“That bad, huh?”
She shuddered. “Yes. I can’t imagine having to go to bed with…I mean… It would make me want to throw up because…you know what I mean.”
Jed couldn’t help himself. He laughed out loud at the woman’s expression. She seemed to be really repulsed at the thoughts of this Vince fellow sharing her bed. He bit his lip and there was a teasing twinkle in his eyes when he said, “So you’ve decided sharing a bed with me would be better than being with old Vince.”
The tears disappeared and she seemed to panic. “Of course not. All I want is a marriage paper signed by a preacher saying I’m your wife. Daddy couldn’t make me marry Vince then.”
He could tell she didn’t think this conversation was going the way she wanted it to. He decided to push her a little further. “So there would no wedding night?”
“Of course not! Not in the way you’re thinking.” Amelia took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “I have it all thought out. Will you please listen to the plan?”
“I’m waiting on my supper, so I guess I don’t have anything better to do.”
Amelia began pouring out the story to him. How her father had decided she was to marry Vince before her parents went to Europe. How he was forty-two years old and she didn’t want to marry him because she didn’t love or trust him. How she thought he was only after her because he wanted to own part of the Double D Ranch. And how she couldn’t stand the thoughts of being a wife to him.
Jed said nothing during her story, but he studied the young woman before him. She was nothing like the women he usually found himself attracted to. No matter how the town branded her as wild and undisciplined, he could tell this woman wasn’t the type to have a one night love affair with a man. She had the “wedding ring forever” look all about her. He figured if she ended up having to marry Callahan, she’d be a dutiful, if unhappy wife.
He couldn’t help himself when he asked, “I’ll be thirty years old this winter. Don’t you think I’m too old for you, too?”
“Of course not.”
Jed decided to try another tactic to reason with her. “I have no intentions of ever marrying, Miss Donahue, but let’s say by some miracle you happened to talk me into this marriage, what would you expect of me?”
She smiled and her bright blue eyes grew brighter and bluer with excitement as she talked. “Oh, I wouldn’t expect a thing, Mr. Wainwright. I even have the wedding ring. It was my grandmother’s. Grandfather gave it to me before he died and said she…she’d want me to have it, and I’ll wear it proudly.”
“I see.” He wondered if the grandmother was dead, too, but didn’t ask.
Amelia went on. “As for us, this would be a marriage in name only, but you would have to squire me around town and pretend to be the attentive husband for a while. If Daddy didn’t think we were really married, he’d have it annulled and I’d be right back where I started and he’d still force me to marry Vince.”
“I don’t think I’d be happy in a marriage that was in name only.” Though he knew he’d never marry this woman, he couldn’t fathom being with a wife he couldn’t sleep with.
She shook her head and appeared to warm to her subject. “It wouldn’t be forever. Six months, at most.”
“Six months is a long time. I could track down a lot of outlaws in that length of time.”
She bit her lip and then smiled at him. “Could you make ten thousand dollars in six months tracking down outlaws?”
“I thought you said five thousand.”
“I will give you five thousand now and another five thousand when six months have passed.”
Jed couldn’t help thinking this would be easy money. In six months he might make a thousand dollars, fifteen hundred if he was lucky, but there was no way he could ever make ten thousand. And ten thousand dollars would more than set up the ranch he’d been dreaming about. With what he and Curt had already saved, they could buy a place and with the money from her they’d have plenty to hire hands and buy stock in the future. They would even be able to find men who would be good at rounding up wild ponies to break and breed to sell. He shook his head because he was shocked to realize what he was thinking. Could he seriously consider this preposterous proposal?
When he spoke it was slow and thoughtful. “So I’d be your husband to the outside world, but I’d still be free to pursue whatever work or pleasure I desired?”
“Yes, with a few exceptions.” She gave him a brilliant smile.
He raised the dark eyebrow again. “And what are those few exceptions, Miss Donahue?”
“Well, we’d have to have some sort of home together. I guess when I’m married, Daddy would let us live at the ranch, but if he wouldn’t let us live in his house we’d have to live on one of the places on the ranch. Of course we’d have two bedrooms, but only you and I would know.”
“Anything else?”
“You’d have to stay away from the soiled doves in town.” She lowered her head and almost whispered, “I’ve heard about your reputation with the fallen women, but I couldn’t have you disgracing me. Everyone in town knows my family. I’m sure it wouldn’t be long until somebody told Daddy you weren’t honoring your marriage vows then he’d make me get an annulment or divorce.”
“You expect me to go without a woman for six months?” Didn’t this woman know anything about men?
“Yes, Mr. Wainwright, for ten thousand dollars, I’d require you to abide by my rules.”
Before he could answer there was a knock on his door. A girl’s voice said, “It’s your supper, Uncle Jed.”
He went to the door and spoke through it. “Thanks, Sophie. Put it there on the floor and I’ll get it as soon as I’m dressed.”
He turned back to Amelia. “Go on back to your room, and while I’m eating I’ll mull over what you’ve proposed, Miss Donahue.”
“Please. Let me explain…”
“I know everything I need to know.” He stood and took her arm. “I’ll knock on your door when I’ve made a decision.”
Chapter 3
Am I really doing the right thing? Amelia paced the floor in her room. What if Jed Wainwright doesn’t take my offer? What if he does take it? Will he abide by the rules I set out? What if he doesn’t? What if I marry him and…. No, I can’t think like this. He has to accept. I can’t marry Vince. I just can’t. Not only is he a crook, he disgusts me.
Her mind continued to race on. What if Jed Wainwright demands more money? Can I get my hands on more? She knew she had the five thousand available in the bank. Without telling her father, her mother had set up the account for her so she’d have it while her parents were in Europe. She could give it to Wainwright tomorrow. But what if he took her money and then refused to marry her?
No. That can’t possibly happen. We’ll be married tonight. I won’t pay him until tomorrow and the marriage will have already taken place.
But what if he wouldn’t go through with it without some sort of payment? The bank was closed. How much money do I have with me? How much did Daddy give me to pay the dressmaker? Do I have enough for a down payment to satisfy Wainwright?
She grabbed her drawstring purse and dumped the money on the bed. She counted a hundred and eighty dollars. Would that be enough? She stuffed the money back in the bag and resumed her pacing.
In a few minutes she paused and looked at the small gold watch which had belonged to her grandmother. It was pinned to the bodice of her gown. It told her only twenty minutes had passed since she made him the proposition though to her it seemed like at least an hour.
Has it been long enough to expect him to give me an answer? Maybe not. He probably wants to think it over to be sure. He could be thinking of all the options I offered him. Was I unreasonable with my demands? Are there places where I’m willing to compromise?
She paused in her pacing as another thought slipped into her mind. What if he refuses to give up his whores? Can I live with him visiting the bordello occasionally? What would the peopl
e in town say if he were known to frequent such a place? She knew the answer. They would laugh at her. Worse than that, her father would say he was worthless and demand she divorce him and marry Vince. She couldn’t let it happen.
She muttered, “For the amount of money I’m offering, it wouldn’t hurt him to forgo the pleasure of women. But will he agree to it?”
Amelia could certainly understand why he had a reputation with the women. He was good looking. She’d noticed how attractive he was right away. Those devastating ebony eyes were enough to set any woman’s heart fluttering and besides that, there were the handsome chiseled facial features, wide-muscled shoulders, narrow waist line, and powerful legs. And without his clothes on…
“Stop thinking about him like that,” she commanded herself. “You want the man’s name, not his body.”
But was the name all she wanted? He sure was a nice specimen of manhood. She realized how nice when he dropped the towel and stood before her like some Greek god. It was the first time she’d ever seen a living, breathing naked man. Were they all so well endowed? Even all the scarring didn’t hide his muscles and near perfect physique. And where did all those scars come from, anyway? Were they from different fights he’d had while pursuing his bounty hunting?
She shook her head to change her thoughts. A more important question to ask should be “is he reliable?” If he takes my offer, can I trust him to keep his word?
What if he takes my money, marries me and leaves town tomorrow? If he does, will a marriage certificate suffice to prove to Daddy I can’t marry Vince? She shook her head. No. Daddy would never accept a piece of paper. He’d have the marriage annulled if there wasn’t a man around to prove the marriage was legal.
She paused again and looked at her watch. Thirty minutes had gone by. What was taking him so long? He was either going to marry her or he wasn’t.
Amelia was tempted to go knock on his door and demand an answer. She got as far as her door and stopped. She couldn’t do it. What if it only irritated him and made him refuse to marry her?
She whirled around and walked to the dresser. With a sigh she sat down and checked her appearance in the mirror. Will he think I looked pretty enough to marry? She’d tried her best to look nice for him, though she’d rather be in her riding skirt and have her waist long hair in a braid. She figured he was like most men. He’d want to see her in a dress and smelling good. After she’d been to the dining room, she’d changed into her prettiest dress, a lavender satin gown with the lace trim around the scooped neck. It showed off her tiny waist and the puffed short sleeves revealed her creamy arms. She hoped she looked as good as the women he usually spent time with. Did she?
She couldn’t explain the little shudder she felt when she thought of him spending time with other women. Especially those painted ladies who made their money by sleeping with men. She didn’t want to think about his long hands touching a woman or his sensuous lips against those of some whore. And the thoughts of his well-muscled chest pressing against…
“Stop it,” she demanded aloud and stood. “Why are you thinking these things? It’s none of your business what the man does as long as he marries you, and you can prove to your father you can’t marry Vince.”
She checked her watch again. Forty minutes.
“He’s decided he’s not going to do it,” she muttered and dropped to the chair beside the window and looked out. “Now what am I going to do? I don’t know anyone else who my father wouldn’t scare away or pay to run off.”
There was a sharp rap on the door. She jumped and her heart began to race.
Regaining her wits, she stood, smoothed her skirt and headed across the room. “Let it be him and let him say he’ll do it,” she said and opened the door.
Her heart raced when she looked at him. He was dressed in a beige collarless shirt, a black vest, and clean denims. There was a gun in a holster strapped below the wide belt and his worn boots looked as if they’d recently been cleaned. His black hat was pulled low on his forehead, but didn’t hide his dark eyes. She’d noticed again how intriguing his eyes were. One second they seemed to be filled with amusement and the next they seemed to look into her soul. Was it because he had few feelings or was it because he refused to express the feelings he did have? She swallowed and whispered, “Come in.”
“I usually stay in this room when I’m in this hotel,” he said and stepped inside.
“You do?”
“Now I see why Frank said he’d already rented it.” His eyes were slowly surveying her from the satin toes of her shoes sticking out from under her sweeping gown to the top of her head. When he finished, he began the same survey downward, pausing to look into her eyes and then stopping at the top of her gown where the lace barely hid the top of her breasts.
Finally he muttered, “There’s not much of you, but what’s there, isn’t bad.” He then turned and closed the door.
Amelia bit her lip. She wanted to ask him what he meant by the remark, but she didn’t want to irritate him. She didn’t say anything, though she couldn’t help wondering what he’d do or say next. She wished he’d hurry, because if he didn’t, her heart was going to beat right out of her chest.
He went to the bed, hung his hat on the post and sat down indicating she should sit in the chair facing him. He didn’t waste time getting to the point. “You set out some pretty stiff rules for me to follow if I agree to marry you, Miss Donahue.”
She nodded and muttered, “Maybe we could discuss…”
He held up his hand to stop her and said, “I’ve thought this over and I’ve come to present my rules to you.”
“Your rules?” She was stunned. What rules could he have?
“Yes. My rules.” He grinned at her, but there was still no indication in his eyes of what the smile meant. “Of course you know I want the money you’re offering, but money isn’t everything. Unless you’ll abide by my rules, there’ll be no marriage. I don’t care how much money you offer me.”
“All right.” She bit her lip and hoped he couldn’t see her heart begin beating even harder with excitement. “What are your rules, Mr. Wainwright?”
“First of all, you’ll call me Jed and I’ll call you Amelia. If two people marry they should at least be on a first name basis.”
“I agree.” If his rules were all this easy she would accept them and then he’d accept her proposal. She hoped the excitement she was beginning to feel didn’t show.
He nodded. “Second, I want five thousand dollars put in my bank account tomorrow morning when the bank opens.”
She nodded again. “I’ll be happy to do that.” She began to feel better and better. Maybe this was going to work out like she wanted it to.
“Third, I’ll put the five thousand from you away for future use. A friend and I intend to buy a ranch with the money we already have. There will be no living on your Daddy’s place. You’ll live on my ranch with me for the six months of our arrangement.”
She hadn’t counted on having to move, but if she had to, she would. “Where is this ranch, Mr. …Jed?”
“We haven’t bought it yet. I hope we can settle in Wyoming, but we might have to go elsewhere to find what we’re looking for.”
“But I’d only have to live there for six months?”
“Yes.”
“So far, I have no problem with going along with your rules.” She wished he’d not look at her so intently. She was afraid he’d see how her heart was making her silk dress move with each beat.
“The fourth and last rule is the big one, Amelia, but the entire deal rests on it.”
For the first time she saw expression in his eyes. They twinkled when he said her name. It made her feel funny inside, but she hoped her voice was calm when she asked, “What’s rule four, Jed?”
He looked at her a moment, then said in his drawl, “You’ll either share my bed as my wife, or you’ll not open your mouth about my visiting whores or even bringing one to the ranch on occasion.”
; Amelia was shocked at his words and couldn’t think or speak for a moment.
He didn’t say anything, but waited for her answer.
Finally she stammered, “What…you mean…I can’t…I mean…”
“I knew this one would throw you.” His chuckle was deep and if she wasn’t so obviously taken aback by his fourth rule, it would have been a pleasant sound to hear.
She finally composed herself. “What if I upped the money to…”
“As I said in the beginning, money isn’t everything, Amelia. There’s no way in hell I’m going without the comfort of a woman for six months. It will either be you as my wife or…you know the alternative. No amount of money will make me change my mind.”
Is he serious? She glared at him. What am I going to do now? There is no way I can give myself to a stranger, even if I am married to him. But if we marry, can I live with knowing he was sharing a bed with another woman or different women?
Several minutes passed before anything else was said.
He spoke first. “I assume by your silence you can’t go along with rule number four.”
She didn’t answer.
“Then, Miss Donahue, I’ll head for the saloon. It was interesting meeting you.” He stood, put on his hat and started for the door.
Seeing her future with Vince float before her eyes, she jumped up and quickly crossed the room. She put her hand on his arm. Her voice was barely a whisper when she said, “I accept rule number four.”
He looked surprised, but only said, “You’re positive?”
She wasn’t at all positive, but she nodded anyway.
He grinned down at her. “Then which will it be for me? You or the whores?”
She was still whispering when she said, “I haven’t decided yet.”
He laughed out loud. “I guess that’s fair enough.”
When she said nothing, he asked, “Well, do you want to go find the preacher now, and put off telling me what your decision is after the wedding?”
She nodded.
* * * *
When Jed knocked on Amelia’s door he thought he’d figured a way to push her into calling off her idiotic notion of marrying him. He didn’t want to insult the beautiful young woman or tell her he had no intention of marrying her or anyone else. Even thoughts of getting her into his bed wasn’t enough reason to marry. He felt confident she’d abide by his first three rules, but he was certain she’d refuse to go along with number four. It had been his ace in the hole. His way out of this ridiculous proposal of hers.
Amelia's Marriage Page 4
