Bonds of Matrimony (35 page)

“Hell, Stockton, no man
should go to so much trouble for a woman,” Webb spoke boldly.
 
“It’s damn near embarrassing.”

“Not nearly as embarrassing
as everyone in London knowing that your betrothed ran away to avoid marrying
you.
 
But don’t worry, I’ll get her
back.
 
And it’ll be worth the
trouble.”

“If it’s money you need,
cowboy, I’d be happy to loan you some.
 
Interest free.”
 
He knew
that this was pushing it, but he needed to try to get this bastard out of
Chase’s life.

He eyed the Texan
suspiciously without speaking for a moment.
 
Then he asked, “Why in the hell would you loan me money?”

Webb grinned.
 
“Because your hounding this broad who
clearly doesn’t respect you makes laughing stocks of all of us.
 
You’re making men look bad.
 
And I’m feeling generous.
 
Personally, I won’t ever marry.
 
I’ll never have children.
 
I like my solitary life too much.
 
And I have too much money for one man.”
 
This was a bit of a lie.
 
He wasn’t terribly wealthy, but he had
a bit of money put aside.
 
And if
it sent Stockton packing, then it was worth losing his savings.

“Nobody will look bad when I
have her back in London and own her and her money.”

“Suit yourself,” he
muttered.
 

Stockton was clearly a man
with a mission.
 
He would not leave
until he had Chase or was sufficiently convinced that she wasn’t in
Slaughter.
 

The air was thick with cigar
smoke and tension after that.
 
Webb
finished the hand and left before Stockton finished picking all of his winnings
up off of the table.
 

Perhaps he had had too much
to drink himself.
 
Perhaps if he
hadn’t had that last beer, he might have seen Stockton nod at his man as Webb
got up from the table.
 
Perhaps he
would have heard the Englishman following him through the dark back to the
ranch.
 

CHAPTER 18

           
Chase
was sitting in the shade of the front porch and using her hat to fan herself
while life continued as normal around her.
 
Marcus and his men moved at a comfortable pace around the
ranch; and Elisa kept their grandmother and Reese busy in the kitchen of the
house.
 
Chase had been told that she
was to relax and try to not strain her two broken ribs.
 
Instead, she was sitting uselessly in
the unbearable heat.
 
After had Elisa
told them of her run-in with Stockton and his men at the train station, even a
refreshing swim at the pond wasn’t tempting.

           
She
pushed herself to her feet and was heading to the front door when she heard the
pounding of hooves approaching the house.
 
She watched wearily to see the lone rider racing toward her.
 
She recognized the golden curls peeking
out from under the rider’s hat.
 
Webb’s horse hadn’t even come to a stop before he dismounted.
 
He must have seen Chase almost
immediately, because he was brought up short.

           
“How
are your ribs?” he asked.

           
She
hadn’t seen him in a few days, and she was clenching her fists and willing herself
not to leap into his arms.
 
“A bit
sore, but fine.
 
How did you hear?”

           
“Elisabeth.”
 
He looked around the property, and his
gaze lingered on the barn.
 
“Is
your brother around?
 
I came to
talk to him.”
 
He eyed the house
behind her nervously.

           
“Of
course.
 
Is something wrong?”

           
He
shook his head and started toward the barn.
 
He looked like he was going to be ill.

           
“Webb,
what’s happened?” Chase asked, suddenly nervous.
 
When he didn’t look at her or answer her, she stepped off of
the porch and followed him.
 
He was
walking at a brisk pace, and she found myself nearly jogging to keep up.

           
“Fairfax!”
he called as he approached the barn.
 
He sounded angry.
 

           
Marcus
stepped out of the barn, wiping his hands on a rag.
 
“Everything okay, Webb?” he greeted.
 

           
He
shrugged and kicked at the dry sandy ground.
 
“Yeah, fine.
 
Have you got a minute?”

           
Marcus
nodded, looking at him curiously.

           
“I
came to ask if I could marry your sister.”

           
“What?!”
Chase exclaimed.

           
At
the same time, Marcus asked, “Reese?”

           
Her
immediate shock shifted to indignation and insult.
 
“What makes you automatically assume he’s talking about
Reese?”

           
Colton
only nodded
in Chase’s direction
, still maintaining eye
contact with her brother.

           
“Why?”
Marcus asked, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth to hide a grin of
amusement.

           
“More
importantly,” she interrupted angrily, stepping between the two so that Colton
had to look at her, “why are you asking my brother?
 
Have I not made it abundantly clear to everyone that I am my
own woman?
 
I need permission from
no man. I will do anything I please with my life.”
 
A small nagging voice was raging reminders about how
repulsive marriage would be for her.
 
At the same time, her heart was racing, and her stomach was fluttering.
He wanted to marry her.
 
The
thought of spending the rest of her life making love with Colton Webb was
hardly disgusting.
 

           
“I
was in town last night playing cards.
 
I decided to sit at a table with Stockton, and we made small talk.
 
After some promptin’, he finally
admitted that he’s come for Chase.
 
He won’t leave without her.
 
I even offered him money to get out of town, which proved to be a huge
mistake.”

           
“What’d
he do?” Marcus asked.
 
What had
begun as a marriage proposal was sounding an awful lot like a business
discussion.
 
This would be the part
when Colton admitted that he feared for her safety and realized he was in love
with her.
 
The thought of another
man’s hands on her made him sick.
 
She
waited eagerly to hear his confession.

           
“Politely
refused and sent one of his men to follow me home.
 
Six of them rode up to my front door this morning and
bullied Elisabeth.”
           
“Was
Stockton with them?”

           
“Yes.
 
He told her that I was clearly tryin’
to steer him away from Slaughter.
 
Said I obviously wanted to get rid of him.
 
Threatened to hurt her if she didn’t tell them what I was
hidin’.
 
He insisted that she also
knew that Chase here was in Slaughter with her sister and grandmother.”

           
Marcus
frowned in concern.
 
“What did she
tell them?”

           
Colton
scowled back at Marcus.
 
“My cousin
told them nothin’, Fairfax.
 
We
pride ourselves on our loyalty in my family.”

           
“Did
he hurt her?” Chase interrupted, fighting the image of Stockton forcing himself
on Elisabeth.

           
Colton
nodded.
 
“He hit her.
 
Knocked her to the floor.”
 
His jaw muscles clenched angrily.
 
“She’s scared, but she’s okay.
 
Clearly, this bastard won’t leave town
until he finds Chase.”

           
“You
figure if you marry my sister, he’ll have lost, and he’ll go back to
England.”
 
Marcus nodded in
approval.

           
Chase’s
emotions shifted more abruptly than ever before, from fear for Elisabeth to
fury at Webb and her brother.
 
He
was proposing marriage because he thought she was so fragile that she needed
his protection?
 
Her head was
suddenly pounding.
 
“You think that
selling me to a neighboring rancher is better than Stockton?
 
I suppose that Webb, at least, won’t
beat me and try to break me.
 
But
truly, Marcus, I will not be the property of
any
man.”
 
She turned
on Webb and glared at him.
 
She
clenched and unclenched her fists, debating whether or not to hit him.
 
“I thought that you understood
my
decision to never marry
.
 
I thought that
you
were above possessing a woman
that way.
 
But clearly, you are no
better than any other man.”

           
“It’s
not about possessing you, woman,” Webb retorted impatiently.
 
“It’s about keeping you safe and
getting rid of that madman before he hurts someone else.”

           
“I
think it’s a fair suggestion, Chase,” Marcus added.

           
“Fair
to whom?
 
I suppose I should do the
selfless thing and give myself over to a man?
 
Tie myself to someone I don’t love in order to protect the
other helpless women in this town?”
 
Both men anticipated a reasonable response.
 
“Absolutely not.
 
You can both go bugger yourselves.
 
I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, as are most of the
women I’ve met in this town.”

           
Webb’s
eyes widened momentarily in surprise.
 
“This isn’t just about you, Chase.
 
I agree with your hatred of marriage.
 
But I am willin’ to move past it.
 
We suit each other as well as any person could suit us.
 
And most importantly, we can free
Slaughter of this woman-hittin’ bastard.”

           
“You,
Mr. Webb, don’t suit me at all.
 
It’s very big of you to make this loathsome sacrifice for the sake of
the town.
 
I’m certain they would
be grateful.
 
As for me, I refuse to
owe you my gratitude.”

           
“He’s
a good man, Chase,” Marcus pointed out.

           
“Exactly,
Marcus.
 
He’s a man.
 
And I’m a woman.
 
But we’re in America now.
 
The land of the free.
 
And I refuse to enslave myself to any
man, good or otherwise.
 
Your
answer, Mr. Webb, is a definite no.”

           
“No?”
he repeated in disbelief.

           
She
looked at his sexy brown eyes and felt tears threatening her own.
 
She clenched her teeth, spun on her
heel, and stormed away before he could see her cry.

***

           
No?
 
She said no?
 

           
Webb
had raced over there on his horse, bombarded the entire way with fear and
anger.
 
When he had seen Stockton’s
men riding away, he immediately realized what must have happened.
 
He had found Elisabeth crying on the
floor, hand to her face.
 
Once he
calmed her down, the solution had immediately come to him.
 
If he married Chase, Stockton would
have no reason to stay in Texas.
 

           
He
had helped Elisabeth settle into her room for a nap.
 
He had also fetched a cool cloth for her cheek, all the
while preparing how he would phrase the proposition.
 

           
On
the ride there, it had occurred to Webb that unless he wanted to declare war on
the Fairfax family permanently, he needed to appeal to her brother for his
blessing.
 
Frankly, he hadn’t cared
whether he would approve or not.
 
But
Webb had thought it chivalrous to at least ask.