Marry In Haste Part 10

"A good man sees beneath the clothes." It was easy to tell women what they wanted to hear.

Her cheeks grew even pinker. "You were going to tell me your story," she said as if she was eager to hear it.

"First, tell me your name."

"Betsy. Betsy Keene."

Although his body felt as if it never wanted to move again, he stretched out his hand to her and took a gamble. "My name's Clint. Clint Lockhart."

Surprise flashed in her eyes, but before she could pull away he said, "A rich man framed me for murder. He hates my guts and made sure they sent me to prison for life. But I'm no murderer, Betsy. Honest, I'm not."

He slowly pulled away, then leaned back against the sofa arm, feeling weaker than he'd ever felt in his life and resenting it. He had to convince her to help him and wondered how much she'd heard or read. "What do you know about me?"

"Not much. Just what I heard at the diner where I work. They said you killed Sophia Fortune, then the judge sent you to prison. How did you get out?"

At least she wasn't running or calling the cops, and she looked more interested than afraid. "They were transferring me to another prison because of overcrowding," he answered, watching her eyes. "The van was in an accident. I managed to get free, and took off. One of the guards shot at me and, well, here I am." He looked at her through half-closed lashes. "I desperately need your help."

After a moment's hesitation she said, "I took you in because you needed help, and I know how people get railroaded. My brother did."

He covered her hand with his, though it took a determined effort. "Betsy, I swear I was railroaded. Do you believe me?"

After studying him for a few moments, she nodded.

Being handsome went a long way. "I can't go to a doctor," he said, still gazing into her eyes as if she was the most beautiful woman on earth.

"I know. I cleaned your leg out as best I could while you were out."

"I don't know how to thank you." He kept his voice low and husky. Her hand was still under his and he gave it a tender squeeze, then let his thumb gently stroke her wrist as he pulled away. He could tell she was affected by it. Her eyes became all soft and she bit her lower lip.

"Will you help me, Betsy?"

She didn't take long to think about it, then she nodded again. Finally she motioned to the stove. "I brought home some bones from the diner to make broth. You gotta keep drinking. If we can break your fever, you'll be okay. But I don't know how soon it will be till you can walk on that leg. Could be a couple weeks, even."

The way the leg felt, the way he felt, he knew she could be right.

The effort of this conversation had cost him. His mouth was dry and he felt dizzy again.

She took the cloth from where it had fallen to his waist. "I'll make this cold again and get you something to eat, then you can rest. That's what you need, you know. Lots of rest."

He needed a h.e.l.l of a lot more than rest but, for now, rest and Betsy Keene would have to do.

As Reed rambled about the adobe late Sunday afternoon, he was amazed at how empty it felt without Mallory in it. Yet when she was here, she warily kept her distance and, he had to admit, so did he. This afternoon she'd told him she was going up to the "big house," as she called it, to help Rosita and Lily get ready for the barbecue. Checking his watch, he realized he should head up there, but there was something else he had to do first. It would be almost 8:00 a.m. in Sydney.

He picked up the telephone and dialed his home. It rang about eight times, and he was almost ready to give up when he heard, "Crown Peak, Brody Fortune here."

At age thirty, Brody was six years younger than Reed. He was a businessman through and through and handled all the financial aspects of the Crown Peak Ranch. When he came to Texas, he would be arranging the merger between his family's business and their uncle Ryan's company.

"Are you packed yet?" Reed asked, knowing his brother would recognize his voice.

"Packed? I'm not leaving for twelve days. How's it going over there, anyway?"

"Something's come up."

"Like?" Brody prompted.

"I got married."

Shocked silence met his announcement. "Did Stephanie join you there?" Brody asked, puzzled.

Reed closed his eyes for a moment, knowing his brother wasn't going to understand this because he didn't himself. "Stephanie broke off the engagement last week and I married someone else." This silence went longer than Reed expected, and finally in frustration he asked, "Are Mom or Dad around?"

"No. No one is. Matilda wanted to go into Sydney and, of course, Griff wouldn't let her go alone. He'll make her behave whether she wants to or not," Brody said absently. "He just came back from another one of his vanis.h.i.+ng acts."

"He's still coming to the U.S., isn't he?" Reed knew he couldn't distract his brother for long, but he could try.

"Yes, to keep an eye on all of us. You know Griff."

Reed's mom and dad had adopted Griff. They'd found him sleeping under a bush on the ranch, filthy, his clothes ragged. He was around seven at the time. He'd been badly beaten and wouldn't speak. All of them had given him love and a place in their family, and he had no memory of what had happened to him and no knowledge of his previous life. But it had scarred him. He was a loner, yet his loyalty to his family and his love for them was unquestionable and undeniable.

Brody went on. "And Mom and Dad and Max and Christopher went to look at horses. They won't be back until tomorrow. So that means I'm the only one you need to explain this to right now. Just who did you marry?"

"Her name's Mallory Prescott. Her half brother works for Ryan."

"You couldn't wait till we arrived to get married? Maybe Mom and Dad would have even come."

"It was an impulse."

"You're adventurous, Reed. You're not impulsive. What's going on?"

Brody probably knew him better than anyone else. "I'll explain when you get here."

"The reason you can't explain now is..."

"It's complicated."

"I should have guessed," Brody muttered. "As complicated as these missions Griff goes on that require secrecy. Do you think I'm going to be able to explain this to him and everyone else without them having scores of questions?"

"Just tell them you don't know the details...because you don't."

There was a pause, then his brother asked, "So, what's she like, can you tell me that?"

"She's beautiful and sweet but so exasperating sometimes-" He stopped.

Brody laughed. "I hope that means she's a lot more spirited than Stephanie was."

"Spirited is probably a good word to describe her."

"Is she from Texas?"

"No, San Francisco. Why do you ask?"

"There's something about that soft Texas accent on a woman..."

"What do you know about Texas women? You've never been here."

"I knew a woman from Texas when I was in college."

Brody had gone to Winslow College outside of Sydney. "Was she an exchange student?"

"Yes, and since I'll be in Texas while I get this merger settled, I'd like to try to find her."

Reed remembered a few months when Brody had been in college but hadn't been his usual steady self. He'd let his grades slide. He hadn't bothered to shave, and he'd moped around looking almost as lonely as Griff did sometimes, growling at anyone who talked to him. He wouldn't tell them what was wrong. But finally he'd snapped out of it. Could it have had something to do with this girl?

"I'll help you however I can," Reed offered. "With Ryan's connections he can probably find her quickly, if that's what you want."

"I'll figure out what I want when I get there. In the meantime, you know one of the family is going to call you and try to get more information than you gave me. Be prepared."

Reed thought about his brother's words as he put on a fresh s.h.i.+rt and drove up to Lily and Ryan's. He always tried to be prepared when he was hiking through the desert or exploring Australia's rain forest. But since Mallory came into his life...

How could he be prepared to answer questions when he wasn't sure what was going on himself?

There were cars and trucks parked everywhere, from the stables to the garages as well as in front of the house. Rosita met Reed at the door. "Your wife is a good helper. I don't know what I would have done without her this afternoon."

"How did she help?"

"A little of this, a little of that. She arranged roses for centerpieces, helped set up the buffet, decorated baskets to hold the cascarones."

"What are they?"

"A cascaron is a confetti-filled eggsh.e.l.l. You break it over the head of someone you love or care about to bring them good luck."

"I'll remember that," he said with a smile.

Going through the great room into the courtyard, Reed found Mallory in the thick of the activity. Early this morning the caterers had brought a smokehouse and set it up behind the garages. Now they were filling the buffet table with ribs and brisket and other dishes. Mallory stood talking with Ryan, Dallas and Cruz, laughing over something one of them had said. She'd obviously gone back to the cabin and changed before he'd returned from the barn because instead of shorts, she was wearing a white peasant blouse and a red-flowered skirt that practically dipped to her ankles. The lace edging skimmed her sandals. As always when he saw her, a rush of adrenaline surged through him. But he kept his expression neutral as he walked toward her, waving to a group of cowhands he knew, as well as noting couples and strangers who were Ryan and Lily's friends and neighbors.

When Ryan saw Reed, he smiled broadly. "Mallory's been telling us about your evening in San Antonio. Maybe Lily and I will have to go with you the next time. It's been a long time since I saw the sights from one of those river barges."

Reed moved close beside Mallory and circled her waist with his arm. She stood perfectly still.

Suddenly, Ryan clapped his hands loudly and called, "Everyone, can I have your attention, please? Please pick up a drink so you can join me in a toast." A waitress brought a tray of champagne gla.s.ses and offered one to both Mallory and Reed. The others already had gla.s.ses in their hands.

Mallory picked up the gla.s.s with a quick look at Reed, and he knew she wasn't about to drink it.

Raising his gla.s.s, Ryan nodded to Reed and Mallory. "I'd like to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Reed Fortune, our most recent newlyweds. Reed and Mallory, these are our friends and neighbors, and we hope you get to know them all. But for now, I want to wish you a long, healthy and happy marriage filled with blessings too numerous to count."

A couple of the cowhands let out whoops of agreement and everyone lifted their gla.s.ses, then took a sip, toasting the bride and groom.

There was no doubt that Mallory was embarra.s.sed but Reed knew they had to play this out. Turning her toward him, he bent his head and kissed her. The instant their lips touched, the banked fire between them leaped high and bright. His tongue touched hers, and she responded with a low moan. He would have kept kissing her, but suddenly someone was beside him and he heard a noise above their heads. Breaking the kiss, he felt something falling onto his hair and down his face.

Zane was grinning at them, holding colorful cracked eggs above their heads. The sh.e.l.ls fell along with the confetti from their hair to their shoulders to the ground. "An old custom to wish you good luck," Zane explained, his eyes twinkling.

Mallory murmured, "Thank you, Zane," and brushed the confetti from her cheeks and her shoulders. Reed helped her, but when his fingers grazed the skin at her throat, he felt the tremor go through her and their gazes met. He saw the lingering effects from the kiss still in her eyes, and he wondered how long they could deny the fire between them without getting burned by it.

Rosita rang a small bell at one end of the table. "It's time to eat, and there's a lot here, so you better get started."

The buffet line moved along quickly. With plates full, Reed guided Mallory toward a table where Cruz and Savannah, Mary Ellen and Sam Waterman sat. After introducing Mallory to Mary Ellen and Sam, the two women started chatting amicably. If Mallory had questions about Mary Ellen's relations.h.i.+p to her brother Clint, she didn't voice them. It was easy to see that Mary Ellen was loved by all the Fortunes, and she loved them.

Partway through the meal, musicians began playing. Cruz explained to Reed and Mallory that the music was Tejano, a rhythmic Tex-Mex, country-western style. The beat was lively and after finis.h.i.+ng their meals, Cruz and Savannah, as well as Sam and Mary Ellen, excused themselves to dance with other couples around the fountain.

There had been a long table specifically set up for all the children. Rosita and Gwen had manned it, but now the boys and girls ran and played in the midst of everyone else.

Reed watched Mallory as she seemed to be trying to absorb it all. "So what do you think of the Texas barbecue?" he asked her.

"I think it's wonderful. Ryan and Lily seem to embrace everyone they know and make them part of their family. I've never experienced anything like it."

"I guess when you come from a large family like I do, you take it all for granted. I know I can depend on my brothers and Matilda no matter what, and they know they can depend on me."

"You're very fortunate to be part of all this."

"You're part of it now, too." He meant as his wife, but knew she wouldn't accept that explanation. "Ryan and Lily treat Dawson as a son. You're going to be welcome here anytime."

Before Mallory could respond, Hank came up to them and slapped Reed on the back. "Enjoying yourselves?" Hank had been a cowhand on the Double Crown since he'd landed here in his late twenties. He knew everything there was to know about the horses, cows, and the land, as well as the Fortune family.

"Great barbecue. I guess you've seen a lot of them," Reed remarked.

"At least one every summer for more years than I want to count. Mallory, I was watching you today as you were helping Rosita. You fit in right well." Hank grinned at Reed. "You picked a great replacement filly and right quick, too. Must have been meant."

The hurt look on Mallory's face stabbed Reed, but before he could try to smooth things over, she hopped up from the table, saying, "There's something I have to get inside."

Tears p.r.i.c.ked at Mallory's eyes as she weaved her way through the people in the courtyard, telling herself she shouldn't be upset, telling herself that Hank had only spoken the truth. After all, she and Reed only had a "pretend" marriage, so why should she care? But she did.

Once in the great room, she took a few deep breaths. The air-conditioning cooled her but as she brushed her hair away from her face, pieces of confetti floated from it and she remembered all the wishes of good luck. With a sigh, she crossed to a grouping of watercolor paintings-horses and their riders around a campfire. Life had always been fairly simple for her and it wasn't anymore. She supposed that's what happened when you started making your own decisions. Except her decision to marry Reed was still a mystery to her.

She heard the door open and close and wondered if Reed had come after her. She wasn't sure what she'd say to him if he had. But it wasn't Reed's voice she heard, it was Lily's.

"Is something wrong, Mallory?"

She knew she couldn't lie and didn't want to. "Everything happened so fast between Reed and me, I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed by it."

"You didn't look overwhelmed. You looked upset. Did you and Reed have a fight?"

"No. Someone made a remark... Sometimes I just don't understand why Reed married me. I mean he was engaged and-" She broke off, not sure how to continue.

Lily's dark eyes flashed. "Apparently Reed hasn't convinced you yet that you're not a subst.i.tute for someone else." Taking Mallory's hand, Lily pulled her to one of the sofas. As they sat, she said, "Men can be so thick sometimes."

That brought a smile to Mallory's face. "I'm sure Ryan isn't thick."

Lily laughed. "He once was, but so was I."