Do You Take This Enemy?

by Sara Orwig

  “We’re good together, aren’t we?” he asked quietly.

  “I think so, Gabe.”

  He lay on his back and pulled her close. “I never expected this, but then I never expected a lot of things that have happened in my life.”

  “To say the least, I didn’t expect to marry when I came home. I’m still surprised constantly,” she said, leaning over him, her dark hair spilling over his chest.

  He played with locks of her hair. “It’s so damned good,” he said in a husky voice. “Come here and we’ll get another shower.”

  She laughed as he stood and picked her up and in minutes they were soaping each other and then in a short time they were back in bed as Gabe made love to her again.

  It was far into the early hours of the morning when she rolled on her side to study him as he lay sleeping. She shook him lightly, and he was instantly awake, wrapping his arm around her to pull her down to kiss her.

  After a few minutes she pushed against his bare chest, moving her fingers lightly across him. “I hated to wake you, but we should go home.”

  Gazing back at her solemnly, he sat up. “I don’t want to, but I will.”

  She slipped out of bed and began gathering her clothes. She glanced over her shoulder at him to find him still sitting in bed watching her.

  “I could look at you forever, Ashley.”

  She could feel the heat flush her cheeks as she blushed. She turned to hold her dress in front of her. “I’m glad.”

  He slid off the bed and crossed to her, shoving away the dress. His hands were on her hips as he looked at her slowly and thoroughly. Her mouth went dry and she inhaled, trying to get her breath.

  “Gabe—”

  He pulled her into his arms to kiss her. She wound her arms around his neck and returned his kisses, wanting him as badly as she had in the night, but she knew they needed to get back to the ranch, so she pushed against his chest again. “Gabe, we have to go.”

  “Let’s shower.”

  “No way. I’ll shower by myself and you shower alone. We need to get back to the ranch.”

  She left him, and within the hour they were on the highway, headed home. Gabe pressed her hand on his thigh and she felt a closeness with him that she hadn’t known before. At the same time, a shyness about him gripped her because she still didn’t know what was in his heart.

  They talked about the ranch, about Julian, about Ella, but Ashley kept wondering about them. How much would their lives change now?

  When they moved down the hall, Gabe went into her bedroom with her and closed the door behind him. They stood in moonlight as he leaned against the door and pulled her to him.

  “Gabe—”

  “I’ll just be here a minute. I wanted to ask you to come stay with me. Move into my bedroom, Ashley,” he said.

  She drew a deep breath. “I will,” she answered, “but I think I’d like to break the news first that we’ll be husband and wife and the business arrangement has changed. I’d like to tell Dad instead of just coming out of your room in a few hours.”

  “Whatever you want,” Gabe said. “Only do it soon.”

  “After all the flowers you’ve sent and our dates, I don’t think Dad will be surprised.”

  “Nope, he won’t. ’Night, darlin’.” Gabe kissed her long and hard, pulling her tightly against him, tugging up her dress to slide his hand over her bottom and against her bare back.

  “Ashley, you can’t imagine how much I want you,” he whispered. He left quietly, closing the door behind him and she leaned against it, wanting to go with him tonight, to spend the next hours in his arms, to love again.

  She moved to the window to look at the ranch that had brought her this marriage. She loved Julian and she loved Gabe. And she thought Gabe was beginning to love her. She knew Julian did.

  “I love you, Gabriel Brant,” she whispered. “I want you to love me in return.”

  When she climbed into bed later, she lay in the dark, thinking about the night, about Gabe’s lovemaking. She longed to be in his bed, in his arms. She hoped he was as awake as she was, wanting her there as much as she wanted to be with him.

  Later, when Gabe stayed with the napping children, Ashley strolled toward the corral where she could see her father working with a horse.

  She perched on the fence to watch him and when he was finished, she walked around with him to water and groom the horse.

  “Dad, I wanted to tell you that I’m moving in with Gabe.”

  Her father looked around, his eyes narrowing as he studied her, and a blush heated her cheeks.

  “Are you in love with him?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I am.”

  Quinn nodded. “Then that’s good.” He put down the brush and turned to hug her lightly. He stepped back with his hands on her shoulders. “I hope both of you are very happy. A good marriage is a wonderful thing. I’m not surprised, honey.”

  “I didn’t think you would be. The flowers are a giveaway.”

  “Yeah, that and Gabe is getting a little absentminded. His thoughts are elsewhere.”

  “Oh, my,” she said, surprised.

  Quinn smiled and turned back to grooming the sorrel.

  She stood talking to her father for the next few minutes and then returned to the house, her thoughts on Gabe. She went to his room, stepping inside and looking around, moving idly around the room. Since he had moved in, bringing his own bedroom furniture, she had been in his room a couple of times, but not often. She had been in there enough to notice now that pictures of his former wife were no longer on display, and she wondered how long ago he had moved them.

  “Like what you see?” he asked and she whirled around to see Gabe standing in the doorway.

  “I thought you were working on the books.”

  “Nope. And your dad has Julian and Ella now.”

  Gabe wore a T-shirt, jeans and boots and he looked sexy, too appealing. Unable to resist, she flew across the room into his arms and he caught her up, kissing her hungrily.

  “Darlin’, I want you more than you can ever know,” he said gruffly, holding her tightly, his gaze sweeping over her face before he kissed her again. His arms were strong and tight around her, and her pulse roared. She wanted him, wanted his kisses, wanted to kiss him in return.

  “Gabe, I’ve told Dad I’m moving in here.”

  He looked up at her. “Good. You’ll move in tonight, won’t you?”

  “Yes.” She could feel the sparks jump between them and she longed to stay in his arms, but she knew she should go see about supper and the children. “I’d better go.”

  As soon as she left, he gathered up belongings that needed to be moved to make room for her and he mulled over how deep his feelings ran for her. Ranch or no ranch, he wanted her. He was in love with his wife.

  His gaze shifted to the bed. She was moving in here tonight. His pulse jumped at the thought, but he wanted more, so much more. And she deserved more.

  The following weeks were bliss for Ashley who felt incredibly fortunate.

  Julian and her father left with her aunt and uncle for Wyoming, so at night she was there with only Ella and Gabe.

  It was early December and Ashley was in a dreamworld, cherishing moments together with Gabe and enjoying having the house just to the three of them for a little while. They had given Lou and Mrs. Farrin the week off and Ashley found it easy to manage for just Gabe, Ella and herself.

  One morning Ashley hummed as she worked chopping onions and green peppers. A few feet away Ella was in a swing that gently moved back and forth while she played with toys secured to the tray in front of her.

  While Ashley chopped food, she glanced out the window and was startled to see Gus approaching the house. One look at the slump in his shoulders and the grim set of his jaw, and her heart missed a beat because something was terribly wrong.

  Her first thought was her father, but instantly she knew he was traveling so it couldn’t be him. Gabe! Something had happened to Gabe.
Grabbing up Ella, Ashley flew out the back door as Gus came across the yard. It was an over-cast, chilly December day, but the cold that gripped her wasn’t from the weather.

  “What’s happened? Is Gabe hurt?”

  “No one is hurt,” he said, and she almost shook with relief. Pinpoints of fire were in Gus’s eyes, and she realized he was angry along with his bad news.

  “What is it, Gus?”

  “Your dad is gone.” He hitched his hand in his belt. “Your husband is running cattle on this ranch and he’s taking a huge chunk of land to do it. Far more than the quarter you said he’d agreed to. He’s had me move the horses—”

  For a moment she didn’t hear what else Gus was saying because of the buzzing in her head. She became lightheaded while pain stabbed through her.

  Gabe had broken his promises. He was taking over the ranch and changing it without telling her or discussing it. Betrayal ripped through her, hurting so badly, she almost doubled over.

  “How long ago did he start doing this?” she asked, still not hearing what Gus was telling her.

  “Ashley, I’m sure as hell sorry. Do you want to go inside where it’s warmer and you can sit down?”

  “Come in,” she said, thinking she should offer him a cup of coffee. “Come have coffee.”

  They walked in silence to the kitchen. By this time Ella was dozing. “Pour yourself a cup, Gus, while I put the baby down for her morning nap.”

  While she carried Ella to bed, fury and hurt battled in her. How could he? The question ran through her mind over and over as she placed Ella in her crib and left the room. She went to the bedroom she shared with Gabe, looking at the bed and thinking of all the hours of lovemaking and talk they shared at night. She was so close to him, so in love with him. And all the time he had gone behind her back and broken his promises to use only a quarter of their land. His word was worthless.

  She was furious and hurt, beyond any hurt she had had in Chicago. He had betrayed her trust. Gabe was after the Triple R. Uncle Dusty had been right.

  She thought of Julian, traveling with her dad. How could Gabe do this? Their lives were so entwined, but maybe that’s what he had counted on. She was in his bed, loving him while he was getting everything he wanted, including the Triple R.

  She ran her fingers across her forehead, remembering she had left Gus waiting in the kitchen.

  Hurrying back to the kitchen, she found Gus seated at the kitchen table with a cup of steaming black coffee in front of him. She got cookies from the cookie jar, placing them on a plate in front of him. Then she pulled out a chair and sat facing him.

  “Where are the cattle?” she asked.

  She listened as he told her that they were in sections all along the ranch border spreading out toward the center of the ranch. Far enough away that her father would not be likely to see them.

  “He did this while Dad was gone,” she said woodenly.

  “He started before that, but your dad isn’t all over the ranch as often since Gabe stepped in. He hasn’t needed to be and that’s been better for your dad.”

  “Better for Gabe. What’s he said to you about the cattle?”

  A muscle worked in Gus’s jaw. “He said it was okay with you and Quinn.”

  She rubbed her forehead again. “How could Gabe do that behind our backs?”

  “Ashley, I’m sorry. Now when Quinn gets home, I have an obligation to tell him.”

  “I’ll tell him,” she said, looking into Gus’s angry face. “You’ll have to talk to him, too, but I’ll tell him. And before he gets home, I’ll tell Gabe to get his cattle off of our land,” she said angrily.

  “He may and he may not. I don’t think you have much recourse if he doesn’t want to.”

  “I want to take care of this, Gus, before Dad gets home Sunday.”

  “Ashley, anything you want me to do, I will. If you want me to get those cattle off this land, I’ll do it, but if Gabe wants to get the sheriff out here, then there’s little any of us can do. You’re married now and this ranch is his, too.”

  “He’ll get those cattle off our land, Gus,” she said harshly, thinking of the old feud that might burst into existence before sundown.

  Gus stood, crossing to the sink to rinse his cup. “I’ll get back to work. You want me, you know I have my pager.”

  She went to the door to see him out. She watched him stride away and her gaze slid past him to the sprawling land beyond him. Gabe was out there somewhere. He usually called her several times during the day, but now she didn’t want to talk to him over the phone.

  “How could you do this?” she asked the empty kitchen, seeing Gabe as if he were present.

  Her fists were clenched. Had he known all along that’s exactly what he intended to do? That thought hurt the most.

  The day passed in a fog. In the afternoon she put Ella into her carrier, buckled it into the pickup and drove out to see for herself, her thoughts seething all the time. She had walked into this paper marriage and then into his arms and bed willingly, so gullible and trusting.

  She hurt all over as if she were bruised everywhere, yet it was only her heart that was bruised.

  On a high hill she parked beneath a tall oak and climbed out, taking binoculars with her. She stood looking over a vast spread of their land and her hurt intensified. She couldn’t guess how many head of cattle she was viewing. It looked like all the cattle Gabe owned had been moved to her ranch. As her gaze swept the area, she saw men on horses, separating some of the cattle.

  Gabe was easy to spot. Although she could see him, she raised the binoculars, brought him into focus so he looked only yards away.

  He sat tall in the saddle, his black Stetson squarely on his head as he rode in the mingling herd. She was unaware of the hot tears that rolled down her cheeks or the angry trembling that shook her. Nothing had ever hurt her as this did. Nor had anything ever made her as angry.

  What a fool she had been! Yet even the sight of him now made her pulse jump and her breath catch. He had seduced her and tricked her and deceived her. And she loved him with all her heart, yet she couldn’t live with this because it would hurt her father. Her stomach churned and she lost what food she had eaten earlier that morning.

  That evening, after getting Ella to bed, Ashley sat in the kitchen, her thoughts seething, waiting for Gabe to get home.

  Losing Gabe hurt incredibly. Losing Julian added to the terrible pain, but she wasn’t going to accept what Gabe had done and let him take the ranch and hurt her father.

  She heard Gabe’s footsteps on the porch. He was late, which was just as well.

  The back door swung opened and he strode into the room and stopped as he closed the door behind him. His eyes narrowed.

  “What’s wrong, Ashley? Where’s Ella? Are Julian and Quinn all right?”

  Twelve

  “All of them are fine,” she answered evenly.

  “Well, something sure as hell is wrong,” he said, hanging his hat on a hook and tossing his denim jacket over a chair. He wore a long-sleeved blue plaid Western shirt beneath the jacket. “What’s the matter?” Switching on a light, he stood facing her with his hands on his hips.

  She came to her feet, her fury mushrooming. “What’s the matter is you’ve broken your promise to me. You’re running cattle all over this ranch.”

  “Is that all?”

  “All?” She shook, clenching her fists at her sides. “You promised me that you would use only a quarter of the Triple R.”

  “It’s just cattle, Ashley. I was going to tell you and I’m sorry I didn’t.”

  “You’re taking the Triple R from us!”

  “I’m not taking anything! Ashley, you’re overreacting. I should have told you, but I thought we were sharing all this.”

  “Dammit! You don’t mean sharing. You mean you thought you could step in and grab everything. You’ve talked me into your bed and now you’ve got everything you wanted.”

  “Look, I think you were willing to g
et into my bed. And I didn’t think I was taking anything from you.”

  “You promised me you wouldn’t make changes without telling me.”

  “I said I was sorry, but cattle have been the last thing on my mind when I got home the past few weeks.”

  “If that isn’t a fast-talking hustler, I don’t know what is! I’m not having my dad come home to this. Get those animals off this land tomorrow!”

  Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “No, it’s not. This is my land, and I want your cows off it.”

  “Can I wash up and then can we sit down and discuss this like rational people? Where’s Ella?”

  “She’s down for the night. And no, there really isn’t much to discuss. Gabe, I want every Brant animal off our land by this time tomorrow night.”

  “Look, I’ve bought a lot more cattle and I need more room and I thought that was understood and part of the deal.”

  “No. It wasn’t understood. Don’t tell me now that I’m supposed to understand the changes you’re making to our ranch. It definitely wasn’t any part of the deal. Just the opposite. You weren’t supposed to do this.”

  “Well, how about giving me a little longer than twenty-four hours? Don’t you think that’s unreasonable?”

  “No more unreasonable than you breaking your promise. I trusted you!”

  “Well, hell. I don’t think I’ve broken any promise except to tell you about the cattle and I explained why I didn’t do that. You’re overreacting and you’re being unreasonable.”

  “No. I’m protecting my family’s land and rights. Today you have cattle on our ranch. Tomorrow you’ll get rid of a lot of the horses. You’ll bring more cattle and suddenly, you’re running this ranch and horses are gone.”

  “That isn’t what I intend at all.”

  “I can’t believe you. I was foolish to trust you, so gullible, believing everything you said, falling in love with you—”

  “If you were really in love with me, I don’t think you’d act so unreasonably now, and I don’t think you can turn love off in less than a few hours.”

  “Don’t talk to me about love or trust or reason,” she cried, furious with him and wanting to pound on his chest. Yet she stood still, trembling slightly as she glared at him. “You get those cattle out of here and you get yourself out of here.”