“Don’t knock it,” the other man said. “Someday you’ll be doing dishes and changing diapers too.” Bobby was an ex-Marine and had the body and menacing demeanor to prove it, and seeing a big man like him domesticated was too much to bear.
“Bite your tongue,” Marshal said with mock horror.
“Well, Lori’s fishing with that new girl, Beth—” He didn’t miss the interested expression that crossed Marshal’s face at the mention of the woman’s name, but he knew better than to pry. “So I’m stuck doing housework and looking after Abby. Now is this an official visit or unofficial?” Bobby asked, raising his brows at his friend.
“A little of both—You got a minute?”
“Sure. Come in. You can dry the dishes.”
Marshal laughed again and stepped in the house behind Bobby.
After half an hour or so of listening to Marshal tell his story over a cup of coffee, Bobby let out a long, slow whistle. “I’m sure he won’t forget you.”
“I told him to stay away from Beth.”
“I don’t doubt he will.” He cast Marshal a sideways glance. “You can be convincing.”
Marshal gave an emotionless grin. “I can.”
“Like you said, Marsh, he’s young and foolish. I’ve known Tim since he was a toddler. He was spoiled by his parents, but he’s not mean.”
“Yeah, that’s probably what kept me from breaking his jaw.”
“Maybe Tim was spellbound. Lori said the new girl was gorgeous,” Bobby said innocently, smirking behind his cup of coffee while his eyes remained fixed on the other man.
“You said they went fishing?” Marshal asked, changing the subject after seeing Bobby’s expression. Of course Beth was gorgeous—and she was sexy, sensual, and smelled like heaven. He gritted his teeth and looked past Bobby to the front yard, visible through the window.
Bobby grinned, seeing the odd look in his friend’s eyes despite his effort to hide it. “Yes, Lori said she was a city girl, but she was going to teach her.”
“Where’d they go?” he asked, flicking Bobby a gaze.
“Finn’s creek.” He sat back in his chair and eyed his friend with a look of amusement. “Why?”
“No reason.”
“Sure there isn’t.”
Marshal frowned, causing Bobby’s smile to widen.
At that moment, a noise came from down the hall. Bobby got to his feet and gave his friend a thoughtful look as he stood up too. “That’s Abby waking from her nap. Tell you what, I’ll call Lori’s mother to see if she’ll baby sit and you go get your gear and meet me back here in an hour. We’ll show those women how to fish properly,” he added with a mischievous grin.
“You’re on.”
***
Two hours later, Marshal pulled his truck up beside Lori’s Jeep. In the distance, they could see two people wearing hip waders and standing in thigh-deep water. It was easy to determine which one was Beth from the way one of them kept fumbling with the pole.
“Hey, we got company,” Lori said, and she smiled and waved at the newcomers.
Beth turned and saw Marshal’s truck pull up beside Lori’s vehicle and nearly groaned. When she woke up that morning, sober, she remembered what had happened and was completely ashamed that she hadn’t caught on to what Tim was doing. She wouldn’t knowingly take a drink of alcohol again—not that she’d wanted to in the first place, but it made sense considering how silly she was feeling and acting.
Her father hadn’t found out, thank God. When the large bouquet of flowers and the apology note arrived before she left that morning, her father was still in bed. She quickly disposed of the note and her mother said she’d put the flowers in Beth’s room before he got up. He never went in there. If he somehow discovered them, she’d just tell them that they were from Tim.
She was equally relieved when Marshal had dropped her off the previous night. Her mother met them at the door and ushered her in quietly after thanking Marshal for all of his help. She hoped that Marshal wouldn’t say anything to her father because she knew he would blame her for what had happened, so it wasn’t just Tim she was worrying about. She knew that she somehow had to ask Marshal not to mention anything, but she wasn’t sure how to breach that subject without giving anything away.
As for Tim, she remembered the shocked look on his face when she’d raked her nails down his neck and screamed at him. Before he could react, she got up and ran off into the night. She was terrified he would retaliate, but after reading his brief note of apology, she realized that not all men were as violent as her father. Like Marshal, who’d held her when she wept and tenderly carried her to his truck when he found her wandering down the middle of the road. He seemed so harsh, yet he had such a soft side that she nearly cried at his gentleness when she was at the hospital. Yet after his outburst the other day, she was still wary of trusting him with anything.
She watched Marshal and another man retrieve some gear from the bed of the truck, and after seeing the distinct shape of fishing poles, she knew they were going to fish with them. This time, she did release a groan.
Beth had thought Marshal was tall, but the other man seemed a good few inches taller than he did as they walked side by side carrying the gear. Splashing from beside her let her know that Lori was getting out of the water to greet them. She set her pole down and the taller man gathered her in his arms and planted a kiss on her mouth, making Beth blush and divert her gaze towards Marshal. That must be Chief Tasker. She narrowed her gaze at Marshal, knowing why he’d brought the man here.
“What are you doing here?” she asked with quiet suspicion as he approached the shore near where she was fishing. He grinned at her, not moved by her tone, as he set down his gear and shook out his hip waders in preparation to put them on.
“I’m here to show you how to fish properly,” he said as if it was a perfectly acceptable reason. “Girls don’t know how to fish,” he added with a mocking expression. Lori was really good at fishing and she and Bobby entered tournaments that they always seemed to win, but he wasn’t going to tell Beth that.
“If you’re here to see if I’m going to have a nervous breakdown, I’m fine,” she told him while casting a glance over at the other couple. Lori and Bobby were walking hand in hand toward the creek, but they were absorbed in conversation.
“Over what?” Marshal asked, giving her an innocent look.
Stunned, she just stared at him. Even though he’d let those other incidents go where she’d revealed a vulnerable side of herself, she was certain he’d want to get her to talk about this one. She knew it bothered him that she didn’t want to press charges and he’d even brought the chief of police here, so she’d assumed he was going to get her to confess what had happened. She pointed to Bobby. “So you’re saying you didn’t bring him here to talk to me?”
“We’re fishing, Beth,” he said with that same air of innocence.
She blew out a frustrated sigh. “Sure you are.”
He chuckled. “You shouldn’t be so suspicious, not everyone has an ulterior motive.”
“You’re not fooling me—Oh!” She felt a sharp tug on her rod, then another, which jerked her forward slightly on the slippery rocks.
“Don’t let go!” Marshal hollered. He knew if the fish could jerk her pole like that, it was a big one. Everyone in town was crazy about fishing—if someone let go of a big fish like that, they’d never live it down.
Beth didn’t want to let go, but another jerk on the pole pulled her off balance. Before she lost her footing, she heard splashing and strong hands gripped her, but that only lasted for a few seconds. Marshal slipped on the algae-covered rocks under his feet in his haste to save her from slipping. Unfortunately, he happened to have hold of her.
Bobby and Lori stopped and watched from the shore in stunned silence as the two fell sideways and disappeared under the water, then came up sputtering.
“Don’t let go of that pole!” Marshal shouted as Beth began to float away.
“Are you crazy!” she yelled back after she spit out a mouthful of water. “I’m drowning!”
“Stand up, you fool!” he bellowed back while scrambling through the water and the uneven creek bed just to fall a few more times trying to reach her. “But don’t you dare let go of that bloody pole!”
Beth tried to stand up, but her hip waders were full of water. However, she could feel the creek bed with her hand and managed to push her head up enough to breathe just as Marshal reached her. He immediately undid the buckles of her waders and grabbed her around the waist to lift her out of them. She finally realized that the water wasn’t that deep and stopped panicking.
The spectators on the shore were spellbound by the splashing of limbs combined with the deep masculine voice and the shrill female one hollering at one another while the flow of water pulled the two further down the creek.
“Well, that’s something you don’t see every day,” Bobby finally said in deadpan fashion.
Lori shrieked with laughter.
Marshal was finally able to pull her up against him to stop her from slipping back down into the water and further down the creek. They were both completely soaked.
Beth realized then that the creek wasn’t deep at all, but only came to her waist at its deepest point. She started laughing at how silly she felt, but when she looked up and saw Marshal’s hard expression, her laugher stopped. Water dripped down his thick ebony bangs and trailed down his face—he didn’t look the least bit amused. Knowing his temper, she started to become worried. She half expected him to holler at her again, but he didn’t. He just stared at her.
Marshal wasn’t angry at all. He was riveted. Did she have any idea how thin that water made her clothing look? Every stitch clung to her like it was part of her skin. His eyes dropped to her breasts and the taut nipples that showed clearly through the fabric. The cold water wasn’t helping his reaction, though. He was heating up. Unable to help himself, he released her hip and cupped one of the healthy mounds in his hand.
Beth gasped. “Marshal—” But she didn’t pull away or stop him, and after a moment, she realized why. It felt good—really good. Oh Lord, that is incredible!
His eyes sought out hers again. “How old are you really?” he asked huskily.
“T—twenty-one,” she breathed. How she found the strength to lie like that was beyond her.
His thumb traced over the hard nub of her nipple and she tilted her head back. “Liar,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to her arched neck. His other arm circled around her back to hold her firmly against him.
His mouth was hot against her drenched skin and nothing had prepared her for the sensations coursing through her as he continued to caress her breast with his large, strong hand. Somewhere in there, she’d forgotten that she didn’t like to be touched. What Tim had done to her the day before faded away as if it had never happened.
“Are you older than eighteen?” he murmured against her earlobe.
“Y—yes!” she gasped.
Thank God, he thought as his other hand moved downward to cup her bottom and pull her hips tightly against his. “Good, because I would hate to think a teenager could do this to me.” He lifted her slightly so she could feel the length of his erection against her belly.
Beth knotted her fingers in his shirt to pull herself closer to him. She hadn’t even realized that her feet were no longer on the creek bed because she was so distracted by the things Marshal was doing to her. “I—I’m not a teenager,” she stuttered out.
“No, honey, you’re definitely not,” he agreed thickly. “Every inch of you is pure woman.”
His blunt statement went through her like hot electricity. How could something that seemed so simple sound so darn sinful? She lifted her head and looked up at him and for a brief moment, that was all they did—but he didn’t stop what he was doing to her breast. Her eyes strayed to his mouth; it looked even more sensual and inviting than it did on that first day she’d stared at it. How she wished he would kiss her!
Marshal couldn’t get past how beautiful she looked—full of desire, her long, wet hair plastered around her finely sculpted face. Her eyes had taken on a deep green hue that resembled wet emeralds; her skin was flushed despite the coolness of the creek, and that gloriously pouty mouth of hers had parted in invitation. His hand contracted on her bottom, pulling her tighter against his erection, and at the same time, he released her breast, knotted his fingers in her long hair, pulled back her head, and slammed his mouth down on hers with a guttural groan.
They should have been shivering. Both were drenched, but the heat radiating from their bodies could have melted a glacier. Her mouth was soft and pliable under his strong lips and she tasted like fresh rain. Her body fit against his like it was built for him. Every inch of her softness melded against his hard form with definitive accuracy, as if they’d been doing this for years. Not once did she hesitate or try to stop him, even though he wasn’t the least bit gentle as he explored the depths of her passion.
As his mouth teased hers, there were brief moments that indicated she wasn’t experienced, but as his tongue sought out hers, the lack of uncertainty she showed eliminated all concern. She wanted him too. Her fingers tangled in the cloth of his shirt, capturing some of his chest hair and pulling it painfully, and he liked it. That little bit of pain she gave him mixed with the pleasure they created and made this real.
“Marsh!”
Bobby’s voice brought his head up. They were screened by a grove of trees and Lori and Bobby had obviously lost track of them. Thankfully, they hadn’t been seen. He looked down at Beth, who acted as though she hadn’t heard the other man’s voice, and it caused him to grin. He ran his thumb across her swollen bottom lip and his eyes followed the movement. “We forgot about Lori and Bobby.”
“Who?” she asked in complete obliviousness.
He groaned and took her mouth again and she threaded her fingers through his thick hair in an attempt to get closer.
“Hey Marsh!” Bobby’s voice was closer this time.
Marshal cursed and lifted his head again. “We’re fine!” he hollered back. “Just looking for her pole!”
“Lori got worried,” came the response.
“We’ll be along in a minute,” he called out, lowering his eyes to hers, then to her mouth, then back up to her eyes again. “You go first,” he said softly. “I need at least five minutes more.”
“Go?”
“Stop it, Beth. I’m as hard as a rock right now and that wide-eyed innocence you have is making this more difficult.” She still looked confused. He released a heavy sigh and took her hand from his tangled hair, placing it below the water against his solid erection as he raised a single dark eyebrow.
“Oh!” Her eyes widened more. “Gosh—I’m sorry! I didn’t realize—”
“Well, you can do something about it later, but I’m sure you don’t want an audience if I make love to you right now.”
She shook her head rapidly, causing him to chuckle. Then he lowered his head and kissed her forehead tenderly. “You go first. I’ll be along, and—release my crotch, or I’m going to make you finish what you’ve started,” he added with a thick groan.
Beth flushed a hundred shades of red when she realized what she was doing. “It’s your fault,” she blurted out, snapping her hand back.
“Sure it is,” he said, noticing her flushed skin. “You had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
“Y—you put my hand there!” she choked out.
“Yes, but I didn’t ask you to stroke me,” he said deeply. “Although I wouldn’t normally complain, but like I said before, we’ll end up with an audience.”
“Oh God!” She quickly turned and rushed out of the creek without another word, totally appalled by her behavior because she was doing exactly that! She’d felt the length of him through his wet jeans and not only was she curious, she was so filled with desire to touch him that she’d lost herself. Feeling thoroughly ashamed, she couldn’t even turn around and look at him as she marched back along the bank toward Lori.
Beth had never acted like that before in her life. She’d never seen that part of a man before, not even in a magazine, and, she’d never thought it could be so big and hard. Having to climb though the brush was a godsend so she had a chance to get her embarrassment under control. By the time she reached the other couple, she was soaked, ashamed, and very, very cold.
“Oh my!” Lori spotted her first. Not only was she soaked and shivering, she looked upset.
“Can you take me home?” Beth asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
“Of course,” she said, grabbing her stuff. “Just let me tell Bobby, he’s in the creek fishing.” She gestured toward him as he cast his line into the water.
“I’ll do this,” Beth said, helping her pick up their gear and thankful that she only had to face Lori just then.
“No, you must be cold. The keys are in the Jeep, just go turn it on and I’ll be right there. I don’t mind, Beth. There’s a blanket in the back seat, wrap it around yourself so you don’t catch a cold,” she said with a reassuring smile.
Beth nodded. “Thanks.” She normally would have protested, but she was worried that Marshal would return any minute and possibly say something that would make her want to vanish into thin air. She knew he didn’t care about what people thought about him, so she had to get out of there now.
After she started the vehicle and wrapped a blanket around herself, she stared at her hand—the one that had touched him—wondering how she could have done such a thing or even let him touch her back. It was true that she wanted him to kiss her, but that wasn’t just any kiss. It was soul-searing and she’d never forget it.
She plunked her head back on the seat, staring at the roof, wondering how in the world she could get past that and go back to work for him like nothing had happened. From the way he spoke to her, he obviously thought she had some experience—all woman, make love, stroke— “Oh lord, oh lord—I’m in trouble.” She shut her eyes tightly. And why shouldn’t he think that way? She’d responded to him like she knew what she was doing. Where it came from, she had no flipping idea.
***
Her mother suppressed a smile when she saw that Beth had gotten soaked while fishing. “I see it didn’t go too well.”
“You have no idea,” she mumbled as she walked past her.
“Beth,” her father said, hearing her voice. He came into the foyer and stopped. “What the hell happened to you?”
“I fell in the creek.”
He shook his head. “You are a clumsy girl, but at least you can still come to church with us. Go get changed.”
“Yes, sir,” she said, making her way by him. It would probably do her some good to go. She felt so out of sorts—ashamed, and guilty for what had happened earlier. Maybe Father Davis would lend an ear to her turmoil. She needed someone to talk to and there was no one else she could trust.
Chapter Six
The next day, Beth dressed in an ankle-length denim skirt and a long-sleeved pink blouse, doing her best to cover every inch of her skin. She was sure that no matter what she wore, she’d still feel like Marshal could see her naked. Thankfully, he wasn’t around when she showed up for work.
May opened the door and gave her a wide, generous smile. “Well, Beth, it’s good to see that Mr. Davis didn’t scare you away.”
Beth shrugged. “He apologized—sort of.” She really didn’t want to go into detail because she wasn’t sure if that incident in the creek counted as part of the apology.
The older woman arched her brows. “Really? Well, that has to be a first. I guess that means I have to cook him supper.”
Beth tilted her head in confusion.
“I gave him a cold sandwich on Friday.”
Beth was shocked. ‘You didn’t!” Then she remembered that he’d been at the diner ordering food, and she burst into laughter. “You are brave.”
“Yes, and he deserved it! He’s too big to turn over my knee, but I can get back at him in other ways. That floozy shows up when she pleases and always frowns at my food. Then she feeds him some garbage about you insulting her.”
Beth was about to say she did threaten to throw Cindy out, but May held up her hand.
“I’m sure if you did say something, it was well deserved. Besides, no one insults my food!”
“The nerve,” Beth agreed with another laugh.
“She requests green tea and some vegetarian dish that I wouldn’t feed a cow and I know she won’t eat when Mr. Davis is around,” May said with a scowl. “Nothing about that woman is truthful.”
Beth nearly choked as she realized she was no different. Marshal knew she wasn’t twenty-one, though, and he knew she had secrets. At least she’d never acted out of character to impress anyone. “Where’s Ben?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
“He’s gone to baseball camp for a week.”
“Really?”
May nodded. “Mr. Davis has him in just about every sport you can imagine. He says it builds character and gives the boy options for scholarships,” she added with pride. “He’s really good at just about everything.”
“I’m not surprised. He’s probably a head taller than the other twelve-year-olds there.”
“Actually, he’s in the fourteen-to-eighteen camp because of his size. It gives him an advantage in learning with the older kids.”
“Does he enjoy it?” Beth had to ask because her father had enrolled her in all sorts of things she didn’t want to take and she’d hated every minute of it. She hoped Marshal wasn’t pushing Ben too much.
“He suggested it.” May grinned. She knew exactly why Beth asked that question. Every parent wants their child to be some sort of prodigy, but Marshal would never force Ben to do anything he didn’t want to do. “He used to play hockey up until a year ago, but decided he wanted to focus more on his schooling besides playing baseball and football.”
“He is an amazing kid,” Beth said, shaking her head as she turned to go into the study.
“No argument there. Mr. Davis did an incredible job on raising him.”
He did, Beth agreed silently. Ben was happy and it mattered a lot to her that a child his age was content, especially knowing that his mother had abandoned him. He didn’t seem to let that hold him back in the least. She had to give it to Marshal. He was a good father—
Good father?
For some reason, it had never seemed possible for her to say—let alone think—those two words together. Once again, she felt the sting of tears over something as insignificant as words. “Get a grip, Beth,” she scolded herself quietly. Why was it that she always had the need to weep lately? She shut the doors to the study and tossed her purse on the corner of the desk while she rubbed her forehead, trying to cope with her emotions.
Feeling better, she finally lifted her head just to see two boxes of receipts sitting on the other end of the desk. She groaned and walked around it to sit down. This man worked far too much to be human. And he’s way too sinful to be real, she thought to herself, remembering his mouth and hands on her the day before. A warm flushing went through her and settled low in her pelvis. Instinctively, she put her hand flat on her lower belly and shut her eyes. This wasn’t normal, was it? Nothing else in her life had ever caused that feeling happen. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t so addictive.
Thinking about Marshal was driving her nuts. Get to work, Beth, and get that man out of your head, she thought to herself and immediately started rummaging through the nearest box to do just that.
***
Marshal had seen Beth drive up and go in the house. He was across the yard talking to Slim about the haybine when his eyes were drawn to her as she got out of her car and went up the steps. He hadn’t slept last night at all. His mind was too preoccupied with the feel and taste of her. What he wouldn’t have given to carry through with it yesterday, but he didn’t want to embarrass her in front of others.
It took longer than he’d thought to quell his desire so he’d spent a good half hour looking for her fishing pole. He finally found it, wedged between two rocks, but the monster she’d had on the line was long gone, hook and all. At least he had something to show Bobby so he wouldn’t suspect anything, but that was pointless considering the look in his friend’s eyes when he returned and Lori and Beth were long gone.
“She was cold. Lori took her home,” Bobby said before Marshal had a chance to ask. “At least Lori was right, she is gorgeous.”
“How long have we been friends?” asked Marshal, tossing the pole on the ground next to their other gear.
“Almost twenty years,” Bobby answered. “Why?”
“If you want to stay that way, shut the hell up.”
Bobby’s reply was a boisterous laugh.
“Mr. Davis!”
Marshal was pulled out of his thoughts by May as she waved at him from across the yard. He tossed down the cigarette he was smoking and stomped it out with a twist of his toe before he headed toward her. She wouldn’t hesitate to give him hell if he smoked around her.
“I’m heading into town to get some errands done. The young miss gave me your letters to mail off and then I have to get some groceries—I’ll be home before supper.”
“Does that mean you’re making me supper?” he asked, cocking a brow.
“I will,” she said with mock innocence. “What makes you think I won’t?”
“Because I’ve been surviving on diner food for two days now.”
“I’ve forgiven you,” she said in the same stern tone she always used.
“Well…gee, thanks.”
“For now,” she added with a sharp look before she turned away to head towards one of the ranch trucks. “Beth is hard at work again, maybe you should force her to take a break before she works herself into an early grave,” she called over her shoulder.
Marshal heard part of that as the truck started up and drove away, but his eyes were fixed on the front door of the house. There was a reason why he stayed away from it while Beth was there.
He craved to touch her again, but there were things he couldn’t ignore. She had secrets and she’d lied to him about her age. She really hadn’t needed to do so; he would have hired her anyway. She was the most qualified for the job.
Then there was the odd incident with not wanting to go to the hospital when she was obviously injured. Oddly enough, it seemed as if she was worried most about what her parents thought, but it wasn’t her fault. Didn’t she know that? However, if there was any damage from what Tim had done, Marshal seemed to have found some good therapy for it because she didn’t mind him touching her anymore.
Anymore?
She had shied away from him the first time he’d laid his hand on her, but he’d assumed it was because of a past abusive boyfriend. Her reaction to Tim had confirmed that. If she’d told him no and pushed him off her or just pushed him, he was sure that Tim wouldn’t have taken it too far. However, from the looks of those scratch marks, she’d actually panicked.
But she’d let him touch her.
She trusted him somehow.
Then there was that incident where she’d threatened to throw Cindy out of the study, which didn’t make sense with what he knew of Beth. It seemed as though she only hauled out her claws if she was backed into a corner. Had Cindy said something to provoke her? May seemed to think so, but Cindy had no reason to lie to him.
Then there was Ben—his nephew liked Beth, but he didn’t like Cindy because she treated him like he was a toddler. After Marshal had practically thrown her out of the house last Friday, Ben told him that Beth had offered to help him with his homework. It just added to his guilt. Maybe he’d been wrong about her and Cindy really had provoked her. Why? He’d made his intentions with Cindy as clear as day. He wasn’t after a relationship with her—ever. She was the daughter of a good friend and business partner, and that was it. Marshal was just accompanying her to certain events until she felt brave enough to start dating again.
He’d never even laid a hand on Cindy, not like he had with Beth. In fact, it had been almost a year since he’d touched a woman, despite his reputation. He’d been dealing with too many demands with work and Ben to find time to put any effort into dating; before he knew it, almost a year had gone by. He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, looking out over the yard. Could that be it? He hadn’t had a woman for so long that this one seemed to set him on fire?
“Hell,” he said under his breath. That wasn’t it and he knew it. His eyes strayed back to the door of the house and before he knew it, he was walking across the yard and up the front steps.
When the door to the study opened, Beth nervously jumped to her feet. When she saw Marshal, she slid in behind the chair, putting more furniture between them. She didn’t know Tim had tried that on Saturday and it hadn’t saved him.
“Don’t—” She held up a hand, recognizing that look. He’d had that same expression when he’d kissed her in the creek the day before. Despite her denial, her body instantly reacted to his presence. Her heart rate increased, her breathing became shallow, and her knees weakened, but the most distracting thing was that familiar warmth stirring low in her belly.
He didn’t say a word as he stalked towards her, nor did he even pause as she continued to try to move away from him.
“Marshal—” She went around the opposite side of the desk, trying to gain more time to defuse the situation.
“If you want to play this little cat and mouse game, I’m all for it,” he said locking his eyes on hers and placing his hands on the surface of the desk. “But when I catch you, I’ll make sure you pay for making me wait.”
Her eyes widened. “That shouldn’t have happened—I mean yesterday.”
“Maybe not,” he said moving around the side of her desk just to have her mimic his move to get away from him. “But it did, and a fool could see how you’ve been looking at me for the past few days.”
She turned and looked over her shoulder at the open door.
“You won’t make it,” he said narrowing his eyes dangerously and letting a smile pull at the corner of his mouth knowing she was judging the distance to the door.
She looked at him and seeing his expression couldn’t help herself but give him a challenging grin. So much for her resistance. He was incredibly irresistible and he knew it from the dark look in his eyes. “I’ll scream,” she threatened matching his stare.
“I love a screamer,” he returned as his eyes moved over her front. “And those clothes don’t hide a damn thing because I have your wet clothed body burned in my mind from yesterday.”
“Oh lord,” she said breathlessly and cast another glance at the door.
“I promised you a riding lesson,” he said allowing a sinful smile spread across his tanned face.
“Then go to the stable, I’ll meet you there,” she challenged moving again as he dodged around the side of the desk.
“The type I have in mind doesn’t include a horse.”
“Oh heavens!” What a blatant statement. Normally she should have been offended, but that flushing she felt earlier managed to spread throughout her entire body and she could feel her cheeks warm up.
Her shocked pause was all he needed to dart around the side of the desk and seize her. She screeched but the sound was cut off by his mouth. She didn’t fight him, she didn’t even try and he felt arrogant at his seductive talent. His hands contracted around her back as his mouth moved over hers. He could feel her arms wrap around his neck and her fingers thread into his hair. She released this sensual moan of surrender that vibrated down his body in a wave of pleasure and pulsed through his groin. With an incredible effort, he lifted his head and stared down at her. Her eyes were half closed but she was looking up at him. “I should stop,” he said huskily. She only nodded and pulled his mouth down to hers again for another long searing kiss.
She was getting adventurous because her tongue sought out his and it was Marshal’s turn to groan. Without lifting his mouth from hers, he turned her and pushed her against her desk while he pulled her blouse out of the waist of her skirt. Something hit the floor with a loud thud, but neither one of them noticed or cared. A moment later, Marshal’s hand was on her bare breast and she gasped at the new sensation. Somehow he’d gotten her blouse open and her bra undone and she had no recollection of how or when he did that.
“Jesus, you are so beautiful,” he said moving back to look down at her chest. His eyes lifted back up to hers and he could easily see the desire in them. “Beautiful everywhere,” he added bending his head so he could take her nipple in his mouth.
“Oh!” Beth tightened her grip on his hair. If she thought his hands created such desire in her, this surpassed it. She sobbed with pleasure and he showed no signs of slowing down.
“What are you wearing under this?” he asked moving his hand up her bare thigh under the skirt.
She didn’t even realize that he’d lifted her skirt up.
“Bikini briefs—sexy.” He growled pulling her tight against him so he could kiss her again while his fingers circled the seam of her underwear.
“Marshal,” she moaned against his mouth.
“That’s right honey, say my name,” he murmured against her lips.
The sound of a vehicle door closing finally snapped him out of it. He turned and looked over his shoulder realizing he left the study door open. “Set yourself right,” he said abruptly while releasing her and reaching the door in several long strides to shut and lock it. After that he just kept his hand on the handle and rested his forehead against the door breathing deeply keeping his back to her. “Hurry up Beth, someone’s here,” he added without turning around. She wasn’t the only one caught off guard. He didn’t mean for it to get so far, but she was doing something to him and he had no control over the way he was reacting around her. It was like a heroin addiction. He knew that if he turned around and saw her vulnerable, he would continue ravishing her and be damn who was here. He wanted her that badly.
He took another deep breath, unlocked the door, and stepped through it, shutting it behind him.
It was then Beth realized her state of undress and began fumbling with her clothes. How he managed to do such things to her, she’ll never know, but now she was embarrassed at her behavior all over again. She could feel her blush rising as she struggled with the buttons of her blouse. He had practically bent her back over her desk and ravished her and she would have let him. She knew she would. Tucking in her blouse she rushed to the mirror over the fireplace and fixed her hair. It was in a chignon but it was pointless to try and save it. She undid the clips and let it fall around her shoulders just as a familiar voice grated her nerves.
“Marshal Darling!”
At the sound of that voice Beth cringed inwardly. She compared it to nails on chalkboard.
Cindy.
How could she forget that Marshal already had a girlfriend? What was wrong with her? Did he affect every woman like he did her? She could have forgotten her own name. Narrowing her gaze at her reflection she made a silent promise not to let that happen again. Then she said a prayer to God to help her resist the man because she certainly had no will of her own.
“What happened to your hair?”
Her voice was closer now and she knew they were just outside the doors of the study. Beth looked down at her hands and smiled, I happened. Let him explain his way out of that. However, he surprised her and didn’t even give Cindy an answer. She could hear his voice clearly through the thick wooden doors.
“Cindy, I can’t have lunch with you today. I’m too busy.”
“Oh?”
Was that impatience she heard in his tone? Beth turned and looked at the closed doors almost seeing through the thick wood his rigid stance as he stared down at the blonde.
“Well, I thought you’d find some time with little old me, won’t you?”
“Not today. I’ve told you before that I’m a busy man and I don’t have time to entertain. Last Friday was a surprise, but don’t get into the habit.”
Beth heard one of those indignant huffs that Cindy seemed to be prone to emitting. “It’s that secretary of yours isn’t it? She told you I wasn’t nice to her didn’t she? Well she’s lying. I was nice to her and she ridiculed me.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
There was a pause. An uncomfortable one and Beth almost felt sorry for the woman. It was obvious now to Marshal that something had happened that day and it wasn’t all her fault because she never told him what really happened. Marshal’s voice lowered, but not to be polite. She could almost hear the anger in his tone.
“We’ve discussed this before. I have no interest in you Cindy, but now I see that something more happened on Friday than you let on.”
“No! She was so mean!” Cindy defended herself, but it was stated weakly and Beth knew that Marshal set that hard stare on her that she’d seen before and unlike her, Cindy was crumpling under it.
“She’s my employee and you seem to think you can interfere in my household affairs.”
“It wasn’t like that.”
“Cindy, I tore the hide off of her after you told me what she did!” he bellowed causing the other woman to gasp. “She left here in bloody tears!”
“I didn’t know!” she returned. “She looked plenty comfortable in the salon the next day and with Tim at the dance. Everyone knows they’re sleeping together. It’s all over town!”
Beth froze and felt that tingly sensation of dread go through her. Gossip like that would reach her father.
“And how did that happen?”
“She went home with him on Saturday after the dance Marshal, just ask her!” she lied.
“That’s funny,” he returned. “I didn’t think she was that talented to be in two places at once, because she was with me.”
Another shocked gasp.
“No—you drove me home!”
“Then I picked up Beth.”
Beth sunk in a chair and buried her face in her hands. If her father caught wind of this, he would kill her. Marshal didn’t tell Cindy he’d taken her to the hospital because he knew she didn’t want anyone to know about that incident, but he’d just damaged her reputation more. Cindy would tell everyone that she was a loose woman. It was obvious that it was her that was spreading the rumour about Tim in the first place, and Marshal felt the need to defend her only it would cause more damage.
Her father would interrogate her mother and find out the truth if he found out about the rumour. It was only a matter of time and she would be punished.
“How could you!” Cindy said in a shrill voice.
“Easy—look at her.”
A few seconds later a door slammed and then the sound of a vehicle tearing up the drive reached Beth’s ears, but she didn’t lift her head out of her hands. How was she going to get out of this?
Marshal opened the door and saw her hunched over in the chair with her face in her hands. It confused him because he’d just straightened Cindy out. “Beth?”
“You should have told her that you took me right home,” she said still not lifting her head.
“What the hell for?”
Finally her she lifted her head to meet his eyes. “She thinks we slept together.”
“Who cares? It’s better than thinking that you slept with that playboy,” he added unable to determine why she was so worried.
“Marshal, I care,” she said exasperated.
“Honey in another ten minutes it would have been true if she didn’t interrupt us.”
“No it wouldn’t!” she said shooting to her feet trying to deny it even though he was right. “I can’t—it can’t happen.”
“Beth, what is wrong with you?” he asked approaching her in several long strides and gripping her shoulders. “You are not a child. There is nothing wrong with this. One minute you’re on fire, the next you’re ice cold.”
“There is, you just don’t understand.”
“Then tell me,” he said gently. “Tell me why you shy away from men, but not me. Tell me why you didn’t want to go to the hospital that night. Was it because of some abusive boyfriend in your past?”
She couldn’t let him know, so she turned the tables on him. “Didn’t you have some issue with a previous secretary?” He released her as if he was burned.
“Don’t you dare bring that up,” he said coolly. “It was a long time ago and if I know anything, you’re nothing like she was.”
“Then stay out of my life and I’ll stay out of yours!” she shot back moving by him to get her purse. “I can’t finish today.”
It was then he realized that she was using another defense tactic. “Beth—”
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” she said not looking at him as she made her way to the door. “But please don’t touch me again.”
Marshal placed his hands on his hips and watched her go. He didn’t move to stop her even though he wanted to. What he really wanted to do was pick up her stubborn ass like a conquering caveman and haul her down the hall to his bedroom and make love to her until she forgot her own name and maybe his for that matter. However, something was still nagging him about her and he needed some answers. Maybe Bobby could help him by checking to see if her name comes up in the database somewhere. If someone had taken their hands to her, and she pressed charges, Bobby would find it.
When Beth got home, her father was waiting for her. He never said a word when she stepped in the door, but grabbed her by the hair causing her to screech and dragged her down the hall. “Tim was here earlier.” He flung her to the floor of his study and slammed the door behind them.
Beth managed to crawl backwards wide-eyed with fear. She knew that look, and knew what happened with it.
“You lying bitch!”
“Dad I can explain!” she held up her hand, but it didn’t stop the kick that landed in her side. She cried out and he bent over and twisted his hand in her hair painfully to bring her face inches from his. “He said he came to apologize about the other night. I didn’t know what he was talking about. Apparently my daughter denied his advances!” he spat at her. “I told you to win him over!”
“He attacked me!” she defended.
“So!” He stood up and kicked her again. Somewhere in the distance she could hear her mother yelling, but she blacked out shortly after that.
When she came to, there was a cool cloth on her forehead
“Beth.”
It was her mother.
She cracked open her eyes and saw the bruise forming under her mother’s left eye. “Oh Mom,” she groaned.
Her mother shook her head and touched the tender, swollen flesh under her eye. “I’m all right, honey.” She smiled and patted Beth’s hand. “He doesn’t know everything, dear. Tim didn’t tell him about the hospital visit.” She took a shuddering breath. “If he had, I’m sure you wouldn’t be alive.”
“What did he tell him?” Beth winced as she moved. Bruised ribs. Nothing new. She was just thankful that they weren’t cracked, even though it was still painful to bear.
“Just that he misunderstood your affections and carried it too far. He came to apologize, and unfortunately, your father was home for lunch. He heard everything.” She brushed hair off Beth’s cheek. “That poor man wouldn’t have said anything if he knew, I’m sure he wouldn’t.” She nodded toward the flowers that were still on Beth’s dresser. “He seemed so sincere.”
Sure he did, Beth thought, especially when he’d had her flat on her back. Her mother seemed to have forgotten that Marshal had taken her to the hospital that night because of Tim. She didn’t say anything because she knew that her mother wanted to marry her out of the house, but Tim wasn’t an option. She didn’t love him. In fact, she could hardly stand to be in the same room with him.
It was then that images of that night flickered though her mind and it just confirmed her feelings. Tim had been shocked by her reaction, and she remembered him saying that her mother had told him that she was into him. Maybe Tim wasn’t so bad, but every time someone tried to help her, she ended up in worse condition. She groaned and rolled onto to her side. “Where’s Dad?” she asked, not looking at her mother.
“He locked himself in the study. He won’t bother you again tonight,” she replied softly.
That meant he was deep into his cups. It was funny how she could no longer cry over the abuse itself, but every time she was around Marshal, she turned into a fountain. Beth pinched her eyes shut. “Could you go get me some aspirin and leave me be?”
“Sure thing,” her mother responded. She stood up and headed out of the room, but then she paused at the door. “Honey, maybe you should reconsider dating Tim.”
“Aspirin, Mom, please,” Beth repeated, not wanting to discuss that option. Tim repulsed her, whereas Marshal inflamed her. There was no way she could settle for someone like Tim when she’d discovered how Marshal made her feel when he touched her.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, Beth was walking down the stairs carefully to minimize her pain when she heard her father calling her. She made her way toward the sitting room to find him standing there, his hands clasped behind his back and a stern look on his face.
“Sit down.”
Even though it hurt, she managed to do it without wincing. To show weakness in front of her father would just empower him over her even more.
“I want you to call Tim back and tell him you’ve changed your mind about seeing him.”
Her mouth fell open. “Dad, I—”
“Don’t!” he snapped, pointing a finger at her. “I won’t let you ruin this. You’ll do as I say. He comes from a good family and I want this match.”
She suppressed a shiver at the menacing look in his eyes. “Yes, Father,” she said in defeat.
“Good. Now how are things coming with Marshal Davis?”
She coughed.
He seemed not to notice her sudden discomfort. “Beth.”
“He seems to trust me. I’ll talk to him today about hiring you,” she lied with a straight face.
“Good girl.” He smiled down at her. “Now call Tim,” he said, pointing at the phone beside her.
That meant he was going to witness the phone call to make sure she did as she was told. Reluctantly, she picked up the phone and dialed Tim’s number.
***
Luckily, when she went to work that day, Marshal was nowhere to be seen and the day flew by quickly. At four o’clock, she packed up and left, thanking God for not forcing her to see him. She couldn’t face him knowing she had a date with Tim at five. How could she explain why she was going out with a man who’d assaulted her? Marshal wouldn’t understand.
She went home and changed into something simple yet elegant, a summery floral-print dress with shoulder straps and a high, straight neckline so as not to entice Tim. She left her hair loose around her shoulders.
Tim showed up at five on the nose and her parents both waved her out the door. He opened the car door for her and then slid into the driver’s side seat. However, he didn’t start the car right away. Instead, he turned to her. “I wanted to apologize in person, Beth—”
She held up her hand and forced a smile. “It’s okay, I understand. Can we go? My parents are watching.”
He glanced past her, not understanding how she knew that without looking, but sure enough, the main window’s curtain was pulled aside and both of them were watching. “Wow, you’re good,” he said, smiling and straightening up in his seat. “So I want to take you to dinner at Chez Louis for a proper apology.”
“Sure,” she said, not looking at him as he started the powerful motor. She couldn’t look at him. It felt wrong to be there after what he’d done, but she’d called him and basically begged him to take her out while her father loomed over her. However, maybe she could tell Tim something so he’d understand that she needed to keep up the pretense.
She almost groaned, realizing there was nothing she could do or say to convince Tim that she wasn’t interested after this. She must look desperate and submissive to forgive him so easily for what he’d done, and yes, he probably would expect something from her. And then, just when she thought that things couldn’t get any worse for her, they did.
Of all things to see as Tim helped her out of the car in front of the fancy restaurant, she saw Marshal’s truck. She was sure she felt Tim stiffen as he saw the familiar big dually cruise past them. She wasn’t feeling so well all of a sudden either, especially when the familiar squealing of tires breaking on pavement reached her ears without even having to look in the truck’s direction.
“Oh shit,” Tim mumbled.
“Ignore him,” she managed to say despite her growing fear. She knew Marshal must think she was crazy or even worse, she was a manipulative, underhanded woman who’d used him for attention. “Let’s go in.”
“Beth, I can’t,” Tim said, not taking his eyes off the menacing cowboy that was now walking back toward them. “He told me to stay away from you.”
“He what?” she asked, finally lifting her eyes to Tim’s pale face, then looking over at Marshal, who was stalking along with his fists clenched at his sides.
“Beth, get in the truck!”
She actually flinched at the sound of his voice, even though she tried not to show any reaction.
“You’d better go,” Tim said.
Beth shook her head as Marshal glared openly at Tim. She couldn’t. The constant pain in her ribs told her to do everything possible not to let Marshal control this.
“She called me,” Tim blurted out. “She wanted to get back together after—”
“You lie!” Marshal said, reaching for the younger man.
“He’s not,” Beth interrupted, almost cringing as he set his dark eyes on hers. Marshal’s gaze was full of disbelief and then anger, his hand pausing barely inches from Tim’s throat. “I did call him. I wanted to make up.” That furious gaze narrowed and she could feel the heat of his stare clear through to the back of her skull. “Go away, Marshal,” she added with as much brevity as she could muster. “I’m your employee, not your ward.”
Marshal tried to read her expression, but she kept it well guarded and even managed to lift her chin slightly in defiance. He gave up the effort and said something rude enough to make both Beth and Tim flush. “You two deserve each other!” he bellowed, waving an angry hand before turning on his heel and heading back toward his truck, still running in the middle of the street.
Beth wanted to cry at the look of betrayal on his face. He’d helped her when no one else had lifted a finger and she’d betrayed him. Not only that, she was certain he would fire her and her father would be even angrier with her because he would insist on finding out what happened. Then the hospital incident would be known and he would beat her within an inch of her life.
Oddly enough, Marshal’s opinion of her worried her more than the threat to her life.
“Beth?”
She looked up at Tim.
“I think we need to talk,” he said, shooting an apprehensive look at the truck that was now speeding away, its engine roaring.
“I’m sorry about that.”
“I probably deserved it after what I did, but his expression says a lot. Why did you call me up and ask me out? I wasn’t very nice to you.”
She shrugged.
“I can be callous and conceited, but I usually know when a girl is interested in me—and despite all the encouragement I had from your parents, I can finally see that you definitely aren’t interested in me.”
“I’m sorry.” She couldn’t go on lying to him.
“I’m not going to lie and say my ego hasn’t taken a bashing, but I probably deserved it. I really should have seen the signs before.” He nodded toward the doors of the restaurant. “Let’s have dinner and talk about this. Obviously, your parents are pushing you into something you don’t want.”
She couldn’t stop the look of surprise that spread across her face, but Tim gave her a reassuring smile as he led her toward the doors. Maybe he wasn’t as bad as she’d first thought, but she still wasn’t interested in him. She also couldn’t get rid of that sickening feeling that she’d harmed Marshal in some way. He was the last person she’d ever want to hurt.
Dinner was pleasant although it couldn’t erase Marshal’s expression from her mind. Tim, as usual, talked about himself, but he seemed to understand the problem with parents pushing her into something she didn’t want to do. He’d actually wanted to be a teacher, but his parents pushed him into finance. He didn’t understand or know all the pressure she was under, but at least he was sympathetic, something she was sure he didn’t display very often.
“So,” he said, waving a finger between them. “Did you want to keep up this dating thing so your parents won’t be angry with you?”
“Tim, I—”
“Look.” He smiled and took her hand in his. “I don’t mind. I told you I understood the pressure that parents can put on you—so let me do this for you. It’ll be my way of making up for what I did to you. Then we’ll be even. I’ll even break the engagement and make you look like the jilted fiancée.”
Beth laughed despite the heavy feeling in her gut. “Thanks.”
***
Over the next three days, Beth didn’t see Marshal, but apparently she hadn’t been fired. The morning after her date with Tim, May had told her that Marshal came home in a rage, booked a flight, and took off to some cattleman’s convention in Texas—one he hadn’t had any intention of attending. The boxes of paperwork kept coming, but someone she’d never seen around the ranch was delivering them. He was polite enough, at least.
She breathed a sigh of relief that Marshal wasn’t around. At least she had some reprieve before her father found out about everything. She was certain that May had something to do with her still having a job by the twinkle in the other woman’s eyes.
It didn’t matter anyway. She was sure that Marshal would never forgive her and she couldn’t blame him in the least. To her, that was worse than losing her job or ruining her reputation.
On Thursday, Tim took her to a local art exhibit and to add to her sinking mood, Cindy was there. Beth had never said anything to Tim about how the woman hated her, but thanks to Cindy’s temper, it didn’t take him long to figure it out. She’d barely gone into the gallery when Cindy approached her, giving her a contemptuous look. Two of her friends flanked her.
“Well, if it isn’t the new popular girl,” she said, causing the other two women to giggle. “Hello, Tim,” she added.
Tim looked back and forth between her and Beth. “Cindy,” he responded.
“I see you’ve forgiven her for running off with Marshal.”
“Pardon me?” he asked, arching his brows.
“It’s no secret that she was busy with both of you the night of the dance,” she said scornfully, looking down her nose at Beth, who had paled considerably.
“Cindy,” Tim said, keeping his voice calm and polite, “people shouldn’t talk about things they know nothing about.” He paused. “Least of all you.”
Cindy turned bright red, but she still tried to keep her dignity. “Well, I can see that your loyalty doesn’t belong to the locals. I guess we’ll go sample the wine—right, girls?” she said to the two women standing beside her.
Beth watched her leave, knowing that she’d probably be the first to inform Marshal that she and Tim and had been seen all over town together looking very cozy.
“Don’t let her bother you, Beth. She has no right to judge you.”
“She’ll tell Marshal,” Beth replied before she could stop herself.
Tim’s brows arched so high that they disappeared into his blond bangs as he realized what was really going on. “So that’s it,” he said with a smile.
Beth flushed. “She’s already told him lies about me. My father would be very angry if I lost my job,” she added, hoping to mislead him. It was true that she cared about Marshal, probably more than she did about anyone else in her life, but that was a secret she didn’t want anyone to discover—not even Marshal.
“Oh?” he finally said. “Your dad wants you to work for Marshal?”
“He wants Marshal’s business.”
“I can understand that. I would love his business too.”
She laughed. “Well, I don’t think he’d be too keen on that.”
“Not likely,” Tim said sheepishly. “I kind of screwed that pooch.”
“I don’t think he dislikes you as much as you think—from what I’ve heard, if he hated you, he probably would have torn you to pieces a few days ago when he saw us together.”
“That’s true, or he would have done it in my office the day after you were shook up,” he said guiltily. “God, Beth, I am so sorry.”
“H—he did what?”
“I take it he didn’t tell you that he came storming into my office the day after the dance, threatening to kill me after what I did to you. He also told me to apologize and then stay away from you.”
Beth had thought she couldn’t feel any worse, but now she’d found out it was possible. Marshal had protected her and she’d rejected him when he thought she was leaping back into the same fire again. “I didn’t know,” she said quietly.
“I deserved it. I’ve never forced a woman in my life. I didn’t know you would react so strongly to alcohol. You just seemed so uptight.” He sighed heavily. “I felt like a bloody rapist. Maybe I should have let him pound the crap out of me.”
She shook her head. “I think I’ve been able to put things into perspective. My parents gave you the impression that I was sweet on you.” His nod confirmed it. “I’m sorry they did that.”
“Like I said, I should have seen the signs, Beth, but I didn’t. I have to admit, though, I’ve never been friends with a girl before. I can’t help but want to get them into bed sooner or later.” He grinned. “Usually I do.”
“Tim!”
“I’m not saying I don’t see you that way because a dead man would think the same with that body you have, but I’m learning to listen and see a woman as more than that because of our friendship, so it’s a good thing.”
“Gee, should I thank you?” She slanted him an amused look.
He took her hand while chuckling. “No, but let’s enjoy the night and forget about Cindy.”
“I’m worried Marshal will believe her.”
“Yeah, well Cindy’s good at spreading rumors. People know what she’s like.”
“Yes, but some people will believe her,” Beth repeated. “She told him something before and he was really mad at me.”
“She’s one to talk,” Tim replied, frowning at the woman across the room. “She’s no angel.”
“What do you mean?”
“She told people that her fiancé took off with her money, but that’s not what happened.”
“What?”
“She spent her trust that her dead mother left her, and then she fooled around with her fiancé’s best friend. Cindy likes expensive things and her father didn’t have the money to support her habits. And Marshal, being the respectable person he is, helped out a fellow rancher by buying into his two feedlots to help ease the debt. I suspect he’s also been seen with her to help her out socially because he is well respected around town. Cindy spread that story to gain sympathy, but a few of us know the truth.”
“Oh dear.”
“A lot of people felt sorry for her because she was practically left at the altar. Derek, her ex-fiancé, is a good man. He genuinely seemed to care about her, but his best friend knew better and probably went about things the wrong way. It was easy to get Cindy into bed—all he had to do was flash her some jewelry.”
“How do you know this?”
“I’m Derek’s best friend.”
***
When Beth crawled into bed that night, she reflected for a long time on the evening’s revelations. Tim wasn’t as bad as she’d first thought. She still didn’t have the same affection for him as she did for Marshal, though. She’d let Marshal touch her and kiss her, and she’d shown him part of her that she’d never shared with anyone else. How could he believe her if she confessed to him now, especially with the look that crossed his face when she told him to go away?
Marshal, she thought, pinching her eyes shut. What could he do even if he did believe her? No one could do anything for her—she was stuck in an impossible situation.
Despite May sticking up for her, he was certainly going to fire her when he got back and heard Cindy’s lies. Reaching up, she rubbed her forehead as she continued to worry about the situation. She just kept digging the hole deeper and soon she wouldn’t see a way out. That horrible, sick feeling in her stomach had become worse over the past few days and she realized that it was guilt. She had betrayed the only person she’d ever really loved and there was no way to fix it.
***
The next day, Marshal flew home and loaded his luggage into his truck, thinking this past week hadn’t done much for his temper. He’d sat through endless lectures about beef cattle and treatment of illnesses, not listening to a single word. He was furious that Beth had gone out with Tim after what he’d done to her.
That wasn’t the only thing that miffed him. He’d touched her and felt possessive where she was concerned, but she could easily toss him over for that playboy. He’d thought Beth’s feelings and intelligence ran deeper than that so it caught him completely off guard. Didn’t she know that the electricity between them was something special?
There were so many things about her that just didn’t add up. He thought he was able to read women well, but as soon as he thought he had a handle on that little spitfire, she’d switch direction. It was driving him nuts and he wanted to throttle her.
May was no help either. After he came home in a temper and hollered that he was firing the lying bitch, she threatened to quit. That actually made him pause—with all the years that he’d known her, she’d never said those words.
“Take a few days and cool down,” she said, standing there with her hands on her hips and staring up at him with no trace of fear. “There’s something going on in that little one’s life that none of us know about and you will not add to her stress! She does good work and helps out an old woman like me without one complaint.”
May knew Beth didn’t like going home, and she might have lied about the bruise on her cheek, but it didn’t take long for the housekeeper to put things together. It surprised her that Marshal hadn’t figured it out yet. After all, he was an intelligent man and a survivor of abuse himself. She eyed the large brute, thinking that maybe there was something more going on here than met the eye. May might not interfere in such things as that, but she could certainly prevent Marshal from getting rid of Beth.
“Tim assaulted her last week and now she’s dating him!” Marshal bellowed down at her. “I took her to the hospital. I patched her up!”
“So?” May responded without any hesitation. “You’re a good man. Don’t expect anything in return just because you do nice things.”
“I expect her to stay away from that prick!”
“Watch your language, young man. I may not be able to turn you over my knee, but I can starve you to death.”
Despite her warning, he let out another vivid curse and ran his fingers roughly through his hair. He couldn’t tell May that he wanted Beth or that he was more jealous than anything else. Maybe May was right and he needed a few days to calm down, so he took the trip—but it didn’t help. The only thing that did happen was that red haze disappeared from in front of his eyes as he thought back to that scene in the street when she’d told him to go away. Now he was just plain pissed off.
He got in the truck, started it, and headed toward the ranch, thinking that he would have to talk to her about this or it was going to drive him crazy. He never thought that he would get involved to this point with a woman again, but Beth was addictive.
He’d never met anyone like her. She was intriguing, passionate, and God help him, he wanted her. He wanted her naked beneath him and moaning like she had when he’d kissed her. Then he made the mistake of wondering if she reacted like that when Tim kissed her—and that made him wonder if they had been together while he was gone.
The red haze came back with a vengeance this time. The closer he got to the ranch, the more it clouded his vision.
***
Beth heard Marshal’s truck pull up in front of the ranch house and her heart started beating at record speed. The vehicle door slammed and heavy, angry footsteps came across the porch. She already knew he was in a rage and the abrupt opening and slamming of the study door only reinforced the feeling. She couldn’t even look up. She already knew how angry he was and felt he had every right to be furious with her.
“Are you sleeping with him?”
Marshal’s voice was filled with barely controlled rage. She kept her head bowed and didn’t say anything. This was the second time he’d brought that up and she knew no matter what she said, it wouldn’t end well. When a man was in a temper like Marshal was now, she wasn’t going to provoke him further.
“Beth, I asked you a question!” he bellowed this time.
“No matter what I say, you’ll believe the worst of me,” she finally said after a pause.
“God dammit, look at me!”
She snapped her head up and centered her eyes on his. He wasn’t just angry, he was raging.
“Did you?”
She kept silent and his face contorted in fury.
“He assaulted you and you’re dating him!” he snarled, walking toward her desk. “You are just as deceitful as every other woman out there.” He pointed an accusing finger at her.
“It’s not what you think,” she answered quietly, becoming fearful of what he might do. Her father was just barely five-foot-five, but Marshal was huge in width and height and he could easily hurt her more than her father could manage to do.
“You’re no better than a street slut!” he bit out.
She paled. Her father told her to give herself to Tim and Cindy had insinuated that she was already doing so, but Marshal had just called her the worst thing she’d ever heard.
“Get the hell out of my house,” he added with equal venom. “Cindy was right about you. I shouldn’t have been so stupid as to feel something for a woman who has no heart.”
Beth stood up so fast that her chair fell over backwards. Ignoring it, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door, circling wide around him and not saying another word or meeting his gaze again. His words stung her to the bone and she felt she deserved every one of them. She could feel the heat of his gaze on her back as she rushed out of the room.
Marshal heard her car leave as he sat down on his sofa. He was surprised by his own viciousness. Never in his life had he treated another human being the way he’d just treated Beth. He laid his head back and let out a curse that would make his drunken father blush. The woman didn’t even defend herself. She said nothing. She’d had something to say every other time he’d torn into her, so why not this time?
May was going to kill him. She obviously wasn’t home or she’d have come in and nailed him with a rolling pin by now.
As it was, he wished she’d just go ahead and do it because she made the next few days a nightmare. He actually found a spider in his mashed potatoes the first night and decided to eat out after that until she cooled down.
On Saturday, Ben came home from baseball camp and when he found out what his uncle had done, he took May’s side. Marshal finally laid down the law and said there would be no more mention of Beth’s name or May and Ben would both be homeless, then he stormed out of the house.
“Wow,” said Ben. “She really got to him.”
“Just remember, Ben, Beth is a good girl no matter what you hear about her.”
“I know,” he said in agreement. “She’s been really nice to me.”
On Sunday, Marshal found himself looking for her at church, but she wasn’t there. Her mother and father were and her mother looked as though she hadn’t slept in several days. When the service was over, he wanted to go ask them how Beth was doing, but something held him back.
“Something on your mind, Marshal?”
Marshal realized he was watching the Winters drive away as his brother spoke to him. He turned and looked at him, shaking his head. “I fired Beth a few days ago.”
John was surprised. “What for?”
He shrugged. “She was running around with Tim Maynard.”
“So?”
“I had to take her to the hospital one night because he assaulted her.”
“I see,” John replied, not seeming the least bit surprised by the news. Marshal caught it.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“Beth came to see me a few weeks back,” he said. “She told me about what happened.”
“Really?”
“She also told me that no one has ever made her feel safe like you did that night,” he added, watching his brother’s expression carefully and choosing his words with even more care. She’d told him a great many things, but he couldn’t reveal any of them directly.
“She did, huh?” Marshal asked with renewed interest. “Then why did she go back to him?”
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
Marshal stared at him for a moment. “I take it there’s a lot I don’t understand.”
John nodded in confirmation. “Have you seen her?”
“No, not since I practically threw her out of my house.” John almost seemed to wince at his words, which made Marshal feel worse. “She wouldn’t tell me the truth about anything. Hell, I still don’t know how old she really is.”
“Maybe she had her reasons,” John answered softly.
Marshal didn’t feel like forgiving her despite his guilt. “She went back to Tim after I threatened him if he ever came near her again. She seemed so upset that night he attacked her, but she forgot it pretty quickly.”
“Marshal, it isn’t like you to get involved in someone’s personal life. Is there something else going on?”
He shrugged. “I liked her.”
“Liked?”
He gave his brother a sharp look. “A lot.”
“Oh.” Now this made sense. “Maybe you should check up on her, Marsh. I haven’t seen her in several days and we actually had an appointment for yesterday, but she didn’t show up.”
“Really?”
“I asked her father, but he said she was really sick and was sorry that she forgot to call.”
“I already put myself out there, John,” he said, shaking his head.
John took a deep breath. “I know what you think you see about her, but sometimes it’s all an illusion. What does your gut tell you?”
Marshal released a laugh. “To drag her to bed until I get my fill.”
“I said gut, not groin,” John replied with a chuckle of his own.
“With a man, they go hand in hand. I’ve never wanted a woman so much in my life. Then I find out she’s with another man and I just flew into a rage. It was crazy and I was way too hard on her, but it doesn’t change the fact that she made a choice. I can’t have her working for me when I know she’s with that guy and I want her.”
“So what’s stopping you? Go get her,” John said as if it was the easiest thing on the planet for him to do.
Marshal stared at him as if he were insane.
“I said she felt safe with you, Marshal, not with Tim—remember?”
“That’s probably changed. I said some horrible things.” The guilt he felt was increasing. John was trying to tell him something without giving away Beth’s confidence and he started to think he had everything wrong. Regardless, he couldn’t take back the words he’d said to her. They were too harsh. If she did trust him like John said, he’d crushed that. And what did John mean about her feeling safe? He knew enough not to ask his brother, though, because he wouldn’t tell him anything more. “I’ll see you later,” he said, turning and heading toward the truck where Ben was waiting for him.
John watched him go with a sad heart. He couldn’t break his vows for anyone, not even his brother. He knew Marshal needed love in his life and Beth had plenty to offer. Marshal only saw what he wanted to see with her because of his previous experiences with women. Trust didn’t come easily for him.
***
Before Marshal knew it, an entire week had passed. He’d become resigned to doing the accounts himself even though it frustrated him to no end that he wasn’t outside getting dirty with his men. He had to give Beth some credit. She was highly organized and very skilled. The amount of effort she’d put into sorting his businesses and accounts on the computer were surprising. He easily figured out how she’d organized things and continued to do the same. The guilt nagged him again.
Several hours later, he sought out Ben. He planned to take him into town for lunch and maybe get his mind off the auburn-haired woman that seemed to be constantly plaguing his thoughts. They talked about baseball and school in the fall. Ben was careful not to mention Beth after his uncle’s eruption last week. May had told him to respect his uncle’s wishes because there was more going on here that the man would admit. Whatever that meant. Adults were too confusing.
The diner was very busy—it was the lunch rush on a Friday—but they still managed to find an open booth. Ben cringed when Cindy came into the diner, saw Marshal, and made her way over to them. She plunked herself down beside Ben, hardly even acknowledging him.
“Marshal, darling, could you possibly take me to the movies tonight? I really want to go see one and I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
Marshal had somehow forgotten about Cindy. He used to take her to the movies every week, but she hadn’t been coming around or even calling him like she used to—probably because he’d given her hell the last time they were together. “I suppose.”
“If you need a babysitter, I have a friend that can look after Ben.”
Ben cocked an eyebrow. “I’m twelve.”
Marshal smirked.
Cindy looked surprised. “You don’t need to be looked after?”
“Not since I was in diapers,” he responded sarcastically.
Cindy didn’t seem to notice. “Well, I really don’t know that much about kids.”
Ben wanted to tell her that he wasn’t a kid, he was an teen, but Marshal shot him a look that said to leave it alone.
“So how’s your secretary?” Cindy asked, turning her attention back to Marshal. She knew full well the redhead didn’t work for him anymore, but she wasn’t sure how he felt about the whole situation.
“I don’t know.”
“I heard you let her go.”
Threw her out of his house was more like it. “I didn’t need her anymore,” he said.
“Well, she must’ve been devastated. Poor thing tried to kill herself—”
Marshal was out of the diner before Cindy finished her sentence. Ben took a little longer to leave because he had to wait until a shocked Cindy stood up to let him out. He trotted after his uncle, not knowing where they were going when they got back in the truck, but from the look on his uncle’s face, he knew better than to ask.
Half an hour later, they pulled into the Winters’ driveway. Marshal finally spoke to Ben. “You wait here.”
He just nodded as his uncle got out of the truck and hurried up to the front door of the house.
Marshal’s heart was thudding heavily in his chest. Beth hadn’t said anything when he yelled at her and threw her out of his house. She acted as if she was frightened of him. He could see that now. What the hell was the matter with him that he hadn’t checked to see if she was okay? He pounded on the front door until Laura opened it.
“Mr. Davis?” Laura hadn’t expected him to show up.
“Where’s Beth?”
Her eyes widened at the harshness in his voice. “She’s at the hospital,” she reluctantly admitted.
“What happened?”
“It was an accident. She fell down the stairs and ended up with a severe concussion,” she replied smoothly. “When—well, I mean, when you let her go, she was clearly upset, and I gave her one of my sleeping pills. Unfortunately, it had an adverse affect and she lost her footing when she came down for supper.”
“I heard she tried to kill herself,” he said, feeling a bit of relief.
“That’s ridiculous,” Laura stated defensively. “Beth isn’t crazy.”
“I wasn’t sure. She acted strangely when I let her go.”
Laura lifted her chin. It was one of the few times she had the courage to say something in her daughter’s defense. “Is that right, Mr. Davis? Well, she was a mess when she came home that day and didn’t say a word to me, but ‘letting her go’ must be an understatement for what you said to her. Beth can handle criticism and I’ve never seen her cry like that before in my life. It’s why I gave her those stupid pills in the first place.”
“I didn’t realize I was that harsh,” he said, feeling the guilt eat a hole in his gut. “I’m sorry I upset her. If she wants, she can have her job back.” For some reason, Laura did a mental about-face and was now smiling.
“Oh really? That would make her happy,” she replied. “If you want to go see her, she’s at the hospital. Unfortunately, she sprained her arm and broke a rib in the fall. The doctor said she should be all right. The concussion was the only worry, that’s why he kept her this week. They said she can come home tomorrow.”
Marshal was confused by the sudden mood change. A minute ago, it seemed like Laura wanted to take his head off. He’d actually expected her to blast him for even suggesting something so preposterous after the way he’d treated her daughter. What really surprised him was that Beth hadn’t revealed what he’d said to her. Obviously, he wasn’t the only person she didn’t confide in.
“No, but tell her to take a few days before she comes back to work. I’ll handle things until then.” He couldn’t face her knowing he might have caused this. He’d wait until she came back to the ranch before he talked to her—that way, they wouldn’t have an audience.
***
That night, Marshal took Cindy to the movies like he’d said he would. She was wearing a seductive dress that did nothing for him. Beth had worn a loose blouse and an -length skirt and it turned him on more than anything Cindy wore—he’d nearly made love to her against her desk.
What the hell was wrong with him? His mind wasn’t on the movie at all. If someone were to ask him about it, he wouldn’t have a clue what to tell them. He just kept mentally replaying that scene where he’d completely demoralized Beth. At the time, he thought he was speaking the truth, but her reaction still baffled him.
She was right, though, he wouldn’t have believed anything she told him, but how did she know that? Once again, he couldn’t help but think that some previous boyfriend had abused her, but Bobby had told him there were no charges in the database from her or her family against anyone. However, he said he had some other connections and would check further into it for him.
Cindy prattled on in his ear through the entire movie and he hardly heard a word. She’d somehow convinced him to take her to the local pub afterwards to meet some friends. When he got there, he saw Tim standing by the bar with some other woman on his arm.
“I’ll be right back,” he said to Cindy after he seated her at the table with her friends.
“Oh, don’t be too long, darling,” she cooed.
Marshal gritted his teeth and made his way over to Tim. Cindy’s pet names usually didn’t bother him, but he was still unsettled about Beth.
Tim gave Marshal an apprehensive look when he saw the man heading his way and he leaned down and whispered in his companion’s ear. She gave him a ravishing smile before she cast a look at Marshal and walked away. Marshal almost laughed at how easily women obeyed him. He had to admit Tim had a talent for it—but that was why Beth’s reactions didn’t make sense. There was no way she’d accept commands to do such a thing.
“This is a public place, Marsh,” Tim said as he looked around the crowded room.
“I’m calling a truce,” he said, holding out his hand.
“Thank God,” Tim breathed a sigh of relief, nearly making Marshal laugh despite his ongoing worry about Beth. He shook the younger man’s hand. No one would ever know he was worried about Marshal pounding on him until that moment.
“I heard Beth fell down the stairs.”
Tim nodded and took a drink from his glass.