An Unexpected Welcome

by Rita Hestand

  "That was thoughtful of her. Charlie will like that; Freddie is one of his best friends." Lilly smiled. "So Cord McCall, what do you have in mind?" She chuckled.

  "Let's just say you aren't gonna be needing to draw water, go to town or get out of bed for at least three days." He chuckled.

  "I'm anxious for that too!" She cooed. "I want to be with you, Cord. I need to."

  He picked her up and sat her in his lap and kissed her until she couldn't breathe. "Don't be saying things like that to me right now, the bedroom isn't that far away from here, you know."

  He leaned her over one arm and kissed her for long lingering minutes. "I don't know whether I've told you this or not, but dammit…. I love you Lilly!"

  She reached to caress his cheek with her hand, "Do you mean that?"

  He stared into her eyes, "With all my heart. I think I've always loved you, but this is a different feeling from our youth. When you came to see me, that first day I was back, I felt so overwhelmed that you cared enough to be there with me. I loved you then too. This love is hot, passionate and consumes me sometimes. All I could think about as I saw you riding up just now, was how much I wanted and needed to kiss you. I promise you that I'll never let anyone hurt you. I won't share you with anyone but our children. And I'll do my best to make you happy lady."

  "Oh Cord, believe me, I want to go in that bedroom with you right now but…I also want to save myself for our wedding night. I want it to be so special. For both of us. And I’m glad you don't want to share me with anyone, because I feel the same. I'd fight tooth and nail for you if I had to. I love you too Cord. It's always been you…"

  When she reached up and put her lips to his, the air itself seemed to sizzle. He kissed her lips, let his tongue slide inside her mouth to caress hers, and then his lips caressed her face, her nose, her brow, her eyes, her cheeks and her lips again, moving to her earlobe where he blew a soft warm breath, he felt her shiver, and his lips went down her neck and she laid her head back in the crook of his arm, her hair hanging down almost to the floor, as his lips feathered over the top of her bosom. His nose nudged her cleavage and his hand went to cup her breasts.

  "My God, you are so beautiful…You are a lot of woman honey." Her ran his hands through her beautiful red hair and sighed with such contentment. He looked at her pink cheeks and smiled. "There isn't anything about you that isn't beautiful. Did you know that?"

  "You haven't seen it all…" She chuckled.

  "Honey, I don't have to, I know your shape by heart."

  "You're very sexy for a man. Your voice is soft, but a little deep, the way you walk sort like an amble, makes me squirm. And that grin of yours turns me to mush."

  She splayed his shirt open and ran her hand inside, touching, caressing. His chest was hairless and smooth to the touch, she kissed him there and felt the goosebumps on him. It was a heated moment between them and Cord wasn't sure he could put the brakes on. He wasn't at all sure he wanted to. If she didn't get her hand out of his shirt he might have to haul her into the bedroom and start the honeymoon now.

  Just the very idea, sent hot darts to his loins. God, he wanted her. He'd never wanted a woman this much in his life.

  "Why do you always smell so good," He whispered.

  "Because I knew I was coming to see you…" She said softly.

  He brought her closer, "That's the answer I wanted to hear."

  And then his lips touched hers and he cradled her against him. "I don't know if I can stand another week." He rushed to say in a heated frenzy as his lips went slowly around the bust of her dress. The soft pillow of her breasts beckoned him.

  She sighed. "You can, if I can." She admitted.

  "I'm so lucky," He whispered.

  Their eyes met and they stared at each other with such contented smiles. He could hardly wait to make her his.

  "One more week," He whispered in her ear. "It may just kill me."

  She chuckled, "But it will be a delightful death I promise."

  He looked at her, all of her, "I don't know how you've lasted all this time without someone begging to marry you."

  "I had a few offers," She taunted him. "But I don't think they were serious, they were drunk."

  "I'll bet you did, I'm already jealous." He grinned and kissed her again. "Don't tell me who they were, I might have to have a talk with them."

  "I think deep down; I've always loved you Cord. I think I measured every man to you. You'll never know how devastated I was when you left."

  He stared at her now, his hand went to her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "I can tell you this, in the worst of times, it was you there with me, every time. I'd see your sweet face and remember the good times we shared, and the bad. But it was never bad between us, never."

  "No, it never was. I've missed you so…" She sighed against his chest.

  He stared into her eyes, "Well, you'll never miss me again, because I'll never leave you again."

  "Promise?"

  "Promise!" And he sealed it with a red hot kiss that left them both wanting to go into the other room.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  On Friday Cord ambled into the saloon and Lilly joined him at a table. The saloon was half full of stragglers. Lilly had waited on most of them herself and now she sat down with Cord.

  "So have you met him yet."

  "He came by, he's at the hotel, freshening up he said. He should be back soon." She smiled. "He's kind of a dude. And sort of stiff-necked too. Doesn't do small talk much, all business and that’s all right with me."

  "Good. What kind of impression did he make?" Cord asked.

  "He looks like a gambler. Can't be for certain just going by how he dressed. But I don't really care, as long as he has the money. And we can agree on the major points."

  "Is his price in line with what you want?" Cord asked her.

  "Yeah, it is. At this point I want to be rid of this place. I'm actually looking forward to being a wife and mother full time now. And Charlie is almost as excited about it as I am."

  "How soon you want to move out if you sell?"

  "I'd like to get my things out of there before the wedding, so I don't have to worry about this place any longer." Lilly said. "So if we could move our stuff out soon that would be good.

  "Good idea, I'll be here to help you move your things to the house." He winked.

  "I was counting on that," She purred.

  He leaned over and kissed her long and passionately. Even though there were customers in the saloon, no one seemed to mind but a few stared.

  "Sorry," he apologized with a grin. "Had to say hello, proper like." He grinned.

  She chuckled. "I like your hello's. How are things at the ranch?"

  "Everything is going along well."

  "Seen anymore of Jason?"

  "No, I expect he's going to be thinking up something for the future, but I don't expect him to act upon it right away."

  They talked, had a beer, and then a man came in.

  He wore black like a preacher, Cord decided as he studied the man.

  Cord eyed him. He was handsomely dressed in black duds with silver Conchos on his hat and belt. His white shirt and black vest made him look almost dangerous. He wore a mustache, and he had dark piercing eyes. When he took his hat off he displayed a full head of black hair. His manner was stiff and he wasn't a socializer. Cord wondered how he'd get along, or if he'd even be involved in the running of the place.

  "Mr. Sorrels, this is my fiancé." Lilly announced. "Cord McCall."

  "Mr. McCall," The man nodded but gave little regard. Cord wasn't upset, the man was here to do his business with Lilly and he understood it. And as long as that was all he wanted, he could tolerate him.

  He seemed to look about the place, with real interest before saying much. He watched the people closely. He certainly wasn't the friendly type though.

  "My offer stands at twenty-five thousand. It's a nice looking bar, put a few gambling tables in here and the place will rea
lly come alive, unless you got an ordinance that keeps gamblers out of town. I hadn't checked on that before I came."

  Lilly seemed to think on that, "I don't think there is, although, we've never had gambling tables, you know the fancy stuff like roulette wheels and stuff. But you might want to check with the Sheriff on that."

  "I will, to be sure. I've got a gal that will be running the place for me, her name's Rose. I'm not sure when she's arriving, I wanted her out here though looking things over getting familiar with the people. She's very experienced. She'll be here in a few days. Is there any regulations about taking the boys upstairs?"

  "No, I've got some regular girls that work here, are you interested in hiring them?" Lilly asked. "Of course the Sheriff frowns on rolling the customers."

  "Of course. Sure, for the time being. If they work out well, I'll keep them. I'll need a list of suppliers for your liquor, and what inventory you might be leaving. Oh, and does that piano work?"

  Lilly looked at him, "Yes, there's a man here that I'm sure would be willing to work for you if you're interested in his talents. I'm leaving everything here. And when I vacate I'll leave all the information on the bar for you."

  "Good. How about rooms, how many are there?"

  "Well let's see there are four downstairs and three upstairs. Oh and mine and my son's so that's nine rooms."

  "Could one be big enough to turn into private parties for poker?"

  "Sure." She nodded. "We also have a full kitchen, and serve food off and on. Especially in the slower winter months. Lots of miners, cattlemen and just drifters come through here in the winter, looking to warm by the fire or have a meal."

  "What kind of clientele do you have here?" He asked looking about at the handful of drovers and sodbusters.

  "We get a fair crowd on Saturdays, cowmen are regulars ever summer when the herds are moved, kind of slow in the winter though and I close on Sundays. It's an ordinance here in town." She told him. "Can't serve liquor on Sundays."

  "How soon could you vacate?" He asked.

  "We were just talking about that. We're getting married next week, so then." Lilly smiled. "I'll get my personal things out in the next day or two."

  "Congratulations. Alright, if my offer is good enough, then let's conclude this deal right away. It will take me some time to move equipment in and fix it up like I want it. That bar alone is worth it. Nice workmanship."

  "Yes, I agree. Fine, you have the cash with you."

  "Right here," He touched his coat pocket.

  "I have the deed right here," she pointed to the paper on the table.

  "How long you owned this place?" he asked.

  "I've had it about five years." She said. The building itself is about fifteen years old. We've had little break down problems, nothing major to worry about. As you can see we have fans in the ceiling, a good working fireplace, the water pump in the kitchen works, and the only thing I can think of that might need replacing is a few of the lamps."

  He nodded. "Have much riff-raff?"

  She made a face and nodded, "The usual kind, some that can't pay their tab. Some that get too drunk and then the rowdy ones when the cattle drives start up. Nothing unusual. Bart Gibson is an old regular, he never has money until the end of the week, but he's good for the payment. One particular fella, Lou Grimes he comes in on the weekend. He's a loner and he doesn't like being disturbed, he sits over in the corner there and minds his own business, but if he's disturbed he can get rowdy. That's about it except for the cattlemen. You probably already know how they are."

  "Good. Then let's conclude this, if my offer is good enough and I'll start arranging for shipment of a few things to be delivered. Would that be a problem?"

  "Not at all. I'll give you my second key so if I'm not here you can have everything delivered."

  "Fine." He reached for the pen and ink and signed the contract between them.

  Cord was silent during the business arrangement, but the man looked at him as they signed the papers and she took the money.

  "You part of this establishment, sir?"

  "Nope, I have a ranch outside of town. I'm just part of her." He grinned.

  "I can see why." He smiled smugly. "If she wasn't taken, I'd ask her to stay, but on second thought Rose might not like that."

  "You have no worries there. I'm going to be a full time wife and mother."

  "You have a kid?" He asked distractedly.

  "Yes, a son."

  He nodded and folded his hands together. "I always wanted children, just never found a woman who would stay home and take care of them."

  The man took the deed and got to his feet. "Well, I'll visit the Sheriff's office and see if there are any ordinances I need to be aware of, or laws. Want to make him aware that bringing gambling into a town sometimes creates a little ruckus and want him to be prepared."

  Cord responded to that, "Shootouts?"

  "It's possible. When one loses and is ill prepared there can be violence. It's expected to some degree." The man said as though he were talking about statics not people. "But I want no trouble with the law. I run honest tables, and the people will soon recognize that."

  "Well that's good to hear. This place has been a second home to some."

  "As long as they are buying drinks, eating, or gambling they can stay as long as they want." The man told her.

  Cord didn't like him much as a man, he was cold and all business. However, the man seemed to know the ropes when it came to running a saloon, so he kept quiet. He didn't care for tin-horned gamblers, but there was no use bringing that up. This life wasn't going to be part of their lives any longer.

  He had liked how Lilly ran things here, it had a homey atmosphere. People came in to eat as much as drink, and not many caused much problems. But with gambling tables it would change and not for the better. Cord hated to see that happen, but short of not going through with the deal it couldn't be prevented.

  When the man left he looked at Lilly. "People like him make me sorry you had to sell the place."

  "It won't be our worry any more, Cord."

  "I hope not." Cord sighed. "Well, honey, are you ready to be a wife and mother?"

  "More than ready." She kissed him on the cheek.

  His eyes glittered into hers. "Now that it's done, I'm almost sorry we sold it, but…it's the towns problem now.

  "How's the bunkhouse coming?"

  "Almost done, and Liam is as excited as I am. He said he's gonna like working there. I was tickled when he saw how nice the bunkhouse is, and I know he'll be happy out there. Liam and a few others are moving in now. I'm glad he's coming with us. We're building a place for him to set up a blacksmith shop, he loves it. It'll help keep the barn cleaner and allow him some room to work. Pedro agreed hiring him was a good idea because now we won't have to go into town for horseshoes. Liam said he never dreamed life could be so good. I'm proud he feels that way. Like you ran this saloon, and people came just to relax and enjoy company, I'd like to think the ranch is a home for everyone that works there."

  "How about Pedro, is he happy?" Lilly asked.

  "Oh yeah, said he's never had a house that nice and big. And they are expecting another child."

  "Aw…" Lilly's eyes lit up. The place is growing already."

  "All it needs is you and Charlie." He smiled.

  Lilly looked at him with her heart in her eyes, "Thank you for taking Liam on. It means a lot to me that you are that kind of man. But then, that's what I love about you Cord, you think so much of others. You always have."

  Cord stared at her, "Why honey, older folks know a hellova a lot about things. I got a feeling he can teach me a lot. And I'm more than happy that he can be happy there. That's what a real home is, happy. And I gotta admit I'm ready for that myself."

  "I love you!" She leaned and kissed him this time.

  "I thought I'd find you two here," The doc came to their table and sat down without an invite, his sly smile fit his face comfortably.

 
; "Doc, what brings you in this time of day?" Lilly looked surprised as she slowly pulled away from Cord.

  "Just delivered twins to Mrs. Elkins. I need a beer to make me relax." Doc wiped his mouth and tipped his hat back.

  "I'll get you one myself." Lilly got up and brought him a cool beer.

  "That's mighty tasty," He smiled at her.

  "Well, we ought to celebrate," Lilly looked about the place. "I just sold this place."

  "Really! Well, that is something to celebrate. I'm proud for you, Lilly."

  "Thanks doc."

  "Who's gonna be running it?"

  "A Joe Sorrels' from Dallas." Lilly told him.

  "A stranger, huh. Is he gonna change everything?"

  "Oh, he's got big plans for the place, Doc. He's a gambler."

  Doc swallowed his beer and shot her a glance, "A gambler. So this place is gonna be real lively from now on, huh?"

  "Sounds like it. Can you handle that, Doc?" Lilly smiled at him.

  "I don't know. I may have to just come get me a bottle to nip on at home. Gambling brings a lot of hoopla with it."

  He stared at the two of them, "But I’m happy for the two of you."

  "Thanks doc," Cord chuckled. "We want you to come check out my place too, it's coming along now. I'd like to think you'd stop off when you're in the area and have some coffee and keep us up to date on all the town doings."

  "What about old Liam, what's he gonna do?" The doc asked.

  "He's working for me," Cord told him.

  "Is he now, that's great. I was worried about that, glad to know he's still got a place here."

  "So when are you gonna retire, doc?"

  The doc grumbled, "There isn't any other doctors in this town. And unless we get one, I'm not sure I can. I guess when I give out."

  "Maybe you ought to put an ad in the paper for another doctor to come help you?"

  "That'd be good, but what would I pay him? Some of my patience pay in chickens and hogs. I don't make enough money to even think about something like that."