Mail Order Bride - Westward Secrets: A Clean Cowboy Romance Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides Book 13) (12 page)

              “So you’re Mama’s brother?” Jack asked.

              Rick nodded.  “That’s right.”

              “Grandpa had an affair and so now here you are,” Jack said.

              “Correct.”

              “Why’d you wait so long to tell anyone?” Jack asked.

              Rick smiled.  “Because I wanted to see what he was like.  What you all were like.  If I didn’t like you, why should I say anything?”

              “Money.  Grandpa has a lot of it,” Jack said.

              “True.  I don’t want it.  I have enough of my own money.  I don’t need his,” Rick said.

              “What do you think of Mama?” Jack asked.

              “I think she’s an intelligent, kind woman.  She’s a good wife and mother, and I like her books very much.”

              “What about my pa?”

              “I think he’s a good man and does a good job on council.  As you’ve told me, he’s bossy and can be a real pain in the rear, but on the other hand, he’s kind, responsible, and fun.  I’ve never had a whole lot of contact with your family, Jack, so if you’re expecting me to rattle off a list of qualities I like about them, you’ll be disappointed.  Seth and Luke are the two that I’ve had the most contact with and I like both of them a lot,” Rick said.

              Jack nodded.  “What about me?”

              “What about you?”

              “How could you work with me every day and not say a word?” Jack said.

              “It wasn’t the right time and your grandfather is the one who needed to know first,” Rick said.  “I’m proud of you, I know that much.  You’re a hell of a deputy and a good man.  And I like your food a lot.  Your coffee, too.”

              Jack smiled at that.  “You look a lot like Aunt Claire.”

              “I do?  I’ve always thought I looked like my mother, but maybe I was wrong,” Rick said.  “All right, Jack.  I’ve answered you about what I think of you.  How do you feel about all of this?”

              Jack sighed.  “I don’t know.  I’m mad at Grandpa, but not like Mama is.  I mean, it was a long time ago and Grandma knew and they made up.  He made a huge mistake, but why should I punish him for it when it has nothin’ to do with me?  Well, other than you being here, but why would I be mad about that?”

              “I don’t know.  Why would you?” Rick asked.  His head hurt and he rubbed his forehead. 

              “Are you ok?” Jack asked.

              “Yeah.  So are you going to have a problem working with me?  I don’t intend to quit unless Mitch fires me,” Rick said.

              “Why would I have a problem working with my uncle?” Jack said with a grin.  “You’re a pain in the ass and do weird things, but I like you anyway.”

              Rick laughed.  “That’s good for me, I guess.  Good.  I don’t expect you to call me ‘Uncle Rick’.  It might be strange to start doing that after all this time.”

              “I’ll think about that,” Jack said.  “Why would Mitch fire you?”

              “I don’t know if he wants a deputy working for him who has caused a scandal in town,” Rick said.

              Jack chuckled.  “If that were the case, he wouldn’t have married Sammi.”

              “True, but she’s prettier than I am,” Rick said.  “Jack, there’s more about me that I need to tell you, but I can’t right now.  Will you be a little patient with me?”

              “Yeah.  Sure.  I know all I need to for right now.  Are you comin’ to work today?” Jack asked.

              “I was planning on it,” Rick said.  “So your mother is pretty upset, huh?” 

              He didn’t feel one bit guilty about finally divulging his familial connection to the O’Connors, but he was concerned about his sisters’ frames of mind.

              “She’s furious with Grandpa and she doesn’t understand how Grandma could have forgiven him.  I’m hoping that she’ll calm down after a while and be able to look at it differently,” Jack said.

              Rick nodded as Gina joined them.  He smiled at her.  She wore a blue paisley dress and she had braided her long, dark hair.  Rick wanted to take her hair down and run his fingers through it.  As he looked her over, Rick longed to feel her in his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless.

              Gina didn’t miss the desire in Rick’s eyes and she smiled back at him.

              Jack noticed the look that passed between them and was amused.  It was obvious that there was a strong attraction there, but something more as well.

              “What does your mother think about
me
?” Rick asked.

              Jack looked away for a moment before holding Rick’s gaze again.  “I don’t think she knows what to think.  She’s focused more on Grandpa at the moment.”

              “I can understand that.  What about Maddie?”

              Jack just shook his head.  “It’s causing problems between her and Uncle Marcus because he feels that if she can’t accept you, then she doesn’t really accept him because, technically, he’s illegitimate.”

              Rick smiled even as disappointment weighed on him.  Then he decided to look at the positives.  Claire fully accepted him and Marcus certainly didn’t think any less of him.  Neither did Jack.  The most positive thing of all, though, was that Gina was on his side, even after all of the horrible things he’d told her.  He was still embarrassed about the events of the previous night when he’d lost control of his mental faculties.  However, he was grateful that she’d been there to help him.

              “The twins are curious about you.  Pa had to tell them because Mama couldn’t talk about it.  Sorry.”  Jack’s expression was one of regret.

              “It’s ok, Jack.  It’s no less than I expected.  It’ll take some time until they come around.  Or if they never do, they’ll just have to deal with me being around because I’m done running,” Rick told Jack.

              Jack’s brows knitted together.  “Runnin’?  Who are you runnin’ from?  Is someone after you or somethin’?”

             
Damn it!  I shouldn’t have put it like that.
  “I just mean that I’m done running around the world.  It’s time to put down roots.”

              “Yeah, I can understand that,” said Jack.  “Well, I’m gonna get going, but I’ll see you after a while.”

              “Ok, Jack,” Rick said.

              Jack rose and held out a hand to Rick.  Rick got up and shook it.  On impulse, Jack hugged Rick, which surprised him.  He returned his nephew’s embrace.  Then Jack stepped back.

              “Gina, it’s nice to see you again.  Take care,” he said.

              “Same to you, Jack,” Gina said. 

              After Jack had gone, Rick looked at Gina and tried not to think about the fact that they were completely alone and that not far away sat a bed. 

              “So, Lovely, what are you doing today?” Rick said as he moved to the chair next to hers.

              “I wasn’t sure.  It depended on what you were doing.  Are you really going to work? I’m worried that it’s too soon after last night.  What if you start having flashbacks again?”

              “I’ll be all right as long as I don’t have to talk about that subject.  But I’ll take those dreaded pills along with me just in case,” Rick said.  “Plus, I need to talk to Mitch about some things.”

              She reached over and brushed his hair back from his face.  It was messy from sleeping and very attractive that way.  Gina had never been with a man who had long hair.  Tony had always kept his short.  Rick closed his eyes in contentment as she kept playing with it.  That simple touch was a balm to his soul.

              When he reopened his eyes, their gazes locked and neither looked away.  Rick leaned over and stroked her soft cheek with the back of his fingers and then ran a thumb over her full lower lip.  A little shiver went up Gina’s spine at the contact and she wanted to kiss Rick.  Her wish was granted when he replaced his thumb with his lips.

              With his arms, Rick urged her over onto his lap so he could enfold her in his embrace.  She tasted fantastic and felt even better in his arms.  Gina moaned as the kiss deepened.  Her hands traced his collarbone through his shirt and caressed his shoulders.  Passion flared inside Rick and he massaged Gina’s back muscles as her fingers dove into his hair. 

He wanted to pick her up and take her to his bed in the worst way, but he had to go to work.  However, he couldn’t pull away just yet.  Gina had cast a spell on him and he wasn’t sure if he could break it, even temporarily. 

Something inside Gina broke free and she allowed herself to explore her desire for this unusual man—the man who had broken through her daughter’s barriers so quickly; the man who had endured so much torture and, though he hadn’t come through it unscathed, he had gone on with his life and lived it to the fullest.  She admired him and was surprised by how strong her feelings for him were.

Maybe it was what they had shared last night.  Maybe it was that she’d seen him at his most vulnerable and knew all his secrets, at least the most important ones.  She’d seen past the Rick Westlake he showed the rest of the world to the real man behind the sarcastic remarks and calm, intimidating exterior. 

Gina was shaken by the strength of her ardor, by the fact that, had he wanted it, she would have given herself to him.  The matter was taken out of her hands when Rick began to slow things down and end their kissing.  His hands rested on her waist as he looked into her eyes.  Rick’s glowed with desire, mesmerizing Gina.  She couldn’t look away as he smiled at her.

“Oh, Lovely, you don’t know how much it pains me to end this for now.  I fully intend to pick it up some other time, though,” he said.  His voice was slightly raspier than usual.

“Why, deputy, former mountie, Westlake, just what are proposing?” Gina said as she gave him a suggestive look.

He laughed.  “Uh oh.  There’s Racy Lady.  I am proposing that we give this evening out thing one more shot.  Maybe the third time really will be a charm.”

She played with a button on his shirt.  “I think I could be persuaded.  When?”

“Tonight?”  His heart was still pounding as he asked.

“That would be wonderful.  What time and how should I dress?” she asked as she undid the button she’d been fiddling with.

Rick groaned a little as she slipped her fingers inside his shirt and grazed his exposed skin.  “You’re torturing me, you know.  Do I get to return the favor?” he asked and moved his hands to the zipper of her dress.

Gina giggled and withdrew her hand from under his shirt.  “Not right now.  Sorry.  I shouldn’t tease you like that.”

Rick dropped his hands and kissed her.  “It’s ok, Racy Lady.  It’s just your wicked nature coming out.  I’m not complaining.  I wish I didn’t have to go to work, but I do.  If I didn’t, well, you wouldn’t be going anywhere for a long time.  I don’t know how you feel about that, though.”

Gina’s brows drew together.  “I don’t know how I feel about it, either.  I—”

“Don’t worry about it.  It’s not something that has to be decided right this moment and I certainly don’t want you doing anything you don’t want to do,” Rick said.  He rose with her in his arms and set her down lightly on her feet.

Gina kissed him lightly and said, “Thank you for being such a gentleman. You are a remarkable man, Rick Westlake.  You have a lot of different sides to you and I appreciate all of them.”

“Well, I wasn’t very gentlemanly just now, but I’m not going to apologize for it.  I enjoyed it way too much,” Rick said as he looked into her eyes.

“Me, too.  Well, I will leave you so that you can get ready for work and I will see you tonight.”

“Let’s try six again and go for dinner.  I promise there will be no dramatic revelations and no repeat of any of the rest of it,” Rick said a little bashfully.

“Rick, I feel very honored that you would trust me with such personal information about yourself.  And as for the panic attack, there’s nothing to feel badly about.  I was only concerned for you and wished that there was more I could have done for you,’ she said.

Rick cupped her cheek and said, “You did plenty.  Believe me.  I appreciate it very much.”

She smiled and gave him a last kiss.  “Have a good day, deputy.”

“You, too, Racy Lady,” he said. 

As Gina put on her coat and left, Rick heard her soft laughter trailing behind her.

“You look like hell,” Mitch said when Rick walked into the office an hour later.

Rick said, “You know what I like about you, Mitch?  You really know how to bolster someone’s confidence.  Your insightful and caring remark really means a lot to me.”

Rick threw his hat on the rack in the corner and then whistled for Curtis.  He jumped over onto the table and Rick put the coat on the rack, too.

Mitch chuckled.  “So I heard some very interesting information about you.”

“I’m sure you did.  So do I still have a job?” Rick asked.

“Why wouldn’t you?  You being Geoff’s son doesn’t reflect on your position here,” Mitch said as Rick sat down at his desk.  “You’re a great deputy and there’s no way I’m letting you go over something like that.”

Rick nodded.  “Good.  Some sheriffs might not have your outlook about it.  I needed to know where you stood on the subject.  So, is there a lot of gossip around town about it yet?”

“Some, but it’s still early.  Expect some comments about it,” Mitch said.

“I’m sure everyone’s going to be curious.  It’s ok.  I knew they would be.  Hi, young Jack,” Rick said.

“Hi, Uncle Rick,” Jack said with a grin.

Rick smiled. “So that’s what you decided, huh?”

“Yep,” Jack said as he picked up Curtis who jumped onto his shoulder and sniffed his hair.  “Knock that off.”  Jack laughed and put the ferret back on the table. 

Curtis bounced back and forth and playfully bit Jack’s finger, inviting him to play.  Jack complied for a few minutes before saying, “Ok.  I gotta put coffee on.  Go play with someone else now.”

Rick took out a little cloth doll from his desk and threw it at Curtis.  The ferret promptly attacked it and carried it all over the office while the three men laughed at him.

Rick sobered and said, “I have to tell you two something.”

Jack poured them all coffee and sat down at his desk.  “Shoot.”

“I’m Canadian by birth and I used to be a mountie.  I served at Fort Pelly in Saskatchewan,” Rick said.

The other two men looked at each other and Mitch started laughing.  “That’s very funny.”

Rick cocked his head a little at Mitch and maintained a deadpan expression.

“Oh, you’re serious,” Mitch said.  “You really were a mountie?”

“Yes.  I got kicked out, though,” Rick said.

Jack said, “What for?”

“Repeated offenses of insubordination,” Rick said.  “It seems as though my superiors didn’t like it when I told them they were wrong about how they were conducting investigations or how they were handling things with the Lakota,” Rick said.

“You dealt with the Lakota before?” Jack asked.

In Lakota, Rick said, “That’s correct, young Jack.  I still have a couple of friends in a tribe up there.”

Jack laughed and answered him in kind.  “Wait until Uncle Marcus and everyone else finds out your speak Lakota.”

“English, please, fellas,” Mitch said.

“I was just sayin’ that all of the Lakota will be surprised that he speaks the language,” Jack said.

“Yeah, it might have been nice to have known all this.  Why am I not surprised about the insubordination violations?” Mitch said with a smile.  “I could tell that you’d had some sort of formal training, but I never thought about the mounties because I didn’t know you’re Canadian.”

“I wasn’t ready for anyone to know yet for obvious reasons,” Rick said as Curtis brought his toy back to Rick, who put it away.

Jack smiled.  “I have a Canadian uncle.  Isn’t that somethin’?  Wait until everyone hears that, too.  You’re fascinating, as Mama would say.  You just wait.  She’ll come around.  Her nosiness will get the best of her and then you’ll be sorry.  She won’t stop asking questions and she’ll want to write it all down to use in a book.”

“I would be happy to tell her anything she wanted to know.  It would be a good way for her to get to know me,” Rick said.  “She might even like me.  Claire does.  She was very excited last night.  Too bad our visit got cut short.”

“Uh, yeah, she mentioned something about that,” Jack said with an uncomfortable look on his face.

Oh, no. Me and my big mouth.
  “Did she?”

“Yeah, she said that you were a little … um … out of it,” Jack said.

“That I was,” Rick said.  “What else did she say?”

“Well, she mentioned that you said you were Canadian, but she wasn’t sure if you were pulling her leg or not,” Jack said.  “You say a lot of strange things, but we never know if they’re true.”
              “Everything I’ve ever said has been the absolute truth.  My stepfather really was a missionary and a damn good one.  When I was twelve, we started travelling all over the world helping those who couldn’t help themselves.  So although the things I’ve told you might sound strange, they’re true,” Rick said.

Mitch said, “That’s good to know.  What else did she say, Jack?”

Jack cleared his throat.  “Uh … well … she said you told her that you murdered your mother.”

Flash!

“You did what?” Mitch said as he put his elbows on his desk and leaned forward.  The lawman in him was suddenly on the alert because of this unexpected information.

Rick wanted to get this over with so he said, “Ok, gentlemen.  I’m going to tell you about that quickly and then that’s the last I’m going to talk about it.  I’m having trouble dealing with it, so, after this, please don’t ask about it and it goes no further than this office.  Agreed?”

Both men agreed.  Rick took a deep breath and plunged ahead.  His words came as rapidly as possible as he told them about his childhood, the terrible incident, and his subsequent life on the run until his stepfather had died when Rick was twenty-three.  By the time he finished, Rick was shaking badly, but he didn’t want to take a pill because then he wouldn’t be up to working. 

Jack’s jaw worked as he fought to bring his emotions under control.  He couldn’t do it and had to go out the back door for a few minutes for some air.  That someone could do those things to their own child was unthinkable to him.  He thought about his son and couldn’t fathom a child being treated like that.  Jack knew it happened, but he’d never personally known anyone who had been victimized in that way.  Anger burned in his chest at the injustice of it.

Reentering the office, Jack walked back to his desk, sat down, and looked at Rick.  “I don’t normally condone murder, but in this case, I’m glad you did it.  You were just a kid and had to defend yourself.  There are just some people in this world who don’t need to be in it and she was one of them.”

Rick smiled. “Mitch just said basically the same thing.  Ok.  That ends that conversation, unless you want me to go a little berserk.  I think I’ll take a look around town.”

              “What on Earth are you doin’?”

              Gina jumped at the voice behind her.  “Joe!  Don’t sneak up on me like that!  I’m washing clothes.  What does it look like I’m doing?”

              “Why?  We have someone to do that,” Joe said as he crossed the laundry room to where she worked.

              “I enjoy doing laundry.  Don’t ask me why, but I do.  Besides, I’m an employee and I should do my own laundry,” Gina said.

              “None of the others do,” Joe said.  “Like I said, we have people to do that.”