A Hero's Heart (6 page)

Rachel’s mouth dropped open. Her eyes widened in fright and her pale face suddenly turned scarlet. She put the handkerchief to her lips and hurried for the door, bumping any man who was in her path, with her parasol.

Wade stared in disbelief at her retreating figure. “Damn! What in the hell is she talking about.” He threw down his cards and hurried out the door.

She ran as fast as her long skirts would allow, but he easily caught her as she reached the front gate of the fort.

Grabbing her by the arm, he whirled her around to face him. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

Rachel stood before him, tears streaming down her face, her shoulders shaking. “I should never have gone in there. I should never have considered this would work. I’m crazy for believing you would help me.”

“Slow down, woman. I can’t understand a word you’re saying. Tell me what’s happened.”

He watched as she took several deep, calming breaths. “I’ve never been so humiliated in all my life. Now, everyone thinks that you and I…”

Wade grinned completing her thought with relish. “I have to admit you created some scene back there.” He took a deep breath. “Did you say what I think you did?”

“Yes, Mr. Ketchum. I must be married by day after tomorrow.”

“Why? I know you’re not…ah…in the family way.”

“Of course not!” Rachel exclaimed, her hazel eyes wide in her distress. “How could you think such a thing?”

“You’re a damn good-looking woman. Any man would be stupid to turn down…” Stunned, he suddenly realized she had come with the express purpose of asking him to marry her. He released her arm as if he had touched a hot iron and started to back away.

“Oh no. I’m not interested in getting married. You’re a fine woman, but marriage…”

Rachel held up her hands, as if in anguish. Words began to pour from her lips at a rapid rate. “The wagon train will not accept Becky and me unless one of us is married. I thought if you married me, we could get it annulled as soon as we reached Oregon. It wouldn’t be forever. Just a couple of months.”

“One little slip and those months could turn into years. We’d be stuck with one another.”

“There will be no slip, Mr. Ketchum,” Rachel assured, him her tone indignant at the very suggestion.

Frustrated, Wade tossed her an icy glare. “Just what do you have against my name? You want me to marry you, yet you can’t even call me Wade.”

Rachel stared at him, clearly embarrassed. She stammered, “I…don’t know. It seems to fit you.”

“It should; it’s my name. Find someone else to get hog-tied to. I’m not getting married for any reason.”

She looked crestfallen. She wrung her hands in desperation. “I must find someone or we’re going to be stuck in this fort. What kind of life could I provide for us here?”

Wade gazed around the small complex. It was teaming with people, mostly men and Indian squaws. He imagined Rachel and Becky stuck here, and knew that eventually they would be forced to work in the saloon or marry some randy soldier boy and bear him five or six kids.

“Could you at least help me find someone?” she pleaded.

Wade bristled. She wanted him to help her find another man to marry?

“I’m not going to help you go through with this foolhardy plan of yours,” he responded angrily. “What if I talk to the wagon train’s leader? Maybe I could convince him.”

Rachel laughed a derisive sound. “I don’t think so. He was adamant against single females. And if he did change his mind, it wouldn’t take Becky long to convince him he’d made a mistake.”

Wade sighed. She was right. “Maybe you could hire someone.”

Rachel shook her head. “No. He said hired men have been known to leave when the trail became too rough.”

They were standing just inside the palisades; the guard tower loomed over them. Wade stared past the tower, towards Laramie Peak. He was broke. He would have to sell one of his horses, find a job or…

He grabbed Rachel by the arm and spun her around to face him. “I have an idea.”

She pulled back in fear, but he gently placed her arm in his and proceeded to stroll along the inside of the fence, as if they were a couple out courting. “What if you hire me to see you to Oregon for six hundred dollars and we pretend we’re married.”

Rachel stopped and pulled her hand away from him. “That’s outrageous. Not only is it lying, but six hundred dollars is an excessive amount!”

Wade grinned. “The idea’s not bad though.”

Hands on her hips, she glared at him through the twilight. “You’re suggesting I play the role of your wife, lie to everyone we meet and then, when we get to Oregon, pay you for escorting us? What do I tell people after we get there?”

“I’ll leave before we reach The Dalles. You tell everyone I’ve gone ahead to prepare our place, and then you receive word I’ve been killed.”

“I can’t lie.” With a stomp of her foot she turned and started to walk away, leaving Wade behind.

“Rachel,” he called after her. “That wagon train leaves day after tomorrow. If you don’t go out with this train, you’ll have to wait until next year or return home to Tennessee. How about five hundred dollars?”

She stopped, her back to him. The mention of the wagon train’s leaving seemed to have sunk into her consciousness, and Wade watched and waited for her response. A coyote howled in the distance, echoing Rachel’s apparent frustration.

Just when Wade was sure she was going to walk away, she said, “Four hundred dollars, take it or leave it.”

Four hundred dollars would do a lot to help him locate Walker and get back on his feet. Wade strolled up to Rachel, took her hand and shook it. “It’s a deal.”

The flag flapped in the breeze directly above Rachel. She glared at him, “Before you start counting your money, I have several conditions for this false marriage.”

Wade grinned, knowing without her having to say, what they would be. “I’m waiting.”

“No one will know, including Becky and the children, that we’re not truly married.” He nodded in acknowledgement. “Our marriage will be in name only. You will sleep outside.”

“Rachel,” Wade said with disbelief, “no one will believe we’re newlyweds if we aren’t bunking together.”

He moved in, closing the distance between them until they were mere inches apart. She trembled and pulled her shawl closer to her.

Wade wanted to pull her into his arms and warm her. But he wasn’t sure if she shivered with cold or fright, and the thought of her soft curves against him rejuvenated the passion he’d thought had disappeared.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try this union of ours, like a real marriage?” he asked mockingly.

Rachel gasped, her parasol coming up between them. She put the tip of it in Wade’s chest and gave a slight push. “Don’t even think about it, Mr. Ketchum. No kisses. No touching. Nothing. Am I making myself perfectly clear?”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Rachel,” Wade said, his voice deep and low.

In the twilight, her eyes smoldered. “I’m not, Mr. Ketchum. We’ll sleep together, but you will not have the privileges of a husband.”

Wade noted the stubborn set of her chin. “We’ll see.”

“If you want to find some saloon girl along the trail to take care of your baser needs, go right ahead. It won’t bother me,” she said her voice indignant.

Wade frowned. “Saloon girls don’t tempt me like you do.”

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. “As long as you understand I’m not taking their place.”

He pushed back his hat. When was the last time a man had courted the preacher’s daughter? Maybe it was time someone showed her what really went on between a man and woman.

Maybe pretending to be married to Rachel wasn’t going to be as easy a job as he’d first suspected. If he made it all the way to Oregon without touching this woman, then he’d have done more than earn his four hundred dollars.

“So when do we start this game?” Wade asked, trying to stop his treacherous thoughts.

“The sooner, the better. I’m sure Becky will be upset I didn’t tell her, and I’ll need to reassure the children,” Rachel replied, her voice shaky. “But more than anything, we’ll need to talk to Mr. Jordan.”

“Are you sure you can lie and play this game all the way to Oregon, Rachel?” Wade asked.

Rachel cast him a sharp stare. “What choice do I have?”

At the edge of camp, they stopped and watched the tranquil scene. Grace sat, her doll at her side, as Toby taught her the intricacies of checkers. Daniel chased moths around the fire, his toddler’s steps awkward and unsure. Becky sat close to the flames, sewing in hand.

The complexity of what he’d agreed to struck Wade. Escorting a load of gold would have been easier than taking on the responsibilities of seeing two women and three children across the mountains safe and sound.

Rachel gazed at the children and sighed. “I swore on Papa’s grave I would get them to Oregon, that I would help his church.” She looked at Wade. Her full lips were tightly drawn. Her chin had a determined set. “God forgive me. But yes, Wade Ketchum, I can pretend to be your wife, if it will get us to Oregon.”

Chapter Five

“Y
ou’re what?” Becky screeched, her voice piercing the night air. She laughed, a high contemptuous sound, as the fire flickered shadows across her face. “What kind of trick are you playing, Mr. Ketchum? Rachel would never marry a man like you.”

“It’s true, Becky,” Rachel interrupted.

A quick glance at Wade confirmed her worst fears. Mischief sparkled from his eyes, provoking Becky’s ire. His arm snaked around Rachel’s shoulders, clasping her close to him.

“I know it’s hard to believe, Becky, but after the other night, we decided it was best we marry,” Wade said.

A coyote howled in the distance, and Rachel wanted to echo its sentiments. Who did Wade think he was fooling? Becky would never believe this ridiculous story. Rachel pinched the inside of Wade’s arm in silent warning.

He glanced down at her, his green eyes twinkling with laughter. “She swept me right off my feet.”

Rachel resisted the urge to swipe the mocking smile from his lips and quiet his forked tongue. Couldn’t he see he was only making the situation worse by feeding Becky this yarn? And from the skeptical scowl on her face, Becky wasn’t fooled.

“We were married this afternoon,” Rachel said, her voice tight and controlled.

The cool night air blew across the fire, sending ashes and sparks shooting upward. Rachel stepped away from Wade and pulled her shawl closer to her. She was cold, but she didn’t know if it was from the chill in the air or the frostiness Becky exuded as she realized they were serious.

Her sister shook her head in denial. “Tell me this is a joke.”

Rachel’s conscience twinged with guilt. “It’s no joke.” No matter what, she loved Becky and the children. They deserved the truth. But they also deserved a chance at happiness, and that likelihood lay in Oregon.

“How could you marry this man?” Becky advanced on Rachel until she stood mere inches away, her blue eyes flashing with fury.

“I know what you’re thinking. We should have waited longer. But like Wade said, the thought of leaving Fort Laramie without him was too much.” Rachel paused, her stomach quivering. She hated lying.

Becky laughed. “The man is a heathen, Rachel. He drinks, curses and takes advantage of women. You’re crazy if think you’re going to reform him.”

The idea of changing Wade was so funny, Rachel would have laughed except for the lump that seemed to enclose her throat. “I’m not planning on converting him.”

“Were you so desperate to get married that you accepted the first proposal that came your way?”

“No! But can’t you see we needed a man to help us reach Oregon? I did what I had to do.”

Becky marched on Wade, who had remained quiet during her tirade. “What do you get out of this?” She paused, stared him straight in the eye and poked her finger in his chest. “If you’re looking for money, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. Church mice are rich compared to us.”

Even in the dim light from the campfire, Rachel could see Wade’s face tighten in anger. “I don’t want anything from you. After the way you found us the other morning, I thought you’d be happy I married your sister.”

“That wasn’t love, Mr. Ketchum. Possibly lust, but even that’s unlikely.”

Wade pulled Rachel into the safety of his arms, as if to shield her from Becky’s venomous tongue. The unexpected move left Rachel feeling warm. Why was he protecting her?

“How do you know what I find attractive?” Wade paused. “I think you’re upset that I didn’t take the bait and come sniffing around your skirts.”

Her sisters pale skin turned a rosy shade. Her blue eyes dilated until Rachel thought they would pop out of their sockets.

Becky raised her chin. “I would never have accepted your attentions. Rachel has been blinded to your obvious faults.”

“If Rachel has been blinded by anyone, it’s you. And if you don’t like me, you’re welcome to find your own way to Oregon.”

“Please, Becky.” Rachel said. “I don’t want to leave you behind, but Wade is my husband.”