Texas Mail Order Bride (17 page)

The week passed quickly. On Sunday, Delta and Rand rented a buggy and drove out to the Long Odds Ranch. She missed Jenny something awful. Besides, she had lots to tell her friend.

The previous day, Delta had received another mysterious letter. Like the others, it had been addressed to her in the same flowing handwriting. As with the first, she hadn't bowed to temptation to read it. Also, like the first, she hadn't hesitated in throwing it into the fire. Only one person could be responsible, and his motives boded ill for her.

She turned her attention to the beautiful scenery. Nearing the Long Odds, she noticed that in addition to the wagons Cooper had placed end to end to seal off his land, a barbed-wire fence now reinforced the blockade. The ranch had indeed become a fortress. In fact, they'd also stretched wire across the entrance and had a stern-faced cowboy standing guard. In brisk tones, he asked them to state their business.

Rand answered, “You must be new. I'm Cooper's brother, Rand Sinclair.”

Without a word, the guard nodded and removed the wire. Rand drove the buggy through and up to the house.

Jenny flew from the porch with a big smile on her face. Her bruises had turned yellow and green and the bandage that had covered her head was gone. “Oh, I'm so glad to see you.”

Delta climbed from the buggy before Rand could help her down and wrapped her friend in a hug. “I thought Sunday would never get here. How are you doing? You look wonderful.”

“So do you. Come in the house and tell me all the news from town.”

Rand waved them on. “You ladies run ahead. I'm going to find Coop.”

“He's down by the corral,” Jenny volunteered. The woman linked her arm around Delta's and they went into the house and straight to the small parlor. “Can I get you something to drink or eat?”

“No, thanks.” Delta settled herself on the worn settee, remembering the last time she was there and how Jenny had made Cooper hug her to end their arguing. Seated across from her, Jenny grinned as though she knew Delta's thoughts. But of course, she couldn't. “Now, young lady, tell me where the bandage that was on your head went.”

“Doc Yates rode out yesterday and said I didn't have to wear it anymore,” Jenny explained.

“That's wonderful! I take it you're healing nicely, then.”

“I am indeed. Almost good as new. What's happening in town?”

“We have ten members of the garden club. The women are so excited and want to get started on our projects. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening.”

Jenny clasped her hands. “I can't wait. I'll be there. I'll have Cooper bring me in.”

“So it's been good being here?”

“I can't tell you how much. Ben is the happiest I've seen him in a very long time.”

“And you?” Delta asked quietly.

“There's freedom here and oodles of fresh air and sunshine. I'm safe and out of Hogue's reach. Is…is he still in jail?”

“Yes. You don't have to fret about him.”

Worry clouded Jenny's eyes. “But I do. He'll get out one of these days, and when he does, he'll look to get even.”

“I know it's none of my business, but why did you stay with him?”

“At first I didn't think I had a choice. He told me that over and over. Said he'd kill me if I ever tried to leave.” Tears spilled down Jenny's cheeks. “I was terrified of him. But I'm not scared anymore. He will not lay another hand on Ben as long as I draw breath. And he'll never see this child growing inside me.” She laid a hand on her gently rounded stomach. “I think it's a girl this time. I'd like to have a cute little girl.”

“She'll be beautiful and take after her mother.” Delta took a deep breath, and before she could stop the words, they tumbled from her mouth. “What does Cooper think of you having a wee one?”

“That man is so protective. And sweet.”

“He's that, all right,” Delta said dryly to hide her aching heart. It was clear from Jenny's blissful smile that Cooper meant something very special to the woman, just as she'd suspected all along. Delta had best get over any feelings she had for the tall rancher and fast, before she got hurt.

Deep in thought, she didn't hear anyone enter. She glanced toward the doorway and fell headlong into Cooper's gray stare. His crooked smile made her stomach lurch as though she were plummeting off a high cliff.

“Miss Delta, is Jenny making you feel at home?” His low rumble vibrated the air.

“Yes, we're enjoying catching up. I see you worked feverishly in implementing the barbed wire.”

“One thing you should know about me is that I waste no time once I make up my mind about something.” Though he'd stated it as simple fact, she heard a subtle warning rippling beneath the surface.

“That's good to know.”

Worry suddenly crossed Jenny's face. “Is Ben all right? Is he getting under your feet out there?”

Cooper came into the room and stood beside the woman's high-backed chair. Delta noticed the gentle way he laid a hand on her shoulder. “Quit fretting, Jenny. The boy's just fine. I'm watching out for him. If he so much as pulls a hangnail, I'll fix it.”

Jenny gave a troubled sigh. “I'm sorry. Hogue—”

“I'm not Hogue Barclay,” he said softly. “I don't lose my temper and start whaling on those who cross me. And I have all the patience in the world with children, especially Ben. Now, relax and let me do the worrying for a change.”

Delta observed the exchange and couldn't help wondering what would have happened between the two if she hadn't been in the room. Even as it was, she might as well have been a stick of furniture for all the attention they paid her. Finally, she stood. “Let me help with lunch, and then Rand and I have to get back to town.”

Cooper pinned her with his gray stare. “I have a cook for that. You're company.”

“There's no reason why I can't help,” she replied stiffly. “One thing you should know about
me
, Mr. Thorne, is that I always earn my keep.”

His gaze tangled with hers and she suddenly wished to be anywhere but in Cooper's small parlor. “All I want you to do is sit here and keep Jenny occupied. She needs a woman to talk to about womanly things. Lord knows she gets little of that out here, with a bunch of menfolk underfoot.”

“He does speak the truth,” Jenny said. “And, besides, I learned the hard way that Mack has a conniption fit when anyone invades his kitchen.”

At that, Delta sank back onto the settee. Cooper left and soon she and Jenny were discussing various and sundry topics, including Granny Ketchum.

“The dear woman hasn't been in the mercantile once since we cleaned her house and found all her missing belongings,” Delta said. “I do miss seeing her. I haven't mentioned this to anyone, but did you know she adopted me?”

“I'm not surprised.” Jenny picked up a ball of yarn and her knitting needles from a basket. “You do have that effect on people.”

Before Delta could think of an appropriate reply, a gunshot rang out. Both women jumped to their feet. They didn't know which direction to head, whether to stay in the front of the house or run for the back.

Beyond the door, men's voices shouted and boot heels struck the hard ground. The place had erupted into sheer bedlam.

“Ben! I have to see about Ben!” Jenny screeched.

“We have to get down on the floor. Now.” When Jenny didn't move, Delta grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the line of fire.

“But Ben's out there.”

“Cooper and Rand will make sure he's okay. You'll only distract them if you go running out. The best thing you can do for your son and your unborn baby is to stay indoors where it's safe.”

“How do you stay so calm?”

“Practice.” And knowing how to stay out of the way of a father who hated her very existence.

***

When the rifle blast from a nearby group of trees came near to parting his hair, Cooper drew his Colt and darted for cover. After quickly making sure that Ben was all right, he shouted orders to his men and ran toward the location of the burst of orange flame. Rand came from out of nowhere and joined him.

Whoever had fired the shot tore through the thick undergrowth, leaving broken limbs in his wake.

Cooper itched to get his hands on the culprit who'd dared to try to kill him on his own damn property—and in broad daylight, no less. That smarted. Tolbert Early had them chasing their tails.

They had to make some changes. It was time Cooper ran Early and his men out of the county—shoot, out of the whole darn state—and put them back under the rock they'd crawled from.

Finally, he glimpsed the shooter through the trees. He ran faster, determined to capture the trespasser.

But just as he raced into a clearing, the man climbed onto a horse.

Cooper made a flying leap and grabbed a piece of his clothing, but it wasn't enough to prevent escape. He stood there clutching a scrap of fabric while the horse bolted and they went galloping down the road.

“Did you get a good look at him?” Rand asked, breathing hard.

“Nope. Damn! This bunch is like ghosts. They come and go at will and I can't seem to touch them.”

Rand clasped his shoulder. “They'll have to come up for air eventually. When they do, we'll nab 'em.”

They holstered their weapons and walked slowly back. Cooper's men hollered and told him they'd found the spot where the shooter had hidden.

From the small pile of smoked cigarettes on the ground, the man had lain in wait for some time before he'd fired. Cooper knelt to examine the ground closely.

“Rand, you and Brett would be walking up Boot Hill to say howdy to me from now on if I hadn't bent over to rub Bandit's head.” That bullet had come way too close for comfort.

Just then, the women ran from the house. Delta spoke first. “Are you all right?”

His eyes met hers. “Fine.”

Jenny spied Ben and hurried over to him. Like a mama cow concerned about her calf after being branded, she inspected him from head to toe and finally pulled him close for a tight hug.

“Mama, I'm okay.” He squirmed out of her arms, looking around to see who'd witnessed his embarrassment.

Cooper sighed and shook his head. He sympathized with the youngster. Midway between a boy and a man, Ben had been coddled far too much. Cooper would have to see what he could do to even things out.

But first, he had more pressing issues. He gathered his men. “Search this entire ranch. I mean every nook and cranny. If you find any trespassers, bring 'em to me. And I want the fence checked out. I suspect the interloper cut the wire to get in. That'll have to be fixed, and fast.”

“You heard the boss,” Zeke O'Grady barked. “Now get to it.”

After the men saddled up and rode out, Cooper pulled Rand aside. “Better go get Brett. And Sheriff Strayhorn. Something's brewing and it'll take all the help I can get to fight it.”

“I agree. Figure they'll hit again along about dark.”

When they did, Cooper would be ready for them. He'd fight to the last breath to protect his land and those he loved.

His searching gaze located Delta. She stood apart from the others, watching him. Her mysterious green eyes had turned a dark shade of emerald.

He covered the ground between them with long strides. “Might as well get comfortable. I'm afraid you're stuck out here. It's too dangerous to let you leave.”

“How long do you think it'll be before I can go back to town?”

“It's anyone's guess. Maybe morning, maybe longer.”

“I have a job. John depends on me to be there. And I have other obligations.” She waved an arm helplessly toward town.

“None of that is important if you're dead,” he said softly.

Fear rippled across her face, then was gone. He liked that about her. She didn't indulge in tears and hysterics. Delta Dandridge calmly accepted things and tried to make the best of each situation. His thoughts went back to the day he first saw her and told her he couldn't marry her. She'd refused to let on how deeply it hurt her. She'd marched herself down to the mercantile and asked John Abercrombie for a job. And just like that, she began a whole new life for herself.

However, she couldn't make it more plain that she'd rather be anywhere than his ranch.

That was fine with him, because having her so near tempted him to forget all the reasons why no woman would ever hold his heart.

Darkness fell over the Long Odds and with it came an eerie quiet that had their nerves wound tighter than a fifty-cent watch. Shadows whispered, flitting among the trees and over the gently rolling hills.

Cooper had concentrated most of his men, along with Brett, Rand, and Sheriff Strayhorn, across the most vulnerable area—the front section of his property. He alone guarded the house.

Trouble hit about an hour after dark.

A barrage of gunfire erupted. Hooded riders came from every direction at once. Dozens of thundering hooves shook the ground, reverberating in his heart. Bloodthirsty yells split the air.

But it was the screams of the horses that most unsettled him.

He was glad he'd already gotten the women and Ben in the house with orders not to come out no matter what. He posted himself near the front door and answered the gunfire with some of his own. He set his jaw, tightening his grip on the rifle. The riders would have to go through him to get inside.

And to do that, they'd have to kill him first. What they didn't know was that he didn't kill easy. Just ask the no-good son of a bottom-feeder who'd fathered him.

After thirty minutes or so, the enemy found no access to the ranch and pulled back, probably to regroup. Cooper's gut told him they hadn't given up and ridden off with their tails tucked between their legs. They would be back.

Now that the turmoil had passed, the deafening silence settled over the ranch like a wet wool blanket. He stood in the deep shadows of the porch and waited, watching, feeling the night pressing around, clawing at him like some kind of crazed animal.

Busy filling the empty chamber of his Winchester, he jumped when a hand reached out to brush his shoulder.

Cooper whirled, ready to fight.

Delta stood there shivering in nothing but one of his shirts, which almost reached her knees. His gaze swept the length of her shapely legs, then down to her bare feet.

Lord help him. Waves of desire rolled through him, making his trousers more than a mite uncomfortable.

If she knew she exposed so much of herself and had him in such a state of arousal, she'd die of embarrassment.

The inky blackness might hide some things, but not Delta. He could find her even if he lost sight in both eyes and she didn't utter a sound. “What are you doing out here? I told you to stay inside.”

A wry smile flirted with her mouth. “I've never been real good at following orders. I wanted to see what was happening. Is it over?”

“Not by a long shot. Unless I miss my guess, we'll see them again tonight.” He moved from the shadows and took her arm. “Go back in the house, Delta.”

A sliver of light from the window illuminated her face and revealed a throbbing pulse in the hollow of her throat. That familiar heat he felt whenever she was anywhere near rose from deep inside, pooling in his belly.

She was too close.

He was only a man.

The aching need for her was so intense, so powerful, he had trouble drawing air into his lungs.

Reaching out, he brushed her cheek with his fingertips.

As though in some kind of trance, he propped his rifle against the side of the house. He pulled her against his chest with a fiery need and buried his hands in her mass of golden curls.

When he thought he'd explode, he lowered his head and crushed his lips to hers. Deep hunger and smoldering desire melded together and rose up like the billowing steam of a mighty locomotive. Delta tasted of wild honey, sweet longing, and innocence.

“You make a man crazy with want,” he murmured against her ear when the kiss ended after long seconds. “Do I frighten you?”

“No,” she answered softly, her face uplifted.

“I'm glad.” Cooper trailed feathery kisses down her slender neck and finally returned to her luscious mouth. He couldn't get enough. This mulish woman who challenged him at every turn did things to him that no other woman had.

Tracing the seam of her mouth with his tongue, he cajoled it open. When her lips parted, he dipped his tongue inside.

Still, he wanted more. He slipped his hand into the space between them and unbuttoned the shirt she wore. Once inside, he followed her curves, caressing, savoring. Her velvety skin was even softer than he'd imagined.

She was much more endowed than he'd thought, and he reveled in the knowledge.

The glorious weight of a breast filled his hand.

His fingers brushed the sensitive raised tips.

A little moan rose from her throat. When she leaned into him, her breath ragged, he knew she wanted him as much as he needed her.

She slid her hand across the muscles of his chest, then wrapped her arms around his neck. He lost all sanity. Every thought, every bit of sense he had, fled.

Nothing mattered except Delta and what she was doing to him. This night was made for feeling, for loving, for grasping the kind of pleasure that only came once in a blue moon. But the stark reality that this moon might be their last made the moment more urgent.

A low curse squeezed from his mouth. He forced himself to go slow when all he wanted to do was touch every inch of her bare skin as quickly as possible. Tenderly, his hand dropped lower to her flat belly.

“So beautiful. You make it impossible to think.” He again pulled her against him and found her slightly open mouth. “You don't know how long I've wanted to do this.”

When he let her up for air, she whispered as though she couldn't trust her voice, “Is this another Texas custom, pray tell?”

“Absolutely,” he growled. “Welcome to Texas.”

Delta grinned. “I like it here. I think maybe I'll stay.”

“Mr. Cooper, I'm scared,” Ben called from the doorway.

Cooper froze, then pushed Delta into the shadows so she could button up. “I'll be there in a minute, Ben.”

Seconds ticked by and Delta nodded to let him know that she was again covered. “Stay here,” he whispered. “I'll get him back to bed.”

She nodded again.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned to the dark porch. He didn't see her. Just as he decided she'd slipped back into the house, he saw her huddling in the corner. “There you are. Wasn't sure you were still out here. What are you doing?”

“Calling myself a fool.”

“Don't ever do that. You're no fool.”

“What am I doing? What would Jenny say?”

“Jenny? What are you talking about?”

“I've seen the way it is between you and her. You're in love with her. You can't hide it.”

A soft chuckle filled the dark space. “You don't know as much as you think you do. Sure, I love Jenny. But as a sister. I'm not
in
love
with her.”

“Then what is your relationship, if I dare ask?”

“I knew her father, Isaac Daffern. I didn't know Jenny existed until after Daffern died. He left me a letter among his things, begging me to find her and make sure she was all right. That's why Rand, Brett, and I ended up here in Battle Creek.”

“Why didn't Jenny live with him? Why was she here?”

“I don't know all the facts, but Daffern explained in the letter that Jenny's mother died giving birth to her. Must've been before Rand, Brett, and I landed at his door. He didn't know anything about caring for an infant, so he sent Jenny to a couple here, an old friend and his wife.”

“Mabel's parents?”

“Yes. They never told Jenny that she wasn't their child. To this day, she still doesn't know.” Although she surely suspected something after the fiasco at the boardinghouse the day he brought Jenny and Ben here to the ranch. He kicked himself to the Rio Grande and back for his loose lips.

“How did you happen to be with Jenny's father?”

Without mentioning Tolbert Early, he told her about coming West on the orphan train, the escape, and how Daffern had taken them in and protected them.

“I don't know how we'd have turned out if not for his steadying influence. We loved that man like a father. We'd probably still be with him if he hadn't died.”

“Will you tell Jenny about him one day?”

“Yes. She deserves to know who fathered and loved her.”

“I'm glad you found someone like him to care about you.” She spoke the words quietly. “We all need someone.”

“What about you, Delta? Who cares for you?”

“No one,” she whispered.

The deep sadness beneath the statement brought a tight ache to his chest. Cooper moved closer and let her fragrance wash over him. He caressed the delicate line of her jaw with the backs of his fingers. The prim and proper outer shell hid a warm-blooded tigress underneath.

She was a glorious woman of contradictions, and he wanted her more than air, or food…or maybe even his land.

God, he never thought he'd say that.

Yet that's what it had come to. Delta Dandridge had burrowed deep inside where his hopes and dreams lived. But a man like him had nothing to offer except a life full of regret…and a past he couldn't outrun.

He was damaged beyond any hope of redemption.

Was his punishment to live alone, always seeking, never finding? Was that to be the sum total of his remaining days?

“You're wrong. I care,” Cooper said softly.

Tears glistened in her eyes when she met his stare. He touched her hair at the temple, then let his hand slide down to the curve of her jaw and farther, to the column of her throat.

He sucked in a ragged breath. “Would you mind if I kiss you again?”

Instead of a reply, she rose on tiptoe and pressed her mouth boldly to his lips. A groan rumbled in his chest as he wrapped her in his arms.

Loud gunfire erupted, abruptly ending the kiss.

Dragging her into the shadows, he ordered, “Get in the house. Stay away from the windows.”

Without answering, she whirled and raced inside.

The second blistering attack came with all the noise and fury of a great whirlwind.

The number of hooded men had grown. The line across the front that included Rand and Brett fell back as the fighting intensified. Cooper left his post at the house and joined them. This called for a desperate stand or the attackers would overrun them.

He took cover behind some of the wagons and aimed at the closest invader. One more down. But where that one used to be, five more popped up.

Bullets flew around him, and one grazed his upper arm, stinging like fire. He didn't stop to look. He kept firing at one dark target after another. They would not take his ranch or harm the womenfolk. He wasn't about to let that happen.

Rand raced from the shadows at one of the enemy who had jumped one of the wagons with his horse. Cooper watched him raise his weapon to fire, saw the panic on his brother's face when he realized the gun was empty.

The assailant lifted his pistol and aimed.

Without a moment's hesitation, Cooper turned and fired, dropping the man to the dirt.

“Thanks, brother,” Rand yelled over the noise. “Thought he had me.”

Cooper handed him a box of ammunition. “We'll keep firing until we run out of bullets, and then we'll use our fists.”

“Damn right.”

The sound of gunfire resonated in the air as the battle intensified. Cooper took shot after shot, sometimes missing but oftentimes hitting the mark. Bodies lay scattered as others limped off into the surrounding woods.

Just when the tide began to turn, the raiders drove a herd of bawling, angry, snot-snorting cows past the barbed wire fence and onto his land.

In the chaos, the outlaws disappeared. Panic gripped him.

Fearing some would slip past and get into the house, Cooper retreated to plant himself in front of the door. He barely reached the shadowed porch when one galloped up and prepared to launch himself off the horse.

Cooper didn't give him a chance. He reached up and dragged the enemy to the ground.

***

Delta crouched below the window in the dark house. She raised her head and peered out into the darkness and the billowing clouds of dirt the cattle had stirred up. Her heart pounded in her throat as she watched Cooper fight with one of the hooded attackers.

What if he couldn't best the man? What if the intruder got inside? She had to protect Jenny and Ben.

Looking around the room for a weapon, she spied a thick piece of wood beside the fireplace. She crawled over to it, then returned to her vantage point.

Cooper drove his fist into the man's stomach. Delta thought that might end things. But it didn't. The hooded attacker fought back, slamming Cooper against the side of the house so hard it shook the walls. She didn't know how Cooper could take so much punishment and still come up swinging. But he did, time and time again.

Clapping her hand over her mouth so as not to scream, Delta held back tears and prayed that Cooper wouldn't be hurt too badly. He had to win.

She recalled the moments earlier on the porch.

The way he'd kissed her.

Touched her bare skin.

And made her feel every inch a desirable woman.

A yearning for more consumed her. It seemed he'd awakened a part of her that she hadn't known was dead and buried.

And now he was locked in the fight of his life.

A tear slid down her cheek. She brushed it away. The man who could be so tender and rough at the same time, who loved his brothers with all his heart, and who could be so infuriating, would not lose. Too many people depended on him.

She depended on him. Only in that moment did she truly know how very important he'd become.

The chaotic scene taking place beyond the door struck fear in her heart. Cooper, Rand, and Brett, in addition to the ranch cowboys, were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The ranch, so peaceful and serene a short time ago, had now become a battlefield. She even saw the cook out there in the mix.

Time was measured in frantic heartbeats.

Delta felt movement behind her and turned, ready to do her own fighting. When she saw Jenny and Ben, she relaxed and put down the wood. Keeping low, mother and son stole quietly across the floor.