Letty Sue agreed and they walked in that direction.
A short time later, Jake was busily chewing on salt-water taffy, his hands and face a gooey mess. Prancing through the emporium, he eyed many of the items on the shelves with a sense of wonder. Letty Sue picked up a few trinkets she noticed him viewing with longing, tucking them under the clothes she’d already chosen for him. She’d surprise him with the small toys later.
Measuring britches up against Jake’s body, Letty Sue tilted her head, imagining them on the boy’s slim form. “I think these will fit with suspenders.”
Chase’s smile was slow and easy. “He’s going to have more clothes than an Eastern dandy, Letty Sue.”
She chuckled, glancing at all the clothes she’d picked out already. “Well, he needs more than one pair of britches, and some underthings, shoes and socks. And of course, he needs something nicer for church on Sunday.”
Chase’s face paled. “Church?”
“That’s right. It’s only fitting we take him to church. Wouldn’t hurt you, either, Chase Wheeler,” she said, smiling coyly.
Chase frowned and decided to wait for them outside. He leaned against a thick post and lit a cheroot. Puffing hard, he contemplated his life on the Double J. He hadn’t bargained on any of this when he’d agreed to help Joellen out with the ranch and her troublesome daughter.
Now he was married to her and had a boy to raise. At least until Joellen returned. But the boy complicated matters. If they didn’t find his folks, Chase wondered how he could turn his back on them and walk away.
He hadn’t planned on a family when he took this job.
Now, through unforeseen twists of fate, he had one.
Temporarily, at least.
Chase was certain Joellen and Jasper would provide a loving home for Jake, and Letty Sue completely adored the child. They would become Jake’s family, if his own weren’t found.
But the question remained, could Chase walk away?
He had other troubles as well, keeping his hands off Letty Sue being first and foremost.
He’d had mixed-up, jumbled feelings when she’d decided to leave for the East, but had been relieved that at least the temptation would be gone. She’d not be there for him to witness her attempts at cooking a decent meal, hearing her softly muttered curses when supper didn’t turn out as planned. He’d not have to endure the long nights, knowing she was in the next room wearing a next-to-nothing cotton gown to bed. He’d not have to witness the soft look glowing in her eyes when she glanced at the boy.
Letty Sue had a body made for loving. Chase was her husband and by law had every right to claim her as his. But he’d vowed not to touch her, not to compromise her innocence.
He cursed the day he’d married her.
Yet he couldn’t fathom the thought of her in another man’s arms. He couldn’t abide the notion of Letty Sue one day giving to another man what he so desperately wanted for himself.
He was sentenced to living with a beautiful wife he couldn’t have and raising a boy who could easily steal his heart.
Chase flicked the cheroot to the ground and stomped it out. If only it was as easy to extinguish the burning he felt deep within.
Letty Sue strode up, lacing an arm through his and holding Jake with the other hand. “I think we bought out the store,” she announced gaily, wearing a cheerful smile.
Chase took her parcels. “
“We’re ready for Doc Ramsey now.”
Jake’s head snapped up at the mention of the doctor, his clear blue eyes round with fear.
Chase lifted the boy carefully, bracing him on his hip. Jake wrapped one tiny arm about Chase’s neck. “Doc Ramsey’s all right, Son. He’s just going to make sure your bruises are healing just fine,” he told the boy. Then he added with an exaggerated wink, “And that your… Letty Sue is doing right by you.”
“Well!” Letty Sue feigned indignation. She punched Chase gently in the arm. “I’m doing just fine, Jake. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
The playful banter brought a smile to the boy’s lips, and his eyes, no longer fearful, beamed with joy.
Chase didn’t think anything could have reversed his foul mood just then, until the boy smiled.
He hoisted Jake up onto his shoulders and strode with purpose toward Doc Ramsey’s office. “C’mon,” he said, leaving Letty Sue behind. “Last one to Doc’s has to cook up a big batch of fried apples.”
The fried apples were good, even if a bit under-cooked, Chase thought as he sat in a chair in the parlor, watching Letty Sue read to Jake. Chase hadn’t thought Letty Sue would follow through and cook them up, but after supper, she’d dished up the steaming-hot dessert. He guessed she hadn’t known how to make it, but had probably managed to pry the recipe from Emma at the diner in town today.
Chase leaned back and closed his eyes. The low-burning fire in the hearth heated the room enough to take off the chill. Clouds had blanketed the sky this afternoon as they rode back from town, and just minutes ago a storm had erupted. The rain beat down steadily now in a constant rhythm, and every so often a blast of thunder shook the windows.
“It’s just a silly old storm, Jake,” Letty Sue said. “It won’t hurt you.”
Chase cracked his eyes open a bit to peer at the child. Jake stared out the window with trepidation. Letty Sue snuggled him closer and pointed to a picture in the book to distract him. He peered down at the pages, but every so often Chase caught him sneaking a peek at the window again.
Chase wondered what had happened to the boy. What strange sort of occurrence had left him out on the range, vulnerable and alone? Sheriff Singleton had had no answers for him today. It was as though the boy had magically appeared in that field that day, but there’d been nothing whimsical or fanciful about it. Jake had gone through a rough ordeal. If they hadn’t found him when they did, he would not have survived. Heat and starvation would have done him in.
Thankfully, they’d found him before it was too late.
During their visit today, Doc Ramsey had shed some light on Jake’s inability to speak. He’d told Chase that sometimes a terrible trauma would inhibit children, causing them to withdraw into their own world as a form of defense, the experience being too frightful for a young one to bear. Doc also believed the boy capable of speech, seeing no real signs of damage to his throat. Yet he couldn’t be sure, having no history on the child or his family.
Time would tell, the doctor had said.
Letty Sue’s whisper brought him out of his thoughts. “Chase, he’s asleep.”
Chase rose quietly from his chair and lifted Jake from Letty Sue’s lap. The boy weighed next to nothing, he mused, carrying him to Letty Sue’s bed. Gently he laid him down. Letty Sue followed behind, as had become the ritual each night. She tucked him in and kissed his forehead.
Chase said good-night to Letty Sue and backed out of the room. He knelt by the fire in the parlor, adding a few logs.
“Do you mind if I watch the fire for a little while?” Letty Sue stood beside him, rubbing a kink out of her neck.
He shook his head. “I don’t mind, but you had a long day. I thought you’d be exhausted by now.”
“I am, overly so,” she said, with a small, weary sigh. “I don’t think I can sleep just yet.”
Chase noted the signs of fatigue on her face. She hadn’t bargained on any of this, either—a marriage and motherhood in just a few short weeks. Yet she’d held up, better than he would have guessed. He positioned himself behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Just try to relax.”
Letty Sue let out a soft, pleasured moan when he began massaging the knots from her shoulders. She lowered her head, giving him access to her neck. He ran his hands up and down, his fingers sifting through her silky sable hair.
Chase’s body went tight. It was a fool thing to do, touching her like this, but now he had no choice. He worked at her shoulders some more, until tension eased out and once again she moaned in delight. “Oh, that fee
ls so good, so very good.”
Chase agreed silently, gnashing his teeth. He spent the next five minutes working her shoulders, caressing her throat, massaging gently—touching, smoothing, rubbing at the contours of her lovely form. Holding back all the while, he couldn’t help wishing he could explore every inch of her. When he didn’t think he could take another second of it, he stopped and whispered in her ear, “Think you can sleep now?”
She turned in his arms, her eyes bright, searching his. “I think so,” she said, unmoving.
She looked so damned beautiful in the firelight, her radiance far outshining the dim glow from the hearth. Rain pummeled the roof, reminding him of another time he’d touched her intimately—in the supply shack that very first day, to warm her and keep her safe.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice barely audible.
Chase grasped her slender waist with both hands. With a slight tug, he brought her close.
“Uh-huh,” he said, brushing his legs against hers. Fire broke out instantly, a fierce flame that needed a quick and effective dousing. But the contact felt too good, too right to be denied. Chase didn’t have the strength to refuse himself one kiss.
“I should get on to bed.” Nervously, she licked her lips, staring at his.
“Uh-huh,” he answered, lowering his head.
“It’s late,” she mumbled.
Chase smiled, bringing his mouth inches from hers. He had to agree. It was late, too late for him. He crushed her lips with his, smothering Letty Sue’s astonished gasp.
He thrust into her mouth then, the honeyed taste nearly buckling his knees. He drove his tongue deeper, claiming possession of the one part of her he could have, his rigid need against her belly reminding him grimly what he could not.
Little moans escaped her throat and she pressed closer, returning his kiss. Instinctively, he knew that if he laid her down on his blanket and made love to her in the fiery light, he’d not be disappointed.
Letty Sue would match his passion touch for touch, stroke for stroke, thrust for thrust.
But that would never happen.
With a deep, guttural groan, Chase slanted his mouth over hers one last time, relishing the powerful impact. Then, seizing every ounce of his willpower, he broke off the kiss.
Letty Sue’s chest heaved, her breathing as labored as his. Her lips were a rosy pink, and moist from his kiss.
He cursed silently. “You’re right,” he said tightly, “you should get to bed.”
He turned away from her then, facing the snapping flames in the hearth.
Letty Sue, calm and self-assured, said quietly, “One day, Chase Wheeler, you’re going to see what’s right in front of your eyes. I only hope it won’t be too late.”
He waited until the sound of her footsteps diminished and the door to her bedroom closed before striding outside. He stood out in the rain, letting the cool drops wash over him, hoping they would extinguish his powerful, all-consuming desire.
Chapter Fifteen
With the corral gate slammed shut behind him, Chase leaned against the fence, eyeing the three horses he’d been tracking since dawn. “That wasn’t easy. Appreciate the help.”
Sam nodded. “It’s been awhile since I ran against wild mustangs. But we got them.”
“Yep, we did. Took us the better part of the day, though. We must be aging, Sam. Used to be able to hunt down a whole herd before noon.”
Sam chuckled. “Must be married life slowing you down, ’cause I’m fit as a fiddle. Don’t feel any older than sixteen.”
The wild stallion penned up in the corral snorted long and deep, then pranced nervously around the perimeter, as if looking for a way out. “The stallion’s a beauty. I suppose he’d jump fence if it weren’t for his mare and colt. He’s smart enough to know the colt wouldn’t make it and the mare wouldn’t leave him behind.”
Sam peered up at the blazing Texas sun. “Seems to me he’s a mite smarter than some folks I know.” He slanted Chase a glance.
Chase drew in a sharp breath. “Meaning?”
“I don’t claim to know the whole of it and I don’t like interfering, but you and Letty Sue might want to work some things out, for the boy’s sake.”
Chase tore off his work gloves, shoving them in his back pocket. He chose his words carefully. “There’s no guarantee the boy’s parents won’t show up soon. And I’m not fool enough to believe Letty Sue wants to be my wife. Not in the real sense, any more than I want to be her husband. When Joellen gets back, I’m leaving, just like I planned. We made a deal.”
“Is that a fact? Well, turn around, friend. And tell me your first honest reaction to what you see.”
Confounded, Chase turned slowly from the fence, glancing first at Sam, who was grinning smugly, like a bank robber counting his plunder, then toward the house.
A rush of blood-boiling heat welled up, threatening to burst from his veins. He hated the reaction almost as much as seeing Letty Sue, dressed in frilly blue lace, entertaining a young dandy on the porch. Their heads together, they were sipping lemonade, and the sound of her sweet laughter grated in Chase’s ears.
“Well?” Sam asked.
“Who is he?” Chase demanded.
“His name is Jimmy McCabe and he’s just returned from Virginia. Been schooled at William and Mary University. He’s going to partner with old Mr. Halpern, the attorney.”
“He’s a lawyer?”
“Yep, a new one. He and Letty Sue go way back.”
Chase eyed the dandy up and down. He disliked the man on sight, three-piece pinstripe suit and all.
“And she saw fit to entertain him, right out here in front of all the ranch hands?”
Sam laid a hand on Chase’s shoulder. “Chase, we just now got back from rustling up those mustangs. No telling how long he’s been here, visiting. She’s sitting with him outside. It’s the proper thing to do.”
Chase pursed his lips. Sam did have a point. At least his wife hadn’t brought the man into the house.
“Jimmy always said he’d come back to marry Letty Sue. I imagine he was quite surprised to find someone beat him to it.”
Chase grunted and folded his arms across his middle, eyeing the man who laughed so easily with his wife. One day Chase would leave, and no telling how many men would line up to court her then. “He might just get the chance, one day.”
Sam burst out laughing. “Chase, judging by your reaction, I do believe it would be over your dead and buried body. Come on, she’s waving us over. I’ll make the introductions.”
Letty Sue paced in the parlor, wearing thin her mother’s Oriental rug. “You were extremely rude to Jimmy today, Chase.”
Sitting on the wing chair—his chair, as Letty Sue had come to think of it— Chase dragged a hand down his face. “I had work to do. I can’t afford to waste time entertaining your…” He waved his hand in the air, agitated.
“Guest, Chase. Jimmy was our guest. Why would you be so rude to someone who was a guest at the ranch?”
“He was your guest, Letty Sue, not mine.”
“He’s a family friend. I haven’t seen him in years.”
“You mean he was your beau, don’t you?”
“Hardly. He was sixteen when he left town.”
Jimmy had made overtures to Letty Sue, but she’d never thought much of it, since she knew his intention was to leave Sweet Springs and go to law school one day. He’d dreamed of becoming an attorney ever since he was a young boy chasing her around the schoolyard. He’d always teased her about how he’d return and they’d get married, but Letty Sue had put no stock in his friendly banter.
Chase rose from the chair. His eyes burned hotly, their silvery rims gleaming. She stopped pacing to face him directly.
“What you do when I’m gone from here is one thing, but while you carry my name I expect you not to disgrace it,” he stated.
Letty Sue’s mouth dropped open. Stunned into silence, she blinked rapidly, his words sinking in. “I would neve
r—”
“Enough said, Letty Sue.”
Her denials, her pledges of faith, would go unheard. Chase wouldn’t trust her; he didn’t have it in him. He’d seen her with another man and assumed the worst. Yet she’d been innocent of any wrong-doing.
Anger began in stages, fitting her like an intricate coat of armor, layer upon layer, until she was fully dressed, ready for battle. She pointed a steady finger at him. “Don’t you dare imply I’d be anything but faithful to you and our marriage!” Her voice was little more than a hiss, since she didn’t want to wake Jake and frighten him. “I’ve done nothing to give you reason to doubt me or my intentions. I’ve tried to be a wife to you, Chase Wheeler. Too bad I can’t say the same about you. You’ve not been a husband to me, not in any way that really matters.”
Chase reached out and grabbed her wrists. He pulled her close, his voice tight with restrained anger. “What way really matters, Letty Sue? You want me to rip off your clothes, drop you down to the floor and make love to you until we’re both so damn spent we can’t draw our next breath? Is that what you really want? Is that what makes a marriage?” He released her so quickly, she fell back a step.
She inhaled sharply, drawing in much-needed air. “I do know what I want, Chase. And it’s certainly not a man who won’t face the truth.”
“What truth, Letty Sue? Tell me what you think I can’t face.”
“Me, for one. You want me.”
“I told you once before that any man would want you. You’re a beautiful woman.”
“You have feelings for me.”
He turned his head away, refusing to respond.
“And for little Jake.”
He snapped to attention. “I told you, his parents might come back for him.”
“And they might not.”
Chase’s chest heaved. It was a long time before he spoke again, this time with trepidation. “You’re saying you want a real marriage?”
Letty Sue’s shoulders fell. Yes, she wanted a real marriage. She’d only just come to that conclusion recently. But a hefty dose of pride wouldn’t allow her to beg a man who’d constantly made it clear he couldn’t wait to leave her. With her chin up, she kept her pride intact. “I’m saying that, when the time comes, Chase, and Mama returns, I won’t ask you to stay.”
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