Not the Marrying Kind, page 16
For some reason, the image of Kat Phillips came into his mind, superimposing itself upon his troubled thoughts. He pulled out his pocket watch, flipped the case open, and nodded. By now, the pretty little redhead would have figured out that he wasn’t going to show up for work that day. She’d be fuming and fussing like all get-out. Joshua winced. He didn’t like letting people down, but sometimes it happened. It bothered him all the more because it was Kat. Actually, his actions were for her benefit, although it would be a while before she got around to accepting that fact. Sure as anything, she’d be mad as hell at first, especially after her father laid down the law, so to speak, and declared his little agreement with his daughter to be null and void.
She would be angry. She would be hurt. And she would think it all Joshua’s fault.
He squared his shoulders. It seemed to be his lot in life to be the fall guy, the one who shouldered the blame even when it didn’t rightly belong to him. But he was doing this for Kat, he reminded himself, and if he had it to do over, he’d do it again, gladly. He was giving her what she wanted most—the chance to stay right there on the ranch she loved.
In the end, she’d surely thank him.
“A spouse and a house,” he said aloud, nodding at the thought. That’s what Kat stood to gain from this.
Joshua took out one of the cigars he’d bought, bit off the end, then reconsidered. He’d save the cigar for later. He stuffed it back into his vest pocket, wheeled his horse around and headed toward Sunset.
Hell, yes, he’d done the right thing.
For Kat. For Cody.
She’d have her beloved ranch, Cody would have a wife to care for him, and they could all live happily ever after at the Crooked B ranch. Or maybe it should be the Circle B.
Yeah, that seemed more fitting. One big circle drawing them all together. Nice thought, really.
When he reached the cabin that evening, Cody came at him at once, peppering him with questions like buckshot fired from the shotgun he kept at his bedside. Cody kept a lot of guns around the cabin. Shotguns. Rifles. A couple pistols. Anybody ever got on Cody Bradford’s bad side, they’d sure as hell be sorry.
“Does that gal know what’s going on yet? Did you tell her you’d bought the place? Is she wanting to marry up with me?” His voice had an odd note about it. Odder than usual.
“Hold on, will you?” Joshua said as he swung down from the saddle. “In the first place, you know I haven’t been to the ranch today.”
“Oh, yeah, right. I know.” He nodded vigorously. “And that gal is sure as hell mad about that.”
“I reckon so.”
“Take my word for it, Joshua. She’s madder than a wet hen.”
Joshua led Bronco toward the corral. “How would you know?”
“She was here earlier.”
“Kat was here?”
“That’s what I just said, isn’t it? Yeah, she was here, and she wasn’t too happy with you.” Cody followed Joshua to the corral. He leaned on the fence, hooked his thumbs in his suspenders, and let out that crazy-sounding chuckle he had. “Nope, she weren’t happy with you at all, cousin. Said you’d let her down and that she had no use for a man who didn’t live up to his obligations.” He chuckled again. “By the way, you’re fired now, you know.”
“I was expecting that.”
“She said she’ll shoot you if she ever sees you again.”
“All talk, Cody. All talk.” He rubbed Bronco down, whistling as he worked. When he’d finished tending to the bay, he turned, surprised to see Cody still standing at the fence. The mirth was gone now from his eyes, and truth be told, he looked downright worried. “Something wrong?” Joshua asked, alarmed by the puckered look on his cousin’s face. Cody wasn’t the sort who ever worried too much about anything.
He scratched at his jaw, puckered his mouth a little more, then nodded. “Yeah, reckon there is.” Letting out a deep breath, he drew himself up, squared his shoulders and took a step toward Joshua. “It’s that gal, Joshua.”
“Like I said, don’t worry about her. She’ll get over it.”
“I’m not talking about that.” He reached around to scratch the back of his neck. “Damn lice,” he muttered.
“I told you, Cody, you need to clean this place up.” He shook his head. “Never mind. Won’t be long now before we’re all moved in to the ranch house.” Joshua gazed off in the general direction of the Rocking P, soon to be the Circle B. “You won’t have to worry about lice. Kat will take good care of you.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Joshua. I got a good look at that gal today, and frankly, she doesn’t look like much of a woman, really.”
“She was wearing trousers, right? And a work shirt?”
“Sure enough, she was.”
Joshua nodded. “Clothes don’t really make the man, or the woman, in this case. Trust me, underneath, Katherine Phillips is all woman.”
“How do you know that?” The pupils of Cody’s eyes narrowed to slits. “You been messing with that gal?”
“No, of course not. But even if I had been, why would you mind? I thought you were willing to share.” Joshua slung an arm over his cousin’s shoulder and prodded him forward as they headed toward the cabin.
“You know, I’ve been giving this matter a lot of thought,” Cody went on, wincing a bit as he supported Joshua’s weight. The man made a fine crutch, actually. “I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth, you know, and it’s right nice of you to go to so much trouble for my benefit, but damn it all, I don’t think that gal is qualified to be a wife.”
“You make it sound like she’s applying for a job.”
“Well, isn’t that what being a wife is?”
“Good point.” The skin on the back of his neck suddenly itched and Joshua pushed away from his vermin-infested cousin. “You got some vinegar, don’t you? You need to scrub your lousy head.” He shoved Cody toward the cistern. Later, he’d do the same thing.
But Cody stood his ground. “Not yet. First, I want to get a few things straight. Now, I may be a bit on the skinny side, but you know I love my grits and gravy, and I do have a healthy appetite. Can that gal cook?”
“She makes the best apple pie this side of heaven.” Joshua’s mouth watered at the mere thought.
“Well, then, what about sewing?” Cody jerked his elbow up, showing the rip in his sleeve. “I’m rough on my clothes, you know.”
“She’s a woman, Cody. All women know how to sew. It’s a skill they’re born with, I think.”
“I hope you're right. And what about cleaning? I don’t want things too clean, Joshua. It’d be just awful if she put everything away all the time and I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Course, it might be nice if she did a bit of dusting, maybe a little polishing. Or waxing.”
Joshua opened the cabin door, then shut it again. He couldn’t sleep in that place another night. “I’m going to stay in the shed, Cody.”
“Suit yourself.”
He went inside only long enough to gather his belongings.
Later that night as he bedded down inside the shed, he thought about Cody’s concerns. Usually, when a man looked for a wife, he thought first about other attributes—like a woman’s hair, her eyes, her figure. On those counts, Kat Phillips would please just about any man.
Well, maybe some men might think her a bit too flat-chested, but his buddies often joked, anything more than a mouthful was a waste anyway. He nearly drooled at the thought of tasting Kat’s sweet little breasts with their delicate nipples.
Damn it, get your mind off her tits. You’re fixing her up with Cody, not taking her for yourself.
But his mind stayed fixed on Kat Phillips. Her breasts, her narrow waist, those long legs, that fiery-red hair. He closed his eyes and gave in to his desires, imagining those long legs spread open in invitation, ready to take him in. His hands closed around his erection, and he moaned softly as he stroked, slowly at first, then harder, faster. All the while, visions of Kat played through his head. Naked. Beautiful. Glorious Kat.
His body thrummed with pleasure, her name on his lips. Then, sated, at last, he let his head fall back on the pillow. Joshua closed his eyes.
Damn but Cody was a lucky man. What a shame he didn’t even realize it.
He had his work cut out for him, Joshua thought as he finally rolled over to go to sleep. Now, he not only had to convince Kat to marry his cousin, he also had to prove to Cody that she possessed all the skills a good wife would need.
Chapter Eleven
“Reckon you’re a mite upset with me.” Joshua stood before Kat Phillips, his hat in his hand. He refused to lower his gaze even though he figured he’d look more contrite if he did. In truth, he felt downright awful about what had happened, but damn it! It was not his fault. He’d done what he’d been instructed to do. Of course, Kat didn’t know that.
Now that he’d heard exactly what had taken place during his absence, the little plan he and Dirk Phillips had hatched between themselves no longer seemed like such a good idea. How was Joshua supposed to know the man would go riding off after his stubborn daughter? Guess the old fellow hadn’t counted on Kat being quite so determined to manage on her own.
She stared wordlessly back, silent anger blazing from her deep blue eyes. Finally she muttered something he didn’t catch and turned away from him.
“Wait, Miss Kat! At least give me a chance to explain.”
What the hell was he talking about? Exactly what sort of explanation did he plan to offer? He couldn’t tell the girl the truth yet, not anything even close to it, so whatever he said would be an outright lie. Joshua had never been one for lying. Folks got themselves in a heap of trouble once they started spinning stories. Sure, he’d fibbed a bit now and then—everybody did—but those little falsifications weren’t real lies. Mostly they were for social purposes, like telling a woman how pretty she looked because it was something she needed to hear, or assuring a gift-giver that he sure was thankful to have another whatchamacallit that he actually had no use for whatsoever.
Kat was in no mood to listen.
“Nothing you say would make any difference,” she told him, not bothering to turn around. “You’re fired, Mr. Barron. I won’t be needing your services as foreman any longer.” She looked him up and down. “Not that you were much of a foreman to begin with.” She turned and walked away.
“What’s going to happen now?” Joshua noticed that she slowed her pace a bit, allowing him to catch up with her. Obviously she did want him to hang around a little longer, otherwise she would already have gone inside and slammed the door in his face. “With the ranch, I mean,” he said. Even that simple question made him wince inwardly. Deception had never come easily to him, and asking something when he already knew the answer didn’t set well with him. But sooner or later, Kat had to come to terms with the future and the inevitable changes that lay ahead. She had to face the truth.
Her family would be leaving the ranch and moving into Sunset. Kat would have to find a husband. What she didn’t know was that her father had already found a buyer. The deal was all but done.
“You know damned good and well what’s going to happen to the Rocking P,” she said, whirling around to face him. All the while she’d remained silent, her temper had obviously been simmering. Her emotions had heated up, and now all her anger boiled over. “You knew from the start how important it was for me to make this work, and you swore you’d help me. You said I could count on you. I should have known better. I don’t know why my father hired you in the first place.” She cast a sharp glance toward his leg. “It’s obvious you can’t keep up—”
Her face paled. Her hands clenched into tight fists. Her eyes closed.
“Miss Kat, are you all right? You’re not going to faint are you?”
She opened her eyes and looked at him, tilting her chin up. “I’ve never fainted in my life,” she snapped. “I’m not that sort of woman.” She folded her arms over her chest and rocked back on her heels. “It’s all starting to make sense,” she said, her voice laced with disgust. “I know what’s going on.”
“You do?”
“I should have suspected it. In fact, I should have expected this to happen. Emily warned me.”
“Your sister?” Still holding his hat in one hand, Joshua reached to scratch the back of his neck with the other. Conversing with a woman—especially one with a stubborn streak—could be worse than pulling teeth. A man had to push, prod, poke, and nudge just to find out what was on her mind. Damned hard work. And more than a mite confusing. What did sweet, innocent little Emily Sue know about the deal he and Phillips had made?
“She came to me one evening, told me Pa planned to sabotage my plans. I guess I was awful stupid, wasn’t I? I mean, in the first place, I didn’t think my father would stoop that low, and in the second place, I didn’t see any way he could interfere.”
Kat Phillips was anything but stupid. Trusting, yes. Stupid, no. She loved her father and didn’t believe him capable of duplicity.
The fact that Joshua was part of the man’s deceit made the conversation all the more challenging. He had no desire to antagonize Kat. Quite the contrary. He wanted her to believe he was on her side, that he agreed with her and supported her right to make her own choices.
In a sense, he truly was on her side, and everything he did was for her benefit as much as for his own. Although things were up in the air right now, once the dust settled, he’d own the ranch, she’d be married off to Cody, and the two of them could come live on the place with him. Kat would be right back at home, exactly where she wanted to be, Cody would have a wife to look after him, and as for himself, Joshua would have the wide-open space of the territory to call home, along with the freedom to come and go as he pleased. He’d hire some good ranch hands to help with the physical labor, and everybody would be happy, damn it! That was the plan.
Leave it to Kat to throw a kink into things by trying so hard to succeed at her own little scheme.
To the east, the morning sun climbed higher in the sky, moving above the tops of the tall trees. Now its brilliant rays streamed down upon them, illuminating the earth, and casting Kat and Joshua into a circle of warm, golden light.
“I’m sorry, Kat,” he said, not exactly sure what he was apologizing for, but knowing somehow that the words needed to be said. “Is there anything I can do to make things better?”
She looked more vulnerable than ever when she shrugged and walked toward the corral. Leaning against the fence, she smiled back at him. “I can’t think of anything, but thanks for asking.”
He limped across the yard to join her. “All right, let’s put our heads together and see what we can come up with.”
“I’m not asking you to fix my problems, Mr. Barron. There’s nothing you can do.”
“Understanding a problem is always the first step in finding a solution.” He plopped his hat on his head, held up his hands, and ticked his fingers as he said, “First, your father’s made up his mind to sell the ranch, and second, he’s got it in his head that you should marry that Kendrick fellow. Third, you’re not too happy with either option, am I right? Fourth, you don’t hanker much to live in town.”
“I hate the thought.”
“Which one?”
“All of them.” Kat laughed, then sighed. “It’s nice to joke about things. It helps me forget for a minute, at least, how serious this is.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned toward Joshua. “Why couldn’t you have told me? If I’d known you weren’t going to show up yesterday morning…”
“You would still have gone riding off with Benjamin, your father would still have come after you, and we’d still be standing here having this same conversation.” If Dirk Phillips weren’t already sick and hurting, Joshua would give the man a good, swift kick in the rump. He was the one to blame for all Kat’s misery, as well as for his own perilous physical condition.
“By the way, I’m not firing you yet,” she told him, glancing toward the old bunkhouse.
“You’re not?”
“Not until you’ve helped me clean out those bunks. Ranch hands aren’t usually too good at keeping their sleeping quarters clean. There’s a lot of trash that’s piled up. There’s old bedding too. Some can probably be washed up. Most of it will likely need to be thrown out.”
Much of what she mentioned sounded like woman’s work, but he had no objection to lending a helping hand. The more opportunities he had to spend with Kat, the more chances he’d have to steer her in the direction he wanted her to go. Namely, choosing to marry Cody instead of Reverend Kendrick.
“What do you say we get started?” Joshua pushed himself away from the corral fence and set off for the bunkhouse.
“Sounds good.” Kat’s smile was genuine, but then her expression turned stern. “Just don’t forget. As soon as we’re through, you’re fired again.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
* * * *
“Can I ask you something, Joshua?” Most of Kat’s earlier anger had dissipated now. Hard work had a way of calming her temper. But it did nothing to take away her curiosity. She leaned against her push broom and waited.
“Shoot.”
“Why would Judge Morse think he’s heard your name before?” She studied Joshua’s face, watching for even the slightest sign of nervousness or anxiousness. She saw none.
“No idea.” He shrugged and returned to the job she’d assigned him—stripping blankets and linens from the bunks.
