Page 70 of Colorado Bride

“She tried to set him up with three other brides.”

Emily pressed her hand to her throat.

“Oh, my.”

“The thing was,” said the sheriff, pocketing the key to the cell door.“Maggie was unconsciously putting him together with women she knew he wouldn’t like.”He chuckled.“Turned out she was already in love with him and sabotaging his chances of finding any other woman for a wife.”

“I must ask Maggie about that,” said Emily, amused at the story.

“When you do, you can watch her turn bright red, though not as bright as her hair.”

Ben put his arm around Emily’s shoulders.“Luckily for me, Sally knew just who to send.”

That’s a very nice thing to say.Maybe there is hope he’ll love me after all.

After they were outside the jail and on the way to the buckboard, Emily looked Rory up and down.

“Do you have a clean change of clothes?”

He looked down at his garments.

“These are the cleanest I got.”

“Ben, let’s stop at the mercantile and get Rory some new clothes to go with his new found family relationship.”

“Good idea.”

In the mercantile, they found Rory three sets of clothing including shirts, pants, under garments, and socks.Plus they purchased him a sheepskin coat and a brand new Stetson.

“When we get home, I want you to take a bath and brush your teeth.You’ll be a totally different person when you meet Jane.We’ll be going over for Sunday dinner, day after tomorrow,” said Emily.

“While we’re here, we might as well get tomorrow’s supply order and save a trip back to town,” said Ben.

“Sounds fine to me,” said Rory.

“Me, too.Then I can do tomorrow whatever chores I missed doing today.Rory, take your bath in the bunkhouse.I need the kitchen to prepare supper.”

Rory smiled at Emily.“Sure.As a matter of fact, it’ll take half an hour or more for them to get your supply order ready.I’ll visit the bathhouse here and put on some of them new duds you bought me.”

“That would be great.Thank you,” said Emily.

“Taking a bath is the least I can do for my new sister-in-law.”

Thirty minutes later, Rory walked into the mercantile and Emily swore if she hadn’t seen it for herself, she wouldn’t have recognized him.He’d managed to get a haircut and a shave, too.

He smiled at her and ducked his head to look at his feet.

“You look very nice, Rory.Thank you.”

Still smiling, she saw that he’d also cleaned his teeth.They still weren’t white, but she saw they were a lot whiter.

All in all, she had to admit, the man cleaned up well and she could see more of Ben in him now that his scruff of beard was gone.They had the same jaw line as well as that attractive dimple.

Rory and Ben finished loading the wagon.Emily buttoned her coat for the change in temperature.From the heated comfort of the store to the outside was at least a thirty degree difference.

Rory mounted his horse while Ben helped Emily onto the bench seat.Then Ben climbed in beside her and picked up the reins.

“Are we ready to go?”