by Cora Seton
“What the hell are you saying?” Hannah couldn’t believe this. A second ago Holt had almost seemed human. She’d been mistaken, obviously.
“I’m saying clean it up by the time my wife and I come to dinner tonight or the next meal I eat will be bison burgers.” He turned to go, but Hannah dashed around and stopped him with a hand on his chest.
“You said if I slept with Jake for fourteen days Gladys would be safe. You promised!”
“Well, now I’m saying that cabin better be clean for fourteen days, too, and you’d better have one hell of a dinner on the table each night for my son. And for me and my wife tonight at six o’clock. I have a full day of chores ahead of me and I’m bound to be hungry.” He pushed past her toward the barn. “By the way, Lisa has a sweet tooth, so serve something good for dessert. She prefers a formal table setting, too.”
Hannah gaped at him as he strode stiffly across the frozen ground away from her. Dinner? Clean the cabin? She worked until five-thirty. How on earth could she pull that off?
And did she even want to? What kind of sick, twisted game was Holt was playing? What new demand would he make tomorrow if she went along with these ones today? She looked at her wrist. She was already late for work. Bella depended on her. So did their clients.
She still hadn’t found Jake to give him a piece of her mind and figure out what to do about the ripped condom. Should she call into work and go see a doctor instead? Get a pill to take so she could stop worrying?
She should, but she wouldn’t. As much as it made sense to do so, she just wasn’t wired that way. Whatever happened next, she’d deal with it, even if it overturned all her carefully made plans.
She placed her hands on her abdomen trying to channel information out of it. Was she pregnant? Could she possibly be?
Wouldn’t she know?
“Did my brother knock you up already?”
She spun around with a gasp to find Ned watching her, his head cocked to one side. “Why the hell would you say that?”
He mimicked her, leaning back and cupping his abdomen with his hands as if he were pregnant. “Doesn’t take a genius to decipher that gesture. So was it Jake who knocked you up, or Cody?”
Her mouth dropped open. “It sure as hell wasn’t Cody!” Too late she realized how that sounded. “It wasn’t your brother, either. I’m not pregnant.”
“If you say so.”
“Ned! I mean it—I’m not. Don’t you dare say anything—to anyone!”
“Why not? You’re going to marry Jake, aren’t you? Did you have a little condom trouble? Or just forget to use one altogether?”
Was he for real? “Who said anything about marriage?” Her voice slipped into a higher register.
“Jake did. Said we should expect a wedding by Christmas—just as soon as he talked you out of your crazy career plans. He prefers his women where he can keep an eye on them. It’s kind of a Matheson thing.” He turned to leave. “Ginger tea is supposed to help with morning sickness, by the way. You look a little pale.”
“Damn it! I don’t have morning sickness.”
“Yet.” He strode away.
“I am not pregnant!” But he was gone.
Giving up, she turned on her heel and stalked off to her truck to head into town. She’d call every ranch around these parts during slow times this morning to find a home for Gladys. And if that didn’t work, she’d take the afternoon off. She wouldn’t let Holt boss her around anymore and she wouldn’t give Jake another chance to trap her in a marriage she wasn’t ready for. Career nonsense? Had Jake really said that? She’d had enough of the Mathesons.
Especially Ned.
Just as Jake had hoped, Mia Start was working the till at Dundy’s Hardware store. He rounded up a couple of items, brought them to her register and smiled when she began to ring them up.
“Hi, Jake. How’s it going?” As usual, Mia had pulled her long, dark hair up into a ponytail near the top of her head. It made her look younger than her twenty-one years. It made Jake feel old.
“I’m good. Ran into Fila earlier, though. She wasn’t looking so hot.” Now that he was here executing his plan, he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. He’d told himself that with a houseful of guests descending on Ethan and Autumn, Mia might like to move out just like Hannah had. He figured Autumn was stashing the two women somewhere on the ranch, but that couldn’t be as comfortable for Mia as having her own room. He was just doing her a favor. Now that he was faced with her, he had to admit that the only person he was helping was himself.
Mia’s hands stilled. “Fila? What’s wrong with her?”
In for a penny, in for a pound. He braced himself to tell the lie as convincingly as he could. “She seemed upset. Something about moving somewhere temporary? Not having a place for herself? She was crying too hard for me to understand her.”
“Crying?” Mia’s eyes widened. “I knew she wasn’t really comfortable with the idea, but…”
“Sounds like she had a real hard time back in Afghanistan.” Jake cringed. Normally he prided himself on being honest. It was true Fila had a lot to get over from the time she’d spent as a captive abroad, but he had no idea if she was upset about her upcoming move out of the Big House.
“She did seem down this morning. I thought it was because Hannah left the ranch. How’s that going by the way? The two of you living together?”
“It’s going great. The cabins my brothers and I have each have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. They’re perfect for sharing.” He didn’t think it wise to mention that he and Hannah had only used one bedroom the night before.
“I wish I could afford something like that. I feel like I’ve sponged off of Autumn and Ethan long enough.” Mia slowly began to ring up the rest of his things.
“Ned’s looking for a subletter,” Jake said quickly, seeing his chance. “He’d be happy to have you take his guest bedroom. He’d like some extra cash to save up to buy a new truck.”
“Really?” She brightened, then quickly frowned. “But Ned… he’s kind of got a temper.”
“That’s all for show. He never acts like that at home.” God would surely strike him dead for that whopper.
“I don’t know…”
“He’s hardly ever in the house, anyway,” Jake blustered when it looked like Mia would decide against it. “He works all day and most nights he’s tinkering in the shop he’s got out in one of the barns. Have you ever seen the stuff he builds?”
She shook her head.
“He can do anything mechanical. Fix anything.” It was the first time Jake could ever remember bragging about his younger brother, but it was true; Ned was a whiz with gadgets and gears. He kept all the equipment on the ranch running. Jake didn’t know what they’d do without him—it would cost a fortune to hire a mechanic every time something broke down. “What kind of rent are you paying at Ethan’s place?”
“Five hundred dollars a month.”
Jake made a sympathetic face. “Heck, Ned would take three hundred.”
“The five hundred includes food, too.”
“Ned will provide the food. And sometimes you can eat with Hannah and me. It’ll be fun. In fact, why don’t you come by tonight for dinner? I’ll make sure Ned’s there, too. Afterward, he can take you to his place so you can look it over and make up your mind. Six o’clock okay?”
“Okay.” Mia nodded, beginning to smile. “Yeah. That sounds great!”
‡
Chapter Eight
Hannah admitted defeat at lunchtime. She’d combed through the ranches in southern Montana once before and this time she had no better luck finding a place to board Gladys. Bison ranches had gained in popularity but there were none close by, and the rest of the ranches weren’t interested in introducing a whole new kind of critter to their herds. A few places far to the west might take her, but the cost of the proposition was outlandish. Keeping her at the Double-Bar-K was her best bet. Hannah closed the browser on her computer and glanced at the calendar
on the wall. She could take thirteen days of Holt’s abuse, she decided, and the thirteen nights of Jake’s company would be… bearable. As long as he didn’t discuss marriage and his outdated ideas about wives.
She had to stay on top of her emotions, though. Jake was the best lover she’d ever had, but she didn’t know if the torn condom was a fluke or if he’d done something on purpose. She couldn’t be with a man who would try to force her hand like that. And even if it was an accident—which she suspected it was—it pointed out all the reasons she shouldn’t get caught up with Jake. She didn’t intend to stay with him. Not when they were at such different places in their lives.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming message. A text from Jake.
Speak of the devil, she thought, reading it. “Plan on two extras for dinner.” A jolt of anger spiked through her at the reminder that Holt was forcing her to cook dinner for him and Lisa, and that Jake probably thought it was a fine idea. Two extras—duh. She rolled her eyes, but figured it was a good thing Holt had let Jake know he and Lisa were coming to eat with them tonight. Now he’d get home on time and maybe he could help her with the last-minute details.
And afterward they’d have a serious talk. About the condom, about the next two weeks, and about how they’d handle a pregnancy if there was one.
Hannah fought the urge to cry. How had she gotten into this mess? Twenty-four hours ago the prospect of living with Jake had sounded fun. Now she was so confused she didn’t know where to turn.
It was all Holt’s fault.
And now she was supposed to clean up Jake’s cabin and cook for the man?
Plus the man’s wife. Hannah wondered if Lisa knew about any of Holt’s schemes. She had always wondered why such a smart, lovely woman would marry such a pain-in-the-ass. What would Lisa say tonight at dinner? Would anyone tell her what was really going on?
Hannah decided she’d make the upcoming ordeal palatable to herself by pretending she had voluntarily invited Lisa to dinner. Forget Jake and forget Holt. Lisa had always been sweet when they’d met up. She had no problem cooking a meal for a woman like that. The rest of the Mathesons could go hang themselves, though.
Bella ushered a client out of the examining room—Patty Akins and her schnauzer, Prince. Once Patty had paid her bill and said her good-byes, Hannah asked Bella to stay and talk a moment. “I hate to even ask, but is there any way I can take the afternoon off?” She gave her boss and friend a sanitized version of the events of the past day. “I told Holt I’d have him and Lisa to dinner since they’ve been so great about letting Gladys stay.” She nearly choked on the lie, but it was better than admitting the truth. Bella would think she was an idiot to allow Holt to blackmail her.
“You really like Jake, don’t you?” Bella asked.
Hannah figured she was referring to the blush she could feel heating her cheeks. She hesitated. “Yes,” she conceded, “but it’s not as easy as that.”
“Somehow love never is, but you’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so.” She hoped she’d figure out how to last through dinner.
“Why don’t you head out right now? Just leave me the rest of the files for this afternoon.”
“Thanks! I’ll come in early tomorrow to get back on top of it all. I promise.”
“Oh, please. You’ve been working like mad, we both have!” Bella said. “I, for one, am looking forward to Christmas vacation.” She disappeared into the back and Hannah began to gather her things.
By Christmas vacation she’d know whether or not she was having a baby. If Jake had his way, she’d be married, too. Reeling under those thoughts, she headed out the door.
An hour later she set three bags of groceries on the kitchen table in Jake’s cabin and went out for her next load. She’d picked up everything she needed for a roast chicken dinner. With chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits and a salad, she figured she’d please the pickiest rancher, and all of those dishes were easy as pie to make, as long as she got to it right away.
Thank goodness she’d thought to stop at Autumn’s house and borrow some pots and pans, she thought half an hour later. Jake’s house was stocked with the barest of cooking essentials and she’d have been up a creek without a paddle otherwise. With the chicken in the oven, she turned her attention to cleaning house. She’d start with the most visible areas—the kitchen, living room and downstairs bathroom—and work her way up, leaving Jake’s room for last. The thought of cleaning up his personal things made her cringe. She wasn’t some sort of maid, after all. She didn’t want him to get used to this treatment.
As anger grew within her once more, however, Hannah took a couple of deep breaths. Why was she letting Holt and Jake stir her up like this? Right now she was reacting to Holt’s machinations. She was being his victim. That wasn’t the kind of woman she wanted to be. She had taken the afternoon off to throw a dinner party, and she was going to revel in it. No more moping or simmering with anger. She wasn’t doing this for Jake or Holt. She was doing this for Lisa—and herself. She deserved a beautiful, clean home to live in for the next thirteen days and she deserved a wonderful home-cooked meal to eat tonight. Her mood somewhat restored, she got to work.
Along with the groceries, she’d bought a number of different cleaning supplies, a bucket, mop and scrubbing sponges. She set her iPod to her most upbeat playlist, snapped on a pair of gloves and got to work. Just as she’d suspected, Jake already owned a broom and vacuum cleaner. She piled everything that didn’t belong on the first floor on the stairs and cleaned like a madwoman, telling herself the faster she went, the better workout she’d get. The mindless tasks weren’t as bad as she expected. Some places needed a better scrubbing than she had time for—such as the refrigerator, the bathroom tiles and inside the oven—but when the rooms sparkled, she picked up the load of Jake’s belongings and hauled them up to his room.
Back downstairs, she whipped up a pan of brownies, prepped the biscuit dough, made the salad, and peeled the potatoes. With her busy schedule she never took time to make a fancy supper—certainly not since she’d been staying at the Cruz ranch where Autumn seemed to cook from morning to night. It was kind of fun as a change of pace. As the afternoon progressed, she realized that Holt could try to boss her around and Jake could try to force her hand, but in the end she was the one who decided whether or not to let them. She’d made a choice to secure a place for Gladys and she could stand two weeks of Holt’s craziness. She’d made a choice to sleep with Jake and she’d accept the consequences of that action. If she was pregnant, she’d add a baby to the mix and go to school anyway. Why not? Other women did and survived.
The thought made her feel powerful after feeling so controlled by Holt and Jake, and she sang along to her tunes as she cooked. While the brownies baked, she whipped back upstairs and unpacked her things in the spare room. She estimated she had fifteen minutes of cleaning time left when she was done. After that she’d need to put all her attention on preparing the evening meal for her guests.
Guest.
She only cared about Lisa. Holt could go to hell.
Approaching Jake’s room with trepidation, she wondered how Holt would even know if she’d cleaned it. She decided she’d straighten up the big things first, and get to the bathroom if there was time. Holt might stick his nose into the room, but she doubted he’d inspect his son’s private bathroom.
Of course, this was Holt she was talking about.
Hannah sighed and decided to tackle this last room as if she was running sprints. She made the bed, threw dirty clothes into the laundry basket, picked up papers and miscellaneous items from the floor, lining them up on his desk and dresser in ways she hoped made sense. She ran the vacuum around as quickly as she could and shut the closet door, before racing into the bathroom and scrubbing and tidying as fast as she could in the few minutes she had left.
Good enough, she decided when the buzzer went off downstairs. Racing back down again, she saved the brownies from overcooking, scuttle
d around to put all the cleaning supplies away, and popped the biscuits in the oven. She set the brand new tablecloth she’d purchased over Jake’s dining room table and carefully set four places. She placed a bottle of wine on the counter top, removed the cover over the roasting chicken to brown the top, and spooned out the broth to start the gravy. A look around told her everything was in place.
A look down at herself told her she looked like hell.
Hannah panicked, then rolled her eyes at herself for caring as she raced for her room and tore off her clothes, reaching for the first thing that came to hand in her closet—a clingy dress of cobalt blue that made her eyes pop and her hair glow. It was far too dressy for the occasion, but there wasn’t time to try again. She shimmied into it, did up the zipper, yanked her pony-tail holder out of her hair and fluffed it up, checking her reflection in the mirror.
She was flushed with the heat of the kitchen and all her exertions and her hair was wild, but the effect wasn’t awful. In fact… she pursed her lips. She didn’t look half bad. Maybe a day out of the clinic now and then wasn’t the worst thing in the world, although she’d prefer to do something a little more exciting than clean house.
What would Jake think when he saw her?
She didn’t care what he thought, she reminded herself. Jake was out of bounds from here on in. She was in control. She would determine her own future.
A knock sounded at the door and she hurried to the stairs, realizing it must be Holt and Lisa. Where was Jake? He should have been home by now, especially since it was his father who had forced this little dinner on her.
When she reached the door, however, Ned pushed through it. “Jake said dinner’s here tonight. Smells good. Got any beer?” He walked straight to the kitchen, pulled open the refrigerator door and grabbed one of the bottles she’d bought just in case Holt disliked wine.
“Um… help yourself.” Hannah’s mind raced. Jake had invited Ned to dinner, too? Why hadn’t he told her?
