Promise Me Texas (A Whispering Mountain Novel)

by Jodi Thomas

  When he finally broke the kiss, his arms were around her, holding her close. “I want this one thing to be real between us. No pretending. I can put up with all the lies, but this I need to be genuine between us.”

  Still-sleepy green eyes watched him, as if she were allowing her mind to finally start working and, for a moment, was angry that he’d pulled her from a beautiful dream they’d both been having.

  “What do you mean?” She shoved her hair back and rested her hand on his chest. “I’m real, Andrew. I’m not some character in your stories.”

  He brushed his finger over her. “I know that, dear, but this game we’re playing of being married isn’t honest. The attraction I feel for you is. At some point we need to pause and remember what is authentic.”

  “This attraction you feel will pass. All men who fall in love with me get over it once they know me better. One man who offered me a ring offered it to another an hour after I turned him down. Love has shallow roots.”

  He laughed. “I’m not in love with you. I’ve told you before that it’s impossible, but that doesn’t seem to stop me from wanting to kiss you, or touch you, or—”

  “I get the point.”

  “No, you don’t, Beth. I don’t want you to play at liking me. Don’t touch me or brush my arm, or kiss me unless it’s real to you. Don’t play that game with me when we’re alone, or in public. We can pretend, for safety’s sake, to be married, but I don’t want the other unless you mean it. Don’t flirt with me. Don’t tempt me.”

  “I’ve never—”

  “Of course you have, dear. I think you must have learned it around fifteen. How to attract a man. How to flirt oh-so subtly so you can deny it even to yourself. You’ve played the game so well, for so long, you may not even be aware you’re playing it, but I think you like the chase even though you plan to never be caught. When the man falls and declares his love, or makes a pass, you run. Maybe the shallow love isn’t his offering, but yours.”

  Andrew expected her to slap him or argue, but in her intelligent green eyes he saw her thinking his claim through.

  “I’m not asking you to change; just don’t play the game with me. I’m not chasing you, so you can relax. If you touch me, do it because you want to. Kiss me because you want the kiss. Make love to me only when the need is too great in you to stop.”

  She turned her back to him.

  He lay staring at the ceiling, waiting for her to yell at him or at the very least kick him out. What did it matter if she was real with him? He was only going to be around for a few months. Why couldn’t he just enjoy whatever they had while it lasted? The memory would be real even if her feelings weren’t.

  “I’m not like that,” she finally whispered.

  “What?”

  “I said I’m not like what you think I am. I don’t flirt and try to break hearts. It just seems to happen.”

  He scrubbed his face. Maybe she was right. Beautiful women like her were simply cursed. “All right. Maybe you’re not, but promise me you’ll be genuine with me. I have enough imaginary friends already.”

  “I promise.” She faced him. “Andrew?”

  He waited, then finally said, “Yes?”

  “You’re different than any man I’ve ever talked to. You make me think. You make me want to be more than I settle for being. Can we start over and be friends?”

  “What kind of friends?”

  “Friends who kiss good night even if it’s morning.”

  “I think I’d like that.”

  Just as his lips settled over hers, a tap sounded on the door and both jumped.

  “Beth, are you awake?”

  “Yes, Momma, we’re awake.”

  “Good. Your papa would like you both to come down to the parlor. It seems the cowhands packed Mr. LaCroix off last night after he gave them a lecture on the law while downing half a bottle of whiskey. He woke up in one of the barn wagons pointed toward town. He insists on talking to you before he’ll leave.”

  “We’ll be right down,” Andrew answered, climbing from the bed and pulling Beth along with him.

  Whispering against her ear, he added, “Before we can settle into being kissing friends, we’ve got to straighten out this mess of being married.”

  “We can’t just tell Papa,” she whispered back. “He’d kill you for sleeping here if he knew the truth. We’ve got to—”

  Her mother’s voice sounded from the hallway. “I’ll have coffee ready for you both when you pass through the kitchen.”

  As Jessie’s footsteps tapped lightly down the hallway, they both looked for their clothes.

  Andrew looked back at her and whispered, “You look adorable in your undergarments, Bethie.”

  She looked down and noticed her camisole had come untied at the top and the valley between her breasts was showing. As she tied the ribbons back, she said, “How did that happen?”

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her and said a bit too fast, “I wouldn’t know.”

  She looked up and saw his raised eyebrow. Without thought, she swung, connecting with his shoulder, and he flew with the punch as if being knocked back into bed by the power of her blow.

  When he didn’t stop staring, she added, “By the way, husband, if you ever untie my ribbons again, there will be another swing and this time it will be a real hit.”

  He laughed as he rolled to the other side of the bed. “It was well worth the price of admission.” Picking up his shirt and shoes, he was gone before she had time to swing again.

  “Stay out,” she yelled, then laughed.

  Half stumbling as he tried to dress and walk at the same time, he made it down the stairs that opened into the kitchen. When he finally pulled his shirt from his head, he saw two big men in their forties who could only be Teagan McMurray’s brothers. One was dark with brown eyes and black hair. The other slightly smaller with brown hair and dressed in Indian moccasins that came to his knees.

  At the moment both men were trying to choke themselves to keep from laughing out loud.

  Andrew glared at them. “Oh, go ahead. Laugh at me.”

  Both men roared.

  Andrew had time to accept a cup of coffee from Jessie before they settled. The big one with the black hair and the dark eyes of his Apache blood stood and offered his hand. “Travis McMurray, Mr. McLaughlin, and this is my little brother, Tobin.” His smile was genuine. “I’m guessing you’re the man who married our niece, Bethie. Tell me, son, did you talk to her before the wedding or were you just swept away by her beauty and didn’t bother noticing that she’s one headstrong woman?”

  “I was unconscious,” Andrew answered honestly.

  Both men laughed, but neither questioned his answer.

  “That explains it,” Tobin offered when he could catch enough air to talk.

  Travis shook his head. “She does have a way of running full speed into trouble, but I’ve never seen her drag a man along with her. She must really like you to bring you into this mess.” He crossed to refill his own coffee, then offered Andrew a seat. “We traveled most of the night to get here in time to help. I don’t want you, or my brother Teagan, doing anything illegal.”

  “What mess?” Andrew had heard enough of Beth’s two uncles to know they were good men. Travis was a respected judge in Austin, and Tobin split his time between raising horses in Texas and managing a ranch in Maryland.

  The two men looked at each other, but it was Travis who spoke again. “Don’t you know? Lamont LaCroix has told half the state that he’s coming to kill you. Claims you kidnapped his bride. He wants her back and doesn’t believe you two are married. He told the Dallas paper that he would rescue her and marry her after he killed you. If you bullied some preacher into making her your wife, he says he’ll still kill you and marry the widow. Half the saloons around have a bet going as to who will survive.”

  “Oh, that killing.” Andrew waved the problem away. “I know all about Lamont’s threats. As for him marrying her after I’m gone, he mig
ht want to rethink that plan. Being married to your niece isn’t as easy as some folks think it might be.”

  Both the uncles laughed again, and Andrew decided he liked them. They knew their Bethie well enough not to be surprised that she’d kicked him out of the bedroom, and they hadn’t let a death threat from a windbag worry them.

  Travis took a drink of his coffee. “If I know LaCroix, he’s making all this racket to get his name in the papers. I doubt anyone will accept that he was wronged, left at the altar, so to speak, but Texans tend to admire men who are willing to fight for what they believe even when they know they’re wrong.”

  “How do you know I didn’t kidnap her?” Andrew stared at them both.

  “Because, first, if Bethie was off this land, she was armed. Second, if you were a fighter you would have knocked that bedroom door down when she kicked you out. But what did you do? You came down here to wait out the storm.” Travis nodded once when Andrew didn’t argue. “You’re a man of logic, not a fighter. Teagan saw it when he met you in Fort Worth. He went to find Lamont and straighten him out, but the senator had already left Dallas after spilling all his troubles to the newspaper. The article must have hit the day you left Fort Worth for here.”

  Andrew followed the story. “And Lamont was already here, hoping to win the family over to his side.”

  Tobin finally said something. “He was here, but not convincing anyone. Jessie’s shy. She wouldn’t talk to him, and Teagan was gone.”

  Travis agreed with his brother. “I don’t think Lamont thought you’d come here. He probably had this grand hunt across Texas planned. He’d be out trying to save Beth, talking to every newspaper along the way. He figured you’d run and hide, giving him lots of time to build a name for himself.”

  “It’s a dumb plan,” Andrew said. “The guy didn’t deserve Beth, but then neither do I.” Andrew hoped the uncles didn’t realize how completely he’d meant his last words. Most men would think themselves blessed to be married to a woman so beautiful, and he had to admit there was nothing more enjoyable than watching her in her undergarments, but being make-believe married to her was torture. Hell, just being around her made him feel like Moses waiting for the next plague to strike.

  “So, what do we do now? Just let Lamont kill me? Might as well, because I’m not running or hiding.”

  “We could do that, or you and Beth could divorce. That way Beth could turn him down to his face like she should have done in the first place.”

  “It was a little more complicated than that.” Andrew remembered the night in the hospital. Crazy as it would sound to the uncles, she’d taken the only choice she could by claiming he was her husband. Lamont had already convinced the sheriff that she’d lost her mind in the train wreck.

  Travis leaned closer and said in a low voice, “I heard from a ranger who talked to Slim Bates, and he said Bates told him that you can’t do your duty as a husband because of an accident. If that’s so, an annulment would be the only practical choice. You’d be free of your responsibilities and she’d be free to marry Lamont if, as he claims, she wants him back.”

  Andrew closed his eyes thinking he should jump up, run to the bridge, dive in the river, and put himself out of his misery. Maybe twenty feet underwater he wouldn’t have to try to explain his wife’s lies.

  CHAPTER 25

  BETH WALKED SLOWLY DOWN THE STAIRS TOWARD THE ranch house kitchen. She could hear her uncles laughing and wondered if they were picking on Andrew. He knew nothing about how tough they were. Andrew was a quiet man, a gentle man. Sometimes when her uncles got together they shook the house with their discussions.

  Only this time, when she reached the kitchen, the men were all laughing, including Andrew.

  Uncle Travis saw her first. “Mrs. McLaughlin,” he bellowed, silencing the other two.

  Andrew stood and met her at the bottom of the stairs. “I’ve just met your uncles. They’re fascinating.” He’d kept his voice low, but she had no doubt they both heard Andrew’s comment.

  Travis stepped closer. “Your new husband was telling us about his adventures in Hell’s Half Acre.”

  Beth shook her head. “He’s making it all up, stretching the truth.”

  Travis tilted his head. “I’m a lawyer, Bethie, and a former Texas Ranger. Your Uncle Tobin lives half the year in Washington. Don’t you think we’d know a lie if we heard one?”

  Beth had no idea if he was kidding, so she turned back to Andrew. “Momma told us to hurry into the parlor. Apparently Papa has Lamont trapped in there again.”

  Uncle Travis stepped out of her way and waved them on. “If you’re still alive after the talk, Andrew, come on in for breakfast. I’ve got a few stories about the early days of the Acre you might like to hear.”

  Andrew nodded as she pulled him along. He knew she didn’t want to face Lamont again any more than he did, but there seemed no way to avoid it. They might as well get it over with.

  When she stopped in front of the parlor doors, Andrew reached around and opened them for her. Then he took her hand in his and whispered, “I’m right here. We stand together. What could go wrong with both your father and me in the room with one man?”

  Beth glared at him. “Everything,” she whispered as she passed her almost-husband and moved into the room her mother called the parlor.

  Her papa sat in one chair, a book in his hand.

  Lamont stood by the fireplace and, for a moment, she was relieved to see that he appeared simply bored. Then he raised his gaze and met her stare. Hatred crossed over his face like poison spreading through veins.

  Teagan stood. “Bethie, I told the man he could have his say before he left. You’ll allow him that and he’ll ask for no more.”

  She nodded. No matter how much she wanted to run, she knew her papa was being fair, which was more than Lamont deserved.

  He glared at her as if he didn’t see or hear anyone else in the room. On the train that night he’d been boastful and in command; here he seemed less sure of himself, maybe even a bit frightened.

  She took a seat in a chair a few feet from her father and noticed that Andrew moved to stand next to her, resting his hand lightly on her shoulder. The room was quiet and warm from the fireplace, but all she felt was Lamont’s hatred.

  “You ruined my life, Beth,” he began, as if he had prepared a speech. “You destroyed my plans and gave no reason. You stole my chances at a career in politics.”

  She took a breath. She could deal with this. The meeting wasn’t going to be as bad as she feared it might be. “I didn’t do anything to you, Lamont, except decide not to marry you. You’re not the man you portrayed in your letters, and I’m thankful, for both our sakes, that I found it out before we married.”

  “I demand to know why you would think such a thing.” His tone sharpened. His voice grew hard. “I think I have that right. I’d prepared for a wedding in Dallas, but when I see you, you’re married to him.” Lamont pointed to Andrew in disgust.

  She started to say that he didn’t have any rights, but she wanted this meeting over as soon as possible. “I don’t love you, Lamont. I don’t think I ever loved you, it was more the ideal of you. That night, before the wreck, I rode in the back of your passenger car. You were drinking and bragging to a group of army officers. You called me ‘that McMurray woman.’ You said you’d allow me one, maybe two children. You bragged that you’d keep me in line because women are like children, they sometimes need a strong hand.”

  To her left she saw Teagan start to rise and knew if she said more her papa would toss the man out. “Any love I had for you died then. Killed by your words and nothing else.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Beth. You already had another man. You just led me along so you could embarrass me. Add another broken heart to your long list that you can brag about.” Lamont finally turned to Andrew. “Then, for no reason, you married a nobody, Beth. A man who owns no property or business. He probably can’t even keep you in shoes, much less in the manner you
should be kept. Hell, he probably doesn’t even vote.”

  Andrew didn’t seem to take offense at the insults.

  “I don’t want to be kept, Lamont. I never did. I want to contribute, to be of use.”

  Lamont snorted. “You’re a beauty thing, aren’t you? Good for nothing but show, and now, just to spite me, you’ve married a man who dresses like a wrinkled, out-of-work undertaker.”

  Andrew’s hands molded into fists, but he still didn’t say anything.

  “He’s more man than you’ll ever be. He’s good and kind and funny.” She looked at Andrew, and for a moment their eyes held. “And I love him,” she said, more to her almost-husband than to Lamont.

  Even wrinkled with uncombed hair and several days of stubble, he looked wonderful to her.

  “He’s a thief,” Lamont shouted. “And no one steals what is mine.” He pulled a small derringer from his vest pocket and waved it like a banner.

  Everyone moved in the half heartbeat before the gun fired. Andrew stepped in front of Beth. Teagan lunged, shoving Lamont sideways. Beth screamed and tumbled back into the chair. The room spun with yells and curses and arms and legs flying.

  Teagan flattened the senator, knocking the breath from the man, then pounded on his still body as if not ready to stop fighting. Her gray-haired papa was a warrior, once more protecting his own.

  It’s over, Beth thought, as the violence and noise settled around them like dust. She felt her tight muscles begin to relax. The nightmare that had begun on a midnight train was over. No more running. No more lies. Her papa would toss Lamont off the ranch so fast he’d think he flew, and her world would be safe again.

  Suddenly the little parlor was filled with her mother and uncles moving furniture around, asking questions, issuing threats to an oblivious senator. Lamont moaned once, and Teagan’s fist patted his jaw, sending the man back to sleep.