Rancher Wants a Wife

She’d changed from her traveling clothes into something plainer—long brown skirts, an ivory blouse and patched shawl. She’d let her blond hair fly free, and he enjoyed seeing it spill over her shoulders. However, she was still wearing that damn hat with the dangling scarf she was obviously using to shield her scarred cheek.

He wished she’d chuck the blasted thing. She didn’t need it. But saying so might only embarrass her.

How many nights in the past month had he thought of what it might be like to bring Cassandra home?

He felt more awkward than he had imagined he would. When their knees brushed, when he pointed out his neighbors’ ranches on surrounding hills, indicated the train tracks that ran through the valley to reach the lumber mills, even when they simply sat and said nothing, a mountain of tension rippled between them.

It was as if they each didn’t trust the other. But why would she mistrust him? She was the one who’d turned him away in Chicago, more than once!

He was relieved when they finally approached the house. Red-colored dogwood lined the perimeter of the quarter-mile laneway. The buggy whisked into the shade of the big oaks as they neared the wide, two-story house. Sunlight danced off the clay roof, bounced on the walls of white-painted timber, and sparkled against blue shutters. A stone chimney dominated the north wall.

To the other side, one of his gardeners was painting the fence, his ranch hands were busy working at the two stables, and splendid horses galloped across the fields.

Cassandra turned her head to view the pretty sight. “How many horses do you keep?”

“Twenty-six at the moment. It’s gone as high as thirty-six. I rent them to neighbors, whenever they’re needed in the vineyards, or at harvest season, or sometimes for traveling. It works out well. My neighbors get the use of fine horses, and my animals get exercised.”

“And you get to buy and trade livestock. Impressive. What you’ve always wanted.”

He grinned at her perceptiveness.

The two sheepdogs came dashing out from the stables and circled around them, tails wagging.

Jack parked the buggy, signaled to one of the hands to come get it, and went to help Cassandra down from her seat. She didn’t need assistance this time. She managed to slide out before he got to her, skirts billowing in the wind, scarf flapping against her face.

She didn’t look well. Rather pale and shaken. “Are you feeling all right?”

She nodded. “It’s been a long journey.”

“I hope you’ll like it here.”

“It’s breathtaking, Jack.”

Her comment filled him with pride.

She smiled nervously, and when some of the men working in the vicinity cast their curious eyes her way, she stepped closer to Jack. The dogs swished their orange tails and panted at her. With a laugh, Cassandra bent down to say hello.

“Meet Caesar and Queenie,” he told her.

She gave them a pat and a rub behind the ears. “By your names, it sounds as though you rule this place.”

“Jack!” called his hefty foreman. “Sorry to bother you, sir. Got a scheduling problem with two of the mares.”

“Excuse me.” Jack left Cassandra’s side for a moment, conversed with his foreman, ironed out the dilemma and returned to her side.

His housekeeper and butler greeted Cassandra warmly when she entered the oak double doors. They were a married couple from England, Mr. and Mrs. Dunleigh. Although conservative in their ways, underneath their formal exterior, and once folks got to know them, they were very friendly. Jack had already explained to them the nature of Cassandra’s scar, that she’d been trapped in her burning home and that a timber had fallen across her face. She had dashed in after her father, to locate her sister upstairs. The other two hadn’t made it out alive, but Cassandra had been rescued by a volunteer fireman.

The Dunleighs discreetly ignored the visual marking.

“Miss Hamilton,” said the very tall housekeeper, whose gray hair was impeccably groomed. “Welcome to California.” Her gold-rimmed spectacles slid down her nose.

“Very nice to be here.”

“May I take your shawl?” asked her husband. He was six inches shorter than his wife and slightly hunched.

“Please.”

“And your hat?” asked Mrs. Dunleigh.

Cassandra hesitated, then slowly slid it off. No one paid her any mind. Jack hadn’t realized how tense he was about the whole hat thing until she finally gave it up, and he breathed out a sigh of relief.

He peered toward the table by the door, and the overflowing letter holder there.

“The mail came this morning, sir,” said Dunleigh. “Some correspondence appears to need your attention immediately. One letter is from the auction house in San Francisco.”

“I’ll get to it shortly.” There seemed to be a never-ending pile of paperwork from his suppliers and customers.

“Dr. McColton,” chirped the housekeeper, “I’ve set some refreshments on the terrace.”

“Very good.” Jack ushered Cassandra through the house.

He wished they would warm up to each other, but there was only strain. She took in the view as their boots tapped on the clay-tiled floors. Colorful rugs lay scattered in the sitting room between the horsehair sofas and chairs and fieldstone fireplace. Mexican artwork adorned the plaster walls. Twenty feet up, timber rafters crisscrossed the ceiling.

The kitchen, with two fireplaces, butcher-block counters, sideboards lining two walls, and a wide pine table, overlooked one of the terraces. The dining table could easily accommodate fourteen.

“My, Jack,” Cassandra said. “I had no idea your house was this huge. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Everything in California’s big. I didn’t notice.”

She tilted her head, eyes sparkling as if she didn’t quite believe him, and he noticed with a quickening of his pulse that there was some tenderness in her gaze.

“Shall we sit outside?” he asked.

She nodded. They made their way to the bamboo chairs beneath a trellis. Thankfully, the color had returned to her face, which was shaded by the lush fronds of the palm trees above. “What a gorgeous spot.”

Jack adored the view, too. It was why he’d decided to buy this piece of property. Land as far as the eye could see. Rolling vales and sloped vineyards that blended into a big blue sky. The scent of earth and wind, and a feeling that Mother Nature had taken extra care when she’d created Napa Valley.

“Sir,” interrupted the butler. “Two gentlemen to see you from San Diego.”

“Today? But they weren’t supposed to arrive till next week.”

“They mentioned they had business this way, sir, and wished to call on you today. Shall I—” Dunleigh glanced at Cassandra, who seemed to withdraw “—ask them to return next week?”

“Please go ahead, Jack.” Cassandra lifted a cool drink to her lips and sipped.

This wasn’t what he’d had in mind for her visit. He’d hoped to spend the whole day with her. However, the rest of the afternoon continued in the same manner. Every time they’d begin to talk, there’d be an interruption, and he was called away. Every time he’d try to lean over and say something more intimate than “Help yourself to another bite of cheese and grapes and walnuts,” one of the Dunleighs walked in with another announcement.

He found Cassandra outside two hours later, steps from the terrace, gazing at the colorful flowers and shrubs he and his gardeners took such pride in. She bent lower and sniffed a wild rose, a pink one, and her hair tumbled over her shoulder. She pushed it back with pretty fingers.

“Now I know where you got that beautiful bouquet.”

“Sorry for all the interruptions.”

“I think I’d better get back. There’s much I have to do for tomorrow.”

“Won’t you stay for dinner?”

“There’s something very charming about the tradition of being separated from the groom the night before the wedding. Don’t worry about me eating, I’ll order from the hotel. Sorry, I’m not very hungry now.”

He was concerned. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Yes, much.” Her eyes were brighter, her lips fuller and pinker.

“Do you need help with anything at the hotel? I’m sure Mrs. Dunleigh would be pleased to lend a hand. With your wardrobe, for instance.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He felt suddenly shut out of her life.

He understood she was a bride needing her privacy, but back in Chicago, she’d always shut him out of her thoughts and feelings. He shoved his hands into his pockets, brought back to their days there, when he’d been much younger and much more nervous around the fairer sex. Hell, he was a lot more experienced than he used to be, and being with Cassandra shouldn’t affect him. But the five years he’d spent carousing in saloons with entertaining women didn’t seem to help him now.

“I hope you’ll consider this a fine home, Cassandra,” he said.

“I look forward to it very much.”

He wondered whether he should show her the second floor, where the bedrooms were located—his, soon to be theirs—but decided not to. It would be awkward to press something so personal upon her, in full view of the staff, when he and Cassandra weren’t yet married.

“Tomorrow at six,” he reminded her. “I’ll have the Dunleighs come to your hotel at quarter to the hour to escort you to the church.”

She nodded and kept her distance.

He stayed at arm’s length, too. He wanted to kiss her, but his staff persisted in intervening. Cassandra didn’t seem to expect, nor did she appear to miss the fact that he didn’t approach her. When he was called away again by his foreman to check on a sluggish colt, Jack said goodbye to her and asked Mr. and Mrs. Dunleigh to accompany her to the hotel.

“We’ll see each other tomorrow,” Jack said.

“Have a good evening,” she replied, as cool as a moonbeam. She pulled her shawl around her slender shoulders and was gone.

* * *

He hadn’t kissed her!

Hours later, alone in her hotel room with a towel wrapped around her newly washed hair, Cassandra still couldn’t believe the slight. It was all she’d thought of since the moment they’d parted, during her ride back to town with Mr. and Mrs. Dunleigh, and during her bath on the lower floor of the hotel.

She stared at his pink roses on the nightstand. She’d placed them in a vase beside the lone lantern, which cast a dim glow. Why hadn’t Jack tried to kiss her? Had he found her repulsive?

She didn’t think so, for he was about to marry her. Most men wouldn’t wed a woman unless they found her appealing in some way. Besides, the way his burning gaze sometimes raked over her, she knew with a rush to her pulse that he sometimes found her attractive.

Perhaps he’d wanted to be affectionate, but the sight of her marred cheek had stopped him.

She couldn’t imagine how their wedding night would go. Was that promise of sexual excitement in his dark brown eyes deceiving? Or would his physical skills match the apparent appetite in his hungry gaze? If he was a passionate man, then why in blazes hadn’t he kissed her?

Some men put up a good act, pretending to be what they weren’t. Troy Wainsborough had been a prime example. On the surface, he’d been a successful attorney, a protégé of her father’s at his law offices. She’d been coaxed and prodded for years in his direction by her father. Beneath the surface, however, Troy had a darker side that involved drinking and loose women. He’d been belligerent to her, not a family man at all.

His cousin, Jack, who was taken in by Troy’s family at a young age upon the death of his parents, had always been labeled the black sheep. Her father had believed it, emphatically pointing out the young man’s disobedience to his aunt and uncle, his frequent brawls and his argumentative nature.

Cassandra’s misjudgment of Jack had come to light the night he’d left Chicago. Hours too late to apologize to him.

But here they had a second chance.

Dressed in her tattered nightgown, Cassandra lifted the hot iron she’d ordered from the front desk, and pressed it upon the limp lace of her wedding gown. Although the dress was thirdhand, passed down to her from Mrs. Pepik at the boarding house, Cassandra adored it. She gingerly ironed the collar and tended to the small creases beneath the bust.

At the thought of all her dear friends in Chicago, her chest ached with emptiness.

Everything here seemed so solitary.

She wished her sister were here to help her prepare for the wedding. She wished her father would be here tomorrow to walk her down the aisle. She wished she had a single friend in this town. Most fervently of all, she wished that Jack McColton had swept her up in his arms and kissed her as if she meant something to him.

With a catch in her throat, she set the iron aside. It was getting cool, and the ironing was finished. As practical as she was, Cassandra knew she’d better get some sleep tonight. But if she did have a true friend in this town, they would have spent the night talking, sharing thoughts about Chicago and what this new community was all about.

Instead, Cassandra finished the sandwiches she’d ordered from the kitchen, packed her luggage, gave her faded leather shoes a polish, and said a prayer for tomorrow.

When the sun beamed through her windows in the morning, she was awake and ready. She dressed in her casual clothes, dined by herself for breakfast and took a stroll down the boardwalk, ignoring the curious glances of strangers. Eventually she bought a newspaper and brought it back to the room.

In the afternoon, she read every article and advertisement. She paid particular attention to the Help Wanted section, news of a robbery on the San Francisco rail line, ads for the law offices, and properties for sale. There were lots of things people could hire her for—including searching for lost relatives, preparing documents to present to lawyers, helping to recover stolen property, and possibly uncovering criminal activity.

When the time neared, she brushed her hair, twisted ribbons through the blond strands and braided it to one side. She donned her corset, slipped into her stockings and garter, and stepped into her wedding gown.

There was only a tiny oval mirror nailed to the wall, just big enough to see her face, so she wasn’t able to get a full view of herself in her wedding finery.

Perhaps she should have procured a veil of some sort to drape across her face. She sighed, hoping Jack would overlook her imperfections. Not many men would accept her as a bride. She respected Jack McColton for his strong sense of honor and his desire to marry her despite her flaws, and prayed that it would be enough when it came time to spend the night together.

She looked down at the white fabric cascading over her hips. Everything seemed to be in order.

The gown had a high waistline, cinched beneath her breasts, a plunging neckline offset by a half collar at the back, puffy sleeves and a very long train. Cassandra carefully picked up the swirly back end and slipped the elegant loop over her finger to hold the train off the ground. Her shoes weren’t new—black stiletto boots with tiny leather buttons, the only good pair she owned—but they gave her a nice height.

She twirled with pleasure, and her hemlines brushed nicely over her ankles.

The knock on her door came at precisely quarter to the hour of six. When she opened it, Mr. and Mrs. Dunleigh were standing there in formal attire.

“My dear, you look beautiful.” Mrs. Dunleigh gave her a tender smile, and Cassandra felt more appreciated in that one simple act of kindness than she had all day.

“Thank you.”

The heavyset Mr. Dunleigh, more reserved than his wife, nodded at her scuffed luggage. “May I take your bags? There’s a man outside waiting to take them to the ranch.”

“Yes, please.” Cassandra had repacked her pistol, bullets and books, and now welcomed the help. She looked at her wild roses. “I nearly forgot about a bridal bouquet. These will do.” She picked up the bundle of roses, dried off the stems and wrapped the moist ends in a blue lace handkerchief. She wondered if Jack had imagined when he’d given them to her that she’d be carrying them down the aisle.

Ten minutes later, they were walking to the church. It was only a few blocks from the hotel, but even so, Cassandra attracted lots of attention. Shop owners peered out of their windows, a man sweeping the boardwalk stopped to stare, people on horseback craned their necks and a small child grabbed at her mother’s skirts and pointed.

The church on the corner was covered with clapboard. A tall steeple rose above it, shaded by redwoods.

“There has to be some mistake,” said Cassandra, drawing nearer and noticing all sorts of buggies lined up along the street. “We’re having a small ceremony. Just a few people. Maybe this is the wrong church.”

“No mistake.” Mr. Dunleigh said matter-of-factly. “This is the correct location.”

Mrs. Dunleigh leaned over to whisper, “I don’t know what’s gotten into Dr. McColton today. I heard him inviting everyone, whatever friends happened by the ranch. Said he should’ve announced the wedding weeks ago....”

Cassandra moaned softly. Had Jack assumed that she wanted a large ceremony because of her comment yesterday that he hadn’t told many people about their impending nuptials? It was kind of him to think of her...but this wasn’t what she’d meant. These were strangers to her, and would only increase her jitteriness.

“Come along, miss,” Mr. Dunleigh urged. “We’ll go through the side door and leave you with Reverend Darcy.”

“Leave me? Oh, no, please,” said Cassandra.

Husband and wife turned to her. The housekeeper’s spectacles slid to the bottom of her nose as she peered down at Cassandra. “Yes, what is it?”

“Mrs. Dunleigh, surely you’ll understand, but may I borrow your husband, please? My father’s not here, and I feel awkward asking a stranger. But it would mean the world to me if Mr. Dunleigh could stand beside me and walk me down the aisle.” Cassandra’s mouth went dry as she peered at the gentleman. “Please, Mr. Dunleigh.”

His wife pulled a hanky from her long sleeve and sniffled into it. “Of course, my dear, we wouldn’t have it any other way.” She gave a pointed look to her husband, who didn’t appear to be convinced.

His eyebrows were raised as he deliberated. When he hesitated too long, he was reprimanded by his wife. “Yes, of course,” she prodded, “he’d cherish the moment. Wouldn’t you, dear?”

“Absolutely,” he said with a simple nod. He wasn’t enthusiastic, but was gentlemanly about the matter.

Mrs. Dunleigh entered the front of the church. Cassandra and Mr. Dunleigh took the side stairs and stepped into the alcove at the back. Reverend Darcy, with short gray hair and a long black robe and collar, greeted her kindly. “Good evening. Welcome, welcome, lass.”

He gave her instructions on how they’d begin, then quickly departed. Cassandra stood nervously beside Mr. Dunleigh in the alcove. Judging by the shuffling of feet and amount of murmuring behind the wall, it sounded like a packed congregation.

When the pianist began “Here Comes the Bride,” Cassandra placed her hand on Mr. Dunleigh’s elbow and came out of hiding.

Up at the altar, Jack turned.

He looked splendidly handsome in a formal black tailcoat and blue cravat. His black hair caught the light cascading from an arched window, and the corners of his mouth lifted upward in what appeared to be approval. He glanced briefly at her burned cheek. His jaw tightened and she saw regret in his eyes.

What was he thinking?

Mr. Dunleigh marched her down the aisle. They fumbled a bit because their paces didn’t match. Cassandra, light-headed, felt the strain of tension and worry that had been building for months.

The pews were jammed with a hundred bodies, all turned in her direction and staring. Some looked curious, some aloof; some were smiling. Cassandra focused ahead, gripping her flowers as though they were a lifeline.

Jack’s best man was standing to his side, a dapper-looking fellow in a gray suit, with slicked-back red hair. Because of his cool expression, he was harder to read than Jack. On the other side, as Reverend Darcy had explained to her, his elderly wife was waiting to be a witness for Cassandra.

They reached the altar. Mr. Dunleigh faded away, and Cassandra stepped up beside Jack. His eyes flickered over her, then down to her roses.

“This is it,” he murmured. “Are you ready?”

She nodded and smiled, but couldn’t help but wish he’d said something more personal. She bowed her head as the minister began.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together on this beautiful summer day to join this man and this woman.”

The rest was a blur to Cassandra. She was feeling queasy and started to rock. The next thing she knew, they were nearly at the end. Her head swam. Only a few more minutes...

“If there is any man who can show just cause why they may not be lawfully joined together, let him speak now or forever hold his peace.”

“I object!” a woman’s voice called from the back.

Cassandra snapped to attention.

People gasped. Jack swung around sharply.

Dismayed, Cassandra swiveled in her wedding gown, peering past all the faces to the stylish woman in a plum-colored suit who’d stepped out to voice her objections. She was the brunette who’d dropped her package coming out of the hat shop yesterday when she’d spotted Jack and Cassandra together.

Bouts of nervous coughing and shuffling ran through the congregation. Did everyone else know about this woman and this potential problem?

Had Jack seen this coming?

Chapter Four

Chaos broke out as Jack looked on, feeling powerless at his own wedding.

Reverend Darcy tried to take control of the situation in a calm, clear voice. “Miss Elise Beacon, please say what’s on your mind.”

Murmurings and exclamations turned into dead silence.

Elise stood in a pew next to the aisle, surrounded by female friends. She grasped the railing in front of her and glanced at Jack with what seemed like apology in her eyes.

He steeled himself. How could she do this? What gave her the right? He tried to restrain himself, but burned with fury.

“Reverend, I’m sure the whole town knows that Jack has been courting me, with expectations of...of... I feel he’s being disingenuous to arrange a marriage to someone else.”

“Our courtship ended months ago,” Jack replied. He glanced at Cassandra, whose pretty mouth had fallen into a grim line. She’d lost her color, and his indignation flared at what this outburst was doing to her. “Reverend, I’m afraid Miss Beacon exaggerates the extent of our involvement.”

Elise appeared crestfallen. She’d always been overly emotional, overly wrought when things didn’t go well, and she certainly had no right to place blame at his feet. She was the one who’d flirted with other men when she’d been with Jack. But to say so here would be to smear her honor. No matter how unreasonable she was to voice her objections at his wedding, he would not stoop to her level.

Cassandra would have to trust him on this.

But dammit! He took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

Hugh, his best man, stepped out to try to smooth the difficulties. “Elise, everyone here knows and respects your forthright nature.”

The reverend latched on to Hugh’s train of thought. “Yes, Miss Beacon, it is always best to clear the air, and I do appreciate your communicating your thoughts on the matter. However, that is not a lawful reason to stop this wedding. Unless he formally proposed to you?”

Elise’s color heightened as she slowly shook her head.

“Now, are there any just causes why this marriage cannot lawfully take place?” The gray-haired gent scanned the crowd.

When Jack looked again at Cassandra, she seemed to be swaying. He leaped to catch her and her bouquet before both could collapse to the floor.

Other people rushed to their aid.