“Sweetie, you don’t have to do this. There’s got to be some way to fix this without you marrying someone you don’t want to.”
“Sure, there is. I go to court, contest the will, and tell the world what my father thought of me. Please, Martha, this is depressing enough without the whole town knowing.”
Martha reached across the table and clasped Chaney’s hand. “Your daddy was a hard man, but he loved you. I still don’t believe he would do this. Are you sure the will is real? I mean maybe--”
Chaney’s reaction was immediate. She pulled her hand away and stood. “Martha, stop. The will is real. I saw it and Daddy’s signature is unmistakable. His opinion of me was the same. Now, we’ve lived in the same house for almost thirty years. We both know the truth. I’ve accepted it; I wish you would, too.” Chaney rinsed her glass and placed it in the dishwasher before walking out of the room.
***
Chaney took a long time getting ready for the evening. It wasn’t that she wanted to look especially nice. Billy Bradley was interested in anything that wore a skirt and breathed. Working up her nerve was what took so long. Not that she really had any choice but to go through with it.
Time was running out. She had one week. Seven days. 168 hours.
Her last chance to make everything work out waited for her at the Low Down Bar. She had to convince Billy Bradley to marry her. The only reason any of the men in town even looked at her with one eye was because the other was on her ranch. She wasn’t marrying someone only to give up control of it. She’d lose it straight out before she stood around letting someone else run it.
Climbing into the driver’s seat of her truck, she stared out over the property her father had inherited from his father. Losing it because her father made such a ludicrous demand in his will was unacceptable. Why did you hate me so much? The familiar pain of not measuring up stirred her determination. She turned the key with deliberation.
“You haven’t won yet, Daddy.”
She rolled down the window letting the wind pull at her hair as she drove. Billy liked his women wild, and at the moment, Chaney felt wild. Hell, she’d have to be crazy to consider this.
Finding a parking spot in front of the bar, she pulled in. Not exactly the most romantic place for a date, but romance wasn’t one of her requirements. Billy leaned against his truck with his wide, “I’m ready, willing, and able,” smile on his face.
“Hey, Darlin’,” he drawled walking around the hood of her truck and opening the door.
“Hey, Billy.” Original. Very original. She needed to add more syrup if she was going to convince this fly to play her game. The problem was Chaney wasn’t good at playing games. She preferred to be straight-up and honest. Of course, blabbing she needed a husband who didn’t want her ranch and could get her pregnant then walk away probably wasn’t the best way to seduce a man.
Billy’s gaze zoomed in on the slit in her skirt. It didn’t take a psychic to read his mind. She pushed the skirt down quickly as her feet hit the ground.
“You got nice legs, Chaney. You shouldn’t try to hide ‘em.” He leaned in closer.
She gave him a gentle push. “Slow down, Billy. We’ve got all night.”
“All night, ‘eh? I like the sound of that. Let’s get something to eat first.”
As food went, the Low Down served a decent meal, but Chaney couldn’t taste it over the acid tang of nerves. When the band played the first chord, Billy pulled her onto the dance floor. Twenty minutes later Chaney decided to make her move. The band played a slow number and she snuggled up close. Billy didn’t complain.
“You’re a good dancer.” Not as good as Jed flitted through her mind. She clenched her jaw hating that she still compared other men to him.
“That’s not all I’m good at, Sugar,” he growled, nibbling on her ear lobe while running a hand over her butt.
Chaney swallowed the urge to shove him away. How in the world am I going to do this if I can’t even stand him touching me? Anyone touching me? I have to get over this.
Billy lifted his head and grinned into Chaney’s eyes. Oh, no. He’s going to kiss me. His head filled her vision. It came closer and closer. It . . . stopped?
“Buzz off, Bud--” Billy said as he looked over his shoulder.
“I don’t think so.”
Mortification swamped Chaney when she recognized the voice. Her spine instinctively stiffened and her grip on Billy tightened. “You don’t have to listen to him, Billy. We don’t want any interruptions.”
“Chaney.” Jed’s warning tone didn’t frighten her nearly as much as the thought of Billy handing her over. She was too vulnerable right now to be around Jed. She might do something stupid. Lord, please don’t let him--
“I’m sorry, Chaney. But it’s Jed.”
She should have known. When they were in high school, Billy got drunk and drove his truck into the lake. While all the other boys stood around scared stiff, Jed jumped in and pulled Billy to safety. He owed Jed his life. No way would he ever stand against him. Billy stepped away. Jed’s strong arm wrapped tight around her waist. It held her prisoner as sure as if he had lassoed her.
“Damn you,” she hissed at Jed as he began to move around the dance floor.
“You should be thanking me, sweetheart. Billy’s not known for being gentle.”
“I am not your sweetheart,” Chaney said, trying to pull out of his hold. A waste of energy, she soon realized. “Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for gentle. Did you ever think of that?”
“Nope.” Jed pulled her closer.
“Well maybe you should.” She tried to put space between them, but the steel in her spine was melting with the heat of Jed’s body so close. Chaney felt herself leaning closer. She couldn’t resist. He rested his cheek against her head, taking her back to when she was a teenager and they would play the radio in his uncle’s barn.
She could still picture Jed’s shirtless body, slick with sweat from working in the heat of the barn. She would turn on the radio, walk over to where he was pitching hay, and pull the pitchfork from his hand. Then she would run her hands up his chest and listen to him take a quick breath. After that, she would smile and start to move them to the music. In no time at all, Jed would take control and they would wind up rolling in the hay he had just piled up.
“Chaney, you were made for gentle,” Jed whispered, his lips brushed her temple.
Chaney’s head shot up from where it had nestled against his shoulder while she was lost in steamy thought. “Don’t.”
This time when she moved to break the embrace, he let her. But he didn’t let go. “Let’s talk.”
“I don’t want to talk to you, Jed. I don’t want to see you, or even be in the same room with you. I hate you.” She kept her tone low so the whole world wouldn’t know her business.
“I know, but that’s too bad.”
He guided her to the booth she had shared with Billy. Before she could even think of slipping away, he slid in next to her, effectively blocking her exit. He turned so that if she’d been looking at him, they’d be face to face.
“Explain.”
She refused to answer or even look at him. Damn the man! Picking up a napkin, she started shredding it, a habit she acquired when she stopped biting her nails.
“Chaney, we’re going to sit here until you tell me what would make you go out with that low life. Everybody knows the kind of woman Billy goes for, and honey, you’re not it.”
The honey grated against her last nerve. Tossing the napkin down, she turned, glaring up into his eyes. “Maybe I’ve changed. Maybe I got bored and decided to live on the wild side. May--”
Jed leaned so close their heads almost touched. “You can maybe until all your damned cows come home. It won’t change the facts. You and Billy don’t add up.”
“I hate you,” she said in an even tone turning away from him.
“I know.”
His quiet acceptance of her statement surprised her. She had been expectin
g a vow of innocence. Then again, she should have expected the unexpected from Jed. She stewed in silence for several minutes. Given some thought, her aggravation wasn’t really Jed’s fault. It was her father’s. Then again, if Jed hadn’t walked out on her and ruined her faith in men, maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess. On the other hand, she should have seen something shady when her father stopped pushing her to date shortly before he died. On the other hand, damn, she was running out of hands. He probably expected her to marry the idiot foreman he’d hired. That thought irritated her more than the man still staring at her.
A loud sigh escaped before Chaney could stop it. “It’s not your problem.”
“Maybe I could help.”
The compassion in his tone was almost her undoing. Then she remembered with whom she was talking. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
She tossed down the last bits of napkin and folded her hands in front of her trying to appear calm. A change of topic was necessary if she ever planned on actually finding that sense of calm.
“If you’re not going to let me out of here how about telling me why you’re still in town? I figured you would high-tail it out of here as soon as Steve and Belle left.”
“I’m thinking about moving back.”
If Chaney had been drinking, she would have spit it across the table. “H-h-here?”
No, Jed Sampson could not move back to Crescent. That would be too much.
“Yes, here. Where else would I move back to?”
Chaney swallowed. This could not be happening. She thought her life couldn’t get worse when she was ready to propose to Billy Bradley.
“Why?” she asked, cursing the squeak in her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I mean, you couldn’t get out of here fast enough. Why would you want to come back?”
***
Jed heard the nervousness in her voice. He’d seen her pulse jump in her throat when he first mentioned his plans. Maybe she didn’t hate him as much as she wanted him to believe.
And maybe I’m living in a dream world.
That was a distinct possibility, he thought. When he had walked into the Low Down and seen Chaney with Billy, he had done a double take. As had the rest of the people at the bar from their comments. Problem was they all just let their tongues wag about it. Jed saw a problem. There was no way in a sane universe Chaney McBride and Billy Bradley would ever go out together. But that wasn’t the current topic. He needed to focus.
“Nothing in particular. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.” Your father dying helped a lot in making it a possibility he wanted to say, but kept it to himself. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that McBride kept his part in Jed’s unexpected disappearance a secret.
“The people here are good, with the exception of a few,” he added seeing Chaney look over to where Billy was already pawing another woman at the bar. “I’m thinking about opening up a shop.”
“What kind of shop?”
“Handmade furniture, woodworking, and restoration.”
“You still do that?”
Pleased that she remembered, he smiled and nodded. He wondered if she still had the cowgirl he’d carved for her. No, she probably threw it in the fire years ago.
“Yeah,” he said, stretching his legs out under the table. “I had an offer to sell the one I have back east. Coming out to the wedding gave me the idea I might just do that.”
He watched Chaney pick up the pieces of napkin she’d dropped and start shredding the shreds. He covered her hands with one of his. Hers instantly stilled. “You don’t care for the idea?”
She pulled her hands away. “Why would I care what you do?”
“You hate me, remember?”
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.”
“So it wouldn’t bother you if I moved back?” As the question left his lips, Jed knew her answer mattered more to him than it should. His uncle’s words of a week ago rang in his head. Go for it.
“Nope,” Chaney replied without looking at him.
Jed didn’t believe her. If her present behavior was any indication, his presence bothered her. It bothered her a lot.
“Well, nothing is settled yet.” He heard her release a loud breath. “But I’m pretty set on the notion.”
He almost laughed as her posture stiffened again. He had always been able to read Chaney. From the time he first came to town and she followed him and Steve around, he knew exactly how she felt about everything. Unfortunately, knowing she didn’t like the idea of him moving back didn’t make him feel better. The thought that she might not hate him as much as he believed had been short lived. Oh, she was aware of him. There could even still be chemistry between them. He knew that didn’t mean she would have anything to do with him.
“I’m sure Steve will be thrilled.”
“I hope so,” he said, wanting to drop the subject. “Now, about Billy.”
“Drop it, Jed. Billy was a bad idea. If I wasn’t so--never mind.”
“Weren’t so what, Chaney?”
She was silent a long time. So long, Jed thought she was giving him the silent treatment again. Then she turned in the seat so she was more or less facing him. He could almost see the proverbial wheels turning behind her beautiful eyes.
“Is your dare still open?”
Jed cocked his head. “Dare?”
“Yeah, the dare you gave me at the wedding.”
He had to think for a minute. She had to be kidding. It was Jed’s turn to spin some wheels. Where was she taking this? She couldn’t possibly be serious. She hated him. Unless of course it was just to see if she could still get him riled.
“The one about getting married?”
“That’s the one.”
“You want to marry me?” Could it be this easy? Hope bloomed in his chest.
“Not exactly.”
And withered just as fast. “Explain.”
She turned back toward the table then glanced at the bar. “You blew my only other chance at keeping the ranch.”
Looking at Billy and his new flavor of the night, Jed tried to decipher what Chaney meant. He couldn’t.
“What could Billy, or I for that matter, possibly have to do with you keeping the ranch? I’m no rancher and he’s even less of one.”
“That’s the point. The ranch is mine. I don’t want or need a man to run it.”
“Okaaaay, if you don’t want a man to run the ranch, what do you want to get married for? Not that there aren’t other reasons, but the scuttlebutt is you haven’t been out for a while.”
“Checking up on me, Jed?”
“I didn’t have to. Your display on the dance floor had every tongue at the bar wagging.” It had caused his blood pressure to rise into the stratosphere that was for sure.
“Sorry I embarrassed you. Though, what I do shouldn’t matter to you,” she told him.
“You didn’t embarrass me, just confused me. As to the dare, like I said there are other reasons than needing help with the ranch, but considering you’re asking me, I doubt love has much to do with it.”
She wadded the torn napkin into a ball and threw it across the table. “Never mind. Forget it. Chalk this conversation up to another one of Chaney’s stupid ideas. May I go now?”
Her jaw clenched tight with the request. When she started to rise, Jed pressed his hand to her shoulder. “I didn’t say the conversation was stupid, just perplexing. You hate me. Why would you want to marry me?”
“I’m desperate.”
Well, he had asked. Not that he believed her. “You and desperate have never occupied the same time zone. Try again.”
Her bangs puffed out with an exasperated breath. “Okay, look. I’ll explain this once then I’m gone.”
“Fair enough.”
“My thirtieth birthday is next Thursday.”
“I know.” He hadn’t forgotten a single detail about Chaney in all the year’s he’d been gone. For a moment, she paused in her explanation to look at him. Her
disbelief shone clear in the way she rolled her eyes.
“Anyway,” she said, waving her hand as if to clear away a distracting thought, “I have to get married before then or I lose the ranch.”
“What?”
“I told you I was only saying it once.”
“But why?”
“Because it is too embarrassing to say twice.”
Jed took a deep breath. She was being deliberately obtuse. “I got that. I mean, why would you lose the ranch?”
“My father made marriage a condition of my inheritance.”
“You’re kidding.” He regretted the comment the moment he said it. The pain filled glare she turned on him made it clear this was no joke. “Why?”
She shrugged and looked away. “Because he didn’t think a woman could run a ranch? Because he didn’t think I could get a man on my own? Because he hated me? Because he wanted to punish me? Take your pick. It doesn’t matter.”
Misery rang clear in her voice. She honestly believed what she said. As much as Jed detested Travis McBride, he knew the man had loved his daughter. If anyone knew how much, it was Jed. He covered her hands now clasped tightly together on the table.
“Chaney, you can’t believe that. Your father loved you.”
She pulled her hands from under his and shook her head. “You’re starting to sound like Martha, but you are both wrong. My father regretted my birth from my first breath to his last. He was always looking for ways to make me pay for being a girl. This was just his last chance to prove it.”
“Chaney--”
She held up her hand, halting his words. “Don’t bother. Now, either accept my proposal or let me leave. My ego can’t take much more tonight.”
Jed considered her. Chaney didn’t love him, or even like him. She had told him moments ago, she hated him, and he believed her. However, she needed a marriage certificate to satisfy a ridiculous demand in her father’s will. In the same breath, she showed her lawyer the proof of their marriage, she would probably tell him to file for divorce. He wondered if he could convince her to stay married long enough to win custody of his daughter.
“Let’s say I accept. Do you run and get a divorce as soon as the lawyer sees your proof?” Saying it was harder than he expected.
A Daring Proposal Page 4