“He can be sweet on her from a closer distance from now on,” Gene said, trying to cope with all the new developments at once. He’d been lax on the job a lot. It was just coming home to him how much time he’d spent wallowing in self-pity over his parentage while he let his stepfather’s ranch go to hell. Well, there wouldn’t be any more of that. He stood over Rance, watching the man open a swollen eye to stare up at him with evident fear.
“Get off my land,” Gene said coldly, and without raising his voice. “If I see you again, I’ll break your neck. I’ll send your check along in care of Dale Branigan. But if you’re counting on a little romance with her, you’ll have to get past Ben Hardy. He’s all but engaged to her, in case you didn’t know.”
Rance looked shocked. “Ben...?”
“She played you for a fool, didn’t she?” Gene asked with a mocking smile. “You poor stupid fish, that will be all over town by tomorrow, too. I promise you it will, along with the news of my engagement to Allison and the damage you tried to do to her reputation.”
Rance dragged himself to his feet, considerably more sober now. He wiped blood away from a cut lip and shivered a little with reaction and muscle strain as he reached for his hat and put it back on.
“No need to beat a man half to death over some woman,” Rance said angrily.
“No need to make her out to be a tramp because she won’t let you touch her, either,” Gene said dangerously, his temper kindling again. “You’re finished in Pryor, Rance. I’ll see to it, no matter what it takes.”
Rance straightened. “I’ve had my fill of Wyoming, anyway,” he said shortly. “You can have it.”
He hobbled into the bunkhouse to pack. Gene turned on his heel and walked away, ignoring the murmurs of comment from his men as he stalked toward the house with blood in his eye.
He went straight up the staircase without a word to Marie and Winnie, who’d been standing speechless at the window, watching the byplay.
Dwight was asleep when he peeped in the door, so he went straight along to Allison’s room.
He knocked and waited for her to answer. It only took a minute. She was surprised to see him, and he wondered absently if she’d have opened it if she’d known it was him. She looked terrible.
He rubbed his fist against the corner of his mouth, feeling the cut there as he stared down at her furiously. “Why didn’t you tell me what Rance was saying about you?” he demanded without preamble. “Why didn’t you tell me what you’d gone through in Central America, and what you and your parents were doing there?”
She was looking at his bruised, cut face, hardly hearing the words. “You’re hurt,” she said worriedly. “What happened to you?”
“I’ve been out in the backyard beating the hell out of Rance before I fired him,” he said icily. “And I enjoyed it. Does that shock you? I wish I’d hit him twice as damned hard!”
“You know...all of it?” she asked hesitantly.
“All of it,” he assured her. His broad chest rose and fell jerkily. “Oh, God, why didn’t you trust me?” he asked huskily. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth?”
Her eyes fell to his shirt buttons. “I couldn’t. It hurt too much to talk about it, at first. And then I knew you’d take off like a shot if you knew, well, what I did for a living. I lied because I wanted to be alive, just for a little while. I wanted to be someone else, I wanted to be like other women, to be...loved.” She almost choked on the word and her eyes closed. “But I had no right.”
“Do you think I did?” he groaned. He stepped into the room and slammed the door, jerking her hungrily into his arms. He held her against him, rocking her gently, folding her to his heart in a silence that was broken only by the sound of her soft weeping.
“The worst of it is that I was so wrapped up in my own problems that I was blind to your character,” he said bitterly. “I deliberately overlooked all the telltale signs of your innocence because I wanted you so badly. I deserve to be shot!”
“But, I wanted you, too,” she whispered at his ear, feeling his cheek warm and rough against hers as he held her. “It’s not all your fault. You were hurting. I understood.”
“That doesn’t excuse it. And to have that redheaded vermin gossiping about you in town!” he groaned. “I’m sorry.”
“I won’t be here much longer,” she reminded him miserably. “And if that reporter just doesn’t find me...”
His arms tightened. “It won’t matter if he does,” he said curtly. “I’ve just told the men that we’re engaged. I’ll make sure that gets around town. Dale will wind up with egg on her face from her damned gossiping.”
“Engaged?” she gasped. “But I can’t!”
He drew back, scowling. “Why can’t you? You’re a missionary, not a nun. Marriage is permissible.”
“But not like this, Gene,” she said quietly, her hazel eyes sad and regretful. “Not to spare my reputation. It will be all right. I’m a qualified nurse. I can still get a job.”
His eyes searched her face, down to her soft mouth. “Marriage is a job, isn’t it? Dwight and I are switching responsibilities, and we’ll both be happier. That means I’ll be home more. I can spend time with you and the kids.”
She flushed. “There aren’t any kids.”
His lean hands smoothed down her hips and one of them lightly touched her belly. “Yet.”
She shivered and tried to pull away.
But he held her, gently, firmly. “I know. I hurt you, didn’t I? Your first time was a nightmare that you don’t want to repeat, especially with me.”
She nodded slowly, without looking at him.
He bent and
