The Texan (15 page)

K
enneth spent the next few days trying to acclimate himself to ranch life, but it wasn’t easy. He had little interest in cattle and even less in horses. The ranch hands had tried to get him to saddle-break one of the horses, but he wasn’t about to put himself at risk that way He was a competent horse man, but he had no desire to try to ride a bucking horse.

When Kenneth had learned Emmie had to move to Texas and run a ranch, he’d never imagined just how much work that actually entailed. He’d thought she would simply direct things from the house and leave the actual physical labor to the hired hands. Now he saw how mistaken he’d been. He’d watched her rope and brand cattle with the men, and, to his disgust, she’d even helped deliver a foal when the mare had suffered complications and was close to dying during the delivery. He’d never seen anything so messy in his life. Still, he told himself he could come to accept the harshness of life on the Rocking R, knowing at the end of the two years they could escape back East.

It was on the evening of his third day on the ranch, after Miss Harriet and Millie had retired, that he sought Emmie out in her father’s study, where he knew she was going over the books. He knocked quietly on the door and opened it.

“Mind if I come in?” Kenneth asked as he found her sitting at the desk poring over the ledgers.

Emmie looked up at him. “No, I’m almost finished here.” Emmie was hoping that he was coming to tell her that he would be returning home soon. She had spent time with him over the last few days, but had not encouraged him romantically in any way, and she frankly couldn’t wait for him to leave. She was missing Josh. He’d ridden out to check stock the day before, and she hoped he would be returning soon.

“Good, because I wanted to talk to you to night,” he said as he came to stand beside her chair. “Emmie…”

Kenneth reached down and took her arm, gently drawing her up to him.

Emmie stood and looked up at him, hoping to hear him say that he was leaving.

“Emmie, I…” He stopped in midsentence and bent to kiss her. “I love you, Emmie, and I want you to marry me. That’s why I came out here to be with you. I knew you needed me, and I wanted to be here to help you.”

“Kenneth—”

As she started to speak, the door Kenneth had left slightly ajar opened and Josh walked in.

“Emmie, I wanted to…” As he saw her standing
in Kenneth’s embrace, he stopped abruptly. The look in his eyes hardened. “Sorry.”

He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Emmie was so miserable, she wanted to scream. Josh couldn’t have picked a worse moment to walk in on her. She jerked herself free of Kenneth’s hold.

“Kenneth…”

Kenneth was completely surprised by her flustered response. What did it matter if Josh saw them together? They would be married soon.

“Emmie, I’m sorry Josh walked in that way. Does he always do that?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re going to have to put some locks on these doors after we’re married.” He was smiling.

“What?”

Kenneth continued. “What I was about to say to you…Emmie, marry me, and we’ll never have to worry about someone walking in on us again, or Miss Harriet checking up on us.”

Kenneth had no idea that mentioning Miss Harriet would conjure up memories for Emmie of her time with Josh at the line shack and make this moment all the more embarrassing and painful for her. “Kenneth, stop.”

“What?” he asked, puzzled.

“I’m sorry, Kenneth. I’m sorry, but I can’t marry you,” she told him, feeling fiercely determined. There was only one man she wanted to marry, and she had to go find him—now.

“What are you talking about?” he demanded in
open irritation. “I made the trip all the way out here to be with you. Back in Philadelphia you said you couldn’t think about marriage because everything was so confusing for you after your father’s death, but you’re here now and all settled in, and I’m here with you, too. There’s no reason we can’t get married just as soon as we can arrange it with the minister.” Kenneth was speaking with confidence. “Then I’ll be here to help you run the ranch and take care of things.”

Emmie couldn’t believe how egotistical Kenneth was. This was the second time she’d told him she couldn’t marry him, and yet he still believed otherwise. She knew in that moment that her future was with Josh, and she had to make that clear to Kenneth once and for all.

“Kenneth, you don’t understand,” she began in a sharp tone.

“What don’t I understand? I know that I love you and I’ve given up my life in Philadelphia to come here and be with you.”

“Kenneth, I don’t love you,” she said firmly. She knew her words were blunt, but since he was so wrapped up in his own desires, she realized it was the only way to get his full attention.

“What?” he demanded angrily.

“You heard me, Kenneth. I don’t love you. I never have, and I’m not going to marry you.”

Without another word, Emmie turned and left the room. She knew Kenneth well enough to recognize that he wouldn’t just let things rest, but she didn’t care. It was Josh she loved, and she was going to find
him right now and tell him so. She went outside and disappeared into the night, looking for the man she loved.

Josh’s mood had been as dark as the storm-clouded night as he strode from the house. The lightning and thunder matched his anger as he faced the fact that Emmie and Kenneth obviously meant a lot to each other. Kenneth had come all the way to Texas just to be with her.

Images of Emmie haunted his thoughts—Emmie holding the gun on him in the study the sight of Emmie swimming, their passionate kisses at the line shack, and the way she’d felt in his arms when they’d danced at the social. He loved her. He’d been trying to deny that reality for some time now, but he finally faced it, and he wondered what he was going to do about it. He knew he had to do something. He’d never known another woman like Emmie, and he couldn’t let her get away. He was, after all, a bounty hunter, and she was on his wanted list.

Josh smiled grimly in the darkness as he found himself standing by Hank’s grave. Hank had been his friend, and he knew he could have used the older man’s help to bring in his daughter. He heard the rumble of thunder in the distance again and gave a shake of his head, wondering whether she would want to ride up to the line shack with him that night.

Emmie had no idea where Josh had gone. His house was dark, so she knew he wasn’t there. She skirted
around the stable and then went out behind the house. A flash of lightning split the distant sky, and she caught sight of him standing near her father’s grave. She wasted no time hurrying to him.

“Josh,” Emmie called his name softly as she drew near.

He turned around, surprised to see her. The threatening storm had masked the sound of her approach. “What are you doing out here? You should get back up to the house before the weather breaks.”

“Why? I like being caught out in storms with you,” she said brazenly.

“Go on,” he urged.

“No, I’m not leaving—not until we’ve had a chance to talk. I want to explain what—”

“There’s no need for you to say anything,” he cut her off. “I shouldn’t have walked in on you that way.”

“Josh Grady, I’m glad you walked in on me that way.”

“You are?”

“Yes, I am,” she insisted, moving forward to stand with him. “Kenneth proposed to me to night, and I turned him down. I said no. I don’t love him, Josh.” She stepped closer and looked up at him, all the love she felt shining in her eyes. “I love you.”

Josh gazed down at her, seeing the woman who had come to mean so much to him. Ever so gently he took her in his arms and told her, “I love you, too, Emmie.”

“Oh, Josh.” She sighed his name and gave herself up to his embrace.

Josh kissed her hungrily, wanting to tell her with his lips just how much she meant to him. “Now tell me, woman, if you aren’t going to marry Kenneth, will you marry me?”

“Oh, yes!” She kissed him again, thrilled.

“What are you going to do about Kenneth?” Josh asked. He could well imagine how angry the other man was right now.

“I’ll have a talk with him in the morning and make arrangements for him to go into town and stay there until he can leave for Philadelphia.”

“If he gives you any trouble, just let me know.”

“I can handle Kenneth,” she assured him.

Josh wasn’t quite so sure, but he didn’t say any more; he just kissed her again. At that moment the rain started to fall, and they broke apart, laughing.

“Come on, let’s get you up to the house.” Josh took her hand to walk her back.

“I’d rather go with you to the line shack,” she said seductively.

“Be careful what you wish for, woman; you just might get it,” he responded, more than tempted to carry her off with him in the night. “But we’re not on our honeymoon yet.”

“That’s too bad.”

The look Josh gave her sent a shiver of pure excitement through her, and she stopped and pulled him back to her.

“I need one more kiss.”

“Happy to oblige, ma’am,” he said, and they shared one last passionate embrace before hurrying to get out of the rain.

* * *

Kenneth had stayed in the house for a while, trying not to lose his temper. He couldn’t believe Emmie had turned him down after he’d made such a great sacrifice—leaving his home and traveling to Texas just for her. How dared she reject his marriage proposal! His humiliation and anger overcame him as he finally went outside to try to find her.

This wasn’t over between them—not yet.

Kenneth saw that a lantern was burning in the stable, so he decided to start looking there. His search turned up only Burley

“Have you seen Emmie in the last few minutes? She came out here to check on something, and I’m getting worried about her with the storm coming in,” he lied.

“No, she didn’t come out here, but I wouldn’t worry too much about her and the storm,” Burley said, grinning at the city slicker.

“Why? It sounds like a bad one.”

“Not too long ago she was out riding with Josh and they got caught up in a real bad one. She was thrown and her horse ran off, but our Emmie’s a tough one, and she came through it okay. They couldn’t ride back in the middle of a storm, so they ended up spending the night in a line shack. They made it back just fine the next day.”

Kenneth was staring at the ranch hand, trying to digest what he’d just heard. Emmie had spent the night alone with Josh at some line shack! His anger turned to full-blown fury. He could only imagine what had gone on between the two of them during
all those hours alone. He managed to keep his voice calm as he told Burley, “Well, I’ll just wait for her up at the house, then. Thanks.”

He returned to the house and went into the parlor. The storm had moved in now, and the rain had started coming down. He knew that any minute Emmie would be returning to the house, and he couldn’t wait to confront her.

With a pounding of feet and breathless laughter, Emmie and Josh ran up to the porch.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” Josh promised. He gave her one last quick kiss before heading off to his own house.

“Good night.” She hurried inside, thrilled with Josh’s proposal. She was eager to find Millie, and hoped her friend was back from seeing George. She had so much to tell her.

Emmie saw that there was still light coming from the parlor, and thought Millie might be there waiting for her. She was smiling as she went in.

But her smile didn’t last long.

Kenneth was standing across the room near the window, glaring at her.

“
O
h, Kenneth!” Emmie gasped.

Kenneth heard the note of surprise in her voice and he smiled coldly. “You didn’t expect to find me here?”

Emmie looked him in the eye. “Actually no. I thought you would have gone on to the bunk house by now.”

“Hardly my dear,” he sneered. He walked slowly toward her. “I think you’ve got a few things to answer for.”

Emmie stood taller. “I don’t answer to you or to any man.”

“Not even your friend…Josh? I understand you spent the night with him at a line shack.”

“What I do is none of your business,” she said. “We are not engaged. In case you don’t remember, I did not invite you here.”

“You slut!” he raged in a low, threatening tone as he made a move to try to grab her by her upper arms.

“Don’t touch me!” she ordered, backing away.
When he kept coming, she slapped him as hard as she could. “Get away from me!”

Kenneth was shocked as he reached up to touch his cheek.

“Why, you little bitch!” He reacted in fury, back-handing her as hard as he could.

The force of his blow knocked Emmie backward. She managed to catch herself on the arm of the sofa as she looked up at Kenneth. “Get out of my house!”

Kenneth didn’t say a word. He just took another menacing step toward her.

At that moment, Josh’s voice, cold and commanding, came to them from the doorway.

“Get away from Emmie right now, Kenneth, if you value your life.”

Kenneth froze and looked up to find Josh standing there with his gun drawn and aimed straight at him.

“I said
move!
” Josh repeated, stepping slowly into the room. Millie was right behind him.

Millie had been in the upstairs hall on her way to find Emmie when she’d heard Kenneth surprise Emmie in the parlor. She’d rushed after Josh, knowing there might be trouble. She was glad Josh was there now. She didn’t know what might have happened if he hadn’t shown up.

Kenneth was glaring at Josh, but he finally had sense enough to back away from Emmie.

Josh still didn’t let his guard down. He kept his gun trained on Kenneth. “Millie, go get Burley—fast!”

Despite the rain, Millie didn’t waste any time running from the house.

“You’re going to get off the Rocking R to night, Kenneth, and I don’t ever want to see your miserable face around here again!” Josh ordered. “Do you understand me?”

Kenneth looked from the gun up to the man holding it.

“Yes,” he muttered.

Josh could see the man was physically shaking in fear, and he was glad. He wanted Kenneth to be afraid—very afraid.

Emmie ran to Josh. He put one arm around her in a protective embrace as he kept his gun on Kenneth.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Are you all right?”

“I think so.” Her cheek was sore, and she knew it might be bruised in the morning, but as long as Josh was there, nothing else mattered.

Emmie looked up at Josh as she clung to him and saw his fierce expression. She knew then what all the men he’d tracked down had felt when he’d confronted them—they’d known their days of running wild were over.

Burley and George both came rushing in with Millie.

“What’s going on?” George asked, looking in disbelief between his brother and the Easterner. He’d been out in the stable talking to Burley when Millie had come frantically running down from the house.

“What did he do?” Burley asked. He knew it had to be bad for Josh to have pulled a gun on him.

“He hit Emmie,” Josh ground out. “And I want him out of this house and off this ranch now!”

“Right away. Do you want me to use the carriage or the buckboard?” Burley asked, trying not to smile. He already knew the answer.

“Since it’s raining, use the buckboard. George, go over to the bunk house and have the boys pack up his things real fast.”

They both hurried to do as Josh had ordered. Millie went to Emmie and took her hand to reassure her.

“Millie, go on upstairs with Emmie,” Josh suggested, “while I take care of Kenneth.”

Millie and Emmie started up the steps just as Miss Harriet was rushing down them in her robe.

“What happened?” the chaperone asked, looking at the two girls nervously. She’d been reading in her room when the sound of Josh’s voice had caught her attention. The sight of Emmie’s face, which was red and slightly swollen, had her even more worried.

“We’ll tell you upstairs. Come on,” Millie said, and Miss Harriet accompanied them to Emmie’s room.

Alone in the parlor, Josh faced Kenneth and smiled slowly.

“You’re quite a man, aren’t you? Do you always go around hitting defenseless women?”

“Emmie’s no defenseless woman! She’s nothing but a slut! I know all about the two of you spending the night alone together out at the line shack!”

“You’re not a very smart man, are you, Kenneth?” Josh challenged, slowly holstering his gun as he
walked forward. “That’s my fiancée you’re talking about,” he said furiously.

Kenneth’s eyes widened at the news as he sneered, “She’s going to marry you?”

“That’s right,” Josh said with a slow smile.

Josh was glad that Kenneth was trying to back away from him, because it proved what a coward he was. Josh reached out and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, jerking him close.

“I think you need to go outside and cool off for a while.”

Josh shoved him toward the front hall, and Kenneth stumbled and fell on the floor. Josh moved past him and opened the door, then grabbed Kenneth up and threw him bodily from the house.

He followed him out and stood over him where Kenneth was cowering on the porch.

“I don’t ever want to hear another word out of you about Emmie. Do you understand?” Josh ordered.

Kenneth didn’t respond.

“I asked you a question.”

“Yes,” Kenneth muttered, knowing he had no choice but to answer if he wanted to get back to Philadelphia in one piece.

“If I ever hear you’ve said anything to hurt Emmie’s reputation back East, you’ll have to answer to me.”

“All right, all right.” Kenneth was in a panic. He didn’t know what Josh was going to do to him next.

“Get up. Burley’s on his way,” Josh ordered.

Kenneth got to his feet and went down the steps
to stand in the rain. He wanted to put as much distance between himself and Josh as he could.

Burley drove up in the buckboard with Kenneth’s bags already thrown in back. Burley was wearing a slicker, but he deliberately hadn’t brought one for Kenneth. He thought a soaking would do the Easterner some good. George had ridden back up to the house with Burley and now he jumped down to join his brother on the porch.

Kenneth quickly climbed up and sat next to the ranch hand, eager to get away from Josh and everything that had to do with the Rocking R.

“You think you’ll be all right?” Josh asked Burley. He knew that if the ranch hand was worried about making the trip, they could tie Kenneth up somewhere and take him into town after daylight.

“Oh, yeah. We’ll be just fine,” Burley assured Josh, grinning at the already drenched Kenneth. He pulled his own hat lower across his face. “The going will be slow, but I’ll get him there—eventually.”

“Be careful,” Josh said.

Burley nodded. “I will. You take care of Emmie.” Burley cast a disgusted look at Kenneth before slapping the reins on the horses’ backs and driving off into the night.

Josh stood there on the porch, watching until they were out of sight. Getting Kenneth off the ranch was all that mattered to him. Josh wanted him far away from Emmie after what had happened.

He looked at George. “I need to check on Emmie.”

“Do you think she’s all right?”

“Yes, but I want to make sure.”

“I’ll go tell the rest of the boys what happened, so they’ll know. I’m sure a few of them are wondering what’s going on after seeing Burley ride out in the buckboard.”

“I’m going to spend the night up here at the house, just in case. I can sleep in the study and make sure the girls are safe.”

“All right. I’ll see you in the morning.”

George left, and Josh turned and went back inside, closing the door behind him.

Miss Harriet left her bedroom window and came to stand before Emmie and Millie, who were sitting on the side of the bed. Her expression was one of indignant outrage now that she’d heard the whole story from Emmie. “Burley just hauled Kenneth off in the buckboard. I don’t know where he’s taking him this late in the rain, but it had better be far away from me. If I ever see that—”

“I know, Miss Harriet,” Millie interrupted her. “I feel the same way about him.”

“The good news is, he’s gone,” Emmie said, relieved that she would never have to deal with Kenneth again.

“Thank heaven Josh showed up when he did,” Miss Harriet said.

“You were right all along, Millie,” Emmie offered, finally relaxing and smiling at her friend.

“About what?”

“About Josh being my guardian angel. And…”

Both women looked at her expectantly, waiting to see what she was going to say next.

“And although I turned down Kenneth’s proposal to night, I did accept Josh’s.”

“What? Josh proposed?” Millie asked joyfully.

“That is wonderful news!” Miss Harriet was beaming with pleasure. “You’ve got yourself a fine man in Josh.”

“I know,” Emmie agreed.

“Emmie?”

They heard Josh calling from the front hall, and Emmie hurried out of the bedroom.

“Kenneth is gone. It’s safe for you to come down now,” Josh told her as he stood at the foot of the stairs looking up at her.

Emmie didn’t hesitate. She flew down the steps into Josh’s waiting arms and kissed him.

“I love you, Josh,” she said.

“I love you, too.” He took her by the shoulders and held her gently away from him so he could get a good look at her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Now that I’m with you, I am,” she told him as she went back into his arms and rested her head against his chest.

Josh looked up the steps to see Miss Harriet and Millie standing there. “I was just telling Emmie that Kenneth is gone. I had Burley take him into town. Kenneth won’t be back.”

“Good,” both women said in unison.

“Well, we’ll leave you two alone now,” Miss Harriet pronounced.

“What?” Millie was shocked as the chaperone took her arm and pulled her off down the hall.

“I think they deserve a few moments of privacy, don’t you?” Miss Harriet asked with a twinkle in her eye.

Millie just smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. As they both retired to their bedrooms, Millie couldn’t help wondering if Miss Harriet would allow her to be alone with George so late at night. She knew it would be worth a try in the coming days, for there was nothing she would like better than to be in George’s arms, kissing him. Sighing and feeling lonely, Millie took one last look out her bedroom window at the stormy night and then went to bed.

Josh and Emmie went into the parlor and sat together on the sofa. The sound of the storm outside only made the moment all the more intimate. Josh kissed her, and it was an inviting, tender caress that left Emmie breathless.

“Oh, Josh.” She sighed, loving him.

He drew her onto his lap and cradled her against him as his mouth claimed hers in a deeper, more passionate exchange. Josh pressed her down onto the sofa, covering her body with his, wanting her, needing her. Emmie arched against him in love’s age-old invitation as he trailed searing kisses down the side of her neck. Her wanton move tortured Josh, for he knew he had to stop—now, or he wouldn’t be able to stop at all.

“I love you, Emmie,” he told her as he smiled down at her. “I know! Do you want to elope to night?”

“We could,” she purred. “And then, since we’d want to be alone on our wedding night, we could ride up to the line shack, and you could carry me over the threshold again.”

“In the rain,” he added as a rumble of thunder echoed in the night.

“Maybe we’d better wait until the storm passes. What do you think?”

“I think you’re right.”

Josh kissed her softly one more time and then sat back up and held her close.