Sabrina gasped. “You cannot be serious?” she railed. “Who could want that poor excuse for a woman? What can she possibly offer a man? She has no money, no title or position.” Angry, she whirled and began to pace. “My God, man. She lied to you! How can you possibly think she is prefect?” She turned to glare at him. “The only perfection she can claim is being a perfect liar!” For a fraction of time, Ransom thought of the many times he would have agreed with Sabrina, sure Catherine had lied about everything, but that was before he realized he loved her.
“And you are the perfect whore,” he commented dryly.
Sabrina screamed an expletive and threw herself at him. He was ready for her outburst. He had, after all, pushed her toward it.
“I have never hit a woman, Sabrina, but if you persist in acting like this, I shall be obliged to do so.”
It could have been his cold tone rather than his words, but Sabrina stilled. To his surprise, she collapsed in his arms. “I am sorry,” she sobbed. “I just cannot understand why you cast me as the whore when it was she who tricked me into trading places.”
“And did Rafael help her?”
“Ohhh!” she groaned and yanked herself away from him. “Did the bitch leave nothing out?”
“The bitch stands before me,” he announced, heading for the door. “I want you out of here today. I don’t care where you go or how you get there. Just leave.”
Sabrina tossed her head. “If I leave, Ransom, I will have no choice but to seek a barrister. How do you think your precious Catherine will like being cast as your mistress? Do you think she will take you between her thighs when everyone knows you are really married to me?”
He turned on her so fast she gasped in fear. He towered over her, yet refused to touch her, knowing if he did he might well choke the life from her. “How much, Sabrina?” he demanded. “How much to rid us of you forever?”
Sabrina shrugged. “I shall have to give it some thought,” she said casually, putting some distance between them. “I will let you know what I decide.” He spun toward the door again, but she called after him. “But remember, my dear husband, I may chose to keep you. Respectability is something I cannot buy, but as your wife, I can have it for free.”
The door slammed hard and he heard her laugh. “Nothing comes for free,” he grumbled. “As you shall see.”
* * *
It wouldn’t take a genius to see things add not gone well as Ransom returned downstairs. He noticed Alice immediately busy herself, but the housekeeper stayed within hearing as Holden questioned him.
“When is she leaving?”
“She isn’t.”
“But I thought you— Ran! You don’t want her to stay, do you?”
Ransom slammed his hand hard against the wall. A moment later he lowered his brow. “No, damn it,” he groaned. “But she has threatened to take this whole thing to court, dragging Catherine through the dirt as she goes.”
“Bitch!” Alice swallowed a grimace when Holden frowned at her.
“So what now?” Holden turned back toward a tormented Ransom.
“I guess the only thing I can do until she makes up her mind is to go see Catherine and try to get her to come back here.”
“You’ve got to be jesting!” Holden exclaimed. Ransom could see the look on Holden’s face and wondered if he sprouted horns. “You can’t have them both under the same roof. The war with England will pale by comparison.”
“Well, I can’t leave her in that tavern.” Ransom snapped.
Alice stepped closer. “Martin won’t let anything happen ta her, Cap’n. Nobody in the town would either.”
Holden added, “She might even be safer there.” Ransom whirled to glare at Holden. “I only meant from Sabrina,” he explained.
Ransom ran his fingers through his hair and settled in a chair. He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry,” he moaned.
Holden chuckled ruefully. “The wife you love isn’t your wife, and a woman you hate is. I figure that’s enough of a problem for anyone.” He perched his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Look, Ran, why don’t you just let me take care of Sabrina.”
“Thanks, Holden, but I have to handle this once and for all. I can’t have her showing up in the future, threatening Catherine.” Standing, he slapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “But thanks for the offer.” He left Alice and Holden in his wake.
“Ain’t never seen him lookin’ so sad,” Alice said. “There must be somethin’ we can do.”
Holden rubbed his lip then smiled. “Isn’t adultery grounds for a divorce?” Alice nodded. Holden rose. “Then perhaps there is something I can do to help.”
* * *
Catherine stood straight and stretched her back. Martin tried to give her light tasks, but she insisted she could do the wash from the inn. Now, after scrubbing three sets of sheets and a dozen towels, she felt the results of the effort. All she had left to do was to hang them.
As the line filled, she gazed skyward. It wouldn’t take long for them to dry in the heat as long as it didn’t rain. Clouds were building as usual along the horizon, but she didn’t think she would have to worry about them for hours yet. Occupied with her thoughts, she didn’t hear the back door to the tavern open or footsteps approach. She bent down to pick up another towel and gasped.
High black boots were braced beside the basket. Only one man she knew would stand so firmly planted. Slowly she rose, her eyes closing as she did so. Please don’t let it be him, she prayed silently.
“Hello, Cat,” his deep voice rumbled, making her sway. His hand touched her arm.
“Don’t!” she squealed, jumping back from him. “Don’t touch me!” Her eyes flew open and she saw his face darken with fury. “What do you want?” she demanded, hiding her fear with bravado.
“I’ve come to take you home, Catherine.”
She turned her back to him to hide the tears she felt streaming down her cheeks. She lifted her chin. “Is Sabrina gone?”
“No, but—”
“Is she going?” she demanded.
“No, but—”
“Then I will not return,” she announced. She started back toward the tavern.
“Damn it!” He grabbed her arm to swing her about. “Will you let me finish?” She glared at him, demanding with her tear-filled eyes that he release her. He held on. “You will come home, Catherine,” he stated with his usual arrogance. “You are my wife and you will do as I say.”
“No!” she cried as she yanked her arm free. Standing defiantly before him, she lowered her voice. “I am not your wife. You married Lady Thorpe. That is Sabrina, not me. I was a stand in, but that should not matter. You never wanted a wife, anyway, so what difference does it make which of us stays?” He snarled and took a step toward her, but she leaped back. “I will not return with you, Captain,” she added sternly. “And you have no authority to make me.”
Ransom spun and stomped away. She knew he would not accept her mandate without a fight, but she was of a mood to give him one he would not soon forget. She brazenly surrendered to him the night they last parted, but at that time she thought herself a wife. She would be equally brazen in her resistance now that she knew she was not—no matter how much she loved him.
* * *
“You sure this is wise?” Holden asked as Ransom packed a small bag.
“It is the only thing I can think to do. If I stay here I am liable to do something I will regret.” He paused, then shook his head. “I would not really regret it, but it might cause some difficulty explaining why I killed my wife so I could have my other wife.”
Holden chuckled. “Yeah, it does sound a bit strange.” He dropped down across the bed and tucked his arms beneath his head. “I thought of a way I might be able to help.”
“You would murder for me?” Ransom clicked his tongue before laughing lightly. “That is a real friend.”
“Don’t be an ass,” Holden grumbled. “Here I am, willing to give my all, and you joke.”
<
br /> “Your all?”
“Yeah. I thought that if I got Sabrina into my bed, then you could get Catherine back into yours.”
This time Ransom threw back his head and laughed robustly. “What friendship! What martyrdom! What nonsense,” he finished, shaking his head. “She is no fool. She will know what you are up to.”
“Perhaps,” Holden shrugged. “But if she is as bad as we think, she’ll come looking for me.”
“So modest,” Ransom grinned, closing the bag.
“Do you want my help or not?”
Ransom sighed. “Yes, Holden. I want it. And I wish you luck.” He smiled crookedly as he saluted his friend with one finger to his brow. “You’ll know where to find me if you are successful, or if Sabrina decides on a price.”
* * *
“Catherine!” Martin called from the kitchen. When she entered with a smile, he handed her a tray filled with dinner for two. “Take this up ta the room at the back. We have a guest what wants ta eat in privacy.”
“What about them?” she asked, arching her neck to indicate the pair who just walked in.
“I’ll see ta them. You go take care of the guest.” He smiled and she took the tray to head for the stairs.
Catherine stopped outside the door. She didn’t know someone had rented a room for the night, but she was surprised Martin would cater to them. He told everyone he didn’t run a hotel. So if folks wanted extras, they would have to pay dearly. Evidently, these guests paid.
She balanced the tray on her hip and tapped on the door. The door opened and Catherine stepped in. Whoever opened the door must have stepped back behind it because she couldn’t see him. Once she set the tray on the table, she expected to leave. The sound of the door closing made her stiffen. Whirling to face whoever had the wrong idea, she gasped.
“Sit down.” Ransom held out a chair for her.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded. She cautiously made her way around the table in the opposite direction.
“I’ve rented this room.” He lifted the cover on his plate to sniff at it. “Smells good.”
“What do you mean you rented this room?” She cried as she slammed her hand down on the table. “You have a perfectly good house. I suggest you go live in it!”
“Not without you, Cat.” He lifted his dark eyes to reveal his sadness and desire. “I want you. I need you to come back and share my life. I want you to come back and share my bed.”
His voice was deep and husky. It touched her entire being with a desire to hold him in her arms, but she could not. He did not belong to her any more. “As what, Captain?” She struggled to get the words out. “Your mistress?” She saw his face darken. “Shall I be your whore to spread myself beneath you?”
“Stop it!” he roared, reaching for her.
She jumped back, avoiding him. “No! Stop and think about it. It’s what everyone will say!”
Snarling fiercely, he stated, “They would not dare.”
“Oh, Ransom,” she moaned, momentarily letting down her defenses. “Don’t you see? You are powerful. You might be able to quell some of it, but there will always be someone.” He slipped up behind her and placed his arms around her waist before she knew he was there. “Nooo!” she sobbed. She twisted about to pound at his chest.
“Shhhh,” he soothed, holding her tightly until she stilled. His hand moved to her face to gently brush the tears from her cheek. He held her in his arms for a long time while she cried all the tears she had fought so hard to hold inside. Sometime in the course of weeping, he picked her up and carried her to the bed. She was so distraught, she was not aware of it.
“I will find some way to right all this.” He placed small kisses on her brow. “I swear it.” She turned her face to look up at him and realized where they were. “We cannot,” she said, but she knew her words were weakly spoken.
“We can and we will,” he argued gently. He lowered his mouth to hers. “You belong to me,” he stated. “I don’t give a damn about the law or what people think. You are mine.” His mouth stopped seducing. It merely claimed.
* * *
She surrendered, albeit reluctantly. It didn’t matter. She would soon be his, receiving him, to give him all he wanted and more. He became frantic to touch her, to see all of her. He heard her moan denial as he pulled her clothing away, but she did not stop him.
He tossed the last of her garments to the floor and looked down at her. He sat at her side to loosen her hair and spread it over the pillow. His finger traced her jaw, but she didn’t react. Her eyes opened as he moved his finger down her chest to circle her breast. A deep blush spread over her body. He smiled.
“This is how I like you best, clothed only in the blush of desire.” She opened her mouth to say something, but he shook his head. “This is our time, sweet Catherine.” He removed his shirt. Since he had already taken off his boots before her arrival, all that stood between them now was his breeches. He felt the heat of her eyes as he stood to unfasten them.
“I love you.” He waited for her reaction as he stood naked beside the bed. He saw her eyes close and her brow frown deeply. Kneeling at first on the bed, he stretched out beside her, “Did you hear me?”
“I heard,” she sighed.
He expected his words to make her happy. “I thought those words would please you,” he stated, his doubts made him sound harsh.
Catherine tried to sit up, but his arm shot out to keep her beside him. She refused to look at him. “Why didn’t you ever say them when I was your wife?”
“You are my wife!” he snapped. She shook her head slowly, irritating him further. He yanked her hard against him. “And I will prove you belong to me.”
Ransom took her mouth then, coaxing and teasing until she was mindless. His hands assaulted her senses, bringing her time and time again to the brink of ecstasy, only to slowly draw away. He knew it cruel, but he didn’t care. She would want him. She would beg for him to make love to her.
He knew she struggled to remain unmoved by what he did, but could not win the battle. His name finally escaped her throat.
“What, my love?” he breathed between running his tongue over her breast. “What do you want from me?”
“Love me,” she moaned and strained to be closer to him.
Ransom rose over her. She cried out as he filled her.“Forever, Cat,” he groaned as he began to move. “I will love you forever.”
Chapter Twenty
* * *
Ransom held Catherine in his arms, his body drained of the maddening desire to make love to her by the hours just past. He thought she might be sleeping, but a ragged sigh alerted him to the fact that she was awake.
“You still amaze me, my love,” he breathed against her hair. “No one has ever made me lose control like you do.”
Catherine scowled with his words. “This cannot go on,” she murmured against his chest. “Even now Martin is probably wondering what has happened to me. I should be downstairs helping.”
“Martin knows exactly where you are and why.” He felt her stiffen in his arms. “He also discharged you before you came up here.”
“How could you do this to me?” she cried, thumping his chest with her fist.
“Your place is at Devil’s Head with me.” He held her securely. She murmured a long negative but he paid it no heed. “This has not been my fault,” he reminded her. “Why should I be the one to pay?”
Catherine groaned. “No, it is not your fault, Ransom, but neither can you have it your way now that the truth is known.”
“I will not leave you to your own devices, Catherine,” he stated firmly. “Without me you have nothing.”
“With you I have even less,” she sadly announced, “but I could have at least had work if you had not interfered.”
Ransom rolled from her and sat on the side of the bed. “It is done. You have no position here and must come home.”
She copied his motion in the opposite direction and spoke over her shoulder
. “I will find another place of employment.”
“I will stop you, Cat.”
“Then I have no choice but to leave Nyack.”
“There are no boats.”
Catherine leaped off the bed. She whirled to stare daggers at his broad back. “I will buy a horse and ride far away from—”
“You’re not going anywhere without me!” he shouted, having stood to face her across the bed. He grinned and shook his head. “The moment we are out of bed we argue,” he said lightly, kneeling on the mattress and extending his hand to her. “Perhaps it is better if we stay in it.”
Catherine grabbed her chemise and pulled it over her head. “No, Ransom. I will not share your bed again until you see this settled.”
His hand fell to his side. He sighed. “Very well, Catherine. I will go at once to seek a solution, but only if you swear to stay at Devil’s Head in my absence.”
“I cannot!” She clutched her shirt in her hands. “Not as long as she is there!”
Ransom climbed off the bed and came up behind her. His hands caressed her shoulders. “The house is large enough for you to avoid each other.” He waited a few moments for her to concede, but she did not. “I will not go until I am sure you are there and safe.”
“Very well, Ransom,” she sighed in resignation. “I will go to Devil’s Head.”
Turning her in his arms, he brushed his lips over hers. “And I will leave as soon as I see you there.” He cupped her face in his hands as he smiled down at her sadly. “This will all seem like a nightmare someday, my love,” he told her. “I swear it.” He wanted to take full possession of her mouth, but knew where it would lead. “Go, gather your things while I dress.”
Catherine donned her own clothing in silence and quickly departed.
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