Unwilling Groom
By
Joannie Kay
Copyright 2012 by Blushing Books and Joannie Kay
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 by Blushing Books and Joannie Kay.
All rights reserved. No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Kay, Joannie
Unwilling Groom
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60968-546-1
Cover Design: by ABCD Graphics
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Chapter One:
David O’Riley had had an uneasy feeling ever since he road into the small town, and once his business was concluded, he was of a mind to head for home. There was no disputing the weather, however, and spending the night miserable, cold, and wet held no appeal for the handsome young man. He took a room at the hotel and stabled his stallion in the livery. “Do you know a good place to get a hot meal?” he asked the young boy tending the animals.
“Well, the saloon has sandwiches, but Mills buys them from Caroline’s. Most folks go there to eat when they come to town,” the teen answered. “Miss Caroline is a good cook.”
Davy asked where the restaurant was located, and thanked the boy after he gave him directions. He was going to get a good meal and have an early night and hope the weather was fit for travel by morning. Not that it mattered, he told himself with a frown. His Pa was expecting him home and would raise hell if he wasn’t. The ranch was busy this time of year, and Sean was laid up with a broken arm, and Mike was spending his time closer to home since Angie was due to give birth any time. Patrick didn’t amount to much either since he was still a newlywed. Flynn was counting on him and his other brothers to pick up the slack.
The restaurant was simple to find. The name was painted in red and white letters on the front glass, and Davy could see the place was fairly busy. He let himself inside, hearing the bell on the door tinkle loudly to alert everyone of his presence. “Take a seat, mister. Pepper will be with you soon,” an older woman called to him. Davy nodded, and made his way to an empty table on the other side of the room. It wasn’t where he would have preferred to sit, right beside the door leading to the kitchen, but it was the last table available. He took a seat and noticed the menu for the day was written on a small chalkboard. There were only two selections to choose from, and Davy shuddered when he saw liver and onions listed first, and knew without a doubt his choice was the chicken and noodles.
Davy sat patiently, but the elusive Pepper didn’t show up. After about twenty minutes, he was about to get up and open the kitchen door to see why he wasn’t getting waited on when he heard a loud curse coming from the kitchen. It wasn’t the word that made Davy blush; he had five brothers and a Pa who could cuss with the best of them. It was hearing that word coming from a female’s mouth that shocked him. Even his little hotheaded sister, Bridget, wouldn’t dare use that particular word! The door slammed open and banged against his chair and a man looked all around the room.
“Where the hell is she?” his voice boomed over the diners.
“Mitch, you need to call down,” the same woman who told him to find a table spoke firmly. “Pepper ain’t here tonight.”
“Then where is she?” the burly man demanded, his hand resting on the butt of his gun.
“I can’t say,” the woman shrugged. “You know Pepper. She comes and goes as she pleases. It’s getting ready to storm; she’s probably taking a ride to enjoy the thunder and lightning.”
“She told me she was getting’ hitched,” Mitch growled angrily. “That true?” he wanted to know, and Davy found himself feeling sorry for the guy the mysterious Pepper planned to marry. He was going to have a fight on his hands for sure.
“Pepper sure don’t want to marry you, Mitch. She’s told you that several times now,” the woman was brave enough to tell him.
“I’ll kill the first man who even looks at my girl!” the big man announced. “You make sure he gets the message.” He looked around the room, and his beady black eyes settled on Davy. “You the sneaky bastard tryin’ to steal my girl?” he asked angrily.
Davy shook his head ‘no’. “I’m in town on business, and just staying one night. Never even met the girl.”
“I’ll kill you if you even look at her, pretty boy!” He raised a beefy fist and found himself looking down the barrel of Davy’s gun.
“Best not to try it; I’ve got five older brothers and I don’t take to being knocked around.”
The door opened again and the Sheriff popped his head inside. “Come on, Mitch. You’re upsettin’ folks. Miss Caroline is going to press charges.”
Mitch reluctantly left the room, but not until he promised Davy he would be seeing him again real soon. Davy didn’t really care; he was leaving town first thing in the morning.
“You shouldn’t have done that, you fool! Mitch will make it a point to knock you senseless now.”
Davy hadn’t heard the tiny female come through the door. She was pretty as could be, black hair in a braid down the middle of her back, and lavender eyes! “If you’re Pepper, I want a plate of chicken and noodles. Mashed potatoes with them, and green beans. A glass of milk, and peach cobbler for dessert. I’m hungry.”
“Didn’t you hear me? Mitch is going to pound you!”
“It’s been tried before, and I can hold my own. Are you going to get me something to eat?”
“Pepper, we need coffee,” another gentleman called out.
“Just hold your horses!” she stomped her foot. “Can’t you see I’m trying to get this damned fool to get out of town right now!”
“I’m not going anywhere, Pepper. Food, now… please!” Davy looked at her and winked.
“I’m trying to save your life.”
“Then get me some food before I perish of starvation.”
“Pepper, give Jimmy and Dorothy their coffee and stop giving this young man a hard time,” the older woman scolded. “I’ll have your food up in no time, young man. You eat up fast and get out of town.”
Davy was insulted. He was an O’Riley and O’Riley’s didn’t run from anyone, and he wasn’t going to be the first to do so. He watched as Pepper went around the room refilling coffee cups. She was a tiny little thing, and he couldn’t wonder at her hiding from the likes of Mitch. In fact, it made him sick to think of her being threatened by the man. She brought his food to the table and the plates were piled high. “Do you have anyone to protect you from Mitch?” he demanded.
“No, these folks aren’t stupid!” she snapped. “They know better than to mess in Mitch’s affairs.”
“Don’t you have a father or a brother to keep you safe?” Davy wanted to know, unaware that his dark eyes were flaming.
“I don’t have anyone but myself. I am not going to marry Mitch Collins, either.”
“You need to get away from here. I could help you make a new start somewhere else…” Davy offered sincerely.
“I’m not that kind of girl!” Pepper barely resisted the urge to throw the large glass of milk in his face. If she wasn’t sure it would be the last straw with Caroline, she would do it, though, and consequences be damned.
“I’m sorry,” Davy felt his face turn red from the neck up. “I didn’t mean it like that; I meant it in a helping you out way… No strings. I’ve got a kid sister… I wouldn’t want her in a situation like yours.”
Pepper looked at the handsome man and felt herself weakening. It would be so nice to lean on someone stronger than herself for a change. But, she didn’t dare. Mitch would kill anyone who tried to take her away from here. She knew that from bitter experience. And leaving town wouldn’t help; she’d tried that once before and he’d followed her here. Mitch was determined to possess her, and nothing she said made any difference to him. “You eat and get the hell out of town before Mitch hurts you bad.” Pepper went into the kitchen, said a few words to Carolyn, and slipped out the back door. She needed a place to hide for the night; Mitch was furious and he would hurt her if he got his hands on her.
Davy enjoyed his supper. The food was really good, and hot, and there was plenty of it. The peach cobbler was great, too, and he was happy when he paid his bill and headed back to the hotel. The wind had kicked up since he went for supper, and he could see lightning off in the distance and hear the rumble of thunder. He was thankful he’d made the decision to spend the night at the hotel and while he kept his eyes open and alert for trouble, he made the short walk in mere minutes and saw that the clerk was asleep at the desk. Davy saw no need to wake him and hurried up the steps to his room.
Davy saw no need to light the lamp on the table beside the bed. All he was going to do was go to bed and get some sleep. He made sure the door was locked, and as an added precaution, he put a chair in front of the door and put his boots on the chair. Satisfied that no one could sneak in, with or without a key, without waking him, Davy stripped down to the buff and crawled in bed. He was sound asleep within minutes.
*******
Pepper loved storms; and she could sleep right through them, unlike some people who feared them. She woke feeling warm under the blankets, and was thankful that her friend Wally let her hide in one of the empty rooms. It wouldn’t occur to Mitch to hunt for her here. Pepper stretched and then cried out when her hand touched a warm body! “What are you doing in here?” she demanded.
Davy was instantly awake and reaching for his gun before he realized he was buck naked… Buck naked and in bed with a female who was also buck naked. “I could ask you the same, darlin’,” he replied. “This is MY room!”
“It is NOT!” Pepper frowned. “You were still at the restaurant when I came in!” she argued.
“I paid for this room before I went to eat.” Davy looked at the chair in front of the door and his boots were still on the chair. What was wrong with him that he could come into a room and crawl in bed with a pretty girl and not realize he wasn’t alone!
“I can’t believe you didn’t wake me up and tell me I was in your room!” she gasped angrily. “You’ve ruined my reputation!”
“Lady, this is my room, and I didn’t invite you here. Now, get up and get out,” Davy hadn’t had coffee yet and he wasn’t a bit happy, especially when she was making noises like HE had done something wrong. He’d done nothing to ruin her reputation, and he wasn’t going to accept that he had.
“I’m not dressed! You get out!” Pepper insisted.
“I’m not dressed either, and this is MY room.” Davy reminded her.
“You’ve compromised my reputation and I’m ruined!” Pepper’s lavender eyes filled with tears.
“I did no such thing. I didn’t touch you. Hell, I didn’t even know you were here!” Davy roared angrily. “You are the one who put your naked butt in my bed. Now get out!”
“You are no gentleman!”
“I never claimed to be.”
“WHERE IS HE? I’M GOING TO KILL HIM IF HE’S TAKEN MY GIRL!” the bellow came from downstairs and David saw Pepper’s face turn white as the sheets. He said to hell with modesty and reached for his pants and pulled them on. He wasn’t going to be caught in bed, naked, with a naked Pepper. If Mitch came upstairs, he intended to be ready for him.
“Get your clothes on, Pepper,” he whispered loudly.
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you!” Pepper cried. “You ruined my reputation and you don’t even care!”
David pulled on his shirt and stuck his feet into his boots just before the door came crashing open. Mitch was fit to be tied when he spotted Pepper in bed. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU, PRETTY BOY!” he roared, and then lunged at Davy.
Davy easily stepped aside and the big man threw himself against the dresser. Again, Mitch came at him and Davy ducked under his arms and landed a blow to his midsection. Mitch groaned in pain. Davy landed another blow to his chin, and the big man went down with a loud thud.
“I thought he was going to kill you, and you took him down as if it was simple!” Pepper said, clearly amazed. “No one beats Mitch!”
“Put my gun down before you shoot yourself, girl,” Davy frowned at her. “What did you think you were going to do with that thing?”
“Shoot him before he killed you,” she answered just as the Sheriff burst into the room, his gun drawn.
“Is he dead?” he went to check on Mitch. “No. What happened?” he took in the situation and his eyes widened in shock as he realized that Pepper was undressed under the sheet she held clutched to her breasts.
“He compromised me, Sheriff, and I insist he be made to do the right thing!” Pepper suddenly announced, pointing at Davy with the gun.
“What?” the outraged man looked at Davy. “You compromised Miss Pepper, boy?”
“Nothing happened. This is my room. I didn’t even know she was in here until she woke up and started yelling about me being naked in her bed. Check with the desk clerk. This is my room. She let herself in here.”
“I demand he marries me,” Pepper pointed the gun at Davy. “You’re either going to marry me or I’ll shoot you dead!” she waved his gun at him. “Sheriff, send for Reverend Speaks.”
“Now wait a minute, girl. You know that nothing at all happened here,” Davy took a threatening step toward her.
“Miss Pepper, you watch where you point that gun!” the Sheriff warned seconds before she fired a shot over Davy’s head.
“You are marrying me, Mister. No man takes away my reputation and gets away with walking on me. I might not have a father or brother to hold a shotgun, so I’ll do it myself. You’re marrying me!”
“You’d better think about this, little girl,” Davy warned softly. “Marriage is for life. Do you really want to be married to me for the rest of your life? I believe in spanking sassy little girls, and the first time you use bad language I’ll soap your mouth. Think about it. I mean what I say.”
“You haven’t given me any choice. You ruined my reputation!” she insisted.
“I didn’t do anything to you. I didn’t know you were here until you woke me this morning. This is MY room, Pepper. Did you bed down in here hoping to catch a husband?” he demanded.
“No!” Pepper’s feelings were hurt. “I wouldn’t do that. Wally always lets me stay here when I need a place to hide from Mitch. He was asleep last night, so I just took a key from the board and came up. I didn’t see any stuff in here!” she accused him. “There’s no valise!”
“My saddlebags are under the bed. I don’t leave anything out where it can be seen when I leave the room,” Davy told her. “Now stop being ridiculous. You made a mistake, but it’s not the end of the world. No one will blame you.”
“She spent the night naked in bed with a man,” the Reverend said as he entered the room. “Wally already told me. You have disgraced this child’s reputation.”
“And if that ain’t enough, when Mitch comes to, he’ll kill Pepper if she’s still here,” the Sheriff predicted in a dire tone of voice.
“You’d better marry me, mister!” Pepper’s eyes filled with tears.
*******
“Hi, Papa!” Bridget stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. “What brings you over today?”
“Can’t I come and see my little girl if I want to?” Flynn smiled at her.
“Anytime. Do you want some coffee?” she offered.
“Yes, I do.” Flynn took off his hat and took a seat at the table, wondering how his hotheaded little girl was going to take the news and wondering if he should make sure that Will was home before telling her. “Where’s Will?” he asked.
“I’m right here,” Will grinned as he came inside. “Is something wrong?” he asked his father-in-law. He’d visited just yesterday and it wasn’t like him to come again so soon without a reason.
“I had a telegram from Davy,” Flynn said softly, and then looked at his daughter. “Girl, I don’t want you losing your temper. You aren’t so big I can’t cut a switch!” he threatened her.
“Papa, what is wrong with Davy?” Bridget demanded. “Does he need our help? Is he in trouble?” Her mind was going in several different directions at once.
“Settle down, Red, and let your Dad talk.”
Bridget flashed her husband a dirty look, but it was easy to see that he was worried too. She was lucky that Will loved her brothers as much as she did. “Papa…?”
“Davy is married, honey. He’ll be bringing his bride home tomorrow,” Flynn announced.
“What?” Bridget was shocked. “Davy wasn’t courting anyone!”
“We know. I don’t know any details.”
“So, what do we do about this?” she put her hands on her hips to ask, and Will gave her bottom a familiar smack.
“We don’t do anything, Bridget. We treat the new Mrs. O’Riley with respect and welcome her to the family.”
“What if she…”
“Davy wouldn’t marry the girl if he didn’t want to, and it’s not Sean we’re talkin’ about, girl. Sean’s the kind to get caught takin’ advantage, but not Davy. He’s fallen head over heels…”
*******
Pepper looked over at the man driving the wagon and could see by the set of his jaw that he was angry. She honestly couldn’t blame him. She was just so tired of being afraid all the time, and David had handled himself well against Mitch. Pepper was sure he could keep her safe, and she needed to get away from Mitch before he snapped and hurt her. It wasn’t fair to David, though. Once they were alone in the room, David had taken his gun from her and pulled her from the bed and told her to get dressed. She didn’t argue and once she was dressed he said, “Where are you living?” She answered him, and he took her there and had her pack her belongings. Pepper didn’t have much, but David bought a small wagon and a set of horses to pull it. His stallion was tied to the rear of the wagon. She wanted to talk to him, but thought it best to remain quiet until his anger passed. Still, she was getting hungry, and she needed to relieve her bladder.
Davy was only too aware of the tiny woman squirming beside him on the wagon seat, and he didn’t know what to do with her. He was angry and part of him felt like hauling her over his knee and spanking the daylights out of her. The other part of him understood why she’d married him. Plain and simple, she was terrified of Mitch and wanted to escape the man. The fact that she’d picked HIM was just pure rotten luck. Pepper squirmed again and he turned to look at her. “Why are you squirming, Mrs. O’Riley?”
“I need to stop for a bit,” her face turned red, and then she snapped, “Are you the least bit human, Mr. O’Riley?”
Davy reined in the horses and stopped the wagon. He turned to her and said, “I am very human, young lady. I’m human enough to be very angry with you right now, and unless my temper cools by the time we stop for the night, you are going to get the spanking of your life.”
“You’d just better not try it!” Pepper railed at him, and when his dark eyes narrowed in disapproval, she jumped down off the seat and ran into the wooded area beside the road. She really needed to go! A few minutes later she was finished and felt a lot better and decided she was going to apologize to David. She walked back to where he was waiting impatiently. “David, I…”