Page 19 of Seven Brides for Beau McBride (The McBrides of Montana #3)

Beau wished she wouldn’t. The more Junebug explained, the redder Ellie grew. And he knew it would all get back to Diana…

“This is because of a bet ?” Ellie gasped. “Your speech back at the train station didn’t say anything about a bet!”

“Well of course it didn’t. I wanted everyone to stay.”

“You lied to me!”

“No, I told the truth. That ad was unvarnished!”

Beau decided he’d let them fight it out between them. This was Junebug’s mess to deal with. Although he did feel powerfully sorry for Ellie right now.

“You hauled seven women across the country, to the middle of nowhere, for a bet ?”

“Don’t get all tangled up in your corset strings,” Junebug protested. “And I only invited six.”

Beau sighed. Junebug was just making things worse, as usual.

As calmly as possible, he stepped in and explained the bet to Ellie, who was raspberry colored and looking like she might assault someone with her teaspoon.

“Now, it ain’t as bad as it sounds.” Only as he began to explain he realized it sounded plenty bad.

“The idea was to find the best wife…” he said, trailing off.

“The best wife?” Ellie’s voice went up an octave. “And what are the criteria for the best wife? Copious and symmetrical attractions? Is that how you rank women?”

“Now, it ain’t like that,” he protested weakly. But, uh, it was exactly like that.

“It certainly ain’t,” Junebug scoffed. “My prize woman is the book smart sort. Someone with a brain in her head and enough steel to keep this idiot in his place.”

Beau ignored her. “You’re making it sound bad,” he sighed. “But there ain’t nothing wrong with wanting to meet a pretty gal, is there? Surely it’s the most natural thing in the world…”

“Betting who can trick the prettiest girl into marriage is natural ?” Ellie Neale had worked herself into a right dudgeon now.

“I didn’t trick anyone! Junebug did. And she’s the one who made it a bet—I was just looking for a nice gal to settle down with.”

“And what’s to happen to the six of us who aren’t chosen at the end of this wretched bet?

” Ellie turned on Junebug. “What happens to us? We’re real, living people, you know, and you’ve stranded us in the wilderness, alone.

Do you think we’re made of money? Do you know how expensive it will be to get home? ”

Beau felt about an inch tall. She was right. Even though he’d never expected to strand one woman, let alone six.

“You’re not alone ,” Junebug told Ellie impatiently. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? There’s a heap of you. And I’ll cover a train ticket home. I ain’t a monster. Third-class, mind. I ain’t made of money neither.”

“I gave up my job for this.” Ellie’s voice cracked. “A job that came with room and board. Now I get here to find that I gave up solid employment for an illusion! And I’m homeless and without a situation—and there certainly aren’t any mills around here for me to work in.”

Beau blanched. He wondered if the other women were in such dire straits too. Mentally he calculated his savings. He could help, at least a little… because she was right. This was partly his fault.

“There’s no need to carry on—you might win Beau yet.” Junebug spoke through a mouthful of cookie. “We’ve only just started.”

Beau thought Ellie might actually push Junebug off her chair at that. He wouldn’t have stopped her.

“Your brother is marrying Diana,” Ellie told her fiercely. “I don’t want him.”

“You heard her. She doesn’t want me.” Beau backed her up.

Junebug harrumphed. “Well, that greatly reduces my chances, doesn’t it?”

“Your chances are nil,” Beau assured her. “I pick Diana. You lose. We’re going to break it to those gals and then you can get the shovel and start mucking out that stable.”

“I’ll muck that stable right out onto your grave, Beau McBride, if you don’t see this bet through.”

“JUNEBUG!” A familiar voice roared from the street, loud enough to rattle the windows in their frames.

Oh hell, it was Kit.

Beau had known Kit wouldn’t take it well. It was only the five ladies in the parlor that kept him from exploding. Five ladies who had melted at the sight of him—which seemed to horrify Kit no end. He beat a swift retreat to the dining room, away from all those shining eyes and heaving bosoms.

“You!” He pointed a furious finger at Beau, who withdrew all the way to the back wall. “You should damn well know better than to encourage Junebug.”

“Encourage me ? It was his idea,” Junebug told Kit.

“Don’t you dare,” Beau warned. “You’re the one who ordered wives up in bulk!” He pointed his own finger. “I wanted one wife—I ordered up one wife. It’s Junebug who made this a circus!”

“Only because you cheated! And don’t you mention circuses to me, you double-crosser.”

Ellie Neale refilled her teacup and was eating cookies as she watched him take a scolding from his older brother and Junebug. Beau didn’t appreciate the fact that her shining smile was back as Kit lit into him. No one had any right to have a smile that distracting, especially at his expense.

“Those poor girls!” Kit barked. “They came here in good faith, and now they’re stranded.”

Ellie Neale nodded along at that. More than a touch smugly, Beau thought.

“They ain’t stranded,” Junebug scoffed. “I’ll get them home.”

Kit towered over her. “On that note, where’d you get the money for all those train tickets? Six brides don’t come cheap. You better not have had them waste their hard-earned money, given all but one are going home disappointed.”

“ All of Junebug’s are going home disappointed,” Beau reminded them.

Ellie nodded vehemently and he felt stupidly pleased that she was agreeing with him.

“This ain’t the time for details,” Junebug said, shifty as a weasel. “We can talk about train tickets later. We don’t want to keep those gals waiting, it’s rude.”

“Junebug paid for my train ticket,” Ellie said calmly from her table, wiping cookie crumbs from that first-rate lower lip. “And she’s paying for my hotel room for two weeks too. I assume she’s paying for the harem’s as well.”

“How the hell can you afford to pay for all that?” Beau asked Junebug, horrified.

Junebug eyed the exits, which Kit and Beau had blocked. “I have some savings. And Rigby gave me a deal for booking rooms in bulk. I had to argue him down but he came through in the end.”

“She won the money at cards.” Ellie tapped her teaspoon against the teacup, and it gave a silvery chime.

“Why, you snitch!” Junebug turned on Ellie, outraged. “I told you that in private correspondence!”

“No. My imaginary husband-to-be told me that in private correspondence. Given that he was a complete fabrication, I don’t feel it’s a confidence I need to keep.”

“He’s not a fabrication—he’s standing right there!”

“Junebug. Who have you been playing cards with?” Kit seemed to be directing his ire at Beau as he asked.

“Not me!” Beau said defensively. “I mean, we play in the cabin sometimes, but not for money.”

“She’s playing with the miners.” Another silvery chime of spoon on cup.

“You were a terrible choice of bride,” Junebug raged at Ellie. “And that’s a terrible brown dress.”

Kit ran his hands through his hair and counted to ten under his breath. He didn’t even make it to four. “Are you insane ? Junebug, what do you think would happen if you lost?”

Junebug shrugged. “It don’t really signify, as I don’t lose.”

Beau stepped between Junebug and his brother, worried Kit might lunge. He was looking mad enough. “Try counting backwards from ten. Morgan says it works better.”

“Morgan!” Kit froze. “What’s Morgan going to say when he hears about this?”

They went silent at the thought. Except for Ellie, who hadn’t met him yet. She calmly finished her second cup of tea. Beau envied her equilibrium.

“You send those women home this instant,” Kit ordered Junebug.

“No.”

There was sharp, shocked silence. Beau couldn’t believe the nerve of the kid.

“No?” Kit repeated flatly.

“No.” Junebug crossed her arms. “I got a lot of money in the hole on this one and I ain’t throwing in. So I call your bluff.”

“You call my… why you little… I’ll…” Kit looked fit to burst.

“You’ll what? Beat me? You ain’t never laid a hand on me in your life. Besides, Morgan would kill you if you did.”

“I’ll lock you in the cabin till you’re of age.”

“No, you won’t. The fact is, Kit, you’re all bluster.”

Beau felt sorry for his brother. Kit had turned a dark angry red. But Junebug was right. He was nothing but a gentle giant. Not like Morgan, who might actually lock her in the cabin. For a night or two anyway.

“This is easily fixed,” Beau soothed Kit. “We’ll tell those gals what’s what and put them on the train home and it’ll be like Junebug never did any of this.”

“Will it?” Ellie Neale was acerbic.

“No you don’t, Beau McBride,” Junebug blazed. “Because if you interfere with my brides, I’m going to telegram Morgan about your wife hunting scheme. He’ll be here on the next train. And I doubt he’ll be happy.”

That little witch. Threatening him with Morgan like that. Who did she think she was? Besides, she’d be in more trouble than he would…

But Junebug was crazy like a fox. She’d likely take the tongue lashing from Morgan, just to enjoy seeing Beau suffer his turn. She’d always been like that. “There ain’t no telegram in Bitterroot,” Beau reminded her.

“No, but there’s one downhill in Snakehead, and I got old Roy standing ready to ride there and send it. You think this is my first rodeo? I know how high-handed you and Kit are, always stomping on my plans.”

“Fine. Tell him,” Beau dared her. “Tell Morgan. I’ll be married by the time he gets here. What’s he going to do?”

“You think? You think Miss Moonglow is still going to marry you once I tell her you made a bet ? And you think Morgan will let you off easy for gambling with me? Your sweet innocent little sister.”

“You’re as innocent as that snake in the garden of Eden.”

“That snake was just being a snake. I don’t get why everyone blames it for that.”