Cowboy Charm School

by Margaret Brownley

  Cannonball Charlie stuck his hand in the bag. “Where’d you get it?”

  “There’s this candy shop in Haywire. You won’t believe this. They even sell a candy called Tucker Sweets. That’s the green one in your hand.”

  Brett’s heart practically leaped to his throat. Had he heard right? Kate had named a candy after him? He’d once heard her say that only the most special people had a candy named after them. People she loved and didn’t want to forget. That made the words of love on the note seem more real. Oh God…

  Tucker reached into the offered bag and pulled out a piece. He held it closer to the fire and studied the badge in the center that resembled his own. “Who sold you this?” he asked, his voice ragged.

  Happy shrugged. “Don’t know her name. All I can tell you is that she had the reddest hair I ever saw on a dame.”

  Collier nodded in agreement. “And she asked about you.”

  “She…she did?”

  “Yep,” Happy said. “Told us she understood about all the ranger stuff and why it was so important to us men.”

  Brett drew in a sharp breath. “She said that?”

  “She sure enough did,” Happy assured him. “Said she knew you’d understand why she was getting married.”

  Brett stared at him. “She’s getting married.”

  Happy gave him a funny look. “That’s what she said. She’s getting married on Saturday.”

  Brett stiffened. “Saturday?” he asked, his tone sharper than he meant. “This Saturday?” He had been so certain that she and Foster were already wed.

  “That’s what she said.”

  Brett’s mouth went dry. “That’s tomorrow.”

  Happy shrugged. “I guess it is.” His eyebrows arched. “What’s it to you, anyway?”

  Cannonball Charlie held up a Tucker Sweet. “If I was a bettin’ man, I’d say the answer lies with this here candy.” He shifted his gaze to Brett. “Am I right, or am I right?”

  Had he expected an answer, he would have been sorely disappointed. Brett was already running to his horse, Ringo by his side.

  34

  On the day of her wedding, Kate stood in the church anteroom staring in the mirror.

  Connie circled around her like a nervous hen, fluffing out the skirt of her satin gown and straightening the bow on her bustle. Beneath her fingertip veil, Kate wore her hair in a braided twist with wispy tendril bangs.

  She forced herself to breathe. The sick feeling inside was due to her tightly laced corset. Had to be. Please, don’t let it be a sign of cold feet. Or…

  She clamped down on her thoughts. Oh God, not Brett again. She had put him out of her mind. Okay, maybe not entirely. She gave herself an impatient shake. Oh, fudge, what was she thinking? He still had a way of springing into her head when she least expected it. But that had to stop. Brett was gone, and he wasn’t coming back. She’d finally accepted that.

  Gone.

  If only he hadn’t been so anxious to bring her and Frank together, then maybe…

  Gone.

  She gave herself a mental shake. Stop it! Balling her hands at her sides, she hardened her resolve. From this moment on, Brett Tucker would be dead to her. Whatever hold he had on her would have to stop. She planned on devoting her life to being the best wife possible to Frank. He deserved no less.

  Connie finished fiddling with Kate’s gown and stepped back. “You look beautiful,” she said, clasping her hands to her chest.

  Kate heaved the deepest breath her corset allowed and turned with a smile. “You do too.” Her maid of honor’s pink gown gave Connie’s complexion a rosy glow.

  Connie searched Kate’s face, her eyes filled with worry. “Oh, Kate, all I want is for you to be happy. You deserve it. After what happened at your first wedding—”

  “Nothing like that will happen again,” Kate said. “Frank’s a changed man. His jealousy is no longer a problem. So, you see? Everything worked out for the best.”

  Instead of looking relieved or happy for her, Connie’s mouth twisted downward.

  Kate frowned. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, of course,” Connie said, seeming to avoid Kate’s eyes. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “You’re not still upset about Harvey, are you?”

  Connie reached out to adjust Kate’s veil. “Nope, he’s completely out of my mind. I honestly don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

  “Oh, Connie, are you sure?”

  “Yes. Now will you quit worrying?”

  “I can’t help but worry about you.” So, if it wasn’t Harvey on Connie’s mind, it had to be something else. Connie had been acting strangely of late. “You know that even when I’m married, we’ll still be friends. Nothing will change that.”

  This time Connie did meet Kate’s gaze. “I know that.”

  “Then say what’s on your mind. And don’t tell me it’s nothing. I know you too well, and something is definitely bothering you.”

  A shadow of indecision flitted across Connie’s forehead. “We don’t have time for this right now.” She glanced at the door as if willing an usher to knock and say it was time to start down the aisle. “Your wedding…”

  Kate folded her arms across her lace bodice. “I’m not leaving this room till you fess up.”

  “Oh, Kate. Don’t make me do this. I’m afraid we’ll both regret it if I do.”

  Kate frowned. Now she really was worried. “I mean it, Connie. I’m not leaving this room until I know what’s on your mind.”

  Connie lifted her gaze to the ceiling and let out a sigh. “I didn’t want to tell you this…”

  Kate felt a jolt of alarm. “Tell…tell me what?”

  Dark, misty eyes met Kate’s. “I promised Frank I wouldn’t say anything, but you and I have been best friends for a long time…”

  “Go on.”

  “The Texas Ranger—Mr. Tucker—tutored Frank on how to win you back.”

  Surprised to hear Brett’s name, Kate frowned. “What do you mean by ‘tutored’?”

  “I saw them in the Feedbag Café practicing marriage proposals. I later confronted Frank, and he confessed. It was like he was attending some sort of male charm school or something. The flowers, the note, the lame goat, even the purchase of your ring were all Mr. Tucker’s doings. Frank told me that Mr. Tucker even taught him how to hide his jealousy.”

  “Hide his jealousy?”

  Connie nodded. “Whenever he feels jealous, he’s supposed to whistle until the feeling is gone.”

  Kate reared back, momentarily speechless. So that explained Frank’s annoying habit of whistling whenever they were in public. When she finally found her voice, she squeaked out, “Brett did that?”

  He’d made no secret of how much he’d wanted her and Frank back together, but never had she imagined he would go to such lengths. She inhaled. Now it all made sense. The sudden change in Frank had seemed so out of character. So…unreal.

  Her temper snapped. “And you waited until now to tell me this?”

  Connie wrung her hands together. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I promised Frank I wouldn’t say a word. But…I’m just so afraid he hasn’t changed as much as you might think.”

  Kate didn’t know what to say. All this time, she’d thought that Frank was being thoughtful and sweet, but it was really Brett pulling the strings. It had been Brett all along. She had been nothing but a pawn in the game of love.

  A tap sounded at the door, followed by an usher’s voice. “It’s time.”

  It was time, all right. Past time.

  “Here, don’t forget your bouquet,” Connie said.

  Kate glanced at the carefully arranged spray of red roses. Her aunt had gone to such lengths to make sure that every detail of her wedding was perfect. That made what she had to do so much harder.

  Declin
ing to take the posy with a shake of her head, she flung the door open. Hands curled at her sides, she forced a ragged breath and stomped by the usher.

  Connie ran after her. “Kate, wait!”

  She didn’t wait, nor did she slow down. Instead, she stormed outside to the front of the church. Pushing the heavy doors open, she rushed inside. Too angry to think or even care that she was making a scene, she stormed down the aisle to the altar, mindless of the filled pews on either side. The organist picked up speed as if trying to keep up with her.

  Connie’s words still ringing in her head, Kate barreled toward Frank, eyes flashing. Tilting his head with a frown, he looked like he didn’t know whether to run or duck.

  Startled, the minister quickly thumbed through his little black book and cleared his throat.

  Ignoring him, Kate glared daggers at Frank. “‘Losing you is like a world without candy,’” she muttered beneath her breath.

  “Dearly beloved,” Reverend Johnson began in a ponderous, yet hesitant voice.

  “Not now,” Kate said and lowered her voice for Frank’s ears only. “‘A world without sunshine. A world without laughter.’” How foolish of her to think that Frank had suddenly turned into some sort of poet, able to pour his heart out on paper. “I should have known you never wrote those words!”

  Frank gulped and ran a finger along his collar. “Ah, come on, Kate,” he whispered back. “What was I supposed to do? You know I’m lousy at expressing myself.”

  “At least then I knew what you said was honest and true. Using someone else’s words…” She shook her head. “How can I believe anything you say?”

  He grimaced. “Okay, so Tucker helped me. He taught me what to say, what to do, and how to act.”

  “And how to hide your jealousy!” she said, forgetting to keep her voice down. A gasp from one of the wedding guests reminded her they weren’t alone. “Don’t forget that!” she said in a quieter but no less passionate voice.

  “I’m still working on that part,” Frank admitted.

  The minister mopped his forehead with a handkerchief and tried again. “Dearly beloved…”

  “Not now,” Kate and Frank said in unison.

  Frank shook his head. “Ah, gee, Katie. Don’t look at me like that. I can’t help it if I get all tangled up inside if another man looks at you.”

  She snapped her mouth shut. As a child, she’d grabbed hold of him to keep him from falling from the train. In some ways, she’d been holding on to him ever since. Now to save them both from what would surely be a terrible mistake, she had to let him go. It was the only way.

  “I can’t do this, Frank. I can’t marry you.”

  He frowned. “Because I let Tucker help me win you back?”

  “No. It’s because…I agreed to marry a man who doesn’t exist.”

  The problem was, she had liked that man. Liked him more than she’d ever thought possible. That was one of the reasons she had agreed to go through with the wedding. She had honestly and truly thought Frank had changed. Had believed it with all her heart.

  “Tucker’s gone,” he said. “So you don’t have to worry about me doing any more of that dumb stuff.”

  Kate took a step back. “But…but I liked that dumb stuff.”

  Reverend Johnson opened his mouth to say something, but before he had the chance, Frank cut him off. “Not now,” he said, saving her the trouble.

  The minister looked affronted. “I was just going to suggest that we adjourn to my office.”

  Ignoring him, Frank gaped at her. “So…so what you’re saying is you like the flowers that Tucker made me send. You liked them more than you liked my other gifts.”

  “I liked all your gifts,” Kate said, not wanting to hurt him more than necessary.

  “The eggbeater?”

  She nodded. “I use it every day.” She ran her sweaty hands down the satin skirt. This was a nightmare. Here she was, standing at the altar in her wedding gown, discussing a blasted eggbeater.

  “But you liked Tucker’s ideas better.”

  Before she could respond, her aunt bustled up to the altar, wielding her shotgun. “What’s the matter? What’s going on?”

  “Please, Aunt. I need to talk to Frank alone.”

  Aunt Letty scoffed. “Well, you sure chose a funny place to do it. What is so important that it can’t wait till later?”

  “I can’t tell you right now.” She gave her aunt’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “Please, please go to your seat.”

  Her aunt looked about to argue, but instead returned to the front pew.

  Kate turned to Frank. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I…I want you to know I still love you as a friend. I wanted it to be more. There was a time when I thought it was more. But”—she shook her head—“I guess in a way, we’ve both been pretending to be something we’re not.”

  For a long moment, neither of them spoke, and an uneasy buzz of whispers filled the silence.

  Frank heaved a sigh and grimaced as if in pain. “Maybe it’s for the best,” he said, his shoulders slumped. The whispers stopped, and the guests leaned forward, trying to catch his every word. “If…if it’s this hard to get married, I don’t want to think about what lies ahead.”

  She felt terrible. Was it possible to feel any worse? He had tried to change for her and maybe had lost a bit of himself in the process. “I really appreciate how hard you tried, and…I wish it didn’t have to end like this.”

  The initial sadness on his face changed to a look of relief. “I wish it didn’t either. But getting married and all that courting stuff is just”—he gazed at her as if seeing her for the very first time—“it’s just not for me, and I’m glad to be done with it.”

  “So am I,” she said. “I kinda miss the old Frank.”

  “I miss him too,” Frank said. “And I miss the way we were before all that courting stuff got in the way. We used to have fun together. Laugh.”

  “That’s because we were friends,” she said. “Good friends. Maybe that’s all we were ever meant to be.”

  He nodded. “Maybe so,” he said. “Maybe so.” With an apologetic glance at the minister, he turned and walked away.

  Shocked guests swiveled their heads to follow his progress up the aisle. After he’d left the church, the heavy wood door banging shut behind him, all eyes turned to Kate.

  Aunt Letty jumped up from her seat. The shotgun she’d brought to the church to prevent another wedding disaster fell to the floor with a clatter.

  “Kate, you can’t just let him leave like that. Go after him.”

  Kate blinked back tears. “Forget it, Aunt Letty. The wedding is off.”

  35

  “Giddup!”

  Brett raced up the hill, his horse’s hooves pounding the ground like the rapid beat of tom-toms. Birds circled overhead, protesting the intrusion with loud caws. Cows lifted their heads with swishing tails and blank stares.

  He crested the hill, and the church came into view. The carriages parked outside gave him small comfort.

  His body was stiff from riding, and he’d lost valuable time in town changing horses. But Soldier was tired, as was Ringo, and he’d left them both at the stables.

  He’d hoped to catch Kate before she left for the church, but when he reached town, he found businesses already closed so that their owners could attend the wedding.

  At any minute, the church doors could swing open. The thought of Kate and Foster emerging from the church as husband and wife made Brett feel sick.

  Snapping the reins, he urged his mount to go faster. Every step carried him closer to her; every second seemed to carry her farther away.

  This was crazy. Insane. He had no right, no right at all. Still, she had given him that note, and the word love still rang in his heart. Then there was the candy… Why would she go to so much trouble if he
meant nothing to her? Why?

  God forgive him, but he had to know. Did thoughts of him fill her every waking hour like she filled his? Did visions of him rob her of sleep? Did the memory of his lips torment her?

  He toyed with the idea of slipping into the church unseen. He would know at a glance if she was happy or sad. If she was happy, he would leave and never bother her again. But if she was the least bit unhappy, he would know that too.

  Oh God! He’d stopped her wedding once; how could he possibly justify stopping it a second time?

  Reaching the church, he quickly dismounted. But before he could race inside, the door burst open and Kate ran down the steps in her wedding gown.

  Alone.

  She kept running as if she hadn’t seen him.

  “Kate?” he called after her. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

  She whirled about, and her jaw dropped. “Brett? What…what are you doing here?”

  He held his hands shoulder high. “I’m not here to cause you any trouble. It’s just… When I read your note, I knew I had to see you.”

  She frowned. “I wrote that weeks ago.”

  “I know.” He took a big breath. “I couldn’t bring myself to read it till last night, and I’ve been nearly out of my mind ever since. When I heard about the wedding, I had to know if you were happy—”

  “Happy?” she choked out. Before he could explain, something seemed to snap inside her, and she rushed at him with pummeling fists. “Happy? No, I’m not happy. I just found out that this…that everything I believed about Frank was a lie.”

  “Kate, stop!” He caught her by the wrists. “I don’t know what you mean. What’s a lie?”

  “All of it!” She yanked her arms away from him, her eyes flashing. “I know about the flowers…the note…the goat. It was all your idea.”

  His jaw tightened, but he didn’t deny it. How could he? Everything she said was true. “I was only trying to help.”

  “You think that was a help? Making me believe that it all came from Frank? Trying to make me fall in love with a man who doesn’t exist?”