To Love a Stranger (10 page)

Pierce searched Cully’s weathered face, surprised at the fierce loyalty and protectiveness the old man had for his employer. “I’ll take your advice under consideration.”

Cully stared at Pierce’s departing back, wondering how this whole mess would end. He worried about Zoey. She was becoming too fond of Pierce Delaney, a man neither of them knew. Cully had warned Zoey that her scheme might backfire, and it looked like he wasn’t just flapping his lips. It didn’t take a prophet to know that Zoey and Pierce
were explosive together. She was bound to be hurt when Pierce up and left her.

Three days later Bud Prichard arrived at the Circle F, accompanied by seven men, some young, some old, all of them experienced hands.

“I’m here just like I promised, Mr. Delaney,” Bud said as Pierce came out of the house to greet him.

“So I see. Introduce the men to me.”

Pierce studied each man carefully. He considered himself a tolerable judge of character and didn’t want to hire any troublemakers.

Bud started with the Consuelos brothers, Dom and Hector, a pair of young Mexicans with honest, eager faces. Next came Pete, Shorty, Lefty, Herm, and Mac. Herm was a cook who seemed inordinately proud of his ability to master a cookstove. All but Pete met with Pierce’s approval, and Pierce couldn’t put his finger on a reason for his dislike of that particular man. After the introductions Pierce decided his reservations weren’t important enough to reject Pete, so he hired the lot on the spot. Each was to receive thirty dollars a month and board, with Sundays off. All accepted with alacrity. Cully took over then, taking everyone but Bud to the bunkhouse.

At that point Zoey came out to join Pierce and Bud. Already acquainted, Bud and Zoey exchanged greetings.

“There are chores to be done around the paddocks and barn, as you can plainly see,” Pierce explained, “but I think the ranch will be better served if the men are put to work rounding up livestock.
I recently suffered an injury, but in a few more days I should be fit enough to ride along with the men. Oh, one more thing. One man is to be left behind to protect my wife when I’m not around to do it myself.”

Bud sent Zoey a curious look but did not question Pierce’s orders. It wasn’t his place. “Sure thing, Mr. Delaney. The men will need the rest of the day to settle in, but we’ll start out bright and early tomorrow to find your cattle. I know this land like the back of my hand.”

“It’s good to see men riding Circle F land again,” Zoey said once they were alone. “Cully told me you wrote your brothers for money. I’ll pay you back, Pierce, I swear it. Every single dime.”

Pierce gave her an inscrutable look but said nothing. There was only one thing he wanted from her in return. And if he didn’t get it soon, he was going to turn to ash.

Pierce drove the buckboard into town two days later to purchase supplies for the cookhouse and to pick up mail. To his delight he found a letter from Chad waiting for him. Chad had enclosed a letter of credit on a Billings bank in which they kept an account. It was a smart move, Pierce thought, for a banker in a distant city wouldn’t know about his trouble in Dry Gulch.

The rest of Chad’s letter was less than comforting. Evidently Cora Lee was sticking to her story. She still insisted Pierce had seduced her, gotten her with child, and beaten her when she insisted that he marry her. Chad wrote that Cora Lee’s brother was trying to extort money from them to pay for
his sister’s doctoring. So far Chad and Ryan had resisted the scam. They were being watched by members of the vigilantes but were still trying to find the person responsible for Cora Lee’s injuries.

Chad also expressed concern for Pierce’s health and prayed for his speedy recovery. He also wanted to know more about Miss Zoey Fuller, and how long Pierce expected to remain at the Circle F ranch.

Although Pierce hated to keep the truth from his brothers about his marriage, he still felt some things were better left unsaid.

Pierce’s next stop was the bank, where he used the letter of credit to open an account. The deposit he made was sufficient to pay expenses for at least six months, despite the fact that he’d be long gone by then. He had fond hopes of returning home soon. Willoughby was nowhere in sight, and Pierce didn’t ask for him. He finished his business and left.

Pierce was surprised to note that he was greeted in a friendly manner by the townspeople he encountered. Just as he expected, word had spread about his marriage to Zoey. Since Zoey was well known and popular about Rolling Prairie, congratulations were sincere and profuse. It made Pierce feel like a heel. He knew he’d be despised after he up and left Zoey, but that was the way it had to be. He wasn’t a marrying man and didn’t intend to remain one very long. Women had no permanent place in his life. It was as if Cora Lee and Zoey had conspired together to steal his freedom.

From the moment of their first meeting, Pierce knew Zoey was different from Cora Lee, but he
couldn’t forgive her for railroading him into marriage. If he hadn’t been too weak to ride away, he’d still be a free man. Women were insidious creatures. Once a man gave them an inch, they took a mile.

Pierce was in a particularly foul mood when he arrived back at the ranch. The longer he thought about the way women had fouled up his life, the angrier he became. By the time he drove into the yard, he regretted ever having crawled into Zoey Fuller’s root cellar. Furthermore, he regretted offering to help old man Doolittle with the chores. And last but not least, he wished Cora Lee and her family to hell.

Zoey rode up to meet Pierce. She had been out with the hands and looked dusty and tired. Pierce took one look at her tight little buttocks bouncing in the saddle and her unfettered breasts beneath her plaid shirt, and hit the roof.

“Dammit, Zoey, why can’t you behave like a lady?”

Zoey’s mouth fell open. “What are you talking about?”

“Look at you. You might as well be naked the way those britches hug your bottom and hips. And I can see your nipples pushing through the material of your shirt. You’re distracting the hands. It’s a wonder they can get any work done, the way you flaunt yourself around them.”

“Who put the burr under your saddle? I always dress like this when I’m riding the range.”

“You have men now to do that kind of work, and I’m fit enough to ride with them. Your place is in the house.”

Zoey’s temper exploded. “You have no right to tell me what to do. Who do you think ran this place before you came? Who will run it when you’re gone?”

“Until I leave, you’ll do as I say. I’m your husband, in case you’ve forgotten.” His smoldering gaze bored into her. “Perhaps you need to be reminded that you have a husband.”

From the way Zoey visibly tensed, it was clear his meaning was not lost on her. “Why do you enjoy tormenting me? I don’t like being married any more than you do. Unfortunately you were my only hope of foiling Willoughby’s plans for me.”

Pierce leaped off the buckboard, reached Zoey in three long strides, and pulled her off her horse. She let out a squawk of surprise and tumbled into his arms. Pierce caught her handily, bent her over his arm, and planted his mouth firmly over hers. He kissed her thoroughly, his mouth hard and demanding, his tongue sweeping past her lips and teeth to suck the very breath from her.

Pierce felt his groin tighten, felt his blood run hot and heavy, and knew if he didn’t have Zoey soon, he’d explode. She was driving him mad, strutting before him in tight britches, displaying her ample charms to the best advantage, baiting him, goading him. He’d learned long ago that women were teases, and Zoey was an expert. She pretended she didn’t want him sexually, but her body told him otherwise.

Suddenly aware that Zoey was pounding on his chest, Pierce broke off the kiss.

“What was that for?” Zoey asked, still shaking from Pierce’s unprovoked attack.

“That’s just a prelude to what you’re asking for.”

“I’m not asking for a darn thing.”

“You could have fooled me. You have only to ask and I’ll gladly accommodate you. No need to be coy about it. Virgins can want it as badly as their more experienced sisters.”

“Don’t be crude. Let me go.”

Pierce’s arms dropped away. Zoey felt so natural in his embrace, he’d forgotten she was there. She was a distraction that was quickly becoming an obsession. He’d been in full possession of his strength for days now and still hadn’t relieved Zoey of her virginity or satisfied his lust. He must be slipping.

“It won’t be long now, love,” he predicted. “I’ll be waiting. All you have to do is ask and I’ll teach you all about passion.”

“When hell freezes over. Excuse me, I’m tired and dirty from the trail. Supper will be late tonight.”

Pierce watched her walk away, admiring the way her tight little bottom swayed when she walked. His hands itched to caress those sweet mounds, to strip her naked and teach her body to enjoy all the things he’d do to her.

Soon, he promised himself. Very soon. He remembered the purchase he’d made on his last trip to town and smiled.

S
upper that night was a quiet affair, until Pierce said with amazing calm, “I’m going to break into Willoughby’s office tomorrow night.”

Zoey’s fork clattered into her plate. “You’re what!”

“I said I’m going to—”

Zoey made an impatient gesture with her hand. “I know what you said. What do you hope to gain by placing your life in danger?”

“There won’t be any danger if it’s done right.”

Cully said nothing, merely continued eating.

Zoey sent Pierce a scathing glance. “How many banks have you broken into?”

“It’s not the same. I’m going to break into Willoughby’s office, not rob a bank. He keeps the mortgages in a filing cabinet in his office. You need to take a good look at your father’s signature. If it’s a forgery as you claim, you should be able to compare it with your father’s writing. Do you have a sample of his writing in the house?”

“There are papers in Pa’s desk bearing his signature. Unfortunately none of them is the deed to
the ranch. That’s been missing since shortly after his death. I’ve turned the house upside down and can’t find it.”

“What do you think happened to it?”

“I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’m convinced it was stolen when the house was broken into shortly after Pa’s death, but at the time I thought nothing of it because nothing appeared to be missing.”

Pierce stared at Zoey, his expression pensive. “If Willoughby holds the mortgage on the land, it would be natural for him to hold the deed as security. If he has it, I’d bet my bottom dollar your father never gave it to him.”

“You think Willoughby broke into the house?” Zoey asked.

“He wouldn’t do it himself. He’d hire someone else to do the dirty work. A man like Willoughby would find it easy to cheat a woman. While your father was alive, Willoughby had no hope of obtaining either you or your land. Your father’s death worked in Willoughby’s favor.” Pierce grew thoughtful. “How did your father die?”

“He was killed by a band of renegade Sioux. No one even knew Indians were in the area. He was riding in the foothills collecting strays. It was a strange thing. They killed Pa and never struck again. They just disappeared. Pa was in his prime. His health was good, he had everything to live for.”

“How do you know it was Indians?”

“We found Sioux arrows in and around Pa’s body.”

Pierce’s brow furrowed in thought. He had grave
reservations about the Indian theory but kept them to himself.

Cully jumped in to offer an opinion. “Weren’t no Injuns, if you ask me. The whole incident was just too isolated. No one saw hide nor hair of Injuns, just that arrow sticking in Robert’s back. Couldn’t prove otherwise, though.”

“Please,” Zoey said, swallowing her tears, “I can’t bear to think of it. Indians or no, Pa is dead.”

“You’re right,” Pierce concurred. “Until we have concrete proof, it’s best not to dwell on something that only serves to make Zoey sad.”

“When are you going into town?” Zoey asked, concerned about Pierce’s dangerous mission.

“After the hands have retired for the night. The fewer people who know about this the better. When I was in Willoughby’s office the other day I noticed that the rear door opened into the alley. I’m quite good at picking locks. My brothers and I used to rob the candy store when we were wild kids. The next day Pa would whip us good, then pay for the candy we took.”

“If you’re dead set on this, I reckon there’s nothing I can do to talk you out of it,” Cully said, rising from the table. “Reckon I’ll hit the sack.”

No one saw the man edge away from the window, nor knew that he heard nearly every word spoken by the trio inside.

“You don’t have to do this,” Zoey said.

“The sooner this mess is settled, the sooner I can be on my way. You saved my life and I aim to pay my debt. When I leave it’s going to be with a clear conscience.”

Zoey should have known Pierce was thinking of
himself, not about her problems. He wanted to be free of her, but for some unexplained reason he felt the need to repay her for saving his life before he left.

Zoey rose abruptly. “I’d try to talk you out of this, but I can see your mind is made up. I’ll pray for your success.”

Pierce sat at the table long after Zoey had cleaned up the kitchen and retired for the night. He pictured her lying in her bed, wearing that white linen shroud that served as a nightgown, and wondered why he hadn’t given her the gift he’d bought for her in town last week. He smiled in acknowledgment of his selfish reason for buying her the gift. He wanted to be with her when she wore it He wanted her to put it on the first time they made love.
Soon
, he thought,
very soon
. Lust was about to kill him.

Zoey was so nervous the next day she could barely function. She could think of nothing but the danger Pierce courted by seeking illegal entrance to Willoughby’s office. Somehow she got through the day, but the supper she prepared that evening left much to be desired.

Pierce was unusually quiet at the supper table, mentally preparing himself for what lay ahead. He ate automatically, tasting little of what he chewed and swallowed, mulling over his plans. He planned to enter town after midnight and stay out of sight by using the back street behind the buildings to reach the bank. He’d already found the tools he needed to pick the lock and had them in his room.