Chase Wheeler's Woman (16 page)

With the repairs done, Chase couldn’t put off going in to dinner any longer. The sun was beginning to set. It was late, but he’d hoped that at least once this afternoon, Letty Sue would have come out so that he’d know she was all right.

Damn, he hadn’t meant to hurt her. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He knew well and good that his comments would spark her anger, but that’s exactly what he’d intended.

The woman was getting under his skin. She was breathtakingly beautiful. He had trouble looking at her at times, knowing she was his wife and that he had every right to take her to bed. The temptation tested him daily.

But when she started in with those long sultry looks and breathy whispers, when she told him with her beckoning blue eyes and delectable body that he could have her, Chase had no choice but to back off, to deny them both what they wanted.

And if that meant injuring her feelings to keep her away, well, it had to be done.

Chase slapped his leather gloves together, and sawdust powdered the air. He retired his work gloves to his back pocket, then washed up outside in a pail, splashing water on his face. The cool stream trickling from his jaw was refreshing.

He glanced at the back door, hesitant to enter. He never knew what mood his wife would be in when he came in at night. Sometimes she was talkative. He’d sit and listen, engrossed in the soothing lilt of her spirited voice. Sometimes she’d be quiet, but cordial, and they’d eat a peaceful meal, the silence often seeming more intimate, as though they were comfortable with one another.

He liked those times, too.

“Letty Sue,” he called out, hoping she’d greet him at the back door as she had so many times before.

He tossed his hat on a peg and noted the kitchen table was set for one. A piece of parchment sat under his plate. He lifted it and read the note:

I’ve decided to meet Mama in St. Louis as she requested. I’m busy making plans for my trip. Your supper is in the pot on the stove.

Letty Sue.

Chase took a long pull of air, then dropped the note on the table. He stared at it for a time, scrubbing his jaw with a hand.

Her leaving was for the best, he thought, but he hadn’t expected this, and it stung a bit.

His
wife
was leaving him.

Well, it’d be better for Letty Sue to be the one to leave. Then she could hold her head up high in this town. He’d wanted to protect her name and her reputation, but he’d also unintentionally hurt her. At least this way Letty Sue could save face.

He’d planned on dissolving the marriage anyway, then taking off, perhaps to rejoin Seth Johnston at his spread in Abilene.

Yep, it was better this way.

On impulse, Chase walked to Letty Sue’s bedroom and knocked sharply. “Letty Sue,” he said, “I’d like to speak with you.”

A minute passed, then the door jerked open. She smiled warmly, surprising him. “Chase.”

“I, uh, got your note.”

“Yes, well,” she began airily, “sorry I couldn’t join you for dinner, but I have much to do before I leave. I’m composing a telegram to send to my folks. Arrangements must be made.”

He nodded then, pinning her down with his gaze. “When will you leave?”

“I—I don’t know. I have to check out stagecoach and train schedules. Tomorrow I plan on going into town and sending the wire.” She smiled sadly then,
causing a knot to twist in his stomach. “I should be out of your way soon enough.”

He pursed his lips. His head told him to leave it be, that this was a far better solution for her. For them both. But his heart told him other things. Things Chase didn’t want to hear, like the fact that Letty Sue could very well meet some refined gentleman of breeding in the East. With her beautiful face and body and feminine ways, no doubt she’d have men standing in line for her favors. Men would court her, fawn over her, shower her with presents.

Chase scowled. His fists clenched. He squeezed his eyes shut, pushing away the vivid pictures his mind conjured up.

He desired her like no other. As much as he’d tried to refuse lust-filled thoughts, they were always there, a constant companion, filling his mind with perplexing images. His fingers itched to caress her smooth skin. His mouth wanted to devour each and every inch of her. His body craved her with dire need.

He wouldn’t allow himself the pleasure. There was no future for them. It was all he could do to send her away.

She was his wife, albeit in name only, yet she was still a married woman. He wondered if that would mean anything to her, once she was with all those fancy gents.

It hadn’t meant a thing to Marabella that he had professed his devotion, Chase thought irrationally, comparing the two women. She’d used his love to
gain ground with a more prominent man, and once that was achieved, had hastily turned her back on him.

The woman he’d gotten over quickly; the betrayal stayed with him always.

Yet if marrying Letty Sue had been a mistake,
not
marrying her would have been an even bigger blunder.

“Letty Sue, it’s probably best that you go.”

“Oh, I agree. Why, I’ve always dreamed of visiting the East. I’ve wanted to for as long as I can remember. Silly me, I should have answered Mama’s wire sooner, but I…I—”

Brightness left her eyes then, replaced by a defeated, regretful look, and Chase had the uncanny feeling he was witnessing Letty Sue’s true and honest feelings.

“You didn’t want to leave the ranch. You wanted to make things work out.”

Her lips tightened and she nodded.

Nothing much had worked out, he noted ruefully. He stepped out of the doorway and turned to leave. There wasn’t anything left to say.

“I’ll let you know my travel plans as soon as they’re made,” she offered softly before closing the door.

Three days later, Chase squinted against the morning light streaming into the kitchen, and finished the coffee Letty Sue had left for him in a pot on the cookstove. The early rays brought warmth to the room, casting it in a cheerful golden glow. By rights,
it was a glorious morning, but not even such a lovely day could shake Chase from his foul mood.

He’d not slept well again.

Thoughts of his wife plagued and perplexed him.

She’d be leaving soon. She’d come to him the other day with her travel plans. In just five days, Chase would bid farewell to Letty Sue and watch her head out of Sweet Springs and out of his life.

He set down his mug and stared out the window, watching the livestock awaken to the light of day. Then his gaze traveled farther yet, to the horizon, and with mild interest he watched the sun rise up over a stand of cottonwoods.

With a deep sigh, Chase realized he’d resigned himself to Letty Sue’s leaving, couldn’t in good conscience ask her to stay. But he’d not been able to truly settle it in his mind.

Nothing about his dealings with Letty Sue had ever been simple.

He wondered why the people he had cared about in his lifetime always seemed to leave him. He’d never known his father, his mother had died young and heartbroken, Marabella had caused him a barrelful of grief and then turned her back on him, and now Letty Sue was planning to leave.

When would he find the life partner his mother had spoken about? Was there really someone out there who would stand with him as one? For the first time in his life, Chase was beginning to doubt his mother’s wisdom.

Letty Sue barged into the kitchen and stopped short
when she saw Chase peering out the window. “Oh, I thought you’d be gone by now,” she said.

He turned to give her a long, curious stare. “What in high heaven are you wearing, woman?”

Letty Sue flinched at his brusque tone.

She took a biscuit from its toweling and brought it to her lips, commending herself on its softer texture. This biscuit didn’t thud when dropped onto the table. “I didn’t get all the wash finished, just the clothes needed for my trip, so I borrowed some. I’m all packed and ready. I thought I’d take Starlight out for an early ride.” She took a bite and washed the biscuit down with a sip of lemonade she’d made yesterday.

“Borrowed from who?” he asked, none too politely.

“Well, these britches are Mama’s and the suspenders are Jasper’s. I didn’t think they’d mind. And, well, Sam was kind enough to lend me this plaid shirt.”

Grim-faced, Chase glared at the shirt. Letty Sue wondered if she’d put it on backward or something. But no, she thought, fidgeting with the buttons, she was sure she had everything on right. Yet it seemed Chase would burn a hole right through the shirt, the way he was looking at it.

“Wait here,” he said, and left the room. Minutes later he returned. He strode purposefully toward her, stopping only inches away. He pulled down the suspenders she wore, then yanked the shirttails out of her britches and began undoing the buttons. His fingers worked quickly, nimbly, and once done, he pushed the fabric off her shoulders. The shirt fell to the floor.

Stunned, Letty Sue stood frozen to the spot, vulnerable now to his gaze. She wore only a thin silky camisole under the shirt. “W-what are you d-doing?” she asked, her voice a high squeak.

His hand stroked her throat, then skimmed lower in a soft, intoxicating caress. She felt the slightest touch of his fingertips along the edges of the lace, just above her breasts. Her heart skipped suddenly. She held her breath, waiting, wondering.

He brushed his fingers across her breasts, making the nipples poke against the thin fabric. Oh Lordy.

Chase cupped her breasts in his hands, feeling their weight through the garment, then moved his palms down along her ribs until he clasped her waist. He applied gentle, torturous pressure. “You’re my wife, Letty Sue. Any borrowing you need doing, you come to me.” With a gentle shove, he pushed a shirt against her chest—one of
his
shirts. With its plaid design it didn’t look much different than the one Sam had loaned her.

Chase plopped one of his hats on her head, too. “I’m riding out to find some wild mustangs I spotted the other day up along the east ridge. Join me. It’ll be a nice ride.”

“O-okay,” she answered, confused by Chase’s peculiar mood.

“Fine, then. Meet me outside in five minutes. And be sure to button up.”

Numbly, she remained on the spot, her body humming from his touch and from his appreciative gaze. She clutched his proffered shirt to her chest.

“I’ll be waiting.”

Letty Sue watched him walk out the door, then proceeded to do exactly as he’d asked. She buttoned up. Once done, she dipped her face to the shirt collar and breathed in his scent. Earth and leather and man mingled and filled her senses. A thrilling tingle worked up her spine.

She liked being encased in Chase’s clothes.

As she lifted the suspenders back up to her shoulders, her lips began an involuntarily curl.

His hat. His shirt.
His wife
.

Letty Sue smiled for the first time in three days.

Warm wind whipped wildly at her hair, Chase’s hat unable to withstand both the force of nature and the speed with which she rode. The Stetson bounced against her back now, and she tossed her head and laughed as Starlight’s swift stride matched Tornado’s. Chase, too, had a rare smile on his lips as, body bent low, he traveled the open grasslands with grace and agility. Riding with single-minded purpose and unquestionable confidence, her husband almost became one with the stallion.

The animals needed this release almost as much as their riders, she mused, as Chase brought his horse to a trot. They’d ridden hard for quite some time, leaving Double J land far behind.

Tension oozed from her body, a welcome emancipation of the pressures robbing her of sleep. She’d needed this ride, and although she traveled alongside the cause of all her recent woes, and her heart still
ached at Chase’s quiet acceptance of her leaving, she couldn’t place all the blame on him.

He’d done right by her.

He’d kept his promise to Joellen, taking excellent care of the ranch, as well as the rancher’s daughter.

They slowed their horses to a walk now, Starlight and Tornado content to move at a more sedate pace.

“Do you think if we’d met under different circumstances, Chase—well, do you think things would’ve worked out?” she ventured to ask.

Chase took a long time answering, but when he did, he looked her straight in the eyes. “If you’d been a woman in my village, I’d have set my sights on you. Years might have gone by before I took any action. Then I’d ask a relative, most likely my grandmother, to approach you. She’d bring your family gifts. She’d plead my case and then leave you to speak with your family. If your family approved, then you’d dress in your finest buckskin, baby soft and nearly white from being worked expertly, and an elder woman would bring you to my house on your family’s best horse. I’d be waiting, hoping. My family would place you on a ceremonial blanket and carry you across the threshold.”

Her heart warmed at the notion of being Chase’s wife for real. He would ask for her and she’d not hesitate to come to him. “Sounds lovely, Chase. I think I would have liked that.”

Chase cast her a dubious, yet soft look, and nodded.

“Of course, I did get the threshold part,” she said cleverly, her voice laced with amusement. Now that
it was behind her, she saw the humor in her wedding night. Nothing about it had been real, so why be distressed over it? From the falsity of their marriage to the uneventful honeymoon, Letty Sue had to make light of it, because there hadn’t been a genuine emotion behind it.

Chase grinned with devilish intent. “You did at that.”

His gray eyes gleamed liked liquid silver and she knew he was recalling how he’d picked her up in that hotel lobby, carried her over the threshold, then proceeded to dump her onto the untried marriage bed.

Letty Sue sobered. “But I think I like the Cheyenne way better. I’d have come to you, met you over that threshold, and I do believe we might have even been happy together.”

She clicked her heels lightly and Starlight took off again in a run. She left Chase in a tunnel of dust to ponder that thought.

Minutes later, he caught up to her. They rode in silence toward the long canyon ridge.