Not the Marrying Kind (9 page)

“Yes, I can. Here, put these on.” Lucille
pulled out a blue gingham dress and an armload of fluffy white
petticoats. She tossed them across the bedroom to Kat. “Do you have
any hair ribbons? What about a hand fan?”

“A hand fan?” She caught the petticoats and
dress with a groan. “Hell’s bells! If I have to learn to be a lady,
can’t we just start with simple things, please? Like how to walk?
How to sit down?”

Lucille’s delicately powdered cheeks turned
scarlet. “Your language is shameful, Kat! That’s the first thing
we’ll need to work on, I suppose. You have to learn to control your
tongue. Why, if Reverend Kendrick ever heard you speak so crudely,
I suspect he’d pick you right up, turn you over his knee, and give
you a well-deserved whipping.”

The thought of Virgil Kendrick laying his
hands on her sent Kat reeling through the room. “He wouldn’t dare!
I swear, Lucille, I’d shoot the man if he ever tried to touch me.”
She dropped the petticoats, grabbed her friend by the arms, and
held on tight. “I’d shoot him dead, and then the law would come
arrest me, and they’d lock me away in some stinking jail cell, and
I’d just wither away there, and oh, don’t you see, Lucille? I can’t
marry that awful man. I can’t!”

“There, there, calm down.” Somehow Lucille
managed to disentangle herself. She led Kat toward the bench in
front of the dressing table and pushed her to sit. “Have you prayed
about this?” she asked, her expression earnest.

Kat remembered that moment on the mountain
when she’d lifted her eyes to the hills. She’d asked God for His
help…and He’d given her Joshua Barron. Maybe that, too, had been a
sign.

Or more likely it was nothing but a
fortunate coincidence.

Kat bowed her head. “I think this situation
calls for more than prayers, Lucille.”

Shortly after noon on Friday, Joshua and Kat
stopped alongside the creek. They turned their horses loose to
graze while they sat beneath a willow tree and enjoyed a bite to
eat. In the few days they’d been working together, Joshua had
already gained a healthy dose of respect for Katherine Phillips. He
liked her drive, her determination, her willingness to work hard
for what she wanted.

But she didn’t stand a chance, and he knew
it.

“Kat, what happens if you don’t make good on
that contract?” He’d read the anxious look upon her face. A pretty
young gal shouldn’t have to worry about beef contracts, riding the
range, and rounding up longhorns. He knew she meant to prove a
point, but he wasn’t exactly sure what that point was—or why it was
so important to her. Dirk Phillips had told Joshua only what he
figured the man needed to know. Joshua wanted to know more.

“If I don’t fulfill that contract, trouble
happens, that’s what.” Kat rose, walked a few feet to the creek,
and refilled her canteen. “If the Indians don’t get the beef,
they’re likely to go out and get it on their own. They’ll steal
from the ranchers. And God help anybody who gets in their way.”

“Yeah, I understand that.” Joshua watched as
she stooped down and dipped the canteen into the water. He liked
what he saw. Nice legs. Nice ass. Cody would be right pleased with
her for a wife. Joshua was sure of it. “What I mean,” he said,
forcing himself to look away, “is what happens to you? What’s going
to happen to the Rocking P when…” He bit his tongue. “I mean,
if
you fail?”

She whipped around. “I’m not going to fail,
Mr. Barron.”

So, they were back to that, were they? Her
formality made him slightly uncomfortable, but he chose not to
force the issue. He’d give her a little more time, let her get to
know him better.

“What would happen if your father sold the
ranch? I get the feeling you wouldn’t be too happy about that.”

Kat slung the canteen strap over her
shoulder and sauntered back toward him. “Are you some sort of mind
reader?” she asked, as she sat down in the grass again. She drew
her knees up and hugged them toward her chest.

“It doesn’t take a mind reader to see when a
gal’s unhappy. I only hope that distressed look on your face isn’t
because I’ve disappointed you in any way.”

“No, of course not.” She flashed a quick
smile at him. “We seem to work good together, don’t you think?” Her
voice had a breathlessness about it.

He nodded and returned her smile. “Yeah, I
think we do.” He hesitated, then plunged on. “Is it the thought of
losing the ranch that’s got you so knotted up inside?”

“Knotted up,” she repeated. “Yeah, that’s a
good way of putting it. That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling. I
don’t like it.”

Joshua stretched out his leg. It had begun
to throb. “Now that we’re working together, Miss Kat, it might be
helpful for me to know what’s going on. When your father hired me,
I got a feeling something wasn’t quite right. I almost turned down
the job, but—”

“Why didn’t you?” Kat interrupted, pulling a
small, wrapped package from her knapsack. When she opened it, the
aroma of cinnamon and apples filled the air. “Care for a slice of
pie, Mr. Barron?” she asked, taking another package from the
knapsack.

“Don’t mind if I do.” His hand touched hers
as he took the proffered treat. At once he felt a spark, as though
her vibrant energy had shot forth from the tips of her fingers into
his, awakening all of his senses, and filling him with a newfound
vigor.

He shouldn’t be feeling anything from her
touch. Especially he shouldn’t be feeling anything akin to
temptation, not from a woman he meant to turn over to another man,
and not from a woman he’d be working with every day.

Quickly he drew his hand away, unwrapped the
slice of pie, then popped it into his mouth. He closed his eyes,
savoring the light, flaky crust, and the sweet, spicy fruit. It had
to be the lightest, tastiest piece of apple pie this side of
heaven. Damn, but it would be nice to have mouth-watering pie for
dessert instead of the wretched bread pudding Cody made. His
resolve to have her for Cody’s wife increased tenfold. He’d find a
way to convince both her and his eccentric cousin that a marriage
between them would be a damned fine idea. Plus he’d collect on that
little bet he’d made.

“Actually,” Kat said, handing him a biscuit,
“I was surprised my father offered you the job.”

“Because of my bad leg, right?”

“No, not entirely because of that, although
that does puzzle me a bit, too. I was surprised because Pa and I
talked the night before. He refused to even consider letting me try
my hand at running the ranch. Then, when you showed up the next
morning, he suddenly changed his mind.”

“That was a good thing, wasn’t it?” Unsure
what to say and how to act, Joshua trod carefully through the
conversation as though it were a minefield. In so many ways, it
was.

“Yeah, a good thing.” Kat rubbed her
forehead, and Joshua had the distinct impression she was treading
carefully too.

“Did I detect a bit of tension in the air
that morning? Between you and your father?”

“A
lot
of tension,” she corrected.
“Don’t misunderstand. I love my father more than anything in the
world. But I love the Rocking P, too. I don’t want to leave here.
It would break my heart to see him sell this place.”

“But it’s too much for him to handle,” he
gently reminded Kat. “He’s not well.”

“He doesn’t have to handle it! That’s my
responsibility now.”

The resolve in Kat’s voice made Joshua sit
up and take notice. She had no intention of failing, and what’s
more, she expected him to make sure she succeeded. A tall order, to
be sure, even under ideal circumstances. The circumstances
surrounding him and his role as foreman were anything but
ideal.

He pulled a bandana from his pocket and
wiped his brow. The day had suddenly grown warm. Sunlight streamed
through the trees, its golden rays reflected by the cool waters of
the creek.

“There’s a little more to the story, and I
might as well tell you everything.” An unmistakable sadness tinged
Kat’s voice, prompting Joshua to turn away from the creek. “It’s
not just about selling the ranch. Pa’s got it in his head that I
should marry Reverend Kendrick.”

“Who?” Joshua frowned, not liking what he
was hearing. He’d already hand-picked this little filly as Cody’s
bride-to-be. Apparently her father had another idea in mind. But
Dirk Phillips hadn’t mentioned anything about marrying off his
daughter.

“Reverend Virgil Kendrick.” She spat out the
name. “He’s the minister at the church in Sunset.”

“Oh, right. He came to the ranch for dinner
last night.” When Kat had mentioned the minister the previous day,
Joshua hadn’t given it a second thought. Now, he frowned. Virgil
Kendrick could probably find himself a good wife without too much
trouble. Cody, on the other hand, needed all the help he could
get.

“Actually, he didn’t.” Kat’s voice
brightened. “He took sick yesterday afternoon. I know it’s not
right to take pleasure in another’s misfortune, but I was sure
mighty pleased when he sent word to say he couldn’t make it.” She
grinned.

“Maybe the good Lord was looking over you.
Maybe He’s got other plans.”

A bold statement from a man who hadn’t
exactly been on speaking terms with the Lord for several years. But
Joshua had plans of his own. To his mind, the auburn-haired
spitfire in front of him would make a perfect match for a slightly
unconventional woodcarver. Being a bit on the unconventional side
herself, she could handle Cody, put him in his place if need be,
and she’d do a hell of a good job of keeping any man happy.

He licked his lips and fought to control his
body’s natural response to his thoughts. Quickly, he turned his
back to Kat, not wanting her to see how aroused he’d become.

“Heaven helps those who help themselves, you
know,” she said, her features growing serious. “I have to do my
part and make good on that contract. Otherwise wedding bells will
be ringing.”

“Now, hold on a minute,” he said, fighting
for composure. He cast a glance over his shoulder. She still sat on
the hillside, her long legs drawn up to her chest. “Are you telling
me that if we don’t get that herd of cattle delivered on time,
you’ll have to marry some man against your will?”

“Yep. That’s the deal.”

“Why in tarnation would you make a damned
deal like that?” He’d heard a lot of foolhardy things in his
twenty-six years, but he’d never heard anything as stupid as what
Kat Phillips had just told him. She must be as daft as Cody. He
thought again of how well-suited she and his crazy cousin would be,
but unless he figured out how to change the course of events, she’d
be married off to some godly, Bible-toting fellow more likely to
spout scripture than carry on a genuine conversation. Joshua glared
at Kat, waiting for a reply. “Well?” he asked.

“It was the only way Pa would give me a
chance. It was either agree to his terms, or start packing. Like I
said, he’s got it in his head I should marry the reverend, and I’ve
never disobeyed my father.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”

“No, not for me, not really.” She leaned
back, plucked a few blades of grass from the hillside and ran them
slowly through her fingers. “The only way I can avoid marrying
Reverend Kendrick is if I prove I can keep the Rocking P going.
Needless to say, Pa’s expecting me to fail. I suspect he’s already
picked out a wedding date and booked the church.”

“Yeah, reckon so.” Joshua grabbed his hat
and headed toward his bay gelding. “Maybe we’d better get busy.
Sounds like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

For that matter, so did he. Yes, indeed, he
definitely had his work cut out for him.

* * * *

“Interesting day. Interesting day, indeed.”
Joshua unsaddled Bronco and carried the leather tack into the barn.
He nodded to Cody who stood in the yard, knife in hand. Already
running foul of Amanda’s strict orders, the geezer was not only up,
out of bed, and on his feet again, but whittling away at a thick
block of white pine. “You slice yourself up again, and I’ll let you
die,” Joshua warned. “I’m tired, and I’m in no mood to go riding
off to find somebody to stitch you up.”

“I’ll be careful. Guess you been working
pretty hard, huh?” Cody carefully brushed pine shavings away from
his work, lifted the piece up to inspect it, and nodded his
approval. “Always good when a man has something he enjoys
doing.”

Joshua laughed. “You know, that’s about the
longest damned sentence I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.
Why, there’s hope for you yet, Cody.”

“Hope for what? What are you talking
about?”

“About making you civilized. And finding you
a wife.” He grinned.

“You still thinking about that?” Cody
guffawed. “Figured you’d given up that crazy idea by now.”

“What’s crazy about it?”

“Ain’t no woman who’d want a man like
me.”

“Sure there is.”

“And just why in hell would I want a wife
anyway?”

“A good wife can make a man’s life a lot
easier, that’s why.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Cody carefully
put down his knife and leaned against the sturdy rail of the
cabin’s little porch. “To tell the truth, I don’t think I’d want a
woman out here, Joshua. I mean, seriously, women like to clean
things up, you know. They pick up, put things away, and hell, I’d
never find what I was looking for.” He turned and gazed at the
little shack he called home. “A good woman would move in here, tear
through the place, and this cabin would be too damned clean for any
man to live in.”

He had a point, Joshua had to admit. But in
the first place, when everything finally got settled, Cody and Kat
would be living at the ranch. He could keep his blasted cabin and
use it for a workshop. In the second place, relationships involved
what were called offsetting factors. You gave up one thing in
return for something else. You put up with somebody’s faults in
order to gain advantage of their strengths. How to explain such
complicated logic to Cody?