With This Ring?

by Karen Witemeyer

  “Good job.” She pulled out her own gun. What other woman in the world would have a pistol on her side with her wedding within the hour?

  She quickly aimed and shot.

  Her bullet hit the upper right lobe of the heart. “See, we both hit it.”

  “I’ll do it again.” He could do better. Again he went through his paces.

  This bullet was pretty dead center, splintering his previously splintered wood.

  “Impressive.” She quickly brought up her piece and shot again. This time she was closer to his holes than her own.

  He took his time and shot once more. Bang. Hit his first hole slightly to the right.

  Her next shot hit the tip of the heart. She lowered her gun, and her mouth scrunched to the side.

  He kept quiet. He’d not declare himself the winner, no gloating. Until now, he hadn’t realized how immature his dream of rubbing her face in his triumph was.

  And now that he knew she’d never meant to hurt him, what she smelled like, what her lips tasted like, he had no desire to do any sort of hooting and hollering. Yet he yearned for her to admit he’d bested her. Not because he wanted her to admit defeat, but because he longed for her admiration.

  He’d come to decide whether or not to pursue her.

  He’d know which he’d be doing by the next words out of her mouth.

  She spun her pistol on her finger with a flourish—which he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at—then holstered her piece. “Good shooting, partner.”

  He smiled, and all the tension left his body.

  “Now, I’m not so sure a criminal’s going to stand still long enough for you to shoot him so accurately.” She winked and then pointed back to the siding. “But that wood’s definitely dead. You’ve got an impressive shot group there.”

  “Charlie?” He holstered his gun and waited until she looked at him. “Do you really think you could love a man who can outshoot you?”

  Her smile immediately flipped down. “Not sure how well August shoots, but that doesn’t—”

  “No, not August. Me.”

  Charlie couldn’t have heard him right. “You?”

  “But you need to know, I don’t want to give up teaching. Ranching doesn’t hold my heart. I can’t take back the fact that I’m a better shooter than you, but I can use it to help you.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to take it back. I’m impressed.” Along with being impressed that he owned that fancy .44–40 Colt Frontier six-shooter he’d tucked away in his holster. “You’re better at other things too, but that doesn’t mean I’d want you to give up those skills either.”

  “Better at what?”

  Her cheeks heated, and she couldn’t keep her eyes on his. “Learning and . . . kissing.”

  He laughed. “You were rather bad at kissing.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. How could she have been any good if she’d never done it before? And he’d surprised her. By the time she’d gotten over the shock, they’d been interrupted.

  “You could definitely use more practice.”

  She bit her lip and looked up at him. She’d thought she’d lost his friendship forever, but now his eyes seemed to be promising something more. All she’d expected was his forgiveness, but could her dreams of more actually come true? But last Friday . . . “You told me you weren’t going to marry me after you kissed me.”

  “Not anytime soon.”

  But he would later? Her hands grew clammy. A flicker of movement over his shoulder caused her to straighten. August.

  Atop his huge horse, August rode up behind the reverend, with one of his farm hands following.

  Harrison followed her gaze and looked behind him. He nodded stiffly at August, who acknowledged him with a matching nod.

  August looked back at her, his face impassive. “I figured your mother would be witness.”

  “Momma,” Charlie whispered. The warmth that had been bubbling beneath her skin disappeared. She hugged herself and groaned. “I’m sorry, Harrison, but I can’t wait with no guarantee.” She turned to look up at Momma’s second story window. Where had she gone?

  “What’d you say?” August dismounted. He was so large, all it seemed he had to do was step off his horse.

  She pulled her eyes off August and looked at Harrison, whose eyebrows were raised in anticipation of her response. “I can’t lose my house and possibly my mother. I just can’t.”

  What a cruel, cruel choice to put before her. Even though she wanted to marry for love, could she force Momma to confront Daddy’s death before her heart and mind were ready to do so?

  Even though she wanted to marry for love, could she live with driving Momma to insanity to do so?

  August came up to Harrison, towering over him by at least six inches. “You’re here for the wedding?”

  “Hopefully not today.” He pushed his glasses up to look at August. “I’d rather she marry me.”

  “Oh?” August looked at her with narrowed eyes. He thrust his thumb sideways at Harrison. “You do know Royal doesn’t like him. He ain’t going to be fond of you choosing either of us, but without me, things’ll get worse.”

  “What’s he talking about?” The reverend had dismounted and came in closer.

  Charlie ran her hands through her hair, knocking down her attempt at putting it up earlier. “Royal’s been stealing from me and luring away my help. That’s why my ranch hands are gone and I’ve cut down on my animals. If I don’t marry now, I’m going to have to sell things to pay taxes, which I can do, but that won’t stop Royal from hurting my farm. That’s why I proposed to August.”

  Harrison’s face twisted with confusion. “If you aren’t going to lose the property right away, why marry so quickly?”

  She shrugged. “It didn’t really matter when I’d lose the place, just that I would.” Despite the warble in her voice, she pushed out the rest. “No man’s ever proposed to me. Why would I expect anyone to do so months or years from now if I’d never captured even one man’s interest before?”

  The reverend smiled. “Seems you’ve got two grooms to choose from today.”

  Harrison ran a hand through his hair. “I’m not going to lie. I don’t think we should marry now. I care too much about you to saddle you with me if I don’t suit. I want to give you time to be certain.”

  “If you’re thinking of cutting me for him, don’t expect me to take you back.” August’s cheek muscles twitched. “And sparking with Harrison ain’t going to keep Royal away.”

  Harrison pointed a finger at August. “You need to tell your brother that’d be stupid. You’ve just admitted to what he’s doing in front of me and the reverend—that’s admission of guilt.”

  He backed away. “I admitted nothing.”

  “Oh,” The reverend’s smile grew large. “I think you incriminated him enough. A judge would be very interested in what I’ve heard.”

  Harrison nodded decisively. “And you tell your brother I’ll get Joe Limpett to guard the place for Charlie. He’s been looking for a new job.”

  “Joe?” August sucked air through his teeth.

  Joe wouldn’t leave her to work for Royal, not after he’d knocked two of Joe’s little sister’s teeth out in second grade. But how could Harrison afford to hire anyone on her behalf?

  She tugged on his arm. “I appreciate you wanting to help me, but if I can’t afford to hire Joe as a guard, you can’t either.”

  “I have what I’ve saved up for more schooling.”

  More schooling? She had to smile. Only he’d think a college education was inadequate. How could he possibly have fun unless he was studying for more tests?

  Harrison took both of her hands. “If necessary, I can keep your place afloat until you’ve got things back to rights.”

  “With the expectation of marrying me?”

  He nodded.

  “What if you figure out I don’t suit?” She ran a hand across her mouth. “If you decide against me, I’ll lose the house.”

&
nbsp; His smile turned sultry. “I don’t think I’ll be deciding against you.”

  She glanced at August.

  Harrison’s grip loosened.

  “You gonna choose him over me?” August growled.

  “I . . .” She swallowed and couldn’t keep eye contact with August any longer.

  “I see how this is going.” August stomped back to his horse. “I’m not going to stand around as some booby prize. I’m through. I’ll come back for my cattle later.” With a quick kick to his horse, he turned toward the road, and his man followed.

  She stared after August, watching him and the surety of keeping her house disappear.

  “Charlie, I’ll see to it that Royal doesn’t mess with you any longer, even if I have to come out here every evening on guard duty. Without his interference, I’m sure you and a few good hands can get your place running smoothly again.”

  She shook her head. “If things don’t work out between us, you’ll regret losing your opportunity for more schooling.”

  He squeezed her hands. “I’m your friend. If you need this house so badly, I’ll give you the money. Or if you’d rather, I could loan it interest free.”

  He tucked what must have been a stray hair behind her ear. “I can go to school later if I want to. But don’t marry someone you don’t love, darling. You’re too good for that.”

  Daddy had always said she was too good for just any man, but she’d never really believed it. But then, the choice wasn’t really between two men, it was between her mother’s needs and her own.

  “I need to tell you why I can’t lose the house.” She looked at her mother’s bedroom window again and saw nothing. “Momma’s not . . . exactly right in the head at the moment. She thinks Daddy’s still alive. Her memories of him are so enmeshed with this house he built for her that I think losing it might ruin her mind completely.”

  “Darling, I already told you we can save the house.”

  “But I can’t leave her alone, and I can’t promise she’ll get better. You might end up living with a crazy mother-in-law.”

  “That wouldn’t keep me from marrying the woman I love.”

  She swallowed against the wetness invading her eyes and throat. His loving her didn’t mean he should sacrifice his life for her. “What about your teaching?”

  “You’d still have ranch hands to assist while school’s in session, and I’d have all summer to help you. The real question is,” he tipped up her chin and grinned, “could you handle being married to someone who just outshot you?”

  “Perhaps.” She shrugged and smiled up at him. There was no way this man would not suit her. Not one bit. He’d erased every worry in minutes and promised to keep helping even if she decided against him. And she had feelings for him—so many, for so long. What would she have done with those if she’d married August? “But you know . . . I’m going to want a rematch. It’s not every day I get the chance to face off with someone as good as you. With more practice, I just might—”

  “If you have to compete with me, I’d rather you get better at something else.”

  “What’s that?”

  He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her forward. “Kissing.” He knocked her hat off with a flick of his fingers and smiled down at her. “You up to that challenge?”

  “Definitely.” She slid her arms up around his neck. This time, she wouldn’t spend the first minute confused and—

  A throat cleared. “I take it there’ll be no wedding today? I prefer to leave before I’m subjected to what will likely be an entertaining contest for you, but an incredibly awkward one for me.”

  She smiled despite her hot cheeks and dropped her arms from Harrison’s shoulders. How had she forgotten the reverend was standing by his horse this whole time? “Thank you for coming out, Reverend, but you’re right, I don’t need your services today.” She smiled up at Harrison. “Though I’m pretty certain we’ll need them in the future.”

  The moment Reverend McCabe turned to mount his horse, Harrison swooped her up and laid his first kiss right on target.

  She didn’t even try to outkiss him.

  Though she could do anything she put her mind to, she was smart enough to know when she needed a teacher.

  Epilogue

  TWO MONTHS LATER

  “Oh, Charlotte, this is going to be lovely.”

  Charlie looked up from the table she’d dragged into the barn and wiped her brow. Tomorrow they’d hold a barn dance after the wedding, and Momma insisted on tearing up burlap and making bows to pierce with dried baby’s breath for decorations. “It’s very pretty.”

  “And not too girly.”

  She smiled. “No, it’s just right. Thanks, Momma.” She walked over and gave her a side hug. All that remained to do was clean off the tables for the food, sweep the floor again, and maybe find more stumps for people to sit on. Charlie peeped outside to see Harrison assisting one of the elderly ladies, who’d come to bake cakes, up the porch steps.

  Momma took the last sprig of baby’s breath from her basket and stuck it in the bow she’d just fluffed.

  With her hands on her hips, Charlie scanned the barn and caught her mother looking outside toward the trellis. Months ago, Momma had tried to convince her to plant an impractical flowering vine in it instead of the pole beans she insisted would be of more use. “You want to decorate the green beans with burlap, don’t you?”

  Momma tried not to smile, but her pursed lips gave her away. “You wouldn’t mind too awfully much?”

  She shook her head. “As long as Harrison’s willing to stand in front of it with me, you could hang Christmas ornaments on it for all I care.”

  Her mother sniffed. “I wish your father could see you marry Harrison.”

  “Me too.” She sighed and put a hand on her mother’s stooped shoulder.

  Wait a minute. “Momma?”

  “Yes?”

  How to ask her if she’d just heard what she thought she’d heard without confirming Daddy’s death? “So . . . you think Daddy would approve of Harrison?”

  “Of course. I don’t know why he ever approved of that August fellow, but he’d have loved Harrison.”

  “Yes he would’ve. I certainly do.” Crying on the day before her wedding was probably bad luck, but hearing her mother acknowledge that her father was gone only made the ache of missing him worse. But hope glimmered beneath the ache.

  Oh, Lord, please let this be the beginning to healing my mother’s mind. I’ve slacked off praying for her lately, but please let her come back to me.

  Momma’s face took on a far-off look. “How long has Hiram been gone now?”

  Considering she’d just mentioned he’d approved of August, maybe she shouldn’t be specific. She tried to talk against her tight throat. “A long time.”

  Momma nodded, then held out her left hand. She turned the ring on her finger until the little diamond chip was on top. “I wish he was here to give you away.”

  “Yes.” She grabbed her mother’s hand and squeezed. “But I’m so glad you are here to give me away.”

  Walking arm in arm, they returned to the house, where the smell of baking sugar made Charlie’s stomach rumble.

  The kitchen was a jumble with dirty dishes, pretty pastries, and ladies overflowing with good-natured laughter. Harrison’s student, Lydia, was wiping flour from her cheek when she looked at Charlie as if she needed to talk. She’d worked all morning with a smile that hadn’t quite reached her eyes.

  Charlie gave her mother’s cheek a kiss before she shooed her away to rip up more burlap. She crossed over to Lydia. “Thank you for helping us get ready for our big day, but are you ready for yours?”

  The young lady nodded, but she didn’t look as excited to graduate tomorrow as she should have. “You two are going to be very busy with commencement, a wedding, and a dance all in one day.”

  “And happy.” Charlie waited for the girl to say whatever was making her fidget. But maybe she needed some prodding.
“Do you need something, Lydia?”

  She swallowed and shook her head as she absentmindedly kept wiping her hands on her towel. “Mama’s too sick to come to commencement. Papa, of course, doesn’t care enough to come see me since he figures I should be doing something to help with the medical bills rather than reading books and his—” She cut herself off. “Well, I need a ride out here, because neither Jane nor Beatrice can bring me since they won’t have room with their families.”

  Charlie put a comforting hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “We’ll bring you out.”

  “Oh no, you two don’t need to be carting me around on your wedding day!”

  “You’re Harrison’s prized pupil and a good friend to me lately. We want you here.”

  Lydia’s eyes shimmered. “I’m not his prized pupil—that’d be Beatrice.”

  “No, I’m sure his pride in your work makes you the top student. Though you’re struggling at home, you work harder than the rest. I don’t hear him say ‘You should read what Beatrice wrote.’ It’s your work he shares with me.”

  “Mr. Gray is too kind.” She swallowed, and her smile wavered. “I’m glad you’ve found your Prince Charming, Charlie. You’re a lucky woman.” She ducked her head. “I got to get back to the frosting.”

  The footsteps behind Charlie were quickly followed by the familiar weight of a hand on her shoulder that immediately set to work out the knots in her muscles.

  “We ready for tomorrow?” Harrison’s rumbly voice made her smile.

  “Almost.” She nodded toward Lydia. “She needs a ride.”

  “We can bring her out.”

  “That’s what I said. Surely someone can take her back to town.” She sighed. “I’m worried for her.”

  “Because of her family?”

  “That, and I’m pretty certain she’s infatuated with you. Going to be tough for her to see you get married.”

  He laughed. “She’s more infatuated with my library than me, but considering I only have about four or five more books for her to borrow, her infatuation will soon be over.”

  “You underestimate your book-worthy hero qualities.” She grabbed his hands and turned to face him. “To start with, you’re rather handsome.”