Married to Claim the Rancher's Heir

by Lauri Robinson

  “Yes, he won’t think twice about it,” Gabe answered. He had a good idea as to why she’d had to shoot Isaac, and if the man was hoping to get a second chance at hurting her, he’d wish he’d stayed in Ohio, or wherever the hell he was from. “As soon as we send the telegram, we’ll go buy our train tickets.”

  She stumbled slightly as she glanced his way.

  Before she could protest, he said, “I’m going to Kansas City with you.”

  “B-but your ranch. Ruby.”

  He may never have spoken these words before, yet said them. “The ranch will be fine without me, and Ruby has all sorts of people looking out for her.”

  * * *

  Everything was little more than a blur to Janette. Her mind couldn’t seem to catch up. Hadn’t been able to since Gabe had kissed her back at the saloon. She wanted to be mad at him for that. Wanted to be appalled and furious that he’d taken such advantage of her, but she wasn’t. Instead, she couldn’t stop thinking about how utterly amazing that kiss had been. It had left her breathless and weak and so dizzy her mind hadn’t returned until he’d escorted her across the saloon. Then, realizing what had just happened, she’d told herself she had to be mad and tried to be, but the only anger that had appeared had very little to do with kissing him. Sort of. The idea of him kissing that dance hall girl as he had kissed her had been infuriating.

  Until he’d given her that you-better-listen-to-me glare. She already knew that look so well. It might frighten others, but not her. Just as she’d told him this morning, his bark was worse than his bite. Perhaps she should tell the ticket agent that. Right now Gabe was telling the man that tomorrow’s train had better leave on time.

  She pinched her lips together and looked the other way. Dang it. Her heart skipped a beat every time she looked at him, and her lips tingled, as if wanting him to kiss her all over again.

  Which could not happen. It shouldn’t have happened the first time.

  This shouldn’t be happening either. His taking control. She knew how to send a telegram and to buy a train ticket. She’d handled a lot more than this without anyone’s assistance.

  She’d never depended upon someone to help. Never relied on someone to be there when she needed assistance. So why wasn’t she protesting? Why wasn’t she telling him she didn’t need him to go to Kansas City with her?

  Because she wanted him to. She didn’t want to face Isaac alone again. Or maybe it was the outcome of what she’d done that she didn’t want to face alone. For years she’d feared someone would appear at her door to arrest her for shooting Isaac.

  As he’d done several times this evening, Gabe draped an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened, trying to gain control at how his touch sent her insides reeling all over again.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll be in Kansas City by tomorrow night. It’ll be late, early in the morning, actually. The train makes several stops between here and there, but we’ll get there.”

  “I’m not worried.” Taking advantage of the train station doorway that wasn’t wide enough for both of them, she hurried forward. Her heart was still racing, but at least he wasn’t touching her. That made thinking almost impossible. “And there is no reason for you to go to Kansas City with me.”

  “Well, I’m going,” he said.

  “Why?” Recalling what he’d said this afternoon, she added, “Because you already had one implied wife run out on you?”

  “No, I only said that because you were acting so snippy.” He shrugged. “And I was irritated.”

  “Irritated?”

  “Yes. If you recall, I’d just spent two hours searching the streets for you, all the while accepting congratulations on our marriage.”

  That was true, but he’d irritated her, too. Before she could stop the words, she asked, “If everyone else in town already knew you—we—were married, why didn’t Sheila?”

  He grasped her elbow and leaned close to her ear to say, “Because Sheila sleeps all day and works all night.”

  All sorts of things inside her tingled so hard it suddenly felt as if she had two left feet. Refusing to let a single thought go toward what type of work would keep Sheila up all night, she focused on keeping her steps even. “There’s no reason you need to go to Kansas City.”

  “I think there is.” He twisted his head left and right, checking for traffic so they could cross the street.

  There wasn’t any traffic, and they stepped into the street. Twilight had arrived and the town had grown quiet, except for the saloons. Laughter and music emitted from every other building. When they stepped onto the boardwalk on the other side of the street, she asked, “And what reason might that be?”

  He glanced her way before saying, “I wouldn’t be much of a husband if I didn’t go with you, now, would I?”

  They arrived at the hotel, and the front door was open, so she lowered her voice to say, “I don’t expect you to act like a husband.”

  Sy greeted them as they walked through the doorway and explained the water in the washroom had cooled, but that he’d haul up more.

  Gabe thanked him while leading her up the stairs. She pulled the key out of her pocket as they walked down the hall and handed it to him when they arrived at her door. He inserted the key in the lock and opened the door.

  As she stepped forward, he said, “I expect it.”

  The air in her lungs locked up as if she’d just jumped into water over her head and was sinking.

  He entered the room and closed the door. “I expect myself to act like your husband.”

  She tried to force the air out of her lungs, or in, but nothing would give.

  While lighting the lamp on the dresser, he said, “I went to the saloon tonight, figuring Schofield, Barnes and our lawyers would be there. I was prepared to tell them there had to be another way.”

  Finally able to breathe but not trusting her ability to speak, she nodded.

  “Before I said anything, they started talking about children. Their children, funny things they’ve done or said, times they’ve been sick or hurt.”

  “Why?”

  “Because this isn’t about you and me. What we do or don’t want. It’s about Ruby.”

  He was right, so why was her throat so thick?

  He took off his hat with one hand and ran his opposite hand through his hair. It was a simple action, yet she had to press a hand to the butterflies that erupted inside her stomach.

  “Ruby is going to need both of us. She’ll need me, the things I can do for her and teach her at different times, then she’ll need you and the things you can do for her and teach her. She’ll depend on us, both of us.”

  Janette wasn’t certain she should agree. Her plan was to raise Ruby by herself. Yet, she nodded. Mainly because he was walking about, almost pacing the room, and that made concentrating hard. She was remembering how it had felt having her body pressed against his. And kissing him. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered harder. She spun around and closed her eyes, willing them to stop.

  What was wrong with her? Why was his kiss the only thing she could think of? It was as if that single act had changed something deep inside her. Opened up a part of her she’d never known and now that the veil had been lifted, she couldn’t lower it. That wasn’t possible, yet, she couldn’t seem to think straight. Not when it came to Ruby or Gabe. She should be furious at him, and most certainly shouldn’t have told him about shooting Isaac. No one knew about that. Not even Thelma. So why had she told him? And why wasn’t she mad about that? And about his going to Kansas City?

  A knock sounded on the door and a moment later, she heard Sy say, “The washroom is ready.”

  Janette spun about. “Thank you.” She quickly gathered a few necessities and marched out the door. A bath was exactly what she needed. Time to think and gather her wits.

  It wasn’t until after she’
d stripped down and sank deep into the warm water that she realized she hadn’t taken the key to her room. She leaned her head against the rim of the tub and decided she’d worry about that later. After she had figured out what was wrong with her.

  Figuring that out was impossible. However, the time alone did silence the butterflies, which made her feel more like herself. She had too much on her mind, that was the problem. Too many things happening at once. She would go to Kansas City, get things settled there and then return to collect Ruby. First, though, she’d tell Gabe he should return to the ranch and see to Ruby rather than go to Kansas City with her.

  She would do that first thing in the morning. Seeing Gabe again tonight would send her mind off in so many directions again she’d never get any sleep.

  Once her hair was tangle-free, she put on her sleeping gown and took a final glance at her neck. There was still some redness and several scabs, but the rash looked much better than it had yesterday. Thankful for small miracles, she gathered her items, including her shoes, and opened the door. Having not brought along a cover, she surveyed the hallway. It was empty, and she hoped that Gabe had left her door unlocked. With his room next door to hers, he was probably listening, too. Would know the moment she arrived at her door.

  Telling herself that wasn’t why her heart started to race, she glanced along the hallway again and then made a dash for her room.

  Janette opened her unlocked door and hurried into her room, but what should have been a sigh of relief at not being seen became a gasp that made her cough. “W-what are you doing?”

  Stretched out on her bed, with his hands behind his head and his boots on the floor, Gabe asked, “Feel better?”

  “Yes—No.” Janette let out a huff. Both were true. “What are you doing?” she asked again.

  He swung his feet off the bed and stood, then, giving her a look she knew well, he walked to the door and shut it.

  It was his fault she’d forgotten to shut it, so she turned about to set down the shoes and clothes in her hands. The traveling bag on the dresser was familiar, but it wasn’t hers.

  “Assuming we’d be sharing a room, Sy rented mine out.”

  Her heart leaped into her throat. Swallowing, trying to force it back down where it belonged, she spun around. “Go rent another one.”

  “There are no more.” He turned the key in the lock. “Furthermore, the entire town knows we were married this morning.”

  “So? You can’t sleep in here.”

  “Where would you suggest I sleep?”

  His gaze swept downward, making her skin tingle and reminding her of just how little she was wearing. She dropped her boots and flayed out her dress to hold over her front. “There has to be—”

  “There’s not.”

  Annoyed, both at him and the way her heart continued to race, she said, “You seem to have given in awfully easy.”

  * * *

  “I’m not giving in, just facing the facts. I don’t like this any better than you do.” Gabe may never have spoken a more truthful sentence in his life. He’d tried to stay focused on what needed to be done. That’s what he always did, and it had never failed him.

  Something was different now, though. Because of Janette. And that didn’t impress him. Kissing her may have defused the situation at the saloon, but it created a new one. One inside him that was harder to fight than all others ever had been.

  The pain of losing Max had been inside him for years, and he’d kept it hidden. Locked inside where it didn’t affect anyone else. Not even him. She’d opened that up and had him thinking about how badly he didn’t want to go through that again. Lose someone again.

  Care about someone again. Irritated, he crossed the room and blew out the lamp.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Going to bed,” he answered. “It’s late.” He’d known Sy renting out his room would not settle well with her, but wasn’t going to feed into it. The saloon scene would already have more than enough tongues running loose, and he wasn’t about to give anyone more to talk about by searching out a place to sleep.

  He stretched out on the bed and pulled his hat over his eyes.

  “You can’t—”

  “I can, and I am,” he said without removing his hat. “There’s enough room for two on the bed, or there’s a chair in the corner.” Still trying to hide how strongly she and the situation affected him, he added, “Whichever you prefer is fine by me.”

  “I don’t prefer either.”

  He refused to reply. She was so...her. Determined. Strong willed and unwavering, all the while being soft, gentle and sweet, and someone he could come to care about. A lot. That scared him. He’d admitted that to Schofield, where upon the judge had said that was good, it meant she was the right one.

  Gabe hadn’t needed to hear that. Didn’t even want to think along those lines.

  Not even when he’d thought he needed a wife had he really thought about how it would impact him. He’d thought about how much his father had wanted a future generation to carry on the Callaway name, but had never truly considered all that would need to happen for that to take place. Not like he was right now. The desires inside him were hot enough to make him sweat.

  “You can’t seriously—”

  He flipped over on his side so his back was to her.

  She let out a huff and made enough rustling and creaking noises to wake the dead before she quieted down, finally settled in the chair no doubt. He willed himself not to ask if she wanted a pillow or blanket or to invite her to stretch out on the bed beside him. If that happened, if those soft, sweet curves of hers found their way next to him, his self-control would be shot.

  Damn. How had he ended up in this predicament? Max, that’s how. One more thing he could blame on his brother.

  Max had deserted him at a time when the ranch had needed every able body. He’d had to work around the clock just to keep the ranch alive. And his brother had taken advantage of that. Wooing Anna into falling in love with him.

  She sighed again, and he forced the pent-up air inside him to release slowly, so she couldn’t hear. It would be nice to blame this all on Max. Blame everything on Max. But he couldn’t. The attraction he felt toward Janette had nothing to do with his brother.

  Just as he could no longer blame his brother for leaving when he had. Max had never loved the Triple C. Not like him. Even as a youngster Max had talked about becoming a lawman, or an outlaw at times, or joining the army, just something that would take him away from the Triple C. Anna had given him that opportunity.

  Gabe pulled his hat lower, trying to block the memories, but they still came. For years he’d told himself that he was mad at Max for stealing Anna, but that wasn’t the truth. Yes, at the time he’d thought he’d needed a wife and she’d seemed a likely source, but he hadn’t asked her to marry him. Wouldn’t have even if she and Max hadn’t run away, because he hadn’t wanted it. Hadn’t wanted her. Not the way he did Janette. If he had, he would have followed Max and Anna and done everything within his power to win her.

  Now here he was, married and going to Kansas City. He hated Kansas City. Hated cities in general. But he was going because of Janette.

  Flustered, he swung his legs off the bed and walked around it. She was scrunched up in the chair like a bird too big for its nest and covered with the purple dress. “I’ll sleep in the chair.”

  “I’m perfectly comfortable right here,” she replied.

  “You’ll be as stiff as barbed wire, sleeping like that.” He took ahold of her arm, fully prepared to pull her out of the chair. “Get in the bed.”

  She pulled her arm but wasn’t strong enough to break his hold. Glaring at him, she said, “You can’t order me around like you do everyone else.”

  “I wouldn’t have to if you’d quit being so obstinate.”

  “Me?”

&nb
sp; She’d planted her feet on the floor, and he took advantage of that. “Yes, you.” He tugged her out of the chair.

  The dress fell to the floor, and somehow his feet and hers became tangled in it, making them stumble into each other. Fire as he’d never known scorched his chest where her breasts pressed against him. He grasped her upper arms to separate them but froze. The moonlight caught in her long hair, making it shimmer, and all he could think about was kissing her again. Long and hard and thoroughly.

  She blinked, slowly, and when her eyes met his again, his lungs locked tight. One kiss, that’s all he wanted. All he needed. Keeping his eyes set on hers, he lowered his head. His heart started drumming as her chin came forward.

  Then, she disappeared.

  The squeak of the bedsprings had him glancing that way.

  Tugging the covers up to her chin, she said, “You can sleep in the chair.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  As soon as she took a seat on the eastbound train, Janette started to tremble. For most of the day she’d managed to avoid Gabe. It might have been that he’d avoided her, but either way, they hadn’t seen much of each other. He’d already left the room when she awoke. Thank heavens. She had no idea when she’d finally fallen to sleep, but she was certain that it hadn’t happened until hours after they’d almost kissed.

  She’d heard him trying to get comfortable in the chair several times and thought about inviting him to share the bed, but she’d been too afraid. Not of him, but of what she wanted him to do.

  “Do you need anything out of this?”

  She shook her head at Gabe’s question and pulled her legs aside as he pushed their luggage beneath the seat. There were more people on this train, leaving no options for her and Gabe to each have their own benches. Thus the reason for her to start shaking. Sitting next to him shouldn’t be an issue. It wouldn’t be if she hadn’t dreamed about him when she’d finally fallen asleep. The blankets had been a tangled mess this morning, and she’d awoken breathless and tingling from head to toe.

  Going down to breakfast had only made things worse. Her dream had included her being Gabe’s wife in every way, and she couldn’t stop thinking about that because every person she’d encountered had congratulated her on marrying him. Sy had introduced her to several guests. Mainly women and many of them young and pretty, and for the first time in her life, she knew that someone was jealous of her. She’d seen it in their eyes, along with disappointment that Gabe Callaway was married. As soon as possible, she’d gone up to her empty room and reminded herself that Gabe had been forced to marry her. She’d stayed right there, in her room, reminding herself of that until Gabe had come to collect their luggage and insist they eat something before boarding the train.