brides for brothers 03 - cowboy groom (12 page)

Anna, on the other hand, was new to the area. He’d known nothing about her until the night she threw him on his back on the kitchen floor. But since then, he’d learned quite a lot about her. She was alone in the world, strong, courageous, independent.

She was also softhearted, loving, smart. And she made him feel comfortable…and uncomfortable at the same time. He loved being around her, trying to care for her, but he also wanted so much more.

Her blue-eyed gaze came up and accidentally met his. She quickly looked away.

He hadn’t awakened her this morning to go find her car. Instead, he’d called Mike and met him alongside the road where she’d abandoned the little yellow station wagon. Fortunately she’d left her keys in her jacket pocket, hanging in the mud room.

After looking at the engine, Mike had shaken his head and uttered a few dire predictions about his ability to repair it. Brett’s first inclination was to go out and buy her a new car, a better one that wouldn’t break down. But he knew she’d never accept it. So he’d asked Mike to do his best.

So far, she hadn’t let him get close enough to tell her what he’d done.

When the pastor dismissed his congregation, Brett realized he hadn’t heard a word the entire sermon. It wasn’t the first time, but he felt vaguely guilty.

He hurried after Anna as she slipped from the church and sought out Doc Jacoby. She was quietly talking to the doctor, her face serious, when he reached her side.

“So I don’t know how I’ll be able to make my calls,” she said, her chin down.

Brett slipped his arm around her and interrupted their private talk. “Mike’s working on the car today, Anna. And until it’s ready, you can use my pickup. Hi, Doc.”

“See? The problem is solved,” Doc said, grinning at Brett. “Good boy, Brett. I’m glad to see someone is taking care of Anna. By the way, where’s your fiancée? I thought we’d see her here today.”

Anna was staring at him, her mouth gaping open, but he ignored her response. “Sylvia didn’t want to get up early. I’m not sure country life agrees with her.” That was enough of a hint for people to begin to wonder if the engagement would last without him coming right out and telling them.

“Better think carefully, young man. You don’t want to get trapped like Jake did.”

“No, I certainly don’t.” He stared down into Anna’s angry blue eyes and smiled.

Doc gave them both a speculative look and then excused himself, giving Anna a chance to unleash her anger before she exploded. She pushed his arm from her shoulders.

“How dare you! I told you I’d take care of my business. I didn’t want your mechanic coming out to look at my car!”

“Why not? He’s the only decent mechanic from miles around. I can vouch for his work. So what’s the problem?” He continued to smile at her, but what he really wanted to do was haul her into his arms and kiss away her frown.

She momentarily closed her eyes and then glared at him again. Through clenched teeth, she said, “No problem. Where’s his shop?”

“Here in Rawhide. We can run you by now if you want, but we won’t have much time. We’re having a picnic, remember?”

“Since you’re so generous in lending me your pickup, maybe you could catch a ride with Jake, so I won’t hold you up. I may need to stay at the garage and talk with Mike for a while.”

There was a determined look in her blue eyes that made Brett want to chuckle. She wasn’t very big, but she was a fierce competitor. And they were competing.

“Nope. Jake and I are already riding together. Besides, if you’re talking to Mike, he can’t be working. And there’s the picnic, remember?” he reminded her.

“I probably shouldn’t go on the picnic.”

“If you don’t go, Pete won’t let Janie, and you said she needed the break.” He knew Anna’s weaknesses. The welfare of her patients was important. She might deny herself the pleasure of the picnic, but she’d never do that to Janie.

“You’re right,” she muttered, and turned away from him.

He caught her arm. “Where are you going?”

“I rode here with Pete and Janie. I need to find them.”

“You can ride with me and Jake. We’ve got room for you.” In fact, he was looking forward to having her beside him and, if he was lucky, pressed against him on turns.

Her cheeks flamed, and she looked away. “No, thank you.”

“Hey, you’re not embarrassed about Jake finding us in the hall, are you?”

“You were in your underwear,” she whispered ferociously, leaning toward him so no one could hear.

“But you weren’t,” he teased, a grin on his lips. Her flushed cheeks only highlighted her freckles, making him want to kiss each one of them.

“No, but Jake—”

“Didn’t think anything about it.” Not strictly true, but his warnings had been for Brett, not Anna.

“You two ready to go?” Jake called across the churchyard.

Anna turned and hurried over, her gaze lowered. “I came with Pete and Janie, Jake, but thanks for the offer.”

“I sent them on ahead to get ready for our picnic. We’ve got plenty of room for you, Anna.” He swung open the truck door.

Anna glared one last time over her shoulder at Brett and then climbed in.

He got in beside her and sprawled out so he took up as much room as possible. His left knee pressed against her slender legs as she primly sat between him and Jake. With a deceptively casual shrug, he ran his arm along the back of the seat and grinned at her again when she stared at him.

Jake got behind the wheel and started the drive back to the ranch.

“Jake, about last night…” she began, and then broke off, as if unsure what to say.

“Don’t worry about it, Anna,” Jake drawled. “I’ve already explained to my little brother that it’s impolite to run around undressed when we have company. He won’t do it again.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is,” Brett protested. “After all, if I were working for Calvin Klein, I’d be paid a lot of money. You two act as if I’ve committed some big crime.”

“You would do that?” Anna asked, looking at him without anger for the first time that day. He wasn’t sure her expression was an improvement, however.

“You don’t think I look good enough?” he huffed.

To his delight, she blushed again and looked away. “I didn’t mean—Of course, you—Brett Randall, you’re teasing me!”

“Maybe just a little, sugar,” he said softly, and wished his big brother were anywhere but in the truck with them.

“Behave, Brett,” Jake muttered. “Do you think Sylvia will be ready when we get back to the ranch?”

Brett knew his brother had inserted his fiancée’s name as a reminder. He didn’t like thinking about Sylvia, but it was probably for the best. He couldn’t wait to be freed from the promise he’d given. “Probably not.”

“A lot of people at church were asking about her. I guess word got around pretty fast,” Jake commented.

“When doesn’t it?”

“It’s probably just as well she didn’t attend,” Jake added, his expression thoughtful.

“Yeah,” Brett replied, and noticed Anna’s big blue eyes filled with questions. He wasn’t ready to answer any just yet. But soon.

A
NNA CHANGED
into her jeans and a short-sleeved shirt quickly. She wanted to make sure she was surrounded by others before Brett came down.

Of course, he’d have Sylvia with him this afternoon. Which was a good thing. It was too easy to forget that Brett was off-limits.

She should remember. His family, his wealth, his good looks, all those were the opposite of her. She knew she wasn’t of the Randall caliber. Her experiences growing up the daughter of an alcoholic who barely kept food on the table had taught her the realities of life. Then, while she was in nursing school, a young doctor had underlined the lesson.

Running down the stairs, she hoped she should outdistance the truth that kept creeping into her head even with her past experience. But she couldn’t.

She was falling for Brett Randall.

In spite of all the odds against her.

If she wanted to protect Brett from a divorce, she could have nothing to do with him. Just like Sylvia, Anna would be bad for him. Because he’d be ashamed of her.

The doctor she’d met at the hospital had invited her to a party. She’d been an innocent, unsophisticated. She hadn’t fit in. And he’d dumped her at once, snarling something about her low-class roots.

“Ready, Anna?” Jake called as she reached the back porch.

His words snapped her from her thoughts. “Yes, I’m coming.”

He was standing in the closest corral, tying the reins of several saddled horses to the railing. There was no sign of Brett.

“Need any help?” she called out as he headed back into the barn.

“Nah. We’ve got them all saddled.”

The “we” gave her pause until she stepped into the shade of the barn and discovered Chad and Pete with Jake. “You’ve been working fast.”

“Food always makes us Randalls get a move on. Did you bring your swimsuit?”

Anna stared at Jake in surprise. “My swimsuit?”

“Yeah. We’re going to the lake. A swim will feel good after lazing in the sun for a while. You’ve got time to go back and get it.”

Thoughts of Brett comparing her figure to Sylvia’s, with hers obviously lacking, filled Anna’s head. “Oh, I think I’ll pass on that.”

Pete stopped beside her to say, “You may pass on the swimsuit, Anna, but you won’t pass on the swim. Not with these characters around. They’ll just toss you in in your jeans.”

Anna took him at his word and went to fetch her swimsuit. When she returned to the corral, she found only Brett waiting for her.

“What happened to Sylvia?”

“She went with the truck. Seems she doesn’t like to ride.” He seemed totally unconcerned with his fiancée’s disappearance.

“Isn’t that going to make life on the ranch a little awkward? I mean, shouldn’t a rancher’s wife like to ride?”

“Not necessarily. But I’m glad you like to ride.”

She whipped her gaze from his smug look and stared over her horse’s head. “We need to hurry.” She wished she didn’t sound as if she’d been running a marathon. But her heart was beating double time. And it was all Brett’s fault.

“Whatever you say, sugar.”

“You shouldn’t call me that!”

“Why not? You’re about the sweetest lady I know.” He urged his horse closer to her, and she couldn’t ignore the want that surged through her. He was close enough to kiss her.

“Sylvia wouldn’t appreciate your saying that.”

His grin disappeared as if a black cloud had passed over him. “Sylvia has other attributes. She has no cause to be jealous,” he muttered.

Anna agreed. And Sylvia’s best attributes would be on display when she changed into her swimsuit.

They rode in silence until Brett spoke again.

“You never did say anything about your love life. Was there someone you wanted to invite to the picnic?”

“No, no one.”

He didn’t complain about her answer. Instead, his grin returned, and he said, “Good.”

Men! What difference did it make to him if she didn’t have a boyfriend? Was he already planning on cheating on Sylvia?

She glared at Brett and urged her horse to move faster.

I
T SHOULD’VE BEEN
a wonderful picnic. The weather was idyllic, wide Wyoming sky, bright sun, gentle breezes. They were spread out on a grassy bank beside a deep blue lake fed by mountain streams. They’d eaten Red’s good cooking until they could eat no more.

But Brett wasn’t happy.

And he didn’t think too many of the others were, either. Maybe Toby, since he was immune to Sylvia’s petulance and complaining. The rest of them were having to suffer through her tantrums.

She complained because Janie was sitting in the lawn chair and she didn’t have one. Fortunately Pete had brought several in case any other lady wanted one, so that problem was easily solved.

She’d complained because there wasn’t any shade. Brett had offered to move one of the big trees a few hundred yards away, but Jake had cautioned him about his sarcasm.

A good thing, too, because with the mood he was in, he might have let the tree slip and land on Sylvia’s head.

The darn woman had even complained about Red’s food. Fortunately Red ignored her, especially when everyone else made it a point to tell him how wonderful his cooking was.

Any conversation they’d attempted had been ended by a rude remark from Sylvia. She seemed to think she was an authority on everything because she lived in a city. Ha!

He decided he must not be as smart as he’d thought he was for ever thinking he and Sylvia would be happy.

“Hey, Brett, come throw the Frisbee with us,” Jake called out.

Brett was sitting beside Sylvia’s lawn chair. He looked up at her. “Want to join us, Sylvia?”

“Hardly.” The chill in her tone seemed to take the temperature down a few degrees.

“Okay,” he tossed over his shoulder as he went to join in. “I’ll be back later.”

Fortunately the next hour erased some of the sour taste in Brett’s mouth.

Especially when he tackled Anna.

Jake had divided them into teams, Brett, B. J. and Toby on one, and Jake, Pete and Anna on the other. When Anna grabbed for his Frisbee, he tackled her instead. They rolled in the grass, and he loved the feel of her against him.

The delightful scent of her enveloped him, and he wished he could roll with her to a secluded spot. Then he’d taste those soft lips, run his hands over her slender body, stroke—

“Hey! You’re supposed to grab the Frisbee, not me!” she protested. She pushed out of his hold and sat up, looking adorable in his eyes.

“Wait a minute, you’re covered in grass.” He began running his fingers through her red hair, braided down her back in one plait. It felt like silk. When they made love—and they would, eventually—he intended to run his fingers through her hair to its very end.

“Don’t. You’re pulling out my braid.”

He leaned closer to whisper, “Good. I’ve fantasized about unbraiding your hair.”

“Brett!” With her cheeks flaming, Anna leapt to her feet. He hurriedly rose and pursued her. If he stayed close, he might be able to get his hands on her again.

I’m a sick person,
he admitted, but he chased her anyway.