To Love a Stranger (37 page)

When her fingers curled around his manhood, he hardened instantly, pushing himself against her palm. “Unless that’s an invitation, you’d be wise to stop.”

Zoey continued to stroke him, her eyes glowing darkly. “I’ll stop if you want me to.”

“God, no! I want to love you properly this time.”

Suddenly Pierce’s stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten in nearly twenty-four hours. He grasped her hand, pulling it away from his body. “Are you sure you don’t want to go down to the dining room for something to eat first?”

Zoey considered his suggestion. “Leave it to my practical husband to suggest food at a time like this. Actually, food does sound pretty good. And …” she said, smiling mysteriously, “there is something I need to tell you. Something I hope will please you.”

“Everything about you pleases me. You can tell me your news over lunch.”

Zoey gave him an exasperated look. She couldn’t put this off a moment longer. “No, I want to tell you now.” Inhaling sharply, she blurted out, “I’m going to have a baby.”

“Fine. Now can we—You’re what?” His heart slammed against his chest. “Say that again … slowly.”

“You’re going to be a father, Pierce. I’m having your child.”

Pierce went still. “How long have you known?”

“A while.”

“Did you know when you left me in Dry Gulch? When Willoughby forced you to marry him? When he took you to Butte? When he drugged you? When you escaped and rode through the night to fetch the marshal?”

Zoey nodded yes to all counts.

“Son of a bitch! I’m going to kill Willoughby with my bare hands! What about our child? Is he … is she … all right?”

Zoey’s hands spanned her stomach. “He’s still here, Pierce.”

“When?”

“In six months. I’m well into my third month.”

A shudder went through Pierce as he dropped heavily upon the bed, his empty stomach all but forgotten. “Why didn’t you tell me? Dammit, Zoey, what if I had signed those divorce papers? Were you intending to tell Willoughby the baby was his and let him raise my child?”

“I didn’t want to mess up your life. I wanted you to want me for my sake, not for the child I carried. As for Willoughby, it was never my intention to remain in that marriage or be a wife to him. After Cully was free I was going to tell Willoughby about the baby and offer him the ranch in exchange for my freedom. If that didn’t work, I would have thought of something. I’d rather have died than let him touch me.”

Pierce leapt to his feet, grasped her shoulders, and brought her hard against him. “I nearly lost you. I might never have known you were expecting my child.”

“You’re angry.”

“Damn right I’m angry.”

She caressed the freshly shaven planes of his face, her eyes misty with tears. “Everything turned out for us, love. I’m fine, the baby is thriving, and you’re alive.”

“Dammit!” Pierce shouted roughly. He didn’t mean to sound gruff, but he suddenly realized how
close he’d come to losing Zoey and their child. He could have signed the divorce papers, or Willoughby could have hurt Zoey.

“I’m sorry, Pierce, I should have told you. I just didn’t want to cause you any more anguish than I already have. I disrupted your life once, and I wanted to leave you in peace. My problems were no longer your concern.”

Pierce’s jaw tightened. He had to think, to come to grips with what could have been a disastrous loss. “I need to be alone. Meet me in the dining room in half an hour.”

Pierce had to get out of there quickly, before he broke down like a blubbering fool. Of course he was angry that he hadn’t known about Zoey’s pregnancy, but it went far deeper than simple anger. He was humbled and deeply moved by Zoey’s sacrifice on his behalf. She’d risked life and limb to save him despite her delicate condition. She’d suffered humiliation and degradation. A man could ask for no greater love. He vowed never to take that love for granted.

Stunned and gravely upset, Zoey watched Pierce dress and stumble from the room. Had she ruined everything by not telling him she was carrying his child? Pierce had seemed angry, but Zoey recognized a far deeper emotion. He appeared to be holding something inside, something extremely distressing. She could have sworn she’d seen moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes, and couldn’t imagine what she’d said to produce it.

Her mind in a turmoil, Zoey washed and dressed and went downstairs to meet Pierce. She found him seated at a table in the far corner of the dining
room. He looked up and grinned at her despite his somber mood. She was wearing those intriguing denim pants, causing a stir in the dining room.

He watched her walk toward him, suddenly glad that he’d had a moment alone to gain control of his emotions. Learning that he was to become a father and then realizing how close he’d come to losing his precious wife and unborn babe had nearly unmanned him. If he hadn’t left when he did, he’d have broken down like a bawling baby. Men didn’t cry. Unfortunately he was becoming inept at hiding his emotions since meeting Zoey. He’d tried to hide behind anger, but stronger emotions kept pushing the anger aside.

“Sit down, love,” Pierce said, pulling out her chair. “I’ve ordered a substantial lunch for both of us.”

“Pierce, I’m sorry if I—”

“No, don’t talk. Let’s have our meal first. We have plenty of time before the marshal returns to air our thoughts. I meant for this time alone to be the honeymoon we never had.”

“But if you’re angry with me …”

Their meal came then, relieving Pierce of the need to express his feelings. They ate in silence. Pierce was ravenous, doing justice to his meal. Zoey pushed her food around on the plate, too upset to feel real hunger.

“We’re sitting here until you finish every morsel on your plate,” Pierce admonished. “I aim to make sure you take good care of yourself from now on. Your days of flirting with danger are over.”

Zoey remained mute as she concentrated on her food. Everything Pierce ordered was delicious and
she should have been hungry, but she couldn’t help worrying. If only she knew what he was thinking. His eyes rested on her warmly, but they were dark with some inner emotion she couldn’t interpret. When she indicated she could eat no more, Pierce escorted her back to their room.

Once in their room, Zoey rounded on him. “Very well, Pierce, spit it out. Tell me what you’re feeling. I know you’re angry because I didn’t tell you about the baby, but the important thing is that we love each other, and our baby continues to thrive. Are you going to forgive me?”

Pierce sat on the bed and pulled Zoey onto his lap. “Forgive you? You still don’t understand, do you, love? Anger isn’t what I’m feeling at the present time. It’s terror. I keep imagining your panic when you were held within Willoughby’s power. You were alone, pregnant and helpless, with no one to turn to. You thought I had abandoned you. Forgive you? No, love, it’s myself I have to forgive, and I’m finding that exceedingly difficult. I was too damn stubborn to come after you when you left, even though I didn’t want you to go.”

“You must be disappointed in me for agreeing to marry Willoughby when I knew I was pregnant with your child.”

“I could never be disappointed in you. You did what you thought necessary to save Cully’s life. You were pregnant, alone, and still acted with courage and resourcefulness. I’m humbled by your love. I’ll never be worthy of it should I live to be one hundred. All I can do is try to be the best damn husband and father in the entire territory.”

“If you weren’t angry, why did you leave our room so abruptly?” Zoey persisted.

“I’m a man, love, and men are supposed to be strong. For the first time in my life I felt close to”—he cleared his throat—“breaking down. I can’t recall the last time I cried, but if I hadn’t left the room when I did, I would have been humiliated by my tears.”

Zoey regarded Pierce solemnly. Pierce cry? Impossible. Then she smiled radiantly. “You love me that much?”

“That much and more.” His hand settled on her stomach. “Learning I’m to be a father overwhelms me. I never intended to marry again after my first disastrous attempt at it, so I never considered fatherhood. Suddenly the notion of having a son or daughter is exciting. If our coming together hadn’t been so fast and furious earlier, I might have noticed the differences in your body.”

His hands roamed over her lush curves. “You still look damn good in denims, but I hope you’ll abandon them for dresses when we return home. Somehow I don’t think there’s room inside these pants to accommodate a growing child.”

“Home,” Zoey breathed. A sudden thought occurred to her. “Where exactly is home going to be? I suppose Cully can manage the Circle F without me, but he’s getting on in years and it won’t be easy.”

“He won’t have to,” Pierce said. “Chad will return one day. He and Ryan can run the ranch without me. I thought we’d make the Circle F our home. It’s a fine piece of land.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“For us. For our child. Now,” he said, working the buttons loose on her shirt, “where were we before hunger drove us to the dining room?”

“Right here,” Zoey said, pulling his shirt from the waistband of his trousers.

Between slow, drugging kisses they rid themselves of their cumbersome clothing, arousing each other’s bodies until delicious agony licked through their veins. This time their loving was slow and easy and exquisitely satisfying. When the last erotic cry was wrung from Zoey, she closed her eyes and thanked fate for bringing her this stranger to love.

Zoey and Pierce’s honeymoon lasted seven glorious, fulfilling days. On the seventh day Marshal Kinder returned from Rolling Prairie. He called on the honeymooners at the hotel.

“Come in, Marshal,” Pierce invited when he opened the door to Kinder. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Kinder looked from Pierce to Zoey and grinned. They looked like a couple who had been enjoying every aspect of their honeymoon. “I hope you’ve been keeping yourselves occupied.”

Zoey blushed. Pierce gave a shout of laughter. “You could say that. What news do you bring from Rolling Prairie?”

“One of Willoughby’s men feared he was going to be made the scapegoat and enlightened us as to some of Willoughby’s illegal activities. Several people have been cheated out of land and money without realizing it. And Willoughby did order the attack upon your father, Mrs. Delaney.”

Zoey leaned against Pierce for support. His
strong arms steadied her, offering comfort.

“He also confessed to breaking into your house twice to steal documents,” Kinder continued.

“Where is Willoughby now?” Pierce wanted to know.

“Unfortunately he’s where he can’t be brought to justice for his crimes.”

“You mean you let the bastard get away?” Pierce all but shouted.

“I mean Willoughby is residing in hell right now. He took the cowardly way out and killed himself when he learned the law was closing in on him. He couldn’t face his inevitable ruin. It’s perfectly safe now for you to return to Rolling Prairie and the Circle F.

“The newspaper printed a full account of Willoughby’s crimes. His men have been rounded up and will get a chance to have their say before a judge. Some had a hand in Willoughby’s illegal activities, but a few were unaware of his dirty dealings. They hired on because they needed a job. It will all be sorted out in court.”

“I don’t know how to thank you, Marshal,” Zoey said, relieved to learn that it was finally over.

“No thanks necessary, Mrs. Delaney. I was placed in this territory to protect the citizens and keep vigilante law at a minimum. If you’ll excuse me now, I’ve got reports to fill out.”

“We’ll be leaving first thing in the morning, Marshal. Zoey and I are grateful for your help. You’re welcome to visit us at the Circle F whenever you’re in the area.”

“I’ll remember that,” Kinder said, tipping his hat. “Try not to let your wife take any more midnight
rides. It can’t be good for the baby.” Giving Zoey a friendly wink, he left the room.

Pierce turned to Zoey, his brow raised curiously. “He knows? Was I the last to know?”

Zoey shrugged. “I didn’t mean to tell him, it just happened.”

“Next time it happens I expect to be told first.”

“Next time?” Zoey teased, turning in to his arms. “What if there isn’t a next time?”

Pierce gave her a cocky grin. “As much as we enjoy making love, there’s bound to be a next time.”

Zoey nuzzled his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent. “Think of all the fun we’ll have.”

“If you don’t kill me first,” Pierce murmured as he swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed.

Six months later

P
ierce stood beside the cradle, regarding his sleeping newborn son with rapt adoration. He was a mite small, a tad red, and as wrinkled as Cully, but there was no denying he was a handsome lad. Pierce reached down and ran the back of his finger along a smooth cheek, wondering how he could have ever believed he didn’t want a wife and children. If not for Zoey, he’d still be living a lonely existence, filled with bitterness and distrust. Being forced to marry Zoey had been the best thing that ever happened to him.

“Do you plan on keeping him?” Zoey asked when she awakened and saw Pierce admiring his son.

“You’re awake. As for our son, I think I’ve fallen in love for the second time in my life.”

“I feel the same way.”

“How do you feel? Doc Colberg said yours was an easy birth, as far as births go. He said you were made to bear children.”

Zoey grimaced. “I wouldn’t call it fun, but I suppose I am lucky. Luckier still that he opened a practice in town after old Doc Tucker left so abruptly.”

“If he hadn’t left, the townspeople would have run him out on a rail. He was never sober long enough to do any doctoring.”

His gaze lingered on Zoey’s face, on the dark smudges beneath her eyes. “Go back to sleep, love. You need to rest and heal.”

“I can sleep later. Cully must be champing at the bit to see the baby. You can let him in if you’d like.”

“He’s right outside the door, acting every bit like a proud grandpa. I reckon Ryan will show up when he learns the baby has arrived.”