A Cowboy Unmatched (13 page)

“What is it?” The question rang simultaneously from both Nicole and her mother.

Her papa smiled. A scheming, devilish, piratical smile that one would expect to see right before a blade ran him through. Nicole flopped onto the divan.

“Nicki's going to take a little trip to New Orleans.”

“But why?” Maman asked. “She just got home.”

Papa rubbed his palms against his thighs in anticipation. “Don't you see? It will solve everything. It will keep Nicki away from Jenkins and secure the future of Renard Shipping at the same time.”

“How?” Nicole ventured, somehow certain she'd not like the answer.

Her papa's grin confirmed it. “By giving me the next best thing to a son.”

“And that is . . . ?” her mother prompted.

“A son-in-law.”

Nicole blinked once. Then again.

A son-in-law?

Just who did he expect her to marry? One of his cronies from New Orleans? They were all old enough to be . . . well, her father. Besides that, he'd always sworn to let her choose her own husband, promising never to force her into a union simply because it would aid his shipping interests.

She'd thought herself so lucky when talk at Miss Rochester's school had turned to marriage. Half the girls there were already promised to men who would provide an advantageous match to their families. Two of the young ladies hadn't even met their intendeds. Nicole had bragged of how she'd be free to choose her own man, how her papa was so open-minded, caring more for his daughter's happiness than his business. Yet here he sat, ready to shackle her to someone she'd never met, all to secure the future of Renard Shipping.

How could he do that?

“Papa, you promised . . . ” Nicole's voice shook slightly. She cleared her throat and started again, tamping down the emotion that floated too near the surface. “You promised I could choose. Are you breaking your word?”

“No, darlin'.” Papa stood on shaky legs and crossed the floor to sit beside her on the divan. “I vowed to give you your choice when the time came, and I will hold to that promise. What I'm asking is that you take an active role in the choosing process. Search for a husband yourself, instead of waiting for him to find you.

“I have contacts in New Orleans. Men of good families. Men who would value a wife with your knowledge and talents.”

Men
who would value my ties to Renard Shipping
, Nicole thought bitterly.

Papa took her hand and squeezed it with what little strength he could muster. “I'm trusting you with the Renard family legacy, Nicki. The Lafitte Dagger will be your dowry. The man you choose will lead Renard Shipping into the next generation.”

Nicole finally met her father's gaze. He trusted her to bestow the dagger on the right man. That was something, wasn't it?

Her heart rebelled at the idea of having to marry so expediently, but her papa
was
giving her the freedom to choose. And trusting her with the family legacy. The entire family's future, to be precise—a notion that had her insides rapidly knotting into icy lumps.

Yet, if he had a son, he'd expect his heir to ensure the family's future, too. What he was asking of her was no different. Not really. Nicole sat up a little straighter, a plan of her own formulating. She'd go on her father's husband-hunting expedition. She'd even choose one if she found one to her tastes. But she'd take steps to ensure the safety of those she loved first.

“I'll do it.”

Less than a week later, Nicole's trunks were repacked for another voyage. A large trunk held the majority of her clothes and enough funds to keep her in good stead for at least two months, while a smaller one contained the overflow and the necessities required to keep a lady presentable while she traveled. Her mother had insisted they pack nearly every item Nicole owned, neither of them sure how long she would be gone. But one item remained to be packed, an item Nicole intended to fetch on her own.

After slipping from her bed in the predawn darkness, Nicole lit a candle and made her way downstairs, taking care to keep her tread light as the rest of the house slept. She held her breath as she passed her parents' door and finally released it when she reached the privacy of the study.

Nicole crossed the room, purpose driving her steps as her eyes locked on the painting of the clipper ship on the wall behind her father's desk. Sails billowed, masts jutting tall and proud into the gray sky, wooden hull forging ahead through storm-swept seas. Confident. Fearless. Strong. Everything her father admired. Everything she would prove to be.

Setting the candleholder on the corner of the desk as she strode by, she marched forward, refusing to hesitate. Doubt was for the weak. She grabbed the bottom right edge of the painting and lifted it away from the wall just enough for her to ease her fingers into the small slit in the paper backing and retrieve the key hidden inside the frame.
Then she turned to the desk, opened the large bottom drawer, and pulled out the ordinary-looking stationery box buried beneath a pile of ledgers. As quietly as she could, Nicole placed the oak writing box atop the desk and inserted the key into the lock at the front. A satisfying
click
echoed loudly in the dark room. Nicole shot a quick glance around to be sure she was still alone, then opened the lid.

Reaching inside, she lifted out the tray of stationery that hid a false bottom. Then, using the edge of a penknife, she pried the wooden cover up to reveal the red velvet bag inside the hidden compartment. A shiver ran through her and raised gooseflesh on her arms as her hand closed around the bag.

The Lafitte Dagger
. The talisman every sailor on Galveston Island believed protected the one who possessed it and ensured his success. One had only to look at the success of Renard Shipping over the last twenty-five years, they would say, to prove its value. Renard Shipping was one of the few lines that had survived the political turmoil resulting from Texas moving from Mexican rule to revolution, to an independent republic, and finally to statehood. While other companies floundered, Renard Shipping had flourished.

Of course, Nicole believed her family's success had more to do with her father and grandfather's work ethic, honorable business practices, and extensive business relationships than with any pirate dagger. But it didn't matter what she believed. It mattered what men like Carson Jenkins believed. He would stop at nothing to possess the dagger because he thought it would ensure his success. And taking the dagger was the only way to protect her father and
maman
from further violence.

Just before her ship embarked, she'd slip a coin to one of the kids who ran errands around the docks and have him deliver a letter to Jenkins so he'd know that any further housebreaking at her parents' home would be fruitless. It would take him time to discover which ship she had boarded and therefore her destination. By the time he discovered her whereabouts, she'd have the protection of her father's business associates surrounding her. And if he sent Fletcher and Will after her anyway? Well, she'd have her knife, her wits, and if she knew Tommy Ackerman, an armed escort.

Tommy had moved with his family to New Orleans about the same time she'd first left for school in Boston two falls ago. Mr. Ackerman now ran the Renard Shipping offices in New Orleans, and her father
trusted him implicitly. And she trusted Tommy. How could she not, when they'd fought off armadas of imaginary invaders together on the Galveston beaches? He'd made a great first mate when they were kids, and she knew he would have her back as adults, as well.

A creak sounded behind her. Nicole crushed the velvet bag to her chest and spun around.

“Who's there?” she demanded, as her heart nearly pounded out of her chest.

Her gaze darted from the window to the cabinet to the door that led to the dining room, the flicker of her candle making it impossible to discern true movement from dancing shadows. After several heartbeats of silence, the faint clang of pots in the kitchen two rooms away sent a surge of relief through her. Margie. The cook must have risen early to see to breakfast preparations, knowing Nicole would be leaving this morning. All perfectly innocent.

Nevertheless, the scare ignited Nicole into action. She hurriedly replaced the stationery box and key, shoved the dagger, bag and all, into the garter sheath she wore beneath her nightdress, then scampered up to her room.

Her breath puffed out of her in short pants as she leaned her back against the closed door. Could she really take the dagger? It was her dowry, after all—the bait to lure a suitor into matrimony and buy her father an heir. But it was also an act of disobedience, although one that wouldn't be necessary if she wore trousers instead of skirts.

Nicole glared at the traveling costume laid out upon the larger of the two trunks as she pulled the dagger from beneath her nightdress and took it from its velvet bag. She fingered the jewels on the hilt and bit her lip. Her father would be furious if he found out, and her mother disappointed. But what choice did she have? Jenkins wouldn't give up. Fletcher and Will had nearly succeeded in forcing Papa's hand when they broke in. They'd only get bolder in the next attempt. She needed to draw their fire, and this was the best way to accomplish that.

Having made her decision, Nicole proceeded to dress and finish packing. Her usual blade went into her satchel, leaving her garter sheath free for more important cargo. The protection of the Renard family legacy now rested on her shoulders. She'd guard it well.

Nicole paused in the doorway of Renard House later that morning and eyed the waiting coach with a hint of trepidation. Oh, it wasn't the Jenkins brothers who gave her pause. She could handle those two. No, it was the rest of the plan that had her mouth going dry.

A husband.

It had all seemed so straightforward in the beginning. Find a good man, one with integrity and knowledge of the shipping industry. Offer him management of her father's company. But how was she to discern a man's worthiness? With her papa's illness ticking like a clock winding down in her mind, she didn't have the luxury of taking her time. She had to choose wisely, quickly. Yet what if the right man for Renard Shipping was the wrong man for her?

Nicole tightened her grip on the satchel she carried.
I need help, Lord,
her spirit pled.
You led Abraham's servant to Rebekah
when he searched for a wife for Isaac, and I
ask that you do the same for me. Lead me
to the right man, and help me to recognize him
when I find him.

“Having second thoughts?” Her mother came up behind her and gently nudged her out onto the porch. Their full skirts swished together as Nicole turned to reassure her.

“No. Just seeking some direction before heading out.”

Maman smiled. “Always a wise choice.” She took Nicole's free hand in her own and gave it a heartening squeeze. “I have been praying, too, and I will pray for you every day that you are gone. You have the Ackermans' address?”

“Yes. In my satchel. Though I've read over it so many times, I think I have it memorized.”

“Good.” She linked her arm through Nicole's, and together they strolled down the steps toward the carriage. “You know, Thomas Ackerman might be a good candidate for you.”

Tommy?
Nicole's step stuttered. Marry Tommy Ackerman? That would be like marrying her brother. “He's a bit young to be running a shipping company, don't you think? He's only a year older than I am.”

Maman squeezed Nicole's arm into her waist and grinned. “He's been raised in the business, just like you have. He'd find his way. Besides . . .” She tilted her head, her eyes warming as she met her daughter's gaze. “There are more important things in life than business. Marriage is one of them. Choose the man who will make
you the best husband, not the one who will make the best heir for your father. Agreed?”

How was it that her mother always knew the perfect thing to say? A grin tugged at Nicole's mouth as she nodded. “Agreed.”

They reached the end of the walk. Her father stood leaning against the stone pillar that supported the iron gate.

“Well, Nicki,” he said, a gleam of pride in his eyes. “Are you ready for a grand adventure?”

She favored him with a saucy wink. “I'm a Renard. I was born for adventure.”

Papa laughed. “What did I tell you, Pauline? Nothing to worry about. Not with this one.”

He leaned forward and took Nicole's shoulders in his hands, his gaze growing serious. “Take care, daughter.”

“I will, Papa.”

For a moment it looked as if he would say more. She waited, hoped, but he cleared his throat and stepped back. Nicole squelched her disappointment. Papa never was one to linger over sentimentality.