Be My Texas Valentine

by Jodi Thomas

  “Then why did you return my letters?”

  “You wrote me?”

  “More times than I can count. Each one came back unopened.”

  “I promise I never saw any letters.”

  “And I promise I was never pregnant.”

  “Wait just a minute. I have something to show you.” Logan strode to the bedroom and found what he was looking for in the bottom of his trunk. He went back into the parlor and held it out to Rue Ann. “Read this. It’s from your father when he was in Austin.”

  She took the yellowed envelope and removed the letter inside. Her face darkened as she read it.

  Dear Cutter,

  I thought you should know that Rue Ann had her baby. It was a boy. Unfortunately, he didn’t live to see his mother’s face. We take comfort, her mother and I, in knowing the trying ordeal is over with and that Rue Ann is beyond your reach. Never try to contact her or you’ll live to regret it.

  Senator Devlin Spencer

  Rue Ann looked up. Anger shone in her eyes. “That’s what my father was talking about. That’s the secret he kept.”

  She told Logan about the conversation she’d overheard that day outside her father’s study. “It all makes sense now. And also why he forced me into an engagement with Theodore. My father manipulated and lied to me every step of the way.”

  Most likely the man had intercepted Rue Ann’s letters and returned them. Easy enough to do with Logan being out of town chasing a murderer.

  “Seems he lied to us both. He was bent on keeping us apart. Too bad his ploy didn’t work.”

  “Like my mother said, the truth always rises to the top. Fortunately for us, secrets don’t stay buried.” Rue Ann handed the letter back to Logan. “I’m sorry I’ve made such a mess of things.”

  “It wasn’t you, it was your father.” Logan brushed her cheek with his palm. He leaned closer, hoping Rue Ann wouldn’t pull away.

  His heart beat wildly when she didn’t.

  He nibbled on her mouth before covering her lips with his in a searing kiss that curled his toes. She tasted just the way he remembered.

  “Do you think we can start over?” Rue Ann asked in a whisper when he finally let her come up for air.

  Those words were music to Logan’s ears. “Most definitely.”

  Rue Ann wiggled until she got comfortable in the crook of his arm. “Logan, why did you put a red ribbon around Sheba’s neck?”

  “Me? I thought you did that.” He kissed her neck. Now that things had sorted themselves out, he couldn’t stop kissing her. They had to make up for lost time.

  “When I found Sheba in the road, the ribbon was already on her. I wonder who tied it there.”

  “And you noticed no one else around?”

  “Not at the time. Although the Barlow sisters rode up in a buggy a few seconds later.”

  Mystery solved. It was clear to him exactly who bore responsibility for the ribbon. Miss Charlotte and Miss Emily must’ve taken Sheba out off his property and driven the dog close to Bent Tree, where they knew Rue Ann would be going. He told her what he knew of the two matchmakers. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

  “Good heavens! Why didn’t I see what they were up to?”

  “They’re too clever. And not only did they play a part in getting us together, I believe they’re also to blame for the pranks on Celeste and Teddy.”

  “Now that you mention it, the sisters were standing close to the outhouse when I got Celeste out. I never suspected them at all. They’ve been quite devious, it appears.”

  “I doubt I’d have put the facts together if the sisters hadn’t visited me here at the ranch a few days back. They were very forceful in their opinions. They insisted you told them you still cared for me.”

  “I never said such a thing. Just wait until I see them.”

  Contentment washed over Logan. His world had righted itself. He had everything he always wanted—the woman he loved, land of his own, and a sizable herd of cattle. His future looked bright. He reckoned he’d finally proven he was a man his father would’ve been proud of.

  Logan tucked a strand of silky hair behind Rue Ann’s delicate ear. “So you continue to deny that you care for me?”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Not exactly. But I have lots of things to sort out.” She cupped his jaw. “And I have to break off my engagement to Theodore before I can entertain any notions of a future with you.”

  Logan sighed heavily. “We’ve lost so much precious time. I don’t want to lose any more.”

  Rue Ann snuggled against him. “I’ve made more mistakes than a body allows. I want to make sure this is right. Besides, you still haven’t answered one question.”

  “Shoot, darlin’. Spit it out and I will.”

  His slow Texas drawl and mischievous grin set Rue Ann’s blood pumping through her veins. She wished she didn’t have to ask any more questions. She wished she could forget everything except how very much she wanted to be in Logan’s arms and never have to leave.

  But she had to know how dangerous his life was. If she contemplated a future with him, she had to know if he’d be around to help raise their three boys and two girls.

  “Are you through chasing bad men?”

  Chapter 9

  There really wasn’t any other way to explain how he filled his pastures with cattle. Was there? After all, he’d just admitted he hunted outlaws and murderers for money. Rue Ann didn’t shrink from his penetrating gaze.

  “Of all the harebrained things to ask.” The muscles in his jaw bunched.

  Rue Ann sat up straighter in her chair. “I think I have a right to know.”

  He got to his feet in one sudden fluid motion. “I suppose you do at that. I gave up bounty hunting. Not because of the danger. That part I loved. I also liked the feeling of bringing desperate criminals to justice. And you know what? I discovered I was rather good at it. I gave it up because I didn’t want to be away from Shiloh in case you returned. Which you did. I have no reason to go back to it now.”

  Thank goodness for that.

  “I’m a poor man, Rue Ann Spencer. And I have some debt. You should know I took out a loan at the bank to buy my herd. I figure I can sell off enough periodically to keep afloat. I don’t want you worrying your pretty head.”

  So that explained how he bought his herd. “I can’t promise to never fret about things, but I’ll always trust you to do what’s best for us.”

  Logan pulled her from the chair and into his arms. A delightful shiver of longing ran through her. Her knees grew weak as her mouth eagerly met his in the kind of kiss that promised more things to come. A slow, delicious sizzle crawled through her body just under her skin. It teased and caressed each nerve ending, making her feel treasured and more alive than she could ever remember being.

  This was true, absolute love. She had no doubts.

  She thanked her lucky stars that he’d never be the kind of man who would, or could, live without affection. Like her, he needed physical contact to survive.

  A contented sigh came from the tips of her toes.

  The rain began the moment Theodore lifted the heavy brass knocker on Celeste’s door. He adjusted his vest and frock coat so that it hid the greater portion of the pink shirt he’d been forced to wear and stared out at the heavy deluge. He was glad he hadn’t gotten caught in it.

  Celeste opened the door, looking resplendent in a dress the color of ripe peaches. The shade brought out her rosy cheeks and luscious mouth.

  “Please come in,” she said, ushering him inside.

  She offered to take his frock coat but he quickly refused, not wanting her to see what he’d been forced to wear. Leading him to a large, tastefully decorated sitting room, she motioned him to the plush velvet settee.

  “Would you like some refreshment now or after we’ve concluded our business?” she asked.

  “I prefer to wait.” Theodore leaned back and crossed his legs. “What is this about?”

  Sh
e dropped beside him with a confused look on her face. “I could ask you the same thing. Your note only mentioned urgent things to discuss.”

  “I fear someone has played a joke at our expense, Miss Wiggins.”

  “Celeste, please. It does seem we’ve been duped.”

  Over the course of the next fifteen or twenty minutes they discussed which party was at the bottom of it and arrived at the same consensus.

  Rue Ann.

  “We simply must take her to task,” Celeste said heatedly.

  “I agree, Miss Wig ... Celeste. Rue Ann has developed this obsession with Cutter.” Theodore wasn’t all that upset, though. Celeste was much more enticing than Rue Ann. “What do you suppose is her reason behind getting us together?”

  Celeste pursed her mouth adoringly. “It’s plain she wanted us out of the way so she could spend time with Logan. She could be at his home now.”

  “What do you propose we do about it?”

  She scooted closer to him on the settee and ran a fingernail up his arm. “She needs to get a taste of her own medicine. Let’s show her two can play this game.”

  Theodore’s breath came in big gulps when she nibbled on his ear. Providence had smiled down on him. “Yes. Oh yes.”

  Seizing the open invitation, he cupped her breast. Celeste’s bosom reminded him of mounds of soft bread dough. He stretched her out on the settee and lay on top of her.

  “Mr. Greely, it appears you might have to spend the night.”

  “Yes. Oh yes.”

  Darkness had fallen. Logan lit the oil lamps scattered around the parlor. He still couldn’t believe his good fortune. Rue Ann was in his house, and she wanted a future with him.

  Furthermore, it appeared she’d not be able to leave until tomorrow. The rain showed definite signs of sticking around.

  Devlin would be fit to be tied. Logan’s smile stretched. He prayed the man would come looking for his daughter. He had a thing or two to discuss with Senator Spencer. And he had a sneaking suspicion that Rue Ann had some things to say as well. It was time. Devlin had wielded too much control over his daughter.

  Logan sank into his chair in front of the fireplace and listened to her humming a tune as she rumbled around in his tiny kitchen preparing supper. He’d offered to help but she’d insisted she wanted to do it.

  He seemed to breathe a whole lot easier since they’d gotten all the misunderstandings and lies that had stood between them out of the way. He was glad that Rue Ann hadn’t given birth to his child—yet. That was something he wanted to be there for. He wanted to hear the baby’s cry for the first time. And he wanted to hold Rue Ann in his arms and tell her how very much he loved her every day for the rest of their lives.

  The back of his throat burned with the need to take care of her.

  Ever since she’d walked out of the rain into his house, his body had no trouble remembering the silky feel of her skin that was hidden underneath her clothing. Heat rose and made his trousers tighter.

  An idea hit him. He rose from the chair and quietly stole into the kitchen. Walking up behind her, he put his arms around her and nuzzled the nape of her neck.

  “May I have this dance, Miss Spencer?”

  She turned to face him. “There’s no music.”

  “I distinctly heard some a minute ago.” He slowly kissed each eyelid and the tip of her pert nose before he reached her mouth. “Besides, we have the raindrops on the roof and I have a song in my heart that’s playing the most beautiful music you ever heard this side of heaven.”

  “In that case, we can’t let all that go to waste.”

  Rue Ann slipped her arms around his neck and leaned into him. They waltzed around and around the small house until the ham in the skillet started to burn.

  It was the best meal he’d ever tasted. His eyes never left her as he satisfied his hunger.

  When they’d finished, he set their dishes aside and knelt in front of her. His heart hammered loudly in his ears. He took her hands in his.

  “Rue Ann Spencer, will you do me the honor of marrying me?” The words came out hoarse and raw.

  Tears glistened in her eyes. “I know I told you I didn’t want to move fast, that I had to break off my engagement with Theodore before I could plan a future with you. But I don’t want to wait. I know what I want and I want you. Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ll be your wife and have your babies.”

  He pulled her into his lap, nestling her against his chest. If he could’ve somehow opened up the skin, bone, and muscle, he’d have tucked her inside him, where it was safe and nothing could hurt her.

  His breath was ragged. “Darlin’, I’ll make sure you won’t regret the decision.”

  The kiss was long and deep. He loved her more than he ever thought he’d love another person. She consumed him. And that was the way he wanted it.

  Pounding on the door awoke Theodore. He jerked upright, not exactly sure where he was. Celeste was curled up beside him. Early morning light streamed in the window.

  “Who on earth?” Celeste murmured, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

  The pounding continued. Whoever stood on the other side of the door was god-awful insistent.

  Theodore jumped up and, dancing around, thrust his legs into his pants. “I don’t know but it’s time I got out of here before someone sees me.”

  Celeste quickly pulled on a dressing gown while he finished donning his clothes. Panic swept through him as she went downstairs. He threw back the curtains on the window, desperate to escape this situation. But the window wouldn’t budge. It seemed someone had nailed it shut.

  He looked around for a hiding place and had just slipped behind Celeste’s dressing screen a second before the bedroom door opened.

  “Honestly! For the umpteenth time I told you Mr. Greely is not here. Why you would even think that, I have no idea.” Celeste’s voice was raised in anger.

  “I have my sources and they don’t lie.” The booming voice belonged to Devlin Spencer. “I know he spent the night.”

  Theodore’s heart pounded. If Devlin found him, the promising life he’d built would be over. The career he wanted more than anything would go up in smoke.

  “That’s preposterous, sir.”

  “Then tell me, dear lady, whose feet are behind that screen?”

  “You can’t barge into my house and insult me this way.”

  Shaking like a sapling in a heavy gale, Theodore gathered his courage and went to meet his fate. “You wanted to see me, sir? I just dropped by to help Miss Wiggins with some legal advice. How you can think I spent the night here is beyond me. I love your daughter and I’m going to marry her.”

  The senator’s icy blue gaze pierced him. Theodore wanted to duck behind something. “Our deal is off. There’ll be no marriage. I didn’t care who you bedded as long as you did it discreetly. But you’ve flaunted this in Rue Ann’s face. It might surprise you to know that half the town has gathered on Miss Wiggins’s lawn. Even if you could escape my scorn, you can’t dodge theirs.”

  “Then I’m not going to be in politics, take a place in the Senate, like you promised?” Theodore hated the whine that colored his question but he couldn’t help it.

  “I don’t know how much plainer I can be. The deal is off. I groomed you for nothing.”

  The words struck Theodore in the heart. Everything he’d worked for, everything he’d wanted, had vanished, gone as quickly as a bird taking flight. Unsteady on his feet, he drew in a shaky breath. “I didn’t want to marry your daughter anyway. You’ll have a hard time getting someone to take her off your hands.”

  “Be that as it may, I want you to clean out your desk before noon. I’m through wasting time on you. You’ve done nothing but embarrass me.”

  Walking in a daze, Theodore made it to the front door. True to Devlin’s words, half the town waited to witness his disgrace.

  “What’re you gonna do now, Greely?” the mercantile owner asked.

  “How does it feel to account for your sins,
Mr. Greely?”

  He shot Charlotte Barlow, the speaker of the question, and her meddlesome sister a hard stare. He’d have no choice but to leave town. No one would enlist his services. He was a laughingstock. He’d worked so hard to overcome that cold, smelly dugout and days without food.

  Devlin Spencer had followed him out the door. “There’s a train leaving town at one o’clock. I suggest you be on it.”

  Rue Ann awoke to thin glimmers of golden light, turning Logan’s bedroom into a beautiful haven in which she’d taken refuge.

  Logan lay beside her, his legs entwined in hers. She lifted her head from his shoulder and marveled at the power of the man she loved.

  Every time she thought of what her father had done, she seethed with anger. The lies, the manipulation by her father, had come close to destroying everything precious and good.

  She tenderly cupped Logan’s jaw. “I almost lost you.”

  He nipped playfully at her fingers. “But you didn’t.”

  “I have to confront my father, you know.”

  “I know.” He lowered his head. The kiss sent spirals of ecstasy through her. And when his hands moved to caress her bosom and down to her belly, she shivered with pleasure.

  “I’m not sure I have strength to look him in the eye and condemn him for what he’s done. He’s a master at intimidation.” Tears lurked behind her eyes. “Sometimes he frightens me.”

  Logan outlined her lips with the pad of his thumb. “Darlin’, you don’t have to face him alone. I’ll stand beside you. Lean on me whenever you need to.”

  A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, Logan Cutter.”

  He took her face between his hands and gently kissed her.