Max 2 - A Love Remembered

by Annette Broadrick

  When Tim had awakened not recognizing her she had been shocked, unsure of how to handle the situation. She and her grandfather had disagreed about what she should do, but then they had disagreed about most things.

  Sometimes she was convinced her grandfather argued just for the sake of being contrary.

  Elisabeth glanced across the table at the silent man who filled her thoughts. She wondered what he was thinking but didn't feel she had a right to ask.

  Tim's thoughts kept returning to Greg's upcoming visit. He reviewed his plans. He thought he had covered all the bases, but only time would tell. Now if Jason and Marcus would only step into the carefully baited trap, the matter would be taken care of shortly.

  Then what? What more could he say to Elisabeth? He supposed he wasn't being fair to her. After all, she agreed to the marriage as a temporary measure. Did he have any right to demand that the rules be changed?

  Was it her fault he had fallen so hard for her that he didn't want to think about a future she wasn't a part of?

  ''Will there be anything else?"

  Tim and Elisabeth were startled by the sound of Mrs. Brodie's voice breaking into the silence that surrounded them.

  Elisabeth was first to respond. ''No, thank you, Mrs. Brodie. Everything was delicious."

  Mrs. Brodie looked at their plates, then at the two people sitting there. ''How would you know? Doesn't look like either one of you bothered to eat a thing."

  For the first time since they'd sat down, each became aware of the other's mood and lack of conversation. They put their own interpretation on it.

  Tim decided that Elisabeth was still upset with him for not having left. Elisabeth assumed Tim was irritated that she was still insisting that he leave. Since each felt justified in their position, there was nothing to be said.

  When Elisabeth stood, Tim also got up. ''If you will excuse me, I have some things to take care of."

  She nodded. He disappeared into the library, and she slowly went upstairs, feeling drained. Perhaps she would go to bed early and try to get some rest. Tonight she would use some common sense and wear her gown to bed.

  The memory of going to sleep the night before with his hands stroking and smoothing the muscles of her back and shoulders popped into her mind. She hadn't intended to fall asleep and was, in fact, surprised she did under the circumstances. But she had been under a great deal of strain, and his touch had been so gentle and soothing.

  Later she had come awake to find him touching her in a new and more urgent way. She could no more have resisted him than she could have admitted to him how much she loved him. Her longing for him had worked against her.

  She couldn't allow herself that weakness again.

  Tim called Max and explained his idea about the brothers Barringer. In the long run, he felt his idea would work even better than bringing formal charges against them. Once he made them aware that he knew what they were up to, he needed a permanent lever to make sure they didn't harass Elisabeth.

  Max laughed at his idea, but agreed that it would probably work.

  Then Tim sat in the big overstuffed chair and thought about Elisabeth upstairs. Glancing at his watch, he was surprised to see how late it was. Maybe he'd be able to sleep. He hoped so. And he hoped to hell he wouldn't dream!

  ❧

  Tim heard Greg's car pull in the driveway the next evening and was outside by the time his friend got out of the car.

  "You made good time," he said, greeting Greg with a warm handshake.

  "I got an early start." Greg glanced around and gave a low whistle. ''Quite a place."

  "I know. It takes some getting used to."

  "It looks more like a movie set than a working ranch."

  "The ranching part is to utilize the land, not to make the place a paying concern."

  Greg removed his suitcase from the trunk of the car and followed Tim to the front door.

  "I guess you know you've been more than a little mysterious, my friend. Care to fill me in on what's been going on in your life?"

  ''I have every intention of doing so after dinner and once we're alone."

  ''Is your wife here?''

  Tim held the door open for Greg. When Greg walked inside his question was answered. He saw the blond, green-eyed beauty standing in the foyer, a hesitant smile on her lips.

  "You must be Greg," she said softly. "Tim has told me so much about you."

  "And you're Elisabeth," he replied with a grin. Setting down his suitcase, he quickly covered the distance between the two of them and clasped her outstretched hand in both of his. ''I'm sorry to say that Tim hasn't told me nearly enough about you, which is an omission I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive him for."

  The man standing before her was several inches taller than Tim and not as broad. His blond hair was touched with gray and gave him a distinguished appearance that made her immediately feel comfortable with him.

  "You must be tired if you made that drive today. Why don't we have coffee? Dinner should be ready in fifteen minutes or so."

  Tim picked up the suitcase. ''I'll take this upstairs. Your room is the first one at the top of the stairs. You shouldn't have any trouble finding it."

  Greg took in the sumptuous foyer, the polished mahogany railing of the stairway, the gleaming marble floor, and shook his head.

  Elisabeth grinned at his expression. ''I know. It's really too much, isn't it? I feel as though I should be wearing full skirts with a multitude of petticoats and other unmentionables every time I come down the stairs."

  She led him into the front room and motioned for him to have a seat. Mrs. Brodie appeared in the doorway and Elisabeth asked for coffee, then sank onto the sofa across from Greg.

  "I'm sure this place has some stories it could tell. How old is it?"

  "My grandfather said that his father built it just before the turn of the century. He was one of the fortunate ones who discovered gold in the area, and he wanted a home befitting his new station in life."

  ''Yes, I remember hearing once that the Cripple Creek area had one of the last big gold rushes in the United States."

  Elisabeth nodded. ''In the 1890s Cripple Creek was a flourishing metropolis. Now there's just a small community left. The principal source of income is tourism." She glanced around the room, then at Greg. "I find the history of that era fascinating."

  Greg watched the woman seated across from him and tried to come to terms with the fact that she was Tim's wife. Somehow he had thought that Tim would never marry. Of course he had thought the same thing about himself a few years ago, and look at him now.

  "How long have you and Tim been married?" Only when he heard his question did Greg realize he'd voiced his thoughts. He was embarrassed with his bluntness. Fortunately Tim walked into the room and rescued him. Greg hoped he hadn't sounded to Elisabeth as though he were interrogating a helpless witness.

  "Almost a month ago, although I only recall the last few days," Tim rephed. He sat beside Elisabeth and casually took her hand. Greg wondered about the tension he sensed between the two of them. His curiosity grew by the minute.

  "Yes, you mentioned something about getting a blow to your head. How are you feeling?"

  "Much better. The pain's almost gone, and my memory is returning—" he glanced at Elisabeth as he drawled the rest of his statement "—slowly but surely."

  Greg could see her stiffen slightly. Glancing at Tim, he asked, ''Did you find out how it happened?"

  "It was just a careless accident on my part," Tim replied, with a slight shake of his head. "I haven't been on horseback in years."

  Greg lifted a brow, but felt it safer not to comment. He was relieved when Mrs. Brodie came in to tell them that dinner was ready to be served.

  Having Greg at the evening meal livened up the conversation and eased the tension for everyone. He shared hilarious stories about his children, and he and Tim regaled Elisabeth with stories about Brandi, as she was now as a wife and mother and years before, when she was grow
ing up.

  At one point Elisabeth said, "I'm so sorry she wasn't able to come with you to visit us." Greg threw Tim a questioning glance, which Tim returned without expression.

  "Yes, she was, too," Greg responded in a bland tone. "Maybe next time," then wondered why Tim and Elisabeth would not look at each other.

  By the time Elisabeth excused herself for the evening Greg was ready to throttle Tim if necessary to get some answers.

  "I wish to hell I understood what was going on around here," he said once the two men were alone.

  Tim poured them both a drink, then sat down across from his friend. "I appreciate the delicacy with which you handled the matter. Now you can see why I didn't dare have Brandi come with you."

  Greg grinned, acknowledging the accuracy of Tim's hit. "Brandi has never been known for her tact and diplomacy. She would have been asking questions and demanding answers before we had gotten inside the house."

  Tim leaned his head against the back of the chair and stretched his legs in front of him. "I hope Brandi wasn't too upset about not coming with you."

  Greg took a sip of his drink and gave a brief sigh of pleasure. "Of course she wasn't. Brandi's mature and understanding." He glanced at Tim, his eyes sparkling. ''And I didn't tell her that my unexpected business meeting was with you."

  Tim began to laugh, and Greg joined him.

  "You've learned a great deal about married life," Tim said after a moment. "I wonder if I'll be given that chance."

  "Meaning?"

  "Elisabeth is already asking when I plan to leave."

  "I could think of many reasons she might want to send you packing. What is hers?''

  Tim looked into his drink, then took a swallow. ''Because, according to her, we agreed to marry as a temporary measure to please her grandfather."

  "I had no idea you were so self-sacrificing. A beautiful, intelligent, wealthy young woman needs a spouse, and you quickly offer to help her out. How noble."

  Tim toasted his friend. ''I knew you would understand."

  Greg slid down a few inches in his chair and propped his feet on the footstool in front of him, and Tim got up to freshen their drinks. After handing Greg his drink Tim began to fill Greg in on everything he could remember. When he finished, Greg shook his head.

  ''You are a source of constant amazement, my friend. How do you always manage to get in the thick of things?"

  "Just my natural talent, I suppose," Tim offered modestly.

  "So what's going on with Elisabeth's brothers now?"

  "Half-brothers."

  Greg waved his hand as though brushing away a pesky fly. "Whatever."

  "According to Charlie, Jason visited him not long after Charlie was hospitalized to talk about the possibilities of reopening the gold mine located on the ranch."

  Greg straightened slightly from his relaxed position and stared at Tim. "Elisabeth mentioned something earlier about a gold mine her great-grandfather owned."

  "One and the same. Charlie said the mine was quite successful for years, but by the 1920s was barely breaking even, due to some problems with water seepage and a drop in gold prices. So his father closed it."

  "Is it worth reopening?"

  Tim thought over what he'd been told. 'That's the big question at the moment. Geologists say that despite the millions of dollars worth of gold taken out of the area originally, there's an estimated eighty percent still to be recovered in the granite terrain." Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and held his glass between his fingers. ''With new mining technology and the price of gold these days, reopening some of the existing mines has become an option to consider." He drained his glass and looked over at his friend. "I understand that a few of the mines around here have opened with varying degrees of success."

  "I see."

  Tim went to the bar and poured another drink. When he motioned with the bottle, Greg joined him, his thoughts caught up in the conversation.

  "What Charlie realized when Jason visited him," Tim went on after they had reseated themselves, "was that Jason automatically assumed he and Marcus would inherit the ranch. They never gave Elisabeth a thought. What they wanted was Charlie's approval to go ahead and have the mine studied for its present mining potential. They were already looking toward the future when Charlie wouldn't be around."

  ''But Charlie left the ranch to Elisabeth, I take it?"

  ''Yes. He'd had his will drawn up several years before and saw no reason to change it. Both men lived in the East and never came out here. He and Elisabeth considered this place home. However, he could see the potential for conflict once he was gone."

  Once more comfortably draped in his chair, Greg asked, "How does Elisabeth feel about all this?"

  "That's the hell of it. Elisabeth doesn't know about the new interest in the mine. Charlie didn't want her worried about it. Or worse, he didn't want her turning the place over to the brothers upon demand."

  "So that's where you come in, I take it."

  "Supposedly, yeah. In case they need some convincing to leave her alone."

  "I don't see any reason you had to marry her, though."

  Tim's smile was filled with self-mockery. "My reasons for marrying her were much more basic than that. They were very territorial, in fact." He swirled the liquid in his glass. "I wanted her to belong to me, so I used the situation for my own reasons."

  "How caveman of you. I've always known you lacked a certain amount of civility in your nature, but I must admit you've surprised me."

  "Unfortunately, Elisabeth isn't buying any of this."

  "Good for her."

  "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

  Greg lifted his brows in mock astonishment. ''Why, Fm always on the side of truth and justice, where else?"

  Tim shook his head.

  "Does she know how you feel about her?''

  Tim thought about that question for a long time before he answered. ''It's all so complicated. From what I remember about our first meeting and the subsequent marriage arrangements, I was sure she did." He stood and began to pace the floor. "The damnable part is that I only have vague recollections of the ceremony. Then things are hazy. I'm not sure what is a dream and what's real." He paused, his hands on his hips, and frowned at Greg. "Then, a few mornings ago, I woke up with what I thought was a monster hangover pounding in my head in a strange bed with a woman I could have sworn I'd never seen before."

  Greg knew this was serious, but the picture Tim painted was too humorous not to laugh. Tim's reluctant grin acknowledged that he understood Greg's amusement.

  "Just think how Elisabeth must have felt to have her new husband look at her one morning and say, 'My God, who are you?' "

  "Yes, I know. Charlie pointed that out to me. Since then, she's been polite but kept her distance." Most of the time, he added silently.

  He refused to feel guilty about what had happened between them the other night. She had been too responsive, too open to his advances for him to feel that he had taken advantage of her.

  "So what are you going to do?"

  ''About Elisabeth? I don't know. As for the mine, some of the ranch hands are keeping an eye on the area. I think Jason's going to try something soon. There's been some activity already. If he thinks his efforts will go undetected, I suspect he'll see what's down there. If it's worth it to him, he may decide to convince Elisabeth not to keep the place." He explained about the missing cattle. ''I think he could very well be behind that, hoping to discourage her."

  "So you intend to discourage him from discouraging her, is that it?"

  ''Close enough."

  "And where do I come in?"

  "As a witness, for one thing. If you're willing, I would also like you to go with me to visit Jason at his office in New York."

  "When?"

  "Soon. Within the next couple of days, if I've figured Jason correctly."

  Greg was quiet for a few minutes, and Tim relaxed once more in his chair. He needed some rest. He hadn't got
ten much sleep the night before. He thought of Elisabeth in bed upstairs and wondered why he thought he'd be able to sleep any better tonight.

  Greg stretched and looked at his friend. "Yes. I think I'd like to be dealt into this hand. It might be fun."

  "I appreciate it."

  Greg lifted his brow slightly. "Oh, you'll pay for it."

  '' How do you mean?''

  "You're going to be given the pleasure of telling Brandi that you got married without telling her. After the fuss you made when she and I snuck off, she's not going to take your doing the same thing lightly."

  Tim rose and switched off the lamp by his elbow. The men turned toward the hallway. "If I had my say," Tim said as he checked the lock on the front door, "I'd be more than willing to have another ceremony that included you and Brandi. All we have to do is to convince Elisabeth."

  "You can always explain that your friends insist. I'm sure she would understand."

  They walked up the stairs together and paused in the doorway of Greg's room. Tim rested his hand on Greg's shoulder. "I'll do what I can. But I can't promise anything.''

  "Nonsense. I've never known you to give up on something you wanted in your life, Tim. You aren't about to give up now."

  Tim grinned. "You know me well." He started down the hallway to join his wife for what was left of the night.

  Chapter 9

  Tim silently opened the bedroom door and slipped inside. Elisabeth had left a small nightlight on in the bathroom, and it gave off enough light for him to see the shadowy shape of furniture and her still form lying asleep in the mammoth bed they shared.

  Without haste he removed his clothes and quietly joined her. He smiled when he saw the demure gown she wore. He wondered if she thought he found her less enticing dressed in her soft cotton. How little she understood that it was her, who she was, that created such a riot of feeling within him at times that he felt almost choked with its intensity.