Shane patted Jordan's hand and smiled reassuringly.
"Well, since you have your mind made up, I guess the next step is to invite your uncle here to the ranch."
Jordan shook her head. "We've already involved you--"
"You did no such thing. I offered you to come in gratitude for taking care of Rebecca. I'll send word to your uncle that he can come here to the ranch."
Chapter 25
JORDAN RECOILED at the sight of her uncle who stood on the porch of the Triple T, looking completely out of place in his three-piece designer suit, custom-made shoes, and bowler hat.
His thin-lipped smile told her he was as happy to see her, as she was him.
He gave her the once over, but said nothing, his gaze then turned to Kari. Disappointment clearly marked his features.
"Mr. Catalono, I presume," he said, extending his hand toward Shane, who greeted him with a handshake.
"I'm sure you are as surprised as I am to find that you have my niece, who is wanted for kidnapping, sleeping under your roof. I must tell you, however, that I do not hold you responsible for harboring a fugitive of the law, though I have every right to bring charges against you."
Jordan had to refrain from lashing out at her uncle. His insolence absolutely amazed her.
Shane stepped in front of Jordan. "From what I understand, the women left your home with good cause. Jordan didn't want to marry the man who you thought suitable."
Frederick threw back his head and chuckled without mirth. "Oh, dear sir, you live a different life out here in the sticks." He lifted his brows. "In Virginia it is the guardian's responsibility to find a suitable groom for their ward. I have seen to that in Jordan's betrothed. He's a man of great wealth and power--"
"Who's old enough to be her grandfather."
Frederick cleared his throat abruptly, obviously irritated he was being questioned by a mere cowboy. "Within a few years she may be a very young, very wealthy widow."
Shane frowned. "I come from a place where people are given a choice as to how they live their lives and who they live it with. If I'm not mistaken, Jordan prefers to stay here. Being that she's old enough to make her own decisions."
"Well, it doesn't really matter what she wants, because her husband-to-be is awaiting her arrival in Richmond by the end of the month." He turned to Jordan and Kari. "I'll expect you two to get whatever belongings you may have. We'll be leaving now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," Jordan said, lifting her chin a notch. Her uncle's piercing eyes stared her down, as he had done so often through the years. But she was no longer a child, and instead of being intimidated by the man, she felt resentful of the hell he had put her through.
"You will get your things, now."
Jordan shook her head. "No, I will not. I'm staying here. I want to raise my child in Wyoming, on my ranch."
Frederick's eyes widened, his gaze slipping to her stomach. "You little slut. You're no better than a whore, spreading your legs for every man who comes along."
Kari gasped beside her, but said nothing.
"You're pregnant with an Indian's baby. Have you no shame?"
Jordan ignored his cruel words, knowing it didn't matter what he thought. He'd never approved of anything she did, and he never would.
"I'm tired of your insults. Just leave me in peace."
"I will not leave you here. You will return with me, we'll see that the baby is aborted. I know a doctor who handles such things."
Shane drew his gun and leveled it at Frederick's head. "Sir, you go too far."
"I would rather die than harm my child," Jordan hissed, hating him with all her heart.
"Marvin will never accept a breed's baby," Frederick said menacingly, ignoring Shane who had since lowered his gun.
"Good, then it's settled. I'll stay here."
"The ranch will never be yours. It's already been sold."
Jordan's heart died a little at his words, and as he patted his vest pocket and the papers within, she began to tremble. His thin lips curved up in the corners.
"You're lying."
Her uncle leaned toward her with victory in his eyes. "It's sold now. It will never be yours."
Shane cleared his throat. "You mister, are a heartless cad. What reason would you have to deny your niece her childhood home?"
"It is nothing but a shack," Frederick said with distaste. "Plus, it doesn't matter to me. As far as I'm concerned, she can live in a teepee for the rest of her life, along with the Indian and his brat. You're no good to me anymore as it is."
So many words were on the tip of Jordan's tongue, all words that would only make things worse. Shaking her head, she took Kari's hand and walked toward the front door when her uncle's voice stopped her.
"I may be leaving you here to rot in hell, but my daughter is coming with me."
Kari's fingernails bit into Jordan's arm. Her back straightened, and she went white as a sheet.
Frederick cleared his throat. "Marvin will be just as happy with you, my love."
"You're bluffing," Kari said, turning white under her father's cruel stare.
Frederick lifted a brow, reminding Jordan of the devil himself.
"You know I don't bluff."
Jordan stepped in front of Kari protectively. "She can't go."
"Of course she can! I am her father, and I am taking her back to our home in Virginia."
"I'm afraid that's impossible, sir," Shane cut-in.
A nerve ticked in Frederick's jaw. "And pray tell, why is that impossible?"
"Because she's marrying me," Shane said, his expression set in stone.
Frederick flinched. "That's absurd!"
"No, it's a fact, isn't it, darling?" Shane asked, looking at Kari as though he was very much in love, which Jordan realized with a start was not conjured. He loved Kari--and had for some time.
"Well, as her father, I say the engagement is broken, and she will return to Virginia, where she will live the way she is accustomed."
"That's impossible," Shane said, a satisfied smile on his face.
Frederick frowned. "How so?"
"She is no longer a virgin. I've compromised your daughter." Shane said the words with conviction. "In fact, she may very well be carrying my child as we speak."
Jordan heard Kari's quick intake of breath, making her wonder if Shane lied, though he seemed pretty convincing as he held out his arms to Kari. Her cousin wrapped her arms around his waist, and looked completely at ease as she rested her cheek against his chest.
Frederick's face became flushed, and beads of perspiration dripped from his forehead as he threw a hostile glare at his daughter. "You're no better than that whore," he hissed, nodding in Jordan's direction. "You're both nothing but lying little sluts."
"I'm tired of you speaking to your daughter and niece this way. Especially when your own morals have to be questioned, considering the hundreds of dollars you've spent to entertain a whore in your hotel room since the day you arrived in Brogan." Shane smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You see, in small towns everybody knows everyone else, making it hard for certain things to go unnoticed."
Jordan could have laughed out loud at the expression on her uncle's face. Shane's statement had taken her by surprise, but she knew it was the truth, especially when Frederick retreated to the elaborate carriage that looked grossly out of place in this part of the country.
"We won," Kari said, smiling up at Shane.
Jordan wasn't so sure. As the carriage disappeared out of sight, she felt defeated. She'd lost Gray Hawk and now her ranch; the two things that meant everything.
THOUGH KARI may have thought Shane had been bluffing about marrying her, he proved that very evening that he meant it. By that weekend they stood on the steps of the small white church in Brogan and took their vows in front of a few friends, and of course, all the ranch hands at the Triple T, who welcomed the new addition to the Catalono family with open arms.
It was a bittersweet moment for Jordan, who knew that her cousin and Shane truly loved one another. Though she was thrilled for Kari, Jordan was also sad, knowing if things had worked out differently with she and Gray Hawk, that she too would be happy and in love, starting a new life with a wonderful man.
Hank agreed to watch Tanner and Rebecca for the weekend while Kari and Shane honeymooned in a nearby county, giving Jordan the opportunity to head to her ranch, to start thinking about her future.
FREDERICK McGuire started packing his bags, his gaze continually returned to the woman standing at the window, her back rigid, her chin held high as though she were a princess, and not a prostitute.
This past month she had been a constant in his life, and though he mentioned her coming to Virginia with him before, he had never really asked her.
"China?"
She turned to him, her beautiful green eyes misty with tears. She was only twenty-nine, so she said, and without makeup she looked even younger. He knew for certain her life had been a tough one, she'd told him everything, holding nothing back. The abuse she suffered as a child by the hand of a stepfather who hated her, selling her to the highest bidder at the tender age of thirteen. He cringed, realizing how it was almost as if she were talking about him and the way he had been so willing to sell his eldest daughter or his brother's only child to a man who was unworthy. Granted it was a marriage, but was it so different? He tried to think back, wondering when it was things had gone so wrong. When had he become the man he was now?
China came to him, her eyes focused on his chest, a habit she had of not meeting his eyes. A habit he hated.
"Look at me."
She glanced up and flinched. His fingers touched the soft skin of her cheek, then trailed down her neck. Pulling her to him he kissed her. He knew after today she would be back in the brothel, spreading her legs for other patrons. The thought tore at his insides.
"I need to return to Virginia, but before I go, I want to ask you if you would come with me."
She pressed her cheek against his chest.
"Would you come with me?" he asked again.
"You're married."
He nodded. "I am."
Her smile was sad, and he knew the answer before she replied, "I will not break up a marriage, and if I return with you, it could destroy you...I would never do that...not ever."
"But it kills me to leave you here."
She shrugged indifferently. "You'll survive, and I'll survive."
"What are you saying?" he asked, fear eating at his insides.
"I'll be the first to admit I'm a whore. At least I'm honest with myself and everyone else. But I have to be honest with you, Freddy. I can't be someone's wife, or even a mistress to someone who would hurt and destroy their own family for his own gain. Especially his daughter and niece, a girl who was entrusted into your care by your own brother."
He realized now that he'd told her more than he probably should have. "I'll give you a life you could otherwise only dream of," he said desperately, hating the thought of a future without her.
The silence was too final. Dropping to the edge of the bed in defeat, he stared at her in shock.
"Please don't misunderstand me," she said, kneeling in front of him. "I love you, Freddy. But despite my profession, I do have my pride. Wife, or no wife, I couldn't live with a man who only thinks of himself. What if one day you decided to use me in one of your schemes, the same way you've used your daughter and niece? And they're your family." She shook her head, disapproval of what he'd done evident in her eyes. "No Freddy, I could never stand for that."
He flinched as though she'd struck him. Never in his life had anyone talked to him the way she had and lived to tell about it. Yet as he stared at her, he found it impossible to be angry. With gentle fingers he traced the soft skin of her cheek. "Please reconsider," he whispered.
"Oh, Frederick." It was the first time she had used his given name. "I
feel
sorry for you. You're filled with so much greed and hate."
As she stood and walked away from him, he felt the loss like a fist to his gut.
She was to the door when she turned to him, a soft smile on her lips. "Thank you for this last month. They've been the best days of my life. I'll never forget you." Then she closed the door behind her.
He sagged against the bedpost, knowing she was right.
How ironic that it took being rejected by a whore to make him see the kind of man he'd become. Patricia would have no doubt applauded his behavior of late, encouraging him to ruin his own daughter and niece.
China. It would never work bringing her back to Virginia with him, and if Patricia ever found out...thinking of his wife, he flinched. For far too long she held a power over him that was quickly slipping away. He had changed since she came into his life, letting her mold him into something he despised.
His mind raced, realizing how horrible he had been in the past. He grabbed the whiskey bottle off the night stand and took a long drink, enjoying the burning sensation as it raced to his gut.
As he left the hotel, he left two letters, and paid a young man to carry them out to the Triple T.
Later that day when he left Brogan, he left behind a little piece of his heart.
KARI TREMBLED as Shane helped her out of her dress. His fingers seemed to burn through the material, scorching her skin, much as his eyes were doing to her body as he slipped the garment down her arms and hips, letting it pool around her feet.
All day she'd been anticipating this moment, knowing that after tonight she would be a woman.
Shane kissed her, first softly, then with more urgency, until she felt her knees go weak. He smiled against her lips and picked her up, placing her with gentle care on the bed before standing back to look at her.
Instinctively her hands went up to shield herself from his gaze, but the soft expression on his face made her relax and she dropped her arms back at her sides, watching as he undressed. He removed his pants and she could feel her cheeks burn as his long, hard manhood was exposed to her devouring gaze. She talked to Jordan about what to expect on her wedding night, but still she was nervous. And it must have shown on her face because Shane smiled reassuringly.
He joined her on the bed, his tall lean frame stretching out beside her as he pulled her against him. He kissed her again, his fingers moving to her breast, skimming over her nipple that went hard beneath his ministrations. "You're so beautiful," he said against her lips. She wanted to please him, and she let her hands wander over the hard planes of his shoulders, his chest, down his abdomen where his manhood jutted out. With tentative fingers she touched him.
A dark brow lifted as her fingers skimmed the silky, hard surface. "You're so big," she said in awe.