Worth The Price (Hart's Fall, Montana) (16 page)

The snowcapped peaks of the Rockies tinged with a golden halo from the setting sun came into view. Her breath quickened.

“It’s as beautiful as ever isn’t it, Brandon?”

“It is.” He dismounted then helped her to the ground.

She planted her feet in the grass and took hold of his hand. He’d been quiet, almost pensive on the ride over, barely uttering more than two words. She’d consoled herself with the knowledge that he was pre-occupied with all of the upcoming work on the ranch.

After spreading a blanket on the grass, she sat down and patted the spot next to her. A flash of hesitation flickered in his eyes.

“Are you upset about something?”

He blinked as if caught unaware then lowered onto the blanket beside her. He issued her a wan smile. “I’m not upset. I have a lot on my mind.” He dropped a kiss to her cheek. “I don’t want to ruin whatever it is that gave you such a bright smile today.”

“You won’t.” Danika cradled his head on her lap. She laced her fingers through his dark hair. “Now tell me, what are you thinking about?”

“You,” he replied, without missing a beat.

Her brows knitted. “I’m responsible for that frown on your face? Sweet Jesus, Brandon, I hope not.”

“You weren’t the cause of my bad mood. It’s ranch business. Nothing for you to worry about. Right now, you’re the only thing on my mind.”

After a while, Brandon raised his head from her lap and reclined on the blanket, arms folded behind his head. She placed her head on his shoulder. “You want to hear something silly?” He nodded.

“When I was a little girl, I would gaze up at the stars and think about my mother. You know how people always talk about heaven being this glorious place above us? Well I imagined it was up there too, way up in the sky, far away from here on earth. Every time I had a special occasion in my life or something interesting happened during the day, I’d go outside in the garden. Me, the sky…and her. My mother. It was my special way of being close to her.”

“Is this about your good news?”

Danika bit her lip with a nervous glee and faced him. “I know you probably thought it was strange that I asked you to come out here with me tonight. There’s a very good reason though.”

“Tell me.”

A sliver of dread crept up her spine. What if Brandon didn’t have the reaction she expected from him? Nonetheless, she palmed his hand and placed it beneath her dress onto the bare skin of her stomach.

“Danika?”

A lump settled in her throat at the question in his eyes. She gave a single nod. “I’m pregnant.” She waited, breath in her throat for a reaction from him.

“When did you find out?”

“Today. I suspected it for a while. I didn’t want to say anything to you until I was certain.”

To her relief, his large hand began to move gently across her belly. “I’m about six weeks along. The doctor says I’ll have to return in a few weeks to receive an ultrasound for the official due date. Are you upset? We’ve never spoken about children before.”

“All day long you had that beautiful smile on your face because you’re carrying my child. How could I be upset? Of all the things, I never expected that would be the reason for your happiness.”

“So… You’re pleased?”

He raised her dress high, exposing her entire stomach. “Pleased is not the right word.”

“I just knew you’d be happy.” A wide smile blanketed her features. “I’m also positive you’re going to be an excellent father.”

“You think so?”

“I do. You won’t be anything like your parents, Brandon.”

“No?” His eyes connected with hers.

“Nope. Because you’d would never abuse or abandon you child. Or hurt any child for that matter.”

“You have a lot of faith in me,” he said quietly, then positioned himself between her thighs.

Her legs splayed wider to accommodate him. “All the faith in the world,” she said in between an intake of breath.

Brandon thumbed her cheek. His eyes softened as he pressed his shaft against her sex. “Look at me
.
Do you want your man inside you?”

“More than anything else.”

He raised her leg and dropped a delicate kiss on her ankle. With tantalizing slowness his lips continued on their erotic journey upward, until finally Danika felt his warm breath whisper across her clitoris. He planted a soft kiss on the engorged bud.

A fevered moan escaped her lips. Her hips rocked and gyrated, seeking more. He didn’t keep her waiting. Lowering himself on top of her, he clasped his hand to hers and slid to the hilt within her tight sheath. Her lips parted of their own accord as a cry of pleasure split from the back of her throat. It never failed to amaze her, no matter how often they made love, each and every time felt more exquisite and sensuous than the last.

Holding himself rigid above her, Brandon pumped into her with a slow and steady pace. “Can I go harder?” He gave another thrust. “Don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” She rolled her hips, enticing him to go deeper and harder.

He took her word and plunged deeper, pounding inside her. Her fingernails scratched along his back. Soon, her legs began to tremble, threatening to buckle with each unrelenting thrust, which flung her closer and closer to the edge. And then her world shattered in a million exhilarant pieces. Danika cried out her orgasm, thankful when his mouth lowered on hers, muffling the sound.

His head lifted then fell back on an anguished groan. “Don’t leave me. Please
,
don’t ever leave me.”

Tears burned at the back of her eyelids as he buried his face in her neck and filled her with hot, wet ejaculate.

Danika allowed a teardrop to fall below her lashes. Brandon needed her as much she needed him. “You’re my one and only, Brandon. You mean more to me than anything and anyone else.” It was the closest she could get to saying I love you without laying her heart on the line for disappointment.

His forehead fell to touch her own. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. Anything I say to you, I mean it. It’s from my heart. You’re my world and I don’t want to lose you either.”

“I didn’t think this night could get any better.”

She wasn’t sure for how long they sat there together under the stars after righting their clothes. Time felt as if it stood still for the two of them alone to bask in their good fortune. Their marriage and everything that came out of it,
would
come out of it in eight months time.

“Ready to head back?”

Danika nodded. She was looking forward to cuddling up in bed beside her husband. Moments later, Brandon retrieved Acer and mounted the horse. She extended her hand for his assistance. Their skin touched for a brief instant when all of a sudden his body grew tense.

“What’s wrong?”

“You hear that?” His brows were creased in concentration.

Danika listened closely. The heavy trampling of a horse’s hooves thundering toward them resonated in her ears. Despite the darkness of the night, she was able to recognize the rider, Clint who came to an abrupt stop in front of them.

“Bran,” he panted. “You gotta come quick.”

She darted a look between both men. Brandon’s jaw was set in a firm line. Danika glanced downward to see his fists clenched at his sides as if he already knew what Clint’s harried visit entailed.

“Spit it out.”

Before Clint turned to Brandon, she caught the oddest glance, something akin to a look of sympathy from the foreman. Dread seized her by the throat, causing her to inch closer to him.
Please don’t let anything have happened to my dad.

“I just came from the pastures. Didn’t even have to do a head count to know. The fence was ripped open.”

“Brandon?” She gripped his arm, understanding slowly dawning on her.

“Did you see who it was?” he asked, paying no attention to her.

“No. But the camera was running.”

Her heart hammered. She had thought the cattle rustling was a one-time thing, some jerks out to make a fast buck. “What can I do?” She tugged on Brandon’s sleeve since he seemed to have forgotten she was standing beside him.

Finally, he acknowledged her. “You will do nothing. I’m sending you back to the house with Clint.”

“I want to go with you.”

“No!”

Her eyes widened, wounded by the sharpness of his tone. Was he angry with her? Did he blame her for bringing him out here when he could have been over at the pasture monitoring the cattle?

She opened her mouth to ask him the very question at the same moment his thumb grazed her cheek. The harsh line was no longer chiseled into his jaw. “I’ll be able to think better when I know you’re safe at home. Trust me on this, Danika. Clint will take you back to the house. No arguments.”

Danika curled her fist but kept silent. She was being immature, that was all. Of course Brandon was frustrated. She was too. The ranch was her home and she too felt violated.

“You think it’ll be all right?” She watched the shadowy figure of her husband ride off into the night.

The older man sighed. “Ain’t that a question I wish I had the answer. I sure hope Bran knows what he’s doing.”

Worth the Price

The next day, Brandon sat around his desk with Austin Hart standing beside him, both watching the security footage that played on his computer screen. On each occasion of replaying and zeroing in on the particular image, the sickening truth was there to see and also within his grasp. It always remained the same. He glanced down at the worn piece of paper on his desk. The same piece of paper he had witnessed moments ago landing on the grass, going unnoticed by the thieves who had ripped through his barbed wire fencing without a second thought.

He clicked out of the security program, unwilling to stomach it for another second. This was the fourth time he’d viewed it since returning home from the pasture last night, to find Danika fast asleep on the sofa with another book dangling from her hand. He knew she had stayed up waiting for him. Quietly, he’d scooped her up and laid her in bed then returned to his office, where he’d spent the better hours of the night seething in his anger at Prescott‌—‌his father-in-law.

Brandon rubbed his temple and turned from the computer. His stomach roiled at the thought of familial connection with the land developer.

“We have to report this to the Association,” Austin said.

Association?
He’d rather march over to Prescott’s house and slam his fist into the older man’s face. He wouldn’t even bother to ask about the whereabouts of the cattle since they were nothing but a memory of a sumptuous steak purchased by some unwitting, law-abiding person.

“I want back every red cent that bastard stole from me,” he growled. “Prescott deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his miserable life.”

“Everyone knows by now Frank’s business is six feet under and buried. Whatever money he made from your cattle, is probably in the pockets of his creditors.”

Fury stormed a path through his veins. “If Prescott was smart enough he’d have that money saved and tucked under his mattress. He doesn’t have a single bill to worry about since I paid them all a few months back.”

Austin’s mouth fell to the floor. “Of all the things I’ve heard this has to take the bullet. What the hell would possess you to take over his debt?”

Brandon jammed a hand inside his pocket. He’d already said too much. Carefully, he chose his next words. “As revolting as it is, he’s my father-in-law. I didn’t want my wife upset, having to see him living out on the streets.”

“You’re bullshitting me,” Austin fired back. “And not just about paying off Prescott’s bills out of the goodness of your heart. I don’t buy it for a split second that you and Danika were embroiled in a secret relationship and it led to your quickie marriage.”

He narrowed his brows, unsure where exactly Austin wanted to take the discussion. “My marriage is real, Hart.”

“Never said it wasn’t. What I’m not buying is that you two were a hot item in love. Seems like a bit of a coincidence that you got hitched right about the time word started to get around that Prescott was about to lose everything. Now you’re telling me you cleared up his debt. That doesn’t make sense. Did you and Danika have some sort of agreement?”

Brandon gritted his teeth. He should have known his friend would see past his delicate wording. “Say one word,” he warned. “One word about this to anyone…”

“Cattleman’s honor. I’ll take it to the grave.”

Without going into explicit details, Brandon filled him in on the exchange of money for Danika’s agreeing to marry him.

“Bet that’s the best deal you’ve made in a decade huh?”

“Best deal I ever made,” he admitted. Or so he’d thought. There was no denying he wanted Danika to belong to him. What he didn’t want was the trouble that came with her having Frank Prescott as a father.

“Having second thoughts?” Austin eyed him with a hawk-like precision. “You’re not wondering if she’s involved are you?”

“No,” Brandon replied, in a tone that left no room for argument. “She’s not helping Prescott. I’d stake my life on it. My wife is nothing like that weasel.”

Austin issued him a look of skepticism but said nothing. “It may sound hard to believe, but I don’t regret marrying her. I did what was necessary to make her give me a chance. Seeing Danika hurt because of this is the last thing I’d ever wish for, but there’s no way I can let Prescott off the hook.” He observed his friend for a few seconds. “You ever feel that way about a woman before, like you’d go insane if you lost her?”