Kayla & the Rancher

by Paige Tyler

  “But this is our wedding and I want it to be perfect. So, it’l have to take as long as it takes to bring it all together.” She had to find some way to delay the wedding, she thought, and quick! “And besides, I don’t even have a wedding dress. The one I brought with me was in the trunk that fell off the stagecoach.”

  She stepped closer to him and gently placed her hand on his arm, then

  looked up at him with pleading green eyes. Her charm may not have worked

  on him last night, but she was sure it would have its full effect this morning.

  “Cord, every since you asked me to be your wife, I’ve dreamed of our

  wedding day and about how special it would be. You may not understand

  women, but the dress is a vital part of the wedding. Isn’t there a dress shop in town?” she asked, knowing full well that there wasn’t.

  His brow furrowed. “Not real y,” he said. “There’s a general store that has some dresses, but I don’t think they’ll have what you’re looking for.”

  “But they’ll have catalogs that I can order from.” She looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Please, Cord. I want our wedding day to be

  perfect.”

  He regarded her for a moment, but she could tell that she’d gotten to him.

  “Okay,” he said, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “We’ll stop at the general store so that you can get your dress.”

  She smiled up at him. “Thank you, Cord.” Impulsively, she leaned up on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. He smelled of leather and the outdoors, and

  something else that was uniquely manly, something that made her want to

  breathe in his scent even deeper.

  Blushing, she took a step back, confused by her reaction to this man. “Let me just go freshen up.”

  The general store, it turned out, was owned by friends of Cord’s, Matthew

  Connelly and his wife, Rachel. The couple was around Cord’s age, making

  them just a few years older than Kayla.

  “When Cord told us that you were finally coming out here, I couldn’t wait to meet you, Abigail,” Rachel said to Kayla after Cord had made the

  introductions. Rachel, a petite girl with honey-blond hair and amber-colored eyes, had a warm, welcoming smile that made Kayla like her immediately.

  She’d been nervous on the ride to town because she knew that Cord would

  be introducing her to people once they got there, but she was surprised at how easy it was to be herself with Matthew and Rachel, and she smiled at the other girl. “Well, Cord made Copper Creek sound so wonderful that I couldn’t wait to get here,” she said.

  Cord put his arm around her slender waist, and Kayla felt her pulse flutter. “If only her trunk had gotten here as well,” he said with a wry smile. “It seems my bride is without a dress for the wedding, so we’re here to look at some

  catalogs.”

  Rachel laughed. “You mean that she’s here to look at some catalogs,” she

  corrected reprovingly. “You are not to see the dress before the wedding, Cord Holderness.” Reaching out, she took Kayla’s hand. “Come on,” she said,

  leading her toward the back of the store. “We can look for your dress while the men talk about whatever it is they talk about.”

  Smiling, Kayla followed the other girl to a small table in the corner. On it were several catalogs, one of them a clothing one, and Rachel picked it up as she and Kayla sat down.

  “So,” the blond-haired girl said with a smile. “What do you think of Cord now that you’ve actual y met him in person?”

  Kayla glanced at Cord. He was still standing at the counter talking to

  Matthew, and he grinned at whatever the other man had just said. “He’s

  exactly as I imagined,” she said, turning back to her new friend. “Though

  before I got here, I couldn’t help but wonder if he were really as nice as he sounded in his letters.”

  Rachel laughed. “You couldn’t ask for a nicer guy. Except Matthew, of course, but he’s already spoken for.”

  Though Kayla smiled at the other girl’s words, she couldn’t help but again feel a little guilty about misleading Cord. Why couldn’t the other girl have had something nasty to say about him, so that Kayla could feel better about what she was doing to him?

  “This catalog has some wedding dresses, but I’m afraid that they won’t be like anything you could get back in Boston,” Rachel said, handing her the book. “I can get whatever you order in about two weeks, though.”

  Two weeks would be more than enough time to get what she needed from

  Cord, she thought as she thumbed through the catalog. Though there were

  one or two pretty dresses, none of them were her style. She could make

  something much nicer, providing that Rachel could order material for her. And that way, she reasoned, she could delay the wedding however long she

  needed to.

  She was still considering whether to order a dress from the catalog or simply make her own when Cord came over. “So, have you decided on a dress yet?”

  Kayla looked up at him. His hair had fallen across his forehead and she

  longed to reach up and brush it back. Staying in Copper Creek with the

  handsome rancher for a little while longer wouldn’t be all that bad, she

  thought. “Actually, I can’t find any that I like, so I was thinking of making one myself.”

  His brow furrowed. “Making one? I thought you told me that you were terrible with a needle and thread.”

  Kayla bit her lip. How was she to know that the real Abigail couldn’t sew?

  “I...uh...well, I’ve been practicing,” she stammered. “I knew that I’d probably have to sew when I came out here. I mean, people have to know how to

  make their own clothes out here, right?”

  Cord said nothing for a moment, and then he laughed. “Sometimes,” he

  agreed. “Most of the time, though, they just buy them.”

  Kayla blushed, but Rachel spoke before she could think of a suitable retort.

  “Stop teasing her, Cord,” the other girl chided, though when she turned to Kayla, she was smiling as well. “Don’t mind him. Actually, I just got material in that I think would be perfect for a wedding dress. You might have to order a little lace to go with it, but that should get here very quickly. I’ll get the material for you.”

  Cord grinned. “Since there’s probably some kind of rule about me not seeing the material for your dress before the wedding, either, I’m going to go talk to the sheriff. I’ll be back in a little while to pick you up.”

  Kayla watched him go, her gaze following his tall frame until he’d disappeared outside. She didn’t think she’d ever met a man that captivated her the way Cord did. No wonder Abigail had jumped on his order for a mail-order bride.

  The material that Rachel brought out – white with tiny embroidered flowers of the same color - was indeed perfect for a wedding dress, and Kayla

  automatically found herself mentally designing a dress for the beautiful cloth.

  When Kayla asked the other girl if Cord had a sewing machine out at the

  ranch, Rachel shook her head.

  “But you’re welcome to come use mine,” the blond girl offered with a smile.

  “That way, Cord won’t see the dress until you want him to.”

  Kayla hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. If she declined, then Rachel would think it funny. They spent a little while talking about various things, but when the other girl had to take care of the store while her husband delivered some items to the blacksmith down the street, Kayla decided to go meet Cord at the sheriff’s.

  To get to his office, she had to pass the saloon, and as she did so, her steps slowed. She’d never been in a western saloon before, but she’d heard talk

  about what they were like. Curious to see for herself, she peered over the swinging double doors. It was d
imly lit inside, but in the afternoon sunlight coming in from outside, she could see a bar along one wall. Several men

  were seated there, which surprised Kayla a little, considering it was daytime.

  There were also a few men playing cards at one of the tables near the door.

  After watching for a moment, she recognized the game as poker. She’d

  played a few times back in New York and was actually quite good at it.

  Perhaps, it would even be a good way for her to make some money while she

  was in town, she thought. That way she wouldn’t have to steal from Cord, she reasoned.

  One of the men playing was apparently quite good, too, she noticed, watching as he swept the pile of money from the center of the table. The men with him grumbled something, but he just chuckled and pocketed his winnings before

  picking up his hat and heading for the saloon’s door.

  Kayla stepped back as the man walked out of the saloon. He was taller than she - though not as tall as Cord, she noticed - with sandy-colored hair and a matching mustache. She expected him to walk by her and down the street,

  but instead, he stopped outside the door, his dark brown eyes regarding her with interest.

  “Well, good afternoon, Ma’am,” he said, tipping his hat to her. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before, and I would have remembered seeing such

  a pretty woman like you. Which means that you must be Cord Holderness’s

  mail-order bride. From Boston, isn’t it?”

  Kayla nodded. She supposed that in a small town like Copper Creek

  everyone knew everyone else’s business. “Yes,” she said.

  The man grinned. “I’m Dalton Jeffries.”

  She thought that she recognized the name, but she couldn’t remember where

  she’d heard it. Realizing that he was probably waiting for her to introduce herself, she said, “Abigail,” she said, and then added, “Murray.”

  His grin broadened. “Pleased to make your acquaintance, then, Abigail

  Murray. A woman as beautiful as you will certainly be a welcome addition to our town.”

  She smiled and was about to answer when the sound of Cord’s voice

  interrupted her. “Abigail, what are you doing?”

  He stepped in front of her, protectively putting himself between her and the other man. She frowned. “I was just talking to this gentleman,” she told him.

  Cord’s mouth tightened as he glared at the other man. “He’s no gentleman.”

  Cord’s voice was hard, and Kayla looked at him in surprise, but before she could say anything, he continued.

  “Stay away from her, Jeffries,” he warned.

  Dalton Jeffries smirked. “Can’t a man talk to a pretty lady?”

  “Not when you’re the one doing the talking,” Cord retorted.

  The other man said nothing for a moment, and she thought that they might

  start a fight right there in the street. After a few seconds, however, Dalton Jeffries tipped his hat to Abigail. “Afternoon, Ma’am.” He gave Cord a long look before walking around them and heading in the direction of the general store.

  “I told you that I’d pick you up at the general store,” Cord said to her when Dalton Jeffries was out of earshot.

  “I was finished, so I thought I’d meet you at the sheriff’s,” she said.

  He regarded her for a moment in silence. “Dalton Jeffries is dangerous,

  Abigail. I don’t want you near him.”

  Her brow furrowed. “He seems nice enough.”

  The muscle in Cord’s jaw flexed. “Well, he’s not. The man’s a snake.” Lifting his hand, he caressed her cheek, and when he spoke again, his voice was

  soft. “I want you to promise me that you won’t go near him again, Abigail.”

  She said nothing for a moment, and then she nodded. “I promise,” she said, though she couldn’t help but wonder why Cord disliked the other man so

  much.

  As she and Cord rode back to the ranch that afternoon, Kayla’s mind kept

  wandering to the poker game she’d seen at the saloon. Though she wanted

  to go back into town the next day to play in one of those games, she thought it better to wait a few days, at least until she was more familiar with Cord’s routine so that he wouldn’t know she’d sneaked off to do it. Somehow, she

  didn’t think he’d approve of his fiancé playing poker at a saloon.

  Cord, however, spent a good portion of each the day out on the ranch. Kayla watched from her bedroom window as he saddled his horse, admiring the

  way the muscles in his arms flexed as he tightened the cinch straps. Placing his booted foot into the stirrup, Cord swung up into the saddle. Then, almost as if he could feel her eyes on him, Cord lifted his head to look up at her window. A grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, he took up the reins in one hand, and then tipped the brim of his hat with the other before riding off. Kayla felt her pulse flutter.

  Blushing, she walked across the room and out into the hallway, then stopped, her gaze going to Cord’s room. The door was open, and from where she was

  standing, she could just see the edge of the metal box beneath the bed. With Cord out on the ranch, it was the perfect opportunity to do some snooping, she thought. But then she remembered the trouble her snooping had gotten

  her into before. She could still feel the sting of the spanking Cord had given her.

  She bit her lip. Cord would be out all day, so it wasn’t likely that she’d get caught, she told herself. And if she were careful to put everything back the way she’d found it, Cord would never even know what she’d been up to.

  Making up her mind, she went into his room.

  Kneeling down beside the bed, she reached under it and grabbed the handles on either side of the box. Tightening her grip, she dragged the box out from under the bed and sat back on her heels so that she could open it. But, much to her chagrin, the lid wouldn’t budge. He’d locked it, she realized.

  Not to be deterred, she took out one of her hairpins and slipped it into the lock on top of the box. She worked it one way, and then the other, but still the lock wouldn’t budge. After several minutes, she gave up. Whatever was in the box was undoubtedly valuable, but she couldn’t get it open.

  With a sigh, she pushed the box back underneath the bed, and got to her

  feet. The poker game it would have to be, then, she decided. Though as

  much as she wanted to go to the saloon right then, she thought it better to wait for a few days, like she had decided to do.

  That afternoon, Cord asked her to go riding with him. Kayla accepted the

  invitation without hesitation. The horse Cord had picked out for her, a

  chestnut brown mare, had a sweet personality, and Kayla fell in love with her immediately. Back home, she’d ridden often, and was actually quite good at it, so when Cord started them off slowly, she was tempted to tell him that he

  didn’t need to hold back for her, but since she didn’t know what Abigail had told him about her riding experience, she didn’t. She’d already slipped up once, and had promised herself that she would be more careful.

  But atop her horse, and amid such beautiful landscape – not to mention

  beside such a handsome man - Kayla soon forgot all about Abigail, and

  simply enjoyed herself. So much so that when they got back to the barn,

  Kayla asked Cord if he would take her riding again. He agreed without

  hesitation, obviously pleased that she had had so much fun.

  Over the next few days, when she wasn’t out riding with Cord, she was

  working on her designs. Though she hadn’t intended to, she somehow found

  herself working up a design for a wedding dress. Not that that meant

  anything. A good designer needed a variety of dresses in her line, she told herself, and that included a wedding dress. Besides, she had to have some
/>   excuse to go into town.

  “Rachel offered to let me use her sewing machine for my dress, so I was

  thinking of going into town tomorrow,” she told him as they had dinner one evening. “I was also going to make some curtains for the windows, if that’s okay with you.”

  He seemed mildly surprised at the mention of the curtains, but only smiled.

  “Whatever you’d like to do is fine. It’s your home now, too, Abigail.”

  His words, spoken so softly, made her warm all over, and she looked away.

  “I’ll have one of the hands take you into town,” he said.

  She shook her head quickly. “That’s not necessary,” she told him. “If you’ll just have one of them get the cart ready for me, I can go myself.”

  He seemed to be considering that for a moment, and then he shook his head.

  “I’d feel better if one of the men went with you.”

  “Cord, it’s silly for me to tie up one of the men for the whole day while I go shopping. Nor do I want to have to wait for someone to take me into town all the time,” she said, making sure to keep her voice even so that she wouldn’t sound quarrelsome. She gave him one of her sweetest smiles. “I’ll be fine, really.”