AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Five days, I think. I’ll have to check. Can you get here next week?”
“I think so. Give me your number and I’ll call you.”
He recited his phone number; then silence crackled along the line. He said, “I’ll see you next week.”
Another pause. Then, “Yes. I’ll see you then. ’Bye.”
He said goodbye and hung up, then leaned against the booth for a minute, his eyes closed. He’d done it. He’d asked her to marry him against all common sense, but this time he would protect himself and the ranch. He’d have her, but he’d keep her at a distance, and all the legal documents would keep the ranch safe.
He lit another cigarette and coughed as the acrid smoke stung his raw throat. In his mind’s eye he saw her incredulous face when she’d looked at him and said, “You smoke?” He took the cigarette out of his mouth and looked at it; he’d smoked for years, and usually enjoyed it, but he’d been smoking too much lately.
You smoke?
Swearing again, he put out the cigarette. As he strode angrily back to the truck he passed a trash barrel, and without giving himself time to think he tossed the cigarette pack into it. He was still swearing as he got into the truck and started it. For a few days he was going to be in the mood to wrestle grizzlies, and he didn’t look forward to it.
MADELYN SLOWLY REPLACED the receiver, numb with shock. She couldn’t believe he’d called. She couldn’t believe she’d said she would marry him. She couldn’t believe anything about their conversation. It had to be the most unromantic, businesslike, insulting proposal on record. And she’d still said yes. Yes! A thousand times yes!
She had to be in Montana in a week. She had a million things to do: get packed, get the apartment closed up, say goodbye to all her friends—and have a physical, of course. But all she could do right now was sit, her thoughts whirling.
She had to be practical. It was obvious Reese wasn’t giving the marriage much of a chance, even though he was going into it for his own reasons. She wondered why the other two hadn’t worked out, because he’d been so adamant that she was wrong for the job. But he wanted her, she knew, remembering that kiss at the airport and the way he’d looked at her. She wanted him, more than she’d ever thought it was possible to want a man, both physically and emotionally, but was that enough to hold together a relationship when they were faced with the day-in, day-out routine that marriage entailed? Would she still love him when he had a cold and was grouchy, or yelled at her for something that wasn’t her fault? Would he still want her after he’d seen her without makeup, stumbling around in the morning with uncombed hair, or when she was in a bad mood, too?
Looking at it clearly, she decided that she should ask the doctor about birth control pills while she was there. If everything worked out and they decided to have children, it would be easy to go off the Pill, but what a mess it would be if she got pregnant right away and then the marriage fell apart. It was something she would already have discussed with Reese if their situation had been a normal one, but nothing about this was normal.
She was making a complete change in her life, from urban to rural, from single to marriage, all without really knowing the man she was marrying. She didn’t know his favorite foods or colors, his moods, how he would react to any given situation; all she really knew about him was that his store of miscellaneous knowledge rivaled hers, and that she responded more violently to him than anyone she’d ever met before. She was definitely following her heart here, and not her head.
Reese would want the marriage ceremony to be conducted with as little fuss as possible, before a magistrate or a justice of the peace. She didn’t mind that, but she made up her mind that Robert would be there, and her friend Christine. They could be the witnesses, rather than two strangers.
Robert was less than thrilled with the news, as she had expected. “I know you fell for him, but shouldn’t you give this more time? You’ve met him once. Or did you get to know him really well during that one meeting?”
“I told you, he was a perfect gentleman.”
“Ah, but were you a perfect lady?”
“I’m good at whatever I do, but I’ve never clai
med to be perfect.”
His eyes twinkled, and he leaned over to pinch her cheek. “You’re determined to have this man, aren’t you?”
“He gave me this chance, and I’m taking it before he changes his mind. Oh yes, we’re getting married now if I have to kidnap him.”
“He may be in for a surprise,” Robert mused. “Does he know about that bulldog stubbornness you hide behind that lazy walk and talk?”
“Of course not. Give me some credit. He’ll learn about that in due time, after we’re married.” She smiled that sweet smile.
“So, when do I get to meet him?”
“The day of the wedding, probably. No matter what you have scheduled, I expect you to drop everything and fly out when I call you.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Christine was even less encouraging. “What do you know about ranch life?” she asked ominously. “Nothing. There are no movies, no neighbors, not even any television reception to speak of. No plays, no operas or concerts.”
“No pollution, no having to put six different locks on my door when I go out, no getting mugged when I go shopping.”
“You’ve never been mugged.”
“But there’s always the possibility. I know people who’ve been mugged several times.”
