“Wait, you’re going to marry this cowboy?” Lowell asked, reaching across the table to try to take Frances’s hand. Nick was gratified when she pulled hers out of his reach.
“He offered, and I trust him,” she said simply.
While Lowell sputtered, Nick couldn’t decide if he was pleased with the assessment or crushed. Would she only consider marrying him because she trusted him? Did she have no feelings for him at all?
“Edgar, no offense,” Frances said, “but you’re the one who came out here specifically to try to lure Doris back to Indianapolis and into Uncle William’s clutches.”
“Am I never going to live that down in your eyes?” His face flushed. “I told her what was going on. It never came to that.”
“But the truth is you were tempted to do it. What would it take for Uncle William to tempt you again?”
Lowell jumped to his feet, his chair tipping over. “You have obviously forgotten the facts. I did not come here willingly, nor because I was tempted by payment. My reputation had been threatened with a lie. You’ve lived in higher circles. You know what those people are like.”
“Vultures,” Frances agreed, her voice placid. “But it’s a huge character flaw in my mind that you thought it was all right to do a dishonorable thing to save your honor. She might have forgiven you, but that doesn’t mean I trust you.”
“I thought we’d become friends.” Lowell’s soft words almost made Nick feel bad for the man.
“Oh, we are, and you can still work with us.” Frances waved for him to take his seat again. “Sit down and let me explain.”
For a second, Nick thought he might not do it. The man even glanced at the door.
“You say you want to help defeat my uncle,” she said, her words soft.
Lowell heaved out a deep breath and sank back into his chair. “And how can I do that if you’re married to someone else?”
“You can prepare an ironclad marriage contract for us. I don’t want Uncle William to think he can use Nick against me.”
Nick gave himself a mental shake at how unemotional she sounded. He’d been wanting to marry Frances Lancaster for months. Did the thought of being married to him mean so little to her? Was he putting himself in a bad situation?
As soon as he asked himself the question, he knew the answer: it didn’t matter. Frances needed a husband, and she’d asked him. This was Nick’s chance to win her.
“Are you going to tell your family our marriage is a sham?” he asked.
“Of course not.” Frances gave a shudder. “I can just see Luke. He’d never sign for me if he thought this was all pretend, and the girls would side with him for sure. You have a problem with that?”
“No.” Yes. But Nick kept the thought to himself. He wanted to make sure, when the time finally came to be honest about his feelings for her, Frances knew he wasn’t after her fortune. He said to Lowell, “Be sure our marriage contract protects my interests as well.”
“You have interests needing protection?” Lowell asked with a smug look of disbelief.
“I sure do. Frances wants to be in control of her life and her finances, and so do I. There are things I’m hoping to do, business-wise, here in Lilac City.” Nick winked at her. “I don’t want to have to negotiate with her about how to use my money.”
Frances shot him a considering glance but then grinned. From her approving expression, his gut instinct had been right. He didn’t like the idea of blabbing about his inheritance to Lowell.
“When do you think your office will be ready, Edgar?” she asked.
“It already is.” He leaned back in his chair, looking proud of himself. “I’ve got more work than I know what to do with.”
“Will you have time to do our contract?” Frances asked with a frown. “We can’t wait too long to put everything in order, first because of Luke’s wedding and second because of Maude and Charles’ trip to San Francisco. I don’t want to wait until fall to get to Indianapolis. Even if they decide to go back home soon, they wouldn’t bring me along because they think I’m a child.”
“Did they say that?” Nick asked.
“Pretty much. That’s why it’s time to take matters into my own hands.” She turned to the attorney. “Where’s your office?”
“In the court.” Lowell chuckled at her expression. “I told the mayor I was going to open an office, and he mentioned the circuit judge kept complaining about Lilac City getting big enough to need a prosecutor. Mayor Phelps asked me if I’d take on that responsibility. He said I could use the office for my personal use when I wasn’t doing prosecutor responsibilities.”
“Let’s go then.” Frances stood.
Nick offered her his arm. When she looked about to refuse, he said, “We’re engaged, remember? You said you want this to be convincing.”
She hesitated only a moment before sliding her hand around his arm. A surprising rush of exultation flooded through him, and it took everything Nick had in him not to shout out to the world he was going to marry Frances Lancaster.
Temporarily.
6
On the ride back to the Lucky L Ranch, Frances couldn’t shake the sense of strangeness now hanging between her and Nick. She drove as usual, and he hadn’t offered to help her into the sleigh which she’d been worried he might after he’d insisted on them walking down the street arm-in-arm.
After the feelings she’d experienced in the dream last night, she’d expected something different. In it, Nick had held her hands in his as he’d faced her, the two of them standing before the Reverend Pearce. That’s when she had known what she had to do in order to get her inheritance, and the obvious person had to be Nick. Who else should help her in this but her best friend?
What she hadn’t expected, as she’d taken his arm at the hotel, was a repeat of the dream’s intense sense of rightness in the touch. Or the memory of the embrace at the train station. Even now, with him sitting in the sleigh beside her and occupied with his own thoughts, her gut told her it was the right decision.
And how about how he’d unloaded his own little secret in Edgar’s tiny office. Never once had it occurred to her that the cowhand she’d chummed around with for nearly a year was rich. No wonder Nick had insisted on Edgar making sure his own fortune would be protected. Not that his money would tempt her. Would it change him? She glanced at him and found him looking at her.
“I need to talk to you about something.” His expression had turned so serious, it sent a stab of worry through her.
“You’re not backing out, are you?”
“Hardly. I was planning to make a business proposition to your brother before you proposed to me. It shook it right out of my head.”
The twinkle in his eyes kept her from slugging him.
“Yeah. I’ll bet that kind of came out of nowhere.” Frances grinned. “I appreciate how quick you were to say you’d do it. I do believe Edgar’s turned a new leaf, but I think if I had to spend much more time with him than I already have that I’d kill him.”
“You’re not worried how it’s going to look what with you jumping from him to me?” Nick asked.
“Nah. I saw the looks of most of the townsfolk when he and I went to a couple of events while you were gone.” Frances shrugged. “He and I weren’t right together. But you—we go everywhere together anyway. To them it’d make sense for us to get married.”
An odd expression crossed his face, and she could tell when he tried to hide it. What was that about?
“No, Nick. Don’t you go all silent on me.” She elbowed him. “Fess up.”
“Well.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s just that a couple of people have been telling me I should get myself a mail-order bride because you weren’t the marrying kind.”
The odd way Frances had been feeling increased. In spite of the cold January weather, heat flooded through her. Angry heat. How dare anyone suggest someone as bright and talented as Nick Reynolds needed to order himself a wife?
“That
look.” Nick chuckled. “No, I’m not going to tell you who said it. I don’t want my fiancée sitting in jail for our wedding. I know how you feel about mail-order brides. Now let me tell you about my business plans.”
“All right.” She let out a breath.
“I’d like to see if your brother would consider going into a partnership with me.” Nick’s face took on a pinched look, like he was expecting a blow.
“In what?” Frances asked.
“In his ranch. I wouldn’t presume to offer a fifty-fifty split. But I know he’s been wanting to enlarge his herd and his holdings. That takes capital and what I can offer.” Nick let out a breath. “I’d planned to talk to him about it when I got in tonight or maybe tomorrow. Now, with this temporary marriage, I’m worried he’ll think I was using it to get him to agree. What do you think?”
“I see your point.” She wished everything wasn’t hitting all at once. “You’ve been offering your opinion more lately, and Luke and Tom both listen to you when you do. The last thing I’d want to do is stand in the way of something like this because I think it’s a great idea. Maybe I should ask Edgar to marry—”
“No!” His single word came out as a shout, causing Frances and the horses to jump. Once she’d gotten them settled down, Nick reached over and touched her arm. “Sorry. I just want to be the one to do this for you. It’s been troubling you. I’d have suggested you marry to get hold of your inheritance, if I’d thought you’d consider it.”
“Thank you. It’s a sacrifice for you, I know. At least you’re used to spending most of your free time with me anyway.”
“True that. Well, there’s the house.” Nick’s face looked pale. “I guess we’ll see if your brother fires me.”
Frances laughed, but Nick couldn’t bring himself to join her. He knew all too well how protective her brother was, something she’d likely not know since she hadn’t been there when Luke had had a little talk with the other cowhands. The men talked and teased with her like she was a kid sister, but for a lot of them it was only because of the lecture the boss had given when the sisters had arrived last spring—and still had whenever a new man was hired.
When she drove into the barn, Nick jumped from the sleigh, thinking to take care of the horses himself.
“Junior, mind taking care of this for us?” Frances asked, handing the reins to the ranch foreman’s youngest son. “We’ve got some news for my brother, and I don’t think we should delay.”
“Sure thing.” The young man took them from her and went to work.
Nick offered Frances his arm, and she scowled at him.
“If you want this to be believable,” he said, “we have to act like two impetuous people in love and wanting to get married right away. We have to be convincing to everyone.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” she grumbled as she slid her arm through his, and they headed toward the house.
“When do you want to get hitched?” Nick asked.
“As soon as possible. And as simply as possible.” She glanced up at him. “I don’t want Judith to think I’m trying to get in on her special day, especially since ours isn’t real.”
Nick was silent the rest of the walk to the house, a little surprised at how much Frances’s words had hurt. When he’d jumped on her offer, he hadn’t considered how hard it was going to be to accept that he’d be married to the woman he loved but it wasn’t real, might never be real.
Well, he had a short time to convince her she really did love him. Now was as good a time as any to begin. They’d reached the front door, so he stopped and pulled her back.
“I don’t want to lie to Luke if I can help it,” Nick said. “He’s not going to sign for you unless we’ve convinced him this is a love match, so there’s something we need to do first before we meet him.”
“What?” Frances looked up at him with those hazel eyes, her braid hanging over one shoulder.
Dang, but she was beautiful. She truly was clueless about the draw she had on men. Nick knew for a fact there were a good half dozen of them who fancied themselves in love with her, not counting him. He hoped she didn’t slap him for what he was about to do.
“I need to kiss you. Now, before we go in the house.”
She pulled a face, glancing away. Nick thought he might have preferred that she slap him; it’d have been gentler on his masculine confidence. But he knew he was right, so he pushed on. Luke was no fool.
“If you’re not willing to do something as simple as kiss me to get what you want,” Nick whispered, leaning close enough he could smell the heady fragrance that was her, “we might as well quit right now. I’m not willing to risk what I have here if you’re not in this all the way.”
Frances looked up then and met his gaze, her expression determined. He lifted his free hand and cupped her cheek, wishing he didn’t have a glove on and could feel the softness of her skin. She closed her eyes and lifted her chin. Nick’s heart was beating so hard it made his chest hurt as he brushed her lips with his.
He’d intended to keep it tentative, but the surge of attraction was as powerful as it was unexpected. He loved this woman with all his heart, and he’d do anything he could to make her happy. Seemingly on its own, his other arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. He wanted to smell her, feel her, taste her.
Nick deepened the kiss, and Frances seemed to come alive. Her arms slid up around his neck, and she was pulling him closer, her lips moving against his with an unimaginable intensity. For a second, a burst of happiness flooded through Nick. He’d been right.
Someone laughed on the other side of the door, and he and Frances jumped part. Nick met her gaze, her chest heaving as much as his own. She stared at him like he was a stranger, someone she’d never seen before. Someone dangerous.
The door opened, and they spun to face it. Nick was sure they must look like guilty children. Charles and Maude stared at them, his expression surprised but her gaze fixed on Frances. Maude’s eyes widened, and she looked at Nick.
“Welcome back,” Charles said, stepping out of the way. “How was your sister’s wedding?”
“It was great to see the family again.” Nick took Frances’s surprisingly unresisting hand, and they stepped into the house. “Her shindig was nice and simple.”
“Well, I wish we could stay and catch up, but I have to get back into town, and Maude wants to check on something at Teague’s store.”
Staring at their still-clasped hands Maude said, “Yes, I would like very much to get caught up. Soon.”
With his hand on her back, Charles guided his wife out onto the porch and down the steps. As they turned toward the barn, she glanced over her shoulder at them. Her gaze met Nick’s. Was there a warning there? He closed the door.
“Are we ready to face your brother?” he asked. “If not, I should probably get unpacked.”
Frances looked up at him then, her gaze assessing. “Is it always like that?”
“What?” He was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about. What he didn’t know was if she’d take the kiss with her usual forthright manner or if the intensity of her feelings had scared her and would make her skittish now.
“Kissing.”
“It’s not always like that.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How many girls have you kissed?” she demanded.
Was that jealousy? Nick had to fight not to grin.
“A few but none in the last year.” Nick’s voice softened. “Not until just now.”
“It confused me.” Frances shifted uncomfortably.
“How so?”
“It was a lot nicer than I thought it would be.” She refused to meet his gaze, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink.
“Same here.” And that was saying a lot, considering Nick had been dreaming of kissing her for months. “But if we’re engaged, we’ll have to do it again. Maybe a lot. You remember your sisters.”
Frances looked at him then, a myriad of emotions crossing her face. Nervousness, anticipa
tion, and even a little fear.
“Are you ready to see your brother about this?” Nick asked again.
“Let’s do this.”
“Let’s take off our coats first,” he said with a grin, already removing his hat and hanging it on a hook near the door.
Frances usually insisted on taking off and putting on her coat with no help, but this time she let Nick slide it from her shoulders. That kiss. She’d never dreamed kissing a man could feel like that. It was almost too bad she was never going to have a real marriage.
“Shall we?” Nick asked.
“Yes.”
He took her hand and laced their fingers. They headed toward her brother’s office. Both Charles and Marshall held hands with her sisters, and Frances hadn’t given it much thought. It was another thing Frances hadn’t expected to enjoy. She enjoyed the feel of their ungloved hands, the strength in his grasp, the calluses which proved how hard he worked.
Frances tapped on Luke’s office door but opened it without waiting. He looked up from the ledger before him on the desk, his gaze immediately going to their clasped hands. After a flash of surprise, his eyes narrowed, and he jumped to his feet.
“Get away from my sister, Reynolds.” He was already moving toward them.
“I asked Nick to marry me, and he said he would.” Frances tightened her grasp as though she thought holding Nick’s hand tighter would prevent her brother from tearing them apart.
Nick let out a soft grunt of disapproval. It was a familiar sound. Obviously, he wouldn’t have broached the subject this way. She remembered how he’d wanted to talk to her brother about a possible partnership. Had she ruined that for him? But Luke had frozen, his hands in the air where he’d been reaching for their hands.
“You proposed to him?” he asked, saying the words slowly.
“You think I’d wait for the man?” Frances sniffed with disdain. “As if I would. You should know me better than that.”
A Fella for Frances Page 5