by Connie Mason
presence at the ranch She ducked back inside the doorway when she saw Chase step out from the shadows and join Maggie She couldn't hear what they said, but burned with envy when Chase grasped Maggie's hand and led her off
Virgie couldn't understand what Chase saw in Maggie when she, Virgie, had so much more to offer Did Maggie have some hold over the handsome cowboy1? What could Chase be thinking1? Maggie had to be long past her prime, with an illegitimate child besides Yet both Rusty and Kate seemed unconcerned about Maggie's unmarried state, or her turning up at the ranch for no reason Somehow, Virgie vowed, she intended to learn exactly what Maggie Afton was to Chase Virgie and Chase were meant to be together He was perfect for her, and no dned-up spinster was going to steal him from her
When Maggie returned to the house alone, bedraggled and soaking wet, it was obvious to Virgie that more than casual conversation had taken place down by the creek It rankled to think that Chase had spumed her own efforts at seduction, yet seized the first opportunity to take Maggie Afton If she didn't do something soon, Virgie reflected thoughtfully, Maggie would trap Chase into marriage
Surprisingly, Maggie liked Montana and the ranch The air was so clean and pure Beth seemed to thrive in it Seattle was beautiful, but the wide open spaces of Montana held a certain appeal Maggie found difficult to resist Verdant mountains rose majestically above the valleys and forests of Chase's ranch, and often Maggie left Beth in Spotted Deer's capable hands and rode out on a lively sorrel mare Chase had provided for her use Normally she was accompanied by either
Rusty, Kate, or both, and sometimes Virgie rode along
After their night of love, Maggie made a concentrated effort to avoid being alone with Chase, which he found both amusing and irritating Maggie wanted no repeat of their explosive joining down by the stream She didn't come to the ranch merely to bed Chase, but to win back his love
During the long afternoons while Beth slept, Maggie satisfied her creative talents by writing chapters for another book and dashing out magazine articles She missed her work on the Post-Intelligencer and often wished she could both satisfy her love for Chase and pursue her career at the same time It didn't seem fair for a women to give up a career and all she stnved for to follow the dictates of her heart Was there no happy medium1?
Chase tried to stay away from Maggie, aware that it was what she wanted, but as the days passed the task became not only difficult but impossible He knew Maggie was avoiding him, and all his efforts to ignore her failed miserably Just seeing her daily, watching her lavish tender love on her daughter, made Chase ache with thwarted desire Nor did Virgie make things easier The tempting vixen was at his elbow, luring him with the purple depths of her eyes, suggesting pleasures that needed no words But at least Maggie was still here, he thought smugly And, astonishingly, he was getting accustomed to seeing tiny Beth each day He rather enjoyed having a baby around to liven up his life If only That thought remained unspoken, for Chase knew from experience that fantasies didn't exist
One day Maggie watched Chase out the window as he sauntered casually over to where Spotted Deer had placed Beth on a blanket beneath a large shade tree in the yard so that the infant might play
and exercise The Indian girl sat nearby, keeping a watchful eye on her squirming charge Maggie stared with trepidation as Chase knelt beside the tiny tot, studying her with careful scrutiny His unfeigned interest surprised Maggie, and she held her breath as Chase picked up the infant, tossing her above his head as she squealed in delight
Chase had no idea what made him pick Beth up, he had merely wanted to see for himself how she was faring in the Montana climate But she looked so damned appealing, so artlessly beguiling, he couldn't resist There was a certain magnetism about Maggie's little girl Chase found difficult to resist With rapt attention he studied her tiny face, so like Maggie's except for her eyes, which were a spellbinding blue He'd had the urge to cuddle the tyke like this since the day she arrived but purposely stifled his paternal instincts Abruptly, he wondered if Maggie had conceived after their mating by the creek and decided to put an end to her foolish attempts at keeping them apart when it was what neither of them wanted Dammit, he loved Maggie, and deep in his heart he knew Maggie loved him too
Brushing a kiss across Beth's smooth forehead, he placed the gurgling infant back on her blanket Turning, he nearly collided with Virgie, who had crept up behind him
"Don't sneak up on a man like that," Chase scowled, annoyed that Virgie still persisted with her pursuit of him
"She's a scrawny little thing, isn't she1?" Virgie said disparagingly, motioning toward Beth with a careless lift of her shoulder Though Beth was still small, she had a healthy glow about her that belied Virgie's words "When are they leaving1?"
"They're welcome to stay as long as they like, same as you
Virgie flushed, recognizing a put-down when she heard one Virgie definitely wasn't pleased with the way Chase seemed to dote on Maggie's infant but seemed unable to remedy the situation "Kate has lunch on the table "
"I'll be in directly " He turned away, leaving Virgie fuming in impotent rage She aimed a hateful glare at Beth, then left in a huff Maggie turned away from the window, apparently satisfied that Virgie seemed to be getting nowhere with Chase
Chase was annoyed when Maggie failed to show up for lunch, but Virgie was pleased to have him all to herself for a change She did her best to entertain him, but it was apparent that his mind was elsewhere When he rose abruptly and excused himself after choking down only a few bites of food, Virgie knew the time had come to have a talk with Maggie
Chase was of the same mind
Maggie had just settled Beth down for her nap when a knock sounded on her door and Kate entered carrying a tray "Ya missed lunch, honey, so I brought ya a tray "
"That's sweet of you, Kate, but I could have gone down to the kitchen and fixed myself something
"No need, I wanted ta have a talk with ya anyways " She set the tray on a table and fixed Maggie with a speculative glance " 'Pears ta me you and Chase ain't gettin' nowhere towards a relationship Has he guessed about the baby yet1? He seems powerful taken with the little mite 'Course she's sweet enough ta melt even the hardest heart"
"Chase is too cussed stubborn to recognize the truth when it's staring him in the face Beth is so like him, it's uncanny The eyes alone give her away " "What ya gonna do?"
"Hope that he'll open his eyes soon and face up to the fact that he has a beautiful little daughter "
"Tell him, Maggie," Kate urged "Knowin' Chase, he's apt ta be angry when he finds out you've kept the truth from him "
"Chase has no one to blame but himself His hot temper sent him jumping to conclusions without stopping to consider the circumstances It would serve him right if I took Beth and left the ranch "
"Ya wouldn't do that, would ya?" Kate asked, aghast
I hope I don't have to," Maggie admitted, taking a bite of crispy fried chicken and chewing thoughtfully
Chase waited until all the lights in the house were doused and he was relatively certain everyone was sleeping before entering the house and treading lightly to the room he had given up for Maggie and her baby The door opened noiselessly beneath his hand Since he knew the room by heart, he needed no light to guide him to the bed It pleased him to think of Maggie occupying his bed and he peered down at her a few minutes, not really seeing her through the darkness but vividly recalling every tempting, utterly fautless curve of her slender form How could she deny him what they both craved1?
Beth picked that unlikely moment to fuss in her cradle She had fallen asleep before nursing her fill and awakened now wanting the rest of her meal Distracted by the baby's soft mewlings. Chase walked to her cradle and scooped her up as if it was the most natural thing in the world Her tiny rosebud mouth nuzzled his chest, but evidently found nothing to her liking, for her small fists waved angrily in the air and her face puckered up in obvious frustration
Chase smiled at her antics, his heart contrac
ting with emotions he'd never experienced before No matter who this enchanting tyke belonged to, he wanted to protect her always, he'd make damn certain nothing bad hurt her He wanted the same thing for Beth's mother
Attuned to her every need, Maggie heard Beth whimper and forced herself to respond When she glanced over at Beth's cradle, the blood froze in her veins A large shadowy figure bent over her, Beth's small figure nearly dwarfed by brawny arms and massive chest Maggie opened her mouth to scream, then abruptly snapped it shut when silvery moon-beams produced a halo of light around a head of burnished copper
"Chase, what are you doing here1? You frightened the daylights out of me Is something wrong with Beth'?"
"Sony, Maggie," Chase whispered sheepishly "I wanted to talk to you and you've been avoidin' me like poison As for you daughter, I reckon she's just hungry "
"Bring her here," Maggie said, sliding up in bed and arranging the pillows behind her
"Do you need a light?"
"No, Beth can find what she's looking for in the dark " Maggie smiled as Chase laid Beth in her arms
"I've never been very good at seem' in the dark," Chase drawled lazily as he lit and trimmed the wick of the bedside lamp until its warm glow filled the comers of the room
Maggie lay relaxed against the pillows, Beth's blond head nuzzling at her breast Her nightgown was unbottoned to the waist and her shoulders and breasts gleamed like polished alabaster The breath caught in Chase's chest Never had he seen such an awe-inspiring sight as that enchanting child nursing at her mother's breast Maggie noted the direction of
his gaze and made to cover her exposed flesh
"No, don't," Chase said, staying her hand "I've seen you before, there's nothin' to hide You're so damn beautiful, darlin', it hurts my eyes "
Abruptly Maggie's hand dropped to her side She shuddered when Chase lightly caressed her breast "What do you want. Chase1?" She had to say something or become completely unsettled It wouldn't do for him to leam she was putly in his hands
Chase concentrated for a minute on the slurping noises made by Beth before responding "Are you carryin' my child, Maggie1?" He hadn't meant to blurt out the words in that abrupt manner, but they came unbidden to his tongue
Maggie flushed She knew several days ago that she hadn't conceived "I'm not pregnant. Chase You're under no obligation where I'm concerned "
Chase frowned Maggie made it sound as if he couldn't wait to be shed of her when just the opposite was true He sat down on the bed, enthralled by the sight of Beth nursing noisily at Maggie's breast
"Is she always so greedy1?"
"She fell asleep before she finished her dinner "
Chase ruffled the blond fuzz covering her small head "She's grown "
"I'm surprised you noticed "
"There's not much around the ranch that escapes my notice Is she asleep1?" Chase asked, nodding at Beth who now lay dozing at Maggie's breast, her rosebud mouth lax against her mother's nipple
"Yes, I'll put her to bed"
"No, let me," Chase offered, surprising Maggie as he took the babe from her arms and placed her in the cradle with a gentleness that belied his great strength Then he turned back to Maggie, his hands already working at the buttons on his shirt
"What are you doing1?"
"I'm gonna love you For weeks you've ignored me, when we both know this is what we want Just you bein' here on the ranch proves you care for me Why deny it? Why deny tkis?*
"No, Chase, we can't," Maggie protested urgently "I didn't become pregnant the last time we made love, but I may this time "
"Is that so bad? I said before I'd take care of you if that happened "
"You mean marriage?"
"Well, dang it, why not?" Chase said thoughtfully, as if the notion just occurred "If you're carryin' my baby, naturally I'd ask you to marry me "
"Is that the only reason "
"Isn't that good enough?"
"No I" Maggie hissed vehemently "I always assumed the father of my children would love me "
It was on the tip of Chase's tongue to tell Maggie he loved her, that he'd never stopped loving her, not even when she bore another man's child But since no such admission was forthcoming from Maggie, he bit back his own words
"You love the way I love you, the way I make you tingle and bum and cry out in passion Love has to start someplace "
"It's not enough. Chase "
"How about this?" He stroked her tender breasts "Your body loves what I do for it"
His mouth slid down the slender column of her throat to take the erect nub in his mouth and suckle with the same delight Beth enjoyed "Chase, please, don't" Her last words ended in a strangled gasp as Chase's calloused hand crept beneath her nightgown and up the inside of her thigh to that throbbing warmth between her legs
"Tell me you don't want me," Chase whispered against her lips "I—don't want you "
"You're a damn liar " His fingers began a slow, tantalizing massage, first teasing the tender moist flesh, then probing deep inside, his touch a burning brand that set her afire Her nightgown melted from her like magic
"Touch me, Maggie, feel how much I need you "
His slow, sensual drawl released the bonds that controlled her response as Maggie reached for him, shocked to find him naked and hard with desire
"That's it I Oh God, that's good," Chase moaned as her small hand slid down the length of him "Slowly, baby, that's right" His body moved in tempo with her hand until he knew he had to stop her or shame himself "Enough, darlin', I need to be inside you now Lie on your side " Mindlessly, Maggie obeyed, long past the point of protest or question
She felt Chase mold his body to her backside and spread her legs with his Then he slid easily inside her, his hands free to knead and tease and tantalize He sensed her initial reluctance and said, "There's a whole passel of ways to love, darlin', and I aim to teach you every one of them Next I'll let you get on top and do whatever feels good to you I'm not hurtin' you, am I?"
Hurt her1? It felt wonderful He felt wonderful "No, you're not hurting me "
Her words unleashed a demon inside him as Chase shoved himself in deeper, moving, stroking, faster, stoking the flames of her passion into a blazing inferno And then he took her into its molten center, joining her in an eruption of sublime ecstasy It was several breathless minutes before either of them could talk
"Damn you. Chase, I didn't want this to happen again until—" Her words faltered
"Until what1?" Chase asked, his interest piqued
"Until I decided—what I wanted to do with my life," Maggie finished lamely
"We're always gonna want each other," Chase stated with firm conviction
"Like a couple of animals'?" Maggie charged, her voice laced with contempt She was disgusted with herself as well as with Chase
"Like human bein's who will always need one another "
"Have you changed your mind about Beth'? Are you willing to accept another man's child1?"
"I don't care who fathered Beth I don't know what went wrong between us, Maggiei but I still want you, I want you for my w—"
"FireI The stables are onfirel"
The alarm echoed through the stillness of the night, putting an abrupt end to whatever Chase was about to say Jumping from the bed, he ran to the window, cursing when he saw flames leaping from the stable roof "Darnnationl My prize stallions are in there I" Pulling on his pants and shoving on his boots, he grabbed his shirt and flew out the door "You'll be safe enough here I don't think the house is in danger unless the wind shifts," he threw over his shoulder
"Chase, be carefull" But he was already out the door
The commotion awoke Beth, and Maggie struggled out of bed to soothe her back to sleep, forgetting that Chase had stripped her naked
"You conniving witch, I saw Chase leave your room just now " Violet eyes raked contemptuously over Maggie's nude flesh
Darting for the robe at the foot of the bed, Maggie shrugged into it before turning to confront
Virgie "I didn't hear you knock, Virgie "
"The door was ajar You can't deny you were with Chase tonight—the room reeks of sex "
"How would you know what sex smells like, unless—" Her words trailed off as she searched
Virgie's face "Chase and I are both adults We don't need permission "
"There's a name for women like you Why don't you leave Chase alone1?"
Til leave if and when Chase tells me to Go back to bed Ineed to see to my child She's frightened by all the commotion "
Deliberately Maggie turned her back on Virgie, leaving the fuming brunette with no choice but to whirl on her heel and storm out the door
Fortunately, the wind did not shift and the house suffered no damage, but six of Chase's blooded stallions had been destroyed, as well as the stable housing them Chase spent the following days trying to learn what had caused the costly blaze Rebuilding the stable was no problem, but replacing the horses meant combing the United States for stock to replace those lost Of necessity Chase's discussion with Maggie was delayed until the nasty business with the fire was investigated and rebuilding begun Yet the piercing glances he cast in her direction told Maggie they were far from finished with what they had started that night in her bedroom
About a week after the fire, Maggie decided to ride into Butte Beth had outgrown all the clothes she'd brought with her, and she wanted to mail the first chapters of her new book to the publisher Chase was occupied with supervising the rebuilding of the new stable, and both Rusty and Kate were at their new house, which was nearly ready for occupancy Only Virgie remained at home, and she offered no comment when Maggie voiced her intention of riding to Butte Virgie had not spoken above two words to Maggie since the night she had discovered Chase in Maggie's room, and she wasn't about to tell her now how dangerous it was to ride alone in this wild country
