Cinders' Bride: Mail Order Brides of Texas (7 page)

“Thank you for the material. I’ve never had a new dress before. Mama and I always made due by fixing up old dresses for ourselves.” She paused and touched the skirt of her gray dress. “We never had a choice of color.”

Cinders nodded. “I’m sorry I called your dress ugly.”

“It is. I wouldn’t want you to lie to me. You seem honest and forthright. I like that about you.”

He smiled. “We’re almost home.”

Her heart warmed at his words. She had a home now, and she was better off than most, plus her husband wasn’t a cruel man. In fact, he was a man a lot like her father. An honest, hard-working man providing for his ranch hands. There was a lot to admire about Cinders.

“Angus?”

He laughed. “No, my name isn’t Angus.”

“I’ll guess it right one of these days.”

“We have the rest of our lives for you to figure it out.”

The rest of their lives.
Now she liked the sound of
that
.

“Slowly reach under the seat and grab my rifle, dear. Try to hide the fact that you have it and slowly hand it to me, then hang on. I’m going to have to drive like the devil is chasing us.”

His words startled her but she did as he'd asked then held on tight. They were going so fast she felt as though she would fly out of the wagon at any moment.

“Get on the floor, grab the rifle from me, and shoot into the air.”

Her pulse raced as she dropped down and sat at his feet. She grabbed the rifle. “How?”

“It’s cocked— just shoot straight up,” He yelled above the stomping of hooves hitting the ground hard and the loud creaking of the wagon as it swayed and hit bumps.

She aimed for the sky, closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. The kick of the rifle sent her sprawling on her back with her skirts raised above her knees. Dazed, she watched as Cinders slapped the reins trying to get more speed from the horses.

The next thing she knew they were surrounded by Cinders’ men. All had their guns drawn, and the wagon began to slow. Cinders reached down and took the rifle from her as she quickly righted her dress. He had her grab his forearm and hoisted her back onto the seat.

Her heart pounded out of control as she sat down. The wind whipped her loose hair everywhere. “What?”

“Indians. You scared them away with the rifle.”

“Indians? Of course I know about Indians. I just never, oh Lord, we could have been killed.”

“Hang on. You’re as white as a ghost. We’re just about home and then we’re safe. I’m glad you were with me.”

Shannon nodded wishing she could feel good about his words, but what just happened had her mind whirling. She hadn’t lived ignorantly. She knew there were problems between the settlers and the Indians. Even on the trip out here, she heard mention of Indian attacks on settlers and the notion scared her.

Her breathing didn’t return to normal until Cinders parked the wagon in front of the house. After he jumped down, he rounded the wagon, then spanned her waist with his strong hands and lifted her down until she was leaning against his hard body. His arms comforted her and finally she stopped shaking. Closing her eyes as she laid her head on his chest, she smelled something odd and instantly knew it was blood. Stepping away, she examined him until she saw blood on his shoulder.

Gasping, she took a closer look and grabbed his hand. “You’ve been wounded.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s bleeding like it’s something and the hole in your shirt doesn’t look like nothing. Let me take a look.” He rolled his eyes at the men who had gathered around them. She wanted to roll her eyes back at him but tugged his hand instead, leading him inside. “Now sit down and take off that shirt.”

She busied herself pouring water into a bowl and then grabbing a clean rag. Next, she got her sewing supplies just in case she needed them and when she turned around, she almost forgot to breathe. His bare, muscular chest with a sprinkling of light hair stunned her. Butterflies released in her stomach and her mouth went dry. Never before had she seen anything so appealing. The fact she’d been leaning against his chest moments ago turned her face hot.

A cocky grin spread over his face and she snapped right out of her wicked thoughts. She wet the rag. “An arrow did this? So what happened to the arrow?”

“It just nicked me and flew over your head. You had your eyes closed.”

“Good thing I had my eyes closed.” Dabbing at his wound she shook her head. “So close to being in your arm.”

He stilled her hands. “But we’re fine.” He gazed into her eyes. “All that matters is we’re safe.”

His thumbs stroked her knuckles and helped stop the shaking. “You’re right. I need my hands back to sew you up.”

“No, I—”

“He doesn’t like needles,” Cookie announced as he walked into the cabin. “Acts like a little girl, he does. It’s the same thing every time.”

Cinders frowned at Cookie. “Don’t listen to him. Go ahead and do your worst.”

She looked from Cinders to Cookie, then back to Cinders again, and shrugged. “Ready?”

Cinders nodded but his face lost all color the moment she touched him. He flinched.

“I’ll be as quick and gentle as I can.” She pushed the needle through his skin and a bead of sweat appeared on his brow.

“Is that what he said to you on your wedding night?” Tramp laughed, as he entered the house.

Stopping mid-stitch, her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

“That’s what he says to all the virgins, but if that wasn’t the case…”

Cinders didn’t even open his eyes. “Get back to work, Tramp.”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

“He didn’t mean anything by it,” Cookie explained. “He talks first and thinks later, if at all.”

She sent him a brief smile and continued sewing. “George.”

His lips twitched. “Nope.”

“Lionell.”

“Nope.”

“Calvin.”

“What in tarnation are you two doing? Are you thinking of baby names?”

She felt him stiffen as she finished the last stitch.

“We don’t need baby names. She’s trying to guess my first name and don’t you dare tell her what it is.”

“I think Calvin is a good baby name,” Cookie said.

“I said there will be no babies.”

The finality in his voice shook her. For a moment she'd forgotten how she looked, but his refusal to bed her brought it all back. “It’s just a game we play, Cookie. I bet those men are getting mighty hungry.”

“When aren’t they? I’ll go and butcher the cow you brought in, Boss.”

Cinders nodded and waited for Cookie to leave.

“I’m sorry about Tramp. He has no cause to talk that way in front of you. I don’t kiss and tell.”

“Or not kiss and tell?”

He stood up and kissed her forehead. “Something like that. Thank you for patching me up and fighting Indians with me today.” He smiled. “The more I know you, the better I like you.”

“Is that a compliment?”

Grabbing his hat and shirt he walked toward the door, then turned. “Just the truth.”

As soon as she was alone, she slumped into the chair. What a doozy of a day. She expected some excitement coming out West but she never imagined it would be this intense. The blood that had been pumping through her body began to slow. What would she have done if Cinders had been killed? Would she be at the mercy of men like John Hardy again? She shivered and dread filled her gut as her stomach began to roll.

If she were a man, life would be so different, but there was no point in lamenting about things that couldn’t be changed. Once her stomach calmed, Cinders’ fine form took over her thoughts. He certainly was a handsome devil. She frowned, knitted her fingers together, and shook her head. She’d never have a wedding night or children. Cinders had been quite adamant about that. Loneliness shrouded her until Cookie came in with enough meat to feed the men twice.

****

Later after the men finished eating and the dishes were done, Cinders wandered out to the front steps and sat. A full moon lit the night sky and there were an incredible number of stars twinkling above. He loved this land, he could feel it in his blood. From one horizon to the next, he could see the expanse of Texas. They were probably in for a hot summer this year. Spring was already warmer than usual.

It was more important than ever that he teach Shannon to shoot and ride. They'd gotten lucky today though he didn’t want her to know just how lucky. The more experienced men were taking turns at guard duty tonight, and hopefully they wouldn’t lose any more cattle.

Crickets chirped loudly and the horses moved around in the corral. They usually quieted down at night but something made them nervous. Adrenalin filled him as he unlatched the door and rolled his body into the house without standing. He didn’t want to make himself a target.

“Shannon, get down on the floor.” He didn’t wait for her to comply. Instead, he crawled to the oil lamp and blew it out. He grabbed his shotgun, some shells and extra bullets for his gun, and quickly shuttered the windows. Flipping the table, he had Shannon crawl between the stove and table, hoping it would add extra protection if bullets started to fly.

The house had been made with holes burrowed through the logs, which were usually plugged. He unplugged them as he went around the room, and looked out each hole. Fairly certain it was the horses they were after, he watched out the front for any type of movement.

“Cinders?” she whispered.

He had to give her credit for doing as told without question. Charlotte would have wanted reasons and they’d probably still be debating the likelihood that Indians were roaming around outside. “It’s fine, honey. They’re after the horses.”

“They know we’re in here.”

“Yes.”

“Cinders, I wish I knew how to shoot. Tomorrow would be a good time to teach me.”

He smiled despite the darkness at her strong yet wobbly voice. She was different from any female he’d ever encountered. He stared through the hole hoping his men had stayed in the bunkhouse. It wasn’t worth being killed over some horses. They must have known he had most of his men on guard duty watching the cattle.

He’d ride out to the Comanche camp and find out what was going on. He’d been a friend to the Comanche for several years but with all the government interference sometimes they had no choice but to raid. He didn’t understand why they'd tried to kill him earlier. Something must have happened. Damn, and he had a cattle drive to plan for.

Just as he suspected, the horses were being driven away. “They’re gone.” He sighed.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” He stood up, righted the table, and helped her up. “You did great.”

“I did?”

He lit the lamp and grinned at her eyes so full of fright. Gathering her up in his embrace, he noticed how soft and womanly she felt against him. She certainly was a surprise. Where were the usual hysterics? Suddenly she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened their embrace. Hopefully she was too naive to notice his arousal. He wanted to step back, but it had been a very long time since he’d experienced such a feeling of rightness.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight.” She snuggled against him.

There was no way he could be in the same bed with her tonight—he wanted her too much. “I’ll be up the rest of the night standing guard. I need to go to the bunkhouse and check on the men there. I’ll be right back.” He slowly released her and their special warmth evaporated. “Why don’t you get ready for bed so I can turn the lights out and keep watch?” Gazing into her luminous eyes, he knew he was a goner.

“Sure.” She stood there with the sweetest smile on her face. He lit out, needing to put distance between them before he took her to their bed. He never had this problem with Charlotte, or Polly for that matter. Shannon wouldn’t know any tricks to keep from getting pregnant, so the only option was to stay away from her.

It was dark in the bunkhouse. He ran, gun in hand, steeling himself for what he might find. Slowly he opened the door and was both relieved and mad. Slamming the door closed had caused a lot of grumbling but as soon as they realized it was the boss, they all got up fast.

“Glad to see you aren’t all dead after the Indian raid we just had.” He looked from one stunned face to another and shook his head. “Keep someone on guard in case they come back and at first sunlight we’ll search for the horses they stole.” He slammed the door on the way out. It was his own fault. He sent his best guys out to watch over the cattle.

Entering his house, he frowned. “I thought you were going to bed.”

Shannon stood. “I wanted to see how the men were. Did any of them get hurt?”

He took his hat off and slapped it against his thigh. “I had the urge to strangle them. They slept right through the ruckus like a bunch a girls in boarding school. I should have left a more seasoned man behind instead of putting the better cowhands on guard duty.”

She took a step toward him and he flinched. He could tell by the sudden sadness on her face that she’d noticed. “Are…Are the men on the range unharmed?”