Cowboy’s Demands
Brides of Juniper Junction, Book Five
Celeste Jones
Copyright © 2021 Cowboy’s Demands by Celeste Jones
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed without prior written permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Published in the United States of America
Editing by Helen Shade
Cover by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Contents
About this book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Other books in the Brides of Juniper Junction series
About Celeste Jones
About this book
When a mischievous-maker meets a firm handed deputy sheriff...things got HOT in the old west.
Despite her diminutive name, there's nothing small about Minnie. From her big warm smile to her wide-eyed wonder, she's got a heart as enormous as the Wyoming sky.
And the man who has the largest place in her heart is Deputy Sheriff Roy Gantry.
When Roy heads to Juniper Junction to start his new job, he figures a short time as a deputy in the small town and then he'll be on to bigger and better things.
But, once he meets Minnie, he realizes that the biggest and best thing for him is the former maid who creates more messes than he ever thought possible.
Just when they settle into their new married life in Juniper Junction, troubles from the past come to town. Will this unlikely love match survive?
Chapter 1
Minnie
“Now here’s a basket that’s sure to please,” Pastor Ellis called out to everyone gathered on blankets and makeshift picnic tables on the church lawn. It was a beautiful afternoon in Juniper Junction with the sun shining and a light breeze in the air and everyone was in a festive mood and I wished I felt as happy and relaxed as they did.
He lifted the lid and made an impressive act of inhaling the aroma of whatever was inside. “Mmm. I’m going to guess fried chicken and if my nose is correct, and we all know it usually is in these instances, some cherry pie.”
The folks around me all laughed at the pastor’s antics and a few applauded his theatrics. I just chewed my bottom lip and tried to feel like I fit in.
This was my first time attending a box social and it had to be one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my entire nineteen years. And considering that I’d only recently boarded a train headed west with nothing but the clothes on my back and a bracelet to barter for a ticket, that was saying something.
I was sitting with Miss Elizabeth...um, I mean, Lizzie Foreman. In St. Louis, I’d been her maid. In Juniper Junction, I was her friend. I liked things in Juniper Junction much better, though it was still strange to call her Lizzie and the first time I visited her house and she poured me a cup of tea—well, I nearly fell off my chair. I’d spent my entire life, nearly for as long as I could remember, waiting on others, particularly her. I’d never been invited to sit with her and have a cup of tea, let alone have her pour it for me and serve me a plate of cookies.
But, with time, I’d gotten used to it, even enjoyed it.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered to me, “I’m sure Roy will be here soon and make a bid on your lunch.”
That was the nerve-wracking part of this whole thing. It was supposed to be a fun social event to raise money for the church’s fund for widows and orphans. But for me, it felt like a nightmare which only got worse as I watched more and more of the baskets being auctioned off. They’d been prepared by the single young ladies in town and the single gentlemen bid on them and not only got the contents of the box or basket, but the company of the girl who prepared it.
It seemed simple enough except that no one was supposed to know whose basket was whose.
Pastor Ellis dropped the gavel on the basket he’d been sniffing. A pretty redhead smiled broadly and walked to the front of the gathering to be claimed by a cowboy from Windy River Ranch. They both looked happy and also relieved that apparently the cowboy had figured out which lunch he ought to buy. The smiling couple took off for a far corner of the church lawn.
I envied them.
And so my mind swirled with two disastrous thoughts. What if no one bid on my basket at all? Or worse, what if Roy didn’t bid on it?
Roy was Roy Gantry. Juniper Junction’s Deputy Sheriff and the man who made my heart go pitter pat.
Everyone in town thought we were sweethearts. I did too. But if Roy didn’t buy my basket, I’d be humiliated.
I glanced around the crowd again, trying not to look too obvious. I noticed a man waving at me and turned his way with a smile only to realize it was Lloyd Carter. He’d been rather attentive to me of late, despite my efforts to discourage him.
But it was hard, with Roy being gone so much. I never expected a deputy sheriff in a small town like Juniper Junction to be so busy, but it turned out that the wide open spaces of the west were an ideal hiding place for criminals who had worn out their welcomes in the east and Roy, along with Sheriff Cal Watson, were determined to ferret them out and keep our town safe.
That, along with the usual problems with bar fights, property disputes and the occasional stolen horse or steer, took up much more time than I’d expected.
Even though I worked at Mrs. Campbell’s boarding house as the hired girl and Roy was one of the boarders, sometimes days would go by without us crossing paths.
Was it selfish for me to want him to stop chasing criminals, just for an afternoon, so we could spend it together?
I know I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone which basket was mine, but I’d decorated it with Juniper Jewels as a hint that only Roy would understand.
If he ever showed up.
* * *
Roy
“One of you is lying,” Sheriff Cal Watson said, looking from Mrs. Lewis to Mr. Hutchins and then back to Mrs. Lewis.
I’d been working for Cal for a few months now, and every day I learned something new. He had an uncanny ability to evaluate a situation, especially the people involved, and then work out a solution. He’d been the Sheriff of Juniper Junction for a few years now and was well-known to the folks. Maybe even more important than that, he knew them.
We’d gotten a message about a squabble happening between neighbors and when Cal heard who was involved he’d given me a glance and said, “Well, this will be interesting.”
We’d ridden out to Mrs. Lewis’s place where we were greeted with the sight of Mrs. Lewis gripping the left ear of an especially large pig while her neighbor, Mr. Hutchin
s, gripped the right.
“I’m telling you,” Mr. Hutchins said with a scowl directed at Mrs. Lewis, “this is my pig. His name’s Lenny and I’ve had him for two years now. Just getting ready to butcher him for the winter.”
Born and raised in St. Louis, I didn’t have a lot of experience with pigs other than when they appeared on my dinner plate roasted with apples, but it seemed to me that when Mr. Hutchins said, ‘butcher’ the pig squealed.
I generally let Cal take the lead in these situations. Or rather, he was the sheriff and took the lead and I went along to watch, learn and make sure we both went home alive.
We were a good team. And as I watched the tug of war over a pig, I was glad to let Cal make the peace here.
Mrs. Lewis used her free hand and smacked Mr. Hutchins up the side of his head. “Raymond Hutchins. Shame on you. Lenny was your dear daddy’s name and you’d never name a pig after him, no matter how much he liked bacon. Just more proof that you’re lying and now you’re sullying your father’s good name. God rest his soul.”
To my shock, Mr. Hutchins looked appropriately chagrined and released his grip on the pig’s ear. “You’re right, Ella. I’m sorry.”
I shot a look at Cal, trying to make sense out of what just happened.
Mrs. Lewis pulled a length of rope out of her apron pocket and tied it around the pig’s neck and led it away, looking back over her shoulder to give Mr. Hutchins a disdainful glare.
Cal pushed his hat back and scratched his head before addressing Mr. Hutchins. “Care to explain what’s going on out here, Ray? One of the neighbor kids came running into the sheriff’s office saying there was a big fight going on with lots of yelling and name calling. We ride out here to check, and find the two of you fightin’ over a pig. Don’t make a lot of sense to me. Does it to you?”
Mr. Hutchins looked toward the direction Mrs. Lewis had gone, as though making sure the coast was clear, before he answered. “Well,” he spit a wad of tobacco on the ground, “I’m a mite embarrassed to say this, but I’ve been trying to court Mrs. Lewis. Now that her husband’s gone, and my Alice’s been gone for a few years, well, it just seemed like a good idea. We got property next to each other and all that. But she won’t pay me one bit of attention.”
“So you stole her pig?” Cal asked, incredulous.
“I didn’t say it was a good idea,” Mr. Hutchins responded.
I couldn’t help but laugh. Mr. Hutchins turned and looked at me. “Don’t think you’re so much better with the ladies than I am, Roy.” He glanced toward the sky. “I’d say it’s gettin’ on toward noon. That Minnie’s a sweet gal. Sweeter’n you deserve, that’s for sure.”
I cocked my head to the side. Even after all this time in Juniper Junction, I’d forgotten what a hotbed of gossip it was. Or maybe the people were just starved for something to do.
But I still didn’t understand why Mr. Hutchins was bringing that up and I said as much to him.
He shook his head ruefully. “Why, you’re an even bigger fool than me. The box social’s starting any time now. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll get yourself there and buy the lunch Minnie’s made. You don’t lay your claim on a woman,” he gave a glance toward Mrs. Lewis who was returning from putting away her pig, “someone else will.”
“Damn. Ray’s right. I completely forgot about the box social. One of the benefits of being married. I pity the fool who misses the chance to show everyone who’s his gal.”
“But, I thought no one was supposed to know which girl made which lunch,” I said. The box social was yet another of the quaint practices in Juniper Junction that I hadn’t experienced before or, apparently, fully grasped the importance of.
“For land’s sake, man,” Mrs. Lewis gave me the same upside the head smack she’d given Mr. Hutchins, “whatcha doin’ standing around here?”
“I’m the deputy sheriff and we were told there was trouble out this way,” I replied, adding, “ma’am,” so it didn’t sound quite so rude, though I was getting frustrated with these people telling me what to do.
“Well, the trouble’s over. Now git!” Mrs. Lewis waved her hands at me like she was shooing the chickens in her yard.
I looked past her to Cal who just shrugged and gave me a big grin. “I have to agree with Mrs. Lewis, Roy. You’d better get going. And fast.”
* * *
As I approached the church my heart sank. Even from down the road it was evident that a crowd had already gathered there. I practically jumped off of Jenny, my mare, before she’d even stopped. I tossed her reins around a post, patted her on the head and took off. She whinnied and tossed her head toward the churchyard.
Apparently everyone and everything in town was eager for me to get there.
I rounded the corner of the building and pulled up short. Several couples were already picnicking together at the outer edges of the church’s lawn, no doubt hoping for as much privacy as possible. I quickly scanned them and my heart clutched in my chest when I saw a woman with brown hair the same glossy color as Minnie’s.
Damn. Was I too late? I didn’t dare move closer to study the woman in question, but from a distance, at least, she looked like Minnie. And the way she leaned toward her dining companion didn’t make me happy at all. Not one bit.
“Thank God you’re here.” A hand grabbed my upper arm and before I could swing and punch, I recognized Matt Foreman’s voice. He gave me the same look that it seemed everyone in town, as well as my horse, wanted to give me. “There’s only two baskets left and one of them has got to be Minnie’s.”
He didn’t even wait for me to say anything before he basically dragged me through the crowd. There on the auction table sat two decorated lunch baskets. I had a fifty-fifty shot at picking the right one. Generally speaking, I liked those odds, but the way things had been going today I still wondered if I’d make a mess of things.
How was I to know that a church box social was the most important event in Juniper Junction?
I’d never make that mistake again. As Matt and I made our way through the folks who were enjoying the festivities I heard a few murmurs about my tardiness and even more looks of disdain were sent my way.
I’d hate to imagine what would happen if I had missed the whole thing.
And now I had to make sure I bid on the right basket.
A quick glance to my left and I saw Minnie sitting with Lizzie Foreman, Matt’s wife. Just the sight of Minnie calmed me and I knew I’d do whatever it took to make her smile. Her hands were clenched together in her lap, a sure sign of nervousness. If strangers were worried about me showing up, I could imagine what this had done to her.
What a louse I was. I needed to do better, but with my duties as a deputy sheriff, it wasn’t always easy.
Pastor Ellis held up one of the baskets and a huge sigh of relief left me. That was Minnie’s. No doubt about it. And she’d very cleverly left a clue for me.
The top of the basket was decorated with wildflowers that the locals called Juniper Jewels. I’d never seen them before but they seemed to grow out here and I knew for a fact that they were Minnie’s favorites.
“Moo, Mr. Cow. Moo.”
The voice I heard was scared, and familiar. Not much was happening at the jail, so I’d decided to take a stroll around town just to check on things and to make my presence known to the residents. Cal said it was important and I agreed.
In the still of a sunny afternoon, I heard the voice again. “Please, Mr. Cow. I’m sorry. Just let me leave, okay?”
I hurried down a side street on the edge of town until I found the source of the problem.
Minnie. Of course. It was as though I had a sixth sense about her need to be rescued. And she definitely needed help this time. She was inside the fence at the Old Shelton Place with a bundle of Juniper Jewels in her hands as she pleaded with an angry bull named Chester who did not appear to welcome flower-pickers in his space.
His head was low and he snorted. That wasn’t good.
Minnie must have noticed me because she turned slowly toward me, her big brown eyes filled with worry. “Roy,” she whispered, as though she didn’t want the bull to hear our conversation, “please help me.”
“You know I will, sweetheart. But we need to move fast, but carefully. Don’t want to get Chester any madder than he already is.”
“He sure looks mad.” She turned her gaze back to the massive beast and her lip quivered. “Sorry, Chester,” she whispered.
“Minnie, I’m going to distract him and when I do, I want you to climb over the fence and stand over there by that tree,” I pointed to a large cottonwood, “and wait for me.”
She nodded solemnly and then turned her attention back to Chester. I grabbed a big stick and whacked it against the rail of the fence and yelled at the same time. Chester swung in my direction and I repeated the whacking and hollering until he headed my way.
“Now, Minnie. Get out of there, right now.”
She obeyed immediately, very un-Minnie-like behavior which indicated how very scared my girl was.
Still holding the flowers, she scrambled over the fence and ran to the cottonwood. I dropped the stick and backed away from Chester. He snorted at me a couple times then lumbered over to a shady spot and laid down.
Cowboy’s Demands: Brides of Juniper Junction, Book Five Page 1