To Claim a Wife

by Susan Fox

  “I remember when that was painted,” he said at last, his gruff voice a bit choked. “Watched it done.” He paused and seemed lost in the memory.

  Caitlin was struck suddenly by the odd remark. Lucky was a cowboy, always busy with ranch work. When would he have taken time to watch a portrait painted?

  As if he’d sensed the unasked question, he went on.

  “Ol’ Jess knew he’d married one of the most beautiful women in Texas.”

  When he went silent again, Caitlin asked softly, “Was she faithful to him?”

  Lucky pulled his gaze from the portrait to look over at her. “A woman like her couldn’t help the notice she attracted, but your daddy was crazy with jealousy over it. In his mind, she was too beautiful to trust.”

  “She didn’t cheat on him?”

  Lucky shook his head. “Never to my knowledge. Besides which, she never had a chance to cheat on him, ’cause he had her watched.”

  The news shocked her a little. “How do you mean?” She suddenly sensed something about her father that was even darker than the things she already knew about.

  “Exactly how I said it, had her watched. She was never allowed to go anywhere without him, never allowed contact with any of the ranch hands, and no other men if he wasn’t there with her. Couldn’t even go out riding alone or drive herself to her mother’s house in town without him havin’ to go along. The times he couldn’t watch her himself, he gave me the job.”

  Lucky stopped and looked down at his hat, gripped the brim, then glanced up at the portrait. “Which was why I saw that picture painted. I was the only man Jess trusted to keep an eye on her, and the portrait-painter was a man.”

  Caitlin tried to absorb the information. Lucky went on quietly. “A week or two before she was killed in the car wreck, Jess took it in his head that I couldn’t be trusted neither.”

  Confused by that, Caitlin shook her head. “But he kept you around, you’ve worked for him all these years...” And Jess had tolerated Lucky’s defense of her. If he’d thought Lucky had betrayed his trust, why would Jess have allowed him to stay on, then put up with Lucky’s interference?

  Lucky nodded. “Yep, he kept me around.” He turned quiet eyes on her. “But that was ’cause of you. Had the idea that you were mine. Crazy part was, he knew Miz Elaina was expecting with you before I come to work on the Broken B. Only Jess got to thinkin’ that since I’d worked on the ranch her mother owned, we’d musta had somethin’ goin’ and I’d followed her here to keep on with it. Which couldn’t of happened because I only ever saw Miz Elaina from a distance at the other ranch. Never even spoke to her, cause Miz Clara hardly ever brought her out from town. Could never get that through Jess’s head.”

  “He let you stay on the Broken B because of me?” The answer to her question had come to her already, but she needed to hear it.

  Lucky nodded solemnly. “He was sure that you were mine. Thought he’d get back at me with the way he treated you. I almost left once, hopin’ he’d let up on you, but he told me if I left the Broken B, wouldn’t be nobody around to take up for you.” He hesitated briefly. “Even talked to a lawyer about getting someone official to step in, but since Jess never laid a hand on you, nothin’ could be done that wouldn’t have made him do worse.”

  Caitlin stared at the old man. A large part of her heart suddenly wished that Lucky was her father, even though it would mean that her mother had been unfaithful. Lucky was by far the better man, honorable and kind and gentle, the complete opposite of Jess Bodine. The emotion that surged up was choking her. The old man nodded.

  “I did what I could, though it warn’t near enough to keep him from hurting you.”

  The solemn look in the old man’s eyes, the regret and affection, drew her. Caitlin crossed the room to him and hesitantly put her arms around him. She felt his discomfort with the gesture, but he put his arms around her and gave her a firm hug. His voice was oddly strained.

  “Didn’t do as good a job at it as needed to be done—”

  “But you tried.” Caitlin eased back and so did the old cowhand. “Thank you.” He gave her shoulder an awkward pat, then dropped his hand.

  “It gives me ease that things are workin’ out for you now in spite of Jess, Miz Caitlin.”

  Caitlin held back the tears she knew would increase Lucky’s discomfort. It was clear that he didn’t know how to handle the strong emotions between them any more than she did.

  Her soft “Yes, they seem to be,” was a half truth that pricked her conscience. Things had worked out with Reno—to a point. But, other than sending the portrait, nothing had really changed with Madison.

  The two of them lingered, and Lucky reminisced about Elaina. Later, he went back to the bunkhouse, leaving Caitlin alone to gaze at the portrait.

  It was morning before she realized Reno hadn’t phoned her the night before. That made it two days since she’d last heard from him and, when added to his two-week absence from the Broken B, she’d be foolish to think that anything would happen between them now. She would always be grateful that the attraction between them had gone no further than a few steamy kisses and restrained foreplay.

  But then, she’d always feared Reno’s attraction to her had a time limit. Her feelings for him were still as strong—and had grown stronger in his absence—but whatever he’d felt for her must have already waned. Hadn’t she known it would? Hadn’t she known that mysterious something about her that had jinxed her father’s affection for her would also affect Reno?

  After finding out the extent of what Lucky had tried to do for her, she felt less flawed, less unlovable. But she was still reacting to what he’d told her, and it had yet to fully impact the insecurities she’d had her whole life.

  Lucky’s revelations had explained a lot about her father’s treatment of her, but it was a fact that there’d never been anything about her lovable enough to soften Jess’s heart. It was also a fact that even if the blood test proved she was Jess’s daughter, he’d wished her enough ill to deny her a full inheritance. And he’d bequeathed her something that would put her in close proximity of the man he believed hated her.

  Caitlin struggled with the torment of it all. She would always love Reno, she would always want to be a part of his life. They truly would always have a tie to each other, that much she was certain of. There was too much history between them, and they’d shared too many life-changing events for their connection to each other to completely break.

  That didn’t mean that anything would ever come of the sexual chemistry between them. Reno had been gone too long for her to cling to any realistic hope in that area.

  Somehow, she’d survive this. She’d survived every other disappointment she’d ever had, and she’d find a way to survive this one, too.

  Caitlin was still at the house that morning when Mary came into the den and announced that she had a visitor. Caitlin immediately pictured Madison and her spirits soared for those seconds before Mary told her the visitor was neighboring rancher, Lincoln Coryell.

  Lincoln Coryell owned the massive LC Ranch to the west. Caitlin had only met him a couple of times when he’d bought her grandmother’s ranch, but that had been years ago. He hadn’t attended either her father’s visitation or his funeral, but she recalled now that he hadn’t particularly liked Jess Bodine. She’d heard that he’d made a fortune in land, cattle and oil, and that he’d bought up several smaller ranches near her grandmother’s ranch and had combined them all into one huge holding.

  He’d grown up poor and uneducated, but he’d had a strong work ethic and enough business savvy to make up for it. He was also one of the most eligible bachelors in that part of Texas. Why he would come to the Broken B to see her was a mystery.

  He was gazing at the portrait of her mother when she walked into the living room. He heard her come in and turned.

  Lincoln Coryell was a big man, as work-hardened and tough as any cowboy who’d worked outside all his life. His hair was longer than his collar, an
d with out the cover of the brown Stetson he held in his big hands, his hair was a thick, glossy black. His dark eyes were nearly black as well, and his chiseled face was ruggedly handsome.

  “Hello, Mr. Coryell,” she said, a little uneasy with the intense way he studied her face. “Would you like to sit down? Mary will bring a coffee tray in a moment.”

  Linc nodded, then stepped over to the nearest wing chair. Caitlin took a spot on the sofa across from the chair he’d chosen. He sat down after she did.

  “That portrait is a perfect likeness of you, Miz Bodine.” His dark eyes wandered back to it briefly before they came back and fixed steadily on her face. “Though you’re even more beautiful in person, if you don’t mind me sayin’ so.”

  The gallant remark startled her. “Thank you, but that’s a portrait of my mother.”

  His gaze shot back to the painting as if he didn’t quite believe her. After a few moments, he returned his attention to her. Mary carried in the coffee tray then, and poured them each a cup of coffee. Linc politely had a sip, but when Mary stepped out of the room, he got right to the point of his visit.

  “I understand that Reno Duvall is transferring his half of the Broken B to you.”

  The straightforward statement caught her by surprise. She felt her face heat. “I haven’t been officially notified that I qualify to inherit half of the Broken B.” Since she didn’t yet know the outcome of the blood test, she didn’t know if she could inherit anything.

  Linc’s mouth was a no-nonsense line. “Reno told me he wasn’t interested in any official inheritance. The Broken B is yours to do with as you like once the legalities get straightened out. He seemed to think there was a possibility you might sell.”

  Caitlin was too stunned to speak for a moment. Linc’s stern mouth relaxed into a faint curve.

  “Pardon me, Miz Bodine. You look like all of this is a bolt out of the blue for you. I realize you probably haven’t made up your mind about anything yet, but I wanted to stop by. If you do decide you want to sell out, I’d like to be the first to make you an offer.”

  Caitlin stared, a little overwhelmed. Lincoln Coryell’s business reputation for predatory swiftness must have been earned. She wondered if his reputation for ruthlessness was as accurate.

  Caitlin set her coffee aside. “I’m not sure what will be done about the Broken B. If I do have a part in any decision to sell, I don’t have a problem with you being notified about it before other buyers are sought. Unless Mr. Duvall objects.”

  Linc’s dark gaze held hers those next seconds as if he was weighing the sincerity of her words. The hint that he somehow mistrusted her made her think about Beau’s death. He couldn’t have lived near Coulter City all this time and not known about it—or had an opinion.

  “You seem... skeptical about what I just said, Mr. Coryell.” She needed to face this head-on. Reno seemed to think everyone had changed their minds when he’d changed his. It could be that Lincoln Coryell was one who hadn’t.

  “People resent me, Miz Bodine. They tend not to like upstarts who buy their failures and make money on ’em. Your father wouldn’t let me on the place. Reno Duvall has a more neighborly attitude. I was tryin’ to figure which way you were thinkin’.”

  Caitlin was a little shocked by his bluntness, but his answer relieved her. “My father and I saw eye-to-eye on almost nothing, Mr. Coryell.”

  One side of his handsome mouth quirked in approval and he leaned forward to dig his wallet out of his back pocket. He opened it and pulled out a business card that he handed her across the coffee table.

  Caitlin took it and glanced over the raised letters of his name before she lifted her gaze to his.

  “Would you happen to know when Reno’s comin’ back to Coulter City?”

  Line’s question made her uncomfortable. She had no idea when Reno was coming back—or if he was coming back. “I haven’t talked to him for a couple of days. I can let him know that you’d like to hear from him.”

  “If he’s in San Antone, I can give him a call later,” he said, then stood up. Caitlin stood also.

  “Thank you for the coffee, Miz Bodine. I’ll look forward to seein’ if you and I can do business.” He held out his big hand and Caitlin automatically reached for it. The moment the brief handshake was done and he’d released her hand, he glanced toward her mother’s portrait.

  “Your mother was a beautiful woman, Miz Bodine.” His warm gaze returned to hers. “But her daughter is even more so.”

  Caitlin wasn’t comfortable with the praise, but she made herself smile. “That’s kind of you to say, Mr. Coryell.”

  “No kindness to it, just good eyesight.” His dark eyes glittered down at her for a second or so, then he reached for the Stetson he’d set on a side table. The male interest in his gaze had shaken her, but she felt no glimmer of interest in return.

  She walked with him to the front door, then closed it once he stepped out. She watched as he walked to his car and got in. Though she could see for herself that he was a handsome man and very appealing, she couldn’t summon more than that almost clinical observation.

  Reno Duvall was the only man who’d ever affected her that way. Perhaps he was the only man who ever would.

  Caitlin drove into Coulter City that evening. Mary liked to take an extra evening off occasionally, and since she’d asked for this one, Caitlin had agreed. She did a little shopping and ate supper in town, but instead of going straight home, she went for a long drive. By the time she pulled into the ranch drive it was after ten o’clock.

  She gathered her few purchases and carried them to the house, letting herself in the back door from the patio. She’d seen no sign of Reno’s car in the drive, so he wasn’t home yet. Mary must have gotten home all right, because there were lights on in the kitchen and at least one on in the living room. Caitlin turned off the kitchen lights and walked quietly through the house to the living room.

  She stopped in the den to check the voice mail for any calls from Reno, but there were none. Disappointment dragged her spirits lower, and she went on to the living room. She’d just stepped through the doorway when she caught the subtle difference in the room. The only light came from a small lamp on an end table whose dimmer switch was set on low. As she started toward it, she glanced automatically toward her mother’s portrait.

  The sight of the tall cowboy standing in front of the fireplace looking up at her mother’s portrait startled her. She came to an abrupt halt.

  “Your mother was a beautiful woman, Caitlin,” Reno said quietly. “Except for the fact that this was probably painted when she was only a little older than you are now, anyone looking at it would think it was you.”

  Reno’s voice was a low rumble in the quiet room. “When Coryell told me he’d like to marry you to get his hands on the Broken B, I figured I’d been in San Antone too long.”

  “I didn’t see your car.” The idiotic comment was the only coherent thought in her stunned mind.

  “I didn’t mean for you to.”

  Reno turned toward her. His gaze moved over her face, then took a leisurely tour of the rest of her before it came back to her eyes and narrowed speculatively.

  “The cane’s gone, your cast is off, and from the sound of it, you don’t have a limp. How’re the headaches?”

  Caitlin brought her shaking hands in front of her to grip them together. It wasn’t a normal gesture for her, but she was painfully shy with Reno suddenly.

  “I’ve only been having them occasionally. I’m not as easily tired either.”

  “That’s good.”

  The silence between them stretched, and Caitlin’s nerves stretched with it.

  “Coryell is interested in the Broken B.”

  Caitlin nodded and glanced away. “So he said.”

  “The decision to sell is yours to make, Caitlin,” he said softly. “The test results came back.” He waited until she was looking at him to add, “You’re Jess Bodine’s biological daughter.”

&n
bsp; The official news didn’t surprise her after her talk with Lucky, but it was a letdown all the same. It confirmed that her father had punished her—and from the sound of it, her mother and Lucky—for something his jealous mind had conjured up.

  “A positive test result means that I’ve inherited only half of the Broken B,” she pointed out. “Any decision to sell is also yours to make.”

  Reno shook his head. “Everything Jess owned is yours. As I said, it all rightfully belongs to you, whether you want it or not. Stay and run it yourself, or go and I’ll hire someone to take care of it for you.” He paused when he saw she was about to object. “I don’t want any part of Jess’s estate. I’ve left my ranch too long as it is. This last trip home made that plain enough.”

  Of course, she realized suddenly. He wanted to go home. He was probably weary of the Broken B and everything it must represent to him. His brother and mother had died here. And perhaps he now regretted their romantic involvement and wanted to distance himself from her. He might no longer hold Beau’s death against her, but he might not be able to help that she was a reminder of it.

  And now he would tell her so. He’d tell her that not wanting the Broken B and Jess’s estate also meant that he didn’t want her.

  Reno came toward her then and stopped less than a foot away. The excitement of being so close to him stormed over her and left her weak.

  “When I left, you admitted you felt something for me,” he said, his gaze intent on hers. “I was wondering if you’d decided what that was.”

  The words sent a little shock through her. If he’d had second thoughts about her, why would he want to know what she felt?

  She saw his stern, handsome face more clearly in the lamplight, saw the smoldering gleam in his eyes. It was a look that should have encouraged her to confess what she felt. But her fear of rejection—her fear of someday losing Reno—was too strong.

  He went on as if she hadn’t hesitated. “I thought you were falling in love with me, that maybe you already had but were afraid of your feelings.” He lifted his hand and caught a lock of hair beside her cheek. “Or afraid of me.”