Western Bride Read online

  Rhys finally hung his head. “There’s nothing I can do here, no matter how much I want to.” He looked up at Lucas and pinned him. “Just stay away from her. That much I can demand.”

  Lucas raised a brow. “Are you in a position to demand anything from me?”

  His words brought a faint smile to Rhys’ face. “If you want a place to sleep that doesn’t involve a tent and a cot, then yes.”

  It was Lucas who wanted to smile now. Time to negotiate. “I’ll stay away from her as well as I can, but I still have to do my job, which will require me to visit the house.”

  “Then other than pleasantries, don’t speak to her. Don’t even look at her.”

  Lucas rocked back on his heels. “Would you have me ignore her if she decides to speak with me?”

  “No.” He growled. “But you’ll not hurt her again.”

  “Then that’s simple,” he said, as if no other discussion were necessary. “Abigail will remain unharmed during my stay.”

  “Abby,” Willow said, interrupting the conversation. “She goes by Abby now.”

  “Miss Winthrop,” Rhys corrected, his voice a growl.

  Lucas nodded in easy agreement. “Miss Winthrop it is. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

  The smooth question got under Rhys’ skin, if the blotches rising above his collar were any indication. “No. Just stay away from her.”

  “I intend to.” Lucas nodded again before heading out the door. That had been easier than expected. And for some reason, it only made Lucas want to see Abigail again.

  Chapter 4

  “You’re going to love it in town,” Abby said for what felt like the hundredth time. She held the reins loose as she allowed the wagon’s horses to navigate the path to town. “It has almost everything we need, but I’m not going to lie, I’m grateful you’re all here. I can’t wait to see how you’ll change the town once you’re placed in positions.”

  She smiled back at the group of women in the wagon. They’d been so tired from traveling yesterday that they’d hardly spoken, so she didn’t know them well. But the things she could discern intrigued her. They all appeared to be of very different backgrounds and temperament.

  “Is there anything in particular you each wish to do?” she asked, hoping to start a conversation. “Anyone want to be a teacher?” She chuckled. “The town desperately needs one. Especially now with the new mine.”

  The red-headed woman, Lily, spoke up first. “Unfortunately, I don’t think teaching would agree with me. I’m not certain what I’d like to do, but definitely not that.”

  Charlotte, the woman with pale-blond, curly hair, cut in. “Don’t you like children?”

  “I do, yes. Very much. Just not that many at once.”

  All the women in the cart laughed. Even Hannah, the pristine-looking goddess, chuckled. She was a lot like the women Abby had known back east, but Abby was determined to give her a fair shot, just like the others. “What about you, Hannah? Anything you’d like to do?”

  She smiled, and, while friendly, Abby could tell her smile was contrived. But she wasn’t sure if Hannah was doing it on purpose or if she’d been so long in high society that it was second nature. It had taken some time for Abby herself to adjust to life here. She’d been so lucky to have Willow to help guide her through it. Now it was her turn to do the same.

  “I’m afraid I’m rather like Lily. I don’t know exactly what I’d like to do in the short term, but long term, I’d like to marry well.”

  Emery snorted and shook her head, her loose, dark brown curls bouncing around her.

  Hannah sat up straight. “I beg your pardon? Is there something you find humorous, Miss Kane?”

  Emery wasn’t cowed. She looked Hannah directly in the eye. “Yes, actually. I was thinking how completely useless that sounded.”

  “You think marriage is useless?” Hannah asked smoothly. She appeared regal, serene even, but Abby knew the woman had to be upset.

  Emery shrugged. “Not at all. I think marriage and having children is one of the most noble things a woman can do. I certainly hope to find someone to settle down with, but I have other plans as well. I don’t exist just to marry—especially for money.”

  Grace, who sat next to Emery, clucked. “That’s unkind. I know we’re all different, but we should try to get along. For now, we’re living together, and the town is so small we’ll likely see each other often. We should at least try.”

  Emery’s brows knitted, but she finally nodded, bowing to Grace’s logic. “You’re right. I apologize for my rudeness, Hannah. It’s not my place to pass judgment on your choices. I hope you’re very successful in whatever you pursue.”

  Hannah smiled, not ruffled at all. “Thank you, Emery. You’re very kind.”

  Ice. That’s what Abby thought of when she looked at Hannah.

  Emery just looked away and remained silent.

  Well this is going well. “Grace, what about you?”

  She twirled a strand of her honey-gold hair. “Truthfully, I’d love to have my own claim, but I don’t think it’s meant to be.”

  Abby thought about what Willow had told her of their gold mine, especially how much they’d failed when they first tried to learn how to mine themselves. Some of those stories…she snorted just thinking about them. “I think some people are suited to the work, and others not.” She chuckled. “The women who own the house inherited a gold mine as well. In the beginning, they thought to mine it themselves. But after their first, and only, disastrous lesson, they decided it was best to hire someone for the job.”

  Grace grinned. “It definitely takes a certain type of person. I do think I’m suited for it, but I doubt it’ll happen. I guess I’ll see what Mr. McDermott can find for me.”

  “Speaking of a certain handsome Copper King,” Charlotte said, sending a riot of blond corkscrews arcing as she turned back toward Abby. “What happened the other day between you two?”

  “What do you mean?” Abby squeaked.

  Lily leaned forward. “There’s obviously something between you two. You didn’t just meet on the train platform yesterday.”

  “Oh. Well. It’s kind of a long story.”

  “How about you give us the short story now and more details later?” Hannah prodded. It was the first time she’d seen a crack in the woman’s cool façade.

  Abby shifted on the wooden seat. “We knew each other a long time ago. Practically a lifetime ago. He worked for my father in a hotel.”

  Hannah’s head cocked to the side. “You said your name was Abby Winthrop? As in the Winthrop hotels?”

  “Correct.”

  “Wow! I’ve seen one before. It really was something,” Charlotte practically bounced in her chair. “Those are your hotels?”

  “Not mine. My father’s—well, now my brother’s.”

  There was a moment of silence as everyone took that in. No doubt, they were shocked. Abby neither looked nor behaved like an heiress. Not any longer. And she refused to ever don that mask again. She belonged to herself and would do as she pleased.

  Lily looked at her seriously, and Abby tried to hold still under her lake-blue stare. “How did you end up here?” the woman finally asked, clearly unable to figure her out.

  Abby’s grip tightened on the reins. This was murky territory, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to talk about it. “That’s a long story as well. Basically, my family thought it was time to marry, and I disagreed. So, I ran away.”

  “You did?” Grace’s mouth hung open. “That’s so brave. I’m not sure I’d have the guts to head out west without knowing I had something to fall back on if I failed. Really, this position we were offered is ideal.”

  Charlotte and Emery agreed quietly, but Hannah and Lily remained silent. Abby guessed it was because Hannah was here to snag one of the Copper Kings. As for Lily, she seemed to have a backbone of steel. She would have traveled here alone and pushed forward until she succeeded.

  Wanting to change th
e subject, Abby glanced at Emery. “Do you have something you’d like to do?”

  “I’m a nurse,” she said easily.

  “You are?” Hannah asked, astonishment tinging her voice.

  “Yes. I came here because I wanted more opportunity. There isn’t a hospital in town, but with the growth here, it’s only a matter of time. I want to help set it up.”

  “That’s incredible,” Abby said. “I’m impressed.”

  Emery shrugged. “It’s something I love. Taking care of others. Helping them get better. I’m not a traditional nurse, by any means. I might be a bit pushy.” She grinned. “But I lose very few patients. So, I must be doing something right.”

  “Heaven forbid I ever get sick,” Hannah said under her breath. Abby guessed Emery heard the comment, but she didn’t say anything. Thankfully.

  Ignoring the tension, Charlotte said, “I think I want to open a bakery.”

  All heads swiveled toward the spunky woman. “What kind of bakery?” Abby asked.

  “The kinds you see in cities. I’ll sell bread and offer a small selection of sandwiches or baskets for lunch. But what I really want to make are pastries and treats. Croissants, macaroons, cookies, cakes, pies, everything.”

  Abby’s mouth watered. “I fully intend to visit you often.”

  “Sweet tooth?” Charlotte grinned.

  “Sweet teeth. Every. Single. One. Sylvia is a great cook, but she doesn’t do many desserts.” She let out a wistful sigh.

  Hannah’s head cocked to the side. “Are we getting close to town?”

  “Right around that corner.” They could hear some of the hustle and bustle in the distance. “What should we do first?”

  A chorus of “eat and shop!” filled the air, and the women laughed. It was the first cohesive moment they’d had. No one fought. No one argued. They were just women—maybe even friends.

  It was everything Abby had hoped for.

  A few minutes later, they entered Main Street. They’d passed through there the day before, but they’d been so tired, they hadn’t taken in their surroundings. Pretty houses, which were tidy and well kept, lined the end of the street, and Abby knew who lived in each one. It was something she loved about living here. With so few people, everyone knew each other.

  “Lovely,” Lily said, appreciatively. “It’s nice when people have pride in where they live.”

  Abby hadn’t thought of it that way before. “They do,” she agreed.

  Hannah looked around, frowning. “Are there any larger homes?”

  Emery groaned, and Grace poked her, as if telling her to behave. Abby pretended not to notice. “Not in town. Everything is smaller here and clustered, but there are several large estates outside of town. A lot of miners settled down and started ranching after their claims paid out, then built mansions on their land.”

  “That’s what I would do too,” Grace said, grinning. “Maybe I’ll have to abandon the Copper Kings and make my own way.” They all chuckled again.

  As they pulled closer to the town square, Abby pointed out several of the buildings and points of interest.

  Hannah frowned again. “No library?”

  Emery guffawed. “You’re asking about a library?”

  Hannah’s back went rigid. “Do you have a problem with books?”

  It was the first time she’d heard an edge in Hannah’s voice. Emery had hit a nerve. “Books are wonderful,” Abby quickly answered. “Unfortunately, the town doesn’t have a library yet. I know several people with large collections though. One of the house’s owners, Juliette MacAllister, has a large collection, and one of the neighboring ranch owners, Owen Judd, also has a vast library. He married one of Ivan’s brides as well.”

  “Ivan’s brides?” Lily asked.

  Now Abby grinned. “Another long story, but the man who built the house was a crazy miner. His claim hadn’t paid out, but money trickled in. He decided it was time to get married, so he ordered ten brides.”

  “Ten?” Hannah asked, scandalized.

  Emery shook her head. “Why would he do that?”

  “He wanted options.”

  Grace and Charlotte laughed while the other three groaned.

  “This town is so strange,” Lily said.

  Abby grinned. “You have no idea.” She saw an opening in front of the mercantile and maneuvered the wagon in front of it.

  The moment the vehicle stopped, she realized her mistake. “Everyone stay in the wagon,” she said, as the men converged.

  She been so busy chatting that she hadn’t been paying attention.

  A crowd gathered, and, while they just stood around, smiling, waving, and shouting things to them, she knew things could get out of hand quickly with a group this size.

  “What’s happening?” Lily finally shouted.

  Everyone leaned closer to Abby, so they could hear her over the men. “They’re single and want wives! I forgot this could happen. There was a lot of interest when I came to town, but nothing like this.” She gestured wildly at the crowd. “It must be because there’s so many of us now.” She berated herself.

  “What do we do?” Grace called out. “We can’t get down!”

  “Stay in the wagon! Someone will help us.”

  “Someone will help?” Hannah shook her head. “Who? Anyone who had the inclination would end up joining the group down there.”

  One of the men reached out and touched Hannah’s skirt. She smacked his hand, and the man pulled it back, but didn’t look repentant at all. He only grinned and kissed the part of his skin she’d slapped. She stood in the wagon to get the men’s attention.

  “What are you doing?” Abby hissed. “Don’t draw attention to yourself!”

  Hannah stopped Abby from pulling her back down, but other than that, she just stood there, looking out at the crowd.

  Abby suddenly realized it was getting quieter and quieter—until finally, the men were silent.

  Hannah rewarded their behavior with an indulgent smile like she’d give to a pet. “Thank you, gentlemen. Your excitement is a bit overwhelming.” She spoke softly, forcing the men to remain quiet so they could hear her. Abby was even amused when several leaned in. Amused—and wary.

  “Now,” Hannah continued, “we greatly appreciate your welcome, and we look forward to meeting all of you, but we can’t possibly do so like this. If you please, back away from the wagon so we can get down.”

  “Hannah…” Abby didn’t like the idea of getting out no matter how tame the men appeared. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

  “They’re listening to her,” Lily said.

  Charlotte looked over the calm crowd. “It looks safe now.”

  Abby knew nothing could be further from the truth. These men weren’t like the ones they knew back east. They were rougher, had less qualms over manners, and they were women-starved. They needed to be careful. Very careful.

  As the pack of men slowly moved away from the wagon, Hannah beamed at them. “Thank you. We greatly appreciate it.” She lifted the hem of her skirt to climb down, and two men stepped forward, holding out their hands to assist her down.

  “Don’t,” Abby whispered one last time.

  “It’s all right.” Hannah hesitated only a moment before placing her hands in their dirty ones. “They’re going to behave now. Aren’t you, gentlemen?”

  Gentlemen was pushing it. A few were in suits and cleaned up, but the vast majority looked like they’d just come from working a full day in the mines.

  “Yes, ma’am, we will,” one of the men said. His smile showed a missing tooth.

  Everything was going well until that same man tucked Hannah’s arm in his own, leaving the second man alone. “Hey. The lady didn’t ask to be escorted!”

  “Every woman should be escorted. Get one of the other ones.”

  The man took an aggressive step toward Hannah. “But I want that one.”

  Hannah yelped as the man who escorted her yanked her closer. “She’s with me.”


  The words were like a flame to dry kindling. Hannah was now held by both men, each yelling their reasons why they should get her. Other men stepped forward to assist, only to get pushed or shouted at.

  More men yelled, then chaos erupted as the first punch was thrown.

  Abby hopped to the ground and struck one of the men in the arm with the long stick she kept in the wagon. The man whirled around, his arm raised to strike, but instead of cowering, Abby stood her ground, glaring at the man. “Get away from her.”

  The man gestured to the one still holding onto Hannah. “But he said—”

  “Let go of her. Now.” Neither moved away, just eying her like they weren’t sure what to do. “Now!”

  Her yell startled them enough to release Hannah, who quickly moved behind Abby. “Get in the wagon.”

  Hannah didn’t need to be told twice. As she climbed up behind her, Abby didn’t turn around. Instead, she faced down the two men who’d assaulted her new friend.

  The man who’d held Hannah’s arm took a step forward, his face red with indignation. “You had no right to interfere, Miss Winthrop. I was escorting her properly. You should mind your own business.”

  “Well, as of yesterday, these women are my business. And if you haven’t already heard, they’re protected by the Copper Kings.” That seemed to deflate some of the wind in their sails.

  At least until the other got his second wind. “Well, they don’t own them. They can choose for themselves who courts them.”

  “That’s right,” the other man agreed. “Those women are fair game. And so are you.” The two men grinned at each other like they’d just had a great idea.

  They moved forward slowly, and Abby’s stomach dropped. She raised her weapon. “Stay back!”

  “Come on now, honey. We won’t hurt you. But since you took away the other lady, I think it’s only right you spend some time with us.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you!” When the first man reached out, she smacked his hand with the stick.