Howard Haskell Takes A Bride (The Brides of Paradise Ranch Book 0) (2 page)

A subtle smile touched her lips. The faintest hint of mischief lit her eyes. Howard beamed at the sight. He hadn’t been wrong about this rare beauty after all. The moment he took her hand and felt the desperate squeeze of her grip tightening around his, he knew that this was a woman in dire need of escape.

E
lizabeth’s heart
thundered against her ribs—partially because of her outlandish daring in standing up with a man she didn’t know, and partially because every fiber of her being wanted to know him. Howard Haskell was brave, that much was certain. In spite of what Madeline had implied about his origins, the suit he wore was of the finest cut and quality. But when it came down to it, it was the way he grinned at her and swept her into his arms—closer than was strictly proper but with a wink in his intelligent eyes—that won her over.

He moved the two of them easily into the steps of the waltz. “Madame, I have waited my entire life for you.”

Elizabeth did her level best not to swoon at his heated words. “How long can that be? You don’t look a day over twenty-five.”

“I am twenty-seven, my dear heart,” he replied, eyes flashing. “But you are clearly ageless, timeless, immortal, a creation of the heavens, sent to tempt poor mortals such as myself with your boundless charms.”

She laughed, feigning impatience with his flowery words. All the while, her heart drummed, like the natives inhabiting the frontier were beating it.

“Are you certain you are not Irish, sir? For certainly, with conversation like this, you have kissed the Blarney Stone.”

She kept her expression cool as he whirled her around the floor, made certain she hit every step in the dance precisely. All around, guests were watching them. Worse than guests. She spotted her mother gaping from the group that she and Elizabeth’s father had joined. And Jonas was with them.

Elizabeth kept her smile banal and her eyelids half lowered, as if she was bored.

Howard wasn’t fooled. “Come now, my darling. I can see as plain as day that you like my flowery words. And if I could turn them to roses and adorn you from head to toe with them, I would in a heartbeat.”

Heat flooded Elizabeth’s face. She glanced down. “Sir, how can you be so ardent? You do not know me.”

Howard answered with a scolding grunt. “I know all that I need to know through holding you in my arms like this.”

She laughed.

“I’m serious.” He used the excuse of a turn in the dance to draw her closer—so close Elizabeth could almost feel the heat of his chest against hers.

“You are elegant and sophisticated,” he went on. “I perceive that in the way you carry yourself, the quality of your ball gown, and the caliber of the company you keep.”

Elizabeth raised her brow.

“You are intelligent, which is obvious from your witty repartee and the spark in your eyes.”

“No one has ever called me intelligent.” Elizabeth let her thoughts seep out before she could hold them in. She lowered her eyes, embarrassed by her slip.

“Ah, but they should, because it’s true,” Howard told her. He lowered his voice to say, “You are underappreciated. I can see it in the way you blush at compliments. And you are dissatisfied with your life.”

She snapped her eyes up to meet his. “How can you tell that?”

The instant the question was out, she glanced away. She’d betrayed her most private thoughts to this man, a complete stranger.

And yet, not a complete stranger.

“When I first clapped eyes on you, you were gazing out that window, looking for something, longing for something,” Howard went on, his voice a lion’s purr now. “I know that look—that look of being trapped in a world full of rules and restrictions that don’t suit you. I know it, my love, because I feel it too.”

She dragged her eyes back to his. “How do you know? How can you possibly know?” He was not a woman. He didn’t know what it was like to be treated as property, to be bartered and traded as part of a business deal, as though she were no more valuable than cattle.

Howard’s only answer was a smile so gentle and genuine that it sent ripples of longing through her. Those ripples rested in an ache that filled her core, making every step of the dance an exercise in sensuality. The fabric of her bodice suddenly chaffed against breasts that had grown sensitive under the heat of almost touching Howard. His hand on her waist was as intimate as a lover’s touch.

Breath didn’t seem to want to flow through Elizabeth’s lungs, but she still managed to ask, “Who are you, Mr. Howard Haskell? Where have you come from?”

“From your dreams, my dear,” he whispered.

He swung her through another turn in the dance, and when their eyes met again, he had changed from sultry lover to confident champion. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth noticed her mother speaking animatedly to her father.

“I am Howard Haskell.” Howard drew her attention back to him, commanded it. “I was born in Pittsburgh, the son of hardworking tradesmen. My father sent me to college, but also involved me in business from the time I could sign my name. I’ve been learning, watching, and investing since the day I earned my first penny, and those pennies have multiplied.”

It wasn’t until Elizabeth’s head swam as he led her into another turn in the dance that she realized she’d been holding her breath. She had never met a man who was more sure of himself or more ready to share that surety.

“And you made your fortune before you were out of short pants?” she teased him.

“Yes.”

She blinked. He was grinning at her, his eyes alight with mischief, but it didn’t feel like a lie. He wasn’t lying. Somehow she knew he wasn’t.

“And what do you plan to do with this fortune of yours?” It was a battle to maintain her composure and her coolness, to call his bluff and behave as any society maiden would when more than anything, she wanted to throw herself into his arms.

“I plan to grow it even more,” he answered. His smile had become so cocky that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or smack him. Or kiss him. “I invest in schemes of the future. This country is on the verge of growth that is unprecedented in the history of nations. Land has been discovered that is ours for the taking.”

Elizabeth almost opened her mouth to argue that the Indian tribes that lived on the frontier might have something to say about that, but the fierce determination in Howard’s eyes kept her silent.

“Groups of settlers have already begun making the trek to the Oregon and California territories overland,” he went on. “Trails are being blazed even as we speak. The future of this country, the future of every enterprising man and woman, lies in the West.”

“And you intend to go there?” It was getting harder and harder for her to pretend disinterest.

“Absolutely, my dear.” His hand tightened on her waist, sending jolts of excitement through her. “I not only intend to go there, I intend to
own
there.”

“Own there?” She blinked rapidly at his strange turn of phrase.

Howard grinned. “Think of it. In the next few years, thousands, tens of thousands,
hundreds
of thousands of settlers will be flooding West. They’ll need provisions for their journey. They’ll need supplies once they get there. They’ll need waystations to rest at and protection for the trip. All of those are markets that can be capitalized on. The only thing that’s needed for a man to make his fortune ten times over is the gumption to go out there, plant his stake in the ground, and hold on with steely determination.”

“And that man is you?” The music could have stopped, the dancers could have all fallen over, and Elizabeth wouldn’t have noticed a thing. She had eyes only for Howard and ears only to hear his plan.

“I intend to go West to territories not yet claimed. I will be the one to claim them,” he declared boldly. “I plan to learn the land, to survey it and determine the best way to use it. And then I plan to create an empire as I see fit.”

“Well!” She couldn't hide how impressed she was now. She was certain that her face glowed with admiration for this man who held her in his arms so effortlessly.

“What’s more,” he went on. “I intend to take you with me.”

A blossom of pleasure not unlike the physical sensation of completion rolled over her. Her? This amazing, intrepid, astounding man wanted her? What had she ever done to deserve that sort of attention?

She couldn’t let him see how deeply he affected her. If he did, chances are—like her father—he’d exploit that, use her for his own aims. She cleared her throat, counted the measures of the waltz to ground herself, and cooled her expression.

“What makes you think that I want to come with you?” she asked, chin tilted up.

Howard Haskell wasn’t fooled for a moment.

“Because I know you, my love.” He leaned closer—far closer than was proper. “Because I can see in your eyes that you crave a different life. You crave adventure as much as I do. You can feel it in every fiber of your body.”

His overt mention of her body sent shivers through it that swirled into pulsating desire.

“You want this, my love. You want me.”

The music stopped. The dancers applauded politely. Howard continued to hold Elizabeth in his arms, their eyes locked together. Elizabeth was certain her heart could be seen pounding against the scooping neckline of her gown.

“Yes,” she whispered, still held in his arms. People were beginning to stare at them. “Yes, I want it, I want you. Yes, take me away with you to the West.” The words rushed out in time to her racing heart. “I’ll run with you if I have to, just take me away from here.”

A leonine grin spread across Howard’s handsome face. He loosened his grip on her, turned her out of waltz position, and hooked her arm through his. For a brief moment he searched the crowd surrounding the dance floor. He was clever enough to guess that the cluster of people who looked the angriest were her family. When her father scowled, he nodded, then escorted Elizabeth in that direction.

“You won’t have to run,” Howard said, his confidence as high as ever. “Your parents will give your hand to me gladly.”

“They—” Elizabeth sucked in a breath, halting them both for a moment. “No, no they won’t.” She glance from her father and mother to Jonas, standing stiff and displeased beside them. Panicked, she turned to Howard. “I’m engaged.”

Howard’s brow flew up. “Is that so?” he asked, as though she had said nothing more than that she was overheated.

“Yes. Oh dear, yes. I am engaged to marry Mr. Jonas Armstrong.”

Howard shrugged and continued on with her. “A minor inconvenience that will quickly be removed.”

Elizabeth was so startled by his reaction that she laughed. Unfortunately, her laughter came just as she and Howard came to a stop in front of the glowering wall of her mother, father, and Jonas.

“Elizabeth,” her mother snapped, lips tight. “What are you doing?”

“Forgive me, Mrs. Ayers.” Howard bowed, letting go of Elizabeth’s arm. “I saw your charming daughter from across the room and I simply could not resist asking her for a waltz.”

“Who
are
you, sir?” Mr. Ayers snapped.

With a triumphant smile, Howard said, “Howard Haskell, at your service.”

“I do not know you.” Mr. Ayers clenched his jaw and squared his shoulders, like a pure-bred dog ready for a fight.

Howard’s only reply was to smile wider and say, “You will, sir. Soon you will know me intimately.”

Without waiting for acknowledgement or reply, he took Elizabeth’s hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it with lingering devotion. He glanced into Elizabeth’s eyes as he did, then winked. That was all. As he let her hand go, he turned and marched off, cool as you please.

Elizabeth’s knees went weak. She pressed a hand to her chest and sighed, “Isn’t he wonderful?” before she could think better of it.

“Elizabeth!” Horror was sharp on her mother’s face. She grabbed Elizabeth’s wrist and jerked her to the side.

Reality slammed down on Elizabeth. Her father shook his head in disappointment. Jonas studied her with a sneer. True to Jonas’s form, however, after an initial reaction, his face flattened to boredom, and he went back to watching the ball, no more thought for her than if she was one of the servants with trays of punch.

Her mother wasn’t done. “What were you thinking?” she hissed. “Dancing with a stranger? A man to whom you have not been introduced? And you, an engaged woman.”

“He
did
introduce himself. To me.”

Her mother looked as though she wanted smack her. Lucky for Elizabeth, her mother only contemplated violence. She had never carried out a single threat in her entire life.

“In the future,” she said instead with icy disdain, “you will only dance with men who your father or I have approved of. You will give all of your attention to your fiancé. You will not speak with strangers, and you most certainly will not allow them to kiss your hand and stare down your décolletage.”

Elizabeth flushed at the very thought of Howard eyeing her inappropriately. In all the best ways. How delicious to be desired! She shifted her weight to lean against a convenient settee, her feet poking out from the hem of her long, full skirt.

“You will spend the remainder of the evening with myself, your father, or—good heavens, Elizabeth!” Her mother’s sudden shift in tone was so abrupt that a pair of older women chatting on the settee looked up and frowned. “Where are your shoes?”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open, and she glanced to her feet. How had she not noticed that she had gone out to the dance floor in her stockings. Laughter bubbled through her as she searched across the ballroom for her friends. Sure enough, in the corner of the room where she’d left them, Henrietta held Elizabeth’s dancing shoes. She lifted them, a giddy grin on her face.

“Oh dear.” It was all the explanation Elizabeth could manage through her laughter. It was all the reaction her mother would allow her.

Waving for Henrietta to join them at once, her mother whispered, “You will retrieve your shoes, and you will not take them off your feet again. As soon as they are back on your feet, you will dance with Jonas. Your father went to great lengths to secure that engagement for you.”

Great lengths on his own behalf
, Elizabeth thought.

“When that dance is over,” her mother went on, “you and I will go home, where I will have to think long and hard about letting you out any time before your wedding.”