Can't Stop Believing (HARMONY)

by Jodi Thomas

  “Fair enough.” He propped his long legs on the railing beside the manila envelope. “Tell me, Miss Britain, why’d you come out here?”

  “I’m prepared to offer you the three hundred acres of my land that borders your land.”

  “In exchange for what?” Cord knew, as well as she did probably, that she was offering him the same plot of land their great-grandfathers had fought over. “I fear the price may be more than I can afford.” The rich land was worth more than his farm, and he doubted the five hundred in his pocket would buy more than a few rocks.

  For the first time she didn’t look sure of herself, but she plowed forward. “I can’t tell you why, but I promise you there will be no disadvantage to you. I’ll sign the deed over to you when we’re at the courthouse and our bargain is sealed. The land will be yours free and clear from that time on.”

  He frowned as he rocked back in his chair. “What’s my part of the bargain?”

  “Your name,” she said simply. “The land is yours if you’ll marry me and agree to live on my ranch for as long as we’re married. I think eight months should about do it. That should be enough time to get a crop in, increase the herd and stock for winter.”

  The front two legs of his chair hit the floor. “I’m sorry; I thought I just heard you ask me to marry you?”

  She looked down. “I told you I can’t explain, but I’ve had my lawyer draw up a prenuptial agreement. Your land will remain yours, along with the three hundred acres, when we separate. Mine will remain mine, along with all Britain holdings.” She squared her shoulders as if preparing to fight. “All I’m asking for is eight months. From now until the first hard freeze should do it. After that either of us can file for divorce and, as stated in the prenup, we both agree not to contest the divorce. All profits from both ranches will be combined for the length of the marriage and split evenly when we separate.”

  Cord felt like laughing out loud for the first time in years. Ideas this crazy only appear in jokes, or con schemes. Just for the hell of it, he asked, “What makes you think we’ll separate?”

  “I’ve been married three times before, and all three cost me dearly. This time I’ll know the price going in. If you want, you can have total control of the farming and ranching on both places, but anything dealing with the horses or the oil business is mine. It’s part of the agreement. I’ll hand over the ranch business and accounts to you and trust you to run them wisely, since half of the profit for the term we’re married will be yours. The horses are not part of the bargain, and no one can sell them or move them without my permission. I’ve seen the way you work, the way you run this place, and I think you’d be able to handle both my land and yours.”

  “What else?” He knew she was either crazy or trying to pull one over on him, but he’d hear her out.

  “You’ll have to quit your day job at Parker Trucking, but when we split, half of my ranch’s income should compensate you for the loss of wages.”

  “What does your spread pull down?”

  “A quarter million in profit on a down year when the ranch is worked. Since my dad got sick and died it hasn’t been worked. If all goes well, we clear over half a million on a good year. The ranch is in my name only, so I can bargain with it and I’ve got enough funds to make it work.”

  He would have tried to look disappointed, but his jaw was open too far to fake it. She’d just offered him nearly a quarter of a million to stay married to her for eight months.

  This had to be some kind of sick joke. She was playing a game, probably. “Why should I believe a word you’ve said?”

  “Look at the agreement,” she said as her fingers tapped the envelope. “Talk to your lawyers, then let me know what you decide. The only thing I ask is that we keep this agreement to ourselves. As far as everyone knows, you’re just the next man I fell in love with and brought home. Most folks won’t ask any questions.”

  “Are you crazy, lady?” He had to ask, though it occurred to him that either way she’d answer no.

  “Don’t call me lady or honey, or darling, or babe—”

  “Got it.” He stopped her before she went on. “You’re not dying, are you?” It was the only reason he could think of that a woman like her would want to marry him. She might still die, but maybe she figured being married to him would make the time she had left seem longer.

  “I said I wasn’t answering questions, Cord, so don’t bother asking. It’s yes or no.” She turned to leave. “I’ll be at the courthouse all morning. If you show up before noon, the deal is on; if not, don’t bother ever speaking to me again.”

  “If I say yes, I want one thing added.” He figured he’d push a little to see how far she was willing to take this prank.

  “What?” She looked back at him.

  “If I play your husband, I want you sleeping beside me every night until it’s over.” He guessed sleeping next to him would shock her out of this game she seemed to be playing.

  “Why?”

  He smiled. “No questions why. Do we agree or not?”

  He thought she’d keep walking, but as always, she surprised him. She turned and walked back until she stood a foot in front of him, her boot almost touching his.

  “I’ve married and slept with three men I thought I knew and didn’t. One more added to the list won’t matter. I agree. Only, I warn you, if you ever hit me, I’ll shoot first and wait for an apology later.”

  He studied her cold blue eyes and wondered if she’d been hit in the past. He’d bet on it.

  “Just look over the papers, Cord. I swear I’m not trying to pull anything over on you.”

  “All right. I’ll look at them.” He doubted he’d have the time.

  “As soon as possible,” she added, pushing just a little.

  “As soon as possible,” he agreed.

  She was doing a good job of acting like this mattered to her. If this was real, maybe he was just the lesser of two evils she had to pick between.

  She straightened and took a long breath. “I’ll make plans to meet you at the courthouse. My lawyer’s office number is on the envelope. If you show up, we’ll sign everything there and the three hundred acres will be yours.”

  He nodded once. “I’ll be there by eleven if I come.”

  She gave him a jerky nod. A fighter realizing the fight was over.

  For a moment he thought he saw fear in her eyes. Not of him, but of something beyond tomorrow if he didn’t come. “Are you sure about this?” he said in little more than a whisper.

  “No,” she whispered back, “but it’s the only plan I have.”

  Without another word, she walked away. No good-bye, no hello-next-husband kiss. To her this was a business deal, and he had no idea why she needed him. He’d be signing away eight months of his life if he showed up tomorrow, but he’d given away time before. Six years in fact.

  This time, no matter how bad it was, if he took her offer, he could be walking away a rich man. He could farm the three hundred acres for a good profit alone this summer and, with just eight months of her farm income, he could afford the right equipment to make his land pay when he moved back home.

  Cord picked up the envelope and began to read. Somehow this was too good to be true. She’d even included bank statements. He wouldn’t be taking over a rundown ranch with everything falling apart. The account could easily buy whatever he’d need to get started. He’d driven by her land, and most of it that he could see from the road wasn’t being used as farm or ranchland.

  The sun was down by the time he finished reading every line twice. All the facts were there, except for the sleeping arrangements. Even if she planned to torture him for eight months, it would be worth it for enough money to really start farming. Once he was making money on his land, it wouldn’t matter that no one spoke to him. He could come back here and live alone in peace.

  He’d never been a gambler, but this time he might just roll the dice.

  After cleaning out the refrigerator, he packed
the one old suitcase he owned and set it by the door, then lay awake in bed until five thinking of all the reasons she might have asked him to marry her. None made any sense.

  He called himself every kind of fool, but he’d always said he’d never had a chance. What if his crazy neighbor was offering him a chance? One slim chance to change his life. Did he really want to toss it away?

  He got up, drank the last of the milk, and took a shower. It wouldn’t hurt to go see if she was really waiting for him at the courthouse.

  On his way out, he picked up his mother’s thin gold ring and slipped it on his little finger, then locked up the house and headed for town in his pickup, with a rusty trailer pulling the one horse he owned.

  While he drove toward town, he went over the contract one more time in his mind, looking for the deep well he was sure he’d fall into. All the details Nevada had talked about were there. From the day they married he’d have control of the Britain ranch as well as keep total control of his own property. If the marriage lasted eight months, he’d receive half the profits from both ranches. Since his would be lucky to make twenty thousand over the summer, he wasn’t taking much of a risk compared to her. There was enough money in her accounts to buy several hundred more head, and the grass was already up high enough to feed them. They’d have a good season with cattle alone, not counting the crops he planned to get in the ground.

  The deed to the three hundred acres had been folded in the envelope. It already had his name on it. All it needed was her signature. She’d even included a title company’s notarized statement saying she was the sole owner of Britain land.

  He headed to the town square deciding he must be dreaming. Tomorrow he’d wake up and find himself back in the grease pit working. But today, he thought, I might as well ride this dream out. Maybe her insanity was spreading.

  On impulse, he stopped in at Bailey Brothers and bought a suit. When Cord walked out in his new clothes, he couldn’t seem to get comfortable. He felt like he was wearing a costume, trying to pretend to be someone he wasn’t, but there was no turning back now.

  He walked across the street to the post office. If he was really going to be getting married in a few minutes, he might as well change his address.

  “Morning,” the bashful woman behind the counter greeted him.

  “Morning, Ronny,” he answered, remembering the time he’d dropped in and asked her who’d paid for the postage on all the newspapers he got in prison after his folks died. She’d looked so shy and embarrassed; he’d left without waiting for the answer.

  Since then he’d learned her name was Ronny Logan and he had a faint memory of her from school, only she was very timid and he’d been wild, running with a group of boys who called themselves “The Outlaws.” She was still shy and he’d learned to avoid people, so that kind of made them alike. Not that it would be likely that their types would ever get together and form a club, but they had something in common, it seemed.

  He picked up the change-of-address packet and headed out.

  “Cord.” Her soft voice stopped him.

  “Yeah,” he said, surprised she’d called his name.

  “You look real nice today.”

  “Thanks, Ronny.”

  Stepping back out into the morning air, Cord straightened. Compliments were so rare he could almost feel them raw on his face, but he stood taller as he walked back toward the courthouse square.

  Chapter 4

  COURTHOUSE

  NEVADA BRITAIN WATCHED FROM THE THIRD-FLOOR WINDOW of the courthouse as Cord McDowell walked into the building. Her heart pounded faster and faster. She had hoped he’d come, but she hadn’t believed he would.

  He was bigger than any of her former husbands and solid as a rock, and handsome in a keep-your-distance kind of way. But his looks and his manner had nothing to do with why she’d asked him to marry her.

  She knew she was taking a gamble that might get her killed, but she’d let others stop her from doing what she knew was right before and lived to regret it. If Cord was a cold man able to kill in rage, she’d know it soon enough. In a few minutes she’d be betting her life on one trait McDowell did show. He was a survivor.

  Cord might turn out to be as mean as a snake like folks said, but he was easy on the eyes and she’d developed an instinct about when to run. She liked the power in his movements, like he was a giant trying to walk among fairies. When he wasn’t in public, his shoulders were straight and he seemed taller, but now, while people were watching, he kept his head low and his shoulders rounded to pull his six-foot-five frame down a few inches.

  When he stepped off the elevator and moved to where she stood by the windows, Nevada noticed his old boots had been polished and the suit was so new it still had wrinkles from hanging on the rack. His tan skin warmed against the white of his open-collared shirt.

  “You came,” she said, more to herself than him.

  “I forgot to buy a tie. I’m sorry.” He looked as uncomfortable as she felt. When she didn’t say anything, he added, “I brought the contract.”

  “My lawyer had another copy. We’ll stop in his office first.” She forced a smile she didn’t feel. “Don’t worry about the tie. You look fine.” A knight in not-so-shining armor, she thought, or a killer who’d honed his skills in prison. Either way, her troubles would be over.

  He just stood there looking at her. Finally, he said, “I know you said you don’t want to tell me why you’re doing this, but before we take another step I have to know what I’m getting into. Not all, maybe, but some.”

  She managed a nod. He was right. He should know. “I’ve got problems with the drilling business. I need to be at the office. The ranch is losing money. If I don’t turn it around I might lose it too.”

  He met her eyes, and she knew that fighting for her land was something he understood.

  She rushed on before she lost her nerve. “And I’ve got an ex who wants to make life miserable for me. If he knows I’m married again, he might move on.” Nevada closed her eyes, knowing that she was leaving out boulders and talking about pebbles but she wasn’t used to sharing her troubles.

  “Fair enough.” Cord seemed satisfied. “Let’s do this.”

  They walked down the hallway, and he cleared his throat twice before he said, “I’ve got a thousand questions about the ranch, but we can talk about them later.” He seemed to be fighting to keep his voice conversational, to just talk to her like they were two normal people going to get married. “I jotted down some ideas I want to go over with you.”

  “I hope I know the answers. I gave everyone on the Boxed B the weekend off so we’d have time to look at the books and ride the land. You’re not taking on an easy job, I got to warn you. I’ve tried to keep everything going, but half the ranch hands quit and the other half seem to be waiting around doing nothing until I fire them. I can’t handle both the oil business and the ranch, so you’ll be in charge there.”

  She wanted to add more about trouble sure to come, but it would be best to bring him in a little at a time. Letting him believe her biggest problem was the ranch would be the safest plan. If he knew more, he’d bolt on her.

  They reached the office door. “Work doesn’t scare me,” he said before he turned the knob. “I didn’t figure it would be easy. Nothing in my life ever has been.”

  She nodded, thinking they had more in common than he knew. “From this point on, I’ll trust you, Cord, if you’ll trust me. It’s the only promise I can make, but you have my word.” The lie only stung a little on her tongue as she told herself omitting a problem isn’t lying. “I need you far more than you need me in this deal, and the strip of land between our places is a small price to pay. With you by my side I may still lose it all, but at least with you I have a fighting chance.”

  “I’ll try trusting.” He touched her arm. “But I’m not long on practice in that area.”

  The white-headed lawyer in a thousand-dollar suit rushed to greet them. “Welcome.” He grinned. “
We’re ready for you, Miss Britain.”

  Nevada straightened, moving into her planned speech. “Call me Mrs. McDowell, and this is my husband-to-be, Cord. I’ve never given up Britain to take a husband’s name, but I think I’ll take this one. I’d like people in this town to know I’m married to Cord McDowell.”

  The lawyer grinned as if he thought she was joking. When she didn’t say anything, he rushed on. “I’m happy to meet you, Mr. McDowell. If you’ll just step this way, we’ll get the papers signed and witnessed. Your bride tells me you both are in a hurry. The judge who’ll marry you is already waiting in the conference room.”

  Nevada tried to keep her breathing slow, but it wasn’t easy. She knew the routine. Said all the right words. Signed all the papers. Only she hadn’t expected Cord to slip a thin gold ring on her finger when he said, “I, Cordell Harrison McDowell, take you, Nevada Britain, to be my wife.”

  The judge didn’t say You may kiss the bride when he finished. She guessed he figured she’d already been kissed enough.

  Cord didn’t move toward her, and she couldn’t even bring herself to look at him. She’d rushed him into this only half believing he’d agree.

  Now he shook the hands of the lawyer and the judge. He seemed in a hurry to be out of the office, but once they were in the hallway, he stood silent, looking at the rug beneath his boots while she tried to think of something to say. They’d been neighbors all their lives, but she knew little about him outside the young boy she’d once seen in school and the time he’d spent in prison since then. She’d heard that his parents had been quiet people already into their forties when he was born. Someone said his mother died of cancer and his father followed her in death a year later of a heart attack.

  “You hungry?” Cord finally spoke as they waited for the elevator. “I didn’t bother to eat supper or breakfast, so I could eat half a beef.”

  “All right.” She wasn’t sure she could keep anything down, but at least he had a suggestion. If he planned to wait for her to come up with something, they’d be growing along with the grass on the courthouse lawn.