The Lady and the Lawman (23 page)

But
fear of the unknown was defeating her passion. This was a battle he
refused to lose. Pressed up against the wall, she looked scared and
furious at the same time. He wanted her to be willing and pliant, not
petrified of him, and cowering in the corner. He’d have to think of
a way to
have her begging for his touch.

“
Grant
Masterson, if I was a man, I wouldn't need you to protect me from
William or Dalton!” She shouted at him as he walked out the door.

Turning
to face her, he smiled and said, “Maggie, if you were a man, I
don't think I’d have married you.” He took the lamp and closed
the door behind him, leaving her to fume alone in the dark.

***

They
returned to Tom's ranch sooner than Grant had wanted. Although he
hadn’t expected to be married to Maggie when they did so, either.
His goal of finding the stage robber would have to wait another day.
It was only right they share with Tom the change of plans, that the
wedding had already occurred and he was no longer the groom.

She
remained quiet riding alongside him. Even though she’d spent the
night comfortable in his bed, alone, her face showed signs of a
restless and sleepless night. Dark smudges beneath her eyes were the
most obvious ones. Good.

Breaking
the silence, he asked, “So Hunt forced you to into an engagement?”

She
nodded.

“
Couldn't
you just tell him you didn't want to marry?” This was the question
he'd wanted to ask since they bumped into the man yesterday. What
hold did Hunt have over Maggie?

“
No.
William forced my hand. A
fait
accompli
.
We went to a dinner party that was, to my surprise, an engagement
party for us. The only person who didn’t know was me. William asked
me to marry him in the carriage, and when I said no, he told me I
didn’t have any choice in the matter. Then, over dessert, in front
of all my friends and acquaintances, William announced I’d accepted
his proposal, which was an outright lie. He put a ring on my finger
and kissed me in front of the other guests.”

“
So
he lied to everyone you knew?”

She
nodded glumly again. “Where I come from, sealing a marriage
proposal with a kiss is a done deal. There's no way out of it. In my
case, all of my friends—everyone there—saw the kiss. If I didn't
go through with it, I would have been ruined. I wouldn't have been
able to show my face in Philadelphia society again.”

He
recognized her predicament. It was the same everywhere, including
Cranston. That's why he’d said they had to marry. He couldn't show
his face to his neighbors over such a substantial lie.

She
sucked in her plump lower lip as she paused a moment. “Everyone saw
our marriage as the perfect union, but no one understood. William had
been pushing me, more and more...pawing at me...and....” She was
unable to finish. She wrung her fingers in her lap.

The
blush creeping up her cheeks told what she couldn’t. His anger, at
a man he barely knew, was strong. A fist to the gut sensation was
swift in coming thinking about Hunt forcing himself on Maggie. His
Maggie.

“
You
know the rest.”

They’d
ridden up to Tom’s house while they talked. “So my forcing you
into marrying me was just as bad as what Hunt did to you?” He
dismounted.

“
William
was planning on killing me for my inheritance. You aren’t. At least
I hope not.”
A
glimmer of a smile brightened her weary face.

“
How
much are you worth?” he jested.

“
Very
funny. I was prepared to marry Tom next week. I will admit that
yesterday took me by surprise. But I....” She cut off as he helped
her down. Was she always so small, so willowy?

“
What?”
He looked into her eyes, hoping she’d continue to confide.

“
I
wanted to marry for love and now that's not possible. But I guess
that would have been the case with Tom, as well,” she said
honestly.

He,
too, hoped to be in love someday. A horse and rider approached at a
breakneck speed.

“
Sheriff!”

He
turned at the shout.

“
Masterson’s
hurt. Leg’s probably broke. His horse stepped in a snake hole.
We're out by the south pasture.”

“
I'll
get the wagon,” he replied hastily. The man rode off to return to
Tom and the other men. The conversation with Maggie was instantly
forgotten at the possibility of Tom being seriously injured. There
was plenty of time to finish their conversation later. The rest of
their lives.

He
led the horses to the stable to hook them up to the wagon. Maggie had
to run to keep up with his long strides.

“
You’re
staying here,” he commanded.

“
No!
I'm going with you.” She tried to catch her breath. “Tom needs us
both. Besides, the horse could be hurt and I might be able to help.”

He
didn’t want to waste time to argue further, so he nodded. Wagon
ready, they both climbed up onto the wooden bench and rode off to the
south pasture.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

It
took thirty minutes to reach the men over bumpy ground. Margaret
gnawed on her lower lip and worried, only thinking of the worst, that
Tom was injured horribly and might die. It was a distinct
possibility, since they were so far from any kind of doctor. Grant
reined in the winded animals and tied off the leads. She jumped down
before he could assist her.

They
rushed to Tom, ready to help. He was surrounded by his men, standing,
and to her, appeared perfectly fine. Worried, she asked after the
horse. One of the hands pointed behind her. Two men knelt over the
animal, lying on its side, its flank rising and falling in obvious
distress. It was Dalton’s horse, the one she’d ridden into the
night to escape and to save Grant. She dropped down on her knees and
stroked the horse’s head, talking to it, trying to keep it calm.

“
Leg's
broke,” said one of the men.

She
nodded, but sadly knew there was no hope for the animal. He’d run
like the wind and protected her when she needed it most. He’d saved
her. But she couldn’t save the stallion. Nothing in her power could
save him. Instead, she talked and comforted him, even with her
chaotic surroundings.

After
several minutes, she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up at
Grant. She ran a hand over the long mane she’d held to so tightly,
then brushed her knuckles over his soft ear one last time. Standing,
she tried to hold back the tears clogging her throat as she bit down
on her lower lip. He took her hand gently in his and led her a fair
distance away from the horse.

“
How's
Tom?” she asked, doing anything to keep the tears from falling.

“
He's
fine. Not a scratch. I think the man who came to get us mixed up the
patients. The horse, you know he's going to have to be put down,
Maggie. There's nothing we can do for him now except put him out of
his misery.”

He
put his hands on her shoulders preventing her from turning to look at
the horse again. He gave an imperceptible nod, not to her, but to
someone over her shoulder. She jumped at the sound of the shot. The
tears finally filled her eyes and overflowed down her cheeks.

He
pulled her close as she cried into his warm shoulder. He stroked her
hair and whispered in her ear. She couldn't hear what he said, but
took comfort, like she hoped the horse had, just in the noise. He
kissed the top of her head and lifted her face to his. He wiped the
tears away with his finger and leaned in to kiss her again, this time
on the mouth. The kiss remained light and the warmth soothed her.

“
At
least now he won't suffer.”

She
knew he was right, but didn't feel very comforted by his words.

***

Thank
God Tom was uninjured and was able to ride back with his men to the
ranch. Grant thought the ranch hand who mixed up the patients should
be shot for scaring him so badly. His blood had flowed faster than a
river at spring thaw with worry for his little brother. Hell, he
wasn't all that little, but he'd taken care of him most of his life,
and didn't plan on stopping now.

Grant
and Maggie followed the men back to the ranch, but their pace was
slowed by the wagon. She was quiet, no doubt saddened by the death of
the beautiful animal. No matter how much he disliked Dalton, the
man’s horse had been a wonderful animal, not deserving a ruthless
owner or such a senseless death. He kept the team at a trot and
didn’t push her to continue their earlier conversation. Keeping her
occupied would be the best way to keep her mind off the sad events,
so he had her assist him with unhitching the horses. When they
returned to the house, his hand protectively placed at the small of
her back,
Tom
was sitting on the porch talking with William Hunt. Grant ground his
teeth together with anger at seeing the man. He'd wanted to kill his
wife. Damned if he was going to be civil.

It
didn't look like a comfortable conversation, and Tom's relief was
visible as they approached. It appeared as if he’d rather have a
tooth pulled without whiskey than sit another minute with Hunt. Grant
figured if they’d been much longer, Tom would have punched the man.

Hunt
stood and approached Maggie, but she refused his attentions and
walked straight to Tom.

“
What
the hell do you want?” Grant demanded, irritated not only by Hunt’s
presence, but also by Maggie going to Tom for protection, not him. He
was her husband—the sheriff, for God’s sake—and she didn’t
seek him out.

“
I
found the preacher and he did confirm you are, in fact, married. He
didn't say when, but my guess is it hasn't been long.” Eyes now on
Maggie, he continued, “My dear, I don't know how he coerced you
into marriage, but you can still return with me. I can get this
marriage annulled and you can leave this God-forsaken town.”

The
comment was a double-edged sword. It not only was directed at Maggie,
but at him as well. He had no intention of jeopardizing his male
pride for this low life.

“
Now
Hunt, you can't annul a marriage that's been consummated.” He spoke
so casually about sex Maggie's mouth dropped open. So did Hunt’s.
Their faces were equally red, but Hunt's was flushed from anger, not
embarrassment.

“
You've
slept with him?” Hunt sputtered in utter shock.

“
He
is my husband, William,” she said quietly.

“
You're
never going to see any of your inheritance, you little trollop, not
one dime!”

Maggie
confronted the bastard so they stood face to face. Grant frowned.
What the hell was she doing?

“
William
Hunt, you listen to me! You've been bullying me into marrying you for
two years. I told you I wouldn't marry you. You only wanted my money
anyway. My inheritance is mine, not yours. Mine!” S
he
poked at the bastard's chest
as
she shouted. “I'm of legal age and have had control of my money for
quite some time. I'm married now, and Grant will see to the workings
of my accounts, not you. Leave here. You’re not welcome in my life
anymore.”

Hunt
slapped her face so
hard,
she rocked back on her heels. Grant was on Hunt so fast, the bastard
didn't see the fist that broke his nose. Hunt fell backward to the
ground and clasped his hands over his bloody face.

“
Hunt,
get off my property before I shoot you,” Tom said, readily
defending his new sister-in-law. He pulled her into his arms.

“
I
should arrest you, but since I’d have to see your ugly face if I
did, I’m not going to.” Grant picked Hunt up with one hand and
threw him off the porch. He landed hard, a cloud of dust swirling
about him.