Read RICKY: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Mail-Order Brides Club Book 5) Online
Authors: Ashley Merrick
RICKY: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Mail-Order Brides Club Book 5) (12 page)
“
I
t sounds
like the saloon in there,” Sarah said with a laugh, as Ricky came into the kitchen for another platter of sandwiches. Though Ricky’s days of being a regular at the saloon were over, he now often entertained his friends at home and the Saturday poker nights had become quite popular.
“Jason Donovan just won the biggest pot we’ve had yet. He’s impossible to read, that one.”
Sarah handed him the sandwiches and a slow grin spread across his face, a clear sign that he was up to something. “Why don’t you come join us for a round? The guys won’t mind and I can’t wait to see their faces when they realize you know what you’re doing.”
Sarah chuckled. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
She was tempted, though. She had always loved to play cards, and as Ricky said, she wasn’t half-bad at poker. She used to play with her father and his friends when she was younger, and during her time working in the saloon, she learned even more from watching some of the better players. Ricky had asked her to join them before and she’d always declined, not wanting to intrude, but tonight she was feeling a bit restless.
Ricky could clearly sense that she was considering it. “Come on. One round. It will be fun!”
She’d put Andrew to bed an hour ago and wasn’t ready to retire to bed or even read a book, just yet.
“One round,” she agreed.
She followed Ricky into the library and the men looked up in surprise when they saw her. It was a small crowd, just four Donovan brothers, Paul, David, Ethan and Jason, who at twenty-four, was the youngest of the group.
“Sarah’s going to join us for a round. You have been warned, gentlemen!” Ricky said dramatically and held out a chair for her to join them at the makeshift table he put together on card nights. It was a big, circular piece of wood that he rolled into the room and set on top of a couple of wooden crates. It wasn’t fancy to look at, but it worked well for most size groups.
“Have you played before, Sarah?” Ethan asked. Sarah noticed with amusement that there had been some skeptical glances when Ricky said she was going to play. She supposed she couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t often that women joined men in poker games.
“I used to play quite a bit with my father, years ago,” she said with a smile.
“Good luck,” Jason said. He sounded sincere and Sarah thought that was nice of him. She didn’t know him very well, and as Ricky dealt the cards to everyone, she asked him about his new job as assistant deputy sheriff and if he was enjoying it.
“I am. It’s mostly breaking up fights in the saloons lately, but it keeps us busy enough. I’d love it if something more interesting came our way.”
“You mean like a murder?” David asked.
Jason hesitated. “Well, no. I don’t want to see anyone killed, of course. But some kind of a mystery wouldn’t be so bad,” he admitted.
“You do have a mystery to solve,” Ricky said with a gleam in his eye. “Will the lovely Maeve win your heart? And will you win hers?”
Jason’s cheeks flushed crimson and Sarah kicked Ricky under the table. Jason was more serious and reserved than most of his brothers and she could tell that he was embarrassed.
“She sounds like a wonderful girl, and smart too, if she’s a mid-wife. When is she due to arrive?”
“Next Tuesday,” he mumbled, looking down at his cards.
Sarah decided to change the subject to get the attention away from Jason and back onto the game.
“Okay, gentlemen, are we ready to play?” she asked.
Thirty minutes later, the only players left with cards were Jason and Sarah. The other Donovan brothers were shocked and on the edge of their seats as they watched the final hand unfold.
Jason was an excellent player and as Ricky said, he was almost impossible to read. But, Sarah had an amazing hand and when the cards were revealed, she won, by a hair.
“Congratulations,” Jason said. “That was quite a game.”
“Play us again? Give us a chance to win back our money?” Paul asked.
“Thank you, but that’s it for me. I’m off to bed for the night. Enjoy the rest of your evening, boys, and good luck!”
She gathered up her winnings and rose to leave the room.
“I’ll walk you out,” Ricky said and followed her out to the kitchen.
“That was fun,” he said. “The looks on their faces were priceless. Almost unfair, really, because I knew you were unbeatable.”
“That’s not necessarily true, though. Sometimes the cards don’t go in your favor,” Sarah said.
“True enough. Though, I feel like luck has been on my side ever since I met you.” Ricky pulled her in for a quick kiss.
“Always the charmer,” she teased him.
“Always and forever,” he agreed, and she laughed.
“Yes, you probably will always be a charmer, and I will still love you. Always and forever.”
~The End~
T
hank
you for reading my books! I hope you enjoy them. If you’d like to receive an email alert when the next book in the series is released, sign up here. Readers on my list are the only ones to know about early release discounts on each book as well as special promotions or recommendations.
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A
shley grew
up on Cape Cod, MA and now lives in a seaside town half-way between Boston and the Cape. Her first paid writing work was in college when she wrote the obituaries and birth announcements for a local paper. That led to more creative writing--radio commercials and in recent years, some food blogging and writing for a Cape Cod newspaper. She loves all things food related and has always been an avid reader, across many genres, romance, mystery, suspense, paranormal and of course, historical.
