Mariette And The Cowboy (Western Night Series 2)

by Rosie Harper

  “A-any time. Is there anything else I can get you?” He asked, trying to keep her from leaving. The woman shook her head and slid her hand down his arm until it fell to her side.

  “No thank you, but you’ve been most helpful.” She said, giving him another smile before coolly walking out of the convenience store. The clerk watched her get in the convertible, the man she had called her brother sitting beside her in the driver’s seat. She turned back to the clerk, as if she knew he was still watching her, and waved. The clerk waved back and watched the beauty drive away. He sighed and watched until the convertible was just a tiny dot in the distance. If he had been paying more attention, he would have noticed that she went the opposite direction from where she had said she was headed. If he had been paying more attention, he would have noticed her kiss the man on the cheek as they got on the highway. The clerk turned back to his counter and froze in shock. If he had been paying more attention he would have noticed the man enter the store. If he had been paying more attention he would have heard the man open the register and clean out all the cash. If only he had been paying more attention, instead of letting the beauty mesmerize him and distract him from his duty. The clerk cursed and picked up the phone to call the police.

  “Yes, I’d like to report a robbery.” He said into the line.

  ***

  Lucy heard the sirens screaming out in the distance and smiled. They were headed in the opposite direction and by the time they were searching the highways for convertibles, her and Elias will be long gone. They had bailed the highway after five miles and took to the side streets, weaving in and out of subdivisions in every direction so that if anyone did report their car, the police would have no idea which direction to even begin looking in. Lucy took off her gloves and reached over to run her fingers through her husband’s dark hair that wasn’t covered by the baseball hat he wore.

  “How’d we do?” She asked, closing her eyes and loving the feel of the wind in her face. Elias shrugged and smiled at her, glancing over at her and then back to the road.

  “Not bad. I’d say close to a thousand. Small stores like that don’t keep too much in their drawers.” He said, chewing on his thumb nail absently. Lucy reached over and swatted his hand away. She hated his bad habits.

  “Well that’s enough to get us some tickets to somewhere nice. What if we went to a beachside town, a little one off the coast somewhere, and got a house. You could do some freelance construction work and I could—” she started, her tone becoming more and more excited as she imagined their life. They’d been together since she was eighteen and now, nine years later, she wanted to actually settle down. Elias laughed and shook his head, chewing on his nail again.

  “You could what? Cook? Clean houses? The only skills you have sweetheart are the skills of distraction. Why would we give this life up to go straight? You’d hate it. You’d be bored within the month and begging to get out of the lease so we could hit the road again.” Elias said, laughing. Lucy frowned and retracted her hand from his hair.

  “I could do something else. I could work in a store…” she started. Elias gave a burst of laughter and Lucy turned to him, shocked.

  “Yeah right. You? Around all that money? Three days and you’d start stealing it and then you’d get caught and we’d both be done for.” He interrupted. Lucy pouted and looked over at the stretch of fields spanning before them.

  “But we could start a family. We could get married, for real. Not just common law or with your cousin Frankie’s blessing.” She said, still watching the rows of wheat flash by her.

  “Hey, Frankie’s blessing is more than legitimate. It’s enough for me.” Elias said, hitting the button to put the top up to the convertible. They were approaching a little town and would stop for a while. They had put more than seventy miles between them and the con, making it safe to finally pause and get something to eat. Lucy sighed and began to untangle the scarf from around her head. Her short, black hair fell in a straight bob just above her shoulders and she swept the bangs out of her eyes once the scarf was completely removed. She took off her large sunglasses and put on a smaller pair that wouldn’t put so much pressure on her nose and cheeks. Elias glanced over at her and groaned. He pulled into a diner parking lot and shut the car off. He removed his gloves and large sunglasses as well, hiding their disguises in the glove box. He took off his plain black hat and scratched his head. He looked over at Lucy and sighed.

  “Alright, I might had a solution for us.” He said, pulling out his phone. Intrigued, Lucy leaned over and looked at the screen to see what he was pulling up. It was an ad for a bride. Frowning, she raised an eyebrow and looked over at her husband with confusion.

  “What’s this?” She asked, her voice flat and unamused. Elias smiled at her and stroked her cheek. Lucy pulled back, not wanting him to touch her until he clarified his intentions.

  “It’s our final scam. This rich guy down in Arizona puts out this ad for a wife, right? Well I check him out, turns out the guys is worth more than a million.” Elias explains. Lucy’s eyes widen and she takes the phone from his hand to read through the ad for herself.

  “So what’s your plan?” She asked, reading the sweet and blatantly honest ad regarding what this man was seeking for his life partner. Her heart skipped a beat just at his words and for a moment, she caught herself wishing Elias said things like that about her. “I’m looking for the woman to be my companion and keep me company for the rest of our lives. I’m looking for a friend, a partner, a lover and everything in between.” She read to herself. Her stomach fluttered at the words and she felt a sense of serenity come over her.

  “My plan is to have you answer it.” Elias said. Lucy’s head snapped up and she looked at her husband with disbelief.

  “What?” She asked, perplexed. Elias nodded and scrolled down to the picture of the man. Lucy’s breath caught in her chest but she tried to disguise her attraction. His skin was tanned to a dark complexion from being out in the sun and his green eyes were startling clear.

  “Yeah, you answer his ad, swoon him for a week or two, and just before the wedding we take him for everything he’s got. You scout out the house and valuables—try to find a safe or something while you’re at it—and get back to me.” Elias told her. Lucy couldn’t take her eyes of the man in the picture and her heart sped up. She didn’t really want to do this, not to him not to anyone. She just wanted to get on with her life peacefully and discretely. She looked up at Elias finally, her eyes wide and pleading. Elias wrapped her in his arms and stroked her cheek lovingly.

  “After this, I promise we can finally settle down. Just like you want. We’ll find a house on a beach somewhere, but we’ll be set for cash that we won’t have to work. We can live like kings and queens.” He said, brushing his lips against hers. Lucy accepted his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. She doubted it would be as simple as he thought, but she wanted his pretty promise so badly she was willing to lie to herself about it and believe him.

  “Alright, I’ll do it. But you swear this is the last one?” She asked, breaking the kiss and looking him in the eyes. Elias grinned at her and nodded, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

  “Promise.” He repeated, giving her one last kiss before pulling away completely and getting out of the car.

  “Now let’s get some food. I’m starving!” He said, pulling some of the stolen cash out of the armrest to pay for their meal. Lucy sighed and nodded, getting out of the car to join him.

  ***

  Colby couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d finally gotten a reply to his ad. He was getting worried that he sounded too needy or pathetic and no woman was going to be interested in him when he hadn’t heard anything for the first week. But now, he had received a reply from a woman whose interests matched his own. She was lovely, and her words appealed to the romantic in him. She was looking for the exact same things in a life partner that he was and she specified that she wanted to get away from her crazy life and retreat ba
ck to a simpler lifestyle. Colby gazed around his ranch in Tucson, Arizona and let out a deep breath. It was isolated on the property his family had owned for generations. His home was built on one third of the land his family owned while his parents and brother each lived on the other two thirds. Their family land stretched on for miles in every direction, so even though they were all still living on it, they still couldn’t see each other’s homes form their patio. It was simple, discrete, and lonely. He could see the cattle roaming freely on the fields in the distance and smiled. They had the best stock in the state and their meat was coveted around the nation, but financial success wasn’t enough. The setting sun cast a red glow around his empty ranch and he leaned against the back door. It would be nice to finally have someone else to share his evenings with. To have dinner with. To lay beside at night and wrap his arms around.

  Colby sighed and stretched, reaching his long, sinewy arms above his head. He scratched his head, running his fingers through his long blonde hair that he typically kept pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck while he was working. Since the day was over, he had taken the leather band out hours ago and just let his shoulder-length hair fall free. He thought about cutting it time and again when he was stuck in the desert sun, but he always seemed to forget once the moment of being over-heated and exhausted passed. He went back into his office and looked again at the picture of the woman that she had attached with her response to his ad. Her caramel skin was smooth and beautiful. Her eyes were dark brown and her black hair was sleek in its short bob. She said her name was Lily. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Colby smiled at the picture and began formulating his reply.

  “Lily, I am honored to receive your response. I would love to meet you and have you stay with me for a week while we get to know each other better. If we are compatible and meet each other’s expectations, I would like to move forward with marriage arrangements. I look forward to getting to know you. Sincerely, Colby.”

  He wrote his message and read it over a few times to make sure that was what he wanted to say. Satisfied with it, he sent his reply and waited. It didn’t take long before she emailed him back, accepting his offer. Colby smiled and suppressed a yawn. He sent her another message requesting her information to buy her a plane ticket to get to him but she refused.

  “Colby, I appreciate your offer to fly me out to Tucson so that we can get to know each other before proceeding with wedding plans. However, I am not very fond of planes or airports so I will be driving. Please send me your address and I will make my way to you. I apologize that this mode of transportation will take longer, but it is the best for me. Lily.”

  He shrugged at her explanation and accepted her reasoning. He didn’t have a fear of flying himself, but he could easily see where people got one. He sent her his address and leaned back in his chair. If she was driving to him that gave him some extra time to prepare his house for her arrival. He looked around the ranch again and twisted his face at the sight. There were old food containers, clothes, and magazines strewn over multiple flat surfaces. He winced at the mess and turned away from it. That’s what happens when you’re a bachelor into your thirties, he supposed. He’d lived alone since he was twenty-four and for the past ten years had had no one to pick up for except himself and the occasional guest. Stretching again, he stood and made his way to the shower. Well, the mess will still be there in the morning, no use worrying about it now when he was this exhausted from herding the cattle into the south field all day. With another yawn he began to undress and prepare for bed. He would prepare for his bride in the morning.

  ***

  Lucy sat in the front seat reading and re-reading her messages with Colby. He was such a gentleman, she couldn’t believe men like that existed. She glanced over at Elias in the driver’s seat and bit the inside of her cheek. She’d been with him for so long that she just assumed he was the best she was going to get. She looked back down at Colby’s messages and suppressed a sigh. She’d assumed men like this were only in the movies, but here one was wanting to get to know and marry her! Well, a version of her anyway.

  “So what name did you give him?” Elias asked. Lucy looked over at him and ran a weary hand through her hair.

  “Lily.” She said simply. Elias nodded and smiled. He patted her leg and turned back to the road.

  “That’s my girl. Keep it simple and close to the truth so that you don’t mess up. Now let’s go over the plan again.” He said. Lucy groaned and closed the messages on her tablet. She couldn’t bear to read his words and discuss their plan to steal from him.

  “Do we have to?” She asked, not wanting to go over it for a fourth time. Elias shot her a glare.

  “Yes. We are at Tucson city limits and we will be at the motel soon. I need to make sure we are on the same page so we don’t screw this up and get arrested. What’s first?” He said tersely. Lucy sighed and looked out the window. They kept the top up on the convertible once they entered Arizona because all the dust was irritating her eyes. It was a beautiful landscape, and Tucson seemed a little less desert-like than what they had driven through.

  “We will get to the motel, you will check-in for the week and I will take the car to the mark. I will get to know him—as we agreed—to keep up pretenses while I send you pictures of the valuables worth stealing.” Lucy recited. Elias nodded along with her, mouthing the words as she said them.

  “And what else will you look for?” He prompted. Lucy fought the urge to roll her eyes. He made her feel like a child at times.

  “A safe.” She said through clenched teeth. Elias grinned, ignoring her frustration and patted her leg again.

  “You’ve got it, babe. This is going to go great as long as we stay on top of it. We can’t falter.” He told her. He pulled into the motel parking lot and put the car in park so that they could switch. He had purposefully chosen the motel on the edge of town so that it would be less likely for him to be identified with her. Lucy stared at him, her eyes wide with concern and worry.

  “And after this we’re done and you’re going to give me a proper wedding?” She verified. Elias smiled and kissed her sweetly.

  “With a cake and everything.” He said, pulling away and getting out of the car. Lucy followed him and took his place in the driver’s seat. She had this feeling in her stomach that it was just another lie, but she wanted to believe differently. She imagined her little house on the beach and smiled. That was all she wanted, now.

  “I’ll see you in a few days.” He said, leaning in through the window and giving her another kiss.

  “Okay.” Lucy said, kissing him once more and pulling out of the parking lot. She looked back in the rearview mirror once to see him waving at her, his bag slung over his shoulder. She sighed again and turned her attention back to the road. She tried to push Elias out of her mind and focus on the job at hand. Nerves began to fill her the closer she got to the final destination. Each turn her GPS told her to make made her stomach flutter.

  “It’s okay, I’m just about to meet my future fake husband.” She told herself. She pulled up to the ranch and came to a stop in the long drive that looped in front of the house before heading back to the main road. She put the car in park and just stared at it, open mouthed. It was a gorgeous house. It wasn’t huge, by any means, but it was the perfect size for a family. Lucy smiled to herself and shut her car off. She’d only seen the adobe outside, but already it felt like home. She walked up to the door, her nerves returning, and knocked. Colby jumped at the unexpected sound and dropped the book he was replacing on his shelf. He glanced behind him at the clock on the stove and cursed. It was still before noon and he hadn’t been expecting her until the afternoon. He looked around the living space and wiped his face. He’d been cleaning all morning and while the house looked good, he on the other hand did not. He looked down at his dirty white t-shirt and lifted an arm to smell himself. He winced and grabbed the can of Lysol sitting on the kitchen counter. He lifted each arm and gave a spray und
erneath, not caring that he was using cleaner to mask his sweaty odor. With a defeated sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair and tied it back with his leather tie. The knock came again and he rushed to the front door, opening the solid piece of oak. Colby sucked in a breath at the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him and he tried to play it cool. She was taller than he expected—which he liked, considering his own 6’4” height—and curvy in all the right places.

  Lucy’s heart stopped when he opened the door and she had to mentally kick-start it to get it beating again. His tanned skin was glistening with a thin layer of sweat and his bright green eyes stared at her with such welcoming openness she felt like crying. He was large with broad, muscular shoulders and a lean torso. Lucy wanted to lick her suddenly dry lips but she stopped herself and tried to conjure an image of Elias in her mind. She stuck her hand out, giving him one of her most charming smiles and tried to remember the fake name she had given him because her mind seemed to have gone completely blank at the sight of him.

  “Hi, I’m Lily.” She introduced herself. Colby smiled and took her hand, electricity shooting through him at her touch.

  “Colby. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lily. I’m so glad you could make it out.” He said, stepping back and inviting her inside. Lucy smiled her thanks and followed him into the house. The house was lined with the same rich wood as the door. It was worked into built-in book cases and the baseboards along the stone floor. The ranch had high ceilings and Lucy looked up to see the skylights that allowed natural illumination to light the house. It was just as beautiful inside as it was outside and she felt instantly more at ease with the homey atmosphere.

  “How was your drive? It must not have been very long, I wasn’t expecting you until this afternoon.” He said, running a hand over his hair and averting his gaze shyly. Lucy smiled genuinely at him, his modest behavior making her heart skip excitedly.