Tame a Wild Bride, a Western Romance (16 page)

“Where’ve you been?
 
I’ve been waiting forever,” she said.

“I can see how long you’ve been waiting.”
 
He picked up the empty whiskey bottle.
 
“I’ve been working.
 
One of us needs to have a real job now and again, so I can buy the good whiskey you like.”

“This stuff was your best?
 
Gracious, what would the rot gut taste like?
 
Fire water as the Indians call it?”

“We don’t get single malt whiskey here in Creede.
 
You got spoiled in San Francisco.
 
Where’s Frank?”

“Frank’s not coming.
 
I left him.
 
He ran out of money. Don’t look at me like that,” she said when his lips turned down at the corners.
 
“It’s not like I was in love with him.
 
And don’t say I’m spoiled.
 
I’m just getting what I deserve after all those years of drudgery I put up with.”

“You came here hoping to snag yourself a rich miner and instead fell in love with a rancher.
 
Oh, poor you.”

She pouted.
 
“That didn’t last long.
 
Before the first brat came, I knew I wasn’t cut out for that life.
 
I deserve the best.
 
As you said, the best isn’t available in Creede.”
 
Even the name of the town left a bad taste in her mouth.
 
“The sooner I get away from here, the better.
 
Now how do we get a hold of that money?”

“I’ve done some thinking about that.
 
Two years I’ve been in this flea bitten town, waiting for this opportunity.
 
Now it’s come and you’re going to help me. You’re going to have to get one of those brats as you like to call them.
 
The boy’s more likely to be alone.
 
The girl is still too young to be going about on her own.
 
But the boy.
 
I’ve been watching.
 
He goes out fishing and exploring by himself.
 
Usually he has a book and finds a quiet spot to read.
 
His favorite spot seems to be the barn.
 
He goes there a lot from what I’ve observed.”

“Books!
 
I’ll never understand what people see in them.
 
Give me the theater any day.”
 
She tossed her hair back over her shoulder.

“You do know most theater plays come from books originally, right?”

“Really?
 
Who cares where they get it as long as it’s up on the stage.
 
I should have been an actress.”
 
She shoved a stray tendril of her bright red hair behind her ear.

“What do you mean should have?”
 

Even in her half drunken state the sarcasm was not lost on her.
 
She laughed.

He went to the small desk across the room from the sofa where she sat and unlocked the bottom drawer.
 

“Oh, you do love me,” she exclaimed, when he pulled the unopened bottle of whiskey out.

“Got nothing to do with that.
 
I wanted to make sure there’d be some for me
 
when I got home.”

She frowned, rose unsteadily and weaved her way across the room.
 
“Pour me a drink, Sammy, and tell me how to kidnap my son.”

*****

The trip to Creede from the ranch was only three hours without the detour to the McKenzie’s.
 
Tom had only those hours to make up for more than a month of learning that he should have been doing.
 
He’d found out more about her at the picnic but not enough.

“So you wanted to get away from the evil sister-in-law?
 
But there must have been easier, less drastic ways.”

“Oh, there were for sure.
 
But I wanted a home and a family of my own.
 
You and Ben and Suzie are my family now.
 
I’ll do anything to keep all of you safe from harm.
 
Those are my bonds to you.
 
I adore the children and I’m getting used to you.”
 
She grinned at him.

He chuckled.
 
Rosie did have a good sense of humor.
 
No wonder the men always smiled whenever she went by.
 

They went directly to Mary’s when they got to town and found her in the kitchen.
 
She did indeed have the bridal suite available.
 
Not too many people wanted to pay the price for it and certainly no one actually boarding with her would pay.
 
It cost five dollars per night to rent.
 
That was all some people made in a month.
 
They sure weren’t going to spend it on a room for one night.
 
But for Tom the price could have been double and it still wouldn’t have been too much.
 
Not to make Rosie happy.
 

“Can we get a cold supper brought up to the room?”

“Ah.
 
I understand.
 
You don’t intend on coming out this evening at all.
 
You sly dog,” smiled Mary.
 
“You finally giving that sweet girl a honeymoon?”

He was sure he blushed, but Mary didn’t seem to notice.
 
“Sure.
 
I’ve got some leftover chicken and biscuits, a little cheese and some sliced apples that should do nicely.
 
Would you like a bottle of champagne?
 
I have a couple for special occasions.
 
They’re three dollars a bottle.”

“You bet.
 
Nothing’s too good.
 
I want to make this special for her.”

“Why Tom, is it possible that you’ve fallen in love with your wife?” Mary said with a wink.

He sobered for a moment.
 
Had he?
 
No, it wasn’t possible.
 
Not love.
 
He just wanted to make things up to Rosie that was all.
 
“I want to make her happy.
 
I’ve put her through a lot since we got married.
 
I need to make it up to her.”

“Take your bag up to the room and I’ll see to everything else.
 
Do you have something to do for a little while?”

“Yeah, Rosie wants to go to Sadie’s and check on an order she made.
 
Some books for the kids I think.
 
Then we’ll be back here and I intend to keep her “entertained” until morning.
 
Tomorrow we might go on a picnic.
 
What do you think?
 
Can you fix us up with food.”

“Of course.
 
It’ll probably be the same thing you’re having tonight.
 
Chicken and biscuits do travel best.”

Tom went out to the foyer where he’d left Rosie.
 
She was looking at all the pictures Mary had hanging.
 
There were some photographs but mostly pen and ink drawings of what she assumed were areas around Creede.
 
Mountains, meadows with flowers, a rolling river.

“Did Mary do these drawings?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’ll have to ask her.
 
They’re beautiful.
 
I haven’t even gotten my drawing materials out of the drawer where I put them.”

“You draw?”

“I dabble.
 
You can’t really call what I do art but I enjoy it.
 
I hadn’t thought about it before but maybe the kids would like to try it.”

“Ben might.
 
I don’t know.
 
Suzie will love it.”
 
Guilt washed over him.
 
She hadn’t had time to do any drawing or reading or anything else she might have enjoyed.
 
He’d been working her to the bone.
 
No more he vowed.
 
Agatha was there and if he needed to hire another girl to help out, he would.
 
“You wait here while I take the bag up to the room.
 
I’ll be right back.”

When he came back down, Tom took Rosie’s arm and they walked down to the mercantile.
 

“Mrs. Harris, there you are,” said Sadie as soon as they entered.
 
“Good to see you, too, Tom.
 
I got in those books you ordered.”

“Now Sadie, you know you’re supposed to call me Rosie.
 
Did you get that other item we discussed?”

Almost afraid to look, she glanced over at Tom, he cocked an eyebrow in question.
 
She shook her head and felt the heat rise and knew she was living up to her name now.

“Sure did,” said Sadie.
 
“Come on back and see it.”

“I’ll be right back,” she said as she followed Sadie to the back room of the store.

“Keep an eye on the front here, would you, Tom?
 
Call me if you need anything,” said Sadie.

“I’ll be fine.
 
You ladies go on.”

The back room of Sadie’s store was like a wonderland for women.
 
This was where she kept her ready-mades.
 
Dresses, chemises, nightgowns, corsets, blouses and skirts.
 
Everything the well dressed rancher’s wife might need.

She opened up a large cedar closet.
 

“This is where I keep my ‘special’ items like the one you’re interested in.
 
Don’t get much call for something like this.”

Sadie pulled the sheerest silk negligee and robe out of the closet.
 
The sheer confection was almost transparent.
 
Rosie had never seen anything like it.
 
It was beautiful white silk with lace edging.
 
She held it up to herself and looked in the mirror.

“I don’t know why someone as pretty as you would need something like this.”

“To make him absolutely crazy, that’s why.”
 
She grinned at Sadie.
 
“Think this will work?”

“Absolutely,” laughed Sadie.

This would do it.
 
There was no way Tom could resist her.
 
Just in case he changed his mind.

“Wrap it up.
 
I’ll take it.”

Sadie smiled.
 
“I can tell having you living here is going to make my life much more interesting.”

“Now don’t be expecting this kind of order very often.
 
Maybe once a year.
 
By the way do you know anyone who sews for hire around here?
 
I need to get some clothes made for the kids and Tom and start getting holiday presents going.
 
I don’t sew except maybe to replace a stray button now and again.
 
Even then it’s an iffy proposition”

“But Rosie, it’s only May.
 
You want to start getting Christmas presents now?”

“Of course.
 
You can never start your Christmas shopping too early.
 
Especially with having to get most of it shipped in or made.
 
That’s another reason I want to find a seamstress.
 
Suzie and Ben are growing out of just about everything.”

“We’ve got some readymade clothes for children that might get you through until you find your seamstress.
 
I think I heard that Maggie Kelly is taking in sewing.
 
Her husband’s a miner.
 
They live up by the mine at Bachelor.”