Chapter
Twelve
The clip-clop of shod hooves on brick pavers
echoed through the stillness of the English afternoon. As a groom
walked the chestnut gelding up the ramp and into the horse van,
Sebastian exchanged the bill of sale in his hand for a check from
the buyer. A glance confirmed it was made out for the correct
amount, and Sebastian slipped it into his inside jacket
pocket.
“I’m confident the horses will make
suitable mounts for young riders, Mr. Melrose,” Sebastian stated.
“I know they served my nephews well.”
“They’re fine, sound animals. My
daughters will be thrilled to have them.” The heavyset man threw a
look over his shoulder as the groom emerged from inside the van to
load the second horse. “Myself, I’ve never understood the
connection between horses and young girls, but mine are completely
daft about them.” When the second gelding walked up the ramp, the
man touched his hat to Sebastian. “It was a pleasure doing business
with you, Your Lordship.”
Nodding, Sebastian murmured an
appropriate response, his attention distracted by the approach of a
vehicle. Quick to recognize the driver behind the wheel as his
sister, he turned to meet her while the man went to help the groom
secure the horse van for travel.
Helen stepped out of the car, greeting
him with a wide smile. “Since I was in the vicinity, I thought I
would join you for tea.”
“I’m glad you did.”
She threw a curious glance at the horse
van. “Is that Jaspar and Big Mike in there?”
“It is.” Sebastian opened the front
door for her.
Helen stepped inside then waited for
him, her expression puzzled and slightly uncertain. “Did you sell
them?”
“To Mr. Melrose,” he confirmed and led
the way toward the twin library. “It seems his twin daughters have
outgrown their ponies.”
“I had no idea you were thinking of
selling them.”
“Under the circumstances, a six-horse
stable is a luxury I can’t afford.” Upon entering the library, he
crossed to the desk and rang the kitchen. “Inform Grizwold there
will be two for tea. We’re in the library.”
“I hope you received a good price for
them.” Helen sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs and curled
her legs underneath, making herself at home.
“The sum is more than enough to finance
a trip across the pond,” Sebastian replied.
It took a moment for the significance
of his statement to register. “Are you going over there to see
her?” Helen asked as if none too sure of his reason.
“If I don’t, I will always wonder what
might have happened if I had made one more attempt to win
her.”
His expression was much too serious for
Helen to doubt the truth in his words. Neither had to say Laura’s
name; they both knew to whom he was referring. The mere reference
to Laura prompted Helen to glance at the wall where the portrait
hung. But the space was blank.
Her gaze flew to Sebastian. “What did
you do with the portrait of Lady Crawford?”
“As soon as Melrose agreed to buy the
horses, I had Grizwold take it down and crate it for
shipment.”
“You’re taking it to America with
you.”
“I thought it might make a useful peace
offering.” His mouth quirked in an attempt at a smile.
Helen saw through it. “You really care
about her, don’t you?”
“I must. It’s been impossible to get
her out of my mind.” The portrait was merely one reminder of Laura.
Sebastian knew there were few rooms in Crawford Hall that he could
enter without seeing Laura in them.
Logan drove into the ranch yard and
headed straight for The Homestead. A car was parked in front of it.
There was nothing unusual about that, but the compact sedan wasn’t
one that he recognized as being from the area. As he pulled up
beside it, Logan automatically glanced at the license plate and saw
it was a rental.
It was a habit to be interested in any
stranger, and his attention quickly shifted to the man standing
near the top of the veranda steps. Tall, and well-dressed in a
sports jacket and slacks, he looked to be somewhere in his early
thirties. Most distinctively, no hat covered his head, and he wore
shoes, not cowboy boots. Lean of face and fair-complected, he had a
touch of red in his light brown hair.
Logan climbed out of the Jeep Cherokee
and approached the steps. “Afternoon.”
“Good afternoon,” the man replied with
a British accent, then glanced in the direction of the front door.
“No one seems to be in. I knocked, but there was no
answer.”
“No one knocks at the Triple C.” Logan
gestured toward the door in invitation. “They just walk in.” He
continued past him to the door.
“Unannounced?” the man
questioned.
“That’s right.” Logan opened it and
smiled, waiting for the man to join him. “Only strangers
knock.”
A wry amusement curved the man’s mouth
as he crossed to the door. “Then it must be obvious to you that I
am a stranger here.”
“It is,” Logan confirmed easily and
followed him into the house. “By the way, my name’s Logan
Echohawk.”
“You’re the sheriff, aren’t you?” The
man looked at him with new interest. “Laura mentioned
you.”
“You’re a friend of
Laura’s?”
“We met in Rome.”
Hearing the familiar thump of a cane,
Logan turned as Chase hove into view. “Oh, it’s you, Logan. I
thought I heard voices,” he said in lieu of a greeting. He started
to turn away, then paused to peer intently at the stranger. “Who’s
that with you?”
“A friend of Laura’s,” Logan replied.
“Is Jessy here?”
“In the den.” Chase bobbed his head in
its direction. “Why? What’s up?”
“It looks like we have some rustlers
working the area. Miller has about ten head of cattle missing from
his west pasture, and a black pickup with a gooseneck trailer and
Wyoming plates was seen in the area,” Logan explained, aware that
even though Jessy was technically in charge of the operation, Chase
liked to know all that went on. “I thought I’d better pass the word
so you and your people could keep an eye out.”
Chase nodded and made a wordless sound
of approval then fired a look at the stranger. “If you’re here to
see Laura, you’re out of luck. She left yesterday.”
“I see.” The answer was clearly one the
man had not anticipated. After a momentary pause, he asked, “When
do you anticipate she will return?”
Chase treated him to a hard stare, then
turned, leaning heavily on his cane, and yelled, “Jessy! Come here
a minute.” The minute she walked out of the den, he waved a hand at
the stranger. “There’s a young man here who wants to know when
Laura’ll be back. I can’t remember what she told us.”
“She said she’d be flying back tomorrow
afternoon.” Jessy directed her answer to the man and stepped
forward, stretching out her hand in greeting. “I don’t believe
we’ve met. I’m Laura’s mother, Jessy Calder.”
“Sebastian Dunshill. It’s a pleasure to
meet you, Mrs. Calder.” He grasped her hand and bent slightly at
the waist.
“Dunshill,” Jessy repeated with
recognition. “You must be the current earl of Crawford. Laura told
us about her visit to your home in England. I’m afraid she never
mentioned that you might be coming.”
“She didn’t know. I wanted it to be a
surprise.” He smiled with a touch of self-deprecating humor. “But
it turns out that I am the one who is surprised. I should have
known Laura would find it difficult to remain in any one place for
long.”
Chase studied him with sharpened
attention. “You seem to know my granddaughter rather
well.”
“Well enough to know she likes places
that are loud and crowded. I mean no offense, but from what little
I have seen of Montana, it is neither.”
“None taken.” A smile deepened the
corners of Chase’s mouth.
“It’s clear you have important matters
to discuss,” Sebastian said with a glance at Logan. “So I will take
no more of your time. If you could perhaps direct me to a place
nearby where I might find suitable lodging, I’ll be on my
way.”
Chase didn’t think twice. “The most
suitable place is right here on the Triple C.”
There was a small hesitation during
which Sebastian appeared to consider something more than the
invitation. “As much as I would like to accept your offer of
hospitality, there are some things you should know, and I would
rather you heard them from me.”
Chase studied him with a steady and
close regard. “Sounds like this might involve some heavy talking.
Why don’t we go into the den and sit down?” He started to lead the
way, then paused. “Your business isn’t so urgent that it can’t
wait, is it, Logan?”
“No. I’ve already said most of what I
came to tell you anyway.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Pushing off with his
cane, Chase headed for the den.
Heat lightning flashed in the east
while the Texas sky overhead glittered with stars. The night air
had a sultry feel to it that added to the languor Laura felt as she
stood within the loose circle of Boone’s arms and gazed into the
land’s thickening shadows.
The low-built ranch house sprawled
behind them, its thick walls and wide overhangs designed to ward
off the scorching summer heat. Light spilled from some of its
windows onto the broad patio, but none reached the corner she
occupied with Boone.
“I love lazy summer nights like this,”
Laura murmured candidly, tightening the wrap of his arms around her
waist. Her glance drifted to the shimmering surface of the swimming
pool. “If I wasn’t so full from dinner, I’d go change into my suit
and take a dip in the pool.”
Boone buried a kiss in her hair. “I
have a better idea.” His hands shifted to the sides of her waist
and turned her to face him.
Laura let her hands slide to the top of
his shoulders and tilted her head to one side in an alluring pose.
“And what might that be?”
She hadn’t missed the touch of his
right hand until it was there in front of her. But it wasn’t his
hand that captured her attention; it was the small velvet-covered
box it held. She stared at it, conscious of the exultant leap of
her heart.
“What’s this?” Laura feigned ignorance
even as her head told her the jewelry box had to contain a
ring.
“Open it,” Boone
instructed.
Careful not to allow more space to come
between them than necessary, she took the box and snapped it open.
There was nothing faked about her sharply indrawn breath of
surprise as Laura caught her first glimpse of the ring. It was a
marquise-cut diamond, the same pure yellow as the Texas sun, and
just about as big and brilliant, set in a platinum
mounting.
“Marry me, Laura.” His words had more
the ring of demand than a proposal.
More than anything she wanted to slip
the ring on and see how it would look on her hand. But Laura knew
this was no time to appear too eager. Instead she looked up at him
with questioning eyes. “Are you sure, Boone?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything
in my life.” The heat of need was in his voice and in the
possessive rake of his eyes.
“In that case, my answer is ‘yes.’ ”
She took the ring and slipped it on her finger. The fit was
perfect, and the look of it was stunning, just as she had known it
would be.
“Laura Rutledge,” she said, as if
trying the name on for size, then declared with feeling, “I
definitely like the sound of that.”
Boone didn’t bother with words to make
his feelings known as his mouth claimed hers. Laura welcomed the
crush of his arms and returned the heat of his kiss, for now
holding nothing back.
The afternoon sunlight flashed on the
ring as Laura ran lightly up The Homestead’s front steps, still
riding on a triumphant feeling. She spared a backward glance at
Tara, who followed more slowly.
“There’s so much to do, my head’s
spinning just thinking about it all,” Laura said on a wondering
note.
“You have to start first with ‘where’
and ‘when,’ ” Tara replied, ever the practical one.
“But that’s just the tip of the
iceberg.” Laura crossed to the front door.
“You really need to bring a wedding
consultant on board,” Tara told her.
“The sooner the better,” Laura agreed
and opened the door. “Would you get the names of some for
me?”
“Of course.”
Once inside the entryway, Laura set her
small carry-on on the floor and called out, “Hello! Where is
everybody?”
The answer came from her mother. “We’re
in the living room.”
Eager to share her news, Laura sailed
down the wide hall to the living room. Her bright-eyed glance made
a sweep of her mother, grandfather, and Laredo, all seated in the
room. She came to a stop when she saw that the man standing by the
fireplace wasn’t her brother.
“Sebastian,” she said his name on a
breath, soft and warm.
But it was the shining look in her
eyes, completely uncalculated, that caught and held Jessy’s
attention, though that moment of surprise and complete spontaneous
reaction didn’t last.
“Hello, Laura. Surprised to see
me?”
The minute Sebastian spoke, a practiced
smile of beguiling charm curved Laura’s lips. “Surprised and
pleased,” Laura declared, moving toward him. “And your timing
couldn’t have been better. Now you can join in the celebration.
Congratulations are in order.” She lifted her left hand and wagged
her ring finger at him, letting the yellow diamond catch fire in
the living room’s light.
Jessy’s estimation of the young
Englishman went up a notch when he glanced at the ring and never
turned a hair. “I think I am supposed to ask who the lucky fellow
is?”
“Boone, of course.” Laura swung toward
Jessy, but Jessy found it impossible to tell whether the excitement
in her daughter’s expression was genuine. “He asked me last night.
If it hadn’t been so late, I would have called you. Then this
morning I decided I would much rather deliver the news in person.
Have you ever seen such a rock?” She crossed to Jessy’s chair to
give her a close-up look at the ring.
Chase leaned over to see it. “It’s
yellow,” he observed dryly. “Is that for caution?”
“Well said,” Sebastian replied. But
Laura ignored him as she gave her grandfather an admonishing
look.
“Gramps,” Laura said in a tone of
indulgent reproach. “It’s yellow for happiness.”
“And when’s the wedding to be?”
Sebastian inquired.
“We haven’t set the date yet,” Laura
replied easily.
“But it will be soon,” Tara inserted
with ringing certainty. “Boone made it clear that he was not in
favor of a long engagement.”
Sebastian merely smiled. “It’s a
viewpoint shared by most men, I dare say.”
“Where’s Trey?” Laura asked, then held
up a hand to stave off any answers. “I forgot. He told me he was
jackpot roping somewhere this weekend. I suppose it’ll be after
sundown before he gets home.” The opening of the front door was
accompanied by a hard thud. Laura glanced in its direction. “That
must be Vince. He said he’d bring my luggage from the plane.” Her
glance ran to Sebastian in light challenge. “Instead of standing
there looking decorative, you can be useful and carry them upstairs
for me. I’ll show you the way. Come on.”
Jessy couldn’t help noticing that Tara
looked anything but happy when the two retraced Laura’s steps to
the entryway together. She wasn’t surprised that Tara disapproved
of Laura associating with a man who had little money. Personally,
Jessy had her own reservations about Sebastian Dunshill, but his
lack of wealth wasn’t one of them.
“A wedding here at the Triple C, won’t
it be wonderful?” Tara declared. “Of course, Laura hasn’t said that
she wants it here, although I’m certain she will. Naturally it
would have to be an outdoor affair to accommodate all the people
who will come. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have the ceremony on the
veranda?”
“Very lovely,” Jessy agreed. “Although
it might be a bit difficult seating people on the
slope.”
“I hadn’t considered that.” Tara
appeared to give the matter some thought, but Jessy noticed the way
her attention covertly strayed to Laura and Sebastian when they
started up the oak staircase. “Perhaps something on the lawn. It
would be simple enough to bring in beautiful white arbors, or even
some pillars to echo the front of the house.” The moment the pair
reached the top of the stairs, Tara leaned forward and lowered her
voice to a secretive level. “There is something about Sebastian
that you really need to know—”
Jessy didn’t give her a chance to say
more. “If you are referring to his current financial problems, we
already know. He told us.”
“How very clever of him.” But there was
contempt in Tara’s voice. She smoothed the lay of her skirt. “I’m
surprised you allowed him to stay. It’s obvious his chief interest
is in Laura’s bank account. You should have ordered him off the
ranch the minute he arrived. He’s nothing but a fortune
hunter.”
Chase made a small snorting sound. “If
we had done that with everyone whose motives or sincerity we
doubted, your foot wouldn’t have crossed our doorway in
years.”
Tara tilted her chin at a combative
angle. “My concern is strictly for Laura, and I don’t particularly
care whether you believe that or not.”
“I’m sure you believe that,” Jessy
said. “But it doesn’t really matter. Sebastian came here to see
Laura. If she wants him to leave, she can tell him
so.”
Upon entering the bedroom, Laura
gestured to the walnut dresser’s curved front with a sweep of her
head. “You can put them down over there,” she told
Sebastian.
Her luggage consisted of no more than a
garment bag and a slim, weekender-sized suitcase. He set the
suitcase on the floor and draped the bag over it, then turned to
her expectantly.
His gaze was alive to her, compelling
in its warmth. The spacious and slightly grand bedroom suddenly
seemed small with him in it. But Laura knew it was purely her own
reaction to him, the livening of all her senses and that faint
thrum of excitement that ran through every nerve.
“What? No tip?” He smiled with his
eyes.
“Since when does a gentleman expect a
tip for helping a lady,” she countered, matching the lightness of
his tone even as her gaze wandered over his lean, smooth features.
Laura remembered every detail of his face, including the scattering
of pale tan freckles. She turned slightly serious. “I was surprised
to see you when I walked in today. At the same time, though, I
think I always knew you would show up sooner or
later.”
“What made you so certain of that?” His
look seemed to delve for the deeper meaning behind her
words.
“Under the circumstances, you couldn’t
afford not to, now could you?” Laura taunted without an ounce of
malice, then made a little pout of mock regret. “What a pity that
you arrived too late.”
“What makes you think it’s too late?
Surely you don’t believe that gaudy rock on your finger changes
anything, do you?” Sebastian replied with amusement. “You know as
well as I do that that ring can come off as easily as it went
on.”
She laughed in her throat. “It can, but
it won’t.”
“You don’t truly expect me to believe
you’re in love with him, do you?” Skepticism riddled his
voice.
“I’m marrying Boone, aren’t I?” Laura
reasoned, then snapped her fingers in an exaggerated show of
dawning realization. “That’s right. I forgot. You don’t regard love
as an essential part of marriage, do you?”
“Was that supposed to be a wounding
blow—or merely a knife flick?” Sebastian smiled as if to show that
she had drawn no blood with it.
“It’s nothing more than the truth,”
Laura replied easily. “You’re wasting your time, Sebastian, and you
have precious little of it to waste.”
He leaned a hip against the dresser and
folded his arms in front of him. “I don’t see it that
way.”
“Suit yourself.” She lifted her
shoulders in a shrug of indifference.
“Ah, now therein lies the problem.” He
lightly shook one finger at her as he pushed away from the dresser.
With a negligent ease, he eliminated much of the space between
them. “No one suits me as well as you do.” His fingertips lightly
touched the underside of her jaw as if to tilt her face toward
him.
“I believe you,” Laura said, conscious
of all the raw stirrings within. “But it doesn’t change anything.
I’m still going to marry Boone.”
“So you said before.” His hand drifted
down to her throat, touching it without quite touching it, even as
his mouth moved inexorably closer to hers.
As Laura debated whether to allow
Sebastian to kiss her, the decision was removed from her hands by
Tara’s summoning voice. “Laura!”
“Nice try,” she said to Sebastian and
stepped away, laughter dancing in her eyes as she moved to the
door. Exiting the bedroom, she crossed to the top of the stairs.
“Did you call me, Tara?”
“I’d like a quick word with you before
I leave.” She stood by the bottom newel post, looking up. “Would
you mind walking me to the door?”
“Not at all,” Laura replied, conscious
of Sebastian coming out of the bedroom behind her. Then, “Thanks
for carrying my luggage up,” she said to Sebastian, tossing the
words over her shoulder, and ran lightly down the stairs to join
Tara.
The instant her foot left the last
step, she struck out for the foyer, ignoring the sharp probe of
Tara’s gaze. Laura knew exactly what Tara wanted to discuss, and it
wasn’t the wedding.
Tara didn’t waste any time getting to
the point. “You need to send that man on his way, Laura. The sooner
the better.” Her voice was hard with demand, and there was an angry
snap in her dark eyes.
“Why? He’s no threat.” Laura smiled
with confidence. “I know his game.”
“Perhaps you do,” Tara conceded coolly.
“But I warn you, Boone is the jealous type. He’ll be furious if he
finds out he’s here.”
Laura bristled inwardly. “Then he’ll
have to get over it, won’t he?”
“That is not a wise attitude to
take.”
“Maybe not,” Laura agreed, albeit
reluctantly. “At the same time, I don’t see why you’re making such
a big fuss about Sebastian being here. He won’t be staying long—not
now that he knows he is completely out of the running.” She flashed
the engagement ring as a reminder to Tara. “What choice does he
have, other than to charm his way into some other woman’s bank
account?”
“True. But he is a charmer,” Tara added
almost as a warning.
“Don’t worry,” Laura assured her. “I
may make a fool of him, but he will never make a fool of me.” As
far as she was concerned, that closed the subject. “Don’t forget to
call me as soon as you have the names of some wedding
coordinators.”
“I’ll get on that as soon as I get
home,” Tara promised.