“It’s already lasted too long as far as I’m concerned.” Sighing, she leaned her head back, closing her eyes. “My father has our wedding set for a week from Saturday. I’d like to get married here if that’s all right with you.”
“We’ll do this however you want.”
She opened her eyes, fixing them on his. “My father isn’t going to be happy we’re leaving. I don’t want to tell him until we’re ready to go. And I want to leave the day after we’re married.”
That gave them ten days to get ready. “You sure you should be traveling?”
“If I weren’t used to riding, I’d worry. But I think as long as I don’t do anything I don’t normally do, I’ll be fine. I want to leave now.”
“I’ll have to get into town to get my money and some supplies. I could do that this Saturday.”
She leaned forward, resting her elbow on an upturned knee, the luster returning to her eyes. Lord, but he loved that sparkle in her blue eyes, like the sun reflecting off a mirrored lake.
“I have five hundred Herefords we can take with us. My contribution to the partnership. We can use the old line shack on the north side to store our things until we’re ready to go.”
“We’ll have to hire a few men to help us with the herd,” he said. “Guess I’d best start figuring up everything we’ll need.”
“Everything’s happening kind of fast, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Yep. But that’s probably for the best. We’d probably both run off in opposite directions if we stopped to think about it too long.”
He stood up, helping her to her feet. It was a warm day, the wind blowing across the sea of tall grasses, teasing the leaves in the majestic trees. And it occurred to Jake that they had just finished planning the beginning of their life together.
The men inside the bunkhouse were tittering like little old ladies, but Jake ignored them as he sat on his bunk trying to make a list of all the supplies they’d need. He could thank Thomas Truscott for his ability to read and write. As long as he had kept up on his chores, he had been allowed to attend the one-room schoolhouse that had serviced their community. Allowed—as if it were a privilege instead of a right that everyone should have.
He had left the Truscott ranch unprepared. He didn’t plan to leave this one the same way. He’d learned a lot in three years, and he intended to put all his knowledge to good use. He drew an unplanned line across the paper as his arm was roughly nudged.
“Did you know, Jake?”
He glanced up and smiled at Frank Lewis, the only person besides Reb he’d ever considered a true friend. The red-haired youth had been raised in the city. In search of adventure, he’d signed on at the Lazy A shortly after Jake had. Knowing how much experienced ranch hands liked to pick on city boys, Jake had taken it upon himself to teach Frank the things he’d need to know to survive life on a ranch.
“Know what?” He hadn’t been listening, and he really couldn’t have cared less, but he didn’t want to crush Frank’s excitement. Considering the fresh nicks on Frank’s face, he figured Frank was going to announce that he was having to shave every day now.
“Know about Reb getting married?”
He felt the heat warming his face and he just hoped the red creeping up it wasn’t visible. “Yeah, I knew.”
“Goddamn! So it is true! Goddamn! Reb getting married! Wonder who the lucky son-of-a-bitch is. Any idea, Jake?”
Along with shaving, Frank thought the use of “goddamn” was a sign of manhood. Jake refrained from smiling at his overabundant use of the word. Once would have sufficed to get his message across.
Jake hadn’t given any thought as to how he would tell people he was marrying Reb, and he wasn’t exactly sure how to tell Frank now without sounding as though he were bragging. He was given a momentary reprieve when the door to the bunkhouse opened.
“Jake!” Bassett’s bellowing voice filled the room.
Jake peered around Frank. “Yes, sir?”
“Anderson’s expecting you up at the house for supper at seven. Be on time, boy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Frank’s eyes widened. “Why’s Anderson having you up to the house for supper?”
Although Jake had told Frank about his plans to be a rancher, he’d never shared his past or his feelings for Reb with his friend. Self-consciously, he cleared his throat.“Reckon it’s because I’m the lucky son-of-a-bitch that’s marrying Reb.”
Frank’s eyes widened further, and Jake wondered how they managed to stay in his head. “Goddamn! Reb’s marrying you?”
Jake couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. “Yep.”
Frank’s face fell and he looked like a mongrel pup that someone had just kicked out into the snow. “But what about your land in Texas?”
Jake threw a glance around the bunkhouse before motioning Frank closer. “We’re still going,” he said in a hushed tone. “Only now Reb’s going with us.”
“Is her father gonna like that?”
“Probably not, which is why we need to keep quiet about it.”
Nodding his understanding, Frank straightened his lanky frame. Then his face broke out into a broad smile. “Goddamn! You are a lucky son-of-a-bitch!”
Jake had never seen so much cutlery set out beside one plate in his entire life. One fork, one knife, that’s all a man needed to eat a meal. He realized sitting at this table that all the decisions he and Reb had made that morning regarding their leaving had been easy. What was difficult was trying to decide which damn fork to pick up. It wouldn’t be so bad if they all looked the same, but they didn’t. If he picked up the wrong one, everyone would know. Dear Lord, she must have grown up making these decisions at supper every night.
She cleared her throat and Jake’s gaze snapped from the silverware to a pair of blue eyes. She twirled a fork in her hand. Jake nodded slightly and picked up an identical fork. Lord, he hoped she wasn’t planning on bringing all this cutlery with her on the trail.
“Now then, Jake,” Anderson began. “I had a meeting with my lawyer today and out of fairness to you, I have had my will rewritten to leave this ranch to any children that you and Rebecca have together, thereby assuring this unfortunate offspring takes nothing away from your own children.”
Jake saw the fire ignite in Rebecca’s eyes. His own temper heated up, but he controlled it.
“Mr. Anderson, I’ve always considered you a fair man, but this here doesn’t sound fair to me. With all due respect, sir, this child is Reb’s and is entitled to a part of this ranch.”
“This child is another man’s leavings. Rebecca is damn fortunate you have chosen to overlook her transgressions and for that I intend to show my appreciation.”
The fork clattered as it hit the china and Rebecca shoved her plate back. “I’m finished. May I be excused?”
“No, you may not be excused. You’ll wait until your betrothed is finished before you leave this table.”
Carefully, Jake set his fork down. “Actually, sir, I’m finished. I’m not used to such fine fare, and I need to be checking on that foal. If you’ll excuse us …”
Anderson nodded. Neither Jake nor Rebecca could leave the table fast enough. Jake took her elbow when they reached the hall. “Let’s get some fresh air.”
They walked outside, heading for the corral.
“Has he been like that the whole time?” Jake asked.
“When he talks to me. I guess I should be grateful he says as little as he does.” She spun around. “You understand why I can’t stay, don’t you?”
“I understand,” he said solemnly.
“Even though I’m getting married, he’ll never accept this child. He’ll always single him out…. I don’t want this child feeling different, Jake.”
“He won’t.” He looked off into the night. It dawned on him that since he didn’t walk around with a large “B” branded on his forehead his parentage might not be as evident to everyone else as it was to him. Out of fairness, he
realized he should at least tell Rebecca. He forced his gaze back to hers. “I’m a bastard, Reb. My mother was a …” He swallowed. It was just a word, but it was a word that should never be associated with a mother, especially his mother. “She was a prostitute. I don’t know for sure who my father was. I have an idea but I can’t be positive.”
Resting her hand on his arm, she searched his eyes. “That’s what you meant about being called names. Oh, Jake, I just thought you meant children’s teasing. You know firsthand what this child would go through growing up.”
A sadness crept into his eyes. “What they say about words not hurting … it’s not true. I would have preferred the sticks and stones.”
She studied his face. He may not have had sticks and stones, but she was certain he’d had some fists. “Did you get into fights because of your background?”
Self-consciously, he rubbed the uneven bridge of his nose. “Yeah.”
She touched the scar above his brow, wondering how many other things she didn’t know about him. Things she would learn in time, things about her that she supposed he would learn.
He wrapped his fingers around hers, bringing her hand away from his face, and they continued walking towards the corral.
Rebecca rested her arms on the fence, her chin on her arms. “He’s giving us ten of these horses as a wedding present. Pick out the best and we’ll take them with us.”
“Speaking of what we’re taking with us….” Jake gave her a hard stare. “You’re not planning on taking all those forks with you, are you?”
Her laughter filled the night, washing over him like a summer storm. “No. Two should do it. One for me and one for you.”
Jake released a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”
She slipped her arm through his as they started walking back towards the house. “What are all those men doing outside the bunkhouse this time of night?” she asked.
They stopped walking a few feet from the house. Jake rubbed the back of his neck. Some of the men had seemed downright disgruntled when the news of his marriage to Reb had spread through the bunkhouse. Others had thrown threatening glances his way. He couldn’t blame them.“Well, they heard you were marrying me and most of them ain’t believing it.” “And why not?”
“Because they have the same opinion I do.” “Which is?”
Oh, Lord, he was going to lose her now. “That you’re a beautiful woman and could marry any man you wanted. All you’d have to do is let him know. As a matter of fact, Reb, I was thinking … if there’s someone else—”
She put one of her slender fingers to his lips. “Don’t you think they’re going to think it a little strange if you don’t give me a good-night kiss?”
“Would you mind?”
“If they thought it strange?”
“No.” His eyes lovingly caressed her face. She was offering him more than he’d hoped for. “Would you mind if I gave you a good-night kiss?”
Her smile was warm, her lips inviting. “No, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
He removed his hat. Placing a roughened hand on the nape of her neck, bringing her close, he leaned down to brush his lips against hers, feeling the softness, the fullness of them against his own. He lingered only a moment before pulling back, afraid the temptation to taste the sweetness of her mouth would overpower him.
“Good night, Reb.” His voice was drowned out by the catcalls and kissing sounds of the men at the bunkhouse. “Damn cowboys,” he muttered.
Smiling up at him, she turned and started skipping back towards the house. “They’ll be worse at the wedding!” she called out over her shoulder.
Jake headed towards the bunkhouse, shoving his hat down low over his brow, ignoring every question that was asked since every question was the same, only asked in a different voice. How had he managed to convince Rebecca Anderson to marry him?
Rebecca blew the lamp out before walking to the window of her bedroom. Looking out over the east side of the ranch,her gaze fell onto the bunkhouse. As she traced the outline of her lips with her finger, she wondered if Jake was already asleep. Although the kiss had been brief and as light as fairy wings, she could still feel exactly where his lips had covered hers. She had been surprised to feel her heart beating so hard, to hear its thundering in her ears, and to realize she felt disappointed when he had said good night.
A lifetime. She wrapped her arms around herself and smiled. A lifetime.
Chapter Three
IT DIDN’T TAKE long for the black stallion to learn who was master, although Rebecca knew it would take a few more months for the sinewy mustang to adapt and become the first-rate cutting pony she wanted. His training would begin on the trail when they left for Texas.
“I’m going to call him Shadow!” Rebecca called out, smiling at Jake. Her smile was even broader than the one she’d given him when she’d first watched him work with the horses. She felt a swelling of pride in her chest that threatened to burst the buttons on her shirt.
Her eyes were as bright as the sun and Jake couldn’t resist giving her his own smile, which had nothing to do with his success in taming the horse, and everything to do with that gorgeous expression he’d been able to bring forth on her face. He removed his hat and hit at the dust on his pants. When he looked up, she placed her hand on the back of his head, planting a kiss on his lips to the hoots of the few men who had come to watch the horses being broken.
His smile became as broad as hers. “Do that every time I break a horse, and I’ll break the whole herd instead of the ten that belong to us.”
Rebecca laughed, a sweet, melodic laugh as she released him and turned her attention to the restless horses prancing in the corral.
“Which one do you want next?” he asked her.
“The palomino.”
He rolled his eyes. “Not going after any without spirit, are you?”
“No need to when I got you.”
Her words warmed him as much as her lips pressing against his. He plopped his hat back on his head. “Okay, boys, she wants the palomino!”
After witnessing the hostility Anderson had been directing at his daughter, Jake had decided breaking the horses might be what Reb needed to take her mind off her troubles. And it certainly did seem to be doing the trick. The tension lines he’d spotted beneath her eyes that morning were gone and the smile had returned to her face. He intended to make sure she understood that she was no longer carrying her burdens alone.
The days before the wedding flew by like a flock of birds heading south for the winter. Jake bought a wagon and some supplies, storing everything at the north line shack.
One evening he took Rebecca into town to have dinner at the hotel so they could have a relaxed meal without her father. It was comforting to find that despite the strain of the coming marriage, together, alone, they were at ease with each other. For appearance’s sake, he would kiss her good night because eyes were always watching somewhere, but the kisses remained chaste. Not a night went by that he didn’t go to sleep without his last thoughts concentrating on eyes of blue and all he would do to keep them sparkling and happy.
Rebecca sank down into the tub, leisurely washing herself with the scented soap her father had imported from France for her. She leaned back, the warm waters creating a mist around her. The groom wasn’t the man she’d spent countless nights dreaming about, wasn’t the man she loved, wasn’t the father of her child. But Jake Burnett was a good man. In all the time she’d known him, he’d never shown her anything but kindness.
She stepped out of the water and dried herself off with soft towels before sitting down before her mirror. She gazed at her reflection, somehow expecting it to look different.But it didn’t. She took a deep breath and began to prepare herself for the most important day of her life.
When she was satisfied with her efforts, she moved to the window, looking out at the familiar view. She had once found comfort here. All her future comforts resided with the man awaiting her downstairs.
S
he stepped into the hallway.
“My God, girl, you look just like your mother standing there,” her father said as he approached her.
It was the first time he had ever indicated she resembled her mother, although she had suspected it. He kept no portraits of her mother, had only on rare occasions even mentioned her. Her death during Rebecca’s delivery had shattered her father. Until this moment, it had never occurred to her that she was a constant reminder of the woman he had loved.
Anderson extended his arm to his daughter and she slipped her hand around it.
“All these years,” he said, “I thought she had left me, and this evening, I see that she was with me all along. What a wonderful gift you are.” He kissed her cheek. “You’re a beautiful bride.”
Tears sprang to Rebecca’s eyes at her father’s kind words, words similar to so many he had spoken over the years. His harsh treatment after she told him about the baby had hurt her terribly. Her tears were also brought on by the knowledge that in a small way she was betraying him. She gave him a heartfelt smile. “I love you, Daddy. Remember that. No matter what happens. I love you.”
They descended the sweeping stairs and stepped into her father’s study. The sea of guests parted. She saw Jake, wearing a crisp white shirt and a black tie, standing before the window. Beside him stood Frank Lewis, looking more nervous than the groom.
Jake’s mouth went dry at the sight of his bride, the white silk dress adorned with tiny pearls fitting her as though she had been molded inside of it. She wore a wreath of tiny flowers, her long, black hair cascading down her narrow back. The long skirt whispered across the floor as she came to stand beside him.
Tentatively, she released her hold on her father and slipped her arm through Jake’s as her father moved away.
Jake cupped her cheek with his palm, his eyes searching hers. “If you’ve changed your mind, I’ll step aside.” His voice was low, his words for her alone.
“I haven’t. Have you?”
Slowly he shook his head, his gaze delving so deeply into hers, she felt their souls touching, mating, taking vows stronger than the ones that were about to be spoken aloud.
Lorraine Heath Page 3
