His eyes narrowed. “I have wranglers for that.”
“I’m not even very good with people. That’s why I chose laboratory research for my field of endeavor. It keeps me alone with my thoughts and away from people.”
“Erin, I wouldn’t care if you locked yourself away in a laboratory forever. As long as you’d let me inside with you.”
He could see that she was wavering, and he decided it was time to press his advantage. He stepped closer and laid a hand on her arm. Felt the beginnings of warmth tingling through his fingertips. “You say you’re not good with people, but you’ve won the love and admiration of my whole family. Even Agnes wants you to stay.”
“Agnes?” She couldn’t think when he was touching her. Would it always be like this? “Now I know you’re joking.”
“You can ask her yourself. If anyone would tell you the truth, without sugarcoating, it’s Agnes.”
“But—”
“You said you love me.” He stepped closer. Touched a hand to her cheek. “Was that a lie?”
She moved against his hand like a kitten. “Of course not. I do love you.”
“And I love you. Desperately.” He framed her face with his hands and brushed his lips over hers. Just the merest touch of mouth to mouth, but it started the fire building deep inside. “Erin, you’re worried about seeing the passion die between us. I’m worried about how I’ll live if you leave me. I could never love again. Would you do that to me? Doom me to a life of loneliness?”
She started to draw back. “I’m afraid.”
“You?” He smiled, that heart-stopping smile that never failed to melt her resistance. “Is this the woman who stood up to a madman, with nothing more than a little knife?”
She seemed surprised. Then she returned the smile. “I’m not used to thinking of myself as brave. I guess I was. But that was different.”
“How?”
“I wasn’t thinking. I was feeling.”
“Then do that now. Feel, Erin. Feel that sense of amazement you had when you first arrived here. Remember? You told me you wanted to tame the savages and wild beasts. And see a bear, a peregrine falcon and a trumpeter swan. If you stay, I’ll show them to you. All of them. I promise.”
Her eyes were shining. “I’d love that.”
“So would I.” He dragged her close and wrapped his arms around her. “Feel the love we have for each other.”
“But what if…?”
“What if? Erin, there are a million what-ifs. What if the world were to end? Is there any place you’d rather be than here?”
“Of course not.”
“Then stay. Marry me. Spend the rest of your life with me.”
“Oh, Hazard.” She lifted wide eyes to him. “I’m afraid.”
“So am I. But as long as we believe in each other, we can make it.”
She couldn’t help laughing. “Why is it so easy to believe you?”
“Because—” He covered her mouth with his and kissed her until they were both breathless. The heat was gradually becoming a raging inferno. “—your heart tells you it’s true.” He took the kiss deeper. “Besides, you need to learn to take a few risks if you’re going to live in a family of gamblers.”
“Does that mean I’ll learn to be one, too?”
“It’s a possibility.” He nuzzled her mouth. “Say the words, Erin. I need to hear them.”
“I…”
Against her cheek he murmured, “I couldn’t stand to lose you again.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his throat, sending heat spiraling through him. Then she lifted her mouth to his. He knew, by the way she returned his kisses, that her decision was finally, irrevocably sealed.
“Don’t worry, Hazard,” she whispered against his lips. “There won’t be a third time. You’re never going to be rid of me.”
“Promise?”
“I do promise. Oh, I love you, Hazard. With all my heart.”
From behind them came the sound of wild applause and cheering. They looked up to find Chance and Maggie, Ace, Agnes and Cody gathered around the doorway, their faces wreathed in smiles.
“It’s about time,” Ace shouted above the din. “We’ve been standing here for the past five minutes, taking bets on who’d cave first.”
“Welcome to the family,” Chance called. “And thanks for making me the big winner of the day.”
“Wrong.” Laughing, Hazard lifted Erin in his arms and spun her around. As he set her back on her feet he added, “I’m the big winner this day. Now get out of here. All of you.”
As he kicked the door shut, the sounds of laughter and voices faded.
And then there was no need to speak as Erin and Hazard told each other, in the way of lovers from the beginning of time, all the things that were in their hearts.
Epilogue
“Quit your pacing.” Ace leaned against the wall and watched as Hazard stalked from the desk to the window to the bed, then back again.
Hazard turned on him with a snarl. “Who invited you in here?”
“Cody did.”
The old cowboy looked up from the chair he was straddling and grinned.
“Neither of you could get your big fat fingers around the little buttons of that shirt.” Ace straightened his brother’s jacket and tie. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be walking up the aisle with your shirt hanging open and your tie flapping in the breeze.”
Hazard glanced down at his tuxedo. “This is just plain stupid. I don’t see why we couldn’t get married in jeans. This is a ranch, not the Taj Mahal.”
Chance opened the door and stepped inside in time to overhear his brother’s complaint. “I remember saying pretty much the same thing.” He grinned. “But don’t worry. It’ll all be over soon. And then things can settle down to normal.”
“Whatever that is.” Too nervous to stand still, Hazard started pacing again. “When’s the last time we had anything close to normal around here? It seems like lately all we’ve dealt with are crazed loonies with guns and syringes.”
Chance winked at Ace and Cody. “I think it’s time to break out some cigars and whisky.” He reached into the cabinet and removed a bottle of aged whisky, while Ace passed around the cigars.
Chance filled four crystal tumblers. “The last time we drank this was the day of my wedding.”
“I don’t think there were this many people here, were there?” Hazard expelled a stream of smoke and peered out the window, watching as more cars and trucks rolled up the drive. “I think the whole state of Wyoming is here to watch me make a fool of myself.”
“At least the entire town of Prosperous. Here.” Ace handed him a tumbler of whisky, then hoisted his own. “This ought to settle those nerves.”
Ace and Cody followed suit.
“Here’s to Dad,” Chance said softly. “The guy who started it all.”
They drank in respectful silence.
Hazard turned to Cody. “Do you believe what Russ Thurman said about our dad and his mother?”
The old man thought a moment. “I know this about your daddy. He always stood for the underdog. And Russ’s ma seemed, to most of us, afraid of her husband, who was a drunk and a bully. Wes may have just tried to help her find her courage. Or he may have had some other, deeper feelings for her. Either way, I think it’s best to let the dead rest in peace.”
The three brothers nodded, grateful, as always, for the old cowboy’s wisdom.
Cody cleared his throat and lifted his glass. “Here’s to you, Hazard. I always knew you’d make this ranch work the way your daddy wanted.”
Hazard put a hand on the old man’s shoulder and squeezed. Then he tossed back his drink.
“Here’s to that pretty little genius who stole your heart,” Ace said.
At Ace’s words, Hazard managed to smile, for the first time in nearly an hour.
“By the way.” Chance laughed. “I saw her folks out in the great room. They were standing off to one side, l
ooking like they’d just stepped onto another planet. The last I saw of them, Agnes had them pinned against the wall and was boasting that she’d practically raised you.”
Hazard moaned.
His older brother couldn’t resist adding, “And how lucky their daughter was to have a catch like you.”
While the others roared, Hazard pressed a hand to his forehead. He was sweating. And his stomach was roiling.
“Look.” He set down his glass and stubbed his cigar in a crystal ashtray. “I can’t stay here any longer. I’ve got to go see Erin.”
“Maggie’s with her,” Chance said. “And if I know Agnes, she’s guarding that door like a Doberman. She’ll never let you in.”
“Want to bet?”
As Hazard yanked open the door and stormed away, Ace pulled a bill from his pocket. “Ten dollars says he sees her.”
Chance shook his head. “This’ll be the easiest ten I ever made.”
They both turned to Cody. The old cowboy shook his head. “My money’s on Hazard.”
Chance just grinned. “That makes twenty I’m going to earn today. I think I’ll just tag along and see how it goes down.”
“I’m going with you.” Ace finished his drink and took a final puff on his cigar.
The two brothers stepped from the room and started down the hall.
“Oh, Erin.” Maggie sighed as she zipped up the long, sleek column of white silk. “You’re such a beautiful bride.” She studied their reflections in the mirror. “And I feel so honored that you asked me to be your witness and to help you dress on this special day.”
“And I’m so thrilled that you agreed to handle all the food.” Erin turned and hugged her. “I never had a sister, Maggie. But if I did, I’d want her to be just like you.”
Maggie blinked away the tears that threatened. “Are you sure you don’t want your mother to be in here with us?”
Erin shook her head. “We had a lovely visit. And we shed a few tears together. But I don’t want my father to be alone out there.” She laughed. “He’s already feeling completely out of place.”
“They’ll get used to the fact that their daughter is married to a cowboy.”
“Maybe. After fifty years or so,” Erin said with a laugh.
She was still laughing when the door was yanked open and Hazard stormed inside.
Maggie stepped in front of Erin, trying to block his view. “You know the rules, Hazard. You’re not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony.”
“Maggie.” Hazard’s eyes looked as hot and fierce as they had when he’d faced Russ Thurman. “I love you. But if you don’t get out of here right now, I’m going to have to throw you out.”
She turned to Erin for confirmation. Erin merely nodded.
“All right.” Maggie kissed Erin’s cheek, then stood on tiptoe to kiss Hazard’s cheek, as well. “I have to see to the hors d’oeuvres, anyway. I’ll see you both in a few minutes.” She patted his arm. “And don’t look so serious. It’s going to be just fine.”
“I know.” He waited until the door closed behind her. Then he turned. When Erin started to speak, he touched a finger to her lips. “Wait a minute. Let me just look at you.”
He held her a little away from him and drank in the sight of her. Then he drew her close and pressed his forehead to hers. “Okay. Now I think I can get through this.”
“You were having doubts?”
“Not about us. But this—” He ran his hands up her arms and across her shoulders. “Why are we putting ourselves through this?”
“So we can live happily ever after.”
“We could have done it without the circus.”
She touched a hand to his cheek. He caught it and pressed it to his lips and felt the slow, simmering flame that sparked and began to burn deep inside.
“It was so sweet of you to send the plane for my parents, Hazard.”
He shook his head. “It was a cold, calculated act to impress them. Were they impressed?”
“Very.”
“Good.” He shot her that wicked grin that always made her heart hitch. “I didn’t want them to think their daughter was marrying a yokel.”
“They wouldn’t think that.”
“They wouldn’t?”
When she avoided his eyes he caught her by the chin and forced her to look at him.
She smiled. “Well. Maybe they would. But only because they don’t know you the way I do. Now that they’ve had a chance to see the way you live, they’re truly happy for us. They’ve given us their blessing. Of course, that was only after I assured them that I wouldn’t be going on cattle drives and giving birth along the trail.” Her smile grew. “Speaking of birth. I did have to promise them a grandchild.”
“Anytime soon?”
“We didn’t set a date. But I told them I didn’t intend to keep them waiting too long.”
“If you’d like—” he nuzzled her lips and felt the strain of the past few hours beginning to dissolve “—we could start working on that right now.”
“It’s tempting.” She moved in his arms, loving the little curls of pleasure that danced along her spine. Would it always be this way? she wondered. Would he always have the power to make her feel so thoroughly loved? “But we have a date with the preacher. And I wouldn’t want to miss this chance to become Mrs. Hazard Wilde.”
“Umm.” He kissed her, long and slow and deep. “I like the sound of that.”
“So do I.”
They both looked up at the knock on the door.
Maggie poked her head inside. “Erin. Hazard. It’s time.”
Hazard kissed both her hands, then released them and started toward the door. Before he reached it he returned to kiss her cheek. This time he made it to the door before returning for one last slow kiss. Then he walked out without a backward glance, knowing it was the only way he could leave her.
Minutes later he stood beside the preacher in front of their assembled guests in the great room. It had been transformed into a garden paradise, with baskets of roses and gardenias flanking the doorways and windows, lending their perfume to the festive occasion.
Hazard and his brothers had added another touch, in honor of their father. As soon as the sky was dark enough, they planned a fireworks display for the guests.
Hazard glanced around at their eager faces. Agnes sat proudly in her place of honor beside Erin’s mother. Maggie, in a simple gown of pale-peach silk, walked in and stood between Chance and Ace, who were both witnesses to their brother’s marriage. There was a murmur from the crowd as the bride entered, walking demurely beside her father. She kissed him and then turned to link fingers with the groom.
Hazard stared into those wonderful blue eyes and marveled that he had survived all these years without this woman. The crowd seemed to slip away. All he could see was Erin: that shy smile that never failed to touch him; the sweetness, the goodness that seemed to radiate from her and set her apart from anyone else he’d ever known.
And then she was speaking the words that would forever bind them. Bind. How had it happened, that one little female had become so important in his life, that he wanted, needed desperately to be bound to her for a lifetime? The thought of spending even one day without her was beyond imagination.
“You may kiss your bride,” Reverend Young said.
“I love you, Erin.” Hazard stared into her eyes as he brushed his mouth over hers.
“And I love you, Hazard.”
Love. As their mouths met, she felt a joy unlike anything she’d ever known before. Her heart felt so full she feared it would burst.
How had this transformation occurred? She’d come so far. Not just in miles, from Boston to Wyoming. But also in life-style. From academic to the earthy life on a ranch. She’d undergone such changes. From shy loner to this life, rich with family. Where she had once lived a life of rules and regulations, she now felt free to take risks. Best of all, she’d been accepted by his family and friends, not for just her mind but
for herself.
All because of this man, who completely owned her heart. “Be warned, my husband,” she whispered against his mouth. “I intend to love you for a lifetime.”
“I’ll go you one better.” He brushed his lips over hers. “My love will last through eternity.”
As they were surrounded by friends and family who wished them well, the love they felt for each other was there in their eyes for all to see.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-4107-7
THE WILDES OF WYOMING—HAZARD
Copyright © 2000 by Ruth Ryan Langan
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†Texas Series
*The Highland Series
‡The Jewels of Texas
§The Wildes of Wyoming
Hazard Page 21
