Marriage at Any Price Page 7

  That evening as Ally dressed for bed, she couldn’t stop thinking about Seth. It felt both strange and oddly comforting to have him here with her. She got in bed determined to stop thinking of the handsome man. She could hear him moving around in the room next door, the old floor creaking with every step he took. She heard the shower come on. A few minutes later, he turned it off. She heard him as he walked to his bed and got in. Apparently they didn’t believe in insulation in these old houses. She was surprised she didn’t remember hearing sounds when she lived here before. But then, her dad had stayed in the extra room downstairs, unable to easily navigate the stairs. Maybe that was why.

  The old house popped and squeaked, and it seemed the darker the night became, the more sounds she could hear. Finally she drifted into a restless sleep.

  The sound that woke her came from downstairs. She immediately sat up in the bed. Not moving, she listened closely for another crash. She was sure that’s what had woken her up. What could have fallen? It sounded like someone was in the house, prowling around the kitchen. She inhaled deeply.

  You’re being ridiculous.

  The only way to know for sure was to get up and go down there. She swung her feet to the floor and stood from the bed. About the time she opened her bedroom door, another crash came from downstairs. Maybe it was Seth getting a glass of water. But he would turn on a light. Wouldn’t he?

  Her heart was beating hard in her chest as she turned in the direction of the stairs. Seth’s bedroom door opened, and she heard him call her name. She ran back to where he stood in the doorway of his bedroom. He was shirtless, and his hair was in disarray. The moonlight highlighted the muscles in his arms and stomach.

  “Ally? What is it?”

  “There...there was a crash downstairs. Twice. Were you just downstairs getting a glass of water?”

  “No.” The door opened wider, and he pulled her into his room. He quickly put on a pair of jeans and, opening a bedside drawer, picked up a large-caliber handgun. After checking the load, he slipped it into the back of his jeans. “Stay in here.”

  He walked through the open doorway, and Ally was right behind him.

  Seth stopped, and she bumped into his back.

  “Ally.” He kept his voice low. “Stay in the bedroom.”

  “Not happening! What if someone is down there?”

  “Then I’ll take care of it. I don’t need to worry about you getting in between us.”

  He turned her around and gave a light push toward his bedroom before he disappeared into the deep shadows of the hallway. She reached his door, but before she could step over the threshold, she heard another sound coming from downstairs. The temptation to follow Seth was strong. But instead she backed up and closed the door. Making her way to his bed, she sat down on the edge and clasped her hands tightly together.

  Maybe she should call the police? No, she decided. She had lived here her entire life and had never experienced any sort of break-in. The very idea was preposterous.

  Time seemed to crawl by. About the time she’d reached the end of her patience, Seth walked back into the bedroom.

  “We had a break-in,” he told her, his voice conveying annoyance. “Someone was looking for something and apparently tripped over the boxes that were still on the kitchen floor. About the time I turned on the lights, the back door slammed behind him. I got to the door immediately, but he was already gone, disappeared into the night.”

  “We should call the police,” she said as she headed for the door.

  “I already have,” he responded as she bolted toward the door. “Where are you going?”

  “Downstairs. I want to see what damage they did. How dare anyone break into this house!”

  “Ally, I didn’t see any damage. Wait until the sheriff gets here.”

  “You wait if you want to,” she retorted as she rushed from the room, Seth right on her heels.

  The kitchen was a mangled mess of open cabinet doors and drawers pulled out and dumped on the floor. The few remaining boxes were scattered around as though someone had kicked them out of their way.

  A few minutes later, they heard a siren getting closer. Seth answered the knock on the front door and led the deputy into the kitchen, where together they made a full report. Mason Crawley, the deputy sheriff, painstakingly wrote down all the facts, but without a description of the man, there was little he could do. He would put out the word and send extra patrols throughout the night.

  As soon as he was gone, Ally set about closing all the cabinet doors and putting back the drawers. After restacking the boxes with Seth’s help, she rubbed her arms and looked for something else to do.

  “Come on, Ally,” he said stepping up behind her, crossing his arms over her shoulders and around her neck, holding her close. “Let’s see if we can get some sleep. There’s nothing more we can do in here tonight. I doubt if the burglar will be back. I’ll arrange to have some security here tomorrow.”

  She solemnly nodded her head, and together they walked up the stairs.

  “I want you to sleep in my room.”

  “No, I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m not willing to take the chance,” he countered and guided her to the master bedroom.

  She let him help her into bed before he went around to the other side and placed the gun on the nightstand. He slipped in between the sheets and turned off the light.

  “Who would break into the house?” she had to ask, still sitting up. “They must have seen the cars and known someone was living here.”

  “I’m guessing somebody was squatting in the house during the months it sat vacant. They probably left something important and are desperate to get it back. I suggest we go through the house thoroughly tomorrow and see if we can find anything you don’t recognize.”

  “Absolutely. Seth?”

  “What, sweetheart?”

  “I’m glad you were here.” She felt a shiver go down her spine. She would have gone downstairs herself and encountered no telling what kind of situation.

  “Come here,” he said as his arm went beneath her and he pulled her close.

  “I just wish I knew who it was.”

  “Let it go for tonight, Ally. Maybe the sheriff’s office will find who did it.”

  “Or maybe they will come back.”

  “You’re safe, Ally.” He pressed her head down onto his shoulder. “Try and go to sleep.”

  “I’m not worried about my safety. I want to catch the creeps. Ugh! I feel so violated. How dare anybody break into this house! If you’re right about it being a squatter then they will be back. But we haven’t found anything unusual in all the cleaning that’s been done recently. Still, I intend to go over every inch of the house tomorrow.”

  “And I’ll help you. But for tonight you really do need to let it go. Get some rest.”

  She shrugged. “You’re right. It’s just that I’ve never experienced a break-in before.”

  “I left the downstairs lights on for tonight.”

  “You don’t think he’ll come back, do you?”

  “Doubtful. Between me catching him inside and the police coming I seriously doubt if he’ll try anything else. At least not tonight.”

  Ally willed herself to relax. It felt good to have Seth’s warmness surrounding her. Being held tight and feeling protected wasn’t something she was accustomed to, but she couldn’t deny the comfort it gave her. Tomorrow...tomorrow she intended to go over this house until she discovered what would draw someone into the house even knowing someone was at home. With one last sigh of determination, she turned into Seth’s neck and, breathing in his essence, closed her eyes.

  * * *

  After dressing the next morning, she went downstairs. Seth was sitting at the new kitchen table, sipping a mug of coffee and reading the local newspaper. She helped herself to a cup and sat down across fro
m him.

  “How’d you sleep?” he asked without lowering the paper.

  “Good. You?”

  “Like a rock. There’s something about this country air that just intensifies everything.” He put down the paper and looked at her. “The breeze is cooler, the air crisper, the scents of the clover and wildflowers more fragrant. And this old house...you can sense the culture, like it’s steeped in tradition. And that’s saying nothing about my sleeping partner.” He looked at her and grinned. “Yep. Definitely slept like a rock.”

  “I guess.” She shrugged, ignoring his sexual jibe. “It was an old house when Dad bought it. He had a lot of updates done but insisted on honoring the integrity of the original.” She stretched and stifled a yawn. “Well, I’m headed to the barn. The stalls are mostly cleaned, but some other things need to be done. Then I’m coming back and with the household staff I’m going to turn over every nook and cranny in this house.”

  “I’ll walk with you.”

  He stood and poured the remains of his coffee into the sink. Then together they walked the path to the stable area. Once inside, she grabbed a rake and began mucking out one of the stalls that still needed some cleaning, trying her best to ignore Seth. Every time he came near her, she felt herself heat up. It soon proved difficult to focus.

  “Explain to me why you won’t have dinner at my brothers’ ranch.”

  “I already did.”

  “They’re nice, laid-back people, Ally. Chance is a rancher, same as you.”

  “Somehow I doubt that.” She cast a skeptical look in Seth’s direction.

  “Maybe he has a bigger spread, but he is a rancher. Other than a stint in the navy, it’s all he’s ever wanted to do. His wife, Holly, is a veterinarian. Her clinic is across the road from the ranch. You remind me of her in a lot of ways. Cole is the businessman of the bunch. Has an office in Dallas, but they choose to live on the ranch. He commutes into Dallas a couple of times a week. His wife is an archaeologist.”

  “An archaeologist?”

  “That’s right. In fact, they met when she obtained a court order to search a section of the ranch for artifacts. They originally hit it off like oil and water but eventually got together and have been in love ever since. Wade is the newest married, besides us. He used to spend most of his time in Europe, but since he met Laurel, he has pretty much delegated the work to someone else. I’ve never met her, but I understand she is an accomplished artist. Other than some stray cousins, that’s the family. And they all want to meet you.”

  Ally kept sweeping at the debris in the stall. She didn’t know how to answer him. Here stood the man responsible for getting her ranch back wanting to introduce her to the men arguably responsible for taking it away. To Seth this was a small thing he was asking of her. She supposed she owed him this much. But how she could feign being a happily married bride for an entire evening, answering questions and making small talk? Especially with the entire clan of Masters brothers and their wives?

  She sighed. “All right. I’ll go. But I have to go to town and find something to wear.”

  “Not a problem. We’ll go tomorrow.”

  She stopped raking. “No. I will go. I’m quite capable of buying my own clothes.” She looked at Seth and saw him nod. She needed some new clothes anyway. She might as well take advantage of this excuse and take the time to buy some. She’d use the money she’d been saving for breeding fees and hope she could earn it back before it was needed. She wasn’t about to appear at a barbecue at the home of a Masters in worn out jeans and a raggedy T-shirt.

  * * *

  By Saturday all of the repairs on the barn had been completed. The last of the supplies for the house had been delivered, and her horses were scheduled to come back to her stable on Monday. Everything should be in order, but the evening’s festivities still loomed. Ally didn’t want to go to the Masters ranch and visit with Seth’s brothers and their wives. Still, she’d promised Seth she would go.

  At least she had plenty of outfit options after her shopping trip the other day. She’d bought a whimsical pale green blouse and denim skirt with wedges to match, plus two other dresses just in case. It had felt good to be out on a full-blown shopping excursion. She hadn’t done that since Wayne Burris had dumped her for the rodeo circuit, leaving a note that said he hoped she would understand. Oh, she’d understood, all right. Macho males seemed destined to sweep in, make a woman feel special then in the blink of an eye disappear again, never to return. Wayne had been popular with the ladies and knew how he affected them. He’d expected Ally to understand that, too.

  She went inside the house in search of Seth. She found him in an extra bedroom with one of the ranch hands, arranging a new desk, chairs and filing cabinets. He’d decided he needed a home office, and she couldn’t think of a reason to deny him.

  The ranch hand immediately nodded and excused himself.

  “So what gives?”

  “My new office. Do you like it?”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s...an office.”

  “I’ve made arrangements to fly in two of my security detail.”

  “You have a security detail?”

  “Yes. A necessary evil, I’m afraid. Anyway, they will stay a couple of weeks and help the sheriff’s office find the person who broke in. Once they arrive, they’ll have rotating shifts overnight. I don’t want any more surprises. I doubt you do, either.”

  Ally shook her head. “Pauline and I looked everywhere and found nothing that could belong to a squatter.”

  “Maybe there’s nothing to find,” Seth said.

  “I intend to keep looking. Your office does look good, though,” Ally said, changing the subject. “Where will your assistant sit?”

  “Hopefully I won’t need one locally. I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”

  The day passed quickly. Too soon it was time to get ready for the evening outing. After a hot soak in the tub, she dried her hair and donned the new blouse and skirt she’d purchased. With a light touch of makeup and some lipstick, she was ready to go.

  Seth stood waiting for her at the front door when she came down the stairs.

  “Very nice.”

  “Thanks. Let’s get this over with.”

  She didn’t miss the grin that sprang to his lips. She wished she was as calm as he appeared. He opened the door. “After you.”

  She walked to the truck, where Seth helped her inside then they were on their way.

  Seven

  It was a twenty-minute drive to the ranch, and Seth felt Ally’s anxiety the entire way. But he knew once she really got to know his brothers and their wives, she would be at ease. He wished she didn’t have such preconceived concepts of his brothers, but he could understand where they came from after her history with the Masters family, particularly his father.

  She looked incredibly beautiful, the pale green blouse accentuating the deep auburn highlights of her hair and the emerald green of her eyes. A touch of pink lipstick made her full lips irresistible. Kissing. They needed kissing.

  Seth turned off the main road and drove under the metal Masters Ranch sign arching over the wide drive. They passed the original house on the left. The sprawling stone-and-log structure was a vision set against the backdrop of the deep pine woods. They continued along the drive, past the main barn capable of housing one hundred horses. Its white columns and dark green facade spoke to the quality of the Masters breeding program that had long been heralded by local ranchers. They then turned off to the west. The road curved around rock formations and deep blue pools then went up a rise until Chance’s house came into view. Similar to the original house though not as large, it was still breathtaking. Seth felt Ally’s uneasiness heighten.

  “This is it,” he said. “This is where Chance and Holly live.”

  He parked the truck behind another and helped her out.

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sp; His brothers were awaiting their arrival in the front yard. They each embraced Seth, and he proceeded to introduce them to Ally.

  “Glad you could come,” Chance said. “Come around to the backyard and make yourselves at home. We’re eating outside tonight.”

  “Welcome! It’s so nice to meet you,” said a beautiful blonde woman as Ally rounded the corner of the large house. She came forward and hugged Ally. “I’m Holly. This is Laurel and Tallie,” she added, pointing out the two women who now joined them. They each grinned and welcomed Ally to the group. “Dinner is almost ready. Burgers and steaks. Hope you like pecan pie and homemade ice cream. Martha is our cook. She’s making her mother’s recipe for dessert.”

  Soon everyone was seated around the large table on the stone patio. The area was edged by a rail fence that looked out over the grasslands nestled between the higher elevations with the river running like a ribbon through it all.

  As the time passed, Seth watched Ally begin to engage in the banter with the other wives. That she was ill at ease was clear, but eventually the other wives worked their magic and Ally began to respond. Soon she was laughing at the stories of how each couple got together.

  “What about you?” Tallie asked.

  “Seth almost ran me down with his car. Had to jump the hood to keep from becoming roadkill.”

  “Oh my gosh! What is it about these Masters men?” Laurel shook her head.

  “Hey, now.” Wade spoke up. “It isn’t entirely our fault.”

  “Nope. It sure isn’t,” Cole chimed in. “We’re the ones caught off guard. It’s the women who cause all the friction.”

  “Friction?” Laurel and Holly both repeated.

  “I’ll remember that, bud.” Tallie glared playfully at her husband, her eyes sparkling in challenge.