The Cowboy's Gamble: Destined For Love Series (9 page)

The thought of having sex with Seth was enough to send a frisson of panic through her, and another emotion she didn’t want to analyze. If she couldn’t fend off a simple kiss, how was she going to immune herself to the feel of his hands sliding over her body, touching her in places that quivered to life when he dared to look at her with that smoldering heat in his eyes?

Frustrated with her thoughts, she took her aggravation out on the eggs in the bowl, beating them until they were frothy while the slices of ham sizzled in the skillet. Two more days until her wedding night. Two days to figure out how to handle the situation.

“So, do you ride much, Kellie?” Josie heard Seth ask her daughter. Eavesdropping provided her with the perfect excuse not to think about her upcoming nuptials, or her physical surrender to Seth O’Connor.

“Yeah,” Kellie said in her quiet voice. “I have my own horse, Juliette, and I try to ride her every day.”

Seth smiled at Kellie, all charm and persuasion. “Maybe you and I could go for a ride together some time. You could show me some of your favorite spots on the Golden M.”

“There’s a place I like to go to over in the west pasture. There’s a creek and a big tree.” Excitement tinged her words.

He took a drink of his coffee. “I’d like to see it sometime.”

“Okay.” Kellie glanced up at him from beneath half lowered lashes, bashful but curious. “Do you, um, have any kids?”

Josie’s stomach dropped to her knees, and she almost lost the grip she had on the skillet of fried ham and scrambled eggs she was transferring to a platter on the counter. Dear Lord, how could such an innocent question cause so much inner turmoil?

Watching Seth’s expression carefully, and seeing nothing more than a growing affection for her own daughter that she knew she was helpless to dissuade, she retrieved plates and silverware and carried them to the table.

“No, I don’t have any kids,” he told Kellie. “But I’ve got a niece and nephew. Brianna is six, and Brandon is four. They’re my brother’s kids, and they’ll be your cousins once your mom and I are married.”

Brightening at the prospect of having an extended family, Kellie leaned forward in her seat. “Will I get to meet them?”

There was enough hesitation in Seth’s answer to cause Josie concern. Knowing how vehemently Robert hated the McAllisters, she wondered if Robert’s hostility toward her family had ebbed over the years, or still remained as bitter as it had been when she’d been a teenager. She’d spent eleven years deftly avoiding anything with the O’Connor name, and though she and Seth were forced to forge a truce because of her father, she realized she had no idea how this latest turn of events affected Seth’s brother.

The way Seth was carefully thinking up a tactful response was a good indication that Robert hadn’t miraculously buried the hatchet between their families. And if that was the case, she refused to subject her daughter to the same cruelty she’d endured as a child, and intended to inform Seth as much.

Seth offered Kellie a non-committal reply. “Eventually, yes, you’ll meet your cousins.”

“Will they be at the wedding?” she asked hopefully.

“No, they won’t be,” Josie cut in, setting the platter of eggs and ham in the center of the table, along with a plate of muffins. She sat at the end, between Seth and Kellie. “It’ll be just you, me, and Seth on Friday. The ceremony will be short and simple.” She looked to Seth for confirmation.

A wry smile touched his generous mouth. “Short and simple,” he echoed.

They ate breakfast, and Josie watched as Seth and Kellie developed an easy friendship. Begrudgingly, she had to admit that Seth was wonderful with her daughter. No matter how much she and Seth disliked one another, that enmity didn’t transfer to Kellie. She was at least grateful for that, while at the same time she worried about Kellie becoming too attached to Seth, a man who only had one agenda on his mind: claiming the Golden M.

Once breakfast was over and Kellie cleared the dishes from the table, Josie sent her daughter up to her room to change, then start on her outdoor chores. Automatically, she refilled Seth’s coffee cup, and berated herself for softening a little at the appreciation in his gaze, and the husky way he said “thank you”.

She filled the sink with soapy water. Dipping her hands into the suds, she scrubbed the platter, and finally asked the question that had preyed on her mind for the past half hour. “So, was Robert happy to learn you now own the Golden M?”

“He was ecstatic that the property is back in the family,” Seth replied, his deep voice laced with a bitter edge. “But he’s not too happy that I won’t share it.”

She glanced over her shoulder, meeting his gaze. “It would seem logical, you two joining the property again.”

“It’s not even a remote possibility, Josie.”

She was relieved to hear that. Even though marriage to Seth would secure her half of the Golden M, she didn’t want to fight with him over the fate of her family’s ranch. And she certainly didn’t want it to become “O’Connor” property again.

She heard the front door close, and a moment later watched as her daughter skipped down to the barn to tend to her light duty of chores. Kellie looked so young and carefree . . . and happy. It made Josie’s heart twist peculiarly, because she had a feeling Kellie’s exhilaration was linked to Seth . . . the man who would become her dad.

She wished she could be as excited about Seth becoming her husband, but whenever she thought about her upcoming nuptials, dread was foremost in her mind. This was a man who’d used her and hurt her, and obviously had no qualms about using her once again to gain what he wanted. That fact stung most of all.

She rinsed off the skillet and set it on the dish rack to dry, her mind drifting back to Seth’s brother. “How does Robert feel about you marrying me?”

Scooting out his chair, Seth grabbed his coffee cup and brought it to her to wash. She took the mug from his hand, careful not to touch him. Her nerves couldn’t take much more physical contact with him.

Leaning his hip against the counter, he crossed his arms over his wide chest, looking too masculine. He smelled of leather and something inherently male. “Let’s just say that he’s not quite ready to welcome you into the fold, but I’m confident in time he’ll come around.”

Done with the dishes, she unplugged the drain and rinsed her hands, remembering too well how cruel Robert had been to her when she was growing up, all for something she’d had no control over.

“I don’t want Kellie around that kind of animosity,” she said, facing Seth. “I won’t allow Robert to take his grudges out on her.”

His dark brows snapped together. “And you think I’d subject her to it?”

No, something in her didn’t believe he’d be so heartless, but she couldn’t find the words to apologize for insulting him. “She’s my daughter, Seth. You can’t blame me for wanting to protect her from any kind of unpleasantness between our families.”

“I always take care of what’s mine, Josie.” His voice held an odd tightness, despite his casual tone. “Robert won’t be a problem.”

And she and Kellie would be his, bound by marriage. Her pulse picked up at the thought. She’d never relied on a man to fight her battles before, or to take care of her. She’d always handled any problems on her own. It was odd to think that Seth would be the one who managed any trouble that arose—including dealing with his brother.

She blew out a taut breath. Not wanting to discuss any more personal issues, or think about Seth being her husband and protector, she made a production of checking the watch on her wrist and gave him a dismissing smile. “Unlike you, I don’t have the luxury of wasting the day away. I’ve got work to do, Seth.”

“I can take a hint,” he said, and straightened. “I have some things I need to attend to in town, anyway. I’ll make our appointment with Reverend Wilcox for Friday at one while I’m there, and I’ll pick you and Kellie up at noon.”

He moved away from her, but paused in the doorway leading to the living room to glance back at her. His dark eyes glinted with wicked humor, and his mouth curved in an outrageously rakish grin. “And feel free to get yourself something sexy to wear for our wedding night.”

A jolt of heat rippled down her spine and settled in too many intimate places. “Don’t count on it, O’Connor,” she muttered darkly.

His responding chuckle was deep, rich, and confident. “I love a good challenge, Josie, especially if it’s anything like this morning’s dare.” He winked audaciously, then walked away.

Her face flushed at his blatant reminder of her acquiescence, the way she’d let him kiss her so sensually, and especially the way she’d responded with too much abandon.

Armed with the knowledge of his seduction tactics, next time she wouldn’t be so easily cajoled by his slow, coaxing kisses and provocative caresses. She’d agreed to give him her body and had no choice but to submit physically to the man who would be her husband, but she was fiercely determined not to let him touch her emotionally, as he had earlier.

If Seth loved a good challenge, she’d give him one.

A resolute smile curved her mouth, packed with feminine wiles. “You have no idea what you’re up against, Mr. O’Connor.”

T
he bride wore black, from the sprigs of dyed baby’s breath arranged in her upswept hair, to the tips of her black heeled shoes. The groom sported denim, chambray, a casual tweed jacket, and a new tan Stetson. The young maid of honor had opted for a more cheerful splash of pink chiffon and an enthusiastic smile that reached her sparkling green eyes.

They made quite a contrasting trio of moods, ranging from dismal acceptance, to resigned satisfaction, to guileless excitement. The varying degrees of emotions shimmering between them was enough to make Reverend Wilcox shift uncomfortably and clear his throat repeatedly before opening his bible and beginning the traditional marriage ceremony.

Seth listened to Reverend Wilcox perform the simple wedding service, his gaze riveted to the woman standing stiffly beside him. Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her, and she held her head high and proud, despite what she obviously deemed the worst of circumstances—a life sentence shackling her to a man she abhorred.

A humorous grin tugged the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t dare let it develop. Her somber expression, combined with her stark attire and ridged posture, gave the impression of a woman in mourning. He didn’t doubt that her choice of dark apparel had been pre-calculated, worn as a deliberate insult to the marriage she’d been forced into.

What Josie failed to realize, though, was that black was an extremely complimentary color on her. It enhanced her smooth, creamy complexion, made her green eyes gleam like polished emeralds, and brought out fiery, burnished highlights in the curly auburn hair she’d piled atop her head.

The cut of her black dress was simple and plain, but there was nothing casual about the way the clingy material outlined the fullness of her breasts and draped elegantly over her slim hips to just above the knee. Smoke-hued stockings only served to entice a man’s eye to her slender, graceful legs.

His gaze flickered past his reluctant bride to the young, pretty girl standing beside Josie, who seemed completely enthralled by the reverend’s wedding speech. She clutched a hand-picked bouquet of flowers in her hands, tied off with a pink ribbon that matched the one she’d secured in her hair to keep her waist-length spiral curls away from her face. Her pale pink dress made her look young and innocent, and heightened the happily-ever-after yearning Seth saw shining in her eyes.

Kellie glanced his way, saw him watching her, and smiled impishly. In that flash of an instant, Seth wanted to give the girl her fairy-tale ending. It was an odd sensation, one he didn’t want to contemplate too deeply, especially since he didn’t have the power to grant that particular wish. Not without Josie’s cooperation. Finding that last thought disturbing—that gaining Josie’s cooperation was beginning to matter to him—he shifted his attention back to the man in front of them.

Done with the traditional wedding spiel, Reverend Wilcox glanced at Seth expectantly. “Do you have a ring for your bride?”

Buying Josie a wedding band hadn’t crossed his mind, and he felt a bit of chagrin at his blunder. “No, I don’t.”

The older man’s frown reflected his disapproval of Seth’s lack of consideration for the woman who would become his wife. “Then why don’t you just hold Josie’s left hand while you recite your vows?” he suggested.

Turning toward Josie, Seth clasped her cool hand in his warm one, and noticed that her small slender fingers trembled ever-so-slightly against his palm—the only outward sign that she was nervous. Taking a deep breath, and staring straight into her eyes, he repeated Reverend Wilcox’s words, promising a lifetime commitment to her in a strong, steady voice. When it came her turn to agree to love, honor, and cherish him, her mouth said “I do,” but her eyes conveyed a more defiant message
: I won’t
.

Seth wasn’t the least bit surprised by her stubbornness. He had weeks, months, even years to break through that resistance of hers. It was a suddenly sobering thought.