by Carrigan Fox
She didn’t need to close her eyes to be able to envision the towering man barking at his son in their library. She knew her grandmother was correct. Had the Viscount been a truly honorable man, he would not have dismissed Chase and his son’s vulgar assault as easily as he did. He had certainly seemed more disgusted by the fact that his son was getting in his way than the fact that he was attempting to force himself on his betrothed.
“Regardless of how he has financed his journey, he is here and determined to return to England with you, Chase,” Marcus reminded his sister needlessly. “I know that you hate to admit weakness, but you must use caution until we can see Jett Stockton out of town.”
“I understand,” she answered softly, hating the meek sound of her voice. She shivered and squeezed the bridge of her nose. She was definitely feeling a headache coming on. “If you’ll all please excuse me, I’m going to go to bed.”
“It’s awfully early,” Reese pointed out.
Chase looked at the clock on the mantle and nodded. “I have a bit of a headache.”
She woke when the bed shifted with her sister’s weight. The room was lit by the full moon, and she watched Reese’s silhouette settle into the bed beside her.
“Sorry to wake you,” she whispered softly.
“It’s okay.”
They lay in silence for a while, and Chase tried to ignore the fact that the room suddenly seemed stifling. She was beginning to sweat uncomfortably. She tossed from her left side to her right, trying to move gently enough so as to avoid disturbing Reese. When she could finally stand it no longer, she climbed out of bed and closed their bedroom door behind her before tip-toeing down the hallway.
In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of lemonade that her grandmother had made that afternoon. She added a couple of slivers of ice from the ice box and moved to the kitchen window that overlooked the barn and stables behind the house. Was it really only twenty four hours ago that she had snuck through the yard to meet Webb in the barn? She imagined all the different shadows Jett Stockton could now be lurking in between the back door and the barn door, and a chill ran down her arms.
In spite of the chill, she still felt too warm for comfort. After only a slight hesitation, she pushed open the window above the kitchen sink and sighed contentedly at the feel of the gentle breeze that welcomed her. A Texan summer didn’t allow for many cool nights, according to Marcus, but the breeze helped eliminate the discomfort. She leaned against the kitchen sink, sipping her lemonade and watching over the dark yard.
She was hardly surprised when a light flickered in front of the barn door. The small flame of the match was lifted to the cigar, which began to glow orange at the end. She knew it was Webb; it had to be. But Chase couldn’t afford to take the risk and leave the house. She imagined that it was Stockton leaning against the barn, grabbing her arms and forcing her to the ground before she had time to realize what a mistake she had made. Her nightgown wouldn’t pose near the challenge that her skirt had that day. And for certain, nobody would come barging in to interrupt him and rescue her. No, she was safer staying locked up in her brother’s kitchen.
She watched in the darkness for nearly half an hour before the cigar was snubbed out, and the shadow figure moved away from the barn. He disappeared and reappeared as he moved through the shadows. Chase was swallowing the last bit of lemonade when a whisper came through the open kitchen window. She gasped and nearly dropped the glass.
“Cochrane, it’s me,” he hissed.
“Webb?”
His face popped up in front of her, startling her again.
“What are you doing out there?” she asked, knowing exactly what he was doing.
“I’ve been sitting in front of that barn for over an hour now waiting for you. I saw you open this window and thought for sure that you’d come to me, but you haven’t moved from this window. Didn’t you see me?”
She held up her hand to silence him and cocked her head to listen to the noises of the house. Nobody else seemed to be awake.
“Come out here so we don’t wake your entire family.”
She nodded and pulled the window closed. She placed her empty glass in the sink and slipped out the back door. She had barely heard the latch fall into place before Colton was wrapping his arms around her from behind and pressing his lips to her neck and shoulders. His hands moved hungrily over her body.
Chase turned to face him and met his kiss with equal passion. He, in fact, was the one to pull away first. “I have an idea. It’s not safe here.” He took hold of her hand and started to pull her into the yard.
She glanced at the shadows and hesitated. He turned back to her.
“What’s wrong? You don’t trust me?”
“Of course I trust you,” she answered. “Do you have your gun on you?”
“I always do. Does that bother you?”
“No,” Chase answered with relief. “Where are we going? The barn?”
He turned and the moonlight glimmered off of his grin. “Too hot for the hayloft, m’lady.”
He had tied his horse to a tree behind the stables. He helped her mount the horse before climbing on behind her. And moments later, she knew he was taking her to the pond.
On one hand, the thought of being so far from home made her nervous. On the other hand, the pond sounded horribly refreshing. And another night with Colton sounded heavenly. And a combination of the two sounded like a perfect distraction.
At the pond, he helped her off of the horse and set her gently on the ground. The tall grass was rough on her bare feet and legs, as I wore nothing but her nightgown. Colton followed her frown and quickly rushed to her rescue, sweeping Chase into his arms and carrying her to the soft sand that surrounded the cool body of water. The sand was still warm as it sifted between her toes. The bright moonlight on the glassy pond was a perfectly romantic setting for a midnight rendezvous.
Colton lifted her chin with a finger and then placed a chaste kiss on the tip of her nose. “What is on your mind tonight, Chase? Because it certainly isn’t me.”
She sighed heavily, not eager to explain the situation to him. “It’s nothing really. Let’s just forget it.” Chase leaned in for a knee-weakening kiss, but he took hold of her shoulders and kept her at bay.
“Usually, I’m happy to forget whatever it is that bothers you women. But it isn’t typically a challenge for me to get your attention. Last night was the most incredible time I’ve ever spent with a woman. And I don’t want to spoil it with distractions tonight. So tell me what is bothering you, get it out in the open, and then I can make love to you properly and make you forget it.”
She smiled at him and shook her head. “You really need to work on your self-confidence, Colton Webb,” she joked.
“Tell me. What is it that kept you from the pond this afternoon? And why are you avoiding me and hiding out in your kitchen instead of racing across the ranch and leaping into my arms?”
It hadn’t occurred to her until that very moment that Webb might be angry with her for what she was about to tell him. But Chase suddenly realized that this wasn’t just about her anymore. Stockton would probably go after Webb for spoiling his wedding plans. And had Webb known she was betrothed, he probably would have had nothing to do with her.
“Well?” he prodded.
“There’s a man in town who has come for me,” Chase blurted out.
“Come for you? Come from where? I don’t understand.”
“My father arranged for me to be married to this…this…this animal. You see, I have always been set against marriage,” she explained.
“Truly? I hadn’t known that about you,” Webb laughed.
Chase gave him a small smile and continued. “So I went out of my way to make myself a disagreeable prospect as a wife. No man in town would look twice at me. So my father took it upon himself to arrange a marriage for me. And this particular man was eager to have me.”
“I would agree with him on that score. He can’t be a
bad sort.”
“He’s a horrible hideous monster. He only wants to marry me for my father’s money. He has a number of considerable debts that he needs to pay off. When I found out and confronted him, he attacked me and nearly raped me. If his father hadn’t walked in, he would have succeeded.”
She took a small bit of pleasure when Webb’s eyes hardened in the moonlight and his fists clenched.
“It was an eye-opening glimpse into what my future held as the monster’s wife. I tried to convince my father that a marriage to him would be a mistake, but he refused to consider an alternative. He told me that I could marry Stockton, or he would disown me. When he disowned my brother, he still had Elisa; and her father helped them financially so that they could come to America and get a new start. I had no choice and no alternative. So we fled. Grandmother knew that Marcus was here, and she and Reese and I packed up and left our life in England. We thought we would be safe here. We thought we would have a fresh start.”
“But he’s here in town,” Webb finished for her.
She nodded and took a deep breath of the sweet Texas air. “He’s come looking for me. And he doesn’t plan to leave until he has me to take back with him.”
“And why are you telling me this now?” he asked, suddenly looking angry.
“Because that is why I’m afraid to leave the house. I saw him get off the train here in Slaughter today. He’s staying at Chantal’s. George Wainwright has spread the word that everyone should deny the existence of any Fairfaxes in Midland County, but we can’t be sure that everyone will.”
“This isn’t simply a hoax to try to convince me to marry you in order to get this fake fiancée off your back?” he asked angrily.
Chase stared at him speechless for a moment before bursting into furious laughter. “A hoax to get you to marry me? You can’t be serious! The reason I’m in this mess is because I cannot imagine a fate worse than marriage! In fact, whenever I hear the phrase ‘bonds of matrimony,’ I envision a woman tied up with rope and led around like a cow by her husband.”
“Tied up? That sounds interesting. Perhaps we should try that some time,” he grinned suggestively.
“Don’t be an ass, Webb. You joke, but you also perceive marriage as a prison.”
He only shrugged, unable to deny it.
“I’m telling you about this mess so that you understand what you’re getting into. If Jett Stockton was hiding in the area and saw us making love, he would probably kill you…and me. And then he would return to England to collect my dowry. I am telling you so that you don’t walk into Chantal’s and accidentally mention the Fairfax name and tip him off. And I’m telling you so that you don’t think I’m having second thoughts about what we’ve started here.”
He licked his lips and nodded slowly. “Okay. If I see the bastard, I’ll put a bullet or three into his head.”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” she choked on a laugh. “Who’s going to take me for midnight swims if you’re locked up in jail for killing a man who isn’t worth your spit?”
“Good point,” he shrugged. “But we’re not taking any chances, either. I’m taking you home.”
He reached for her in order to help her back onto his horse, but she stepped away from him and quickly pulled the nightgown over her head. “Finish what you’ve started, Webb,” she challenged.
He cursed softly and took in her naked body in the moonlight. In the hayloft the night before, they had been too hungry to study each other. But by the pond, she was feeling bold. Chase needed to feel him moving inside her. She needed the release and the distraction. She needed to feel alive and free.
He took two steps and pulled her against him, ravaging her mouth while holding her bottom and pressing his arousal against her own pulsing body. Their tongues entwined and caressed roughly. He closed his lips and teeth gently over her tongue, melting her insides and weakening her knees . He pulled back long enough to strip out of his own clothes. He then stood and allowed Chase to admire his muscular body. She reached for his hand and led him to the cool water. She didn’t need to see him; she needed his touch and caresses.
They waded into the water until it was up to their hips. She lowered herself until the water touched her shoulders and covered her breasts, immediately soothing the discomfort that had kept her awake in the room she shared with her sister. She watched him wade deeper before she pushed off and swam after him. The water was up to his chest when he stopped and reached for her, pulling her into his arms. Instinctively, Chase wrapped her legs around his waist, feeling him pushing intimately against her. He kissed her thoroughly and gently eased himself into her. He moved slowly at first, bringing her to a sweet and gentle climax. And then he increased his pace, taking greater possession of her with each long and hard stroke he took. When Chase climaxed a second time, it was neither sweet nor gentle but all-consuming and exhausting instead. He called out her name and bit down on the flesh between her neck and shoulder. She clung to him, both of them gasping. And only after they had both caught their breath did she pull away and swim lazy strokes beside him.
“So what are you going to do about this Jett Stockton?” he asked, his voice still husky from his lust.
“I’m staying out of town until the others convince him that there are no Fairfaxes here,” she answered simply.
“And you think that after traveling the globe, he will suddenly give up? Do you honestly think that he will stop at anything short of actually possessing you?”
“What other choice do I have? I’d kill him myself if I thought I might get away with it.”
He grinned and glistened like a god in the water. “No, darling, you aren’t a killer. Not even if the sheriff looked the other way. But I can talk to the sheriff. We can keep a close eye on him and wait for him to do something illegal. Then we can lock him up.”
“For how long? You think that being locked up will reform him?” she asked sarcastically.
He dunked himself and came up blinking silver water from his eyes. “I’ll think of something. In the meantime, you stay close to home. Stay close to the house and your brother. No more riding off to Midland by yourself. And as much as it pains me to say this, I don’t even want you sneaking out here by yourself.”
“I am capable of taking care of myself, Colton. I don’t need you barking orders. I’m a grown woman, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
He grinned and pulled her body against his again. “I noticed, all right,” he growled. He kissed her and brushed the pad of his thumbs underneath her breasts. He lifted her in the water and took her in his mouth both arousing and sooting with his tongue. Under water, his hand caressed her bottom and then moved to tease more sensitive areas. He captured her groans with his own mouth as he lifted her onto him.
“Again?” Chase laughed.
“Would you mind?” he grinned.
After making love a second time and swimming half the night away, she could barely keep my eyes open. Webb lifted her off of his horse and put her on her own feet behind the stables.
“I meant what I said,” he reminded her. “Be careful. We aren’t going to be able to see each other for a few days, but I’ll think of something to get rid of Stockton.”
“And I’ll actually sleep more than two hours per night for the next few nights,” Chase joked. “Don’t do anything to jeopardize your own safety, Colton,” she told him more seriously.
He grinned at her, kissed her forehead and mouth, and then climbed on his horse. “I’ll watch you until you’re safe inside. Lock the door behind you.”
She looked up at him, sitting tall on his horse, before she turned and hurried toward the house. Chase locked the door behind her as instructed and made it safely up to her room. When she closed the door behind her, she saw Reese sitting at the window. Her heart sank before she realized that her sister was sound asleep. Hopefully she hadn’t seen Chase leaving or returning from her swim with Colton Webb.
CHAPTER 17
The following mor
ning, the family left Chastity to sleep in. By the time she woke, half the morning had been wasted. She was grateful for Reese’s absence as she slipped into her work clothes and checked the mirror to be sure that Webb’s teeth marks on her shoulder were completely hidden. She kissed her grandmother in greeting, drank a cup of coffee, and hurried out to the stables to find her brother.
Marcus was in the barn tending to his recovering cow. “Did you finally get enough sleep?” he grumbled.
“I feel better this morning, thank you. How is she?”
He shrugged. “The medications are helping. It’ll be another day or two before she’s completely healed. One of the men said that the other cow is giving birth this morning. She’s out in the far pasture, if you’re interested in helping out.”
“You don’t need me here?”
“Sure I do. You’re supposed to stay in the house where you’re safe. But with Lawson on crutches for the next few weeks, I’ll need all the help I can get. And everyone should see the birth of a calf at least once. If you’re serious about being a rancher, you’ll need to get used to it. Go on and watch.”
She slipped out of the barn excitedly and cut through the nearer pasture, where the cows roamed. A few of them snorted at her as she jogged past them, but most didn’t bother to lift their heads from the grass.
As Chase ran, a light breeze stirred and lifted her hat off of her head. Her hair flew loose, various curly strands sticking to her damp face and neck. She came to a quick halt and turned back to find her hat lying in the grass behind one lone heifer. She moved briskly and stooped to pick up her hat. She was tucking her hair up inside when the cow suddenly snorted and shifted uneasily.
The next thing Chase knew, she was lying on her back with an immense pressure on her chest. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. The cow was moving nervously, lifting her feet and shifting herbulky weight from one hoof to another. Her rear hoof was inches from her right leg, and Chase knew she needed to roll away from her or risk having her leg or foot crushed. But the pressure in her chest was overwhelming.
