Finally a Bride (Texas Boardinghouse Brides 3) Read online

“Oh, yes. We’re getting along famously.” Tessa leaned against Noah’s arm and batted her lashes at him.

  Noah’s gaze darted to the woman who all but hung on him then to Jack, as if pleading for her help.

  “Why don’t you sit with us, Tessa?” Jack patted the empty chair on her right. “I’m sure Reverend Jeffers would like to meet more people from the town.”

  Tessa scowled at her and shook her head. She twisted her finger around a yellow curl hanging from her topknot and gazed adoringly at the bewildered minister. “I intend to dance with the reverend.”

  “I … um … don’t plan to dance, Miss Morgan.”

  Tessa tucked her chin down, stuck out her lower lip, and batted her lashes. “Surely you don’t want to disappoint one of your parishioners, do you? My mother owns the mercantile and gives quite generously to the church.”

  “Tessa!” Jack pushed up from the chair, knowing she needed the advantage of height to persuade her friend to leave the poor man alone. “I hardly think you’ll convince Reverend Jeffers to dance with you by blackmailing him with your mother’s tithes.”

  “Well, fine.” Tessa shoved her nose in the air. “If he doesn’t want to dance with me, plenty of other men will.” She spun around, her skirts swishing in a mass of copper and sea green brocade, and marched over to the refreshment table. In a matter of seconds, she sidled up to a trio of young cowboys and started weaving her web.

  “Uh, thanks for rescuing me.” The parson’s neck and ears were the color of a ripe strawberry.

  “I’m sorry about Tessa.” Her friend’s behavior embarrassed Jack.

  “She’s not used to men turning her down.” Penny shook her head. “I think I’ll go see what there is to eat. See you later.” She waved at Jack but ducked her head as she passed Noah.

  “Penny seems nice.” Noah’s deep voice floated to her amid the harmony of the guitars and fiddle.

  “She is, though she’s shy around men.”

  Noah grinned. “I noticed. Your other friend doesn’t have a timid bone in her body, does she?”

  Jack shook her head. “No, she doesn’t. Tessa sees what she wants and goes after it, no matter who is in the way or who gets hurt.”

  “I hope she doesn’t end up being the one to get hurt one day.”

  “Me, too.” Jack located Tessa and watched her dance with a handsome cowboy. Tessa’s head was cocked, a brilliant smile on her face. She seemed to have already forgotten about her quest to win Noah’s heart. Jack smiled up at him. “Why don’t I introduce you to some folks? It will make things easier tomorrow if you meet some of them tonight.”

  Noah nodded and held his hand out to help her up. He mumbled something that wasn’t clear over the ruckus of the crowd and the music, but it sounded as if he’d said, “Nothing will make tomorrow easier.”

  Chapter 15

  Garrett stood off to the side of the crowd, sipping a glass of apple cider and watching the dancers. He wasn’t even sure why he’d come. The social was more for younger folk than a man a few years shy of forty. How had life sped by so fast?

  A picture of Carly Payton snatching up his rifle and taking down those two outlaws bounced around in his head. He’d been spitting mad to learn who she was, and it goaded him to be in debt to such a woman. Even worse was admiring her quick action, her calm in the face of danger, and her impressive shooting skills. He didn’t want to like the woman and hated how she’d invaded his dreams ever since he’d delivered her to Rachel.

  He forced his thoughts off the jailbird and watched Jack introduce Noah Jeffers to several couples who attended the church. She and the parson looked good together, but he couldn’t imagine a rambunctious, adventure-loving girl like her ever being happy with a peace-loving minister.

  “Didn’t expect to see you down here, Cuz.” Luke smacked him on the shoulder with his palm, scaring him right out of his thoughts.

  Garrett held out his near empty cup and gave Luke a mock glare. “Hey, watch out. You nearly caused me to spill my drink on my clean shirt.”

  “Well, we can’t have that, can we? Then you’d have to do laundry twice this month.” Luke chuckled and shook his head. “You need a wife.”

  Thoughts of marriage had been heavy on his mind of late, but he wouldn’t tell Luke for fear of being teased to death. “Paying the Widow Schwartz to wash my clothes is a whole lot cheaper than a wife.”

  “Maybe so, but not nearly as much fun.” Luke waggled his brows and shoved Garrett with his elbow.

  He shook his head but was happy for his cousin. Luke had returned a somber man from his years as a soldier, even though he had become a Christian. The unforgiving spirit that ate at his heart almost stole his future, but God had intervened and brought Rachel and Luke back together. Garrett hated to admit he was jealous of the life his cousin had now. “If I could find a good woman like Rachel, I just might consider settling down.”

  Luke’s eyes widened, and he pushed his hat back on his forehead. “I never thought I’d hear you say those words.”

  Garrett shrugged. “Don’t go telling Jack, or next thing I know, it’ll be in the newspaper.”

  “It would serve you right. Maybe you can get your own mail-order bride.”

  “No thanks.” Garrett watched the dancers. Most of the men who weren’t frowning from focusing on their dance steps had big grins on their faces. They actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.

  Luke, too, surveyed the crowd, but Garrett knew he was searching for troublemakers. Though Luke was a family man with another child on the way, he took his job seriously and never seemed to be off-duty. Fortunately, Lookout was a peaceful town most of the time.

  Leaning back against the church wall, Luke crossed his arms. “You know, there’s a perfectly fine woman staying at the boardinghouse who’d be a good match for you.”

  The sip of cider he just took came spewing back out. A man dancing nearby cast a glare his way. Garrett coughed and waved an apology. “You can’t be serious.”

  “What’s wrong with Miss Payton?”

  Garrett stared at his cousin as if he’d taken leave of his senses. “She’s an ex-convict.”

  “So?” Luke’s cool gaze needled him.

  Pushing away his guilt, he formulated his argument. “If and when I marry, I want a decent woman, not one who was an outlaw and a jailbird.”

  “You disappoint me, Cuz.”

  Garrett straightened and crossed his arms. Why didn’t Luke understand that he wanted a decent woman for a wife? “Why? Because I want to marry a good woman who can teach morals to my children?”

  Luke pushed away from the wall. “Miss Payton is a good woman. She paid her debt to society, but even more important is that she’s a new creation in Christ. She’s given her heart to God. What more could you want in a wife?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe one that didn’t spend six years in prison.”

  Luke glared at him. “You’re a fine one to be talking.”

  “What does that mean? I’ve never been in jail.”

  “You look at life as one big joke. You and your brother ordered me not one but three mail-order brides, and almost caused me to lose my job and the woman I loved.”

  “But you didn’t, did you?” Garrett forced a smile. He and Luke had rarely ever been at odds with one another, and he didn’t want his cousin to know how much his lack of support hurt. “You still have both, and a passel of kids to boot.”

  “So could you if you weren’t so stubborn.” Luke stalked over to where Jack and the preacher were talking to Polly and Dolly at the refreshment table.

  Garrett shook his head. Luke ought to know not to push him where women were concerned. He may be a joker and a tease, but he’d never felt truly comfortable with a woman. For some reason, they scared him. They seemed so delicate and sensitive that he feared he’d unwittingly hurt them.

  He remembered all the times his own ma had watched his father leave home to spend the evening at the saloon. She carried her pain like a brok
en flower that refused to die. Had she known that his pa sometimes went upstairs with the saloon gals?

  Garrett swigged down the last few drops of his cider. Not a soul, not even his brother, knew that he’d never been with a woman. Though in the eyes of God that was a good thing for an unmarried man, it was embarrassing for a man his age to admit.

  He couldn’t shake loose the image of the time he’d gone looking for his pa and found him laughing and chasing a scantily clad floozy up the saloon stairs. He caught her and jerked her into his arms, embracing and kissing her. Garrett’s stomach churned. His mother had been home tending Mark, who was sick, and finishing the chores his pa should have done.

  All that was in the past, but he never wanted to hurt a woman like his pa had, so he had steered clear of them for the most part. But loneliness was a powerful motivator. Garrett’s foot kept pace with the lively guitar and fiddle music. He thought of his empty house and dreaded being alone for another night. Maybe it was time he seriously pursued finding a wife. Didn’t the Bible say that “he who finds a wife finds a good thing”?

  Carly Payton again intruded into his mind, but he cast her out. She might be pretty and able to shoot well, but she wasn’t marrying quality.

  Jack ate a slice of applesauce cake and watched Christine Morgan dance with Rand Kessler. When the couple had first arrived, they’d acted awkwardly toward one another, and their movements had been stiff. But now they both had relaxed and were talking and smiling. Romance was in the air.

  Her gaze drifted to where Noah stood talking with Luke and the mayor. If her papa knew anything about the mayor’s big plans, he wasn’t sharing the information with her. Now that she was feeling better, she needed to resume her quest, but how could she find out what he was up to?

  Her first thought was to sneak into his house or office, but after the roof fiasco, she knew she shouldn’t press her luck. The mayor had been furious about her being on his roof, but he had backed down when Luke told him he’d repair the broken shakes for free.

  “Well, it’s good to see you’re waitin’ on me.”

  Jack stiffened as Billy drew up beside her and placed his arm around her waist. She swerved away from his grasp. “Stop it!”

  “A man has a right to cuddle his fiancée.” His stern glare dared her to disagree.

  She glanced toward where Luke had been, but he was no longer there. Noah looked to be patiently listening to some kind of admonition from the mayor, nodding his head at the shorter man.

  “Now don’t you look pretty.” He leaned close and tilted her face so she had to look at him. “And you smell as good as that fancy perfume Ma sells.”

  “Thank you, Billy, but you need to understand that I am not your fiancée, and calling me that over and over won’t make it so.” She tried to pull loose of his hold, but he only gripped her tighter. If she wasn’t hindered by her sore knee, she might have just hauled off and kicked him.

  “Got you a present.” He dangled something shiny in front of her face. When she didn’t react, he pulled her arm up and pressed it into her hand.

  Her first thought was to ask him where he got the money for the shiny silver bracelet with floral engravings. It was beautiful, but how could Billy afford such a thing? She never saw him in the store, other than helping unload crates of freight whenever Garrett had a delivery and could cajole him into assisting him. She stared at the expensive jewelry, turning the silver band so that it reflected the evening sun. Nothing she owned equaled the gift, but she couldn’t keep it. She held it out to him. “I can’t accept this.”

  Billy yanked it from her hand. “Can and will. I want my gal to look better’n all the others in town.” He flipped the jewelry over her wrist and quickly secured it closed, even though she tried to pull away.

  “Billy, I said—”

  “C’mon, we’re having that dance.” With his arm behind her back, he forced her forward.

  A stabbing pain in her knee from fighting Billy made her stumble. He hauled her up and kept her close to his side. They moved toward the dozen couples who glided to a slow waltz. Maybe she should just go along with him and get it over with, but it galled her to let him win. The only other choice she had was to pretend to faint, but she’d never swooned once in her life and didn’t want folks thinking she was a weak woman. Nor did she want to get her new dress dirty. Her final option was to call for help. As they made their way into the dancers, she searched for Luke. Horse feathers. He was gone.

  Christine Morgan and Rand Kessler glided past them. Tessa turned up her nose at Jack when she caught her eye. She’d get no help from her. Billy loosened his grip and turned to face her.

  Jack glared up at him. “You’d better enjoy this dance, Mr. Morgan, because it will be the only one you’ll ever get.”

  He yanked her against his chest. “Oh, I’ll enjoy it, but it won’t be our last.”

  Gritting her teeth, Jack tried not to wince whenever she had to move to the right. Billy held her improperly close. As he turned, she caught the minister’s gaze and sent him a look that made him straighten. She lost sight of him on the next turn, then came around again and found he was gone.

  Suddenly Billy halted and glanced over his shoulder. “You ain’t cuttin’ in, Preacher.”

  Noah stepped up beside Billy. “Miss Davis has an injured knee and has no business dancing.”

  Billy narrowed his eyes. “It ain’t no concern of yours.”

  “I disagree. I’m the one who escorted her to the dance, so it’s my responsibility to watch over her.” Though his expression remained passive, the sternness in his gaze showed he wasn’t intimidated.

  Dancers whirled around them as the musicians played “The Blue Danube,” but they were starting to stare. Jack tried to back away from Billy, but he only tightened his grip. He sliced a seething glance her way before bull’s-eyeing in on Noah.

  “I’m a man of peace, mister, but I haven’t always been. I’m asking you to please turn loose of the lady.” The tone of Noah’s deep voice made the order more menacing, and his no-nonsense glare backed up his words.

  “Just who are you, anyway?” Billy demanded.

  “I’m Noah Jeffers, the new pastor.”

  A confused look passed over Billy’s face, then he tilted his head back and laughed. His hand that rested on Jack’s waist loosened, and he swiped it across his eyes. Noah slipped in between her and Billy, grabbing Billy’s wrist. He yelped and let go of Jack’s hand. She stepped to the side so she could see around Noah’s tall body. If Billy was finally going to be put in his place, she wanted to watch. The dancers closest to them also slowed to a halt, as if not to miss the action.

  “Hey, that hurts.” Billy scowled at Noah and rubbed his wrist.

  “Maybe you should have considered that it hurt Miss Davis when you forced her to dance.”

  Billy’s face instantly changed from wounded indignation to fury. He hauled back and struck Noah’s cheek with his fist, driving him backward. Noah regained his balance and dabbed at the cut below his eye. He stared at the blood, and his gaze darkened. He frowned. Jack held her breath, seeing the evident anger on the pastor’s face.

  “C’mon, Reverend. If you want her, fight for her.” Billy held up his fists and danced on his feet like a boxer.

  Christine Morgan stopped dancing and hurried to her son’s side. Rand Kessler stood behind her, a silent support. The music squeaked to a stop as did the rest of the dancers. Mrs. Morgan reached out to touch her son, but he jerked away, his fists still in fight mode. “Billy, what’s going on here?”

  “Stay out of this, Ma. That new preacher wants to steal Jacqueline away from me, and if he wants her, he’ll have to fight me for her.”

  Mrs. Morgan glanced at Noah, a shocked look on her face. “Is that true, Reverend?”

  Jack watched Noah’s angry expression soften as he regained control. Her heart ached for the position he’d been put in just because he tried to help her. Maybe she should explain things. “No, Mrs. Morgan,
it isn’t true. I told Billy I didn’t want to dance tonight because my knee still hurts. Reverend Jeffers came to my aid because Billy wouldn’t listen to reason and forced me to dance with him—and that’s the honest truth.”

  Mrs. Morgan studied Jack’s face, then the reverend’s and her son’s. She lowered her head and shook it. “Go home, Billy.”

  “No, I ain’t letting him steal my fiancée.”

  “I don’t belong to you, and I have no idea where you got that notion.” Jack gritted her teeth to keep from saying something she’d regret. “I am not your fiancée.” She looked around the curious crowd that encircled them. “Everybody, hear that? I have no intention of marrying Billy Morgan.”

  Billy lowered his fists, looking both hurt and angry. “I don’t know why I give a hoot about you. Half the time you don’t even dress like a lady, and you run around in pants like a man.” He turned as if to leave, then ducked his head and charged Noah. Billy rammed his head into the preacher’s belly, and both men went down.

  Sitting on Noah’s stomach, Billy pummeled his face with both fists. Noah held up his arms, protecting himself, but not fighting back.

  “Billy!” Mrs. Morgan gasped, lifting her hand to her mouth. “Stop it.”

  “Wallop him, Preacher,” a voice called out from the crowd. “Show him you ain’t no coward.”

  Jack’s heart pounded harder with each fist Billy planted. Why didn’t Noah fight back? Surely it was all right for a preacher to defend himself.

  Suddenly, Noah roared and shoved upward. Taken off guard, Billy was flung backward and rolled feet over head. Noah jumped up, far more agile than most men his size, and stood with his fists up. His chest heaved; blood trailed down his cheek from a cut over his eyebrow. He swiped his face with his white sleeve, leaving an ugly red stain on the once spotless fabric.

  Billy lurched to his feet and charged, fury burning from his eyes like blue fire. The men in the crowd cheered the preacher on, but Jack heard women praying for him to stop. Noah drew back his right fist then brought it forward with a mighty force. It collided with Billy’s cheek, knocking his head sideways. He staggered, then dropped to his knees and shook his head.