Kayla & the Rancher, Paige Tyler [story read aloud TXT] 📗

eyes narrowed. “Don’t be ridiculous! Of course you are,” he insisted. “You have responsibilities, Kayla. And we are to be married, in case you’ve

forgotten.”

“I’m already married, William, so you’ve wasted your time coming here, I’m afraid,” she said.

To her surprise, he threw back his head and laughed. “Your marriage to this rancher isn’t even legal, much less binding, my dear,” he told her scathingly.

“You married him using a false name, remember? Abigail, something-or-

other, wasn’t it?”

She frowned. That couldn’t be true, she told herself. She and Cord had made vows.

He must have seen her look of disbelief and recognized it for what it was

because he laughed again, and there was no mistaking the derision in his

voice when he spoke. “You really thought you were married, didn’t you? I

guess you’re not as intelligent as I gave you credit for being.” He shrugged.

“No matter. It’s lucky for you that I’m prepared to overlook everything you’ve done, Kayla, including sleeping with this rancher. When we get back to New York, we’ll simply tell anyone who asks that you were off visiting relatives or something, but that now you’ve returned to marry me.”

“I already told you,” she said between clenched teeth. “I’m not going back to New York.”

His brows drew together. “Oh, yes you are. Now, go upstairs and pack your

things. There’s a stage that leaves Copper Creek this evening. If we hurry, we can be on it and out of this mud hole of a town in a matter of hours.”

Kayla couldn’t believe his persistence, or his audacity. She had to make

William understand that she wasn’t going back to New York with him, and she had to do it quickly, she thought, before Cord came in and found him.

“Abigail?”

Kayla froze at the sound of Cord’s voice. This couldn’t be happening, she told herself. She had worked so hard to make sure that Cord never found out the truth, and now...

“Abigail, who is this man?” Cord asked.

Her heart pounding, she turned to Cord. He had come to stand beside her,

and was looking at William warily.

“Well, Kayla?” William demanded. “Are you going to tell him or shall I?”

Cord’s brow furrowed in confusion at her name, and Kayla felt her mouth go dry. She nervously wet her lips, trying to think of what to say, but William spoke before she could do so.

“I’m William Delmont, her fiancé,” he said, straightening his waistcoat and leveling his gaze at Cord.

Cord stared at him in disbelief. “Her what?”

William gave him a smug look. “Her name isn’t Abigail, and she isn’t your

mail-order bride,” he said. “Her real name is Kayla Mathison and she ran

away, thinking she could renege on her agreement to marry me.”

“I never agreed to marry you!” she spat.

William gave her a cold look. “Well, that’s neither here nor there, because your father agreed, and that’s really all it takes,” he told her, and straightened his waistcoat again. “But regardless, I’ve come to take you home.”

Kayla took a protective step closer to Cord. “I told you, I’m not going.”

Behind his glasses, his eyes narrowed, but before he could browbeat her with anything else, Cord interjected.

“She’s made it clear that she doesn’t want to go with you, Delmont, so I

suggest you leave,” he said coldly.

This time, it was William’s turn to stare in disbelief. But he recovered quickly.

Lifting his chin, he glared at Kayla. “You’re coming with me, if I have to drag you out of here,” he said.

As he spoke, William made as if to grab her arm, but Cord moved quicker,

shoving the other man back with a hand on his chest.

“She’s not going anywhere with you, and if you touch her again, I’ll kill you,”

he told William curtly. “Leave. Now.”

For a moment, William simply stared at Cord. “Are you insane?” he asked

incredulously. “Didn’t you hear a single word I said? She’s lied to you from the beginning, and you’re not even legally married because of it. I know that

you’re just a cowpoke, and obviously slow on the uptake, but I would think that even you could figure this one out.” He drew himself up. “Now, step

aside. This woman belongs to me, and I’m taking her with me.”

He made a move to step forward again, but stopped when Cord pulled his

pistol halfway out of its holster.

“You’re not from around here, so I’m sure you don’t realize that I could shoot you dead for what you just said, and no one out here would even bat an eye,”

Cord told him. “So, leave now, or I’ll send you back to wherever you’re from in a box.”

William’s eyes widened for a moment, and then he looked at Kayla. “Fine,” he said stiffly. “Stay here and play at being his wife, Kayla, but when he throws you out – which he will - I’ll be waiting.”

With that, he smoothed his hair back, straightened his waistcoat yet again, and turned on his heel.

Kayla watched him go, his words ringing in her ears. The house was so silent that she could hear the sound of her own heart beating. Beside her, Cord

stood tense and unmoving, and she stole a nervous glance at him.

“So, tell me, Kayla,” he said, his voice hard. “It is Kayla, isn’t it? Or did you give your fiancé a fake name, too?”

She flushed, but didn’t answer.

“Were you ever going to tell me the truth?” he demanded harshly. “Or were

you going to let me think you were Abigail for the rest of my life?”

She shook her head, helplessly. “No, I...I tried to tell you, but...” her voice trailed off as tears stung her eyes.

Cord folded his arms across his broad chest and glared down at her. “But

what? I’m waiting.”

A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped at it with her hand. “I know that you’re angry, and you have every right to be. But