by Laurie Paige
The signs were confusing. At a fork in the trail, it appeared horses had gone in both directions and it was impossible for her to tell who or when. She’d taken the right branch into this arroyo rather than the one leading up the ridge. Her father had taught her to do that. When unsure, always go to the right, then you always knew which trail you’d already tried if you got confused. She’d obviously made the wrong choice.
Bending forward, she studied the hoof prints in the dirt. Horses had passed that way recently. Most were shod. One was not.
Odd, that.
She remounted and observed the narrow canyon. It dead-ended about three hundred yards ahead. But there were no signs of the unshod horse having returned down the trail. She didn’t think it was hiding. There wasn’t that much cover.
Clicking to the chestnut gelding, she rode along the irregular game trail that ran alongside a small wash, empty now that they hadn’t had rain since the big storm.
Near the end of the arroyo, she paused, intending to turn back, until she heard a gunshot reverberate between the canyon walls ahead of her. Curious and worried, she urged the gelding on. Rounding a house-high boulder, she found the canyon opened into a tiny valley with a winding line of cottonwoods running its length.
“Hello?” she called.
Her voice echoed eerily back to her again and again. She rode into the valley and called again. When the echo died away, she heard another voice.
“Here,” it said. “The creek.”
Her heart lurched even before she consciously knew who the person was. She kicked her mount into a canter and headed for the cottonwoods.
“Cade,” she called. “Answer me.”
“Here.”
His voice was so close, she was startled. “Where?” She couldn’t see him.
A hand waved above a rock outcropping. She rode toward it, dismounted and dropped the reins to the ground. The gelding immediately started cropping the sparse grass. She rushed around the rocks. “Cade,” she said, dropping to the ground beside him.
“What took you so long?” he asked irritably.
She laughed and kissed his dear, precious face. “I thought you were dead,” she told him. “I was so afraid.”
“Put those lips where they’ll do the most good,” he ordered, then slid a hand into her hair and pulled her face to his.
The kiss was brief. He released her with a groan.
“My head hurts like hell,” he complained. “And my leg and shoulder.”
“Is anything broken?”
He shrugged. “My pride, for sure. Never expected a wild horse to attack while I was firing shots in front of it.”
“It must have been feral. At one time, it must have been trained not to fear gunfire.”
“Yeah, that’s what I decided about the time it kicked the hell out of me and knocked me off my horse.”
“You have a lump on your head, but your pupils look okay. I don’t think you have a concussion.”
He rubbed his shoulder and leg. “My left ankle is killing me. Got it caught in the stirrup for a minute or two. Stepper was a champ. He stayed still until I was free and kept between me and the rogue stallion.”
“I’ll see that he gets all the oats he wants every day of his life,” she vowed.
While Cade relaxed, she checked him over thoroughly. She couldn’t look him in the eye, not after the way she’d acted, throwing herself at him and kissing him as if there was no tomorrow.
“I can’t tell if anything’s broken,” she said. She tugged his boot off as gently as she could. “Your ankle is pretty swollen. I’ll wrap it in a cold cloth.”
She wet a bandage in the creek and wrapped the injured ankle tightly.
“Help me get the boot back on and we’ll be out of here,” he ordered.
“Are you sure you can make it?” At his nod, she continued, “Your grandfather and some others are nearby. We’ll signal them.” She picked up his rifle and fired into a tree a hundred yards away.
Cade chuckled. “For a minute there, I was afraid you were going to fire straight up into the air. I don’t think I can crawl fast enough to get to cover.”
She looked at him without smiling. “I know how to handle a gun.” She handed him the fanny pack. “There’s food if you want it.”
Walking away from the cottonwood and the shade it provided from the noon heat, she clenched her hands and sought control of the wild emotions that raged through her.
Cade was alive. That was all that counted. Her love for him was trivial compared to that. She waited ten minutes, then fired the rifle again.
An answering shot immediately followed hers. She went back to Cade. “Help is on the way.”
“I heard.” He watched her relentlessly as he ate a couple of granola bars and drank a container of water.
She sat on a rock near him and laid a hand on his forehead. Thank God, he didn’t feel warm. “Were you very cold during the night?”
“No. I thought of making love to you and it warmed me clear through,” he murmured in a husky tone. He trailed a finger down her suddenly hot cheek. “I always went for blushing cowgirls.”
She managed a smile while she pushed his hand away. “You’re incorrigible. Thinking of sex when you could have been dead.”
“I figure it showed I was still alive. How about some of those kisses for dessert?”
He gave her a sexy leer that nearly had her toppling into his arms. The sound of horses coming into the valley stopped the images forming in her mind.
“Saved,” he murmured with a wicked grin, not referring to the rescue.
It touched her to see the relief on Garrett’s face when he saw Cade was alive and mostly well. The men lifted him onto her horse. She started to mount behind Rand for the ride back.
“You’d better ride with me,” Cade suggested. “In case I get a dizzy spell and fall off.”
Aware of the amused glances of his grandfather, his two half brothers, the ranch foreman and Rafe Rawlings, who was introduced as the sheriff, she remained where she was, not sure whether to follow her common sense or her heart.
Cade reined the gelding close to her and moved his foot aside so she could reach the stirrup. “In front,” he said, “so I can lean on you.”
He held out his left hand and slid back in the saddle with a slight grimace.
“Hurry up, girl,” Garrett said. “Time’s a’wasting.”
She ignored the helping hand and, standing on the boulder, climbed into the saddle in front of Cade and took the reins. He linked his hands together in front of her, enclosing her in the warmth of his embrace. She set a slow pace on the homeward journey.
Rand told her to follow the creek. It would take them to the ranch headquarters quicker than the other trail. They found the mares halfway back. The band joined the riders and other horses as if happy to see them and went docilely back to the paddock. Gina, Suzanne, carrying Joey, and Cookie hurried over as soon as they arrived.
“We’ll take Cade to the hospital in Whitehorn,” Garrett decided, giving his grandson a worried perusal.
“I’m fine—”
“Do as your grandfather says,” Leanne ordered.
“Yes, ma’am.”
That drew a laugh from the other men. Garrett brought a truck around and, thanks to his brothers, Cade got in. Sweat broke out across his forehead, indicating the pain he wouldn’t admit to.
“Get in,” Garrett urged, looking at Leanne.
She suddenly felt self-conscious. Fate had intervened and let her find her love, but she had no place in his life. “I’ll wait here. I want to talk to Rand and…and visit with Suzanne and the baby.”
Cade nodded and closed the door to the truck with an effort. Garrett frowned, but took off for town.
“Well, I’d better get these hounds back to their owners,” Rafe Rawlings told them. “Here, Freeway. Here, Sonny. Let’s go.”
The two dogs, panting in the shade, leaped into the back of the sheriff’s truck. The brothers s
hook hands with him and thanked him for his help.
When the small group dispersed, Leanne followed Rand to the ranch office after promising to join Suzanne for lunch.
“What about the job?” she asked.
He took the chair behind the desk and studied her with a frown. “I’d better discuss it with Wayne. He’s the ranch manager.”
“You’re the foreman. You can hire and fire.”
He drummed his fingers on the desk. “We need help now. With the auction in two days and Cade probably laid up, we don’t have anyone to show the horses.”
“I can do it.”
“What about your job at the restaurant?” He was hedging and they both knew it.
“Two women stopped in this week asking for work. I won’t be leaving Janie in a lurch.”
He sighed, then nodded. “Can you start Saturday?”
“Yes.” She started out the door. “This is the life I want. It’s as much in my blood as it is yours.”
“Yeah. But it can be a hard one.”
“I’m not afraid of work.” She headed for Rand’s house. Playing with Joey and chatting with Suzanne, she passed the rest of the morning with only an occasional glance out the window. It was almost two when Garrett and Cade arrived.
“Go see how he is,” Suzanne told her with an encouraging smile. “It’s the polite thing to do.”
Leanne hurried out. Garrett was handing Cade a set of crutches when she arrived at the truck. She stared at the cast on his left leg. His jeans were cut open to his knee.
“He has a hairline fracture above the ankle,” the older man explained when Cade didn’t. “The rest—his head, shoulder and right leg—are bruises only.”
“There’s no ‘only’ about it,” Cade drawled, a grin easing the frown of pain on his face. “They all hurt.” He looked directly at her. “Thanks for showing up.”
She spread her hands helplessly. “I talked to Rand. When he told me, I had to—” She clamped her teeth on her lip to stop the confession. “I thought I could be of help since I’d ridden part of that area recently.”
“You were a great help,” Garrett said sincerely. “Here, help the boy to his room while I go call his mother and let her know he’s okay. She called from Texas this morning and I had to tell her he was missing.”
Leanne stood as if frozen when Garrett hurried off. Her heart was beating so hard she wondered if Cade could hear it.
“Are you going to help?” he demanded.
“Oh. Yes. What do you want me to do?”
“Carry my boot. I won’t be wearing them as a pair for a while. Get me to my room. Then I’d like food. The lunch in the hospital cafeteria was already gone.”
She saw him into his room and helped him out of the other boot, then gave him a glass of water so he could take a pain pill. She hurried to the kitchen to find food. When she returned, she found him in bed, his clothing discarded on the floor.
She placed a bed tray across his lap. “Ham and cheese on rye, potato salad, carrot sticks. Is that enough?”
“Almost.” He patted the side of the bed. “Stay.”
She sat on the bed and watched him wolf down the huge sandwich she’d made. He ate every bite. “Do you want me to see if there’s anything for dessert?”
“No. It’s already here.” He stared at her mouth and handed her the tray. “Put this on the floor,” he ordered in a husky voice.
She took the tray to the kitchen, needing time to compose herself. She couldn’t fall into his arms as if nothing had changed. Slowly she returned.
“About time,” he said grumpily when she entered. “Close the door.”
She did so. Leaning against it, she faced him. “I didn’t come back to take up where we left off.”
He studied her for a moment, then smiled. “You weren’t so reluctant when you found me this morning.”
The heat rose in her face. She wondered what she’d said, what she’d given away during those first frantic moments of relief. She tried to recall her words but could only remember the kisses.
“Please,” he said on a quieter note, gesturing toward the place where she’d been sitting.
She sat on the bed again, not close but not out of reach, either. She met his gaze stoically. “Rand has given me a job at the ranch. I want to stay here, but I’m not going to be your lover, Cade. I can’t do that to my family. Or myself.”
His eyes roamed over her and returned to her face. She saw the hunger he didn’t bother to hide. “I’ve missed you. It’s been a miserable week. Lonely.”
She looked down at her clasped hands. The tremors grew stronger. She could tell him a thing or two about misery and loneliness.
“When I fell from my horse, I hit my head. I knew I was close to passing out.”
The fear returned. She took it out in anger. “You could have been killed. Men always think they’re invulnerable, but you’re not. You should have taken someone with you.”
“She wasn’t here,” he said softly.
“Don’t.” The tears that she’d held since she’d known he could be hurt pressed close to the surface.
“Before I passed out,” he continued, “one thought came to mind…”
Leanne looked up when the pause grew long. She quickly glanced away at the fire in his eyes. Answering flames ignited in her.
“That thought was you. I had asked you to marry me and make our pretend marriage real, thinking that was the solution to the situation. I realized I hadn’t told you something else, something I didn’t realize until that wild stallion tried to do me in.” He paused. “Leanne.”
Taking a trembling breath, she met his eyes. “Yes?”
“Don’t you know, girl, that I love you? And probably have since the first moment I laid eyes on you in your bedraggled wedding finery.”
She gave him a fierce frown. “Don’t lie, Cade. You disliked me on sight.” The spurt of anger dissipated and the sadness returned. He wanted her. She could see it in his eyes. If she stayed, how long would it be before they were lovers again?
“That was because of my former fiancée leaving me at the altar,” he reminded her. He took her hand and held it between both of his. “I was attracted to you. I wanted to make love to you. Since then, I’ve watched you. I’ve seen your concern and consideration for those you love. I’ve seen you work as hard as any man on the ranch. And I found out something even more important. We share the same dream, you and I.”
His gaze filled with tenderness. For her, she realized. Her heart lurched drunkenly about her chest.
“I think we could have a good life, working together here on the ranch, or another one if this doesn’t work out. Marry me, Leanne. My grandfather wouldn’t like us to have children out of wedlock. He’s old-fashioned that way.”
A smile bloomed on her face. “We’ll raise beautiful horses and babies.”
“Is that a yes?”
She nodded.
With his good arm, he hauled her up beside him. She kicked off her shoes and snuggled close. “Well,” she said and could think of nothing else to add.
“Give me your mouth,” he demanded in a fierce lover’s voice.
She lifted her lips to his. The kiss was long, sweet and satisfying.
He raised his head. “Say the words.”
“I love you. I have for ages. Forever. You were the mate my soul was searching for. You said falling in love was sharing. I want to share everything with you—happiness, the sorrows that will come along, children, a home. I’ll even work in an office.”
“Same here. I’d take a town job if it came to that, if that’s what we needed to make it.”
They smiled, understanding they would each make any sacrifice for the other. Love was like that. She sighed happily, not quite believing this wasn’t a dream.
He yawned. “I was coming to town to get you as soon as I could make it,” he murmured, nuzzling her temple. “Lying under the stars last night, I knew I wasn’t going to spend another one without you if I
could help it. I planned how I was going to storm your defenses, seduce you, whatever it took. You made it easy when you came to me. I knew then it was going to be okay.”
“Egotistical,” she chided gently.
He grinned. “How soon can we get married? I’ll hog-tie you to make sure you get to the altar.” He yawned again, a sign the pain pill was taking effect.
Laughing, she gave him a love bite on the neck. “I want to make a new dress, one just for us, for the real wedding.”
“How long?” he demanded with gratifying impatience.
“Six weeks?”
“Okay. Here at the ranch?”
“Yes. I don’t want a big to-do. Your parents, of course. And Rand and Suzanne and Joey and Mack. Garrett and…your brothers?”
“Yeah, we’ll have to ask them.” He grimaced. “The press will no doubt find it interesting. They’ll recount the story of the long-lost Kincaid bastards. It’s a story that will probably follow us all our lives.”
“That’s okay.”
They fell silent. When she looked up, she saw his eyes were half closed. “Sleep,” she whispered. “We have plenty of time to talk.”
“Forever,” he murmured drowsily. “Don’t tell my grandfather until I wake up. I want to be with you when he gets the news that the marriage is going to be real, after all.”
Leanne shifted carefully and laid her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beating steadily and strong under her cheek. She heard a cow low and another answer. She heard the breeze blowing down from the Crazy Mountains.
Hadn’t someone once said “It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world?” It was, especially when a person was crazily, blissfully, in love.
She smiled. She’d come to the ranch full of doubt and uncertainty. No more. She now knew what love was.
Yes, she did.
Special thanks and acknowledgment to Laurie Paige for her contribution to the Montana Mavericks series.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5713-3
CHEYENNE BRIDE
Copyright © 2000 by Harlequin Books S.A.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.