by Sasha Gold
“It just takes one teacher to make a difference,” she said, grateful to have something to talk about other than the will.
“That’s right. I can remember the teachers I had that really seemed to care.”
“I’d imagined starting summer camps at the ranch. One day, if I have the money, that would be what I’d do.”
They were stopped at a red light and she half-expected him to scoff at her words, but he gave her a thoughtful look and nodded.
“Sounds interesting.”
“I never told my grandfather about that.”
The rest of the way, they drove in silence. When they arrived at the lawyer’s office, Luke helped her out of the truck. This time he didn’t let his hands linger at her waist or whisper gently teasing words. There were people around and he was mindful of that, slipping into his gallant, gentlemanly manners as easily as he swung into a saddle.
He kept his hand on her lower back as he escorted her across the parking lot and into the office. The brass sign on the door held the names of several lawyers, as well as a judge. A shiver of worry trickled across her skin. Luke must have sensed it because he pressed his hand a little more firmly against the small of her back.
The receptionist smiled at them. “Good morning. Mr. Saunders is waiting for you.”
Jed’s lawyer, an elderly man whom Rachel had never met, introduced himself.
“Nice to finally meet you, Miss Wilson. Your grandfather always said fine things about you. That he was proud you’d studied education and put yourself through school.”
Rachel’s throat tightened. Her grandfather hadn’t ever said anything along those lines to her.
“That’s nice,” she said. To her dismay, her eyes prickled. She blinked them back.
“Don’t you cry, Rachel,” Luke drawled. “If you do, you’ll make me cry.”
The same teasing words he’d said on the ridge when they scattered Jed’s ashes, drew a smile to her lips now.
“I bet you never cry,” she said, shaking her head.
Luke smiled at her. Earlier, she’d worried about him coming along and perhaps causing trouble. Now, his presence reassured her. She let out a sigh and nodded at Mr. Saunders.
“My concern about the will is that I won’t have enough money to run the ranch. I feel a huge responsibility to my grandfather not to lose the ranch when I’ve barely received it. I want to be a good custodian of his ranch. You know, be worthy of the property. I’ve never been given anything of such value. Not even close.”
She was babbling. The words spilled from her lips but neither Luke nor Mr. Saunders acted like anything was wrong with her tumble of hopes and desires. Luke said nothing and Mr. Saunders gave her a sympathetic look.
“Of course, my dear. It’s a weighty responsibility. I questioned Jed about it, but he said the details of the will would ensure that you would have the guidance you needed. He worried about leaving the land to a woman, especially a woman with so little experience with livestock and property."
He paused as he leafed through the papers on his desk. A new twinge of worry hit her somewhere in the depths of her frantic thoughts.
“Details of the will?” she asked, her voice tremulous.
Mr. Saunders nodded his head. “You see, my dear, your grandfather wanted to be sure you were left with plenty of money, and there’s over two hundred thousand in the trust.”
The news should have come as a tremendous relief. Instead, Rachel heard the tentative tone of the man’s words.
“But…?” she asked.
“Jed insisted that to receive the land you should be married.”
Rachel gripped the armrest and leaned forward. “Excuse me?”
“Yes, married. Jed didn’t want to burden you with the business of managing cowboys and a foreman, along with all other responsibilities.”
“Married…?” she repeated.
Mr. Saunders cleared his throat and took off his glasses, setting them carefully on the desk. He folded his hands and gave her a taut smile.
“Jed’s will clearly states that if you wish to inherit the ranch, you’ll have to marry for a minimum of a year. To Mr. Luke Hardeman.”
“Luke Hardeman?” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Slowly she turned to Luke and regarded him with shock. “You knew about this?”
He had the decency to look surprised, but he didn’t fool her. Not for a moment. His brows raised and after a long moment, he laughed and shook his head. A string of muttered curses flowed from his mouth as if the whole thing amused him.
“You and my grandfather planned this, didn’t you?”
Luke raised a hand. “Jed and I planned nothing, sweetheart.”
“I don’t believe you. That’s why you tried to seduce me last night, isn’t it?”
He smiled a slow, infuriating smile. “You mean when you came to my bed, saying you were afraid of thunderstorms?”
“You know when,” she spat. “Of course, I mean last night.”
Mr. Saunders coughed. “I think I’ll let you two discuss this topic while I step out for a moment. I do want to add that Judge Hopkins is ready to do the honors, should you decide to marry. If not, I will read the rest of the will to you, Miss Wilson, and you’ll have thirty days to vacate Jed’s home.”
“Vacate the home?” she asked. “What will happen to the ranch if I don’t marry Luke?”
“The ranch will be sold and the proceeds divided evenly between you and Mr. Hardeman.”
When Saunders left, Rachel got to her feet and stalked across the office to Luke’s chair. “You planned this. That’s why you did that to me last night, isn’t it?”
His gaze darkened. “Absolutely not. You were the one who crawled into my bed, or did you forget?”
“You think I’m going to back out, don’t you?”
His gaze turned sultry. “I like the idea of being married to you, Rachel. You’re the first woman I’ve spent an entire night with.”
She looked away, unable to tolerate his smug smile or the way he acted like this wasn’t a complete disaster. Of course, he didn’t think it was a complete calamity. He had a ranch to gain and in the process, he’d have her at his beck and call. Something told her all his gallantry would fall to the wayside if she gave in and married him.
“Don’t worry. That won’t be happening again.” She gave him a wary look. “Not if I have any say in it.”
Luke shrugged. “I guess you’ll be safe from my attention, darlin’. I’m not the type of man who would try to ravish you, but what are you going to do the next time it goes to thunderstorming?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know what I’ll do, but I’m positive I won’t come to you for help.”
Luke seemed not to hear her insult. He rubbed his jaw. “Let’s see. If you and me get married, I get the ranch without spending a dime. And I get the boss lady in the bargain. I think I like the sound of that, Twenty-one.”
His tone made her want to scream and rage. “How can you be so calm about this?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I never wanted to get married, but last night when I watched you sleep, I had the crazy notion that I didn’t want any other man to ever take care of you when you were scared.”
She drew a sharp breath. The angered expression fell away for an instant and she swayed a little. Then the hard look returned and she narrowed her eyes.
“I don’t believe that for a minute, but I’m not walking away from this arrangement, no matter how ridiculous this is. I won’t let you win.” Turning away from him, she went to the door and spoke to the receptionist. “Please tell Mr. Saunders that we’re ready to proceed with the vows.”
Chapter Eight
Luke
Everything was moving quickly and yet, not fast enough. He hadn’t imagined ever getting married, because he never found the right woman. But the moment Saunders said the words, he knew. He knew he’d step in and marry Rachel. It was the perfect solution. He could take care of her and
keep her near. She was as mad as hell, but she’d come around. He’d do whatever it took to make her see his way.
They stood face to face, reciting their vows as they held hands. The expression in her eyes drifted from anger to fear and back to anger. When it came time to kiss, he lowered and brushed a chaste kiss across her lips. She softened her mouth and permitted the kiss.
Saunders asked Rachel and him to sign a few papers, transferring ownership of accounts and a few sundry legal matters. After that, they drove home in silence. When he stopped in front of the house, he put the truck in park and turned to face her.
“I inherited half a ranch,” she said, staring straight ahead.
He studied her and took in her lovely profile. She’d arranged her hair in an elegant knot that he yearned to tug loose. He wanted to see her hair tumble past her shoulders. He imagined burying his face into the curve of her neck and inhaling her scent, kissing her there. Biting and marking her.
“You didn’t inherit half a ranch. You inherited a whole ranch and you got married.”
“You’re saying that after a year, you’re not going to call it quits?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Exactly.”
He got out of the truck and came to her door. Instead of helping her down, he scooped her into his arms, kicked the door shut with his boot and carried her up the stairs. While he’d intended the gesture to offer a little romance to the day, she clearly didn’t appreciate his efforts. Hardly able to meet his gaze, she kept her eyes averted until he had her over the threshold and set her down.
The house was empty. It was just the two of them. She took a few steps back from him, teetering on her heels, giving him an alarmed look as if he might pounce on her right there in the middle of the hallway. And not that he wouldn’t, someday, do just that. But not today.
Silence stretched between them as taut as a bowstring, drawn tight with all the things that hadn’t been discussed.
Where would each of them sleep?
How would they manage day-to-day business of the ranch?
What did each of them want?
He drew close to her, watching for signs she might panic, just as he would study a frightened horse as he approached. “This is the way it’s going to go, baby.”
She flinched at the endearment, but he pressed on.
“I’m going to take care of the ranch and everything outside that door.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “And you’re going to take care of the house.”
Folding her arms over her chest, she glared at him. “What a surprise. Am I allowed to wear pants?”
A memory sprang to mind, the way her fine ass looked in yoga pants this morning while she cooked breakfast.
“I don’t mind you wearing pants.” And just to tease her he added a small barb. “I’ll allow it.”
“Gramps complained about me wearing pants. I’m surprised he didn’t add a dresses or skirts only mandate. Pantyhose too. Along with this stupid idea that I need to be married to have the ranch. I’ll wear whatever the heck I want to wear.”
“You look pretty nice now. That tight skirt looks sexy as sin on you, Rachel.”
A shadow of fretfulness passed behind her eyes. Had he gone too far, teasing her about her skirt being tight?
“You’re going to tell the men that we’re married?” she asked.
“I am.”
“And you’re going to sleep here?”
“I plan to.”
He’d expected her to object, but she looked relieved.
“I’d like that. The house creaks at night.”
“It’s just shifting.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I know. I just don’t like waking up like that. I get teased by my friends for being a chicken all the time. Are you going to sleep in your own room?”
“Where do you want me to sleep?”
“In your own room,” she replied without hesitation.
He expected as much, but part of him still hoped she’d want him like he wanted her. If he’d pressed the issue and reminded her of how last night he’d made her cry out his name, she would have retreated even further. The memory would have to be set aside. For now.
“All right,” he said. “I need to get some work done. I’ll take the master bedroom. The guest bed is too short for me.”
“This is my house,” she said.
“No, darling. It’s our house. At least for the next year.”
She frowned, but said nothing and he turned and left the house.
After he changed and went to the barn, his lead cowboy explained that a mare was missing from the herd. They’d rounded up mustangs from the back pastures and when they did the head count, they’d come up one short.
Luke ordered his gelding saddled and set out for the 200-acre tract that lay behind the ridge. The ride would do him good, allow time to clear his head. Jed, the son of a gun, had pulled a fast one on him. Not that he minded. Not at all. He would have preferred to have known beforehand, but there was no helping that now.
Back when Jed was around to give orders, he would have told the men to forget about a single mare. The mustangs were part of a government program and the ranch didn’t make a lot of money from the contract. Jed would have shrugged off the potential loss of a mustang, but that didn’t sit well with Luke. He wouldn’t leave an animal out there on its own, vulnerable to predators. Plenty of times he and Jed argued about Luke riding long hours to bring a single animal home.
Luke passed the better part of the afternoon, searching for the mare and almost missed her. She was down, most of her hidden by the tall grasses. He spotted the tips of her ears at the same time his gelding scented her. The horse nickered and the mare answered.
“Shit,” Luke muttered. He always traveled with a gun in his saddle bag and in the years of cowboying never had to put an animal out of its misery. He prayed he wouldn’t need to on this day. When he approached, the mare got up and shook herself.
“Hey, pretty girl,” Luke murmured, drawing close.
The mare turned her head and Luke followed her gaze to find a foal lying in the grass.
“Look what you got, there, beauty. A little one.”
Luke pulled his horse to a stop and waited. The foal was dry so he had to be a couple hours old, at least. Luke watched as the foal struggled to get to his feet, wincing at a few painful looking false starts. After a few attempts, the animal managed to get up and went directly to his mother to nurse.
Luke smiled, wishing Rachel were here to see this. She would have loved the youngster and the way he swayed on his long legs. After the foal nursed, Luke turned the gelding the direction of the barns and was grateful the mare and her little one followed. The trip home took longer because Luke stopped several times to let the foal nurse and rest, but they finally got back.
The sun set over the western hills as he rode into the barnyard. He handed off his reins to one of the ranch hands. He gave instructions for the mare and foal. He waited to see that his orders were underway and turned to the house.
Jed’s home, an old two-story ranch house, sat on a slope facing the west. The wiring and plumbing needed updating, no doubt. Jed hadn’t spent a nickel on improvements. Luke made a list of what he wanted to check first.
Halfway back to the house, a blast split the quiet of the evening. Luke watched in horror as a ball of flames shot through the roof of the old home. A curse tore from his throat as he took off at a dead run.
Chapter Nine
Rachel
The explosion came from the kitchen below and knocked Rachel off her feet. Smoke filled the air, making it impossible to see much except that she lay amidst shards of broken glass. Pulling herself to a sitting position she coughed and gagged. The acrid smoke stung her throat.
Shouts came from below. Muffled and unclear. Luke yelled her name. She tried to call back but the effort brought on a new wave of coughing. She wore nothing more than a pair of boy shorts, a shirt and a short robe. If she moved, the glass wo
uld cut her bare skin or feet. Leaning forward, she managed to reach the blanket from her bed and pulled it around herself.
“Rachel,” Luke shouted again, this time closer.
Squinting through the hazy smoke, she covered her mouth with the edge of the blanket. She needed to stay low to get out of the room, but crawling across the glass would cut her to shreds. Better bleeding than dead, she told herself. Inching across the floor, she gripped the blanket for protection. Halfway across the room, she could make out the doorway enough to see the floor and doorframe were ablaze.
A shadow darkened the doorway and strong arms lifted her off the ground.
“Cover your face,” Luke pulled her tight against his chest. “We’re gonna have to go through the fire.”
She did as she was told, ducking under the cover of the blanket. He carried her along the hallway and down the stairs. Around her, timbers and walls crashed as the fire tore through the home. Luke barreled through the front door and gasped for breath. Outside, he set her down on the ground some distance from the house.
Fire roared through the house. Flames engulfed the entire home from the porch to the roof. The men tried for several minutes to try to put the fire out with hoses and buckets, but all of them stood back now.
“It’s too late,” Rachel murmured. “It’s all gone.”
She had a vague awareness of Luke running his hands over her.
“Are you hurt?”
Was she hurt? Her body felt numb. “I don’t know.”
“Did you pass out?”
“No. My ears are ringing a little.” The world spun and she tightened her hold on Luke, willing it to stop. Her stomach knotted. “You came for me.”
His eyes darkened. “Of course, I came for you.”
She set her hand on his jaw and stared in disbelief. “The house was on fire and you came for me.”
He clasped her hand and kissed the palm. “I did, baby.”
She turned to watch the fire. Flames licked the roof. Heat curled the shingles as the fire intensified. Hissing and popping noises filled the air. Distantly, horses neighed in fright.
Luke got up and strode to the gathered men. “Keep the hoses running. I want the ground as wet as possible. Watch for embers. I’m taking Rachel to my cabin. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”