Kayla caught her breath. His hand on hers was doing funny little things to her pulse, and once again, she couldn’t seem to think clearly. Blushing, she
looked away. “Th...thank you,” she stammered, and then gave herself a
mental shake. She had to keep focused on her goal with this guy, or she was going to find herself grinning at him like a lovesick teenager all the time.
They arrived at his home a little while later. It was a big, two-story house with a porch that went around the entire perimeter. Several hundred feet from the house was an immense barn with several other smaller buildings around it,
and Kayla could see horses in the adjoining paddock. Cord brought the
wagon to a stop outside the house and offered his hand to Kayla, helping her down. Taking up her small suitcase, he led her up the steps and into the
house.
Inside, it was simply but comfortably furnished. Though she could see why he needed a woman out here. There was nothing soft or feminine about the
place. No pictures, no curtains, no rugs, not even a throw pillow. Directly opposite the front door was a staircase that led to the second floor. Though Cord said there was dinner waiting for them on the stove, he gave her a quick tour of the house before they ate. Off the entryway, there was a living room to one side and a dining room on the other. Beyond that was the kitchen, where Cord served them hearty bowls of stew and a plate of biscuits. Though the
food was quite good, Kayla had to concentrate so hard on what she was
saying that she hardly tasted any of it. Pretending to be Abigail was going to be more difficult than she thought.
She was relieved when the kitchen door opened. Kayla turned her head to
see a tall, dark-haired man entering the kitchen. He was older than Cord by several years, and from his clothing, she assumed that he must be one of the ranch hands.
The man’s blue gaze went from Kayla to Cord. “Sorry, Cord. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said. “I’ll come back later.”
Cord shook his head and got to his feet. “No, stay. Lucas, this is Abigail Murray.” He looked at Kayla. “Abigail, this is my foreman, Lucas Johnson.
He’s been my right-hand man around here for years, so if I’m out and there’s anything you need, he’ll take care of it for you.”
Kayla smiled and held out her hand, which Lucas took in his work-worn one.
“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.
Lucas dipped his head. “Pleased to meet you, Ma’am.” He looked at Cord. “I have some things to talk to you about, but it’ll keep ‘til morning.”
Relieved at the interruption, Kayla pushed back her chair and got to her feet.
“You two talk,” she told Cord. “I’m so exhausted from the trip that I’m half asleep at the table. It was nice meeting you, Lucas.” She smiled at Cord.
“Good night, Cord.”
“Abigail,” was all he said, but she could feel his eyes on her as she left the kitchen. As she made her way up the stairs, the men’s voices carried to
where she stood, and though she’d been taught never to eavesdrop, she
paused a moment to listen to their conversation.
“She’ll make a very attractive wife,” Lucas said. “It’s difficult to believe that she’s not already spoken for.”
“I couldn’t agree more. The men in Boston must be crazy to have let her go.”
Kayla felt her pulse skip a beat at his words, and for a moment she wondered why her father couldn’t have found a man like this for her to marry instead of that yes-man, Delmont.
There was a pause before Cord spoke. “So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“McCauley sold his ranch to Dalton Jeffries this afternoon,” Lucas said.
“Damn,” Cord muttered.
“Someone cut his fences and made off with almost half his herd last night. His son was watching over them and got pretty beat-up. That was the last straw for him,” Lucas said. “A man can only take so much, you know.”
Their conversation about the other rancher continued, and since it sounded like Cord was going to be awhile, Kayla decided it was the perfect opportunity to snoop around. Thinking that the most likely place Cord would keep money or anything valuable would be his bedroom, she went there first. She wouldn’t take anything right now, of course. She just thought that it would be good to know where the valuables were kept.
It was right across the hall from hers, and she’d gotten a quick look at it when Cord had showed her around before. Taking the lantern from the table just
inside the door, she used a match to light it, and then closed the door behind her.
Like the other room in the house, Cord’s bedroom was simply furnished.
Besides the big four-poster bed and nightstands, there was a washstand with a mirror, a low dresser, and a wardrobe, but it was the chest at the foot of the bed that caught her attention.
Placing the lantern on one of the nightstands, she knelt down beside the
chest and lifted the lid. Thinking that there had to be something of value inside, she was surprised to find only some blankets, an oily jacket, and two pistols with boxes and boxes of bullets.
Her brow furrowing, she sat back on her heels and looked around the room.
That was when she saw it. A metal box underneath the bed. Now, there had
to be something valuable in there, she thought. Lifting the edge of the quilt, she reached underneath the bed to pull it out. It was heavier than it looked, though, and she needed two hands to do so. With her bottom in the air, she scooted her head and shoulders as far as she could under the bed.
Which was
