“Grant, this is my wife Rebecca,” Lane began as Destiny joined them. “Rebecca, this is my friend Grant Spencer.”
She looked up at the tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired man and smiled a bit tentatively. Something about the man seemed a little dangerous, but she wasn’t sure what it was. “It’s nice to meet you, Grant.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Rawlins.”
“Call me Rebecca, please.”
“All right, Rebecca,” he said. “After your husband, here, won the ranch in that card game, he sent me a telegram and offered me a job, so I thought I’d take him up on the offer and go to work.”
“Welcome to the Circle D.”
“I’m glad to be here.”
Grant was amazed by the situation Lane had gotten himself into. Having taken on Seth Rawlins’s identity, he obviously had been forced to marry Rawlins’s mail-order bride…
Not that anyone would have had to force him to marry Rebecca if he’d been in Lane’s shoes. She was one fine-looking female. Grant wondered for a moment if all mail-order brides were this pretty. If they were, then he just might consider ordering one for himself. Grant forced his thoughts back to his reason for coming to the Circle D—the killer Dan Cooper.
Obviously, Cooper hadn’t shown up yet, so he and Lane still had time to get ready for the gang, but he couldn’t help wondering what was going to happen to Lane’s wife once the truth came out.
It was going to be interesting, that was for sure.
Lane looked at Jake, who was working nearby. “Jake, I just hired Grant on. Why don’t you take him over to the bunkhouse and get him settled in?”
“Sure thing,” Jake agreed.
Grant got his bedroll from his horse and went off with the ranch hand.
“That’ll be nice for you, having your friend here. How long have you two known each other?” Destiny asked.
“We worked together on the same job a few years back,” Lane explained, telling himself it wasn’t a lie. He and Grant had done some tracking together in the past.
“Well, if you’re ready for me, I’ve got time now to practice my riding,” she said, determined to master riding astride.
He gave her a grin. “I’m always ready for you.” He saw her blush and grinned even wider. “Come with me.”
He led the way into the stable.
“What are we going to do in here?” she asked, glancing around at the stalls and tack with interest.
“You’re going to learn how to saddle your horse.”
Destiny looked from the heavy saddle he’d picked up to where Sunny stood in her stall. Then she stepped up to take the saddle from him, eager to learn. “All right, what do I have to do?”
They went to work. He showed her how to put the saddle and bridle on her horse and then led Sunny from her stall.
“Are you ready for a ride?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, both excited and apprehensive about her first time riding astride. She wondered what Gertrude would have thought of her if she’d still been at the ranch to see her mounting up for the first time.
As she put her foot in the stirrup, Seth was there, his hands at her waist to help her, and she certainly didn’t protest. In fact, she enjoyed his touch, looking over her shoulder to smile at him. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, stepping back.
“All right—I think I can do this,” Destiny declared as she put her heels to the horse’s sides and rode Sunny out into the corral at a slow, easy gait. She circled the corral several times, enjoying the improved balance and sense of freedom she had wearing her riding skirt and boots. It was definitely easier for her than trying to keep her seat while riding sidesaddle in her long riding habit back home.
Lane climbed up to sit on the top rail of the corral’s fence to watch her. “You’re doing fine. Tomorrow, if you’re feeling adventurous, we can ride out, and I’ll show you around the place. There’s a big difference between circling the corral and riding the open range.”
Lane knew all about the trouble a person could run into on the range. He’d faced more than his share of it over the years. There was always the danger of rattlesnakes or cougars on the trail, and he wanted her to be prepared for trouble. She had to be able to keep her seat if the horse shied or tried to buck her off.
Destiny was concentrating on riding Sunny, and when she looked up to see that Grant and Jake had returned and were sitting with Seth, watching her, she smiled at them. “One of these days, I’ll take you all on in a race!”
They laughed good-naturedly.
“When we have the big festival, you just might get the chance. There’s always a race and some roping competition,” Jake told her.
“I don’t think I’ll be doing any roping,” she said, smiling.
“You can enter the race for sure, and if you’re riding Sunny, you just might win.” Jake knew what a fine horse Sunny was.
When Destiny finally quit for the afternoon, she was stiff and a bit sore, but she was looking forward to riding out with Seth the following day.
“I guess I’d better go find Caroline and see about starting dinner. It’s a little late to try to get in a nap,” she told Seth as he walked with her out of the stable.
“We’ll just have to bed down early tonight and catch up on our sleep. What do you say?” he teased.
“Well, I do like the idea of going to bed early…” she told him, in a voice just loud enough for him to hear.
He was chuckling as he watched her make her way back up to the house, enjoying the view of her lush figure and long legs. Once she’d gone inside, he went to find Grant, who was working with Jake.
“You feel like taking a look around the place? We can ride out and see if we can find Steve. He’s the foreman, and you’ll be working with him most of the time.”
“Sounds good to me,” Grant said easily. He was anxious to have a few minutes alone with Lane to find out all that the other Ranger had learned so far about the Cooper gang’s plans and to discover what had happened to the real Seth Rawlins.
It was just a short time later that they were heading out in the direction Steve had gone earlier to check stock. Lane made sure they didn’t ride too far before stopping to go over all that had happened.
“All right, Lane, let’s hear it,” Grant urged. “And this better be good.”
Lane just gave a shake of his head as they reined in. “I never thought I’d wind up in this situation—”
“You mean your ‘wife’? Seems to me she’s the best part of the whole deal.”
“Rebecca is special, that’s for sure.”
“Talk in town was that you two just got married—”
“Yesterday,” Lane answered. “Just about twenty-four hours after she got here.”
“Did you have any idea she was coming?”
“None.”
“That must have been a real exciting moment for you.” Grant could only imagine how his friend had reacted when he’d been caught unaware by the arrival of his mail-order bride.
“You’ll never know…”
Lane went on to tell Grant how he’d been tracking the gang and how Seth Rawlins had split off from the main group. “I went after the gang but lost the trail after a storm, so I decided to double back and follow Rawlins, knowing he would be coming here. I wasn’t sure whether I’d catch up with him before he got to the ranch, but I did. After the shoot-out, I decided to come here in his place since no one on the Circle D had ever met Seth before. I knew I could establish myself here and wait until they showed up.”
“Now, we’ll be ready and waiting for them—Seth.” Grant looked over at his friend. “What are you going to do with the girl? She obviously knows nothing about what’s going on.”
“She is an innocent in all this, and I want to keep her that way. I want her safe.”
“But after this is over and she finds out you’re not Seth—”
Lane was not looking forward to that moment. “She’ll understand why I had to do what I did when the truth finally comes out. I’m just glad I was the one here at the ranch when she showed up. It was tricky for a while, but I hate to think what would have happened to her if I hadn’t caught up with Seth when I did.”
“She sure is a lucky woman.”
“Let’s just hope she thinks so—”
“She will. Do you have any idea when Cooper and the others are going to get here? Did Rawlins say anything before he died?”
“No, nothing. All I know is that Rawlins was supposed to come to the Circle D and set up the ranch as a good place for them to lay low when they’re hiding from the law. Have you heard any news about Cooper and his men? Have they been involved in any other robberies?”
“No. They’ve been quiet lately.”
“Which means they’re probably getting ready. I’ve never known Dan Cooper to stay quiet too long.”
Grant knew Lane was right. The outlaw seemed to enjoy all the robbing and killing he did.
“Just remember, we have to be extremely careful around here,” Lane advised. “All the men in the gang know the real Seth, and if one of them rides in looking for him and finds out I’m ’Seth,’ there will be big trouble—right away.”
“I’m glad I got here in time to help you. We can do this. With Rawlins dead, there are only four men left in the gang.”
The two Rangers fell silent as they rode on to find Steve, each contemplating the danger that was headed their way.
“What time will we go for our ride tomorrow?” Destiny asked Seth. She was just about to go upstairs to get ready for bed, and she was wondering how early she’d have to be up in the morning.
“Looking forward to it, are you?” he teased.
“Yes. I want to see more of the ranch and find out what it’s like. I mean, it’s so big—”
“The Circle D covers a lot of rugged land, but it’s good cattle country. We’ll ride out early. That way it won’t be too hot for you. While we’re out, there’s something else I want to teach you.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
“You need to learn how to use a gun.”
“Why?” she asked, shocked.
“You never know when you might need one, so it’s best that you be prepared just in case something happens.” He couldn’t help thinking of Katie as he spoke. If she’d had a gun handy that fateful night…He pushed the memory away.
“I think tomorrow is going to be a very exciting day…but not as exciting as tonight.” She smiled at him. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”
“You do?” He was intrigued and glad for the distraction. “What is it?”
“It won’t be a surprise if I tell you,” she teased. “Wait here for just a minute. I’ll call you when I’m ready…”
Destiny couldn’t help herself. She went to him and drew him down to her for a quick, enticing kiss.
“What have you got in mind, woman?” he growled.
“You’ll see—It’s a wedding present from Gertrude.”
“From Gertrude?” Lane wasn’t sure what to expect.
Destiny left him standing there and hurried on up the steps and into their bedroom. She closed the door behind her to give her the privacy she needed. Destiny lit the lamp on the nightstand, but kept it turned down low, and then wasted little time taking off her clothes and freshening up. She donned the silken nightgown, then paused before the mirror hanging over the dresser. She hardly recognized the sensuous-looking woman gazing back at her. The golden glow of the lamplight revealed a look of expectation on her face, and the blush-colored silk outlined every one of her lush curves. Smiling, she went to the door to call Seth.
“You can come up now—I’m ready…” She left the door standing a bit ajar and went to lie seductively in their bed.
“So am I,” he replied as he quickly made his way up the steps, already unbuttoning his shirt in anticipation of the night to come.
His desire for her only intensified when he pushed the door open and saw her. He stopped in the doorway to stare at the vision she made. She looked absolutely gorgeous with her hair down around her shoulders, wearing the pale, silken nightgown that clung so seductively to her soft womanly curves.
Destiny was watching him carefully and smiled invitingly, asking, “Do you like Gertrude’s present?”
“I love it,” he told her, coming into the room and closing the door behind him.
“How much?” she asked as she lifted her arms to him.
“I’ll show you how much,” Lane said in a husky voice.
He wasted no time shedding the rest of his clothes and then he joined her there on the bed. Lane stretched out beside her and paused just long enough to visually caress her once again. Unable to resist any longer, he moved over her to claim her lips in a passionate, hungry kiss.
Destiny was left breathless when his lips left hers and traced an arousing path down the side of her throat. She was trembling with desire and began to move against him in restless invitation.
Lane shifted away from her just long enough to help her slip the gown off.
Destiny eagerly complied and smiled up at him, lifting her arms to draw him back down to her. The hard heat of him against her body emboldened her. She began to caress him, her hands exploring the hard-muscled width of his shoulders and back.
Enticed by her touch, Lane kissed her hungrily before shifting lower to kiss the soft, lush curves of her breasts.
The intimate touch of his lips upon her filled Destiny with the burning need to be one with him again. Lost in the heat of her passion, she whispered his name, urging him on. She opened to him and gasped in delight as he made her his own.
They came together. The flames of their need drove them on until ecstasy was theirs.
In the aftermath of their loving, Lane lay awake, cradling his Rebecca against him as she slept. He was tired. She had worn him out, but even so, sleep was proving elusive for him this night.
He finally had admitted to himself that he was falling in love with her.
The revelation was deeply troubling to him, for it had happened so fast. One minute they’d been total strangers, and now after just two days of being together, he cared about her deeply.
Lane knew he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.
He had to.
She was his wife.
“This is a far cry from the St. Louis riverfront,” Destiny remarked to Seth as they continued their ride across the seemingly endless miles of Circle D land. They’d been riding for over an hour, and she was in awe of the vast expanse that was their property.
“Used to more water, are you?”
“Oh, yes, a lot more water, but, at least we won’t have to worry too much about the spring floods around here.”
“Not like the floods you’re used to, anyway,” he agreed, knowing exactly where he was going to take her on their way back. “Let’s stop here for a while. I think it’s time you had a little target practice.”
She glanced over at him as he rode so tall in the saddle beside her. She had known that he’d brought along another gun and holster for her. “You really think it’s important that I do this, don’t you?”
“Yes. For your own safety. This is a big country, and
you need to know how to take care of yourself in case I’m not around.”
“All right. If I can learn how to ride astride this quickly, I can learn how to shoot a gun,” she said with confidence, reining in. She quickly dismounted and tied up her horse.
Lane dismounted, too, and got the extra gun belt from his saddlebags before leading her a good distance away from the horses. He’d brought a few tin cans along to use as targets, and he set those up for her before handing her the gun belt.
“All right. Put this on, and let’s see how good you are.”
She took the holster from him a little uncertainly and managed to buckle it around her waist.
“Have you ever handled a gun before?”
“No.”
“Just take your time and remember never to point a gun at someone unless you plan on shooting them.”
“Let’s hope I never have to worry about that.” She drew the gun out of the holster and weighed it in her hand, making sure to keep it pointed at the ground. “It’s heavy.” She was a little surprised.
“You’ll get used to it. Do you want me to help you?”
“Please.”
Lane came behind her and put his arms around her to help her lift the gun and steady her aim.
Destiny loved having his arms around her. She loved the hard feel of his chest against her back and the manly scent of him so close. It would have been so easy for her to turn around and kiss him right then, but she knew this lesson was important. She couldn’t let herself be distracted. She had to pay attention to what he was trying to teach her.
“Now, pull the trigger slowly.”
Destiny did as she was told. The gun jerked hard in her hand, and she wasn’t surprised that her shot went far wide, not even coming close to the target.
“Looks like I’m going to need a lot of practice,” she admitted.
“That’s what we’re here for. Try again.”
He helped her adjust her aim and then stepped back to wait as she got off the second shot on her own. She missed again, but she was a little closer to the target this time.
“That’s better. Keep practicing. It’s not easy.”
And she found out he was right. It wasn’t easy, and she certainly didn’t have a talent for marksmanship.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to have a reputation as a sharpshooter,” she told him some time later when they finally decided to quit for the day.
“We can get you a shotgun, if you want,” he said, grinning.
“I don’t even know if I could hit anything with a shotgun,” she laughed, “but at least I might come a little closer.”
They mounted up and set off again. Since it was almost noon, Destiny thought they were going back to the house, but Seth surprised her.
“There’s one more place I want to show you,” he said.
“What is it?”
“You’ll see,” he replied.
He’d piqued her interest, and she rode beside him as they covered the miles to the destination he had in mind.
Destiny was enchanted by the scene before her as they came upon it—a small pond shaded by some trees.
“What do you think?” Lane asked.
“It’s beautiful…”
Destiny quickly slipped down from her horse’s back and went to stand on the bank.
Lane tied up the horses and then joined her there.
“It’s so peaceful,” she said, smiling up at him.
“I know. I found this spot when I was out one day right after I first got here. It’s been my favorite place on the ranch ever since.”
“I can see why.” Hot and tired as she was, the water looked heavenly and inviting, and she couldn’t resist. She looked up at him with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. “Come on! I need to cool down a little.” She sat and pulled off her boots and socks. When she had removed them, she jumped up and dared him, “Race you!”
Destiny took off at a run, leaving him behind.
But not for long.
It had been ages since Lane had done anything so carefree, but in that moment, with Rebecca, it seemed so right. He quickly yanked off his boots and socks, too, and gave chase.
Destiny was ready for him.
The minute he got close enough, she bent down and splashed him.
Lane was drenched and laughing. The cool water felt wonderful, and he dove in after her. She tried to flee, but she couldn’t move fast enough to escape from him. She squealed in delight when he snatched her up and cradled her in his arms.
“I think we need to go for a swim, don’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know—I can think of something else I’d rather do than swim with you…” Her words were enticing.
Lane let her slide from his arms down the length of his slick body, still holding her fully against him. She linked her arms around his neck and lifted her lips to his in a sensuous kiss. The kiss ignited fires in both of them that even the cool water couldn’t put out.
Thrilling to the spontaneity of the moment, they drew apart just long enough to make their way back up to the water’s edge and quickly strip off their clothes, tossing them up on the bank.
Destiny had to admit she was feeling a bit shy to be so unclad out in the open, but she knew that there was no one else around for miles. They’d been riding for hours and hadn’t seen a soul.
They were alone in their own little paradise.
She moved back out into the water until it was up almost to her shoulders and then gestured for him to come to her.
Lane remembered the last time she’d seen him standing before her, undressed, and he smiled. He didn’t have a towel with him this time. He followed her out into the pond.
Destiny was waiting for him. He took her in his arms and lifted her to him. She responded eagerly, wrapping her legs around him and kissing him hungrily. Lane needed no more encouragement. Caressed by the water, they came together.
Later, they lay side by side on the grassy bank, savoring the beauty of their time alone together.
“I know why this is your favorite place on the ranch,” she said as she leaned over to kiss him sweetly.
“I like it even more now,” he said in a gruffly sensual voice.
“We could just stay here, you know. You’re the boss. We don’t ever have to go back.”
“I like the way you think, but I’m afraid someone will come looking for us if we don’t get back to the house pretty soon.”
“That’s a shame.” Destiny sighed. “I think I could stay here with you forever.”
Drawing her close for one last, long kiss, he said regretfully, “We have to go.”
They got up and dressed themselves. She looked over at him as they started to mount up.
“I think I may need a nap today. What about you?”
“You are trouble, woman,” he said, knowing that the thought of taking her in his arms again was all he would be thinking about on the ride back.
She laughed and rode out ahead of him, leaving him to follow.
Dan and his boys sat around their campfire, finalizing their plans.
“You think Seth is ready for us?” Ted asked.
“He’d better be. He’s had a few weeks. That should be plenty of time,” Dan insisted.
“So we’re going to rob the stage tomorrow?” Slick asked.
“That’s right. We’ll hit hard and fast and then make our run for the Circle D. I’m sure Seth has a line shack all ready and waiting for us. We can stay there for as long as we have to. Nobody will ever think of looking for us there.”
“How can you be so sure?” John worried. “What if someone’s on our trail, tracking us after the robbery?”
Dan looked at him in disgust. John wasn’t the brightest man around. The only reason Dan kept him in the gang was because he could shoot straight and fast.
“Why do you think I put Seth in charge of the ranch instead of you, John?” Dan snarled sarcastically. “I put Seth in charge because he’s smart. He’ll have this all figured out. Once we get to the Circle D, we’re going to disappear.”
John was angry at the insult but knew better than to say any more.
“By now, I’m sure Seth’s convinced everybody on the ranch that he got lucky in a card game, and he’s determined to settle down and try his hand at ranching.”
Ted and Slick shut up, too. They knew better than to cross Dan or try to argue with him.
Later that evening, after dinner, Lane and Grant met up to talk. They walked out past the corral to make sure no one was around.
“So how are you enjoying married life?” Grant asked. He knew of Lane’s past and the reason why he’d joined the Rangers. He’d heard Lane say that he would never marry again. He wondered if the beautiful Rebecca had changed his friend’s mind about taking another chance on matrimony.
“I’m liking it just fine,” Lane answered. “That first day when Rebecca showed up unannounced with her chaperone, I was shocked. It was hard to believe that anyone in the Cooper Gang was serious enough about settling down to send for a mail-order bride, but the more I think about it, the more I’m sure Rawlins was planning to use her to cover up what was really going on. If he appeared to be all settled down and serious about ranching, no one would ever suspect he was up to something else.”
“It sure is going to be tough on Rebecca when all this is over.”
Lane had been thinking the same thing, but no matter how much he wished he could spare Rebecca, he could think of no way to do it.
Lane looked up at him, his expression dark. “Like I said before, I’ll keep Rebecca safe. That’s the least I can do. And if she still wants to be my wife, I’ll do the right thing by her.”
“Do you think she’ll want that, after you lied to her?”
“I hope she’ll understand, but right now, there’s no way of knowing, and I honestly try not to think about it. I’ll have to deal with that situation when the time comes. Right now, I just wish I knew more about what Seth had arranged with Cooper and the rest of the gang before they parted company. I’d hoped to question him about their plans, but I never got the chance.”
“Rawlins wasn’t known for talking. He was known for shooting.”
“And he tried.”
“I’m glad you were faster on the draw than he was.”
“So am I.”
They fell into a companionable silence as they looked out across the land.
“What will happen to the ranch after we’re done with Cooper? Who’s going to take over here?”
“Since Cooper won it in that card game, it’s his, but as far as we know, he has no family.”
“I guess the law will have to figure that one out.”
They parted company then, knowing trouble was coming their way.
Lane returned to the house to spend the rest of the evening with Rebecca. As he stepped up on the porch, he found himself wondering just how many more evenings they would have together before Dan Cooper and his men showed up.