by Paige Tyler
He shrugged in an effort to appear nonchalant. “She’s not my wife, so what she does no longer concerns me.”
Crossing the room to where he stood, Rachel grabbed his arm and turned him to face her. “Cord, didn’t you hear me? I know that you’re feeling hurt, but you have to get over it and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Kayla is in trouble, and if you don’t stop this, it’s going to turn ugly.”
Cord’s hand tightened on the can he was holding, but he didn’t say anything. The thought of Kayla even being in the same room with Dalton Jeffries was enough to make his blood boil. That she would be foolish enough to play poker with the man… But things were over between them, and if he went to the saloon and made a scene, it would only confuse the issue, and make it even harder for him to walk away.
Rachel shook her head. “I can’t believe that you’re being like this,” she said. “So, she lied to you about what her name was, Cord, but everything else that passed between you two was the truth. She loves you, and you love the person she is, not the person that wrote those letters to you. In the end, that’s all that matters, even if you’re too darn mule headed to admit it.”
Cord ground his jaw. As much as he might want to deny it, Rachel was right. He did still love Kayla, and he knew he couldn’t just leave her to contend with Dalton Jeffries on her own. Swearing under his breath, he thumped the can he’d been holding back down on the shelf and walked out of the general store.
Kayla gazed down at the cards in her hands and carefully schooled her expression. It was the best hand she had had since she’d sat down to play, but she didn’t want Dalton Jeffries to know that. Not that he was paying attention to her. Across from her, he frowned briefly at the cards in his hand before his expression once more became unreadable.
He had seemed surprised that she could play poker so well, and told her as much. If the compliment had come from any other man, she would have been flattered, but his tone as he said it was mocking, and that only made besting him even more enjoyable.
Since she had such a good hand, Kayla decided it was time to make Dalton’s humiliation complete, and when it came time to bet, she gave him a sweet smile and shoved the entire pile of money that had been sitting in front of her into the center of the table. The crowd of men that had gathered around the table to watch the game began to mutter among themselves, knowing that this was going to be a big hand.
If Dalton was surprised by her bet, he gave no notice of it. Instead he was staring intently at the money. His brow furrowed as his gaze shifted to contemplate the small stack of money in front of him.
“Well, it seems that I don’t have enough with me to cover this,” he said, looking at her. “But as everyone here knows, I’m good for it.”
Kayla almost laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but before she could reply, one of the spectators spoke.
“We don’t do things like that out here, Jeffries,” the man said gruffly. “Never have, never will. If you wanna bet, you put something in writing for the lady.”
Dalton’s mouth tightened, but he couldn’t very well dispute the man’s words, not when everyone else was nodding in agreement. “How about an IOU for the remaining amount, then? I’d say that I’m about a hundred and fifty dollars short,” he said to Kayla. “Is that about right?”
She almost smiled. A hundred and fifty more of his dollars would certainly be right, but before she could answer, another thought came to her. A way to get even better revenge on him. “I’m not really interested in any more of your money; I already have plenty of that. Why not put up the deed to Cord’s ranch instead?” she asked, her lips curving into a smile.
For a moment, Dalton just stared at her, and then he burst out laughing. “You must be joking,” he said. “Cord’s ranch is worth a hundred times more than that.”
Kayla’s hand tightened ever so slightly on her cards. He was right, of course, but she had been hoping that he had become so flustered that he wouldn’t quibble over the details. The thought of getting Cord’s ranch back had been a spur of the moment idea, but now that she looked at it from Dalton’s point of view, she couldn’t imagine why he would make the bet. She was just about to agree to the IOU for a hundred and fifty when he spoke.
“I might consider putting up the ranch if you would be willing to put up something else of equal value on your part,” he said smoothly.
Something in the way he said the words made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. “Such as?” she asked.
He gave her an oily smile. “I’ll put up Cord’s ranch if you agree to spend the night in my bed.”
Kayla felt her blood run cold. Her stomach churned just at the thought of Dalton Jeffries touching her; she couldn’t imagine having sex with him. And yet, it would be a small price to pay for a chance to get back at Dalton. But what if she lost to him? What would Cord say? Then she decided that it probably didn’t matter much anyway. Cord was likely already gone, she told herself miserably.
Taking a deep breath, she drew herself up and forced herself to say the words that would seal the deal. “Very well.”
Dalton chuckled. “Hear that, boys?” he said, raising his voice so that the entire saloon could hear. “If the beautiful Miss Mathison wins, then I give up Cord’s ranch. But if I win, she spends the night in my bed.”
“Like hell she will!”
Kayla’s pulse skipped a beat at the sound of Cord’s voice, and she spun around in her chair to see him striding toward their table. Without a word, he took her arm and hauled her out of her seat, then proceeded to drag her across the room to an open space on the floor. Still startled by his presence, she went without protest.
“Are you out of your mind?” Cord demanded, glowering down at her. “I should put you over my knee right here for this little stunt. What the hell are you doing?”
She blushed, glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone had heard the words, but then she realized that Cord had spoken too softly for his voice to carry. She said nothing for a moment, but simply gazed up at him, unable to believe that he was really there. But the strong hands on her shoulders were very real, as was the fierce look Cord was giving her.
Realizing that he was waiting for an answer, she lifted her chin and met that look with one of her own. “I’m getting your ranch back,” she told him matter-of-factly.
His jaw clenched. “If you win,” he ground out. “If you lose, Jeffries expects you to spend the night with him, and I’ll de damned if I’ll let you do that.”
Kayla caught her breath at the vehemence in his voice. Did she dare let herself hope? she wondered. Could it be possible that Cord still cared for her after all she’d done?
Before she could speak, Dalton Jeffries voice came from across the room. “She already made the bet, Holderness,” he said. “She has to honor it.”
Kayla felt Cord stiffen, and fear rippled through her. Reaching up, she gently laid her hand against his chest. “Dalton’s been losing steadily all evening, Cord,” she said softly. “I can beat him.”
“Well, I’m not about to take that chance,” Cord said. Taking her hand, he led her back to the table and glared down at Dalton Jeffries. “You want something put up that’s of equal value to the ranch,” he told the other man, “then play for this.” As he spoke, he took out a stack of money and tossed it onto the center of the table. “That’s what you paid me for the property.”
Kayla stared at the money in disbelief. If Dalton won, then Cord would have no ranch and no money to start over anywhere else. If she had any doubt that he still cared for her, it disappeared in that moment.
Seated at the table, Dalton Jeffries seemed to be considering this new bet, and she held her breath. After a moment, he nodded. “All right,” he said after a moment, and then looked at her. “Well, what do have?”
The same man who had prompted Dalton to write the IOU before slammed his hand down on the table. “Hold on there folks,” he said. “Before anybody goes turning cards over, we need this a
ll done up in writing. I don’t want anybody welching on any bets in my saloon.”
Paper and pens were brought out, and the bet was quickly written out, and then signed by Dalton, Kayla, and now, Cord.
“So, what do you have?” Dalton asked her again.
With hands that were suddenly trembling, Kayla slowly placed her cards face-up on the table, and waited. Dalton stared at the three kings and two aces in silence for a moment. Then, with a foul expletive, he threw down his cards and pushed back his chair. With an angry glare at her and Cord, he pushed through the crowd and strode over to the bar. Snickers and laughter followed him, along with congratulations for her and Cord.
Someone reached out and turned over Dalton’s cards. Kayla almost got dizzy when she saw what he had been playing. Three queens and two aces. That was almost too close, she thought, sitting down and watching as Cord gathered up the money and IOU from the table. When he turned to her, she simply gazed up at him mutely.
“Come on,” he said, holding out his hand. “Let’s go home. We have a lot of talking to do.”
Home. Just that word made her feel warm all over and forget the second part of the sentence. When Cord took her hand, she went with him willingly, only to hesitate once they reached his horse.
“Cord…” she began, but he gently placed his finger to her lips.
“We’ll talk when we get back to the ranch,” was all he said.
Lifting her onto the horse, Cord swung up behind her and took up the reins. They rode in silence and she rested her head against his chest, content simply to be in his arms.
Back at the ranch, Cord helped her down from the saddle, and then told her to wait for him inside while he saw to his horse. Once in the house, she went straight up to their bedroom, and then waited anxiously for him to join her. He no longer seemed angry with her, she thought. Surely, that was a good sign.
A short while later, she heard the sound of his booted feet on the stairs, and she turned as he stepped into the room and closed the door. Looking at him, everything she had been practicing to say fled her mind, and she nervously smoothed her skirts.
“Cord, I…” she swallowed hard. “I wanted to tell you the truth. I even tried that day we went on the picnic, and then again on the day of our wedding, but I was afraid.”
He folded his arms and regarded her in silence for a moment. “Go on.”
She chewed on her lower lip. “I met Abigail on the stage coming out here,” she continued. “She told me that she was a mail-order bride, but that she was having second thoughts about marrying you. She said that though you sounded wonderful in your letters, she missed her family and her life back in Boston too much to go through with the marriage.”
His jaw tightened. “And you thought that you’d just conveniently take her place.”
She quickly shook her head. “No,” she said, and then hastily added, “At least not in the beginning.” She saw his eyes narrow, and she took a deep breath. “Since she knew that I would be going through Copper Creek, Abigail asked me if I would tell you that she had changed her mind. I agreed, and I fully intended to tell you when I got off the stage, but then you naturally thought I was Abigail. I couldn’t tell you with the entire town watching, so I let you think that I was Abigail, figuring that I would tell you when we got to your ranch. But you really seemed like a nice man, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Besides, I barely had a penny to my name, so I thought that I could hang around here and come up with a few dollars before heading on to San Francisco. So, pretending to be your mail-order bride just seemed easier than telling you the truth.”
He held up his hand. “Hold on a minute,” he said. “San Francisco? Why were you heading to San Francisco?”
She shrugged. “To open a dress shop.”
He frowned. “Does being totally broke and your plan for a dress shop have anything to do with you trying to get into the lock box under the bed?”
She hesitated, wondering if she should hide the part about planning to steal from him, but then decided that there had been too much lying already. “I thought I could get it by playing poker at the saloon. But I had also planned to get into that box under the bed to see if you had any money I could take.” His mouth tightened, but she hurried on before he could say anything. “But that was before I fell in love with you. At some point, my dreams of going to San Francisco changed, and all I wanted to do was live here with you on the ranch. I should have told you the truth about everything, but I was too scared to take the chance. Rachel said that I should tell you, but…”
His eyes widened. “Rachel knew about this?”
Kayla nodded. “Yes, but I begged her not to say anything,” she told him. “I really did want to tell you, Cord, but I thought that if you learned the truth you wouldn’t want anything more to do with me.”
He frowned again. “Even after I told you that I’d fallen in love with you?”
Wordlessly, she shook her head. Taking a step closer to him, she looked up at him with imploring green eyes. “After you said that, it became even more important that I not mess everything up. Please say that you can forgive me, Cord,” she begged. “Please.”
Lifting a hand, he gently tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “I do forgive you, Kayla,” he said, bending his head to kiss her gently on the lips. “And I probably should have let you explain your side of the story instead of walking out on you. But that still doesn’t excuse the fact that you lied to me.”
She lowered her gaze. “I know, and I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice.
Cord lifted her chin to gaze down at her. “Even so, you should be punished for lying to me, don’t you think?”
She blinked, her pulse suddenly racing. “Punished?” she said softly.
He maintained a serious expression. “Indeed,” he said, his own voice equally soft. “A long, hard spanking should do it, I think. Bring me your hairbrush, Kayla.”
She obeyed without a word, walking across the room to retrieve the brush from the vanity table. When she turned back around, she saw that Cord had taken the straight-backed chair from beneath the desk, and placed it in the center of the room, where he now sat waiting for her. She had already begun to get that tingling sensation between her legs, and he hadn’t even started spanking her yet.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked over to stand beside the chair and wordlessly handed him the wooden hairbrush. She watched as his hand closed around the brush’s handle, waiting in breathless anticipation for him to pull her across his knee. But he didn’t. Instead he gazed up at her.
“You know that you deserve a spanking for what you did, don’t you, Kayla?” he asked softly.
Just hearing him say the word was enough to arouse her, and she felt herself blush. Mutely, she nodded.
“Then ask me nicely,” he commanded.
Her color deepened. It wouldn’t be the first time she had “asked” for a spanking, but just the first time she had done so with words, and her voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke.
“Please spank me,” she said looking at him from beneath lowered lashes.
Cord felt himself go hard at the words. He should have done this instead of walking out on her earlier, he thought as he gently guided her across his lap. Reaching down, he lifted her skirt and petticoat very slowly, and was just deciding whether to give her a warm-up over her pantaloons or whether to pull them down and start right in on her bare cheeks when frantic shouts could be heard from outside.
From her position draped over Cord’s knee, Kayla tensed and lifted her head. “What was that?” she asked, craning her neck to look over her shoulder at him.
He helped her to stand. “I’ll go check it out,” he said, handing her the hairbrush. “Stay here.”
Kayla watched him go, and chewed on her lower lip as shouts came again. Hurrying to the window to see what the shouting was all about, she was shocked to see flames rising up from the barn.
Despite Cord’s warning, she ran
from the room and headed for the steps. With the barn on fire, the horses were in danger, and she was not about to wait inside the house when she could be helping lead the animals to safety.
Outside, however, it was mayhem as Cord and the ranch hands tried to save the horses while at the same time trying to put out the blaze. Not only that, but she could have sworn that she heard gunshots coming from behind the barn. She stood for a moment, looking frantically for Cord in the darkness, and she spotted him highlighted by the flames coming from the barn. She was about to go help him when a man on horseback galloped from around the back of the barn. At first, she thought the man was one of the ranch hands, and was shocked when she saw him aiming a pistol at Cord.
“Cord, behind you!” she shouted.
She didn’t know how Cord managed to hear her over the confusion, but he turned in time to pull his own gun and fire several times at the man. The stranger slid slowly from the saddle as the horse kept on running past Cord.
Kayla almost stopped breathing; she had never seen a man get shot before. She couldn’t stop staring at him, but when she lifted her gaze, she saw Cord running toward her, his face darkened with a mixture of anger and concern. She knew she was going to be in trouble for disobeying him again, but before Cord could reach her, someone shouted his name, and he turned back to the barn.
Kayla would have gone to him when all of a sudden, the sound of hoof beats came pounding from behind her. She turned, but barely had time to glimpse the horse and rider bearing down on her before a strong arm scooped her off the ground and threw her face down over the saddle.
She gasped as she recognized Dalton Jeffries, and would have raised her fists to strike him if she could have reached him, but the pressure of his hand on her back kept her in place.
“Let me go!” she shouted. She pushed against the horse, to no avail. “Cord!” she yelled. “Cord, help me!”
At her cry, Cord turned, and she could see the shock on his face when he realized what was happening. She was so focused on Cord running toward her that she didn’t understand why he suddenly stopped until she heard the sound of a pistol going off over her head.
