Spitfire Sweetheart: A Four Weddings and A Kiss Novella (8 page)

“Maizy, I didn’t mean—”

A harsh, furious laugh tore out of her throat. “I’ll stay to get through the sale. I said I would and I’m a woman of my word. But after the sale, I’m leaving. I’m sure I will find many people who will sneer at me, but at least they won’t be people I care about. Here, with you and Pa, it hurts.”

She sweetened her voice to molasses. “So no, thank you. I won’t marry you. And I’d say you’re well enough to tend your own house and feed yourself, even though that’s
women’s
work.” She whirled and stormed out, slamming the back door so hard it shook the house.

She was halfway to the barn when the door behind her banged.

Rylan roared, “Maizy!”

A shout of fear and a dull thud whirled her around. He lay on the ground, struggling, pushing to sit up and try to stand, but he was helpless.

“Maizy, come back. Please.” He was facedown, as if prostrate with grief.

Disgusted but helpless to stay away, she walked back and crouched beside him. “Lie still before you re-break your bones. How am I going to get you back inside?”

He managed to roll over so he could look her in the eyes. “Maizy, I’m sorry.”

Shrugging to cover up how much she hurt, she studied him, all but his eyes. “Just be quiet while I figure out how to get you up.”

Rylan sat up, grabbed her arm, and dragged her forward until she landed on her knees and nearly fell on top of him. “I won’t be still, not when I’ve hurt you so badly.”

Their eyes met.

Maizy ripped herself loose and fell backward onto her seat, then rolled onto her knees and crawled until she could be sure of avoiding his strong hand.

But she’d made the mistake of catching his eyes, and he held her that way. “When that door banged, it was like my life was slamming shut on me. Maizy, don’t go. Don’t leave me. I don’t want you to be anyone but yourself.”

It was a plea she heard all the way to her heart. “You said that before. Or at least I thought you did. When you needed me. But I won’t tie myself to a man who is ashamed of me. Even if you say now that you accept me as I am, how can I trust you to mean it?”

“I do mean it.”

“Right now, I reckon you mean it. But deep inside I suspect you really are ashamed of me.”

“No, I think you’re wonderful. I was trying to make you happy. Your pa has always worked you like a cowhand. I thought giving that up would make you happy. I thought you liked it in the house.”

“Which just means you think I’m wrong to live like I do. And maybe I
am
a shameful woman.”

“You’re not. I’m sorry.”

Maizy ignored him. “I was raised to work hard, to love the land and cattle, and to know how to handle them. I don’t want to change. Truth is, I doubt I can. And I’m not going to. Not for anyone.”

Silence fell between them. Maizy saw Rylan sitting there, helpless. She wanted to help him in every possible way. Help him get into the house. Help him run his cattle. Help any way he needed. A helpmate. She could be that for him, but she’d do it as she was, and if Rylan didn’t accept her, the real her,
then when she was done helping him and he was back on his feet, they were done.

“You’re wonderful, Maizy. You can help me outside all you want. But I’m going to give you a choice. Once I get the Angus sold, I’ll be able to afford to pay some cowpokes good wages. It seemed to me like your pa never gave you much choice. There’s no denying you’re as strong and able as any hired hand, but you won’t have to be. I am not ashamed of you. Just the opposite. I’m so proud of you I could burst.”

Maizy had never heard such sweet talk before and, oh, how she wanted to believe it.

“It like to broke my heart when you walked out. And that pain is a hundred times worse than a broken leg. If you won’t forgive me, then I’ll be left broken inside and out.”

Breathing deep, Maizy knelt there, and as long as she was on her knees, she prayed. Not daring to believe him but wanting to so badly.

Finally, because the indecision was ripping her up, she set it aside. “Let’s try and get you up.”

Rylan got a stubborn mule look, like he was going to demand she accept his apology and his proposal before he agreed to move. Then he looked around and said, “I think I can get up on my own. I’ll boost myself up on the back steps, then I should be able to stand from there.”

Maizy stayed back. “Give it a try. You may not need my help.”

“I will always need you, Maizy, and not just because I need your hard work.” They were looking right at each
other. Her kneeling, him sitting. Then he smiled. “Don’t wander off.”

He was the best-looking man Maizy had ever imagined.

With decent agility he scooted on his backside up the stairs. Then, using his left leg, he did a fair job of getting to his feet.

Once he was standing, he reached out one hand. After a long hesitation, she took it, not at all sure that was wise.

“Maizy . . .” Rylan rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand and frowned at the toes of his boots as if he thought the words he wanted to speak might be written on them.

She waited. It was a fine thing to respect her and want her in his life as she was . . .
if
he did. But he still hadn’t said the one thing that would make her risk everything. And Maizy suspected he never would.

Finally he raised his head, and his eyes blazed with a fire she didn’t understand. “You want to know why I said those things to you the first time I saw you wearing britches?”

She wasn’t sure she did.

“I’d been in the country two weeks. I’d just spent every penny I had and borrowed a bunch I shouldn’t have to make a go of raising Angus cattle. I knew I had years of hard work to prove myself to my pa. One look at you and I wanted to forget all of that.”

“What?” Whatever she’d expected him to say, it hadn’t been this.

“One look at you in those blasted britches and I wanted you more than I wanted my ranch and my cattle and my pa’s
respect. And I’ve been trying to stay away from you ever since. I kept thinking when things were good and I knew I’d made it, then I could think on things like a wife. But then, after I got hurt and it looked like I’d lose everything . . .” He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to get you to go away so when I disgrace myself and lose my ranch, I won’t drag you down with me.”

“Rylan, you’re not going to lose the ranch. We’ll get the cattle ready on time.”

“You mean
you
will. You’re saving me, Maizy.” Rylan reached out and took her other hand. “Maybe not being able to do it on my own should pinch my pride—the good Lord knows I’ve got too much of that. But right now all I can think is, I’ve been a fool not to accept the gift God put right in front of me. And I’ve shown myself to be a fool in about every way a man can.”

Maizy probably should have protested, but there was too much truth in what he was saying. For all his words, though, he still hadn’t said what she needed to hear.

“I should have grabbed you the first time I saw you riding in your pa’s corral, pretty Maizy. I should have known that minute that I’d just met the love of my life.”

And there, he’d just said it.

“That’s what I realized when you slammed that door. Up until then I was acting out of pride and fear and anger, all made worse by pain from my injuries. But when I realized you might be leaving me for good, well, I knew I didn’t want you to stay for dressing a certain way or working a certain way. I want you to stay because I love you. I love the woman who has
worked tirelessly, inside and out, to save my ranch for me, to care for me. But more than that, I want you to stay because I believe you’re the woman God prepared for me, from the moment of my birth. And from this moment on, I’m going to try and be a man who is worthy of you. I’m so sorry for the way I’ve acted, and I think if I stop trying to push you away, a lot of the trouble . . . my . . . behavior . . . my . . .”

“Insulting, rude, obnoxious, low-down—”

Rylan put one hand gently over her mouth. “Yes, all that and more. That’s all because I was trying not to do this.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed the living daylights out of her.

When he finally let her go, Maizy shook her head. She didn’t want to believe it because if she did, she’d have to admit she loved him back. And she’d have to trust that he’d remember his words when she was not behaving as a woman ought.

He tugged her into his arms and kissed her again.

She turned her head aside and Rylan kissed her cheek, her neck, her hair. “Say you’ll marry me. Please say yes.”

What was a woman to do? She wound her arms around his neck and said, “I love you too, Rylan. A man I didn’t care about could never hurt me so badly.”

He silenced her with a kiss. And when he had well and truly driven every thought out of her head, he said, “I’ll try my best to never hurt you again, but I suspect you’ll find me a trial on many occasions.”

“As you will me.”

“I hope, if we can just remember this moment when we
declared our love, we can get through the rough places in our lives. Marry me, Maizy.”

“I’ll marry you. I love you with all my heart.”

The next day when the doc came to see Rylan, he brought Parson Alden, who had known Maizy only from her occasional appearances at Sunday services and the one visit to Rylan’s house. And she’d always worn a dress.

“You’re wearing trousers?”

“Well, Parson, I’ve got chores to do, and Rylan sure as certain can’t do them.” It seemed foolish to bring a change of clothes for an hour-long wedding.

Scowling, the parson said, “I find that mighty disrespectful, Miss MacGregor. Shameful, even.”

Rylan stepped between Parson Alden and Maizy. “She saved this ranch and she will continue to do so until I’m well. She’s given selflessly in the finest kind of Christian service, and she’s done it wearing those britches. I won’t stand by while someone calls that kind of love and generosity shameful. You’d best apologize to her and get on with speaking those vows.”

Feeling her cheeks heat up with pleasure at Rylan’s defense of her, Maizy looked past his shoulder to the parson.

Parson Alden, confused but kind, looked at her, then shook his head. “No, you’re right. I suspect you getting married in britches is exactly the right way to start off your lives together. If it’s all right with you”—he looked nervously between Maizy and Rylan and cleared his throat—“could
you please at least wear a skirt to church? There’s no sense in bringing unneeded judgment on yourself from others.”

Maizy relaxed. Rylan chuckled. “I reckon we can go along with that, Parson.”

A smile broke on the parson’s face and he said, “I’ve got some preacher friends who will enjoy hearing about the little spitfire who got married wearing trousers. Let’s get on with the ceremony.”

Five days after the wedding, the doc cut the cast off Rylan’s leg and gave both of the newlyweds a scolding so Rylan wouldn’t overdo it with work.

When he left, Maizy said, “My ears are still ringing from all his terrible predictions if you don’t take care.”

Rylan pulled her close. “I’ll be careful. I promise. But did you notice all his talk was about work?”

“Well, of course. What else would he talk about?”

Rylan pulled his wife close. He kissed her soundly. As she was clinging to him, he raised his head just enough to say, “The doc didn’t say a word about overdoing a honeymoon.”

Maizy’s eyes grew round. “Why, no, he didn’t.”

They both laughed and began their married life finally, fully, and passionately.

CHAPTER TWELVE

R
YLAN
’
S BLACK
A
NGUS STOOD BELLY-DEEP IN LUSH
grass, fat and contented. Every one of them sold to ranchers who were willing to pay well for the privilege.

For the sale, Maizy wore a dress she’d made for herself. She was a hand at sewing. She’d made clothes for herself and Pa all her life.

After the sale, money wasn’t so tight for Rylan. With a bunkhouse full of hired men, Maizy didn’t have to ride the range except for pleasure, and for a while she and Rylan did a lot of riding. She discovered such a thing as a split skirt so she could ride her horse astride and still not put on britches.