Shane's Bride (Mail Order Brides of Texas #3) (16 page)

She lowered her head and stared at their linked hands.  It would be so easy to believe that everything was going to be okay, but the plain truth was, she was homeless and not many doors would be open to her for the night.  “Shane, rebuilding takes time, lots of time.  I don’t think you thought this all through.  I'll need some place to stay, and although I like Shannon and Addy, they have families of their own.  There's no way Edith would allow me to stay above the mercantile."

"Then, my sweet, we will just do it pioneer style."

Her gaze met his, and she could see the merriment in his eyes.  "Just what are you planning?” She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.  "What exactly do you mean by pioneer style?"

"We have animals to tend, the garden to nurture and a crop of something to put in.  We’ll need to be on the property to be able to do it all.  I have an idea and that's all I'm going to say.  Tell you what.  I'll have Noreen send up some tea for you while I arrange everything."

"You're not going to leave me here all night, are you?"

"Of course not.  I promise to be back well before dark." Shane let go of her hand and then leaned down and gave her a heart-stopping kiss.  Her lips still tingled long after he left the room.  She just hoped he wasn't making any false promises.

****

Shane hurried through the back door of the saloon and up the stairs to room number three.  He opened the door and gave Cecily a great big smile.  His smile faded as he saw the tears in her eyes.  He took a few steps until he stood toe to toe with her and then he wiped away a trailing tear with his thumb.  Framing her face with his hands he kissed her soft lips.  He stared into her eyes for a moment before he pulled her close and wrapped her in his arms.

"Everything's going to be fine, you'll see." He kissed the top of her head and then let her go.  "Come with me." He took her hand and led her out of the saloon.  He tried to pretend the whole town wasn't watching them walking along the wooden walkway hand in hand.  But he could tell by the way Cecily stiffened that she noticed it too.

The air was full of the acrid smell of burned wood, and smoke could still be seen coming from where their house used to be.  Cecily looked up at him her eyes full of questions but he just shrugged.  Finally, as they got closer to the property, she seemed to relax.

"I guess when you said pioneer you really meant pioneer," Cecily commented with a hint of laughter in her voice.

They stood together and stared at the covered wagon and tent set up not too far from the original dwelling.  A fire pit had been dug, and everything she would need to cook over a fire was in a crate next to a big pile of firewood.

"So, what do you think? You sleep in the wagon, and I'll sleep in the tent.  Before you think I’m crazy, it’s safe.  Cinders tracked the last Comanche from the raid and he’d died of his wounds.  And I’ve already received a great number of offers to help get the house rebuilt.  What do you think?" Cecily waited so long to answer his heart skipped a beat and his stomach tightened.  It was the best he could do, and he had hoped it would be good enough for her.  He dropped her hand and put his hands in his pockets.  "Well, I guess that’s it, I'll take you out to Cinders’ place."

Cecily put her hands on her hips and stared at him.  "You most certainly will not be taking me to Cinders’ place.  I can be a pioneer.  As a matter of fact, I bet I can be the best darn pioneer you ever knew.  You do realize I'm only staying because of the cow, and of course the garden."

"Lucky for me I bought that cow." Shane put his hands on her waist, lifted her up, and twirled her around.  His heart filled with joy, and he felt as though they were on the verge of something very special.

Chapter Nine

Shane whistled as he walked down the boardwalk toward his office.  Once he entered, he poured himself a cup coffee, sat in his chair, and put his feet up on the desk.  After a couple of sips, he picked up a stack of wanted posters he'd meant to get to weeks ago.  He laughed at a couple of the posters.  The men on them looked so mean and nasty, and he would bet that wasn’t how they looked at all.  One caught his eye, and he recognized the man as one of the gamblers.  He quickly rifled through a few more posters before he found the other gambler, the one who’d shot him.  He stared at the posters for a while.  They weren’t just gamblers, they were bank robbers.  According to one poster, there were four members in the gang, with one of them being a woman.

He anxiously looked through the rest of the pile for the posters of the other two bank robbers, but there weren’t any.  Shaking his head at the inconvenience, he left the jailhouse and walked down to the telegraph office, where he sent a telegram inquiring about the description of the other two.  The answer came fast and with a sinking heart, he realized the descriptions fit Elliott and Lucy to perfection.  They had to be the other half of the gang.  He blew out a frustrated breath.  How stupid could he have been? He’d welcomed both of them with open arms.  They had acted as though they didn’t know one another.  The town didn't have much of a bank, so what had they been doing in Asherville?

He next went to the saloon and smiled politely at the girls who worked there while he waited for Noreen to come down.  At last, she made a grand entrance and practically squealed in delight that he wanted to see her.  Her frown was equally exaggerated when he told her he needed to ask her some questions.

"We might as well use my office," Noreen said as she batted her eyelashes at him.

Shane followed her down the hall and into an ornate office.  All the pieces of furniture were oversized and finely crafted.  Probably from when John Hardy had owned the saloon.  He sat in the offered chair and watched as she went behind her desk and sat down.

"So tell me why the well-respected sheriff needs to talk to me?"

"Those gamblers, you remember them, don't you?" He waited for her to nod.  "They were actually bank robbers, and since we really don’t have a bank for them to rob, I wonder why they were here in town.  After all, Asherville isn't a very prosperous town.  You don't happen to know anything about them, do you?"

She stared at her hands, fiddling with her fingernails.  Yes, she knew something.

He cocked one eyebrow.  “Hmmm?”

After a moment, Noreen’s shoulders sagged.  “They were here to meet up with the rest of their gang.  They assured me that nobody in Asherville would be hurt, and they paid me to keep my mouth shut.”

“And the rest of the gang were…?”

Noreen waved her hand in the air.  “How would I know? Something about they’d pulled a job and all planned to meet here.  The only other strangers around were your two friends. 
They
seemed to be searching for something.  The man, Elliot, asked a lot of questions.  Listen, sheriff that’s all I know.  Are we done here?”

Shane stood and nodded.  Without another word, he walked out of the saloon.  He’d never had all that much respect for Noreen, but now he had none.  She had knowingly put the town at risk.  She could’ve tipped him off before he got shot, but her greed had gotten in the way.  He groaned aloud.  What a headache.  He could kick himself for giving Lucy and Elliott a place to stay.  How stupid did one man have to be? Lucy’d never loved him.  She was too selfish to love anyone.  They played him all right, pretending not to know each other.  What a fool he’d been, a stupid fool.

He went back to the telegraph office and sent information about Lucy and Elliott off to the Texas Rangers.  Those two would have a hard time finding a place to stay from now on.  With his mission complete, he left the telegraph office.  All he wanted to do was see was Cecily’s smile, hear her voice. 

And enough was enough.  He had something he wanted to ask her.

He strode to their pioneer setup and stopped before Cecily saw him.  He wanted to gaze at her and enjoy her smile.  When she spotted him, her smile grew wider, and she hurried toward him.  When she was within reach, he grabbed her up into his arms and kissed her.  He loved the blush that spread across her face.  As he set her down, he grabbed her hand and led her toward the camp. 

“Sit,” he said, pointing to one of the chairs.  Holding her gaze, he knelt on one knee in front of her.

“What’s all this?” Cecily asked, an expression of bewilderment on her face.

“I’ve a question I want to ask you.  I’ve been staring at you the last few days trying to figure out if you are happy with me or not.  I’ve come to the conclusion that you are, and if I’m right and you are, will you marry me?” His heart beat so fast and loud in his ears.

“The answer is no.  I’m so sorry.” Cecily rose to her feet and ran in the direction of the creek.  His heart dropped, and he thought he might be sick.  He was nothing but a damn fool. 

But fool or not, he needed to talk to her and reassure her that she still had a place to live.

He finally found her under a cottonwood tree with her bare feet dangling in the water.  Any other time he would’ve thought her enchanting, but now he just wanted to salvage their friendship.  He sat down on the grass next to her, took off his shoes, and put his feet into the water as well.

Finally after an interminable silence Shane turned to her.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have proposed to you.  You probably never want to be with a man again, and I should’ve remembered that.  I should’ve remembered how Long Nose tortured you, and I should’ve remembered your nightmares.  I have feelings for you, and I’m not sure what to do with them but I don’t want you to leave.  I want us to have the farm and everything you’ve dreamed of.”

Cecily reached over and put her hand on top of his.  “I don’t know if I can be a proper wife.  I just really don’t know.  Besides I have hideous burn marks.  You deserve a woman who is well respected in the community and untouched.  I have feelings for you too, more than I ever thought I could have for any man but it’s simply not fair to you.” She turned her head toward him and tears poured down her face.  She hiccupped then buried her face in her hands.

“I don’t want somebody else.  I want you, and if you never feel that you can be intimate with me I’ll live with it, I swear I will.  I want to know that every day I’m coming home to you.”

She sat back up and stared out at the creek.  “That’s what you do every day you come home to me.  You’ll lose your job if you marry me.  People don’t approve of me.”

“I don’t care about other people, and I don’t care if they fire me.  I want to be able to lay next to you and hold you in my arms.  You, not some woman others approve of.  Want to reconsider?” He held his breath waiting for her to answer and finally she put her head on his shoulder.

“You’re offering me everything I’ve ever wanted.  You’re right, we should do what’s best for us not what’s best for the Ediths of the world.  I love you with everything inside me.  Sometimes I feel like I’m going to explode holding in my love for you.  I suppose if we take it slow, we’ll eventually have a family of our own.”

Hope quickened in his chest.  “You’re saying yes aren’t you?”

She giggled.  “Oh yes, I’m saying yes.”

Epilogue

It had taken longer than he’d wanted to build a home.  But finally it was finished.  It wasn’t as big as the one that burned, but it didn’t matter.  Cecily was all that mattered.  Her happiness was his happiness.  The last few weeks had been a blur.

With the knowledge he’d provided the Texas Rangers, the law had quickly caught up to Elliot and Lucy.  He supposed he should have felt bad, but he didn’t.  He did, however, continue to kick himself for welcoming them into his house.  Cecily told him it just showed how kind his heart was.  He argued that he was just plain stupid. 

He peered around.  From the front of the house, he could see the town, the canyon, and the wonderful piece of land he and Cecily had nourished and brought to life.  He’d imagined a small garden but the one she planted could feed half the town.  It made her happy, so he helped take care of it.

They built a bigger chicken coop with Poor Boy’s help.  He looked mighty fine in his best clothes.  Shane offered him a home, but Eats had begun construction on a new restaurant, and Poor Boy wanted to stay with him.  He looked rested, and Cecily commented how his nightmares must have stopped.

It was a fine day for a wedding.  Cecily had tried to call it off more than once.  Her nerves about the wedding night had gotten the better of her, and he could tell she wanted to run.  He just held her in his arms and told her not to worry.  Of course he would have loved a family but not everyone got to be parents. 

He smiled when Cinders and Keegan came to shake his hand.  “The big day.  How you holding up?” Cinders asked.

“Better than I thought.  I’m more worried she’ll change her mind.”

Keegan nodded his sympathy.  “Women keep you guessing to the very end.  Looks like the ceremony is going to begin, I’d better find Addy.”

It was quiet, very quiet and he sighed in relief when he caught sight of his beautiful bride.  Shannon had outdone herself by making the dress.  It was perfect.  It made Cecily look like a dream.  He’d never been prouder watching her walk to him.  They would have a happy life together, he just knew it.

Funny how many townspeople became friendly with Cecily when they heard about the engagement.  Even Edith had come around.

Reaching out, he took Cecily’s hand, and they stood in front of the judge, reciting their vows.  He didn’t even wait for the judge to tell him he could kiss the bride.  He took her into his arms, stared into her eyes for a moment, and then gave her a very long, passion-filled kiss.

“I love you heart and soul, Shane,” she murmured against his lips.

“I’d stopped looking for love until you came along.  I love you too, Cecily.”

They turned and smiled at the gathering.  Asherville was certainly growing.  His friends all appeared happy, but he would bet as the happiest man there.

“It’s nice to have so many people to celebrate with, but I’d rather be alone with you,” Cecily said as her face grew red.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really.  I had a long talk with Shannon and Addy.  It’s not supposed to hurt, you know.”

“Is that so?”

“I was thinking we might find out tonight.” Her eyes sparkled, and his love for her knew no bounds. 

“Have I told you I love you Mrs.  O’Connor?”