Devlin's Montana Bride (Sweet, clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers Brides series) (2 page)

"I know you don't. But has it occurred to you that your father might have his reasons for marrying you off to Caulfield? He wants you married, sure. But there is also something else going on."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. But your father stands to gain from your marriage to Caulfield. Maybe that's important to your father. Maybe he's not telling you the full story."

Elise pursed her lips and considered what Devlin had said. Her father had been particularly worried of late, but he'd never shared the reason why with her. And then suddenly, out of the blue he'd sprung this arranged marriage on Elise.

"Are you suggesting that Caulfield has something over my father. That my pa has been forced into this."

"I don't know. But Caulfield's ambitious."
 

"So what exactly are you suggesting Mr.Cooper?"

Devlin cleared his throat. "I'm suggesting a marriage of convenience ma'am."

Elise's eyebrows raised. It was such a forthright statement. She peered up into his blue eyes. He was being serious. She could see it in his gaze.

"A marriage? Between ourselves?" Elise queried gesturing to them both with a finger.

"Indeed. You and I," Devlin said, his eyes narrowing.

Elise paused and frowned. "How does everyone gain out of this?"

Devlin glanced at some passersby. "You get to avoid marriage to Caulfield, your father gets a chance to gain from the sale of the water access rights to that parcel of land he owns."

"And you Mr.Cooper. What do you get?"

Devlin tipped his hat back." I get a means of persuading your father to give me those rights and..."

He paused, his blue eyes locked on her. He paused.

"Yes?" She asked noticing his momentary unease.
 

"I get a beautiful wife," he said slowly.

Elise felt her face flush and her heart race. She leaned back against the wooden panels of the building.

The way he'd said that made her feel something she couldn't recall ever feeling before. After a few moments she regained her power of speech.

"This will be a marriage of convenience, you say."

Devlin nodded. "It will be."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It means we will be man and wife; that we will live together as a respectable couple; that we will do all the things that are expected of a married couple."

"All?" she said quickly.

Devlin cocked his head to one side. "Maybe not all. It is a marriage in name only, after all."

Elise looked at him. "What you're saying is that in public we will maintain an appearance of respectability, while in private we will lead our own separate lives."

Devlin paused seeming to carefully consider what she'd said.

"I suppose you're kinda right," he said, his voice quiet.

Elise couldn't be sure but she thought she detected a hint of regret in his tone.

For a brief moment Elise couldn't believe this was happening. She didn't know what to say, nor what she should do. Her mind was filled with confusing and contradictory thoughts. A curling knot of anxiety had settled in her stomach. She felt her throat tighten.

She looked at Devlin. His face had an expectant expression. She couldn't give him an answer. Not now. Not here in this dirty alleyway. What a ridiculous place for a proposal. For that was what it had been. An offer of marriage that promised a life living as a rancher's wife without any of the intimacies of a regular marriage.

Elise needed time to consider. She could hardly believe that she was about to consider his offer. But she was going to consider it, in spite of her reservations.

"I know you would like an answer Mr.Cooper. But I cannot give you an answer now, especially not here," she said looking around with obvious distaste.

Devlin nodded. "I understand Elise. But you don't have much time. The wedding's immanent."

"I know that. I shall give you my answer in the next few days."

"Seems like a long time. A lot can happen in that time."

"This is a big decision for me."

"I understand Elise." Devlin raised his hat. "I'll leave you for the moment. I'm sure you've got a lot to attend to today, never mind what I've said to you. You can get a message to me at the ranch. I look forward to hearing from you. I wish you a good day."

With a nod of the head he was gone and Elise was left standing alone in the alleyway wondering what on earth her life had come to.

CHAPTER THREE

"But mama you can't expect me to marry Bart Caulfield. It's just not fair."

Elise sat in the parlor of the Macleod family residence on the edge of Billings. Her mother, Ruth Macleod, sat on her rocking chair knitting. She was a portly, round faced woman with red cheeks and bright eyes. Rocking back and forth she looked perfectly at home, oblivious to the turmoil raging inside her daughter.

Ruth gazed at Elise with kindly eyes and a smile that was both reassuring and unsettling at the same time.

"Now, Elise. Don't be silly. Your father has very good reasons for what he's arranged."

"That's the thing mama. It's not his business to arrange such a thing."

"He only has your best interests at heart, Elise."

"How can marrying a horrible man like Caulfield be in my best interests?"

Ruth put down her knitting and peered at Elise over her small, round glasses.

"Your father has always looked after us well, has he not."

"Well, I guess so. But..."

"He brought us all out here and made himself indispensable to this community. You can't get any more necessary to a town than being the man who manages land grants. He gave you and your sister a good education. I think he knows what's best for all of us," Ruth concluded and went back to her knitting.

Elise paced up and down in front of her mother.

"I'll run away rather than marry Caulfield," she said bluntly.

Ruth smiled knowingly. "No you won't," she said with quiet certainty.

She knows me too well, thought Elise. She knows I wouldn't last five minutes away from civilized living. What was the alternative? Living of another kind. On a choice of ranches.
 

Elise started to feel a rising panic. There was nowhere for her to go apart from to one of those two ranches.
 

It was either a marriage in name only with Devlin, or a marriage to Caulfield to suit everyone else except herself.

She sighed and felt the rage bubble up inside.

"Now my dear. Why don't you calm down and we'll have some tea. It's mighty hot today."

"I don't want to sit down. Can't you see what this is doing to me?"

Ruth smiled. "It's just nerves dear. I was the same before I married your father."

Elise crashed impatiently down in the sofa. She'd tried to reason with her mother and father. Neither of them was willing to see sense and cancel the wedding to Caulfield.

Elise thought about Devlin Cooper. Life might not be too bad with him after all. He certainly was handsome and he had the means to provide for her. Elise knew herself. She knew she wasn't up for hardship of any kind. Her parents had made sure of that by supplying her and her sister, Annabelle with all the home comforts.

Devlin Cooper would be able to provide those comforts, she thought. But at a price.

It wasn't only about physical necessities. A young woman had other needs too. Emotional ones. Even physical ones, but she blushed as she thought of those.
 

Devlin seemed only interested in a marriage based on mutual gain. He'd called her beautiful. Elise knew she was pretty. She'd been told it a million times by her parents.
 

But beautiful?

She wasn't sure about that.

Elise's wonderings were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Ruth looked up from her knitting. "I wonder who that might be?" she said with a knowing smile.

Elise saw the expression and knew a surprise had been prepared.

"Mama. Who have you invited?"

"No-one Elise. I give you my word."

"I'll go see," Elise said heading toward the door.

The door rapped loudly again. "Whoever it is has no patience," Elise said, loud enough so her mother could hear.

Elise pulled the door open. Standing there, looking tall and menacing and with a withering expression in his face, was Bart Caulfield. The man was bulky round the middle and his face had a permanent, florid complexion. Elise guessed he drank.

"No patience, Elise. Is that what you think of your husband to be?" Caulfield said, trying to smile, revealing the off white teeth that Elise found so unsettling to look at.

Elise covered her mouth with a hand. Removing it after a pause she tried to sound genuinely contrite but she just couldn't quite make it sound convincing.

"I'm real sorry Bart. I'd no idea it was you. If I'd known it was you I'd have used an entirely different kind of language. But then again I'm a lady and there are some things a young lady just can't say out loud. I hope you agree."

Bart took a deep breath puffing up his chest. His lips went tight and his eyes narrowed.
 

Elise had never noticed just how bushy Bart's brows were. They looked like two large caterpillars stuck on his face, she thought, trying to suppress a smile.

"Aren't you gonna invite me in?"

Elise held the door handle firmly. "I don't rightly know." She leaned back and called into the parlor. "Mama. It's Mr. Caulfield. Can I invite him in?"

Ruth came running out of the parlor. "Of course you can."

Ruth waved at Bart. "Come in, Mr. Caulfield. Pardon my daughters wilful behavior. I don't know what's gotten into her today."

Bart stepped into the hallway and moved in close to Elise. He was much taller than she'd thought. The bulk of his body was also larger and she felt his presence intensely, but not in a way that made her feel comfortable.

"Nice to see you Elise," he said removing his hat revealing his thinning hair. Elise nodded politely not wishing to encourage him. Ruth led them all to the parlor and they took their seats. Elise sat on a separate chair from Bart.

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Then Ruth spoke up. "How nice of you to call on us, Mr. Caulfield," she said. Elise thought her mother was trying rather too hard to sound enthusiastic and not quite succeeding. "Isn't that so Elise," her mother said looking questioningly at her daughter.

"It appears so," answered Elise in a neutral tone.

Bart smiled appearing unaware of the discomfort of the two women. "I was passing and I thought now was the best time for me to come and discuss a very pressing issue that has been on my mind since I woke up this morning," he said.

Elise felt a lump rise to her throat. What on earth could he mean? The thought of Bart Caulfield thinking of her upon waking in his bed made her shiver.

"And what would that be Mr. Caulfield," said Ruth.

Bart cleared his throat. "It's about our wedding," he said looking toward Elise. But she averted her eyes. Bart noticed her doing so and coughed nervously. For such a big man it didn't take much to make him feel discomfort, thought Elise.

"I was just talking about the wedding to Elise before you arrived. She's so excited. Aren't you dear?"

Elise frowned at Ruth. "You know what I feel mother. Don't go telling all my private thoughts to Mr. Caulfield here. You'll embarrass me."

Ruth pursed her lips disapprovingly. "She's just so excited she can't talk sense about anything. As you can see," she said.

Bart smiled but his eyes betrayed a lack of understanding. Maybe understanding women was more difficult for him than understanding the business of cattle, thought Elise.

Bart pulled on his collar and then spoke. "Anyway. As I was saying. About the wedding which we have come to an agreement about in such an amicable fashion."

"Hrrmph," blurted Elise.

Bart and Ruth both flashed a look at her and Elise dropped her gaze onto her lap.

"I was considering just when would be the best time for the wedding," he continued.

Elise's head shot up.

"Next week sounds fine, Mr. Caulfield. I'm sure you can understand we have a great deal to do in order to prepare," Ruth said.

Bart nodded. "And I do appreciate that Mrs.Macleod. But the truth is, I can't wait."

Elise felt the panic rise again. What was he saying?

Ruth frowned. "Are you suggesting a change of some kind Mr.Caulfield?"

"Indeed I am."

No! The voice yelled inside Elise's mind. He wasn't seriously going to say what had just flashed into her mind.
 

Bart looked at Elise as he spoke his fatal words. "I would like to bring the wedding forward. Instead of next week, I'd like the wedding to take place tomorrow. If that would be agreeable to you Ms. Macleod."

Elise felt the blood drain from her face, her body swayed slightly as she sat on the chair, and it felt for a moment as if the ground was going to open up beneath her, and take her down into a deep, dark pit.

CHAPTER FOUR

Devlin sat atop his horse, hands gripping the pommel, and tried to concentrate on herding the cattle in front of him, but the truth was he couldn't stop thinking about Elise.

He was working with his men in a wide valley on the southern edge of his ranch. The herd was proving particularly ornery today. His men were whooping and hollering, controlling the movement of the herd. Devlin maintained a position that would allow him to supervise the movement of the pack.

But he could hardly keep his mind on the job today.
 

He wondered what her answer would be. There was only one answer which was any good to him, and that was for her to agree to their marriage of convenience. Without it he didn't know what the future would hold for him, or for the men who worked so hard for him and depended upon him.

Devlin hoped he'd done enough to convince her. The truth was she was in a real predicament. Her family had obviously decided that the only way out of some problem they had was for Elise to marry Caulfield. But why? What did Caulfield have over her family that he could force them to sacrifice one of their daughters in such a fashion.