“What I mean is that Carter and I were lovers,” Stephanie said.
“Before you took up with my brother,” Carter said, his voice cold.
Stephanie squeezed her eyes and tears instantly formed. Before long, a steady stream of tears was trickling down her cheeks.
“You took advantage of a young, inexperienced girl?” Melanie said, her expression horrified.
“Inexperienced?” he snorted.
Melanie lifted up her hands in disgust and her shoulders slumped. Stephanie watched all her movements with suppressed glee. Without another word, Melanie exited the room.
“The child could belong to either of us!” Hoss said, his voice laced with sadness.
“That woman is not carrying my child!” Carter, who rarely raised his voice bellowed.
“Denying it will not change anything,” Stephanie said triumphantly. Her tears, which had been for Melanie’s benefit, had dried.
“If it’s yours you will have to marry me. You can cancel your engagement to Ms. Marriot,” she said unable to stop herself.
Carter glared at her incredulously. “You must be insane if for one minute you think I’ll marry you!”
Hoss who had slumped on the chair shot to his feet. “You want to marry him? You said you loved me.”
Carter broke the silence with a mirthless laugh. “Stephanie loves nobody but herself.”
Hoss took a step to Carter, his fist in the air. “Don’t you dare speak that way about her!”
Carter easily caught the raised fist. “You and I have unfinished business,” he hissed. This is not about Stephanie. We’re brothers Hoss and you slept with the woman I was with. What kind of a man are you? What kind of a brother are you?”
“You didn’t love her!” Hoss protested.
“That’s right, I didn’t and I don’t,” Carter said and let go of Hoss’s fist so abruptly that Hoss staggered before finding his footing.
Things were not going as Stephanie had envisioned. This was about her, her and Carter’s child but they had turned it to be about themselves. It hurt hearing Carter say that he did not love her. But what did it matter when she was carrying his child?
“So what do we do?” Stephanie asked.
“I don’t care whose child it is,” Hoss said with feeling. “I love you Stephanie and I want to marry you.”
She glanced at Hoss, his face flushed, and sincerity flowing from his eyes. She felt a tug in her heart at his unashamed declaration of love. But he wasn’t Carter. He did not carry the authority that Carter did. Men sat up when Carter walked into a room. They grew silent when he as much as raised his arm. She wanted that kind of power next to her.
“What about you Carter?” Stephanie asked.
“What about me? I’m marrying Melanie and that’s that. The two of you can do as you please as far as I’m concerned,” he said and then whirled around and marched out of the room.
How dare he? Stephanie was livid with anger. Blood pounded in her ears and for a second, she could not think or even see. Her vision had gone blurry. Carter Taft was taking her for a rug, which he could use and then discard. No way! If he thought he could shrug her off like a pesky fly, he had another thing coming.
She turned to follow him.
“You can’t force Carter to do something he doesn’t want to.”
Hoss’s defeated voice reached her. She turned to him. “We shall see about that!”
Chapter Fourteen
Carter needed hard, physical labor to get his senses under control. Despite his outward calm, Stephanie’s news had devastated him. What terrible timing, he thought as he stamped about the ranch, searching for something to take his mind off everything. He knew he should go after Melanie, but he was in no state to talk to her.
He could imagine the train of her thoughts. She thought him a rake, a seducer of young girls. How can you take advantage of a young and inexperienced girl? Her words repeated themselves over and over in his brain. She had wanted it too, dammit! Carter had never once misled Stephanie to believe that he would marry her. He had told her countless times that she was too young for him.
Carter made his way to the hay field where most of the ranch hands were working cutting hay. He took a scythe from a pile of equipment and made his way through the bare land up to where the men had arranged themselves in a row along the brown stalks of hay.
They stopped when the spotted him, and Carter signaled to the leader that he was ready. The man used his scythe to strike thrice on a stone. Together, they bent down and they were off, slashing the long grass in hard, quick strokes. Soon, sweat was trickling down Carter’s back. His mind emptied of his worries and his entire concentration was on keeping up with the men.
“Keep to your row man or my scythe will cut off your legs,” a man yelled and the rest of them laughed.
Carter loved the camaraderie that was in the ranch when they all needed to work together to get a job done. Today was cutting the hay, tomorrow would be gathering it to dry and after that, piling the hay into bales. Then everyone could return to their regular jobs in the ranch. Mentally, carter ticked off the summer duties, especially now that autumn was inching closer.
He was so engrossed in his work that he did not hear her footsteps. He was only alerted to a change when the sounds of the scythes next to him ceased. He stood up. Before he could ask what was going on, he saw her, parting the hay as she marched towards him. Carter tightened his lips. This would not be good, he thought, watching Stephanie’s flushed face as she got closer. She stopped a few feet away and placed her hands on her hips.
“Carter Taft, I shall not be dismissed in such a manner,” she yelled.
The men beside him fidgeted. Carter silently contemplated her, seething inside at her gall.
“You shall do the right thing by me!” she continued. “I’m not a rug to be trampled on and then thrown away.”
His hands shook with rage. Knowing that the next statement she would blurt out about her situation, everyone was going to hear; Carter dropped the scythe and marched to her. She hadn’t expected this and her hands dropped to her side and she looked at him with wariness.
“You dare not touch me in front of all these people,” she said, her shaking voice betraying her fear.
Carter did not reply. He grabbed her right ear and propelled her out of the hay field. Behind them the men laughed.
“Stop it!” she shrieked. “You’re hurting me!”
“Behave like a child and I shall be more than happy to treat you as one,” Carter said, not letting go.
He dragged her by the ear to the end of the field, until they were out of earshot of the men.
“Don’t you ever embarrass me in front of my men ever again,” he hissed.
Flustered, Stephanie’s eyes filled with tears. Carter turned away with disgust. He hated nothing more than women who took to tears to get their way. Stephanie was good at it and her tears as false as the person she was. He knew her well, Carter thought, waiting for her to finish her crying.
“You’re an animal,” she said.
“The sooner you know that the better,” Carter said. He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t mistake me for my brother. I will not do your bidding Stephanie, and the sooner you understand that the better for all of us.”
“What will I do about the child?” she wailed.
His stance softened a little. No matter what Stephanie’s character was like, the fact was that she had a child growing in her belly. The child could be his and there was no going around that. He had had time to think a little as he worked and now he saw the situation clearly.
“The best I can do Stephanie is support you when the child comes. I’ll give you money and anything else you need. But the one thing I will not do is to marry you.”
She yelped as though she had been physically hurt.
“It’s because of Melanie isn’t it?” she sniffed.
Carter looked at her pityingly. He felt for her but there was no way he was going
to marry Stephanie.
“I never once claimed to love you,” he said softly. “Melanie has nothing to do with this. I still would not have married you even if she had not come.”
Stephanie broke into fresh sobs. Carter’s mind went to Melanie. Where was she? He had to find her; he decided an urgent need coming over him. It was imperative that he make her understand that he and Stephanie had finished their affair long before she came to the ranch.
Their relationship was all that mattered to him now. He turned around and went to the barn. Midnight was not there. That meant that she had gone off with her horse. She did not know much of the ranch and he thought she must have returned to where the stray herd had been.
Chapter Fifteen
She had been taken for a fool! She rode Midnight through the prairie, angry, hot and hurt. She allowed Midnight to carry her off wherever he wanted, as long as it was away from the ranch. Why had she allowed herself to be so easily seduced? Melanie recalled her father’s words, why would your young man find a need to advertise for a wife?
The golden glow of the evening sun on the brown grass did not ease the turmoil in Melanie’s heart. The image of Stephanie, tears rolling down her cheeks had left her with a wave of sympathy and indignation. She was young; twenty years old by Melanie’s calculations. Carter had used his experience to lure the poor, innocent girl into his bed.
She blushed furiously when she recalled what his experienced hands and mouth had done to her. She rode on and was surprised minutes later when Midnight slowed down. He had brought her to the edge of the valley where she and Carter had been that morning.
Her anger had abated by then, and she slid off the mare and took the reins. Stephanie guided Midnight down the rocks and at the bottom; she let her loose in the clearing to nibble on the still green grass. Unable to be still, she paced up and down the clearing.
A deep sadness engulfed her. There was no future for her and Carter, she saw that now. Melanie valued honor above all things. Carter did not possess it. A man, who would take a young girl to his bed, did not merit to be loved. She felt sorry for the girl now, knowing that she must have loved Carter.
Then another thought overtook that one. She too loved Carter, Melanie accepted, a pain in her chest accompanying that thought. It did not matter, she would get over it. The immediate problem she had was where to go. Had her parents already departed for their trip? She now wished she had paid more attention to their planning.
Yes, Melanie decided. She would return home. If they had already left, which she seriously doubted, she would think of her next step. The consoling bit was that she had a sizeable inheritance from her father sitting in the bank. She had never paid much mind to money before, but now she was glad that her father had insisted on opening an account for her and depositing the money. Whatever problems that awaited her, money would not be part of it.
Her decision did not elate her. It would be difficult to leave, after finding something she had believed was special. Circle One already felt like home to her. The future from where she stood seemed bleak. Hours earlier, her world had been filled with color and promise and now, all Melanie saw was grey and bleakness ahead.
She strolled past the clearing to the woods. Inside, she felt like she was entering a house made of growing trees. Shadows from plants and trees danced around her and she found herself momentarily enchanted by the colorful flowers sprouting from the most unexpected of places. The trees grew sparser, the forest less dense.
Melanie heard a rustle of twigs ahead of her. She followed it and stopped short when she saw a huge moose in a clearing. It was a full grown bull, telling from the enormous antlers. The moose was not aware of her presence and Melanie inched closer. Hidden by a bush, Melanie stood in awe looking at the immense size of the animal – almost two feet taller than Spirit, Carter’s stallion.
The bull moose broke large boughs as he rumbled through the bushes. Melanie lost all sense of time as she observed the animal. The bull emitted a certain power and just watching him made Melanie feel small. Then the bull sniffed and raised his head. Melanie stopped breathing.
He snorted, the sound startling her so and she jumped, breaking the silence with the sound of twigs. He stared right at the tree that partly hid her. He moved forward.
“Don’t move,” a voice said quietly from behind her.
It was Carter. Melanie followed his instructions and did not move. The bull circled the area in front of her and then with a swing of his head turned away. She stood still minutes longer and watched the moose make his way further to the woods. She only allowed herself to breathe when it disappeared from view.
“That was very foolish!” Carter blurted out.
Melanie, knowing the truth of his words did not reply. She turned to face him and inhaled sharply. Carter was easily the most handsome man she had ever seen, she thought. It was a pity that his character did not match his looks. Standing there looking at him, Melanie formed a plan. She gave him a small smile.
“Thank you for coming to my rescue,” she said, her voice polite.
“Are you alright?” Carter asked.
“Of course I am. The moose didn’t come near me after all.”
She followed him out of the woods and back into the clearing. Carter kept throwing glances her way. He expected her to berate him for the situation with Stephanie. It would be pointless, Melanie knew. She appeared serene on the exterior but her heart was pounding hard.
Melanie knew how close she had come to losing her life. Bulls were dangerous and she could have been trampled to death. A shiver rocked her whole body and she saw Carter look at her pensively.
“You’re cold,” he said.
Melanie shook her head. He took a step to her and she took one back. A look of pain crossed his eyes. She did not want Carter’s sympathy and especially his seductive tricks.
“Shall we talk about what happened?” he asked, leaning on the side of his stallion.
Melanie contemplated him and then shook her head. “What’s done is done.”
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“It means that Stephanie is expecting a child – possibly yours - and we cannot undo it,” Melanie aid with exaggerated patience.
“What of us?” he said.
“Time will take care of everything,” Melanie replied, her casual words hiding the pain and betrayal she felt.
Chapter Sixteen
“Today we’re moving the cattle to a new pasture; do you want to come along?” Carter said to Melanie.
She sat opposite him in the long dining room table, picking on her pancakes and sausages. She looked at him serenely and shook her head.
“I thought I would spend the day in the library today. I have a lot of reading to catch up with,” she said.
I miss you, Carter wanted to say. Where had the Melanie he had met gone to? Why could they not talk about it and he could explain himself properly. He was not the rake Stephanie made him out to be. Frustration rose inside him. His breakfast suddenly became distasteful. He pushed his chair back.
“Alright then, I’ll be off,” Carter said, peering into her face to see if he could detect any emotion.
She looked up at him passively and nodded. Carter had a desperate urge to burrow his fist on the table. Instead, he hurried out, afraid of his own emotions. His stallion, impatient to get going, whinnied when he heard Carter’s footsteps.
Working mechanically, Carter saddled the stallion and mounted. With a final glance at the ranch house, he cantered off towards the pastures. He felt empty inside as though he had left part of himself with Melanie. He had no doubt that he loved her. If only she could see the situation for what it was.
The herd was being moved to the northern pasture and already Carter could see his ranch hands moving between the cattle. He had taught them that, Carter thought with a touch of pride. He had learnt that if one got the herd used to the movement of horses between them, it made it far much easier to move them.
Carter joined them, slowly getting the herd at ease. When they were ready, he and the ranch hands took up positions around the herd, ensuring not to squeeze them and began the slow movement up the slope. Some stopped to graze and Carter patiently waited and then nudged them on by riding towards them. When they saw him trot back, they raced to catch up with the herd. His mind strayed to Stephanie. He felt no attachment to the child in her belly. If the child was his, should he not have felt stirrings of emotion for the child?
Throughout the morning, his thoughts alternated between Stephanie and Melanie. He pictured Melanie sitting quietly in the library, a book on her lap, and failed. She liked to be outdoors, that much he knew about her. Wanting to spend the day cooped up in the house told Carter that she was hurting far much than she let on.
At one in the afternoon, they finally had the herd settled and the troughs of water standing in the pasture replenished with fresh water. Something had been nagging at him all morning and then like a bolt of lightning it came to him. He and Stephanie had not slept together in over two months.
It was suddenly imperative that he knew how far gone she was in her pregnancy. Carter whirled his stallion around and took off at a gallop towards Hoss’s ranch house. He tethered his stallion in the small wooden fence and entered the ranch house without knocking.
“Hoss!” carter called out.
Moments later, Hoss showed up at the landing and peered down at him.
“How far along is Stephanie?” Carter asked.
Hoss looked at him puzzled. “What?”
“How many months’ expectant is she?”
“Two months. The doctor said so,” Hoss replied.
Carter punched the air. “It’s not my child. I haven’t slept with Stephanie in over two months.”
A ghost of a smile appeared on Hoss’s face. Carter turned around and jogged to the ranch house. He had to tell Melanie!
“Where’s the fire?” James asked.
Romance: My Stepbrother's Plaything Page 44
