by Bobbi Smith
"Morning, Cole," Jared said as he reined in before the house. "I'm glad you're still here."
"Good to see you, Jared Frank. Have you got any news? What did you find out?" he asked quickly.
"Donathan wasn't involved. There were people all around town who saw him in Durango that day."
Cole nodded slowly, his mind racing as he tried to figure out who else could have been behind the shooting. "It must have been the rustlers, then."
"I'm sorry to hear about all your trouble, and I'm real glad Jenny's going to be all right," Jared said.
"So are we," Cole returned.
"Frank came along because he just found out yesterday that he had been hit, too," Jared explained.
"So that's three of us this time." Cole was thoughtful. "Why don't you two come on inside? Jenny's up and feeling much better today."
"That's good news. Thanks."
Jared and Frank followed Cole indoors. He introduced them to everyone; then they started to go to the study to talk.
"I'm coming with you," Jenny insisted.
"Are you sure you're strong enough?" Evelyn asked, not wanting her to overexert herself.
"Yes, Aunt Evelyn. This is my ranch." Jenny got up, and Cole was instantly beside her to help her.
Jenny sat in one of the wing chairs in her father's study, while Cole sat behind the desk. Jared and Frank sat on the sofa that faced the desk.
Cole quickly explained that he'd sent the men back up to the site of the shooting the following day, but they had found nothing.
"I'd expected as much, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept," Cole continued. "I've been trying to think of a way to track down Jenny's attacker, and I'm beginning to believe that the ambush and the rustling are somehow connected. We need to set a trap of some kind for these rustlers. There's got to be a way to stop them."
They discussed at length what could be done to lure the rustlers in and then trap them, and Jenny joined in. As they were talking, Frances knocked on the study door.
"Wayne Jameson just rode in."
"Bring him on in," Cole told her.
"I wonder why Wayne's here," Jenny said.
"I saw him in town the other night, and I mentioned to him what had happened. I told him to keep an eye out, so maybe he knows something," Jared offered.
Cole rose to meet Wayne at the door as Frances ushered him in.
"Glad to see you, Wayne." Cole shook his hand.
Wayne greeted everyone and looked at Jenny. "Jenny, it's good to know you're going to be all right. I heard from Marshal Trent that you'd been shot. I rode over to see how you were and to see if you needed any help."
"That was kind of you, Wayne," Jenny told him. "We're all right, for now. Cole's helping me take care of things here on the ranch. We just need to find out who took a shot at me and who's been rustling all the cattle."
"Did you have any problems out at your spread, Wayne?" Jared asked.
"No. They left us alone this time. We were lucky."
`They hit Frank, too. That's why he's here. We're trying to put together a plan to trap the rustlers. I think it may be time to organize a cattlemen's association, too, and start patrolling the range ourselves."
"If need be, we can bring in a range detective," Cole said. "But I think we can catch them."
Wayne joined in the discussion, but grew more and more nervous as the other ranchers and the lawman laid out their plan for catching the rustlers. He realized that Cole was absolutely determined to bring them to justice, and he didn't want to be the man facing him when the truth finally came out. Wayne went along with everything they agreed on, and even offered to work with them. In the back of his mind, though, he was planning to get away as fast as he could. He had to get back to the ranch and warn Mira about what was going on. Their rustling days were over. It was time to cut and run while they still could.
Jenny grew weary as the men continued to plan their trap.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to rest for a while," she said, slowly getting to her feet.
"Jenny, it's just good to see that you're up and around already," Jared told her.
"Thank you, Jared," she said with a slight smile. "Frank, Wayne, I'll see you later."
"Take care, Jenny," Frank said.
Cole went to her and again slipped an arm about her waist to help her.
"I'll be right back," he told the men as he and Jenny left the study.
When they were in the hall, Cole simply picked Jenny up in his arms and carried her upstairs.
"You didn't need to do that. I could have made it," she protested, but her protest was halfhearted as she linked her arms around his neck. She liked having him hold her close.
"Yes, I did," he said, grinning at her. "It gave me an excuse to hold you."
"After tomorrow you'll never need another excuse."
Their gazes met and a fiery heat flamed to life within them both. They didn't say anything else as he carried her up to her room. Cole bent to lay her upon the bed, but Jenny deliberately didn't let him go. She drew him down with her, kissing him hungrily, wanting him near.
"I don't want to hurt you," he said quietly as he broke off the kiss.
"You'll never hurt me, Cole," she whispered against his lips, urging him back to her.
His mouth claimed hers possessively as his hands swept over her sweet curves. For long moments they lay together, starving for closeness, desperate to be near one another. Finally, as his passion threatened to wipe all logic from his mind, Cole tore himself away from Jenny.
"I've got to go back. They're waiting for me." He was breathing heavily as he shifted away to sit beside her on the side of the bed.
"Once we're married, you will never have to stop." She looked up at him, loving the look of burning desire that glowed in his eyes at her words.
"I'm counting the hours believe me," he growled, kissing her one last time before he stood up. "You rest now. Save your strength," he teased. "You're going to need it tomorrow."
"I'll be ready," she answered.
"Will you be all right alone?"
"I'll be fine. You just hurry back once they're gone."
"Don't worry. I will."
Cole left without kissing her again. He knew if he did, he might not get back downstairs for some time, and he didn't want to have to explain the reason for his delay.
The meeting continued for over an hour before the men finally had drawn up their plan. They were confident it would work, and as Jared and Frank rode for town, they were ready to recruit the other ranchers they would need.
Wayne rode out at the same time. He had said all the right things and acted as if nothing was wrong, but he was as close to panic as he'd ever been in his life. He rode at top speed for home. There was no time to waste.
Cole was still working in the study when Tom rode back in from Durango with the answering letter from the reverend. Cole opened and read it immediately. He was pleased to learn that the preacher would be there to perform the ceremony at two the following day.
In a little over twenty-four hours, Jenny would become Mrs. Cole Randall. He liked the sound of that. He went upstairs to give her the news.
Wayne was never so glad to get home.
"Mira!" he shouted as he ran into the house.
"What's wrong?" Mira demanded as she came out of the back of the house to find her brother standing wild-eyed in the middle of the hall.
"I'll tell you what's wrong! Jenny Sullivan is up and about, and-"
"She is?" Mira stared at him in furious disbelief
"Yes! You only grazed her. You're just damned lucky she didn't see you when you were taking your shots at her."
She swore loudly. "Damn that bitch! I hate her! God, how I hate that slut!"
"But that's not all I found out." he went on, cutting off her rantings. "Cole was there, and so was Marshal Trent and Frank Goodwin. The ranchers are planning to band together to catch the rustlers. They're planning a trap for us. We gotta get out of her
e while we still can! We gotta leave now!"
She'd always known her brother wasn't the smartest man around, but she'd never thought he was this stupid.
"Wayne, if they don't know we're doing the rustling, why do we have to run?"
"Because they're going to figure it out! I know it! They'll be coming after us, and when they do-"
"You are so stupid, Wayne," she told him in disgust. "If they don't have any idea that it's us, and if we stop rustling and don't fall into their trap, how will they ever prove it? I don't see what the problem is.,,
"They're going to catch us! I know it!"
"They are not going to catch us. Not unless we do something stupid-like run!" she snapped at him.
Wayne was furious and frightened. "I'm sick of you telling me how stupid I am! You're the one who thought you were so damned smart. You're the one who thought you knew what you were doing."
"I do know what I'm doing."
"What the hell are you two shoutin' about?" Russell Jameson demanded, staggering into the hall. He'd been sleeping in a drunken stupor in the parlor when their arguing had roused him. His mood was foul and his temper raging.
"We gotta get out of here, Pa!" Wayne blurted out. "Mira tried to shoot Jenny Sullivan, but she only wounded her. Jenny's still alive, and now they're looking for the ones who did it. I know they're going to find out it was us and come after us. I know it!"
"You don't know anything!" Mira shouted back at him. "They don't know I did the shooting, and they don't know we've been rustling either. There's no reason for us to run scared, you coward."
"Yeah, well, the least you could have done was kill her!"
"Believe me I wanted to, but if you hadn't killed her father in the first place, none of this would be happening."
Russell was staring at Mira. "I thought you were marrying Cole Randall. I thought that rustling was only to tide us over for a while until you'd got him to the altar."
"Things haven't worked out," she hedged, seeing her father's fury and hating the prospect of dealing with him. He was nothing but a useless, nasty drunk, and she had put up with him for about as long as she could stand.
"Why the hell not?" he roared. "You spent the night with him! He should be marrying you after you spread your legs for him that way!"
"Cole didn't bed me!" she threw back at him. "He slept in the bunkhouse the night I spent over there."
"Sure he did," Russell said, leering at her. "I always knew Cole was a smart one." He laughed drunkenly. "Of course he ain't buying the cow! He done got the milk for free! You're a stupid bitch. I can't believe you're my daughter."
"Neither can I!" Mira sneered. "Why don't you go on back to bed, you old drunk. Get out of my sight! Go sleep it off. I'll handle things around here."
"It don't sound like you're handlin' much at all. You sure as hell ain't handlin' Cole Randall!" Russell glared at her, then looked at Wayne. "And just what good are you? If you had any sense at all, you would have been man enough to figure out a way to save this place without your sister havin' to whore herself!"
"Old man, you better shut up while you're still breathing!" Wayne threatened. He had suffered through endless beatings as a child that hadn't stopped until he'd been big enough to fight back. Since then, his pa had stopped hitting him, but he'd never stopped telling him how stupid he was.
Mira looked from her father to her brother. "While you two continue your discussion, I'm going to ride out to the canyon and tell the boys our rustling days are over. We've got to make sure they lay low and don't try anything else until we give them the goahead."
"Then what do you plan to do? Since you're so smart, how are you going to save the place? We've been just hanging on as it is."
Mira glared at Wayne, the look in her eyes savage. "I'm going to marry Cole."
With that, she turned her back on them both and stalked out of the house. She had a lot to do before she went to find Cole again. It wasn't going to be easy after seeing how attracted he still was to Jenny, but she had to find a way.
As Mira saddled up and rode for the canyon to speak with her men, she grew even angrier and more full of hate for Jenny. She despised the woman with every fiber of her being. Jenny had had Cole at the altar and had thrown him away and now she decides she wanted him again? There was no way Mira could stand by and let that bitch have him. Cole was hers. She'd been patient, waiting for him to get over Jenny, biding her time as she tried to seduce him. She'd thought she'd been making progress with him. After what had happened at the dance, though, she knew she had to act and act fast. Her bullet might have missed killing Jenny, but she had no intention of missing when it came to making Cole her own.
"You look lovely," Evelyn told Jenny, smiling serenely at the sight of her niece clad in a pretty pale blue gown. She looked beautiful. No longer was she pale and wan. High color stained her cheeks, and her eyes glowed with inner joy. The only reminder of her trauma was a small bandage on her forehead.
"Do you really think so?" Jenny asked as she lifted her worried gaze to her aunt's. She remembered how she'd looked in her full-skirted bridal gown and wondered if Cole would think she looked pretty today so simply dressed. "Last time-"
"Last time you didn't go through with the ceremony," Evelyn told her with a grin. "Believe me, Cole would much rather marry you in this dress than see you in that bridal gown again."
"Bad memories?"
"I'm sure."
"Well, today I intend to erase those bad memories once and for all. Today I'm going to become Mrs. Cole Randall, and I can hardly wait."
"It's almost two o'clock, and Reverend Ford is downstairs with Cole waiting for you. Whenever you're ready, we can go down." Evelyn went to her and hugged her close. "Are you happy, darling? Are you really happy?"
"Oh, yes, Aunt Evelyn," she said, returning her embrace. "I love Cole with all my heart."
"Then let's go get you married."
"I'm ready."
They left the bedroom and made their way down the hall. Evelyn told to wait at the top of the steps while she went downstairs to make sure everything was set. In a minute she was back.
"It's time, Jenny."
They shared one last, loving hug; then Jenny started down the steps. When they reached the hall, Jenny saw the ranch hands gathered on the porch. She looked questioningly at her aunt. Evelyn smiled at her.
"They figured out what was happening when they saw Reverend Ford show up. They wanted to celebrate with you," Evelyn explained. "We couldn't fit everybody in the parlor, so they're going to watch from the parlor windows."
Jenny smiled at her men before turning toward the parlor, ready to go to Cole.
It was time.
Evelyn walked with her to the parlor door before slipping away to join those who were waiting with Cole and the minister. As Evelyn entered the room, everyone turned to see Jenny in the doorway.
Jenny was positively glowing, and she had eyes only for Cole, who was standing apart from the others with Reverend Ford. Her gaze went over him, visually caressing him. She realized he must have sent one of the hands to his ranch to get a suit for him to wear for the ceremony, and he was ruggedly, compellingly handsome. His presence was commanding, and she was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She could not resist him, and she did not want to-not ever again.
Cole saw Jenny and immediately went to her to take her arm. He still remembered how lovely she'd looked in her bridal gown two years ago. She had been stunningly lovely then, but today he thought her even more radiant, even wearing the simple gown she'd chosen. She had pinned her hair up away from her face, and he could hardly wait to pull the pins from her hair and free the heavy mass to his touch. His thoughts threatened to race ahead to the night to come, and he had to force himself to concentrate on the moment at hand.
This was their wedding day.
At long last, Jenny would be his bride.
"You're beautiful," he said in a low, soft voice meant just for her to hear.
Sh
e smiled up at him. "Thank you. I wanted to be for you."
They shared a secret smile as Cole guided her to stand before the minister.
"Are we ready to begin?" Reverend Ford asked quietly.
Jenny remembered another time when he'd said the exact same words to her. She noticed, too, that the minister seemed a bit nervous as he spoke. It was at this moment that she'd stopped him the last time, but today she only smiled.
"Hurry," she said in a loud whisper. "I've already waited too long to marry Cole."
The minister smiled back at her and began the ceremony. "Dearly beloved..."
As Reverend Ford spoke, Jenny glanced up at Cole. All the love she felt for him was shining in her eyes. She found Cole watching her, too. At first when their gazes met, his expression seemed suddenly guarded, almost cautious, as if he feared she would once again run from him. But Jenny stood her ground. She loved Cole and wanted only to spend the rest of her life with him. She gave him a serene, blissful smile, and he knew this time it was right. This time she really would be his. They both turned back to the minister then, eagerly anticipating the vows to come.
They would be man and wife.
Rose sat with Tillie and Melanie watching as Cole and Jenny were bound together in holy matrimony. She sighed with happiness for them, thrilled that Jenny had won Cole's love, delighted that they were going to live happily ever after together, and overwhelmed with joy that they had found each other before it was too late.
As Rose listened to them taking their vows to love, honor, cherish, and obey each other, tears burned in her eyes. She found Dan slipping, unbidden, into her thoughts, and she wondered why. She'd missed him ever since he'd left with Dr. Murray. She'd hoped that he would come back to the ranch unexpectedly and surprise her, but the hours and days had passed, and she had not heard from him.
Rose couldn't imagine what had happened to make Dan change so drastically. What she'd felt for him had been special and real. What they'd shared had been wonderful and different from anything she'd ever known. It troubled and saddened her to lose Dan so soon after she'd found him.
