by Kit Morgan
“And the Wallers,” Lorelei added. “They promised.”
“So that settles it, then,” Colin declared. “‘What God has put together, let no man put asunder’ and all that. Tomorrow, we’ll go into town, speak to Preacher Jo and make all the proper arrangements. Oh … a wedding dress might take a while to make. How strongly do you feel about wearing white, Lorelei?”
She almost laughed. “I’ll wear denims and a work shirt if you want. All I care about is being with my cowboy.” That put a grin on Jeff’s face she would’ve kissed off if his father hadn’t been there. Boy, she needed chaperones right now!
But over the next two days, they couldn’t make it into town. A pack of coyotes were sniffing around, which meant all hands were busy making sure they didn’t bother the stock. Even Belle went out to join the other cattlemen, leaving Lorelei, Adele and Parthena to make the meals. But Lorelei’s suggestion the first night – grinding up beef and forming it into patties to grill – meant that they surprised the family with hamburgers for dinner. It was a little frustrating not to have American cheese to put on them, Lorelei thought – the “farmer’s cheese” they had just didn’t do the trick.
And on the third day, they’d barely cleared the afternoon chores when Parthena came running through the front door, yelling like Indian braves were chasing her. “Mother, Mother! Uncle Harrison and Aunt Sadie are home!”
Belle came down the hall, a huge smile on her face. “Come, Lorelei – meet the rest of the family.”
Lorelei set the mending she was working on aside and followed Belle onto the front porch. She immediately looked for Jeff, but he was nowhere to be seen. Probably still on coyote patrol.
The man driving the wagon was very obviously Colin’s brother – brown hair graying at the temples, about the same height but leaner, brown eyes instead of hazel. His wife had sable hair and big blue eyes – she looked almost Mexican. Like Belle and Colin, they were a handsome couple. In the back of the wagon, two teenage boys and a girl about Parthena’s age sat amongst the luggage.
“Belle!” the man called, with the same British accent as his brother. “I know it’s late but Merry Christmas!”
“Welcome back!” Belle replied.
Harrison Cooke spotted Lorelei and smiled. “Good afternoon.” He looked at Belle. “I saw Colin at the mercantile. He told me you have a house guest?”
“Yes, we do. Come meet Lorelei.” Belle took her hand and descended the porch steps.
Harrison helped his wife off the wagon seat as the boys climbed out and helped their sister. “Aunt Belle!” the girl cried and hugged her. “We had the best time! Clinton got kissed by a girl and Max …” She glanced at the older boy and saw his glare. “… uh, never mind.” She hung her head and went to stand by her mother.
Lorelei welcomed the distraction and studied them some more. The middle one, Clinton, didn’t look very happy about being kissed. His brother Max seemed positively dour.
But the girl made up for both of them in enthusiasm as she made a beeline to Parthena. “Wait until I tell you what Mrs. Dunnigan did!”
Belle’s eyes widened. “Oh, dear. What happened to Aunt Irene?”
“Nothing,” Harrison assured. “She’s fine, just tired. She did a lot of cooking.”
“Oh, I see. I’ll go into town and see her tomorrow.” She glanced at Lorelei. “You can come too, you and Jefferson.”
Lorelei smiled and nodded. It was strange meeting more Cookes – she was still getting used to all the ones she’d already met. And she knew there were plenty more – all of the mail-order-bride cousins and their families. “Cooketown,” indeed.
She watched the family reunion continue as Honoria came out of the main house to greet her parents and siblings. The Cookes’ love for each other was so real, so tangible, just like her love for Jeff. She hated that Jeff was so busy the last couple of days – they’d barely had a chance to talk, verbally or otherwise. But then, sometimes there were coyotes or other dangers that threatened their stock and trade. It was no different than if he were an executive on a business trip. Every century had its annoyances.
But tomorrow … well, coyotes or no coyotes, tomorrow they needed to go to town and talk to that preacher. She was tired of waiting, and suspected he was too. I LOVE YOU, COWBOY! she shouted in her head, her heart, her very soul. She had no idea if he could pick up her signal when they were far apart. This whole heart to heart communication thing was new to her – certainly it never happened to Meg Ryan or Amy Adams in the movies.
She got no I love you too, Future Girl back, so she filed into the house with the rest of the family as Harrison and his brood went to the main ranch house.
The next few hours were a bustle of activity, as the entire clan would be having supper together next door. Lorelei had only been in the main ranch house a few times, but the kitchen was huge. No wonder the Cookes gathered there for meals – they’d never be able to cram everyone into Belle’s kitchen, at least not as comfortably. Christmas was proof of that.
She helped carry bowls of mashed potatoes over, then came back to fetch fresh-baked loaves of bread. Colin brought a platter of sliced ham, while Adele and the other kids carried this and that. But there was no sign of Jeff, and her stomach began to churn – was he all right? Was he getting cold feet? Had he finally decided she was crazy?
And why couldn’t she stop worrying and just enjoy this?
Lorelei shook her head. Jeff would probably be back for supper, with some thrilling stories of coyote warfare. Everything would be all right. Everything would be all right. Everything would be all right …
* * *
When Jefferson finally dragged in from a long day helping Logan move part of the herd – and keeping watch for coyotes that, thankfully, never showed up – Lorelei was already in bed. She heard him trudge up the stairs and fought the urge to speak to him in the hall, but no, if he was coming in this late, he was exhausted. Let him get his rest and catch him tomorrow. I love you, Cowboy, she thought. But the thought wasn’t just in her head, but her heart.
Love ya too, Future Girl. Ugh.
She smiled and drifted off to sleep.
In the morning she got up early in hopes of seeing him at breakfast, but once again he’d disappeared. “More business with the herd, I’m afraid,” Belle told her. “But be ready to go to town after the mending’s done. We’ll visit my aunt and uncle, see if they need any help at the mercantile, then come home.”
Lorelei sighed. “I was hoping he and I could speak with Preacher Jo.”
“In a hurry?”
“Uh … yes.” She laughed.
So did Belle. “Don’t fret – Preacher Jo will still be there once the herd is taken care of. I’m a little more worried about Aunt Irene and Uncle Wilfred right now. They’re in their seventies and don’t get around as quick as they used to, and they just got back from a long trip.”
“That’s true.” Lorelei smiled and took a sip of coffee. She’d finish it, then clear away the dishes. She liked the routine of breakfast, dishes, mending and so on. There was a rhythm to each day and the ranch ran like a well-oiled machine. She’d miss this if … no, don’t even think it. She had to stay positive.
A few hours later they were off, just her and Belle – sure enough, Jeff was out in the far reaches of the ranch again. “Didn’t Adele or any of the others want to come along?” she asked Belle.
“No, Adele’s far too interested in what happened to Max and Clinton while they were away.” She rolled her eyes. “Apparently Savannah said more than she should last night after supper. Now Parthena and Adele want to know how much of it is true.”
“What did happen?”
Belle smiled. “It appears that Maxwell has fallen in love.”
“Okay. What’s wrong with that?”
“Max is sixteen.”
“Oh. I guess that’s a little young to be married, but not to have a crush … er, an infatuation.”
“I suppose. Harrison and Sadie to
ld us some details last night, but they didn’t want it to be a huge topic of conversation.”
Lorelei recalled Belle and Colin speaking with Harrison and Sadie for a time after supper but didn’t know what they were talking about. That was about the time she wanted to know what had happened to Jefferson – Major had filled her in.
When they reached town, they went straight to the mercantile, parked and went inside. An old man was behind the counter, and Lorelei recognized him immediately – Mr. Dunnigan himself. He gave them a big smile. “Good morning!”
“It’s almost lunch time.” Belle gave him a hug over the counter.
“And who is this young lady?” Mr. Dunnigan asked.
“Lorelei Carson, at your service, sir.” She extended her hand.
The man shook it. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re here, Miss Carson. Doc and Grandma Waller were in here earlier. They’d like to speak with you when you have a moment.”
Before she could answer, she heard someone coming down the stairs. The curtains separating the front and back of the building were shoved aside – and Lorelei gasped. Mrs. Dunnigan looked like she’d just stepped out of the picture! So this was the original owner of her apartment. Except that she wasn’t sure it was hers anymore … oh, never mind.
“Well, don’t just stand there gaping at me!” the woman snapped. She turned to Belle. “Is this her?”
“Yes, Irene, this is our guest Miss Carson.”
Mrs. Dunnigan scrunched up her face, narrowed her eyes and looked Lorelei up and down like a Marine drill instructor preparing an insult. “Kinda skinny, ain’t she?”
Lorelei’s eyes went wide. Belle had mentioned that her aunt could be brusque, but holy cats …
“Well, if Jefferson’s smitten,” she went on, “then what’s a person to do about it? He’s of age.”
Lorelei smiled at that. “Smitten” hardly seemed to do it justice.
Mrs. Dunnigan turned back to her. “And what about you, young lady? Are you sweet on him?”
She swallowed hard. “Well, ma’am, we are planning to be married. I wouldn’t agree to it if I wasn’t.”
“Huh. Sparky little thing, aren’t you?” She turned back to Belle. “What are you and Colin going to do about it?”
“They already have our blessing. I was hoping Jefferson could come with us to talk to Preacher Jo, but he’s busy on the ranch today. Coyotes.”
“I hate those varmints,” Mrs. Dunnigan grumbled. “Well, if you’re sure about this girl, I won’t object. Where are you from, Miss Carson?”
Of all the things she could’ve asked … Lorelei racked her brain for a good lie.
Thankfully, Belle interceded with a good truth. “The MacDonalds brought her to us to take care of.”
“Oh.” Mrs. Dunnigan must have decided not to meddle in the affairs of MacDonalds, because she immediately changed the subject to how the mercantile had done in her absence. Lorelei couldn’t blame her for that. She decided to go look at a shelf full of books, just out of curiosity.
A couple of minutes later, Belle called to her. “I’m going to be here for a while. Why don’t you go see what Doc and Grandma wanted?”
“Okay, I’ll do that.” Lorelei headed out the doors, down the street and up the Wallers’ steps. She smiled as she thought about the coming days. Eventually the predators would leave or get chased off, Jeff would have some free time, and they could go talk to Preacher Jo and see about getting married. She knocked on the door and waited. She’d speak to Jefferson as soon as she saw him that night – even if she was already in bed, she’d get up and they’d talk about it. She was so happy she wanted to cry.
The door opened … and Lorelei’s smile disappeared, along with her hopes and dreams.
“Hello, lass,” Dallan MacDonald declared, filling the Wallers’ doorway. His green eyes seemed to glow like a Terminator’s. “I’m glad ye’re here. ‘Tis past time for us to go.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lorelei didn’t know whether to flee, faint, or punch him. Before she could decide, the Scotsman swept her into his arms, stepped into the house and kicked the door closed.
“What’s going on?” Doc Waller called from the parlor.
Well, now she couldn’t flee or faint, so … “Put me down!” Lorelei yelled as loud as she could, and slapped Dallan across the face. It hurt – she might as well have smacked a boulder.
Doc came into the front hall. “Dallan, what are you doing?”
Dallan glanced between a fuming Lorelei and a bewildered Doc and set her on her feet. “Just being gentlemanly. But the lass wants none of it.”
She walked over to Doc – scant protection against a 6’5” Scotsman who was built like he should be on the Seahawks’ roster, but it was the best option she had. “Go?” she replied. “What makes you think I’m going?!”
Dallan looked stunned. “What makes ye think ye’re not?”
She was both terrified and angry at the same time and speaking from both. She’d been afraid much of her life, but also angry that her parents had died, that no one wanted her, that those that did take her in didn’t care much either. And now that she found people who did, he was going to make her leave. “I think I’m not. Problem with that?” It was all bravado, she knew, but she was taking her stand.
“Now see here, Dallan,” Doc said. “This young lady has a right to make up her own mind about things!”
Dallan looked at Doc, whose head barely reached the big man’s shoulder. “Och, aye?”
“Aye! And if she doesn’t want to go with you, then she doesn’t have to!”
Dallan’s eyebrows rose in amusement, as if to say oh really?
Lorelei fought down a wave of panic. The man could do whatever he wanted – he knew it, and she knew it. She looked around, wondering where his wife was.
“If ye’re looking for Shona,” Dallan said as if he’d just read her thoughts – and maybe he had, “she’s out back with Grandma gathering eggs.”
Lorelei groaned as anger rose past fear. She’d never make it to the door and wasn’t sure where to go even if she did. She couldn’t outrun him, and he was so much stronger than her he’d have her prisoner before she could blink. But she would not give in. This was the proverbial hill she would die on. She glared at him. “What are you doing here?”
“I just told ye. ‘Tis time we were on our way.”
“Where?”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Dinna fash yerself, lass. Ye’ll ken in time.”
Her back went stiff, her anger drowning her terror. “Oh, no.” She shook her finger at him. “We’re not playing that game again. You kidnapped me once and dropped me somewhere with no warning, but I’ll be darned if you do that to me twice!”
The big Scot’s eyebrows shot up. “No?”
Lorelei set her jaw. “Did I stutter?”
His hands went to his hips as he cocked his head to one side. “D’ye mind telling me why ye’re so set against leaving?” He leaned toward her. “I thought ye’d be overjoyed.”
She mimicked his stance, and his accent. “Well, d’ye mind telling me why ye brought me here in the first place?”
Just then, the door burst open, someone ran in, whomped right into Dallan’s back and fell behind him. Lorelei leaned slowly to the right to see around the Scot and … “Jeff!”
“Jeff?” Dallan and Doc said at once.
Jeff jumped to his feet, ran around Dallan before he could react, grabbed Lorelei and shoved her behind him and Doc. “Stay away from her!”
Dallan, now clearly confused, looked at Doc.
“You heard the boy,” Doc said. “Leave Lorelei alone.”
Colin entered the house, Belle right behind him. “Jefferson, what are you doing in town?” He saw Dallan and smiled. “Oh, hello. I had no idea you were back.”
“Stay away from him!” Lorelei warned. “He’s dangerous!”
Colin scratched his head. “Dangerous?”
The big Scot stood to his fu
ll height and narrowed his eyes. “I mean to be leaving soon.”
“I’m not going with you!” Lorelei yelped and took hold of Jefferson. How do we stop this guy?
I’m thinking.
Dallan grinned wickedly. “Is that so?”
Lorelei gasped. He could hear them!
“Would someone kindly explain to me what’s going on?” Colin asked.
“Why d’ye no ask yer son?” Dallan said, his eyes fixed on Jeff.
Colin and Belle turned to him. “Well, Jefferson? What’s going on?”
Jeff took a deep breath. “I am not letting him take Lorelei.”
Colin glanced at Belle and back. “Oh. Well, of course.” He looked at Dallan. “You can’t take Lorelei away from Jefferson. They’re getting married.”
“They’re …” Dallan looked at Lorelei and Jeff in befuddlement.
“Dallan, we’ve been friends a long time,” Doc added. “But I’m warning you. Leave the younguns be.”
“Dallan? What’s going on?” Shona came into the room with Grandma. “What’s all the ruckus?”
Dallan pointed at Jeff. “The lad here doesna want us to take Lorelei home.”
“I see.” She seemed less perturbed than her husband. In fact, she looked like she was doing her best not to smile.
“They’re quite taken with each other,” Colin said with a hint of nervousness.
The Scot’s eyes narrowed on Jeff. “Oh? How taken?”
Jeff stood straight. “Like I’d die if she were taken away.”
Lorelei gasped. You too?
Yeah – every time I have to go away, it’s like my heart’s being torn out.
Me too! I had no idea … Then she noticed Shona looking back and forth between them. Can she hear us?
I don’t know. Should I ask?
“How long have you been doing what I think you’re doing?” Shona asked.
“Um … we’ve been … talking for a while now.” Jeff replied, putting his arms around Lorelei.
Lorelei snuggled close. “Could you hear us?”