by Bobbi Smith
"We'll be in touch," Jack said as he took up the reins.
Elizabeth and Michael stood together watching as they drove away.
It was late afternoon when Casey reached the rendezvous spot to find Michael already there, waiting for her.
When Michael saw her riding in, he went to meet her.
"Did you have any trouble getting away?" he asked as she reined in before him.
"No. I just told Pa the truth. There was no point in lying about it." She dismounted and tied up her horse. "He understood when I told him we needed to talk a few things out."
"That we do," he agreed.
"So talk," Casey urged, walking along with him to stand in the shade on the bank. The thought that in four short weeks Michael was going to be her husband was intimidating, and she needed to clear the air between them right now. She wanted to make sure they understood each other from the start.
"My mother's comments aside, you and I both know this upcoming `marriage' of ours is strictly business," Michael began. "We're only going through with it because we have no other choice."
Michael was blunt, Casey gave him credit for that.
"That's true," she agreed. "And speaking of your mother's comments, there is one thing we definitely should get straight between us."
"What's that?"
"We may have to live together, but that's all we're going to do."
"You're saying you want a marriage in name only?" Michael looked at her skeptically. For some reason, her suggestion bothered him. Not that he had wanted to have an intimate relationship with her far from it. He had never been fond of Casey, and he wanted very little to do with her. Her outright refusal to even consider that kind of relationship with him, though, was a slap in the face. It almost seemed like a challenge to him.
"Are you saying you don't?" she asked, suddenly nervous that he would be expecting more from her than she was willing to give.
"No," he answered quickly, wanting to strike that thought from her mind. "This kind of arrangement will be fine with me."
"Then we understand each other?"
"Perfectly."
"You want to shake on it, like our fathers did?"
"Why not?"
"I'm glad we got this settled between us."
Casey faced him and extended her hand, ready to seal the deal. She was relieved that Michael had proven so agreeable to her terms. When his hand engulfed hers, she was surprised at the warmth and strength of his touch. She shook his hand firmly, then tried to draw away, but Michael held on to her, refusing to release her.
"We may have settled this deal, but not everything is settled between us," he told her in a low voice.
"What are you talking about?" Her eyes widened as she looked up at him. She thought she'd heard a bit of a threat in his tone.
"I still owe you for our little run-in here."
"You wouldn't."
"Oh, yes, I would."
Before Casey could react, Michael made his move. He was a strong man and he picked her up with ease.
"What are you going to do?" she demanded as she found herself helplessly crushed against his chest, unable to move. Her heart began to race at this close physical contact, and she looked up at him, her eyes wide and uncertain.
For just an instant, Michael paused. The feel of her soft curves so tight against him was unsettling. He had never thought of Casey as having a womanly figure, but he'd just found out different. He hesitated, staring down at her for a moment, before the temptation to exact his revenge overpowered him. He tossed Casey bodily into the water.
She came up sputtering and coughing in outrage at being so manhandled.
"Why, you-!"
Michael stood on the bank laughing at her. "It's not so funny when you're on the receiving end, is it, my dear?"
Casey glared up at him as she stood in waist-deep water, dripping wet. "Are you happy now?"
"Very." He grinned in satisfaction. "Want me to help you climb out?"
"No. I want you to just leave me alone," she snarled, starting to wade out of the river. Never one to give up without a fight, she smiled as an idea came to her. She started to climb up the bank and then pretended to slip and lose her footing.
Michael had been watching her, and he reacted automatically, going to her aid when he thought she might fall.
His reaction was just what Casey had been hoping for.
This time she pretended to appreciate his help. She took the helping hand he offered, but instead of allowing him to pull her up, she yanked him forward with all her might, hoping to catch him off balance on the slippery bank.
Her plan worked.
Michael realized immediately he'd made a serious mistake in trusting her, but it was too late. He slipped and fell forward, landing with a splash right beside her in the water.
"Gotcha!" Casey was howling with delight and feeling quite proud of herself for having gotten even with Michael so quickly.
"Oh, yeah?"
Casey knew a sudden moment of uncertainty. She turned and tried to flee, but the water slowed her escape.
Michael lunged at her and snared her around the waist. He dragged her backwards and dunked her.
Casey fought to free herself, flailing away at him, but her efforts proved futile. Michael Donovan was one strong man.
They were both laughing as Michael got to his feet, taking her with him. He held her tight, her back to his chest, and controlled her with ease.
"Take it easy, there. Calm down, little lady," he taunted, grinning at her pitiful attempts to escape him.
"Little lady?" she echoed. "I'm no lady!"
"Don't I know it," Michael returned, still laughing as he let her go.
"Oh, you-"
She spun around to face him, and in that moment as she stood there before him, Michael caught a glimpse of the woman she could be. Her hair had come loose and was a tumble of dark, wet curls around her face and shoulders, and her shirt clung to her like a second skin, revealing the outline of her full breasts beneath the sodden fabric.
Michael reacted as any normal, red-blooded male would when faced with such a situation. He enjoyed the view and reached out for her. Without saying another word, he dragged Casey into his arms and kissed her.
The touch of his lips on hers sent a jolt of sensual awareness through Casey, unlike anything she'd ever known before. She knew she should resist him, but right then, she wasn't really certain she wanted to move out of his arms.
Michael hadn't expected to enjoy Casey's kiss. The kiss had strictly been on impulse, but it was an impulse he was glad he'd given in to. Her response surprised him, and he deepened the embrace, tasting of her sweetness.
Casey shivered as his mouth moved over hers in a dominating caress that left her breathless.
And then reality returned.
It didn't matter that he had made her laugh
It didn't matter that his kiss was exciting
This was Michael Donovan!
The thought was like ice water thrown on her.
Casey jerked away from Michael and stomped up the riverbank, desperate to put some distance between them. She needed to be thinking straight when she dealt with him, and she definitely wasn't thinking straight while he was kissing her. She was mad at herself for having enjoyed being in his arms, even if only for a minute.
"Oooh you stay away from me, Michael Donovan!" she ordered, scrubbing at her lips with the back of her wet shirt sleeve. "Kissing is not part of our deal!"
"You're right. It's not," he agreed easily as he, too, climbed out of the water. "Pardon me for being so thoughtless. You don't have to worry, though. For a minute there, I mistook you for a girl, but it won't happen again."
"Good! Hey, wait a minute." Casey knew she'd been insulted.
Michael ignored her and walked past her to get to his horse.
"I'll be in touch," he told her easily as he swung up into the saddle.
Casey was too upset even to look his way as he rode off. She cou
ldn't decide if she was more angry at Michael or herself. She'd told Michael theirs was to be a marriage in name only, and then he'd gone and kissed her! She was going to have to make sure that it never happened again.
Upset and swearing under her breath, she mounted up and headed home. She wondered what the future held for her as Michael's wife. The thought sent a shiver through her.
Nick was down at the stable working with Tom when Michael rode in. The two men took one look at him and started chuckling.
"How did your meeting down at the river with Casey go?" Nick asked.
"Better than the last time he ran into her there," Tom said, grinning broadly. "At least this time she let him keep his clothes."
"You two are real funny," Michael told them as he dismounted and tended to his horse.
"What happened?" Nick wondered.
"I slipped."
"I wish I'd been there to see it," Tom added.
"How's Casey?" Nick asked. "Is she just as wet as you are?"
"She's wetter."
Tom and Nick laughed again as Michael headed up to the house. He was more than eager to get out of his wet clothes.
"Michael?" Elizabeth had seen him ride in earlier, and she called out to him when she heard him come in the house. "I need to talk to you when you get a moment."
She stepped into the main hall as he was hurrying up the steps, and her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of him.
"What happened?"
"I went for a swim."
"I thought you were meeting Casey."
"I did," he answered. "I'll be back down after I change."
"All right. I'll be in the parlor." Elizabeth was smiling to herself as she watched him go.
At least this time he'd come home with his clothes on.
Her smile broadened, but she knew better than to say anything to him.
Michael made short work of changing, then went back downstairs to seek out his mother.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No, nothing is wrong. I wanted to give you this." She got up and went to him, holding out a small jewelry box.
"What is it?"
"Open it and see."
He did as she'd directed and found his grandmother's diamond engagement ring in the box.
"It's for Cassandra. I think it's only appropriate she should have it."
"But Casey is hardly the kind of female who would wear a ring like this."
"Michael, the two of you are engaged. She is going to be your wife. You need to start treating her that way."
"But marriages are usually between two people who love each other."
"Your father and I barely knew each other when we were married. Sometimes it takes a while for things to work out, but they will work out if you try hard enough. It isn't always easy not even when you are in love."
"Being married to Casey is going to be a challenge, that's for sure."
"I'm not defending her rough ways, but she hasn't had the easiest life, what with her mother dying when she was so young."
"I know."
"Be a gentleman when you're around her. Try treating her like a lady. She's never known that kind of consideration and respect."
"But she's as tough as any of the hands." Even as he said it, he remembered the way she'd looked down at the river and the unexpected wonder of her kiss.
"She may wear pants, and she may be able to ride and rope with the best of the men, but deep down inside, Cassandra is still a young woman. Court her. Woo her."
"But--" he started to protest further.
She interrupted him. "When will you see her again?"
"I don't know."
"Well, the next time you do pay her a visit, think about taking her some flowers."
Michael listened to his mother's instructions, but he knew there was no point in trying to woo Casey. They had already agreed upon the kind of marriage they were going to have. He couldn't very well tell his mother that, though.
"Cassandra is going to be your bride, Michael," Elizabeth continued.
"I know, but she's always going to be a Turner."
Elizabeth fixed her son with a steady regard. "That's where you're wrong, Michael. Once you're married, Cassandra will be a Donovan."
"Michael, you need to ride over to the Bar T and invite Cassandra to dinner tonight," Elizabeth told her son when she sought him out at the stable early the following morning.
After their talk the day before, Michael had had a feeling his mother was going to try to bring Casey and him together; it looked like she was wasting no time.
"Why?"
"Because we need to talk about your wedding plans, and, besides, the two of you need to get to know each other better."
"1 know everything I want to know about Casey."
"Michael Donovan, I'm ashamed of you." She used her motherly tone of voice on him.
He hated it when she did that.
"All right," he gave in. "I'll just send one of the boys over--"
"I didn't say send one of the boys," she replied sternly. "It's important you go."
"But I've got work to do."
"Tom can take over for you."
Michael knew it was pointless to argue. "What time should I tell her to show up?"
Elizabeth gave him a stem look. "You can tell Cassandra that you'll pick her up at five."
"You want me to pick her up?"
"That's right. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to ride back home by herself after dark."
Michael was thinking to himself that if Casey ate fast, she could make it back to the Bar T before sundown, but he knew better than to say that to his mother.
"I'll get Nick, and we'll ride over there right now."
"Good." Elizabeth was pleased when he didn't argue further.
"All right, Pete. Turn him loose," Casey said, settling down in the saddle.
Pete had been holding the stallion's bridle. At her order, he released the animal and ran quickly to get out of harm's way.
Word of what was about to transpire had spread around the ranch, and some of the men had gathered at the corral to watch. The stallion was as stubborn, strongwilled and proud as Casey was. The ranch hands knew it was going to be an interesting contest.
As soon as Pete freed the stallion, the horse reared in violent protest of the weight on his back. He spun wildly around, trying to rid himself of the unwanted domination, but to no avail. The stallion bucked, then raced headlong about the corral, yet the rider stayed with him.
Cheers went up from those watching. They recognized fine horsemanship when they saw it.
Michael and Nick were riding up to the house when they heard the men cheering down by the corral. Curious, they rode over to see what was going on.
"Isn't that Casey?" Nick asked in amazement.
"I'm afraid so," Michael responded at the sight of his future bride on the back of the bucking stallion. He thought about his mother's advice to treat Casey like a lady, and wondered if his mother would have changed her opinion if she could have seen Casey now.
Michael and Nick dismounted and went to stand with the other men to watch.
Michael knew that few men could have stayed in the saddle for as long as she had, and he reluctantly admitted to himself that Casey was good damned good.
Casey's battle with the stallion continued.
Neither the horse nor the rider was willing to surrender.
When the stallion made a particularly savage move, twisting violently and bucking, Casey was thrown. She landed hard in the dirt and lay unmoving for a minute.
"Is she all right?" Nick asked Michael, worried. He'd never seen anyone thrown like that before.
"I'd better check," Michael said, entering the corral.
"I don't need your help," Casey snapped as she slowly got up. Her expression was fierce with determination as she dusted herself off. She jammed her hat back on her head, stalked toward the stallion, ready to climb back in the saddle.
But Michael wa
sn't about to let her try again so soon. He reached the stallion before she did and took up the reins of the quivering steed.
"Why don't you let a real bronc buster show you how it's done?" he told her.
"You think you're going to ride him?" Casey scoffed, believing Michael was too soft after all his years back East.
"I know I can," he answered her challenge.
Michael thought he was ready as he swung up in the saddle, but he learned real fast that he wasn't. The horse was powerful in its refusal to surrender. It twisted violently and bucked in wild contortions in its effort to rid itself of the man on its back.
Casey was genuinely surprised that Michael stayed on the horse as long as he did. Ultimately, though, the stallion managed a ferocious bucking turn, and Michael lost his seat. She wasted no time chasing down the stallion and mounting up.
"This is how it's done, cowboy," she called as she prepared herself to continue her battle.
Michael couldn't believe she was so eager to try again. He returned to Nick's side to watch.
"Casey is one tough woman," Nick said in amazement.
"I know." And he did, judging from the way he felt from just being thrown one time.
The stallion tried every maneuver he could to throw Casey again, but to no avail. At long last, he quieted and came to stand in the middle of the corral, trembling from exhaustion.
Victorious, Casey kneed him to action and rode at a controlled pace past the onlookers.
The ranch hands cheered her success.
"I told you if anybody could break that stubborn piece of horseflesh it would be Casey," Pete bragged to the other hands.
"She is one helluva horsewoman," they agreed.
"They're right about that," Nick told Michael as they watched her pass by.
Casey smiled at Michael, gloating, "Now, that's how it's done."
"You only broke him because I wore him out for you," Michael countered with a grin.
Casey grinned back and finally reined in where Pete had come back into the corral to help her.
"I did it," Casey said with a confident smile as she dismounted and handed him the reins.
"Were you worried?" Pete teased.
"If I was, I'd never tell you."
They laughed in easy camaraderie.
"I had faith in you, Casey. This big boy didn't stand a chance against you."