by Caroline Lee
He’d been married two weeks now, and dinners between the three of them were common. Much more fun than the solitary meals he’d eaten since his mother died, or the quiet meals he’d shared with the men in the bunk house. Occasionally, he and Blake had gone into Black Aces for meals, but they’d been nowhere near as delicious as Shannon’s. She hadn’t lied in her letters when she’d told him she could cook.
Meanwhile, Cora’s offerings to the meals had been barely palatable, and he admired that she could admit it. The few paintings of hers he’d seen had convinced him this new sister-in-law of his should stick with her art and stay out of the kitchen as much as possible. He’d been surprised when Shannon had asked if her sister could stay with them, but was pleased now. Cora brought laughter to Sunset Valley and had saved things from being too awkward between Lucas and Shannon.
And things were awkward, much to his chagrin. Sure, that was probably to be expected, what with the whole “mail-order bride” thing. But…he’d had high hopes after feeling the attraction between them. After knowing how well they fit together.
Unfortunately, after that first day, Lucas was beginning to suspect they only “fit” together in bed. Their nights since their wedding had been…well, she’d been pretty much everything Lucas could’ve hoped for in a bed partner. That spark he’d felt between the two of them at the train station had caught, and he was pretty confident he’d have his heir by springtime.
The only problem was that as uninhibited and loving as Shannon was in bed with him, she was the complete opposite during the day. Granted, he was out working with the men most of the day, but when he’d see her in the mornings, or at dinner, she was shy. Almost nervous. He’d catch her looking at him as if she didn’t know what to make of him, or as if she was waiting for him to do something she wouldn’t like.
It didn’t sit right with him, but he didn’t know what to do about it. Didn’t know how to convince his wife to open up to him and discuss her concerns. That’s what husbands and wives were supposed to do, wasn’t it?
“Lucas?”
Oh shoot, his thoughts had wandered off again. He wasn’t sure what the women had been talking about after the laughter had ended, but he’d missed it. “Sorry. What?”
He caught the hesitant look Shannon sent to her sister. Cora made a little shooing motion, but then pretended a lot of interest in her almost-empty plate when she saw him looking. His eyes flicked back to his wife, and he raised a brow in question.
Despite his curiosity, he couldn’t help but admire the way her body moved when she took a deep breath and straightened. He’d been appreciating that body an awful lot, but was at a loss for how to talk her into letting him appreciate her heart and mind too.
“I just asked if everything was okay?” She kept her gaze on him, but he saw her picking at the tablecloth. She was still nervous?
He sighed. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
“You rode out today with Mr. Blake I noticed.”
She’d noticed? He wasn’t sure if he should take that for a good sign or not. Did she worry about him, the way a proper wife would?
“He had something he figured I should see.”
His mood darkened when he thought about the almost-hidden traces of campsites and fires his foreman had shown him. Someone was out there, on his property, sticking close enough to the house to keep an eye on all of them. And Lucas had a pretty good idea who it was.
“What was it?”
His first instinct was to explain it to her. How many evenings had he and Mother sat across from one another, discussing ranch issues? She’d helped him talk through the problems until he understood the best solution. But she’d been a rancher’s wife for far longer than Shannon had, and had understood all of the dangers and troubles.
Shannon was not only new to the cattle-ranching world, but new to Montana. She was still getting used to taking over a new household—apparently Mother hadn’t bothered to label the salt and the sugar?—and a new husband. She was nervous enough around him and didn’t need anything else to worry about.
So he just smiled as convincingly as possible, and said, “Nothing much. Nothing to worry about.”
When her face fell, he knew he’d said something wrong.
The rest of the meal was quiet and awkward. Lucas watched his wife from behind lowered lashes. She didn’t take another bite after he’d upset her. Of course, he still didn’t know how he’d upset her, but knew it was his fault, somehow.
Cora tried her best to keep conversation going, but even she eventually gave up. She helped clear the table, then excused herself to her room, as she did most nights. Lucas did catch her sending her sister a good glare before she left, and he wondered about it. Did Cora know what was bothering Shannon?
Maybe he should go after her, ask her to explain what he’d done wrong, and how to make it right. At the same time, Lucas was surprised his wife’s good graces mattered so much to him. He didn’t remember his father ever discussing issues with Mother, or worrying about his wife’s opinion of him. But for some reason, Lucas did. Maybe it was his mother’s influence, after all.
His musings were interrupted—yet again—by Shannon. She plucked the empty plate out of his hand, and turned to dunk it into the wash basin.
When had he joined her in the kitchen?
He grimaced. Between this worry of the unknown observer and his wife’s poor opinion, he was getting too damn distracted.
He watched her elbows saw in and out as she scrubbed at the plate, and he sighed again. Her opinion did matter to him, and not just because he enjoyed her company in bed. He wanted to enjoy her company—and have her enjoy his company—out of bed too.
Still, he figured he could use their attraction to his advantage. He crossed the kitchen and slipped his arms around her waist.
She stiffened but didn’t push him away. He took that to be a good sign. After a few heartbeats, he experimented with pulling her closer, and she seemed to close the gap between them willingly.
With her backside pressed against him like that, his breath stirred the tendrils of hair at the base of her neck that had escaped her bun. He loved her hair, loved to comb it through his fingers after they made love, but before she fell asleep. Now though, he had to keep himself from nuzzling her skin. Instead, he clasped his hands in front of her and tried to remember to talk to her.
“Dinner was delicious.” There. Compliments were a good way to start.
Unfortunately, she didn’t say anything in return. So he dropped a kiss to her ear. “I’m sorry I was so distracted, honey. Blake and I had—”
No. He didn’t want to burden her with his worries.
He kissed her ear again, then the skin right below it where he knew she was particularly sensitive. “I should leave my work outside though, when I come home. Just focus on you.”
Another kiss, and she still didn’t respond. What else did she want to hear?
“I promise—”
He hadn’t been sure what he’d been about to say, just that he was willing to promise a hell of a lot to get her to open up to him. But she interrupted him.
“Lucas?”
“Yeah, honey?” Another kiss, and when she moaned slightly and relaxed against him, he felt a surge of hope. “Why don’t you talk to me?” he prompted.
She made a sexy little noise and tilted her head to one side, giving him better access. “About what?”
Hell if he knew. He just trailed kisses down her neck and murmured in between: “About your day. About what you were thinking about.” About why you haven’t talked—really talked—to me since you married me.
“Are you sure?”
He almost missed her whispered question, and it made him pause. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because…” When she took a deep breath, he felt it throughout his whole body. “You don’t seem that interested in talking.” Her backside shifted slightly against the very interested part of him, and he knew what she meant.
&nb
sp; Chagrined, he pulled back slightly, but didn’t relax his hold on her. “You do that to me, honey.”
She snorted. It didn’t sound like a laugh, more like she didn’t believe him. Or didn’t approve of his claim.
“What? What do you want me to say?” Dammit, he hadn’t meant for those words to come out so harsh, but he was frustrated. She was rebuffing all of his attempts.
“The truth.”
The truth? “I am—”
“No.” She turned in his arms, and despite the stiffness of her posture—was she trying to hold herself away from him?—she didn’t look angry. Not the way Mother used to get sometimes when he didn’t take her advice, at least. No, Shannon looked… exasperated? “You’re telling me things you think I want to hear.”
He clamped down on his first instinct to deny it, to tell her he was speaking the truth. But… she was right. He was trying to ingratiate himself by saying things he thought would make her happy.
He shifted his hands to her hips and narrowed his eyes as he tried to read her face. “What do you want me to say then?”
She was still holding the dish towel she’d used to dry her hands when he’d reached for her, but now she placed one hand on his arm. “Why did you marry me, Lucas?”
The question was surprising enough to make him rear back. “Because you answered my ad and sounded like a good match. I thought you agreed we were a good fit and—” He frowned, wondering if she was already regretting this marriage.
“No, I mean…” She patted his forearm slightly, as if trying to reassure him. Reassure him? “Why did you marry at all?”
When his brows dipped down in confusion, she glanced away, but continued. “I asked you that on our wedding night, if you remember. You…didn’t respond.”
He remembered. He’d given her a flippant answer then, and stopped himself from repeating the same mistake now, just before she continued.
“I’m still curious though. You’re young and have a successful ranch. You mentioned you didn’t expect to marry so soon, and you obviously have resources…” She met his eyes once more. “You didn’t need to get married, but you did. Just because your mother told you to?”
There wasn’t anything accusing in her words, but Lucas felt uncomfortable anyhow. As if he’d been caught in a lie. As if he were still a little boy.
His jaw hardened, and he pulled away from her.
“Lucas?”
The pleading tone in her voice tugged at something in his chest.
“Talk to me. Please.”
He turned slightly, but couldn’t bring himself to leave the room completely. “I married you the same reason you married me. Babies.”
“You want a child?”
Now she sounded surprised. And why wouldn’t she? It was a silly answer from such a young man, he knew.
“More than one, hopefully.”
Silence from her, then from the corner of his eye he saw her toss down the dish towel. “You’re still not being honest with me, are you?”
“What? Yes I am!” Lucas ran his hand through his hair as he stepped even farther away, not understanding what it was she wanted from him. “I told you I wanted kids, that’s why I got married.”
She stared at him for long enough he became uncomfortable, so he crossed to the counter where the second loaf of bread sat. He knew it was supposed to be for breakfast tomorrow, but he began to pick at the crust anyway.
“What?” Lucas muttered, irritated over how he could feel so petulant.
“I’ve sat across from you every evening at dinner for two weeks, Lucas. Breakfast too, but you don’t talk as much then. You’re well-spoken, and funny, and smart. You’ve let me see a lot of you, and I’m glad I’ve gotten to know you, but…”
He kept picking at the bread, waiting for her to continue.
Eventually she did. “You told me your mother pushed you to marry. Did she want grandchildren?”
Lucas snorted. “What kind of mother doesn’t?” But he knew he had to tell her something. “But you’re right, it was more than that.” He took a breath. “I need an heir.”
“You’re awfully young to be worried about dying and passing your ranch on to someone, aren’t you? My father was almost thirty when my oldest brother was born.”
“No, I…” Damn, how to explain it? “If I have an heir, things will…be better.”
He’d hoped his vagueness would satisfy her, and he wouldn’t need to worry her any further. No such luck.
“What things?”
Lucas sighed. “My neighbor is causing some trouble, but once I have an heir, I think he’ll lay off.” It had been what his mother had claimed, at least, and he’d thought it was a pretty convincing argument.
“Is he less likely to harass a man who has children?”
“He’s less likely to try to take over Sunset Valley if he realizes he doesn’t have claim to it anymore.”
Aw, shoot. He hadn’t meant to say so much, but it had just sort of slipped out. Was she going to worry now, knowing one of their neighbors was trying to run them off his own land?
But Shannon didn’t say anything. He heard her moving around behind him and the sound of dinner dishes being put away. It was a good five minutes before he felt her warmth beside him, and he didn’t have to even look up to know she was there.
She reached around him and pulled the bread he was destroying out of his reach, carefully tucking it into a towel and knotting it up so the loaf wouldn’t get too hard overnight. He knew from the last two weeks she’d cut up the bread tomorrow and fry it in egg and milk and sugar, and he found himself looking forward to it already. When had she become such a huge part of his life? When had he come to value her so much?
Instead of walking away when she was finished with that simple task, she turned to face him and caught him staring at her rear end.
Whoops.
Lucas crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned one hip against the counter, wondering if he could convince her to head upstairs so he could show her just how much he appreciated her.
But the look on her face convinced him to keep his mouth shut. She wasn’t done talking about the whole needing-an-heir thing. He watched her open her mouth, then shut it again, and drop her eyes to her hands on the counter.
“Lucas, I…”
He sighed. He’d done that to her, made her feel so nervous. How? When he’d tried so hard to keep her from having anything to worry about. What could make her feel so uncomfortable around him?
He reached out and grabbed one of her hands, twining his fingers through hers. “I’m sorry, Shannon.” He didn’t know exactly what he was apologizing for, but he was sorry she didn’t feel comfortable enough around him to talk to him.
His gesture must’ve given her strength, because she met his eyes once more. “I feel as if you’re not telling me everything, Lucas. I’m your wife. Surely you can tell me who this man is, and why he’s causing you—us—so much trouble?”
She wanted to know more?
With a swiftness that might’ve knocked his head back, Lucas realized the truth. Here he’d been, moping about how his wife wasn’t sharing her thoughts and feelings with him, when he was the one who’d been keeping things from her. Sure, he’d done it because he cared about her and wanted to keep her from worrying, but was that a good enough reason? Maybe she was as disappointed in the way things had been going between them as he was!
So he moved toward the small desk in the corner where his mother had written out her recipes and the household accounts, tugging Shannon along by the hand. When he settled himself in the chair, he pulled her down too. Her startled squeak told him she hadn’t expected to land on her husband’s lap, but he only grinned.
Lifting his hand, he brushed the backs of his fingers down her left cheek. She flinched and turned away slightly, and he wondered if her birthmark was more sensitive or something for her to respond that way. Still, with her chin turned like that, he had a view of her gorgeous neck.
> She really was lovely, wasn’t she?
“My father wasn’t a real nice man, and his old partner isn’t either. My father and Pierce used to work all of this land together, but they split it into two separate ranches right after my parents’ marriage. They’d agreed they’d each inherit the other’s land if one of them died.”
Shannon didn’t say anything, but didn’t have to; when she turned back to him slowly, he could read the interest in her eyes.
“And that seemed like it’d be fine, for the first years, but eventually I came along, and Dad raised me to take over his ranch. When he died, the trouble started.”
“What kind of trouble?” Her arm snaked around his shoulders, and she began to rub the muscles at the base of his neck.
It felt all kinds of good, after the hours in the saddle that day, but Lucas resisted the urge to groan. He did tilt his head forward slightly, to give her better access.
“It was slow at first. Missing calves, ruined fences, cattle with indistinct brands. The sheriff in town is pretty useless, and the issues have gotten worse over the last few years, to the point where it’s obvious Pierce is trying to ruin Sunset Valley. When I lose all my money, he’ll buy up the property.”
“You’re sure it’s your father’s partner? This Mr. Pierce?”
Beyond a doubt. “Yeah. He’s offered to buy me out at least eight times. I stopped counting, but every time we meet in town, he’s bragging about how this land is supposed to be his, and how my father didn’t have any right to leave it to me.”
Her fingers stilled briefly, then resumed their kneading. “But that’s… You’re your father’s son. Of course the land should come to you.”
Lucas snorted. “I know. And to my son or daughter after me.” He tightened his hold on her waist and placed one hand on her stomach. “That’s why I needed to get married. So I could be sure Pierce knew he wasn’t getting the land.” No matter what happens to me. “I need a son or daughter, as soon as possible.”
He loved the way her cheeks pinked until they matched her birthmark, and how she bit her lower lip. Did she realize how enticing she was when she did that? Probably not.