Lariats, Letters, and Lace

by Agnes Alexander

  “We’ll have cinnamon rolls.” Daniel turned to Chantilly. “You want coffee?”

  “Yes, please.” She liked that he took control. Owning the biggest ranch in the county must put him at ease with being in charge.

  She cut her roll and forked a yummy morsel. The yeasty cinnamon concoction combined with sugary icing sang was one of the best things she’d ever tasted. “This is delicious.”

  “I wholeheartedly agree.” He gave a mischievous wink. “When I get married, I want Sally to bake my cake.”

  Married? Was he hinting about a future together?

  ****

  Sunday afternoon found Chantilly wearing the stunning green dress Daniel gave her for the dance. She fidgeted with the flouncy sleeves as she waited for him to come calling.

  A rattling clamored outside.

  “The carriage.” Matt came down from the loft and rushed to the window. “Daniel hitched the buggy with his race horse, Cocoa.” He swung the door open, dashing through it quicker than a jack rabbit running from a coyote, leaving it standing open behind him.

  Daniel took the open door as permission to saunter in, dressed to the teeth, in a dark suit and white Stetson. “I’m one lucky cowboy. You’re purdier than a wrapped up present with a fancy bow.” He handed Chantilly a peppermint stick. She laid the candy on the long, thin table near the door. “I’d have brought flowers, but there ain’t any in winter.”

  “Candy’s a better gift.” Blaze’s fancy lace hanky flashed in her mind. She pushed the memory of his thoughtfulness away.

  Daniel helped her into her brown jacket. It seemed drab in comparison to the vibrant gown. She snaked her left arm through Daniel’s right and pulled the door closed with her free hand.

  Matt sat in the driver’s seat puffed up like a proud peacock.

  Daniel helped her into the back seat, hopped in on the left and sat so close she could smell pipe tobacco like her pa had used.

  Matt gave a nod, then warned, “Hang on,” as he flicked his wrists.

  The horse lurched forward. They plodded along past the Red Dawn, Golden Horseshoe, and Carson Bonanza saloons. When they got to the Silver Dollar Saloon, she shut her eyes and tried to blot out Jamey’s murder.

  “Chant, I’m here if you need me.” Daniel’s crooning voice was a welcome sound.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  They made light chatter till they arrived at the ranch.

  Daniel helped her down. “Matt, park the carriage by the barn. We’ll meet you inside the house for lunch.”

  “Would you mind if I checked on the horses? I brought my doctoring book with me and would like to check the leg on one of your mares.” Matt flicked the reins and sped off.

  Daniel offered his arm and escorted her up ten stairs. “That boy’s smart, way smarter than anyone I know. ’Specially when it comes to horses.”

  She held onto to the mahogany bannister and admired the exterior walls, elegantly done with white clapboard.

  The living room parlor had to be ten times larger than her cabin. A massive brick fireplace with a marble mantle took command of the far wall. Portraits and landscaped paintings adorned the walls. Fancy throw rugs covered the polished wood flooring.

  He led her to an overstuffed couch, sat next to her and took her hand. “Chantilly, I’ve been enamored with you since you first came to town. I know this may sound sudden, but life can be short. I need a good woman to share my life. Will you—marry me, Chantilly?”

  “M-marry you?” Uncertainty shot through her veins.

  “I’ll be a good husband. You may not love me yet, but over time, that will change.” He leaned over and kissed her.

  She waited for her heart to flutter, for a quiver deep inside, for tingling excitement to course through her body.

  Nothing.

  Still, his kiss was pleasant and acceptable. Certainly not repulsive.

  “You work too hard. Marry me and all that will change. You’d never have to cook or clean or shoe a horse. I’ll buy you pretty dresses and adorn you with jewels.”

  What would it be like to not have to watch every penny she spent?

  “I’ll pay off the loan Jamey took out. Figure you’d like your property to stay in the family.” He held her hand tightly, almost too tightly. “We’ll gift the deed to our firstborn.”

  “Let me think on it.” She pulled her hand away.

  “I don’t mean to push, sweetness.” He gazed at her. “It’s just…I can’t wait for us to start our life together.”

  “It’s a lot to consider.” Her breath caught. Why didn’t I just say yes? Daniel's a good man. He’d be a good provider.

  “Please don’t say no.” His flashed smile made her clench her teeth. “Let’s go into the dining room. I’ll have Cookie bring our lunch.” He brought her to a long mahogany table and sat her at the first chair on the right. He took the head position.

  Cookie served chicken soup from a fine china bowl. The sterling silver soup spoon probably cost more than Chantilly’s yearly household fund.

  “Matt’s wasting his talent being a farrier. I’d like to send him to vet school.”

  “He’d love that.” It’d be foolish to turn down Daniel’s offer to educate Matt. He was right. Matt deserved better. Even though her brain seemed so sure of what to do, Chantilly couldn’t get her mouth to cooperate long enough to spit out the words that would seal the deal.

  Why did she feel like a rabbit with its foot caught in a trap? With Daniel, she’d have the perfect life. She’d have time to do what other women did. Maybe tend to a garden. No longer would she work from sunup to sundown.

  “I could make you happy, sweetness.”

  Her life with Daniel would be happy…wouldn’t it?

  An uninvited image of Blaze barged into her mind, erasing the logic. “I’d like to talk this over with Matt. I’ll give you an answer soon.”

  “You know Valentine’s Day is a week from Saturday.” His eyebrows arched with expectant glee. “I’d love to turn my sweet valentine into my blushing bride.”

  Chapter Six

  Inside her home on Valentine’s Day morning, Chantilly dressed in an ivory wedding gown with puffy sleeves, a fitted bodice, and flowing skirt. Made of organdy, it had been embellished with tulle, embroidered with flowers.

  The elegant gown did not have a stitch of lace. Her heart stopped. She’d always thought her wedding dress would be filled with lace.

  She pulled the knob on her vanity drawer and grabbed her mother’s linen gloves. An envelope with her name written in Blaze’s handwriting fluttered to the floor.

  Opening the letter, a lace ribbon dropped in her lap. She fingered the delicate rose pattern.

  Dear Chantilly,

  The lace ribbon is for you, my delicate, fancy, and intricate Chantilly.

  Her eyes misted with tears. Tears she hadn't shed since her mother died.

  Whenever I am away from you, I pine to be near you and share your smile and your kisses. I love how your eyes light up, and the centers turn light when you are enthralled. I love your stubbornness and tenacious strength. I love everything about you.

  Please, give me another chance.

  Loving regards,

  Blaze

  It might be wrong to wear a gift from another man, but she wove the lace ribbon around her bun, anyway.

  Chantilly stared at her reflection in the mirror, dabbing her tears with the lace handkerchief. The one Blaze had given her on their first date.

  Blaze loves me.

  She pushed away the thought. I’ve chosen Daniel.

  A bushel of doubt dropped into her middle. This marriage would be for the rest of her life. Angst twisted in her stomach.

  Daniel loves me, too. She straightened her shoulders. Today, she would become Daniel’s wife.

  Matt stepped behind her, dressed in a dark suit. “Golly, sis. You sure are pretty.” Her brother’s colossal grin was proof enough she’d made the right choice. In the fall, he’d attend veterinarian sc
hool on the east coast—living his dream.

  He hugged her. “You ready?”

  “I am.”

  Matt helped her with her coat.

  They walked to the livery. Slim had a coach ready. He helped her into the back seat and said softly in her ear, “I know it ain’t my place, but I think you’d be happier with Blaze.”

  She refused to look Slim in the eye. “I’m marrying Daniel.”

  Matt sat next to her. “Daniel’ll treat you right. Why aren’t you smiling?”

  “Wedding jitters.” The words came out with confidence, but still, worry nagged the back of her mind.

  The coach arrived. Slim helped her down and took her coat. She shivered, but it wasn’t from the cold air.

  Matt held her arm as they stepped up to the church’s platform and stopped at the entrance. Folks from all around the territory filled the pews.

  “I couldn’t ask for a better sister.” Matt kissed her cheek. “You deserve to be blissful.”

  The pianist played the wedding march. Everyone stood and turned.

  Clutching Matt’s arm tightly, she fidgeted with the lace handkerchief tied to her wrist. Matt raised a concerned eyebrow. “You sure you want this?”

  “I am.” No, I’m not. She corralled the protest with a forced smile and clamped jaw.

  Daniel waited up front with the preacher looking handsome and confident in his dark pin-striped suit and matching black Stetson. Standing tall. A triumphant half-smile, half smirk lit his lips in a manner that riled the anxiety she had tamed earlier.

  Fifteen steps to the front, and she stood facing Daniel. His uncallused hands took both of hers. His eyes stared, dull and listless. A groom’s eyes should sparkle. “You look gorgeous, sweetness.”

  That nickname bothered her. She’d tell him after they married.

  Strapped to his side, the ivory edge of a pistol peeked above the black leather double-holster. Why would he be armed inside a church?

  Being in church, she gave a silent prayer asking if she’d made the right decision.

  “Dearly Beloved.” The pastor’s chipper voice repeated the same line from Jamey’s funeral, but this time with a bit more jubilance. “We are gathered here in the presence of these witnesses to join Daniel Braddock and Chantilly Walsh in holy matrimony. Valentine’s Day is a fitting time to commit their love to the Almighty.”

  Daniel took her hand. His eyes became darker and more distant.

  The pastor kept talking. The only sound she heard was her heart, pounding dread with every beat. Daniel squeezed her hand, and mouthed, “Say I do.”

  The words slipped out, without thought.

  The preacher called, “I now pronounce you man and wife.”

  What had she done? Her belly clinched.

  Boot steps clicked at the back.

  She swiveled.

  Blaze!

  Her heart shouldn’t be fluttering as he strutted to the middle of the aisle, and shouted, “Stop the wedding.”

  “Mail boy, you’re too late. I am Chantilly’s choice. Not you.” Daniel pointed to the sheriff near the back. “Kindly remove this man.”

  “Come along, Blaze.” The sheriff took his arm.

  “Not when she finds out Daniel murdered her brother,” Blaze huffed.

  “Liar.” Daniel’s face turned red, his eyes glaring hatred.

  Chantilly managed to let go of Daniel’s left hand, but he squeezed her right hand so tight she thought the bones might break.

  “You’re mine now,” Daniel snarled.

  “Why’d you shoot Rusty Smith? Thought you left him for dead, didn’t you?” Blaze motioned for a man at the back to come forward. “Happened to meet Rusty in Fort Churchill and started talking.”

  “I never hurt nobody.” Daniel’s free hand reach for his holster.

  “I saw you carry a drunken Jamey to the bench out back and prop him against the wall.” Rusty’s voice faltered. “You looked around to see if anybody was looking. I’d kept good and quiet, that is, until I saw you shoot him straight through the heart.”

  Jamey had been shot in the heart. Only she and the sheriff knew.

  “Quite the storyteller. You’re nothing but an old drunk.” Daniel gave a dismissive laugh. “How much did Blaze pay you to tell such malarkey?”

  “I’m no drunk. You made a big mistake when you left me for dead in the mountain foothills.” Rusty pulled out a scarf. “Funny, you dropped this when you left. Nobody else round here’s got the money to have the Double-B fancily stitched like that.”

  Before she could blink, Daniel had a gun pointed at Rusty. The mechanism fired.

  People shrieked.

  The loud blast made Chantilly flinch. But even worse, Daniel spun and brought the smoking pistol up to her head. With the gun aimed so close to her head, the barrel poked her temple. Her pulse pumped fast through her veins.

  Rusty fell forward.

  Daniel drew his other pistol and aimed at Blaze. In a split-second, he shot off another round. She watched Blaze slumped to the floor, holding his stomach.

  “Noooooo!” A shriek rang out. It took a few seconds for Chantilly to realize it had come from her own throat. Blaze couldn’t be dead.

  “Shut up, Chantilly.”

  She glanced at the crowd. Some folks crouched behind the pews. A couple in the back row snuck out the door.

  Matt stood and rushed toward her. “Let my sister go.”

  Daniel waved the gun at Matt, pulled the trigger, and fired. Matt dove to the floor, the bullet missed and stuck in the front bench. All the while, Daniel managed to hold the other pistol steady at Chantilly’s temple.

  The sheriff raised his rifle. Daniel shot off a bullet, hitting the lawman.

  Bile rose in Chantilly’s throat.

  “Wife, we’re walking to my buggy parked out front.” Daniel’s menacing tone could freeze hell. “Nobody follow, or she’s dead.” He tapped her head with the tip of the gun for emphasis. People cleared a path. “Me ’n’ the missus are going to start our honeymoon early.”

  They made it outside. Walking with a gun to her head, her feet stepped like they she wore tombstones as shoes. She stopped as a question burst from her. “Why’d you kill Jamey?” She had to know.

  “For the rich silver vein mine in the hills behind your cabin,” he snarled. “I got the deed from Jamey the day he died. Never expected it to be in your name.” He spat the words, then sneered. “Now that we’re married, the deed belongs to me.”

  They reached the left side of the buggy. “Get up there.” He motioned with his head. “You’re driving.”

  The gun left her temple as she stepped up to the seat.

  A whizzing sound accompanied a gunshot from behind them. Daniel fell to the ground. Rusty stood over him with a gun pointed at him. “Blaze, get his pistols.”

  Chantilly jumped down.

  “Thank God, you’re safe.” Matt pulled her behind the buggy and hugged her.

  “Chantilly!” Blaze called. His rich, deep voice pierced through the panic threatening to overwhelm her.

  “Go to him.” Matt released her.

  Turning, she sought the comfort she knew his arms would offer.

  “It’s over. Daniel’s dead.” Blaze kissed her forehead and enveloped her in his strong, protective arms. “You’re safe now.”

  “I should’ve listened to you.” Her voice caught as hot tears flowed. “I should’ve trusted you.”

  “You did what you thought was right.”

  Being held by him felt right.

  “I love that you care so deeply.” He looked into her eyes. “I love you.”

  “I know. I read your letter this morning.” She put her arms around his neck. “I love you, too, Blaze.”

  He grinned. “I’ve waited a long time to hear you say that.”

  “There’s something else, too. I own a mine now—according to what Daniel told me. Jamey paid for it with his life. It’s mine now—and we have the money to go anywhere.”


  Blaze sighed. “I think I’ve had enough excitement to last me a lifetime.”

  A flutter of white tumbled to the ground. Blaze picked it up and chuckled. “I can’t believe you went to the altar with my handkerchief.” He gave her a questioning smile. “What does that mean, Chantilly?”

  She slid her arms around his neck and kissed him, her heart and soul joining his. “It’s Valentine’s Day,” she whispered. “And you, Blaze Steele, are the man I love—now and forever.”

  About the Author—Niki Mitchell

  Niki Mitchell writes contemporary, historical, time-travel romance along with children’s books. An avid reader, she loves old-fashioned love stories, paranormal romance, and historical themes—especially Old West cowboys.

  Born in Chicago, Niki moved to California at age six. Huntington Beach had been one of her main summer hangouts during her teens. In college, she majored in education, moved to the High Desert and became an elementary teacher. Married with two boys, her supportive husband keeps her motivated and inspired.

  Mail-Order Mix Up

  Kaye Spencer

  There’s mischief aplenty when match-making sisters order a bride for Grandpa.

  1891

  August 1st — Platte River City — Northeastern Colorado

  Meredith Forbes’s eleven-going-on-twelve-year-old busybody curiosity caught and held a few words floating her way on the easy evening breeze. Whipping around, she peered at the three men sitting together at the long picnic table some yards away as she lifted a shushing hand to her four tea party companions.

  “What is it, Merrie?” Violet, the middle Forbes sister, whispered.

  Meredith whispered back, “I heard Grandma’s name. I think Grandpa, Uncle Ben, and Mr. Driscoll are talking about her. Let’s go listen. Follow me, and do as I do.”

  Always looking for adventure, the two younger Forbes sisters and the two oldest girls of the five siblings in the Driscoll family copied Meredith’s movements, which involved a nonchalant saunter to the end of the long plank table where the men were talking and drinking beer. Meredith made a great production of inspecting the food fare all the while keeping an ear tuned to the conversation.