His Tempting Bride (The Brides of Paradise Ranch - Spicy Version Book 5) (7 page)

“I’m thirty-five,” Athos told him. “Married at eighteen, two sets of twins. There’d be more if Natalie hadn’t died trying to birth number nine three years ago.”

Cody reached out to thump and squeeze Athos’s shoulder in support. He was certain Athos missed Natalie something fierce, but with eight kids to raise, plus a job as Haskell’s one and only stationmaster, it was a wonder he had time to breathe, let alone mourn. In fact, Cody couldn’t figure out why Athos was here in the first place.

Or could he?

“All right, children. We’ll begin on the count of three.” Miriam took up a spot in front of the gaggle of children, raising her hands like a conductor. “One, two, three.”

The children burst into a shaky rendition of an old folk tune. Miriam smiled at them as though they were they finest impresarios in Europe. Athos smiled at Miriam as though she was on the menu for lunch. Cody crossed his arms, his good mood vanishing into a sullen frown. And to think, just a few minutes ago he’d been feeling sorry for Athos. Heck, everyone in town knew he needed a new wife to manage his brood, and unattached women were mighty hard to come by.

The song finished, and Miriam clapped. “Beautiful, children, just beautiful. Now, you must practice as much as you can until we meet again tomorrow afternoon. Can you do that for me?”

The children answered with nods and exuberant calls of “Yes!”

“She sure is good with children,” Athos said, rubbing his chin.

“She is,” Cody agreed, turned to Athos, and opened his mouth to warn his friend in no uncertain terms if he so much as looked at Miriam wrong—

“Handsome cowboy.”

A light touch on Cody’s arm and the foreign lilt of one of the twins’ voices spun Cody right out of his thoughts.

“Handsome cowboy,” the other twin repeated and giggled.

Mouth still open to cuss out Athos, Cody turned to the twins. “Excuse me, ma’am, ma’am, but I wouldn’t go around insulting gents by calling them ‘cowboy’ if I were you.”

“No?” the twin on the right said. Miriam had told him their names, but even if he did remember them, he wouldn’t have a clue which one was which.

“‘Cowboy’ implies I’m the wild, reckless sort,” he told them, “which I’m not.” Although, watching Athos step forward to talk to Miriam while he was stuck talking to the twins tempted Cody to be reckless indeed.

The twins continued to giggle. “Handsome cowboy marry Mimi?” the one on the left said.

Whether they hadn’t understood him before or whether they were teasing with the whole ‘cowboy’ nonsense, Cody couldn’t tell. “Who said anything about me marrying her?”

“We talk,” the twin on the right said.

“Yes,” the one on the left agreed. “We talk last night. Miriam was mail-order bride?”

Cody narrowed his eyes. “You were talking about me last night?”

The twins exchanged one of those twin-y looks and giggled. “Miriam likes you, handsome cowboy.”

“She…she does?” Cody blinked fast, his heart rising to his throat.

He twisted toward Miriam just as Athos was saying, “…would love to take you out to supper at The Cattleman Hotel tonight, if you’d be willing.”

“Oh.” Miriam’s brow flew up. She touched one beautiful, long-fingered hand to her chest. “Why…I…” Her eyes flickered past Athos to Cody. Or more likely, Cody’s scowl. Her expression hardened, and her lips pursed. “Why, thank you, Mr. Strong. I’d love to.”

“Handsome cowboy live here long?” The twin on the right yanked Cody’s attention away from the disaster about to take place behind him.

“What? Uh, yeah, a few years.” He tried to turn back to Athos and Miriam.

“Handsome cowboy know any Chinese nearby?” The pleading in the left-hand twin’s voice along with her gentle touch on his arm nearly tore Cody in two.

He gritted his teeth, wanting nothing more than to walk away from the twins and deal with Athos, but his mama had raised him not to be rude to women. “Yeah,” he said, distracted. “I hear tell there’s a few Chinese ranchers in Wyoming. Some settled after the railroad was finished, but not many.”

Again, he tried to step away, especially since Athos and Miriam were finished with whatever business they’d transacted, and Athos was gathering his brood to leave. Miles and Miriam now had their heads together, probably discussing the show.

“Name?” the twin on the right asked, her expression now as desperate and pleading as the other’s. “You know name of Chinese rancher?”

“Liu or Wu or something,” Cody said hurriedly. The twins brightened as if someone had turned on the sun, but Cody took a step back. “Look, ladies, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got something I need to take care of.”

He nodded to both women, then stepped away as they whispered, “Liu, Liu!” to each other.

Cody left them to their excitement and shot off across the assembly hall toward Athos. True to form, his little rapscallions were already dashing out of the hall, upsetting a bucket of nails as they went. One of the little girls clung to Athos’s hand, chattering a mile a minute about how much she liked singing.

“’Scuse me, Athos.” Cody reached out a hand to stop them as they reached the door.

“Cody.” Athos greeted him with a huge smile, no doubt because he thought he was going out to supper with the most beautiful woman in town.
Thought
, being the operative word.

Cody opened his mouth to speak, but the little girl blurted out, “That China woman called you ‘handsome cowboy.’”

Stunned to silence, Cody just looked at the little girl.

“Millicent, say you’re sorry,” Athos whispered to the girl.

“But he’s a handsome cowboy.” Millicent shrugged.

“I’m a ranch hand,” Cody corrected her, the last of his patience draining away, fast. “Cowboys are lazy troublemakers.”

“Handsome cowboy,” Millicent repeated with a giggle.

Cody sighed.

“Sorry, Cody.” Athos sent him a twitchy grin, as though he might start calling Cody ‘handsome cowboy’ behind his back too.

That was all it took for Cody to launch into his mission. “You’re not having supper with Miriam tonight.”

Athos blinked and took a step back. “Well, uh, she did say yes to my invitation.”

Cody took a step closer to his friend, towering over him, little girl by his side or no. “You’ve just remembered you have a previous engagement,” he said. “You’ve remembered that you’ve got no one to mind your kids while you go out.”

“Well, Piper is going to be home tonight.” Athos’s voice gradually shrank as he made his excuses. “And Mrs. Evans next door is always willing to lend a hand.”

“You’ll go apologize to Miriam for forgetting that you couldn’t possibly meet up with her,” Cody insisted.

“But…the children will be doing homework for the most part. It won’t be any trouble.” Athos knew he was defeated, but Cody had to give him credit for scrambling to keep up the fight.

Cody leaned closer still, almost to the point where he could whisper in Athos’s ear. “
I’m
the one who sent for her. If you want to have supper with a pretty girl, why don’t you send to Hurst Home for one of them yourself?”

Athos gave up with a sigh. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

“Then why don’t you do it?”

Athos shrugged, glancing down at his little girl.

“Yeah, Papa,” Millicent scolded. “Why don’t you do it?”

For a moment, Athos looked like he would burst into a laugh. Then Miriam walked by.

“Oh, Miss Long.” Athos stopped her. He handed little Millicent off to Cody, then chased after Miriam for a few steps. “I’m afraid I spoke too soon when I asked you to supper tonight…”

Cody grinned, satisfied that he’d gotten his own way. And since Miriam was free tonight, maybe he’d swoop in and ask if she wanted to have supper with him.

“Handsome cowboy.” Millicent giggled at his side, taking his hand and swinging his arm. “Will you send away for me when I’m older?” She looked up at him with eyes so sweet that Cody felt cold fingers down his back.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll have more than your fair share of boys your own age to choose from when the time comes.”

He was spared any further awkwardness when Athos scrambled back over to them and took Millicent’s hand from Cody. “Come along, Millie. We’ve got to catch up to the others.”

Athos zipped out of the assembly hall so fast Cody was surprised he didn’t ruffle papers on the way. That left Cody standing there with a sense of pride in his accomplishments that he hadn’t felt in ages.

At least until he glanced ten feet away to where Miriam was standing with her hands on her hips, a scowl marring her beautiful face. “I was going to go out to supper.”

“You can still go out to supper.” Cody grinned and sauntered toward her.

“I suppose you’re right.” Her expression shifted to something sly and dangerous. She stepped forward until she reached him, sliding her fingers down the front of his shirt. Cody’s heart thumped faster, other parts of him standing to attention. Until Miriam twisted to the side and said, “Miles, do you want to have supper tonight?”

Miles straightened from his work, cheeks flushing with mirth. “Uh, I actually have a previous engagement tonight.”

Cody chuckled. Miriam’s expression fell. Just as swiftly, it bounced back into place.

“Well, then. I suppose I’ll be having supper in my room tonight.”

She kissed her fingertips, touched them to Cody’s lips, then turned to sashay out of the room.

Cody’s gaze was glued to her hips until she turned the corner and disappeared. Lord help him, he was about to have an interesting two weeks.

Miriam could definitely get used to Haskell. By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around and the children who were participating in the show—which was every single one in town—gathered at the school to rehearse and help with the set, if they could, Miriam’s heart felt as though it wanted to leap out of her chest and plant itself in the fertile Wyoming soil.

“Minnie, do you think you could organize the younger girls to help Mrs. Garrett with the rosettes?” she asked the black-haired girl, who had the most intelligent look of anyone in the room in her eyes.

“Yes, Miss Long.” Minnie beamed at her, then did a twirl as she turned to scoop up her friends and race to the corner of the room where Mrs. Olivia Garrett worked cutting strips of red and white cotton for the rosettes.

“What about me?” Minnie’s younger brother Toby—a sharp, young boy with his sister’s black hair and blue eyes, and wide, round spectacles that were too big for his face—asked.

Miriam hummed, tapping her finger against her lips. “I think that you could help Madame Kopanari rehearse the stories she is going to tell for the show.”

Toby’s eyes grew as round as his glasses, and his cheeks flushed pink. He turned to study Madame Kopanari and the circle of small children around her at the back corner of the room. Madame Kopanari was dressed in her traditional gypsy garb and sat on a small stool, telling stories to the youngest children to keep them occupied until Miriam was ready for them. She held them spellbound as she spun ancient tales in her thick, Romani accent, painting pictures in the air with her hands.

“I think she’s a witch,” Toby whispered, peeking up at Miriam.

Miriam hunched, resting her hands on her knees so she could talk to Toby on his level. “Do you think?”

Toby nodded. “She has a crystal ball, and she says she can see the future.”

Miriam giggled. Madame Kopanari’s fortune telling was one of the secret money-makers of Miles’s troupe. Madame would demonstrate her skills with one member of the audience on stage, then set up a table in the lobby of whatever theater they were performing in. The lines for her services were always long.

“Well,” Miriam whispered to Toby. “If she is a witch, I think she’s a good witch.”

“Are you sure she doesn’t eat children? Vernon Strong said she’s a gypsy, and that gypsy witches snatch children and boil them with cabbage.”

Miriam laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair. “I’ve known her for ages, and not once have I seen her boil a child with cabbage. Carrots, yes. Are you made of carrots?”

“No,” Toby giggled.

“Then you have nothing to fear.” She tipped forward to kiss his forehead. “Now, run along. I’ll be ready for your group’s song soon.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The smile Toby gave her before scurrying off to join the circle around Madame Kopanari shot straight to Miriam’s heart.

She could have had that. If she’d faced her fears and gotten off the train the first time, she could be married to Cody right now. She could be increasing with child, already on her way to having an entire family around her. She pressed a hand to her heart with a sigh. What must it feel like to have an entire family around you? Even in the farthest reaches of her early memories, the closest she could remember was the hazy bond she’d felt with the other girls who’d shared a room with her in the orphanage.

“Your Madame Kopanari’s a lot better with kids than I would have thought.”

The sound of Cody’s voice right behind her jolted Miriam out of her wistful thoughts. She jumped and spun to face him.

“There are a lot of things about Madame Kopanari that people wouldn’t think to look at her.” Miriam was far more breathless than she should be. Maybe it was the sight of Cody’s strong forearms poking out from under his rolled-up sleeves. Or maybe it was his outdoorsy scent. It could have been his easy smile as he glanced from Madame Kopanari to her too.

“Such as?” he asked.

It took her a moment to remember that they were having a conversation about someone else, not indulging in flights of heated fancy about each other.

“Well, for one, Madame Kopanari speaks excellent English, but she prefers to keep to her native language unless she’s on stage.”

“Huh.” Cody shifted his weight to one hip and rubbed his chin. The gesture drew attention to his hands and the soft line of his lips. What would it be like to kiss those lips? To have those hands trace the lines of her body? “I guess that makes sense,” he went on. “Heck, Miles doesn’t have so much as a hint of an accent.”

“He does when he’s upset or excited.” Focus. Miriam had to focus. She cleared her throat. “Madame Kopanari is also an excellent cook. There have been times when we haven’t been near a town with a restaurant or hotel, or even a saloon, and have had to rely on her skills. She can do things with common supplies over an open fire that I’m sure the finest chefs in San Francisco would die for.”

“Must be handy if you find yourself traveling.” Cody smiled with a far-off look that said he was imagining just that. “I suppose it makes sense, her being a gypsy and all.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” She met him smile for smile.

A larger part of her wanted to lean into him, take his hand. More than that, she wanted to fold herself into his arms and stay there forever. She may never have had a sense of what it was like to have a family around her, but baffling as it sounded in light of her past decisions, she thought there was a chance she might actually feel safe with Cody.

As soon as the idea struck her, she recoiled from it, going so far as to take a step away. No, the last time she had let herself be lulled into a sense of security, she’d paid the price. It didn’t matter how sweet Cody seemed, she would not let herself be tricked into diving into water deep enough to drown her again.

“She has a lot of stories,” she said, focusing on Madame Kopanari and wringing her hands.

Cody watched her with eyes that were narrowed just a bit. “I’m sure she does.”

Miriam’s heart thumped. Oh, dear. He was talking about her now.

“So, I was wondering,” Cody started.

That was as far as he got.

“Come, come.” Across the room, the circle of children around Madame Kopanari had twisted to look at Cody and Miriam. Madame herself was gesturing for them to join the group.

Miriam was more than happy to flee the situation that had started out so pleasantly and left her feeling so off-balance. She grabbed Cody’s hand and skipped across the room toward the others. Cody shuffled along, his expression unreadable.

“And then there were the two lovers,” Madame Kopanari said as soon as Cody and Miriam stood with the children.

Miriam blushed, dropping Cody’s hand as if it had turned flame-hot. The children giggled, glancing from Miriam and Cody to Madame Kopanari. Cody cleared his throat and squirmed.

“Once, there were two young people,” Madame Kopanari began in her rich, mysterious accent. “Two young lovers who were promised to each other.”

“It’s Mr. Cody and Miss Long, isn’t it?” tiny Millicent Strong piped up.

The others giggled. Madame Kopanari held up her finger, and they stopped, spell-bound.

“The young man was strong and true. He was a farmer with vast, rich lands.”

“Mr. Cody doesn’t have a farm,” one of the other children—a red-head boy who could only be a Murphy—said.

“Yeah, but he works on Paradise Ranch, and that’s sort of like a farm,” the boy sitting next to him said.

Madame Kopanari held up her finger again, and once again, the children were silent.

“The young woman was a beauty, rich beyond measure,” she went on. “She could sing so beautifully that it was said the birds were her tutors.”

Miriam blushed and pressed her fingers to her lips. Madame Kopanari loved her singing. There was no doubt in her mind that she was the heroine of this story.

“The young man and the young woman were betrothed…” Madame Kopanari sat straighter for a moment with a happy smile, then sank into her seat, her face growing dark and mysterious. “But there was a shadow chasing them.”

Prickles broke out along Miriam’s back even as the children gasped in anticipation.

“The young woman ran to escape the shadow,” Madame Kopanari went on, “but shadows are difficult things to run from. They seep into cracks. They creep under doors. They spread out in the night, and they conceal themselves around every corner in the day. A person can grow to spend their whole lives running from shadows.”

The very suggestion had Miriam’s feet itching. She wanted to pick up her skirts and run right then—run from the story, run from the things Madame Kopanari could see, run from the complacency of feeling as though she might just be happy in Haskell. She wouldn’t be. If she stayed, the shadows would catch up with her.

“The young man ran from the shadows too.” Madame Kopanari held up her other hand. Her two index fingers clearly represented the young lovers, and at that moment, the largest space imaginable separated them. “He ran from his farm, ran from his family. He even ran from happiness, because it was unfamiliar and he did not think it was for him.”

Beside her, Cody crossed his arms and scowled. His feet danced with restlessness on the floor. Miriam blinked. Had Cody been running too? What was he running from?

“They ran and ran.” Madame Kopanari shook her fingers, moving them to show the two lovers running. “Until one day, what do you think?”

“They ran into each other!” the red-headed boy exclaimed.

The rest of the children laughed. Madame Kopanari laughed along with them, but as she did, she brought her fingers together and twined them around each other. Miriam caught the message as if Madame had looked her in the eyes and told her everything would be all right.

If only she could be so certain.

She clapped her hands, praying that the shaking in her heart would go away. “All right, children. Say thank you to Madame Kopanari for telling you a story. It’s time to practice your song now.”

The children scrambled to their feet, thanking Madame. Some even hugged her, which brought a wide smile and a laugh to Madame’s face.

“Interesting story.” Cody leaned close enough to whisper as the children got themselves organized. “Wanna go for a drive later and talk about it some more?”

Miriam’s heart rolled in her chest like thunder on a hot summer day. “I…I…” What did she want?

She wanted to run. She wanted to fight the urge to run, the same urge that had kept her from getting off the train that first time. What if Madame Kopanari was wrong? What if that soothing voice in the back of her head was wrong? She’d trusted a man before and regretted it. And Cody had betrayed a woman once already. But would he now?

She wanted to run to him, even if a huge part of her thought it was a terrible, frightening idea.

“Well?” Cody said with a laugh, though his eyes were deadly serious. “It’s a simple question. Will you go for a drive with me?”

“Yes,” Miriam answered before she could think too much and change her mind. “Yes, I will, thank you.”

She tore off across the room, fleeing from him and the tangle of fear and longing that threatened to bind her like a net. The children needed her. The show was her first and only priority. Her heart and her hopes and her fears could wait.

Madame Kopanari was a bit spooky, Cody decided as he flicked the reins over the back of the horse he’d borrowed from Travis at the livery. Miriam sat close to him on the bench of the borrowed wagon, a blanket covering both of them. He hadn’t been able to shake the weird feelings the old gypsy woman’s story had given him, and if he was a betting man, he’d say Miriam hadn’t been able to shake them too. She was too quiet.

“It’s not exactly a great afternoon for a drive,” he admitted, squinting toward the western horizon, where the sun was already setting. “But at least the wind isn’t blowing today.”

“Yes.”

That was it. That was all she said.

Cody shook his head and concentrated on driving. The road out to The Village and on to Paradise Ranch was only partially cleared. They’d had the usual amount of snow that winter, and the wagon still had sleigh blades fitted where the wheels would be once the snow was gone.

It wasn’t the condition of the wagon that concerned him, though. What did Madame Kopanari know about the shadows chasing him? Someone must have told her about the fiasco with Wendy. That would explain the bit about running from happiness because it was different. But what about the rest of it? Had one of his brothers visited her and told her all about how broke up he’d been when their father had lost his logging business? Had one of them squealed about how hard it had been for him to leave one life and start another?

And why shouldn’t he have had a hard time with it? It was a difficult thing for a man as young as he’d been to imagine his life would always be one way, and then to have that ripped out from under him. He hated having to change his mind, hated having things not work out like he’d imagined they would, hated—

“Oh, my lord.” He puffed out the words as if the light of day had burst through the clouds in his mind.

“What?” Miriam sat a little straighter, scooted a little closer, as if waking up from her own thoughts.