The Cowboy Takes A Bride

by Jillian Hart

  "I'm good for now, sweet daughter of mine, and I don't even need to borrow money. Can you imagine?" His eyes twinkled, happy with himself. "I'm finally doing good. Now, is there anything I can get you girls? Are you stopping by the claim one night soon, sweetie?"

  "Maybe tonight." She followed his gaze to Mindy, who was treading their way with her arms full of wrapped meat products, looking pleased as punch that she'd found exactly what she wanted.

  "You be sure and do what you need to. Let me know if you want help."

  "Don't worry, I'll do fine, Pa." Jada took the packages from her sister and stacked them into her basket. "You'll have to come over for supper, maybe tonight?"

  "Yeah, Pa, come over." Mindy's gaze sparkled up at their father. "It will be fun."

  "I may have a game or two going on, I'll have to check with my buddies first, but I sure do appreciate you girls." That was Pa, backing away from closeness every single time.

  She was used to it, so she gave a mild shrug. "Come if you can, we always have extra."

  "I'll keep that in mind, pretty girls of mine." Pa winked and wandered off to pay for his purchases. It was an ache to watch him go, but she'd long ago learned to accept what her father was and all that he could never be again.

  "Some things never change." Mindy gave an "oh well" gesture, hands out, shoulders up, a soft acceptance. "Why don't we go check out the candy barrel again? I want more cinnamon candies."

  "Sounds good to me." Jada sighed, letting that old ache of what-could-have-been slide away. What mattered wasn't the past, but what was happening now. She bumped Mindy's shoulder with her own. "You get anything you want. We'll surprise Stella with her favorites. You know how she loves butterscotch."

  "Sounds like a good idea to me." Mindy wrapped her arms around herself and gave a little smile. It was easy to see the longing in her eyes when she turned away from watching Pa leave them. It was not for the past or repairing their relationship with their father, something that would always be short of ideal, but in the end, life was like that. There were two couples, newly married in this town, at the counter, one who knew Pa and stood there chatting with him, next to his wife.

  Oh, the ache for a love like that. Jada understood how her littlest sister felt, longing for what she did not have and did not know how to get for herself. I don't know if I can dare let myself hope either, she thought, one hand landing on the locket tucked at her collar, a gift with hope at the time, but still, so much could go wrong. Such a perilous thing romance, and it had failed her before.

  Best not to count on something until it is real, she thought, and held out the basket as Mindy reached for the candy scoop hanging on the wall behind the barrels of fragrant wrapped hard candies. At least something in their lives was guaranteed to be sweet.

  * * *

  Evening came with its own brand of sugariness, Jada thought as she popped a cinnamon hard candy into her mouth from the several cut glass bowls full on the counter near the table in their dining nook in the rooms above the shop. Lamplight glowed, the fire in the stove popped and snapped, giving the crisp night a cozy feel.

  "Are you off to parts unknown tonight?" Stella's question drew Jada's attention. Her sister sat on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, knitting away. "I feel as if I should join you. Make myself useful."

  "You really should!" Jada teased, propping one shoulder against the archway but hesitating to keep from stepping into the parlor and joining her sisters in the toasty warmth and comfort they were enjoying. Bellies full, baked beans, roasted chicken and green beans consumed happily, now they had tea sweetened with plenty of sugar and yarn to keep them company. Oh, how she longed to do the same and curl up with the rest of her book or her current crochet project. But duty called.

  She winked at her sister. "You are never very useful enough, Stella. I'm not sure we can afford to keep you."

  "What?" Stella teased back with a wink. "You'd really get rid of me?"

  "It's tempting enough already, even before you did all that baking today," Mindy winked. "So, maybe we'll just keep you around after all."

  "Whew, that's a relief. Whatever would I do without you two?"

  "You?" Jada reached for her coat. "I would be lost without the two of you, no fooling."

  "You're trying to distract us with all that mushy stuff, aren't you, Jada?" Stella's observation left no laughter in the room as Mindy looked up from her cup of tea. "Do you need one of us to go with you?"

  "Yeah," Mindy chimed in with concern. "It's dark out there and cold. Do you want company on your walk?"

  "I'm perfectly fine, and glad to be back at doing a good night's work." She grabbed a pair of men's boots and poked her stocking feet into each one. She knelt down to secure the laces. "Let's hope the snow has melted enough and the creek bank isn't too muddy to work. Miss Pratt needs rent money and I'd better start at getting it now."

  "We're just lucky you have gold panning expertise." Mindy rolled her eyes. "I'm not too bad."

  "Hey, I'm pretty good at it, too," Stella chimed in, a look of thankfulness and caring lighting her gentle eyes. "Are you sure you don't want company?"

  "No, you two stay and hold down the fort, here, where it's nice and warm. You know me. I'm just glad to have gainful work to do after not having a job for so long. It's my turn to make up to you two for supporting me. So, you two have a nice relaxing evening." She grabbed her woolen muffler, the charcoal gray one, and wrapped it around her neck thoughtfully.

  What would Frisco think if he could see her now? It would be a hard moment, she figured, and her heart gave a hard pang. With any luck, no one else would know what she really did for a gainful living. And that's the way she would keep it. "I won't be too late, but don't wait up for me like you did last time."

  "And every single time before that," Stella reminded her. She set down her tea and pushed to her feet. "Mindy, don't you move. I'll see her to the door."

  "Not necessary, awesome sister of mine. Both of you are beloved, you know." With her heart on her sleeve, Jada buttoned up, snatched her cloth satchel and slipped the folded wool scarf into the outside pocket. "You sit back down, I'm able to close the door by myself, you know."

  "I know, I just don't want you to leave us, even for a little while."

  Oh, how she loved her sisters. With her heart full, Jada turned the knob, stepped out into the kiss of the cold hallway, shivered and gave the door a pull. The warmth and light inside disappeared as the door shut tight with a final click. Left in the dark, Jada headed down the stairs knowing the way by heart, and let herself out the back kitchen door.

  Light from the home across the alley above the shop where Bernard Stroud lived spilled warm liquid golden light into the dark depths of the familiar alley, giving her just enough to see by as she ambled toward the intersection of Third Street and Royal.

  Her steps were muted by the soft soles of her man's boots and the usual rustle of her petticoats and skirts were missing, replaced by the rasp of her denim trousers lightly rubbing together when she stepped, unused to such clothing. But in the end, it was the best disguise and kind of fun to fool everyone. The only thing lacking was a gun at her hip.

  She'd never learned to use one, so she thought it was folly to attempt to appear to have any competence with a weapon now, even if the appearance of wearing it might keep her from being picked on by ruffians haunting the streets during the peak saloon, gaming and gambling hours.

  So, she stayed on guard. A few random gunshots rang out, echoing with a deafening boom, not far away at the next intersection and everyone knew that Second Street was full of wild night life activity, so she deftly avoided it, sticking to the shadows along the boardwalk and, as the moon peered out from between a thick bank of clouds, she became more visible, more like a wraith in the night, easier to see as she crossed the next intersection and caught a glimpse of clapboarded houses across the street and a familiar horse and buggy tied to one front gait post. Her heart stopped.

  Frisco. H
is horse glanced up from staring at the lamplit window to give her a friendly nicker. His hello rumbled warmly on the knife-sharp wind. She shivered, cold to the skin, she hopped over a small puddle from the rain earlier, careful not to get any wet on the hem of her trousers. They were pretty comfortable, considering. She hiked the hat on her head a little higher, so she had a better view beneath the man's wide brim as she sauntered closer.

  It must be his parent's house, she figured, unable to draw her gaze away from the wide, curtained windows. There was a cozy air about the place, as if true love lived there. Somehow, she liked the idea of that, that people could be happy together through their entire lives.

  She turned left, when most folks would have turned right, giving the curious, amiable horse a little finger-wave on her way by, determined to travel unnoticed by Frisco's family's home on her way to the creek bank up ahead a ways. The door whooshed open before she could fully zip by. A little boy leaped out onto the porch and stopped to stare at her, holding a wooden baseball bat in one hand and a baseball glove in the other.

  "Outside with you, right this minute!" a woman's amused but firm, parental voice rang out, traveling on the chilly breeze. "Are you deaf? You boys know better than to play baseball in this house! You cool your heels outside, and if you freeze into icicles, at least the good china will be safe from you."

  "Sorry, Grandmama." Austin tumbled out the door too. "We forgot."

  "We really did, honest and true." Aiden shivered. "Don't we even get a coat?"

  "You should have thought of that before you swung that bat in my house or threw that ball." A pair of coats came flying through the doorway, while someone laughed full of amusement. "You can come back in tomorrow, when you decide not to play ball in my house."

  "It wasn't really a decision, Grandpop." Aiden yanked off his glove to put one hand into his jacket sleeve.

  Austin did the same. "Yeah, Grandpop, it just kinda happened. Hey, I know you! It's Jada!"

  "Hi, Jada." Aiden's grin widened. "What are you doing wearing those things? You look like a short man."

  "That's the idea," she called out, wishing her feet had carried her forward so she could have slipped away unnoticed by the man now lumbering to a stop in the doorway. Self-conscious, she realized she wasn't looking her feminine best, not in men's clothes. She blushed, not prepared for him to see her like this.

  If she ever had a chance with him, this would end it. A complete and total loss of interest in her, yep, that was to come in the next few seconds. Her heart broke. She looked up, wincing as her gaze caught his. Her palms went damp against the wool of her knit gloves. Her feet had trouble moving her another inch forward. She stood, paralyzed, unable to move as he ambled closer.

  "So, it is you." Frisco tossed her a wide, full-dimpled smile and made her stomach tumble and flip.

  Just act like you aren't affected, Jada, like he is no big deal. When he completely and totally was. She gave him her best curtsey and hoped he wouldn't notice how nervous she was in the dark. "I see your boys are up to trouble again. Baseball in the house with fine china sounds like a dangerous activity. I fear for the dishes."

  "As do we all. Now boys, go put your baseball things in the buggy and let me talk with Jada without you hanging on our every word. And no pushing, no shoving, no hitting each other with the bats. Or the ball."

  She chuckled, unprepared for his good-humored manner that went along with those funny instructions. His boys took off, resisting shoving one another, but they did manage to get a few shoulder bumps in.

  "Sorry about that," he said warmly. "There's no excuse for the two of them."

  "Yes, I can see that," she quipped back, unable to stop smiling and feeling self-conscious about it. Could he tell how she felt about him? Did it show how much she liked him? She stared hard at the toes of her boots. "Your sons are awfully cute."

  "Shh, don't say that too loud. Don't let them know that, or they'll be impossible to deal with. They're too much fun in my life as it is." Frisco crooked an eyebrow, looking happy and relaxed with his tousled hair tumbling over his forehead. A day's growth shadowed his iron jaw. "What are you doing walking alone in the dark? Aren't you supposed to be wearing a dress?"

  "I hoped that you wouldn't notice that." Time to make an exit, she thought, before he formed an even worse opinion of her. Careful not to meet his gaze, she kept walking. "Have a good night, Frisco."

  "Where do you think you're going, sweet lady?" Frisco fell into stride alongside her. His body heat somehow charged the air between them.

  She shivered, too hot all at once and shivering in the cold. She gasped for a bite of air, aware of him in a fundamentally physical and yet an emotionally touching way. When she glanced up into his kind eyes, the impact startled her. It felt as if their souls touched.

  Speechless, she staggered to a stop while her heart missed three beats. His hand caught her elbow, his fingers wrapped around her coat sleeve and felt comforting and commanding at the same time. Attraction for him jolted through her with the force of a lightning bolt.

  Just pretend that didn't happen, she told herself. Staying in denial seemed like the safest idea.

  "Wait," he said, his voice butter-rum rich, as he turned her toward his horse and buggy. "I can't let you can't go just yet."

  "You can't?" She looked a little panicked. "Why not? I've got somewhere to be."

  "Too bad, because I can't let you go unescorted in the dark. Somebody has to take care of you." He cleared his throat, having a hard time saying what he really meant. Perhaps something had happened to the oxygen in the air, or maybe he was nervous. That was the truth, and worse than nervous. "Up you go, into the front seat. Boys, are you comfortable back there?"

  "Yep!" they chorused together, buttoned up their coats and, juggling their bats, glove and ball, looked like they were ready to fall out onto the ground. "Sit up, sit still, Aiden don't bean Austin in the head with your bat."

  "But he hit me with his glove!"

  "I call a truce right now, sit up, quiet down and no more trouble out of the two of you." He winked, earned their solemn nods of promise, who knew if they would be able to keep them, but at least they were going to give it a real try. Then he turned his attention back to the woman scooting over enough on the front seat to give him room beside her.

  Oh, he wanted that spot beside her with all his might. Maybe even with all his heart. What he had to do was to be wise enough not to hand that over no matter what. That was his problem last time with his wife. A lesson he would never soon forget. Determined to push it down, he swallowed hard, squared his shoulders and reached to tug loose the light knot holding the horse to the gate post.

  His chest gave a hard cinch of emotion seeing beautiful Jada sitting in the same buggy with his sons. He dropped the tether line onto the floor at his feet, settling on the seat next to her as a hot, pleasant tug kicked in his groin and looked up just in time to see the errant baseball streak through the air in Jada's direction.

  Before he could reach up to grab it, her slender hand snapped up and snatched the ball right out of mid air, saving the day, or it would have bonked on the dashboard and ricocheted off into the night.

  "Impressed," he told her.

  "Wow!" Aiden breathed with admiration as he took the ball she handed over to him. "Thanks!"

  "Where'd you learn to catch like that?" Austin wanted to know, wide-eyed.

  "My sisters and I used to secretly play baseball in our backyard back home in Indiana. Then we came out here to look after our pa, and we have no place to play here, not anywhere. Now, my secret is out."

  "Can you pitch, too?" Aiden asked, leaning back into his seat, impressed. "Sometimes we need someone to throw the ball. Austin ain't very good at it."

  "I'm not. I'd rather beat it with a bat."

  "You boys must have friends to play a game with," she said sweetly, softly, as gentle as lamplight on a cold winter's night, so welcome. So right.

  "We have our cousins and two frie
nds," Aiden spoke up while Austin nodded in agreement. They sat as identical as two peas in a pod, dressed the same, expressions the same, as adorable as could be. She owed these kids a lot. Without their pony incident, the shop would still be struggling to make ends meet. Now, they had noterietay. "You must have fun playing baseball all together."

  "Yeah, but it's not big enough for a team," Aiden sighed. "We wish more kids would move to town."

  "Maybe that will happen," she said. "You never know."

  "That's what Pa says," Austin sighed heavily. So did Aiden.

  Jada caught Frisco watching her, and she blushed. He had a very hard-to-read look on his face. Did he not approve of her talking about sports with his sons? Or did he just think she was strange, knowing how to play baseball? Not many grown women could say they were both a good pitcher and a good batter.

  Then again, with the smile that hooked up the corner of his mouth, she tried to pretend that she didn't shiver when Frisco leaned in a little closer to grin more widely at her. She had to wonder if he didn't approve of her after all, even if she was wearing trousers.

  16

  "Why are you slowing down the horses?" Jada asked, a little panicked. Her heart tapped off rhythm for a few beats when she saw the creek bank and the path through the grass.

  "Because I've heard rumors where your father's gold claim is." Frisco eased back on the reins until his beautiful gelding came to a halt at the side of the road, in the shadows where a few scrubby pines were lit by a small bit of moonlight showing through a thin patch in the rain clouds. "You weren't going to his tent, were you?"

  "I try not to," she assured him, her pulse thudding through her like a brass drum beating, making every part of her throb. Every part! She blushed so hard her face felt on fire. How grateful she was for the deep, inky darkness of night that would hide it from him.

  He would never know how his manliness affected her. Or how everything normal faded away, leaving him at the center. The soft banter from the boys in the back seat silenced, the tap and music of the rain faded right along with the inky expanse of black night shadows, and to her it seemed a faint beam of moonlight cutting through the thin place in the rain clouds found him, burnishing him with a soft faint platinum glow that set her heart afire.