by Sky Winters
The whisky-smelling man hooted out a throaty laugh, but the man from the bar stood up and came over beside him, looking at her. His eyes were kind, and he seemed to be less drunk than his friend. “Yes, we know Jasper,” he answered. “He didn’t come here today. We haven’t seen him. I’m pretty sure you ain’t supposed to come in here either.”
Before saying anything else, he came forward and gently took her by the arm, guiding her out of the saloon. For a moment, Annabel feared for her safety, but then she realized that this man was just trying to make it easier for her to hear what he had to say.
“My name is Clayton Poole,” he told her. His accent was unlike anything she had ever heard before, much stronger than the accent she had encountered on her brief cart ride. He was also chewing on something that looked like a small piece of wood.
“How do you do?” Annabel replied, trying to remain cordial so that he would help her.
Clayton tipped his hat to her and offered her a small smile. “It is wonderful to finally make your acquaintance,” he said. “I’m one of Jasper’s good friends and I knew you were coming. He did too, of course, but no one knew exactly when. Well… He must be at his house today. He probably has a lot of work to do, now that he’s readying things for you. I can give you a ride over, if you want. Have you ever been on a horse before?”
He, like all the others, had seen the photograph of her dressed in her riding dress, but he wanted a confirmation from Annabel herself.
Annabel nodded, eyeing him curiously. He made it sound as though Jasper had shared their letters back and forth with the whole of the saloon. She did not know how she felt about that. The way that the other man had been leering at her sent a shiver down her spine.
Carefully, Clayton assisted her with getting onto his tall, sandy-colored stallion. She felt uncomfortable riding sidesaddle with him, so she shifted and was soon riding the unseemly but easier fashion, with one leg on either side of the horse. Her long dress covered her legs enough for it to not be so bad, but still she wondered what her mother would think. Already, she was breaking the rules of society! That thought alone made her smile as she rode off with this stranger.
The buildings on Jasper’s ranch were all dark when Clayton and Annabel arrived. He rode the horse up to the front of the main house and dismounted, keeping her on the horse while he went up to the house and knocked on the door. “Hullo!” he called. “Jasper? I’ve got someone to see you.”
One of the workers on the ranch came over and informed them that Jasper had rode off a few hours ago, but they did not know where. Annabel bit her lip, looking up at the stunningly lovely and stunningly unoccupied mansion. It was smaller than the one her father owned, but it would do. She just wanted her groom to be there along with it.
Just then, a young man rode his horse into view. He was atop a large, black stallion but he was pulling a white and grey speckled mare astride him. He let out a laugh when he saw the small congregation at his doorstep. “What is this?” he asked in a pleasant, friendly sort of voice. He had that bizarre accent, too, but it sounded nicer coming from him.
“Jasper,” Clayton said quickly, coming over to meet him as the other man dismounted from his horse. “Your wife is here. She came into the saloon, looking for you. Everyone in town practically knows that she’s here, except for you.”
Looking from his friend to the young woman on the back of Clayton’s horse, Jasper walked across the grass, leading his speckled horse along behind him. He handed off the reins to his employee before smiling up at Annabel.
“It looks like you’ve had quite an adventure today already,” he said. Reaching up, he helped to bring her down from the tall horse, holding onto her waist to make sure she was safely on the ground before releasing his grasp.
She was dressed like she was planning to attend a funeral later. Maybe his funeral. He wondered how much his dear friends had told her…
“I am Jasper,” he told her, offering his hand, which she accepted at once. He was pleased to see that she was eager to meet him, at least. Leaning down, he kissed her hand.
His scruffy face tickled against her skin and Annabel smiled. Tall, with a dusting of freckles across his nose, light brown hair and dark brown eyes, this Jasper Daniels was not at all what she had expected. He was certainly tall, dark and handsome, though, which was some relief to her. She was not going to be marrying an old, fat man and for that she was grateful.
“I am so happy to finally meet you, Mr. Daniels,” she said, batting her long, dark lashes at him. “I was worried, when you were not at the station, that you had changed your mind about me.”
Jasper laughed, gazing at her. She really was quite a looker, even more attractive in the flesh. Her red hair was brighter than a wretched photograph could ever capture, and her eyes were sparkly and blue as sapphires. If he had not already agreed to marry her, he thought, he might go ahead and propose anyway.
“I brought you a present,” he said, stupidly. Clearing his throat, he added, “I mean, that is why I was not here. I did not know when you would be arriving, but I am so glad that you’re here and you’re safe.”
Taking the reins from his ranch hand again, he introduced Annabel to the mare. “I bought her just for you. I figured that you might wanna go riding with me sometime, since you told me to have a horse ready.”
Annabel let out a little laugh, covering her mouth in her surprise. She had meant it as a joke, but he had actually purchased her a horse of her very own. She was touched and deeply impressed with Mr. Daniels.
“She is beautiful,” she said, gently petting her new horse’s nose.
Jasper put his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans. “Yes she is,” he said softly as he looked at Annabel. He was not talking about the horse, and he could tell that she knew it because she blushed.
After a few moments of bashfully smiling at each other, Jasper turned to Clayton. “Well, thank you, Clayton, for bringing my fiancée home. I will be in touch.”
Clayton winked at him. “I look forward to hearing about how things are going.” He rode off on his horse, back to the saloon to inform all of their friends that phase two of the bet had now been set into motion.
CHAPTER FOUR
A Surge Of Urges
It was difficult for Jasper to fall asleep the first night that his new bride-to-be was in the house with him. Thoughts about her beauty and how she was soon to be all his made his mind travel to all sorts of unsavory places. Meanwhile, alone in her room, Annabel did her best to straighten it up and make it her own. One of the first things she wanted to do after they were married was go shopping for better décor. Jasper’s house was pleasant enough, but it was decorated like only a man lived there. While it was understandable, it would not do now that he was to have a wife.
The following day, they went out for a ride so she could get used to riding her new horse and Annabel decided to bring up her thoughts. “Would you be completely offended if I said I wanted to change the curtains and upholstery in my bedroom?”
Jasper gave his horse’s side a pat as he rode him, smiling. He knew she was going to mention it. Clayton and Billy were right. She was a refined lady, as he knew from the get go, so he could not be shocked that she wanted to woman-up some of the house’s features. “Certainly not,” he replied. “Though I ask that you not change any of my rooms, please. A man has got to have his own spaces, you know.”
She smiled at him and gave a little nod. “Yes, that makes sense. I do think you have a lovely house. When can I meet your servants?”
He raised his eyebrows at her. “Servants?”
Annabel stared at him, confused by his confusion. “Yes. Don’t you have some domestic workers on your employ? How on earth do you keep your home orderly otherwise?”
Jasper cracked up. “I don’t have any of those domestic workers, sorry darlin’. The only people I employ are ranchers like me, who know how to take care of horses and cattle. The house is clean ‘cause I keep it clean. Or ‘cause I
don’t spend all that much time in it, to be honest. Until you arrived, there was not much call for me to be here, except when I was working.”
She did her best to not look too surprised, but inside she was appalled. How was she going to manage the household if there were no workers to help her? “May I hire a domestic or two to help me?”
“It can be a wedding present from me,” he said to her with a grin. Part of the bet was that he had to train her to be a homestead wife, and that meant that the future Mrs. Daniels was going to have to learn to do some things by herself. Proper homesteaders grew their own vegetables and made their own clothing. Miss Annabel was clearly not used to such things, so this would be a challenge. Perhaps the hardest part would be convincing her to learn it.
After a while of riding around Jasper’s land, it was clear that Annabel was feeling saddle sore. He helped guide her horse along with his and they went back to the stable. Once he was off his, he assisted her down from hers.
He still could not get enough of having her in his arms. “Now that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
She shook her head at him, smiling up at him sweetly.
“Have you chosen a name for your pretty new horse?” he asked her. He was not used to being in the presence of a lady for so long. He was usually undressed and in a bedroom when he was with a lady for a long period. He did not quite know how to speak to her or what to make of her, so he ended up using a voice that one might employ when speaking to a child that one dotes on.
Annabel picked up on that and arched an eyebrow a little. As long as he thought of her as a cute angel, like her father always had, she would be able to get whatever she wanted out of this marriage. He was handsome and interesting, but she reminded herself that he was first and foremost her ticket to freedom and adventure of her own.
“I think I will call her Penelope,” she answered, giving him an adorable, dimpled smile.
Jasper handed her a sugar cube. “Give that to Penelope,” he said, amused.
She did as she was instructed.
Once the riding was over, he was unsure what he should do with her. Clayton’s bet might go along smoother if Jasper married Annabel right away, but he knew that the proper thing – the thing she would want – would be to give her time to get used to things in Colorado and propose to her in person.
In an effort to do that, he walked with her back up to the house, letting her take in all of the sights of her new home. She watched as some of his workers rode horses alongside some cows, gasping when one of the cows ended up with a lasso around her neck.
Annabel turned to look at Jasper. “I suppose that is a sight I’ll have to get used to.”
He smiled at her and put his arm around her, careful to keep it limp and not pull her in too close. A lady like her might get the wrong idea about a guy like him. “You don’t have to look if you don’t want to. I’ll distract you.”
When they got to the front porch of his house, he turned towards her and took her little, gloved hands in his big, rough ones. “Your home is very nice,” she told him, blushing and obviously jittery now that he had taken her hands in his. Was this the big moment that all of her friends and every lady she knew waited for?
“I hope that you will like it here,” he said, gazing into her eyes. “I hope that… You will be my wife.”
Despite any annoyance that she had toward him about his lack of domestics or the fact that he had left her stranded upon arrival, Annabel already rather adored the man she had come to marry. He was a kind, simple sort that she could see herself being happy with, unlike those fat old suitors that her parents picked out for her. He was entirely her choice. “I will be your wife,” she affirmed.
Beaming happily down at her, Jasper leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. “Then you will make me the happiest man in Evergreen.”
All I gotta do now is not sleep with her and take her to the chapel, he thought. Ol’ Clayton will be handing over that eight hundred in no time!
Once we’re wed, I’ll really show Mother and Daddy that I can take care of myself, she thought as she looked at him. He won’t turn down a request for money from me. I just know it.
Jasper welcomed Annabel back into the house. “If you like, you can feel free to go around and make notes about what you’d like to change,” he told her. “Like I told you, I ain’t too attached to anything in the place, except for my bedroom and this living room here.”
There was a large deer head that was mounted on the wall above her. She looked up at it, a bit disgusted but keeping it to herself. “I see.” She hoped to be able to host balls here at some point in the future. Would something like that deter anyone from coming? She didn’t imagine so, not in this backwards sort of place. The people who hung out in that saloon probably were used to far worse things than a taxidermied head on a mount. Thinking of the saloon reminded her of a question she wanted to ask him.
“What do you do for fun around here?” she asked him, keeping her voice innocent and pleasant as she explored the living room, making mental notes of things that she wanted to at least have cleaned. Living without any sorts of maids or anything was not going to last longer than it had to. She would see to it that a small staff of housekeepers would be hired, preferably before their wedding.
The corners of Jasper’s mouth quirked up at that question. He figured that the answer was fairly obvious. She had been to one such place that he went to for entertainment. “Well, there is the saloon where you met my friend Clayton,” he said. “I usually spend my evenings there. There are also several nice bars where I like to play cards. Simple things like that. I’m afraid we’re not as elegant as you are probably used to.”
Annabel shrugged a little, smiling at him. “It sounds nice in its own way. I’m accustomed to going to balls, but I suppose that I could enjoy going to saloons with you.”
He sat down on the large sofa and readied himself a cigarette, carefully rolling up the paper around the tobacco.
She crinkled up her nose a bit at that, sitting down on the sofa beside him. One thing she definitely could not abide was him smoking in their house and stinking up the place. Her father smoked cigars on occasion and she always hated the smell of it. The home did not have to smell like flowers or anything, but she did not want it coated with that noxious odor.
“Please, Jasper, don’t smoke in here,” she said to him sweetly. “That’s the only thing I don’t like about saloons.”
He smiled at her, tisking a little, and put his rolled cigarette into his pocket for later. “Well, if you want to play the saloon girl for me tonight, how’s about fixing me a drink?” He gestured over to his table full of bottles of whisky. There was no question about which alcoholic beverage he would like.
Annabel stood up and went over to dutifully pour him a glass of some Scotch. Each of them, in their minds, thought they were winning.
She brought the glass over to him and sat beside him again, carefully handing it off. “Now that you have me, maybe you don’t need to go see those dancing girls so much.” With that, she took off the jacket that went along with her dress, revealing her pale, uncovered arms and the tops of her breasts peeking out above her bodice.
Jasper gulped some of his drink back. Now this wasn’t fair! How was he supposed to keep his hands off of her if she displayed her curvy, attractive body to him? Clayton had known that it would be hard for him to resist, but surely this innocent young girl did not realize what she was doing to him…
“Do you like singing?” she asked him in a low whisper, batting her eyelashes at him.
He took another long drink of his Scotch. She knew what she was doing. He was starting to wonder if Clayton had tipped her off about their little wager. He did not think so, but he was suspicious. He also wanted to kiss all up her arms and over her—
“She's only a bird in a gilded cage, a beautiful sight to see,” she sang in a pretty, well-trained soprano, making Jasper fall in love with her and want her even more. “You may thi
nk she's happy and free from care; she's not, though she seems to be…”
Jasper leaned in and kissed Annabel. She danced two fingertips against his leg, smiling at him and he wanted her so badly. A little over a month, he thought. Then she can be totally yours.
He downed his Scotch and she continued to kiss him or let him kiss her, being so flirty and adorable. Before too long, his eyelids got heavy and he fell fast asleep.
CHAPTER FIVE
A Better Betting Man
When Jasper awoke, he discovered that he was lying on the couch in his clothes from yesterday. His little bride-to-be was nowhere to be found. There was an empty bottle of whisky on the table nearby, along with an empty glass. His britches were undone and his hair was all askew, making him look more like the town drunkard than one of the town’s richest men. He could see the sort of mischief he had gotten into. He only hoped little Annabel had escaped unscathed.
She came into the living room, dressed in a fetching, forest green gown that brought out the color of her blue eyes, red hair and peach-pale complexion. Jasper ogled her and grasped the empty bottle of Scotch, attempting to take a slug from it. Annabel giggled at him. “Good morning, my dearest.”
“I have the prettiest wife,” he said, holding the bottle mouth to his lips.
She blushed at him. She had always been good at blushing on command, to attract herself to beaus and sucker them into giving her the things she desired, but she realized with an even deeper blush that Jasper actually caused the reddening of her skin. He did not just give her idle flattery; he actually meant what he said. She could tell by the look on his face, and she could tell last night by the way she had appealed to him in other areas.
“You certainly thought so last night,” she said teasingly, kissing him on the forehead. “But I am not your wife yet.”
Jasper suddenly straightened up in his seat and stared at her with a look of horror on his face. “What exactly happened last night?”
It was clear that he was frightened about something indecent going on, and Annabel felt like teasing him because he was awfully cute when he was so concerned. “Why, nothing that a married couple would not do,” she said, giving him a wink. She was not going to go into the bawdy details of an event that had not happened, because she herself had never experienced it before.
