The Cowboy's Stolen Bride

by Cora Seton

  She focused on her sister. “Should we pick somewhere else to go?”

  “No, let’s see what’s going on.” Olivia picked up the pace. Inside, she left Tory standing by the door and weaved through the small crowd waiting for seats to talk to a waitress. “Over here,” she called back to Tory, who threaded her way through the crowd after her and joined Olivia in one of the booths in the back.

  “How’d you score a table so fast?”

  Olivia waved her question off. “It’s a meeting,” she said. “Something about the dialysis wing at the hospital. It’s shutting down, and people are upset.”

  “I wonder if Liam knows about it.” She realized what she’d just said. “I mean—”

  Olivia didn’t seem at all surprised to hear Liam’s name. “He knows about it. He’s running the thing. Figure out what you want to eat. I think once it starts it might be hard to order.”

  Tory bit back the questions that immediately sprang to her mind and focused on the menu, but her thoughts were spinning. Liam was running this meeting? Why hadn’t he said anything? She hadn’t seen him since he dropped her off after their night under the stars and she’d crept into her house like a teenager late for curfew trying not to wake anyone. Not once in his texts since then had he mentioned the dialysis unit. Was this why he was keeping his distance?

  She tried not to feel hurt as she perused the menu. Liam didn’t owe her any explanations for what he did on his own time, and she knew the Turners were still trying to win the Founder’s Prize. That’s why Virginia had been pushing her to win it, too.

  She and Olivia managed to place their order, then settled back to wait and see what would happen next. It was only a minute or two later that the restaurant’s door opened and Liam walked in. He fought his way through the crowd like she and Tory had a little while ago, but when he reached the center of the restaurant, he called out, “Hey, everybody, let’s get this thing started!”

  As he shushed the crowd, Tory turned to Olivia. “How did you know about this?”

  “Heard about it through the grapevine. Apparently Liam couldn’t get the hospital to listen to him about saving the dialysis unit, so he’s starting a revolt. I figured we’d better make sure our side of the family was represented at the meeting.”

  “So the Turners don’t get all the credit?” She was sick of the Founder’s Prize and the way it kept them all pitted against each other, although she supposed they’d been rivals a lot longer than this contest had been going on.

  “We need to make sure both families win, or there will never be any peace between us,” Olivia said.

  Liam was talking again.

  “Thanks for coming out,” he called. A waitress brought him an extra chair, and he climbed up to stand on it. “Hey, everyone, settle down so we can all hear each other.”

  The customers quieted down.

  “As you know, I’m trying to raise money to save Chance Creek’s dialysis unit. A friend of my family has been going there for years, and she just found out she’s going to have to leave her home and move to Bozeman in order to continue treatment. Everyone knows that Chance Creek has had some hard times, but I think we can save the unit—and the hospital, too.”

  There were scattered cheers, but Tory’s mood was getting darker by the minute. Had he been planning this while they made love the other night? Had he simply been distracting her so she didn’t find a way to win the prize herself?

  “Move over,” Enid said, appearing beside her suddenly.

  Tory flinched. She hadn’t seen her mother come in. “What are you doing here?”

  “Heard the Turners were saving the hospital so they could win the Ridley place. Thought I’d better come and make sure we were represented.”

  Tory exchanged a puzzled glance with Olivia. “What do you care about the Ridley property?”

  “I let you down once before. I’m not going to do it again. If the Turners win it, they’ll be able to control the flow of Pittance Creek.”

  “Such as it is,” Olivia put in drily. “How did you figure all that out?”

  “I grew up in this town!” Enid exclaimed. “For heaven’s sake, both of you, don’t pretend I come from Mars. I know Chance Creek—and the Turners—a lot better than you do. You can bet Mary will be all over this competition.”

  “I doubt it—” Olivia said but broke off when Mary herself dropped onto the bench seat next to Olivia.

  “Ha. I figured you’d be here meddling where you don’t belong,” she said to Enid.

  “I figured you’d be here cheering on that marauding son of yours,” Enid shot back. “If Liam thinks he can steal the Ridley property away from my kids, he’s dead wrong.”

  “Dead wrong? Are you going to shoot him?” Mary asked. “I know how you Coopers love your guns.”

  “Look at all this enthusiasm for saving the dialysis unit,” Leslie Falk exclaimed, dropping her oversize handbag on the table and startling all of them. Tory helplessly shoved over even farther on the bench seat when her mother nudged her and made room for the newcomer. “My two best friends competing to see who can help the hospital the most to ensure I don’t have to move to Bozeman! If that isn’t true compassion, I don’t know what is.”

  Both Mary and Enid had the grace to look embarrassed.

  “Of course,” Mary said. “We want to do all we can.”

  “Then maybe you should pipe down and listen to Liam.” Leslie waved over a waitress, who wove her way through the crowded restaurant with more than a little difficulty. “A milkshake, please. With two cherries on top to represent my two good friends.”

  “Before we talk about how to save the dialysis unit,” Liam was saying, “I want to hear from some of the people who work in the unit and in the hospital. Take it away, Jill.”

  He hopped down from the chair and helped a middle-aged woman step up onto it.

  “Hi, all,” she said. “My name is Jill Richards. I’ve worked at Chance Creek General Hospital for nearly twenty years, and I’ve been in the dialysis unit for over ten of those. It’s a crime what’s going on. I work hard to do my job there, and so does everyone else employed in the unit, but if our machines break down and the hospital refuses to fix them, there’s nothing I can do to help my patients. Right now only two of our machines still work.” She paused to let that sink in. “Every day it becomes more difficult to fit everybody in. Can you imagine that? Needing dialysis and having to wait?”

  “Why haven’t the machines been fixed?” Liam asked loudly.

  “Costs too much, apparently,” Jill said with a shrug. “At first the administrators gave us a lot of excuses for why they weren’t being repaired, but after a while it became clear those repairs would never be done. It’ll save money if they can shut down the unit.”

  “What are people supposed to do if there isn’t a dialysis unit in town?” someone shouted from another table.

  “Some people can do home dialysis,” Jill said. “But that’s not the right choice for everyone. If you need to go to a clinic, you’ll have to go to Bozeman.”

  “That’s much too far,” Tory heard a woman at a nearby table say.

  “I’ll say,” Leslie called out.

  “You’re right,” Liam said loudly. “That is much too far. I think Chance Creek deserves a working dialysis unit, but don’t listen to me. Listen to someone who needs it. Mrs. Dailey, you want to come up here and talk to us?”

  “I don’t think I can get on that chair.”

  Tory recognized Mrs. Dailey. She’d taught English at Chance Creek High for years. She had aged but looked relatively spry for an older woman. She came to stand by Liam as Jill got down.

  “My name is Elizabeth Dailey, and I taught English to many of you. I’ve had trouble with my kidneys for quite some time. The dialysis unit is my lifeline.”

  “Mrs. Dailey’s there all the time,” Leslie said knowingly. “When you two save the dialysis unit, you’ll be doing her a big favor,” she told Mary and Enid.

 
“Some of you also probably know Mrs. Dailey from all the volunteering she does in this town,” Jill spoke up. “You’re very active in literacy, aren’t you?”

  Mrs. Dailey nodded. “I’ve taught many adults to read as well as students. I volunteer at the Prairie Garden, too. Watch my grandchildren two days a week, and I play the church organ for the Sunday service.”

  “In other words,” Liam said, “you’re a very active member of our community. What will you do if the dialysis unit shuts down?”

  “I’ll have to move to Bozeman, like you said,” Mrs. Dailey answered. “I’ll miss my friends a lot if I have to do that. I’ll miss my family, too.”

  “Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Leslie said. “I’d sure hate to move away from my family—and my friends, now that they’ve finally come home.”

  Tory was having a hard time keeping a straight face while her mother and Mary squirmed in their seats trying to stem their impatience at Leslie’s lecture.

  “I don’t think that’s right, do you?” Jill said to the crowd at large. “There’s something more Mrs. Dailey hasn’t told you. When she fell ill and began to get treatments, she realized that some people in town couldn’t afford all their medical bills. She donates regularly to our charity fund. She’s a shining example of how Chance Creek takes care of its own, no matter how hard times get.”

  “Not if you’re a Cooper,” Enid said just loud enough for everyone at their table to hear. “Especially if there’s a Turner around to make sure of it.”

  “We Turners do more than our share to help,” Mary said.

  “And hinder,” Enid told her. “And meddle and interfere.”

  Tory felt a pang. Even though her mother was mostly trying to get Mary’s goat, what she was saying was true. The Coopers had always existed just outside that bubble of good feeling, and like the rest of her family, she’d often been cynical about the town’s “community spirit.” She had to admit that her family never used to make much effort to take care of their community.

  That had begun to change. Even if this stupid Founder’s Prize was the motive behind their good deeds, no one could deny that the Coopers could make a difference these days—when they felt like it.

  “We need to save the dialysis unit,” a man called out. “If it goes, who knows what other services the hospital will shut down next.”

  “That’s a good point,” Liam said. “Chance Creek needs a hospital if it’s going to thrive, and I don’t know about you, but I want this town to stick around for a good long time.”

  There was more applause.

  Olivia leaned close to Tory. “How do we make this as much our project as Liam’s?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. He hasn’t said what he’s planning yet,” Tory murmured back. She expected he’d tell everyone soon.

  But Liam seemed to be unsure what to do next. He shook Mrs. Dailey’s hand and spoke to her a moment, helping her to a seat at a table nearby. In the meantime, people began to talk among themselves, the buzz in the restaurant getting louder. She got the same uncomfortable feeling she’d had when she found him in the storage shed with the inspectors.

  Liam had a fundraising idea, didn’t he?

  “Why isn’t he getting to it?” Enid asked loudly.

  “He’s got it under control,” Mary said, but she didn’t look too sure.

  Maybe Liam needed a little prodding. Forgetting she was supposed to be finding a way for her own family to win the Founder’s Prize, Tory called out, “How are we going to raise the money?”

  Mary glared at her. Enid poked an elbow in her ribs. “Don’t help the enemy.”

  “The enemy is saving my dialysis unit,” Leslie reminded her.

  Liam didn’t seem to have heard her, anyway. At least, he wouldn’t let her catch his eye. Olivia, on the other hand, was watching her like a hawk.

  “Say it louder,” she suggested.

  “Whose side are you on?” Enid demanded.

  “We can’t take over the fundraiser until we know what it is,” Olivia told her.

  “I knew it!” Mary slapped the table. “I knew you were trying to undercut my son!”

  “Your son is trying to steal the Ridley property—and Pittance Creek,” Enid said.

  Liam spoke up again. “We need four new machines to get the unit running at full capacity, right, Jill?”

  “That’s right. And we need to make sure the hospital doesn’t cut back the hours of the support staff.” Leslie launched into an explanation of the staff rotation.

  “He still hasn’t said how we’re supposed to do that,” Olivia said in exasperation.

  She was right, and the private conversations in the restaurant were getting louder. Someone had to do something.

  “How are we going to raise the money?” Tory called out. The noise in the restaurant hushed.

  Again, Liam ignored her. “How many hours a week are we talking about?” he asked Jill.

  “Maybe you should go up there,” Olivia urged Tory.

  “If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay right here,” Mary threatened.

  Tory wasn’t sure what she should do. What if Liam rebuffed her in front of everyone? She couldn’t understand why he was avoiding her questions, though, even if he wasn’t thrilled they were coming from her. It was obvious he’d brought everyone together to tell them his plan.

  “Go on,” Olivia urged her.

  “What is wrong with you?” Mary asked her. “You’re a Turner now, or have you forgotten that?”

  A faint blush stole over Olivia’s cheeks. “Our families need to win this thing together, or it’ll rip us all apart. Is that what you really want for Noah and Maya—a feud?”

  “We’ve had a feud for over a hundred years,” Mary said tartly. “Hasn’t hurt us yet.”

  “It’s hurt us plenty,” Olivia snapped. “I think it’s time for it to end. More importantly,” she plowed on over Mary’s protestations, “Liam’s floundering up there. He needs Tory’s help.”

  Tory thought Mary would contradict her, but it was clear Olivia was right. Liam had done a good job getting everyone together, but he was taking far too long to give his audience a plan to follow. She had a feeling she and Olivia weren’t the only ones who were beginning to think he didn’t have one.

  Jill had gone on to explain how things ran when the unit was at full capacity. A couple of people slipped out the restaurant’s door as if they’d lost interest in the proceedings.

  “He’s losing them,” Olivia said. “Get up there and do something, Tory!”

  “How am I supposed to get through this crowd?” Tory watched the waitress fighting her way over again with Leslie’s milkshake.

  “Climb up here.” Olivia patted the bench seat of their booth.

  Tory nodded and stood up. “Good idea.” Here went nothing. Mary reached out as if to restrain her. Enid batted her hand away. Tory hopped up on the seat, took a deep breath and cried, “I’ve got an idea!”

  Liam looked her way for the first time, shot her an almost imploring look and called out, “Jill, tell us more about the—”

  A cowboy across the restaurant shouted, “Pipe down, Turner. I want to hear what the little lady has to say.”

  All eyes in the crowded room turned to her. Tory took a deep breath and thought fast. She needed a really good plan. Trouble was, she didn’t actually have one.

  Below her, Mary was shaking her head. Leslie’s brows were raised as if she couldn’t imagine what would happen next. Olivia looked encouraging. Enid—

  Enid seemed to be having a hard time biting back a smile. Was she just here to rile up Mary?

  “Say something,” Olivia hissed at her.

  “We… we need to raise cash—fast,” Tory said loudly, buying time, her gaze traveling over the assembled crowd, most of whom were in the middle of a meal. They might have come to talk about the dialysis unit, but that didn’t stop them from wanting a tasty snack.

  A tasty snack.

  E
veryone loved food, didn’t they? Tory straightened.

  “Well, what’s your idea?” someone shouted.

  “I still think we should let Jill—” Liam started.

  “A cookout!” Tory cried. “A big cookout for the whole town! We’ll invite local restaurants and organizations to cook their signature dishes, ask other businesses for donations to purchase the food, ask for volunteers to help with setting up, taking down, selling drinks and so on.”

  “I like that,” a woman called out. “It’s easy and something I can bring my family to.”

  “I’d help with something like that,” a man called out.

  “We could have dancing, too,” someone suggested.

  “A bunch of us could make desserts—like a potluck.”

  “Except you have to pay for what you eat,” someone else pointed out.

  “That’s right. Like a big potluck dinner, but you pay to get in and eat,” Tory said. “We’re going to need volunteers to head up several committees.” She looked down at Olivia. “We need paper and pens.”

  “On it!” Mary and Enid said simultaneously, both of them digging in their oversize purses and pulling out notebooks, legal pads and several pens.

  Olivia rolled her eyes but grabbed one of the legal pads from Enid. “I’ll start coming up with committee titles.” She got to work.

  “Everyone, when you’re done with your food, come on over and sign up for at least one committee and think about what you can donate. Every bit will help!” Tory called out. As quickly as Olivia wrote committee names on sheets of paper, Enid and Mary grabbed them. Each of them claimed space at the end of the table, spreading out pages so people could sign up. Several people got right out of their seats and made their way over. Soon there was a line.

  “Set-up crew over here,” Mary shouted.

  “Barbecue tenders over here,” Enid called.

  Only then did Tory catch sight of Liam again. A very frustrated Liam. She dropped down off the bench seat, wanting to duck out of his view. “Liam’s pissed,” she told Olivia.