The Cowboy’s Outlaw Bride

by Cora Seton

  “And beating her up doesn’t give you the right to take it,” Olivia added. “You should have seen her black eye,” she said to Steel.

  Steel’s expression hardened, and when he lifted Devon closer, for the first time Devon’s cockiness faltered. “Hey. Wait a minute—”

  “Black eye, huh?” Steel said. “Like this?”

  He struck Devon with his fist so hard the man flew several feet before hitting the ground. Steel went after him.

  “Hey! Hold up!” Noah called out, rushing to pull him off. It took Liam and Lance as well to stop him from landing more punches. When a siren sounded in the distance, Steel settled down. Devon moaned where he lay.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about the lottery ticket? And the cash?” Noah asked Olivia when things were under control.

  “I couldn’t take a chance that you’d say we needed to let them figure it out in court. Caroline needed something to live on.”

  “Cab would have helped you—”

  “When has a Chance Creek sheriff ever helped a Cooper? Law enforcement isn’t on our side.” She bit her lip and looked away.

  Noah felt her words like a hit below the belt. He’d never truly realized what the world looked like from where Olivia stood. If she didn’t think she could ask for help in even the most extreme circumstances, then how could she ever feel safe—or at peace?

  “How come you didn’t come to me?” Steel growled. “I would have taken care of it.”

  “And landed in jail like Dad? Maybe never made it out?” Olivia shook her head. “I handled it. Caroline’s safe. She’s going to have money to get her through. She’s with people who will help her. I did what needed to be done because I know how to do that.”

  She looked from Noah to Steel. “I’m not made of sugar. I don’t need a man to protect me—” She stopped. Closed her eyes. Noah could almost see her anger slipping away. “But thank you. Both of you. For being there when I did need you.”

  “Just what on God’s green earth is going on around here?”

  Noah straightened as Virginia marched up to them. She looked as mad as a wet hen.

  This wasn’t going to be good.

  “That’s what I want to know. Since when do you fraternize with the enemy on our land?” Jed asked, limping toward them, leaning heavily on his cane. He looked tired, and Noah wondered if the day had gotten to him. His uncle shouldn’t be spending hours in the sun like this.

  “We’re saving the library,” he said. “That’s the whole point, right?”

  “Coopers don’t have any business with the library,” Jed said. “Doubt they can even read.”

  “My girlfriend reads, don’t you, Olivia?” Noah put his arm around her shoulder.

  Jed’s eyes widened, but it was Virginia who spoke.

  “Girlfriend? What’s he talking about?” she demanded of Olivia. “Coopers don’t date Turners.”

  Jed rounded on her. “They did once upon a time.”

  “No need to cast that in my face. I’ve done my penance,” Virginia snapped back.

  “You didn’t think it was such a hardship back when I used to kiss you good-night. Could hardly peel you off me.” Jed limped nearer.

  “I never kissed you!”

  “Liar! You wore my ring for months. Would have married me if—”

  “If you weren’t a reprobate and a dissembler and an all-around hooligan,” Virginia cut him off. “You had me fooled for a time, Jed Turner, but I found out what you were about.” She turned on Olivia. “You mark my words: this one will break your heart, too. Turners are Turners, and nothing can change that.”

  “You don’t know anything about it,” Jed told her. “Because you can never shut your mouth long enough to listen to someone else.”

  “That’s because I don’t want to hear what you have to say. You had your chance, and you lost it.” Virginia humphed and marched away. “Olivia, Steel, Lance, come!”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Olivia said. “I need to talk to Cab, and I don’t want to go home. I want to help save the library.”

  “I’ll make sure Virginia gets home. You got this, Turner?” Steel asked Noah, gesturing to Devon.

  “Yeah, I got this,” Noah said. “Go on.”

  “I’m staying, too.” Lance shrugged when Steel frowned at him. “Want to see the bands later.” But he glanced at Maya, who was hovering nearby.

  Steel nodded. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  A small crowd had formed to watch the fun. “All right, everyone, show’s over,” Stella called out, “But another one is about to start on the stage. Everyone ready for some dancing?” Maya joined her in urging people toward the music, and moments later the crowd had dispersed.

  “You sure you want to stay?” Noah asked Olivia, grateful to his sisters for diffusing the situation.

  “I’m sure,” she said. “I’m not letting Virginia call the shots.”

  “Good.” Noah faced Jed. “I’m not letting anyone else boss me around, either. Olivia’s part of my life now, whether you like it or not.”

  Jed was still watching Virginia walk away. When he turned around, Noah sucked in a breath at the raw pain he saw on his uncle’s face. Jed glanced at Olivia and nodded.

  “If you really love her, don’t let anything stop you.” He limped off without another word.

  “What do you think happened between those two?” Olivia asked sadly.

  “I don’t know. But I don’t want to make whatever mistake they did,” Noah told her. “I want to be with you.”

  “I want to be with you, too.”

  “I’m going to ask you to marry me soon,” he confessed. “You all right with that?”

  “We haven’t even dated yet,” she pointed out.

  “Fine. We’ll date. Starting right now. I’ll buy you lunch.”

  “Sounds good,” she agreed. “After we talk to the sheriff,” she added as the siren wound down and Cab’s cruiser came into view, but when Noah bent to kiss her, she went up on tiptoe to meet him.

  It was nearly two in the morning when they gathered again in the living room at the Flying W. The crowds were gone, Fulsom and his retinue had finally left for the airport, and everything that hadn’t been packed up tonight would be dealt with in the morning.

  “I never dreamed it would all go so well.” Maya flopped back onto the couch. “How much did we raise?”

  “Hold on. I’ve almost added it all up,” Stella said.

  Olivia waited, tucked into an overlarge easy chair next to Noah. Liam sat on the floor, his back to the couch. Steel and Lance prowled around the room looking too uncomfortable to stand still. Jed had gone to bed some time ago—thank goodness, as far as Olivia was concerned. He didn’t like this truce between the families.

  “Whatever it is, it will be a godsend,” Marta said. She’d waited on Olivia’s urging to see the outcome of the day’s sales, although the librarian had pleaded too old to be up so late.

  “We’ll have exact figures in a day or two from our take from the food vendors, but judging from the estimates Camila gave me, and the entry fees we collected, I’d say we earned more than ten thousand dollars,” Stella announced.

  “Well,” Marta said. “That’s something!”

  “That’s not all, though,” Stella said. “Carl Whitfield gave this to me earlier. Said it was something extra to throw in the pot from all the California guests. Olivia, it’s addressed to you. I haven’t opened it.”

  Olivia got up and crossed the room to take the envelope from Stella’s hands. Good old Carl; he could always be counted on to help the town.

  She tore open the envelope and pulled out a check, then swallowed hard when she took in the number of zeroes on it.

  “Oh, my goodness. I—” She passed it quickly back to Stella, who sucked in a breath and then laughed.

  “I think we’ll get the job done with this,” she said.

  “What is it?” Liam demanded.

  “Two hundred thousand dollars,”
Stella pronounced.

  Marta gaped at her and placed a hand over her heart. “Are you pulling my leg?”

  “Uh-uh.” Stella read it again. “Two hundred thousand dollars. I think we’re going to have the spiffiest library around.”

  “I think you’re right,” Marta said. “And Olivia, I think I’m going to be able to offer you that job you wanted.”

  “I can’t believe it,” Maya said. “We’re going to win!”

  Olivia, halfway across the room to hug Marta, stumbled as the truth of Maya’s words crashed over her. With all that money, the Turners would be able to turn the library into something special. Would that be enough to win the Founder’s Prize?

  “Those California people certainly enjoyed themselves,” Marta said, oblivious to the currents running through the room. “Never seen a bunch of grown-ups so pleased by something so simple.”

  “Carl always told me how many hours he worked at a desk back in his Silicon Valley days. Maybe it’s the same for them,” Olivia said, still wrapped up in her thoughts. “Maybe they don’t get to play outside enough.” She’d only gotten glimpses of them through the day. They’d stuck together, but Marta was right; they did seem to have fun.

  “I’ll take ranching any day.” Noah kept his gaze on her, obviously worried about her reaction to Maya’s proclamation. As well he should be. The Turners and Coopers had worked together tonight. That didn’t mean they would in the future, though.

  “Well, I’m going to get these old bones home,” Marta said. “That’s more excitement than I’ve had in a lifetime. Thanks to all of you for saving our library. Chance Creek would have been the poorer without it.”

  Olivia and Noah walked her to the door. When Olivia hugged her on the way out, Marta paused. “I know it isn’t any business of mine, but I want you to know I approve of what’s going on between the two of you. You are not your parents, and what William and Enid did shouldn’t keep you apart, no matter what anyone says.”

  Olivia froze, glancing from Marta to Noah.

  “What William and Enid did?” Noah looked just as lost as she felt.

  “Oh, heavens.” Marta looked away. “What am I thinking? Loose lips…”

  “What do you know, Marta?” Olivia demanded.

  Marta sighed but continued reluctantly. “You know we have a computer system now for book loaning and returns, but it’s only about five years old. Before that we checked out books the old-fashioned way.”

  Olivia remembered. She’d helped sometimes when she was young. The system included folks writing their names on a card held in a sleeve inside the cover of the book, and the librarian stamping both the card and the sleeve with the due date for its return. The patron took the book, and the library kept the card.

  “That meant I saw the titles people checked out. I tried not to snoop, but I couldn’t help but see them, you know.”

  “I know,” Olivia said. She tried to hold her impatience in check.

  “Your mother,” Marta said to Noah, “checked out several books right before she left. One was called The Best Revenge is a Life Well Lived. It was about how to recover after being cheated on. Mary was very angry. I’ll always remember what she said when she caught me reading the title. ‘That’s right—twenty-three years of marriage down the drain. One husband isn’t enough for Enid Cooper. She wants mine, too!’ She marched out of here before I could say a word. I never saw her again.” Marta looked down. “I’m so sorry. I never should have brought it up.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Noah said slowly. Olivia wondered how he could find his voice at all. She couldn’t. Her mother and Noah’s father? That made no sense. “My parents’ marriage was rocky a long, long time.”

  Olivia looked up. “It was?”

  “My parents always argued a lot. Still, it was a big surprise when Mom took off. Always wondered what happened.”

  “But—” She couldn’t see her mother taking up with William. “How long were they carrying on?” She needed to reevaluate everything she knew. Her mother had never breathed a word about William. Hadn’t seemed affected at all when the man died several years ago. Something didn’t add up.

  “Mom took off right around the time your dad went to jail.”

  “So right after Maya spilled the beans—” Olivia stiffened. Hell, had she just said that out loud?

  “Maya? Spilled the beans about what?”

  Olivia opened the door and pushed Marta and Noah out onto the front stoop. She didn’t want anyone else to hear what she had to say; the feud would flare up all over again.

  “You have to swear not to tell a soul,” she said. “Both of you.”

  Marta nodded instantly, Noah more reluctantly.

  “The day I found the marijuana crop on the Ridley property, Maya was with me. Marta, this was years ago—back before my dad went to jail.”

  “I see,” Marta said.

  “I had to get Maya out of there before she saw what it was. I took her back to Thorn Hill, but Lance was hanging around, so I pulled her into our barn. She saw some pelts my dad had drying. She must have realized it was the wrong time of year for that. I’m pretty sure she’s the one who told the sheriff my dad was poaching. Then I told him the location of my dad’s hunting cabin. He’d gone there for a weekend with the guys. They were supposed to be playing cards out there. He’d been doing that pretty regularly.”

  “Funny. My dad kept taking weekends with the guys, too, back then. We had extra chores when he was gone,” Noah said.

  Olivia shook her head. “Well, they weren’t playing cards together,” she quipped. “Sorry, but my dad never had anything good to say about yours. He definitely believed in upholding our side of the Cooper–Turner feud.”

  “Huh.”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “It’s just… well, no one’s supposed to know this.” He went on when Olivia rolled her eyes. She was right; they were all telling secrets. He might as well tell his. “My dad took care of Thorn Hill after your dad went to jail. Paid the bills until he found a tenant, then kept an eye on the place. I found out when he died and the job fell to me.”

  Olivia blinked. “William watched over Thorn Hill? We were told there’d been a caretaker but not who it was. We all thought Dad sold the place. Mom signed away her rights to it, you know.”

  “I didn’t know that.” Noah thought that over. “If she was cheating with my dad, would Dale ask him to take care of the place? That seems mighty… open-minded.”

  “Unless he didn’t know.”

  “I’m sorry to bring up old memories,” Marta said again. She looked every bit her age, and Olivia realized she needed to be in bed.

  “Don’t worry about it. Noah and I would have shared all our stories eventually,” Olivia told her. “Go home and sleep. I can’t wait to start my new job.”

  “Can’t wait to have you there. And to fix up the old place.”

  Marta took her leave. When she was gone, Olivia turned to Noah. “Marta’s a sweetheart, but I think she’s got that story wrong. I just can’t see Mom being with your dad.”

  “Doesn’t seem likely to me, either. Still can’t figure out how Dad ended up taking care of Thorn Hill.”

  “It makes no sense,” she agreed. She thought it over. “It’s all such a mess. I hate that I’m the reason my dad went to jail.”

  “You aren’t the reason.” He drew her near. “He did what he did. You are not to blame in any of this, Olivia. Remember that. You tried to do the right thing. He’s the one who messed up. My dad, too. He should have stayed home more. Tried to see eye to eye with my mom.”

  “If our parents did have an affair, would this be wrong?”

  “Absolutely not.” His arms tightened around her. “Even if they did, I don’t think it could have been more than a short-term thing.”

  “My mom has to be the best actress in the world. I mentioned to her when your dad passed away. She didn’t react at all.”

  “I guess we’ll never know what happene
d.”

  “I could ask her,” Olivia said doubtfully.

  “Why stir up something so far in the past? Dad’s gone. You’ve got your ranch back. Mom’s got a new life. Enid is doing fine, too, isn’t she?”

  “I think so.”

  “Then let’s leave it. That’s what we Turners and Coopers need to learn to do—let the past go, and live in the present. Don’t you think?”

  “I guess so. I don’t want to lose you,” she confessed, pressing her cheek to his chest, hearing his heartbeat in the quiet of the night.

  “You aren’t going to lose me, I promise. Come on, let’s call it a night.”

  “Do you mean—”

  “You and me. Camila’s old cabin.”

  Olivia grinned at him. “You’re on.”

  This time when Noah led Olivia into Camila’s old cabin, he had an armload of bedding and a six-pack of beer, and Olivia’s hands were full of leftovers Camila and Fila had offloaded on them earlier. They made up the bed, then spread out their food picnic-style on it. Noah offered her a beer, and Olivia took it. When they were both sitting cross-legged on the bed, they dug in.

  Noah liked the companionable silence as they took the edge off their hunger.

  “I can’t believe Jed gave us his blessing,” Olivia said finally.

  “Not to mention Steel and Lance,”

  “And Liam, Stella and Maya.” She took a swig of her beer. “Do you think the peace will last?”

  “I hope so.” He paused. “I don’t think we should count on it, though. Not unless Liam and Lance bury the hatchet.”

  “They didn’t fight today,” Olivia pointed out.

  “Not today.”

  “You and Steel seem to be getting along.”

  She was right. Earlier this evening, once the tubing rides were done, he’d gone to see Olivia’s brother by the creek. Working side by side in silence, they’d dug in the creek bed until less water ran into the Turners’ irrigation channel and more flowed onward to fill the one where the Coopers watered their stock.

  They’d faced each other in the dimness, the water rushing around them.