by Ana Leigh
Garth slipped an arm around the petite blond woman with bright blue eyes beside him. “And this is my wife, Rory.”
Rory Fraser hugged her warmly. “It’s so wonderful to meet you, Jenny. You’re as beautiful as Rico described you in his wire to the family.”
If anyone was beautiful, it was the collection of women whose introductions followed. There wasn’t a single thorn among the roses.
The easiest one to remember was Lissy Berg, the Fraser sister. She was the only woman with the Frasers’ dark hair, and brown eyes. Cassie Fraser also had dark hair, but blue eyes. In addition to Rory Fraser, there were two more blond women: green-eyed Becky, and Caroline with deep blue eyes.
There was no possible way to identify the Fraser men. All were tall, dark, and incredibly handsome. The only distinguishing feature among any of them was Rico’s olive coloring.
Determined to make an impression, Jenny quickly composed a light verse in her head to help her remember the women.
Rory has eyes of bright blue,
While Becky’s eyes are green.
Caroline’s eyes are deep blue,
And their hair a golden sheen.
Now Cassie’s eyes are blue, too,
And Lissy’s are Fraser brown.
But these two lovely ladies
Have a dark-haired crown.
Andrea and Don soon joined them, along with Frank and Maude, which necessitated another round of introductions. Fortunately, the men always introduced themselves with a handshake, and Jenny’s little verse enabled her to quickly introduce each of the Fraser women.
With all the introductions completed, they said good-bye to Andrea and Don, and all piled into wagons and carriages and headed for the Double B.
Upon arriving at the ranch, the first thing settled was the sleeping arrangements. Because of their infant, Garth and Rory had one of the bedrooms, and Jed won the card cut for the other one. The men made quick work of moving in cots for their other children, including a cradle.
The other families quickly settled into the bunkhouse, and less than an hour later, all of the children six and under were put down for naps. As Jenny talked to the other five children, she again made up a rhyme to identify them.
Lissy and Steve can be thankful to Heaven
For nine-year-old Ted, eight-year-old Sarah,
and Rachel who’s seven.
Now Colt and Cassie have three children ’tis said.
This handsome lad is their seven-year-old Jeb.
And though Clay and Becky have four others to date,
This one I’ve just met is their eight-year-old Jake.
Jenny was quite pleased with herself. She had already succeeded in identifying not only all his cousins, but also all of the women and seven of the eighteen children, along with their ages and who their parents were. And she was having fun doing it.
Seventeen down and eleven to go. You’re doing great!
Frank took the men on a small tour of the Double B, and the six women relaxed in Jenny’s garden with glasses of cool lemonade. As they chatted and laughed among themselves, Jenny decided that Rico was right; the Frasers were fun to be around. It would be difficult to dislike any of them, and they all made her feel that she was one of them, too.
Recalling Rico’s reference to meeting his cousins on the menacing Mountain of the Devil, Jenny persuaded Rory to describe the meeting in detail.
She couldn’t have hoped for a better storyteller. Her eyes glowing with excitement, the vivacious blonde described their dangerous adventure and how close she and Garth had come to dying were it not for Rico’s intervention.
“Rico told me that Clay and Colt saved your lives,” Jenny said.
“Oh, they were very involved, too. But that’s just like Rico, never taking credit for anything he does. Garth was down to his last bullet when Rico, Clay, and Colt rescued us.”
“You met my Aunt Andrea at the station,” Jenny said. “Rico saved her life and mine when we were kidnapped by Ben Slatter and his gang a few days ago.”
“Ben Slatter! Rico’s been trailing him for three years.”
Jenny nodded. “I know.”
“That evil man always made me feel as if I needed a bath,” Caroline said.
“You knew Slatter?” Jenny asked.
“Yes. He was once our neighbor, and asked me to marry him after his wife died. He wasn’t a wanted man at that time, but he was always a rough drunkard. Did Rico tell you Slatter and his gang tried to hang him? They beat him up so badly, he almost died.”
“And when our husbands heard about it, they showed up and trashed the whole gang,” Cassie added.
Rory looked sad. “I’ve always wondered if that gang raped and killed Aunt Elena out of revenge. But the mission and the town of Napa aren’t anywhere near each other, so the men always thought it was an unfortunate coincidence.”
There was so much more Jenny wanted to learn about Rico. “Did any of you know Rico’s mother?” she asked.
Rory nodded and extended her left hand, adorned with a narrow gold band on the third finger. “This was her wedding ring. Rico’s father, Henry Fraser, made it himself. She gave it to Garth for our wedding, and we were married at the mission by Father Chavez, Rico’s uncle. I even wore her wedding gown. Aunt Elena was a gentle, compassionate woman with a heart as big as the son she raised.” Tears rose to Rory’s eyes. “When I think of what those vicious murderers did to her, it’s no wonder Rico vowed to avenge her death.”
Lissy slipped an arm around Rory’s shoulders. “At least Rico had his revenge, honey.”
Jenny’s heart seemed to wedge in her throat. “I’m afraid we don’t know for certain if he’s dead.”
All five of the women looked at her with shock. Becky was the first to speak. “You said Rico rescued you, so we assumed he killed Slatter.”
“He did get two bullets into him, but Slatter escaped. Rico was unable to pursue him because Don Masters had been shot and Andrea had hurt her ankle seriously. So Rico had no choice but to get us back to the fort.”
“So Slatter could still be around,” Cassie said.
“There’s been no sign of him since then, and no sightings other than a drunk who claimed he saw Slatter asleep under a tree.”
Confused, Caroline spoke up. “But I heard Rico tell Jed that his search has ended.”
“He gave up the search for my sake,” Jenny confessed.
Rory lifted her head and smiled. “Rico must love you very much, Jenny,” she said kindly. “And speaking for myself, thank you for bringing him back to us. None of us felt comfortable, knowing he was alone and pursuing that dangerous gang.”
“We all feel the same, Jenny,” Caroline said. “If it were one of our husbands, it would be unbearable. I’ll never forget what Rico looked like after those animals got through with him.”
“Well, I think we all should be grateful,” Cassie added. “We not only have a wedding to celebrate, we’ll have all our family together again. And speaking of family, when’s your baby due?”
Jenny blushed. “So Rico told you.”
“Honey, he didn’t have to. That glow you have is from more than being a new bride,” Becky said. “Believe me, we’re all well acquainted with that glow. It shines over Fraser Keep like the sun.”
“I’ll say,” Lissy spoke up. “Welcome to the family, darlin’.”
They clinked their lemonade glasses together.
“The family,” they toasted.
“God bless us,” Becky declared. “Now, no more Slatter talk. I want to see some smiles and hear some laughter or I’m going to start kicking some butts around here.”
They all laughed and Cassie slipped an arm around Jenny’s shoulder. “And honey, don’t think she wouldn’t.”
27
The rest of the day passed swiftly, and before Jenny realized it, dusk had set in. The men built a fire and put a half dozen chickens on a spit. Jenny elected to roast potatoes—which had become her specialty—and the res
t of the women cut up vegetables from the garden for a salad.
Andrea, Don, and Maude arrived with several large cakes, two apple pies, wine, and a keg of beer.
Over the course of the evening, Jenny memorized the names of six more children before they were put to bed. Her biggest surprise of the day was how much her father appeared to be enjoying himself, especially considering his outburst when he learned she was getting married. Apparently Maude had had a few additional words with him when they were alone.
She could tell he liked the Fraser men, even tolerated their children. And the women kept flattering him, which fed his ego. She watched with amusement as he now played ring-around-the-rosy with the children.
A sudden outburst of laughter came from Rico, who was at the fire with the other men. She smiled tenderly. She had never noticed before how easily laughter came to him. It was an infectious, warm sound and the laughter always carried to his eyes.
Glancing around at the people nearby, talking, laughing, and relaxing, Jenny realized what a contented day this had been.
Andrea, Don, and Maude were preparing to leave, so Jenny went over to their carriage to say good night.
Andrea hugged and kissed her. “Well, tomorrow is the big day.”
“I’m so happy, Aunt Andrea. Tell me this isn’t a dream I’ll soon wake from.”
“It does seem dreamlike,” Andrea said. “Both of us finding love after all these years.”
Jenny nodded. “It’s strange, how so much happiness could come from such violence. Aunt Andrea, with both of us leaving him, do you think Father will get along?”
“I think he’ll do just fine, honey.”
“I’ll see to that, Jenny,” Maude said as she and Jenny shared a hug and kiss. “And we’ll expect to see all of you at Boots and Saddles at nine o’clock.”
“Come on, ladies, let’s get going. We’ve got a long ride ahead of us,” Don said.
Amid a barrage of waves and shouts of good-bye, the carriage moved away.
“I think I’ll turn in,” Rory said. “This has been a long day.”
Cassie joined her. “I will, too. Those men can sit up and talk all night if they want to.”
It wasn’t much longer before Becky, Caroline, and Lissy did the same.
Jenny saw no reason to remain, either. Tomorrow was her wedding day, and the day after that they would be leaving for Virginia. She should take this opportunity to sleep while she had the chance.
Jenny awoke the following morning to what sounded like children’s laughter. For several seconds she lay lazily trying to identify the sound. When she realized it was childish laughter, she bolted out of bed just as the clock in the hallway chimed seven. Good Lord! This was her wedding day, and they were expected in town in two hours! And the ride alone would take almost one hour.
Where was Rico?
She glanced back at the bed and saw he had not spent the night there. She went to the window, and saw that the men had begun harnessing up wagons and carriages.
Jenny hurriedly put on her robe, then grabbed fresh underclothes from a drawer. When she opened the door to rush to the bathroom, she nearly fell over the little girl sitting on the floor playing with a doll.
“I’m so sorry, Emily,” she said apologetically to the four-year-old. “Did I hurt you, honey?”
“Mommy,” the child shouted, and ran off crying in search of her mother.
Jenny dashed into the bathroom and locked the door, only to discover there was no hot water. Since there wasn’t time to wait for the water to heat, she settled for a quick sponge bath.
By the time she returned to her room, there was still no sign of Rico. Had he already dressed for the wedding?
She had just finished putting on her gown when there was a tap on the door. She opened it to the smiling faces of Becky and Cassie, who entered with cheery good mornings.
“Good morning. Why didn’t anyone wake me?”
“Your future husband insisted no one disturb you,” Cassie said.
“And he’s probably right,” Becky added. “I doubt you’ll get too much sleep for a while.”
“Do either of you know where Rico is? Did he get any sleep last night?”
Becky shook her head. “I doubt it. Those men stayed up all night at the fire. I did see Rico in the barn shoeing his horse.”
“Shoeing his horse! He should be dressing for the wedding.” Jenny began to brush nervously at her hair. She needed Andrea at a time like this.
“You look like you could use a hand, Jenny,” Cassie said. “Let me help. I’m pretty good with hair arrangements.”
Relieved, she gave Cassie the brush.
While Cassie pulled Jenny’s hair off her cheeks and swept it up into a bun, Becky went outside and came back with several tiny blue and yellow flowers and strung them on a yellow ribbon. Cassie wove the ribbon around the bun and stepped back to admire the effect. “You look beautiful, honey.”
Jenny and her handmaidens had just finished when Rico shouted up from below. “You all about ready up there?”
Becky leaned out the window. “I should ask you the same question, Rico Fraser.”
“We’re all set to go down here. I showered and dressed in the barn. So hurry up, we don’t want to miss the wedding.”
Joining Becky at the window, Cassie shouted back, “Very funny, Rico. We’ve been ready for hours, waiting for you. So start whistling ‘Here Comes the Bride.’”
Maude Evans had risen at dawn to supervise the preparation of Boots and Saddles for the wedding. It was more than just the day of Jenny’s wedding. She had always suspected that if his daughter and sister ever moved on with their own lives, Frank would turn to her. She had been right.
Despite knowing the man for thirty years, she had never expected the proposition he’d suggested last night and the steps he had already put in motion. If she agreed to his idea, it would change her life. And she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to change it, no matter how much she loved that stubborn man. It was a tough decision to make, now that he’d put his cards on the table.
Oh, well, she had time to consider it. Right now she had this wedding to get through. As she added the final flower to the three-tiered wedding cake, Maude couldn’t help smiling. Jenny and Rico getting married. If ever there was a match made in Heaven, it was those two. She had figured the same about Andrea and Don Masters, too.
She stepped back to assess the result. “You know, Bess, I think I missed my true calling in life.”
“You mean you should have opened a pastry store?” asked the older woman, who had been Maude’s kitchen assistant for the past twenty years.
“Yes. This cake is beautiful, if I do say so myself.”
Maude left the kitchen to see how Bess’s husband Ollie was doing in the other room. The bar was now lined with dishes for the wedding buffet following the ceremony. Checkered tablecloths covered all the tables, and colorful balloons were strung from the rafters and chandeliers, backs of chairs, or wherever Ollie had found a spot to tie one to.
Maude put her hands on her hips and shook her head. With her usual pragmatic approach to life, she said, “Maudie, there’s just no making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. A saloon’s still a saloon.”
But even though no orchestra accompanied the entrance of the bride and groom, no music could ever have been sweeter than the song in their hearts. And after the families filed in and took seats at the tables, the grandest ballroom in the finest hotel could not have been filled with more love. There was hardly a dry eye in the room among those assembled to witness the wedding of Enrico Joseph Fraser and Jennifer Elizabeth Burke when Pastor Kirkland opened his Bible and began,
“Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today…”
Jenny remembered only brief images of the ceremony: Rico standing tall beside her, the resonance of Pastor Kirkland’s voice, a child’s sudden laugh.
She must have responded to everything correctly, for suddenly, when asked for the ring, Rico slipp
ed a gold chain around her neck. A tiny gold cross dangled from its narrow links.
Emotion swelled in her heart, as she recalled seeing the chain in his saddlebags, and realized it held great significance to him.
Once they had sworn their vows, and shared their first kiss as husband and wife, Rico gazed at his wife. She may not have been dressed in a fancy gown with a lacy veil, but no bride could be lovelier than his beloved Princess in the yellow gown she’d worn the first time he saw her—and fell in love with her.
And as Jenny looked up into the face of her husband for the first time, she thought that no groom could ever be more handsome or more heroic.
He was her hero, hers alone. His weapons were not the Colt on his hip or the thundering steed he rode, but rather a lopsided grin, the warmth of his chuckle, and the tenderness of his touch.
Her beloved.
Holding hands, the newlyweds turned to greet their well-wishers.
Later, Jenny had to admit to herself that she didn’t feel any differently than she had before the ceremony. For no matter what she had once naively thought, or denied to the contrary, she had pledged herself to Rico Fraser from the first time he’d made love to her. No official wedding ceremony could ever make that love any more binding.
She was a Fraser now—a member of this throng who hugged and kissed her as she passed among them, accepting their wishes and love for a happy future. And the child she carried would be born a Fraser, the name she had come to love and respect.