Bonds of Matrimony

by Carrigan Fox

  “Dammit, Cochrane, you could have been killed,” Webb scolded her.

  The very thought had just occurred to Chastity, and her hands had begun to tremble. It also occurred to her that as she and the Korvan brothers wrestled Richards for the gun, any one of the three men might have noticed her bound breasts or feminine hips. These unfortunate features were well-hidden with men’s clothing. But piled on the floor as they had been, it was surprising that nobody had noticed. She could only suppose that the men were more focused on getting the gun. She certainly had been.

  “You’re shakin’ like a leaf, boy. Let’s get you another drink. My treat.”

  “I’m fine. Really,” she assured him, bending to pick up the chair she’d overturned. Dizziness assaulted her while she was bent over, and she grabbed the chair to steady herself. Colton Webb wasn’t kind enough to pretend he didn’t notice.

  “The hell you are. C’mon.”

  She left the chair on the floor and followed Webb shakily to the bar. Sitting on the stool beside him, she rested her head in her hands, deliberately burying her face so he wouldn’t see the womanish shock.

  “That scared the hell outta me. I won’t lie.”

  Chase raised her face and watched Webb run his large tanned hand over his forehead and into his hair. He dropped money on the bar for the barkeep and pushed a pint toward her.

  “It’s been a long while since a man pulled a gun on me. But at least the last time, I had deserved it. Hell, I even expected it. Not this time, though.”

  “He was a bloody twitchy bastard,” she commented before taking a long drink of the cool ale.

  Webb grinned at her and answered, “Sure was. Thanks for your quick response. I owe you my life, you know.”

  “You owe me nothing,” Chase assured him. “We were lucky, that’s all.”

  “I’m the lucky one. I’m especially lucky that you have good instincts.”

  Right at that moment, she was fighting to keep from looking at Webb’s devastating profile. Her instincts were telling her to drink up quickly and head back to my cabin. Suddenly, Chase recognized the very danger that James was trying so hard to protect her from. And she knew that it was necessary to put as much distance as she could between herself and Colton Webb…right after she finished her pint.

  “Cigar?”

  “Please.” She accepted his matches and lit her own, as though she’d done it millions of times before.

  “What’s your brother like?” Webb asked, turning on his stool to study Chase more closely. She didn’t have to face him to know that he was scrutinizing her.

  “He’s three years older. Dark like me. My younger brother, Reese, is blond. He looks more like my grandmother.”

  “Is he still in England?”

  “Reese? No. He’s here.”

  “On board? Funny. I never see him with you.”

  “Reese and I are very different. He spends more time watching over my grandmother.”

  She met his eyes and saw his concern. “Is she ill?”

  “Oh no. She’s healthier than you and me.”

  The silence grew awkward. She turned and saw Webb grin into his beer. “You don’t like talking about your family, do you?”

  “It’s not a fascinating topic.”

  “I was just wondering if your brother was as…” he trailed off.

  “What?”

  “I just wonder if he’s a strong man. You seem very sheltered, Cochrane. I hope you know what you’re getting into by coming to Texas.”

  “Tell me about it,” she suggested.

  “It’s hard work. The sun is brutal this time of year. Ranching is a lifestyle, not a job. And judging by your…” again he paused and then grabbed her wrist. “Well, judging by your soft hands, for example, hard work isn’t something I’d think you were used to, no offense.”

  “None taken.” How could she be offended? He paid closer attention than she would have thought he did. And he thought she was a prissy young man. It occurred to her that he was probably hoping her brother would make her more manly. “And you’re right. I’m probably not prepared for what lies ahead.”

  “What was your life like back in England?”

  “Stifling. Rigid. Detestable.”

  He laughed. “Okay, I get the idea. So why’d you stay? Why not leave with your brother?”

  “My father was an earl. My parents obsessed about the perceptions and opinions of others. My brother disgraced the family and was disowned. He left because he had no other option.” She didn’t think he could possibly understand that.

  Surprisingly, he nodded. “I know a bit about disgrace.” Before she could ask for more details, he said, “So have you also been disowned? Why are you following him now?”

  “There is nothing keeping us there, not anymore.”

  “Nothing keeping you? As the second son, wouldn’t you be next in line for your father’s title and estate?”

  That had been a mistake on her part. Apparently, Colton Webb knew more about English titles than she thought he had. She couldn’t come up with a response. “My father had other plans,” she answered lamely.

  “He didn’t approve of your playing cards,” Webb guessed.

  That was true enough. She only nodded.

  “Well, be prepared. Texas is not an easy place to make home.”

  “We’ll see,” Chase answered quietly. She looked at the half full glass on the bar in front of her. “And on that note, I’m going to have to turn in for the evening. This excitement has exhausted me.”

  He nodded in response, and she turned and left him alone at the bar.

  ***

  That night, Chastity lay on her back, focusing on the movement of the ship as a distraction from the thoughts that continued to plague her. She couldn’t get Colton Webb out of her mind. He was beautiful as no man she’d never met before. And yet, he was also more masculine than any man she’d met before. He talked about how hard life was in Texas, but he was quick to smile and seemed to thoroughly enjoy life.

  It seemed she had only just fallen asleep when Reese woke her for breakfast.

  “But it’s so early,” she complained, rolling over and burrowing deeper under the warm velvet quilt.

  “Well rest then. Grandmother and I are going to the dining room for breakfast. Come and join us when you decide to roll your weary body out of bed,” she sighed, clearly frustrated with her sister’s lack of energy.

  Chastity managed to ward off the feeling of guilt for thirty minutes or so, but then she felt obligated to join her family. As she descended the elegant staircase, she located her grandmother and sister. They were sitting at a table with the Havisham sisters again…and Colton Webb!

  She came to a dead stop in the middle of the staircase, unsure of whether she should rush down the steps and put a curt end to their conversation or turn and flee the scene entirely. Her grandmother knew that she was portraying a young man. Chastity was expected to be playing cards and drinking and sharing cigars with the other male passengers on the ship. Surely, her grandmother couldn’t get angry about that. And she was too intelligent to reveal to Webb that her grandson was a young woman in disguise.

  No, Chase was more concerned about the conclusions her grandmother was unquestionably drawing at that very moment. She knew that Chase had met him in Liverpool. And she was a woman, after all. Would she detect her granddaughter’s undeniable attraction to the Texan? There was little doubt in Chase’s mind. A blind woman wouldn’t be able to miss the beauty of the rugged man.

  Before she was aware of her own actions, her feet carried her down the last steps and across the dining room. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

  He was laughing easily, per normal, and listening to the conversation at the table. As she drew closer, Chase heard her grandmother’s voice while she held the attention of every passenger at the table.

  “I mounted that horse with the certainty that I would prove myself better than every man present. I thrust my nose in t
he air and dug my heels into that stallion; and the next thing I know, I’m standing and brushing mud off of my bottom while all the men laughed wildly.”

  Webb was either extremely polite, or he was enthralled with Lady Colchester’s story. He listened attentively, leaning back in his chair with his gaze focused on her. He didn’t even notice Chastity’s approach.

  She was startled when he finally spoke. “Well, Mrs. Cochrane, I wish I would have been one of those men to see that. A woman that gutsy? I would have dragged you straight to the church if I’d seen you defy your father and every other man in town like that. In Texas, we call that grit. And it’s not often you meet a woman with that kind of grit,” he assured her.

  The elder woman blushed and lifted her cup of tea to her lips. Taking a delicate sip, she replaced the china cup in its saucer on the table and then saw her granddaughter standing behind Reese. “Chase, my boy!” she greeted. “Your friend, Mr. Webb, asked to join us for breakfast. He’s been humoring this old woman’s reminiscences for the duration of the meal.”

  “Mornin’, Cochrane,” he greeted.

  “Good morning,” she replied naturally. Chase pulled up a chair and dared to look into her grandmother’s eyes. She was curious to see how much she had figured out. There was a clear glimmer in her blue eyes, but Chase couldn’t decipher the meaning.

  “Well, Evelyn, it was wonderful seeing you again this morning. We must be going,” the elder Havisham sister explained, as the two rose to leave the table.

  Webb jumped out of his seat to help the two women out of their chairs. “Allow me to escort you back to the main deck, ladies,” he suggested. The women didn’t protest. He was a few steps from the table when he tossed back, “See you tonight, Cochrane. Bring your brother, if he’d like to come.”

  She didn’t respond. She was too busy noticing her grandmother’s sternly pursed lips. She waited until he and the Havisham sisters were nearly to the top of the staircase before she hissed, “That’s Mr. Webb?”

  Chase looked across the table and saw Reese smile into her breakfast plate. Evidently, both women noticed the attractive masculinity of Colton Webb.

  “Yes,” she answered innocently. “How strange that he chose your table of all tables. Did he know who you were?”

  “He knew as soon as we introduced ourselves as Evelyn and Reese Cochrane. He made the connection and introduced himself. He told us that you spent the evening together in the lounge last night. Mentioned that you might have saved him from being shot.” She raised her eyebrows in question.

  “It was nothing really. I bumped into this man as he pulled out his gun, and nobody was hurt. I was never in any danger, Grandmother. I swear it,” she promised in a voice barely above a whisper.

  She studied her granddaughter’s eyes for a few moments and shook her head in disgust. She picked up her cup of tea again and mumbled, “I don’t believe for one moment that you were never in any danger.”

  “He wasn’t aiming the gun at me. There was no struggle. I’m—”

  She interrupted Chase, saying, “The gun wasn’t the danger.” She paused and sipped her tea, studying her granddaughter over the rim of her glass. “And judging by the color in your cheeks, the danger is still very real.”

  “Grandmother, it’s nothing.”

  “A man like that is never nothing, darling.”

  “We’ve just played cards a time or two. I hardly know the man,” she protested.

  “He tells us that he’s quite fond of you and enjoys your company. He voiced some concern over your preparation for cattle ranching. He even volunteered to take you in and work with you until we get to New York.”

  She knew on some level that her grandmother was arguing with her claim that she hardly knew him. But Chastity couldn’t get past what she’d just told her. “He enjoys my company? He said that?”

  “Listen to yourself,” Reese whispered from across the table. “You’re going to give us both away if you aren’t careful, Chase.”

  She was right. They both were. Already, Chase found myself looking for him any time she left her cabin. And when she was in her cabin, he was all she thought about. She was completely infatuated with the man, and she couldn’t jeopardize her sister and grandmother because of her surprising attraction to this stranger. She could ruin everything for all three of them.

  “You can’t see him again, Chastity. Not while we’re on this ship,” her grandmother ordered her sternly.

  Chase nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I won’t. Our safety on this leg of our trip is entirely dependent on convincing everyone on board that we are young men. I won’t ruin this for us.” She met her grandmother’s eyes first, and then her sister’s. She nodded to assure them that she meant what she had said.

  CHAPTER 4

  She managed to keep her promise for a full day and a half. After dinner that evening, Chastity stayed in her room with her sister and tried to teach her the rules of poker.

  “I think I’m starting to understand,” she beamed.

  “You’re doing very well,” Chase assured her, preoccupied with thoughts of Colton Webb. She wondered where he was at that very moment. She wondered if he was sitting at a table in the lounge, looking over his hand, and waiting for her to arrive.

  “Perhaps I should go to the lounge and try my luck at cards,” she suggested, grinning at her cards, not daring to look at her sister directly.

  “Perhaps you should,” she challenged.

  “Perhaps I could find the love of my life, too,” she teased.

  “He isn’t the love of my life. He’s just a man.”

  “He’s one of the most handsome men I’ve ever met,” she argued.

  Chase tried to hide her smile. “Me, too,” she muttered.

  “What is he like? He seems so…” she trailed off, unable to explain it.

  “Charismatic?”

  “Irresistible,” she corrected. “He told Grandmother that he’s from Texas, too. A place called Midland County. I wonder how far that is from Slaughter. Grandmother wants you to stay away from him now because our safety depends on hiding our identity. But that doesn’t mean you can’t see him once we’re in America. Perhaps Midland County is nearby. Maybe Marcus knows Mr. Colton Webb. Wouldn’t that be something?” It most certainly would be something. Her sister had revived her fantasies and given her something new to focus on. Chase simply dismissed her excitement with a shrug. These ideas weren’t safe right now. She needed to find a way to keep him out of her system for four days.

  The following morning, she hurried out of bed and rushed to the dining room for an early breakfast. Chastity figured that if Webb had spent the evening playing cards in the lounge, he probably wouldn’t be up too early for breakfast. The last thing she wanted to do was run into him now. He would probably insist on knowing why she hadn’t joined them for cards last night.

  Fortunately, she managed to finish her breakfast without any incidents with Colton Webb. In fact, she managed to avoid running into him all day.

  That third evening on the ship, Chase was reading in her room and feeling a bit antsy. She had chosen one of Reese’s romantic novels to read, in hopes that it would distract her. Instead, she struggled to avoid visualizing herself with Colton Webb riding horseback through the prairie. She pictured him putting his arms around her and kissing her mouth. She imagined what it would be like to watch him lean over and smile into her eyes.

  She had to get out.

  She hastily closed the book, startling Reese, who was sitting on top of the bed reading another romantic novel. She pushed myself up from the chair she’d been sitting in and pulled on a jacket.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, sounding concerned.

  “I have to get out of here.”

  “But Grandmother—”

  “I’m just going to go walk on the main deck,” she assured her sister. “I’ll stay out of the lounge. I promise.”

  Reese sat back and buried her nose in her book again. But Ch
astity caught her sister peeking over the book to watch her as she walked out the door. She had every right to worry. But Chase had made a promise to her grandmother, and she was too determined to make it to America safely to risk everything for Colton Webb.

  The night air was cold and crisp, stinging her face and making her grateful for having grabbed a jacket. In spite of the cool air, there were a surprising number of people walking the deck, just like she was doing. She kept a brisk pace in an effort to generate more body heat. She was also hoping the exercise would tire her out so that she could sleep soundly for once.

  Ahead of her, a young boy trailed behind two women strolling arm-in-arm. The light of the full moon glinted off of his white-blond hair. He fell further behind the two women when he began tossing his stuffed toy into the air and trying to catch it.

  Chase smiled to herself and slowed down to enjoy watching the simple entertainment of the child. He squealed in delight when he caught the toy and clutched it to his chest. He then threw the toy again, higher this time, and watched it fall back to the deck of the ship. He ran to where it landed and bent to pick it up, tossing it in the air as he righted himself. He cried out as the toy went over the railing of the ship and disappeared into the night.

  “Bear!” he yelled, running for the railing.

  Without thinking, she began running herself, softly cursing her distance from him. He stepped up onto the railing and leaned over precariously, crying loudly for his lost toy. He began to topple just as she reached him and closed her left hand around his chubby calf.

  “No!” she cried out, reaching frantically for his other leg.

  The boy screamed in terror and squirmed, threatening the grip she had on him. Chase caught his other foot, and his miniature shoe came off in her hand. As suddenly as she had grabbed him, a pair of strong arms reached down over the railing beside her and gripped the child around his little middle. He pulled the boy safely onto the deck.

  The boy cried and collapsed in Chastity’s arms, sobbing about his toy bear, forcing her to wonder if he knew how close he’d been to dying. He couldn’t have been older than three.