Stan glanced at his friend. “You going to take care of our girl?”
“Always.”
“So, it’s like that, is it?” Stan considered.
“I’m in love with her, buddy. Fell hard that first time I saw her at your place. Came home to settle down, have a family, live the real life,” Gideon said as he nodded toward Pap’s closed door. “She’s the one.”
“Kind of fast, don’t you think?”
“Maybe so. Doesn’t make it any less real. I know she’s going to need some time, but I’m not going anywhere.”
Stan heaved a sigh, his eyes pinioning his friend. “Pap was in distress when we walked in to check on him. He was a little out of it and kept apologizing to Maddie. Guess he thought Loretta was her. Mentioned your name and some agreement he wanted her to understand. ‘For your own good,’ he said. You have any idea what he was talking about?”
“Shit. I was afraid of that.” Gideon’s gut knotted.
Stan narrowed his eyes until they were slits. “Gideon, I swear, if you’ve done something to hurt Maddie, you and I are going to have a problem.”
“Since when have you become Maddie’s watchdog, Stan? You sweet on my woman?”
“Since she’s my wife’s best friend, asshole. Back down. Loretta’s more woman than any man could want, but I do love Maddie—she’s my friend. And I don’t want to see her hurt again. You want to tell me what this is all about?”
Gideon leaned against the column on Maddie’s front porch. Searching for the right words, he propped his arm against the warm wood and rubbed his forehead on his thumb.
Maybe it would help to unburden to Stan; he wasn’t a talker, and Gideon trusted him.
“Pap wrote me a letter a few months ago—asked me to come home soon as I could. Said he had something to discuss. Told me he was sick, hadn’t long to live. When the time came, he intended leaving everything to Maddie, which was no surprise.
“Our properties and our families have been tied together for as long as I can remember. It’s no secret we’ve been sharing the river even though it runs through Lowry property. He wanted to know what would happen if she couldn’t make a go of it and had to sell. Or if she married and her husband wouldn’t agree to share water rights.”
“You offer to buy?”
“Yeah, but he wouldn’t sell—he had something else on his mind.”
“Gideon, I may be slow on the uptake, but I don’t see the problem,” Stan said.
“I don’t think there would be a problem. The Branchs and Lowrys would continue to share the water rights—unless Maddie decided to sell to someone other than me or she married and things changed.”
“I see your dilemma.”
Gideon shrugged one shoulder. “The point is she could, and me and the boys would be out of luck. I can’t do that to my brothers. They’ve committed to Snowy Branch, monetarily and otherwise. They’re depending on me. The other half of the coin is that Pap, for friendship’s sake and his closeness with Arthur, wanted to assure we could use that water…”
Stan stared. “And the problem is?”
Gideon hesitated, then blew out a breath. “The other side of the equation. Pap wanted to make sure Maddie was taken care of beyond the inheritance of his land. So he offered me a deed to the land—with the river—if one of us, Zack, Eli, or me—would agree to marry Maddie.”
Stan looked blindsided and whistled under his breath. “Son of a bitch! I can’t believe this. He wouldn’t treat Maddie that way.”
“It’s the God’s truth, Stan. The day one of us marries Maddie Lowry, the land and water belong to Snowy Branch.”
“That old geezer. Marrying Maddie off for a price… No wonder he felt guilty and wanted to unburden his soul.”
“The land for the girl—that was the deal.” Guilt sat heavy in Gideon’s chest, as well. “Maddie will skin me alive if she ever finds out.”
“As she should.” Stan condemned him with a glance.
“Don’t look at me that way, man. I had second thoughts the minute he laid it all out, but I know he concocted the arrangement out of concern for Maddie, and he wanted to make sure she would be all right. In all probability, he and Arthur had some romantic notion of their children eventually getting married and uniting the two families. Pap made me swear Maddie would never know. And she never would, except now his conscience is bothering him, and he wants to leave this earth with a clean slate. Old fool could ruin everything.”
Stan’s gaze narrowed on Gideon’s anxious face. “You think that’s what he’s doing in there right now? Telling Maddie about his scheme to marry her to one of you three boys and deed you the river land?”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of…”
“And that’s exactly what he did.” Maddie’s barely contained fury anchored them to the floor as both men pivoted to face her.
She stood behind the screen door. Her eyes blazing, body ramrod straight, her heart pounding a blood rush to her head that was as painful as the knot in her chest, she had but one intention.
“Why look so guilty, Gideon? You only did what was best for Snowy Branch.” Condemnation dripped from her lips.
“Maddie, sweetheart, I can explain…” She backed away as Gideon moved toward her.
“Liar! I never would have expected this from you, of all people. You should have come to me, Gideon. We could have worked something out. There was no need to fabricate a romance, agree to a marriage.” Anger seethed beneath the surface of her words.
“It wasn’t like that, Maddie…”
“It was exactly like that. Did you have a good laugh at my expense? Add to the joke the fringe benefits of a naïve virgin? Trusting men has always been my downfall, and I accept that I’m the world’s most gullible woman. But I’ve been burned twice now. It will never—ever—happen again.
“Don’t look so stricken, Gideon. For Pap and Arthur’s sake, I’ll share the water. I’ll honor the unspoken agreement between our families. We’ll have another agreement drawn up. You’re good at signing those, right? And then you and I will never have to see or speak with each other again.”
Her hand flew to her forehead. “I can’t believe I’m such an idiot.”
“Maddie, you’ve got this all wrong.”
“You’re right about that. I did get it all wrong. Just go, Gideon. I’m going to the hospital in the ambulance. Stan, could you drive my truck and leave it in the emergency parking lot? Loretta’s following in your truck.”
“I’m going with you,” Gideon asserted.
Blinking back tears, she half turned and replied, “No need. Tell Eli and Zack not to worry. You’re all off the hook. I may have been stupid and selfish and a tad self-righteous, but I haven’t stooped so low that I have to become a bartered bride. Go away. Just, please, go away.”
She turned her back and closed the door, blotting out the sight of the man who’d made her blood run hot and, now, bitter cold.
Chapter Twenty-One
Betrayed again. For some reason, this one hurt worse.
At least Harrison had a reason other than commercial and personal gain. But she hadn’t made love with Harrison. Hadn’t let him inside her body where he could tear her heart so deeply it bled. Just Gideon. The deceiver.
Harrison had humiliated her, hurt her, stolen her confidence and her childhood. Gideon had shredded her soul.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She should never have let him in.
Gideon followed her to the ambulance, pushed her aside, and planted himself in front of her. His hands gripped her shoulders, though she struggled to jerk free.
“You’re going to listen to reason, Maddie. And I’m not only talking about the river land…”
“I don’t want to hear it, Gideon,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You’re a genuine hero, you know that? The hero who made a business deal deceiving someone you professed to love. The hero who agreed to be bought for her with a parcel of land and control of a river. The hero who took her virg
inity, whispered sweet words in her ear, and plotted to steal what was rightfully hers. A hero who ripped out her heart, stomped it in the dirt, and pretended to care about her feelings.”
Gideon’s face flushed red. Have I made the hero mad?
“We need to talk about this, but now isn’t the time. Let’s get Pap taken care of, and then I’ll explain everything… I meant what I said, Maddie. I do love you.”
“You don’t know the meaning of the word!” she spat before she climbed into the ambulance and the doors shut behind her.
All the way to the hospital, her mind went over everything she’d heard and done like a knife over a board. Splinters of thoughts, feelings, heartaches. Worry for Pap deadened the pain of Gideon’s betrayal, and all her grief was woven into a web of anger. Love was fine for other women; fine for Loretta and Stan, her Pap and Emma, but not for her.
Harrison deceived her by waiting until their wedding day to admit he was gay and never going to be a husband to her. Gideon had deceived her by convincing her to take a chance on love while agreeing to marry her for land, for water, for her home.
And Pap? He could be excused. In his day, a woman needed a man to take care of her. But Maddie couldn’t rely on a man—she had only herself. From now on, she would concentrate on building Emma’s Camp and the myriads of decisions it would take to make it successful. She’d focus on the kids.
God…does no one with a penis have an honest bone in his body?
Tears threatened to fall, and she wiped them away, disgusted. She should have known better. She should have kept her distance and remembered her promise never to let a man close enough to hurt her again. Good grief! Were all men born perfidious creatures, or did she just have amazingly poor judgment?
As soon as they arrived at the emergency entrance, Pap was sped behind heavy metal doors. The triage nurse informed her she would need to wait while the doctors assessed Pap, and she would be called when she could go to him. Maddie filled out the paperwork and glanced about the waiting room for a place to sit.
Gideon strode through the doors.
Rolling her eyes, she dismissed his presence until he came behind her, his heat distracting her concentration.
“Leave me alone, Gideon,” she demanded.
“You about done?” he asked.
When she ignored him, he pressed closer. The nurse stared with wide eyes. What a sight they must make, a huge man hovering over a small woman who obviously objected to his presence. Shoving the clipboard toward the registrar, Maddie stared with cold disdain into his face.
“If you had an ounce of decency, you’d leave. I don’t want to see you. I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to be anywhere near you.” Maddie seethed.
“Too bad.” Gideon wrapped his hand around her bicep. “You and I are going to have a little talk.” He firmly escorted her outside the emergency waiting room and backed her against a stucco wall.
Arms bracketing her head, he met her belligerent stare until Maddie blinked. Gideon’s left hand trailed to her neck, catching the fine hair at the nape in his controlling grip. Harsh puffs of hot breath bathed her skin as shivers trailed up and down her spine.
She hated him. Well, she ought to hate him, but she struggled with the way her body automatically melted under his touch. With sheer bravado, she asserted her objection. “You’re wasting your time, Gideon. It’s over.”
“Don’t bet on it, you little spitfire. I laid my heart on the line for you, too. Unlike some others you have known, I only say what I mean. I agreed to your grandfather’s plan to see you married for one reason and one reason only. It wasn’t the land. It wasn’t the water. And it sure as hell wasn’t to please Pap Lowry. It was because I fell in love with you, Maddie, and no other woman would do. Just you…always you…only you.”
“I don’t believe you,” she hissed between bared teeth.
“Then believe this.” Before she could protest, he pulled her in to his body as his hand gripped tight. The other landed at her waist and slid lower to cup her behind. Twisting in his embrace, she resisted as he slowly won the tug of war and ground his mouth into hers. When she clamped her lips shut, he grunted his displeasure and pressed harder until there was no choice, and she was forced to succumb. Her lips gave him entrance, and his tongue swept deep. The war with his mouth was nothing compared to the battle going on inside her.
The hard evidence of his arousal burned into her belly. Maddie struggled, wondering why he could make her want him so badly when she hated him so much.
She held her breath until he broke long enough to say, “Breathe, damn you,” and went back to his assault on her senses.
The force of Gideon’s masculinity overpowered her, and while her mind demanded she defy him, her heart yearned to rewind to earlier in the day. When he’d loved her, and she’d loved him. Before the specter of the death of her grandfather and the irrefutable truth of his deception had intruded.
Maddie wasn’t going to let that happen. She squirmed in his arms, and Gideon tightened his grip. “Stop fighting me, Maddie,” he commanded against her lips.
“No!” she cried as he took advantage of her open mouth to deepen the kiss.
It hurt too much that Pap had conspired to marry her to the first man named Branch who made an offer. It hurt too much that Gideon had agreed to such a preposterous plan in the first place. And it hurt too damn much that neither man trusted her to be fair and just and honest and sensible. She would never have sold any of the ranch without first assuring equitable access to the river. The entire ruse was totally unnecessary.
Now it would give her great satisfaction to be that kind of woman—mean and retaliatory, cold, unfeeling, vengeful—because of the ache and the hurt; because of their lack of faith in her. How pathetic did it make her that she couldn’t be that woman?
As his tongue continued to ravage her mouth and his hands enticed her body, she realized that whatever it was that captivated her about this man hadn’t disappeared with his underhanded machinations; it was still there. His heat still tantalized, his taste still captivated, the feel of his muscular body still tempted her feminine responses—he was every bit as sexy and as masterful a lover as she had ever dreamed.
And he was just as deceptive.
There was nothing Maddie despised more.
Except, perhaps, herself.
****
Gideon’s chest heaved with every breath, his heart pounded with the instant rush of hard desire he always felt when he touched Maddie anywhere, anytime. He couldn’t, wouldn’t, lose this woman—she was meant for him. He felt it deep in his bones. Fate or God, whoever or whatever had brought them together, she belonged to him.
“When you settle down, we’ll talk,” he said, gazing into her angry eyes, hating the suspicion and indignation he saw in her face.
“Go, Gideon,” she ordered, pushing against his chest, but he tightened his arms around her. “Go home where you belong. To your precious Snowy Branch and to the brothers who mean more to you than the woman you claim to love.”
Sarcasm colored her tone, made worse when he responded with a tolerant twitch of his mouth. “You’re wrong. Of course they don’t mean more to me than you, but I do have a responsibility to my family.”
He trailed the back of his fingers over the fine bones of her cheek as she tried again to pull from his embrace, and his fingers traced the bow of her mouth before he whispered against the shell of her ear, “Beautiful Maddie. Stubborn Maddie. You turn to pure fire when you’re mad, but just remember this… I’ve fought a war, led men in battle, watched friends die. I’m not afraid of getting burned. You are mine—you’ll always be mine. Nothing will change that, and when you’re ready to accept it, I’ll be waiting.”
“You can wait until hell freezes over, for all I care, Gideon Branch,” she sputtered, her hands curling into small fists pushing against his chest.
When he swooped in for another taste of her, she turned her face and presented him with her cheek.
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Damn, but she looked adorable with sparks shooting from those vibrant eyes and skin all pink beneath that sassy frown. The men in this town were either blind or morons, but thank God he’d gotten there first. He wasn’t giving up until he had his ring on her finger and a baby in her belly.
Maddie would kill him if she knew what he was thinking. But it sure looked like she was having to work a little harder on her mad now that he’d kissed her.
“Stop trying to kiss me. Go home,” she ordered and pointed behind him in the general direction of Snowy Branch.
He’d said his piece, made his viewpoint clear, so rather than repeat himself, he gave in to her command and stepped back. Gideon took his time settling his hat on his head and buried his hands in his jeans pockets.
“You are mine, Maddie Mae.” He leaned forward until he was an inch from her delectable mouth. “Deny it all you want, but this thing between us isn’t going away.”
Maddie looked like a confused little girl trying to make up her mind to resent him or not.
His Maddie deserved a little breathing room. He was tired, emotionally done for the day, and his leg hurt like a mother. He left her there—on the sidewalk outside the hospital. Let her concentrate on her grandfather, on preparing for the inevitable.
As he drove home, he wondered how badly he’d screwed up. Her mouth said one thing while her body sang another tune. He’d told Pap they’d have hell to pay if she found out about the damned agreement, and he was right. How much time would it take to mend their relationship?
Should he be patient? Present his case? Appeal to her reason and assure her of his love? Hadn’t worked so far. Or maybe just plunge right in and take her, prove to her that she needed him in every sense of the word.
To make a life with her, have a family… That’s what he wanted—all he wanted.
Plans percolated in his head, and before he knew it, he was back at Snowy Branch and wondering who was driving the rental sitting in front of the main house.
His tired leg gave way as he exited the truck. He’d get rid of whoever had come for a visit, maybe soak in the tub and massage his stump. At home, he could relax, leave the boot off entirely. No one was around to notice his missing leg—not that he should care, but like all amputees, he wasn’t entirely comfortable without concealing the injury.
Never Say Never Again Page 17