Marriage at Any Price Page 6

  Together they walked toward the large, sprawling barn, and for the second time in as many days, Ally wondered what she’d gotten herself into.

  Five

  The town square was brimming with activity when Seth arrived for the meeting at Ben Rucker’s office the next day. He had just found a parking spot when he heard his name being called in a deep voice like his own.

  “Seth!” He turned to see Wade and Cole walking down the sidewalk toward him.

  “How in the hell are you doing?” Cole said as he gave Seth a quick hug and solid pat on the back. Wade held his hand out to him and shook it warmly, followed by a friendly pat on his shoulder.

  “It’s been a long time,” said Wade, smiling broadly.

  “It has,” Seth answered. “It’s good to see you both again. Where’s Chance?”

  “He’s on his way. Had a mare unexpectedly go into labor and said he needed to make sure all was okay. He called a few minutes ago and said he was en route.”

  “Good. It will be good to see him.”

  “So, how have you been? I was sorry to hear about your mother.”

  “Thanks. Yeah, she fought a brave battle, but...”

  “So now you’re building a cancer research center?”

  “That’s the plan.” He should have been surprised that Wade and Cole knew about his project, but Wade tended to keep abreast of everything that touched the family.

  “I hope it goes well for you today,” Wade told him just as a white pickup truck slid up next to the curb. A tall, lanky man got out, a smile of welcome clearly etched on his face.

  “I know you... I think we’ve met before,” Chance teased as he reached Seth.

  “Could be,” Seth returned. “How have you been?” He extended his hand.

  “Couldn’t ask for better, brother. And you?”

  “Doing good.”

  “We should all get together with the wives before you leave,” Cole suggested. “How long are you here?”

  “I’d planned on it just being a couple of weeks, but that’s changing. I got a ranch. A small repo you guys were sitting on. Went through the LLC. Cole said it was fine. We’re setting up house. I wanted a place closer to my family.”

  “Well all right,” Chance said, giving his approval. “It’s about time.”

  “I appreciate that. My wife had her heart set on this place west of town,” Seth said. “At least being in the county will afford me the opportunity to see more of you guys when we all happen to be in town.”

  “And speaking of wives, when are we all going to get to meet her? And I don’t think you’ve met my Laurel. We need to get together while we are all here,” Wade said, and everyone agreed.

  They talked for a few more minutes until it was time to go inside Ben Rucker’s office. When they were all seated in the small conference room, Mr. Rucker began to go over the terms of the will. Seth was made a full partner in Masters International Inc., plus awarded a substantial cash endowment. He fought to keep the tears of happiness from clouding his eyes. It was better than he’d hoped.

  Their father had divided the bulk of the estate among the four brothers, less bequests to charities and personal contributions to a smattering of individuals Seth didn’t know. In short, he was now a billionaire. Their business would envelop his own companies, and he would work through the conglomerate company on his own endeavors plus take on some of the responsibilities of Masters International Inc. The main thing was the research clinic would now be fully funded, something he felt overwhelmingly grateful for.

  “Seth,” Wade said as they exited Ben Rucker’s office. “We were thinking about getting together Saturday night. It’s rare we’re all here at the same time. We would love to meet your wife. And I don’t think you’ve met my wife, Laurel. Are you free?”

  “I would like to say yes, but let me check with Ally. Can I give you a call?”

  “Absolutely. Hopefully we will see you both then.”

  “It’s nothing fancy,” Chance added. “Just some burgers and steaks out on the veranda. Jeans and T-shirts will be fine.”

  They all shook hands and got into their separate cars. Seth drove to his new ranch, hoping Ally was there.

  When he got back to the ranch, he met a delivery truck leaving just before he reached the driveway. He parked and headed for the door. Letting himself in, he immediately noticed that the painters had done an excellent job. The draperies had been freshened. The old furniture they’d chosen to keep had been cleaned, and some of the new furniture was already in place.

  “Anybody home? Ally?” he called from just inside the foyer.

  “She’s out at the barn.” A middle-aged woman with a kind smile came out from the kitchen down the hall and greeted him. “I’m Pauline Haddock, your new housekeeper. I live in Calico Springs.” She offered her hand, which Seth accepted. “That wife of yours loves her horses.”

  Seth grinned. “Yes, she does. Nice to meet you, Pauline.” And he turned toward the back door, eager to find his bride.

  * * *

  “Where do you want these old planks?” Stony Osterman asked. He was one of four ranch hands Seth had hired to help get the barn and land ready for livestock.

  “Ya know what?” Ally mused. “Let’s make a debris pile outside the barn area where it will be safe to have a fire. We’ll just burn the lot as well as the tree trimmings.”

  “That sounds like a good plan,” Stony agreed. He immediately tossed his load of old, worn pine lumber on a spot that didn’t have grass and was far away from any buildings and trees.

  “Might as well add the old shavings to the pile,” Ally said before he could turn away.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said before heading to the barn. She could hear his voice as he conveyed the orders to the other three. In just a few minutes, she heard Seth’s new tractor start up as it scraped up the pine shavings from the main hall of the barn, carrying them out to the burn site.

  “Is this trash day?” Seth asked, smiling as he walked up behind her.

  “Yep.” Ally couldn’t help but smile back. “Thanks to the ranch hands and your tractor, we should have the barn ready for the horses by the end of the week. I never realized so much decay could happen in just over a year.”

  “Looks like you’re going to need some more lumber. Get whatever you need. I’ll have my assistant set up an account with the local lumberyard. Are the hands working out?”

  Ally nodded. “They’re great. All hard workers. No grumblers. We did good.”

  There was an unmistakable twinkle in Seth’s eyes.

  “I thought we could just stack the old shavings and lumber out here and have a fire. There’s currently no burn ban. If we keep it small, it should burn nicely.”

  Seth nodded.

  “How did the probate go? Do you get to build your research center?”

  She was anxious on Seth’s behalf. He had already spent so much money on the house and land, and gone to so much trouble to marry her, all in the hope of being part of his father’s will.

  Seth drew a deep breath. “Good, as I’d hoped. I spoke with Ben Rucker just before the others arrived. He was pleased I’d found a wife. Surprised but tickled to learn it was you.”

  “Good. Congratulations.” Ally smiled.

  “This means we can commence building the research center in a couple months. Probably midsummer.”

  “So...you’re a billionaire now?”

  “Yeah.” He frowned and looked at her questioningly. “Primarily it’s tied up in the family corporation, where I’m now a partner, but yeah. I suppose you could say that. Why?”

  “I’ve never known one before. Are you going to get snooty?”

  Seth grinned and fought to keep from laughing. “I’ll do my best not to. But tell you what. If you see me start to get snooty, I expect you to put me in my place, okay
?”

  She watched him intently as though not knowing if he was teasing. Then she said, “You can count on it. So, you’ll be leaving to oversee construction at your research center.”

  “Maybe in a week or so,” he answered, watching her face. “Most of the plans have been drawn up, and the rest can be handled with Matthew Rundles and John Sizemore, my partners in the center, during a conference call. We have a general contractor, so unless an issue comes up, which I’m always expecting, he will handle everything. I may have to make a couple of trips back to LA over the next few weeks, but that’s about it.” He tipped his head. “Are you okay with that?”

  Ally shrugged. “Sure. No problem here. I mean, it’s your business. It’s your ranch.”

  He held her gaze as though he was expecting a different answer but then changed the subject. “Speaking of the ranch, I’m going to need a horse. Could I get your help in finding a good one?”

  “Of course, although you’re welcome to ride one of mine. They’re all very well trained, and I trust you to be gentle with them.”

  “I’m always gentle. At least when I need to be.”

  “Yeah, well. With these girls, you have to be. They are very responsive to the lightest touch.”

  “Like master, like student?”

  Ally chanced a look at Seth, and the sparkle in his eyes caused a blush to run up her neck and over her face. She turned away. “I want to show you the house. Are you busy?”

  “After you.”

  * * *

  Between what was left of the old furniture and the new items they had purchased, the house felt warm and welcoming. He especially liked the den. The sofa and two recliners fit perfectly around the fireplace. It would be a good place to spend a wintry evening.

  “Your bed is set up in the master bedroom. Mine is down the hall.” She walked toward the stairs, intent on showing him the second floor.

  “Why didn’t you just have your bed put in the master bedroom?” Seth asked, following behind her. “It will eventually be your house.”

  Ally shrugged. “It just didn’t seem to be the right thing to do.”

  “Of course, we could always share the same bedroom. That would solve the problem.”

  “There isn’t a problem,” she returned and continued up the stairs.

  When he caught up, she was in the midst of making the bed in one of the bedrooms. She walked to the edge and grabbed the comforter.

  “We have staff to do that. You don’t have to make the bed.”

  She shrugged. “The hands are handling the barn stuff. I didn’t have anything else to do.”

  “Of course not. Just oversee a housekeeper and a barn full of cowboys.”

  She shrugged. “I wanted to get this bed ready. Mine is down the hall, and Pauline is working in there. The kitchen, den and living room are set up. The stove, new dishwasher and refrigerator are being installed as we speak, and I have a carpenter downstairs making room for a microwave. Hope that was okay. We’re going to need a few more pots and pans, but otherwise, it’s all set.”

  “Karen took care of that. Another delivery should arrive tomorrow.”

  Ally sighed and gave him a rare smile.

  “It all looks good. You’ve done a great job,” he said.

  She pushed a pillow into a fresh new pillowcase. “Still a lot to do.”

  He shook his head and smiled. Leave it to him to marry a perfectionist.

  “By the way, are you free Saturday evening?”

  Ally frowned and shrugged. “I don’t know. Why?”

  “My brothers want to get together with the wives over dinner—”

  “No. No, I can’t,” she interrupted and hastily made for the door. “Pauline? Could you finish making this bed?”

  “Sure thing, Mrs. Masters.”

  Turning at the upper landing, Ally quickly made her way down the stairs.

  “Ally, wait.” He hurried after her.

  “Gotta go to the barn,” she said over her shoulder as she hurried through the kitchen and toward the back door.

  “Ally—”

  She seemed to quicken her pace and was out the door and halfway across the yard before he could catch her.

  “Ally, what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Look, I really have things I need to see to in the barn. The hired hands will need—”

  “Whatever they need can wait. I want to know what the sudden flight down the stairs is all about. Is this something to do with the dinner Saturday night?”

  Ally stood in front of him, lips drawn into a thin line.

  “Do you still hold it against them for what our father did regarding your ranch? Is that it?”

  She looked down at her boots. “No. How can I when you’ve given it back?” She bit her lower lip, a gesture that made him crazy. He wanted to be the one to suckle on those full lips.

  “Then what is it?”

  She shrugged, peering up at his face, then away. “Look, I’m just a common person. I don’t exactly hang out with billionaires. I wouldn’t know what to say, and I’m very sure I have nothing to wear. God...” Her face began to grow pink. “I can’t even imagine consorting with your family. No. Not gonna happen. Give them my apologies.”

  “Ha!” Seth laughed. “You’re a snob!”

  That brought her head up. She glared at him.

  “You are.”

  “I am not,” she argued indignantly.

  “Yes, you are. Snobbery goes both ways. You think you’re too good to eat a simple meal with my family. In my book, that’s a snob.”

  “That’s not at all what I said! You’re turning it around.”

  “So prove me wrong. It’s going to be a barbecue at the ranch. Jeans and boots. Probably finger foods. If you’re not too good for that, then prove it by coming.”

  She looked at him then, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

  “Seth, you know what I’m saying. I would be a laughingstock.”

  He reached out and took her gently by the shoulders, turning her to face him. “No, you wouldn’t. If you’ll just meet them, I think you’ll find they are a laid-back, fun-loving bunch who will treat you with complete respect. I guarantee within fifteen minutes, you’ll feel like part of the family.”

  “And why would I want to do that?” she asked, shrugging out of his arms. “How am I supposed to sit and make conversation with these people knowing all the time I’m a fraud? Knowing all the time they’re the sons of the man who caused me to lose my farm. Maybe that doesn’t bother you, but it bothers the hell out of me.”

  “First of all, I don’t believe my brothers had anything to do with taking your ranch. Secondly, you’re not a fraud. We are married. The marriage certificate is on file at the courthouse, and the ring is on your finger.”

  “Yeah, but for how long?”

  “How long does anyone have, Ally?” he shot back. “There is no guarantee in this life.”

  “You’re twisting my words again.”

  “No, I’m not. Dammit, Ally.” He pulled her to him, and his lips came down over hers.

  At her resistance, he immediately loosened his hold, but when she didn’t move away, he continued the kiss, his arms going around her. One hand moved up to her head as he held her to him. “Open your lips for me,” he growled against her mouth. When she complied, he covered her lips with his, his tongue going deep, searching and discovering her hidden secrets. He heard a soft moan, and his body surged to full attention. He felt her hands slide up his chest and over his shoulders.

  He broke the kiss and nuzzled her ear, inhaling the natural sweet perfume of her body. He looked down into her face. She was standing with her eyes closed, her lips open and waiting for him to return. Sexual urges raced through his body, and he took her mouth again, this time not so gently. He was on fire, and he wanted her in th
e worst way.

  He felt her hands against his chest, gently pushing him back. Reluctantly he lifted his head and stepped back.

  “I... I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t do this.”

  She turned and walked to the barn. This time he let her go.

  Six

  That evening Ally accompanied Seth back to the hotel, where they gathered their things and Seth checked out. This was it. The day she’d dreaded. She and Seth would live together under the same roof. It had seemed different living at the hotel. But this...moving into the house...was very real.

  She had been an idiot to let him kiss her. Not that she could have done anything to prevent it. Down deep where no one would see, she had wanted his lips on hers since that first day they’d met at the crossing of the road and the bridle path. Then with each successive encounter, her desire for him had grown. If she were honest, part of the reason she so dreaded him living with her in this house was because he was the kind of man who could undermine her defenses. No woman was immune to those eyes...those lips. He had an aura about him that worked like a magnet, drawing a woman into his web.

  But she had to be strong. This was a temporary situation, and in a few months, he would be gone. She didn’t intend to be left with a broken heart when she saw him off, but if she wasn’t careful, Seth was just the man who could do it.

  It had bothered her when Wayne Burris left a year ago, more than she cared to admit. She knew when they began a relationship that Wayne was biding his time until he put some money together to get back on the rodeo circuit. That was his life. Anything or anyone he met along his journey eventually became a forgotten memory. Like a fool she thought she would be different; she would be the one he couldn’t leave. She would be the love of his life and he’d want to stay and make a home together. It had hurt when she found the note on her pillow. By the time she awoke and read it, Wayne was long gone, never to be heard from again.

  Seth was the same way. She didn’t have any proof but she knew. He was a billionaire, a jet-setter who traveled places she would never see. The women in his life were fun times along the way, there temporarily but soon to be forgotten. She wouldn’t let herself be a fool this time. The marriage certificate changed nothing. And she didn’t intend to go through abandonment again. Seth was pure temptation. But there was always a price to pay for indulging in the kind of temptation he represented.