Kayla almost laughed at the absurdity of the idea, but before she could reply, one of the spectators spoke.
“We don’t do things like that out here, Jeffries,” the man said gruffly. “Never have, never will. If you wanna bet, you put something in writing for the lady.”
Dalton’s mouth tightened, but he couldn’t very well dispute the man’s words, not when everyone else was nodding in agreement. “How about an IOU for
the remaining amount, then? I’d say that I’m about a hundred and fifty dollars short,” he said to Kayla. “Is that about right?”
She almost smiled. A hundred and fifty more of his dollars would certainly be right, but before she could answer, another thought came to her. A way to get even better revenge on him. “I’m not really interested in any more of your money; I already have plenty of that. Why not put up the deed to Cord’s ranch instead?” she asked, her lips curving into a smile.
For a moment, Dalton just stared at her, and then he burst out laughing. “You must be joking,” he said. “Cord’s ranch is worth a hundred times more than that.”
Kayla’s hand tightened ever so slightly on her cards. He was right, of course, but she had been hoping that he had become so flustered that he wouldn’t
quibble over the details. The thought of getting Cord’s ranch back had been a spur of the moment idea, but now that she looked at it from Dalton’s point of view, she couldn’t imagine why he would make the bet. She was just about to agree to the IOU for a hundred and fifty when he spoke.
“I might consider putting up the ranch if you would be willing to put up
something else of equal value on your part,” he said smoothly.
Something in the way he said the words made the hairs on the back of her
neck stand on end. “Such as?” she asked.
He gave her an oily smile. “I’ll put up Cord’s ranch if you agree to spend the night in my bed.”
Kayla felt her blood run cold. Her stomach churned just at the thought of
Dalton Jeffries touching her; she couldn’t imagine having sex with him. And yet, it would be a small price to pay for a chance to get back at Dalton. But what if she lost to him? What would Cord say? Then she decided that it
probably didn’t matter much anyway. Cord was likely already gone, she told herself miserably.
Taking a deep breath, she drew herself up and forced herself to say the
words that would seal the deal. “Very well.”
Dalton chuckled. “Hear that, boys?” he said, raising his voice so that the entire saloon could hear. “If the beautiful Miss Mathison wins, then I give up Cord’s ranch. But if I win, she spends the night in my bed.”
“Like hell she will!”
Kayla’s pulse skipped a beat at the sound of Cord’s voice, and she spun
around in her chair to see him striding toward their table. Without a word, he took her arm and hauled her out of her seat, then proceeded to drag her
across the room to an open space on the floor. Still startled by his presence, she went without protest.
“Are you out of your mind?” Cord demanded, glowering down at her. “I should put you over my knee right here for this little stunt. What the hell are you doing?”
She blushed, glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone had heard the
words, but then she realized that Cord had spoken too softly for his voice to carry. She said nothing for a moment, but simply gazed up at him, unable to believe that he was real y there. But the strong hands on her shoulders were very real, as was the fierce look Cord was giving her.
Realizing that he was waiting for an answer, she lifted her chin and met that look with one of her own. “I’m getting your ranch back,” she told him matter-of-factly.
His jaw clenched. “If you win,” he ground out. “If you lose, Jeffries expects you to spend the night with him, and I’ll de damned if I’ll let you do that.”
Kayla caught her breath at the vehemence in his voice. Did she dare let
herself hope? she wondered. Could it be possible that Cord still cared for her after all she’d done?
Before she could speak, Dalton Jeffries voice came from across the room.
“She already made the bet, Holderness,” he said. “She has to honor it.”
Kayla felt Cord stiffen, and fear rippled through her. Reaching up, she gently laid her hand against his chest. “Dalton’s been losing steadily al evening, Cord,” she said softly. “I can beat him.”
“Well, I’m not about to take that chance,” Cord said. Taking her hand, he led her back to the table and glared down at Dalton Jeffries. “You want something put up that’s of equal value to the ranch,” he told the other man, “then play for this.” As he spoke, he took out a stack of money and tossed it onto the center of the table. “That’s what you paid me for the property.”
Kayla stared at the money in disbelief. If Dalton won, then Cord would have no ranch and no money to start over anywhere else. If she had any doubt that he still cared for her, it disappeared in that moment.
Seated at the table, Dalton Jeffries seemed to be considering this new bet, and she held her breath. After a moment, he nodded. “All right,” he said after a moment, and then looked at her. “Well, what do have?”
The same man who had prompted Dalton to write the IOU before slammed
his hand down on the table. “Hold on there folks,” he said. “Before anybody goes turning cards over, we need this all done up in writing. I don’t want anybody welching on any bets in my saloon.”
Paper and
