by Cora Seton
The Sheriff Catches a Bride
By Cora Seton
Copyright © 2013 Cora Seton
Kindle Edition
Published by One Acre Press
ISBN-13: 9781927036525
Author’s Note
The Sheriff Catches a Bride is Volume 5 in the Cowboys of Chance Creek series, set in the fictional town of Chance Creek, Montana. To find out more about Cab, Rose, Hannah, Mia, Fila, Ethan, Autumn, Jamie, Claire, Rob, Morgan and other Chance Creek inhabitants, look for the rest of the books in the series, including:
The Cowboy’s E-mail Order Bride (Volume 1)
The Cowboy Wins a Bride (Volume 2)
The Cowboy Imports a Bride (Volume 3)
The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire (Volume 4)
Also don’t miss the follow-on series, The Mathesons of Chance Creek, including:
The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Volume 1)
The Cowboy Rescues a Bride (Volume 2)
The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Volume 3)
Visit www.coraseton.com for more titles and release dates.
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Chapter One
Plan slowly, run fast.
As her mother’s words repeated in her mind like a well-worn mantra, Fila Sahar struggled to right her clothing in the cramped bathroom of the Emirates-owned airplane she’d been traveling in for hours. She’d waited to escape from Afghanistan for over ten years, keeping her head down, gathering information, cultivating contacts, fitting each puzzle piece together with infinite care. Soon—very soon—it would be time to run.
She washed her hands with shaking fingers, turned off the tap, and dried them carefully. In the mirror, her dark, almond-shaped eyes were almost obscured behind the delicate netting of her sky-blue burqa. As she smoothed it down and gathered its folds to cover as much as her clothing as possible, she blessed the covering garment for the first time in her life. The men who’d brought her here weren’t relatives and they had never seen her face. That would have brought too much shame to her family.
Family. Fila refused to believe any of the radicals who had held her captive for over a decade were related to her in any way.
Turn the weapons of your enemies so they point at their own hearts.
Those weren’t her mother’s words; they were the words of the Taliban men who’d trapped her in their violent snares and swallowed up her life. But the words still fit, and she’d follow them.
One last check in the mirror to see that all was well, and Fila opened the bathroom door, retraced her steps to her seat, and submitted herself to the strict care of her guards once again.
“What the hell are we doing here?” Cab Johnson asked from his uncomfortable position in the back seat of Rob Matheson’s oversized Chevy. At six foot four and over two hundred pounds, he was always uncomfortable in back seats. Hell, he could barely wear his hat in here. It didn’t help that he shared the extended cab with three other cowboys—three men he’d normally call his best friends. Rob Matheson, at the wheel, was a tall, blond, blue-eyed man he’d known since grade school. An all-around trouble-maker, Cab had no doubt he was behind today’s shenanigans. Ethan Cruz sat beside Rob in the front passenger seat. A dark-haired, rugged rancher, he’d grown up on the spread next to Rob’s and was another of Cab’s oldest friends.
Rounding out the group was Jamie Lassiter, a little shorter than the other two, a little slighter, as well, but he possessed a wiry strength and he’d never taken last place when it came to getting the attention of women. No, that distinction fell to Cab, which was one reason he was still single while the rest of them had recently settled down. More reserved than his friends, he’d always hung back when they flirted and talked with the pretty women at bars, at parties, heck, even in grocery stores. He wasn’t the flirting kind. As county sheriff it behooved him to keep a more dignified demeanor. Plus, he’d had his eye on a particular woman for quite some time.
A woman engaged to another man.
Cab sighed. It had been a rough few months in many ways. While his friends had gotten married one by one over the sunny summer, he’d helped to track down a killer with the rest of southern Montana’s law enforcement officers. A man who had brutally assaulted and beaten to death three young women, and nearly finished off a fourth before he was apprehended. Cab was still haunted by details of the cases and the fact they hadn’t caught the man sooner. The fourth victim—a woman named Amanda Strassburg—was still in the hospital and would be for some time. Samuel Grady, the perpetrator, was behind bars awaiting trial. The evidence was solid—they’d caught him in the act—and Cab was sure he’d spend the rest of his life in prison at the very least.
He was also sure there were other Samuel Gradys out there, and that kept him from sleeping well these nights. Today he wasn’t working, though, so he had planned to head over to Linda’s Diner for lunch in the hopes that he’d forget his dark thoughts in the hustle and bustle of the eatery. Midmorning he’d gotten a call from Ethan, who had asked him to stop by. He did so on his way into town and had met up with the whole gang—Ethan, Jamie and Rob—all getting ready to run an errand. The next thing he knew he’d been coerced into coming with them. Well, coerced was probably too strong a word. He’d been mostly pleased to see his friends all together without their wives for once—not that he minded their wives. It was simply galling to be the odd man out these days. First Jamie became partners with Ethan on the Cruz ranch, then Rob joined in. Now all three of them were married and living on the same spread. Cab was out in the cold. He didn’t begrudge his friends the fun they had living and working together. He just hated being on the outskirts of that fun all the time.
He was beginning to have second thoughts about this errand, though. Why were they parked in front of Thayer Jewelers?
The call from Ethan seemed innocent enough. He’d asked Cab to come by and pick up an extra pie his wife, Autumn, had baked for him. Never one to turn down pie, Cab made it his business to come right over. As soon as he found the three of them waiting for him, he should have known something was up.
Because something was definitely up.
“Did Autumn ask for an upgrade on that ring you bought her?” he asked Ethan as they all piled out of the truck. He eyed the jewelry store with suspicion. Rose Bellingham would be in there.
Rose. When he wasn’t dreaming about the possibility of a serial killer coming to Chance Creek, he dreamed about Rose these days, even though he had no right to do such a thing. Unfortunately sometimes those two dreams merged and when he woke, thrashing and hollering, he paced the floor of his bedroom for hours, unable to sleep at all. Rose lived alone. Her fiancé, Jason Thayer, was off in North Dakota, making his fortune in the oil fields. Rose rented the carriage house behind Jason’s father’s old-fashioned house in town. Safe enough, but was a young single woman ever really safe?
Was anyone?
“Nah, we didn’t come here for me,” Ethan said, giving him a friendly shove toward the door.
“Then why are we here?” He had a feeling he wouldn’t like the answer. How was it that everyone else in town respected him except these three idiots? As the county sheriff, he normally called the shots. Not when Rob, Ethan and Jamie were around.
“Come on,” Jamie said and pulled the door open. Cab reluctantly went inside. He’d never liked the jewelry store, probably because it made him feel like the proverbial bull in a china shop. Everywhere he looked stood glass cases filled with precious, delicate jewelry.
Definitely not his scene.
“Do whatever you need to do and let’s get out of here,” he growled. He wasn’t in the mood to see Rose, either. He didn’t want the reminder that she was engaged to
Jason, whose father owned this store. Rose had worked here for a couple of years now. She’d been engaged to Jason for nearly six. What was the man waiting for?
Sometimes Cab wished Jason would get a move on and marry Rose already. That would put the final nail in Cab’s coffin and he could get his grieving over and done with. Rose would become Jason’s responsibility and maybe he could stop worrying about her. Other times, he hoped Rose and Jason’s engagement would stretch out until it finally snapped and she gave him back his ring. It was wrong to wish unhappiness on another man, but Cab did. Often.
“Over here,” Ethan called, gesturing for them to join him at one of the cases. Cab figured the sooner they finished this charade the sooner they could leave. He moved carefully to join the others as they bent over a display of engagement rings. Rose, who’d been near the cash register when they came in, crossed to join them, a smile on her pretty face. She was petite with glossy dark brown hair and startling blue eyes that often contained a spark of humor. Cab loved the way she was always smiling, even if sometimes that smile was wry. She was cheerful, sharp, imaginative and lively. Jason was a fool to leave her alone so long.
Cab kept his expression carefully friendly, as always, all too aware of the engagement ring that had been on Rose’s finger for as long as he could remember. He knew Jason had slipped the thin silver band on after he took her to their senior prom. Cab hadn’t noticed Rose much back then. He was a young buck in those days just establishing himself as a sheriff’s deputy. Directly after graduation, Jason moved to North Dakota. Rose stayed in Chance Creek and found herself a job. Cab had noticed her more and more over the years but had kept his distance until Rose became friends with Autumn and started to help out from time to time at the Cruz guest ranch. Thrown together more at social occasions, Cab had gotten to know her better, and as much as he told himself she was off limits—entirely off limits—he couldn’t help wishing she wasn’t.
“That one,” Jamie said, pointing to the most ostentatious ring in the bunch. Cab would hate to know the woman who wanted that monstrosity on her finger.
“Nah, too flashy,” Ethan said. “I think that one.” He pointed to a wisp of a gold band.
“That’s not an engagement ring; that’s hardly a ring at all,” Rob said. “This one.” He jabbed a finger at a circlet of yellowish diamonds that made Cab wince.
It was amazing any of them had wives, he thought, leaning over and examining the case for himself. His eyes immediately lit on a vintage art deco ring with flowing lines and several sparkling diamonds. It reminded him of Rose somehow; artistic, womanly, unique.
“Rose,” Jamie said. “Pull out that one, would you?” He pointed to the ring Cab was staring at.
Rose reached in and pulled out the tray. She angled it toward Cab and he picked up the ring, curious to see it without the intervening glass case. Just as he thought, it was a work of art.
“You can’t see it that way,” Rob said, grabbing it from his fingers. He snatched up Rose’s hand, drew her own ring off her finger and jammed the one Cab picked out in its place.
“Rob!” Rose snatched her hand away and held it up, shock on her face. She stared first at the ring, then at Cab, then back at the ring again. When her free hand grabbed for the counter, and her knees buckled, Cab reached over the case to steady her.
“Rose? You okay?” She looked like she was about to faint.
“Told you,” Rob said, grinning at Ethan.
“Son of a gun,” Ethan said, “You were right.”
“What are you talking about?” Cab was annoyed. “Get her some water, for crying out loud. Rose, do you need to sit down for a minute?” In a horrible flash he wondered if she was pregnant. She’d been Jason’s fiancée a long time. Maybe they hadn’t always been careful.
Rose stared at him wide-eyed. Growing worried, Cab tightened his grip on her arm and came around to her side of the case. “I think you need to sit,” he said again.
She shook her head and seemed to come back to herself. “I’m… fine.”
“Really?” Jamie said. “Because you look like you’ve seen your hus—”
Ethan whacked him on the arm.
Rose blushed furiously, peeled the ring off and thrust it back into the tray. Understanding dawned on Cab and he felt heat creep up his own neck at the trick his friends had played. They’d gotten him to choose a ring. They’d put that ring on Rose’s finger.
They’d waited for her reaction.
Everyone knew about Rose’s hunches—the ones she got when a couple chose their engagement ring. Somehow she could predict their future—if their marriage would be successful or not. If they were meant to be together. She’d given her approval to Ethan, Jamie and Rob when they’d bought their rings during the past few months, and since all of them remained happily married they believed her hunches were real.
So what did they think they were proving now?
He wanted to let go of Rose’s arm. Wanted to apologize for his friends and get the hell out of there, but he couldn’t seem to turn away.
“I didn’t feel anything,” she said angrily, breaking the uncomfortable silence. She yanked her arm away from Cab’s grip and set the tray of rings back in the case with shaking hands.
“You looked like you felt something,” Rob said with a grin. Rob made a business of teasing women, and he and Rose had been friends for some time. Usually Rose gave back as good as she got, but this time she didn’t come up with a stinging reply.
She glanced at Cab again instead, and Cab’s stomach tightened when he met her gaze. He saw something there—awareness, interest—fear?—that sent a shiver of recognition up his own spine.
Rob was right; she’d felt something when he put the ring on her finger. The ring Cab had picked out. The ring he wished he could give her.
Were he and Rose meant for each other? Did she feel the same kind of interest in him he felt in her?
Rose turned away abruptly, grabbed her engagement ring off the counter and shoved the thin circle back onto her finger. Cab’s stomach sank.
Of course she didn’t feel anything for him. She had made her choice and it wasn’t him.
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly. “See you around, Rose.” He knew he should say something else—apologize for Rob’s behavior at the very least—but he couldn’t form the words. He turned on his heel and headed for the front door, hoping against hope the rest of them would follow his lead for once.
They did and a moment later they spilled out onto the sidewalk. Cab waited until Rob took his keys out and headed for his truck before he grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and slammed him face down on its hood.
“What the hell?” Rob bellowed. “Hey, let go! You can’t arrest me for playing a joke.” He struggled, but Cab had already pocketed his keys and slapped a handcuff around his right wrist. In a few spare motions he locked the other cuff on his left.
“I’m not arresting you. I’m going to throw you into the creek and watch you drown.” He opened the door to the extended cab and gave Rob a shove. “Climb in.” Rob did so, cursing, and Jamie got in beside him, chuckling. If Cab had another set of handcuffs he wouldn’t be laughing long. Ethan got into the front passenger seat while Cab made his way around to the driver’s side.
“You better not throw me in the creek,” Rob said as Cab climbed in.
Cab shut the door and turned on all of them. “What the hell was that in there?” he demanded. “What would make you do that to Rose?”
The others exchanged a look. “We got to talking,” Ethan said. “That’s all. Who you’d likely match up with. Rob said Rose was gone on you. Jamie said no way because she’s engaged to Jason. Rob said there was one way to tell for sure. So…” He shrugged his shoulders.
“You’ve got to be kidding.” Cab looked from one to the other. “First of all, I’ll marry who I marry, with no help from any of you. Second of all—” He broke off, exasperated. “Even if I wanted to marry Rose, she’s taken. It’s a done deal
. You shouldn’t have done that to her.”
A long silence greeted this speech, broken at last by Rob. “Engagements can be broken, you know. Jason’s been away a long time. Seems to me if he was going to marry her, he’d have done it by now.”
“Yeah, well, until his ring is off her finger, I won’t go near her,” Cab said. He started the truck and pointed it toward the diner. He still planned to have his lunch. Rob could sit back there and starve for all he cared.
When Rose pulled into the parking area in front of the Big House on the Cruz ranch, she shut off her truck’s engine, but didn’t climb out. It was seven in the evening and, being November, nearly dark already. With her engine off, the cold outside air quickly brought the temperature in the cab down. Still, she kept her seat, not ready to go inside and face all of her friends. The incident in the jewelry store this morning had replayed in her mind all day. How could she react so strongly to Cab’s ring when she was engaged to Jason?
Because your heart has moved on even if you haven’t. The voice in her head sounded like Grandma Allison, a plainspoken woman who had died over a decade ago. She would tell Rose it was high time to make up her mind about her engagement.
The truth was her relationship with Jason had been going downhill for months. Years, even. She’d begun to suspect the only reason it had lasted this long was because they weren’t living in the same state. If they were, Jason’s attempts to organize and control her life would have driven her crazy. Back in high school she’d thought it romantic when he’d boss her around in that slow drawl of his. Sexy, even. Now it just pissed her off, not the least because everyone else in her life seemed to think they could boss her around, too.
Immediately she felt contrite at the uncharitable thoughts she’d aimed at her fiancé. She’d promised herself only last week she’d give this relationship one last real shot before giving up. It didn’t make sense to overthrow a six-year engagement on a whim. Even if that whim had lasted for months. Maybe she could change the way they interacted if she tried hard enough. She needed to be more direct about what she wanted. She needed to speak up. Jason would finally listen to her and stop trying to do everything his way. He loved her, after all. He always had.
