by Diana Palmer
“I hope so,” Miranda replied, smiling. Involuntarily her eyes went to Harden.
“Connal says he’s never brought a woman home before,” Pepi said. “There was something about an engagement years ago, although I never found out exactly what. I know that Harden hates Theodora, and he’s taken it out on every woman who came near him. Until now,” she added, her big eyes searching Miranda’s. “You must be very special to him.”
“I hope I am,” Miranda said earnestly. “I don’t know. It’s sort of like a trial period. We’re getting to know each other before he decides when we’ll get married.”
“Oh. So it’s like that,” Pepi said, grinning.
“He’s a bulldozer.”
“All the Tremayne brothers are, even Donald, you just ask Jo Ann.” Pepi laughed. “I used to be scared to death of Harden myself, but he set me right about Connal once and maybe saved my marriage.”
“He can be so intimidating,” Miranda agreed. “Evan’s the only even-tempered one, from what I see.”
“Get Harden to tell you about the time Evan threw one of the cowboys over a fence,” Pepi chuckled. “It’s an eye-opener. Evan’s deep, and not quite what he seems.”
“He’s friendly, at least,” Miranda said.
“If he likes you. I hear he can be very difficult if he doesn’t. Don’t you love Theodora?”
“Yes, I do,” Miranda replied. “We got off to a rocky start. Harden brought me down without warning Theodora first, but she warmed up after we were properly introduced. I’m enjoying it, now.”
Pepi frowned. “I thought you didn’t like ranch life.”
“I’m getting used to it, I think.”
“You’ll like it better when you learn to ride,” the other woman promised. “I hear Harden’s going to teach you how.”
Miranda’s silver eyes opened wide. “He is?” she asked with assumed innocence.
“Yes. You’ll enjoy it, I know you will. Horses are terrific.”
“So I hear.”
“Just never let them know you’re afraid of them, and you’ll do fine.” The baby cried suddenly, and Pepi smiled down at him, her eyes soft with love. “Hungry, little boy?” she asked tenderly. “Miranda, could you hold him while I dig out his bottle?”
“Oh, of course!” came the immediate reply.
Pepi went to heat the bottle, and Miranda sighed over the tiny laughing face, her own mirroring her utter delight.
She wasn’t aware of Harden’s stare until he knelt beside her and touched a tiny little hand with one big finger.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Miranda asked, her eyes finding his.
He nodded. His eyes darkened, narrowed. His body burned with sudden need. “Do you want me to give you a child, Miranda?” he asked huskily.
Her face colored. Her lips parted. Her soft eyes searched his and linked with them in the silence that followed.
“Yes,” she said unsteadily.
His eyes flashed, glittering down at her. “Then you’d better make up your mind to marry me, hadn’t you?”
“Admiring your nephew?” Pepi asked as she joined them, breaking the spell.
“He’s the image of Connal,” Harden mused.
“Isn’t he, though?” Pepi sighed, smiling toward her husband, who returned the look with breathless tenderness.
“Stop that,” Harden muttered. “You people have been married over a year.”
“It gets better every day,” Pepi informed him. She grinned. “You ought to try it.”
“I want to, if I could get my intended to agree,” he murmured dryly, watching Miranda closely. “She’s as slow as molasses about making up her mind.”
“And you’re impatient,” she accused him.
“Can’t help it,” he replied. “It isn’t every day that a man runs across a girl like you. I don’t want Evan to snap you up.”
“Did you mention my name?” Evan asked, grinning as he towered over them. “Nice job, Pepi,” he said. “Now, how about a niece?”
“Don’t rush me,” she said. “I’m just getting used to making formula.”
“You’re a natural. Look at the smile on that little face.”
“Why don’t you get married and have kids?” Connal asked the eldest Tremayne as he sauntered over to the small group.
Evan’s expression closed up. “I told you once, they trample me trying to get to him.” He stuck a finger toward Harden.
“They’ll have to get past Miranda now, though,” Connal replied. “Harden will go on the endangered species list.”
“Evan has been on it for years,” Harden chuckled. “Except that Anna can’t convince him she’s serious competition.”
“I don’t rob cradles,” Evan said coldly. His dark eyes glittered, and his usual good nature went into eclipse, giving a glimpse of the formidable man behind the smiling mask.
“Your mother was nineteen when she married, wasn’t she?” Pepi asked him.
“That was back in the dark ages.”
“You might as well give up,” Connal said, sliding a possessive arm around his wife as he smiled down at her. “He’s worse than Harden was.”
“Meaning that Harden is improving?” Evan asked, forcing a smile. He studied Harden closely. “You know, he is. He’s actually been pleasant since he’s been home this time. A nice change,” he told Miranda, “from his first few days home from Chicago, when he took rust off old nails with his tongue and caused two wranglers to quit on the spot.”
“He was horrible,” Connal agreed. “Mother asked if she could go and live with Donald and Jo Ann.”
Evan chuckled. “Then she took back the offer because I threatened to load my gun. She’s fonder of Harden than she is of the rest of us.”
Harden’s face went taut. “That’s enough.”
Evan shrugged. “It’s no big family secret that you’re her favorite,” he reminded the other man. “It’s your sweet nature that stole her heart.”
Once, Harden would have swung on his brother for that remark. Now, he actually smiled. “She should have hit you harder while she had the chance.”
“I grew too fast,” Evan said imperturbably.
“Are you sure you’ve stopped yet?” Connal mused, looking up at the other man.
Evan didn’t answer him. His size was his sore spot, and Connal had been away long enough to forget. He turned back to Harden. “Did you ever get in touch with Scarborough about that shipment that got held up in Fort Worth?”
“Yes, I did,” Harden said. “It’s all ironed out now.”
“That’s a relief.”
The men drifted back to business talk, and Pepi and Miranda played with the baby until Theodora rejoined them. Dinner was on the table shortly, and all the solemnity died out of the occasion. Miranda couldn’t remember when she’d enjoyed anything more.
Harden noticed how easily she fit in with his family, and it pleased him. She might not be the ideal ranch wife, but she was special, and he wanted her. They’d have a good marriage. They’d make it work. But one thing he did mean to do, and that was to show Miranda how to ride a horse. Tomorrow, he promised himself. Tomorrow, he was going to ease her onto a tame horse and coax her to ride with him. Once she learned how, she was going to love it. That would get one hurdle out of the way.
The rest would take care of themselves. He watched Miranda with an expression that would have knocked the breath out of her if she’d seen it. The flickering lights in his pale blue eyes were much more than infatuation or physical interest. They were the beginnings of something deep and poignant and real.
CHAPTER 9
The next morning, Harden knocked on her door earlier than he had since they’d been at the ranch.
“Get up and put on some jeans and boots and a cotton shirt,” he called. “If you don’t have any, we’ll borrow some of Jo Ann’s for you—she’s about your size.”
“I’ve got some,” she called back. “What are you up to?”
“I’m going to teach y
ou to ride. Come on down to the stables when you finish breakfast. I’ve got to go and get the men started.”
“Okay,” she called with silent glee. “I’d just love to learn how to ride!”
“Good. Hurry up, honey.”
His booted footsteps died away, and Miranda laughed delightedly as she dressed. Now that he was ready to accept the city girl he thought she was, it was time to let him in on the truth. It was, she anticipated, going to be delicious!
It was like going back in time for Miranda, who was right at home in jeans and boots and a red-checked cotton shirt. Harden met her at the stables, where he already had two horses saddled.
“You look cute,” he said, grinning at the ponytail. “Almost like a cowgirl.”
And you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, cowboy, she was thinking. “I’m glad I look the part,” she said brightly. “What do we do first?”
“First, you learn how to mount. Now, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he assured her. “This is the gentlest horse on the place. I’ll lead you through the basics. Anyone can learn to ride. All you have to do is pay attention and do what I tell you.”
He made it sound as if she’d never seen a horse. Of course, he knew nothing about her past, but still, her pride began to sting as he went through those basics in a faintly condescending tone.
“The hardest part is getting on the horse,” he concluded. “But there’s nothing to it, once you know how. It’ll only take a minute to teach you the right way to do it.”
“Oh, I’d love to learn the right way to get on a horse!” she exclaimed with mock enthusiasm. “Uh, would you hold the reins a minute?” she asked with twinkling eyes.
“Sure.” He frowned as he took them. “What for?”
“You’ll see.” She walked away from him, trying not to double up with mischievous laughter as she thought about what she was going to do.
“Got him?” she called when she was several yards away.
“I’ve got him,” he said impatiently. “What in hell do you want me to do with him?”
“Just hold him, while I show you how I’ve been getting on horses.” She got her bearings and suddenly took off toward the horse at a dead run. She jumped, balanced briefly on her hands on the horse’s rump, and vaulted into the saddle as cleanly and neatly as she’d done it in rodeos years ago.
The look on Harden’s face was worth money. Evan had been standing nearby, and he saw it, too, but he didn’t look as if he trusted his eyes.
Miranda shook back her ponytail and laughed delightedly. “Gosh, you look strange,” she told Harden.
“You didn’t tell me you could do that!” he burst out.
She shrugged. “Nothing to it. I took first prizes in barrel racing back in South Dakota, and Dad used to say I was the best horseman he had on the place.”
“What place?” he asked explosively.
“His ranch,” she replied. She grinned at his shell-shocked expression. “Well, you’re the one who said I was a city girl, weren’t you?”
Harden’s face wavered and broke into the most beautiful smile she’d ever seen. His blue eyes beamed up at her with admiration and pride and something more, something soft and elusive.
“Full of surprises, aren’t you?” he asked, laying a lean hand on her thigh.
“I reckon I am,” she chuckled. “Got a hat I can borrow?”
“Here.” Evan tossed her one, barely concealing a chuckle. “My, my, they must have lots of horses in Chicago. You sure do look experienced at getting on them.”
“She’s a South Dakota ranch girl,” Harden told him dryly. “Nice of her to share that tidbit, wasn’t it?”
“Noting like the element of surprise,” Miranda said smugly, putting the oversize hat on. She glowered at Evan with it covering her ears. “If you’ll get me a handle, I can use it for an umbrella.”
Evan glared at her. “I do not have a big head.”
“Oh, no, of course not,” she agreed, flopping the hat back and forth on her head. She grinned at Evan.
“Okay,” Evan said. “I’ll relent enough to admit that you have a very small head.”
“How long have you been riding?” Harden asked her.
“Since I was three,” she confessed. “I still go riding in Chicago. I love horses.”
“Can you cut cattle?” he persisted.
“If you put me on a trained quarter horse, you bet,” she replied. “With all due respect, this rocking horse isn’t going to be much good in a herd of cattle.”
Harden chuckled. “No, he’s not. I’ll saddle Dusty for you. Then we’ll go work for a while.”
“Surprise, surprise,” Evan murmured as he joined his brother.
“The biggest hurdle of all was her city upbringing,” Harden said with pure glee. “And she turns out to be a cowgirl.”
“That lady’s one of a kind,” Evan mused. “Don’t lose her.”
“No chance. Not if I have to tie her to the bedpost.”
Evan gave him a dry look. “Kinky, are you?”
Harden glared at him and strode off into the barn.
*
For the next three days, Miranda discovered more in common with Harden than she’d ever imagined. But in the back of her mind, always, was the woman he’d loved and lost. He couldn’t be over her if he still held such a bitter grudge against his mother. While his heart was tangled up, he couldn’t love anyone else. And if he didn’t love her, their marriage would have very little chance of success.
She watched Harden work on one of the purebred mares in foal, fascinated by the tenderness with which he helped the mare through her ordeal. For all his faults, when the chips were down, he was the coolest, most compassionate man she’d ever known. In an emergency, he’d be a good man to have around.
“One more week,” he reminded her when he was through with the mare. “Then I’ll take the decision right out of your hands.”
“You can’t force me to marry you,” she said stubbornly.
His eyes ran down her body with possession and barely controlled desire. “Watch me.”
“I’d have to be out of my mind to marry you,” she exploded. “I couldn’t call my soul my own!”
He lifted his head and smiled at her arrogantly, his pale eyes glittery. “I’ll have you, all the same. And you’ll like it.”
“You arrogant, unprincipled, overbearing—”
“Save it up, honey,” he interrupted, jerking his hat down over one eyebrow. “I’ve got a man waiting on a cattle deal.”
He dropped a hard kiss on her open mouth and left her standing, fuming, behind him.
Harden had given her permission to ride any of his horses except an oversize, bad-tempered stallion named Rocket. Normally, she wouldn’t have gone against him. But he was acting like the Supreme Male, and she didn’t like it. She saddled the stallion and took him out, riding hell for leather until she and the horse were too tired to go any farther.
She paused to water him at a small stream, talking to him gently. His reputation was largely undeserved, because he was a gentle horse as long as he had a firm hand. In many ways, he and she were kindred spirits. She’d left behind her unbridled youth, and Tim had made her uncomfortable with her femininity. She’d felt like a thing during most of her marriage, a toy that Tim took off the shelf when he was bored. But with Harden, she felt wild and rebellious. He brought all her buried passions to the surface, and some of them were uncomfortable.
When she glanced at her watch, she was surprised to find how much time had elapsed since she’d taken Rocket out of the barn. At a guess, she was going to be in a lot of trouble when she got back.
Sure enough, Harden was marching around the front of the barn, a cigarette in his hand, his normally lazy stride converted into a quick, impatient pacing. Even the set of his head was dangerous.
Miranda got out of the saddle and led Rocket the rest of the way. Her jeans were splattered with mud, like her boots, and her yellow cotton shirt wasn’t much cleaner. Her
hair, pinned up in a braid, was untidy. But her face was alive as never before, flushed with exhilaration, her gray eyes bright with challenge and excitement.
Harden turned and stiffened as she approached. Evan was nearby, probably to save her from him, she thought mischievously.
“Here,” she said, handing him the reins. She lifted her face, daring him. “Go ahead. Yell. Shout. Curse. Give me hell.”
His face was hard and his eyes were glittery, but he did none of those things. Unexpectedly he jerked her into his arms and stood holding her, a faint tremor in his lean, fit body as he held hers against it.
The action shocked her out of all resistance, because it told her graphically how worried he’d been. The shock of it took the edge off her temper, made her relax against him with pure delight.
“I forgot the time,” she said at his ear. “I didn’t do it on purpose.” She clung to him, her eyes closed. “I’m sorry you were worried.”
“How do you know I was?” he asked curtly.
She smiled into his warm neck. “I don’t know. But I do.” Her arms tightened. “Going to kiss me?” she whispered.
“I’d kiss you blind if my brother wasn’t standing ten feet away trying to look invisible. That being the case, it will have to wait.” He lifted his head. His face was paler than usual. “Monday, we’re getting married. I can’t take anymore. Either you marry me, or you get out of my life.”
She searched his eyes. It would be taking a huge chance. But she’d learned that they were pretty compatible, and she knew he was beginning to feel something besides physical attraction for her. At least, she hoped he was. They got along well together. She knew and enjoyed ranch life, so there wouldn’t be much adjustment in that quarter. Anyway, the alternative was going back to Chicago to live with her ghosts and try to live without Harden. She’d tried that once and failed. She wasn’t strong enough to try it again. She smiled up at him softly. “Monday, then,” she said quietly.
Harden hadn’t realized that he’d been holding his breath. He let it out slowly, feeling as if he’d just been handed the key to the world. He looked down at her. “Good enough. But just for the record, honey, if you ever, ever, get on that horse again without permission,” he said in a seething undertone, “I’ll feed him to you, tail first!”