Lucas (9 page)

The double doors of the
stable groaned in protest as they opened. She turned to say something to Liam’s
grandson, but froze when her face nearly met with his broad chest.

Good heavens.

Lucy could hardly
breathe. Being so close to Lucas Deardon had become all too familiar too
quickly. She was sure they violated several rules of propriety, not that she
minded much here or in the attic. She was quickly learning that the rules that
governed society in New York were not the same here. Her cheeks warmed at the
thought.

When Lucas had first
arrived at the ranch, she’d not known what to make of him, but after seeing how
confidently he handled himself under pressure, and the tenderness he’d displayed
with his grandfather, she’d had to stop herself on more than one occasion from dreaming
of those thick arms wrapped around her.

Stop it right now, Lucy
Russell.

She took a step away
from him. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like had
a man like Lucas Deardon requested the mail-order-bride instead of Gilroy
Hearn.

“The sleigh is ready,
Miss Lucy.” Jake handed her down a large cozy blanket for the ride, then he
pulled the horses out into the yard and jumped down.

“Thanks, Jake. We won’t
be out too long.” She told him, though she guessed Lucas wouldn’t have a
problem unhitching the sleigh when they returned. The light afternoon breeze
blew the hair away from Lucy’s face, allowing the sunlight to warm her skin. It
felt good.

“Shall we?” she asked
Lucas as they made their way to the front of the sled. The snow had already
started to melt, unusual for this time of year, but the chill still nesting in
the air promised the crystal-topped ground would be around for a while. In her
experience, an Indian summer was generally followed by the harshest of winter
seasons and she shivered at the thought.

Lucas slipped his hands
around her waist and lifted her effortlessly up onto the bench. His touch sent
gooseflesh cascading down her arms.

“So, where are we
going?”

This was a mistake.
If she cared anything
about protecting her heart, she would get down off the sleigh and as far away
from Lucas as possible.

“To show you Whisper
Ridge.”

“Aren’t we already
here?”

“Take a look out, as
far as you can see, in every direction.”

Lucas looked around him
and although the stables blocked his view to the south, she saw the same wonder
in his eyes as she’d felt when she’d first arrived and learned of the immensity
of the ranch.

“
That
is Whisper
Ridge. All of it. Hi-yah!” she called out to her two favorite draft horses.

Before they could even
get out of the main gate, sleigh bells jingled in the distance. It had to be
Hank. She’d sent Denver out to his place early this morning and then to Sam’s
to inform them both about what had happened with their father.

Hank and his oldest
son, Seth, emerged through a small thicket of pines and hastily crossed the
wide bridge separating the homesteads.

“We were just on our
way to see you.” Lucy said as Hank pulled up next to her.

“Mara had one of those
feelings last night that something was wrong.” Hank’s eyes shot to Lucas and
back to her. He raised his gun heavenward, lifted the fore-end into the air,
and cocked it. “When Denver showed up this morning, we came as soon as we could
get away. What’s going on, Lucy?”

“I’m glad to see you,”
Lucy said, daring a glance at the man seated next to her.

“Your father is going
to be unable to participate in the games tomorrow and Lucas is going to take
his place.”

“What’s wrong with
Dad?” Hank asked, raising a brow. “I’m sorry, who are you?” he asked, not
waiting for the first question to be answered. He clutched the rifle
menacingly, fixing his gaze on Lucas.

“There was an accident
with the water tower. A stampede knocked out the braces and the tower fell.
Granddad’s up in his room resting. Doctor’s orders. I’m Lucas, by the way. Lucas
Deardon,” he said, standing up and leaning over with his hand extended.

Hank ignored it, but he
dropped his gun to his side.

“I’m Seth. Deardon,”
the younger man said with a grin as he jumped down off his sleigh.

Lucas climbed down to
meet him.

Hank didn’t say a word,
but slapped the reins and drove up next to the stables where he handed the
straps to Jake.

Seth’s brows scrunched
together as he took Lucas’s proffered hand. “Uncle Gabe’s kid, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What’s all this ‘sir’
nonsense? We’re cousins. Family.” Seth pulled Lucas into stiff hug, then
followed Lucas’s eyes to Hank’s retreating form. “Don’t mind him. He’s still
mad at your dad for leaving. Even after all these years.” Seth looked up at
Lucy, who still sat on the wagon bench. “I’m sorry, were you two headed
somewhere?”

Lucy felt the color
rush into her cheeks. “Not anymore. It can wait. I’m sure Lucas would like the
chance to get to know you. Why don’t we head back up to the house?” She drove
the sleigh back to the barn. “I told you we wouldn’t be gone long,” she said,
smiling at Jake.

She was glad to see Lucas
and Seth already getting along so well. They hadn’t stopped talking to each
other as they followed her on foot. Lucas walked up to the side of the sled and
reached up to help her down. She smiled at him and allowed him to lower her to
the ground.

“Your grandfather’s
fever has broken, but it’ll be a while before he’ll be back to his old self.”

The silence that
followed as Seth looked between her and Lucas put Lucy at a loss for words and
she folded her lips together, careful to avoid the man’s eyes.

“I’m sure there’s a
story here, but it’ll keep. For now,” Seth said, a grin spread across his face
as he patted Lucas on the shoulder. “Glad to have you back, cousin.”

There
was
a story,
but the ending had yet to be written.

Mrs. Lucas Deardon
. The name had promise.
After all, it couldn’t be a coincidence that both of their names started with the
same few letters. She might have thought it fate. If she believed in such things.
It wasn’t like her to entertain such silly notions, but he affected her more
than she cared to admit.

“You staying long?”
Seth asked.

Lucy glanced over at
Lucas, attempting to keep the hope from her eyes. With several eligible Deardon
men surrounding her at any given moment, this was the first time she’d found
herself wanting, hoping, to be noticed.

She held her breath,
waiting for him to answer.

How long are you
staying?
She
asked silently, as if by thinking the question, would will him to respond more
quickly.

“That...,” he said as
he stole a glance at her, “has yet to be determined.”

Thanksgiving Day

DING! CLANG! DING!
CLANG! DING!

Lucas shot up out of his
bed and scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as he
swiftly collected his rifle from the side of the nightstand next to his bed.

“Whoa, slow down there,
partner.” His cousin, Seth, broke out with a huge guffaw, nearly bent over with
laughter, a metal meal triangle clutched in his hands.

“I’m sorry,” Seth said
with a snicker, “did we wake you?”

Lucas glanced at the
other culprit leaning up against the vanity dresser.

“I’m Daniel,” the
dark-haired stranger said with a smirk and a wave. “Sam’s oldest.”

Lucas stepped back,
wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him. If he didn’t know any better,
he would have thought it was Henry. There was no doubt they were related. He
had to give his cousins credit. Generally, this kind of tomfoolery was his
doing at home, but he’d never been on the receiving end.

“You’re lucky I didn’t
kill you.”

“Eh, you’re a Deardon.
Instincts are what keep us alive around here. You weren’t going to shoot us. Come
on.” Seth threw the denims Lucas had left draped over the chair last night in
his face. “We eat breakfast early on tournament day.”

“I just want to check
in on Granddad this morning and then I’ll be down.”

“It
is
odd to
see him weak and so tired looking, but you’ll find out he can’t sit still for
long. He’s already eaten his breakfast and is working on something with Mr.
Tacy in the study.”

With all these new
names and faces, Lucas was having a hard time keeping track of everyone. He had
no idea who Mr. Tacy was, but after seeing the exhaustion in his granddad’s
eyes yesterday, it worried Lucas that he wasn’t resting as ordered.

“Does Miss Russell know
he’s up?” Lucas wanted to ask his cousins how Lucy had come to be on the ranch,
but thought better of it. He was sure he’d learn soon enough.

“Lucy? I’m sure she
does. She knows everything that goes on around here. It’s only a matter of time
before granddad agrees to let one of us marry the girl,” Daniel said just
before disappearing out the door.

Lucas tilted his head
and squinted his eyes as he pondered that last statement. His granddad had
practically insisted on him marrying the woman. If there had been plenty of
Deardon men already willing to do so, why had he chosen Lucas for
the…opportunity?

His heart skipped a
beat at the thought, but he ignored the sensation. It was Noah’s turn to get
married. Lucas chided himself for not volunteering to be the one to go to
Markham’s and learn the cattle trade. Then, maybe granddad would have insisted
that Noah marry Lucy.

The more he thought
about it, the more he realized that he didn’t like the idea of his brother
marrying her, or anyone else for that matter. There was something about Lucy that
almost made him forget his reasons for saying no. Not only was she beautiful,
but she was smart and had a kind heart.

It didn’t take long to
shrug into his britches and join the rest of his family down in the kitchen for
food. The over-sized table was covered with steaming plates piled high with
flapjacks, eggs, an assortment of meats, and a large pot of what looked to be creamed
porridge. It had been a long time since he’d seen this amount of food at
breakfast time. Back home, they were lucky to have day-old biscuits and jerky
with fresh milk.

When he stepped into
the room, it fell silent and several pairs of eyes turned to look at him. Some
were faces he now recognized, but others were still unfamiliar.

The competitors
, he guessed. However,
he didn’t see Uncle Hank or Sam among them.

“Hello,” Lucas waved
awkwardly.

Seth shoved a plate of
food into his hand and Lucas followed him to an open seat at the table in front
of the door. He glanced out the window. Water dripped from the fence where the
brightly shining sun continued to melt the snow. If it weren’t for the ground
covered in a blanket of white, he would have believed it a fresh spring
morning.

“Well, you boys ready
to compete?” A firm hand warmed Lucas’s shoulder as his granddad came up behind
him. Liam squeezed, however lightly. He bent over to Lucas’s ear. “How’s the
shoulder today?” he asked.

Surprised, Lucas turned
to look at him and his granddad winked.

“Good, thank you.” He
stood to allow Liam a place to sit, then leaned with one foot against the wall,
next to the door, holding his plate. As he scooped a spoonful of food into his
mouth, he watched how easily his granddad interacted with the others.

Now, it’s my turn to
get to know him
,
he thought with a smile.

At first glance, the
older man seemed to be feeling better, but despite his easy smile, there was
something in his face, in his eyes, that still betrayed his weariness.

The kitchen door
opened. Before Lucas could move out of the way, Lucy stepped inside, brushing wet
droplets from her coat all over him.

Runoff from the roof,
he gathered.

“Denver assures me that
the cloth targets have been secured to the round straw boards and the ring in
the barn has been swept and readied for the leg wrestling matches.” She brushed
wet tendrils out of her face. When she glanced up, her eyes locked with
Lucas’s.

“Oh, excuse me,” she
said with an expression that told Lucas she’d just seen him.

Lucas was taken aback
by the feelings she evoked in him. He’d been tempted by several beautiful
women, but all of them paled in comparison to her. Even with wet hair and her
nose red from the cold, she was beautiful.

I’m not getting
married. I’m not getting married.
Who was he trying to convince?

A different voice
interrupted his thoughts as Lucas could hear Emma’s constant reminders of how a
gentleman should treat a lady, but before he could get his body to cooperate
with his mind, his granddad prodded him.

“Well, aren’t you going
to help her with her coat, son?” Liam asked as he turned around and looked at
Lucas.

He set his plate down
on the table and reached out to her. “Yes, sir.” He didn’t need any more
encouragement. Being a gentleman didn’t require any kind of commitment.

“May I?” he asked.

Lucy looked around at
the table, color flooding her cheeks, but she allowed him to remove the
covering.

“Thank you,” she said
as he handed it back to her. “I’ve had Jake pull two of your stuffed chairs out
onto the porch where you will have a wonderful view of the outdoor events, Liam,”
she told his grandfather.

Lucas appreciated the
warm pink glow that now highlighted her face.

“…and then we’ll move
them into the barn where you can be close enough to watch the indoor events and
feel like you’re a part of it all.

“I would feel like I
was a part of it if I was participating,” he grumbled. “You know I’m not one
for sitting on my hind end watchin’ like a...”

“Like a what?” Her
hands were on her hips and one eyebrow cocked.

Lucas noticed that all
the men seated at the table had suddenly become very interested in the food in
front of them, their heads bent low and staring into their dishes.

“Like a woman?” She
opened her mouth as if to say more, but closed it again and smiled.

“Ah,” Granddad waved
his hand flippantly in the air, “you know what I mean.”

Lucy smiled and kissed
the top of his head. “Good luck, gentlemen. The festivities will begin in half
an hour,” she said before retreating to the other room.

Granddad looked up at
Lucas, raised a brow, and then turned to everyone at the table. “Which one of
you boys is going to marry that girl?” he asked.

Lucas laughed.

Every hand at that
table went into the air and another twinge of jealousy curdled in Lucas’s stomach
at the thought of anyone else gaining her favor. His granddad turned and looked
at him again. Waiting. Apparently, he had not been joking. After a few moments
of awkward silence, Lucas raised his hand.

“It’s settled.” Liam
tapped the table with a satisfied grunt. “The unmarried man with the highest
points in the tournament will take her hand.”

Marriage?
Lucas swallowed.
What
have I done?
Court her? Yes. Get to know her? Absolutely. But, marry her?
With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and accepted what his heart had known
all along. He couldn’t let her marry somebody else when he was already in love
with her.

Sorry, Noah. It looks
like I may be cutting in line.