The Cowboy's Gamble: Destined For Love Series

by Denison, Janelle

  Josie frowned, lifting her hands from the cooling water and drying them, just as Seth moved away from her. She didn’t know anyone who drove a blue van. Thoughts of her father automatically entered her mind, along with the hope that he’d come to his senses and returned. She quickly headed toward the foyer with Seth following behind her.

  By the time she met up with Kellie, who now stood out on the front porch to greet their guest, a short, dark-haired woman was stepping from the driver’s side of the mini-van.

  Josie didn’t know the woman personally—they’d never been introduced formally—but she knew at a glance who she was. Sarah O’Connor, Robert’s wife.

  “Sarah!” Seth sounded as surprised as Josie felt. “What are you doing here?”

  The pretty woman smiled and cheerfully waved up at the three of them. “I came to congratulate my brother-in-law and his new wife on their marriage. That, and the kids have been pestering me all week to visit their uncle Seth.” She opened the back sliding door to the van, and two kids jumped out.

  “Uncle Seth!” two voices rang in unison.

  Both kids raced toward the house. The young girl held the lead, her soon to be longer legs eating up the distance. The little boy, who appeared the younger of the two, struggled to keep up with his sister’s bigger stride.

  Seth grinned and headed down the stairs, meeting the energetic children halfway. He squatted down and caught both of them as they flew into his arms, nearly knocking him off balance.

  He laughed and gave them each a big hug. “I’ve missed you guys,” he said.

  A huge smile wreathed the little girl’s face. “We’ve missed you, too.”

  He tugged on one of the girl’s brown braids and ruffled the boy’s dark head of hair. They beamed from his attention. “You two been staying out of trouble?”

  “We always stay out of trouble,” the girl said primly.

  Seth lifted a dark brow. “Then how come your nose is growing?”

  Her blue eyes widened and she touched her nose to be sure it was still small and pert. Her relief was visible. “You big tease!”

  Seth winked at her. “Yeah, but for a minute there you weren’t sure, were you?”

  The boy snatched Seth’s Stetson and put it on his own head. The brim fell over his eyes, and he pushed it back so he could peer out at his uncle. “Where’s Lexi?” he asked.

  “She’s down in the stable.” Running a hand through his dark hair, Seth straightened. “Maybe in a little bit I’ll take you to see her, and you can feed her an apple.”

  Josie watched the exchange from a distance, feeling too cautious to join the group. Kellie stood beside her, too, seemingly waiting to follow her lead. Sarah had made her way to Seth and the kids, though her friendly smile hadn’t left her face. Josie kept waiting for Robert to appear from the other side of the van—the anticipation of a confrontation had her stomach clenching.

  As if reading Josie’s mind, Seth asked, “Where’s Robert?”

  “He had some business to take care of in town that will take up most of the afternoon,” Sarah replied easily.

  Seth’s gaze remained steady on his sister-in-law. “Does he know you’re here?”

  “No, but I plan on telling him.” There was a hint of defiance in her voice.

  Seth’s expression turned grim. “You probably shouldn’t.”

  “I’ll handle Robert, Seth,” she said confidently. “Besides, he’s going to have to get used to me visiting you sooner or later. We’re still family.”

  Seth absently scrubbed a hand along his jaw, showing his frustration over the issue. “Yeah, I know that, but Robert is having a harder time accepting that fact.”

  Sarah didn’t comment on that, probably because there was nothing she could say to refute Seth’s statement. Instead, she glanced up at Josie. “So, do I get to meet your new wife and my new niece?”

  “Of course.” Seth led the way up to the porch, the kids tagging along behind.

  Josie took a deep breath and summoned a smile, though it wavered on her lips. She realized she was nervous, because more than anything she wanted this woman’s acceptance. It was silly, really, but there none-the-less. Josie had few women friends, and if Sarah was inclined to forge a friendship, even a tentative one, Josie was willing to meet her halfway.

  Seth made the introductions, and Josie shook Sarah’s hand, which was warm and welcoming.

  “I’m pleased to meet you,” Josie said automatically.

  “Me too,” Sarah replied, her eyes sparkling. “I’ve always wanted a sister, and now I’ve got one.” Then she addressed Kellie and made her feel like part of the family, too.

  Josie instantly liked the other woman—it was obvious Sarah didn’t harbor the same adverse feelings toward a McAllister as her husband, Robert, did. But then again, the bitterness of the feud hadn’t been directly ingrained in her, as it had Seth and Robert.

  Seth brought his niece and nephew forward so he could introduce them. “This here is Brianna, who is six, and this cowboy here is Brendan, and he’s four.”

  Both children handled the introductions with a politeness that made Josie smile.

  “Uncle Seth, do you have a ball we can play with?” Brianna asked, already bored with grown-up stuff.

  “I do,” Kellie offered, excited at the prospect of having someone to play with, even though her cousin was four years younger. “I’ll be right back.” She disappeared into the house, and Brianna and Brendan headed down the stairs to frolic on the lawn.

  “Why don’t you relax and sit down,” Josie offered, waving a hand toward the two wicker chairs set up in the right alcove of the porch. “And I’ll go get some refreshments.” They’d just eaten breakfast, but Josie knew the kids wouldn’t refuse a cookie or a glass of lemonade.

  Ten minutes later, she returned with a tray balancing a picture of cold lemonade, plastic glasses, and a glass dish of home-made cookies. All three kids were kicking the ball back and forth between them out on the grass, their peals of laughter ringing in the air.

  Josie smiled at how well the children were getting along—a new generation not yet fully influenced by the rift between their families. She couldn’t help but wonder if the kids would continue to be friends, or would they one day realize that there was a dividing line they dare not cross?

  Pushing that depressing thought aside, she set the refreshments on the wicker table in front of the two chairs. Sliding into the empty seat opposite where Sarah sat, she listened as Sarah brought Seth up to date on the problems Robert was experiencing now that Seth was no longer working on the Paradise Wild.

  “You were his best hand,” Sarah said plaintively. “Now that you’re gone, it’s as though the rest of his men don’t know what to do. You held it all together out in the field.”

  Seth leaned casually against the porch railing, crossing his legs at the ankle. “Then Robert needs to spend more time working side by side with his men, instead of staying cooped up in the office. He’s got to learn to balance the two.”

  Sarah nodded in agreement, but didn’t look convinced. “I’ve tried to tell him that, but he’s not in a reasoning mood.”

  “He blames me for the problems, doesn’t he?” Seth asked knowingly.

  Reluctantly, Sarah nodded. “He’s been as grisly as a bear since you, um . . .” Her gaze flickered to Josie, then back to Seth.

  “Married Josie?” Seth offered.

  She cringed in embarrassment. “Well, yes. The word ‘traitor’ has come up in conversation a few times,” she added with wry humor.

  Seth laughed, but the sound lacked any real amusement. “Yeah, I know Robert sees things that way. But what Robert doesn’t take into consideration is that there was nothing for me on Paradise Wild. No incentive, and certainly no future. I don’t wish my own brother badly, but neither do I regret what I’ve done. I’ve got a fertile piece of land, a solid cattle business, and prime stock.”

  Josie listened to Seth, her heart aching in her chest. His stat
ement reminded her that she, along with the Golden M, was just an acquisition to him. Nothing more. All part of the package her father had so considerately offered their nemesis. It hurt. She didn’t want it to matter, didn’t want emotions to become intertwined in their business proposition, but somehow, someway, she was beginning to care.

  “I know Robert wanted to join the land again, and make it all O’Connor property, but it’s not going to happen.” Seth Glanced at Josie, his gaze softening immeasurably before he shifted it back to Sarah. “This is Josie and Kellie’s home, too, and I’d never do anything to jeopardize that.”

  “That’s the way it should be,” Sarah said, compassion in her tone. “Your first loyalty should be to your new family.”

  “I’m glad I have your support, but I don’t think Robert is quite as understanding.” His mouth stretched into a grim line. “If Robert doesn’t do something about all that bitterness that’s been festering for years, it’s going to destroy him, just like it destroyed our father. It’s already caused strife between the two of us, and we’re the only family each other has left.”

  Sarah sighed and brushed her dark hair away from her face with her hand. “I know you’re right. It might take time, but I’m working on him, Seth.”

  Seth nodded, but said no more.

  “Uncle Seth,” Brianna called from the lawn. “Can we go feed Lexi an apple like you promised?”

  When Seth hesitated, Sarah waved a hand in dismissal. “Go on,” she urged. “Us girls will be just fine without your presence.”

  Josie watched Seth join up with the kids and head down to the stables. Suddenly, she felt uncomfortable sitting there with Sarah, a woman she barely knew. She had no idea what to say, couldn’t think of an appropriate subject for them to discuss on the heels of the conversation Sarah had just had with Seth.

  Sarah easily smoothed over the awkward silence that had settled between them. “Looks like you and Seth are settling in quite nicely,” she commented.

  Josie inwardly grimaced. If only Sarah knew how rough the past week had been. “Yes, all things considered.”

  An easy smile touched Sarah’s mouth. “I take it you’re referring to the rift between families?”

  Feeling the need for something cool and refreshing, Josie poured them each a glass of lemonade, admitting, “Never would I have ever imagined marrying an O’Connor.”

  Sarah accepted the plastic cup Josie handed her and took a sip of the cool drink. “But you and Seth once dated, didn’t you?”

  Josie eyed the other woman, her new sister-in-law, and wondered what rumors she’d heard about her and Seth and the slew of other guys she’d reportedly been involved with. Seeing no condemnation in her gaze, she relaxed. As for “dating”, theirs hadn’t been a traditional courtship. “We spent some time together in high school, yes, but . . . things didn’t work out.”

  “Why not?”

  Sarah’s straight-forward manner was both refreshing and unnerving. Josie wondered how her sister-in-law would feel if she tarnished her imagine of Seth with the facts—that he’d used her for his own purposes eleven years ago. “The rift between our families got in the way,” she said vaguely, though that was a large part of the truth.

  Sarah reached for a cinnamon sugar cookie and nibbled on it. “You know, I always thought the feud between the two families was silly, really. I mean, a McAllister won a parcel of land from an O’Connor all those years ago. Certainly a McAllister shouldn’t be condemned for holding a winning hand.”

  Josie managed a smile. “Well, there’s a lot of speculation about Grady McAllister cheating.”

  “Bah! If he’d cheated, the land never would have been legally deeded to him.”

  “True, but the O’Connor’s haven’t quite seen things that way.” Leaning back in her chair, Josie sipped her lemonade, enjoying Sarah’s company, as well as her understanding of the long-time feud. Why couldn’t the rest of the O’Connors be so reasonable? “It’s been a personal vendetta for over seventy-five years now. And with each generation, the bitterness just seems to get worse.”

  “Maybe your marriage to Seth will put an end to the feud.” Sarah sounded hopeful.

  “That all depends on Robert.” Taking into consideration that the man they were discussing was Sarah’s husband, she chose her next words carefully. “He’s not very fond of me or my family. And now that Seth has been forced to marry me, it’s only caused more friction between brothers.”

  Sarah arched a brow. “‘Forced’ is a strong word.”

  “Seth certainly wouldn’t have chosen me for a wife.”

  “He didn’t look miserable to me.”

  Sarah hadn’t been around the first couple of days, when misery had been the overall mood on the Golden M. “We’re working on a compromise.”

  “That’s what a marriage is all about.” She paused for a few seconds, as if weighing the wisdom of interfering in Josie’s marital affairs, then forged ahead. “Seth is a good, honorable man, Josie, even if you believe otherwise. The kind of man that will stand by you in good and bad times.”

  Josie thought back eleven years ago, when Seth hadn’t been so honorable. But at the beginning of their relationship he’d seemed the perfect gentleman, so sincere, and certainly noble in his pursuit. Her judgment of his character had failed her then, and her pride had taken a tremendous blow. Yet now, eleven years later, she saw the same gentlemanly traits in Seth, loyal, dependable characteristic she was beginning to believe in and trust.

  She was beginning to feel so confused, about the past, the present, and certainly about Seth’s intentions.

  “And if it makes you feel any better,” Sarah continued on, oblivious to Josie’s inner turmoil, “the problems between Robert and Seth go a lot deeper than just his marriage to you. But that’s something the two of them need to work out between themselves when the time is right.”

  “And if that time never comes?” Josie asked hesitantly.

  “Oh, I’m certain it will,” Sarah said confidently. “You see, I’ve been an impartial bystander in this rift between the O’Connors and McAllisters, and though I’m totally devoted to Robert, I’m not blind to his faults and weaknesses.” Her gaze traveled out to the stables where Seth and the kids had slipped into, as if seeking a certain person. “Over the years I’ve put a few pieces of an intriguing puzzle together, bits and pieces I’ve learned and overheard, and have come to a startling conclusion. Now, I’m waiting for someone else to realize the truth that’s staring him in the face.”

  A shiver snaked down Josie’s spine, settling in her stomach like a rock. She was too stunned by Sarah’s profound statement to respond, but Josie’s mind registered the shocking knowledge that Sarah knew the truth she’d managed to kept a secret for ten long years.

  “It’s just a matter of time, and a matter of trust, I suppose, before everything comes together,” Sarah said, glancing back at Josie with a sad smile on her face. “And when that realization comes, it’ll either tear the family apart for good, or it’ll finally put an end to a seventy five year old feud.”

  Chapter Nine

  “Last one to reach the creek has to do the dinner dishes tonight!” Kellie announced gleefully from atop her mare, Juliette.

  Josie and Seth glanced at each other from astride their own horses, and Seth watched a playful twinkle enter his bride’s eyes that lit up her entire face.

  She exchanged a mischievous look with Kellie and accepted the challenge, which put Seth into the competition, too. “You’re on!”

  With a grin splitting her face from ear to ear, Kellie spurred Juliette across the green pasture and toward the shimmering stretch of water half a mile away. Josie was right behind her daughter, leaning low over her horse’s neck to gain maximum speed, leaving Seth to pull up the rear.

  Not that he minded. Quite the contrary, while technically he’d be the loser of the race, he was winning in so many other ways. The view from behind was extremely alluring. Josie’s spine was straight from
the way she bent over her mare, tapering into a curvy waist and a heart-shaped bottom snuggled in her saddle. But it was her glorious hair that captured his complete attention.

  Ever since that day in the kitchen nearly a month ago when he’d commented on her leaving her hair down, she’d gradually modified the way she wore the long, wavy tresses, as if slowly, unconsciously, allowing herself to accommodate him, her husband. Leaving it unbound wasn’t always practical, but she didn’t always opt for a braid, either. Most of the time she clipped the mass behind her, at the base of her neck, so he could still finger the silken strands.

  Today, she’d taken the hair around her face and secured it with a barrette on top of her head, leaving the rest to fall around her shoulders in a luxurious array of spiral curls. As she rode her mare, the wind whipped through the tresses, rippling the strands behind her like cinnamon fire and spun gold. Every night, she left her hair down as he requested, and he’d spend what seemed like endless hours running his fingers through the warmth and incredible softness, stroking those tresses until she fell into a deep slumber.

  Her smiles and laughter were becoming a regular occurrence, too . . .like now, her throaty chuckles filled the air, wrapping around him and settling warmly in the pit of his belly. But there were times when she didn’t realize he was watching her that her expression reflected a heart-breaking sadness. He’d yet to figure out what bothered her so much. At one time, he wouldn’t have cared . . . but he was discovering that Josie’s happiness was somehow interlaced with his own. And when she was feeling gloomy, it hit him on a level that made him feel protective, and extremely possessive.

  He was falling for Josie, his stubborn bride, hard and fast, despite all the turmoil of the past, and regardless of the fact that beyond the friendship they were forging she hated him for stealing away half of the Golden M and trapping her in a marriage she didn’t want. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about his growing feelings for Josie, except keep them tucked away so she couldn’t use those softening emotions to manipulate him. He didn’t like to think that history would repeat itself, but he wasn’t willing to take any chances and give her that power over him.