During the next difficult days, chafed by the constraint of looking but not touching, Cole regretted his hasty words to Joey. Increasingly, he wanted to pick her up and carry her someplace private where they could hash this whole damned thing out. Forget the five days left and get on with their lives.
It was a stupid bargain, anyway. Either she knew what she wanted, or she didn't. Why take a week to mull over something like this? What good would thinking and rethinking the same old thoughts over and over do? Hell, it was simple. Either she knew they had what it took to make marriage work for them, or she didn't.
Making him wait was killing him. All he could think of was her. What it would be like to announce that they were married, so he could have the right to openly show the world that she was his. Joey Lassiter. Yeah. It sounded good.
Looking at her now, stuffing things into the dryer at the Laundromat, he watched her bend, stretching the material of her leggings even tighter across her backside. He groaned, imagining what lay hidden by that clinging material. "Why don't you bring this stuff out to the house and do it there?"
She looked at him over her shoulder. "This is fine. No sense in lugging everything out there and then back again."
Maybe, but his house had a bedroom with a big bed that seemed progressively bigger and colder every night. "You haven't even been out to see the place yet."
"Sure I have. I saw it the other day, when we..."
"Got married," he supplied, not bothering to lower his voice.
"Sssh!" she commanded with a furtive look around.
"You saw the driveway and the airstrip. I'm talking about the house, the rest of things. Why not come out this afternoon?"
She looked at him suspiciously. "Do I smell an ulterior motive?"
He twirled his hat between his hands. "I just thought you'd be interested. I'd like you to see the ranch, honey. After all, you should know what you're getting into, this being such a big decision, and all."
Turning to face him completely, she asked, "Will Sam and Betty be there?"
"Yup. And about a dozen hands."
He could almost hear the wheels clicking. To help her make a decision, he added, "I'm spending an awful lot of time in town these days. Getting behind. Lots of paperwork piling up on my desk. Things undone. If you came out, I could see you and still get some work done."
She still looked skeptical. "Bring your Mom with you. Maybe she'd like to see where you'd be living. That is, if you decide we should stay married." He waited a beat and added the last inducement. "She could use a break, don't you think?"
"You don't play fair," she accused.
"Who, me?"
"We'll come out for an hour."
"It'll take longer than that just to show you around. There's the house, the barns, the corrals, barns-—you'll want to meet Red."
"Whose that?"
"Now he's a real dog," he said with relish. "Golden Retriever and a great hunter."
She rolled her eyes. "All right."
"Good. I've got a few things to do here, then I'll pick you up around two."
"Why don't we drive out? Save you the trip."
"Nope. Your car isn't built for that road. Come to think of it, why don't you turn that sardine can in? Must be costing you a bundle."
"And how will I get around?"
"I'll give you one of the ranch trucks to drive. Maybe even my Caddie," he added as an extra incentive.
She shook her head.
"You are one stubborn woman."
She laughed. "Look who's talking."
Wanting to kiss her, he satisfied himself with staring at her mouth until her breathing quickened. "See ya later."
He took care of his errands in town, and knocked on the door of the RV promptly at two. Claire opened the door. "Come in, Cole. Joey's just changing her clothes."
He stepped inside, taking off his Stetson as he did so. He felt uneasy with Claire. "How's Frank doing?"
Her face lit up. "Much better. He's sorry to miss this visit to your ranch."
"Uh, Claire, does he know?"
"That you and Joey are married? Not yet, but don't you think you should tell him? I don't like this pretending business."
"Neither do I, but that's up to Joey."
"What's up to me?" Joey asked.
Cole turned to her. Her question was totally forgotten. "Well, I'll be damned. Where did you get that outfit?"
"In town. Do you like?" She turned for his inspection.
His gaze roamed pleasurably over the tight jeans, up over the curves of her breasts under the new Western-styled shirt, then back down to the new snakeskin boots on her feet. "Yup. Horseshoes and all," he added when he spotted her earrings.
Her smile took his breath away.
"Ready, Mom?" She turned to Cole. "We want to be back for evening visiting hours."
He frowned. "I thought you'd have supper with us."
"Not this time."
Well, at least that left the door open for a return visit. Deliberately, he didn't think about having her across the table from him every night.
For Claire's sake, he drove slower than usual, taking it easy over the pot-holed gravel road. When they turned onto ranch land, he slowed even further and started pointing things out. Joey doubted he even heard the pride in his voice as he pointed to the mountains, their slopes already turning gold with the turning leaves of the aspens. "From the mountains, as far as you can see, it's all Bar-L."
"It's so big," Claire murmured. "I had no idea."
Claire watched everything. Joey watched him. He felt his chest expand under her steady gaze and wished it was just the two of them together. He pulled up at last in front of the big old house and got out to help the women from the truck.
A big dog came racing around the corner of the house, barking madly, his long tail a plume of waving gold. He came prancing up to Cole.
"Some watchdog you are, Red. This is Joey. Mind your manners and she may decide to stay on and be yours, too."
As if he sensed the import of Cole's words, the big dog sat and promptly extended a paw to Joey. Taking it, she laughed, shook and patted the top of his head. "You're a charmer, aren't you boy?"
Tongue lolling, Red grinned.
Joey slanted a look up at Cole. "Using all your ammo, here, cowboy?"
He grinned in a passable imitation of his dog. "Whatever it takes."
Laughing together, they moved to join Claire who had strolled a few paces away, her eyes on the horizon.
"I had no idea it would be so big," Claire said again, but Cole waited for Joey's reaction.
He watched her look over his home, wanting her to like the rough-cut, weather-beaten boards and the comfortable deep porch. Betty had been after him to get the house painted, but he'd argued that it didn't need it. Now he saw the cracked and chipped paint, the sagging eaves and the rain gutter he'd been meaning to fix. Hell. What kind of impression would this make on Joey?
He held open a gate and for the first time in ages, noticed that what had been Sally's flower garden was nothing more than weeds. How could he have let it slide? Maybe Joey with her landscaping experience would make something beautiful of it again. The idea pleased him. Just as Joey pleased him. He hoped she approved of his family home. He hoped she saw that underneath the surface neglect this was a strong house, one that would welcome her and her kids. What did she make of it?
Following Joey and Claire up to the porch, he veered from watching Joey's behind in those snug jeans and trying to get a glimpse of her expression.
They went into the wide hall, the pine plank floors clean and polished, but showing each dent from every boot that had ever pounded across it. There wasn't much to see there, but as he ushered them into the living room, he couldn't help but see her pause.
Anxiously, he looked around. What was wrong? He'd picked up all his stuff and Betty and one of the ranch wives had cleaned up. He could still smell the furniture polish. "What do you think?"
"Um," said Joey, her eyes widening at the sight of yet another mounted animal head. "It's very...authentic, isn't it?"
He followed her gaze. "Every one of those bucks was bagged by a Lassiter. Four generations of us."
"Oh," said Joey faintly. His pride in his family's hunting skills kept her from voicing her true opinion. The idea of displaying trophies made her stomach turn. She looked at the deep leather couches and easy chairs spread in front of the massive fireplace built into the stone wall. Bookshelves took up two of the remaining walls, with more of those stuffed heads above them. Even though sunlight poured through an open window, the room seemed dark. Everything was clean, highly polished, and lifeless. There was no sign that a woman lived in this house.
Cole seemed in a hurry to show her the rest of his home. They followed him into the dining room, another dark room with more trophies. Joey shuddered. She couldn't imagine eating a meal with those glassy eyes staring down at her. In the kitchen, she began to relax. Here, at last, she felt a woman's touch. The room was big and airy, with wide windows looking out over rolling pastureland to the mountains beyond.
Bright colors and modern appliances made her feel comfortable until she looked at the number of chairs drawn up around the long pine trestle table. "Sweet heavens. You could seat an army."
Cole chuckled. "Seems like it sometimes."
He led them back to the main hall. "We moved Sam into one of the guest rooms down here. Want to pay him a visit?"
"Sure." Joey exchanged a glance with Claire who seemed shell-shocked. They followed Cole to Sam's room, but even before they reached it, they could hear the loud cursing.
"Hey, boy, we got company," Cole called. "Clean up your mouth."
The cursing stopped abruptly. Cole pushed the door open. "You decent, Sam?"
"Yeah. Who's here?"
Joey felt like turning around and getting out of that house as fast as she could.
Cole beckoned them in. "Ladies, my son, Sam. This is Claire Carpenter and her daughter, Joey."
Joey noted that he didn't mention her last name. She couldn't make up her mind how she felt about that effort at discretion. She turned to the man reclining on the big hospital bed. "Hi, Sam. How are things going?"
"Good as they're going to get until I get out of these casts."
She blinked at his short reply. Cole muttered something under his breath, but Claire stepped right up. "Oh, I can imagine. My husband's recovering from a heart attack. It's hard being laid up when you'd rather be up and about, isn't it?"
Sam seemed taken aback, but his truculence lessened, "Yeah. Guess so."
Amazed, Joey watched the conversation between her mother and Sam evolve. He looked so much like Cole that she realized all over again what handsome men they were. Sam's casts hid his physique, but she suspected it was as lean and fit as Cole's. They had the same features, hair and eyes, although Sam's face still showed fading bruises.
A dark-haired woman came in then, holding a thick sheaf of papers in her hand. "Here, Sam, these are all I could find-—oh, Cole, I didn't realize you'd gotten back."
Joey turned an inquisitive gaze on the woman. So this was her step daughter-in-law. Her heart sank at the suspicious, unwelcoming scowl on the younger woman's face. She'd be so much more attractive if she lost that pursed, put-upon frown and stood up straight. She tried a smile. "You must be Betty."
Betty didn't return the friendly gesture. "That's right."
"I'm Joey," she looked to Cole for help, "and this is my mother, Claire."
Betty shoved the papers at Sam and turned to leave the room. Cole stepped forward, blocking the door. "How about some coffee? And some tea for Joey?"
Betty bristled. Then she shrugged. "You want coffee cake to go with it?"
"That would be good."
"I'll help you," Joey offered.
"I can manage."
Joey took a step backward, recoiling from the younger woman's open hostility. She lifted confused eyes to Cole who stared at Betty's retreating back.
Cole turned to Sam. "What the hell's come over her?"
Sam grunted. "Beats me."
Swallowing, Joey said briskly, "Well, Sam, Cole tells me you're his foreman. What does that mean?"
Sam launched into a description which Joey didn't hear. Her thoughts were concentrated solely on this house and the hostility within it. How could Cole ever expect her to move in when Betty hated her, evidently had hated her sight unseen. They were enough drawbacks to face without adding more.
A short while later, feeling increasingly uneasy, Joey jumped up when Cole suggested a walk outside.
"I'll stay here, if you don't mind," Claire said. "If Sam doesn't mind."
After a telling look from his father, Sam said he could use the company. Joey escaped gratefully. Outside, she hesitated on the top step and took in a deep cleansing breath.
Cole joined her. "That's not what I had in mind for your first time here."
She shrugged. Standing behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders and massaged the tense muscles. "I'm sorry, honey."
"It's not your fault."
"Hell it's not. Those people in there are my family and they treated you like I wouldn't treat my worst enemy."
"Maybe that's the way they see me," she suggested quietly.
He started to protest, then stopped at the trembling of her body under his hands. He drew her to him, her back against his chest, and wrapped his arms around her. Resting his chin on her head, he rocked her from side to side. The fragrance of her hair rose to tantalize him, but he drilled himself to resist its lure and asked, "Why would they think that?"
She moved under his grip, but he didn't let her get away. "Think about it, Cole. They've had you all to themselves for years. Betty runs this house. It's her domain. I understand why they'd get upset about my horning in."
"Dammit, that's not the way it is."
"All they know is that you're spending a lot of time with me. Naturally, they worry."
"I'll speak to them."
"No. Not until we know what we're doing."
He cursed fluently under his breath. "Are we back to that?"
"Have we ever gotten away from it?"
"I don't like it, honey. I don't like feeling like I'm sneaking around. Lying to people."
"You gave me a week, Cole," she warned. "Don't push me."
He turned her in his arms so that he could look down at her. She met his gaze full on, and he saw her confusion and frustration.
"Oh, Cole," she sighed and laid her head on his chest. "What are we doing?"
Ready for the next chapter?
Chapter Thirteen -- posted December 25, 1997
Last updated: January 4, 1998