by Shayla Black
She leaned into him and tried to hold back her sobs. “No. Don’t come home. There’s absolutely nothing you can do. I didn’t want to ruin your honeymoon. But—” She sighed. “You coming to sit at the hospital won’t make Granna better any faster. We have everything under— Yes, Papa is holding up fine.”
“Baby, why don’t you ask Shealyn to let me talk to Cutter?”
A few exchanges later, Josiah heard the fellow operative’s voice. “What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing we can’t handle. Maggie has been through a lot today. I know Shealyn is probably upset.”
“Probably? My wife is crying.” And Cutter sounded pissed off.
“Maggie is, too.” Josiah didn’t mean to, but he heard the warning in his own voice.
Crap, Cutter wasn’t even giving Maggie a hard time, and still Josiah felt the need to protect her. He took a deep breath and paced down the hall a spell. Maggie was wound up and she didn’t need to hear an argument. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as centered as he should be. If he didn’t get calm quickly, he’d be worthless to everyone.
“Of course she is,” Cutter murmured. “Shealyn is already packing her suitcase. She wants to come home and support her grandfather and sister.”
“Please tell her we’ve got this. I said I’d handle it. It’s my responsibility.”
“They aren’t your family.”
“If I play this right, they will be.”
It took Cutter less than two seconds to figure out Josiah’s intentionally oblique comeback. “You . . . and Maggie?”
“Yep.”
“For more than a night?”
“Definitely.”
“You’re in love with her?”
“One hundred percent, brother.”
“Are you planning to ask her to marry you?”
Josiah peered over his shoulder to see Maggie on a metal bench, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue she’d likely procured from the nurses’ station at the other end of the hall. “Tonight.”
“Holy shit, that’s fast.”
“Hmm.” What else could he say? They didn’t have time to wait.
“You sure you want to do that?”
“As I recall, you and Shealyn fell in love in less than two weeks,” he reminded quietly. “Are you sure?”
“Point taken.”
“He’s proposing to my sister?” Shealyn demanded in the background. “Oh, god. Does he know that she’s always said she’s not the marrying type?”
“Tell your wife I’m aware of Maggie’s . . . quirks. We’re working things out. I need to go. She’s exhausted and she needs a meal. If Shealyn wants to help, tell her to call her grandfather. We’ll check in tomorrow.”
“Keep me posted!” Shealyn shouted beside her husband.
“You got that?” Cutter asked wryly.
“Will do. Keep her in Hawaii. It’s for her safety. Y’all try to have a good afternoon in paradise.”
“We’ll, um . . . think of something.”
With a chuckle, Josiah disconnected the call and returned to Maggie’s side. “You okay, baby?”
“I feel like I’ve suddenly run into a brick wall. One minute, I was fine and then . . .”
“The adrenaline wore off and exhaustion set in. You need to eat and you need to rest.”
“And we need to talk. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you’re up to something.”
“No, ma’am. I know you too well to think it slipped your mind.”
With a little smile, he led her to the truck in the attached parking garage. It didn’t take long to find the nearby hotel and procure a couple of rooms, then grab some take-out Mexican. After calories and caffeine—and having to put Maggie off ten times—they returned to the hospital and Maggie was allowed five minutes with her grandmother, who managed to squeeze her granddaughter’s hand once before falling asleep again.
Maggie emerged from Glenda’s room in tears, a mixture that was both happy and sad. Then they all trekked to their respective hotel rooms, which were thankfully located across the hall from each other.
“Let’s plan to return by eight tomorrow morning,” Jim said. “Hopefully, she’ll be stepped down from the ICU by then and the doctor will come around with an update on Glenda’s condition.”
After Maggie agreed and hugged the old man again, she headed into their room. Jim gave him an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up. Yeah, he hoped all went well. This was hardly the ideal circumstances in which to be proposing, but Josiah wanted Maggie, and Jim had driven a hard bargain for his consent and blessing.
His granddaughter needed a protector. Jim required a security net. So Maggie could not return to Comfort single.
Josiah mentally buckled up. Things were about to get interesting.
“You okay, baby?” he asked as he followed her into the room. When he flipped on the bedside lamp, he found her staring blankly at the wall. “Can I get you anything?”
Slowly, she shook her head. “The old me wouldn’t have wanted comfort from anyone. Maybe my sister, but . . .”
He eased onto the bed beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close. “I already know you’re tough, but you can lean on me.”
“I don’t even know why I want to so badly. It’s not going to change the fact that my grandmother was shot today and could have died. And the second we step foot on the ranch again, someone could try to murder my grandfather.”
“Yes.” Josiah wasn’t going to refute her when he couldn’t.
“I don’t know how we put a stop to this violence. I don’t even know how they figured out my grandparents were home. They’d been there for ten whole minutes. Has someone been watching us this whole time?”
“Hard to say. That’s a possibility.” So was the fact they might have a mole living on the ranch. Josiah would love to say that he had his suspicions, but the truth was, he just didn’t like Sawyer—for a hundred reasons—most of which had more to do with jealousy than any real reason to suspect the asshole.
“How do we make sure Enlightenment Fields doesn’t target them anymore?”
This wasn’t exactly the opening he’d been hoping for, but it might be the most effective one he got. “Earlier today, I was going to suggest to your grandfather that he sign over the ranch—temporarily—to someone else. Cutter, for instance. After that, we could circulate the news about the transfer of property all over Kendall County. I’d planned to take another visit out to Enlightenment Fields and make sure they knew, too.”
“No.” Maggie shook her head. “I mean, yes, sign the land over to someone else. That makes sense, and Cutter is a good choice. But you can’t go back out there. Seriously, they’re beyond dangerous. You don’t know what else they might be capable of. And if they’ve started watching the ranch, they know now that you’ve been staying there.”
“Good point. The thing is . . . Cutter isn’t here for Jim to sign the land over to. But I am.”
She gaped. “He’s willing to give it to you? Right now? Just, like, snap his fingers and magically you own all the land that’s been in his family for generations? He barely knows you.”
“But he knows what I’m made of. He trusts me, like I think you trust me. Don’t you, baby?”
Maggie hesitated. “If you’d asked me a few days ago, I would have told you I didn’t trust anyone. But you have been beyond amazing today. It scares the hell out of me to admit that I’d trust you with my life, but I do.”
“I know. And I admire you for facing your fears, especially during a time like this. I won’t let you down.” He took her hand. “I love you.”
Even in the dim light of the room he could see her blush. But she didn’t return the sentiment, damn it. Josiah tried not to be disheartened. After everything that had happened today, Maggie was overwrought.
“Your grandfat
her had one condition before he’d sign the ranch over to me. And I wholeheartedly agreed to it, just like I’m hoping you will.”
She frowned, clearly puzzled. “What’s that?”
Josiah took a deep breath. Here went nothing . . . “Marry me.”
CHAPTER 16
Maggie wrenched away from Josiah, her jaw dropping in shock. “You’re marrying me for the land? Did you and my grandfather do some old-fashioned bartering, like I’ll give you half a dozen goats for six hundred acres and a wife?” When Josiah reached for her again, she leapt away. “Don’t touch me until you’ve explained this shit.”
“I’m marrying you for you. I asked Jim for your hand before they left California because I knew you’d never say yes without your grandparents’ blessing. Today, he finally gave me their approval.”
That decision couldn’t have been easy. It spoke volumes about the lengths her grandfather was willing to go to keep his wife safe. But Maggie still had a hundred questions. “What else did he want out of this bargain? How do you two see this working?”
Josiah scrubbed a hand through his hair, then shrugged off his blood-crusted shirt with a tired sigh. She stared at his bare torso and tried not to lose her train of thought. “Legally, the land will belong solely to you and me until the situation is resolved. We’ll tell everyone in Comfort, including Enlightenment Fields, that Jim and Glenda have decided to retire, your sister doesn’t want the ranch, and the transfer of ownership is permanent. That keeps your grandparents safe, as well as ensures that your sister and Cutter never become prey. When we’ve untangled this shit and the danger has passed, we’ll sign the acreage back over.”
“Just like that, you’ll return it?” Did he understand what he was saying?
“Jim told me what the land is worth, but I would never take what belongs to your family.”
He wouldn’t; Maggie could clearly see that. “So . . . let me make sure I understand. The transfer of land is temporary. The marriage, too? Will that be dissolved once this crazy cult is no longer an issue?”
Not that Maggie was insisting they get hitched now, but she wasn’t thrilled about speaking vows that were a farce. After the fiasco with Davis, she knew what she wanted—and what she didn’t. By god, she intended to get married once and once only.
“No. The marriage will be binding and lasting, baby. You’re going to be my wife for the rest of your life, and I’ll relish taking care of you. I’m going to do everything in my power to make you love me back.”
She tried not to be moved by his words or the sentiment behind his gesture. He was heaping all kinds of risk onto his own back to help her and her family, all while giving her his heart. After the day she’d had, it was hard not to be moved and harder still to fight back tears. But she couldn’t overlook one obvious, glaring issue. “This scheme makes me a huge target. When Papa realizes that, he’ll back out.”
“We’ve already thought of that and worked through it.”
“Meaning?”
“I love you, and I want the opportunity to make you happy. Jim wants his wife safe and to keep the land in the family. Your grandmother would like to see you happily settled. You and I marrying accomplishes all of these goals.”
“What about the danger? How do you expect to work around that?”
“God, you’re stubborn.” Josiah gritted out with a shake of his head. “We’ll marry this weekend, probably here at the hospital. Once your grandmother is released, you and your family will stay in San Antonio, very quietly rent a house so she can recover comfortably. I’ll go back to the ranch, hang out with Zy and Trees until we’ve wrapped up Enlightenment Fields. Then, we’ll sign the land back to your grandparents, and you and I will start our future together.”
“Are you crazy? The most obvious way to ‘wrap up Enlightenment Fields’ is to cozy up to Mercy by agreeing to her disgusting scheme and . . .” She shook her head. “No. It’s ridiculous. It might even be suicide. I don’t want you anywhere near that woman, putting your life in jeopardy.”
“Maggie, baby . . .”
“Don’t ‘Maggie, baby’ me. What about what I want? No one consulted me or asked my feelings.”
“I’m consulting you now. I can’t force you to marry me. I’m asking. And once the danger is over, we’ll live as man and wife togeth—”
“I hate this plan.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “No.”
He approached on soft footfalls, shoulders loose, full of swagger, his gray gaze suddenly full of seduction. “C’mon, baby. I want to put a ring on your finger. I want to make you my queen. I want to love you forever.”
Why did he have to say things that, under any other circumstances, would make her giddy? “That’s not true. You want to tuck me away in a safe place while you put yourself in peril.”
“No, I want to live my life with you.” He nuzzled her neck in a way he knew drove her completely insane. “The danger is temporary. You and I? We’re real and lasting. Give us a chance.”
Despite her exhaustion and shock, Maggie was sorely tempted.
Less than two weeks ago, she would have sworn she’d never again entertain the notion of getting married. Now . . . she could picture the two of them taking over the ranch someday, showing their sons and daughters the spread, watching them participate in 4-H, attending the Harvest Moon celebration every October and the Hot Air Balloon Festival in nearby Fredericksburg in late December. They’d teach their children to ride, care for the animals, and respect the old ways while embracing the new.
Of course that meant Josiah had to survive Enlightenment Fields’ worst. It meant she was supposed to wait an hour away while he returned to the killing fields of Comfort, putting himself out there as bait while wearing a giant bull’s-eye on his back.
“Your plan sucks. If you want to marry me, we’re negotiating a better bargain.”
“Yeah?” He breathed against the column of her neck, making her shiver once more. “What do you want, baby?”
Against her will, she squirmed against the rise of need. “Stop trying to distract me.”
“Who says that’s what I’m doing?” He gripped her hips and pulled her closer. “I’ve just missed you, and you smell good. I want to touch you, show you how much I love you.”
“You want to ply me with orgasms, make me lose my mind, and hope I’ll give in to your silly plan.” And honestly, if she didn’t put some distance between them, she might actually agree in a fog of desire.
“Is it working?” He nipped at her ear.
She pushed at his chest. “No. I have conditions of my own. They’re nonnegotiable.”
“I’m listening.” The sneaky bastard reached for the button of his jeans and flicked it open. A moment later, he lowered his zipper with a hiss.
Against her better judgment, Maggie dropped her gaze to his fly. Damn it, she couldn’t see more than shadows and the hint of his erection. It had only been twenty-four hours since Josiah had climbed into bed beside her and made her scream his name in ecstasy for half the night. It felt like twenty-three hours too long. This day had been hellish, and while she would have loved to sink into his touch and let him take the world away for a while, the stakes were too high to let herself be derailed.
In the snap of a finger, she peeled her T-shirt off over her head and unclasped her bra, satisfied when his eyes bulged and his body went taut. “First, you’re not going to control me with sex. I’m wise to you, and two can play that game.”
“I just want to make you feel good,” he assured with smooth tones as his palm glided up her waist, to the heavy fall of her breasts before he cupped her and thumbed her nipples.
Maggie bit back a moan as she wrapped her fingers around his stiff shaft and gave him a squeeze. “I want to keep what’s between us in bed honest and real. No games. You use sex to manipulate me and it’s a definite no from me to your proposal.” For good me
asure, she brushed her thumb over the sensitive head, thinly covered by his boxers. “Are we on the same page?”
He swallowed, clearly shoving down a curse. “Yes.”
“Good.”
“That won’t stop me from wanting to bend you to my will in bed. I’m a Dom, baby.”
The man had a point. “You want to coax me into blindfolds or ropes or something else I’ve never tried, we can negotiate. If you try to use sex to exert your control over me outside the bedroom, I’m not going to take it well.”
When she stroked him again, grip firm, a groan tore from his chest as he nodded. “All right.”
“I’m glad to see you can be reasonable.”
“Always.” A sensual groan tore from his chest. “You have to stop doing that or I won’t be able to finish this conversation.”
The second she eased up, he brushed his lips over hers, then bent, lifted her nipple to his mouth, and curled his tongue around the bud, drawing it deep.
Maggie hissed and held on to him against the dizzying rush of desire. “Now you’re messing with me.”
“I’m touching you,” he whispered against the sensitive tip. “Because I want to. Because I want you. Not because I want you to do anything right now except enjoy this.”
Against her will, his words and his fingers both caressed her somewhere deep. Maggie’s eyes slid shut as she tipped her head back and drank in the sensations.
The man knew how to get to her. From the first moment he’d touched her, he had seemed to understand her body in a way no man had. He’d had the patience and the intuition to learn exactly how to undo her. He’d plied her with pleasure until she’d had no choice but to give herself—body and soul—to him. For the first time in her life, her heart had followed.
Maggie didn’t blame him for wanting to protect her. She understood, just like she understood her grandfather doing whatever he had to in order to make sure he didn’t lose his wife. Love could make a man do seemingly crazy things.
Funny that she didn’t question the fact that Josiah loved her. Their relationship had been fast, heated, full of contention and danger and a whole bunch of drama she’d never expected. But that didn’t make the feelings they shared any less real or lasting.
