The Debutante's Revenge: Western Historical Romance (Debutantes of Durango Book 6)

  The Debutante’s Revenge

  Debutante’s of Durango #6

  Sylvia McDaniel

  Virtual Bookseller

  Reckless Flirting and a Dangerous Temptation

  Daisy Trippe is the perfect daughter and the perfect woman to be a wealthy man’s wife. At the Debutante Ball, her goal is to kiss a handsome man. A rich handsome man who would make all her socialite dreams come true. Then she sees Lee Sackett. She overhears that the man is well off and he fills out his clothes so deliciously. A temptation too much to resist.

  Lee Sackett is building his ranch. One day he will be a rich man, but right now, his one-room cabin is all he can afford. He needs to swap bulls with Mr. Trippe but the man is impossible to talk to. Lee hears Trippe will be at the Debutante Ball, so he puts on a suit coat and goes to the ball. He doesn’t want a wife. It’s too soon. But one young woman is too alluring to walk away from.

  Everything seems so innocent until they are caught. Now the hard-working rancher is being forced to marry a woman who vows to get revenge on him for ruining her dreams.

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2020 Sylvia McDaniel

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Design: Dar Albert

  Edited by Tina Winograd

  Release date: September 1, 2020

  ebook ISBN 978-1-950858-35-4

  Paperback ISBN 978-1-950858-36-1

  This book and parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author and publisher, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Thank you

  More books in the series…

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Texas Spring 1886

  Lee Sackett sat by his father's bed, praying.

  How had things gone so wrong? A gurgle sound rattled when his father breathed.

  The death rattle.

  Placing his head in his hands, he thought back to the robbery two weeks ago. The memory of that day had repeated itself over and over. James promised him it would be so simple to rob the small-town bank. That the sheriff stayed drunk most of the time.

  Then their father showed up.

  Now James was running from the law. Regardless, their father lay dying of a gunshot wound with only Lee by his side.

  Glancing around at the two-room cabin, one could tell their lives were hard. They struggled to survive here, to raise cattle, chickens, and anything that would grow. They were poorer than dirt and his brother filled his head with fanciful dreams of ill-gotten riches.

  "It's going to be so easy," James said over and over.

  And like a fool, Lee believed him.

  If only he had listened to his father and not his crazy older sibling. If only his mother were still alive to help save his father. She would’ve not let him ride after his sons.

  When his father figured out their plans, he rode into Sweetwater, Texas, to stop them. Only he stepped in front of the bullet aimed for Lee.

  He should have been the dead man. He should have died right there in the bank. Instead, his father was going to leave him.

  When James grabbed the bags of money, the sheriff ran out of the door after him. Lee helped their father onto a horse and the two of them rode back to their ranch near Guthrie, Texas. A long three-day ride.

  Knowing soon the law would locate him, Lee prepared to live behind bars. Every day, he expected the posse to find them.

  But he refused to leave his father's side. The old man had saved his life and he could not abandon him to die alone.

  "Dammit, Dad, why did you step in front of that bullet," he said as he paced, trying to think of any way to help the man heal.

  Unconscious for the last two days, he suddenly spoke up.

  "Because you're my son," he said softly. "I would have done the same for James."

  "You're awake."

  "There is a bag of cash hidden beneath the floor under the settee. My life’s savings. Take the money and leave. Start over somewhere but promise me you are not going to rob anymore banks. Don't be a fool like your older brother."

  In the waning sunlight, the man coughed and gasped for air. Blood came from his mouth and Lee took the rag he laid by his head and wiped the moisture away.

  Seeing his father so helpless created an ache of sadness in his chest so harsh, he thought he would perish.

  "I'm not leaving you. You're going to get better."

  The man's face was no longer pale, but a gray shade that terrified Lee.

  "No, son, I'm not. My time has come. But, damn it, don't make me regret dying. Become the man you were meant to be before James filled your head with nonsense."

  Guilt ate at Lee as he realized James lied about so many things and he trusted him. While he was grateful his brother had gotten away, he regretted his actions. The fear on the people's faces when they entered the bank and yelled robbery. The way the teller's hand shook as he handed James the bags of money.

  And then his father bursting into the building, screaming stop! Stunned, Lee turned to face his father while the sheriff slipped in from the back. His father screamed again and stepped between him and the bullet, taking it in his chest.

  James ran out the door with the cash tightly gripped in his hands while everyone stood in shock. With the lawman hot on James, his brother raced out of town.

  "Promise me, son," he said, air wheezing in his lungs.

  There was no way he could deny his father, though Lee still expected to be hauled to jail at any moment.

  "I swear on a stack of Bibles, I will never rob a bank ever again or be a criminal," he said softly staring at the man who raised him, who loved him unconditionally. Who gave his life for him.

  A smile crossed his father's face. "Thank you, son. Now pack your bags and get the hell out of here. Go start your life over where the Texas Rangers won't find you. Take the money and begin again."

  Shaking his head. "That I won't do. Until they take me away, I'm here with you."

  With a sigh, he closed his eyes. "No, you need to leave before they locate you. I'm so tired. Your mother would have done a better job of raising you boys. For her, failure was not an option when it came to you kids."

  It wasn't that he failed. More like his brother, and even himself, had grown weary of being poor and hungry.

  A breeze blew through the window reminding him it was spring and soon the heat would sear through the cabin
, making it hard to work and sleep.

  "No, Papa, you did a great job. We were just stubborn," Lee said, wiping the older man's face. Sweat poured off him, even though it was cool.

  Feebly, his father lifted his hand toward the sky. What was he doing?

  The man gave a weird sound like his lungs emptied and then his eyelids closed, a smile on his face as his arm dropped.

  Pain gripped his chest as he stared at the man he loved. He was gone.

  Laying his head on the bed, he tried not to cry, but the tears flowed down his cheeks. His father was dead and it was all his fault.

  Chapter 2

  February 1890

  Daisy Trippe was the perfect daughter. She had her mother Nellie, and even her father Sidney, tightly wound around her little finger, giving her almost anything she wanted. And soon she would be attending her very first debutante ball.

  Unlike her sister Meg who was forced to marry Martin Scott from a wealthy family, she would not be caught in some scandalous act. Though there seemed to be some tension in the Scott family that kept them from living in a lavish home here in Durango.

  Then there was her sister Fannie who their grandfather taught to gamble. Until their parents caught her coming home from the casino. Mother joined her with Walter Hersey. Those two fought until Fannie decided she'd had enough and left.

  Thankfully, Walter chased her down and saved the marriage.

  Tonight, her own quest for love and happiness began, and she had set her expectations high. While her life here with her mother and father living on the ranch was happy, she wanted more. Much more.

  "Have you picked out your dress?" her friend Carrie asked.

  "Yes, it's going to be yellow silk with puffy sleeves, and a low-cut back that Daddy will absolutely hate. The bodice will have white lace on it."

  "You scandalous woman, you."

  "No, that night is my night to shine. And meet the man I plan to marry."

  Carrie laid across the bed and shook her head. "You always get your way, so I'm certain it will happen."

  It was true. As the youngest, she always did manage to finagle her way. Mother was the easiest to manipulate, but Papa wasn't too hard. Especially if she turned on the tears. Even her sisters hated how she worked her parents.

  "Don't your parents let you have your way?" Daisy asked, thinking she couldn't be the only woman who knew how to use her emotions.

  "No, my mother and father will not tolerate me manipulating them in any way."

  Too bad. From an early age, Daisy learned how to bribe and provoke her sisters into giving her what she wanted. Her parents too.

  "So what do you hope to learn at your first ball?"

  Carrie sighed and leaned back. "Me, I would like to have a great time. Dance, drink champagne, and practice my flirting skills. I'm not ready to find a husband."

  "Have you ever kissed a boy?"

  The young woman shot up from lying on the bed. "Of course not."

  "Don't you wonder what it will feel like?"

  A blush filled her face. "Well...sometimes."

  "Last year, I kissed one of the hired summer hands."

  A giggle erupted as she remembered how the boy had been so shocked, he turned and fled. But the second time they kissed, he'd pressed her against the wall of the barn and moved his lips over hers, going so far as to stick his tongue in her mouth.

  Until the ranch foreman caught them and sent him packing. The man had given her a lecture on how he just lost one of his best hands because of her tomfoolery. It hadn't felt like tomfoolery. The kiss had been fun and exciting and made her tingle in areas she never dreamed.

  "What happened?"

  In a hushed tone, she gave a brief explanation. Not wanting to indulge in the pleasant experience of those feelings.

  "I'm going to kiss someone at the ball. Don't know who yet, but some man is going to kiss me. A rich tycoon's son, who will ask my father for my hand in marriage. We'll live in town and I'll host the most fabulous parties."

  This was her dream. The fairest and the prettiest of her sisters, she intended to take advantage of her beauty. And she could use her wiles to tempt a man into kissing her.

  Now to find which rich man wanted her for his wife. Because only the best for her.

  "What man are you going to kiss?”

  She smiled at Carrie. The girl was such an innocent in both kissing and in how men reacted. All Daisy needed to do was wink, flirt, do a little teasing and soon the men would be eating out of her hand.

  "Maybe all of them. At least until I find the one with the biggest bank account. Then after he kisses me, I may faint."

  "No, you wouldn't," her friend said laughing.

  "Oh yes, I would. What Daisy wants, Daisy gets."

  She glanced around at her room, noting the improvements. Last year, she and her mother made it into a modern young woman's bedroom with all the frills she desired. How would she decorate her new home? Only the best decorator in town, Madame LaRouge, would suffice in helping her transform their home into a stunning palace.

  That's why her husband had to be rich.

  No more cattle and horses and piles of snow in winter. No more sitting at home with nothing to do as she would be living in the city. Tea every day with her friends and parties in the evenings. Together, she and her mystery man would be the new crème de la crème of society. Everyone would want to attend their dinner parties and gatherings.

  "Since I've known you, you plan things and they work perfectly."

  "Yes," she said smiling. "So, tell me, what are you wearing to the ball?"

  For the next thirty minutes, she listened to Carrie describe her gown. Soon she would be a married woman. Then she and Carrie would meet with the other socialites in Durango.

  "Are you listening to me?" Carrie asked.

  "Yes, but I think you need to make the dress a little more daring. Something that will make the men stare at you."

  "You think my mother would let me wear something tempting?"

  A laugh escaped from Daisy. "Probably not. Try not to let them see what you're wearing until it's too late and you act stunned there's a problem. Just think, every time I dance with a man, his hand will be on my naked back."

  Even the thought sent a shiver of something she didn't recognize but enjoyed going through her.

  Chapter 3

  Lee brushed his black hair back from his forehead and gazed around at the beautiful young women.

  The debutante ball.

  What the hell was he doing here? At the moment, he had no need for a wife. Not until he was certain the ranch was going to make it. His friend at the hotel told him Sidney Trippe would be here tonight.

  For the last month, he had been trying to talk to Mr. Trippe about the chance of exchanging a bull. After breeding his own cattle, the time had come to change out bulls.

  Unable to afford a new bull, he wanted to arrange a swap with the best local cattle owner. But so far, he had not been able to reach the man.

  Standing against the wall, he stared at the women in their beautiful gowns. All dressed, primed, and ready to seduce a man into becoming their husband.

  Not happening to him.

  Charles Roberts from the Durango Bank stopped by his side. "Lee, so good to see you."

  "You as well," he said, thinking the man reeked of money and power and the loan would be coming up in the fall. Would he make enough off his cattle to pay the note and keep the land?

  "That property of yours becomes more valuable every day. If you decide to sell, I have a buyer who would pay top dollar to buy the acreage from you."

  There was no way he’d willingly sell his place. The memory of the lush green grass in spring, the river flowing next to the mountains and the way the elk wandered across keeping him well fed.

  "No, thank you, sir. I'm going to hang onto my place."

  "Well, if you need to sell or get in a bind, let me know. The offer stands," Mr. Roberts said. "Your loan comes up in six months. We'll se
e how things are looking then. Who knows? After the winter, you may decide you've had enough of Colorado."

  Feeling uncomfortable, Lee stared at the ladies dancing. A beautiful blonde in a yellow dress danced by him and winked.

  That was trouble.

  "Doubtful, Mr. Roberts. I enjoy the snow and the elk and everything about our territory."

  The man chuckled. "It's a great place to make money and grow rich."

  That it was. In the four years since Lee left Texas, he had fallen in love with the country, the majesty of the mountains, and cold winters and the blissful summers.

  "I'm already rich," Lee said, referring to how his life had been enriched living here. The wealth would follow.

  The woman in the yellow dress smiled at him as she passed by a second time on the dance floor. With astonishment, he watched as she licked her lips and gave him a flirty stare. A tempting morsel, but he grinned and shook his head at her.

  That debutante he might need to dance with. Wonder whose daughter she was? As he glanced around the room, he tried to find Mr. Trippe, but didn't see him.

  He knew the man planned on attending tonight. Mr. Trippe was the reason for Lee being at the ball. Not the women, who were way out of his league.

  Most of these girls didn't even know his name and it was just as well. The next time he attended, they would be interested in him, because he would be a successful rancher.