Chapter Three
“Isn’t it a beautiful ring?”
“Ellabelle West, keep sticking your finger in front of my face and we’re going to veer off the road.” Logan shook his head in amusement as he guided the wagon over a particularly large rut. A sharp slap landed upon his shoulder and he feigned agony. “Ouch, that hurt, you little brat.”
“It did not. You’re as strong as a horse, brother mine.”
Logan hid his scowl. All this talk about rings and weddings was giving him a headache. He could go on damning all rings and the very institution of marriage until his face turned blue but his baby sister would be getting married in a couple of weeks whether he liked it or not. She had grown into a beautiful woman right before his eyes and it was time to let go.
Although, in the back of his mind, he still harbored some misgivings about how her life would be as a sheriff’s wife. She had followed his wishes and waited the allotted time he had asked she honor before setting the date. Sheriff Brody Yates was a decent man, yet Logan’s stomach tightened with apprehension whenever Ella brought up the subject of marriage. Probably because she believed true love existed. He did not.
“Now we must find someone for you,” she stated firmly, folding her hands in her lap and bestowing upon him a bright eager oh-so-innocent smile.
Logan flicked the reins and the horses picked up speed. “We will do nothing of the sort, young lady.” It never failed. If his sister was happy then she made it her agenda to see that the people she cared about were happy too. “I’m fine just the way things are.”
“But when Brody and I get married you’ll be all alone in that big old house.”
“Yeah,” he teased playfully. “Finally I get to have some peace and quiet in my old age.”
“You don’t have to sound so smug. You act as if you can’t wait to get rid of me,” she retorted sharply. “And don’t call me Ellabelle. I told you that before.”
“And don’t go getting your bloomers in a twist. It’s a brother’s right to agitate his baby sister.” He chuckled to himself. The new sheriff in town was going to have his hands full with Miss Ellabelle West. She possessed a stubborn streak a mile wide and a short temper to boot. “You remind me of Ma when you get yourself all riled up.”
Ella sighed. “I can barely remember her and Pa anymore. I wish they were still here. It would have been nice to have Pa walk me down the aisle.”
“I’m more than happy to be the one to walk you down the aisle,” Logan said softly.
Ella giggled. “After all the fussing about me getting married, I’m more than happy to have you by my side on my special day.”
“Was I that bad?”
“Very, but I know you meant well. You’ve always looked out for me. I’m sorry, Logan, for what I said earlier. I know you don’t want to get rid of me. You had your chance all those years ago and yet you refused to send me away to an all-girls school and took care of me yourself.”
Logan nodded in acknowledgement. It hadn’t been easy raising a girl but he had been determined to stick to his guns even though the busybodies in town jumped on him every chance they got. They threw their opinions at him about a girl living with her older brother and no other female around to guide her and show her how to act like a proper lady. Some of the older women even went as far as offering up their daughters as a wife.
Logan grunted. That’d be the day he’d have Ella walking around with her nose up in the air thinking herself better than anyone else. To be fair there were a few ladies he considered kind and compassionate, but Mrs. Snodgrass’s daughter, Lily, had made him reluctant to commit. She sure had him fooled for a while and he would not make that same mistake again. Ella may spit out a dirty word now and again and shoot a gun, but she never thought herself better than the next person.
“What about the new schoolteacher, Miss Achenbach? She’s very nice.”
“Ella,” he admonished sternly. “We’ve been down this road before and always arrive at the same conclusion. Your matchmaking and trying to patch things up between people you care about only gets you into trouble.”
“I don’t get involved all that much.”
He guffawed. “You’re kidding, right? What about Billy and Kittie? Within six months of their marriage, they had a blowup and Kittie ran back home crying to her parents. You arranged a meeting between the two of them and allowed them to think it was the other’s idea.”
“But it worked,” she protested. “They forgave each other.”
“And stayed mad at you for a long time,” he fired back. “You must keep out of people’s business, Ella. Things tend to work themselves out.”
“And what would you have done if you had been Billy? Let Kittie stay with her parents and forget about her?”
“Hell, no! No wife of mine would get past the front door. I’d have her over my knee in a heartbeat and keep her there until she settled down and we could discuss the problem peacefully.”
“I swear you men are all alike.”
That offhand comment sparked his brotherly interest. “Care to explain what men you’re referring to?”
“You and Brody,” Ella huffed. “I’ll have you know that your future brother-in-law shares the same idea as you do on the subject of spanking.”
“Well now, that’s certainly a load off my mind although I’m not too pleased about him putting his hands on you before you’re married.”
“Nothing inappropriate happened. Besides, I’m eighteen.”
A tick alongside his jaw began to thump. He hated to admit it, but she had a point.
“Well then, maybe he can spank some sense into you about butting in other people’s business. Lord knows I tried, but then again I can’t remember the last time I threatened you with a spanking.”
He noticed how she squirmed on the wooden seat, but said nothing. She showed no signs of severe injury. If she had, Brody would be missing a few teeth.
“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Don’t you want to have a wife to cuddle with?”
Logan snorted. “Cuddle is a mild way of putting what I like to do and you don’t have to be married to do it.”
“Logan West, you can really be crude at times, but that doesn’t stop me from worrying about you.”
“Stop worrying about me. Soon you’ll have a husband to take care of.”
“But…”
“No buts about it.” He sighed long and hard. “Ella, the kind of love you’re talking about only comes once in a lifetime to those lucky enough to find it. Happily ever after only exists in those dime novels you read all the time.”
“No, it doesn’t. Happily ever afters do exist. Look at Ma and Pa. You said they were always hugging each other.”
“Ma and Pa were different.” Grinning widely, he placed a hand on his chest and deepened his voice. “The dashing hero on his trusty steed rides in to save the lady in distress and they live happily ever after. Life just doesn’t work that way all the time, little sister.” He paused a moment, then said, “Perhaps for you, but not for me.”
Her bottom lip jutted out just like it used to when he would scold her as a child. Lately she’d been kind of contrary, demanding he stop calling her by her full name. He could deal with that, but no matter what, she’d always be his little sister. Married or not, he’d always be her big brother.
For the hell of it he had paged through one of those dime novels and found himself feeling extremely sorry for the hero. The poor sap had his hands full chasing down ruthless outlaws, getting shot at while at the same time trying to keep a stubborn heroine from landing into trouble. In the end the bad guys were thrown in jail and the hero got the girl. Good always triumphed over evil, but not in his little corner of the world.
After a while she spoke softly. “I know Lily hurt you.”
“That’s enough, Ella.” The last person he wanted to talk about was Lily. Sweet Lily. At least that’s what she had pretended to be. Turned out she was fucking other men on the side. He’d been warned but refused to listen.
“You just wait, Logan. One of these days a woman is going to blindside you and renew your faith in love.”
Logan snorted. Hell had a better chance of freezing over before that happened.
When they arrived in town, he drove straight to the sheriff’s office. Brody was leaning against a post and immediately helped Ella down from the wagon.
Logan thumbed back his hat. “Stop fretting about me. I’m a big boy.”
“What’s wrong?” Brody shook hands with Logan.
Before she had a chance to reply, Logan filled him in. “Your future wife wants everyone to be as happy as she is.”
Brody regarded his intended sternly. “Are you matchmaking again, little one?”
Logan threw back his head and laughed. “So you know all about that, eh?” His eyes narrowed when a flush of color tinged Ella’s cheeks. He nodded knowingly at Brody.
“We discussed this penchant she has for meddling the other day in my office.” Brody slipped a finger under her chin so she had no other choice but to meet his gaze. “I thought we straightened it all out. Isn’t that right, Ellabelle?”
Ellabelle? Logan winced. He’d better hightail it out of here and give the couple some privacy. Brody would more than likely receive a tongue lashing for using her full name. He’d hate to embarrass the man further by being present. But to his surprise she smiled.
“Can we go for tea now, Brody?”
Logan shook his head. Women. One minute they’re biting your head off and the next they’re as calm as a newborn kitten. “I’ll meet you at the mercantile in about an hour. Don’t forget the Arbuckles’.”
“You should drink less coffee and more tea, Logan. Tea might mellow you a bit.”
“I don’t need no mellowing, brat.”