by Faye Adams
He lowered one eyebrow as he looked at her. "And why is that? Is there someone else?" he questioned. If he wasn't able to seduce her, he would have to kill her as his father had originally wanted.
Cass shook her head, "There's no one else," she answered hurriedly. She wouldn't acknowledge Brett's claim on her.
Ramsey studied her face. She'd answered so quickly that he tended to believe her. "I'm glad to hear you say that. I was beginning to think you had an eye for that marshal."
"Brett?" she asked, the memory of his kiss under the trees causing her to blush.
"The way you let him tag along with us today had me wondering."
"I told you, we had to be polite to the man. He is a stranger to our area."
"Right you are. But I dislike the fellow."
"Why?" she asked"
"Because he's so obviously smitten with you, my dear. I'm not too ashamed to say that I'm jealous." He leaned a little closer to her.
"You barely know me. Ramsey," she said, beginning to feel very alone with him in the dark.
"A circumstance I intend to change." Leaning forward, he took her upper arms in his hands and drew her forward. Lowering his lips until they hovered a fraction of an inch above hers, he stared into her eyes. "'We're going to try another kiss, and we'll see if we can do better than we did this afternoon." Before Cass could protest, Ramsey’s mouth came down on hers hard, the pressure forcing her lips to part. He used his tongue to find hers, pushing against it in a rhythmic pattern.
Cass was immediately repulsed by Ramsey's kiss. His mouth was hard and demanding; his tongue gagged her as he attempted to be sexual. Trying to turn her head, she struggled against his embrace. Wishing she'd listened to Brett, she raised her arms to push against Ramsey's chest.
Ramsey fought to control her, pinning her arms behind her and securing them there with one of his own. She was going to be his. She had to be. As he struggled with her, he felt himself becoming more and more excited. Cass was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever been with. "Cass," he groaned, raising a hand to grip her breast.
Cass inhaled a shocked breath as his hand closed over her breast. He began to knead it roughly, hurting her in his haste. "No!" she protested, only to have his lips crush hers again.
Ramsey continued to stroke her despite her struggles. The fullness of her breast, the weight of it in his palm, had him groaning deep within his chest. He knew he needed to be touched also. Releasing her breast, he reached behind her and took one of her hands in his own. Pulling it forward, he placed it firmly over the bulge in his trousers and tried to make her stroke him through the fabric.
Cass jerked her hand back violently, horribly revolted by touching his erection. This was the opportunity she'd been hoping for. She was surprised to see a nearly drugged look in his eyes. "Ramsey, let go of me and take me home!" she demanded.
Ramsey was startled by the way she'd managed to pull her hand from his, but the few seconds he'd felt the pressure of her hand over his erection had his head spinning. Grappling for her hand again, he tried to place it over the front of his trousers once again. "Just a little bit more, Cass. Just a little…"
"No!" she nearly screamed, jerking her hand away once more, and this time bracing her feet against the footboards of the buggy and using leverage to heave her body upward. "Let go of me!"
Ramsey lunged against her, pinning her to the back of the buggy. "But I'm not finished yet." He gripped her breast tightly in his hand once more and turned his body so his manhood pressed against her thigh.
“No, Ramsey! No!" She pushed roughly against him. Fighting as hard as she could, she managed to put a little space between them. Bringing up one hand, she slapped him as hard as she could across the face, her palm throbbing from the stinging blow.
Ramsey sat back, stunned. Blinking rapidly, he put his hand to his cheek where the skin tingled painfully from her slap. He'd beaten women for less than this. Looking at her with narrowed eyes, he saw the look of fear on her face. It was a look that made him feel powerful. Maybe he'd just gone a little too fast. Maybe he'd gotten a little carried away because of her beauty. And maybe, with the right kind of persuasion, he could still have her without a fight. "I'm sorry, Cass. I don't know what got into me," he murmured apologetically.
"Just take me home," she told him, her breath coming in heaving gasps. She'd moved as far away from him on the buggy seat as she could, and yet she still felt as though she'd cringe if he so much as brushed against her.
"Please, Cass. "I'm truly sorry. You have to forgive me. You’re so beautiful, I just got carried away."
Cass looked at his stricken expression. "Just take me home, Ramsey," she ordered him.
"Please, give me another chance. Say you forgive me."
Shaking her head, she stared straight ahead.
Ramsey leaned toward her. "Please, Cass. I'm not moving this buggy until you say you'll forgive me, that you'll give me another chance."
Cass glanced sideways at him from the corners of her eyes. She would never forgive him, but now was not the time to enlighten him. "All right, Ramsey. I'll forgive you. Now take me home."
Ramsey heard the insincerity in her voice. He knew she was treating him like a fool. Gritting his teeth, he thought about what he was going to tell his father. Hunt had told him he was a fool to think Cass would fall in love with him. He'd bragged and blustered that he'd have her in his bed in a fortnight. If he went home and confessed that he’d blundered so badly tonight he'd have to listen to one of Hunt's lectures until dawn. No, he would let Cass off the hook for tonight, and himself as well. "Thank you, Cass. I know I don't deserve it. I can only attribute my horrid behavior to your beauty…and the moonlight."
Cass glanced up at the night sky. The moonlight was beautiful, but it reminded her once again of Brett. Of his passionate kisses, of his strong but gentle hands, of his broad back, his muscular chest, his straight legs, his .. " She shuddered with the memories and felt her insides heating up to a liquid level. "Just take me home now, Ramsey," she repeated, sighing.
Ramsey nodded and picked up the reins. Tapping the animals' backs, he leaned against the seat as the buggy surged forward, rocking accordingly.
Cass relaxed a little once they were moving again. She continued thinking about Brett and watching Ramsey out of the corner of her eye.
Ramsey did some thinking of his own as he urged the horses toward the Wayne ranch. Cassidy was a very complex woman. He would have bet everything that she'd have moved away or married young after her family was murdered. But no, she'd strapped on guns and hunted down four of the men who'd done the killing. Now she was after the fifth man. "Cass, why can't you leave it be?" he suddenly asked, his voice breaking the silence between them. “You’re only going to get killed yourself if you keep up this chase.”
"I don't think so. I think I'm going to find out who the last man was. And when I do, I'm going to kill him."
"Or die trying," he said solemnly.
Chapter Ten
In the days that followed the fiasco with Ramsey, Cass became restless. She had to prove that Hunt Tylo had something to do with murdering her family, and the only way to do that was to give him a good enough reason to expose himself. She'd finally come up with plan, and she was saddling her horse, preparing to set it in motion, when she heard her name being called.
"'Brett . . ." She turned, feeling the jolt of awareness his voice caused. "What brings you out this way?" she asked, noting the appreciative glint in his eyes as his gaze roamed over her body.
“I just thought I'd ride out and say hello, and maybe get myself invited to another one of Soony's delicious dinners," he said, grinning at her.
"Well . . ." She hesitated, knowing what his reaction to her plan would be.
"If it's a bad time…"
"No, of, course not. It's just that I'm leaving for a while. You’re welcome to stay and visit with Uncle Darby if you'd like," she offered.
Something in her tone put Brett o
n edge. "Where are you going?"
"Ah, just out for a ride."
"'Where?"
"Just out," she answered, lowering her gaze.
"You're headed to the Lazy T, aren't you? Are you crazy?" he said, without giving her a chance to explain.
"Why the hell did you have to show up now?" she demanded.
"I'd say it's a good thing I did. You're not doing it, Cass."
"Doing what?"
“Whatever it is you're thinking of doing. Just get the idea out of your head. You can't shoot Hunt Tylo just because you suspect him of a crime."
Cass started laughing. "You actually think I'd just ride over there and shoot him?"
"If you're not planning on shooting him, what are you going there for, to see Ramsey?" he asked, his eyes narrowing at the idea.
"I'm going to the Lazy T to discuss something with Hunt, not Ramsey, though I can't see why it should make any difference to you whether I see Ramsey or not. The only reason I went out with him was to get information from him about his father."
"Humph," Brett grumbled. He knew what motivated Cass's pretended interest in Ramsey, but knowing didn't help. He still felt a terrific pang of jealousy every time the man's name was mentioned, and each time the possibility of Cass seeing him arose. "You may only have the murder investigation in mind, but Ramsey's got you in his mind. If you're not careful you'll bite off more than you can chew with him," he warned.
Cass glowered at him. If he knew how close he was to the truth he'd throw a bloody fit, but she would never give him an opportunity to say ‘I told you so.’ “To hell with you, Brett Ryder," she taunted, turning her back on him once more. She swung up into her saddle. "You can stay here and visit with Uncle Darby and Soony while I’m gone. I'll tell you all about my visit with Tylo when I get back.”
"You won't have to. I'm going with you," he stated.
"You are not," she said.
Brett spurred his horse toward the Lazy T. Ignoring her protest completely, he glanced back over his shoulder at her. "Are you coming or not?"
"Damned stubborn man," she grumbled.
"I heard that," he called back to her.
Cass's eyes widened. There was no way he could have heard her. He was just goading her. "If you heard that, you'll hear this: you're a giant pain in the ass," she said in the same quiet grumbled tone. Brett never turned around. She stuck her tongue out at his back, then felt foolish for behaving so childishly. This man had the ability to completely discombobulate her emotions. "Damn,,' she whispered.
Ramsey was nowhere to be seen when they arrived at the Lazy T. Hunt, however, was sitting on a coral fence, watching some of his hands working a little mare. "Keep her going, boys. She's looking good," he instructed as he stepped down from the fence. Walking toward them, he smiled. "Cass, Marshal, it's good to see you again. Cass, if you've come to see Ramsey, I'm sorry to say he's in town."
"I didn't come here to see Ramsey, I came to speak to you about something. May we get down?"
"Certainly. What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Business," she told him as she dismounted. Brett followed suit.
Tylo raised his eyebrows. "What business do we have in common?"
Cass led her horse along behind her as she followed him toward the house. "The same business you had with my father."
"And what would that be?"
"I'm home to stay now and I've decided to increase the size of my herd. I've come to tell you to stop running your cattle across my land to get to the Losee."
Tylo frowned threateningly. "You're father and I worked all this out between us years ago," he said.
"My father is no longer the owner of the Wayne ranch. I am. And I've made my decision, I want you to keep your cattle on your own land, Mr. Tylo, and I'm taking measures to see that it's done."
"Are you threatening me, girl?" Tylo asked, an evil glint sparkling in his eyes.
"Not at all," she said calmly. "I'm merely explaining our new arrangement. I'm putting up barbed wire at the end of this month."
"You can't do that."
"Yes, I can, Mr. Tylo, and I’m going to."
"You're starting something here, girl," Tylo said in a menacing tone.
Brett stepped forward. "I certainly hope you're not threatening her, Mr. Tylo."
Tylo scowled at the marshal. "Your badge doesn't intimidate me, so back off. Cass is asking for trouble, Marshal. I don't think she understands what she's doing."
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
"I'm not the only person who uses your land for easy access to the Losee. Do you think the other ranchers are just going to sit back and let you wire your land?”
“There’s nothing they can do about it. It’s my decision.”
"And it's a bad one," he said.
Cass stood still for a moment. She had nothing more to say to Tylo. She'd set her plan in motion with the same ammunition her father had used. The difference between her father and her was that she knew she was starting a war, he'd never even known one was coming. "Good day, Mr. Tylo," she said, turning to mount her horse.
Brett shook his head as he swung up into the saddle. She'd definitely started trouble here. The smoldering look of hatred on Tylo's face was unmistakable.
After they'd ridden through the Lazy T gate, Cass began to chuckle.
"I don't see what's so funny," remarked Brett.
"The look on Tylo's face," she replied.
"The man would like to see you dead," he said.
"Exactly."
"Why did you do it, Cass?"
"You know why. I had to do something that would cause him to be careless. If he's angry, he might make a mistake. Then I’ll have him.”
Brett rubbed his face in frustration. “The man has..how many?...thirty or forty hands working for him? I'm sure within that number there are quite a few who'd have no qualms about hurting you if he asked them to."
"So?"
"So your family was murdered in a morning raid by a group of men who showed no mercy."
"Yes," she murmured
"I read the reports, Cass. Your brothers were shot from behind. They left your little sister to die in a burning house."
"What’s your point?" she demanded.
"The point is this. The men you killed, you faced down in gunfights. They were fair fights, Cass. The trouble you started today isn't going to come in the form of a gunman knocking on your door and announcing it's time for a confrontation. This kind of trouble comes without warning, and it doesn't play fair."
"Maybe not, but I'll be ready for it," she told him.
Brett shook his head again. "You're kidding yourself, Cass."
The sight of a rider coming toward them ended their conversation. Brett grimaced when they recognized Ramsey.
"Hello, Ramsey," Cass said as he approached, trying not to let any of the revulsion she felt show on her face. She didn't want Brett to suspect that anything untoward had happened between them.
"Hello, Cass. I've been meaning to call on you. I've just been very busy helping my father."
"Ramsey," said Brett, nodding at the man he so disliked.
Ramsey glanced at the marshal. "Hello, Marshal," he replied stiffly, then turned to Cass again. “You’re more beautiful every time I see you, Cass.”
"Thank you, Ramsey,” she answered, feeling a shiver run up her spine at the leering glint in his eye.
"What are you doing out this way? Were you perhaps coming to see me?', he asked.
"No. I needed to see your father,” she told him. “I had something to tell him.”
"Nothing about me, I hope,” he said a little sheepishly, cocking his head boyishly.
Cass remembered his behavior in the buggy and swallowed hard. His slightly teasing demeanor showed how easily he’d turned a disgusting episode into something much less in his own mind. “No, nothing about you. I had to let him know that I’ll be stringing barbed wire at the end of the month."
Ramsey's attitude
changed immediately. “Barbed wire?”
"Yes. I'm going into town now to order it. It takes several weeks for shipments from back east to get here, so I figure by the end of the month I should be able to start putting it up."
"Why would you want to do such a thing, Cass?” he asked.
“It’s my right. It’s my land, and I want to protect it.”
"From what?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.
"The lady doesn’t have to explain herself to you, Tylo,” Brett cut in.
"I wasn't talking to you, Marshal,” Ramsey angrily returned.
“Ramsey, please," Cass interjected. “Brett, I don’t mind telling him, or anyone else for that matter, why I’m stringing the wire. I've decided to take ranching seriously. I’m increasing the size of my herd, and I think the best way to protect my investment is with the wire.”
"You're asking for trouble with such a fool move, Cass,” Ramsey informed her, his voice a menacing monotone.
“From you, Ramsey?” she asked, her eyes meeting his in a challenge.
"No, of course not from me," he assured her unconvincingly. "But from the other ranchers in the area. If one rancher closes off a part of the range, others might want to follow suit."
"That'd be their business," Cass told him.
“An open range keeps everything even, Cass. Not everyone has easy access to water, as you do. Not everyone has access to good bottom grass. If you do this you'll be starting more trouble than it'll be worth in the long run."
“I'll be ready for it," she answered.
Ramsey sat very still for a moment. "I hope so," he finally told her quietly as his pale eyes did a battle with hers.
"We'd better be going, Cass," Brett said to break the tension.
Cass tore her gaze from Ramsey's. Something deep within their blue depths had made her uneasy. "Yes, I've got to get to town and order the wire," she said. “I'm sure we'll be seeing you around, Ramsey."
"Of course you will, my dear. I was hoping to call on you very soon."
"Oh, well , . , ah, yes . . ." she fumbled, uncertain why he would continue to pursue her when he was so angry about the wire.
