by Connie Mason
Spurring her horse forward, Zoey raced around to the rear of the bank to warn Pierce of the danger. If he was found breaking into the bank, all hell would break loose. She saw his horse and knew he was still inside Willoughby’s office. She leapt from her mount and burst through the door. He blew out the match and jumped to his feet.
Her voice hissed through the darkness. “Pierce, Willoughby is at the front door. You’ve got to leave—now!”
“What in God’s name are you doing here?”
“There’s no time for that. Just get out of here before you’re discovered.”
Pierce spit out a curse. He hadn’t had time to pull the Fuller file from the cabinet, and it was too late now. He couldn’t let Zoey be found anywhere near the premises. Grasping her hand, he pulled her out the door and threw her atop her horse. “Get the hell out of here.” He slapped the horse’s rump. Zoey grabbed the reins as the animal surged forward.
“Aren’t you coming?” she called over her shoulder.
“In a minute.”
Closing the door carefully behind him, Pierce knelt and, plying the tool he used to break in, jiggled the lock until it fell back into place. And not a minute too soon. He was racing down the alley when a light went on in Willoughby’s office.
* * *
“There’s no one here,” Willoughby grouched. “You woke me from a sound sleep for nothing.”
“I tell you I followed them, boss. I saw them leave the Circle F.”
“You must have been dreaming.” Willoughby went to the door and tried the handle. The door was still locked. “Go on back before you’re missed. Next time you wake me up, it had better be for a good reason.”
Pierce and Zoey rode hell for leather back to the ranch. Once in the barn, Pierce ordered her into the house while he unsaddled and rubbed down their horses. Zoey went gladly, aware that Pierce was furious with her. She went upstairs immediately, hoping to reach her room before his temper exploded. She breathed a sigh of relief once she was safely inside with the door closed. She lit a lamp and started to undress. She didn’t think Pierce would follow her into her room.
She was wrong.
Minutes later the door slammed open. Zoey spun around, holding the shirt she’d just removed in front of her like a shield. Pierce stood in the doorway, his face a mask of rage … and something else she couldn’t decipher. She’d never seen that look before on his face.
“You little fool! What did you hope to gain by following me tonight?”
Zoey couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I saved your life … again.”
“That’s besides the point. Can’t you understand? I didn’t want to drag you into this. I didn’t want to endanger your life.”
“You didn’t have to drag me into this, this is my fight. It’s my land at risk. I forced you to involve yourself in my problems, but I didn’t ask you to die for me. I followed you because I wanted to help. And I did. If I hadn’t been there, you would have been discovered.”
Pierce’s eyes narrowed. “What in the hell do you suppose brought Willoughby to the bank that time of night?”
“Someone had to know about your plans,” Zoey guessed. “Someone from the ranch must have followed us. When I saw a rider enter town and disappear around a corner, I thought it was just a coincidence. Whoever it was, though, must have warned Willoughby.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m reasonably sure the man who rode into town minutes behind me was the same one who arrived with Willoughby. Do you think it could be one of our hands?”
“I’ll look into it in the morning.”
Pierce’s expression eased. He couldn’t describe how frightened he’d been when Zoey burst into Willoughby’s office. He couldn’t stop shaking all the way home. Now, seeing her safe, he wanted to take her into his arms, to crush her against him, to kiss her until she begged him to stop. God, he must be growing soft in the head. Is that what marriage did to a man?
Pierce walked into the room, halting scant inches from Zoey. His green eyes glittered like jewels as he took the shirt from her hands and tossed it aside. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly with the intake of her breath beneath the lacy barrier of the camisole she wore. With shaking hands, Pierce reached out and released the ties, slowly easing the garment open and pushing it aside to reveal her breasts. He muttered something beneath his breath and gently touched her nipple with a fingertip.
Zoey inhaled sharply. His touch set off a firestorm inside her. She wanted to throw herself into his arms, feel the hard, arousing length of him impressed upon her skin. She wanted him to do all those things to her that husbands did to wives.
Pierce was experienced enough to know that Zoey wanted him, and he exulted in the knowledge. His hands curved around her breasts, molding them against his palms, caressing the nipples with the rough pads of his thumbs. Every muscle throbbed with need, screaming at him to lay her down, spread her legs, and thrust inside her. He wanted to take her fast and hard, deep and fierce, then ride her to his own release.
“Do you want me?” he whispered against her lips.
“It makes no difference what I want. I won’t give myself to a man who will leave me and never look back.”
An odd pain rippled through Pierce, a tightness that contracted and made his throat ache. He wouldn’t lie. “I can promise you nothing, love. I never wanted to be married. You saved my life, but regardless, I will leave once my debt is repaid in full. Neither of us expected more from this marriage. I’m only asking that you let me give you pleasure while I’m here.”
“What if you leave me with child?” The thought of carrying Pierce’s child was disturbing but not unpleasant. Under any other circumstances she’d have loved to have Pierce’s baby.
His hard features softened, his eyes moving over her with something that might have been yearning. “I’ll try to prevent that from happening. Let me love you, Zoey.”
His lips came down hard upon hers, stealing away her protests and cries as he kissed her with searing fervor, thrusting his tongue into her mouth and exploring it with unleashed passion. He kissed her again and again, leaving her gasping and breathless. Then he dropped to his knees and took the swollen bud of one breast into his wet, warm mouth, drawing on her with exquisite tenderness. The stubble on his chin scraped the tender flesh of her ribs as he paid homage to the other breast.
Zoey’s knees grew weak and she would have collapsed but for Pierce’s strong hands holding her upright. Then she felt his hand between her legs, and acute embarrassment made her whimper. She knew she was damp there and hoped Pierce couldn’t feel it through her denims.
“Tell me you want me, love.”
Zoey wanted him, oh, yes, she wanted him. But letting him love her would make his leaving all the more painful. She couldn’t bear the thought of all those nights to come when she’d remember his loving and face the emptiness in her soul.
“Don’t do this to me. Ours isn’t a real marriage. I don’t want to know passion with you. You don’t love me and I … I don’t love you.”
Slowly Pierce’s hands dropped away. His face was contorted with anguish, his pain very real. He’d never taken a woman by force and he didn’t intend to start now. He never doubted for a minute that Zoey would come to him on his terms before he left.
“You’re killing me. Are you sure?”
No, not sure at all, but it’s the way it has to be. “Yes, very sure.”
Zoey could almost feel the pain in Pierce’s tormented body. Her pain was nearly as great. She turned away from him, pulling her camisole up to cover her breasts. She felt deep shame for giving Pierce so much of herself before stopping him. But his mouth on her had been so sweetly arousing. It had felt so right that she’d been momentarily distracted and unable to stop him. She’d always known Pierce wanted her sexually, for he’d never hid that from her. Tonight his seduction of her had been nearly accomplished. He was so sure of himself, so determined that she’d succumb to temptation. Fortunately
she was made of sterner stuff than he gave her credit for.
Men like Pierce wanted sex without attachments. Pierce thought women were treacherous and untrustworthy. And she’d done nothing to change his mind. Railroading him into marriage served only to reinforce his low opinion of women.
Bringing her mental ruminations to a halt, Zoey turned to confront Pierce, surprised that he had already left.
Pierce paced the length of his room and back, too aroused to sleep. Suddenly nothing in his life made sense. Why did this woman, of all the women he’d known, move him in a way he hadn’t been moved in more years than he cared to count? Why did he want Zoey more than he could ever recall wanting another woman? He wanted her sexually, he couldn’t deny that, but it went deeper than that. God, what was happening to him?
Whatever it was, he didn’t like it. He wasn’t going to leave until Zoey gave him what he wanted so he could purge her from his system. Soon his brothers would have the truth from Cora Lee and he’d be free to return to Dry Gulch, to the comfortable life he had led before meeting Zoey Fuller.
Abruptly Pierce’s gaze fell on the gift he had purchased in town for Zoey the same day he’d bought new clothing for himself. He’d intended to let her wear it long enough for him to admire her in it, then strip it off her and gently initiate her to passion. Suddenly he grew angry, angry at himself, at Zoey, at all females in general. He ought to give her the damn gift and let her do with it as she pleased.
Grabbing the package from the top of his bureau, he flung the door open and stormed down the hall to Zoey’s room. He burst inside without knocking. Zoey was seated at her dressing table, brushing her long blond hair. The breath caught in Pierce’s chest. He found the simple sight of Zoey brushing her hair somehow more erotic than if she had greeted him naked. Gaining his wits, he tossed the neatly wrapped package on the bed.
“I hoped we might enjoy this together, but I was mistaken. Consider it a wedding gift,” he flung out sarcastically.
He whirled on his heel and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.
Zoey paused in midstroke, the brush poised in her blond tresses. She eyed the package he’d tossed carelessly upon the bed with misgiving. She rose slowly, approaching the small package wrapped in brown paper and tied with a string as if she expected it to explode. She touched it gingerly, trying to decide if she should open it or return it sight unseen. Curiosity overcame her reservations.
Zoey opened the package with shaking hands, gasping in dismay and no little surprise when she drew out the loveliest nightgown she’d ever seen. She hadn’t even known such garments existed. It appeared to be made of cobwebs, all silvery and shimmery. She held it up to the light, and her breath caught when light filtered through its transparent folds. The demure high neck was deceptive, for nothing beneath it would be withheld from view. Three tiny buttons held it together at the bodice. The lower half was split from the waist down.
Zoey stared at the diaphanous nightgown and burst into tears. Had she married a man she loved, this was exactly the kind of garment she’d have chosen for her wedding night. How could Pierce have known?
Seduction took many forms, she supposed, and obviously Pierce Delaney was an expert.
In the days that followed, neither Pierce nor Zoey mentioned the nightgown or what had transpired the night he had given it to her. Pierce arose early, rode out with the men, returned late, and ate in the cookhouse with the hands. Zoey was already in bed by the time Pierce returned to the house.
Zoey missed him but told herself the coldness between them was for the best. She was putty in Pierce’s hands. Whenever he touched her she went up in smoke. She’d had no idea she possessed a passionate nature until Pierce touched her. Perhaps it was because no man had ever attracted her like Pierce.
A week after the aborted attempt to break into Willoughby’s office, the banker arrived at the ranch, accompanied by a deputy. Zoey met him at the front door.
“What do you want?”
“Where is your husband?”
“In the barn.”
“Get him,” he told the deputy.
Zoey eyed the deputy warily. “What is this all about?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Willoughby continued to smile complacently while the deputy strode to the barn for Pierce. A few minutes later Pierce appeared, taking a stance beside Zoey. The look he gave Willoughby was daunting.
“State your business, Willoughby.”
“Of course, that’s why I’m here. I brought a deputy to make things nice and legal.”
He removed a sheet of paper from his pocket and shoved it under Pierce’s nose.
“These are foreclosure orders, in case you can’t read. All legal and signed by the judge. You have two weeks to vacate the premises. Take only your personal belongings and keepsakes. The furnishings go with the house.”
“You … you can’t do that,” Zoey sputtered. Though she’d known it was coming, it was still a shock.
Pierce’s arm crept around her and she leaned into him, welcoming his support.
“It’s legal and binding, Zoey,” Willoughby declared. “Had you married me, none of this would be necessary. You and I could be sharing this land and house. But you deliberately chose to thwart me.”
He turned glittering eyes on Pierce. “Something strange went on in my office one night last week. What do you know about it?”
Pierce’s lips flattened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I can’t prove a damn thing, Delaney, but I’m warning you, don’t mess with me.” Then he smiled at Zoey. It wasn’t a pleasant smile. “What are you going to do when your husband leaves you, my dear? He will, you know. His kind never sticks around long. Just remember, I’ll be here long after he’s gone. I’ll still welcome you into my home and bed when you have no one to turn to.”
“Don’t hold your breath,” Zoey retorted. “I’ll find a job if I need to.”
“Not in this town.” He tipped his hat. “Good day to you. I’ll return in two weeks to claim my land.”
“Oh, God,” Zoey sobbed after Willoughby and the deputy rode off. “How I hate that smug bastard!”
“Don’t give up yet,” Pierce consoled. He brushed a strand of golden hair from her forehead and kissed her temple. He wasn’t going to let Willoughby force Zoey off her land without trying one last time to prove that the mortgage had been forged. Only this time he would reveal his plans to no one. Not even Cully. Especially not Zoey.
“He’s taken everything from me,” Zoey whispered, feeling as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. She was going to lose her home, and Pierce would move on soon afterward. The one good thing to come of this was that it was impossible for Willoughby to force her into marriage. And she would starve before turning to him for comfort after Pierce left.
“There’s always something that can be done,” Pierce mused thoughtfully. “Don’t say anything about this to the hands, it might affect their work. We’ve made great progress these past weeks. The paddocks are nearly filled with Circle F livestock. When it comes time to fulfill your contract to the army, you’ll have those three hundred head that were promised to them.”
Zoey laughed bitterly. “This is too much! How can you act as if nothing will change? Why should the hands round up the cattle for Willoughby’s benefit? That’s what it amounts to. Besides, this isn’t your problem.”
“You made it my problem,” Pierce reminded her.
Zoey was too upset to listen to what he was saying. “Perhaps you should leave now. In two weeks you’ll no longer have a roof over your head.”
“Neither will you. What will you do? Where will you go?”
If it comes down to it, I could always send her to my brothers, Pierce decided.
“I’m not sure. I’ll get a room in town and find a job. I’ve never lived in town.” Her chin rose stubbornly. “I’ll get by. I’d prefer that you get the annulment. Getting it in Rolling Prairie would give
Willoughby more ammunition to use against me.”
“Since I never intend to remarry, there’s no hurry.”
Pierce turned her toward him, wiping away her tears with his fingertips. She gave him a watery smile. Pierce felt something inside him burst. She was so brave it nearly broke his heart. It was the first time in many years he acknowledged possessing a heart, and it startled him.
“Don’t despair, love. We still have two weeks. All isn’t lost yet.”
“You don’t have to cheer me up, Pierce. I’ve reconciled myself to losing the land my father gave his life for. It was all he had to leave me. He died protecting it. I’ll survive.”
Pierce’s determination to help Zoey grew by leaps and bounds. His own problems could wait. He couldn’t return to Dry Gulch yet anyway. Not if he wanted to live. Riley Reed would love to put a rope around his neck.
Pierce had a plan. Someone at the Circle F was a spy; unfortunately he had yet to find that man. Bud had questioned everyone in the bunkhouse about the night Pierce had broken into Willoughby’s office, but no one had noticed anyone missing. This time Pierce was taking no chances. He’d do what he had to do without interference from a damn spy.
Chapter 7
Zoey tried to present a brave face at supper that night and failed miserably. Though neither Cully nor Pierce mentioned Willoughby’s visit or the foreclosure, it was on their minds, making for a subdued meal. Finally Zoey could stand it no longer. Leaving her untouched meal on her plate, she scraped back her chair and ran from the kitchen.
Pierce started to go after her, but Cully grasped his arm and said, “Let her go. There ain’t nothing you can do now. Ain’t nothing nobody can do. Don’t worry none about Zoey after you leave, I’ll see to her. Always have, always will.” His sharp-eyed gaze speared into Pierce. “You are leaving, ain’t you? If you are, you oughta do it soon, before Miz Zoey gets too fond of you.”