Hanchart Land (7 page)

"Damned straight. If I were fifty years younger, I'd give you a run for your money and take special care with her. She's had a rough time. I don't know why she married Shane, but I'd be willing to bet your inheritance it was a bad marriage from start to finish."

Luke stared at his grandfather for a long while, his expression thoughtful. There was very little that meant more to John Hanchart than the family's ranch, and he didn't make light of bets on it. He was dead serious about Susan's marriage. He’d wished, many times over, that he could find out what kind of marriage it had been.

 Only time would tell if his grandfather was right about her.

Chapter Four

Susan was amazed at how much she could actually sleep once she'd followed the doctor's orders to relax. She slept soundly Saturday night, even in a strange bed. Always an early riser, she was up early the next day, but then she’d dozed off again beside the pool. She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d taken naps during the daytime.

Part of the reason she was able to rest was due to having a definite course of action for her future. Now that she knew what direction her life was going to take, it was easier to make the psychological adjustments. Luke had lifted a heavy burden from her shoulders with his proposal.
 He'd given her a whole new set of worries, of course, but they were different. They offered a challenge she was happy to accept. She knew she had her work cut out for her to make a success of their relationship, but she didn't mind challenges.

Other than their confrontation in the barn and his erotic massage, he’d made himself scarce. She didn't know if he kept his distance so she could relax or if he thought their volatile reaction to each other could cause problems.

Maybe he was old-fashioned enough to disapprove of premarital sex. She would agree on that, but knew he'd never believe her. He assumed she and Shane had shared a normal, loving relationship.

He would have to learn the truth, but she wasn't sure how to broach the subject. Maybe, just maybe, they could enter into a relationship without him realizing how inexperienced she really was.

He certainly knew how to arouse her. Maybe, if she was really lucky, he would excite her to the point that she didn't freeze when he tried to consummate their marriage. Maybe he could block the horror of Shane's attack from her mind long enough to let nature take its course. Maybe. There were a lot of ifs and maybes, but she was trying to think positively.

John joined her again by the pool on Sunday afternoon. Along with his beach towel, he carried a large dress box. Susan greeted him with a smile and some teasing.

    "Have you been shopping this morning?"

He grinned, tossed his towel on the deck and laid the box on the end of a lounge chair.

"Nope. This was over at my place. I brought it here to show you."

Interest piqued, she rose from her chair and watched as he cut through the sealing tape with his pocketknife. The box showed signs of age and had apparently been in storage for a long time.

"What is it?"

"Come see," he invited, opening the box and carefully spreading the tissue paper.

She joined him and then gasped with delight as he unveiled a beautifully preserved wedding gown. He lifted it from its bed of tissue and gently shook out the folds.

"Oh, John, it's gorgeous!"

Her hands were damp, so she didn't want to touch the delicate ivory satin, but he held it, turning it so she could see it from every angle. The length was mid-calf with a scalloped hemline. It had elbow length, fitted sleeves and a v-neck trimmed in delicate Victorian lace. The bodice was covered in tiny seed pearls, and she loved it on sight.

"Alma's mother made this gown by hand," he explained, speaking of his deceased wife. "She wore it for our wedding fifty-five years ago. I promised her I'd keep it cleaned and preserved until Luke took a bride. She doted on that boy, you know," he reminisced. “Since the two of you are to be married, I thought I'd see if you'd like to borrow it for the ceremony."

Susan's eyes widened in surprise. She knew John had adored his Alma. Memories of her still seemed to touch him deeply and his offer touched her just as deeply. She hadn't even considered the need for a wedding dress. Her wardrobe was woefully lacking of anything special.

When she didn't say anything for a minute, he continued, "She was a hopeless romantic, and she wouldn't have wanted you to wear it unless you really like it, but I thought I'd make the offer for her."

"It's the most beautiful gown I've ever seen, and I love it," she insisted. "But we're going to have a very small, quiet ceremony."

"You and Luke said it'll be a real marriage, so you might as well have a real wedding. It doesn't have to be big, but it can be special."

Susan was almost too overcome with emotion to speak. She didn't know what Luke would think about her wearing his grandmother's gown, but no woman in her right mind could resist such a temptation.

"It's perfect," she whispered. "I would be more than honored to wear it, if you're absolutely sure you wouldn't mind."

"No, no," he said, clearing his voice and trying not to let emotion get the best of him. "I wouldn't have offered it if I had any objections. I told Rosa I'd be bringin' it. She said she'll make any alterations you need."

"John, you're absolutely sure? I don't want to damage the dress with alterations. What if I stain it or something?"

“It’s not much use if nobody's ever going to wear it again," he added practically as he replaced the dress in the folds of tissue paper and then closed the lid. "It's time I let somebody else worry about preservin' the damn thing."

"Oh, John, thank you!" was all she could manage. She threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.

    The old man chuckled, put his arms around her and awkwardly patted her back. Susan didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, so she made a concerted effort to control herself.

    "My parents used to tease me about getting married," she said as she eased from his arms. "Daddy used to say he'd supply the stepladder and help me elope, but Mother made all these elaborate plans for a big, formal wedding. She would have loved Alma's gown."

    Her voice cracked on the last words, and she knew she needed a little privacy to regain control. "I think I'll take it up to my room, if you don't mind."

    "Go right ahead, but don't forget to come back and swim with me. I'm old, and I need supervision."

    His teasing brought an answering smile to her face, a smile that competed with the sun for its brilliance. Her eyes sparkled like the rarest of sapphires, and her exquisite beauty was enough to steal a man's breath.

    It was that smile she turned on Luke as he came striding onto the pool deck to join them. It stopped him in his tracks. For a long moment, all he did was stare at her while a high-voltage electrical energy crackled between them.

   Susan was sure she'd be singed by the fire that leapt to his eyes. When she was finally able to drag in a steadying breath, she scooped up the dress box and held it defensively in front of her, as though it offered protection from the heat of his gaze.

   "I'll take this upstairs and be right back," she managed, leaving them on trembling legs. It was hard to believe how deeply affected she was by nothing more than a searing glance from the man she'd promised to marry. How could she hope to cope with his full attention, when just his undiluted interest left her trembling?

   She took the beautiful dress to her room. After washing her hands, she took it from the box, hung it on a padded hanger, and stroked the satin with loving fingers. It had been so long since she’d felt all the normal womanly reactions to pretty clothes and soft fabrics. She’d almost forgotten the pleasure. John's generosity made her feel weepy, but she fought off the melancholy and returned to the pool.

He and Luke were in the water. They'd stretched a volleyball net across one end of the pool and were batting a ball back and forth. John was in excellent condition for a man his age, but Luke was truly awesome, with shoulders that seemed impossibly wide and tightly corded muscles that rippled with his every movement.

John grabbed the ball when it came zinging his way and paused to yell at Susan. "Hey, I need some help here. I'm too old to keep up with this big kid much longer."

She grinned when he referred to Luke as a kid since he was one hundred percent adult male in thinking and physique. "I'll help, but I'm not sure how much," she warned.

The men didn't mind. They seemed to enjoy her company, and she enjoyed theirs as they laughed and teased and played. It was a rare pleasure for her to be part of a family again, even a small one. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually played a game or laughed so much. She basked in the simple joy of it.

Later, she put together a light meal for the three of them since Rosa didn't work on Sunday. When Luke excused himself from their company to attend to paperwork, John spent a couple hours trying to teach her how to play chess. She'd always admired the older man, but the more time she spent with him, the more she grew to like him.

It was nearly ten o'clock when they put away the chess set. John said it was past his bedtime, and he'd stick his head in the office to tell Luke they were calling it a night. She worried a little about her future husband's reluctance to spend time with her, but refused to dwell on it too much. For the second night in a row, she went sound asleep within minutes of climbing into bed.

On Monday morning, Luke took her to Doctor Peters' office for a checkup while he ran some errands. Then they had blood drawn, went to the courthouse to file for their marriage license, and headed back to the ranch. Susan was relieved they didn’t run into anyone they knew too well.

Reverend Thompson came to the ranch in the afternoon, counseled them on the ups and downs of married life and then scheduled the wedding service for early Friday evening.

When he left, they remained in the ranch office for a few minutes. The room was big and sparsely furnished with a desk, some file cabinets, and three brown leather chairs. The carpet and furniture were serviceable so any dirt tracked in could be easily removed.

Luke moved behind his desk, sat down and handed a postcard size form to Susan.  She was still sitting in a chair across from his desk.

"This is a signature card from the bank," he explained. "I talked to Bob Anderson today and told him we were getting married. He can be trusted to keep quiet about it, but he needs your signature for your bank account."

Susan studied the form. She'd closed her account as well as Shane's. "What account?"

"I'm opening a new checking account for you, and he needs your signature so you can access the ranch's operating account. Rosa, Juan, and I all have access to the business one. For your personal account, you'll have checking, ATM, and Visa access once it's all processed."

She couldn't help but stare at him in amazement. "I don't want access to your money," she argued.

Luke's mouth stretched into a tight line. "As of Friday, it'll be our money, remember? You'll need an allowance, and I'll be transferring a large sum of money into your personal account to pay Shane's bills."

Susan responded through tight lips. "I know those debts need to be paid," she said, yet pride kept her from graciously accepting the offer. “But it doesn’t have to be done all at once, and I intend to work off some of the debt myself. I don't need an allowance or access to the ranch account. I'm not bringing a penny into the marriage."

He frowned. "Your dowry is Hanchart land."

It had never really belonged to her in the first place. "But I can't legally turn that over to you."

"I'm not asking you to," he replied in a clipped tone. "I'll fight you to the death if you ever try to walk away and take any of it with you. But once we're married, you become part owner of everything."

She took his words in the manner he intended them; as a threat. He wasn't demanding a prenuptial agreement on paper, but he was demanding it just the same.

"I don't have any aspirations to make off with what has belonged to your family for generations."

    "Good, because I have no intention of giving up even a fraction of it."

They stared at each other for a long time, both tense with frustration. Shane was, and probably always would be, at the root of their problems, yet they had to find a way to deal with the mess he'd created.

    "You're also bringing the promise of future generations of Hancharts to this marriage," he reminded. "That's important."

He left little doubt that the land was his primary concern, and any future they built was secondary. The idea sent a little shiver of dread down her spine.

"And what if I can't follow through on the promise?" she wanted to know. "If we find out I'm not any good at procreating, will I just get tossed out on my ear?"

She could tell by the tightening of his jaw he wasn't pleased by the question or her refusal to cooperate.

"We're talking about a real marriage, remember? That point seems to be getting by you," was his grating comeback, "If one of us isn't capable of reproducing, then we consider the options. Just like any other couple would do."

Susan sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair. It was hanging straight and loose around her shoulders today, so she had to keep shoving it back to keep it off her face. "I'm sorry, Luke. I want a real marriage, too. I'm just having a hard time adjusting to all the details."

His tone was hard when he answered. "It’s not the first time for you. You should be more familiar with the routine than I am," he reminded, expression hard.

She couldn't refute the truth of them. She wished she could explain how different this was and how much more important it was to her. She wondered if he'd ever get over his resentment of her first marriage.

"I never handled any of our finances when Shane and I were married," was her weak reply.

Shane had wanted her totally dependent on him. He'd provided a cash allowance for groceries and had taken care of everything else when it suited him. The only spending money she'd ever had was what she'd earned teaching some riding classes.