Bonnie had gravy all over her face. “Travis go with us?”
Travis shook his head. “Not this time, baby. I’m going for a buggy ride with a lady.”
Harold made a face. “You’d rather do that than swing or go down the slide?”
Travis reached out and patted his head. “When you’re a few years older, you’ll understand.” He got up from the table. “I reckon I’d better go comb my hair and put on a little rose hair tonic.”
“Why?” Kessie asked. “The horse won’t care what you smell like.”
Travis winked at her. “But the lady might.”
He left the room, whistling.
Violet felt like she was choking on her food.
Houston said, “He sure does seem happy.”
“Don’t he though?” Harold answered.
“Doesn’t he?” corrected Kessie.
Violet sighed. “You two behave and I’ll serve pie.”
“Can I have Travis’s pie?” Houston asked.
“Certainly not.” She got up from the table. “He’ll probably want it when he gets home.”
Kessie looked at her. “He doesn’t seem too interested in pie right now.”
“Don’t I know it,” Violet snapped and went into the kitchen.
They were all eating hot peach cobbler when Travis returned a few minutes later. “How do I look?” His hair was slicked down and the scent of rose oil hair tonic drifted heavily on the warm air.
“You sure you put enough on?” Violet asked.
He didn’t seem to notice her sarcasm. “I reckon so.” He walked over to look out the front window. “Here comes Charlotte now.” He went to the door and looked back. “Violet, you can take care of the kids?”
“Don’t I always?”
He didn’t answer as he went out the door.
Violet heaved a heavy sigh.
“Are you mad about something?” Houston asked.
“Me? Now why should I be?” She busied herself clearing off the table. “Just think how nice it would be for all of us if he married Mrs. Van Mayes. After all, she’s rich.”
Kessie stared at her and began to chew her nails. “We thought he was going to marry you.”
“He doesn’t even see me,” Violet said and blinked away tears. “Now you all get ready and let’s go to the park. I imagine they’ll be gone a long time.”
“Why?” Harold asked.
“Silly,” Kessie said with great importance. “She’s got a big ranch and there’s a lot to show Travis.”
“If you only knew,” Violet muttered as she carried dishes into the kitchen.
Outside, Travis strode up to the buggy. “Well, hello again, Mrs. Van Mayes.”
She leaned toward him so he got a good look at a great expanse of bosom in her pale green dress. “Please, dear Travis, call me Charlotte, all right?”
God, she was beautiful.
“Sure, Charlotte, although I feel a mite forward calling you by your first name.”
“Oh, don’t be silly,” she sniffed. “Now hop up here and drive. I’m such a delicate little thing, I can hardly handle a horse.”
“Of course.” He climbed up into the light buggy and took the reins. He noted the seat was small but not so small that she had to ride with her thigh right up against his as she was doing. Her delicate hands touched his as she handed over the reins and he felt his manhood come up at her nearness. “My, you smell good—better than honeysuckle.”
“Do you like it?” she murmured as he snapped the reins and they started off. “I had it sent from Paris.” She leaned closer. “Take a deep whiff to make sure.”
He took a deep breath. “I really do. I reckon it costs too much to get a bottle for Violet. She works so hard and never asks for much.”
She patted his arm. “Yes, she’s an adorable child. I’ll get her a bottle of perfume myself, nothing too heavy, something a young girl would like.”
He looked at her with admiration. “You’re a great lady, Mrs.—I mean, Charlotte.”
Her laughter sounded like a tinkling bell. “That’s more like it, Travis. Now turn this buggy around and we’ll go out and look over my land. I own ten thousand acres, you know.”
“So I’ve heard.” She was beautiful, all right, but his mind kept going to Violet.
“I’ve kept the foreman my husband had, but he’s getting old and ready to retire. I really need a man who knows enough about ranching to take over. I’m just a helpless widow and everyone tries to take advantage of me.” She wiped her eyes with a lace hankie.
“Never you mind, Charlotte. No one will take advantage of you when I’m around.”
She scooted even closer. “Oh, I just knew you’d be a Texas gentleman who would stand up for helpless women. You know, I just don’t know much about business and my husband left me with so much land and cattle.”
“It’s too bad your husband died. How long were you married?”
“Oh, only a few hours.” She dabbed at her eyes. “Poor old Rufus had a heart attack just as he was getting into bed on our wedding night.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I’m an unplucked flower, so to speak.” She blushed.
“You poor thing. It must have been terrible for you.”
She sighed as the buggy trotted along. “Yes. It’s been three years now and every sort of villain has tried to take advantage of a poor, innocent widow, but I just knew, as a Texas Ranger, you’d be my hero and protect me.”
He flushed and glanced over at her. “I’d certainly do my best, Charlotte. It’s too bad you don’t have kids.”
“But I could do so much for yours,” she purred. “Why the boys could all go off to military school, I could hire a nanny for sweet little Bonnie and Kessie, and that oldest girl, I could send her to my old finishing school, Miss Pickett’s in Boston.”
“That’s mighty generous of you, Charlotte, but I’d sure miss them if they were gone.”
“Oh, but we could have children of our own,” she said. “Dear me, I’m being so forward.”
“That’s all right, Miss Charlotte.” He reached over and put his hand over hers.
“You don’t mind?” She scooted even closer.
He began to sweat. If she scooted any closer, she’d be in his lap. She was so close he could feel her body warm against his, and her hand under his big one felt so soft, like satin. He began to imagine kissing her, holding her. His breath came quicker. He could have this woman, he knew by the things she had said, the way she pressed close to him. And she was beautiful, the most beautiful woman he had ever met.
Violet. Her big, blue eyes came to his mind suddenly. Well, Violet was pretty, but of course, she was just a kid. Someday, she would be a beautiful woman, too, but right now, Miss Charlotte was all woman and he knew that after a while, when they stopped the buggy, he would probably kiss her and she wouldn’t mind at all.
Charlotte Van Mayes eyed the handsome, tanned man sitting beside her in the buggy. She wanted to add him to her possessions like her fine house, her horses and her wealth. She knew she was pretty and she had used that to her advantage all her life to get what she wanted and now she wanted Travis Prescott.
“It’s a great day,” he said and smiled at her.
“Yes, isn’t it?” And put her hand on his knee. Of course he had that gaggle of assorted children that she had no intention of dealing with, especially that slant-eyed Oriental kid and that oldest girl, who seemed too possessive of Charlotte’s future bridegroom. Well, she had already decided how to handle all of them. Travis might not like it, but she would convince him it was best for them all to be sent away. For the two youngest ones, she would hire a nanny who would keep them out of Charlotte’s way until they, too, were old enough to send off to school. As for that damned flea-bitten mongrel, she had some rat poison she could slip into his food.
“Tell me about your ranch,” Travis said.
She could see the sweat on his dark face. Evidently, sitting next to her was making him de
sire her. Good. She wanted a stallion of a man. This one looked like he knew how to handle women expertly, and she hungered for that. “It takes most of the county,” she answered and moved her hand from his knee to his arm, feeling the hard muscle there. “We’ve been on it the past fifteen minutes. I really don’t know how many horses or cattle I own. Why don’t we stop in the shade of that tree?” She pointed to a tall elm. “So we can talk.”
“Sure.” He guided the buggy over to the tree and reined in under the shade. “A big spread like that is hard to manage.”
She moved even closer. “Especially for a poor widow,” she murmured, looking up into his brown eyes. “Men always seem to want to take advantage of me.” She fluttered her eyelashes and took a deep breath so that her bosom swelled out the green silk.
“That’s a dirty shame,” Travis declared. “I hate men who don’t act like gentlemen.”
She sighed and turned her face up to his. “I’m so alone in the world. I really need a husband to look after things, a real man who knows about ranching.”
He licked his lips, looking down at her, and she could see the desire in his eyes. “I used to ranch before I became a Texas Ranger.”
“I’ve heard you got hurt.”
He nodded. “You got that right. I’ve got a bullet shard in my right wrist and every once in a while, it hits a nerve and I’m in pain for a few seconds.”
“Can’t anything be done about it?” She opened her lips a bit, looking up at him.
He laughed. “Yep, but I don’t have the money. That’s why I’ve left the Rangers.”
“Travis,” she purred, “I have money, plenty of it.”
“I couldn’t take your cash. They got a name for men like that.”
“But if you were my husband . . .” She reached up suddenly and put her arms around his neck and kissed him.
He seemed startled at her advances, but he returned the kiss with hot passion, putting his arms around her and pulling her to him.
Now this was a real man. She put the tip of her tongue against his lips and he gasped and opened his mouth, letting her kiss him deeply. She put one hand on his thigh and felt the muscles tighten there and he breathed harder.
Then abruptly, he pulled away from her and scooted to his side of the buggy seat. “I apologize, Miss Charlotte, I know I was too forward with a lady—”
“I wanted to kiss you.” She smiled up at him. “Oh, Travis, you and I would make sure a good team and I would love you like no woman ever has.”
“But I’ve got the kids to think of—”
“And just think how nice it would be for them to have money and live in my big house. Why, I could be the mother they need.”
“I don’t know.” He pulled out a bandanna and wiped the sweat from his face. “Violet has been doing a pretty good job of running the house.”
“But is it fair to her? To have to be the mother and do all the housework and all that responsibility?”
He picked up the reins. “I reckon you’re right about that. She says she don’t mind.”
“She’s just being nice. I’m sure the poor dear child resents all that hard work.”
“Let me think about this, Charlotte.” He clucked to the horse and they took off at a fast clip.
Damn. She’d offered him wealth and passion. What else could this man want? The fact that he was hesitating only whetted her desire. She had always gotten everything she wanted until now. She wasn’t sure how she would do it, but she was determined to add this big half-breed to her possessions.
They didn’t talk much as they drove back, but she could see his mind was busy because his brow furrowed in thought. They pulled up before the little house and he reined in. There was no one on the street on this lazy late June day. She leaned over and kissed his tanned cheek. “I love you, Travis. There, I’ve said it. It might seem bold for a lady, but I think we were meant for each other.”
“Charlotte—” He hesitated. “You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m honored that you’d even consider marrying a poor cowboy like me.”
She looked at him, wanting him. She smiled. “Then I’ll consider that we are courting and we’ll see where it goes from here.”
He stared at her and she could see the desire in his eyes. This was a virile stallion who needed a woman and she could already imagine him naked on her silk sheets. “Miss Charlotte.” He shook his head. “I don’t think this will work out.”
She was taken aback. “What? I thought—”
“I have responsibilities and besides, I wouldn’t want anyone to think I was after your money.”
“I never thought that, Travis. That’s what I like about you. You’re your own man.” But you’ll soon be mine, she thought.
Travis hesitated and shook his head. “What bothers me is that you keep talking about sending the kids away.”
“It would be for their own good—”
“I love my kids and I want them with me, not stuck off in some distant school.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” she snapped as he handed her the reins and stepped down from the buggy. “They aren’t even your children. They’re a pack of ragamuffins you’ve picked up along the way like stray puppies.”
“Charlotte, they are my kids as far as I’m concerned, and besides, I don’t think I can return your love.”
“What? How dare you humiliate me in this manner!” She took a swing at him with the little whip and he stepped back.
“Good-bye, Charlotte.”
“It’s Mrs. Van Mayes to you, you ignorant cowboy.” She whipped the horse and drove away in a cloud of dust.
Travis stared after her as she left. God, he had wanted to take her right there in the open under that tree and she had seemed to be willing. He must be a damned fool to pass up a chance like that. What had stopped him? Immediately he saw a face in his mind: a small face with large almost violet-blue eyes. The thought shocked him. Violet was just a kid, but her face had come to his mind just as he was about to pick up Miss Charlotte and carry her to the grass under that tree and take her with all the need and passion he felt at that moment. Now he was angry with himself for wanting a mere girl who was too young to even know what passion was. Maybe Charlotte was right; maybe he needed to send the innocent Violet away to school before his twisted mind forced him to take advantage of her. Did Harold know what he was saying about Violet being older? But how much older?
Quietly and lost in thought, he opened the door and stepped in, walking to the kitchen just in time to see Violet getting out of the washtub, her long brown hair hanging loose and partially covering her body.
She turned at his gasp of surprise and grabbed for a towel, but he’d already seen all he needed to know. “Holy mother of God!” he gasped. This was no kid, this was a full-grown woman.
Chapter 16
Violet froze only a split second, standing there naked as Travis stared at her, and then she grabbed for a towel. “You should have made some noise coming in.”
He didn’t answer. He stood there, staring at her as she shook her hair back, wrapped the towel around her and stepped from the tub.
“I’ll be goddamned,” he breathed.
“Don’t swear,” she said. “You shouldn’t have walked in on me.” Her heart was beating hard as she tried to brush past him and go down the hall into her bedroom, but he reached out and grabbed her arm.
“We need to talk, missy.”
“Let me get some clothes on. Besides, I don’t know what you want to talk about.” She didn’t return his gaze.
“You know about what. I reckon I’ve been a damned, blind fool all this time, thinking you were a kid.” He pulled her to him and looked down into her face and she was afraid of the fury in his eyes and flinched.
“Don’t hit me.”
“Hit you? Why, you little wench, I ought to turn you over my knee and—”
“Please let me get some clothes on,” she begged and the towel slipped and fell to the floor.
He
yanked her up against his big body and she could feel the heat and the muscle of him. “You owe me an explanation. Just how old are you anyway?”
She hesitated, afraid of his anger. “I—I’ll be twenty next week.”
“Twenty?” He let go of her as if stunned and she took the chance to run into the bedroom and slam the door, lock it and lean against it.
“Violet!” She heard his big boots stomp up to her door and he banged hard. “Damn it, open this door!”
“Let me get dressed and we’ll talk,” she pleaded, “and you cool down.”
“Cool down?” He banged on the door even harder. “You think I’ll cool down! Let me in, damn it!” He banged on the door so hard it quivered and she thought it might give way. She grabbed up her blue dress, backing toward the window. “Just let me explain!” she pleaded.
He was kicking the door now, so hard she thought he would kick it down. “Let me in! You’ve been lying to me all this time and laughing because I was such a gullible fool.”
She was terrified. Men had hurt her before and this one was bigger and madder than any man she’d ever known. “No, I didn’t, Travis. Honestly I never laughed at you.”
“The hell you didn’t!” He kicked the door so hard the lock tore out and he stomped into the room, his brown eyes dark with rage. “You’ve humiliated me and the whole town will laugh when they find out—”
“Maybe they don’t need to find out.” She held the dress in front of her naked body and backed away. “Please, Travis, let me get dressed and we’ll talk.”
“We’ll talk right now, missy, you lying little bitch!” He grabbed her arm and she dropped the dress as he pulled her naked body hard against him.
Violet trembled and shied away. “Please, please don’t hurt me.”
“Hurt you?” He sounded surprised. “What I feel like doing is spanking your drawers, you conniving little liar.”
She was pressed up against him and she couldn’t stop trembling. She tried to pull away, but he held her tightly. She had never seen such rage in a man’s face and she was truly afraid of him for the very first time. Tears ran down her face and she tried to blink them away.
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