Maverick Wild (Harlequin Historical Series) (21 page)

She blanched. Her mouth snapped shut.

“Don’t bother thanking me. If it wasn’t for Cora Mae, I’d have let you sink straight to the fires of hell.
Walk
,” he said, pointing to her carriage waiting beside the livery.

Shivering, Winifred turned and did as she was told.

“That’s one way to handle a mother-in-law,” Spud said, staying in step beside him.

Chance grunted. “Mrs. Tindale needs a ride to the nearest rail town. I’ll pay you or one of your stable hands a hundred dollars to drive her.
Right now
.”

Spud tugged on the rim of his battered hat and grinned. “I been needin’ a trip into Cheyenne. Whenever the lady’s ready—”

“She’s ready now.” Chance stepped in front of Winifred and reached for the carriage door.

“I’m wet!” Winifred snapped.

“Change on the way,” said Chance, opening the door and motioning for her to climb in.

“I’ll catch my death.”

“If you don’t get out of my sight, you won’t have to catch death. I’ll bring it to you.”

Tucker stepped up beside him. Chance sensed him rather than saw him, for he never took his gaze off Winifred. Her frightened blue eyes moved between them.

“I never meant harm to either of you,” she said. “I wouldn’t have come if Cora Mae wasn’t important to me. I’ve invested everything into her future. She’s my only daughter.”

“And we’re all choked up about that. Aren’t we, Tuck?”

“It does tug at the heart strings.” Tucker thumped his chest, his mournful tone nearly convincing.

“I’ve paid her dowry. She’s all I’ve got left.”

“Seems to me you’ve still got the only thing you ever cared about. Yourself. Now, are you going to climb into the carriage, or do I need to put you in?”

Her face pinched into a frown, Winifred gathered her skirts and reached for the handle beside the open door.

“You about ready, Spud?”

“Yessiree,” Spud said, coming out of the stable with a pack over his shoulder and a bundle under his arm. “Here’s a blanket for the lady.”

Chance took the thick wool from him and tossed it into the carriage.

“Where are my attendants?” she asked before he could shut the door. She pulled the blanket around her trembling shoulders and held his gaze as though he owed her an answer.

The lady had more nerve than sense.

“Grissom won’t be far behind you,” said Tucker. “Right now he’s shackled in a stable.”

“Shackled?” said Spud, looking down from his high perch. “Those rusted things I had hanging on the barn wall?”

“Yep.”

“I ain’t got no keys for ’em.”

“That’ll be the marshal’s problem, not ours.”

Chance found some satisfaction in the fear darkening Winifred’s eyes as the gravity of the situation began to sink in.

“Your fancy man kidnapped my wife and set fire to my land,” he said, making sure she absorbed the full meaning. “He’ll be charged with such.”

“What of my maid?”

“She’s decided to stick around,” Garret said from behind him.

Chance glanced back at Garret leaning against a hitching rail.

“Mrs. Stone talked her into attending the town social on Friday,” he said. “Ten dollars says she’s married off within the week.”

“You’re sending me into the wilderness
alone?
”

Winifred’s voice wasn’t quite so high and mighty.

“Spud will get you to the nearest railway and put you on the first eastbound train. What you do from there is your business. My advice—
keep heading east
.”

“You cannot keep me from Cora Mae. I’m the only family she’s got!”

“Lady, I wouldn’t let you near my dog, much less my wife. Cora Mae is no longer a Tindale. You try to come near her again, and you’ll wish I’d let you drown.”

She shrank back against the velvet seat.

“That’s a promise, and the only warning you’ll ever get from me.” He slammed the door shut. “Get her out of here,” he said to Spud.

“Will do.”

Chance stood in the road, watching the coach until it drove out of view. The crowd of townsfolk who’d been watching from a distance began to disperse.

“You must be half-frozen,” Tucker said, his hand closing over his brother’s shoulder.

“I’m all right.”

“Well, she’s gone for good. Feel better?”

As usual, he didn’t feel much of anything. “No,” he said truthfully. “Not really.”

“Chance!”

He turned to see Cora Mae charging across the street at a full run. The concern in her eyes warmed every cold place on his body, inside and out.

“Now I feel better,” he said, smiling as he strode toward her. She leaped into his arms. He held her against him, despite his wet clothes. She didn’t seem to mind, clinging to him with just as much force. He kissed her lightly on the lips before he set her away from him, mindful of all the onlookers. She’d surely suffered enough social trauma.

“I was worried about you,” she said.

He smiled and tugged on a loose curl. “Didn’t think I could handle your mother?”

“Where is she?”

“Gone.”

“Gone where?”

“Damned if I care, as long as she’s not meddling in our lives. I think it’s safe to say you won’t have to worry about her any longer. You’re free of her. We both are.”

Relief showed in her expression as tears hazed her eyes. She reached for him, and nothing could have kept him from pulling her close, lifting her against his body again as she hugged him.

“You’re cold,” she said after a moment.

“Not anymore.”

She tilted her head back to gaze up at him, and Chance felt a rush of emotion like no other—stronger than desire, deeper than passion.

The intensity in Chance’s gaze took Cora’s breath away.

“I love you,”
he said, the words bursting from his lips.

To actually hear him say the words was a marvel.

“I must,” he said, his voice filled with wonder. “Nothing else could make me feel this good.”

“It’s a good thing,” she whispered, even as she kissed him. She wished they were back at the house, in the privacy of their room, beneath the sheets of their bed. “I fear you’ve made me rather wanton.”

Chance laughed as he hugged her tight. “I must be blessed that way.
Let’s go home.
”

Surrounded by his strength and a land as wild as it was beautiful, Cora knew she was already there.

“T
he California coast was nice, but I don’t miss traveling through those deserts. Have you ever seen so much flat yellow ground? I was afraid we’d melt before reaching the Sierra Mountains. My favorite place was the hotel on the ocean cliffs. San Francisco was fun to visit, but I really preferred the smaller coastal towns.”

Keeping the horses at an easy pace, Chance grinned down at his wife chattering away beside him. She wore one of her fluttering apricot dresses, despite the new clothes packed in her trunks. A thick auburn braid trailed down her back. He’d rented a covered wagon to keep the sun off her fair skin.

“Isn’t it nice to be back in our own hills?”

“It is,” he agreed.

“It really was a wonderful trip.”

His arm curled around her. “It was.”

“I’ve missed everyone,” she said, leaning into him as she reached up to hold the hand resting over her shoulder. “I bet we’ll hardly recognize the girls, and Joshua will have grown a full inch.”

“I bet you’re right,” he said, watching their ranch come into view as the wagon crested a nearby rise.

“Oh, Chance.
Look
.”

He smiled, glad to see she was just as happy to be back. He’d kept her away a little too long. The past few days she’d been plain exhausted. “Feels good to be home, huh?”

“It does.” Cora Mae hadn’t minded being away, but they’d both been anxious to return. When Chance first suggested they use his meeting with a California rancher as a honeymoon, she’d been hesitant to take such a long trip, having no desire to be away from the ranch. She was glad he’d talked her into going along and even happier about the two extra weeks they’d taken to visit the coast.

The entire trip had been wonderfully romantic, and they’d certainly made the most of their honeymoon. But once they’d stepped off the train in Wyoming three days ago, she couldn’t wait to get home. The month-long journey had taken its toll on her. The past three nights she’d been asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow in their hotel room. She was looking forward to climbing into her own bed, with her husband.

As they rode into the yard and stopped near the porch, a man with a woman in a light-pink dress stepped out the front door. As they turned, Cora Mae was stunned by the faces of Wyatt and Salina Jameson.

She met Chance’s wide gaze. “What do you suppose?” she whispered.

Chance stepped down then turned, placing his hands on her waist. “No telling,” he said, lifting her with easy strength and setting her beside him. His fingers laced with hers as they ascended the steps.

“Mrs. Jameson,” Cora Mae said in greeting.

“Actually,” said Wyatt, “it’s Mrs. McNealy.”

“Oh,” said Cora, her eyes popping wide.

Wyatt slid his arm around his wife. “We were married a few weeks ago.”

Salina seemed to be studying the grain of the wood porch.

“Congratulations.” Chance held his hand out to Wyatt.

Wyatt was slow to return the friendly gesture. Cora Mae figured he needed all the good wishes he could get.

“Thank you. Now that Garret owns the Lazy J, things ought to run real smooth for you.”

“Garret?” said Cora Mae.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” said Chance.

“While helping to string the new fencing to make up for Grissom starting the fire, I mentioned we were going to sell. Garret said he had the money to buy. He and Duce met us in Cheyenne last week.” He glanced at Salina. “Sweetheart, is there something you wanted to say to the Morgans?”

He nudged her shoulder before Salina glanced up. Her gaze moved briefly between Cora Mae and Chance. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

“We both are,” said Wyatt, hugging his wife close. “Hope it works out for Garret. His sister sure wasn’t pleased by the news. But it’s a done deal. Salina and I leave for New Orleans first thing in the morning.”

“New Orleans?” said Chance.

“My hometown. Salina’s never lived in a city. I do believe she’s rather excited, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

“Yes,” she said, her lips tipping with a smile as she looked up at him.

“I have four older sisters. With the baby coming, I know they’ll be a big help for her.”

Cora Mae glanced down and noticed the rise of Salina’s belly.
A baby
.

A tingling rush raced across Cora Mae’s skin as she pressed her hands to her own stomach.
Oh, my goodness
. In all their weeks of traveling she’d been wholly preoccupied with Chance, the sights and shops, long walks along ocean sands…she hadn’t missed the monthly inconvenience that hadn’t come since before they’d married.

“We wish you all the best,” Wyatt called back as he guided his wife down the porch steps.

“I’m old enough!”
Garret’s voice rang clear from inside the house.

“Uh-oh,” said Chance, feeling a sense of dread as he pushed open the front door.

“No, you’re not!” Skylar’s voice rattled through the walls of the study.

“I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Skylar’s fury,” Chance murmured.

Tucker stood outside the closed door of the study and smiled at the sight of him. “Welcome home, big brother,” he said, meeting him halfway across the room, greeting him with a one-armed hug and a back slap. “And little sister,” he said, winking at Cora Mae. “You two finish buying up the state of California?”

“Not quite,” Chance said with a laugh, spotting the pile of crates and parcels stacked in the corner of the parlor.

“Chance!” Cora said, obviously following his gaze.

He grinned down at her shocked expression. She wouldn’t let him spoil her the way he’d wanted to, so he’d had a few items shipped home. “I did some early Christmas shopping.”

“In July?”

Chance hugged her against his side. “Figured I’d make up for all the ones I missed.”

The escalating voices inside the study drew their attention.

“You’ve always said that money was mine!” shouted Garret.

“To use when you’re
grown
. You’re sixteen!”

Chance exchanged a wary glance with his brother.

“My woman’s having a hard time letting go,” Tucker said beneath his breath.

“How’d the kid do with the buyout?” Chance asked, wondering if Garret had invested too much in the cattle ranch.

“I’m old enough to seize a good opportunity,” Garret raged. “Dammit, Sky! You raised me to be a cattleman!”

“He made out like a bandit,” Tucker said with a grin. “Unfortunately, he was as sneaky as one, too, not bothering to tell his sister his plans. First sight of her reaction to the news and Margarete scooped up the girls and Josh and headed to her house.”

The door of the study opened. A red-faced Garret stepped into the parlor, slamming the door shut behind him. His eyes widened at the sight of them.

“You’re back.”

“Apparently just in time to see you off,” said Chance.

His frown deepened. “It’s not like I’ll be moving across the country. How can I gain any independence with her hovering over me all the time?”

“Cool your fire,” said Tucker. “She knows she’s being unreasonable—love does that to a person.”

“I knew she’d be mad,” Garret said, his expression miserable, “but I didn’t think she’d use tears against me. I didn’t mean to make her cry. She pregnant again?” he said to Tucker.

Tuck shook his head. “I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit, kid. She might not be your mother, but she did raise you. Springing this on her the way you did may not have been the best plan.”

“I didn’t want to fight with her,” Garret said, crumpling his hat in his hands.

“I’ll talk to her, see if I can help you snip some of those apron strings,” Tucker said softly.

Garret grinned. “Thanks, Tuck.” He glanced over at Chance and Cora as Tucker stepped into the study. “Sorry to muck up your homecoming,” he said, dropping into a parlor chair.

“I think you made a smart move.” Chance clapped him on the shoulder.

“Thanks,” he said, regarding him with a cautious look. “Duce signed on as my partner. He’s going with me.”

“Stealing my crew as well, huh?”

“Only fair,” he said with a slight grin.

Chance wasn’t about to argue. Cora Mae was still a sore spot between them. The kid was polite to her, and Chance had worked with him a few times before he’d left, but things hadn’t been the same.

“Least you won’t have to worry about your cattle and horses.”

“You know I’ll help out any way I can.”

“I can do this,” he all but shouted. “Does
everyone
expect me to fail?”

“Kid, you’ve got to knock that chip off your shoulder. I have no doubt you’ll be a hell of a cattle rancher.”

The study door opened and Tucker poked his head out. “Come on in here,” he said to Garret.

Heaving a great sigh, Garret hauled himself from the chair. As the door shut behind them, Chance glanced down at the woman standing quietly at his side and found her gazing up at him, her eyes gleaming with tears. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve such a bright smile.

“What?”

“I think I’m pregnant.”

Chance felt his mouth drop open. He glanced at her hands pressed to her dress. “Pregnant?”

“I don’t feel ill,” she said, “but…we’ve been married for at least…”

“Six weeks, four days and eighteen hours,” he said as he pressed his hand over hers.
A baby
.

His own smile stretched wide as he met her searching gaze.
Their baby
.

“I’ve been so preoccupied,” she said, looking dazed. “I never even thought—”

“Hot damn!” he shouted, lifting her off her feet before scooping her into his arms as he headed for the stairway.

“Chance!”

“I know just how to celebrate.”

“It’s midafternoon and I’m covered with four days of trail dust!”

He laughed and kissed her nose. “Which is why we’re headed for the tub.”

Her eyes sparkled with interest. The slow curve of her lips put a kick in his pulse. Lord, he loved this woman.

“Shouldn’t we unpack first, and—”

“I’ve got all I need right here,” he said, holding her tight as he ascended the stairs.
“The whole world.”

Her expression softened in a way that melted his heart. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” he said with an ease that came from the freedom she’d given him, the freedom to love.