by Connie Mason
"Of course," Maggie said cheekily, "it's my wedding day " Suddenly Maggie frowned, wondering where Chase had disappeared to Just moments ago he was standing beside her "Where's Chase1?"
"He was here a minute ago," Rusty puzzled, a frown worrying his weathered features "Want me ta fetch him1?"
"No need," Virgie piped up, having just joined the group Til get him He's probably saying good-bye to some of the guests They're beginning to leave now " Smiling brightly, she hurried off Concerned over Chase's unaccountable absence, Maggie made to follow
"Maggie, don't go We need to talk " The pleading in Scott's voice tugged at Maggie's soft heart "I've come a long way "
She'd be a sorry friend if she couldn't spare a moment for Scott, Maggie reasoned She had the rest of her life to spend with Chase "I'd like for us to talk, Scott It pleases me that you've come on my wedding day How did you know where to find me1?"
"Three weeks ago I received an an anonymous telegram stating that you were in Montana, had suffered an injury, and needed me I came as quickly as I could Are you all right1?"
"I am now," Maggie said happily Suddenly aware that they were being stared at, she added, "Walk outside with me and I'll explain everything "
Eagerly Scott agreed, slipping with her through the door and into the crisp twilight The contrasting coolness sent a shiver down Maggie's spine, and immediately realizing the problem, Scott gallantly removed his jacket and placed it around her shoulders They walked as far as the corral before Maggie spoke
"I suffered an accident, Scott I was caught in a storm, thrown from my horse, and sustained a head injury It caused a temporary loss of memory " Scott surmised that much was omitted in her rather terse explanation
"Temporary1? How long1?"
"It lasted several weeks It wasn't until I saw you just now that my memory returned "
"I'm glad you took my advice and brought Beth to her father What puzzles me, though, is why you and Chase hadn't married before now Is there a reason for marrying at a time when you had no memory of him1? I can't help but think the person who sent the telegram did so with a purpose in mind "
"I have a good idea who sent the telegram, and she did have a purpose," Maggie said bitterly "It should come as no surprise that I fell in love with Chase all over again despite the fact that we were
virtually strangers after my accident But even then, there was a strong bond between us that couldn't be denied "
"Then all is well between you1?"
"Couldn't be better," Maggie grinned
"And Beth? How is my goddaughter?"
"You wouldn't know her, she's grown so much "
"I can't wait to see the little imp again I've missed her, missed you both "
"Have you found someone yet, Scott?" Maggie probed "You've a lot to offer a woman "
"It's difficult to settle for second best," Scott replied wryly
"How long can you stay?" Maggie asked, abruptly changing the subject
"I'll look in on Beth, then take my leave I won't spoil your honeymoon I didn't mean to interfere but I had to assure myself you were all right"
"And I'm grateful for your concern, but as you can see, I'm fine In fact, I've never been happier "
It was that very happiness that made Maggie throw her arms around Scott's neck and hug him without restraint Then, abruptly, she released him "Come inside while I find Chase I haven't spoken with him since I regained my memory and we've so much to say to one another Don't leave until we both can give you a proper good-bye " Grasping his hand, she led him into the house
Chase paced his room in endless frustration The half-hour he had allotted Maggie had come and gone with no sign of his elusive wife Did she care nothing about him or their marriage? Was Scott Gordon more important to her than her own husband? Restlessly he walked to the window, staring out into the pearly softness of twilight A movement by the corral caught his attention, and he stared with rapt fascination at the couple intimately entwined Chase knew immediately that he was viewing a very private
moment between two people who cared deeply about one another and shock jolted through him, as if he'd been kicked in the stomach by a mule
He needed no further proof that Maggie held tender feelings for Scott Gordon Her absence spoke eloquently of her desire for the Mountie She had deliberately ignored his summons So be it He wasn't going to hang around and suffer the humiliation of rejection Finding pen and paper, he scrawled a hasty note, then changed from his wedding finery to buckskins, strapping his holster securely around his narrow hips His saddlebags lay in a comer, and he quickly packed them with clothes and necessities, including a wad of bills from the cashbox stashed away in a drawer for emergencies
Reluctant to leave without first bidding good-bye to Beth, Chase quietly entered his daughter's room He didn't know how long he'd be gone, but he couldn't be a husband to Maggie when she loved someone else
Beth lay in her bed asleep, a thumb filling her rosebud mouth He loved her so much he nearly lost his nerve, but he was a man driven by jealousy and torn by guilt Bending low, he kissed Beth's forehead and quietly tiptoed from the room He left through the kitchen exit just as Maggie and Scott entered through the front door
Chapter Twenty-Five
Maggie tilted back in her chair and gazed around the cluttered room with satisfaction She'd not been idle since Chase walked out on her on their wedding day nearly six weeks ago His hasty departure had devastated her, his note providing scant explanation For the second time since she'd known Chase, he had fled without allowing her the benefit of an explanation Not that he was due one, Maggie decided with a hint of malice
Chase's note did little more than apologize for lying and for prodding her into marriage when obviously it was Scott Gordon she loved Chase went on to say that, despite his best efforts, Maggie's memory hadn't returned until she saw the Mountie In view of Maggie's feelings. Chase reckoned it best for him to quietly disappear and allow Maggie time to come to grips with her feelings now that she was in full control of her memory He wanted to do what was best for her Chase made it perfectly clear, though.
that even if she chose to go with Gordon, he wasn't giving up his rights to his daughter
How could a sensible man like Chase allow his pride to interfere with his thinking1? Maggie despaired Didn't he realize her memory didn't change the love she felt for him1? Maggie didn't want Scott She'd never wanted him—not in the same way she wanted Chase Scott had been appalled by Chase's desertion on her wedding day So were Kate and Rusty, for all the good it did Maggie Their disapproval would not bring her husband back
"On what page do you want to run this story about the new governor, Mrs McGarrett?"
Maggie's mental musings skidded to a halt as her typesetter's question jolted her back to the present
"Page one, John," Maggie replied "Use eighteen-point type for the headline " John nodded and turned back to his work, allowing Maggie to resume her reverie
She had moped around the house for days after Chase left, looking for him to ride in at any minute, guilt-stricken and repentant When Rusty went to Butte to look for him the day after the wedding, he found Chase's horse at the livery Evidently Chase had boarded a train early that morning for Denver He could be anywhere by now Before their marriage Chase had transferred a large sun of money into a separate account for her and enclosed the bankbook with the note he left, so she had no complaint in that department But money was the last thing Maggie wanted from Chase McGarrett She wanted her husband She wanted him to come to his senses and return to her
Suddenly an icy draught blew a paper off her desk, and Maggie glanced up as Scott entered the small, disorderly office She'd just recently taken over operation of the newspaper Chase had bought for her and hadn't found the time to sort through
all the years of clutter that had accumulated
"Lordy, it's cold outside," Scott said, slapping his gloved hands together to generate warmth "I wouldn't be surprised to see snow tonight Are you
ready to leave?"
"Where's Sam?" Usually it was Sam Wills who escorted Maggie back and forth between the newspaper office in Butte and the ranch Maggie supposed she'd have to think about renting a house in town, for soon travel between the two points would be difficult
"I stopped by the ranch and told Sam I'd escort you home tonight since I was coming to town anyway
"Just a few more minutes, Scott"
"You work too hard, Maggie," Scott frowned disapprovingly "Chase wouldn't like to see you worn to a frazzle "
"Chase isn't here," Maggie reminded him "The newspaper literally saved my sanity after Chase left"
"I'm confident Chase will show up," Scott confided, "once he realizes how foolish he was "
"Perhaps," Maggie said with reservation "I just thank God I've got Beth and the newspaper to occupy my time I feel alive when I'm down here doing what I've been trained to do It may not be a big operation like the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, but it's mine, thanks to Chase "
"Obviously your feelings for Chase haven't changed "
"You didn't expect them to, did you?"
"Not really That's not the reason I accepted Rusty's invitation to stay with him and Kate until I'm ready to return to the Yukon "
"Why did you stay, Scott?"
"I like Montana," he confided "I bought a partnership in a claim on Eldorado and made enough
money to do as I please I may decide to settle in Montana permanently In any event, it's too late in the year to return to the Yukon Come along now, I'll buy you dinner before we return to the ranch "
Maggie's answer was forestalled when another blast of frigid air ushered in the local postmaster "I was hoping you hadn't left yet, Mrs McGarrett A special delivery letter arrived for you today, and I decided to drop it off to you personally on my way home "
"How thoughtful, Mr Bently," Maggie said, eyeing the letter with trepidation She knew it was from Chase But when it finally rested in her hand, she was loath to open it
"Read it, Maggie," Scott urged once the postmaster left "It's from Chase, isn't it?"
"There's no return," Maggie said dully as she tore open the envelope Deliberately Scott peered out the window in order to allow her privacy Her strangled sob brought him instantly to her side
"What is it, Maggie? What did Chase say?"
Two sheets of paper dangled from Maggie's hand One of them fluttered through her fingers to settle on the floor at her feet Scott bent to retrieve it
"Chase wrote this from Denver, but he was leaving the day it was mailed "
Scott half listened as he perused the slim sheet of paper in his hand He gasped in shock as the words leaped out at him "My God, Maggie, this is—"
"—A decree of annulment," she supplied dully The profound hurt Chase had caused her was a hard knot in the pit of her stomach "He says all I have to do to make it legal is sign it and give it to his lawyer He wants me to have a chance at real happiness and he's leaving it up to me to decide our future "
"The damn hot-headed fool," Scott muttered, his voice ripe with contempt "Has he completely lost his mind? What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to think about it for a few days, then I'm going to sign it," Maggie said bitterly "Obviously Chase wants his freedom and I'll not stand in his way "
"Don't do anything rash, Maggie," Scott advised
"Rashl Chase was the one who walked out on our marriage He's the one who initiated the annulment"
"Dare I hope "
"No, Scott, I'm sorry I'll never many again Beth and the newspaper are all I need Love hurts too much I'll never allow myself to love again
"It doesn't have to be that way, Maggie "
"For me it does"
"Will you continue to live at the ranch1?"
"NoI" came Maggie's vehement reply "One day Chase will return to the ranch, and I don't want to be there when he does I intended to rent a house in town anyway Now, how about that dinner1?" Maggie asked brightly, braving a smile
Chase sat in the Last Chance Saloon in Cheyenne nursing a whiskey—nursing a whole bottle, actually—and thinking of Maggie Truth to tell, he'd thought of little else these past six weeks He recalled everything about her, vividly and in detail—the way her amber eyes grew dark with passion, how her body responded to his touch, the sweet sounds she made when aroused, the silkiness of her honey-blond hair spread out on the pillow beside him Did the privilege of seeing Maggie like that now belong to Scott Gordon1? Chase wondered bleakly
If Gordon was bedding Maggie, Chase had no one to blame but himself, he reflected, snorting in self-dension Sending that blasted decree of annulment would have destroyed any remnants of feeling she had for him His uncontrollable temper caused him to walk out on Maggie, not once but twice.
both times without allowing himself to cool off and think clearly Releasing Maggie from her vows was the best thing he could do for her and the hardest thing he'd ever done
Chase's bored gaze wandered aimlessly around the crowded room filled with riffraff, gamblers, and whores, thinking how well he fit in with the ordinary cowboys and drifters who frequented these places He'd knocked around Denver for a while, bought a pair of thoroughbred horses that he had shipped back to the ranch, nearly purchased a bank he had no use for before reason claimed him, then wandered up to Cheyenne where he heard about a huge section of grazing land for sale Briefly he considered running cattle on the land and turning his half of the Montana ranch over to Rusty with the stipulation that Maggie and Gordon could live there until Beth was old enough to inherit
The one thing Chase feared was that Maggie would take their daughter far away where he couldn't see her But the idea of leaving forever the ranch he worked so hard for and loved grew increasingly distasteful
The longer Chase thought about Maggie, the bleaker his future looked What good was all his money if it couldn't buy happiness1? He wanted Maggie desperately, and through his own foolish pride had abandoned their chance for a future together All they shared now was their daughter And memories He cursed himself for three kinds of fool Why didn't he stay and fight for the woman he loved1? Because he couldn't tolerate rejection, a devil inside him prodded
What he needed was a woman. Chase decided He hadn't had a woman since Maggie, hadn't really wanted one, but if it assuaged some of the guilt plaguing him, he'd bed a dozen women That's what brought him to the Last Chance in the first place
He heard the whores were willing and as clean as any in town
"Hello, Cowboy " Her voice was low and sexy, and Chase was certain he'd heard it before "Fancy meeting you here "
"Belle I Belle Delaruel Damnation, what are you doin' in Cheyenne1? Did Skagway get too tame for you1?
"You might say that," Belle admitted wryly "After Soapy was killed, the law moved in and Skagway got downright civilized Seattle was no better, and I started working my way east Got as far as Cheyenne and bought the Last Chance Reckon I'll stay for a spell What about you1? Heard you made a fortune in the Yukon "
"Yep Put most of it in my ranch in Montana "
"What brings you to Cheyenne1? What happened to that newspaper woman you had the hots for1?"
I married her, he wanted to say, but didn't "That's over, I'm a free agent"
"You looking for company1?"
"Could be"
"I don't take on many of my customers—I hire girls for that—but I'd be happy to oblige you," she suggested archly
"If I recollect, we parted on less than friendly terms," Chase said guardedly
"A lot of water has gone over the dam since then, and you're still the handsomest man I've seen in a damn long time " Belle waited for Chase's reply and, when none was forthcoming, added, "Well, what do you say. Cowboy1?"
"Hell, why not1?" Chase shrugged, smiling crookedly "I came here to bed a woman and you're about as fine a woman as I've seen lately " He uncoiled his long length from the chair and clasped Belle firmly about her slender waist "Lead the way I reckon I can afford you for the whole dang
night And if
you're of arnind, for a whole passel of nights "
"Now you're talking. Cowboy " Belle grinned cheekily as she led Chase up the stairs to her gaudily furnished room
The moment the door closed behind them. Chase began backing Belle toward the ornately carved bed, tearing at her clothes along the way "Whoa, Cowboy, what's the hurry1?" Belle said, pushing him aside "I waited a long time for this Kiss me "
The last thing in the world Chase wanted was to kiss Belle Kissing was so personal, and there was nothing personal about this coupling It was merely release he sought—a diversion to take his mind off Maggie But in the end, he complied, hoping to lose himself, mind as well as body, in soft, willing flesh He kissed Belle with all the enthusiasm he could muster, but after a few minutes he could tell it was useless His manhood lay flaccid and uninspired between his legs After several frustrating minutes of kissing and touching. Chase flung himself away
"It's no good. Belle I Goddammitt, I'm only half amanl" That horrifying thought was a bitter pill to swallow for a man whose virility had never been challenged
"Don't even think that. Cowboy," Belle chided sternly "What in the hell do you think I'm here for1?" In all her years of experience Belle never had a man she couldn't please in one way or another, and Chase McGarrett damn sure wasn't going to be the first She had a reputation to uphold
"Another time I'm not in the mood," Chase said sourly
"Lay back. Cowboy," Belle murmured huskily, pushing him back against the pillows "I know what to do "
Before Chase realized her intent. Belle had unfastened his pants and shoved them down over his hips, releasing his shaft from its nest of russet curls
"Relax, Cowboy When I get done you'll be hard as an ok and raring to go " Her face blurred as she opened her red lips and pressed them to his groin
