Maureen Child - Brides & Bargains

“Is it worth that much effort?”

He walked up to her and kissed her cheek. “You are worth the effort. And I need to pick up a few more items that will benefit us both.”

Before Nasira could respond, Sebastian strode out of the kitchen, leaving her standing there, pondering what he had up his sleeve. She would simply have to wait and see.

* * *

Nasira waited for what seemed to be infinity for Sebastian to return, until her patience began to wane. Dressed in designer jeans and fashionable boots, she located the path that led to the pasture and made her way to the stable. She soon came upon a large white rock structure surrounded by paddocks that held grazing mares and a few precious foals. It appeared everything about the ranch fostered new life and that only fed her melancholy.

When she entered the barn, Nasira found a lengthy aisle lined with stalls, mostly empty until she reached the end of the line where a beautiful bay stuck its head out of the top of the door.

She cautiously approached to measure the horse’s reaction to her appearance. When she held out her hand and began stroking the thin white blaze between its eyes, she immediately received a soft nicker.

“Can I help you, ma’am?”

In response the unfamiliar voice, she turned her head to the right and spotted an older man with white-streaked hair peeking out from beneath his black baseball cap, whiskers scattered about his careworn face. She offered a smile and her hand. “I am Nasira Edwards, the Shakirs’ houseguest.”

His face relaxed as he gave her hand a hearty shake. “Oh, yeah. I met your husband earlier. He told me the two of you might be wantin’ to take a ride today.”

“And you are?”

He raked off his cap and grinned. “I forgot my manners. I’m Hadley Monroe but most people call me Cappy. I prefer that.”

An odd name but a very cheerful man. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Cappy. I assume you work for the Shakirs.”

He settled the cap back on his head. “Yes, ma’am. I take care of the livestock and my missus, Annie, keeps the house. That gelding you’re scratchin’ is Gus, or that’s what I call him. He has some fancy name that’s about a mile long.”

She glanced at the mesmerized horse and smiled. “Do you live nearby?”

Cappy hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “If you go up those stairs back there, that leads to our place.”

“Over the barn?”

He chuckled. “It’s nicer than most people’s houses. The nicest place I’ve ever lived in. Mr. Darin and Mrs. Fiona are good people.”

“Yes they are.”

The sound of footsteps drew Nasira’s attention to the stable’s entry to see a tall man striding down the aisle. She recognized the confident gait, the lean, toned body, the charming smile and handsome face. She did not recognize the chambray shirt rolled up at the sleeves, the jeans encasing those long legs or the cowboy boots covering his feet.

“Well, well,” she said as he stopped before her. “Has there been a British invasion in the western store?”

Her husband’s smile expanded. “As they say, when in Rome.”

“Or Royal.”

“I’m attempting to blend in. Do you not approve?”

She took a visual journey down his body and back up again. “Actually, I approve very much.”

“I would think so since you seem to have an affinity for cowboys of late.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your friend, Mac, the manhandling rancher.”

The jealousy apparently had not abated, and that somewhat shocked Nasira, as well as aggravated her. “Oh, nonsense, Sebastian. Please get over that.”

Without offering a rejoinder, Sebastian reached around her and stuck out his hand for a shake. “Nice to see you again, Cappy.”

“Good to see you, too, Buck.”

That turned Nasira around to face the grinning graying ranch hand. “Buck?”

“Cappy gives everyone a nickname,” Sebastian said. “Isn’t that right, Cappy?”

The older man touched the bill of his cap. “Yesiree, Buck. I call ’em like I see ’em.”

Sebastian slid his arm around Nasira’s waist. “What would you suggest for my wife?”

Cappy rubbed his chin for a few moments. “I can only think of one thing that fits. Beauty.”

Sebastian laughed. “That would definitely fit.”

Nasira felt heat rise from her throat to her face. “Surely you can come up with something a bit more creative, Cappy.”

The man grinned again. “Like I said, I call ’em like I see ’em. If you folks will excuse me, I’ll go get Studly and bring him in so I can get back to work.”

After Cappy left, Nasira faced her husband again. “Who is Studly?”

“Darin’s stallion,” Sebastian said. “His proper name is Knight something.”

She had entered the land of strange names. “I would definitely prefer that to Studly.”

“I’d prefer Studly to Buck.”

Nasira could not help but smile. “Studly Edwards. It has a nice ring to it. Perhaps if we have a son we could use it.”

Sebastian looked as if she had told him he had to sell the shipping business. “Darin told me to explore the path outside the back paddock. It leads to a nice creek,” he said, changing the subject.

Of course he would avoid the topic of children. But as far as Nasira was concerned, they would be broaching that subject soon enough, and the discussion could determine their future.

Cappy returned leading a beautiful black Arabian with a large tooled saddle dotted with elaborate silver on his back. “Here ya go, Buck. He’s ready to ride.”

Sebastian frowned. “No English tack, I see.”

“Nope,” Cappy said. “But those prissy saddles aren’t much different. This is just a bigger seat with a horn to hang on to. There’s no need to bounce up and down unless you wanna do that.”

The larger seat did not appear to be able to accommodate two people, which led Nasira to ask a question. “Will I have my own horse?”

“That fellow you’ve been scratchin’ is all yours,” Cappy said. “Gus will take good care of you. I’ll get him tacked up and then you all can take off.”

Nasira stood by as the ranch hand led Gus out of the stall and toward the rear of the barn. While she and Sebastian remained in the aisle, the stallion began to grow restless. “He appears to be rather spirited,” she said. “Are you certain you can handle him?”

Sebastian scratched the horse’s neck and that seemed to calm him somewhat. “If I can handle chasing a three-inch ball with mallet in hand on the back of a racing beast during a game of polo, I can manage one spirited stallion.”

She had clearly dealt a blow to his ego. “Of course. How foolish of me to question your manhood.”

“My manhood is never in question, sweetheart. You should know that after ten years.”

“It is understandable I would have forgotten since I have had very limited exposure to your manhood for the past six months.”

“Touché. Yet I do recall your manhood drought ending last night.”

“Unfortunately I do not recall much about that at all, and neither do you, considering we were both half-asleep.”

Cappy returned with the gelding, interrupting the banter and greatly embarrassing Nasira when she considered that he might have overheard. “They’re all yours,” he said. “Just go out the front, take a right and follow the trail past the back of the barn. Once you reach water, you’re all out of path.”

“Would we be allowed to explore the rest of the acreage, Cappy?” Sebastian asked.

The man chuckled. “Well, that would be close to two thousand acres, but if you want adventure, be my guest. Just take care not to get lost.”

Nasira could imagine wandering around for days and days. “I believe we will stay on the path. My husband does not have the best sense of direction.”