Page 20 of Seven Brides for Beau McBride (The McBrides of Montana #3)

Kit swore. “Shut your yapping, Junebug, and let me think.” He ran his hands through his dark mane.

“You know the easiest thing would be to just let this play out,” Junebug told him smoothly.

“We can give those gals in the parlor the option of whether to stay or not—and I know they’ll stay because they all took my speech in stride.

You saw ’em. They’re happy enough. They see the sense in taking the time to get to know Beau before marrying him. ”

“But they’re not all marrying him!” Ellie Neale burst in. “Six of them are not marrying him!”

“Shame, because I could put them to good use up at Buck’s Creek.” Junebug seemed genuinely regretful. “Anyway, stop interrupting. This is between me and my brothers.”

“Thanks to you, I’m part of this too!”

“I’ve only got enough money to keep ‘em for two weeks, so this won’t take long,” Junebug continued, her gaze fixed on Kit.

“We can have this done and dusted before you know it. And Morgan doesn’t have to be told, so long as you let me finish this bet.

Beau shook on it. It’s a binding contract.

The gals who consent can stay, the ones who don’t can leave, just like I promised in my letters.

And Beau will end up hitched at the end, to the woman of his choosing, just like he wanted.

” Junebug cocked her head. “So, I don’t get what all the fuss is about. ”

Ellie gave a sarcastic laugh. “You don’t get what all the fuss is about? Didn’t you listen to a word I said? What are we going home to?”

Junebug shrugged. “Whatever you want.” She fixed Ellie with a sympathetic but firm look. “You knew the deal when you agreed to come. We were just getting to know each other, not getting hitched straight up.”

“ We weren’t doing anything. You weren’t part of the equation.”

“Fair. But he was. And he still is. You like him, don’t you? Most everyone does. Look at that face!”

“This is the worst thing you’ve ever done, Junebug,” Beau told her grimly.

“No, the worst thing I’ve ever done was breaking my arm. That hurt like blazes.”

“Beau,” Kit barked, straightening his spine like he was about to head into battle. “You really made this stupid bet? You shook on it?”

Beau scowled. “Yeah. But I didn’t know she’d lure six women out here.”

“He didn’t say I couldn’t lure six women—”

“Shut up, Bug.” Kit kept his focus on Beau. “And you didn’t tell Junebug you’d chosen a bride and sent for her?”

“Well, no, but—”

“So you broke your word?”

Beau flushed. “No, I—”

“He did!”

“Shut up, Bug.”

For once she shut up. Something about Kit’s seething look seemed to convince her he was coming over all Morgan-ish.

Kit shook his head at Beau. His disappointment was palpable. “Junebug’s right.”

Beau felt like he’d been knocked flat. “What?”

“What!” Ellie Neale stood, and her teaspoon fell to the table with a soft thud. “What do you mean, Junebug’s right?”

“Morgan warned me to keep an eye on you,” Kit said in disgust.

“Don’t beat yourself up, she’s impossible,” Beau told him.

“Not on her. On you .” Kit glared at him.

“He had a notion you’d get yourself in woman trouble.

I laughed. But he was goddamn right. And he’ll enjoy telling me so.

After whomping me first.” His dark gaze was furious.

“This is your fault and you’re going to fix it.

I ain’t getting whomped for the likes of you.

” He looked like he’d swallowed something sour.

“It sticks in the gullet to agree with Junebug…”

“Hey!” Junebug took umbrage at that.

“So don’t agree with her,” Beau said hotly.

“But she’s right. You’re a goddamn McBride and we don’t break our word. I cain’t believe you shook on this. What kind of damn fool makes a bet with a kid like Junebug? It’s your fault all these poor gals are stranded out here, without the husband they were promised.”

“Stop saying that! They have the husband I promised. He’s right there. They’re going to get to know him, just like I said in the letters.”

“Yes, they are,” Kit agreed flatly. “Beau. You got yourself in this mess; you can get yourself out. Two weeks, you said?” Kit looked to Junebug for confirmation, and she nodded her head, a touch of glee entering her expression.

“You got two weeks, the both of you. Morgan ain’t back before winter.

You get this done and settle your bet like an honest man and we can get out of this without having to suffer Morgan’s temper. ”

Beau gaped at him. “Have you caught a case of Junebug’s stupid?”

“Probably. But you made the damn bet. And with Junebug. You really think you’re getting out of this easy?

” Kit sounded angrier than Beau had ever heard him.

“You made your bed, Beau. Now you’ll have to lie in it.

It ain’t just about Morgan. It’s a matter of family honor.

You make a promise, you see it through. And you sure as hell ain’t leaving these girls high and dry. Think of them. ”

Junebug’s triumphant grin made Beau want to punch something.

“They ain’t my responsibility!” But Beau sure felt responsible. He kept hearing the echo of Ellie’s words in his head: I gave up my job for this. All those women had given up something to be here. For him. Beau wilted. He knew defeat when he saw it.

“And are you planning to tell those ladies in the parlor that this is a bet ?” Ellie demanded. “And Diana. She deserves to know too.”

“No way in hell.” Beau would rather die. “What’s the need?” he said wretchedly. “It will just cause upset, and surely there’s enough upset already.”

“There ain’t upset at all,” Junebug protested.

“The only time I had any upset was today, when you got involved. The rest of them were perfectly fine with my speech. I explained that you’re a fussy sort and feel like marriage should involve love and sparks and that whole kicked-in-the-head feeling.

I said it in their letters too, so they knew they weren’t getting hitched immediately, and that you’d need to take stock of each other.

” She gave Ellie a look. “You knew this was a try and see deal. The only thing you didn’t know until you got here was that you weren’t the only one.

The others were fine about that, once I explained. ”

“Well, I’m not fine about it,” Ellie snapped.

Junebug rolled her eyes. “Only because Beau screwed everything up. If you’d been alone with me, it would have been fine.”

“But I wouldn’t have been alone with you, would I?”

Beau didn’t envy Junebug, fixed with Ellie’s burning stare. Ellie Neale might be a wisp of a thing, but she had a fierceness to her that was singularly daunting. Particularly when her fierceness was about protecting her friend.

“I came with Diana. Who is the only one of us who has been corresponding with Beau directly. She likes Beau, Beau likes her. The harem and I, on the other hand, never corresponded with him—we corresponded with you. ”

“You’re splitting hairs.”

Now Beau had to step between Ellie and Junebug. “Try counting to ten,” he counselled Ellie, “backwards. Twice over if you have to.”

She looked up at him and there was such a mute mixture of anger and frustration in her big brown eyes that he instinctively put his hands on her shoulders to reassure her.

“I promise I’ll work this out,” he told Ellie quietly, as Kit and Junebug continued to argue hotly. He was aware it was the same promise he’d made to Diana.

“If you hurt Diana…” Ellie’s eyes grew suspiciously shiny.

Was she about to cry ? Beau shook his head at her. Honestly, here the woman was, left high and dry, and she was worried for her friend rather than for herself.

Brown sure was an under-rated color, he thought as he stared into her eyes. There were so many shades in those enormous eyes—a dark, dark rim around her iris, and swirly browns the color of rich spices in the center…

“Beau,” Kit snapped, cutting Junebug off mid-oration, “you’re going to fulfill your side of the bet and give each of these ladies a chance, and then you pick one. End of discussion.”

“I don’t care how much time he spends with the others, Beau will be picking Diana.” Ellie Neale’s spicy gaze shot sparks at Beau. He felt them right down to his bones.

He tore his eyes away from hers. “Yes. Diana.” He cleared his throat. “I’m picking Diana.”

“Fine.” Kit didn’t care. “Pick Diana. But at least fulfill your end of the damn bet first and get to know the others—play fair.”

Beau would do it. But not because of his darn bet with Junebug—he’d do it because these poor girls had dragged themselves across the country, in the earnest belief they might be Mrs. Beau McBride.

At the very least he owed them the courtesy of getting to know them.

Diana was the woman for him, he was near sure of it, but it wouldn’t hurt to at least say howdy to these poor girls.

“How’s he fulfilling the bet if he’s already decided,” Junebug raged. “How’s that fair?”

“Don’t push your luck, Bug,” Kit told her. “Be glad if he does it at all. And I’m sure you’ll stack the deck against him and get your way.”

“How’s that fair?” Beau said bitterly.

“You get to control how you choose,” Kit reminded him. “If Junebug wins, it’s because you picked one of hers. That’s entirely up to you, as far as I can see.”

“He’ll have to stay here in town if he wants to get to know those gals,” Junebug insisted. “So that he can spend time with them.”

“What?” Beau didn’t like the sound of that. Goddamn it, today had gone straight to hell and back. He’d planned to be taking Diana home to Buck’s Creek…

“I’m not leaving the fox in the henhouse,” Kit growled. “He ain’t staying here at the hotel with all these women. Beau, you can stay with Martha.”

“I ain’t staying in town at all!” Beau sat back down at the table, feeling petulant. He slouched in the chair. His family always went and ruined everything. Why couldn’t he just marry the woman he’d chosen and have done with it?

“Martha only has the one bedroom,” Junebug reminded Kit. “And she, uh… entertains…”

“You ain’t supposed to know about such things,” Kit said sourly.

Ellie had resumed her seat opposite Beau.

“Is it my fault if I’m perceptive in the ways of human nature?” Junebug said tartly.

“There ain’t enough numbers to count in order to cope with you.”

“You aren’t seriously finishing this awful bet?” Ellie asked Beau, staring at him in shock.

Beau was resigned. “Yeah. I have to.” But it wasn’t about the bet; it was about doing right by that roomful of women in there.

“Well, you don’t. You could just go marry Diana right now in that little white church.”

Beau shook his head tiredly. “When I marry Diana, it’ll be proper, with everyone happy in attendance. Including my sister.” He caught her look of disbelief.

Junebug was still going head-to-head with Kit in a way Beau never did. “If Martha’s place ain’t appropriate I guess he’ll be staying at the hotel after all,” Junebug argued.

“Over my dead body.” Kit was immovable.

“Well, he’s got to stay somewhere. Where’s left, the whorehouse?”

“Junebug!” Kit was thunderous.

“Beau can stay at my house,” a muffled voice called through the closed kitchen door.

Beau groaned. “Ain’t there any privacy in this town?”

Gingerly the door opened, revealing Mrs. Champion’s rosy face. She looked sheepish. “I wasn’t eavesdropping,” she said hurriedly, “it’s just that your voices carry…”

Beau shot the parlor an anxious glance. Hell. What if all those pretty girls had heard his family carrying on?

“Oh, I’m sure not that far, honey,” Mrs. Champion clucked.

“It’s just that the kitchen is right here…

” She was blushing in earnest now, as it was obvious she’d been listening in.

“But if you need somewhere to stay in town, you’re very welcome to stay at my house.

I have a couple of extra rooms. And it’s right next door, so you wouldn’t be far from your… from the… ladies.”

“If he’s staying in town, I’m staying too,” Junebug informed them stolidly. “I’ll stay here at the hotel, though. I want to be where the action is.”

“No way in hell. You’re coming back to Buck’s Creek,” Kit told her.

“Absolutely not,” Junebug raged. “This is my bet and I don’t trust him.”

“God grant me strength.”

“You get any more strength you’ll be too muscly to walk,” Junebug said acidly.

“You’re going to have to explain all this to Diana,” Ellie told Beau. “And if you don’t tell her…” Ellie paused for effect. “I will.”

Diana. Beau’s stomach sank to his toes. He’d have to look into Diana’s cool blue eyes and tell her that he’d be spending time with a passel of pretty girls before they got married.

And then he’d actually have to spend time with all those pretty girls…