The Wrong Cowboy Read online

  One mail-order bride in need of rescue!

  All the rigorous training in the world could not have prepared nursemaid Marie Hall for trailing the wilds of Dakota with six orphans. Especially when her ingenious plan—to pose as the mail-order bride of the children’s next of kin—leads Marie to the wrong cowboy!

  Proud and stubborn, Stafford Burleson is everything Marie’s been taught to avoid. But with her fate and that of the children in his capable hands, Marie soon feels there’s something incredibly right about this rugged rancher and his brooding charm....

  “A delightful western…humor, realism and sweet emotion.” —RT Book Reviews on Inheriting a Bride

  “He’s not at the ranch, either,”

  Mr. Burleson said then.

  “Mr. Wagner?” she asked, even though she knew that was exactly who Stafford Burleson meant.

  “Yes.”

  “Where is he?”

  He shrugged. “Texas. Mexico.”

  Marie couldn’t deny a quick flash of relief as it washed over her. Maybe she wouldn’t have to face the marriage issue right away. She and the children could get settled in and… “For how long?” she asked.

  His gaze never left the road. “Can’t rightly say. Could be next spring before he gets back.”

  “Next spring?” Panic overtook any sense of relief. Her funds were almost gone. The children would starve to death by then, unless… She shivered at the thought but, unfortunately, Stafford was her only hope.

  Something in his eyes, the way they shimmered, had her mouth going dry, her nerves tingling as though a storm was approaching. Maybe there was another option. “Who lives at Mr. Wagner’s ranch in his absence?”

  “Me.”

  * * *

  The Wrong Cowboy

  Harlequin® Historical #1208—November 2014

  Author Note

  Welcome to The Wrong Cowboy. If any of you have read The Cowboy Who Caught Her Eye, Marie was the woman on the train with all the children. From the moment I typed that minor reference, I knew I had to write her story.

  In doing so, this story also provided me with the opportunity to incorporate an inanimate object that used to drive me crazy into one of my books. Our previous home had a woodstove that I could build a fire in blindfolded. Then we moved into this house, and I encountered the stove from—well, you know. That stove and I battled.… I have a scar from when the door mysteriously swung shut, hitting me on the head. Mysteriously because I was the only one home. I am glad to say that stove never got the better of me—not completely—before we replaced it years ago.

  Unfortunately, the stove Marie encounters does best her, but everything happens for a reason.

  I hope you enjoy meeting Marie, Stafford and all the children who eventually provide Marie with the family she’s always wanted.

  Lauri

  Robinson

  The Wrong Cowboy

  Available from Harlequin® Historical and

  LAURI ROBINSON

  All a Cowboy Wants for Christmas #1107

  “His Christmas Wish”

  Unclaimed Bride #1112

  Inheriting a Bride #1127

  The Cowboy Who Caught Her Eye #1143

  Christmas Cowboy Kisses #1155

  “Christmas with Her Cowboy”

  The Major’s Wife #1171

  The Wrong Cowboy #1208

  And in ebook Harlequin Historical Undone!

  Wedding Night with the Ranger

  Her Midnight Cowboy

  Nights with the Outlaw

  Disobeying the Marshal

  Testing the Lawman’s Honor

  The Sheriff’s Last Gamble

  What a Cowboy Wants

  His Wild West Wife

  Dance with the Rancher

  Rescued by the Ranger

  Snowbound with the Sheriff

  Never Tempt a Lawman

  Did you know that these novels are also available as ebooks?

  Visit www.Harlequin.com.

  To my wonderful friend Jean.

  Thanks for the lunch dates, the brainstorming and the research trips.

  LAURI ROBINSON’s

  chosen genre to write is Western historical romance. When asked why, she says, “Because I know I wasn’t the only girl who wanted to grow up and marry Little Joe Cartwright.”

  With a degree in early childhood education, Lauri has spent decades working in the nonprofit field and claims once-upon-a-time and happily-ever-after romance novels have always been a form of stress relief. When her husband suggested she write one, she took the challenge, and has loved every minute of the journey.

  Lauri lives in rural Minnesota, where she and her husband spend every spare moment with their three grown sons and four grandchildren. She works part-time, volunteers for several organizations and is a die-hard Elvis and NASCAR fan. Her favorite getaway location is in the woods of northern Minnesota, on the land homesteaded by her great-grandfather.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  August, 1884, Dakota Territory

  Stafford Burleson prided himself on a few things—he wasn’t a quitter, his cooking wasn’t all bad, he was a mighty fine carpenter and he was quick on his feet. His wits were good, too. He was known for coming up with a plan at a dead run, yet right now he found himself dumbfounded. “What?”

  “Mick’s mail-order bride is waiting for him at the hotel in Huron.” Walt Darter’s scratchy voice repeating exactly what he’d said a moment ago made about as much sense the second time around as it had the first.

  This time Stafford added a few more words to his question. “What are you talking about?” He set his cup down and dug his fingers into hair that sorely needed a good cutting. His scalp had started to tingle and he scratched at it. Eerily. “Mick didn’t order a bride.”

  “That’s not what she says.” Walt couldn’t have looked more stone-cold serious if he’d been standing before a judge and jury.

  “Who?”

  “Miss Marie Hall.” The old man’s face was sunburned from years of riding in the summer sun, and as he said her name a grin formed and his chest puffed with pride as if he’d just announced he’d found a goose that laid golden eggs.

  The woman’s name was completely unknown and Stafford pondered that. No one from Huron had been out this way for several months. Not that it was expected. The little town of Merryville had sprung up around the people who chose to stay behind when the railroad camp packed up to follow the tracks westward. There weren’t too many businesses there yet, but he and Mick now bought their supplies in Merryville. It was only a few miles north of their land, and the railroad company had promised that, when the line was done, a depot would be built in the settlement, which meant cattle could be shipped and received there. It was what he and Mick had predicted would happen when they settled on their tracts of land and formed a partnership for the Dakota Cattle Company.

  Their plan, to build one of the largest cat
tle operations in the north, was falling into place more smoothly than the railroad line. Although Stafford would be the first to admit—and he often did—they still had plenty of work to do before they could sit back and savor the rewards of what they’d sowed.

  Right now, they were still driving in herds every year, consisting of various breeds to ensure nothing would wipe them out. Not weather or disease. He’d brought in a hearty line of Herefords out of Texas this spring, and Mick had left a few weeks ago to go farther south, into Mexico, to purchase some of the Spanish cattle he’d read about.

  A grin tugged at Stafford’s lips. Mick must have stopped in Huron, let it be known he was heading south. “You almost had me on that one, Walt,” Stafford said, letting out a sigh. In the five years since they’d settled out here and claimed hefty shares of glorious land from the government, Mick had talked about finding a wife, especially during the long cold winters. Stafford, having had his fill of women before he left Mississippi, told Mick countless times what a bad idea that would be. He went so far as to suggest Mick heat up a rock on the cookstove if his bed was that cold, had even hauled home a few good-size stones now and again, just to keep the teasing going. Practical jokes were never far apart between the two of them. Mick was like that—a jokester.

  Half the men in the territory, including Walt, had heard Mick spout off about finding a wife, and the old jigger must be trying to carry on the joking. “So, what’s your real reason for being here?” Stafford asked, picking his cup up again. “No one rides a day and a half just to say hello.”

  The deep wrinkles in Walt’s face remained as the merriment slipped from his eyes and the grin transformed into a grimace. The kind people make when they’re delivering bad news. A chill raced up Stafford’s arm and he set his cup back down.

  “That is the reason I’m here, Stafford. There’s a woman claiming to be Mick’s bride, or soon to be, at the hotel.” Walt shook his head as if he didn’t quite believe what he was saying, either. “And she’s got a passel of kids. Six I think, but I could be wrong. I’d have brought them out,” Walt went on, after taking a sip of his coffee. “But I ain’t got a rig that big.”

  The eerie sensation was back, suggesting the man was serious, yet Stafford, as usual, stuck to his guns. “The joke’s on you, Walt,” he said. “Mick’s not here. He and a few cowhands left last month. I don’t expect them back until the snow flies, or next spring if he buys cows.”

  “Oh,” the man said, as if that was news. Bad news. Shaking his head, he added, “I ain’t trying to fool you, Stafford. There’s really a woman, and she’s really claiming to be Mick’s bride.”

  Stafford bolted out of his chair and was halfway across the room before he knew he’d moved.

  “What are you gonna do?” Walt asked.

  “What am I going to do?”

  Rubbing his stubble-covered chin, Walt appeared to be contemplating the ins and outs of the world. “Well,” he said slowly. “I suspect you could hire one of Skip Wyle’s freight wagons.”

  Growling and rubbing at his temples, Stafford silently called both Mick and Walt a few choice names. His question had been hypothetical. He didn’t need a freight wagon. Mick hadn’t been any more serious when he’d talked of marriage this time than he had been dozens of times before.

  Don’t be surprised if I come home with a wife, Mick had shouted as he’d kneed his horse out of the yard. But he said those same words practically every time he left for town. As usual, Stafford had replied that Mick had better add on to his cabin first. His partner’s reply had been the same suggestion as always. That Stafford could do that as a wedding gift, since he was the one who liked to build things.

  The sensation that came over Stafford was that of breaking through ice on a frozen lake. That had actually happened to him once, and Mick had been there to pull him out and haul him home.

  Right now he wasn’t remembering how sick he’d been afterward, how he still hated walking on frozen water. Instead, he was recalling how his parting conversation with Mick hadn’t ended as usual. This time Mick had told Stafford that he’d better hurry up, have the cabin done by the time he returned.

  “Damn,” Stafford muttered before he spun to stare at Walt who was refilling his coffee cup from the pot on the stove. Another shiver rippled down his spine. “Six kids?”

  Walt nodded.

  * * *

  Marie Hall sat on a patch of green grass in the field next to the hotel, watching Terrance and Samuel play with the dog they’d discovered begging for food last week. A stray, possibly left by someone traveling through, that’s what Mrs. Murphy, the aging woman who cooked for the restaurant and who’d saved scraps for the animal, had said.

  Marie smiled to herself, for the dog—white with brown patches—had been just the diversion the boys needed. Marie shifted her gaze to make sure Beatrice and Charlotte were still picking daisies, and then she glanced toward Charles and Weston. Never far apart, the youngest of her wards were chasing grasshoppers and mimicking them, which had Marie chuckling at their somewhat awkward leaps. The twins were only four so their coordination wasn’t the best.

  They were adorable, though. All six of the Meeker children. Strangers on the train, and here in town, had commented they all looked identical, not just Charles and Weston, and would ask how she could tell them apart. It was easy. Perhaps because she knew them so well.

  Like right now. “Charles,” she said warningly. “Do not put that in your mouth.”

  Little blue eyes surrounded by thick lashes looked up at her mournfully. Marie forced her gaze to remain stern as she shook her head. He dropped the pebble and returned to jumping, following his brother.

  A heavy sigh settled deep in Marie’s lungs. It had taken four months to break him of sucking his thumb, and ever since the fire, rather than his thumb, Charlie was forever putting things in his mouth. Anything he could find. It was comforting for him, she understood that, but also extremely dangerous. Some days she wondered if she should allow him to suck his thumb, just until things were settled. The poor dear had been through so much.

  They all had been through a lot, and it wasn’t over.

  “Marie Hall?”

  Startled, for she hadn’t heard anyone approach, Marie snapped her head around so fast her neck popped, making her flinch.

  The bright sun only allowed her to make out the silhouette of a tall man with a wide-brimmed hat. Gathering her skirt, she rose to her feet. “Yes,” she answered, standing and shading her eyes with one hand.

  Besides the hat, he had on a gun belt and a black leather vest. Dark brown hair hung past his shoulders and his chin was covered with a similarly colored beard. Marie couldn’t stop the involuntary shudder that raced over her skin. She’d come to understand most men out here wore guns, but she’d sincerely hoped Mick Wagner would be more civilized.

  A lump formed in her throat. “Yes,” she repeated. Her nerves wouldn’t allow her to offer a hand in greeting, so she rested hers atop the heads of the twins who now stood one on each side of her. “I’m Marie Hall.”

  “Are you the cowboy that’s gonna be our new da?”

  That was Weston. He was the most verbal of the twins, and Marie stopped herself short of correcting him to say father instead of da. She had more important things to worry about. Such as how rough around the edges Mick Wagner appeared to be.

  The others had gathered close, and Terrance pushed Weston’s shoulder. “We don’t need a new father.”

  Being the oldest, Terrance was greatly opposed to Marie’s plan. She could understand a boy of ten wouldn’t want a new father, and she’d tried to explain they didn’t have another option. By proxy, Mick Wagner was now responsible for all six Meeker children. Making the man understand they came along with her was a concern. She hoped, with all she had, he would see their inclusion as a benefit.

  There h
ad been rumors, after a man named Walt Darter had ridden out to Mr. Wagner’s ranch last week, that Mick hadn’t ordered a bride. No one mentioned it to her, especially not Mr. Darter. He’d simply said Mick wasn’t home but that a message had been sent to him. She’d thanked Mr. Darter for his efforts and never let it be known she’d heard the whispers or seen the finger-pointing. Partially because it wasn’t a rumor. Mick Wagner hadn’t ordered a bride. And partially because she had no idea what she and the children would do if he didn’t claim them—soon.

  “I—” She had to clear the squeak from her voice. “I’m assuming you’re Mr. Wagner.”

  “Nope,” the man said.

  Marie was still processing a wave of relief when Weston asked, “You’re not our new da?”

  “Nope,” the man repeated.

  “Are you a cowboy?” the child asked.

  “Yep.” He winked at Weston. “Just the wrong cowboy.”

  Marie couldn’t let Weston’s questions continue, yet hers floundered as she said, “Is Mr. Wagner...”

  “I’m his partner,” the man said. “Stafford Burleson.”

  Terrance snorted and bumped his shoulder into Samuel’s. “Stafford,” he whispered, as if finding great humor in the name. Samuel, seven and always eager to follow his older brother, snickered, as well.

  Marie chose to ignore them. She’d learned, while being trained as a nursemaid, which battles were worth fighting when it came to children of every age. This wasn’t one. Besides, she couldn’t quite fathom a cowboy having such an unusual name, either. Not to mention she was more than a bit relieved to know this wasn’t the man she’d told everyone from here to Chicago had ordered her as a bride. “Is Mr. Wagner in town?” she asked. Several people had told her Mick Wagner’s ranch was a distance from Huron—too far for her and the children to travel alone.

  Tipping the edge of his hat back, and giving her a very penetrating stare from eyes that looked to be as gray as a storm cloud, the man acted as if he wasn’t going to answer her questions.