name on it.”
Tanner scanned the newspaper clipping. He smoothed the letter and read it, too. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m not going to marry you,” he declared.
“What?” Confused, she stared at him.
“I didn’t send for you, and I’m not going to marry you.”
“What?”
“Are you deef, or just plain stupid?”
“Sir, I’m neither ‘deef,’ as you so quaintly put it, nor stupid. And I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth. I’m certain there must be some kind of mistake. The Tanner Blaine who sent for me certainly could have no connection with you.” She pointed to the advertisement.
“Handsome, prosperous lumberman?” He stared from the letter to her and back again. “There is no other Tanner Blaine. This thing has got my name on it, but I sure as hell didn’t write it.”
“If you didn’t write it, sir, then who did?”
His eyes narrowed, he studied the writing again for several long seconds, then his eyes widened and he let out a growl. “Holy hell!” He crushed the papers in his fist. “Damn them! Damn them one and all!”
Kathleen sucked in a breath. “Mr. Blaine, must you curse?”
“I know who did this,” he said, biting out each word.
“Who?”
“My lame-brained brothers. They were the ones who sent for you, not me. And if any one of them were old enough, I’d see to it that you got the bridegroom you expected. But the oldest featherhead is only sixteen, and that, I’m afraid, is far too young even for you.”
“Even for me? How dare you, sir!” Kathleen jumped to her feet before she would lose the rest of her aplomb and physically attack the man. Even the Yankees had not insulted her so. “Even if you didn’t write the advertisement, it is your responsibility just the same. Luring a poor woman thousands of miles. Why, you deserve to be shot!”
“I didn’t lure you anywhere,” he declared, eyeing her clenched fist. “But you’re right, it is my responsibility.”
“And as for marrying you, Mr. Blaine, or any of your kinfolk, I’d sooner be committed to an asylum.” She gave him her most scathing look. “Although, sooner or later, I’d probably be sharing the establishment with you. I’d wager most of your kin are already there.”
His face turned red then purple as if he were about to strangle in a fit of apoplexy, then a laugh burst from his throat and exploded into a hearty guffaw.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me!”
“It’s better than all that catawallerin’ you’re doing.”
He took her hand and pulled her back beside him on the bench. Then he lifted a calloused finger and gently wiped away her tears. “All right, Miss Kate Deveraux, it seems we’re both the victims of a misguided matchmaking attempt. Since you’re already here, there’s not much I can do about that part of it. The question is, what do we do now?”
* * *
The sun was sinking on the horizon when Tanner picked up the mule and headed home. His hands clenched on the reins, imagining them to be his brothers’ necks. Of all the tomfool things they’d ever done, this was the absolute limit. He wondered when they had intended to tell him. A mail-order bride was hardly something you could keep a secret. Especially from the would-be groom.
If they were old enough I’d make one of them marry her. But they weren’t old enough. And this latest escapade only reinforced his notion of how young and irresponsible the boys really were.
Handsome prosperous lumberman...
What imaginations. Luke must have dreamed that one up.
Prosperous?
Thanks to them, he didn’t even have a penny to jingle in his pocket. After paying for her meal and the mule’s shoeing, the little he’d had left he’d given to Miss Deveraux. He figured she had more need of it than he did. He was grateful he found her when he did, otherwise he might have had to sell his horse to pay for her room.
He had settled Kathleen Deveraux at Madame Jeanne
Tanner scanned the newspaper clipping. He smoothed the letter and read it, too. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I’m not going to marry you,” he declared.
“What?” Confused, she stared at him.
“I didn’t send for you, and I’m not going to marry you.”
“What?”
“Are you deef, or just plain stupid?”
“Sir, I’m neither ‘deef,’ as you so quaintly put it, nor stupid. And I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth. I’m certain there must be some kind of mistake. The Tanner Blaine who sent for me certainly could have no connection with you.” She pointed to the advertisement.
“Handsome, prosperous lumberman?” He stared from the letter to her and back again. “There is no other Tanner Blaine. This thing has got my name on it, but I sure as hell didn’t write it.”
“If you didn’t write it, sir, then who did?”
His eyes narrowed, he studied the writing again for several long seconds, then his eyes widened and he let out a growl. “Holy hell!” He crushed the papers in his fist. “Damn them! Damn them one and all!”
Kathleen sucked in a breath. “Mr. Blaine, must you curse?”
“I know who did this,” he said, biting out each word.
“Who?”
“My lame-brained brothers. They were the ones who sent for you, not me. And if any one of them were old enough, I’d see to it that you got the bridegroom you expected. But the oldest featherhead is only sixteen, and that, I’m afraid, is far too young even for you.”
“Even for me? How dare you, sir!” Kathleen jumped to her feet before she would lose the rest of her aplomb and physically attack the man. Even the Yankees had not insulted her so. “Even if you didn’t write the advertisement, it is your responsibility just the same. Luring a poor woman thousands of miles. Why, you deserve to be shot!”
“I didn’t lure you anywhere,” he declared, eyeing her clenched fist. “But you’re right, it is my responsibility.”
“And as for marrying you, Mr. Blaine, or any of your kinfolk, I’d sooner be committed to an asylum.” She gave him her most scathing look. “Although, sooner or later, I’d probably be sharing the establishment with you. I’d wager most of your kin are already there.”
His face turned red then purple as if he were about to strangle in a fit of apoplexy, then a laugh burst from his throat and exploded into a hearty guffaw.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me!”
“It’s better than all that catawallerin’ you’re doing.”
He took her hand and pulled her back beside him on the bench. Then he lifted a calloused finger and gently wiped away her tears. “All right, Miss Kate Deveraux, it seems we’re both the victims of a misguided matchmaking attempt. Since you’re already here, there’s not much I can do about that part of it. The question is, what do we do now?”
* * *
The sun was sinking on the horizon when Tanner picked up the mule and headed home. His hands clenched on the reins, imagining them to be his brothers’ necks. Of all the tomfool things they’d ever done, this was the absolute limit. He wondered when they had intended to tell him. A mail-order bride was hardly something you could keep a secret. Especially from the would-be groom.
If they were old enough I’d make one of them marry her. But they weren’t old enough. And this latest escapade only reinforced his notion of how young and irresponsible the boys really were.
Handsome prosperous lumberman...
What imaginations. Luke must have dreamed that one up.
Prosperous?
Thanks to them, he didn’t even have a penny to jingle in his pocket. After paying for her meal and the mule’s shoeing, the little he’d had left he’d given to Miss Deveraux. He figured she had more need of it than he did. He was grateful he found her when he did, otherwise he might have had to sell his horse to pay for her room.
He had settled Kathleen Deveraux at Madame Jeanne
Similar Books
