Shotgun Bride [The Quinter Brides Book One]
by Lauri Robinson
Not caring if the whole world knew how he felt, Kid continued, "I love my wife and she loves me. I'd never do anything to jeopardize that."
With pride he squared his shoulders, happy to give credit where credit was due. "And it's because of you that I have her," he held his hand out. "Thank you." Surprised, Turley looked up, then back down at the proffered hand.
Kid moved the hand forward, encouraging the man to take it. Malcolm did and as they shook hands, Kid said, "A wise old woman told me you can't tell a woman often enough that you love her. Maybe that's what Emma Sue wants to hear." Turley furrowed his brows, then a slow smile formed and he nodded. "Maybe you're right." He shook Kid's hand harder and added, "That wise old woman wouldn't happen to be the same one that dropped the rope down the well the other night?"
Kid laughed, remembering how Willamina had tried to break him out the second night he was in the hole. Turley chuckled and gave him a slap on the back. "You're welcome. I'm really glad things worked out for you and Jessie."
A thunder of hoof beats made Kid turn from the Sheriff. Bug pulled on the reins, bringing the horse to a skidding halt.
"Kid! Kid! They let you out!"
Kid ruffled Bug's windblown hair before his little brother had a chance to retrieve the hat that flew off his head as he jumped down from the horse.
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"Yes, they let me out. You can leave the food Jessie sent in your bag." Bug had come to see him everyday, his saddle bags full of food and clothes from Jessie, including her wonderful molasses cookies. He couldn't wait to get home to see her.
He turned to Hinkle and Dickson. "I have to get to the ranch."
Hinkle said, "We'll ride with you, see if we can pick up Buckley's trail."
"Fine, I'll even introduce you to my wife. You can see for yourself she's the prettiest thing on earth." He slapped Hinkle's back. "And she's mine, all mine," Kid said before he turned to walk toward his other brother.
"Skeeter, let me take your horse, you can ride with Bug. I'm anxious to see my beautiful wife."
"Ah, Kid?" Bug said. "Jessie ain't at the ranch." An icy quiver shook his spine, stopping his steps. "What?
Where is she?"
"I don't know." Bug shrugged, shaking his head.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Kid balled his hands. "Who is at the ranch?"
"Just Ted. The rest of the hands are out roundin' up cows. He helped me look for her. We didn't find hide nor hair of her anywhere. Sammy was tied to the front porch," Bug said with a quivering voice.
Kid soared into the saddle and without looking back to see who was on the pounding horses behind him, raced the wind toward the ranch.
* * * *
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by Lauri Robinson
Jessie crouched behind a cluster of sandstone boulders. Two men sat near a small campfire at the bottom of a narrow ravine. For centuries, tributaries of the Arkansas River had trickled through this area of the ranch, cutting out valleys on the great flat land, before drying up or turning course to split through another region of the prairie. The rolling ground made it hard to spot the boys. She hoped they were almost in position, having sent them around the top of the ridge to surround the two men below.
Her thoughts had been right. The man with the black horse was stalking Kid's cattle—her cattle. The nonchalant questions she'd asked Joe hadn't surprised him, not since each morning she'd enquired where the men would be rounding up cattle that day. Today Joe and the ranch hands were finishing up with the herd on the south side, which made her believe the rustlers would be working on the north end, picking on the cows furthest away from the cowboys.
The small group of cows grazing near the men proved her intuition had been correct. Their horses were saddled, and from the looks of the camp, they'd been there a while, but now, having branded the last of the cattle as she watched from the top of the hill, they were about ready to head out. She looked again, hoping to see signals which said the boys were in place. No one had said what the signal would be, Snake just told her to stay behind the rock, said she'd know when they were in place. All three of them were quite mad at her, deep down she knew it was only because they didn't 260
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want her to get hurt. And she wouldn't. She had too much to live for, a lifetime of being Mrs. Kid Quinter. A sharp crack split the air. She peeked over the rock. The men below drew their guns while running toward a small clump of bushes. Another shot went off and dirt near their running feet puffed in the air. One of the men fired back, up the hill on her right. More shots came, so many she couldn't tell if they were coming from the top of the hill or the bottom. Spooked cattle ran in all directions.
The men below dove into the bushes, all the while faint puffs of smoke billowing from the barrels of their guns. Then came a lull, the air grew quiet. She held her breath, hoping beyond hope that none of the boys had been injured. The shots started again, she sighed realizing the boys must have needed to reload.
One of the men started to slip out of the bush. His location hidden from the others, she was most likely the only one to see him. Hefting Ma Quinter's double barrel shotgun from the ground beside her, she groaned. The gun weighed more than a full bucket of water. Praying she'd put the shells in the right direction, she laid the barrel across the rock, held the stock tight to her shoulder and squeezing her lids tight, pulled the trigger.
Noise rocked the air and pain ripped across her chest while her head hit the ground so hard tiny white dots formed before her eyes. Coughing at the smell of gun powder, she tried to pull her body into a sitting position, but the pain in her shoulder made her gasp for air, which increased her coughs. Had she been shot? Would she die before ever seeing Kid 261
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again? Her eyes stung, whether from the thoughts or from the powder, she didn't know.
More gun shots filled the air. Even with the ringing in her ears, she knew these shots were close, almost flying over her head. She twisted, trying to pull her body from the ground, but froze midway. A large, bulky man, one she'd never seen before, leaped forward.
Big hands grabbed her and pulled, tucking her tightly behind the cluster of rocks.
"Stay down! Keep your head down, little lady." His thick arm, pressing her against the sandstone gave her no other option and the gun fire filling the air made talking impossible. Within minutes, the popping of rifles ceased, and the man lessened his hold long enough to slip a hand to her elbow, which he used to help her rise.
Below them men scrambled about. Relief made her shoulders relax when she recognized Russell, Snake, and Hog amongst several others. She raised one hand, rubbing at the pain above her right breast.
"Are you all right?" the big man asked. "From the look of that gun of yours, I bet it kicks harder than a mule." He chuckled, a low deep laugh. "But you got him. Filled his backside full of buckshot," he said as he looked down the hill. Two men, hands and feet tied, hung over a couple of horses; their stomachs filled the saddles as their heads and feet dangled over their mounts. Jessie glanced back to the man.
"Who are you?" Her voice echoed inside her ears. 262
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The man reached out and took her right hand. She flinched as the movement made her shoulder sting again.
"Oops, sorry," he said and slowly pressed her arm against her abdomen. "There, hold it right there, the pain will ease in a few minutes. My name is Sam Wharton. I own a ranch up near Abilene."
Sam Wharton!
The man who'd sent to Europe for a wife.
"W-what are you doing here?"
* * * *
Kid rode into the ranch yard full of horses. Half a dozen strange men mingled about, stopping to stare at his screeching halt. With rocks still bouncing from beneath the horse's feet, he leaped to the ground, then paused, unsure which direction to run.
The back door opened. A ruffled pink skirt dashed out the opening and down the stairs.
"Kid!"
He ran, his feet barely touching the ground. Seconds later his arms caught her as she flew into his chest. Air gushed from his lungs. Kid didn't care; he need didn't air when he had her.
"Jessie, my sweet Jessie."
Her lips, ready and willing, parted below his. With devotion, he consumed them, each and every tiny bit. Moments later, when his mind began to clear, he realized something prevented her body from molding to his. He lifted his head, wanting to rid the interference. 263
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A large, white bandage wrapped around her torso, held one of her arms tight to her bosom.
Startled and concerned he asked, "Jessie, what happened?"
"Oh, I—"
"You need to buy your wife a smaller gun. The one she has pert near killed her."
Kid looked over Jessie's head, to where the stranger's voice had come from.
"Who are you?"
A tall, burly man held out a hand. "I'm Sam Wharton. You probably don't remember me, but when you were little, you and your pa stopped by my place once." Wide-eyed with surprise, Kid said, "Yes, I remember." Sam Wharton glanced over Kid's shoulder.
"Hinkle, the feller you've been after and one of his cohorts is tied up in the barn."
"Buckley?" Kid asked, his hold on Jessie growing tighter.
"Yes, your wife filled his arse with buckshot." Wharton's loud hooting laugh filled the air before he continued, "But that gun of hers bruised up her little shoulder a might in the process."
Kid framed her face, searching the pale blue eyes. Happiness and a hint of guilt flashed at him.
"What gun?" he asked.
"Your mother's," she said, casting her eyes downward. Seconds later, they popped back up and her spine stiffened.
"I had to find the real killer." Tiny fingers ran across his chin. "I can't live without you." 264
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"Nor I without you," Kid admitted, and regardless of the yard full of men, kissed her again.
Someone cleared their throat, forcing Kid to once again halt his obsession for a short time. His eyes met Sam Wharton's.
"What are you doing here?"
"Buckley tried to sell me a herd of young stock. Upon closer inspection, I recognized your brand under the one he'd stamped on them. I've seen your brand quite often, bought a lot of stock you sold to the yards. So, I locked him up in my ice house and sent a man to get the sheriff.
"The rat escaped and stole my prize stallion before the sheriff arrived. Since I had to hunt him down to get my horse back, I told the boys we'd drive your cattle home at the same time. They're down in the gully with the others your wife stopped those gunslingers from stealing." Kid looked down at Jessie. A full smile brightened her face and she nodded. His heart jolted. She was so much more than he ever imagined.
"We heard shots and rode in just as your wife shot Buckley. My boys fired some rounds, giving your brothers and brother-in-law time to scale the hill and captured him and his partner. He's been squalling since they loaded him on his horse.
"He admitted to killing Montgomery, and to sling-shoting rocks at you, hoping you'd find the body and get blamed for the murder. Give him free rein to rustle the rest of your cows. At first your brothers had to make him talk then we couldn't shut the sorry arse up." Wharton let out a small chuckle. 265
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Kid looked around, his gaze landing on all four of his brothers, and Russell, a few feet away. Each stood tall and straight. All of a sudden he saw them in a different light. The group was clearly men not afraid of much, and men he'd welcome on his side anytime. He smiled and nodded to his family.
Wharton reached forward, slapping Kid on the shoulder.
"This is a fine spread you've got, twice the land as I've got. But then again you must have twice the brain as I've got. You were smart enough to find a good, solid country gal to be your wife. The prettiest one I've ever seen." He shook his head. "I sent off to Europe for one. It was a disaster. After listening to her cry herself to sleep every night for two years, I shipped her back."
Jessie gasped, her eyes flashing between the kind rancher and Kid.
Sam Wharton patted her good shoulder. "I'd give everything I own to have the shotgun wielding bride you got." He laughed again. "Quinter, I'd say you are a very smart man."
Kid looked down at her, the light in his eyes made her heart somersault. Jessie welcomed the flip, knowing as long as she lived her heart would forever leap at his nearness. He was her reason for living, the reason her heart beat. His finger, warm and smooth, ran over her cheek bone, sending tingles of delight over the skin it caressed.
"I'd say I'm lucky, Mr. Wharton. I'd say I'm the luckiest man on earth," Kid said, his eyes meeting hers with honesty. 266
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Kissing him with a smile that ran from ear to ear was hard, but she found a way. After all when the luckiest girl on earth was married to the luckiest man on earth, they were bound to be smiling. Always.
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A word about the author...
As a young girl I remember spending warm summer days and long winter nights with Nancy Drew and Laura IngallsWilder. As the years slipped by the books evolved into romance novels by Kathleen Woodiwiss, LaVyrle Spencer and a host of others. In 2000 when my husband said I should write one, I took the challenge, and have loved every moment of the journey. To create characters from once upon a time and lead them through a life that ends in happily ever after is such fun. Of course, you have to torture them a little bit along the way, and just like real-life children you often have to clean up after them. But, just like real children, they are worth it. My husband of more than twenty-five years, and I live in Minnesota, have three grown sons and the most precious gift ever-a granddaughter, Isabelle. I work as the resource development manager for our local United Way program, am a life-long Elvis fan (yes, I've been to Graceland) and love spending Sunday afternoons watching NASCAR with family and friends. My previous published works include magazine articles, children's activities and a contemporary romance novel, "A Message of Love" with PublishAmerica in 2005.