His feelings for her may not be an all-consuming passion, but love was never the best way to choose a wife. It made you do stupid things, like lie to your family or put aside your work to make someone else happy. He could say the words, since that’s what was expected, but he needed someone smart, someone who wouldn’t fall in love and knew how to behave in society. Any woman who had the social ideals with which he and Ainsley had been raised would be the perfect one for him. She knew love didn’t need to play a part in a successful marriage. She grew up with that model, saw it every day.
Crowds of passengers joined him on deck, waving to their loved ones as the ship left port. He tugged his dark blue jacket into place and paused to fix his windblown hair. Hopefully she made it onto the ship. Maybe she waited in the suite, eager to see him, too. Or at least pretending to be eager, like he was.
He wound his way off the deck and strode down the three flights of stairs to their two -bedroom suite, complete with a balcony. Sophia had reserved the suite for newlywed couples with children, and it came complete with two bedrooms, a common area, and a balcony. Edward was happy to keep their nocturnal activities separate. He entered the spacious common room, his eyes taking in the lavender sofa and two comfortable chairs. Ainsley’s closed cabin door didn’t stop the rise of satisfaction in knowing she was here. He knocked.
“What?”
Her muffled voice came through and he ignored the abruptness of the greeting. “Just wanted to make sure you made it on board, darling.”
“I’m not a baby, Edward.”
He let that statement go, knowing she’d be prickly about leaving her shop on short notice. Why she insisted on toiling away in that shop of hers when she could spend her days in leisure was beyond his understanding. But she was here. That must mean she had some feelings for him, even if it wasn’t love, and even if she didn’t want to admit them to herself. The balcony offered a view of the receding shoreline, and he stepped out, giving her time to adjust.
Her fresh, clean scent preceded her arrival on the balcony a few minutes later and she gripped the railing, her long fingernails painted a shiny purple that reflected the sun. Edward frowned at her hands. Something was off. Because of the physical work she did, Ainsley avoided long nails like an accountant avoided an IRS audit. That must have been one fast manicure. Her pointer finger tapped against the metal bar, a hollow echo surrounding them while his gaze made the short journey up her orange top, past the long hair, to her face.
Cecelia.
Edward took a step back and told his blood to stay in his head and stop traveling down his body. Her shirt left her smooth stomach bare and she wore a brightly patterned sarong tied at her hip. One long, slim leg poked out of the fabric and his hands itched to undo the knot to see what she wore underneath.
No. He stilled his twitching fingers. Control, Edward. This is not what he’d signed up for. “What are you doing here?” Ainsley was what he needed. She was obedient and reserved, a complete contrast to her sister’s spontaneity and embrace-life attitude. Cecelia was sexy and carefree and caused his pulse to beat heavily in his veins every time he saw her.
She shot him a look of innocence, her green eyes wide. “Taking a cruise.”
Edward risked a glance inside the cabin with a fervent hope that Ainsley was there, too, and they’d decided to share their room. Both the room and the common area were empty and he swallowed, bracing himself, before facing Cecelia again. “Where’s your sister?”
She sidled beside him and ran her elegant purple nails up the sleeve of his jacket. He fumbled backward and pressed himself against the balcony wall, away from the heat of her touch. “She couldn’t make it, so I came instead.”
“Your mother promised me she’d be here.”
“My mom doesn’t speak for her. Ainsley’s told you that many times herself.”
But Ainsley was a safe emotional investment. That’s why he needed her here. He took out his cell phone. “Sophia needs to know this happened.”
“No, she doesn’t.” Cecelia plucked it out of his hand. He grabbed for it but wasn’t fast enough to stop her from throwing it into Charleston Harbor.
“Cecelia!” He reached over the balcony railing, but the phone had already fallen into the water below, its splash hidden in the small whitecaps caused by the moving ship. Cold sweat beaded his skin and his stomach tightened into knots while he fought the urge to dive after it. He spun around, trying to stop the anger that threatened. “That was my phone! My four-hundred-dollar phone!”
She shrugged, the movement exposing more skin of her stomach. “Sophia will buy you a new one.”
“My God, what were you thinking?” He stared into the water even though he knew the phone wasn’t able to float.
She thrust out a hip and shook her head, her hair swishing about her shoulders. A slow smile curved her red lips. “I was thinking you synched it up to your computer this morning so you didn’t lose any information.” She took a small step toward him. “I was thinking that you could be here with my sister, who would rather be eating live grasshoppers.” Another step, and she leaned to his ear. Her voice dropped, low and husky. “And I was thinking instead, you could be here with someone who wants to be with you.”
Her soft, smooth lips pressed a small kiss on his cheek, burning him like a brand. Holy cow, she was beautiful. Her firm breasts pressed against his chest and he itched to cup them, feel their weight. He wanted to wrap his arms around her trim waist, pull her to him, and lose himself in her. But his mind insisted he think this through, however clouded his judgment might be. Everything she said made sense, but he had to know if being with Cecelia would be beneficial to his future. Sophia wouldn’t think so. Using his normal methods of decision making would help, so he reached into his pocket.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her tone echoing curiosity and losing the sexy husk.
He paused while removing a small notepad. “Pro and con list.”
She blinked at him, then laughed, a bright tinkling sound that played havoc with his ideas. “Well, okay, then. When you’re done, I’ll be by the pool having a drink. I’d love for you to come join me.” She turned and sashayed into the cabin. His gaze followed her swaying hips until she disappeared into the hallway, his list forgotten.
* * *
Time to meet the other husband hunters at the house. Caterpillars danced in Ainsley’s stomach as she slid on her brown shoe. Meagan knocked on her door. “You ready?”
“Just a minute.” She stood in front of the mirror and ran a comb through her hair, fluffing it up on the sides. Squaring her shoulders, she exited her room.
Meagan had changed as well, but the bohemian theme remained in a yellow peasant blouse that matched the swirls of yellow and green on her skirt. Ainsley immediately felt like an old-fashioned school marm in her button-down white shirt and brown A-line skirt, but resisted the urge to change. Let Meagan be the exotic flower. She’d be the foliage that no one noticed.
They left the cabin under a pink-ribboned sky and the shadow of the sun setting high over the mountains and made their way to the main house. The inside entry led to a large open room with wooden floors and couches and recliners set around the room. It looked the perfect place to hang out after a long day working. And comfortable enough that no one would freak out if someone missed a smudge of dirt on her arm when she washed up. A door led to the kitchen, where some wifely hopefuls were already gathered on the large wooden benches, eating dinner rolls and chatting around a table that could easily seat twenty people. Her parents’ kitchen was just as large, but designed for impressing rather than comfort.
The conversation dimmed for a moment when Ainsley and Meagan entered, but picked up again as they took their seats. The women from the car were there—the frosted blonde gave a small nod of acknowledgment while the silent woman didn’t even glance their way.
Three spaces remained on the wooden benches by the time their two hostesses came into the kitchen and paused by the door.
Ainsley could see the family resemblance from the photo of the cowboy and knew these must be Riley’s sisters. The older one’s brown hair was pulled back in a long braid, and the younger one wore hers loose over her green shirt. They both had on jeans and boots.
“Good evening, ladies,” the older woman said. “I’m Molly, and this is Jeanne.” The girl waved her arm in a self-conscious gesture of hello. “Welcome to our home. I want you all to think of this ranch as your home, too. Tonight let’s eat some good Wyoming food, relax a little, and have some fun getting to know each other,” Molly said. “We’ll explain what will happen this week and the information we need for our research. And we want to know how excited you are to meet Riley tomorrow! Because we’re excited, too. We want to know why you want to marry a cowboy.”
Ainsley stiffened, hoping Molly didn’t call on her first. She didn’t think her reason for being here would sit well with her hostesses.
“Sorry I’m late,” a sultry low voice said, and everyone shifted to study and judge the new arrival. “I was so taken with all the beautiful scenery around me that I completely lost track of time. The woman knew how to make an entrance. Every brunette hair was in place, and her bright smile showed perfectly aligned, white teeth. She beamed at everyone at the table with a warm, friendly, and practiced smile as she slid into an empty seat, moving with the grace of a figure skater gliding on ice.
“Hello, Jewel,” Molly greeted her. “You’re just in time for the introductions. Why don’t we start with you?”
“Me?” Jewel tossed off a nervous laugh. Something about her made Ainsley’s skin prickle like a cactus. “Well, I’m from Michigan, I’m studying to be a nurse, and I’m very excited to be here and meet all of you.”
“Meeting all of you is nice, but I’m excited about meeting Riley. He’s so hot he can melt my ice cream anytime,” giggled the blonde from the car. “I’m Daisy, I’m a dance instructor, and I just love cowboys! Seeing them ride around on horses all day, and all those muscles from working the ranch.” She nudged the woman next to her. “And they sure know how to treat women, if you know what I mean.”
Molly cleared her throat and gave Jeanne a quick glance. “What about you?” she asked, shifting her gaze to the next woman.
Her curly orange-red hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore no makeup and she talked to her plate more than to the other women. “I’m Jessica, and coming here gave me a chance to see another part of the country. I’ve lived all my life in a city, so this will be a new thing for me. Plus my life is so busy that I thought this might be an interesting way to meet a guy.”
Ainsley took a deep breath when it was her turn. She planned to say something about the mountains and horses. “I took my sister’s place in order to get away from my matchmaking mother,” she blurted instead. There was a stunned silence, and then more laughter from the others as her face heated up.
“Right. You’re the replacement sister,” Molly said. “Your sister’s email said she was going on a cruise with the love of her life. No way are we going to stand in the way of that. And besides, we don’t want someone here whose heart is somewhere else.”
Imagine, Cecelia getting more support from a family she’d never met than she did from her own mother. An older woman in a crisp gray apron served dinner after the introductions, and Ainsley’s stomach growled as a thick steak sizzled in front of her. Meagan frowned at her plate and stabbed some broccoli with a fork, then remained silent throughout most of the meal.
Conversation around the table ranged from mountain climbing to ranches, with Molly and Jeanne explaining more and answering questions about the dating game. “After a few days, some women will be asked to leave. It won’t be personal. Riley might think that you’d have a better chance of finding your happily ever after with another man,” Molly said.
“Then how do we get to know him on a more personal level?” Jessica asked.
Molly smiled. “We can’t give away the secrets to his heart. That you have to discover for yourselves.”
Ainsley could see the affection they had for their brother and her curiosity piqued when she thought about finally meeting the man. Her thoughts drifted back to the glimpse of the greenhouse she saw before dinner and she leaned toward Molly. “It seems so odd to have a greenhouse in the middle of such dry country. How did that happen?”
“The Pommer family history is really fascinating. They raised flowers and immigrated to the U.S. in the mid-eighteen hundreds. They kept their plants alive through sheer determination during the transatlantic crossing.” Molly’s eyes grew brighter and pride filled her voice. “They landed on Ellis Island and eventually ended up here in the early nineteen hundreds.”
“What an amazing journey.” Her stomach fluttered like petals swirling around in the wind. “I can’t wait to see the greenhouse. I’m a florist,” she said to the questioning looks of the other women.
“Each generation tended the greenhouse with love and expanded it to include hundreds of flowers. My dad…” she paused for a moment and cleared her throat. “I’ll have to make sure you see the greenhouse tomorrow.”
“That would be great. Thanks.” She could wait until tomorrow. She hoped.
Jewel wiped her napkin across her mouth. “Molly, that was absolutely delicious.” Other women nodded.
“My family’s vineyard has the perfect red to go with steak,” said Leigh, the woman from the car. She tossed her straight brown hair over her shoulder. “I should call my father and have him send over a case.”
“Thank you. That sounds lovely. And I’m glad we had this chance to meet and get to know each other.” She glanced around the table, taking in the eight women gathered. “Brunch starts at nine tomorrow, ladies. I can’t wait for all of you to meet my brother. Tonight, please explore the ranch as if it was your own. We have a library and a TV in here if you want to hang around and relax.”
Hanging out didn’t really appeal to Ainsley, so she slipped out the door, breathing in the sharp spruce scent filling the air. Meagan followed, kicking a pebble off the path. It bounced a few times before landing. “I don’t even know why I’m here,” she said. “These women are so much more refined and sophisticated.”
“Is that why you kept silent at dinner?”
Meagan shrugged, keeping her eyes on the ground. “I don’t know if I fit into this lifestyle.”
“You’ve been here less than a day. Give it time. And do you think ranchers would rather be with sophisticated women or one who was glowing when she was talking about mucking out stalls?” Ainsley gave Meagan a small nudge. “Besides, most of them were pretending. Trying not to seem overeager.”
“Some of us don’t have to pretend,” said a voice behind them. Both women turned to see Jewel and Leigh striding behind them. Jewel ran a scathing glance over Ainsley and Meagan and gave a tinkling laugh. “I’m not surprised you spend your time in dirt. If Riley wanted a pair of bumpkins, he would have advertised in Yokel Monthly.”
Ainsley raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, giving the other woman a hard stare. This was where she could channel her mother, no problem. “Seriously? Is that the best you can do?”
“We haven’t even met the guy yet,” Meagan added.
The other woman only laughed again and turned with her friend when the path forked, heading to their cabins.
“Wow. I didn’t expect anyone to be so completely bitchy,” Meagan said, sounding a bit more animated than only a moment ago. “Observing the social interactions of this situation is going to be fun.”
“You have a strange definition of ‘fun,’” Ainsley said. The experience was too much like her mother parading her in front of eligible men.
“I mean, just seeing how everyone interacts, and their facial expressions, body language, stuff like that. For example, Jessica tapped her foot the entire time we were at dinner. Why did she do that? Her face was always composed and serene, but there was something tonight that made her nervous.”
They walked in
silence, taking in the open spaces around them, the miles and miles of nothing but land dotted with trees, with dips and rises breaking up the landscape until it reached the mountains. Meagan sighed. “I knew I should have brought my paints. This scenery is amazing. I would love to take something back with me when I go home.”
“I could take pictures for you,” Ainsley said.
Meagan shook her head, her brown curls flying about her with the movement. “Oh, no thanks. I could create from that, but having the live example, being able to see each strand of grass or the thickness of the clouds, makes the difference between the interpretation and exquisite recreation.”
The passion in Meagan’s voice mirrored Ainsley’s own. She knew what that was like, though her canvas of choice was a vase instead of the outdoors. But the need to show the beauty of the world drove them both.
“I suppose I could ask someone to drive me into whatever town is nearby tomorrow and see if there’s an art store,” Meagan said as she opened the cabin door. “I thought I should take a break from it and clear my mind, but I feel like I left part of myself back in Savannah.”
“I know what you mean.”
Meagan sat on the sofa to take off her shoes. “You really traded places with your sister?”
“How could she say no to the cruise when true love was on the line?” Ainsley said. She made her way to her room, anxious to escape and avoid any more questions. “I’m going to get some rest. See you in the morning.”
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, reveling in the silence. Her apartment in Charleston always had some sort of noise—a car driving by, a neighbor getting home after a long night. The stillness outside was a nice change. She unpacked some clothes and pulled on her favorite cotton pajama pants and a tank top, eager to talk to Cecelia and hear how Edward handled the switch. She snuggled under the covers and dialed. Her sister answered immediately, music blaring from the phone.
Who Wants to Marry a Cowboy? Page 4
