Rustlers and Ribbons

by Kirsten Osbourne

  “I didn’t see I had a choice,” she said quietly. “My friend Sally was in the same situation a while ago. She had to leave the orphanage. She tried to find work, but couldn’t.”

  “So she became a mail-order bride?”

  Josie shook her head. “She works in a brothel back in Chicago. “I couldn’t …”

  “I see.”

  “So you took a chance and came here.”

  “I did.”

  “Did you stop to think that I might have been a drunkard, or that I might beat you?”

  “I knew that I could be a good wife. I had to gamble that you were a good man who’d be a good husband. I hope I made the right decision.”

  Cooper couldn’t reassure her. He wasn’t sure if he’d be a good husband or not. Hell, he wasn’t even sure what a good husband was. He’d never even given marriage much thought. He’d always been content with his life the way it was. He’d never seen any need to add a wife to it.

  And going by most of the married women he knew, they were whiny and demanding and criticized their men from sunup to sundown. He sure didn’t need that.

  He had his ranch. He had his family. He didn’t need anything else. If he hadn’t had Nora and Drew and Andy, though …

  “Did you always live in the orphanage?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she replied. “As far back as I remember. Mrs. Norton says my parents left me there when I was only a few days old. My papa said they couldn’t look after me.”

  “And there was no other family to help?”

  Josie lowered her gaze and shook her head.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like to grow up without family. Mine has always been there, even when I wished they weren’t.”

  Josie’s head jerked up and her eyes widened. “Why would you ever wish that?”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love them, but sometimes … it would be nice to not have people think that because they’re family, they can run your life, tell you what to eat and when, how to spend your money, what woman to court—”

  A giggle escaped from Josie’s lips. She clapped her hand over her mouth. “Really? They do that?”

  The sound of her laughter warmed his insides, and he couldn’t help but smile. “Didn’t my sister just find me a wife?”

  “Oh … that’s true … but honestly, I don’t think I’d mind knowing I have someone who cares about me enough to worry about what I’m eating or where I’m spending my money—”

  “Or who you marry,” he put in. “I know her heart was in the right place, but she took things too far this time.”

  Josie nodded. “She did. And I’m sorry I put you in such a terrible position that you feel obligated to marry me—”

  “I don’t feel obligated, so don’t think that. And you didn’t put me in this position. Nora did. Her and her interfering, even though I know she was doing what she thought was best for Andy.”

  “It must be wonderful to have people love you that much.”

  “One day, I’ll remind you of this conversation, because once we’re married, you’ll officially be part of the family and eventually, you’ll become a victim, too. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nora decides when we should start having babies.”

  He stopped talking, surprised that he’d revealed so much to a woman he barely knew. He’d often thought it would be nice to be alone, but he’d never voiced it to anybody.

  He had to admit that as well as being one of the prettiest women he’d ever seen, Josie was easy to talk to. She hadn’t told him he was wrong to feel that way, and she seemed to understand, even though her family had deserted her.

  And why had the idea of babies suddenly popped into his head? Must have been Josie’s remark earlier, but now that he thought about it, he wouldn’t mind a son or two like Andy. Or maybe a daughter like Josie, with her hair the same shade as wheat after a rainfall and her eyes the color of whiskey.

  He should get away from her now and stay away from her as much as possible. Something about her was drawing him to her, making him think about things he’d never thought of before. And he didn’t like it. He was happy with his life the way it was. Marrying her was a way for Nora to have the life she wanted and for Andy to be taken care of. Nothing more.

  In a few days, they’d be married. She’d be his, body and soul, and he’d be within his rights to bed her as often as he wanted to.

  A slow heat began building low in his belly as his gaze raked over her, taking in her curves, and lips that seemed ripe for kissing.

  He didn’t plan to like her much, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to fall in love with her, but dammit, he wouldn’t mind having her in his bed.

  Chapter 4

  Please let me do something,” Josie said to Nora the morning before the wedding once Cooper and Drew were gone for the day. Nora hadn’t let her lift a finger since she arrived, and if she had to sit by and watch Nora do all the work for one more second, she’d scream. She was used to being busy, to doing her part to help at the orphanage. She’d been grateful the first day or two, because she was tired from her trip, but soon the exhaustion had faded and her energy level had returned.

  And if she was busy, she wouldn’t have time to think about the wedding the next day. Her stomach felt as if it was twisted into a giant knot, and she found herself unable to concentrate on anything without her mind drifting to Cooper – and their future.

  Her reaction to Cooper whenever he was near frightened her. When he smiled at her, a strange sensation washed over her, and if his hand happened to graze hers, why her whole being suddenly heated as if she was on fire.

  She supposed she could ask Nora if she’d ever had the same reaction to a man, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak of such things.

  “There’s no need to do anything,” Nora replied. “I have a routine that I’m used to.”

  “It’ll help me if I start now so that I’m familiar with how things are done. After all, you’ll be living at Lewis’s farm after tomorrow.”

  Nora folded a towel and stacked it with the others on the table in the kitchen. “That’s why you should rest now,” she said. “After the wedding, you’ll have plenty to do. It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t you go and sit on the porch and rest? You must still be exhausted from your journey out here.”

  “Not at all, and I find it difficult to be idle. I’m not used to it, and I really do want to help.”

  “Well, if you insist on doing something, go out and see if there’s enough fruit of any kind that’s ripe enough to make a pie for dessert tonight. Are you a good cook?”

  “Cooking was one of my tasks at the orphanage and nobody complained,” she replied with a laugh.

  “Then I’m sure Cooper and Drew won’t either. Those men would eat buffalo hide if it was put on a plate in front of them.”

  Josie took a basket off a shelf and hurried outside, rounding the house and heading toward a large vegetable garden. Nearby, bushes laden down with berries lined a fence.

  It didn’t take long before she’d filled the basket with enough blackberries and raspberries to bake at least two pies. She popped a raspberry into her mouth, her tongue tingling with the taste of the sweet juice.

  As she walked back toward the house, a movement near the barn caught her attention. Two horses were grazing in a fenced corral, one black and the other brown with a white streak down its face and white boots.

  Josie had only ever been near one horse, and she couldn’t resist moving closer. As she approached the enclosure, the black horse looked up and took a few steps toward her. She reached her hand over the fence, and her heartbeat skittered in her ribs when the horse nudged her hand with its head, but she didn’t move away. Instead, she ran her palm down its neck, a smile tugging at her lips.

  She stopped, and the horse nudged her again, signaling he liked her touch.

  “Do you ride?” The voice coming from behind startled her, and she spun around to face Cooper.r />
  “No,” she replied. “I lived in a city. There was no need to ride, and the orphanage only had one horse. We weren’t allowed to go near him.”

  “Then I’ll teach you after the wedding. You should know how to ride in case you ever need to get to town without hitching up the wagon. Is this the first time you’ve been near a horse?”

  “Not exactly,” she said. “I was near one other horse – once. I didn’t touch her, though.”

  “Why not?”

  “She was … it was about two years ago. I was helping Hank, he’s the handyman at the orphanage, to fix a broken window in Mr. Kalinack’s stable. He had a mare. Her name was Tulip. I was holding the glass when suddenly, the mare dropped down onto the straw. She was panting and grunting. I thought she was dying. Mr. Kalinack told me to go back to the orphanage, that the mare was about to give birth and that it was nothing a female should see.”

  “Did you?”

  Josie grinned. “No. I went outside and climbed on a crate so I could see inside.”

  “So you make a habit of not doing what you’re told?”

  For a moment or two, she thought he was angry, but the glint in his eye told her he was teasing.

  “Not if there’s no good reason to.”

  “Protecting you from something unpleasant isn’t a good enough reason?”

  “If I need protecting, I’ll say so.”

  “Fair enough,” he said with a laugh. “So you disobeyed and you saw the mare give birth?”

  “I did. It was terrifying, but then the baby got up and it was beautiful.”

  The horse snorted, as if to remind Josie she was still there.

  “This is Lola,” Cooper said, “and the chestnut is Darby. Lola’s going to be a mama soon.”

  “Really?”

  “Two weeks or so. Giving birth can be terrifying to watch, but if you’re interested in a closer look, I’ll let you know when it’s time. You can even help if you’ve a mind to.”

  “So you don’t think it’s inappropriate for a woman?”

  He laughed. “I don’t think it’s something a woman should watch and I’d rather you didn’t, but I have a feeling what other people think you should do isn’t important to you. And I think that if you somehow found out when Lola was giving birth and you wanted to see it, you’d find a way to peek in and watch anyway. I’d rather let you watch from where it’s safe than risk you hurting yourself.”

  Josie giggled. He must have read her mind.

  Was she really lucky enough to have found a man who’d let her do the things she wanted to do even when he didn’t fully approve? That she’d be allowed to do what Mrs. Norton always called “man’s work”?

  Her respect for Cooper inched upward. Not only was he handsome, devoted to his family and his home, but he was a man ahead of his time.

  He was an unusual man indeed.

  Dusk was falling by the time Cooper and Drew finished tending the horses that evening and crossed the yard to the house.

  “Smells good,” Drew commented as they stepped inside.

  “Smells good,” Andy repeated.

  The men laughed, and Cooper nodded in agreement as mouth-watering aromas met his nose.

  “Supper’s just about ready,” Nora called out from the kitchen.

  “Papa, come play trains with me.” Andy took Drew’s hand and tugged. Drew followed him into the corner of the main room where two wooden trains sat on the floor.

  Cooper strolled through the house to the kitchen where Josie was taking a tray of biscuits out of the oven and Nora was setting the table.

  Unaware of him watching them, the two women bustled about as if they’d been working together in the same kitchen for years.

  Nora finally noticed him and waved the wooden spoon in her hand. “Either come in and sit down or go out, but do one or the other instead of standing there getting in the way.”

  Where he was leaning against the wall in the doorway with his ankles crossed and his arms folded across his chest, he wasn’t in anybody’s way, but it was best not to argue with Nora whenever he could avoid it. He thought about going back into the main room and joining Drew and Andy in their game, but he found himself more interested in looking at Josie. He wandered into the kitchen and slid into a chair at the table.

  Josie’s face was flushed with the heat from the oven and her hair had come loose from the knot at the back of her neck, but somehow it only made her prettier.

  She reached for a bowl from the shelf above the dry sink and her curves strained at the fabric of her blouse. A slow heat wormed its way through him and settled low in his belly.

  As if she sensed him watching her, Josie turned to face him and sent him a shy smile as she set a bowl of chicken and dumplings on the table. Nora added a plate of biscuits and a bowl of butter.

  Nora moved to the doorway and called to Drew and Andy to come to the table.

  “Josie made supper tonight,” Nora informed him once they were all seated at the table and Cooper had said the blessing.

  That explained Josie’s sudden silence. He’d gotten the impression earlier that she liked to talk, yet she hadn’t said a word since he’d come into the house.

  He glanced over at her, her head still lowered. She looked … scared. Was she worried he wouldn’t like the meal? Hell, even if he didn’t, he’d choke it down if only the worry he saw on her face would disappear.

  Andy made a face when Drew spooned some food onto his plate. “I don’t like that.”

  Josie’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry … I didn’t know …”

  Drew smiled at her. “Don’t worry. He likes it. He’s just being ornery because he’s tired.” Then, turning to his son, he said quietly, “It’s not polite to not eat when someone takes the time to make you supper.”

  “I don’t like it,” he repeated. “I want pie.”

  “Pie?” Drew sent a questioning look in Josie’s direction.

  “I made pies for dessert,” she told him. “Andy saw them cooling on the windowsill.”

  Drew nodded his understanding and turned back to Andy. “No pie until you finish your supper,” he said softly.

  “I want pie now.”

  Josie noticed Drew’s sigh of exasperation. “Eat your supper.”

  Andy cocked his head and squinted at Josie. “Can I have pie now?”

  “After supper,” Josie said. She hoped Drew wouldn’t mind her getting involved, but she’d dealt with this kind of situation many times over the years with the smaller children at the orphanage. Not that they’d had pie often, but there had always been children who wanted dessert first. Andy was still young enough that her plan should work. “I even have a magic piece with your name on it, but if you don’t hurry and eat your supper, your name will disappear and then anyone can eat it.”

  Cooper hid a grin behind his napkin and for a few moments, no one spoke. Josie turned back to her meal and spooned the chicken and dumplings onto her plate. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Andy pick up his spoon and shovel a piece of dumpling soaked in gravy into his mouth.

  Drew smiled at Josie and mouthed a “thank you” in her direction. “Nora, I think Josie’s going to do just fine here, don’t you?”

  Josie blushed at the compliment. She did know how to deal with children. Now if only she could find a way to make Cooper like her … preferably before the wedding … she’d be a happy woman.

  Since it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, right after supper Nora shuffled Cooper off with Drew and Andy to spend the night.

  As soon as they were gone, Nora hurried up the stairs. “Come on, let’s get started,” she announced.

  Josie was confused. “Get started on what?” she asked, following. She stopped behind Nora when she opened her bedroom door and went inside.

  “Moving your things into Cooper’s room.”

  Josie’s eyes widened and a flush of embarrassment swept through her. “Oh … no … we can’t …”

 
; “Of course we can,” Nora insisted. “You’re going to be married tomorrow. Don’t tell me you planned to still sleep in here.”

  “I’m sure Cooper won’t approve.”

  Nora waved away her objections, opened the wardrobe and took out the hangers holding Josie’s clothes. She draped them over her arm and brushed past her, heading to Cooper’s room.

  “Please don’t—”

  Nora turned back to face her. “How can you ever have a real marriage if you don’t even share a bedroom?”

  “We aren’t … I mean, this isn’t a real marriage …”

  “And it won’t be unless you start out acting as if it is. And I know my brother. Once he gets used to the idea, he’ll be happy to have a wife.” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned. “And be sharing a bed. So you should sleep in there tonight to get used to it.”

  “He’s going to be so angry …” Josie murmured, more to herself than to Nora. It was obvious Nora wasn’t going to listen, so there was no point in trying to make her change her mind. Maybe as soon as they got back from the church, she could move her things back into the other room before he knew what his sister had done.

  Still, she’d have to spend one night in his bed, so she postponed it as long as she could. Finally, she felt her eyes drifting closed and she had to retire.

  It felt so strange to walk into Cooper’s bedroom and close the door. His room was the same size as Nora’s, but where hers was more feminine, Cooper’s furniture was heavy and solid. Heavy maroon curtains hung at the window and a quilt of maroon, blue and hunter green covered the bed.

  Josie undressed and climbed into bed. His scent lingered on the pillows beneath her head and she couldn’t help wondering which side of the bed he slept on, if he had any preference at all.

  Nora’s words came back to her. Act as if they had a real marriage. Could she do that?