A Cowboy, a Bride & a Wedding Vow

by Shirley Rogers

  “Of course not,” Catherine assured him.

  “Then, what better place to do it than here,” Jake said, his gaze pinning hers.

  Silence filled the room for a moment. Then Jake told her what he really wanted. “I want Matthew to spend the summer with me.”

  “The summer?” Catherine looked stunned.

  “School’s out,” Jake reminded her. “There’s no reason why he can’t stay here for the summer. That would solve this problem of him threatening to run away.”

  “No,” Catherine replied, after absorbing Jake’s suggestion. “Absolutely not. I’m not leaving Matthew here for the entire summer. That’s out of the question.”

  Jake gritted his teeth, clamping down on the spark of anger that flared within him. He tried to reason with her. “Think about it, Catie,” he told her, realizing that he’d slipped back to using her nickname. “He’s already fighting you about going back. What could it hurt?”

  Losing control, Catherine’s eyes welled with tears. “Oh, Jake.” Her breath caught and she bit her lip.

  Automatically Jake reached over and touched her hand, cupping his around it. His thumb stroked back and forth. “What?” he asked.

  His gaze searched her face, and he forgot they were talking about their son. For a moment, just seconds, he had the sudden urge to pull her into his arms. Jake shook his head, clearing the uninvited thought away.

  Catherine ran a hand through her hair, getting it out of her way. “I’m afraid,” she confessed. “What if he loves it here?” she asked. “What if he never wants to come home?” There was so much at the ranch to entertain him, so much to entice a young boy.

  “Why don’t we worry about that when the time comes.”

  Catherine snatched her hand back. “That’s easy for you to say!” She stared back at him defiantly. “You’ve got nothing to lose!”

  Jake’s shoulders squared. “I’ve already lost twelve years,” he retorted, beginning to lose his temper. “I’m not losing another day,” he told her, his voice rising. He got to his feet. “Now, you can agree to this and save us all a lot of trouble, or I’ll have my lawyer take you to court,” he challenged.

  Catherine was on her feet in barely a second. “Don’t threaten me, Jake!”

  “Don’t make me,” he countered, leaning closer to her. His hand grasped the back of her neck, pulling her toward him. “I won’t lose, I can promise you.”

  “Damn you,” she stated hotly, glaring back at him.

  Jake stared into her eyes. The fire in them fueled his desire to taste her. Jake was reminded of a couple of heated arguments they’d had when they were together—after they’d made up, they’d made love.

  “Damn you,” he grated, then covered her mouth with his.

  It was a fool thing to do, he told himself, even as he tugged her closer to prevent her from breaking away. She fought him for a moment, her body stiff and resistant, her hands against his chest. Jake felt the heat of her palms as she pushed against him.

  His tongue seared hers and she groaned low in her throat. It was all the encouragement he needed to drag her body against his and close his arms around her.

  She tasted sweet, like honey. He remembered the first time he’d made love to her. She’d been a virgin and unsure of what to expect. But she’d also been eager to learn and just as eager to please him.

  And one of the times they’d made love, she’d conceived his son.

  The thought flitted through Jake’s mind, clearing the way for rational thinking. He lifted his head and stared at Catherine’s face. Her lids slowly slid open, and her eyes were glazed. She licked at her lips, and the action made his knees want to buckle.

  With a slight movement, Jake pushed her away from him. “This doesn’t change anything,” he grated, angry at himself for touching her. Angry, also, because he wanted to kiss her again.

  Catherine glared back at him, looking confused, as if she’d been in a coma and was just waking up.

  “Think about what I said,” he warned her, then he stalked out of the room.

  Catherine stared after him, still shell-shocked. He’d taken her by surprise when he’d kissed her. And like a complete fool, she kissed him back.

  Idiot! she berated herself.

  How could she have let him touch her? How could she have succumbed so easily to his embrace? Did he think he could seduce her, then talk her into his plan?

  No, she thought, he didn’t seem any too happy with the kiss they’d shared than she was. It was the heat of the moment, she decided. First they were yelling at each other, then he was kissing her. It just happened. That didn’t mean that it would happen again.

  She wouldn’t let it, she decided. So he kissed her. So the memory of how good they’d been together haunted her. So what?

  By the time Catherine got her bearings, Jake was long gone. She left the office and headed for her room to think. She wasn’t going to give that kiss another moment of thought.

  Jake had meant what he said. Now she was trapped in this house with him, with his ultimatum. Not only did she have Matthew begging her to let him stay, now his father was telling her she had no choice.

  Catherine went in search of Matthew. Despite his distant attitude, she hugged him good-night and told him she’d talk to him tomorrow. Right now she couldn’t even think of what to say. She had to deal with Jake first. It would do no good to bring her son into it.

  She made her way to her room and closed the door, exhausted and ready for bed. She wasn’t sure where Jake was, so she leaned her head against the door to the bathroom to see if he was there. No sound came from behind the door. She opened it and was relieved to find it empty.

  Catherine rushed in. She locked both doors, then washed her face and patted it dry. Then she unlocked Jake’s door and returned to her room.

  She crawled into bed with a heavy heart. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, Jake held all the cards. She had no idea what a judge would say if she tried to fight him and they ended up in court. Most times, judges still favored mothers. But the fact that Jake hadn’t known about his son, and that Matthew wanted to live here, would probably work against her.

  Not to mention that Jake had the monetary resources to tie her up in court. She’d end up losing everything trying to hold on to her son. To Catherine, nothing was more important than Matthew.

  Catherine sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingers. The last day and a half had taken its toll on her. She no longer heard the rain and prayed that it had stopped. Maybe she could hold Jake off, pretend to consider his suggestion, then take Matthew and leave when he wasn’t looking.

  That was her best plan, she thought. Pathetically, it was her only plan. Catherine sank deeper into the mattress and stretched, trying to ease the tenseness in her body. She closed her eyes and took a breath in an effort to relax. It was an hour before she was able to fall asleep.

  The next morning Catherine awoke early, something unexplainable tugging at her consciousness. Quiet surrounded her and she lay still, trying to figure out what was different.

  It wasn’t raining, she realized. She jumped from the bed and ran to the window. Luck was on her side. The sun was just beginning to shine, and the sky was clear and blue.

  Thank God, she thought, for lousy weather predictions. She knew it didn’t mean that she could leave with Matthew today, of course, but she could within a day or so.

  She listened at the bathroom door again to be sure Jake wasn’t there, then opened the door. After locking the door to his bedroom, Catherine stripped off her nightgown and turned on the water for a shower.

  She rushed through her bath, dried her hair, applied light makeup, then unlocked Jake’s door before returning to her room to dress. After pulling on a pair of jeans, she slipped on a T-shirt and sneakers, then went down the hallway toward the kitchen.

  The house was deserted, except for Ashley and the babies. Catherine found them in the den, both babies on the floor. One was rolling over and the other w
as inching toward the door. Catherine caught her as she was about to escape. She scooped the baby up and into her arms, then greeted Ashley.

  “Good morning,” she said, laughing at the cherub in her arms.

  Ashley looked relieved. “Thanks for detaining Michelle,” she answered, smiling.

  “You’re welcome. How do you tell them apart?”

  Chuckling, Ashley explained, “Mainly by their personalities. Michelle’s more demanding than her sister. Also, we think Michelle is right-handed and Melissa’s left-handed.”

  “Really?”

  “It isn’t unusual for twins to exhibit mirror-image features. Can I get you some breakfast?”

  Catherine declined. “I’ll just have coffee or some juice.”

  “There’s coffee ready to pour,” Ashley informed her. She got up and reached for Michelle, relieving Catherine of her rambunctious daughter.

  “Thanks. Where is everyone?” Catherine asked, wanting to know where Matthew was.

  “Ranch life starts early. Everyone’s eaten and gone out. Lynn’s working with the foreman. They’re in charge of the horses—or rather, to Lynn’s dismay, Russ Logan, the foreman is. Jake and Ryder have gone out, too, doing whatever needs their attention.” She smiled. “And in answer to your next question, Matthew is down at the corral, watching Lynn and Russ.”

  “Oh. Well, I guess I’ll get that coffee. Can I pour you some?”

  Ashley shook her head. “No, thanks, but I’ll join you for conversation if it’s okay.”

  Catherine nodded. “Sure. Can I bring one of the babies?”

  “I’ve got Michelle, if you can get Melissa.”

  They went into the kitchen and deposited the babies in the playpen. Both girls attacked their toys as if it was the first time they’d seen them.

  Catherine followed Ashley’s directions to locate a cup, then poured herself some hot coffee. She joined Ashley at the table.

  “When do you think the bridge will be passable?” Catherine asked the younger woman.

  Ashley shrugged. “One or two days if the weather is nice and the sun keeps shining. I guess you’re anxious to go home?”

  “Yes,” Catherine acknowledged.

  “I don’t mean to be nosy, but have you and Jake agreed on what to do about Matthew?” Ashley asked. “Jake told me what he proposed,” she confessed.

  “He did?” Catherine was sure Jake didn’t tell Ashley he’d actually demanded that she leave Matthew for the summer.

  Ashley put her cup down. “He mentioned it before going out this morning, but not in front of Matthew,” she said. “He seemed so quiet this morning. I wondered if the two of you had a fight.”

  Catherine frowned. “We did, sort of.”

  “Jake’s taking all this rather badly,” Ashley furnished. “He’s usually very agreeable and easygoing.”

  “I have a hard time believing that,” Catherine admitted.

  “You know, Jake hasn’t had an easy life.” She smiled and her voice softened. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t know what happened between the two of you years ago, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you. But Jake came home and kept his family together. I think before he found out about Matthew, he was sorry that he’d never had a family of his own.”

  “Why hasn’t he?” Catherine asked.

  Ashley lips flattened to a thin line. “It’s personal, so you’ll have to ask him. Then maybe you’ll understand why he wants so badly to be with Matthew.”

  Catherine pondered Ashley’s evasive answer. Was there some secret she didn’t know about Jake, something that would make him desperate to have possession of his son? Something that would make him threaten to take Matthew from her?

  After she finished her coffee, Catherine decided to go outside for a while. She walked over to the corral and stood beside Matthew. She put her arm around him for a hug, then hovered nearby, just wanting a few moments of peace with her son.

  Matthew acknowledged his mother with a look that told Catherine he wasn’t ready to listen if she was going to try to persuade him to her way of thinking. Catherine kept her distance. In a day or two he wouldn’t have a choice. She was going to leave, and no one was going to stop her from taking Matthew with her.

  The next day the sun was shining again, and Catherine decided it was now or never. She and Jake had barely spoken the previous day. He’d gone out of his way to avoid her, Catherine thought, which was fine with her. She didn’t like the way he made her feel when he looked at her with his brooding expression.

  She packed her things in her small bag, then went to look out the window, trying to spot anyone who could thwart her plans. Someone knocked on her door, and Catherine made a beeline for her bag. The door opened about the time that Catherine tossed it to the floor. Guilt tinged her face pink, and she nervously cleared her throat.

  “Planning on going somewhere?” Jake leaned against the doorjamb as his gaze met hers.

  Six

  Standing beside the bed with the bag at her feet, Catherine paled. “Um, not really. I was going to ask you if you thought the bridge was passable today, though.”

  “Possibly,” he answered, looking as if he didn’t believe her. He took a step inside, then was quiet for a few moments. It was obvious that he had something on his mind. Catherine waited nervously for him to speak.

  “I guess I was kinda rough on you the other night,” he offered, seeming as if he was uncomfortable with admitting as much.

  Catherine didn’t answer him. She wondered where this was leading. Surely Jake wanted something from her.

  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He sounded sincere. That didn’t mean that he was, she told herself.

  She flashed him a curious look, wanting to rattle him as he’d rattled her when he’d come through her door and caught her planning her escape. “For threatening me or for kissing me?”

  Jake put a hand on his hip. “Well, for starters, for yelling at you,” he replied gruffly. He didn’t admit that he shouldn’t have kissed her. And he wasn’t going to admit that he’d enjoyed it. “I’ve been thinking, and there’s something else I want you to consider.” Jake figured if he could avoid taking Catherine to court, it would be better for Matthew. He didn’t want to put his son in the middle of a tug-of-war.

  The entire situation was difficult for all of them. But the adjustment for Matthew was the most important thing to consider. Catherine had to know that, and Jake was banking on her love for her son to get her to agree to his offer.

  “Go on,” she encouraged.

  “I want Matthew to stay with me for the summer. And you seem to be afraid that if he does, he won’t want to come home. Right?”

  She nodded at him, her green eyes wary. “Yes.”

  “I think you should stay at the ranch for the summer, also,” Jake suggested. “Then you’d be here with Matthew, and you wouldn’t have to worry about what I was telling him or that I was turning him against you.”

  “For the summer?” Catherine repeated, startled by his proposal. “I couldn’t do that. No, that wouldn’t work,” she said hurriedly, shaking her head.

  It hadn’t been easy for Jake to offer Catherine this option. Having her live with him was going to be difficult, to say the least. Jake was man enough to admit that he still found her attractive. She was a beautiful woman. Even if he hadn’t known her before he would be attracted to her.

  He didn’t like the feelings she provoked in him, and having her around to tempt him twenty-four hours a day was going to test his control. But he wanted his son for the summer. This solution was far from perfect, but it would satisfy all concerned.

  “It makes sense,” he said convincingly. “You’d be right here with Matt. He wouldn’t be growing apart from you.”

  “I understand that part, and I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s just that I couldn’t possibly leave my home that long,” she insisted.

  Jake frowned. “Because of this man you’re involved with? Shouldn’t you put your son first
?”

  Catherine squared her shoulders. “Douglas has nothing to do with this.” It was more the truth than she wanted to admit to Jake. She hadn’t given a thought to Douglas the past couple of days, hadn’t even called him. All along, in her heart, she’d known that she didn’t love him. She’d been foolish to even consider marrying him for Matthew’s sake.

  “He has a lot to do with this if you’re putting him before Matthew.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” she stated firmly.

  That statement told Jake a lot about Catherine’s relationship with the man. If she was truly in love with him, she would be torn between him and her son. To Jake’s knowledge, she hadn’t even called the man since she’d been at the ranch.

  “What other problem is there?” Jake inquired. “Are you required to work summers with your job?”

  “No,” Catherine answered honestly. “I could, but I like to have the summers off so I can be with Matthew.” Until now she’d looked forward to the end of the school year. She’d hoped to take a summer vacation with her son. There wasn’t much chance of that now.

  “Then what’s stopping you?”

  “I don’t know, Jake. The whole idea, well, it would be awkward,” she stated, shrugging her shoulders.

  Jake took a step toward her. “You mean because of the kiss we shared?”

  “You kissed me,” she reminded him.

  “You kissed me back,” he returned levelly. “And you enjoyed it.”

  Catherine didn’t deny it. And she knew he knew it was true, even if she didn’t admit to it. She flushed to her roots remembering how he’d captured her and held her to him.

  “That doesn’t mean I wanted you to.”

  Jake frowned. “If it’ll make you feel better, I promise to keep my hands off you while you’re here.”

  Catherine should have drawn comfort from that, but she didn’t. That he could turn his feelings on and off so easily disturbed her. She was finding it increasingly hard to keep her distance from Jake. He was an attractive man. He’d been easy to fall in love with.