“You’re a true Farraday, Bonnibelle. No one enjoys a good meal more than I do.”
Catherine had thought he was going to say Buck, which only proved how total was the transformation from uncle to father.
CHAPTER NINE
AFTER Bonnie’s feed, she was out like a light.
As Catherine’s eyes slid away, they met the storm cloud gray of Cole’s.
“It’s time to tell me what you were doing out on the porch with John.” His low, penetrating voice wasn’t quite a demand. “What did I say that put you off? You were different before we even got out of the car.”
She swallowed uneasily.
Cole was so intuitive she could never hide anything from him. After her experience with him the first time they met, she didn’t dare hold back. He’d only find a way to get it out of her. His methods guaranteed success.
She didn’t want to fight with him. Especially with the innocent baby sleeping peace fully between them.
“If you must know, you and I never talked about-about having more children.”
The quiet that fell after her comment could hardly be described as comfortable. She could almost hear the air crackle with tension.
His brows arched quizzically. “Isn’t that part of what a real marriage implies?”
“Yes,” came the lame concession.
“So what’s the problem?” he infused in an unruffled tone.
She choked out, “The problem is me.”
“In what way?” he persisted.
“Not so loud. We’re going to wake the baby.”
Unable to handle the nature of their conversation being this close to him, she rolled off the bed, careful to leave Bonnie undisturbed. Cole followed her into the hall.
Before she reached the living room she felt a pair of strong male hands close over her shoulders, arresting her movements. His body heat permeated the silky material of her coffee-colored blouson. Combined with his natural scent, it all worked like an aphrodisiac on her senses.
He lifted the silvery gold strands away from her neck. “I’m the one who’s been a fool,” he whispered, letting his lips graze her heated skin. “I’ve been trying to give you time to get used to me. But it appears I’ve unwittingly sent the wrong signal.”
“I-it’s not that-” she tried to tell him, but the feel of his mouth created exquisite pleasure, robbing her of the ability to think clearly.
“Surely you know how much I want you?” His hands slid down her arms to her caress her hips. “I haven’t been able to hide it. Bonnie might have been the catalyst to bring us together this fast, but believe me- I felt the desire to make love to you even as you were evading my questions in front of the ranch house.”
“Cole-” she cried in absolute panic. Much as his admissions thrilled her, she couldn’t let this go on.
His hands stilled against her trembling body. “What is it? I know you want me too. It isn’t something you can hide.”
“I-I’m not trying to. But first there’s something I have to tell you that could change everything.”
He twisted her around. She glimpsed silvery eyes molten with desire. “Don’t be silly,” he murmured against her lips, gripping her waist to bring her against him.
With undeniable mastery he explored her mouth, tasting and finding every part of it. The fire he’d lit was starting to engulf her. This was a husband’s kiss, hot with desire.
Her husband. A man who might not want to claim that title once he’d heard what she had to tell him.
“Please, Cole-” She fought for air, really frightened now, because she could feel herself succumbing to the wanton needs he’d aroused.
“Don’t you under stand I want to please you?” he growled softly against her ear, sending little sparks of delight through her sensitized body.
He was too drugged by passion, too intent on making love to her, to listen. With Bonnie asleep for the next few hours, there was nothing to interfere with this ecstasy.
She shivered voluptuously, because she was drowning in a sensual haze he’d created that was sapping her power to resist him. Somehow they wound up against the wall, their mouths and bodies in satiable.
“Hey, Uncle Cole-”
A young male voice called out with excitement. At first Catherine thought she must have dreamed it.
“Mom said you were back. Where’ve you been?”
The voice was coming closer.
Catherine struggled to surface, but she didn’t make it in time.
“Oops-” the boy exclaimed.
Incredibly it was Cole who managed to ease himself away from her. Luckily she was still pressed up against the wall, which worked as a support until she could compose herself.
Cole turned to their young intruder. She could hear his ragged breathing. “Hey, Gavin-haven’t you learned to knock yet before you barge in on people?”
The dark-haired boy wearing jeans and cowboy boots couldn’t be more than ten. He hunched his shoulders, eyeing his uncle warily. “Sorry. I didn’t know anyone else was here.”
Of course the news that Cole was back had spread. But relief swept through Catherine that John had kept his promise.
“Exactly my point,” Cole barked at his nephew.
Before another word was said, Catherine needed to talk to Cole in private.
“Hi, Gavin,” she spoke up. “If you’ll give me a minute with your uncle, then he’s all yours. Wh-why don’t you go out in the living room?”
He stared at her like she was the great mystery of the ages. “Sure.”
She reached for Cole’s hand and drew him into the second bedroom, shutting the door behind them. When he turned to her, she hardly recognized him for his wintry expression.
His brows had formed a black bar above his eyes. “What’s going on with you?” He grasped her upper arms.
Her throat tightened. “I was trying to tell you b-before you started kissing me. I didn’t know having more children was included in our agreement.”
She felt his fingers tighten around her flesh. “When I explained that I wanted a real marriage, you said you understood.”
“I did, because I realized you meant we’d be sleeping together. But until you mentioned bringing more brothers and sisters into the world I had no idea you’d included that as part of it.”
For a second she thought she saw a glint of pain in those cloudy depths.
“I guess I should have known, but all I had on my mind at the time was Bonnie.” She tried to swallow but couldn’t. “Naturally it’s your dream to rear a family. So what I’m trying to tell you is that it’s still not too late to annul our marriage. That’s why I asked John not to say anything to the family yet.”
Cole’s hard mouth had taken on a whitish tinge. He was livid. She didn’t blame him.
“I’m going to leave for Reno in the next few minutes. All you have to do is explain to Gavin I’m the woman who had your baby, but we couldn’t work things out. After considering what was best for Bonnie, we decided to let you raise her.”
His eyes had formed slits, which caused her to speak faster and faster. “In private you can tell John the whole truth and this will all be over.”
Her eyes glistened, but she refused to cry in front of him. “You’ve won Bonnie legally. She’s where she should be. I’m glad I was the one who could help you, but you’re not in love with me. In time the right woman will come along. Love will happen naturally, the way it’s supposed to. She’ll fill that ache in your heart and give you the family you dreamed of having with Jenny.”
“What’s this about?” came a voice of ice. “Your idea of revenge for the man who destroyed your dreams?”
She backed away from him, shaking her head. “You couldn’t really have asked me that question. I’m doing this to help you attain yours. To satisfy your curiosity, the man you think I was involved with was a pathetic teenager my own age. It was the first time for both of us, and from every aspect a miserable mistake. Telling him I was pregnant sc
ared both of us to death. I never saw him again.”
Maybe she imagined a momentary bleakness lurking in the recesses of his eyes.
Taking advantage of his bemused state, she rushed past him and opened the door. Before he could stop her she made it down the hall to the living room.
Gavin was sitting on one of the chairs, playing with a small, battery-operated video game. He flashed her a surprised glance. She smiled at him, reached for her purse and suitcase and flew out the front door. By the time she made it to the truck, Cole was almost at her heels.
If the gods were kind, it would be unlocked.
They were more than kind. His keys were in the ignition.
“Whoa, Uncle Cole. Was she ever mad!”
“She’s scared.”
Catherine reminded him of a graceful filly who needed special handling to get her to come to him willingly. It was his own fault for pushing every damn button guaranteed to make her skittish.
Gavin looked up at him. “Of you?”
“Not exactly. It’s complicated.”
He pulled out his cell phone and called Mack.
“Hey, boss-glad you’re back.”
“It’s good to be home, but I’m without transportation at the moment. Do me a favor and catch up to the woman driving my power wagon. If you hurry you’ll reach her before she hits the highway.”
“What woman would that be?”
“My wife.”
Mack chortled. “Hey, Cole-it’s me you’re talking to.”
“Don’t I know it. I’m counting on you to manage the impossible.”
After a pause, “I’m on my way. Then what am I supposed to do?”
“Bring her back to my house.”
“What if she doesn’t want to come?”
“She will. Tell her Bonnie woke up feverish and is in consolable.”
“Who’s Bonnie?”
“Our daughter.”
“Maybe I’m in the middle of my own dream.”
“It’s no dream. I got married in Reno. Tell you about it later.” He clicked off.
Gavin was all eyes. “You really got married?”
“I sure did. Want to come and take a peek at your new little cousin?”
Catherine had the turnoff from the Bonnibelle in her sights when a truck barreling down the road behind her whizzed past, kicking up dust. She couldn’t believe it when the driver started to make a U-turn in front of her, forcing her to apply the brakes.
An au then tic cowboy, maybe late forties, jumped down from the cab. He strode toward her in a well-worn Stetson.
Cole had sent him, of course. She was surprised she’d gotten this far before being apprehended. No one walked out on Cole. She dashed the moisture from her cheeks, but anyone with eyes could see she’d been sobbing.
He approached her, removing his hat. Squinting at her, he said, “Good afternoon, Mrs. Farraday.”
That was all she needed to hear. The feathers were out of the pillow now. Air rushed from her lungs.
“I’m Mack Irvine, by the way.”
Cole’s ranch manager…
“How do you do, Mack?”
He held the hat in front of the brown plaid shirt covering his chest. “Cole says you need to get back to the house quick. Your daughter woke up and started to cry. He’s pretty sure she’s running a fever and needs you.”
Catherine didn’t believe it for a second, but she had no desire to argue with the man Cole not only revered but depended upon. What went on between her and her husband shouldn’t have to upset the running of his ranch. Especially when the histrionics were a by-product of her own flawed nature.
She’d run away. Just like she’d done over and over during her teenage years. When she couldn’t deal with reality, her answer was to take off. Apparently certain patterns couldn’t be broken no matter how hard she’d fought to change them.
But for once in her life she had to go back and face the consequences. She owed it to Cole, who’d been nothing but wonderful to her and deserved to hear all the truth that was in her. What he decided to do with that knowledge wasn’t her right to determine.
“Thank you for telling me,” she said quietly. “I’ll turn around.”
Mack looked vastly relieved. He nodded, put on his hat and walked back to his truck.
CHAPTER TEN
COLE saw the power wagon coming from a long way off. While he waited for his wife to materialize, he made coffee, then propped his hip against the counter while he drank it.
At long last he was going to have the luxury of being in his own home with Catherine. No more interruptions, no deadlines.
Thanks to Rosemary, who’d come for Gavin and had gone crazy the second she’d laid eyes on the baby, she’d taken everyone home with her. No doubt at this moment the whole family was marveling over the latest addition to the Farraday clan.
Cole’s eyes smarted. Maybe Buck was looking on too, from wherever he was.
He heard the truck pull up in front. In a moment foot steps sounded on the porch. She hadn’t come charging back. He braced himself, not knowing if that was a good or bad sign. He’d married a complicated lady.
“Hi.” The husky voice he’d loved from day one sounded deeper than usual.
“Hi yourself.” He studied her where she was standing next to the kitchen table. She’d been crying her eyes out. He lifted a mug. “Coffee?”
“No, thank you.” He could see her throat working. “Cole-”
“Bonnie’s been kid napped by the family. We’ll be lucky if we see her again before sometime tomorrow. Gavin thinks she looks like his dad. Rosemary insists she’s the image of Penny. You have to wonder how long it will be before someone says she resembles Buck.”
A little sob escaped her throat. “I see you in her already.”
“Spoken like a loyal wife.”
She flinched. “I didn’t give a very good impression of one earlier. Forgive me. I didn’t mean to run away like that. I’m afraid it’s an old habit when I don’t want to face something unpleasant.”
Sucking in his breath, Cole put the mug down. “Is the idea of getting pregnant again repugnant to you?”
She subsided into the nearest chair. “No.”
His frustration grew. “Are you afraid of intimacy because of your former experience?”
“I-it’s not that,” she stammered.
He rubbed the back of his neck where the muscles were bunched. “Then it’s me. You wanted Bonnie enough to marry me, but now the reality is too much for you to handle. Is that it?”
She flashed him a tortured look before she jumped up from the chair. “I don’t think I can have more children-that’s why!”
Her answer flooded him with such great relief it took him a moment to respond. Unfortunately she read something else in that brief silence.
“You see?” she cried in undeniable turmoil, staring at him with wounded eyes. “I had sex with a boy, and my high-risk pregnancy probably ruined me for any more. My punishment for doing something I knew was wrong. But I didn’t know how wrong until you talked about providing Bonnie with a brother or sister.”
Tears gushed down her cheeks. “Do you have any idea how it killed me to hear you tell your brother you were looking forward to having a bigger family wh-when I was afraid we couldn’t? And all because it was my fault?”
The rise of hysteria in her voice propelled Cole toward her. He crushed her in his arms. “Have you been checked recently by an OB who’s of the same opinion?”
She burrowed her head against his shoulder. “No. I’ve been afraid to.”
He rubbed her back in an attempt to console her. “Medical science has come a long way in the last decade to make conception possible for millions of couples. You know that.”
“I don’t think it’s far enough for us, Cole.” She sobbed against him, wetting his shirtfront. “That’s why we need to get an annulment. My past mistake shouldn’t prevent you from having the life you want.”
She threw her head
back to look at him.
What he wanted was to take away the pain from her drenched blue eyes. “I’ve got everything I want right here in front of me. The rest we can work out. Who knows? Maybe I’m infertile.”
Her hands formed fists against his chest. “Don’t be ridiculous! Haven’t you heard anything I’ve been saying? You’re too good a man to have married me. I’m like a tumbleweed out on the desert. I came from somewhere, but who knows where? I’ve rolled along here and there, with every gust of wind. I know nothing of my roots, whereas you can point back to your Farraday ancestors with pride.”
Her trembling body bespoke her agony.
“Catherine-”
“Let me finish. I sensed how honorable you were the first time we met. You’re a breed apart from any man I’ve ever known. Bonnie will never know how blessed she was that you claimed her. But when she grows older, what will be her opinion of a mother with no family, no clue to her background?”
He clasped her face between his hands. “Listen to me-what matters is what you’ve made of yourself! That’s all that matters where any human being is concerned! Knowing your pedigree doesn’t give you a pass in this life, Catherine. We all make mistakes. I’ve made a ton of my own. Some I’m not particularly proud of. Until you came into my life, I was a mess.”
She shook her head. Her eyes were still swimming in tears. “I don’t believe it.”
“Gavin could tell you. So could the other children-Uncle Cole’s mean.”
She sniffed. “If you’re so awful, how come he came running into the house whooping it up because you’re back?”
“Because children are forgiving. Haven’t you noticed?”
“Yes,” she confessed.
“Adults have a much harder time of it. I know one woman who needs to forgive herself so she can make this man happy.” He kissed her luscious mouth. “I’m in love with you, darling. So much it hurts.”
“But you can’t be-”
“Let’s get something straight, then we never have to talk about it again. If this weren’t the real thing, I wouldn’t have asked you to marry me under any cir cum stances. After meeting you, I discovered I wanted you, long before I saw Bonnie. The second I saw her, I wanted her too. Since then I’ve tried to show you in every way but one. Maybe going to bed will help.”
And Baby Makes Three Page 8
