Love of a Cowboy 1 Read online

  Love of a Cowboy 1

  Four Romances from the Old West

  Contains:

  Kayla & the Rancher by Paige Tyler

  Mail-Order Mama by Courage Knight

  The Marshal’s Rebellious Bride by Starla Kaye

  Depths of Desire by Carolyn Faulkner

  Copyright 2015 Blushing Books and the authors

  Published by Blushing Books at Smashwords

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Published by Blushing Books®,

  a subsidiary of

  ABCD Graphics and Design

  977 Seminole Trail #233

  Charlottesville, VA 22901

  The trademark Blushing Books®

  is registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

  Love of a Cowboy 1

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-62750-5857

  Contains:

  Kayla & The Rancer ISBN: 978-1-935152-17-0

  Mail-Order Mama ISBN: 978-1-60968-155-5

  The Marshal’s Rebellious Bride ISBN: 978-1-62750-006-7

  Depths of Desire by Carolyn Faulkner eBook ISBN: 978-1-60968-108-1

  Cover Design by ABCD Graphics

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books’ or the author’s advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.

  Table of Contents:

  Kayla & the Rancher by Paige Tyler

  About Paige Tyler

  Mail-Order Mama by Courage Knight

  About Courage Knight

  The Marshal’s Rebellious Bride by Starla Kaye

  About Starla Kaye

  Depths of Desire by Carolyn Faulkner

  About Carolyn Faulkner

  Blushing Books

  Kayla and the Rancher

  By

  Paige Tyler

  Copyright 2008, 2014 Paige Tyler and Blushing Books

  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.

  Published by Blushing Books®,

  a subsidiary of

  ABCD Graphics and Design

  977 Seminole Trail #233

  Charlottesville, VA 22901

  The trademark Blushing Books®

  is registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office.

  Tyler, Paige

  Kayla and The Ranger

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-935152-17-0

  Print Book ISBN: 978-1-60968-20-6

  Cover Design: Rae Monet

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults. Nothing in this book should be interpreted as Blushing Books’ or the author’s advocating any non-consensual spanking activity or the spanking of minors.

  Chapter One

  Kayla Mathison would have done anything to escape her life back in New York. Anything included traveling cross-country, in a cramped, uncomfortable stagecoach in the blistering heat to a city she didn’t know. At the moment, she and another girl, who looked to be about her age, were the stage’s only occupants. Before that, they’d been joined by an elderly woman traveling with her granddaughter, a portly businessman and a sour-faced old man who did nothing but complain about what the rough ride was doing to his behind.

  Kayla didn’t give the other travelers too much of her attention, however, preferring to concentrate on the sketchpad she kept balanced on her lap. Not only did her drawings keep her from having to make polite conversation with the other travelers, but they also kept her from dwelling on the reason she was running away in the first place. Every once in a while, one of the other passengers would look over at the sketches she was doing of dress designs and make a comment, but she’d merely smile and disengage herself from the conversation as quickly as possible.

  At twenty years of age, Kayla’s father had decided it was high time that she got married. It seemed that he thought her willful, independent ways were going to get her into trouble. And he didn’t want to marry her to just anyone, of course, but to William Delmont. Which probably wouldn’t have bothered her so much if the man weren’t marrying her simply to get half of her father’s company. Though that wasn’t William’s fault, she supposed, since it was her father who had bribed William and made it a package deal. Kayla had never been so insulted - or outraged - in her entire life. She couldn’t decide what enraged her more. The thought that her father felt he had the right to decide whom she married, or that he felt it would take half his company to get someone to marry her.

  Kayla had pleaded with her father, but it hadn’t mattered. He was determined to see her married, and would hear none of it. So, with a small suitcase, her drawing materials and what she thought would be enough money in hand, Kayla left home to head west to San Francisco where she would become a seamstress. She could sew, and she knew that her designs were pretty good. She’d always dreamed of one day becoming a clothing designer in New York, maybe even Paris. But her father had changed all of that, so she would have to be a designer in San Francisco instead. However, she’d gone through her money faster than she’d thought she would, and she still had a few weeks of travel left.

  “Those drawings are beautiful.”

  Kayla lifted her head to look at the girl sitting across from her. Slightly plump, she had a rounded, freckled face and curly carrot-red hair that she wore back in a bun at the nape of her neck. She gave Kayla a shy smile.

  “I didn’t mean to be so nosy,” she hastily apologized before Kayla could answer. “It’s just that you’re so talented. I can’t seem to draw a straight line myself.”

  Kayla smiled. “Straight lines are highly overrated, anyway.”

  The other girl laughed. “I’m Abigail, by the way.”

  “I’m Kayla.” She turned her attention back to the sketchbook on her lap, hoping to put an end to the conversation, but the other girl didn’t take the hint.

  “Are you going to Copper Creek, too?”

  Kayla had never heard of Copper Creek, but it didn’t sound like a place she’d want to visit. She shook her head. “No, I’m going to San Francisco.”

  Abigail’s eyes lit up. “How exciting!” she exclaimed. “And how brave of you. I’d be terrified at the thought of going so far.” She frowned as if considering something. “Actually, I’m terrified at the thought of going to Copper Creek.” She gave Kayla a small smile. “I agreed to be a mail-order bride, you see, but I don’t think I can go through with it.”

  Kayla’s brow furrowed. She’d seen the advertisements placed by men who were looking for wives, but she’d never actually known a woman who had responded to any of them. Perhaps she should have considered becoming a mail-order bride herself, she thought wryly. It certainly couldn’t be any worse than marrying William Delmont.

  Across from her, Abigail was telling her about the stranger that she’d left her home in Boston for. “His name’s Cord Holderness and he owns a cattle ranch outside of Copper Creek. It’s positively huge, at least as big as the city of Boston. And he has all these cattle and horse
s and lots of people working for him. But he’s not all about the money. He sounds so nice in his letters, just like the cowboys that you read about in the dime-store novels. A true gentleman.” She laughed, blushing. “I never told anyone this before, but I’ve always been fascinated by cowboys. In the books, they’re always so big and strong and handsome and gentlemanly…” A dreamy expression came onto her face, but it faded after a moment. “But the men that I’ve met since coming out here aren’t at all like they are in the books. They’re rough and unmannerly and not at all what I imagined. Most of them actually smell.”

  Kayla couldn’t help but smile. She’d met a few of those men herself on this trip. “And you’re afraid that this Cord Holderness is going to be like that, too.”

  Abigail nodded. “Yes…no…” She sighed, slumping back in the seat. “I don’t know. He sounds so wonderful in his letters, but I’m afraid that he may have just made everything up so that I’d marry him. Plus, I have to admit it, I miss Boston. I never thought I would, but the west just isn’t the way I thought it was.”

  The stage slowed, and through the small windows, Kayla could see that they were approaching a town. The driver had said it was called Hangman’s Bend. Who would name a town something like that? she wondered.

  Across from her, Abigail was shaking her head. “I can’t do it. I can’t marry him,” she said. “I’m getting off here and taking the next stage headed back east.”

  Kayla frowned. “But what about Cord? Isn’t he going to be expecting you?”

  The other girl nodded miserably. “But if I went all the way to Copper Creek, I’d have to tell him face to face, and I can’t do that.” She looked at Kayla pleadingly. “What am I going to do?”

  Kayla said nothing for a moment. She didn’t know anything about being a mail-order bride, and since she’d run away from everything she knew to avoid her own wedding, she didn’t think she was the right person to be asking for advice. “Well, since you agreed to marry him by way of a letter, then I suppose you can tell him that you changed your mind the same way.”

  Abigail seemed to be considering her suggestion, but after a moment, she shook her head. “But that seems so impersonal.” She thought a moment, and then looked at Kayla, a smile brightening her face. “Perhaps you could tell him for me.”

  Kayla blinked in astonishment. “Me?”

  Nodding, Abigail leaned forward in her seat excitedly. “Copper Creek is the next stop, so you’ll be going through there anyway, and I know it would sound so much better coming from you than from some letter.”

  “Abigail…”

  “Oh, please, Kayla,” Abigail begged. “Please say you’ll do it. You have to pass through Copper Creek anyway, so it’s not even out of your way. It would just take a minute or two of your time. If Cord is as nice as he seems, then I don’t want to hurt him. This way I’ll feel better about doing such a horrible thing. Please, Kayla.” She reached into her reticule and took out some money, which she held out to Kayla. “For your trouble.”

  Kayla’s gaze shifted to the money that Abigail was still holding out to her. She was down to her last few coins, and the five dollars that the other girl was offering her was a lot of money. As uncomfortable as she was with the idea of going up to some stranger and telling him that his mail-order bride had changed her mind about marrying him, the money was too good to turn down. It seemed like an easy way to make five dollars.

  Reaching out to take the money from the other girl, she nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

  Smiling, Abigail sighed with relief. “You don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you!”

  Kayla put the money into her own reticule. “How will I know him?” she asked Abigail.

  “He described himself as tall, with dark brown hair and brown eyes,” the other girl offered.

  Kayla frowned. “That could describe half the men in the territory.”

  The other girl shrugged. “Sorry. He knows I was coming in on this stage, though, so he’ll probably be looking for me.”

  Again, that wasn’t much to go on, but Kayla supposed it would have to do. The stage came to a halt just then, and Abigail’s gaze went to the window. She looked out at the small town, but said nothing.

  Kayla regarded her for a moment. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to Copper Creek anyway and meet Cord, just to see what he’s like?” she asked. “You could always say that you want to get to know him a little better before you marry him.”

  Abigail seemed to genuinely consider her words, and for a moment, Kayla thought the other girl would actually agree, but then she shook her head. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m going home.” She looked at Kayla. “Thank you.”

  The driver opened the door then, putting a halt to any further conversation, and Abigail stepped out of the stagecoach. They stopped in Hangman’s Bend just long enough for Kayla to stretch her legs and to pick up their new passengers – two elderly sisters – before going on their way again.

  It was several hours to Copper Creek, but the driver assured them that they would be there before sundown. The two women, though pleasant, ignored Kayla for the most part, which suited her fine. She tried to concentrate on her newest drawing of a lady’s day dress, but all she could seem to think about was what she was going to say to Cord Holderness. She probably should get in the part about the inconvenience to her and imply that some type of payment would be nice before she told him that his fiancé wasn’t going to be coming. However, she couldn’t figure out how to even start the conversation. The man was expecting his mail-order bride to step off the stage, not some stranger there to tell him that the girl had changed her mind.

  As the driver had promised, they arrived in Copper Creek well before sunset that evening. Like so many of the other towns where the stage had stopped, Copper Creek was small, with one main road running through the center of it. Of course, there was the requisite saloon, general store, telegraph office and sheriff, but more interested in the people than the town, Kayla took little notice of more than that as she stood in front of the stagecoach office.

  Kayla noticed several dark-haired men, regarding her with interest, but none of them came over to her immediately. One of the men, however, was looking at her with more interest than the others, and after a moment he approached her.

  Kayla said nothing for a moment. This was Cord Holderness? Tall and well-built, with dark hair, warm brown eyes and the faint hint of a beard along his jaw line, he was absolutely one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. And dressed in denims, a shirt that he’d left unbuttoned at the neck, a hat and well-worn boots, he looked every inch the cowboy, she thought.

  “Abigail?” he asked, looking at her curiously. His voice was soft, sensuous.

  Kayla opened her mouth, all set to ask him for a monetary award in exchange for her information regarding Abigail, but all she could seem to manage to say was, “Cord?”

  He grinned, flashing white teeth at her, and Kayla just about melted on the spot. Putting his arms around her, he bent his head and kissed her cheek. “I’m so glad you’re finally here.” Lifting his head, he gazed down at her, his brown eyes soft. “You’re even more beautiful than you led me to believe.”

  Kayla blinked. She was rarely, if ever, at a loss for words, but with him standing so near, she couldn’t seem to formulate a complete thought. He thought she was Abigail, she realized. She opened her mouth to explain, but Cord continued before she could speak.

  “As you can see, most of the town came out to meet you,” he said, gesturing to the people who had gathered nearby. Leaning close, he spoke conspiratorially in her ear. “Don’t worry. I told them they had to wait until you settled in.”

  Standing in front of this man who was so handsome that he literally made her dizzy, she suddenly began thinking of a different plan. She had no idea where it came from; it just popped into her head. Maybe she could go along with this, let him think that she was his mail-order bride. From what Abigail had said, he was probably rich. He
was certain to have money or something valuable around his home that she could take to sell later. She could certainly use a little bit of extra money to get herself started in San Francisco. And Cord being so attractive was an added bonus. Pretending to be his fiancé certainly wouldn’t be distasteful. She had a momentary twinge of guilt, but it disappeared quickly when she thought about how easy it would be to start in San Francisco if she had a little bit of money.

  Kayla looked around to see groups of people clustered along the street. Some were looking at her with open curiosity, but most, judging from their smiling faces, looked genuinely happy for Cord. That just gave her added justification. After all, how could she tell him about Abigail’s decision not to marry him in front of all these people?

  “Is this the only bag you have?”

  Kayla saw that Cord had picked up her small suitcase. She nodded as a plan began to develop in her mind. “Yes.” She gave him a pretty little pout. “Everything else I brought with me fell off that stupid stagecoach. My trunk opened and everything inside was ruined, of course. The driver said that the stage wasn’t responsible for such things, but…”

  Her voice trailed off helplessly, and he gave her one of those dazzling smiles of his. “Don’t worry, Abigail. I’ll buy you whatever you need. Copper Creek’s small, but the general store has some good mail order catalogs you can get things from.”

  This was even better than she’d hoped, Kayla thought. Conniving him out of his money would be as easy as pie. She would have no problem wrapping this big, strapping man around her finger. She probably wouldn’t even have to actually steal anything. Smiling up at him, she took his arm and let him lead her to the waiting wagon. As they walked, she couldn’t help but notice that his forearm was strongly muscled beneath her hand. When he offered his hand to help her up into the wagon, she smiled and thanked him. Then, before she knew it, he’d climbed in beside her and took up the reins, sending the wagon in motion.

  “You must be tired after your journey,” he said, giving her a sidelong glance.

  “A little,” she admitted. “Stagecoaches aren’t the most comfortable form of transportation.”