A Marriage By Chance

by Carolyn Davidson

  “Hardly enough to make it worth their while.” And maybe incentive enough to steal a few head of cattle, figuring they had the right.

  “Winter wages are always low. And Chloe’s fair. They didn’t complain none, but then, they knew she’d up the ante once work picked up.”

  Obviously the men, other than Hogan, weren’t aware of Chloe’s dearth of funds. From what the foreman had had to say, there was but a scant supply of money beneath her mattress. She’d probably scraped up their five dollars a month from there.

  “I’ll take a ride out and look things over,” J.T. said. “We’ll need to be culling the herd anyway. Might as well start right now.”

  “You plannin’ on doing something with that stud today?” Shorty asked, his eyes flickering to the corral where the new stallion was pacing the barriers to his freedom.

  “You’re a cattle man,” J.T. said with a grin, his mind captured for a moment by thoughts of the horse. “What do you care about my new stallion?”

  “He’s gonna throw some dandy colts, I’ll bet,” Shorty said with enthusiasm. “I’m plannin’ on being around to ride one of them. I’ve heard some tall tales about paint ponies. One fella said they can turn on a button and be headin’ back in the other direction before you can bat your eyes. I’d sure like to see that critter in action.”

  “Why don’t you saddle my horse and we’ll take a look at the herd first,” J.T. said, “and then we’ll decide about the stud.”

  “What’s going on?” The crisp tones of Chloe in a snit echoed from the open doorway, and J.T. turned to face her.

  “Got a problem beyond the far pasture. Shorty says there’s a few head missing.”

  She frowned, and J.T. saw her eyes take on a calculating gleam. Depend on the woman to be subtracting dollars from her profit, right off the bat. “How many?” she asked briskly, heading for the tack room.

  Probably lifting her saddle down right now, he decided, following in her wake. “I’ll handle it, Chloe,” he said quietly, closing the door behind himself as she turned to face him, setting the big saddle on end in front of her.

  “They’re my cattle. I’ll ride along,” she said, tilting her chin in a defiant gesture.

  “No need,” he said easily. “I’m going to check the fence line for breaks and talk to the two men who spent the night at the shack, see what they might have heard or seen.”

  “Who’s out there? Tom?” She reached for a bridle and he grinned.

  “You’re a determined woman, aren’t you, partner?”

  “It’s my ranch, and if we’ve got cattle missing, it’s hurting my profit, pure and simple,” she said harshly.

  Her gaze clashed with his, and he watched as blue eyes took on an icy gleam. Color streaked her cheeks, and he considered its source. The woman was mad, feeling betrayed or invaded, or both, and he couldn’t blame her. And yet, should there be trouble with the two men he planned to confront, he didn’t want her in the vicinity.

  “Why don’t you let me handle this?” he asked, tempering his need for action with soft words meant to pacify her.

  “I’m not a child, J.T.,” she said curtly. “I know how to use a gun, and I can ride as well as a man. If there’s a problem on my ranch, I need to be on top of it.”

  He reached out for her, and silently cursed the saddle standing between them. “I know,” he said, one hand touching her cheek. “But I don’t want you getting in the middle of a fuss.” His other hand gripped her shoulder and she flinched from his callused fingertips.

  “Don’t treat me like the bad guy, Chloe,” he told her, dropping the offending hand to circle her other shoulder. “I just don’t want you hurt.” His fingers tightened, and with a surge of strength, he lifted her away from the restricting presence of the saddle.

  Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as she was settled, with a lack of ceremony, in his embrace. Encircling her, his arms were bonds she stood no chance of breaking, and as if she understood that fact, she was immobile in his grasp. Small, yet defiant, she looked up at him, her eyes narrowed and challenging.

  “Let me go, you big bully. The only man around here who’d dare put his hands on me is right in front of me,” she muttered, lips taut with anger, yet trembling.

  “I’d never put a bruise on you,” he said quietly. Yet his fingers loosened their hold as he considered his grip. She was soft, her skin smooth beneath the cotton shirt she wore, but the muscles were there, beneath his hands, making their presence known as she wrenched from his grasp. And somehow, that feminine strength drew him, attracting him more than did her flashing blue eyes or the shapely form he’d held against himself.

  Chloe backed away awkwardly, and stumbled. With one long step he was on her, taking hold anew, this time his arms circling her back, as he succumbed to temptation. His head bent low, seeking the soft, lush fullness of her mouth. She murmured beneath her breath as he found his mark, and he inhaled a hint of sweet tea.

  “Don’t fight me, honey.” His voice was a rasping, grating sound he barely recognized, and his heart pounded forcefully as he felt soft curves brush against his chest. His tongue touched the tender surface of lips that moved tentatively against his, and a groan of satisfaction echoed from deep in his chest.

  As if that sound triggered opposition to his will, her teeth clenched, refusing his entry, and she was, at once, a taut bundle of female resistance in his arms. With the tip of his tongue, he traced the firm outline of her mouth, and for now that was enough, he decided. Her flavor was delicate and he savored it as he inhaled the scent of woman that rose from her small, compact body.

  Chloe tempted him mightily, but he’d been a fool to begin this in the middle of the tack room, with no time to spend wooing her to his cause. His lips gentled, soothing her as he suckled carefully at her lower lip.

  She murmured then, relaxing against him, softening in his embrace, her hands lifting to press against his chest, fingers widespread. A soft hiccup of sound broke her breathing and he relented, his lips pressing once more against hers, tenderly easing from the intimacy he’d assumed without her consent.

  “You’re not fair,” she said, her whisper harsh. “You know I can’t fight your strength.” Her eyes opened and the defiance was gone, tear-drenched lashes blinking as if she would conceal the emotion he’d brought to life. “I don’t have anything to compare this with,” she told him in a trembling voice, “but I’d say you’ve had a lot of experience at it.”

  “At kissing?” he asked, tasting her flavor on his mouth. “A little, here and there. Not as much as most men, probably. I’m kinda fussy about women.”

  “And you’ve decided I’m worth your attention?” She’d regained her composure now and her hands slid from his chest as he allowed his arms to lower, until his hands were at the small of her back. He held her in an easy embrace, and when she edged back, released her from his hold.

  “I let you know the other night I was more than interested in you, Chloe. Having Tilly make such a blatant remark didn’t bother me nearly as much as it did you.” He stepped back from her, lifting her saddle easily with one hand. “You’re a good-lookin’ woman, and why you’re not already married is beyond me.”

  “I’m not giving up my share of the ranch to anybody,” she said defiantly, her mouth taut as she vowed her independence. “Marriage would turn me into a mealymouthed creature fit only for having babies and keeping up a house.”

  He laughed, unwilling to insult her, yet amused by the thought of Chloe being anything but what she was. “You’ll never be a mealymouthed woman, no matter what,” he said. “You’ve got too much spunk to let a man run roughshod over you.”

  “Maybe so, but I’m smart enough to know I’d have a battle on my hands. I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, once I signed a marriage certificate,” she said sharply. “The law says that a man owns the property, and pretty much the woman who comes along with it. I’m not handing over my inheritance in exchange for a wedding ring.”

  “
Well, I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me, don’t I?” He turned to the door, opening it and stepping across the threshold before she could form a reply. Better to keep her off guard, he decided.

  Marriage hadn’t been in his plans, at least not for the next few years. But the idea of hauling a preacher out from town and putting a halter on Miss Chloe was starting to sound like a winner. Without half trying, she’d managed to get a grip on him that was becoming downright uncomfortable these days. Two kisses had only whet his appetite for another taste of her mouth, and she was spending more and more time at the back of his mind, keeping him on edge during the day and invading his dreams at night.

  When he spoke again, he nonchalantly asked, “Which horse you planning on riding, Partner?”

  “You’re not going to make a fuss about this?” she asked, hurrying to reach his side, the bridle and reins caught up in her hands.

  “Not worth it,” he announced, as she halted before the stall where her tall, black mare was tied. “I need to be on my way, and short of tying you to a post, I don’t know of any way to persuade you to let me handle it on my own.”

  “I wouldn’t try it if I were you,” she snapped, obviously fit for battle once more.

  His hand sought out the currycomb hanging from the wall, and with a few strong, sweeping strokes, he cleaned the area where Chloe’s saddle would rest. “You got a blanket handy?” he asked, and watched as she snatched a heavy woolen square from a sawhorse. She snapped it sharply to remove the dust, then handed it to him. In moments it was in place and he swung her saddle atop the horse, looping the stirrup over the horn. His movements were quick, strong and practiced as he tightened the cinch and then backed the horse from its stall.

  Chloe slid the bit in place, and the mare obligingly ducked her head as the bridle replaced her halter. J.T. followed her to where his stallion stood, tossing his head impatiently at the restriction of his reins tied to the handle of the barn door. The blood bay switched his tail, as if aware of the attention he drew. The mare passed him by and he whinnied, a shrill, sharp sound that drew little response from the black, but a quick grin from Chloe.

  She mounted quickly, stepping up onto a block of wood apparently kept there for the purpose, and gathered her reins, turning the mare. Waiting as J.T. attempted to quiet his horse, her grin turned to a smile as the stallion defied his efforts. “Sure you don’t want to use him for breeding?” she asked. “He’s not going to be happy to lose a chance at my mares.”

  “He’ll live through it,” J.T. snarled, grasping a handful of mane as he swung into his saddle. “Damned horse is spoiled rotten. I should have gotten rid of him a long time ago, traded him in for a good gelding.” He glanced up at Chloe’s stifled laughter.

  “You’d never do that and you know it,” she said. “You’re a windbag, Flannery.”

  “He’d behave better if he knew how close he is to getting sold,” J.T. growled, drawing up the reins, until the stallion’s nose was pressed close to his chest. “Let’s move out and let him run some of it off.”

  “How many head am I missing?” she asked, turning her mare to join him as he allowed the stallion to break into a sharp trot.

  He turned his dark gaze on her and Chloe thought for a moment that there was a definite resemblance between man and horse. Both were magnificent specimens, J.T. with his lean, long-legged, yet muscular body, the blood bay sporting black stockings that emphasized the sinewy, narrow lines of his legs and led to the heavy haunches that provided barely leashed power.

  “A dozen or so, from what Shorty said,” J.T. answered shortly. He rode, she thought, like a centaur, as though he were a part of the splendid creature between his thighs. And now, his look was impatient as he lowered the brim of his hat with a jerk and nodded at her to take the lead.

  They crossed the meadow, and he bent low to open a gate in the pasture fence, allowing her to ride through and waiting to close it behind himself. He caught up to her in moments, the stallion unwilling to be left bringing up the rear. “There’s only one shack, isn’t there?” he asked, and she nodded.

  “Never needed more than one. Not with the size of herd I run. We don’t use it much, just during branding and roundup usually.”

  They rode the length of the big pasture, and again he opened, then closed, a gate. Now the wide-open range of the northernmost part of the ranch was before them, only the farthest boundaries enclosed by barbed wire. It would be an easy thing, she decided, to clip the wire and run a dozen head of cattle through the opening. The task now was to find the gap in her fence line, and make quick repairs before more of the herd wandered off to Hale Winters’s neighboring ranch.

  J.T. loosened his reins, allowing his horse to stretch long, dark legs in a gallop, and Chloe’s black mare followed suit, eager to spend some of her pent-up energy. The chill of spring made her thankful for the coat she wore, and she buttoned the top button with her free hand, tugging her hat lower to protect her from the wind. There was a simple joy in the rolling gallop of her mare, a pleasure that ignored the purpose of this ride.

  And it seemed that J.T. shared her thoughts as he turned his head to offer her a look of satisfaction. His gaze narrowed on her face, and he slowed the pace of his mount, motioning with an uplifted hand for her to follow suit. They settled into a easy lope and he rode beside her in silence for a moment, his jaw set, as if he pondered over words he was hesitant to speak.

  “We’d make a good team, Chloe. I’d make sure you held your portion of the ranch with no strings attached.” His words were rough-edged, his eyes penetrating, as he turned his gaze in her direction, referring apparently to the sparring they’d done in the tack room.

  “We are a team, whether we like it or not, Flannery,” she answered coolly. “And I’ll hold my share of the ranch without your help.”

  “I’ve never done this before,” he said, his jaw clenching. “I didn’t make myself clear, apparently.”

  “If you’re talking about a wedding, you can forget it,” Chloe said, sudden realization making her aware of his line of thought. She pressed her heels against the mare’s sides, and the horse delivered a spurt of speed. “Besides,” she called, over her shoulder, “we’ve got more important things to be concerned about right now.”

  J.T. caught up with her and passed her by, his stallion’s long legs stretching, nostrils flaring as he left the black mare behind. Chloe let her horse run, aware that she was certain to be viewing the bay’s wide haunches. If she wasn’t mistaken, she’d just turned down a backhanded proposal, and damn if it didn’t feel good to get the best of J. T. Flannery.

  The wire had indeed been cut, and if the language coming from Tom’s mouth was anything to go by, it had not been an easy task to repair the damage. He and Corky had strained mightily to draw the ends together, winding each cut strand with pliers, their work hampered by the heavy, leather gloves they wore. And still they each bore small gashes, one leaving a dark stain on Tom’s shirt, another on Corky’s cheek still oozing blood.

  “You didn’t hear anything?” J.T. asked for the second time, and was given an impatient glare by the older of the two cowhands.

  “If I had, you think I wouldn’t have used my shotgun?” Tom asked, his anger obvious. “There wasn’t any reason to stand guard, far as I could see. We’d worked hard all day, and we slept inside the shack.”

  Shod horses had crossed the boundary line, their riders cutting the fence and riding a half mile or so onto the Double B before the rustlers had made away with a portion of the herd bedded down by a southward winding, narrow creek. Wise enough to limit their take to a few head at a time, they’d evaded discovery. The tracks J.T. followed for less than a mile had cut across hard, rocky ground, leaving him little trail to follow, mixed in as they were with those of other cattle.

  Corky offered a thick slab of beef, tucked between two slices of bread, and J.T. took it gladly. “You get something to eat?” he asked Chloe.

  She sat against the wall of the
shack, out of the wind, the sun full on her face. Her hat resting on one knee, she looked pensive, he decided, and he stalked over to sit with her.

  “Want some of this?” he offered, and was treated to a long look that disdained his crude sandwich.

  “I get sick of beef,” she said shortly. “And today, I’m totally fed up with everything attached to owning a cattle ranch.”

  “I gave her a biscuit left from breakfast,” Corky said from his perch on a stump.

  “Well, I guess you won’t starve then,” J.T. allowed, tucking into his makeshift meal. He wiped his mouth with his bandana and slanted a glance at her. “First time you’ve lost cattle to rustlers?”

  “First and last, I hope,” she told him. “It makes me angry to have something stolen that I’ve worked so hard to tend to.”

  “We’ll have to bring the herd in closer and keep a weather eye out,” he said, biting into his bread.

  “Damn it, anyway. We shouldn’t have to be looking over our shoulder.” She glared at him as if it were somehow his responsibility that such a thing had come to pass. “If I had my way, I’d string the thieves up on the nearest tree,” she said bitterly.

  “That’s been done before,” he said agreeably, “but we’ll have to catch them first. On top of that the constable would probably rather we let the law handle it.”

  “My pa always said his gun was the law on this ranch.” Her gaze moved to the shotgun slung behind her saddle. “I think he may have had the right idea after all.”

  J.T. chewed slowly, then swallowed. “You didn’t always agree with his theory?”

  She shook her head. “No. I was all for law and order.” Her eyes flashed anger again and he recognized her frustration. “That was before it happened to me.”

  “Yeah, that does make a difference in viewpoint,” he said obligingly. The last bite was gone, and he rose, a single, smooth movement that caught her eye. He offered his hand. “Come on, Chloe. Might as well head back home. There’s not much we can do here. I’ll send Willie and Shorty out this afternoon. Between the four of them, they should be able to round up the best part of the herd and head them toward the north pasture, closer to the house.”