But she'd allowed Garth to drag her back to Hawk Springs.
Why?
Because of the promise he'd more or less forced out of her a year ago? But, Garth reminded himself firmly, he'd only gotten that promise out of her because she'd been so lost in her own passion and desire at the time. She responded to him so vibrantly he couldn't believe she didn't want him as much as he wanted her. Hell, he'd even gotten her to admit her desire. She made no secret of it. Last night she'd been on fire with it and she hadn't tried to hide it.
But a woman like Devon wouldn't marry a man just because she liked going to bed with him. She wouldn't let herself be trapped by passion alone.
She might, however, let herself be trapped by a promise she'd been foolish enough to make in the heat of that passion. Devon was the kind of woman who ultimately honored her promises.
He needed her too much to release her from that promise.
"I'm afraid you're trapped, Devon," Garth said aloud.
High Flyer's fine ears flicked briefly in the direction of the man's voice but the stallion didn't interrupt his feeding to investigate further. He had his priorities in life and he didn't pay much attention to distractions.
Garth turned away from the paddock and went to see how the new barn was coming along. A man had priorities in life, too, and he couldn't let himself get distracted or else he'd come apart.
Devon didn't get a chance to talk to Ryan privately until late Tuesday afternoon. He'd been quieter than usual since the events at the Dennisons'. He wasn't sulking or moping, he was just a little withdrawn as though he were doing some major internal reevaluation. She found him shifting bales of hay in one of the barns.
"There you are, Ryan. I've been wanting to talk to you." She ambled over to where he was working and plunked herself down on a hay bale. Ryan took off his hat, wiped his forehead and sat down beside her.
"What's up?" he asked with a curious smile.
"That's what I wanted to ask you. What are your plans now that Ordway's out of the picture?" Devon demanded bluntly.
Ryan lifted one shoulder and let it sink. "I don't know yet. Garth wants me to keep an eye on Hawk's Flight while you two are in Hawaii. When you get back I guess I'll head for L.A. and start job hunting again. Shouldn't be too hard to find something." His mouth curved ruefully. "Present circumstances notwith-standing, I really am pretty good with computers."
"I believe you," Devon said instantly. She smiled. "That's why I wondered if you'd considered another alternative to your original plans to go into partnership with Ordway?"
Ryan slanted her an assessing look. "What alternative?"
"Going into business for yourself. It would have to be on a much smaller scale to begin with, naturally, but it would have potential."
Ryan was silent for a long moment. "Just exactly what did you have in mind?" he finally asked with the first real enthusiasm he'd shown since the night of the Dennisons' party.
Devon told him what she had in mind.
When she was finished Ryan sat looking at her as if she'd taken leave of her senses. "Are you kidding? Garth would go through the roof!"
"Let me talk to him first." Devon jumped down off the stack of hay and waved breezily.
That night she cornered Garth in his study. He looked up with a smile when she sailed through the door but when she sat down on the other side of the desk and told him she wanted to talk about Ryan the smile disappeared.
"Oh, hell." Garth groaned. "I should have known."
"Just hear him out when he explains what he wants to do, Garth. That's all I'm asking. He knows ranching and he knows computers. He can handle this and it'll give him a start in the right direction."
"The last time you asked me a favor like this I wound up having to pull some drunk city dude off of you, remember?"
She ignored the warning in his voice because she could hear the resignation beneath it. Garth was going to give Ryan another chance. Devon grinned. "You won't regret this, Garth, I know it. This time it's going to work out beautifully."
"I wonder if the prospect of getting married makes all men soft in the head, or if it's just me."
"It's probably all men," she assured him. She got up and came around to his side of the desk to drop a quick kiss on his mouth. "Good night, Garth. See you in the morning."
"It's the frustration that does it," he called after her as she headed toward the study door. "I'm going crazy every night alone in my room thinking about you in your bed just down the hall. That's what's making me such a pushover for you and your schemes. I can't think straight because I'm so damned frustrated."
"Is it my fault you're too old-fashioned to have a real, full-blown affair with me before the wedding?" she teased. Then she slipped out into the hall and closed the study door behind her. Devon smiled to herself.
Garth might have stopped worrying excessively about a little gossip but that didn't mean he'd completely changed. He still had old-fashioned ideas about protecting her and equally quaint notions of chivalry and appropriate behavior in one's own home. That meant he wasn't about to make a regular habit of making love to her until they were properly married.
No wonder she loved him, Devon thought. There were probably fewer than a dozen men like him on earth. The species should probably be bred in captivity to assure its survival.
That last thought made Devon catch her breath in sudden realization. Then she smiled smugly. The best thing she could do for womankind was to have Garth's sons. The world needed more men like Garth. Men who could be depended upon when the going got rough. Men who held fast to their own codes of honor. Men who knew how to make a commitment and keep it until the end of time.
For some reason the idea of having Garth's baby no longer seemed like a trap.
Ten
Devon had expected to be able to relax after the wedding. She had counted on the long flight to Hawaii to give her time to unwind from the tension of the ceremony and the boisterous reception that had followed. And she might have been able to calm down if she hadn't become slowly aware of the fact that Garth was acting strangely.
He'd been a solid anchor in the ministorm that had constituted the whole production. Considering the fact that he'd been the least enthusiastic about the size and scale of the thing, he seemed to be the one least traumatized by it all.
When Devon had at last taken her trip down the aisle in front of the assembled crowd, she'd seen the way Garth watched her. There was a lifetime of commitment and desire in his expression. There was also an unyielding possessiveness that had been all the more intense because it was unspoken. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off him as she floated to his side.
When he'd kissed her after the ceremony there had been small murmurs of appreciation and satisfaction from the standing-room-only crowd. Hawk Springs was pleased with the whole event. A sense of approval hung over the gathering and the good wishes had been sincere. Martha Springer hadn't put in an appearance and no one seemed to notice her absence. Devon would never be sure if the woman had stayed away because of the scene at the Dennisons' party or because Garth privately told her not to come. Devon suspected the latter.
Garth had remained calm and unflappable throughout the reception, accepting the comments, jokes and wishes with an easy, polite manner. Devon had been surrounded by a bevy of laughing, teasing women who wanted to know how she'd found herself back in the country after making a successful escape to the city.
"I'll tell you how she got back here," one neighbor announced. "Garth went and got her."
Devon had smiled serenely, her gaze going to her husband who was standing in a crowd of men nearby. Lee and Kurt were in the group, talking easily to people they'd known most of their lives. Ryan was there, too. From what she could overhear they had stopped joking and were busily discussing the weather. Farmers and ranchers never lost an opportunity to worry about the weather. Garth had looked over and caught her eye. He'd nodded once and Devon ha
d known it was his signal to leave. Without any hesitation, she had made her way upstairs to change her clothes.
Bev Middleton had fussed around her as she dressed, telling Devon not to worry about a thing while she was in Hawaii.
"I won't," Devon had assured her lightly as she slipped into the yellow-and-white cotton-knit skirt and top she'd decided to wear on the plane.
"I just hope Garth doesn't fret too much about this place while he's supposed to be enjoying his honeymoon," Bev had continued as she handed Devon a brush.
"He seems to be resigned to leaving Hawk's Flight in Ryan's care for a week," Devon pointed out.
Bev had grinned. "Ryan's like a kid with a new bike. Says he can't wait to start setting up the little computer in Garth's study. I can't believe Garth actually agreed to let him put all the stud farm records on a machine."
Devon laughed. "It will be a perfect opportunity for Ryan to show what he can do. He knows ranching and he knows computers. If anyone can prove that the ranch business can be handled on a computer, it's Ryan. And if he's successful here, other farmers and ranchers in the area will be interested. It could be the start of a very nice business for Ryan."
"And if it is, he'll have you to thank for it," Bev declared shrewdly.
"It's Garth who..."
"Hah," Bev interrupted with a chuckle. "Don't think everyone on the place isn't well aware of the fact that you talked him into giving Ryan the chance. You've got a knack for handling that man. But I guess that's only fair since he seems to have the knack of handling you. Can't think of any other man who could have lured you back to Hawk Springs."
"No," Devon had agreed softly, "there isn't any other man who could have done it."
Lee and Kurt had both kissed her soundly as she stood at the door with Garth. Kurt had smiled his serious smile and told her he was glad she'd finally decided to marry Garth.
"Now we won't have to worry about you getting into trouble in the big city," her brother had teased.
"I never had any trouble at all in the big city," Devon had retorted, conscious of Garth waiting impatiently for her to say her goodbyes.
"Maybe that's what had us all worried," Lee had remarked. He'd exchanged a man-to-man look with Garth over the top of Devon's head. "You seemed to be getting on a little too well. Right, Garth?"
"She's home now," was all Garth had said in reply but there'd definitely been a hint of steel underlying the words.
Garth had said little on the way to the airport but Devon had been too wound up from the morning's hectic events to notice. She'd chatted easily about everything from the success of the food to her plans for the new advertising brochure she was putting together for Hawk's Flight. Garth had seemed content to let her talk but he'd added little to the conversation.
Halfway out over the Pacific Devon had finally settled down enough to notice that something was definitely wrong. When the realization had sunk in she hadn't known what to say. The middle of a crowded 747 was hardly the place to begin an in-depth discussion of what had gone awry with a marriage that was only a few hours old. Gradually she had become as silent as Garth. By the time they reached the luxurious Waikiki beachfront hotel, neither of them was saying much of anything.
She watched as Garth tipped the bellboy and then closed the door firmly behind him. He walked back across the room and opened the sliding glass door that opened onto a private balcony. As he stepped outside into the velvet Hawaiian evening, he undid the knot in the tie he'd been wearing most of the day. With the silk ends hanging loose, he planted both hands on the railing and stood contemplating the moonlit sea.
Devon hesitated a moment, aware of a new kind of nervousness pervading her body. She'd been tense and excited during the wedding and reception, and she'd been uneasy about Garth's quiet mood on the plane. But this new sensation was something altogether different. Devon licked her dry lips and realized she was suddenly a little frightened.
Something was wrong and Garth wasn't telling her what that something was.
Quietly Devon moved out onto the balcony beside her husband, not touching him. She followed his gaze out to sea. "It's very beautiful, isn't it?"
"It isn't Hawk Springs," he agreed laconically.
Devon's fingers tightened on the railing. "No, it isn't Hawk Springs." She sighed. "Is that what's bothering you, Garth? Have you started worrying already about the stud farm?"
"Devon..."
"I should have known this wouldn't work," she continued sadly. "I should have realized you couldn't be forced to take a vacation."
"Devon..."
"I thought that once I got you away from Hawk's Flight, you'd be able to relax and enjoy the first real vacation you've had in years. I thought we could use the time to get to know each other without having someone else always around. But it was a mistake, wasn't it? We should've spent the weekend in Santa Barbara looking at land and horses."
"Devon, why did you—" Garth tried again, only to be interrupted as Devon went on with her self-directed chastisement.
"We don't have to stay here a whole week, Garth. We can fly back to California tomorrow. I shouldn't have pushed you into this. It was a mistake, but we don't have to go on with it."
Garth came away from the railing with a swift, impatient movement, catching her by the shoulders and pulling her around to face him. "Will you please stop babbling about what a mistake this all was and tell me why you married me?"
She stared up at him, dumbfounded. "Why I married you?"
"Yes, damn it, give it to me straight," he said fiercely. "I have to know. I told myself it didn't matter. I was sure we could make a go of things once I had you back at Hawk's Flight. I was so sure of what I was doing that I didn't allow myself to consider the fact that I might be wrong."
"Wrong? But, Garth..."
"I still think that marrying me was the right thing for you to do, but for the past few days it's been eating at me."
"What's been eating at you?" she demanded.
"I can handle most things, Devon, as long as I can face them head on. But I have to know what I'm supposed to deal with before I can figure out how to manage it. So tell me why you married me. Was it because you felt you couldn't go back on the promise you gave me a year ago? Or was it because you felt you owed me something for helping you out when Lee got into trouble? Just tell me the truth, Devon. I can take it from there. But I have to know why you let me put that ring on your finger today."
She was shaken by the intensity of the demand. "Does it matter, Garth?" she whispered.
"It matters," he said through his teeth. "Believe me, it matters."
Devon drew in her breath and touched his hard jaw with the tips of her fingers. It was safe to trust Garth with the truth. He wouldn't use it against her or taunt her with it. He was an honest man who respected honesty in others. And he would respect her feelings for him, even if he couldn't return them in full measure.
"I'm not quite noble or self-sacrificing enough to marry a man because I made a rash promise during a moment of passion. Nor am I the kind of woman who would repay a debt by marrying a man who'd done her a favor, even though the favor was a very big one. I married you because I love you, Garth. No other reason."
His hands tightened convulsively on her shoulders. "You love me?"
"Oh, yes. I love you." She smiled mistily. "I didn't want to admit it a year ago because I had to get away from Hawk Springs for a while. I had to have some time to myself. I had been feeling so trapped for so long that I was on the verge of panic. My life was flipping by and I hadn't had a chance to really live. I told myself I couldn't trust my responses to you because I had too many other things going on in my head. I was confused and desperate and tired from the strain of looking after Lee and Kurt. I was sure that what I felt for you couldn't be love. You were the wrong man and Hawk Springs was definitely the wrong place for me. I'd been telling myself all those things for so long I believed them. I decided that what I felt
for you was only passion combined with friendship."
"Maybe that's all it was, Devon."
She shook her head, not quite managing to suppress a very womanly smile. "Even if it had been, that would have been better grounds for a marriage than most people have. But I've got news for you, Garth Saxon. No woman waits a whole year for a man just because he was good in bed. Not when she's got other choices and other opportunities."
"Don't remind me," he muttered.
She ignored that. "When I saw you at Christmas time and realized I really was waiting, I knew I had a problem. I hadn't wanted any other man to even try to get close to me. I kept telling myself it was because deep down I didn't want to marry anyone. My freedom was too precious to me and even if I did eventually decide to marry, I was sure I didn't want to marry a rancher."
"From Hawk Springs." Garth's mouth twisted wryly.
Devon laughed up at him with her eyes. "Most especially not one from Hawk Springs."
"But you let me bring you back at the end of the year."
"I went with you because when I saw you in that singles bar three weeks ago I knew deep down I had no choice. I realized a part of me had always been waiting for you to come and bring me home. I dragged my feet a little and I argued and tried to think of reasons why we shouldn't get married because the logical part of me still wasn't sure of what I wanted, but in the end I went with you. I loved you and I was finally admitting it to myself. Once I'd faced that fact, I knew where I belonged."
"With me." Garth's eyes were gleaming in the shadows. He lifted his hands to gently frame her face. Devon realized his strong fingers were trembling slightly and she wondered if some of the brilliance in his eyes was the dampness of unshed tears. The love she was feeling seemed to overflow her body, reaching out to engulf him.
"Oh, Garth," she breathed, wrapping him tightly around the waist. "I love you so much."
"Not half as much as I love you." His voice was dark and thick with emotion as he folded her close against his warmth.
Devon stood very still, hardly daring to breath. "You do?"
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