by Bobbi Smith
"I am, too."
Casey watched Michael coming her way, and for the first time she saw him as Michael Donovan, the manot Michael Donovan, her adversary.
It made a difference.
Now she noticed how handsome he truly was with his chiseled features and dark good looks. She noticed, too, how he moved with a powerful, easy grace. His shoulders seemed wider, and as he stopped before her, she realized he towered over her. Casey lifted her gaze to his and found herself mesmerized by his dark-eyed regard. The look in his eyes was gentle and kind.
"Casey," Michael began, "you surprised me today, and that doesn't happen very often."
"Is that good or bad?" she asked cautiously, not quite sure what he was talking about.
"This time it was good," he explained. "Your gift to my father I wanted to let you know what it meant to him."
"So he really likes it?"
"Oh, yes. He's very grateful to you. We all are."
Casey smiled and relaxed. "I'm just glad it worked."
"He's thrilled to be able to get around the house again."
"Good."
"I have to admit," Michael began almost apologetically, "I hadn't expected you to be so thoughtful."
"I felt sorry for your mother. She's been so nice to me, and when she told me what a bad time your father was having, I wanted to find a way to help."
"You did."
"I'm glad." Casey's smile turned wry. "But to tell you the truth, I was a little afraid you might be irritated with me."
"Why?"
"Well, building a wheelchair isn't exactly girl's work."
"Casey, it was a gift from your heart. That is all that mattered."
Michael looked down at her, ignoring the boyish way she was dressed, seeing only her bright eyes and sweet expression. He finally admitted to himself that she really was a pretty girl and that she might even be beautiful.
"Really?"
"Yes. Thank you," Michael said the last softly and seriously as his gaze dropped to her lips. He felt the need to kiss her, but he suppressed the desire. He firmly told himself he couldn't betray their arrangement, that there was no place for kisses in their deal.
"You're welcome." She smiled brightly again, unaware of his inner conflict.
"You want to sit and talk for a while?" he suggested.
"As long as we stay back away from the water, sure."
"Now who's the one who's not very trusting?"
They both laughed, and she followed him to a cool, shady spot on the riverbank. They sat down next to each other, but made sure not to get too close.
"It is pretty here," Casey remarked, looking out across the water.
"I used to like coming here a lot, until I had a run-in with a certain troublemaker," Michael said, grinning at her.
"You got your revenge. Aren't you satisfied?" she challenged.
"I have to admit I did enjoy getting even with you."
They both laughed at the memory.
It was then that Michael glanced down at her left hand. He expected to see his ring there.
"You're not wearing your engagement ring."
"Don't worry. I didn't lose it," she hurried to assure him. "I know how precious it is, and I was worried about damaging it. I figured it was safer to keep it on a chain."
Casey lifted the gold chain she was wearing out of her shirt to show him the ring.
"I guess you're right." Michael didn't know why it bothered him that she wasn't wearing his ring on her hand for everyone to see, but it did.
"So your pa is feeling a little better?" she asked.
"Yes."
"I wish I could say the same about mine."
"Why?" Michael knew he had to watch what he said to her about her father.
"When I left him, he didn't look very good. He was pale, but he wouldn't admit he was feeling bad."
"Maybe he was just tired from riding over with you to the Circle D today."
"I hope that's it. Pa's a proud man."
"I understand. My pa's the same way proud and stubborn."
"Pride is one thing, but it doesn't make any sense when you put yourself in danger. Pa must have known he was feeling bad the day he collapsed. He should have said something to me. I could have gotten him to town to see Dr. Murray."
"He probably thought he could tough it out."
"I'm sure he did, and that kind of reasoning almost killed him. Next to my mother dying, that was the worst moment of my life coming into the house and finding him lying on the floor. I thought he was dead." Casey shuddered at the memory.
Michael saw her distress and wanted to reassure her. "But he's fine now."
"I hope." She drew a deep breath. "What about you? That had to be horrible, getting the news that your pa had been shot when you were so far away."
"It was horrible. The trip back seemed to take forever. I was scared he was going to die before I-could get here to see him."
"But you made it."
"Yes, thank God, I did, and he's still with us. I know Pa's not happy, but maybe with time, he'll be able to accept what's happened and go on with his life."
Can you accept it?"
"I have to. I can't change anything."
"What about your life back in Philadelphia?"
"I enjoyed the time I spent there. I learned a lot."
"Like how to dress like a dandy?" she teased.
"That was one of many lessons. My uncle was very glad when I started to dress like a gentleman. He wasn't overly fond of my usual boots and work pants."
"Do you miss being back East?"
"I miss some of it."
"What?" she asked, curious.
"The social life. There was a lot to do in Philadelphia."
Casey had been wondering if he'd left any special girlfriends behind. She knew he wasn't going to volunteer the information, so she just came out and asked, "What about girls?"
"What about them?" Michael looked over at her.
"Was there anyone special you were seeing?"
He hesitated, thinking of Karen. "There was one girl I was seeing regularly. Her name is Karen. We saw each other socially, but there was nothing more to it than that."
Casey found she was relieved at the news, and the emotion surprised her.
"What about you?" Michael asked. "Do you have another man in your life?"
"Only my pa," she answered, not giving a thought to John McQueen. "Michael, this must be very difficult for you. I mean, there you were, living the life of a gentleman, and now you're back in Hard Luck..." She almost finished with "being forced to many me," but stopped herself in time.
"This is where I want to be," Michael said firmly.
His answer surprised her.
"It is?"
"Now that I've had time to think about it yes." He looked out over the countryside. "I love this land. I tried to deny it. I did deny it for all those years I was away, but now I realize this is where I belong. It's a part of me."
Casey was glad to hear it. It had been difficult enough for her to deal with the idea of their arranged marriage, without thinking that Michael was going to hate everything about their life together after the wedding.
"I love it, too. I know some people don't approve of me doing so much work on the ranch, but I had to help Pa. Besides, it's what I want to do."
"You are good at it," he remarked.
His compliment caught her off guard. "Thanks."
"Nick is definitely impressed with you."
"He is?"
"That's right. If I hadn't claimed you, he might be next in line."
"Nick is very charming."
"That's for sure. He's quite the ladies' man. I bet the majority of the girls in Philadelphia are counting the days until he returns."
"Is Nick going to stay long?"
"He'll be here at least until our wedding. I've asked him to be my best man."
"Good," she said happily.
Michael was surprised that he felt a little jealous of
her warmth toward his cousin.
"And I've asked Anne to be my maid of honor," Casey went on. "I guess we have our wedding party all set."
"It looks that way."
"What has Nick been doing?"
"He's been working on the house with me."
"How is it going?" She still found it hard to believe that in a few short weeks she was going to have her very own home and would be sharing it with Michael.
"We've made a start," he said.
"When can I ride over and take a look around?"
"Any time you want. Why don't you come tomorrow?"
"1 can do that. I'm anxious to see what you've done."
"I'm sure it could use a woman's touch."
"That's right. If I know men, you'll need all the help you can get with this, and it is going to be our house," she pointed out.
"Yes, it is, isn't it?"
Michael looked at Casey again as if seeing her for the first time.
Soon they would really be married.
They would be living together.
The enormity of it struck him.
This beautiful woman sitting with him beside the river was really going be his wife.
But in name only, he reminded himself.
Then his gaze dropped to her lips, and any thoughts of in name only were lost.
Unable to resist the temptation, he bent ever so slowly toward her in a very nonthreatening way, and then he kissed her.
It was a gentle kiss, a tender kiss.
Or at least it started out that way.
Michael hadn't meant for it to be more, but when he slipped his arms around her and drew her near, an arc of pure sensual awareness ignited between them. The power of it caught him unawares. He struggled to control his reaction to her, and he managed until Casey gave a small sigh that sounded like a moan of pure pleasure.
Suddenly desperate for more, Michael deepened the kiss. His mouth slanted over hers. He parted her lips and tasted of her sweetness. Drawing her even closer, he enjoyed the feel of her soft body melding to his as they lay back on the sweet bed of grass.
At the first touch of his lips, Casey had warned herself that this was Michael. She'd told herself they had an agreement. But as his lips had continued to plunder hers, nothing mattered except the unexpected thrill of being in his embrace. And when he'd lain her back upon the soft bed of grass, she lifted her arms around his neck and drew him down even closer.
Her unspoken encouragement urged Michael on. Caught up in the delight of being near her, he boldly caressed the sweet curve of her breast.
Casey had never known such intimacy. Her breath caught in her throat. Desire shivered through her and this time she knew she wasn't shivering from being wet, like the last time at the river. Michael's caresses aroused feelings in her that left her wanting no, needing more. A deep and hungry ache grew within the womanly heart of her. Driven by that urge, she shifted her hips instinctively against him.
The movement of her hips against his was enticing. Primal desire urged Michael on. He pressed hot kisses to her throat as he freed the buttons on her shirt. His lips followed the path his hands explored, caressing the creamy tops of her breasts.
Delight trembled through Casey as Michael worked his magic upon her willing flesh. She had never been so intimate with a man before, and though she was nervous, she was also caught up in the splendor of his touch. It was pure ecstasy, being in his arms.
"Oh, Michael-" His name was a passionate whisper.
The sound of her voice jarred the last fragment of sanity that remained within Michael.
Somehow he summoned enough willpower to stop before things went any further.
Fearing if he didn't do it immediately he would never be able to, Michael shifted abruptly away from Casey. He sat far enough from her to make sure there was no physical contact between them. Tension was etched in every line of his body as he stared out across the river. He deliberately did not glance her way. He feared if he took one look at Casey, he would haul her back into his arms, and he couldn't risk that. He remained immobile, frozen in body and soul.
Casey was stunned first by her own unexpected re action to Michael's kiss and caress, and now by his complete and utter rejection of her.
A deep sense of shame filled her.
It had been foolish to think for even a moment that there was any real attraction between them. It was obvious from the way Michael was acting, looking so angry and disgusted, that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. She wasn't even sure how the whole thing had started, but she was sorry. They had actually been getting along for a moment, and now...
"I'm sorry," she muttered, getting nervously to her feet. She felt awkward and unsure of herself, and that was unusual for her.
"So am I," Michael answered tersely, still not looking her way. "It won't happen again."
Casey's humiliation ran deep. She took his words as a complete rejection of her. She didn't know how she could have been so weak-willed as to allow that kiss to happen, but she was going to have to make sure it never happened again.
From now on, Casey decided, she would keep her distance from him. She could not let him know that his embrace had thrilled her, when it was obvious he had no interest in her at all. He'd agreed to their marriage to get control of the water for the Circle D.Other than that, she meant nothing to him, and she never would.
Not knowing what else to do, Casey started to walk toward her horse.
"You're leaving?" Michael asked, still not looking her way.
"Yes."
"I'll see you tomorrow at the house."
Casey said no more. There was no point.
She mounted up and rode away. She did not look back.
Michael waited for some time before deciding to leave as well. He was proud that he had been able to stop himself, but he wondered at the unexpected passion that had erupted between them.
He and Casey had agreed their relationship would be in name only. They had both been satisfied with the idea that they would not be intimate with one another.
Yet her kiss had aroused him like no other woman's ever had.
Michael wasn't sure what to do. This was Casey he was dealing with.
She had always meant trouble for him and it looked as if that wasn't going to change.
"How did your visit with Cassandra go?" Elizabeth asked Michael when he returned home.
Michael had known she would ask, so he'd practiced several different answers on the ride back to the house.
"Fine." He kept his tone light. "She was glad Pa liked the wheelchair."
"Despite her roughness, Cassandra is a very sweet young woman," Elizabeth began, singing her praises.
As she was speaking, Michael thought about just how sweet Casey was her kiss her touch the feel of her in his arms.
"Yes yes, she is sweet," he said, jerking his thoughts away from that all-too-dangerous memory.
"You do plan to spend more time with her, don't you?"
"Don't worry. We're seeing each other again tomorrow.
She said she'd come to the building site and take a look at how we're coming along."
Elizabeth smiled in open delight. "That's good, and don't forget what I told you about trying to court her and woo her. She is going to be your wife."
"I know, Ma," Michael answered, embarrassed by his mother's advice.
"I have to admit I did have some misgivings about this marriage, but I don't anymore."
"Why is that?" Michael asked.
"Cassandra has impressed me as being a very strong, bright young woman. The more I get to know her, the more I like her. She has suffered a lot in her life, losing her mother at such a young age. Now, with Jack not doing well, it looks like things are going to be even more difficult in the future. She's going to need you to be strong for her, Michael."
"I'll do my best." Michael thought about the strength it had taken for him to stop kissing Casey earlier. As aroused as he'd been and as willing as Casey had seem
ed to be, anything might have happened between them if he hadn't stopped. He was glad that he'd broken off their embrace, but he was still angry with himself for kissing her in the first place. He had no doubt she was furious with him right now, and he didn't blame her.
He had always prided himself on being a man of his word. He had to abide by their agreement.
"You're a good man, Michael. Cassandra is a lucky young woman to be getting you for a husband." Elizabeth stood up and went to her son to kiss his cheek.
"I hope she thinks so" he told his mother, managing only a half-smile.
"Give her time. Once she gets to know you, she'll love you," she stated with certainty.
Love me? Michael hated keeping a secret from his mother, but there was no way he could ever tell her the truth. He could see himself getting along with Casey, but he didn't think Casey would ever fall in love with him.
"What about you?" Elizabeth asked him point-blank. "How are you coming to feel about her?"
"I'm not sure." It was as honest an answer as he could give at that moment. He truly was confused by his own reactions to Casey.
"You shouldn't be, and that's good. It's much too soon. I'm glad you don't hold any animosity toward her and her father."
"No. It's just that Casey is very different from any other girl I've ever known."
"She certainly is. Who's the girl you were seeing back in Philadelphia?"
"Karen Whittington."
"How do you feel about her? Were the two of you serious about each other?"
Michael frowned at her question. It had been only a matter of weeks since he'd seen Karen, but it seemed much longer. At first, he had missed her occasionally, but now he seldom thought of her.
"Karen is a very beautiful woman. She's rich and sophisticated. We enjoyed each other's company."
"Are you in love with her?" Elizabeth was worried about what Michael's answer would be, but she had to ask.
He hesitated for a moment as the memory of Casey's kiss played in his mind. He had never reacted so powerfully to Karen's embrace. "I'm not sure."
"If you were in love with her, you would know it," Elizabeth said with certainty.
"I would?"
"You would. If you loved her, you wouldn't be able to bear being apart from her, and you certainly wouldn't have agreed to marry Cassandra not even to save the ranch. If you were in love with Karen, nothing would stop you from being with her."
