Outlaw Marriage

by Laurie Paige

  He burst into laughter. “I wish. English was my downfall.” He shook his head. “All those essays on the dumbest subjects I’d ever heard of.”

  “Such as?”

  “The social forms of the premodern, post-neo-classical period in English literature and art as compared with the postmodern, existentialist movement and confessional elements in twentieth-century novels.”

  She started laughing. “You’re making that up.”

  “Well,” he drawled, not denying it but not admitting to anything, either. He leaned close. “I like hearing your laughter. It opens up a whole new world.”

  Startled, she stared at him, the amusement dying as she gazed into his eyes. Flames licked over her nerves at his intense perusal. Awareness flickered between them, as insistent as heat lightning in a summer storm.

  With an effort, she looked away.

  “It isn’t going to disappear,” he said, his voice rich with nuances that hinted at future bliss…and reckless, impossible complications.

  She thought of pretending to not know what he meant, but discarded the notion. “Nothing is going to come of it,” she said instead.

  “Nothing?”

  “No.”

  A wry smile curved his expressive lips in a self-mocking manner. “I hope like hell you’re wrong,” he said softly. “But I’m afraid you’re right.”

  “We’re enemies.” She stated the fact bluntly.

  “The lawsuit won’t go on forever.”

  “For us, it will. The Baxters and the Kincaids will always be on opposite sides of the fence.”

  “That isn’t true for all the Baxters and Kincaids, such as Brandon and Emma.”

  “Emma wasn’t raised as a Baxter.”

  His expression hardened. “True, therefore she wasn’t fed on hatred of the Kincaids from birth.”

  Hope surveyed the grandeur of the scenery. Hatred seemed terribly out of place here in this peaceful spot.

  Sadness invaded her. She couldn’t remember a time when her father hadn’t spoken of the Kincaids in derisive tones. It had been part of her life. But she couldn’t honestly say she personally hated anyone.

  “My father lost everything because of the Kincaids.”

  “He made a life for himself,” Collin reminded her in gentler tones. “He earned a fortune on his own. He had a wife. And you.”

  Heat raced through her. His voice had dropped to a silken caress on the last two words. He made her feel as if she were a treasure beyond price, one that her father should have appreciated—

  She stopped the wayward thought. “He lost his heritage, his rightful heritage, because of your family.”

  Collin acknowledged the thrust with a lift of his dark eyebrows and a shrug of his muscular shoulders. They finished the meal without further conversation.

  He tilted his head toward the northwest. “There’s a storm brewing. We’d better be heading back. You’ve seen the land Carey and Wayne have. It’s rough and not good for ranching. This part is old mining country. Again, not good for ranching, but it’s part of the Baxter holdings the trustees will sell you. We’ll go to the northern section tomorrow.”

  “The one the tribal council bought?”

  “Yes. The land is ideal for a resort there.”

  “And no good for ranching,” she concluded.

  He stood. “It has some pasture along the creek, but it’s too damp for a housing development.”

  Stung by the implied criticism, she spoke sharply. “Maybe my father wants to establish a family home and put down roots in the land of his ancestors the way your grandfather wants to do for his bastard grandsons.”

  “Is that what you want?” Collin demanded. “You’re your father’s only heir. Is that why you want the land?”

  She didn’t share her father’s dream, but she’d never questioned his right to it. “I’ve never thought about it,” she admitted.

  He stood and gathered their debris. “You ought to think about what exactly you want for your future.” He walked off and readied their mounts for the return trip.

  Staring at his broad back as they rode single-file down the ridge to the valley, she wondered what she did want and why thinking about it made her ache inside.

  Four

  Garrett met them at the door when Hope and Collin arrived back at the ranch house. He was beaming. “I have a surprise for you,” he told Hope.

  For some reason she felt alarmed rather than pleased. Warily she followed the handsome older man into the family room or library or den or whatever they called it on a ranch. She recognized Emma Harper immediately.

  “Emma, I want you to meet your cousin, Hope Baxter. Hope, your cousin Emma and one of my newest granddaughters-in-law.” He was supremely pleased at the connection.

  Hope smiled at the quiet, hazel-eyed waitress from the Hip Hop Café. At the time Emma had worked there, Hope had detected an aura of unhappiness around the young woman, but now there was a sweet glow in her eyes. Brandon, she noted, stayed close to his bride, as if guarding her.

  “I’ve wanted to meet you,” Hope said sincerely. “When I discovered you were a Baxter and we were kin, I was delighted.” She gestured at the three men. “After all, we are seriously outnumbered by the Kincaids.”

  Brandon frowned, but Garrett and Collin burst into laughter at her little joke. Pleasure spread through her like butter on hot toast.

  “I’m glad to meet you, too,” Emma said, then looked surprised when Hope gave her an impulsive hug.

  “Have a seat,” Garrett invited. He served margaritas to everyone. Gina and Trent joined them. Trent put his son on the floor on top of the activity mat Gina had spread for him to play on. The men discussed ranch business.

  To Hope, it was all very warm and homey. The way a family should be. She’d felt that familiar ache when Collin had told her about Wayne donating bone marrow to his little half sister. All the Kincaids seemed to share some kind of bond with each other. There was nothing like that among her family. Looking at the Kincaids gathered in the family room, she felt like a traitor in their midst, the spy who would use anything she heard against them.

  “Did you know you have another Baxter cousin?” Emma asked Hope during a pause in the conversation. “Rafe Rawlings was another child abandoned by Lexine. It’s hard to believe that in addition to a twin, I’ve also had a half brother all these years.”

  “I’ve heard the rumors about the sheriff, but discounted it because of that Wolf Boy story about him being found in the woods and raised by a pack of wolves.”

  “Our dear mother left him in a cabin when he was only a toddler. I can only assume she was sure he would be found before he starved.” She shook her head, clearly not sure Lexine had thought about it at all.

  “Tangled webs,” Hope murmured. “One act leads to another and our lives become hopelessly entangled.”

  “You have to wonder about that first rash act,” Collin said, “the one that sets the whole chain of events in motion, especially in the case of murder.”

  “And once set, can anyone change the direction that fate seems determined to go?” Trent added.

  “It takes courage to stand against the tide of opinion,” Garrett mentioned. He turned a proud gaze on Brandon. “The way Brandon here did when everyone was sure Emma was the guilty party.”

  The young man looked embarrassed at the praise. “A person with one eye could see Emma wasn’t the sort to hurt anyone. She didn’t even know Christina Montgomery.”

  Emma laid her hand on his arm in a gesture of complete love and trust. Her eyes glowed happily as she gazed at her new husband. Hope was shocked at the sting of tears in her own eyes. She had that ache in her chest again, too.

  Looking away, she encountered Collin. His gaze locked with hers and refused to let go. Flames danced in eyes that should have been as cool as a mountain lake but instead reminded her of lava stones, fresh from the fiery furnace of the life-giving earth.

  She forced her gaze downward and stared at the
refreshing drink in her hand. What Brandon and Emma had…it was never going to happen for her. She’d learned that lesson when her father had paid her sweetheart in law school to leave and never come back. He’d taken the twenty thousand and kept his word. She’d never seen him again.

  Well, better to know sooner than later. But she’d loved him, or thought she had. She’d trusted him with all her heart. For a few short weeks she’d been dizzy with happiness. A sigh reached all the way to her soul. She’d never be that young and naive again.

  “Dinner should be ready,” Gina said. “I hope everyone likes beef stew.”

  “Supper, honey,” Trent reminded her. “We’re on the ranch now. We don’t want to confuse the cowboys with city talk.” He grinned at his grandfather and Collin.

  “Impudent pup,” Garrett muttered good-naturedly. He rose and extended his arm to Hope.

  Confused, she stood. He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and escorted her to the dining room. Everyone got their own dishes and flatware from a sideboard. Trent brought in a crock of delicious-smelling stew while Gina carried the baby and placed him in a high chair. Emma and Brandon served hot bread and iced tea for those who wanted it. It was all very comfortable and easy.

  “What do you contribute?” she asked Collin when he took a seat beside her.

  He chuckled wickedly. “Didn’t I tell you? We get to do the dishes. All by ourselves. Alone in the kitchen.”

  Heat rushed over her as the others laughed at the lecherous waggling of his eyebrows. She had to laugh, too. As the meal progressed, she had to admit she was having a good time. That worried her. A lot.

  Hope found the kitchen was entirely modern. With a grin, Collin motioned her to a tall stool at a planning center and proceeded to load the dishwasher. Finishing the task, he started the machine, then washed out the slow-cooker and wiped up the counters.

  “Done,” he said.

  She glanced at her watch. “In less than twenty minutes. I’m impressed.”

  “Let’s take a walk.”

  She shook her head. “I have some papers I need to go over. I think I’ll go to my room.”

  He shook his head. With a half smile on his face, he came toward her. He stopped a mere six inches away and laid his hands on the counter, trapping her within the frame of his masculine strength. His face loomed over hers.

  She leaned against the counter, putting as much space as possible between them. The strange panic that had run through her the day of their meeting returned, stronger than before. She could feel it arcing from nerve to nerve until every part of her body was electrified.

  “Don’t,” she said, a whisper of sound. She looked away from his compelling gaze.

  “You looked scared,” he said, puzzled. He crooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’ve never hurt a woman in my life. I don’t intend to start with you. Especially with you,” he added softly.

  His breath touched her cheek. She felt hot, dizzy, confused by the panic. “I am scared. Th-this isn’t good.”

  His half smile appeared briefly. “I think it would be very good. So do you. That’s what scares you.”

  “No,” she began, but couldn’t continue the lie. “An involvement between us is out of the question.”

  “An involvement, yes.”

  His tone hinted at other possibilities that would be within the realm of acceptable. A shudder spread through her. He trailed his fingers down her throat, then settled both hands on her shoulders.

  “What does the fight over the land have to do with us?”

  She reared her head back. “Everything. Our families have been enemies for a long time.”

  He leaned closer. “I’m not your enemy.”

  “I won’t be your lover.”

  She was appalled at the crass statement. It took all her control to maintain a level stare while waiting for him to tell her he hadn’t asked her to be. He surprised her with a rueful smile.

  “A man can dream.”

  He backed up a step, which allowed her to breathe a bit easier. She hopped off the stool. “I’m going to my room.”

  “It’s still light. Let’s go for a walk.” He sliced her a sideways glance. “I’m restless.”

  The familiar heat seared along her veins, making her aware of the same restlessness within herself. When he started for the door without further argument, she followed more slowly.

  Outside, the sun was setting. The sky was streaked with magenta and purple tones, spread with a lavish brush. The trees were silhouettes lined with gold as they climbed the lofty peaks surrounding the valley. Cattle and horses grazed peacefully in the pastures.

  “It’s so beautiful here, so…wild and free,” she said, catching up with his long stride. She heard the longing in her voice and wished she could recall the words. They made her appear weak.

  He stopped at the railing where horses once were tied when cowboys came in for a noonday meal or visitors rode over to chat awhile and leaned against it. He glanced at the scenery, then nodded. “It lets a soul breathe.”

  His words stirred chords in her. He understood what she felt. And that made him dangerous to her, more dangerous than the physical attraction they felt.

  Yeah, right, soul mates, she mocked, trying to dispel the feeling. It refused to budge. A yearning for something she had never had gripped her. She couldn’t even put a name to it. She clasped the wooden rail and tried to think.

  Her father had told her she had to be careful, that men would want her for financial gain, not for herself, that people were not to be trusted. He’d been right.

  She studied Collin. He had more reason than most to gain her favor. She had to remember that. He and Garrett wanted the lawsuit to end. Would they resort to any means to make that happen?

  “A penny for them,” he said, interrupting her endless circle of confusion.

  “I was wondering to what lengths you would go to influence me in the case.”

  His wry laughter startled her. She turned a questioning gaze on him.

  “Here I was thinking romantic thoughts of a twilight stroll and you’re thinking of the lawsuit. Teaches me a lesson about my effect on the opposite sex.”

  “I won’t fall for the infamous Kincaid charm,” she told him, sounding stiff and priggish and stupid.

  “No one has asked you to,” he said in a tone of brushed steel. “You’re right. Maybe you’d better go study your legal papers. You might find a loophole to oust the Kincaids from the entire county.”

  With that, he walked off into the shadows, leaving her to wrestle with regret and other emotions too turbulent to identify. The ache inside intensified. Retreating to her room, she acknowledged her instincts had been right, she shouldn’t have come out to the ranch, but for different reasons than those connected to the lawsuit.

  Collin Kincaid was dangerous to her peace of mind.

  Hope groaned as she rolled out of bed shortly after dawn the next morning. Peeking out the window she saw others had been up for a while. Cade and Leanne were moving a string of horses from one pasture to another. Garrett and Trent, holding his son, were watching the animals as they went by, seemingly commenting on them.

  She dressed quickly in a blue split skirt and white shirt and, unsure what to do, headed for the door. A note on the carpet told her to proceed to the kitchen. She studied Collin’s neat handwriting, most of the letters printed the way engineers, accountants and those able to think down to the tiniest detail tended to do.

  Hearing laughter in the kitchen, she hesitated before entering, then felt foolish as Emma caught sight of her.

  “Come on in. We’re just finishing breakfast. It’s mine and Brandon’s turn to cook. We’ve been arguing over sausage, eggs and gravy versus whole-grain cereal.”

  “Brandon and I won since we outnumbered Em,” Collin spoke up. He was pouring orange juice into glasses that were already set on a tray.

  “Next time I’m going to demand you be allowed a vote,” Emma decl
ared, placing a perfectly fried egg on a platter with several others. “Okay, let’s go.”

  “Here, carry this,” Collin ordered. He handed her a basket of biscuits while he carried the tray. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked on a deeper note when they were alone in the dining room.

  “Yes, thank you.” She placed the basket on the sideboard where jelly and homemade jam already waited.

  Emma and Brandon followed with the rest of the food. Emma called down the hall to Gina. As if sensing a signal, Garrett and Trent and the baby returned to the house.

  They sat down to the meal together. Garrett asked a blessing on all his family, those present and those absent. Then everyone filled his or her own plate with Hope going first, then Garrett.

  Again she was reminded of how close the Kincaid family seemed to be and how different it was from her family.

  Once she’d thought her father was the most wonderful person in the world. In her youth he’d taken her to the office with him. His staff had helped watch after her. It wasn’t until she was older that she’d realized her sitters had left because he worked such long, unpredictable hours that they’d had no life of their own. So he’d taken her to work with him because he hadn’t had a choice.

  When had he become so obsessed with Whitehorn and his lost legacy there?

  She realized it must have been in his mind for years. As soon as he started making a lot of money as a stock broker, then investment advisor, he’d started buying land.

  “Do you like being a lawyer?” Emma asked, bringing Hope’s thoughts back to the present.

  “I really do,” she admitted. “The law isn’t perfect, sometimes it isn’t even fair, but we have one of the best systems in the world for promoting justice for all.”

  “I’ll second that,” her new cousin agreed. “If it hadn’t been for the law allowing additional DNA testing, I’m sure I wouldn’t be here now.”

  Brandon looked fierce. “We would have found something else to clear you. That old prospector, Homer Gilmore, has been seeing aliens in the hills around here for years. It would have been his word against yours.”