by Firebrand
“I assure you, Miss Wilder, I am in perfect physical condition. I had a checkup just last month.”
“I know.”
“You know?” This time Cade couldn’t control his reaction. “What does that mean?” he asked pointblank.
“It means I had you checked out before I sent the ticket, McCall. You have a six-year-old daughter with a chronic bronchial condition, but your health is perfect.”
However, she didn’t add that it was important to her plans to make certain that the child’s condition wasn’t the result of a hereditary weakness in the McCall line. “And it’s ‘Mrs. Wilder,’ ” she said instead. “I never took my husband’s name.”
“You never took your husband’s name, but it’s Mrs., not Ms.,” he said dryly. “At least you’re not one of those card-carrying, men-bashing feminists.
“On the contrary, Mr. McCall. I’m very much a feminist. But I’m also a realist. Whether or not I like men isn’t the issue. This employment is a business agreement, pure and simple. But it has to be an amenable arrangement for my plans to work. I intend to be fair. I’ll do everything possible to see that it offers as much to you as you will offer to me.”
“Just out of curiosity, how’d you get confidential medical records?”
“Truthfully, I have no idea. I didn’t ask. I simply employed a person who’s in the business of getting hold of such things.”
“And what else do you know about me?”
“I know that your wife died after an extended illness brought on by her addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs. I know that you’re responsible enough to have paid off all her hospital bills and funeral expenses, even though she left you nearly seven years ago. Foolish, but admirable. Loyalty is a rare trait. I also know you were unaware you had a daughter until after your wife’s death. And I know you’re flat broke. Is that about it?”
“Just about. But I’m beginning to think you know something that I don’t. When am I going to learn the rest of the story? What exactly do you expect to get out of this?”
“I had planned to wait until we got to the ranch before explaining all the details, but I suppose it doesn’t matter. You’ll have to know sooner or later.”
“Know what, Mrs. Wilder? Your dark, mysterious reason for hiring me? I’ll bet I’ve already figured that out, but I’m not sure it’s legal.”
“What I expect to get,” she blurted out, turning toward him in quick surprise “is a temporary husband, Cade McCall.” Rusty heard herself and cringed. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned. Blast the man, he wasn’t even reacting.
After a long silence she forced herself to regain her composure and speak calmly. “I had planned to discuss the terms of your employment after you’d seen the ranch. I thought you’d be more agreeable then.”
Husband? Cade’s expression might have remained unchanged, but his inner reaction was of complete disbelief. His only comment was a strained “So, Eugene was right.”
“Eugene? Who is he?”
“Eugene is Pixie’s friend, the base-camp cook who first saw your ad.” Suddenly the air became tense. “He warned me that this might happen. Go on, Mrs. Wilder, tell me the rest. I don’t think I can wait for the tour.”
She might as well. Her inability to control her response to the man had ruined her calm, businesslike approach. Like some love-struck teenager she’d blurted out her plan and made herself look like an idiot. Well, she had no choice now but to go on.
“I’ll make few demands on your time,” she added hurriedly. “Once we’re married, you’re free to come and go, so long as you remember that you’re a Wilder and conduct yourself accordingly.”
“A Wilder?” All the tension simmering just beneath the surface suddenly caught fire and erupted. Cade sat up, narrowed his lips, and spit out his response, one knife-sliced word at a time. “Not on your life, boss-lady. The name is McCall, the same as yours will be if we should get married, which is, I might add, highly unlikely at this point. Even if I accepted your proposal, I have a child who needs a mother, not a ranch foreman.
“In addition,” he went on tightly, “I like to drink, play poker, and make love to a woman now and then. What sort of terms do you intend to write into that contract to take care of my personal needs?”
Cade didn’t bother to add that those pastimes had been discarded years ago in the aftermath of his divorce.
“Perhaps you should see Silverwild first, before we try to iron out the fine points,” Rusty said smoothly.
Ignoring the tense silence, Rusty banked the plane, circling the mountains to the south. Cade McCall was a hard man to decipher. He hadn’t said no, but he didn’t seem to be receptive to the idea of marriage either.
But wasn’t that what she wanted? A six-month trial period where they could work out the details and decide whether or not marriage was to their mutual advantage?
Cade’s strongest objection so far was over the issue of changing his name. Well, she could make that worth his while. Cash flow was limited since she’d bought the new bull, but outside of her banker, nobody else knew. And a few well-chosen stud fees for the bull would change all that.
By the time the other ranchers got over the shock of her new bull, she and Cade would be well on her way to working out the more personal part of their future plans. The truth was, it didn’t matter what the man’s name was or what name appeared on the marriage certificate. Once Cade McCall married Rusty Wilder, he would be a Wilder, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
McCall was a definite surprise. He didn’t seem to be a typical drifter or some fortune hunter looking for a free ride. She was prepared for him to demand concessions of his own. She just didn’t know what those concessions would be. However, she knew that in order to stand up to Cade McCall, she’d have to deal with him directly. No guile, no feminine wiles—not that such maneuvers had ever been Rusty’s style.
“I know this seems like an impossible proposition, McCall, but if you will be patient until after dinner, I think I’ll be able to assure you that Silverwild will satisfy all your needs.”
“Oh? That ought to be interesting.”
She ignored the implication of his words. “Now if you’ll look below, I’m going to take a quick pass around the spread so that you can get an idea of what I’ll be offering the man I choose. And you’re right, it isn’t a foregone conclusion that it will be you. You may not be able to handle the terms of my agreement.”
“Oh I can handle them, Ms. Wilder. As long as you are prepared to give as much as you get. Don’t you worry about that. The question is whether or not I choose to.”
The plane bobbled for just a second, and Cade felt an immense glow of self-satisfaction that he’d broken through her steely reserve again. She might appear as cold as one of those snow-covered peaks below, but so did Mount St. Helens until she erupted. Then the entire Northwest felt her heat.
“Another thing you’re right about, ma’am,” he added carelessly. “Just like you said earlier, appearances can be deceiving. But passion? That’s something a person can never completely disquise. I’m looking forward to dinner—and learning how you intend to satisfy my needs.”
Two
She came up behind him on the patio like a shadow.
“Well, does what you’ve seen of the ranch come up to your expectations?”
“I had no expectations,” Cade answered honestly. “But if I had, I would never have envisioned all this.” He had thought he was alone until he heard her speak. Being caught unaware bothered him; it rarely happened. The woman was disturbing, not only to his peace of mind but to his senses.
From the time their eyes had met in the airport, the tension had grown. Rusty’s plan to show him what she had to offer had in no way changed that. Their plane had circled the house, farm buildings, and herds of cattle grazing across the pastureland. She landed on a private airfield that stretched across the flat landscape and ended at a hangar that housed the plane and several pieces of farm equipme
nt. They climbed into a waiting Jeep that Rusty Wilder drove fast but expertly to the white stucco ranch house.
The setting sun caught the red roof tiles of the house, turning them the same fire-shot color as Rusty’s hair. She drove around to the side of the horseshoe-shaped house and came to a stop just inside the courtyard. For a moment she stared at the steering wheel, relaxing her grasp one finger at a time before leaning back and letting out a deep breath.
The sun dropped behind the mountains in the distance as if a curtain had been lowered. In March the air was still cold, and with the moon covered by a blanket of clouds, the night sky turned volcano-black.
“We’re here, McCall.”
That was the extent of her conversation. Cade nodded and followed her inside. A plump gray-haired woman identified as Letty led him up the center stairs to the upper level and down the curved hallway to the left.
“You’re in the guest wing of the house,” she explained. “Rusty’s room is opposite yours, across the courtyard in the other wing.” After taking a long assessing look at Cade, she smiled and nodded as if in approval. She told him that dinner would be served in forty-five minutes and left the room.
He might have told her that he hadn’t expected a ranch hand applying for a job to be invited to have dinner with the owner, but he wasn’t just any hired hand. He was auditioning as a husband.
Cade allowed himself for a moment to wonder exactly what Rusty Wilder had in mind. The kind of experience she was seeking wasn’t something he could put on a job application. And there were no references to be checked. Mrs. Wilder would have to take a calculated risk. Or ask for a demonstration.
That thought set his blood pulsating and refused to be dismissed. Cade felt his body begin to react. He should have gone into Fairbanks a day early. But the only woman he’d known intimately had married last year. Until now, he’d thought that he’d closed off that part of his life. He groaned.
There wasn’t even a snowbank nearby to plunge into. A cold shower would have to do. Then he’d take a look in his bag. Eugene had packed it, and knowing Eugene’s eclectic taste, its contents might prove to make the evening even more interesting.
The private bathroom offered both a Jacuzzi and a shower. He choose the shower, crossing his fingers that the water was cold and the pressure firm. He wasn’t disappointed. An electric razor was plugged into the wall, and he used it. He wondered if it had been placed there for him or if some other occupant had left it behind.
When he returned to his bedroom, he found a pair of dark slacks and a gray striped shirt laid out on his bed, new clothes that he’d never seen before. Even Eugene hadn’t gone this far.
Cade picked up the shirt and fingered the soft finish of the fabric—expensive, imported. He frowned. The woman wasn’t kidding when she said that she was offering him employment with special privileges. He was being bought, from the skin out. And Cade McCall was not now and never had been for sale. He’d earn his own way, for himself and for Pixie—somehow or other.
Cade emptied his duffel bag and sighed with relief. Eugene’s choices were good. He found a fresh blue chambray shirt and a clean pair of jeans. His only concession to formality was donning the new pair of sleek black running shoes he’d bought in Fairbanks before he left.
Closing the last button, he stepped out onto the veranda circling the second floor of the house. It was cold outside, but he was used to it. He needed it. In the distance he could hear the soft lowing of cattle that he could no longer see. Creeping up the posts below were brown vines that would bring colorful sweet-smelling flowers when the weather warmed. And in the enclosed courtyard beneath the porch he could hear the sound of water running in a fountain. This kind of luxury seemed about as out of place against the stark Utah landscape as he did.
The expensive perfume worn by the woman standing behind him was out of place too.
Rusty didn’t speak. Her ability to sustain silence was unnerving. He’d never met a woman who didn’t feel the need to fill an awkward space with chatter. This one simply waited. But he could feel her eyes on his back. He couldn’t see what she was wearing, and he fought the urge to turn around.
After a long silence he said, “Silverwild ranch is impressive. Your husband must have been a man of vision to carve all this out of a desert.”
“It was my father, and he was more than that. He lived for this ranch—and me, of course. His only disappointment was that he produced only one child.”
“I suppose he wanted a son, to inherit all this?”
“He never said so. I don’t think he ever doubted my ability to handle whatever needed handling.”
But he had, she admitted in that secret part of herself that she managed to seal off most of the time. He wasn’t certain that she was strong enough to follow his dream. That’s why he took Ben in as a partner, grooming him to take over. Her father hadn’t realized that Ben was only a shadow of himself. She’d known, but she had never been able to oppose her father’s wishes. So she’d married a man twenty years her senior because her father had asked her to. Of course she hadn’t expected Ben to have a heart attack during the first year of their marriage and live out his remaining years as a quarrelsome housebound invalid.
McCall was both commanding and disturbing. Not at all like her husband in temperament or character. Cade McCall was his own man, and she knew without a doubt that though she might buy him, she’d never own him.
“Letty will serve dinner in five minutes, McCall. Don’t be late. Letty doesn’t allow that from anybody. I wouldn’t advise you to make an enemy of her.”
Cade heard a silken swish, then silence.
He threaded his fingers through his hair. She was right. He should have turned and greeted her. Perversity was both childish and demeaning. He was being interviewed for a job, a job that provided a home for his child. Nothing more. She was giving him six months to decide how permanent it would be. He certainly didn’t have to marry her. Nothing was going to pay as well as pipeline work, but being a wealthy man had never mattered much. If a job on the ranch didn’t work out, at least he’d have Pixie in a better place while he had time to find something else.
A few minutes later he was following the sound of Rusty’s voice as she gave directions to Letty. He found her in the large room in the center of the house that formed the inner curve of the U-shaped structure. Large overstuffed cream-colored couches circled a massive rock fireplace where a fire roared red and orange in the hearth.
She was standing in the shadows, the scent of her perfume exciting his senses once again. By the time he took a good look at her, Cade had the strong feeling that he should skip dinner altogether. His insides churned as if he’d already eaten locoweed.
She was wearing her hair pulled back by silver combs. Her dress was loose and long, like the kind some island woman might have worn after the coming of the missionaries. With a high neckline and full sleeves it was designed to conceal. The imagination, however, was more stimulating than any open physical display, and Cade quickly decided that Mrs. Wilder’s gown was the most provocative garment he’d ever seen. Its shimmering color was the same shade as her hair, the color of fire. Tiny little mirrors were stitched across the shoulders and around the hem. Every movement reflected a hundred shimmering flames that licked out at him with every breath she took.
“So, what’s the deal, Mrs. Wilder?” he asked in a clipped voice.
“Not yet, McCall. Dinner first. Then business.”
“You know, there’s no way in hell I can sit across from you and eat without being told what this is all about.”
“Oh, I think you can. I think you can probably do whatever you set your mind to, McCall.”
She turned and led the way into a dining room only a fraction smaller than the great room. She hoped she’d put enough distance between them to help her control her own turbulent emotions.
A long dark wooden table that could have seated a dozen people had been set for two, one plate at one end, one at
the other. A brass chandelier cast soft light across the room.
Cade glanced at the arrangement and smiled. She wasn’t taking any chances. She wasn’t going to explain a thing until she was ready and knew how to protect herself.
Holding out her chair, he waited until she sat down. When his hands grazed her shoulders, he was rewarded with a slight start, then absolute stillness, and a measured “Thank you.”
At the other end of the table, Cade unfolded his napkin and waited as Letty appeared from the kitchen with a tureen of soup.
“Nice—whatever that is you’re wearing,” he said, and began to eat his soup. “The mirrors seem to set you on fire.”
She didn’t answer. She didn’t know what to say. He was the first man she’d met who hadn’t been in awe of her. And she admitted that wearing the red-orange gown had been a perverse attempt to rattle his composure. She couldn’t be certain what she’d accomplished because he was so adept at hiding his emotions.
A small salad replaced the soup.
“You’re not quite what I expected,” Rusty finally admitted as the salad plates were removed.
He looked up. Even from his end of the table he could feel a certain wavering in her bearing. Her fiery appearance and her cool demeanor seemed in disagreement with each other, and he wondered if he might be sending out the same mixed signals. “Oh? Your report leave out something?”
It left out what kind of man you are, she could have said. It didn’t tell her how difficult this would be, nor did it suggest how uncertain she’d feel in his presence.
The main course of vegetables and rare roast beef was a diversion that Rusty used to the fullest while she collected her erratic thoughts and replied, “No, the report was rather complete. Now it’s my turn. Why did you answer my ad?”
“Like you told me,” he said, watching the main course being replaced by a kind of custard with cinnamon sprinkled on top, “food first, business later. By the way, ma’am,” he complimented Letty as she refilled his glass with wine, “you’re a very good cook. This meal is a definite improvement over the cooking I’m used to.”
