Keegan's Bride (Mail Order Brides of Texas 2) (3 page)

“You don’t have help?”

“I poured every penny I had into the land and cattle. I should make out well once I drive the cattle to market.

“How do you plan to do that alone?”

“I don’t.” He sat down on one of the wooden chairs. “The ranch next to mine is owned by a friend I once worked for. He gave me a great deal on some cattle, and I look for any strays on my land. My herd is growing. One day this will be a big operation.”

“Judging by the fire in your eyes, I believe you. I don’t know anything about cattle, but I’m willing to learn.”

He grinned and nodded. “That’s all I ask.” He stood and grabbed two plates off a shelf near the table. “I made stew. I thought this was going to be our wedding meal. I usually don’t have time to make a full meal.”

“Thank you, it smells wonderful. Let me help.” She held her breath hoping he’d refuse.

“No, you sit. Everything is ready.” He pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit on it.

“Thank you,” she said. His gaze was so intent her face warmed. “I’m glad Mr. Cookie drove me out here. I really didn’t know what to do when you left.”

Keegan ladled the stew onto a plate, stood and set it in front of her. “I jumped to conclusions. I let my pride get in the way.”

“I understand what it must have looked like.” She expected to feel ill at ease in a strange man’s house, but with Keegan she was comfortable. There was kindness in him. She liked his ambition too. It had been scary accepting his marriage proposal, but she figured anything would be better than William. She shuddered. It had been a close thing and if they’d caught her… There was no thinking about it.

“Are you cold?” Keegan’s big brown eyes surveyed her, and he gave her the opinion he missed little.

“I’m fine. I’m just glad you still want to marry me. I know you didn’t expect another mouth to feed.”

He reached across the table and put his big, strong hand over hers and gave it a slight squeeze. “No worries. I’ll treat her like she was my own. She really looks like an angel sleeping. Her hair all fanned out and her thumb in her mouth are a bit deceiving.”

“Deceiving?” She furrowed her brow.

He gave her a sexy grin. “You have to admit she screams like the very devil himself.” He chuckled. “I’m assuming she’ll grow out of it.”

“All we can do is hope. Maybe a prayer or two would be nice.”

Nodding, he released her hand and went back to eating. “So, tell me about the new sheriff.”

“Shane seems very nice. He was a perfect gentleman, and the only one the whole trip who offered to help with Peg. I had my doubts when he offered to hold her, but it was a magical moment when she smiled at him and stopped shrieking.”

“How long has your husband been dead?”

She immediately bowed her head and stared at her plate not wanting him to see the lies in her eyes. “It’s, well—”

“Adeline, look at me.” He waited until their gazes met. “I know it must be hard to talk about so we’ll just save it for when you’re ready.”

She gave him a brief nod. “Please call me Addy, and later would be better. You’re an understanding man.”

“About most things I guess. I don’t like being made a fool of. That and lies I don’t tolerate well.”

Swallowing hard she glanced at Peg.

“I didn’t mean Peg. Speak of the devil, I mean angel, she’s waking up.”

Addy jumped up and had Peg in her arms in no time. Her little body felt reassuring as she hugged her. “Well hello, little one. You slept a long time.” She looked over her shoulder. “Keegan, can you hand me my bag? I need to change her nappie.”

He stood, grabbed the bag and slowly got near enough to hand her the bag. “Here you go.”

Peg stared at him with her big blue eyes. They widened and she opened her mouth as though she was about to scream.

“Hey, Peg, I’m Keegan. Do you like puppies?”

She stuck a finger in her mouth and nodded. “Puppy.”

“You have a dog? I didn’t see one,” Addy commented as she quickly changed Peg.

“Not yet, but I know where I can get one.”

Peg squirmed out of Addy’s arms and looked under the bed. “Here puppy!” She scurried to the table and crawled under it. “Puppy, where are you?”

Keegan’s jaw dropped and Addy laughed. “Talk of a future dog doesn’t work. She thinks in the here and now. Could you watch her for a minute? I need to use the—well, I’ll be right back.”

Without giving him a chance to answer, she sailed out the door and down the path to the outhouse. Her parents had installed indoor plumbing only a few years ago. It wasn’t the first time she’d used an outhouse. When she was done, she stopped at the hand pump and washed her hands. She opened the door, and there was Keegan with Peg in his hands. He had his arms out straight holding her as far away from his body as possible.

“What’s going on?” Peg wore her mulish I’m going to scream look, and Keegan was clearly out of his element.

“Addy, I want a puppy. Where is the puppy?” Keegan set her down, and she ran to Addy wrapping her arms around her skirt.

“It’s not here yet. Don’t you worry, we’ll get you a puppy.” She reached down and brushed Peg’s hair out of her eyes with her fingers.

“She calls you Addy?”

“I prefer Addy.”

“Why doesn’t she call you ma?”

Swallowing hard, she put on a smile. “My mother insisted Peg call me mother not mama. Peg can’t pronounce mother yet so she calls me Addy. I know, I’m not happy about it either.”

“Well she can call you mama here.”

Peg’s eyes grew wide as she craned her neck, looking at Addy. “Mama.” She smiled.

Addy picked her up and kissed her little face. “I love you, Peg.”

“Me love too.” She hooked her small arms around Addy’s neck and squeezed.

“She’s been through so much.”

“I can imagine.”

“When will we pick up the p-u-p-p-y?”

“What?”

She felt her face grow warm. “I’m sorry. I thought you could spell. I mean the letters you sent were well written.”

Keegan laughed. “I can spell. I’m just not used to having words spelled out to me. We can get it tomorrow after the ceremony. I’ll clean up tonight. You two can take the bed, and I’ll sleep by the fire. We’ll switch things up tomorrow after we’re married unless you have some objections.”

Damn, she had plenty of objections. The most important was when Keegan bedded her he’d know instantly she’d never had a child. “I know my duty as a wife.” She glanced away while she clasped and unclasped her hands. Her mother had told her about her duty, and she’d heard the screams from her sister while she was doing her duty. Keegan mentioned the need for honesty, and everything about her was a lie.

“Addy?”

“No, I have no objections.”

“Is something wrong?” The kindness of his voice made her heart feel heavy with guilt.

“Just a little nervous is all.”

Keegan nodded and pulled the water he’d been heating over the fire off and set it on the table. Next he washed each plate, dried them and put them back on the shelf. She made careful mental notes; it would be her job starting tomorrow.

“Would you two like to meet my horse?”

“I want, I want!” Peg jumped up and down. She ran to Keegan and wrapped herself around his leg.

Laughing Addy held out her hand to the young girl. “Come on, little one. Let’s go outside.”

Peg let go of Keegan and grabbed Addy’s hand and started pulling her toward the door. “C’mon, Addy, outside.”

They all walked together toward the corral. A beautiful buckskin horse eagerly greeted them. He whinnied at Keegan and Keegan grinned back at him.

“Horsey!

Keegan picked Peg up into his arms. “This is Strike. He’s a good horse and a great best friend.”

Peg reached out to grab Strike. “Wait, Peg. You don’t want to scare a horse. Strike, this here is Peg. Peg, this is Strike. He’s fast as lightning so I named him Strike.” He took one of Peg’s hands. “Now let Strike smell you.”

Peg giggled. “Tickles.”

“Yes it does. Now pet his nose.”

Peg dived to grab the horse. “Wait, sweetheart, gentle. Like this.” Keegan stroked the side of Strike’s face. Peg copied him.

Addy’s heart pinged and glowed. She’d never met any man except for Shane who actually took an interest in a little girl. She watched as Peg went from patting Strike’s face to patting Keegan’s. It was a moment she would remember forever, a moment of kindness, gentleness and genuineness. She hadn’t been on the receiving end of much kind-heartedness but Peg had seen nothing but ruthlessness from her father.

“Addy, come meet Strike,” Keegan said as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

She stepped forward until she was right next to Keegan and Peg. “He’s a fine looking horse.”

“He knows it too. I have to watch him when he’s among the lady horses. He’s a flirt.”

She laughed and it felt so good. Putting her hand out, she stroked Strike’s nose. “He’s so soft.”

“He tickles, Addy.” Peg clapped her hands together.

“Do you ride?” Keegan asked.

“I did as a kid but as I grew older my father wouldn’t allow it.”

“Not even using those side saddles?”

“No they weren’t allowed. I wasn’t allowed near the stables either.”

“Well that’s a shame. You’ll need to relearn to ride out here. It’s the only way to get around.”

“I can drive a carriage.”

“Not too many carriages about. I guess I hadn’t thought about how we’re getting to town in the morning. I planned to borrow a wagon while I was in town.”

“We’ll get it figured out. I’m sure I’ll be just fine on a horse.”

Keegan smiled. “I like a positive outlook, Addy. I really do.”

Peg pointed at Strike. “Me ride.”

Keegan pulled her into a hug. “Someday, sweetheart. For now we need to figure out the sleeping arrangements.” He gave Addy a pointed look. “I thought we’d be having a wedding night, but that’ll have to wait.”

Her whole body warmed as she glanced away. She hadn’t thought the whole getting married thing out. He was going to expect a widow not an innocent girl. Lies only lead to more lies, but for Peg’s sake she had to keep her secret. How she’d pull it off, she had no idea.

Chapter Two

The next day, Addy sat on the front steps watching Peg run around. She would spin in circles and fall on the ground laughing. It was hard not to laugh with her. Carefree times were to be cherished. Addy glanced down the road Keegan had taken when he had gone to the neighboring ranch to borrow a wagon. He’d been gone for a few hours. Just how far was the next ranch? Had something happened to him? Maybe they had an outlaw problem. They
had
just hired Shane.

“Mama, come play.” Peg grabbed her hand and pulled with all her might.

She stood and allowed Peg to lead her into the middle of the yard. The next thing she knew Peg was having them hold hands and turn in circles. Dizzy, Addy fell to the ground with Peg landing on top of her. They laughed and laughed until she heard the wagon. She quickly got up, straightened her skirt and felt her hair. It was all over the place. Looking down she saw several hairpins. She picked them up and planted a smile on her face. Keegan wasn’t alone in the wagon.

She swept her hair up as best she could and pinned it into place. “Looks like we have company, Peg.”

“Yeah!” Peg started running toward the wagon.

“Peg, be careful!” Addy took off at a run, her hair pins flying onto the ground behind her.

The wagon stopped, and Keegan jumped down scooping up a running Peg. He lifted her high in the air and kissed her cheek as she squealed in delight. Addy stopped astonished. Keegan was wriggling his way into her heart.

“I have some folks who want to meet you.” He walked to her holding Peg in his arms. The wagon drove near and parked. A tall man with blond hair jumped down and hurried to the other side of the wagon to help down a dark haired woman.

“This is Cinders. He owns the next ranch over. I worked for him for a time. This is his wife Shannon. She’s one of the best women around.”

Cinders touched the brim of his hat and nodded. Shannon smiled, but she seemed uncomfortable. She glanced away and took a step closer to her husband.

“It’s nice to meet you both. I’m Addy and this here is Peg.” She smiled wondering if they disapproved of their marriage. She glanced at Keegan, hoping he’d carry the conversation.

Setting Peg down he took Addy’s hand. “They were kind enough to bring the wagon, and they’re going to be witnesses to our marriage.”

“How nice. Thank you.”

Cinders smiled. “We’ve been waiting for the right woman to scoop him up.”

“You put a smile on his face, Addy,” Shannon said as she finally glanced at her. “That’s all we need to know. I’ve been waiting for such a smile. Keegan is like family to us.” She raised her hand to her cheek and kept it there for a minute while she studied Addy. Cinders put his arm around her and hugged her to his side. Finally she pulled her hand away. A large scar ran down the length of her face.

“I’m hoping as you get to know Peg and me, we’ll be considered family too.”

Shannon’s shoulders relaxed, and she took a step away from her handsome husband. She gazed at Peg with longing in her eyes. “What a beautiful child. She’ll keep you busy, Keegan.”

“I plan to care for her. I don’t want to add to Keegan’s work.”

Shannon laughed. “I meant in a good way. Kids take root in your heart, and I have a feeling Peg will have him wrapped around her finger in no time.”

Addy let out a deep breath. She hadn’t realized just how tense her body was. “She is a little imp.”

“We should get going,” Keegan said as he lifted Peg into the back of the wagon. Next, he helped Addy in. “I’ll be right behind you on Strike. And Addy, I’m glad you’re both here.”

She couldn’t help the glow spreading through her. He’d said he didn’t know any pretty words, but he did. Most likely he didn’t know the truth could be very sweet. The ride was bumpy, and she jostled Peg trying to make sure she didn’t fall out of the wagon. Keegan watched her the whole way, and she could feel the heat of a blush on her face and neck.
Keegan Quinn, Mrs. Keegan Quinn, Addy Quinn, Peg Quinn;
they all sounded wonderful to her.

Butterflies started in her stomach, and anticipation filled her heart. Closing her eyes, she asked God for his help in making their marriage a success. She also prayed for happiness. Soon enough they were at the edge of town. They stopped in front of the mercantile and Cinders set the wagon brake. Keegan dismounted, walked to the end of the wagon bed, and waited to help her and Peg.

Did he hold her for and extra second or was it wishful thinking? His smile was so darned cute and masculine. How had she not have noticed his strong, chiseled chin?

“I’ll wait out here,” Shannon said.

“Nonsense. You’re welcome here now.” Cinders took her hand.

“I know. I just can’t shake a sense of rejection every time I go into the mercantile.”

Addy watched the other women in town as they stared at her. “Keegan, why am I being stared at?”

“Your dress.”

“What’s wrong with my dress? It was made by one of the finest seamstresses in Boston.”

“That’s what’s wrong. Plain and simple, they can’t afford a dress like yours.”

“Oh, well it’s my wedding day.”

“And you look beautiful.”

“Indeed she does,” a rotund man said. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m John Hardy, the owner of the fine establishment next door.”

Keegan stepped between Addy and the man. “We don’t need your kind introducing yourself to my intended.”

John Hardy laughed. “You’re not going to marry this saddle bum are you? Why look at your clothes. You’re used to fine living, not scraping the dry soil for a crumb of food.”

Addy handed Peg to Shannon and stepped in front of Keegan. “Good day, Mr. Hardy. By insulting Keegan you have insulted me, and I don’t take kindly to insults.” She turned on one foot, grabbed Keegan’s arm and led him away from John.

Shannon handed a fussing Peg back to Addy. “Well done. That man is as mean as a snake.”

“He should be in jail,” Keegan added.

“That’s why we now have a new sheriff. We’ll stop by and meet him after the ceremony,” Cinders added.

They entered the mercantile, and Addy was delighted to see a section of the store turned into a beautiful wedding scene. There were flowers in vases set out along with fine cloth draped from the ceiling. “Oh, this is beautiful!”

“Thank you, dear. I’m Edith Mathers. We met briefly yesterday.” She smiled and looked toward the door. “Did Cookie come with you?”

“Good Morning, Edith,” Shannon greeted with a nod of her head.

Edith ignored Shannon and turned to Cinders. “Is everything all right at the ranch?”

Cinders’ shoulders tensed. “Right as rain.”

“Well, Judge Gleason will be here any minute.”

The door opened, and the bell above it jingled. Everyone turned and smiled as Shane walked in.

Edith walked toward the door. “Allow me to introduce the new sheriff—”

“Daddy!” Peg squirmed until she was on the ground. Her little feet went as fast as they could to Shane.

Shane held his arms wide and swept her up into his strong arms. “How’s my Peg?”

They all watched as Peg gave him a big kiss on his cheek, and then laid her head on his shoulder.

“My word!” Edith put her hand to her throat looking stricken.

“Something you want to tell us about?” Cinders whispered, his lips twitching as though he was trying not to laugh.

“Look at Edith’s face. This is turning out to be a fine day,” Shannon said.

Shane walked toward them. “I see you got things straightened out. I heard there was a wedding this morning and I just had to stop in and see if it was you, Addy.”

“Yes, things worked out after all.”

“You must be, Keegan. I’ve heard a lot about you while we were on the stage. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Shane O’Connor.”

Keegan shook his hand. “It was a big misunderstanding yesterday.”

“Understandable.”

“Shane, I’m Cinders and this lovely woman is my wife, Shannon.”

The sheriff tipped his hat to Shannon and shook Cinders’ hand. “It’s great to meet you folks. I was going to ride out to see you Cinders. I wanted to meet the man who hired me.”

“I have a few things we need to go over another time I guess, here comes Gleason.”

Judge Gleason walked in, all smiles. He brushed his white hair off his forehead and nodded in greeting. Addy had never seen such a laid-back judge. The only ones she knew were pompous, to say the least.

“Well this must be the little lady brave enough to marry you, Keegan.” He slapped Keegan on the back. “You my dear are a lucky lady. Keegan here is what we call good folk.” He turned toward Shane. “Now, who do we have here?” He touched Peg on the back of her head.

She raised her head studied him with her blue eyes and tightened her grip around Shane’s neck. “Daddy.”

Judge Gleason cocked and eyebrow and stared at Addy.

The store walls seemed to close in on her. “We met on the stage and for some reason Peg has taken a liking to Shane.”

“Is that right? Interesting, but nice. Shall we begin?”

“Over here where I went to the trouble to make the place look wedding-like,” Edith told him.

He looked around and nodded. “And a fine job you did, Edith. Everyone, let’s get this wedding done.” He waited for Addy and Keegan to stand before him. Addy reached for Peg but she mulishly shook her head and clung to Shane. “Dearly beloved.”

Addy stole a moment to take in just how handsome Keegan was. His light brown hair had streaks of blond running through it, probably from the sun. His tanned face had seen a fair amount of sun itself, and his brown eyes reflected kindness. His broad shoulders and well-muscled arms told of a lifetime of hard work. His tapered waist led the eye to long legs. Overall he was nicely put together.

He stared at her as though he was waiting for her to say something. It dawned on her. “I do.” He had her hand in his, and he placed a ring on her finger. Then the next thing she knew she was getting hugs and kisses from everyone but Keegan. Judge Gleason had never said, “
You may kiss the bride
.”

No one else acted as though something was amiss, not even Keegan. They hardly knew each other, but a simple peck on the lips would have been nice. Perhaps he had asked the judge to leave that part out. It shouldn’t hurt but it did. In fact, she felt gut kicked.

Everyone smiled at her and she smiled back while trying to figure out if she had done something wrong. No, Keegan just didn’t want to kiss her. She finally was able to get Peg back into her arms, and she hid behind caring for her niece.

"Here, you should keep these for the memory.” As Edith handed Addy the flowers, she slanted a wary look at Shannon. Clearly, she held no affection for the other woman. Had something happened to create a hardship between them?

Judge Gleason bade them farewell, and the group gathered on the wooden walkway by the wagon.

“So, you got yourself a woman. Guess you won’t need to keep coming to see Noreen every night. Or maybe you’ll still have a hankering for her.” John Hardy sneered. “Shannon, it’s always a pleasure to see my intended. You know Cinders, one of these days I’m going to have to steal her away from you.”

Cinders took a step forward but Keegan placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, stopping him. “Let’s go home. Just ignore him.”

Cinders nodded, his lips flattened into a grim line. Shannon’s face blanched, and she turned away from the group, staring at the wagon. “It’s fine, Shannon. Let’s get you home.” Cinders helped his wife onto the wagon.

Who the heck was Noreen? Addy raised her brow as she glanced at Keegan. All he did was give her a half smile and shrug. She allowed him to help her into the wagon, but she knew deep inside that Hardy character was telling the truth about Noreen.

Keegan mounted Strike and they were on their way out of town.

****

Keegan struggled to keep an innocent, not–a-care-in-the-world expression on his face. Damn John Hardy and his big fat mouth. He hadn’t seen Noreen since he had sent Addy his marriage proposal. It had been hard to tell Noreen and he still felt bad about it. Noreen had feelings for him he didn’t return. Hardy’d said he had been there every night. Good Lord, what must Addy be thinking? From the frown on her face he could imagine many things she was thinking and not one of them was kind.

It certainly wasn’t the way he wanted his marriage to start out. And poor Shannon; hadn’t she had enough without Edith giving her the cold shoulder and Hardy gloating? Shannon was lucky Cinders had been in town the day she arrived as a mail order bride. When she found out John Hardy owned the saloon, she’d refused to marry him and he’d sliced her face in retaliation. He also spread vicious lies about her, and people still believed Shannon had been a whore before coming to Texas.

People could be plain cruel. Shannon rolled with the punches and grew to love the frontier life. Anyone with eyes could see the love she shared with Cinders. It was their love that had inspired him to send for Addy. Addy…he’d always thought of her as Adeline. Addy was a cute name. He’d hoped for a good-looking woman and he had hit the mother lode. Her blond hair, always falling down out of whatever style she tried looked silky, and he longed to touch it. Her blue eyes sparkled with love whenever she held Peg. Perhaps one day they’d sparkle for him the same way. It would be a day to look forward to.