Catherine's Awakening (2 page)

low chuckle.

“Really?” he said. “You had a pretty strong opinion a moment ago. Afraid?”

Catherine tried to stomp on his foot, but he pressed her so close to the wall that she

couldn’t move. She sighed in frustration.

“Wade, this isn’t what I want.”

8

Catherine’s Awakening

“For Ginger or yourself?” he asked, pushing his hips up against her butt, pressing

his hardened penis into her soft flesh. It felt good. It had been so long since she’d

touched a man like that. She reminded herself firmly that just because a male feels good

at first doesn’t mean it’s worth a woman giving up her freedom.

“You shouldn’t do that, Wade,” she said. “You know better. You’re like a brother to

me. We’re family.”

His bark of laughter was harsh, filling her ears and making her wince.

“You’re never been like a sister to me,” he said. “I still don’t understand why you

were crazy enough to marry my brother, but he’s dead and you can’t tell me you regret

it.”

Silence hung between them. He was right, and they both knew it. She’d look like a

fool if she tried to deny her relief when the sheriff told her about Ryan’s death. In a

brothel, no less. He’d made her life a living hell. Failing to mourn him left her feeling

guilty, though. No proper woman would be happy to lose a husband, would she?

“You’ve been very good to me since Ryan’s death,” she said, choosing her words

carefully. He nudged against her again, and she stiffened and spread her legs,

unwittingly copying the mare’s stance. She realized her mistake in an instant as he

rubbed against her, but couldn’t bring herself to back down. She didn’t want to show

him any weakness at all. Dear heavens, how could such a difficult man feel so good?

She could sense her nipples hardening. Traitors. She needed to draw a line with him.

Quickly.

“Your father too. I know he meant it when he said I could live here as long as I

want. But the time’s come for me to move on.”

He froze behind her.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve applied for the teaching position in town. I’ve been meaning to talk to you

about it,” she said, her voice calm, as if his organ weren’t all but entering her from

behind. She sensed the tremendous tension in his limbs, knew it was taking a great deal

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Joanna Wylde

of self-control for him to hold back his reaction to her news. She really should have

waited until a better time to talk to him.

Perhaps in front of witnesses. Too late now…

“You keep house for me and Dad, and you’re an important part of this ranching

operation,” he said. “Nobody wants you to leave, Catherine.”

He crowded against her further as he spoke, and her breath caught. She could smell

him, the tang of his sweat and the dirt, and just a hint of horse too. A working man’s

scent. Every breath made her more uncomfortable, and she knew all too well what her

foolish body wanted from him. Even at his worst, Wade’s physical form had always

called to her. The image of Baron penetrating Ginger leapt to mind, and she shivered.

He thrust himself up at her imperiously, demanding her surrender with his body

language. Liquid heat rose up along her legs. It would be so easy to give in to him, to let

him toss her skirts up and take her body as surely as Ginger’s had been taken.

Catherine took a deep, steadying breath. Successful teachers didn’t give in to wanton

urges. Of course, she wasn’t a teacher yet.
 
Stay focused
, she reminded herself.

“We can talk about this later, Wade,” she said, her voice sounding far firmer than

she felt. “It isn’t right for you to be this close to me, whatever our relationship. Let me

go back to the house.”

“Are you sure you want to?” he asked, his voice deceptively smooth. He pulled one

hand from the window and smoothed it down along her bodice. It skimmed over her

nipples, and she felt the way his fingers jerked spasmodically the instant he realized she

wasn’t wearing anything but her dress and a thin chemise.

Then his hand cupped her breast, giving the nipple a little pinch. He might as well

stick his hand between her legs, given the way sensation tore through her. She buckled

against him, and he brought his other hand around to support her weight. Now he held

both breasts, pulling her back to his body, grinding her bottom against his arousal.

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Catherine’s Awakening

“Are you sure you don’t want me to keep doing this?” he asked, his voice a

whisper. He let one hand drop down, pulling at the fabric of her dress until he reached

under the hemline, skimming his fingers across her thigh.

Catherine gasped. His touch was like fire, and need tore through her so fast it hurt.

With the pain came sudden clarity, and she wrenched herself free of him, banging into

the wall painfully. Then she whirled to face him. Why couldn’t the darned man give her

some space?

“You don’t get to touch me,” she said. “Ever.”

“This has been brewing between us for a long time,” Wade said, his eyes hard and

steady. “When I came home and found you married to my brother, I kept my hands off

you. I didn’t want to, but I did. And when he died I gave you time to recover. But it’s

been a year, Cat. It’s time for us to sort this out.”

His words caught her off guard. Had it really been a year since Ryan’s death? She

thought about the date, and realized he was right. Exactly right. Today was the

anniversary. She gave a little shiver.

“Time for you to come out of mourning,” he said, his voice grim. “I’ve been very

patient with you, but it’s over now. I want you, Cat, and I always get what I want.”

“I don’t want you,” she said hotly. He raised one brow, mocking her, and she shook

her head quickly. “No, what I mean is that I don’t want to be married again, and I don’t

want to be under any man’s control. Ever. I’m going to get a job and support myself. If I

canoodle with you, that won’t work. They won’t let a loose woman be the

schoolteacher. And don’t call me
 
Cat
!”

“You don’t need a job,
 
Catherine
,” he said, his tone firm and final. “You already

have one. You manage the ranch house, and do a hell of a job with it too. The men love

you, Dad loves you and if I don’t get my cock into you soon I’m going to explode.

That’s enough for any woman.”

“Don’t you dare use words like that with me,” she said, shocked. “I may not be a

fancy lady, but I am a respectable woman. You’ll treat me as such.”

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Joanna Wylde

He laughed, and backed away from her. The pressure in the air eased, and

Catherine had to stop herself from bolting out of the loft. She had a feeling that might

raise the predator in him. Instead she looked him right in the eye, holding his gaze like

a sheepdog staring down an errant charge. Time to lay down the law with Wade.

“You don’t have the right to tell me what to do, Wade,” she said. “I’ll make my own

way, thank you very much. And if you can’t treat me with respect, then you should

keep your mouth shut. I’ll go where I want to go.”

She ducked around him, marching purposefully toward the ladder. Best to escape

while she had the final word. His laugh followed her and she stiffened her spine.

“You go ahead and try to leave, Cat,” he said. “See what happens. You belong to

me, and I don’t give up what’s mine whether it’s land, cattle or a woman. The sooner

you understand that, the happier you’ll be.”

* * * * *

His words followed Catherine all day as she worked, worming their way through

her mind at inconvenient moments. She had to make the biscuits twice, after pounding

them so hard the first batch lost its lift. She burned the stew for dinner, and took a

certain amount of pleasure in the fact that she didn’t have time to make a pie for

dessert. In fact, she didn’t have time to do several things, including mending a pair of

Wade’s pants. Until he saw fit to treat her with respect, it wouldn’t happen.

Even if he did, it might not happen. Not if she got her teaching job. The position

was more than just a way to earn money—it meant independence, a home of her own.

A life free of men telling her what to do. Marriage to Ryan had been enough to convince

any sane woman to swear off men. By the time the food was ready, she’d managed to

build up a good head of righteous indignation over Wade’s words to her earlier. He

didn’t own her. No man owned her. And a woman wasn’t like a cow in any way.

Although a nasty little voice in the back of her head whispered that in the eyes of the

law, she might as well be.

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Catherine’s Awakening

Catherine certainly hadn’t been able to get free from Ryan, no matter how poorly he

treated her. Nobody would give her a job, and she seriously suspected only Wade’s

glowering presence had protected her from physical harm at Ryan’s hands. He’d only

hit her once. Wade had heard her scream, and he’d broken into their bedroom, pulling

Ryan off her and hauling him out to the barn. She hadn’t seen her husband for nearly

two weeks after that, and he’d never laid a hand on her again.

The expression on Wade’s face the morning after that horrific night had been

terrible. She’d served breakfast to him and her father-in-law and then hid in the kitchen

for the rest of the day. She simply couldn’t bear to look at him, she felt so much shame

and humiliation. He’d seen her at her lowest point, and half naked too.

Catherine shivered, then pulled herself together. Bad memories were like a plague,

you couldn’t get rid of them. Best to pretend they didn’t exist. Still, she was feeling a

little more charitable toward Wade as she set the table. He might be overbearing, but

she didn’t believe he’d hurt a woman. Ever. No, he was different than Ryan in that

respect.
 
You married the wrong brother
, the traitorous little voice whispered in the back of

her head, but she ignored it. The past was over, time to look to the future. And her

future didn’t include a man, not even one as attractive as Wade Masters.

“Supper’s ready,” she called as she rang the big bell hanging from the kitchen

porch. The men came in quickly, washing up out at the pump before tramping into the

dining room. There were six hands on the ranch, in addition to Wade and his father,

John, although only two would be eating with the family tonight. The others were

camped out on the range, watching over the stock.

Wade’s temper hadn’t improved, that was obvious from the way he glowered at her

as they settled ‘round the table. His father sat at the head, but they all knew Wade was

the real man in charge at Sweet River Ranch. John was as retired as a Texan man could

get, working for only a few hours a day, puttering around the barn doing small projects.

That, combined with his hard hearing, left him detached from most ranch operations.

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Joanna Wylde

The men sat down as she took her place at the foot of the table, then they all bowed

their heads for grace. Wade spoke, his words the same as always.

“Bless us, oh Lord, and these, thy gifts…”

To her annoyance, Catherine wasn’t able to keep her eyes focused downwards,

stealing a peek at Wade from beneath her lashes. He didn’t exactly seem filled with the

spirit of prayer. His eyes bored into her, and she realized that each word of the blessing