“He came in here a couple of days ago, said he would reimburse you for all your expenses if you return home.”
“Now, look here.” She stared him down. “I’ve travelled more than a hundred miles to get here and I am not leaving until I speak with Mr. Kavanagh.”
“He doesn’t want to see you. He made it quite clear.”
“Not to me, he didn’t. I want to speak to him face to face.”
“It won’t do you no good. He’s made up his mind. He doesn’t want you anymore.”
“I want to hear the words from him.” The way she felt at this moment, she would ram his words down his throat. What kind of man would invite a woman to be his wife, then when she arrives, refuse to see her? A lily-livered, lowdown skunk, that’s who.
She would not marry him now if he were the last man on earth, but as a matter of principle could not let him get away with this kind of behavior. Had he done it before? Tricked other unfortunate women into coming here, only to reject them? What a despicable act. Well, he would not be getting away with it any longer.
“Just tell me where he lives.”
“I can’t do that. Don’t make a fuss or I’ll have to arrest you.”
“Arrest me? Tell Mr. Kavanagh I…I’ll sue him for breach of promise. I’ll… I’ll…”
“Now, Ma’am don’t get overwrought.”
She took several slow, steadying breaths. “I am not overwrought, Sheriff. I would just like to wring his neck.”
“Am I to take that as a threat?”
“No, well, yes, figuratively speaking.”
“Look here, Ma’am.”
She got the distinct impression the man was starting to enjoy their exchange and she didn’t have the time for that kind of nonsense. “All I want from you is directions to his ranch.”
“You won’t get them from me, or anyone else who knows him.”
“How long as he lived here?” she asked, suspicious.
He shrugged. “Came after the war.”
“And he doesn’t know anyone? What do you take me for?”
“There are a lot of new people in town who don’t know him as he doesn’t mix much.”
“So, you really aren’t going to tell me?”
“No.”
“Thanks for nothing.” She stormed out of his office. What an insufferable man. The mercantile would know where Martin Kavanagh lived. Or the bank. She would have to stay here overnight now and catch the stage back to…. No. She could go to Laramie and see if she could find work there. And yes, she would take any money that weasel Kavanagh offered.
“Howdy, Ma’am,” the mercantile man greeted her with a smile.
“Good afternoon. I was wondering if you could give me directions to Martin Kavanagh’s ranch.”
His eyes widened in shock. What was wrong with the men in this town?
“Who’s asking?”
“Um, his bride to be, Briony Ashton.”
“You can’t be her.”
“I am.”
“Look, Miss Ashton, I’m sorry. Martin told me not to give you his address.” He cracked his knuckles and glanced nervously around.
“Why not?” She stood, hands on her hips, and stared him down.
“He doesn’t want to marry you.”
“Well, that’s just too bad. He asked me to marry him and I accepted, and I intend to hold him to it,” she lied. As if she would marry a low-down creature like him now.
“You can’t do that.”
“I can, and I will.”
“If the man doesn’t want to marry you, what’s the point of trying to force him into it?”
She stamped her foot. “It’s the principle of the matter.”
“Look, Miss Ashton, I’m a busy man.” He turned his back on her and started fiddling with items on a shelf.
Her anger was building up to the boiling point. She felt tired, grubby, and humiliated. How on earth had her life come to this pathetic state of affairs? If she had any brains she would go to the hotel, book a room, then plan what was the best thing to do. She could not go back to Hurstbridge.
I can’t let this man get away with it. Treating women like a commodity that he could buy and return on a whim. She decided against hiring a buckboard, instead would dress like a youth and hire a horse from the livery. The school was two miles away from the ranch, she recalled. Find the school and it would be easy to find the man.
With purposeful steps, she headed back to the stage depot. The ‘Gals’ room would be suitable to change in. Keep a cool head and carefully plan your next move, Pa always said, if you want to defeat your enemy.
She smiled sweetly at the stage depot man. “There has been a change of plan. I need to ride out to my betrothed’s ranch. Would it be possible for me to change into something more suitable for riding in?”
“Yeah. I’ve got to go out for a few minutes; that will give you privacy. If you’re ready to leave before I get back, just pull the door shut behind you. There’s no money here, the driver took it to the bank and nothing else is worth stealing.”
“Thank you. Can I still leave my luggage?”
“Sure.” He scurried off.
Pulling down the blind over the front window, she locked the door from the inside and dashed to get her trunk. It took less than five minutes to change out of her female clothes and into male attire. She made sure her hair was hidden under her hat, picked up her father’s Winchester and headed to the livery stable to hire a horse.
I won’t ask him for directions, she decided in case Kavanagh had spoken to him, also. What a dreadful man. Better for her to find out now than after she had married him. What was his sister like? Surely a woman would never condone such shocking behavior.
I will not be intimidated by him. This kind of despicable trickery had to be stopped. What if the intended bride had been some poor, timid little thing? What might happen to someone like that didn’t bear thinking about.
She had bitten back on her anger at the snubs and slurs cast her way in Hurstbridge, more for Dusty and Nellie’s sake than her own, although insidious rumors and downright lies could not easily be defended, not in the position she was in there. Here was different. Her actions would not adversely affect anyone else, except herself. It was her civic duty to hold Martin Kavanagh to account for his unconscionable behavior.
Luck was with her at the livery because the owner was away, and the boy left in charge was easy to convince. Of course, the extra money she bribed him with clinched the deal. The saddle was old, but at least the horse didn’t look like crow bait.
The boy pointed her in the direction of the school before she rode off.
Chapter Six
Briony rode away from Fir Ridge without a backward glance, hunching into her coat against the cold wind. A few days until Christmas and this had to happen.
The countryside was little different from that of home except for the fact that the dark, brooding mountains in the background seemed more tree covered. There did not appear to be ranch houses around here, going by the lack of chimney smoke.
The sounds of gunfire and men hollering broke into her thoughts. What was happening?
The schoolhouse sat in a clearing as if it had popped up out of the trees. Horrified, she watched several horsemen circling it. She kneed her horse forward.
Close up she could see a bearded old man, a couple of younger men and two boys. The language being yelled out at the woman, who was obviously the teacher, was vile.
The men had not seen her, so she raised the Winchester, took aim, and shot the older man’s hat off, while the next shot did the same to one of the young men. Like rabid dogs, they turned on her. As the older man raised his Colt, she shot it out of his hand. Thank goodness her father had taught her to shoot well. ‘Only shoot if you’re in danger,’ he used to say. ‘Violence for the sake of it is wrong. But every woman out west should be capable of defending herself.’
“Get away from the school,” she yelled. “Or the next shot will be r
ight between the eyes.”
“You’ll pay for this, boy,” the older man snarled.
She put a shot above his head, scattering the group, who galloped off.
Briony dismounted and rushed over to the teacher. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, thanks to you. Come inside, I told the children to take cover under the table.”
“Who would want to shoot up a school?”
“The family of two boys I expelled the other day. The Quinns. The whole family is no good.”
As they entered the school room, Briony glanced at the children appearing from under the table, none the worse for their ordeal.
“I could do with a coffee,” the teacher said. “How about you? The children can play outside for a while. I want them to see that it’s safe.” She smiled. “I’m Phyllis….”
“Please, Miss, is it safe?” One of the older girls interrupted the teacher.
“Yes, it is now, I’m sure it was all a misunderstanding.”
“I’m pleased to meet you, Phyllis. I’m….”
“Can we have a piece of candy,” a small boy asked. “Please, Miss, please.”
“Yes, I think you all deserve one for being so brave.” The teacher produced a jar, filled with brightly colored candy, from the side of the blackboard and handed a piece to each child. “I need to use bribery sometimes.” She laughed. “You’re not a boy, are you?”
“No.”
“I thought you were from a distance, close up I can see you’re not.”
Phyllis had a nice smile and was a dark haired, petite woman of similar age to herself, Briony thought.
The child’s interruption had stopped her from catching the teacher’s surname. Not that it mattered, they would never meet again. She sat on the step to watch the children while Phyllis made the coffee.
“Do you take cream?” she called out.
“Yes, thanks, one sugar.”
Phyllis returned with two cups of coffee. “We drink it the same way. I’m glad you arrived on the scene, but what brings you out this way?”
Briony took a sip of coffee, inhaling the aroma and savoring the taste of it.
“There’s a low-down skunk of a man on a ranch out here.”
Phyllis gave an audible gasp. “I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. Lying, deceitful coward.”
“What did he do?” There was the strangest expression on the teacher’s face.
“Do?” Briony tried to keep herself under control. “He lied to me. Brought me here under false pretenses, the low-down skunk. How many times has he done this before” she raged, totally forgetting her vow to remain calm. “It’s criminal and the sheriff has aided and abetted him.”
“How shocking. I certainly think you should have it out with him. Who is this dastardly man?”
“Martin Kavanagh,” she hissed the name out.
The teacher almost choked on a mouthful of coffee. “Sorry, it went down the wrong way.”
“Tricking women into coming out here, then abandoning them. He had the nerve to get the sheriff to warn me off. Can you believe that?”
“No. I hope you aren’t going to resort to violence.”
“Of course not. I thought if I gave him a good talking to, let him know the devastation this kind of action can cause, if he has an ounce of decency he won’t lure some other poor, unfortunate woman here under false pretenses. A mail-order bride. I never would have contemplated such a thing if I wasn’t so desperate.”
“What was the problem?”
The teacher did not know her, they would never meet again, so what was the harm? It might even help.
“I had to leave the town where I lived after scurrilous gossip was spread around by my estranged mother. Pa promised me the ranch where we lived, but she got it because he never left a will. It was dreadful.” Briony shuddered. “It wasn’t as if she didn’t receive a lot of money from the estate. I mean, she was left a wealthy widow. The ranch wasn’t that valuable, but it was home to me.”
Briony blinked back tears. “Pa and I spent a lot of time there and she begrudged me even that. Then she started saying all these terrible things about me. It was humiliating. I could barely walk down the street without having abuse hurled at me.”
“Oh, you poor dear.”
“It was not only me. A kindly couple allowed me to stay with them and they were starting to suffer, as well. I couldn’t let them be hurt because of me. I had to leave. I saw the advertisement in the newspaper from this Martin Kavanagh and decided to write to him. He sounded sincere about wanting a wife. In reality, it was a cruel hoax.”
“Maybe it was a mistake? Perhaps he didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Writing letters pretending to be genuinely looking for a woman? I’ have a good mind to sue him for breach of promise. I won’t, of course, but he doesn’t need to know that. I’d like to let him squirm.”
“You certainly are in a dilemma. What was your name?”
“Briony Ashton. I hope you don’t think I’m crazy. I’m not, just hurt, upset and humiliated. Thank you for listening to me, Phyllis.” Briony finished the coffee. “I should be going if I want to see this Kavanagh man and get back to town before dark. Could you tell me where he lives?”
“His ranch is about three miles down the road. You can’t miss it. You will see the smoke from the road, it’s the only ranch house around here. The name ‘Kavanagh’ is on a sign outside the entrance to the property.”
“Thank you. I don’t like injustice and the man’s behavior bordered on criminal.”
“Thanks for your help today, Briony. I don’t think the family meant me any harm, they just wanted to intimidate me.”
“Why is it that men find the need to stand over us women? I scared them off, so hopefully that will be the end of it for you. It was dreadful that they were prepared to frighten the children, just to get back at you.”
“Thankfully, most of the children here are from ranches, so they’re used to guns and shooting. Still, it was nasty just the same.”
Briony suddenly had a frightening thought. “This Martin Kavanagh. Do you think he’s dangerous?”
“His sister doesn’t think so. She always speaks highly of him.”
“You know her?”
“Yes.”
“She probably hasn’t seen him in his true colors.”
“Maybe not.” The teacher had the strangest expression on her face.
When Briony stared at her, she lowered her eyes. I am imagining things, she thought, that’s what lack of sleep does to you. “I really must go.”
“All right, good luck and thank you. I thought it was a brave act of yours. I’ll round up the class; they’ve run wild for long enough.” Phyllis laughed.
Briony rode off, turning in the saddle to wave as she left the school grounds. She kept a sharp look out for trouble. Always be aware of your surroundings, her father used to say. She had probably made enemies out of these Quinn people, but in all good conscience, she could do nothing else except come to the teacher’s assistance. One battle fought, another to come.
She would give this Martin Kavanagh a good tongue lashing. Maybe that’s what he needed, a woman to stand up to him and let him know she would not be bullied. If he seemed any way decent, explain to him the repercussions of playing a cruel hoax on trusting women. After having lain dormant for weeks because of the situation in Hurstbridge, the fire had returned to her belly. She did not have red hair for nothing.
Chapter Seven
‘Kavanagh Ranch.’ The sign was clear and eye catching. Behind an outcrop of fir trees, she spied a stone chimney with smoke drifting upward, floating on the cold air and then disappearing. A large barn made from split logs was neatly fenced. No sign of life. Cattle and horses grazed on green pastures. From what she could see, the place was well cared for. Martin Kavanagh was obviously a good rancher. There again, maybe he paid someone to do the work.
The ranch house had stone walls for the first four feet or so, the
n it was constructed from split logs. The wide front porch had creeper clad posts holding it up. The garden had a few bushes, mostly bare, having shed their leaves for the winter sleep. A line of horseshoes was nailed above the front door.
Dismounting, she tied the horse to the hitching post and stepped up on to the porch, carrying her Winchester in case of unexpected danger. She was beginning to think facing this man out here alone was not one of her better ideas. Still, the man had to be told of the damage he had wrought.
A woman could have given up a reasonably good life to come here with the expectation of marriage. It was not quite so bad for her, as she had been forced to leave Hurstbridge by vicious lies and innuendo.
She knocked on the door – no answer. After knocking several times, she decided to go around to the back. What if the man was out? It would have been a wasted trip. No, not completely wasted, she had been able to save the schoolteacher and her pupils from a nasty experience.
The back door was closed so she knocked loudly – no answer here, either. The barn or those other outbuildings, maybe? She set off toward the barn. “Anyone there?” she yelled out, peering into the barn. From floor to ceiling one end of the barn was packed with hay, probably grown on the place. Several large, wooden barrels were neatly lined up. What they contained was anyone’s guess as there were no markings.
Sudden hammering nearly had her jumping out of her skin. It came from above her head. Dashing outside, she glanced up. A man knelt on the roof nailing shingles back into place. He had not been visible when she had first walked over here.
“Good afternoon.”
He raised his head. “Who are you? What do you want? If you’re looking for work, sorry I don’t have any.”
“I’m not looking for work. I want to see Martin Kavanagh.”
“That’s me.” There was an irritable edge to his voice. “Okay, just a minute, I’ll climb down. You better make it quick. I’m busy.”
Briony waited with nervous anticipation. He disappeared and seconds later strode around the corner of the barn. He was tall, well built. His hair was almost black, dark stubble covered his jaw and chin. He wore brown work clothes.
An Unwanted Bride for Christmas Page 4