by Francis Ray
Her polite “no, thank you” didn’t move them along. In less than thirty minutes, she had two plates, four glasses of wine.
“Excuse me, fellows, but Raven and I were about to dance.” Not waiting for an answer, he led her to the dance floor, an area off the immense patio, and drew her into his arms. As always, she fit perfectly, as if she had been created just for him.
“I told you you’d create a sensation.”
Her delicate brow lifted. “And women are waiting to get their chance with you.”
He tsked. “Except for Cynthia, you’re imagining things.”
She shook her head, her unbound hair blowing in the slight wind. He caught the strands and curved them behind her ear, captured again by the silkiness of her hair, her skin. “Just look around you.”
He kept his gaze trained on her. “I’m looking at the only woman I want.”
The sudden softness in her face, in her eyes, made his gut clench. He’d give anything to keep this woman, to find the secret to keeping her happy. He wished he could kiss her, just a brush of his lips to let her know how much she appealed to him.
The music stopped. He’d never been much for dancing, but to keep Raven in his arms he’d dance all night.
“Duncan. Raven,” Isaac greeted them. “Glad you made it.”
Reluctantly Duncan released Raven and slid his arm around her slim waist. “Hello, Isaac. Half the county must be here.”
He laughed jovially. “Probably more than that.”
“Good evening, Isaac,” Raven greeted him. “It’s a wonderful graduation party. You must be so proud of Cynthia.”
A moment of sadness touched his round face. “I am. I just wish her mother could be here.”
“Millie would be proud,” Duncan said, referring to Cynthia’s mother, who had died of pneumonia when Cynthia was a senior in high school.
“That she would,” Isaac agreed. “I’d better circulate, like Cynthia wanted.”
“Good-bye, Isaac, and thanks again,” Raven said.
A fast song ended and a slow one began. Duncan swung Raven into his arms.
“You already had one dance,” Rooster greeted them, placing his hand on Duncan’s arm. “If you don’t mind, boss, I wanted to introduce Raven to some of my friends.”
He did mind, but Raven had already turned to Rooster. “Rooster, remember our conversation.”
He waved her words aside. “I never forget a thing. Ain’t that right, boss?”
“Never,” Duncan agreed, accepting that he wasn’t going to be holding Raven anytime soon.
Rooster held out his arm. Raven curved hers through it. “We’ll see you later.”
Raven spoke over her shoulder: “Save me a dance.”
Duncan watched Rooster, like a proud father, squire Raven across the wooden dance floor to a high table surrounded by several men from the Double D. In a matter of minutes, at least six other men joined them. One led her out onto the dance floor, then another and another as one song ended and another began.
Looked like he’d have a long wait before his dance . . . if he got one at all.
“She’s making a spectacle of herself,” Cynthia said. “People will talk.”
Duncan whirled around so fast the young woman stepped back. He had been so engrossed in watching Raven that he had sent women on their way who wanted to talk, been less than friendly with ranchers. His entire focus had been Raven. He hadn’t even heard Cynthia approach.
“If I hear one word, I’ll know where it came from, and you, me, and your daddy will have a talk that you won’t like,” he warned.
Lips painted a shocking red tightened. “I can say what I please. This is my house. My daddy—”
“Should have said no to you long ago,” Duncan said, cutting her off. “If he had, you wouldn’t be so mean-spirited. You’ve changed in the past couple of years, and it hasn’t been for the better. You’re jealous because men are paying attention to Raven instead of to you.”
“If anyone is jealous, it has to be you,” she said, her voice quaking. “You can’t take your eyes off her, and she hasn’t looked your way once.”
The truth didn’t bother him as much as Cynthia pointing it out to him. He never wanted to be the target of gossip and speculation again. “Just remember what I said.”
Not giving her a chance to answer, Duncan went to the jovial crowd surrounding Raven. She looked ethereal in the white strapless sundress, her hair flowing free. He wanted to strip the dress from her to see and taste the soft skin beneath, see her hair spread out on his pillow.
He was well aware that conversation abruptly ended when he approached. “I’m leaving. You ready, Raven?”
“She promised to teach me how to do the two-step,” Billy said, his smile missing for once.
“I’ll bring her, boss,” Ramon said, slapping Billy on the back. “Billy dances like he has three left feet.” All the men, including Billy, laughed.
Duncan kept his gaze on Raven. “Raven?”
She casually held up her full glass of wine. “It would be a shame to waste this. Plus I promised Billy, and I always keep my word.”
Duncan had an urge to grab her by the arm and take her anyway. The thought shocked him, made him ashamed. He didn’t manhandle women. “Stay as long as you want. Good night.”
Duncan put one foot in front of the other and kept walking. If Cynthia had figured out he was jealous, there was a good possibility others had as well. One woman had stomped his pride in the mud in front of his friends; he wouldn’t let another.
Surreptitiously Raven watched Duncan fade into the darkness. She had watched him most of the night, became jealous when woman after woman kept approaching him, especially Cynthia. She might be young and spoiled, but she had something Duncan valued, a connection to the land he loved and honored.
He wouldn’t use the young woman to get to the land, but it could be a bridge, a starting point for them to build a relationship. Raven had nothing to offer but herself—and she wasn’t even willing to give that.
“Ready to give me that lesson now, Raven?” Billy asked, his handsome young face anxious.
This was important to him. Raven thought she knew why. He’d been following Cynthia with a morose expression all night.
“Of course.”
“I’ll hold your wine until you get back,” Ramon said. “Then it’s my turn at a dance.”
“Then mine,” Terry, another hand at the Marshall ranch, said.
Raven never felt less like dancing. She smiled and allowed Billy to lead her to the wooden floor that had been erected for dancing. Duncan wasn’t for her. For a while she had forgotten and let herself believe he was. She mustn’t forget again.
“Billy, I think if you paid more attention to what you’re doing, this would go a lot better,” Raven said, trying not to wince as she felt the brush of Billy’s boot against her foot. She certainly had picked the wrong time to wear sandals, but she had wanted to look feminine and desirable for Duncan.
That was her first mistake. Riding in the truck with just the two of them to the party was her second. She thought it would be fun. It was, but it made her more aware of him. Leaving with him would have been strike number three. She was too conscious of him.
If he kissed her like his eyes promised when he came for her just now, she would be in his bed before the night was over. A fission of heat coursed though her, causing her to tremble.
“Sorry, Raven.” Billy lifted his contrite gaze to hers. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
“Depends,” Raven said, trying to think of something else besides Duncan and the incredible way he made her feel. “Did you want to ask Cynthia for a dance or see if she’d notice you?”
He shook his head. “Dad always said women were smarter than men.”
“Smart man, but you didn’t answer my question,” Raven said.
Billy scrunched up his face and finally gave up all pretense of dancing. “Can we walk over there?”
Raven start
ed toward the end of the immense patio, away from the crowd of people and his friends. She stopped by a metal bench.
“Please have a seat,” he said.
Raven sat. Billy was courteous, hardworking, and loyal. Cynthia could do worse.
“I met her in town a couple of weeks ago. She seemed interested and impressed that I graduated from the University of Texas until Ramon walked up and said we had to get back to work.” He took off his hat to run his hand over his close-cropped black hair. “The other girls with her made disparaging sounds. She couldn’t get to her convertible Benz fast enough. I haven’t seen her again until tonight.”
“I’m sorry, Billy, but if she’s that superficial, you’re better off without her,” Raven said gently.
He plopped down beside her. “I know. I thought of telling her my dad is as rich as hers, maybe richer.”
“Billy, lies never help.”
He looked at her, then burst out laughing. Several people turned toward them. “You really don’t know?”
She frowned. “Know what?”
“Both my parents come from oil and real estate,” he told her with a smile. “They’re partners in one of the top law firms in the state. I’m here for the summer; then I start law school in Dallas at SMU in the fall.”
“You always wanted to be a cowboy,” she said, recalling Duncan’s story.
“Yeah. The wife of one of Mom’s biggest clients heard me talking about it at a party and said she knew just the place.” He shook his head. “A few days later I was on a plane to Billings. Mrs. Navarone works fast.”
“What? Sierra, Blade’s wife, is the reason you’re here?”
“You know them?” he asked, the surprise on his face mirroring hers.
She laughed. “Meet a fellow benefactee. Blade is funding my research. I’m leaving at the end of summer as well.”
“At least the boss will miss you. Cynthia could care less,” he said, his shoulders slumped.
Raven thought of denying that Duncan would miss her, then decided it was probably best to let it pass. She placed her hand on Billy’s shoulder. “I hear there are a lot of pretty girls in Texas, and just think, they’re going to meet a real cowboy.”
“Why didn’t you say you liked them young and green?” Crane sneered. An almost empty glass of bourbon in his hand, he swayed unsteadily on his feet. “Does McBride know?”
Billy came to his feet. “You have a foul mind, Crane. Take it someplace else.”
“Whooo, I’m scared,” Crane said, and laughed.
Raven caught Billy’s arm. “I only care about people’s opinion of me that I respect. Let’s join the others.”
Crane’s face harshened. “You—”
“Say it and you’ll wonder what mountain fell on you,” Raven said, her voice flat and cold.
He stepped back, glanced around. Several people were watching. Ramon and Rooster quickly closed the distance and positioned themselves in front of Raven. When Raven couldn’t budge them, she stepped around them. “Good-bye, Crane. Walk away while you can.”
Whirling, he quickly left. Raven faced the three angry men. “If one of you says a word to Duncan, you’ll have me to deal with. Understood?”
“The boss would tear him apart if—”
“Ramon, I don’t like repeating myself,” Raven said.
“Menfolk take care of—”
She rounded on Rooster. “I am not some helpless woman. I can take care of myself. I thought we’d settled that.”
“We know that, Raven, but when the boss hears about this, and believe me he will, Crane is going to wish he had never been born,” Billy said, his gaze locked on Crane’s fast-retreating back.
Since there were a couple of men from the Marshall ranch within hearing distance, she knew the story would eventually reach Duncan, but by then she hoped Crane would have the sense God gave a goose and make himself scarce.
“I’m going to thank the hostess and then we can leave.” She looked each man in the eyes. “Crane might be an idiot, but we have better sense and more respect for Cynthia, her father and friends not to start a fight and mar a night they’re celebrating.”
“Leave it to a woman to tie a man’s hands,” Ramon said with regret. “We’ll be good. The boss deserves the honor of putting Crane in his place.”
“Ramon is right,” Billy said. “I’m just hoping I’m there when it happens.”
There it was again, the inference that she and Duncan were an item. Or was it simply because, as she was his houseguest, he was expected to take care of her? To her surprise, from Rooster there was nothing, which made Raven a bit uneasy.
Deciding not to look at Rooster to gauge his reaction, she went in search of Cynthia.
It took some doing, but Raven finally located Cynthia in her room. Raven knocked on the door she had been directed to by Cynthia’s older sister, Michelle, who said Cynthia had gone upstairs to freshen her makeup.
“Come in.”
Raven opened the door to find Cynthia with her back to the door, staring out a large window. Raven thought the pose odd. “Thank you, I’m leaving. It was a wonderful party.”
The younger woman faced her, her dark eyes misty. “I knew you weren’t any good when I first saw you. You want all the men after you.” She sniffed. “This was my party and you ruined it for me.”
Apologetic, Raven softly closed the door behind her. “I’m sorry, Cynthia. It wasn’t my intention to cause you any distress.”
Cynthia moved to stand in front of her. “Duncan will never love you.”
Just hearing the words pierced Raven’s heart, made her ache inside, left her without a comeback.
“You’ll soon be gone and I’ll still be here, my father’s ranch still next to his,” Cynthia said, her lower lip trembling.
Perhaps because her family had been cordial to Raven, perhaps because Cynthia had said nothing about loving Duncan, Raven said, “I’ll be gone, but you can’t make a man love you no matter how hard you try. A good man will let you down gently; a bad man will use you until nothing is left.”
Raven opened the door. “Keep gauging a man by his bank account and not by his character, you’ll have only heartache ahead. Good-bye.”
Closing the door, she paused on seeing Michelle in the hallway. There was no way she hadn’t heard. “Thank you again. Good night.” Quickly passing Cynthia’s silent sister, Raven hurried down the stairs.
Going out the open door, Raven started down the lit path leading back to the patio. It looked as if she should have taken the advice she had given Rooster and the others and kept her mouth shut. She had made things worse, not better.
She heard a noise behind her a split second before a punishing hand grabbed her arm. She acted instinctively, kicking her foot backward. She connected solidly with something and heard a man’s cry of pain followed by a curse. Free, she whirled to find Crane a few feet away from her on the flagstone path. Cursing, he held his leg.
“I should have aimed higher,” she said.
“You almost broke my leg,” he moaned.
“You shouldn’t have grabbed me.”
His head came up. He stared at her coldly and then came unsteadily to his feet. “You need a real man to teach you how to treat a man. Obviously, McBride doesn’t have what it takes between the sheets.”
Raven took a menacing step toward Crane. “Like Billy said, you have a foul mouth. Take it someplace else.”
“Or what?” he challenged.
“Stay and find out,” she said.
He stared at her a long time. “You’re not worth the effort.” Turning, he limped away.
“Nicely done.”
Raven whirled to find Michelle on the path. One thing overrode everything else. “Please don’t tell Duncan.”
“I have to tell Father. What he does with the information is up to him,” Michelle said.
Raven groaned.
“But since I followed you to ask you not to think harshly of Cynthia and to apologize for h
er bad behavior, I’ll wait until the morning to tell Father,” she said.
“Thank you, and you have nothing to apologize for,” Raven said.
“We both know there is. We’ve spoiled Cynthia since Mama died, but the sweet young girl is still there,” Michelle said softly. “She’s still learning that beauty and money aren’t a woman’s most important assets.”
Raven winced. “I shouldn’t have spoken to her that way.”
Michelle shook her dark head. “The truth sometimes hurts, but it’s still the truth. I didn’t speak when you came out of her room because it stunned me for a moment that Cynthia had changed so much. After tonight things are going to be different.”
Looking at the tall, no-nonsense woman, Raven believed her. “Cynthia is lucky to have you.”
Michelle laughed. “After our talk tonight, I hope she feels that way in the morning. Good night, and thank you for coming.”
“Thank you. Good night.” Raven continued down the path to the patio. At least she had tonight. Tomorrow, once Duncan learned about Crane, all hell was going to break loose.
Duncan stepped off the porch when he saw the headlights of Ramon’s truck in the distance. In the past ten minutes Duncan had received three phone calls. With each one, his temper had accelerated.
He stopped in the middle of the driveway. The paved drive was wide enough for Ramon to go around him, but Duncan knew he wouldn’t. Sure enough, the Silverado stopped. Doors slammed as the four people Duncan had been waiting to see climbed out of the truck.
“Problems, boss?” Ramon asked.
“Is everything all right?” Raven asked, reaching him seconds behind Ramon and Billy, and only because they were on the driver’s side. Rooster reached them last.
“Come inside.” Duncan went back into the house without waiting for them, knowing they’d follow.
Duncan faced them in the middle of the great room. He controlled his temper by sheer force of will. “Is there something one of you would like to tell me?”
They traded worried stares. All three men looked at Raven.
“We had a great time at the party,” Raven said.
