The Reluctant Bride (9 page)

“You can ask him when his head clears,” Tanzy said. “Do you think you can walk?”

“Of course I can walk. I’m not incapacitated by a few drinks.”

Tanzy had no idea how much whiskey it took to make Stocker drunk, but she was certain he’d drunk more than enough.

“You need to go home. You’ll feel better after a good night’s rest.”

“I won’t feel better until he’s dead in his grave,” he said, looking at Russ, who was sitting up, groaning and gently touching the lump on his head.

“Try to put the past behind you and think about the future,” Tanzy said.

“I
am
thinking about the future,” Stocker said, “when I can get back what this murdering thief stole from me.”

Russ cradled his head in two hands. “You’ll never prove I’ve stolen so much as one cow from anybody, so why don’t you quit trying?”

“This young lady has said you’d be willing to have a group of ranchers inspect your herd,” the banker said. “To prove you’re not rustling,” he added when Russ directed a menacing look at him.

“Nobody is setting a foot in my valley,” Russ said.

“See,” Stocker said, “that’s proof he’s a thief.”

“I’d be a fool to let any committee of your choosing on my land,” Russ said. “You got a jury to convict me of murder when everybody knows your brother drew first. What reason do I have to expect fair treatment from anybody in this town?”

Tanzy noticed an uncomfortable shuffling of feet, several averted faces. Apparently some people believed there was truth to what Russ had said.

“Why don’t each of you choose people you trust?” Tanzy suggested.

“I can’t trust anybody in Boulder Gap,” Russ said. “Stocker’s got everybody in his pocket.”

“You could choose some officers from the fort,” Tanzy said. “I see no reason to suspect their honesty, and I doubt anybody in Boulder Gap would be able to intimidate them.”

“The colonel has a reputation for integrity,” the banker said. “He caught the agent who was cheating the Indians, and his partner who was rustling their cattle.”

“There,” Tanzy said, taking both Russ and Stocker in her glance, “what more could you want than a man who’s known for his integrity and is familiar with rustling as well?”

“As long as Colonel McGregor is in charge of the committee, they can inspect my herd,” Russ said. “Now go away. I can barely think, my head is pounding so hard.”

A man tried to steady Stocker on his feet, but Stocker angrily shook him off and stalked out of the restaurant, stumbling into two tables before he managed to reach the door. The other diners returned to their tables, but Tanzy could feel surreptitious glances still being directed toward her.

“Maybe you ought to go to your room,” Tanzy said. They had finished their meal so she didn’t see any reason to stay in the restaurant. She followed Russ back into the hotel lobby.

“In a minute,” Russ said, massaging the knot on his skull. “Why did you hit me? Stocker is the crazy one.”

“I couldn’t reach him. It didn’t matter anyway. As long as I made one of you stop, the other would, too.”

“You had no reason to stop me. Stocker was too drunk and too old to be a danger to me.”

“He had a gun. He could have shot you. Or anybody in that restaurant.”

“I wrenched it out of his hands just before you clobbered me.”

Maybe she should have let them fight it out, but she’d been too angry.

“Maybe you ought to see the doctor.”

“As Culley said, I have a hard head. I don’t need the doctor.”

“I hope you’re staying at the boardinghouse tonight,” Tanzy said. “You shouldn’t be riding until your head feels better.”

He winced as he touched the knot on his head. “Seems to me you’d clobber Stocker before attacking your future husband.”

“Let’s sit down.” She indicated a settee in the comer. “We need to talk.”

“I’m not sure I want to talk about getting married. I don’t want a wife who’ll bang me on the head without a moment’s hesitation.”

“I don’t want a husband who’s carrying on a feud with half the town.”

“I’m not carrying on a feud with anybody.”

“
I’ll never forget what your family did to my mother and sister.
Do you remember saying those words?”

“What of it?”

“I’ve lived through a feud. I know what happens when men say things like that.”

“I was trying to keep Stocker from killing me. I wasn’t thinking about every word that came out of my mouth.”

“That’s exactly when people say what they really mean.”

“It’s also when we say foolish things we don’t mean,” Russ shot back.

Tanzy wished she could believe Russ. Even if he didn’t want to carry on a feud, Stocker did. And Russ wasn’t the kind of man to back down from a fight.

She was also certain Russ wouldn’t respect her wishes if she became his wife. She would be part of his crew, expected to follow his orders. She’d be in the same position her mother had been in, tied to a man and forced to endure the life he chose to make for them.

She wouldn’t do that. She’d already survived half a year on her own. She didn’t want to do it again, but she could.

“I’ve decided we won’t suit,” Tanzy told Russ. “I’m sorry to have put you to the expense of bringing me out here, but I can’t marry you.”

She had expected anger, even a refusal to allow her to change her mind, but Russ didn’t answer. From his expression, it was difficult to tell whether he didn’t know how to respond to her decision or his thoughts were entirely of the pain in his head.

“Did you hear what I said?” she asked when she couldn’t wait any longer for a response.

“My head hurts like the devil, but there’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”

“Do you agree with me?”

“No. You’re strong, intelligent, and able to make decisions on your own. That’s exactly the kind of woman a rancher needs for a wife.”

She was disappointed he didn’t say a word about liking her or finding her attractive. If she’d come straight to Colorado from Kentucky, she’d never have thought about being attractive. In Kentucky a wife was valued by how much work she could do and how many sons she could produce. It wasn’t until she worked in the gambling hall that she discovered men were strongly affected by a woman’s physical appearance.

“That may be,” she said, “but
you
‘re not the kind of husband
l
want.”

“What’s wrong? I own my own ranch. I’m not exactly ugly, and I’ll take good care of you.”

“You can’t do any of that if you’re dead or in prison.”

“I’m not going to get killed, and I’m certainly not going back to prison.”

“You will if you keep up this feud with Stocker.”

“I’m not feuding with Stocker.”

“He’s feuding with you.”

“That’s his problem.”

“Will you fight back if he tries to take your cattle or run you out of your valley?”

“Of course.”

“If he burns your house or barns, will you burn his?”

“Probably.”

“If his men kill some of your men, will you retaliate?”

“Without hesitation.”

“Then you’ll end up dead or in prison. And what’s more, if we have sons, future generations will be drawn into the fight.”

“Not if I kill Stocker. He doesn’t have any future generations.”

“I’m sure he has uncles, cousins, other relatives who’d want to avenge his death.”

“This is all nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense. I grew up in the middle of a feud that killed my whole family. I know how feuds start and what keeps them going.”

His look was penetrating. “Are you sure you’re not making this up to keep from telling me you don’t like me and don’t want to marry me?”

“It’s not that at all,” Tanzy hastened to assure him. “I find you very attractive and nice. I was especially impressed you would come to meet the stage to make sure I arrived safely. Your pursuit of the thieves shows you have courage and a high sense of moral responsibility. I know you work hard because you couldn’t have built up your ranch if you didn’t. I also know you take good care of your men, or they wouldn’t have remained faithful to you. Everybody knows you’re unafraid of danger and willing to stand up for yourself against any odds. You’ve exactly the kind of man every woman dreams of having for a husband.”

“If I’m so perfect, why won’t you marry me?”

“Because of the feud.”

There is no feud.”

“I disagree.”

“I live here. I
know
what’s going on.”

“You’re so bound up in your anger at Stocker, you don’t see what both of you are doing.”

“And you don’t understand that a man has to defend his property. If he doesn’t, he won’t have it long.”

“You haven’t forgotten your sister’s death, and Stocker hasn’t forgotten his brother’s. That’s more than enough to keep the two of you at each other’s throats.”

“Good Lord, woman, I can’t believe you’re foolish enough to build an argument into a war.”

His words were like a slap in the face. “That’s something else I find unacceptable.”

“What?” Russ asked. “I didn’t say anything.”

“The fact that you don’t realize what you said makes it even worse.”

“I don’t like guessing games. Tell me what you’re talking about.”

“You clearly don’t respect my opinions.”

“That’s because they’re wrong.”

“It’s also clear you don’t expect your wife to have any say in how you run the ranch.”

“I’m not going to tell her what to cook. I don’t care—”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then say what you mean. Say something a man can understand instead of all this nonsense.”

“You did it again.”

“Did what again?” He was getting increasingly impatient.

“You dismissed my opinion as nonsense.”

“Because it is.”

“It’s not nonsense to me.”

“That’s because you don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“You expect me to accept your opinions without question, without your taking the time to explain to me why they aren’t nonsense, without your taking the time to listen to my concerns and give them the same amount of consideration as your own.”

“No self-respecting rancher is going to let his wife make all the decisions, any more than he would expect to run the household.”

“Of course you’d tell me how to run the household,” Tanzy replied. “You’d tell me what you wanted to eat and when, you’d decide how much money I had to spend, and you’d tell me when I could go into town. And if my doing the wash on any given day got in the way of your plans, you’d tell me that, too.”

“You didn’t put any of this in your letters,” Russ said.

“You didn’t say anything about the feud,”

“There is no feud!”

“You don’t need to shout,” Tanzy said. “I’ve tried my best to make you understand why I made my decision, but you aren’t listening. There’s nothing more to say except that I’m not going to marry you.”

Russ’s look turned hard. “What are you going to do about the money you owe me?”

Chapter Six

Russ was angry. He hadn’t liked this mail-order bride business from the beginning, but Welt had kept saying it was the only way Russ was going to find a wife as long as everybody within a hundred miles thought he was a cold-blooded killer. Russ hadn’t wanted a wife. His mother and sister had given him no reason to want another woman in his life He had his work, and his cowhands provided plenty of companionship. There was no reason to complicate his life.

Welt hadn’t let up. He had dwelt on the advantages to the ranch, had said Russ needed a wife so he could have children to inherit his land. Russ hadn’t paid attention to half of what Welt said until Welt told him he’d sent the money for Tanzy to come to Boulder Gap. Despite being furious that Welt would practically ask a woman to marry Russ without Russ even knowing about it, he had gone to meet the stagecoach to tell her he’d changed his mind because bandits had already attacked it twice. Much to his surprise, a strong physical attraction had sprung up between them from the very beginning. Tanzy was a very pretty woman. She was also very nice. He liked her and enjoyed her company. He still hadn’t believed getting married was a good idea, but he was willing to give it serious thought. No man could look at Tanzy and not think of what it would be like to cuddle up with her on a cold Colorado winter night.

It was probably best that she didn’t want to marry him, but he was still angry. She had made her decision for all the wrong reasons.

“If I had lied to you,” Russ said, “you’d have every right to walk away without any debts, but I’m an honest rancher, reliable, willing and able to support a wife and family, everything you said in your letters you wanted. Since you’re turning me down for no good reason, you owe me the cost of bringing you out here, putting you up in a hotel, and for that dress you’re wearing.”