Heather Graham (15 page)

She swallowed abruptly, trying to face facts. She had been attracted to Kane that first day, almost fatally attracted. She had been ready and eager to be touched by him, to make love with him, to fall in love with him, to lose her heart to him completely.

And she had married him—making the ranch as much his as her own.

Tears stung her eyes, and she fought them back. Ken Lander had been after her ranch and willing to take her as part of a bargain. Was Kane after the same thing—just more subtle and devious in his methods?

She pressed her hands to her face and discovered her fingers were shaking. She couldn’t help remembering the afternoon. She had been so furious with him at the cliffs for jumping all over her. But he had touched her and cajoled her, and she had been back in his arms, laughing and breathless and as eager as he to reach the privacy of their bedroom and the intimacy of his caress once again—

“Hi. I thought you might like something to cool down with out here.”

Martine spun around to see Lisa smiling at her, two frosted glasses in her hand. Lisa gave her a good-natured grin and offered one of the glasses.

Martie accepted it, studying the other woman. She was very attractive with full lips that could surely form a most alluring pout.

She knows Kane,
Martie thought. Yet there was something about her that made Martine believe she was really interested in being friends.

“Thanks,” Martine said, “what is it?”

“Margarita,” Lisa said cheerfully, heading for one of the lounge chairs and propping her feet up. She assessed Martine carefully and laughed. “You were pretty cool in there. My hat’s off to you.” She chuckled softly. “He certainly can come off as the king of the castle, can’t he? But really, I wouldn’t be too upset. I mean, you do realize that it’s all male bluster. He just wants to protect you—and I’d say he was jealous.”

Martie grimaced and hoped she appeared casual as she took the lounge beside Lisa. “How well do you know Kane, Lisa?”

“What?” Startled, Lisa took a long sip of her drink, giving her attention to her straw. Then she smiled at Martine. “I don’t know him at all. I just know men in general, that’s all. And your husband is kind of the hard and rugged type, you know. Independent, I’d say—and very possessive.” Lisa grimaced. “They can be hard to live with, but you seem strong enough to hold your own!”

“Thanks,” Martine said dryly. “Are you sure you don’t know him?”

“Of course I’m sure!” Lisa laughed, and Martine wondered why she was lying.

“He’s a grown man,” Martine said bluntly. “I haven’t known him long, but I’ve certainly never pretended to myself that he hasn’t had any number of … relationships before he met me.”

Lisa almost choked on her drink. Martine had to pat her back. Then she found Lisa’s pretty—but watering—eyes on her.

“Martine, I assure you that I was never one of your husband’s relationships!”

Martie frowned, lowering her head. Then why were they all lying? She wanted to scream, but she didn’t. She smiled instead. They wanted to be subtle and play cat-and-mouse games; she could do the same. “Lisa, I was just wondering why we’ve never met. I’ve known Joe since I was a kid. And if you’re his goddaughter …” She let the question trail.

Lisa grinned, apparently glad that the subject of their conversation had changed. “That’s easy. I’ve never been here before. Joe always visits us. He and my dad are friends.” She laughed. “I wonder if I should be insulted. He talks about you a lot, but I guess he never talks about me!”

Martine shrugged. “Well, it seems like it’s been awhile since I’ve really talked to Joe anyway. Are your folks ranchers?”

“Yes,” Lisa murmured, sipping her drink again. “And do I hate ranches!”

“Do you?” Her words were so bitter that they startled Martine.

“Yes!”

“You make it sound like a stigma.”

“It is.” She took a deep breath, then grinned. “Well, it seems to be to certain people who own vineyards anyway. Or maybe it isn’t the ranch. …I’ll find out soon enough.”

Martie felt as if she were moving from one ridiculously confusing conversation to another. “What are you talking about?”

Lisa stared at her, then laughed ruefully. “Oh, nothing. I’m sorry.” She hesitated, then grinned, and the bitterness in her voice was tempered when she spoke again with a touch of humor. “The usual boring story, I’m afraid. I fell rashly and foolishly in love with a man whose family decided I wasn’t from the social sphere that I should be to be his wife. I’m getting over it. And it isn’t the thing you’re supposed to lay on a new acquaintance, is it?”

Martine shrugged. “Lisa, if he doesn’t want you for a reason like that, then I think you’re well rid of him.”

“You’re right, I’m not completely without confidence!” Lisa laughed, then stared at her drink again. “And I shouldn’t love him, should I? Love is awful! We just don’t seem to have any control over it, do we?”

“No, I guess we don’t,” Martine said softly. “But …” But what? Who was she to advise this woman when she had married a man she had come to realize she didn’t trust?

“Ah, well …” Lisa hopped off her chaise lounge with the agility of a young gazelle. “I think I’m going to make myself another one of these things and go to bed. Martine, all the best to you and Kane. I know you’re going to be a great couple, and it was really nice meeting you!”

“You, too, Lisa,” Martine murmured. Lisa gave her a weak smile, then disappeared into the house.

The lantern candles were dying. It became very dark and gloomy on the patio, and all the luster of the night seemed to have disappeared.

With a sigh Martie decided that she would go in. Apparently Kane wasn’t coming to her with an explanation or an apology. And eventually she had to drive home with him. It might as well be now.

But just as she started to rise she heard voices and footsteps coming from the living room out onto the patio. She didn’t know why, but she froze.

Everything suddenly seemed to be shadows. Martine saw two men. Kane she knew from his height and his stance. Joe Devlin she knew from his voice—a gruff whisper now as he spoke.

“I don’t like this one bit, Kane. I don’t want to see her hurt. Why the hell did you have to marry her?”

A match flared in the dark; Kane lit a cigar and leisurely inhaled and exhaled before replying. “I married her for the same damn reason any man marries a woman, Joe. I love her. Don’t you trust me?” His drawl had a slightly hostile tone to it. Because he was lying? Martine wondered, feeling sick. Or just because he was angry at the question?

She heard the senator sigh. “Kane, I know you, and dammit, yes, in most things I do trust you! But I know how important this other matter is to you. I just don’t see why you had to rush into marriage. You were already sleeping with her!”

“That’s nobody’s business, not even yours, Joe,” Kane said, a warning in his tone.

“Maybe not. Kane, you know how I feel about you. But I’ve got to watch out for Martie too. If you don’t love her, don’t ever let me find out about it. I respect you, son, and I care for you. I need your help right now too. But hurt her in any way, and I’ll blow everything you’re doing sky-high, I swear it.”

“Dammit, Joe!” Kane swore hoarsely. “I’m trying to keep her out of it all. I don’t want her hurt again. I sure as hell don’t want to ever catch Lander with his hands on her again. Joe, I’m telling you this because we’re old friends, but so help me, I’ll never explain or excuse myself again. I married her because I wanted her. Yes, I need to be on the Four-Leaf Clover, but the one doesn’t have anything to do with the other. Good enough?”

“Good enough,” Joe said quietly. In the darkness Martine could still sense him sizing up the other man.

She couldn’t sense anything herself. She felt too numb to feel.

The tension between the two men suddenly seemed to dissipate.

“You didn’t help things much, Joe.”

“You mean Lisa?”

“You could have warned me.”

“She just showed up. I didn’t have time. But I—oh, brother! I forgot all about her. I’d better find out what she’s up to.”

The senator walked back into the living room. Kane paused for a minute, staring into the sky.

Martie forced her mouth to open. She was ready to jump up and confront him when he suddenly turned on his heel and returned to the living room.

Martine realized that she had grasped her fingers so tightly around the arms of the chair that they had cramped that way. She had to flex them forcibly to unwind them.

She was trembling as she stood but determined to have it out with all of them. They were lying to her. Why? If she confronted them, wouldn’t they just deny everything?

She took a deep breath and decided that she would make her own assaults on them, one by one, until she got to the bottom of things.

She stood on the dark patio awhile longer, breathing deeply to regain her composure. Then she went back into the living room. It was empty, but the front door was standing open, so she assumed that the others were out front.

She took one more deep breath and realized that she was still trembling inside. And why not? She had married a stranger. She had fallen in love with a man who was a mystery—and possibly a dangerous one.

“I will not fall to you again, Kane Montgomery!” she muttered with soft vehemence. And then she walked to the door and stepped outside.

Lisa was standing before Kane. His hands were on her shoulders. They had obviously just been exchanging some kind of intense words. Joe was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m going home,” Martine said pointedly. Both Kane and Lisa jerked around, evidently startled by her appearance.

“Oh, well, good night again then,” Lisa said, drawing cheerfully away from Kane. “Uncle Joe just took Ed back to the hospital. He won’t be long, and I know he wasn’t expecting you to return until he came back.”

“Joe will understand, I’m sure,” Martine said more icily than she intended. She looked at Kane, into the strange glitter of his hard eyes as he returned her gaze. “Kane can wait for Joe if he wishes.”

She walked past both of them. Her vision seemed to be blurring, and she realized that she was very near to tears. She quickened her footsteps, hoping to leave Kane behind.

But from behind her she heard his long strides, then felt his fingers winding around her arm.

“Wait up!” he said harshly and, to her satisfaction, a little breathlessly.

She jerked her arm from his. “Stay here. I want to be alone.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a liar and a fraud.”

She reached the truck and jerked open the driver’s door. But when she was seated, strong hands firmly propelled her across the vinyl to the passenger’s side. She let out a number of furious epithets that made no difference. He was in the driver’s seat, gunning the engine before she could move to hop back out of the vehicle.

“Kane, I do not want to be with you!” She spit the words out, trying to control her temper.

All she saw was shadows as they fell on the hard planes of his profile. He stared straight ahead at the driveway, grinding the truck’s gears with a fury.

“You’re my wife, Martine. And you are coming home with me.” He spoke the words quietly but with a vehemence that left her trembling.

“Kane—”

The truck jerked to a halt. He turned to her, his arm stretching across the seat as he interrupted her.

“Lady, you swore a few vows to me. They may mean nothing to you, but they do to me. You don’t want to be with me? Fine. But we will go home together. And I’ll be damned if I sleep on any couch. If you want to discuss something rationally, I’ll be glad to do so, but I’m going home first, and you’re coming with me!”

She wanted to hit him and run from the truck. Not, she realized, that it would do her any good.

She clenched her fingers together in her lap and gritted her teeth.

The truck roared back into life, and Kane drove on silently.

Tears stung Martine’s eyes again. She was shocked and confused and furious—and still in love with him, hating herself because she was.

“You bastard!” she yelled suddenly.

She didn’t look his way but felt his chilling gaze fall briefly on her.

It was going to be a long drive home, she thought. Yet it turned out that the drive was not long enough at all.

It seemed only seconds later that they were at the Four-Leaf Clover. Then Kane was moving quickly. He was out his door and at hers before she could leave the truck. Taking her arm impatiently, he led her to the house.

“We are going to have this out!” she said defiantly.

His only reply was a bitter twist of his jaw.

M
ARTINE WAS RELIEVED WHEN
he brought her to the kitchen. She realized that her teeth had been chattering, and she wondered with horror if she had really thought that he would drag her to the bedroom against her will. Could she actually have thought such a thing of a man she had married? The man she still loved—against all odds and reason?

He set her down at a chair before the table. She sat silently for a moment, vaguely aware that he was stalking about, making coffee.

“What are you doing?” she demanded at last.

“That’s obvious, isn’t it? I’m going to sober you up.”

“What?” She was out of her chair in a flash; equally quickly he was back at her side, pressing her shoulders with tenderness to force her to sit again.

“If we’re going to talk,” he told her coldly, “I want you coherent.”

“I am extremely coherent, Kane Montgomery! Nothing you say or do to throw blame on this other party is going to work! You knew Lisa before tonight. And you’re up to something. You’re not nearly as much in love with me as you are with this ranch. I want to know what’s going on!”

He stared at her. His eyes seemed almost yellow as they narrowed. Silence fell. Then, as if from some distant world, Martine heard the steady beat of the coffee as it began to perk.

Kane placed his hands on his hips. “Why did you marry me?” he asked in a curious tone.

Martine lowered her eyes, certain she would choke on her answer. She could have never imagined that a single day could pitch her into such depths of misery after she had enjoyed a happiness so incredible and magical.