The Rancher (14 page)

Harris shook his head.  “Which way?”

Cole pointed back toward the front ofthe house.

“Are you
 
sure
 
you know what you’re doin’?” Raine asked as they started back down the hill.

“Nope.” Cole picked up a small pebble and studied it for a moment before tossing

it into the brush.  No matter the reasons at this point, within the hour Abigail McCallister would be his bride. He’d contemplate the repercussions later.

Chapter Seven

Abby hurried down the stairs and ontothe boardwalk toward the church.   She

knew her father had probably heard about her impetuous decision by now and she wanted to make sure he would not make it into town before the groom could say, ‘I do.’

She’d watched Davey fight the crowdand head for the buckboard as soon as

he’d heard what she planned to do.  He’d ridden out to the SilverHawk, she was sure to tell her father, but it was a good hour ride to the ranch and another hour

back.  They had plenty of time. As long as

they hurried along.

Lily.

She glimpsed her friend walk into thechapel with Cole’s brother. Nobodywould be watching out for Clay. Abbypicked up the hem of her dress andwithout another thought jumped onto thedusty street--stealing for the church.

At the back of the chapel, she peered into find, what Abby was sure was, theentire town of Silver Falls waiting in the

pews.  She was sure the gossip in town would never die after this. She spotted Lily sitting near the front, laughing at something Raine had said.  Abby searched for a way to get her attention without drawing it to back to herself. One of the eight Simpson boys was about to run past her, leading a rambunctious cluster of youngsters.  She reached out and grabbed

him by the arm.

“Hey, watcha gotta go and do that fer?  I was winnin’.”  The small boy stared up at her indignantly.

Abby reached into her shoe and pulled out two bits, laying it on display in her palm for the boy to look at.

“This will be yours if you get Miss Lily to come out without anyone else knowing I’m here.”

The boy’s eyes widened and he grabbed the two bits from her hand as he ran inside. He tugged on Lily’s dress.  When she looked over at him, Abby quelled a smile as she watched the youngster pull Lily so close to his mouth that it was obvious he had taken his responsibility seriously.  When he pulled away from her, Lily looked up, but straight

ahead, avoiding the back of the church.

Abby backed herself against the white wooden planks of the rear entrance to the church.

The young Simpson kid ran off in a nearskip, calling back to her.  “Thanks, Miss Abby,” he said as he ran to catch up withhis friends.

She watched him for a moment, holes inthe knees of his trousers and hair badly inneed of a cut.   She wondered how the Simpson’s had been able to provide foreight small children after his crop hadbeen ruined by thugs.  Yet each of themstill wore smiles on their faces and stayedaway from the kind of trouble one mightexpect them to find—unlike the Spencerboys.

Abby rested her back and open palms

against the newly painted wood and closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop pounding so violently.

“Ah,”   Lily  exclaimed,  her  mouth opened wide. “Your hair is lovely.  How

“

—

“I’ll tell you later.” Abby flapped her hand dismissively.  “Mr. Redbourne?”

“Mr. Redbourne is such a gentleman,” Lily said in a gleeful whisper as she grabbed a hold of Abby’s arm.  “I think he’s wonderful.”

Abby’s eyes flashed open. “Lily!” her voice was a mixture of panic and relief. Then, her face fell and her expression became serious. “Wait. How do you know he’s wonderful? You’ve only just met him.”

“I know, but those deep blue eyes and

his...”

“Wait, Cole has brown eyes.”

“Oh,” Lily put her hand up to her mouth

and twittered.   “I wasn’t talking about

your
 
Mr. Redbourne.”

“You’ve only just met him,” Abby repeated her cautionary warning.

“Well, you’ve just met his brother and that’s not stopping you from
 
marrying
 
the man!”  Lily folded her arms across her chest for emphasis. “Where have you been anyway?  Cole has been in the church for nearly forty-five minutes waiting for you."

Abby didn’t know what to say.   She peered around the corner of the open door and peered in at her impromptu groom.

Lily dropped her hands to her sides, “I know.  I’m just not sure how to react.  You told me this is what you wanted.  Have

you changed your mind?”

“No.  It’s just that...I thought I would at least know the man I would share my life with. I thought I would marry someone I grew up with or at least someone I’ve spent more than five minutes with.  I know nothing about Cole Redbourne. And well, he’s just not...”

“Who?  Alaric?  The man’s had a long time to come for you, Abby.  You haven’t received any correspondence in years. Do you really think he remembers a promise you both made six years ago? You were only sixteen.”  The question hung in the air like cotton on a tree. “Besides, I thought you were over him.”

“I thought so too.”

Abby straightened her shoulders and stood upright.  “Half the girls in this town

were married by the time they were sixteen, but you’re right.  Alaric was my past.  Cole is my future.  I don’t know what’s the matter with me.  At least I’ll be

able to stay at the ranch.”

“Raine,” Lily covered her mouth, “I mean, Mr. Redbourne told me his brother is a good man.”

“What else is he going to say about his own brother?” Abby half smiled.

“He did say that some people just took their sense of duty too far, whatever that

means.  He also said that once Cole has made up his mind about something, being dragged by a herd of wild mustangs couldn’t make him change it.”

“Great.  I’m just going trade one foul tempered man for another.”

Lily tried to hide her smile, but Abby

could not help hers. “So, I guess I got myself a groom.”   She glanced out the door into the darkening sky.   “Did my groom find the preacher?  These clouds have been threatening havoc for the last hour and unless we get on with it, we’re going to have a long, wet ride home.”

Looking skyward Lily’s eyes opened wide with apprehension, as if she hadn’t noticed the black clouds quickly rolling in overhead.

“Yes,” Lily gasped, “and who is he?

I’ve never seen the likes of him before. I

had no idea Reverend Daniels had left.”

Abby shrugged.

“Well, he doesn’t at all look like anypreacher I’ve ever seen.  If the man wouldjust quit dabbing his forehead with hishandkerchief and put a smile on his face

he might actually be handsome—but not as handsome as either of these Redbournes, of course.”   Lily looked at Abby and blushed. With another quick peek into the church Lily stated, “It almost looks like wild horses dragged
 
him
 
here.”   Both women giggled.

“Oh, my bouquet.  I left it on the horse.”

“Trust me.  I don’t think he’ll notice.”

“But I will.” Abby had one foot outside the church.  “This may not be the event I always thought my wedding would be, but I at least want to
 
feel
 
like a real bride.  This morning I picked the first spring flowers that had blossomed near the ranch and I think they will look lovely with my mother’s dress.  Besides, the rings are in my saddle bags.  I’ll be right back,” she added hurriedly at the disapproving look

on Lily’s face.

“Okay, but hurry.  By the way, Abby,” she said before Abby made it two strides.  “Your hair really does look beautiful.”

Abby stepped back into the church.  A few minutes to tell Lily about the hat shop wouldn’t hurt.

“It was Mrs. Hutchinson. I had no idea she was such a nice lady.   I always thought she was a bit… odd.  She’s usually so quiet and keeps to herself.”

“Well, she certainly outdid herself today.  You look lovely.  Cole will be blown away.  I could have never done something like that.”  Lily reached up to touch a perfect curl.

Abby twirled around, feeling almost girlish.  “She gave me this comb and said it had been made for a Redbourne bride

and it’s time someone wore it.”

“Does she know the Redbournes?” Lily asked with interest.

“I think she knew them a long time ago and by the way she spoke, I think she was going to marry one.   She was so mysterious about it.  But I am happy to have something to wear that was meant to be in his family.  It makes it all seem so much more… real.”  Abby shrugged her shoulders tight into ears as a crack of lightning split the sky. The two young women exchanged glances.

“Go!”  Lily commanded before Abby could say another word.

Abby walked down the steps, slower than usual despite herself.  “I’ll just make him  wait   a   moment   longer,”   she whispered to the quiet breeze.

Bella was tied up to the apple tree overnext to the sheriff’s office and when Abbyapproached the old mare, she was greetedwith dancing feet and flaring nostrils.

“I know a storm’s coming girl.  I won’tbe long.”  Abby rubbed the white horse’sneck on both sides and kissed the side of

her nose, hugging her close.   Then she reached for her saddle bag and delved inside, searching for the tiny trinket that would symbolize her commitment to a complete stranger.  She caught glimpse of her   freshly  picked   flower   bouquet dangling from Bella’s reins.

One drop.  Two.  Then the sky broke, sending buckets of rain swiftly to the ground.  She quickly unlashed the flowers from the reins, placed the stems in her mouth, and grabbed ahold of the hem of

her dress to keep it off the freshly muddied ground.  With the ring clutched tightly in her hand, she gathered her dress out of the mud and ran.

Cole stood at the front of the chapelwaiting for Abby.  He pulled his pocketwatch from his trousers.  An hour and ahalf had passed since he’d last spokenwith her.  He had fired ranch hands for

less timeliness.

The blustery weather had taken a turn for the worse.  With thunder rolling loudly overhead, Cole felt his impatience grow.  He’d known the woman for all part of a day and she was already getting under his skin.

Where is she?

Another crack of thunder came as if inresponse to Cole’s silent question.  Hisfreshly shaven face stung and the starchedcollar he wore irritated his neck.  Miss

Lily returned to her seat next to his brotherand whispered something in Raine’s ear.

Cole flexed his still aching jaw, hisback teeth grinding against one another.

Raine nodded reassuringly, but Colecould not stop caressing the makeshift ringemanating heat from his pocket.

A hush fell upon the congregation,followed by sporadic gasps.  Cole turnedto find Abby marching up the aisle, muddrenched and determined.

Lily covered her mouth in horror, butdespite himself, Cole had a hard timeveiling the laughter that threatened tooverpower his rigid expression at the