Hired Bride

by Jackie Merritt

  Gwen’s heart sank. Her presence alone was reinforcing Zane’s lie, and how could she deny it without looking bad herself? She had, after all, accepted money for helping Zane delude his family. If she told the truth now, Vanessa—and probably every other family member—would be thunderstruck. Certainly they wouldn’t forgive her, and they might even turn on Zane.

  Feeling a bit panicky, her gaze went to Zane and the group of men and children near the corral where the pony rides were taking place. To her surprise, Zane was holding Mindy, who was one of the smallest, youngest children at the barbecue—except for the infants who were either in their mother’s or nanny’s arms, or sleeping in buggies or infant carriers close by. Even from a distance Gwen could tell that tiny Mindy was perfectly at ease in Zane’s arms, and an overwhelming weakness suddenly sapped Gwen’s strength. If Zane could charm Mindy, who shied from strangers, he could charm anyone.

  “The food’s almost ready,” Lily announced as she returned from checking on the progress of the beef being barbecued.

  At that very moment Gwen heard Ashley let out a screech. Chilled by the sound of her daughter’s voice, Gwen saw Zane hastily hand Mindy to his brother Dallas and then disappear into the corral.

  All but leaping out of her chair, Gwen took off running. “Ashley…Zane?” she yelled as she ran, and arrived at the corral out of breath.

  “She took a fall,” Dallas told her with a concerned frown.

  “Oh, no,” Gwen moaned as she spotted the bleeding gash on Ashley’s forehead. Entering the corral, she knelt beside the little girl. Zane was on Ashley’s other side, trying to stop the bleeding with his handkerchief.

  His eyes rose to meet Gwen’s, and he looked anguished. “I think she needs stitches, Gwen. I’m so sorry.”

  “Where’s the nearest hospital?” Gwen asked anxiously.

  “In Red Rock.” Zane picked up Ashley and got to his feet. “Come on, let’s get going.”

  They raced toward his car. Ashley, in Zane’s arms, had stopped wailing, which frightened Gwen more than her crying had. Everyone at the affair was milling about and looking worried. Several people called out that they would watch the other kids while Gwen and Zane were gone, and Gwen called back a grateful, if hasty “thanks.”

  Gwen got in the front seat and Zane laid the child on her lap. Then he bounded around to the driver’s side, got in and immediately started the engine. He drove away fast while Gwen pressed the handkerchief to the gash on her little daughter’s forehead.

  “Head wounds bleed worse than others,” she said unsteadily, trying to maintain her equilibrium.

  “Yes, they do,” Zane agreed, keeping his eyes on the road because of the speed he was driving. “Gwen, I’m so damn sorry. I should have been watching her more closely.”

  “What happened?”

  “She fell off the pony and hit her head on a corral post. One second she was doing great, and the next she was on the ground. I have no idea why she fell.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Gwen said quietly. “These things happen with children.” Glancing at Zane, her heart went out to him. He looked stricken. “I mean it, Zane. It wasn’t your fault.”

  Zane sent her a confused look. Why was she being so nice about this when she’d lambasted the hell out of him for a lot less?

  They didn’t talk for the rest of the drive, not to each other, at any rate. Gwen kept murmuring comforting words to her little girl, getting Ashley to keep saying things back to her so the child wouldn’t fall asleep.

  At the hospital in Red Rock, Zane drove up to the Emergency Room door, jumped out of the car and ran around to open Gwen’s door. Carrying Ashley, he ran into the hospital and shouted, “This child has a head injury!”

  A nurse appeared and led them through another set of doors, where she told Zane to lay the child on the bed behind curtain number two. She pulled the bloody handkerchief away from the gash and looked at it, then pressed a sterile pad to the cut, then told Zane to hold it in place. She said she would notify the doctor on duty, and hurried away.

  Gwen’s legs suddenly felt rubbery, and she sank onto a stool next to the bed. The cut was only about an inch wide, but it was still bleeding, although the flow had definitely slowed. Regardless, just the thought of so much blood pumping out of her little daughter made Gwen feel queasy.

  But she put on a brave face for Ashley and held her hand. Zane, she saw, was holding Ashley’s other hand. He was, in fact, behaving like a concerned father, and something about the strength he conveyed helped to calm Gwen.

  “Will they give me a shot, Mommy?” Ashley asked in a quivery voice.

  “I don’t know what the doctor will do, sweetheart,” Gwen said. “But whatever it is, I’ll be right here beside you. And both of us must be very brave and strong. You’re a brave girl, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, Mommy,” the child whispered.

  A man in a white coat came in. “I’m Dr. Parker. What’s the child’s name?

  “Ashley,” Gwen said.

  Zane stepped away from the bed, and Dr. Parker took his place. “Hello, Ashley. I’m going to examine your injury.” Gently he lifted the pad. “How did you get hurt?”

  “I fell off the pony.”

  Dr. Parker looked at Zane. “You’re Ashley’s father?”

  “No, but Gwen Hutton here is her mother. I’m Zane Fortune. The accident happened at the Double Crown Ranch.”

  A woman came in, and looked at both Zane and Gwen. “Are you the child’s parents?”

  Gwen answered before Zane could. “I’m her mother.”

  “Would you come with me, please? We need to fill out a few forms.”

  Gwen sent Ashley a worried look, and Dr. Parker intervened. “Go ahead, Gwen. You too, Mr. Fortune. Ashley and I will get along just fine.”

  Reluctantly Gwen followed the woman, and felt a little better when Zane took her arm and said quietly, “She’ll be okay, Gwen.”

  “Yes, I know that now, but she’s little more than a baby, and she’s frightened.”

  Having reached an office alcove, the woman turned and smiled at them. “Dr. Parker is wonderful with children. I know you can’t help worrying, but your daughter is in very good hands. Please have a seat.” Seating herself, the woman took out several forms.

  Gwen and Zane sat across the counter from her, and when Zane reached for Gwen’s hand, she let him hold it. She realized how good it felt to have a man at her side at a time like this.

  “Your name, please?” the woman asked with a pen poised above the first form.

  “Gwen Hutton.”

  “Address?”

  The questions continued. Gwen answered and the woman wrote.

  “Do you have medical insurance?” the woman asked.

  “No,” Gwen said quietly. “But I have my checkbook with me, and I’ll take care of the bill.”

  Zane could hardly believe what he’d just heard. With three young children, Gwen had no medical coverage? Was she that badly off financially that she couldn’t afford something so crucial? No car insurance, and now this. My God, he thought sorrowfully, how she must worry. His hands clenched into fists as he pondered the inequities of life. He’d never gone without, and Gwen lived and raised her kids without so many things. Forget the luxuries that made life good, Gwen didn’t even have the necessities.

  When the woman’s phone rang and she answered it, Zane whispered, “Gwen, would you let me pay this bill?”

  Gwen sent him a quick, startled look and shook her head. “I can cover it, but thank you for offering.”

  “Gwen, I have so much and you—”

  “Stop,” she whispered. “What you have has nothing to do with me.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Zane. That’s just the way it is.”

  He sat there and felt miserable while the woman and Gwen finished the paperwork.

  He felt guilty for having so much while good, hardworking people like Gwen barely got by. The Fortune family was traditionally gene
rous with numerous charities, but there was always more a person could do. He wished passionately that Gwen would let him do something for her, let him help her out with money that he would never miss.

  But in his heart he knew that she would never take an unearned cent from him or anyone else. She had as much pride as she did spunk, and she paid her own way. And he couldn’t help admiring her for it.

  Ten

  It seemed to take forever in the Emergency Room. Dr. Parker was an extremely thorough physician, and he closely checked Ashley for other injuries. “A fall from a horse can be serious business,” he told Gwen. To her intense relief, however, beyond the cut on Ashley’s forehead he found nothing but some bruises.

  Still, after he finally stitched Ashley’s forehead, he then requested that she remain lying down for a while so he could keep an eye on her. Naturally Gwen and Zane didn’t say no. They had put the little girl in Dr. Parker’s hands, and they would not rush his treatment. Gwen sat next to her daughter’s bed for hours, and Zane did a lot of pacing in the waiting room, though every so often he would appear to see for himself how Ashley was doing.

  His concern seemed so genuine to Gwen, and she kept thinking of that while she watched Ashley and held her hand. There were more sides to Zane than she could have guessed.

  Much later Zane slipped in to the curtained cubicle and whispered, “How’s she doing?”

  “Okay,” Gwen whispered back. The dried blood on his shirt bothered her every time she saw it, but her own blouse—and Ashley’s clothes—had the same dark stains. She would soak her and Ashley’s things and try to save them, but Zane would probably toss his shirt in the trash can. As trivial as discarding a few clothes was in the greater scheme of things, it illustrated quite graphically just how far apart in thought and deed she and Zane really were.

  And if she wanted further proof of their incompatibility, all she had to do was look at him. He was handsome beyond belief, a golden-haired Adonis, and she was…she was… Well, she certainly wasn’t in his league in the looks department. She wasn’t in his league in any department, so why did he even bother with her? Wasn’t assuming that he was pining for her body just a bit far-fetched when he could probably have any woman he wanted?

  “Has the doctor been in again?” Zane whispered.

  “He took a quick look and rushed out. He seems to be very busy, but I’m sure he’ll let us know when he thinks it’s safe for Ashley to leave.”

  “Yes, I’m sure he will. Gwen, are you holding up okay?”

  “Yes, don’t worry about me.”

  There was that tough note of independence again, Zane thought. Had she always been this way, determined to take care of herself, by herself? What kind of man had her husband been? Had she been the strong one in that relationship? And what about her folks? Had they raised her to rely on no one but herself?

  He looked into her eyes and again wished she would let him help her out financially. But he knew it wasn’t going to happen. He would give her what she would accept—moral support.

  “All right,” he said quietly, with an ache in his heart, “I’ll take another stroll around.”

  Watching him walk out of the curtained cubicle, Gwen suddenly recalled Rosita Perez’s prediction at Hannah and Parker’s wedding. It would mean nothing at all to Gwen if Zane hadn’t told her later on that Rosita’s prophesies often came true, and that people in the area had come to respect them.

  “But she said such ridiculous things,” Gwen mumbled under her breath. Rosita must be dead wrong. Maybe someday Gwen would run into Rosita again and tell her so.

  The sun was low on the western horizon when they finally got back to the ranch. No one was outside, so obviously the barbecue was over and everyone had either left or was inside the big house.

  Ashley was sleeping in her mother’s arms, and Zane spoke quietly as he turned off the ignition. “Don’t disturb her. Stay here and I’ll round up the other kids.”

  “Thank you. Please thank your family for me too.”

  “Will do.” Zane got out and very quietly shut the door.

  A few moments after he went into Ryan Fortune’s fabulous house, Lily came out. Gwen saw the wicker basket Lily was carrying and suspected what it contained. Lily walked up to the passenger side of the car, and Gwen rolled down the window.

  “Zane told us she’s all right,” Lily said in an undertone when she saw that Ashley was asleep. “I’m so sorry she got hurt, Gwen. I hope it didn’t upset you too much. I raised three children myself, and I did my share of Emergency Room duty, as most mothers do.” Lily gazed fondly at the sleeping child. “She’s a lovely little girl, and your other two are marvelous children. Mindy captured everyone’s heart today, and Donnie is a very bright, handsome little boy. You must be very proud of all three.”

  “I am, Lily, thank you.”

  “And Zane seems to sincerely care about your children.”

  Gwen couldn’t deny Lily’s observation, yet it made her strangely uneasy. She smiled and nodded, but couldn’t quite bring herself to agree with Lily’s comment.

  “Oh, here he comes now, with the children,” Lily said, looking toward the house.

  Gwen turned her eyes and saw Zane carrying Mindy again. The other kids all but encircled his legs, and Gwen was surprised that they didn’t run ahead to the car. Why, Zane looks like a…father! she thought, and her heart was suddenly beating erratically.

  “I’m going to put this basket in the back,” Lily said. “Ryan’s barbecued beef is very special, and I wanted you to have some.”

  “That’s very nice of you, Lily. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Gwen, and do come to the ranch again. You and your children have an open invitation.” Lily smiled warmly. “Even your two little guests were well-behaved.”

  Gwen smiled too. “Their mother will be pleased to hear that.” Zane was getting the kids settled in the back seat, making sure their seat belts were buckled.

  “Mom, did Ash get sewed up?” Donnie called.

  “Yes, son, she has five tiny stitches.”

  “Can I see ’em?”

  “She has a bandage, Donnie. You can see them tomorrow.” Zane was getting behind the wheel, and Gwen looked at Lily again. “Thank you for everything, Lily, especially for watching the other kids while I was gone with Ashley.”

  “It was my pleasure, Gwen. Take care. Zane, we hope to see you again real soon. Goodbye, and drive safely.” Lily waved at the kids in the back seat, then moved away from the car.

  Zane said goodbye, put the vehicle in gear and drove away.

  There was very little conversation during the drive from the ranch to San Antonio. Mindy was sound asleep moments later. The other children in the back seat were quiet and subdued, and Gwen knew that they had had a big day and were tired. Without songs and childish laughter, the trip home was much different from the one to the ranch earlier that day.

  Night had fallen before they reached the city. Gwen’s arms ached from holding Ashley for so long, and she was glad when they were finally in San Antonio. Her initial plan had been to have Zane drop her and the kids at her house, then she would drive Tommy and Liselle to their own home. But now, getting close to her neighborhood, she came up with a new and, given the circumstances, more sensible plan.

  “Zane, would you mind driving to my friend’s house to drop off Tommy and Liselle?”

  “Not at all. Give me the address and directions.”

  Gwen recited both, and Zane drove directly to Ramona’s house and pulled into her driveway. “I’ll take the kids in so you won’t have to wake up Ashley and Mindy.”

  “Thanks, I’d appreciate that,” Gwen said quietly. Zane had surprised her all day with his patience, his kindness, his helpfulness.

  Gwen sighed as he got out and opened one of the back doors for Tommy and Liselle to get out, and she watched him walk the two children to their front door with regret gnawing at her. She’d actually believed the kids would daunt Zane, and had invited Tomm
y and Liselle along to further overwhelm him. It hadn’t worked, and now she was sorry for her own childish behavior.

  An outside light was on, illuminating a small porch and most of the driveway. Ramona opened the door before Zane and the kids reached it. Zane smiled at her. “Hello, I’m Zane Fortune.”

  “I’m Ramona Garcia.” She offered her hand for a handshake and said, “Nice meeting you, Zane.” Then she looked at the car—as her kids walked past her—and saw Gwen wave at her.

  Zane could tell by Ramona’s expression that she knew something was wrong, so he explained. “Ashley took a fall and cut her head. She’s asleep on Gwen’s lap, so I volunteered to deliver Tommy and Liselle.”

  “That was thoughtful,” Ramona murmured with a frown, then hurried from the porch to the car.

  Gwen rolled down her window. “She’s fine, Ramona,” Gwen whispered.

  Ramona peered into the car to see for herself. “Call me later,” she whispered.

  “As soon as I can,” Gwen promised.

  Zane got in and backed his vehicle from Ramona’s driveway.

  Gwen gave him instructions on the shortest route to her address from that point, and they were there in five minutes. Never had her little house looked better to her than it did when Zane drove into her driveway.

  He turned off the engine. “I’ve got everything organized,” he said. “Give Donnie your house key so he can run ahead and unlock the door. You carry Ashley in, and I’ll carry Mindy.”

  “Fine,” Gwen agreed cautiously, so she wouldn’t wake Ashley. She dug into her purse for her key ring, which she handed to her son. “Unlock the door and leave it open, Donnie. We’ll bring in the girls.”

  “Okay, Mom.”

  Zane got out first and let Donnie climb out second. Gwen could tell from the way Donnie walked that he, too, was worn out. It had been a long day for all of them.

  Then Zane opened the door for her to get out, then undid the seat belt around Mindy and picked her up.

  Gwen followed Zane to the house, and they went inside. He let her precede him so she could show him where to lay Mindy down. She brought him to a bedroom with a small bed and a crib—obviously the girls’ room. Without speaking a word, they got the girls settled in their beds, removing only their shoes and covering them with blankets. When they returned to the living room, they found Donnie slumped on the sofa.