Mail-order bridegroom

by Day Leclaire

  At the line-shack she ground-hitched her gelding. Hunter hadn't arrived yet and she stood outside, reluctant to enter the cabin... reluctant to face any more memories. She'd avoided this place for eight long years. Thanks to Hunter she couldn't avoid it any longer. Setting her chin, she crossed to the door and thrust it open.

  She stepped cautiously inside, looking around in disbelief. Everything was spotless. A table, two chairs, a bed—everything in its place. A thin layer of dust was the only visible sign of neglect. Someone had gone to great pains to restore the shack. But who? And why?

  'Reliving old memories?'

  Leah whirled around. 'Hunter! You startled me.'

  He filled the threshold, a blackened silhouette that blocked the sun and caused the walls to close in around them. 'You shouldn't be so easily startled.'

  Searching for something to say, she gestured to indicate the cabin. 'It's changed. For some reason I thought the place would have fallen down by now.'

  He shrugged. 'You can't run a ranch this size without working line-shacks. The men need someplace to hole up when they're working this far out. Allowing it to fall into ruin would be counterproductive.'

  She could feel the tension building between them, despite his air of casual indifference. She wouldn't be able to handle this confrontation for long. Best to get it over with—and fast. She turned and faced him. Unfortunately that only served to heighten her awareness. 'Why did you want to meet here?' she asked, taking the offensive.

  To annoy you/

  Her mouth tightened. 'You succeeded. Was that your only reason?'

  'No. I could have had you drive to Houston and negotiate on my turf. But, considering our history...' He shrugged, relaxing against the doorjamb.

  He tucked his thumbs into his belt-loops, his jeans hugging his lean hips and clinging to the powerful muscles of his thighs and buttocks. She shouldn't stare, shouldn't remember the times he'd shed his jeans and shirt, exposing his coppery skin to her gaze. But it proved next to impossible to resist the old memories.

  He'd had a magnificent physique, something that clearly hadn't changed with time. If anything, his shoulders had broadened, his features had sharpened, becoming more tautly defined. How she wished their circumstances were different, that she didn't fear he'd use her attraction to achieve his goal... to gain his revenge.

  Desperately, she forced her attention back to the issue at hand. 'Negotiating here is just as much to your advantage. Dredging up the old memories, playing on my guilt, is supposed to give you added leverage, is that it?'

  'Yes. I play to win. You'd be wise to learn that now.'

  She ground her teeth in frustration. 'And if I don't?'

  He smiled. 'You will. We've come full circle, you and I. We're back where we left off. But nothing's the same

  as it was. You've changed. I've changed/ He added significantly, 'And our situation has changed/

  'How has it changed?' she asked with sudden curiosity. 'How have you changed? What did you do after you left here?'

  He hesitated, and for a minute she thought he wouldn't answer. Then he said, 'I finished my education, for a start. Then I worked twenty-four hours a day building my... fortune.'

  'You succeeded, I assume?' she pressed.

  'You could say that.'

  'That's it? That's all you have to say—you got an education and made your fortune?'

  He shrugged. 'That's it.'

  She stared at him suspiciously, wondering what he was concealing. Because she didn't doubt for a minute that he hadn't told her everything. What had he left out? And, more importantly, whyl 'Why so mysterious?' she demanded, voicing her concerns. 'What are you hiding?'

  He straightened. 'Still trying to call the shots, Leah? You better get past that, pronto.'

  'It's my ranch,' she protested. 'Of course I'm still calling the shots.'

  He shook his head. 'It may be your ranch, but I'm the one who'll be in charge. Are we clear on that?'

  'No, we're not clear on that!' she asserted vehemently. 'In fact, we're not clear on anything. For one thing, I won't have our past thrown in my face day after day. I won't spend the rest of my life apologizing for what happened.'

  'I have no intention of bringing it up again. But I wanted to make it plain, so there's no doubt in your mind. I won't have you claiming later that I didn't warn you.'

  She eyed him warily. 'Warn me about what?'

  'You've been managing this ranch for over seven years and you've almost run it into the ground. Now I'm supposed to come in and save it. And I will. But you're going to have to understand and accept that I'm in charge. What I say goes. I won't have you questioning me in front of the hired help or second-guessing my decisions. You're going to have to trust me. Implicitly. Without question. And that's going to start here and now.'

  'You've been gone a lot of years. It isn't reasonable '

  He grabbed his shirtsleeve and ripped it with one brutal yank, the harsh sound of rending cotton stemming her flow of words. 'You see that scar?' A long, ragged silver line streaked up his forearm.

  She swallowed, feeling the blood drain from her face. 'I see it.'

  'I got it when the sheriff helped me through that window.' He jerked his head toward the south wall. 'I have another on my inner thigh. One of Lomax's deputies tried to make a point with his spur. He almost succeeded. I broke my collarbone and a couple of ribs on the door here.' He shoved at the casing and it wobbled. 'Still isn't square. Seems I did leave my mark, after all.'

  She felt sick. How could her father and Sheriff Lomax have been so cruel? Had Hunter really been such a threat to them? 'Are you doing this for revenge?' she asked in a low voice. 'Trying to get control of the ranch because of how Dad treated you and because I wouldn't go away with you?'

  'Believe what you want, but understand this...' He leaned closer, hi» words cold and harsh. 'I got dragged off this land once. It won't happen again. If you can't

  accept that, sell out. But if you marry me, don't expect a partnership. I don't work by committee.'

  "Those are your conditions? What you say goes? That's it?'

  He inclined his head. 'That just about covers it/

  'It doesn't come close to covering it,' she protested. 'I have a few conditions of my own.'

  'I didn't doubt it for a minute.'

  She pulled the list she'd compiled from her pocket and, ignoring his quiet laugh, asked, 'What about my employees? They've been with me for a long time. What sort of guarantee are you offering that changes won't be made?'

  'I'm not making any guarantees. If they can pull their weight, they stay. It's as simple as that.'

  She stared in alarm. Pull their weight? Every last one of them pulled his or her own weight... to the best of their ability. But that might not be good enough to suit Hunter's high standards. Patrick had a bad leg and wasn't as fast or strong as another foreman might be.

  And what about the Arroyas? Mateo and his wife Inez would have starved if she hadn't taken them in. Inez, as competent a housekeeper as she was, had six children to care for. Leah had always insisted that the children's needs come first, even at the expense of routine chores. Would Hunter feel the same way? And Mateo was a wonder with horses but, having lost his arm in a car accident, certain jobs were difficult for him—tasks she performed in his stead.

  'But '

  'Are you already questioning my judgement?' he asked softly.

  She stirred uneasily. 'No, not exactly. I'd just appreciate some sort of guarantee that these people won't be fired.' She saw his expression close over. 'I'm respon-

  sible for them,' she forced herself to explain. 'They couldn't find work anywhere else. At least, not easily/

  I'm not an unfair or unreasonable man,' he said in a clipped voice. 'They won't be terminated without due cause.'

  It was the best she'd get from him. 'And Grandmother Rose?'

  A tiny flicker of anger burned in his eyes. 'Do you think I don't know how much Hampton Homestead means to her?
Believe me, I'm well aware of the extent she'd go to to keep the ranch.'

  Her fingers tightened on the list. 'You don't expect her to move?'

  She could tell from his expression that she'd offended him, and she suspected that it was a slight he wouldn't soon forgive. 'As much as the idea appeals, it isn't my intention to turn her from her home,' he said curtly. 'What's next on your list?'

  Taking him at his word, she plunged on. 'I want a prenuptial agreement that states that in the event of a divorce I get to keep the ranch.'

  'There won't be a divorce.'

  She lifted her chin. 'Then you won't object to the agreement, will you?'

  He ran a hand across the back of his neck, clearly impatient with her requests. 'We'll let our lawyers hammer out the finer details. I refuse to start our marriage discussing an imaginary divorce.'

  She wouldn't get any more of a concession than that. 'Agreed.'

  'Next?*

  She took a deep breath. This final item would be the trickiest of all. 'I won't sleep with you.'

  His smile was derisive. "That's an unrealistic request and you damned well know it.'

  'It's not. I '

  He cut her off without hesitation. "This is going to be a real marriage—in every sense of the word. We sleep together, drink, eat and make love together/

  'Not a chance,' she protested, her voice taking on an edge of desperation even she couldn't mistake. 'You wanted control of the ranch and you're getting that. I won't be part of the bargain. I won't barter myself.'

  Sardonic amusement touched his expression. 'You will and you'll like it,' he informed her softly. 'I know you too well not to make it good for you.'

  'You knew an inexperienced eighteen-year-old girl,' she declared passionately. 'You know nothing about the person I've become. You know nothing of my hopes or dreams or desires. And you never will.'

  'Another challenge?' He moved closer. 'Shall we settle that here and now? The bed's a little narrow, but it'll do. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.'

  She took a hasty step back, knowing there was nowhere to escape should he decide to put action to words. 'You bastard,' she whispered. 'I won't be forced.'

  'I don't use force. I don't have to.' For a horrifying second she thought he'd prove it, that he'd sweep her up without regard and carry her to the bed. That he'd scatter her resistance like so much chaff before the breeze. Then he relaxed, though his gaze remained guarded and watchful. 'What about children?' he asked unexpectedly. 'Or are they off your list, too?'

  Events had proceeded so swiftly that she hadn't given the possibility any thought at all. 'Do you want children?' she asked uncertainly.

  He cocked his head to one side, eyeing her with an uncomfortable intensity. 'Do you? Or, should I say, do you want my children?'

  'Once, that was all I dreamed about,' she confessed in a low voice.

  'And now?'

  She looked at him, fighting her nervousness. 'Yes, I want children.'

  'You won't get them if I agree to your condition. Cross it off your list, Leah. It's not a negotiable point.'

  She didn't want to concede defeat, didn't want to agree to give herself to him without love, without commitment. But he'd left her without choice. 'Hunter, please...'

  He closed the distance between them. Cupping her head, he tilted her face up to his. 'We'll make love, you and I, and we'll have children. Plenty of them. Though chances are they won't be blue-eyed blondes. Can you live with that?'

  'I'm not my father. I know you don't believe it, but it's true. Do you really think I could love my child less because he's dark...' she dared to feather her fingers through his hair '... instead of fair?'

  He caught her hand and drew it to his scarred arm, her pale skin standing out starkly against his sun-bronzed tan. 'It matters to some.'

  'Not to me. It never mattered to me.'

  He nodded, apparently accepting her words at face value. 'Any more conditions?' he asked, flicking her list with a finger.

  'No,' she admitted. 'But you'd better know up-front— I can't promise I won't argue with you. I love this ranch And I'll do all I can to protect the people on it.'

  He shook his head. 'That's my job now.'

  'That doesn't mean I won't worry.'

  'Worrying is also my job,' he informed her gravely.

  She nodded. That left only one last decision to be made. 'About the wedding...'

  'I want to marry by the end of the week. Tell me where and when and I'll be there. Just make sure it's no later than Saturday.'

  'So soon?' she asked in dismay. 'That's less than a week.'

  'Are you having second thoughts?'

  'Constantly. But it won't change anything. I won't sell and I can't save the ranch unless I marry you. But a wedding... There's a lot to be done and not much time to do it in.'

  'Find the time.' He tugged her more fully into his arms. 'I have to go,' he said, and kissed her.

  His touch drove out all thought and reason, banishing the ghosts that lingered from that other time and place. And no matter how hard she wanted to oppose him, to keep a small piece of herself safe and protected, he stripped her of all resistance with consummate ease. Deepening the kiss, he cupped her breast, teasing the tender peak through the thin cotton. And she let him... let him touch her as he wished, let him explore where he willed, let him drive her toward that sweet crest she'd once shared exclusively with him.

  For a moment Leah was able to pretend that she meant something to him again, that he really cared for her more than he cared for her ranch. But as hard as she tried to lose herself in his embrace, the knowledge that this was in all probability a game of revenge intruded, and finally drove her from his arms.

  He released her without protest. 'Call me with the details,' he instructed, and headed for the door. 'We'll need to get the license as soon as possible.'

  'There's one last thing,' she suddenly remembered. He paused, waiting for her to continue and, almost stumbling over the words, she said, 'Conrad.. .Conrad Michaels. He retired.' Hunter didn't say anything,

  prompting her to state her concerns more openly. 'Are you responsible for his retirement?'

  'Yes.'

  She'd suspected as much, but it still shocked her to hear him admit it. l WhyV He didn't reply. Instead he walked outside, forcing her to give chase. Without breaking stride, he gathered up his buckskin's reins and mounted. She clung to his saddle-skirt, hindering his departure, desperate for an answer. 'Hunter, please. Tell me why. Why did you force Conrad to retire?'

  After a momentary hesitation he leaned across the horn, fixing her with hard black eyes. 'Because he put you at risk.'

  Alarmed, she took a step back. 'What are you talking about?'

  'I'm talking about the ad.'

  'But I placed the ad, not Conrad.'

  'He knew about it, and not only did he not try and stop it he encouraged you to go ahead with it while in his capacity as your banker.' His face might have been carved from granite. 'You still don't have a clue as to how dangerous that was, do you?'

  'We were very selective,' she defended.

  'You were a fool,' he stated succinctly. 'You might as well have painted a bullseye on your backside, stuck your pinfeathers in the air and proclaimed it open hunting season. Count yourself lucky that you and that old harridan of a grandmother weren't murdered in your beds.'

  'So you had Conrad fired.'

  'I wanted to!' he bit out. 'Believe me, more than anything I wanted to have him fired for planting such a criminal suggestion in your head. Considering he's an old family friend, I let him off easy. I agreed to an early retirement.'

  A sudden thought struck her. 'If you're that powerful—powerful enough to force Conrad's retirement—what do you need with this ranch?' She spoke urgently. 'It has to be small potatoes to you. Why are you doing this, Hunter?'

  A grim smile touched his mouth and he yanked the brim of his stetson low over his brow. 'That, my sweet bride-to-be, is one question I have no int
ention of answering.'

  And with that he rode off into the approaching storm, the dark, angry clouds sweeping across the sky ahead of him, full of flash and fury. A portent of things to come? Leah wondered uneasily. Or a promise?

  CHAPTER FOUR

  With only five days to prepare for her wedding, Leah realized that the simplest solution would be to hold the ceremony at the ranch. She also decided to make it an evening affair and keep it small, inviting only her closest friends and employees.

  Her reasons were twofold. She didn't think she could handle a day-long celebration—the mere thought of celebrating a marriage that was in all actuality a business deal struck her as vulgar. And by holding an evening ceremony they'd entertain the guests for dinner and it would be over quickly. No fuss, no muss.

  Her grandmother didn't offer a single word of argument in regard to Leah's wedding-plans. On only one matter did she remain adamant. She insisted that Leah invite Conrad Michaels. 'He's a close friend and should give you away. If that makes Hunter uncomfortable, that's his tough luck.'

  'I don't think it's Hunter who will feel uncomfortable,' Leah observed wryly. 'Let me call Conrad and see what he wants to do. If he chooses to decline, I won't pressure him.'

  As it turned out, Conrad sounded quite anxious to attend. Td appreciate the opportunity to improve my relationship with Hunter,' he confessed. 'I deserved every harsh word he dished out, and then some.'

  'Harsh word?' she repeated in alarm. 'What did he say?'

  After a long, awkward silence, Conrad admitted, 'Oh, this and that. Let's just describe the conversation as

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  strained and forget I ever mentioned it. He did make several valid points, though—particularly about your ad.'

  So Hunter had taken Conrad to task about that. She'd wondered. 'What points?' she questioned.

  'I never should have encouraged you to advertise for a husband,' came the prompt reply. 'Looking back, I realize it was foolish in the extreme. It didn't occur to me until Hunter suggested the possibility, but a crazy person could have responded and we wouldn't have known until too late. I never would have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you.'