Protecting The Colton Bride

by Elle James

  Megan closed her eyes again. “Mmm. This is much nicer. I should have quit sooner.” Her breathing became deeper and her body relaxed against Daniel’s.

  If only she knew how hard it was for him to hold her and not kiss the tip of her nose or press his lips to her temple, she might not be so willing to fall asleep against him. All thoughts of being a good boss and not touching his employee flew out the barn door while he held Megan in his arms.

  Halo stirred, lifting her head a little, her hooves kicking out just once before she settled back in the straw.

  Daniel prayed that she’d make it through the night and he’d come up with a way to keep Megan. She’d been instrumental in his research and planning for his breeding program. She was good at what she did, and her parents would squander her assets, forcing her to go to social events she couldn’t stand.

  Sometime in the night, Halo shook out of the effects of the poison and got to her feet.

  Daniel was so relieved, he almost woke Megan to tell her, but she was sleeping soundly and he hated to wake her. Instead, he lay down on the bed of straw and blankets and pulled her up against him. As he drifted into a deep sleep, he found himself wishing he could go to sleep every night with this amazing woman in his arms.

  * * *

  Megan woke to the soft thuds of hooves pawing at the dirt. She cracked an eyelid to see Halo standing in her stall, impatient for her feed and getting more impatient by the minute.

  Joy filled her heart at the sight of the mare standing straight and proud, the effects of the poison worn off. Megan turned to tell Daniel, but he was asleep, his manly face softened in the gray light of dawn that snuck through the open door of the barn.

  He must have been awake all night, worrying about Halo and wondering what to do about the meeting with the Kennedys.

  Megan was loath to move away from the warmth of his body. It felt so firm and strong beside her.

  One big obstacle had been cleared for Daniel. Halo would live. She was one of his best broodmares. Her loss would have been a big hit to his breeding program. Now all he had to do was impress the Kennedys. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on her.

  Her family was among the socially elite of California. The Talbots’ horse-breeding program at the Triple Diamond Ranch was nationally acknowledged. Daniel needed a boost on the social front in order for the Kennedys to consider him eligible for inclusion in their equine breeding efforts. What he needed was to marry into a family like the Talbots to give him social clout.

  And if she and Daniel married, she’d satisfy the conditions of her grandmother’s will and inherit a trust fund sufficient to purchase her horses from her father.

  Megan could see herself married to a man like Daniel. He respected her mind and her ability to work with the horses, and he wasn’t stiflingly overprotective. He’d worked hard to get where he was, earning his keep on the Lucky C, giving back to the family that provided him a home when his mother died. Yes, he was the kind of man she could easily fall in love with and probably already had.

  If the ache that had settled in her chest when she thought of leaving the Lucky C and Daniel was any indication, she could see herself falling for this amazing man.

  All her problems would be solved if only Daniel was interested in her as more than just his assistant.

  “Do I have dirt on my nose?” Daniel stared up at her, a sleepy smile curling his lips.

  “No,” she answered. “Why?”

  “You were staring at me and frowning.” He swiped his hand across his face and sat up. “What were you thinking?”

  How much she cared about him and wished he returned the feeling. Heat filled her cheeks, and she bit hard on her tongue to keep from blurting out her thoughts. To avoid answering, she turned to Halo. “When did she get up?”

  “Around two in the morning. One minute she was lying as still as death, and the next she rolled to her feet as if she was done being sick.”

  Megan smiled. “I’m glad. I’ll leave feeling much better knowing she is okay.”

  Daniel’s brows dipped. “About that...” He stood and reached down for her hand. “I’ve been thinking.”

  Megan laid her fingers across his big palm, bracing herself for the rush of heated awareness to shoot from the point of contact throughout her body. And it did, leaving her feeling slightly breathless and off balance. Oh, yes, she was well on her way to loving this man, and he didn’t have a clue.

  If she were smart, she’d keep it to herself. He obviously wasn’t of the same mind or he would have kissed her again. He’d had an opportunity while holding her through the night, and hadn’t made a move.

  Daniel pulled her to her feet. “You’re frowning again, and I haven’t even told you my idea.”

  “Oh, sorry.” She slipped her hand free and stepped away from him to keep from making a fool of herself. “I guess I was thinking, too.”

  “Well, it’s like this—and tell me I’m crazy if this sounds too insane to pursue—”

  Megan watched as the man blushed and stumbled over his words. It wasn’t like Daniel to be embarrassed. Nor was it like him to beat around the bush. Megan leaned back against the wall, enjoying this side of Daniel she hadn’t seen. “It can’t be all that bad. Your ideas are usually spot-on.” She smiled, encouraging him to continue.

  “You need the money to buy your horses.”

  Before he finished his sentence, she shook her head. “I told you, I won’t take your money.”

  “That’s good, because I don’t have enough to buy the Triple Diamond breeding stock. But I might have a solution for both your problem and mine.”

  Megan’s heart skipped several beats as Daniel’s cheeks turned a ruddy red.

  “You need a husband. I need an injection of social elitism that will impress Marshall Kennedy.”

  Her heart stopped. Her breath caught and held, refusing to move past the knot in her throat as she waited for what she’d only dreamed would come next.

  Daniel shoved a hand through his dark hair and frowned. “I can’t think of any other way to accomplish both, or I’d do it, but I’m fresh out of ideas.”

  “Daniel!” Megan said, her voice breathy. “Get to the point.”

  “Why don’t we get married?”

  Even though she’d known it was coming, it still hit her square in the chest. The air rushed from her lungs, and a tsunami of feelings washed over her. A surge of joy made her heart beat so fast she felt faint. She crested that wave and slid into the undertow of reality. “A marriage of convenience?”

  “Exactly.” He reached for her hands.

  When she hid them behind her back, he dropped his arms. “It wouldn’t have to be forever. Just long enough to satisfy the stipulations of your grandmother’s will and keep your horses. That would help me get past the Kennedy gauntlet. We could leave today, find a chapel in Vegas and spend the night. It would be over in less than five minutes.”

  With her heart smarting, Megan forced a shaky smile. “Way to sweep a girl off her feet.”

  He waved his hand, and Halo tossed her head. “If you want, I can make an official announcement in front of my family.”

  Megan shook her head. “No.”

  “No, you won’t marry me?”

  “No.” She pushed past him to pace down the center of the barn. “Your plan is insane.”

  “Do you have a better one?” he asked. “I’m all ears.”

  The plan was the same as the one she’d been thinking of before Daniel had woken up. Only when she’d dreamed it up, it didn’t sound as cold and impersonal as Daniel’s proposal. Somewhere in the back of her mind she’d hoped that a marriage to Daniel would be something more than one of convenience.

  After yesterday’s kiss, she wasn’t sure she could be around Daniel for long periods without wanting a
nother. And another.

  “The problem is, my only other choice is to move home and live under my father’s thumb.”

  “And you don’t want to do that, do you?” he asked.

  Megan faced Daniel, her back straight, her chin tilted up. “I’d rather die than live like my parents want me to. If it were just me, I’d stay and tell my father no thank you.” Then her shoulders sagged. “But I can’t abandon my horses.”

  “Is there anyone else who’d come to their rescue?”

  “No.” Megan glanced around, looking for the answer. Her gaze returned to Daniel. “If you’re serious about your offer—” she paused, then went on “—I’m in.”

  As soon as she said the words, she wanted to take them back. This was not how a proposal was supposed to be. She should have been ecstatic, giddy with excitement for the man professing his love to her. Instead they’d hop a plane to Vegas and wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, they’d be married by some pathetic imitation of Elvis in a drive-through chapel on the Strip.

  Daniel’s lips quirked. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not happy about this?”

  “I don’t know.” She flung her hands in the air and fought back tears. “I guess I expected...well...not this.”

  “It’s not as if it will be a real marriage. Once we’re both in the clear, we can get a quickie divorce, and you will be free to marry whomever you prefer.”

  Megan stared at the man. He really didn’t have a clue that she was falling in love with him. “Yeah. But the man of my dreams would have to do a better job of proposing.”

  “You deserve the best, Megan. If he doesn’t care enough to do it right, don’t marry him.”

  She raised her brows. “And your proposal was the standard to measure by?”

  “Oh, hell no.” Daniel grasped her hands and pulled her closer. “If this were a real proposal, I’d have taken you out to dinner at a nice restaurant or, better yet, on a picnic to your favorite spot on the ranch, because I’d know you didn’t give a damn about all that fancy stuff. You love being out in the fresh air, close to the animals you love.”

  Megan could picture this scenario. He’d take her out to the hill with the ancient oak tree near sunset and wait to ask until the bright orange globe settled at the edge of the horizon, brushing a glorious palette of colors across the clouds. She sniffed. “A picnic would have been nice.”

  “And I’d have brought along a bottle of wine.”

  She cocked her brows. “To get me liquored up?”

  “Can’t have my girl turning me down, now can I?” He grinned and pulled her closer. “Then at sunset, I’d have gone down on one knee.”

  Megan’s breath caught in her throat just as it would have had he been performing according to his script. Her chest tight, she forced a chuckle, hoping to ease the tension rising inside.

  Daniel’s brows dipped. “What are you laughing about?”

  “On a cattle ranch, you would have put your knee in a cow patty.”

  “Anything for the woman I was about to ask to marry me.” Daniel held her hands, his gaze intense, the smile sliding away. “I’d have asked you properly, saying something flowery and sincere, like this. ‘Megan, you outshine the stars in the sky and make my heart beat faster whenever you’re around.’”

  Megan laughed, the sound catching in her throat. “That would be a good start.”

  “‘Would you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?’” He nodded to her. “And you would fall into my arms, crying happy tears, shouting yes at the top of your lungs.”

  A real tear slipped from the corner of her eye and trailed down her cheek.

  Daniel caught it on the tip of his finger. “You’ve got the idea.”

  “A proposal like that would make it hard for a girl to refuse.”

  “That’s where the liquor comes in to seal the deal.” He curled his fingers around hers. “So, Megan Talbot, will you marry me for however long it takes to sort out our troubles?”

  Her heart breaking just a little, Megan wanted to say no. Daniel still had a long way to go before he fell in love with her, if he ever did. Then again, if she wanted to save her horses, this option seemed to be her only recourse on her father’s short deadline. If she married, she’d have the money she needed, and her father couldn’t expect her to come home to California to live.

  He let go of her hands and stepped back. “Want time to think about it? I know it sounds crazy. You might feel better if we put the agreement in writing. I don’t want your inheritance, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

  “No, I trust you, and no, I don’t want time to think about it. My answer is yes.” If she thought about it too long, she’d talk herself out of it, and she couldn’t afford to pass up the offer. “For the horses.”

  “Right. For the horses.”

  Chapter 5

  Daniel circled the single-engine Mooney as he went through his preflight checklist of the airplane. Flaps. Check. Horizontal stabilizer. Check. Ring?

  Panic struck. He stopped in the middle of his inspection and dug into his pocket for his grandmother’s wedding ring. He wished he’d had time to take it to a jeweler to have it sized properly and fitted into a pretty box for safekeeping. But after they’d made their decision, they’d agreed they had little time to dawdle.

  In the past hour, he’d taken care of the animals and informed Jack he’d be leaving. Then he’d arranged for someone to take care of the breeder barn in his absence and check on Halo through her recovery.

  He’d barely had time to pack a bag and file a flight plan with the Tulsa airport. In less than thirty minutes, he and Megan would be on their way to Vegas to get married.

  Holy smokes! He was getting married.

  Granted, it was a marriage of convenience, but it was no less nerve-racking. Megan came from a family far above Daniel’s social class. Hell, for the first ten years of his life, he’d lived on the reservation in a trailer. Megan grew up in the lap of luxury, surrounded by people who took care of her every need. How could he compete with that?

  He’d never truly been one of the elite Coltons, either. He’d never felt like he quite fit in.

  Now he was marrying into a family known nationwide for their wealth and prestige. Megan’s parents were often in the news attending various events.

  Then he reminded himself that she’d given up that lifestyle to come to work for him. She was willing to muck stalls and get her hands into the dirty and not so pleasant tasks of raising horses. Her fancy upbringing hadn’t slowed her down one bit. She was tough and fearless when it came to working with the large animals.

  Megan had driven back to her apartment in Tulsa to throw some clothes into a suitcase and get back to the ranch. She’d be here any minute, ready to climb aboard the small plane the Coltons owned.

  Damn. Where was that ring? When he couldn’t find the pretty emerald-and-diamond ring, he nearly had a heart attack.

  “Daniel!” Ryan Colton, Daniel’s half brother, emerged from the darkness of the hangar into the bright Oklahoma sunlight. “Heard you were heading to Vegas.”

  “I am,” he said, digging deeper into both front pockets.

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Forget your key to the plane?” His lips twitched.

  Daniel’s fingers connected with metal, and the tension in his shoulders released. The ring was safe in his pocket. “No, thank goodness, I have it.”

  “Dude, the plane doesn’t take a key.”

  His mind on the trip ahead, Daniel ignored Ryan’s comment. “What brings you out to the hangar?”

  “Jack informed me Halo was poisoned. What’s going on?”

  The tension returning for an entirely different reason, Daniel’s chest tightened. “The lab reported they found poison in Halo’s blood. We have no idea how it happened.”

&nb
sp; “Maybe she got hold of something in the barn or in the field.”

  “Megan and I went over the entire barn, thoroughly cleaned Halo’s stall and couldn’t find anything that would have poisoned her. We don’t use rat poison in the barn.”

  Ryan smiled. “That’s why we have Sleek.”

  “Right, and we have too much invested in the horses we keep in the breeder barn to risk storing anything poisonous there.”

  “Do you think someone might have given it to her?”

  Daniel had considered that option. “Who would want to hurt Halo? She’s one of the best mares in my breeding program, and she’s got the best temperament.”

  “I don’t know.” Ryan scratched his chin. “Do you know of any competing breeders who’d go to the trouble of sabotaging your horses?”

  Daniel shook his head. “It’s not like she’s a race horse with the potential to win a derby.” He shrugged. “It makes no sense.”

  “I’ll nose around and see if I can learn anything that’ll shed some light.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey, on another topic, is Greta back from Oklahoma City?” Ryan asked.

  His half sister, Greta, had been in Oklahoma City busily planning her wedding to Mark Stanton, the son of one of the wealthiest families in the state. He missed her expertise with the horses. She was one of the best trainers he’d known.

  “Not that I know of.” Daniel checked beneath the plane for any leaks. “Why do you ask?”

  “I could swear I saw her at the hardware store yesterday.” Ryan shrugged. “Must have been seeing things.”

  “I’ll be glad when she’s done with this wedding planning business.” Daniel straightened.

  “You and me both. It’s not like her to get all girlie.”

  Megan emerged from the shadows of the hangar and out into the open, rolling a suitcase behind her. She wore jeans, boots and a green blouse that exactly matched her eyes. Her hair was damp but pulled back in her normal French braid. Other than the nice shirt, she looked like she was ready to go to work, not to her wedding in Vegas.