The Cowboy’s Outlaw Bride Read online

  The Cowboy’s Outlaw Bride

  By Cora Seton

  Copyright © 2018 Cora Seton

  Google Play Edition

  Published by One Acre Press

  ISBN: 9781988896038

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Author’s Note

  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

  Excerpt from Issued to the Bride One Navy SEAL

  About the Author

  Author’s Note

  The Cowboy’s Outlaw Bride is the second volume in the Turners v. Coopers series. To find out more, look for the rest of the books in the series, including:

  The Cowboy’s Secret Bride (Volume 1)

  The Cowboy’s Hidden Bride (Volume 3)

  The Cowboy’s Stolen Bride (Volume 4)

  The Cowboy’s Forbidden Bride (Volume 5)

  Also, don’t miss Cora Seton’s Chance Creek series, the Cowboys of Chance Creek, the Heroes of Chance Creek, the Brides of Chance Creek, and the SEALs of Chance Creek:

  The Cowboys of Chance Creek Series:

  The Cowboy Inherits a Bride (Volume 0)

  The Cowboy’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 1)

  The Cowboy Wins a Bride (Volume 2)

  The Cowboy Imports a Bride (Volume 3)

  The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire (Volume 4)

  The Sheriff Catches a Bride (Volume 5)

  The Cowboy Lassos a Bride (Volume 6)

  The Cowboy Rescues a Bride (Volume 7)

  The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Volume 8)

  The Cowboy’s Christmas Bride (Volume 9)

  The Heroes of Chance Creek Series:

  The Navy SEAL’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 1)

  The Soldier’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 2)

  The Marine’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 3)

  The Navy SEAL’s Christmas Bride (Volume 4)

  The Airman’s E-Mail Order Bride (Volume 5)

  The Brides of Chance Creek Series:

  Issued to the Bride One Navy SEAL

  Issued to the Bride One Airman

  Issued to the Bride One Sniper

  Issued to the Bride One Marine

  Issued to the Bride One Soldier

  The SEALs of Chance Creek Series:

  A SEAL’s Oath

  A SEAL’s Vow

  A SEAL’s Pledge

  A SEAL’s Consent

  A SEAL’s Purpose

  A SEAL’s Resolve

  A SEAL’s Devotion

  A SEAL’s Desire

  A SEAL’s Struggle

  A SEAL’s Triumph

  Visit Cora’s website at www.coraseton.com

  Find Cora on Facebook at facebook.com/CoraSeton

  Sign up for my newsletter HERE.

  Chapter One

  It would be a miracle if this wedding didn’t end with a fistfight.

  Noah Turner watched Carl Whitfield waltz with his new bride, Camila, alone on the temporary dance floor built in the front yard of the Whitfields’ new ranch. Surrounded by friends and family, it was clear they saw no one but each other. They deserved their happiness as far as Noah was concerned, but judging by the sour expression on his uncle Jed’s face—and the looks and attitudes of the rest of the Turners and Coopers present—not everyone wished Carl and Camila well.

  Carl had made the mistake of living for three years on Cooper land, renting a cabin from them at Thorn Hill, their extensive ranch. Camila had rented a cabin on Turner land at the Flying W for just as long. As far as Noah’s uncle was concerned, Carl could be a Cooper himself, which made his marriage to Camila, an honorary Turner in Jed’s mind, insupportable.

  It would be funny if everyone wasn’t taking it so damn seriously. Noah was keeping an especially close eye on his brother, Liam, who was glaring across the dance floor at Lance Cooper. Those two were apt to throw down whenever they met up. Noah wished they’d get over whatever had caused all that animosity between them, but the feud had stood between the Turners and Coopers for over a hundred years, and it obviously wasn’t going to end tonight.

  Which made it impossible for him to ask Olivia Cooper to dance.

  He wanted to, though. Badly enough it took all his strength to stay where he was.

  Olivia looked beautiful tonight in a short, light-blue off-the-shoulder dress. Her long legs were encased in cowboy boots. Her blonde hair done up in a twist. She looked sassy and sexy, and Noah couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

  No surprise: he could never look away when Olivia was around.

  Everything had conspired to make this night a wonderful celebration for the newlyweds. The air was soft and warm. The evening sky glowed with an early June sunset. Stars were beginning to light up overhead one by one. The murmur of the other guests and the sweet melody of the string quartet provided a backdrop for the swaying couple. Noah wished he could relax and enjoy the occasion, but happy endings belonged to people like Carl and Camila, not people like him. Carl was a millionaire, and every inch of his new ranch oozed prosperity.

  The Flying W didn’t look half as good these days. Noah’s family had fallen on hard times, and no matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t seem to get them out from under their bills. He envied Carl the partner he’d gained in this wedding, too. Camila wasn’t wealthy, but she had a good head on her shoulders, worked hard and obviously loved her new husband. What would it be like to have someone to share your life with? Someone on your side the way Camila seemed committed to Carl?

  His own parents’ marriage hadn’t worked out, and that’s when the fortunes of his family had turned. His mother had decamped to Ohio. His father died a few years back. Now Noah, the oldest of his siblings, was left in charge.

  He was making a mess of the job. How could he expect any woman to want to be with him if he couldn’t get it together?

  His gaze slid to Olivia again. She was talking with her great-aunt Virginia on the other side of the dance floor, a stern old woman with upright bearing who carried an old black umbrella wherever she went. It was in her hand now. It was closed, and she was using it like a cane, leaning on it for support. She looked frustrated—or maybe thwarted was a better word. She didn’t approve of this wedding any more than Noah’s uncle Jed did.

  Olivia was far more animated, talking rapidly, gesturing at the dancing couple. Trying to convince her aunt of something. Noah sighed, shoving his hands in the pockets of his good jeans. Much as he was attracted to Olivia, if he married someday, it couldn’t be to her.

  The Coopers had been his family’s enemies since 1882, when Ernestine Harris jilted Olivia’s great, great, great, great-grandfather, Slade Cooper, and married Noah’s great, great, great, great-grandfather, Zeke Turner, instead. The feud between their families had been renewed when Virginia and Jed had a falling out in their early twenties. Then there was the trouble thirteen years ago…

  Noah didn’t like to think about that. He still wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, except Olivia’s father, Dale, had landed in jail, and her mother, Enid, had taken her and her siblings to Idaho for nearly a decade, leaving them with her
sister when she ran off with a man and settled in New Mexico.

  His own mother, Mary, had left home soon after Dale was arrested. Sometimes the disintegration of his and Olivia’s families seemed linked in his mind, but it was only coincidence that it happened at the same time. Olivia’s dad didn’t live long enough to serve out his term. Noah’s own father, William, died soon after. Even though the family rivalry hadn’t caused this set of problems, the old feud was still in effect. His great-uncle Jed constantly bickered with Olivia’s great-aunt Virginia at the Prairie Garden assisted living facility where they both lived. His brother, Liam, got into fisticuffs with Olivia’s brother Lance with depressing regularity.

  Thank goodness her sister, Tory, had decamped for Seattle years ago, or who knew what kind of arguments she’d have with his sister Stella. As for his youngest sister, Maya, who was near to Olivia’s age, she and Olivia pretended each other didn’t exist.

  They were like Capulets and Montagues, Crips and Bloods… or, more apt, Hatfields and McCoys.

  Which made it damn awkward he couldn’t seem to get Olivia off his mind these days.

  What did she think about him?

  Did she ever think about him at all?

  Noah settled his hat more firmly on his head. Probably not. Hell, he’d caught Olivia breaking and entering into his own house just a couple of weeks ago. She wouldn’t do that if she liked him, would she?

  He suppressed a smile. Actually, when he’d caught her she hadn’t been in too much of a hurry to get away. In fact, she’d almost let him drive her to the Spring Fling Fair, except his family had arrived and all hell had broken loose.

  Maybe she did like him a little bit.

  But that didn’t make their situation any better.

  She clearly wasn’t pleased with whatever her great-aunt was saying now. Noah edged sideways to get a better look. Virginia stood tapping the ground with her umbrella, giving Olivia what-for. As Noah watched, Olivia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Noah wondered what had riled up those two.

  Not that it took much to rile a Cooper.

  “What do you think that’s about?” Maya appeared at his elbow and offered him a plate that held several kinds of dessert. Noah waved it off, and she shrugged, scooping up a bite of cake with her fork. Almost a foot shorter than him, with light brown hair and a pert nose, she stood on tiptoe to try to see. It was obvious she’d been watching the Coopers, too. She might ignore Olivia in public, but privately she seemed awfully interested in what Olivia got up to.

  “Who knows?” He didn’t want Maya to catch on that he was awfully interested, too.

  “Life would be a whole lot more peaceful if they hadn’t come back to town.” She stabbed her fork into the cake again.

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Why not?”

  Noah thought fast. “Thorn Hill is their home, just like the Flying W is ours. Must have been hard enough for them to stay away as long as they did.”

  What would Maya say if she knew who’d kept the lights on at Thorn Hill the whole time the Coopers were away? It sure had been a surprise to him when Lucas Maynard, the family’s solicitor, took him aside after his father’s death to explain the job his father had passed on to him. Noah still didn’t understand why William was caught up in Cooper affairs.

  This wasn’t the time for that conversation, though. His father had wished to keep the arrangement a secret, and it was all done now—the Coopers were back at Thorn Hill, running it themselves. He’d keep his mouth shut and spend the rest of his life wondering what had happened thirteen years ago to make partners of two men who’d spent their lives on opposite sides of a family feud.

  “You’re always so fair,” Maya chided him. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter what we think about it. They’re here now.”

  “Yes, they are.” Noah wasn’t sure whether to thank God or curse Him for that. Olivia had gotten under his skin good these past few years, and he couldn’t shake her off. She kept him up nights. Kept him prowling the Dancing Boot, running errands with the hope of seeing her in town, riding down to their western pastures with the hopes of catching a glimpse of her across Pittance Creek.

  He was acting like a teenager. Hell, he was certainly as frustrated as one.

  “They’re going to win the Founder’s Prize, too, with that school renovation project they’re spearheading,” Maya said. “Them or the Washingtons, with their reforestation project on the edge of town. Wish we’d thought of that. I know Uncle Jed thinks we can run off with the Ridley property because we donated the high school a hundred years ago, but he’s wrong. I think we need to make a plan.”

  Noah thought Jed was wrong, too. “What kind of plan?” The Ridley property was a huge, abandoned ranch that abutted the Flying W—and Thorn Hill. It straddled Pittance Creek. Whoever won the Founder’s Prize would take possession of that ranch—and control the flow of water to both the downstream ranches and beyond.

  “A good one.”

  Across the room, Olivia rolled her eyes at her aunt again and shook her head. Noah could almost read her lips as she spoke: “I’ll take care of it.”

  Take care of what?

  Virginia said something sharp back and walked away. Olivia scanned the crowd, her mouth tilting into a private smile. Then she turned and headed around the house toward the driveway.

  What was she up to?

  “I’ll think about it,” Noah told Maya. “Gotta go.”

  “Go where? Noah!”

  He didn’t answer. Didn’t look back, either. He couldn’t be seen trailing Olivia, so he made a wide arc through the crowd around the dance floor and waited until he’d turned the corner of the Whitfields’ large house before he broke into a run. He caught the red glow of taillights as Olivia backed out of her parking space and drove away. He dashed across the parking lot, hopped in his Ram pickup, and quickly followed.

  Once out on the country highway, he hung back, not wanting to spook her, but Olivia kept a steady pace and drove in a straight line toward her destination. She must have thought she’d gotten away clean, or—more likely—she simply hadn’t given a thought to being followed. She was probably going home, he told himself, and here he was acting like a stalker. But something about that smile made him think she might have another plan….

  Noah straightened when they got to the turnoff. If she wanted to go to her family’s ranch, she needed to turn left. Instead she went straight.

  Toward the Flying W.

  Noah shook his head as he followed her slowly, still hanging back. Just as he’d suspected: she was going to try to complete the robbery he’d foiled about a month ago. He’d caught her creeping into his house in the middle of the day, crossing to the living room and lifting their grandmother clock off the fireplace mantel—the one Ernestine had kept over a hundred years ago when she married Zeke instead of Slade.

  Did Olivia really think she could steal it tonight?

  Not if he could help it.

  Noah knew why Olivia thought the clock belonged to the Coopers, and rationally he had to admit there was a case for it, but nothing about the relationship between the Coopers and Turners was rational. It never had been.

  Back in 1882, the scandal had split the town, with most people taking the Coopers’ side, until Slade diverted Pittance Creek and left the Flying W without its water for an entire summer. In the end he saw reason—at the barrel of a loaded gun wielded by Zeke, some said—and Pittance Creek ran true to its course again.

  Things hadn’t gone easy between the Coopers and Turners since then. And the Turners had never relinquished that clock—figuring it was payment for their trouble that long, dry summer.

  In 1951, when his uncle Jed was courting Virginia Cooper, rumor had it he might return the clock to the Coopers when they married, but they never got that far. He stood Virginia up on the day of the Founder’s Ball and went with Maybelle Wright instead. Virginia refused to listen when he came to apologize the next day. They never dated again.
Neither of them ever married, either. Jed kept the clock, and it remained with the Turners to this day.

  Noah suspected Virginia had just ordered Olivia to steal it. He couldn’t blame Olivia for wanting to please her aunt, but there was a line.

  He waited several minutes before turning in after her, but first he dimmed his headlights so as not to give his presence away. The moon had risen, and it gave off plenty of light to steer by. Besides, he knew this terrain like the back of his hand.

  Which meant he shouldn’t slip up and fall for Olivia Cooper.

  Except he already had.

  He parked several hundred yards from the house on a bend in the driveway where trees and brush blocked his truck from view, then ran noiselessly the rest of the way until he could see the front door.

  Like most folks in these parts, his family didn’t lock the place when they left. This was a small town. Everyone knew each other.

  Maybe they’d better start.

  The door was partway open, probably the better to slip out of if Olivia surprised someone at home. Noah knew there wasn’t anyone to surprise, however. They were all at the Whitfields’ wedding. He slipped inside as quietly as he could, took a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dimness inside the unlit hall and held his breath.

  There. In the living room.

  He heard a footstep. A scraping sound of wood sliding over wood.

  Olivia was taking the clock right now.

  He stepped lightly to the entrance of the living room and eased around the corner.

  Olivia’s slim, shapely form was lit by the moonlight sliding through the wide windows at the back of the house, framing her in front of the large fireplace. Her arms upraised, in the act of lifting down the clock, her every curve was evident. He couldn’t help feeling connected to Olivia, even while she was stealing his clock. She was trying to please her aunt, the same way he was always trying to do what was best for his family. Olivia deserved far more than she’d gotten from life, and he wished he could be the one to make up for all the difficulties she’d known.