how that man irritated her. Yet, as she stared at him, she found his green eyes somewhat mesmerizing. Remembering how he annoyed her, she pulled her gaze from him and picked up the heavy book.

  Nick sat forward in his chair, dug his glasses from his pocket, and put them on. “Do you want the good news or the bad first?”

  Jacklin stared at the figures that held little meaning to her. “The bad.”

  “You’re dangerously low on funds in the bank. Mr. Carson suggests you take some out of the savings and move it over to the main account.”

  “Go ahead.” She would much rather be outside rounding up cattle or looking over magnificent horses than be sitting inside listening to this man talk about money.

  “The good news is we have a buyer for the herd you’re shipping east. I assume you have already dipped the cattle?”

  “Harlen said he had the dip, and it would be done before the weekend when we ship them.”

  Nick nodded. “Make sure he does it. I’ve caught him slip up a time or two.”

  That brought Jacklin’s nose out of the books. “You have? Are you in the habit of checking up on my business?”

  “It’s what I’m paid to do. If I sell your cattle for you, I want to make sure we cover our end of the bargain. That last shipment, we had to stop the train and take the cattle off and dip them before they could cross the state line. I don’t suppose Harlen told you that?”

  Of course, he hadn’t, or she wouldn’t be asking. She kept from answering him and looked at the books. “What is this number beside miscellaneous?”

  Nick pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Something I was going to talk to you about. I know you’re loose
with the checks and the money. You’re too trusting, Jacklin. Anyway, someone cashed a check for cash. It was signed by Harlen. He could have used it to pay off hands, but I need more explanation than miscellaneous.”

  “I agree.” This time she looked at Nick as a rancher with troubles. “What do you think? Is someone embezzling funds?”

  “I can’t tell yet. It might just be a one-time thing. I can ask Harlen if you’d like.” Nick was all business. He wasn’t a small man like his father had been. In fact, without his glasses, you’d never guess he was a bookkeeper.

  She knew it was her place to do the asking. Besides, she liked Harlen, and they worked well together. She shook her head and closed the book. “No, I’ll ask him. I’m sure there’s a reasonable answer.”

  Nick nodded. “Just so you know, that’s one of the first signs that someone might be taking money. After all, if you didn’t trust him, he’d never have the opportunity. Just something to think about. If you need me to check on the books further, don’t hesitate to ask. My father thought a lot about your father and this ranch, and he wanted me to watch out for it.”

  She stood to indicate the meeting was over. “Thank you. I’ll remember that.” She heard the envelope crinkle in her pocket and pulled it out. “Will you mail this for me? I won’t be going into town for a few days.”

  As Nick took it, their hands brushed against one another. His gaze shot to her eyes. “I will.”

  Again, she was captivated by his green eyes, which were made even more prominent by his glasses. She figured with the St. Louis address that he’d figure out it was a letter to her sister. Well, just as good. The fewer people who knew she’d sent a letter to an advice column to look for a husband, the better.