Dude Ranch Bride

by Madeline Baker

  “I came to take you home, of course. You’ve had time to come to your senses.”

  “I’m not ready to go home.”

  He smiled indulgently. “I thought you’d say that, so I got a room up at the lodge.”

  “You’re staying here?” She frowned at him. “How did you find me?”

  “I called your father.”

  “My father?”

  Paul nodded. “It was easy enough to track you down.”

  “Oh?”

  He smiled, obviously pleased with himself. “Your credit cards told us where you were. So.” He slapped his knee. It was a gesture she had always hated. “Why don’t you go and get dressed and I’ll take you to breakfast. We need to talk.” He glanced at her left hand. “Where’s your ring?”

  “I took it off. I was going to send it back to you.”

  “I see.” There was no mistaking the displeasure in his eyes, or his voice.

  “I’m sorry, Paul. I never should have let things go as far as they did.”

  “There’s no point in rehashing the past. You made a mistake. I forgive you. Now let’s go get something to eat.”

  He wasn’t listening, she thought, but then, he never did. Deciding the quickest way to get rid of him was to do as he asked, she went into the bedroom to get dressed. Feeling contrary, she decided to take a long shower first, but eventually she had to go out and face him again.

  He stood when she entered the room. “Ready?”

  She nodded, and he followed her out the door. When they started walking, he took her arm, the way he always did.

  She glanced from side to side as they strolled up the path toward the lodge, praying they wouldn’t run into Ethan. She was in no mood to explain Paul’s presence, nor was she sure, at this point, that Ethan would believe her. She had told him that it was over between her and her fiancé, and now Paul was here, acting as if he had every right to be.

  She was just breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Ethan coming out of the lodge. Settling his hat on his head, he started down the stairs, only to come to an abrupt halt when he saw her. His gaze moved from her face to Paul’s possessive grip on her arm and back again. And then, very deliberately, he turned his back on her and walked away.

  She stared after him, praying that he would give her a chance to explain.

  Ethan muttered every curse word he knew as he walked away from the lodge. Why had he ever believed it was over between Cindy and her rich boyfriend? He had no doubt that it was the long-suffering Paul walking beside her, come, no doubt, to take his runaway bride back home where she belonged. Damned tenderfoot, all duded up in brand-new Western clothes, as if a dandy like that would ever fit in here. Clothes might make the man in New York City, but it took more than new jeans and a fancy shirt to make a cowboy. Damn! Ethan should have known she’d come to her senses and call home. Why had he ever let himself believe there was hope for the two of them? She was like the sun, bright and out of reach, and he was just a dirt-poor Indian, fated to admire her from afar.

  He swore again softly. At least he hadn’t told her he still loved her. At least he hadn’t made a complete fool of himself.

  Stopping at the barn, he asked Rudy to take over the morning trail ride.

  “You sick?” Rudy asked.

  “No, I’m just not in the mood to put up with a lot of greenhorns. Can you cover for me?”

  “Sure, no problem,” Rudy replied. “Alex and I will look after those city slickers.”

  “Obliged. I’ll take the second bunch out for you this afternoon.”

  Rudy gave him a thumbs-up. “Works for me.”

  With a nod, Ethan jogged along the river trail that led to his cabin. Plucking his lariat off a fence post, he roped the buckskin, then tied the horse to the snubbing post in the center of the corral. He stood there for a moment, talking softly to the stallion, stroking his neck until the animal quieted. Moving quickly and efficiently, Ethan slipped a hackamore over the horse’s head, smoothed a blanket in place and cinched the saddle down tight. Removing the rope, he took up the reins and swung into the saddle.

  The stallion stood there a moment, his whole body quivering, before he took off across the corral, bucking. He made a swift turn at the last minute, almost scraping Ethan out of the saddle, before racing back across the corral, bucking and crow-hopping.

  Ethan threw back his head, the Lakota victory cry rising in his throat as the stallion broke into a gallop and then gradually slowed to a trot, a walk.

  Leaning forward, Ethan patted the stud’s neck. “That’s enough for today, boy.”

  “Bravo!”

  Ethan looked over his shoulder to find Cindy perched on the top rail of the corral. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  She bit down on her lower lip, hurt by his tone and the accusation in his deep gray eyes. “Do you want me to leave?”

  Ethan glanced around. “Where’s Mr. Moneybags?”

  “He had to make a couple of phone calls.”

  Ethan grunted softly as he rode toward her. Checking on his stocks, no doubt. “What do you want?”

  “Ethan, don’t do this, please.”

  “Do what?”

  “Don’t shut me out. I can’t bear it.”

  “You said it was over between the two of you, yet here he is. Are you gonna tell me it’s just a coincidence?”

  ‘I can’t help it if he came looking for me.”

  “Go back to him. There’s nothing for you here.”

  “You can’t mean that!” she exclaimed. “Not after last night. . .”

  “Cindy, let it go. I’m no good for you. I never was. Last night, being so close to you, I. . .” He shrugged. “Things will never work out between us, and you know it.”

  “That’s not true!”

  “Isn’t it? Look at me. I don’t have anything to offer you.”

  She looked at him mutely, the hurt in her eyes ripping his insides to shreds.

  She was too close. It would be so easy to reach for her, to pull her into the saddle. And then what? He clenched his hands into tight fists to keep from reaching for her. Seeing her with her supposed ex had made it clearer than ever that Ethan wasn’t good enough for her. Cindy and her young man looked as though they were made for each other, as though they had been cut from the same cloth, while he. . . Ethan snorted softly. She was silk and satin and he was cheap cotton, and they would never look like they belonged together.

  “Hell,” he muttered, “I don’t even own a car.”

  “You can have one of mine.” It was the wrong thing to say. She knew it the moment the words were out, but it was too late to take them back.

  “Go home, Cindy.”

  She stared at him, fighting back the tears stinging her eyes. She wanted to beg him to reconsider, wanted to beat her fists on that solid masculine chest and tell him she loved him and no one else, that he would never find anyone else to love him the way she did. But pride, that same damnable pride that had come between them before, trapped the words in her throat. She had told him last night that she wanted to be with him, and what good had it done?

  Wrapping her dignity around her like a cloak, she climbed down from the rail and then, with her head high and her shoulders back, made her way toward the river trail. Only when she was out of his sight did she let the tears come.

  Hands clenched on the reins, Ethan stared after her, afraid he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. Letting her go hurt like the devil, but better now than later, he decided. Oh, sure, she might think she still loved him, and maybe she did, in her way. But after a year or two of living with him and making do on his meager salary, she would come to her senses. He couldn’t give her a big house or servants. He couldn’t afford to give her an unlimited expense account or vacations in Europe. And he for damn sure wasn’t going to let her support him! No, better to end it now before it began. In the long run, she would realize he had been right. Hell, she’d probably thank him.

  Dismounting, he unsadd
led the stallion and gave him a good rubdown. When that was done, he turned the horse loose in the corral. The stallion shook his head, then trotted off to stand in the shade.

  Leaving the corral, Ethan removed his hat and dipped his head in the horse trough. Shaking the water from his hair, he replaced his hat and then swore under his breath. Dammit, why had he let her go? She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, the only thing in his life that had ever mattered. And yet what did he have to offer her? Life on a dude ranch, in a four-room cabin that wasn’t his? A half-wild mustang? A prison record?

  Muttering an oath, he dragged the hose over to the corral and filled the water barrel inside. Letting her go had been the right choice, the only choice.

  “All right,” Paul said, rubbing his hands together. “What would you like to do?”

  “No more phone calls?” Cindy asked with a trace of sarcasm. She had returned to her cabin to find Paul waiting for her. She didn’t know how he’d gotten inside, but he’d made himself at home. The radio was playing; there was a coffee cup on the table.

  “Nope. I’m all yours.”

  She closed her eyes, thinking how happy she would be to hear those words on Ethan’s lips. “Paul, it won’t work. It’s over between us.”

  “Now, Cyn. . .”

  “Listen to me! Can’t you for once just listen to me? I don’t love you. I never did.”

  He looked momentarily taken aback, and then he smiled indulgently. “Cyn, you know you don’t mean that.”

  It was like talking to her father, she thought. Like Paul, Jordan Wagner heard only what he wanted to hear.

  She grabbed her hat. “I’m going riding.”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “Whatever.” This should be good, she thought. To her knowledge, Paul had never been on a horse. At least Ethan wouldn’t be there to watch Paul make a fool of himself.

  When they reached the stable, the wrangler was already helping the other riders to mount.

  “Do you have room for two more?” Cindy asked.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She smiled as Alex led a pair of horses out of the barn. He quickly saddled them, helped Cindy mount a pretty little chestnut mare, then went to adjust the stirrups for Paul.

  “All right, folks,” the wrangler said. “Here comes your guide now.”

  Cindy turned, expecting to see Rudy, then felt her stomach turn over when she saw Ethan ride into view.

  His gaze met hers. Heat sizzled between them. He might not want to spend his life with her, she thought bitterly, but he wanted her, wanted her just as much as she wanted him. Had anyone walked between them just then, she was sure they would have been burned to ash.

  With an effort, Ethan drew his gaze from Cindy’s. His eyes narrowed ominously when he saw Paul at her side, and then he took his place at the head of the group.

  Cindy stared after him. “This day just keeps getting better and better,” she muttered, and clucking to the mare, she took her place near the back of the line.

  Chapter Nine

  Some perverse devil made Ethan choose one of the more difficult trails through the back country. He let the wrangler who rode with him take the lead, and he fell back to the rear. After the first five minutes, he knew Cindy’s wealthy boyfriend had never been on a horse. Listening to that same perverse devil, he called for a trot. Mr. Moneybags bounced up and down in the saddle like popcorn in a pan. But it was Cindy who more often caught his eye, Cindy who rode with a natural seat and who tried, without success, to instruct her fiancé. Ethan smothered a grin. The man was going to be sore from head to foot by the end of the ride.

  Cindy felt her temper rise as they crossed the river and started up a long winding trail. This wasn’t the easy trail they had taken before. It was Ethan’s doing, she was sure of it.

  Hoping to make him jealous, she reached over and touched Paul’s arm. “Are you okay?”

  He looked at her and smiled wanly. “F-fine. A little. . . bumpy. . . isn’t it?”

  Cindy pulled back on the reins, easing her horse into a walk. Paul’s horse also slowed. In minutes, the rest of the group was out of sight around a bend in the trail.

  “Excuse me, Miss Wagner,” said a deep voice behind them. “You and your friend will have to keep up with the others.”

  Pasting a sugary sweet smile on her face, Cindy turned to Ethan. “I’m so sorry,” she said, “but I just can’t seem to keep up that pace.” She stood in the stirrups and rubbed her fanny. “I’m getting so sore.”

  Ethan glared at her, knowing as well as she did that she was lying.

  She glared back, daring him to call her bluff.

  Putting his fingers to his lips, Ethan whistled shrilly. It was, she knew, a signal to the wrangler to slow down until the rest of the group caught up.

  Smiling smugly, Cindy settled back in the saddle and clucked to her mount. She was aware of Ethan’s furious gaze burning into her back.

  They caught up with the other riders a short time later. Most of them had dismounted and were sitting in the shade alongside a shallow stream.

  “Everything okay?” the wrangler called as they rode into view.

  “Just fine,” Ethan answered.

  Cindy bit back a grin at the edge in his voice.

  “Okay, ladies and gents,” the wrangler said. “Let’s hit the trail.”

  Cindy deliberately lagged again, letting the other riders get ahead. She did it knowing it would irritate Ethan, though she wasn’t sure why she wanted to except that she was mad as hell at him. As if it was her fault Paul had shown up at the ranch! She had told Ethan she was through with Paul, and she was. But did he believe her? Oh, no, and what was worse, he refused to let her explain.

  Some of her annoyance waned as they rode through a wide meadow ringed with trees and studded with flowers. This really was God’s country, she thought, feeling the beauty of it soothe her anger.

  The rest of the ride proved uneventful. It was time for lunch when they returned to the ranch. Paul insisted on eating with her, and since she didn’t really want to eat alone, she didn’t object.

  After lunch, they played horseshoes with Flo and her husband. When Ethan walked by, Cindy laughed and pretended to be having the time of her life. He scowled when he looked at her, and when he was gone, she sat down on the bench, wondering what she was trying to prove. It was foolish to antagonize him, she thought, yet she couldn’t seem to help herself.

  Later, the four of them went up to the bar for drinks, and then Cindy excused herself to go and get cleaned up for dinner.

  Standing under the shower, with the hot water soothing the ache of two hours in the saddle, she found her thoughts turning to Ethan as surely as night followed day. Stubborn man! They had just started to find their way back to each other and now this! Darn Paul. His timing couldn’t have been worse!

  Wrapping her hair in a towel, she stepped out of the shower. She put on her robe, then began to blow dry her hair, wondering how she could avoid Paul for the rest of the night.

  As it turned out, it wasn’t a problem. He called her on the phone, saying he was too sore to get out of the tub and he would see her at breakfast in the morning.

  She hung up the phone, then twirled around the room, feeling suddenly light and carefree. The evening stretched ahead of her, a gift to be savored.

  She finished drying her hair, then put on the rose-colored sundress she had bought in town. Slipping on her sandals, she left her cabin and walked up to the lodge to see what events were scheduled for the evening. The agenda on the bulletin board revealed that there was going to be a canasta tournament in the game room and a Disney movie in the rec room. She wasn’t in the mood for either and she was checking to see what else was being offered when she heard the familiar sound of drumming.

  Following the crowd headed toward the amphitheater, she hurried to catch up to Linda Petersen.

  “Hi, Miss Wagner,” Linda said.

  “Hi. What’s going on?”


  “Haven’t you heard? The movie projector broke, so Mrs. Donovan asked Stormwalker to fill in. Isn’t that exciting? Don’t you just love him!”

  “Yes,” Cindy murmured, following Linda down the aisle, where they found two seats near the front on the side. “I do.”

  The lights dimmed as the drumming grew louder. A hush fell over the crowd as Ethan walked into view. On this night he wore only a brief wolfskin breechclout and moccasins. A single eagle feather adorned his hair; a single slash of black paint bisected his left cheek.

  Cindy leaned forward, her whole being focused on Ethan. She didn’t hear the introduction or anything else. All she saw was Ethan looking more wild, more dangerous, more blatantly sexy than ever before. Desire unfolded within her as she watched him dance. His steps were intricate, filled with an energy and an anger that was palpable. He drew a knife from a sheath on his belt. Lamplight glinted on the blade as he slashed at an invisible enemy, and she knew the enemy was Paul. His steps quickened as he destroyed his enemy, and then he threw back his head and the fierce victory cry of the Lakota filled the air. The sound was like nothing she had ever heard before and sent shivers down her spine.

  Applause filled the amphitheater when he finished dancing.

  Ethan stood there, his body sheened with sweat, his dark eyes alight with an inner fire as he looked out over the audience. Excitement rippled through Cindy when his gaze came to rest on her face.

  He might be angry, she thought. He might think he could walk away from her and not look back, but she knew, in that moment, that she had the power to win him back.

  Breathing heavily, Ethan stared at Cindy. She looked as pretty as a prairie flower in a pink sundress that emphasized her golden tan and complimented her dark hair. She was looking at him as if he was the only person in the amphitheater, the only person in the world. He had noticed immediately that Mr. Moneybags was not with her. He would have liked to believe that the man had gone home, but he’d checked up at the lodge earlier and Mr. Paul VanDerHyde was still in residence. Ethan grinned inwardly. The only other explanation for the man’s absence was that he was too sore from the long trail ride that afternoon to leave his cabin.