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

tugging at the corner of his mouth, he took up the reins in one hand, and then tipped the brim of his hat with the other before riding off. Kayla felt her pulse flutter.

Blushing, she walked across the room and out into the hallway, then stopped, her gaze going to Cord’s room. The door was open, and from where she was

standing, she could just see the edge of the metal box beneath the bed. With Cord out on the ranch, it was the perfect opportunity to do some snooping, she thought. But then she remembered the trouble her snooping had gotten

her into before. She could still feel the sting of the spanking Cord had given her.

She bit her lip. Cord would be out all day, so it wasn’t likely that she’d get caught, she told herself. And if she were careful to put everything back the way she’d found it, Cord would never even know what she’d been up to.

Making up her mind, she went into his room.

Kneeling down beside the bed, she reached under it and grabbed the handles on either side of the box. Tightening her grip, she dragged the box out from under the bed and sat back on her heels so that she could open it. But, much to her chagrin, the lid wouldn’t budge. He’d locked it, she realized.

Not to be deterred, she took out one of her hairpins and slipped it into the lock on top of the box. She worked it one way, and then the other, but still the lock wouldn’t budge. After several minutes, she gave up. Whatever was in the box was undoubtedly valuable, but she couldn’t get it open.

With a sigh, she pushed the box back underneath the bed, and got to her

feet. The poker game it would have to be, then, she decided. Though as

much as she wanted to go to the saloon right then, she thought it better to wait for a few days, like she had decided to do.

That afternoon, Cord asked her to go riding with him. Kayla accepted the

invitation without hesitation. The horse Cord had picked out for her, a

chestnut brown mare, had a sweet personality, and Kayla fell in love with her immediately. Back home, she’d ridden often, and was actually quite good at it, so when Cord started them off slowly, she was tempted to tell him that he

didn’t need to hold back for her, but since she didn’t know what Abigail had told him about her riding experience, she didn’t. She’d already slipped up once, and had promised herself that she would be more careful.

But atop her horse, and amid such beautiful landscape – not to mention

beside such a handsome man - Kayla soon forgot all about Abigail, and

simply enjoyed herself. So much so that when they got back to the barn,

Kayla asked Cord if he would take her riding again. He agreed without

hesitation, obviously pleased that she had had so much fun.

Over the next few days, when she wasn’t out riding with Cord, she was

working on her designs. Though she hadn’t intended to, she somehow found

herself working up a design for a wedding dress. Not that that meant

anything. A good designer needed a variety of dresses in her line, she told herself, and that included a wedding dress. Besides, she had to have some

excuse to go into town.

“Rachel offered to let me use her sewing machine for my dress, so I was

thinking of going into town tomorrow,” she told him as they had dinner one evening. “I was also going to make some curtains for the windows, if that’s okay with you.”

He seemed mildly surprised at the mention of the curtains, but only smiled.

“Whatever you’d like to do is fine. It’s your home now, too, Abigail.”

His words, spoken so softly, made her warm all over, and she looked away.

“I’ll have one of the hands take you into town,” he said.

She shook her head quickly. “That’s not necessary,” she told him. “If you’ll just have one of them get the cart ready for me, I can go myself.”

He seemed to be considering that for a moment, and then he shook his head.

“I’d feel better if one of the men went with you.”

“Cord, it’s silly for me to tie up one of the men for the whole day while I go shopping. Nor do I want to have to wait for someone to take me into town all the time,” she said, making sure to keep her voice even so that she wouldn’t sound quarrelsome. She gave him one of her sweetest smiles. “I’ll be fine, really.”

Cord finally relented, though he did warn her to be careful, and to make sure that she was back before dark. She assured him that she would be, and they spent the rest of the evening together in the living room. Cord talked mostly of his ranch, telling her stories of cattle drives and round-ups. He was originally from St. Louis, he said, and had come out west several years ago, where he could have both space and independence. He had liked Copper Creek from

the moment he’d seen it, and knew it was where he wanted to settle down

and start a family.

Listening to him, Kayla once again felt a stab of guilt for misleading him like she was. But that didn’t stop her from going into town the next day to play poker at the saloon. She did stop at the general store first, however, to buy some material for the curtains she’d told Cord that she would make, and to do a little work on the wedding dress.

“So, how are things going with Cord?” the blond girl asked as she cut the

material to size for Kayla. They were at the table in the back of the general store.

“Very well, actual y,” Kayla answered honestly.

Rachel smiled. “I can’t imagine being a male-order bride myself, but