“I…I was just going to look for a job over at Eats. I’m a fair cook,” she hated how her voice trembled. She couldn’t afford to appear weak. “Good day.” She stepped off the wooden boardwalk and into the street.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me,” he warned.
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out before turning to face him. “We have nothing to discuss. I would think attempted murder would void any marriage promise.”
“Attempted murder? Are you crazy? You disrespected me and you got what you deserved. Anyway, I’m not talking about the marriage contract. I’m talking about the money I sent you to get out here. I demand you return it right now.” He threw his cigar at her feet and crossed his arms in front of his barrel shaped chest.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m trying to find a job. I’m good for the money, I promise.”
Her hopes dashed as his mocking laugh grew louder. “You stupid cow, I own you now. You’ll pay me back. I can guarantee it. I bet there are plenty of men willing to give you a go, even if you’re ugly as sin. Funny how a little liquor changes how a man defines beauty. It makes them willing to take any female offered. Of course, I might have to give them a discount for having to look at you.”
Boot steps echoed on the boardwalk. “Ma’am, get into my wagon. You’re going home with me.” Cinders hadn’t even glanced her way. Instead, he kept his gaze trained on John Hardy as if daring him to challenge the order.
John glared at Cinders and laughed scornfully. His stance widened and his right hand hovered over the pistol in his gun belt. “I said she belongs to me.”
A lump formed in her throat as her heart beat wildly. She didn’t know much about men and guns, but she did know the expression of hate on John Hardy’s face meant he wouldn't hesitate to use it.
“Thank you, Mr. Cinders, for coming to my aid but I’m not worth getting shot over. The fact is, I do owe him his money back, and truly, who would hire me now?” Her fingers gingerly touched her bandage.
Cinders didn’t glance in her direction. He kept his gaze fixed on John. “I’ll hire you. Now get in the wagon.” His voice was low and steady as though he anticipated more trouble.
“Not until I get my money,” John snarled.
A tall, older gentleman clad in a crisp white shirt and wool pants stepped into the street. He stood between the two men while shaking his head. “I’m warning you, I haven’t had my breakfast yet. What seems to be the problem?”
“Cinders here is trying to steal my wife.”
The man turned and faced Cinders. “Is that true? You know a wife belongs to her husband. I can’t get into the middle of this. Now if the town would open its tight purses we’d have a sheriff here to take care of these matters and I’d be eating my breakfast.”
“Judge Gleason, I’m sorry about your breakfast, but the fact is they aren’t married.”
“Yet!” John shouted
The judge turned. “Damn it, John, I’m right here. There is no need to yell in my ear.” He scanned the gathering crowd and rested his gaze on her.
Shannon quickly avoided his gaze trying to be inconspicuous; however, it was impossible with the huge bandage hugging her cheek. Slowly she lifted her gaze and met the judge’s stare.
The judge smiled. “Well I can see what all the fuss is about. We don’t often have such a fine woman come to our town.”
John coughed loudly as he stepped toward her. “I’m still willing to take her even if she is hideous.”
“You’re too gracious, Mr. Hardy, considering you’re the one who cut me.
Judge Gleason tipped his flat-brimmed hat. “Ma’am, would you like to join me for breakfast? I'd like you to tell me what this is all about.” He walked toward her, extended his arm and waited for her to place her hand on it. The crowd parted as he escorted her in the direction of Eats Café. The judge he called over his shoulder, “Cinders, I want to talk to you too.”
“What about my story?” John asked.
The judge shrugged his shoulders and kept walking.
“Well?”
When they reached the door to the eatery, Cinders’ opened the door and held it for them.
“I already know your story, Hardy.” Judge Gleason huffed and ushered her through the open door.
Cinders had never in his life seen eyes as grand as the chocolate pools Shannon possessed. Her sun-kissed brown hair hung, braided, down her back to her waist. Her hands trembled as she sat down, but he knew her to be a brave woman. How could a woman who traveled across the territories to marry an unknown man and survive tangling with Hardy be anything but brave?
“Cinders, have a seat,” the judge instructed.
When he pulled out his chair, the leg scraped against the dirty wood floor. It looked like the entire town wanted to dine at Eats, for the restaurant filled within minutes of their arrival. Nobody ordered food, they just milled about and gawked at the three of them.
“I’m Judge Gleason, miss…?”
“I’m Shannon McMurphy, sir.” The effort speaking took, reflected in her eyes.
Cinders took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “John Hardy sliced her face. I drove the wagon in yesterday and Hardy was instructing two of his thugs to grab Miss McMurphy and bring her back into the saloon. I put a stop to it and Edith allowed me to carry her upstairs above the mercantile.”
Judge Gleason turned his gaze to Shannon. “Are you and John Hardy married?”
She shook her head and winced from the pain. “No. But I came from New York to marry him. He said he was a wealthy rancher and you can imagine my shock to find him as the saloonkeeper. I told him I couldn’t marry him. He backhanded me hard enough to send me flying across the room, hitting the wall. He said if I didn’t want to marry him, he’d make sure no one would ever want me. He cut my face and said I could work off my debt upstairs.”
Cinders didn’t want to feel sorry for her, in fact he wouldn’t have gotten involved with her if it hadn’t been life threatening and if it hadn’t involved John Hardy. The slimy bastard tried to buy his land out from under him. He nodded in satisfaction. He finally knocked Hardy down a peg or two.
Tilting his chair back on two legs, the judge eyed Shannon for a while before he turned his gaze on Cinders. He righted the chair. “I’m hungry. Eats!”
The gathering crowd filling the restaurant had the flimsy walls practically bursting. “Damn, can’t even get Eat’s attention.” He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Silence ensued. “All you gawkers leave. If you’re not buying, you’re loitering. Now git before I get mad.”
There was much grumbling from the crowd as one by one they filed past the trio and out the door. A well-rounded man with uncombed hair and an overgrown beard hurried to the table. Grease and flour stained his apron.
“I’ll have your breakfast ready faster than a prairie fire with a tail wind.”
“I appreciate that, Eats. This here is Miss McMurphy. Why don’t you bring her and Cinders here something to eat too.”
Eats nodded. “Nice to meet you, miss.”
“Thank you.” Her voice was barely audible.
“Now the way I see it is you have two choices, miss. You can either marry John or Cinders.” He looked at Cinders with humor in his eyes.
Cinders stood up. “Now wait a minute. I said I’d hire her. No one said anything about getting hitched.”
Shannon’s face turned a deep shade of scarlet and Cinders silently cursed. He didn’t want to make her feel unwanted, but he didn’t like being dictated to.
Judge Gleason combed his gray hair with his long fingers. “Sit down, Cinders. I can’t make you do anything you don’t want to do.” He paused as Cinders sat. “Of course, she could always work for John or become his wife. After all, he did pay for her to come here so she does owe him.”
“I don’t see why she can’t work for me.” He hoped the judge could hear the annoyance in his voice. He didn’t want or need to be hog-tied to a
ny woman again.
“Cinders, you know how it all works. You have to marry her so you don’t sully her good name. You know how the gaggle of women around here are. They’ll treat her no better than a whore.” He stopped talking and turned to Shannon. “No offense, miss.”
Shannon nodded and her eyes dulled as she stood. “Thank you for coming to my rescue, Mr. Cinders. I’ll always be grateful, but this is my mess. I accepted his proposal, and I’m going to keep my word.” She stepped from the table and started for the door.
“Hell, I’d rather you marry me than go to John.”
She stopped and turned around. “You’re a kind man, but I can’t saddle you with my problems.”
His eyebrows rose. “You’re choosing John Hardy over me?”
“It’s not a choice, really, it’s more of a duty. I wouldn’t want you stuck with me. I have a good idea what my face will look like once the bandage comes off. It’s not fair to you.”
The sadness in her voice touched him and he couldn’t let her go. “If you’d rather, it could be a marriage of convenience.”
Her dark eyelashes fanned her face as she closed her eyes. She wanted to say yes, he could tell. “You’ll want children,” she said
“No,” he said firmly. “That won’t be a problem for me.” Cinders quickly glanced away from her probing expression. He wasn’t about to go down that road again.
Swallowing hard, she nodded her consent. “Then thank you.” Her voice quavered and the uncovered side of her face looked a deathly white as though she'd been sentenced to the gallows.
“Well, Judge Gleason, you might as well marry us now.” Cinders stood next to Shannon, noticing for the first time just how delicate she was. He knew she was small, but next to him, she seemed tiny.
The humor in the judge's blue eyes fled. “Now? But I haven’t had my breakfast.” He sighed and nodded. “Eats, hold the food. I need you and Poor Boy to come witness the wedding.”
Eats came rambling over, his dark eyes full of excitement. Following behind him was a thin boy with mousy-brown hair and brown sullen eyes. “Ain’t never had a weddin’ in here afore.”
The next thing she knew she was standing next to Cinders facing Judge Gleason. Words were spoken and she made all the appropriate responses, but Cinders’ quick peck on her lips surprised her.
“Now git so I can eat, and don’t forget to settle up with Hardy.” He nodded and smiled. “Have a good day, Mrs. Cinders.”
Cinders opened the door and followed behind her onto the boardwalk. She stopped and peered up at him. “Your last name is Cinders?”
“Yep.”
“What’s your first name?”
“You didn’t hear it during the wedding? You can just call me Cinders.”
“Surely you can tell me your first name.” She shook her head. “It has to be a better name than Poor Boy. Just tell me.”
He smiled and offered her his arm. “I do believe we have business to take care of. Then I’m taking you home.” He walked her to the mercantile aware that people stared at every step they took.
“My bag is already in your wagon?”
“Edith probably put it there. Do you want to wait inside the store or in the wagon? I don’t want you anywhere near Hardy.”
“The wagon please.” He easily spanned her waist with his big hands and helped her up. He seemed like a good man. Perhaps she'd gotten lucky after all.
After a minute, she thought perhaps she'd made the wrong decision to wait in the wagon. A crowd gathered around her, not saying a word, just looking at her. It took every ounce of pride she possessed to sit with her back straight and her chin up. She’d done nothing wrong and she wasn’t going to allow them to intimidate her.
She’d hoped for a few kind words, or maybe congratulations on her nuptials, but nothing was said. Now nervous, she pretended to smooth out the horrid wrinkles in her skirt.
Cinders walked toward the wagon looking thunderous. An attractive woman with blonde hair stopped him. She watched as they exchanged words. The woman glared at Shannon, her mouth curved in a frown. She instantly knew Cinders was meant for someone else. As Cinders walked away from the woman, Shannon turned her gaze. Had she known…
The wagon tilted slightly as Cinders climbed up and sat beside her. “Quite the crowd.”
She noticed his face when he removed his hat to wipe the sweat from his brow. “What happened to your eye?” Her stomach clenched as she stared at the bruised skin. “Did John Hardy do this to you?”
“Let’s get going, we’ll talk when we get out of town,” he said.
Shannon sat proudly beside her new husband as he maneuvered his team of horses down the street. Now the people who had stared earlier warmed up in Cinders’ presence.
Once out of town, her shoulders relaxed a bit. Until then, she hadn’t realized how tightly wound she’d been. So much had happened in less than twenty-four hours. She touched the bandage with the tips of her work-worn fingers and peered at her husband from the corner of her eye. The brim of his hat shaded his eyes but she knew them to be kind.
He glanced at her and she quickly turned her head to gaze at the countryside. It was beautiful with a mix of green grass, wildflowers and tall trees. The sky looked bigger too. “How long until we get to your place?”
“’bout two hours or so. We should be there before the sun is at its peak.”
Turning to him again, she studied his body as he drove the team down a path carved into the earth by wagon wheels and horses. He had a nice profile. His nose had a slight bump near the top, probably from a fight. His bruised eye was on the other side and she wondered how it faired. His strong jawline and dimpled chin made him endearing. She had to admit he was a fine specimen of maleness. How he ended up as her husband, she still didn’t know. It astounded her; he came to her rescue and then offered to marry her.
It wasn’t a real marriage, but she considered herself lucky she had some place to go. Shivering, she thought about John Hardy’s duplicity. He had plenty of women at his place, so why send for her? What did he expect she’d do when she found out his true profession? Men ran the world, and she'd bet anything he'd expected her to go along with him regardless of his brutishness.
This was supposed to be her one chance for a happy life. Now that chance was lost. Cinders didn’t want her. He’d simply been backed into a corner by the judge. Her mother had always chastised her for living in a dream world. Now she knew the words to be true. Reality set in the moment her parents had died.
There were no happy endings, and it didn’t help to dream of things that could never be.
“We’ll be at the house soon. We’re on my land now.” The pride in his voice was impossible to miss.
“It’s lovely. How long have you lived here?”
“All my life.”
“Did you fight in the war? I mean if you did, I wouldn’t hold being a confederate against you.”
The edges of his lips twitched. “That’s mighty kind of you, Shannon, seeing as you’re in Texas now and all.”
Her eyes widened as the realization of how inappropriate her words were sunk in. “I’m sorry. My side has been trying to kill your side and it never occurred to me until now. But truthfully so many of our men never came home and the marriage prospects dwindled.”
“I didn’t fight.”
“Why not? Do you have something wrong with you I can’t see?”
Cinders laugh started deep and low, rumbling from his chest. “Not that I know of. The Texas government requested I stay and provide meat for the cause. I accepted but as money grew tight, my profits dwindled. Eventually I had no buyers but I did have plenty of people who needed food. It hasn’t been easy but the herd has grown and I’m planning to drive my cattle north to sell this time.”
“Did you give people food?”
“I sold some in New Orleans but yes, I gave a lot away. I couldn’t stand to watch my neighbors’ families starve. I had a roof over my head and enough to feed my men.
I don’t need a lot.”
Her admiration for him grew stronger— perhaps he was one of those good doers. He helped her when he could have just walked away.
“Whoa,” Cinders yelled as he stopped the team. “This, Mrs. Cinders, is your first view of your new home.”
To her relief the house was made of wood. She’d heard about the sod houses. There was a barn and a few other buildings dotting the area. Warmth flowed through her as she took in the sight of her new home. Relief overcame her. “It’s beautiful.”
He nodded with a satisfied expression. “That’s what I always think when I get to this point on my way home.”
He picked up the reins and off they went. The house was bigger than she realized as they stopped in front of it. It was a fine log house and it looked safe and sturdy. Things were looking up.
Cinders jumped down, walked to her side and held out his hand. She grasped it and the next thing she knew she was in his strong arms. He held her for a moment staring into her eyes, and then gently put her down.
A young man walked out of the barn, whistling. He grabbed the reins and nodded to Cinders. He seemed to be bigger than Cinders with brown hair and dark brown eyes. His whistling stopped and his jaw dropped. “You finally found us some entertainment? I know I mentioned it a time or two, but I never thought you’d do it. Now we won’t have to go to town so often, we’ll have our own gal to give us relief. What’s wrong with her face? Is she hiding a wart under that bandage?”
She gasped and her hand instantly lay on her cheek.
“Tramp, this is my wife, Shannon.” His voice was slow and steady but the warning was clear.
Tramp didn’t apologize or acknowledge her. He kept his gaze on Cinders. “Sure, boss, just glad you’re back.”
“I’ll be out in a few,” Cinders said.
Tramp shrugged. “Take your time.” He then winked at her when Cinders wasn’t paying attention.
She’d have to put him on her list of lowdown snakes. The list only had John Hardy on it and now there were two names. She hoped her list didn’t grow any longer.
A Lifetime to Share Page 17
