Ranger's Wild Woman Cowboys By The Dozen

by Tina Leonard

  “Defeats the point,” Archer explained. “Hannah would freak about being left alone with him. Remember, she was a very reluctant bride. I do believe she’d abandon him in a heartbeat. Don’t you think she’s probably the kind of girl who finds it difficult to be honest with herself?”

  “I think if you see that in her, it’s because you recognize it from self-examination.” She grabbed hold of a boulder and heaved herself up onto the road. “I think you should know, she’s planning on discarding him the instant he’s upright.”

  “I know. I was amazed that she agreed to do the rope-ring thing at all.”

  Archer followed, his breath heavy, as well.

  Beside the truck, waiting with a grin and a duffel, was Hawk. “I told you there was an easier way to get back to the truck.”

  “I must have missed that part,” Archer said.

  “Well, possibly I told your twin. No matter,” he said cheerfully. “You owe me a ride.”

  Cissy blinked. “How do you figure?”

  “All that down in the cave,” he said with a wave of his hand. “A real doctor would charge you. I’m only asking for a ride.”

  “Don’t you have a vehicle?” Archer asked curiously.

  “Yeah, but I’m going far away. There’s no place to keep it. I’ll be back one day, but I don’t know when.”

  “Hold on a minute.” Cissy held up a hand. “You’re going to leave a sick man here alone?”

  “He has his wife,” Hawk pointed out, “the conveniences of my cabin and my truck keys. What more does a man need in life?”

  “Your cabin and your truck keys?” Archer repeated. “Did I miss something?”

  “Cabin’s up there,” Hawk said, pointing his finger up a large hill toward a forest of dense, skinny trees. “So’s the truck. You didn’t think I lived in that cave, did you?”

  “Yes,” Archer and Cissy said at once.

  “Nah.” Hawk threw his stuff into the truckbed. “I do anthropological studies on the Native American totems and relics. It’s family history, but it’s also Texas history. And it’s important. But I’m ready for a long break. And I left them a note about using the cabin. Promise. They were sleeping like babies when I left, all fever gone. So,” he said with a glance at Archer, “can I horn in or is this a private party?”

  “No,” Archer and Cissy said together.

  “Hey. We’re getting good at that,” Archer said. “We think alike.”

  “Only when we’re saying no. Archer and I are not having a private party, and I don’t care if you horn in.” Cissy climbed in the front seat. “But I’m driving, fellas. My mother always told me not to get into a strange car with stranger men.”

  She pulled her blond hair into a knot and waited with her hand out for Archer to give her the keys, which he did.

  “I’ll flip you for the front seat,” he told Hawk.

  “I’d rather sit in the back, actually.”

  “So would I,” Archer said, “she’s a bit temperamental for such a beautiful woman.”

  “She does have a healthy spirit. I might not be man enough to handle it.”

  Archer snorted. “Same. She did say she was in love with someone—” He looked at Hawk suspiciously. “It couldn’t be you, though. We just met you.”

  “True,” Hawk said cheerfully. “That’s okay. I’m just looking for a ride, not a woman. I’ll sit in the back. You look like the type that gets carsick if he sits in the back seat too long.”

  “I—” Archer blinked, realizing he’d been roped into something he didn’t want to do. And in his own brother’s truck!

  “Come on, Archer!” Cissy called. “We’re not making a very clean escape!”

  That was true. Archer jumped into the front seat next to Cissy. “Bye-bye,” he said to his twin. “See ya on the wild side!”

  “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” Cissy started the truck and pulled off.

  “I am.” Archer closed his eyes. “It’s not every man who gets to do a good deed for his brother. Trust me, Ranger wasn’t going to realize he was in love with Hannah until he was stuck with her.”

  “He wanted to marry her!”

  “That was his subconscious speaking. You don’t think a rope ring and some vows uttered by a fledgling medicine man-amateur anthropologist are going to hold Ranger to a state of wedded bliss, do you? All bets are off when his brain kicks back into gear. Trust me. All of us Jeffersons have very strong control over our subconscious desires!”

  RANGER SAT UP, realizing he felt like a new man. “Hey, look. No red. No fever.”

  Hannah turned to give him a narrow eye. “Hey, look. No Cissy. No Archer. No Hawk and no truck. We’ve been dumped.”

  He brushed sand from his hair and then from his shoulders. “They’ve probably gone to run an errand.”

  “I don’t think so. There’s Hawk’s knife.”

  A hunting knife held down a note, which lay on top of her leopard-printed duffel and Ranger’s duffel. “Feel free to use my cabin and my truck. I’ll be gone for a few months on a tracking mission for a missing person. Sheets are clean. Best of luck. Hawk,” Ranger read. “That’s generous of him.”

  “Considering we don’t want to use his cabin and his truck, I don’t find it that generous. And Cissy was supposed to be my friend. My new sister-in-hearts.” That was the unkindest cut of all. She’d been deserted by the one person she’d thought she could trust in this adventure.

  “They probably figured I wouldn’t get well for a while. And you’re my wife, so you’re supposed to nurse me. Right? That’s what they would think? I mean, if you look at it that way, them leaving doesn’t seem all that wrong.”

  “Hey.” Hannah turned, her red-tipped hair askew, her lips swollen and chapped from the wind. “I’m not your wife. You’re well, so it’s over. Okay?”

  He stood, and she held up a hand. “Keep that blanket securely around your waist.”

  “You’ve seen me in my boxers before.”

  “Yes, but we weren’t alone before. And we were drinking tequila. It seemed all right then. It doesn’t now.” She turned so he couldn’t see the blush on her face.

  “I like modesty in a woman.” He reached for his duffel and pulled out some jeans.

  “I don’t care what you like,” Hannah said tightly. “It’s great that you’re better, so now we can move on with our lives and quit pretending.”

  “You saved my life. I’m your servant forever,” he said playfully. “See? I’m even going to put on a shirt.”

  She burst into tears. “Stop playing around!”

  “What?” He was genuinely confused. “Hey, come here.” Gently, he pulled her into his arms.

  “No.” She shoved herself away from him. “You don’t understand. You nearly died. And you were talking like an idiot. All that marriage stuff was weird. You were weird. I didn’t like it.”

  “Oh, you’re stressed.” Ranger nodded wisely. “You didn’t want to lose me.”

  “No, I really didn’t care about that,” she said with a sniffle.

  “Oh.” She’d totally stuck a fork in his ego. “You weren’t worried about losing me? Then why are you crying?”

  “Because I thought you might die. And you talked me into doing something bizarre. You said you never wanted to get married,” she said accusingly.

  “I didn’t. I don’t.” He shrugged as he put on his shirt. “So what’s the biggie?”

  He really didn’t get it. “The biggie is that we did. And I didn’t want to. But you scared me, and so I had to. You and that freaky Curse of the Broken Body Parts thing. You didn’t even break anything! It was all just inflamed!”

  “True.” Ranger looped his belt into his jeans and shook out his boots. “And now I no longer believe I’m susceptible to the curse. Clearly, it has bypassed me.”

  “So?” She was afraid to hear the answer.

  “So we can get a pretend divorce to undo our pretend marriage.”

  Of course that’s wh
at he would say. He tricked her into marrying him using false pretenses. It was sort of like, you show me yours first, then I’ll keep mine a secret. She’d been cajoled into showing her feelings first—and then when he’d seen her hand, he trumped her.

  That’s what happened when a person loved someone who didn’t love them back. You lost.

  Not that she’d ever believed that he loved her, not for a second. He’d only been interested in saving his skin. And she’d kept her guard up, knowing it would never work out. Still, her guard had not been enough to protect her heart. “Good,” she said, raising her chin, “here’s your ring back.” She pulled the rope ring from her finger and tossed it at him, but it landed on the ground between them.

  “Feel better now?”

  His brows raised as his dark gaze inspected her face. She felt as if he could see her real feelings, the hope he’d dashed to pieces inside her. “I feel excellent. Thank you for the consideration of the inquiry.”

  “Hmm.” Turning from her, he lifted both the duffels and walked to the front of the cave. “Coming?”

  “Might as well,” she bit out. “This sure isn’t a honeymoon.”

  “Hey, we’re divorced, remember? Now we’re just backpacking buddies. Off to the cabin we go. I’m curious to see what kind of accommodations that charlatan of a medicine man has.”

  “He saved your life,” she reminded him. “You could be a little grateful since no one thought you’d be ignorant enough to step on a poison plant and nearly kill yourself rolling down an embankment.”

  “Quite an adventure you’ve had with me,” Ranger said cheerfully, leading as she followed. “And you thought you had to get to Mississippi for excitement.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  He laughed, which grated on her nerves. It was if he’d never been ill.

  “Actually, I credit you with saving my life,” he called over his shoulder. “You could have left me, but you didn’t. You could have not married me, but you did. I’ve had buddies that were less loyal than you, Hannah.”

  “Great. I feel like a Saint Bernard.”

  He laughed again. “Just about another mile, and we’ll be up there, among the clouds.”

  “I want a long bath,” she warned him.

  “I’ll scrub your back.”

  “I don’t think so,” she bit out under her breath.

  He’d kissed her, then he’d kissed Cissy. He’d married her to heal himself, and then divorced her as soon as he gained his feet.

  No way was he going to lay one finger on her body. “I’ve got Hawk’s knife, and I know how to defend myself,” she reminded him. “I saved your life, and you’re my servant. You can fix dinner while I soak.”

  “Sounds like someone has a fantasy they’d like to share.”

  “My fantasy is that we part ways sooner rather than later,” she said, irritated. “That’s the only way you’ll ever figure into one of my fantasies, Ranger Jefferson.”

  SHE WAS MIFFED, and Ranger knew Hannah had every right to be. He’d waylaid her from her trip, she’d had to nurse him and now she was stuck with him. At least until they could figure out what kind of wheels Hawk had. Ranger was doing the big, silent man act, but inside, he couldn’t believe everything had gone as badly as it had. It seemed that from the moment he’d picked her up, he had lost his way with this woman.

  Now the crazy little strawberry-tipped blonde was off him good.

  And that bothered him. Nagged at him. Was beginning to eat at him.

  Why? He couldn’t figure that. She didn’t like him. If she did, she hid it better than any woman he’d ever known. Women flirted around him. They brought him food. They left things so he’d have to return them. Sometimes they sent him letters with lipstick kisses, sprayed with perfume and, once, containing a thong.

  Hannah ignored him. In fact, she’d just sprouted tears over the fact that she’d married him, even though it had proved to be good medicine. Hannah wasn’t playing around. It was in the stiff set of her shoulders; the determined look-away of her eyes. She was hopping mad with him.

  And he badly wanted to get into her good graces.

  His ego slid into his boots.

  He had no idea how to go about it.

  “THE PROBLEM IS,” Hannah said as they walked into the cabin, “that this is wasted on us.”

  It was simply the most adorable cabin she’d ever seen. Who would have guessed Hawk lived so romantically? If she’d been able to design a heaven among the clouds, it would be this cabin. The decor was navy and white, softly, thoughtfully entwined, like clouds. A soft, plumpy sofa curved around a fireplace. Candles sat everywhere; there had to have been a hundred gold ones set in groupings throughout the great room. Walls of windows encased the entire room, giving the effect that here one lived above the trees and just below the stars. “It’s so romantic,” she breathed.

  “Imagine what it will look like at night.” Ranger tossed their duffels onto the white-carpeted floor. “We can do some major stargazing just sitting on the sofa.”

  Hannah shivered, thinking about stars and nighttime and Ranger. “There’s a telescope near the balcony.”

  “Mmm.” He looked in the fireplace. “And gas logs. Ecologically minded guy is our Hawk.”

  “Did you think he’d be the tree-burning type?” She scratched her arm. “I’m going to find the kitchen. I’m starved. If he’s got pretzels, I’ll be thankful. That’s all I ask for. Pretzels and some cold water.”

  The kitchen was an elaborate chef’s paradise, with copper pots hanging from a rack in the ceiling and a small stairway leading into a wine cellar.

  “Oh, boy.” Ranger reached in and snagged a bottle. “Shall we have wine with dinner? Or at least wine?”

  There was a note on the fridge. “Hannah and Ranger,” she read, “allow me to fix the first meal that you share as honeymooners. It’s not much, but I had to think quickly. You’ll find a chicken spaghetti casserole in the fridge. Heat at 350 degrees until bubbly. Enjoy the wine cellar. Hawk.”

  Hannah could feel a blush sneak over her cheeks. “He thought of everything.”

  “Yeah, I feel like I’m at a resort. Won’t he be disappointed when he learns we won’t be sharing a meal as honeymooners?” Hawk popped the wine cork and poured two glasses.

  “He’ll be gone for a few months. He won’t ever know. And I can eat fine under false pretenses, thank you. Pop that in the oven, since you said you were cooking. Although it seems to me you’ve gotten off the hook. I’m going to go bathe.” She snatched up her wineglass and left the room.

  The master bedroom was beautiful, with mahogany wood and soft draperies decorating a room that looked out over the trees. However, it was the master bath that left her breathless. “Hey, Ranger!”

  “Change your mind so soon about wanting me?” he said as he walked into the bathroom. “Whoa. That is a bathtub made for two. Maybe four.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” Hannah picked up a bottle of bubble bath that rested on the edge of the marble. “Crabtree and Evelyn. You know what?” She glanced up at Ranger.

  “You tell me. I’m not knowing much of anything right now.”

  “Something’s fishy with this Hawk guy. If he had all this up here, why did he leave you in the cave when you were ill?”

  “Because he couldn’t have dragged me up here without a crane,” Ranger said sensibly. “And he didn’t know us. I mean, we could have been ax murderers, for all he knew.”

  “True,” she murmured. “But doesn’t all this seem extravagant? For one man? A recluse?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t care. I’m jumping in that tub if you don’t. Hey,” he said, as if he’d just had the thought to end all thoughts, “why don’t we get in there together to conserve water? Have you heard that filling a bathtub takes more water than the average shower?”

  Hannah held up her hands. “I’m soaking alone, sans you.”

  He eyed the tub. “But we’d fit in there so nicely.
You’re going to be lonely.”

  “Trust me. I’ll be enthusiastically lonely.”

  His eyebrows raised.

  She sighed. “You are so starting to scare me. When did your brain kick into sex drive?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe since we got married? It must have been the fever. I wasn’t like this before.”

  “Oh, yeah. You were. I distinctly remember you slinking into the Never Lonely Cut-n-Gurls salon. And since you don’t appear to have had a haircut in oh, maybe two years, I think it’s safe to say you went there for another reason.”

  His dark gaze trained on her. “You don’t trust me.”

  She shrugged. “Go away. I’m going to make a friend, otherwise known as a washcloth puppet, and scrub my feet. After that sandstorm experience, I’m starting to rethink wearing tennis shoes with cut-out toes. You think they have sandstorms around here often?”

  “Hannah, I kissed Cissy once. It was no big deal.”

  “Is everything ‘no big deal’ to you, Ranger? Because that’s what you say about everything.” She looked at him, unwilling to acknowledge the pain inside her. If he didn’t care, she sure wasn’t going to.

  He seemed surprised by that. “Do I?”

  “Yes, you do. And it comes so easily to your lips that I believe you. Nothing is a big deal to you. Not kissing Cissy, not kissing me. Not leaving your brother in the lurch, not marrying me because you had a psychotic brain twitch. It’s all ‘no biggie.”’

  She turned the faucets on and poured in bubble bath. When she turned around, Ranger was gone.

  “Served him right,” she murmured to herself. “Big baby.”

  WHEN HANNAH came out from an hour-long soak, she felt like a new woman. And the aroma floating in from the kitchen had her stomach growling.

  But it was the great room that took her breath away. Every single candle in the room was lit. It was as if a hundred stars burned against the velvet of the night sky outside the windows. The table was set, and two wineglasses waited beside china plates.