A laugh resounded from her. "That was meant to frighten you away. Did it work?”
“No. I have twin boys, not much scares me."
"How exciting."
If only she knew the truth about his sons, she would be running from him.
"No, they're troublemakers, just like you."
"Like me?" she questioned. "How am I a troublemaker?"
They stopped not far from the house and faced one another. “Red, you're daring and take risks. Does your mother know you gamble?"
A smile spread across her face. "What do you think? No, and if you want to court me, I wouldn't advise telling her."
That was a subtle threat. Tell on me and I won't see you again. How could he blame her?
"Understood. Will you ever get enough of pushing society’s rules?"
"Now, would a man ask another man that question? When the right time comes, I'll settle down. Right now, I want to experience some fun. I'm only eighteen years old and have the rest of my life to be a wife and mother."
How could he entice her? How could he convince her that marrying him and watching his children, he would let her do whatever she wanted.
"Could you be looking at marriage all wrong. What if your husband didn't care that you gambled? What if he didn't care you tried liquor or that you danced with him - no one else, but him. As for smoking, you can try a cigar if you like, but I'm warning you, the taste is nasty."
In the moonlight, he could see her brows draw together as she gazed at him in the darkness.
"You wouldn't care? What about your boys?"
“Red, my twins need discipline. They need someone like yourself who would help them learn to tame their wild ways. Just like you will some day shed your wild ways."
Shaking her head, she said, "They're children and I'm an adult. Who says I'm ever going to be a normal type of woman? Normalcy is boring, and I don't ever want to be dull."
And she wasn't. That was one aspect he liked about her. She was different from most women he’d ever met.
"From the moment you sat down at that table, something told me you would be the perfect mother for my boys. Call me crazy, but they need a mother who would curtail their wildness."
Part of what he said was true.
"That's the problem," she said. "Everyone is always trying to tame us. Maybe I don't want to be tamed. Maybe your sons don't want to be tamed. Why can't we be who we are?"
The woman shocked him with her keen insight, but he didn't know what to say. So he turned and took her in his arms. Gazing at him, she leaned back. "It's why I think you'd be good for them. You understand."
A sigh escaped her. "Mother is determined I'm going to marry someone. At least you like to gamble, and I would be able to do what I want, right?"
"Yes," he said, knowing motherhood would curtail her activities to a certain extent.
"I'll agree to court you, but don't get too excited. We're a long way from the altar and I'm going to be dragging my feet every step of the way."
Unable to resist her full mouth, he pulled her to him, his lips covered hers as she wrapped her arms around him. The kiss sent tremors ricocheting through him. Fannie was the first woman he kissed since his wife died. Sure, he had a woman who took care of his needs, but they never kissed.
Fannie's lips on his was a pleasant surprise that left him wanting more, but that could never be. While he hated deceiving her, their marriage would only be a loveless union of two people working together to raise his sons.
And if he told her it would be a sexless marriage, he feared, she would turn him down.
With her hand, she pushed back from him, breaking the seal. "We can court, but when we meet in the gambling hall, I'm still going to take your money."
A chuckle rumbled through his chest. "I'd be shocked if you didn't."
“And don’t call me Red.”
Chapter Ten
Three days later, Fannie waited patiently inside the door for Walter to arrive with his children. After meeting him at dinner the other night, she had been pleasantly surprised.
Even at the debutante ball and the gambling hall, she had been intrigued by his emerald eyes and his soft smile. All night he watched her, his expression filled with awe and she enjoyed surprising him.
Even the other night, several times she shocked him, and she delighted in each and every moment. Today, they would spend the afternoon on a picnic with his boys. When they picked her up, the four of them would go exploring and eat lunch along the Animas River.
Walter had warned her they were ornery little devils.
In her reticule, she brought two cookies she planned to give them after they ate.
When Walter drove up, her mother and sister were standing near the windows. "Twins. How often do you see twin boys? Aren't they sweet."
With a glare of disbelief, she glanced at Daisy. "No, he warned me, they're not sweet. In fact, they're little devils. And Mother wants me to marry him."
"Now, Fannie, you could tame those children. You would never have to worry about money," she said.
Why did she never include the word happiness when she spoke of marriage? Only money.
"Mother, is that all you think about?"
"Yes, it's called security for my daughters, so you won't starve or be living in a tent."
"There are no guarantees in life," Fannie said as Walter warned the boys to stay in the wagon.
As he turned his back, one little boy said something to the other and moved toward the brake. In a quick move, Fannie stepped outside the door. "Leave that alone," she demanded. "Unless of course, you want the horse to take off without your father."
The boy stopped and took notice of her frowning. Walter turned and glanced back at his children. "Why can't you boys behave for one minute before you get into trouble?"
The children gazed at each other and giggled.
Her mother stepped out on the porch. "I expect you home before dark."
With a shake of her head, Fannie's first response was to say with or without my virginity. Those words, she knew would create all kinds of chaos and drama she didn't need.
"Don't worry, I will need to be home in time to give the twins their bath and prepare them for bed. We'll be back later this afternoon."
"Have a great time," her mother said and went into the house.
Walter helped her up into the wagon, and she turned and stared at the two mischievous kids behind her.
"Hello, boys. What's your name?"
"I'm Timothy," the first brunette haired little boy said.
"Todd," the other said.
Staring at the kids, all she could see was miniature replicas of Walter, though their eyes were a dark chocolate brown instead of green. The twins studied her, their gazes curious.
"All right, are we all set?" Walter said.
"Let's go," they yelled.
Their enthusiasm was contagious, and she laughed as they rolled down the road until a nudge landed on her backside. At first, she thought she imagined the kick, but it happened again. If she let the boys get away with being rude, their discourteousness would only continue. "Stop."
With a frown on his face, Walter pulled on the reins. Fannie climbed over the bench into the back and sat between the little hellions.
Two sets of brown eyes grew large as they stared at her, their mouths hanging open.
Shocked, they didn't expect her reaction and that's what she had to do, always keep them guessing or at least one step ahead of them.
"Now, we're ready," she said, smiling. "Since someone kept kicking me in the butt, I decided that meant you boys wanted me to ride back here with you.”
"Timothy did it," Todd said.
"No, I did not," Timothy said.
"I'd guess you both were hitting my seat with your feet. Doesn't matter. Now, here we are riding along, all of us in the back and your father has to sit alone."
That brought a giggle from the kids. "Are you in school yet?"
This was her time
to get to know the twins and find out if she wanted to be their stepmother. It was one thing to marry a man, but quite another to take on two children to raise. Especially, known troublemakers.
"No," they both responded. "Don't want to go to school."
"Yes, I didn't want to go either. But I met so many other kids. We played games, drew pictures, and the teacher would read to us. Sure, we had to work learning everything, but school was fun."
The twins stared at her with interest.
"We like to play games," Timothy said. "What kind of games did you play?"
From his expression, the boy appeared curious, yet also leery. He didn't want to believe that school could be more than just learning.
"If I tell you, then it wouldn't be a surprise. My favorite outside game was dodge ball. My favorite inside game was checkers."
"The teacher lets you play checkers," Todd asked, stunned.
"Yes, do you like to play checkers?"
"Oh, yes, especially when I win."
"Nobody likes to lose," she said.
Moving to the back of the wagon had shocked the boys. They gazed at her in awe, but she didn't think she'd won the war yet. That was the first skirmish and there would be more ahead if she chose to marry Walter. What was she thinking?
This was not what she wanted in her life. The urge to jump out and run home almost overwhelmed her, but she managed to remain calm.
As the wagon slowed, the kids glanced around. "Is this where we're stopping?" Todd asked.
Before she could stop him, Timothy jumped to the ground before the wheels stopped rolling.
"Look at the river," he said, running toward the water.
A little more cautious, Todd waited until the wagon came to a halt before he climbed down. "Let's eat."
"Grab your brother and bring him back from the river. We'll eat soon."
Todd ran off to find Timothy, and she gazed at Walter.
"Didn't I warn you about them? But I had no idea they were kicking you and I apologize."
With a laugh, she shook her head, the verdict was still out on whether or not she wanted to become a mother of twins. "Come on, they're kids. And you're right, they are ornery children, but hopefully I passed the first test."
At least she had beaten them at their game for now. The wind blew her hair and shoved a tendril behind her shoulder.
He glanced at her. "With flying colors."
"That doesn't mean I'm in for forever," she said as he grinned at her. "At this point, I'm still assessing the situation."
"No, but that doesn't mean you're out either," he replied.
Reaching out, he touched her hand and pulled her against him. Their bodies fit together, and she liked the way his molded against hers. Stunned, she stared at him as a tremor of awareness scurried up her spine.
The twins came running back to them.
"Ewww...they're going to kiss," one of them whispered.
The two of them broke apart with a start as she reached into the wagon. "Here's a blanket. You boys decide on where we're going to eat. Make certain there are no ant beds where you lay the blanket."
Given a job, the two kids took off looking for the perfect location, leaving Fannie alone with Walter. There seemed to be an easy atmosphere between them. Could he be her husband? After all, he told her she could still pursue her pleasures.
"That will keep them busy for five minutes," Walter said as he reached into the wagon and grabbed the basket of food.
"They're active little boys," she said, thinking if this was something she would even consider? Two trouble-making kids and a father who didn't have much control over them.
"What happened to their mother," she asked, wondering if the children would be different with a woman guiding them. Would Walter tell her about his dead wife?
"She died when they were babies," he said. Turning, he yelled at the twins who were fighting over the location instead of doing what she asked.
"Timothy," he called. "Todd. Enough. Just spread the blanket on the ground."
The boys giggled and continued their antics, not paying their father a bit of attention.
Unaware of her, she walked over and took one side of the blanket from Timothy. "Excuse me, I asked you boys to do a simple job and you're not capable of taking direction. Do you want dessert?"
"Yes," they said in unison.
"Put the quilt down now, so we can eat. Or you can continue, and your father and I will have our picnic in the wagon without you."
"I'm hungry," Todd said. "Let's eat."
With a quick glance at Walter, they finished spreading the blanket, and she dropped down onto the ground. Opening the basket, she pulled out china plates, silverware and napkins. Just as she reached the food, Timothy stuck his hand in the basket and tried to seize the fried chicken. Her fingers snaked around his wrist, and she yanked his hand out.
"Sit back and wait for me to fix yours," she said. "It's not polite to grab."
Shocked, the little boy sat back and pouted. The other twin, Todd's eyes widened in disbelief. She prepared a plate and handed it to Walter. "Here you go."
Then she fixed Todd's and gave it to him. Finally, she delivered Timothy his food. "Enjoy."
A mischievous smile crossed his face as he took the plate from her and dumped the food in her lap. Rage radiated through her as the chicken and salad soaked into her dress. Why the little hellion.
"Timothy, that was rude," Walter said. "Go to the wagon. You'll skip dinner for your behavior."
The boy grinned at her and rose from the blanket. Bringing order and discipline to two spoilt little boys’ lives might be a monumental task.
Fannie picked the food off her skirt and licked her fingers. "Really good chicken."
A giggle came from Todd. "You're eating Timothy's food."
"Why not? It would be a shame to let it go to waste. Don't you think?"
The kid laughed and Fannie hoped the stain would come out of her dress. While they ate, she realized these two little ruffians needed a mother. These boys needed someone to guide and show them their behavior was not acceptable. Did she want to take on this challenge?
A quick glance from beneath her lashes, she stared at Walter. The man was handsome as sin on Sunday morning. His emerald eyes spread warmth through her like warm honey, sweet and delicious.
As she handed out the desserts, she heard the wheels of the wagon begin to roll.
Whirling around, they all turned to see Timothy sitting in the driver’s seat, with the reins in his hand, urging the animal to go. The child expertly maneuvered the horse down the road.
With a growl, Walter jumped up and began to run after the boy. "Stop. Timothy, stop this instant."
The little boy paid him no heed as the horse and wagon picked up speed headed back to the house.
"Looks like we're going to be walking," Fannie said. "I just hope Timothy is safe."
Chapter Eleven
Walter ran as fast as he could after the wagon, but the mare trotted down the road. "Timothy, pull back on the reins. Stop."
His son turned and glanced at him and smiled that mischievous grin that he knew meant he would disobey him. Why didn't his children mind him? The little hellion could be killed if the horse spooked and turned the wagon over.
Finally, he stopped unable to catch them as the vehicle disappeared over the hill. Exhausted, he stood in the dust, fear clutching his insides. As much as his sons gave him grief, he loved them and didn't want harm to befall either of them.
The sound of a child crying had him glancing down the path. Fannie and Todd walked toward him. Her dress was splattered with food where Timothy dumped his lunch. Todd's tear-stained cheeks made his chest ache, but Fannie spoke low to him. The nearer they came, he watched her trying to calm the boy.
"Eventually, someone will see him and stop the mare," she said. "We need to pray that God will keep him safe. Sometimes rules are in place to keep you from harm. You're way too young to try to control a big horse."
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Now, that was funny. The rule breaker was telling his son rules were made to protect them. Did she hear what she was saying?
"Is Timothy going to be all right?"
"I hope so," she said.
"Papa," Todd said and ran to him. "Did you stop Timothy."
Unable to avoid the emotions flooding him, he picked up Todd and held him tightly. These two little human beings caused him so much grief, yet he loved them so very much. "No, he didn't listen to me and I couldn't catch the horse."
"How are we going to find our way back to town," the boy asked.
With a sigh, Walter gazed at Fannie. "What do you want to do? Walk or stay here with Todd and wait for me? We're about two miles from your parents’ ranch."
The thought of going off and leaving her here alone left him uneasy, but he would do whatever would please her. The day had been ruined by his son and she would probably never want to see him again.
"Let's walk," Fannie said. "Hopefully one of the hands will find Timothy and realize something's happened. Maybe they can catch him."
"If he stays on the road," Walter said as he set Todd down and they each took his hand.
The child looked at Fannie and Walter. "This is kind of fun. We never had a momma."
The woman continued walking as she smiled down at the boy. "Tell me, after you kicked me in the behind, Timothy dumped food on me and took off with our ride, do you think I want to become your mother?"
The kid licked his lips. "It was Timothy's idea. He said you would be just like our nannies."
"And how many of those have you run off?"
How Walter wished he didn't have to tell her, though she needed to understand the truth about his sons. Especially if she became their mother.
The little boy shrugged.
"Five," Walter said, glancing at her. "The first ones lasted the longest. But once they turned three, we've gone through four nannies. The last one they tied up and were playing Indian with her."
A laugh rippled from Fannie. "You know trouble seems to find me as well."
The kid gazed at her, his eyes filled with adoration, and Walter felt a little jealous. His son was experiencing his first crush.
The Debutante's Gamble: Western Historical Romance (Debutante's of Durango Book 5) Page 4
