Cowboys are Forever (19 page)

Marielle fed the horses and pitched in some fresh hay for them to munch on. And munch they did, she thought dryly. Whoever had coined the phrase
eats like a horse
sure knew what they were talking about. The puppy trotted at her heels. Trey had explained that his training as a herd dog wouldn’t start until he was older.

Trey had explained so many things to her, she thought. Love and gratitude welled up inside her for the things he’d done for her all along. He had made it so much easier for her to live up here, with his patience, his kindness, and … .his forbearance about some of the ridiculous messes she’d gotten herself into.

Marielle felt blessed to have met this wonderful man and to have earned his love. At this moment, she felt that her life couldn’t be more perfect. All that was lacking, she mused pleasantly, were a few little Mastersons running around. She wondered if their children would have red or black hair. But it didn’t matter, she decided. Either way would be fine.

Marielle felt a brief flicker of caution. Maybe she was assuming too much, too soon. She forced herself to rein in her imagination for the time being. Once they talked, and he confirmed in words what her heart already knew, then she could indulge in these beautiful daydreams.

Back at the house, Marielle worked on getting her sample portfolio ready to send to New York. She’d decided to take it down into Jackson Hole and send it overnight express. She looked up from the package when someone knocked at the front door. Her heart flew to her throat. Trey! She thought, crossing the room eagerly to let him in. She hadn’t expected him until later. To her disappointment, although she did her best to hit it, it wasn’t Trey. It was Bandy.

“Howdy, Miss Mari,” he greeted her, a broad smile creasing his face. “How ya doin’?”

“Just fine, Bandy. How are you?” she asked.

“I’m making a run down to Jackson,” he said. “The boss said you mentioned something about a package you need to send off today. He sent me by here to get it and mail it for you. Save you a trip.”

“Oh, thanks, Bandy. That would be great. I was getting it ready to go. It will only take a few more minutes, if you can wait,” she told him. “How about a cup of coffee?”

“I ain’t in no big hurry,” Band assured her. “And I don’t never turn down a cup of coffee,” the old man added, laughing as he sat down on the sofa.

Marielle brewed fresh coffee. On her way out of the kitchen with Bandy’s cup, she grabbed the box of Godiva chocolates from the counter that Samantha had sent her for Christmas. She’d heard Trey and the boys teasing the old man about his sweet tooth. He might enjoy the candy.

Bandy sipped the hot brew appreciatively. “Miss Mari, this is some fine coffee.”

“Thanks. My friend Sam sends it to me from New York,” she said absently, intent on getting her package together.

“And this candy is the best I’ve ever tasted, bar none,” Bandy commented. “Does it come from New York, too?”

“Yes, that was my Christmas present from Sam,” Marielle replied, preoccupied with her task. The stupid tape was sticking to her fingers instead of the package.

The phone rang. She swore silently, exasperated as she untangled her hands from the tape and answered it.

“Hello,” she said. It was Sam! Marielle had been dying to tell her about Trey and fill her in on what was happening. She glanced over at Bandy. She certainly couldn’t tell Samantha about it now, not in front of Bandy.

“Mari, I’ve got great news!” Sam said excitedly. “I’m going to get my vacation early this year. So I won’t have to wait until March to come visit you on your mountain! I can come next week. Isn’t that great?”

“Oh, Sam!” Marielle cried. “Oh, that’s wonderful! I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you so much!”

“It’s not going to inconvenience you, is it, Mari? Me coming early, I mean?” her friend inquired anxiously.

“Are you kidding? Of course not,” Marielle said firmly. Uh-oh, she thought. She’d planned on getting a guest room ready before Sam’s visit. Right now her bedroom was the only usable one. But Samantha wouldn’t mind. “You’ll have to sleep with me, Sam. It won’t be the first time,” Marielle laughed, recalling all the nights they’d slept over at each other’s houses as kids.

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Samantha agreed. “At least now we won’t have your mom or mine yelling at us to be quiet and go to sleep,” she said, chuckling. Marielle smiled, remembering how she and Sam had stayed awake for hours, talking and giggling, confiding their innermost thoughts to each other, discussing clothes, and school—and, of course, boys.

“Yeah, Sam, it’ll be just like old times. We’ll have a lot of catching up to do. But maybe after that we’ll actually get some sleep!” Marielle said. “And Sam, I know now that you’ve been right and I’ve been wrong about love. I’m ready to get married.”

“What?” Samantha exclaimed. “What’s going on, Marielle? Tell me!”

Marielle glanced at Bandy. “I can’t talk to you about it right now, Sammy,” she said. Her friend wasn’t happy about being kept in suspense, but accepted it stoically, and they said their good-byes. Marielle was happy and excited at the thought of soon seeing her dearest friend. She hurriedly finished wrapping the portfolio and handed it to Bandy, along with the money to mail it.

“Thanks for the coffee and the candy, Miss Mari,” he said. “I couldn’t help sort of eavesdropping on your conversation. It sounds like Sam must be a special friend.”

“Oh, yes,” Marielle told him happily. “Very special!”

“Go on,” Trey said grimly. “Then what did she say?”

Bandy squirmed uncomfortably under Trey’s stony gaze. “Well,” he began hesitantly, “then after she said. ‘Oh, Sam’; then she told him as how he’d be sleeping with her but it wouldn’t be the first time.” He gulped nervously.

“Oh, she did, did she?” Trey inquired, glowering. He gave his foreman a smoldering look. “Go on,” he told him implacably.

Bandy shifted in his chair at the kitchen table. “Boss, I wish I’d never started tellin’ you about this,” he said miserably. “You’re just getting’ all worked up and—”

“Go on!!” Trey bellowed harshly, showing no mercy on the older man. “You did start it and you’re going to finish it! What did she say after that?”

“She said, uh….” Bandy stammered weakly, “she said….”

“Bandy, I’m warning you,” Trey told him in a dangerously calm tone, “If you don’t spit it out quick, I’m going to drag it out of you. Now,” he added through clenched teeth, “what else did she say?”

Bandy cleared his throat. The expression on his seamed face was like that of someone who was about to swallow a dose of vile tasting medicine. “She told this Sam feller that they had a lot of catchin’ up to do, but that afterwards, maybe they’d get some sleep,” he said unhappily.

Trey slammed both hands down on the table suddenly, causing Bandy to wince in alarm. “Well, if that doesn’t just take the cake,” Trey fumed, jumping up and pacing back and forth angrily like a caged tiger. He whirled to Bandy. “Is there more?” he demanded hotly.

Bandy swallowed nosily. His face wore a look of pained indecision. “There might be a little bit more,” he quavered. The glare he got from Trey must have convinced him that it would be unwise to waste any time divulging the information. “She told him that he’d been right and she’d been wrong about love and that … and that she was ready to get married.” His voice trailed off weakly. “And she told me that he sent her that fancy coffee and chocolate candy from New York. I tell ya, boss,” he said reflectively, “that’s some high-dollar candy. It pure melted in my mouth—”

“I don’t want to hear about the damned candy!” Trey roared. “Okay,” he said then, somewhat calmer. “Thanks, Bandy. You’ve done me a favor, telling me this. You’ve kept me from making a first-class fool of myself—again.”

Bandy gazed at Trey, his expression one of abject misery. “If you say so, boss. But you sure don’t look like somebody that’s grateful fer a big favor.”

Trey stalked out, saddled his horse and rode away, needing to be alone with his thoughts. How could he have been such a damned fool? He’d let his heart rule his head, convincing himself that Marielle loved him, when all the time she’d had this Sam in New York. He wondered if that was the man who had dropped her right before she’d come up here.

Now he was coming here to see her. He’d be sleeping with her in that feather bed, enjoying that beautiful body that Trey himself had enjoyed just last night. Kissing her, holding her, making love to her and … from what Bandy had said, marrying her. Trey’s heart contracted painfully. His breathing grew short as he labored under the strong emotions that possessed him.

That man would take Mari away from here. Trey laughed bitterly, remembering that only this morning, he’d been thinking of her as
his
Mari. Well, she wasn’t his, obviously. She was Sam’s. He’d have to face up to it, live with it. The thought of living without Marielle was nearly too painful to endure. He could only imagine how much more it was going to hurt … having to actually do it.

He could do it, he told himself fiercely. He’d get over her in time. Riding along, trying to calm down before going back to the ranch, Trey wondered how much time it would take him to stop loving Marielle. A lifetime, maybe?

Marielle looked out the living room window again, and then checked her watch anxiously. Where was Trey? She’d expected him at least right after dinner, and now it was past ten—no Trey. She frowned. He hadn’t called, either. Maybe something had happened over there at his place. She snatched up the phone, worried now. Something must have happened, or he would have called or been here by now, she reasoned, dialing his number.

Consuelo answered. Marielle apologized breathlessly and asked to speak to Trey. She waited anxiously for several long minutes. Finally Consuelo came back on the line. “Miss Mari,” the housekeeper said, “Señor Trey says he is busy right now and cannot come to the telephone.”

Consuelo sounded strange, Marielle thought, her apprehension growing. “Consuelo,” she asked hesitantly, “is something wrong?”

“No, Miss Mari. Nothing is wrong.” Marielle said good-bye and hung up. Her hands trembled. She felt stunned, hot and cold all over. She sank down on the sofa and pressed her hands to her burning face, nearly numb with shock. It seemed incomprehensible that Trey would treat her like this.

She lay awake all night. By morning, she’d come to the conclusion that maybe Trey felt a little overwhelmed by their relationship and just needed some space. After all, she told herself hopefully, it hadn’t been that long since she’d seen or heard from him. No need to panic … yet.