Best of Cowboys Bundle

by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Barbara White Daille, Judy Christenberry, Christine Wenger, Shirley Rogers, Crystal Green, Nina Bruhns, Candance Schuler, Carole Mortimer

  To her delight, she found the day to be one of the happiest she had ever spent on the ranch. Or it would have been, if not for her constant thoughts about the trouble with Gabe.

  The kitchen door swung open, and Warren came in. “Just lookin’ for a cake of soap for the bunkhouse kitchen.”

  Marissa couldn’t help chuckling, knowing she had put several unwrapped bars under the sink the day before. The women insisted he try one of their handmade chocolates. He ate several.

  “All right, that’s enough, Warren,” she said, feeling comfortable with teasing him. “You’ll spoil your dinner.”

  “No way, missus.” He grinned. “You know my appetite won’t quit when you’re serving supper.”

  “Even so. You need to leave these ladies some candy to take home to their families.”

  He pretended hurt. “Reckon I’ll just head out to the barn, then. Better save some for Gabe when he gets back from town, else he’ll pitch a fit he missed out.”

  Marissa grabbed a package of soap from beneath the sink and followed him out to the porch. “Forgetting something, Warren?”

  He shrugged sheepishly. “Guess we’re not needing that yet, after all.”

  “I didn’t think so, you scoundrel.” She smiled, paused and took a deep breath. Trying to sound casual, she said, “Gabe’s not back yet by any chance, is he?”

  “He came back in the middle of the afternoon but headed right out again.”

  “Did he say anything special when you saw him?”

  “Nope. The boss ain’t one for talking much. And he’d have my hide for tellin’ you this, but the boys and I ain’t the only ones who think it’s good to have you back, Marissa.”

  “R-really?” Her voice broke. She blinked away a rush of tears. Sarah yesterday, Warren today, both reassuring her.

  She appreciated their help. But it wasn’t they who should be trying to make her feel at home.

  Warren cleared his throat. “So don’t you worry about him not stopping by.” He lowered his voice. “Probably saw Lily Gannett’s car and knew if he went inside, for sure he’d never make it back to town before the stores closed down. That woman could talk the shine off a spanking new saddle.”

  She laughed, certain he had meant to cheer her.

  “Thank you, Warren. I’ll make sure to save some extra candy for you.”

  Slowly, she retraced her steps to the kitchen, where she spent the rest of the afternoon, between candy lessons, wondering why Gabe had gone to town and when he would be back.

  And why, if he was so gosh-darned happy she had returned to Dillon, he refused to tell her himself.

  AS MARISSA HELPED her guests pack fresh chocolates between layers of waxed paper, the familiar rumble of Gabe’s pickup truck shattered her concentration. The engine noise cut off, a door slammed, and footsteps struck hard against gravel.

  At the sound of boots on the back porch, her heartbeat quickened, partly from tension at the memory of their last meeting and partly from an unbearable longing.

  She clutched a tin of candy with suddenly shaking fingers.

  The back door opened. Gabe stood in the doorway, his Stetson in one hand, a blue-and-white-striped paper sack with the pharmacy name on it in the other.

  When he caught sight of the women at the kitchen table, his brow furrowed and his mouth turned down. Before anyone looked up, he was hooking his hat and jacket over their usual pegs. By the time he faced them again, the angry expression had smoothed out, leaving him with a welcoming smile.

  “Afternoon, ladies.” He moved to the corner of the kitchen and shoved the pharmacy sack into the trash basket. “Looks like a chocolate factory in here.”

  “Marissa was kind enough to give us lessons in candy making,” Mrs. Gannett told him. “But she made sure to put some aside for you.”

  “Did she now? That’s nice of you, honey.” He moved to Marissa’s side, his back to the other women, his soft tone contrasting with his hard-as-steel gaze.

  “Is everything okay? Warren said you’d gone into town.”

  “Fine.”

  Swallowing a sigh, she turned away from him. He had spoken in the same soft tone for the benefit of the women. His short response, though, had nothing to do with their audience and everything to do with the relationship they didn’t have.

  She grabbed a kitchen sponge and began swiping at the rinsed dishes in the sink. Needing something, anything, to distract her from the fact that he stood a mere foot away.

  When he wrapped his warm hand around the back of her neck, a feeling of pure pleasure flowed through her. She willed herself not to allow a visible reaction to his touch.

  An impossible task, considering her entire body now felt like a mound of whipped cream.

  “Gabe,” she muttered, keeping her voice low, mindful of the women gathered around the kitchen table. To her dismay, the warning sounded more like a plea.

  She risked a glance at him. He stood grinning at her. Smug. Satisfied. And sexier than a man had any right to be. He shifted his fingers, teasing the sensitive skin of her throat. A small, simple gesture their guests wouldn’t notice or wouldn’t think twice about if they had. But Gabe would know from past experience what his touch there would do to her.

  She squeezed the sponge in her hand so abruptly soapy water sprayed across the counter. Cringing, she looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, the women were busy layering candy into containers. Not one of them paid any attention.

  Gabe leaned next to her against the sink and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Mission accomplished.

  Chapter Ten

  Marissa gritted her teeth and wiped up the soapy spill. She watched as Gabe teased the other women, helped them gather their candy and assisted them with their coats.

  As they departed, Mrs. Gannett approached Marissa and took her hand. “Thank you again, my dear. I can’t tell you what a delightful afternoon this has been. And how timely, to have all this homemade candy with Christmas just three days away.” She beckoned to Gabe. When he crossed the room to stand beside them, she rested her hand on his arm. “Now, I want you both to join me for Christmas dinner.”

  Marissa’s heart leaped at the invitation. She might have to put up a good front for their hostess, but at least she wouldn’t have to worry about being alone with Gabe.

  She saw a frown wrinkling his forehead. He masked it quickly behind a smile that crinkled the skin around his eyes. “Well, I don’t know, Mrs. G. Some of my boys are sticking around for Christmas. Marissa might have plans for a big spread for them—”

  “I’m sure they’ll understand if she serves their Christmas meal at midday. I’m not planning dinner till three.”

  “But my bride and I might want some time alone. Still newlyweds, you know.”

  Her heart sank again. A whole afternoon and evening with Gabe?

  Would he spend the entire time in another room, as he had the night before? Or, worse, would he while away the hours trying to seduce her, while she attempted to fight his advances?

  Hardly likely she would succeed at that, when she couldn’t find the will to resist him today, among a roomful of witnesses. Maybe a formal meal at Mrs. Gannett’s house would keep him on his best behavior.

  And keep her from giving in to a desire that would only lead her deeper into trouble.

  “Yes,” she blurted, “we’d love to have Christmas dinner with you. Thanks so much for asking.”

  Gabe stared at her as she tried to concentrate on Mrs. Gannett’s words.

  “Doc will be there, too. Tanner Jones has duty then, but Sarah and Kevin plan to join us. We’ll have a lovely day.” Mrs. Gannett beamed. “Well, now that’s settled, I must get those ladies outside back to their homes.” She nodded at Gabe. “We’ll see you on Christmas, then.”

  Gabe grinned and held up his hands in mock surrender. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll be there.”

  Marissa picked up Mrs. Gannett’s bag of candy. As she followed the older woman across the room, she
glanced over her shoulder. “I’ll be right in, Gabe.”

  He refused to look up at her. He stood leaning against the sink again, hands on his hips, brows knitted. His bottom lip jutted out, full and sexy and—as she didn’t need reminding—a perfect match for hers.

  The thought sent her scurrying into her coat and through the door while she still had some of her pride intact.

  Outside, she drew a deep breath of cold air and hoped it would cool her overheated body. She stood, barely conscious of Mrs. Gannett’s chatter but supremely grateful for the excuse to put off her return to the kitchen.

  To Gabe.

  Thank goodness for the invitation to dinner. Now, all she had to worry about was getting through Christmas Eve.

  Then again, he hadn’t said anything about taking the day off. More than likely, it would be business as usual and, like last night, he would spend his evening with Warren and the boys.

  That was all right with her.

  She waved goodbye to her guests, then squared her shoulders and faced the house, knowing she couldn’t put off the inevitable.

  But when she walked in, her nerves strung tight in trepidation, she found the room empty, Gabe nowhere in sight.

  Good. With any luck, she could finish cleaning up in here, go over to the bunkhouse and start dinner, all without crossing paths with him.

  She crumpled several stray pieces of waxed paper into balls and went to throw them away. The blue-and-white pharmacy sack sat in the trash basket, right where Gabe had tossed it. The top of the bag had unfurled, giving her a view of its contents.

  “What in the world—?”

  She stared down at the edge of a gold foil box covered with cellophane and tied with a red velvet ribbon.

  Two gifts in the trash in two days. Her heart throbbed with secret delight. And with renewed sympathy.

  “Gabe,” she called.

  “Yeah?”

  She followed his voice into the living room. He was sitting on the couch, a magazine spread across his lap. She had the distinct feeling he hadn’t been reading it.

  “I wanted to talk with you.”

  “About what?”

  “About a couple of mysterious packages that have appeared in the kitchen lately.”

  He scowled and snapped the magazine closed. “Forget ’em.”

  “I can’t, Gabe. I know you bought the flowers and chocolates for me. Then you saw the Christmas decorations yesterday, all the candy in the kitchen today. And you thought your gifts didn’t measure up.”

  “Dead wrong.”

  Of course. She was talking about feelings, emotions. And, as always, he was shutting her out. She had to break through to him. “Gabe, you know that’s not true—”

  “Wrong again.” He glared at her, his jaw hard. “I just changed my mind about giving ’em to you.”

  What could she say to that?

  She simply stood there, stung speechless and stunned by the two sides of this man.

  At times, he treated her so sweetly, so gently.

  Yet, at other times, he seemed to wish she didn’t exist.

  THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Gabe walked up the back porch steps.

  This…this situation between him and Marissa had damn near driven him to distraction. Here again, he’d come in early, feeling guilty for running back to the house with chores still waiting to be done. Of course, he trusted Jared and the rest to handle things on their own.

  It would be nice to have the same trust in his wife.

  Would he find her inside the house when he got there?

  Did he even care?

  He could still hear her words of yesterday, telling him what he felt. What he thought. What he meant by buying those gifts.

  No way in hell would he let on to her how near to the truth she’d hit.

  He’d come home carrying that five-pound box of the fanciest imported chocolates Dillon Pharmacy could provide to find his kitchen full of candy! His offering, just like the flowers the day before, had seemed downright puny by comparison.

  He yanked the back door open and stepped inside, then swore under his breath.

  The room looked like a damned food factory again. From one end of the kitchen to the other, every horizontal plane was covered with desserts looking soft and sweet and tasty.

  Kind of like his wife.

  Ha.

  She had a nerve, spouting that “equal partner” lecture at him a couple days ago. Hell, she hadn’t been the only person listening to the preacher at that wedding ceremony in Vegas. He knew what being partners meant. Two people sharing things. Good times and bad. Sickness and health.

  And—damn it—a marriage bed.

  The way she acted, shying away every time he came near, they might never have signed that contract. No wonder he’d started feeling bitter. The injustice of it all was driving him crazy.

  The courting crap only made it worse. He wanted to cut to the chase, bring her to his bedroom and get their relationship back where it belonged.

  He’d taken enough chances with so-called romance. He had given Marissa his heart, only to have her return it on one of her fancy silver platters. He wouldn’t try that again.

  But he wasn’t going to live the rest of his life without sex, either.

  He was a married man, and he had the right to expect her to act like a genuine wife. After all, she was the mother of his child.

  At the thought, dark suspicions rolled over him. From somewhere deep inside, he found the will to push them away.

  The woman herself walked into the room, then stopped short in obvious surprise.

  “Gabe. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “I live here.”

  “I know that.” Her eyes narrowed. “But you don’t often show up in the middle of the afternoon.”

  “Where are you going?” he countered, nodding at the pocketbook she dangled from one arm.

  “To Delia’s, once I get these cream puffs boxed up.”

  “I’ll go with you. It’ll be a good time to announce the news.”

  She looked puzzled. “About what?”

  “The baby.”

  “Oh.” She swung her arms across her, covering her belly with the pocketbook, and knitted her fingers together across it.

  She appeared to be protecting the baby—from him. The thought stabbed into his gut.

  “Gabe, let’s wait—”

  “Why?”

  “It’s just…it’s early yet.”

  Her pleading look sent another pain through him, and he lashed out to force it away. Same as he’d lashed out yesterday. “When’s a good time, then? After you’re gone?”

  “That’s possible.”

  His heart thumped double hard.

  Her eyes glistened for a moment, but she blinked the moisture away. “And that’s just why I don’t want to tell anyone yet. Not until we’ve worked things out between us.”

  She turned on her heel and left the room.

  The thought occurred to him to follow her. He reined it in.

  Work things out, she’d said.

  Like what? Divorce papers and visitation schedules?

  CHRISTMAS EVE. Gabe shook his head and stared at the bright flowers on the coffee table, wishing the boys hadn’t headed out early that afternoon. Not one of them, not even Warren, wanted to miss the potluck and poker at Charlie’s place.

  Gabe had refused to go along. Then he’d had to suffer through the hinting he’d have better luck at home. Ha.

  Not much cause for celebrating, anyhow, when a man’s starting to look like a donkey’s back end.

  Marissa had stuck to her part of the deal the past few days, all right, acting the perfect wife with the neighboring women. Making a special dinner for his men. Hell, even causing a near stampede at Delia’s with the delivery of her baked goods yesterday—as Doc had been all too eager to relate to him that morning.

  He hadn’t gone to town with her after all, once she’d refused to announce the baby on the way.

 
And he still hadn’t come up with anything to court her with. The failure had him frustrated beyond measure.

  After all, a man had his pride.

  He had to give her something worthy enough. Something lasting. Something that would make her want to stay on the ranch. He nearly choked on his next breath. For the first time, it had hit him.

  He’d had the thought, once before, that she’d been trying to win over his men, wanting to stay on the ranch. But did her plans go beyond that?

  Had she come back to get hold of his land?

  He leaned his elbows on his knees, dropped his head into his upraised hand and thought furiously.

  No, that didn’t make sense. She’d come back to let him know about the baby. Or so she’d said. She hadn’t filed for divorce. Again, or so she’d said.

  In her defense, and much as he hated to support her, he couldn’t recall one word she’d ever uttered that could give him the idea she wanted to take his ranch.

  He breathed deeply, steadily, and the choking sensation eased.

  The land had been in his family for four generations, long before he’d met her. And since she’d taken off, the ranch had returned to being all the family he had.

  He hadn’t thought about the property when he’d taunted her about running away, when he’d told her they should raise the child together. He hadn’t realized the significance. Hadn’t recognized the most important reason for keeping his eye on her. For keeping her around. Till now.

  His only kin ought to be born and bred on this land, just like Gabe and the generations before him.

  He had to make sure his child would inherit the ranch.

  Marissa’s eagerness to accept Mrs. G’s invitation for tomorrow showed him how much she shied away from the idea of getting caught alone with him. Seemed like her leaving would solve that problem permanently. He couldn’t risk her taking off with the baby.

  Time to think seriously about hedging his bets.

  He looked around at the bare tree in the corner, at the boxes of ornaments piled on the couch and across the floor.

  “Hey, Marissa!”

  “Just a minute,” she called from the kitchen.