Chapter Six

Buck spotted Sara’s truck coming down the road leading away from the ranch. As he drove through the Double B arch, he thought she’d stop, but she simply gave a wave out the window and kept going. He frowned, wondering where she was off to this time of day. It was unusual for her to miss Sunday dinner, especially with her sisters home. Maybe she was only going to town and would be back.

He picked up his cell phone to call her then set it down again. He wasn’t her keeper. If she wanted him to know where she was going, she’d have said something. Last night, she’d left the bar before he did and he hadn’t seen her all day. She was avoiding him, and he had only himself to blame. If he hadn’t pulled that stupid poker stunt last week, then started arguing with her on the dance floor, she wouldn’t be so pissed. After their tiff, she’d stayed close to Cole all night, even going outside with him for a long period of time.

He drummed his hand on the open window of his truck. Was she thinking that she could marry Cord, keep the ranch and maybe have something with Cole on the side? Was that what was in her mind? Pritchard would never go for that. Then again, that boy thought Sara hung the moon. Nah, not Pritchard, he was way too straight an arrow. He’d never be involved in something like that. More than likely, he didn’t have a clue about the Will.

Toby Keith’s latest hit blared from the radio and he whistled along. As always, he kept an eye out for anything out of place in the fence lines or on the land. He loved the ranch, couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, but he didn’t have it in his blood the way his brother and Sara did. If he had to walk away tomorrow—if he could leave with Sara—he’d do it and not look back. What was he going to do if she married Cord? He figured he had two options: move to another part of the ranch—far enough away that he wouldn’t have to deal with the two of them very often, or stick around until...what? Fifteen years? Hell, both options left a bad taste in his mouth.

He parked in front of his house. As he stepped from the truck, Sam Grainer loped across the ranch yard. The ranch foreman grinned and held out his hand.

Buck jerked his head towards the kitchen door as he clasped Sam’s hand. “Hey old man, what’s for dinner?”

“Some fancy New York dish.”

“Flo’s not cooking?” It was a rare occasion when Sam’s wife wasn’t in charge of dinner.

Sam shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. “The girls wanted her to rest. It ain’t going over real good.”

Buck lifted one eyebrow. “They mean well.”

Sam nodded. “Yep, but I’ll hear about it all night.”

Buck dropped his hand on the shorter man’s shoulder. “I feel for you. What else is going on? Hey, where’d Sara go in such a hurry?”

“Doc’s place.”

“She’s not having dinner with her sisters?”

Sammy shrugged and looked away. “Maybe they’re getting serious.”

Buck crossed his arms over his chest. He had no clue if Sam and Flo knew about the Will or not. “Could be.”

Sam tipped his battered hat back on his head and Buck listened with amazement as the old man, who was usually stingy with his words, kept talking.

“You gonna let that happen?”

“Not much I can do.”

The longtime foreman shrugged and then spat chewing tobacco on the ground. “Always thought you were smarter than that.”

Buck eyed him right back. “That so?”

Sam nodded slowly. “Cole’s a good man, but Sara will lead that boy around by the nose.”

Buck grinned and leaned down. “Maybe he’s into that kinda thing.”

Sam shook his head. “Ain’t no man likes a woman who can push him around.” A grizzled old finger shot out in warning. “Nothing against Sara mind you, gal’s like a daughter to me and I want to see her done right by.”

“I hear you, Sam, I hear you.”

The old foreman tipped his head and pinned Buck with a steady gaze. “Heard some scuttlebutt talk about her Daddy trying to make her and Cord hitch up.”

Buck didn’t know what to say to that. “Can’t say, Sam.”

Sam nodded. “Don’t know what he was thinking.” He looked out in the distance and Sam spit again. “Cord’s a good man.”

Buck glanced at him and dropped his arms. “Yep.”

The older man held Buck’s gaze then turned as Flo hollered out the back door. Sam’s eyes lit up like a groom on his wedding night.

“Fifty years in June I’ve been coming when that woman calls. Good thing I wasn’t a chicken-shit, and told her how things was.”

Buck watched him walk away. If there was any man in the world he looked up to as much as his father and Sara’s father, it was Sam. He watched Flo frame the old man’s face in her hands and kiss him soundly. Buck grinned. Fifty years! It was a well-known fact around the ranch that the housekeeper and ranch foreman were still as hot for each other as ever. What must that be like, to have one woman your entire life who just adored you? He probably should say something to the others about this anniversary. Since Flo and Sam never had kids of their own, it was up to the children of their hearts to throw them a huge party.

He turned away and headed into the house he shared with his brothers. Fortunately, none of them were around. He sure wasn’t in the mood to see Cord, and Teddy had left with some blonde around noon so he was spared dealing with all that. As for the youngest Weston, Tyler, it was anyone’s guess where he was these days. Lately, he’d taken to riding out to the most remote parts of the ranch and staying for days on end. He avoided the family more and more. Just one more concern to add to the pile.

Buck kicked off his boots, stripped from his jeans and shirt and dropped them in the laundry room. The house was smaller than the one Sara and her sisters were raised in. The main ranch house had been in the Sampson family for generations. His folks, on the other hand, had built this one when his father and Beau went into business together, long before the next generation was born. The house wasn’t small, but with four grown men living in it, sometimes even the ranch itself wasn’t enough room.

He had to admit there were times he envied Tyler and his escaping. He could get away from Teddy and his countless number of women. Get away from Cord. Maybe he should think about building his own place. With over 800,000 acres of land, there ought to be a corner he could put up a little shack and call it his own.

Standing under the hot shower, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from turning back to Sara. What was she doing out at Cole’s? She sure wasn’t helping Doc cook dinner, that’s for sure.

As the water flowed down his body, his mind went backwards. He could still feel her under his hands. She wasn’t wispy and delicate like Diane, and she wasn’t cute and petite like Susan and Beth. She was muscular, but still kept her feminine shape. Sara was strong and solid, and he felt like he could hold her tight and not break her.

Her face was soft, her eyes were bright and usually full of mischief to the point he chuckled just thinking about her. Then he remembered how those eyes looked after he kissed her last week, the fury, the hurt.

“Agh,” he growled shoving his head under the water.

Only one other time had he ever seen that look on her face, the night he and Cord sat her down and told her that her father had died. She’d sobbed in his arms all night, but the next morning as they addressed the ranch hands, she’d been completely in control and composed. She’d stood strong with her sisters through the service and the social obligations after. Only he’d seen her vulnerability, how lost and alone she was on the inside. And that was what he’d seen last week after he’d kissed her. He never wanted to see that look in her eyes again.

He turned the water off, and wrapped a thick towel around his waist. He’d do whatever he could to keep her from marrying Cord, he’d talk to her, he’d cuss, he’d yell, he’d pitch a fit. But the one thing he wouldn’t do was kiss her again. He wasn’t going to ever give her a reason to look at him like that again.

****

Sara leaned against the wall, yanked off her boots, then padded into the kitchen. She glanced at the clock on the microwave and groaned. She’d stayed at Cole’s way too late. She smirked, remembering one of Doc’s jokes. It had been good to relax and have some beers and barbecue with Cole and his father. Cole’s mother had died a couple years ago and she knew the two men were still lost without her and enjoyed having company for Sunday dinner once in a while. She rubbed her stomach. She’d pay for all the barbecue she ate later too, but man, Doc could cook!

Out in the hall, she wasn’t surprised to see a light under the den door. It wasn’t unusual for Cord to be in there working late at night. She was halfway up the stairs when the door creaked open.

“Sara?”

She bit her bottom lip, wanting to ignore him, but turned anyway. “Yeah?”

“I was waiting for you. Got a minute?”

She frowned. Waiting for her? “I’m beat and I gotta be at the barn at 4:30.”

“This won’t take long.”

She hesitated, knowing what he wanted to talk about and sure she didn’t want to do this now after such a great afternoon. But his face told her he wasn’t going to let it go. Without bothering to conceal her reluctance, she came down the stairs and walked past him into the den.

He closed the door and waved his hand to indicate the small leather couch. The barbecue began to revolt in her stomach, but she forced herself to sit down. She kept on the edge though, no point in letting him think she was going to be there a while.

Cord sat down next to her, also staying on the edge. He didn’t appear confident and composed, which was unusual for him. “Diane told me she’s going to have the Will reviewed by another attorney.”

“Yep.”

“I don’t blame you. I think it’s a good idea to do that. But you know, Jake said there’s nothing to be done.”

“I know.” Sara drummed her fingers on the arm of the couch. “I told them that.”

She studied the portrait of her late mother above the mantle. Her mother had the painting done as a surprise for her husband, but she’d died before she could give it to him. Flo had known about it and presented the precious gift to her father after the accident. Many times Sara had walked in here and found her father staring at it. She often wondered what he was thinking, what he would have liked to have told his wife. She never doubted the love her parents had for one another, it had transcended even death. What would Julia Sampson think of this insane idea her husband had for her daughter?

“When the accident happened,” Cord began, his voice gentle. “I’d just turned 20. I figured I’d quit college, come back home and take care of my brothers. I was scared to death. I wasn’t ready to take over my father’s half of the business. I’d no clue what to do. Your father didn’t even give me a choice. He stepped in, insisted I finish the last two years of college.”

Sara didn’t say anything. It was a day that was engraved on all their memories the same way their parents’ names were on the tombstone in the family cemetery. The plane that had carried her mother and Cord’s parents to Houston for the day had crashed shortly after takeoff. The only reason her father hadn’t died too was he had to stay home that day for a last minute meeting with a sales rep.

She looked over at Cord. The accident had bonded them all together in a way not many would ever understand.

“If your father hadn’t stepped in and took over raising us boys, I don’t know where we’d be today. I never thought I’d respect another man more than my own father, but in the past twelve years, your father became even more to me than my own had been.”

Sara nodded. She blinked back the tears that filled her eyes at the memory of the man everyone adored. Beau Sampson had a heart as big as the ranch he owned. There weren’t many men in the world who would have taken over raising eight kids, let alone eight teenagers.

Cord looked her in the eye. “Your father is the reason I’m the man I am. He’s the reason my brothers all have become good men. Even in his grief, losing his wife and his best friends in the same moment, he didn’t let it bring him to his knees. I owe him Sara and I would do anything for him.”

Sara lifted her chin and stared him straight in the eye. Yep he would. Even marry someone he didn’t love. Wow, what woman wouldn’t love that for a proposal? She bit back the nasty retort.

“When Jake told me what Beau had put in the Will, I was as shocked as you. I never thought, never imagined, that he would take control of the ranch from you. All he ever talked about was how proud he was of his daughters. He told me that your sisters were incredible and he was so excited for the lives they were building, but it was you who he felt understood what the ranch meant. He always told me that one day it would be you and me that would be in charge of the future of this business.” He gave a sharp laugh. “I guess I had no clue what he really meant. Maybe he was trying to put the idea of a marriage between the two of us into my head, but I wasn’t picking up on it. Maybe if I had, I could have avoided this, I could have told him something, anything to make him rethink this insane idea.”

“Once he’d made up his mind, there was no changing it.”

Cord half smiled and nudged her shoulder. “Like someone else I know, hmm?”

“We were a lot alike.”

“Yes. And we’re a lot alike too, although maybe not everyone sees it. This land, this ranch means the world to both of us. Without it, we might as well not even be alive. If I said that to anyone else, my brothers, anyone, they don’t get it, but I say that to you and it’s in your eyes. It’s the same thing you feel.”

She nodded. She understood completely.

“I loved your father and I miss him so much.”

Sara’s eyes filled again and she reached out to cover Cord’s hand where it rested on his thigh. He turned his over and linked their fingers. His palm was rough against her own. It was probably the first time in her life they’d touched like this. “I know,” she said softly.

“I thought he was insane to put that clause into the Will and it’s been eating at me for days. I tried to think the way he was thinking, tried to figure out what he was trying to really do and it came to me. Maybe he wasn’t trying to force you into something you didn’t want. Maybe what he was really thinking was about the future of the ranch.”

“He was trying to control me, make me do things his way.”

“Wait, hear me out.” He shifted more towards her. “Have you ever thought what it would mean if you or I were to marry someone else and it didn’t work out and there was a divorce settlement?”

Sara’s eyes widened at the thought that had never crossed her mind. But what if an outsider did come in and suddenly owned a piece of the Double B?

“By marrying us, he was ensuring that the Double B partnership was protected. Locked up in a way that means far more than just a business contract. He knew me well enough to know I’d do what he wanted and he’s hoping you care more about the land than anything else.”

“So we should set aside any of our own personal feelings and get married for the sake of the business? How could he have asked us to sacrifice like that?”

“I don’t think he was. I think he was thinking that you and I would make a great partnership, and a solid marriage. I think he saw what he wanted to and he saw how much alike we are. Our values are the same, our beliefs, and our goals. Marriages have been founded on a lot less.”

“How could he think like that? My mother was the love of his life. My parents loved the fact that they’d had a whirlwind romance and yet were completely and totally opposite. How could he want to pick out who I married and not let me fall in love the way they did?”

Cord shook his head. “Maybe he was trying to play matchmaker, thinking you and I were perfect for one another. Maybe he was trying to find someone for you who wouldn’t try to make you into something you’re not.”

Cord held her gaze and squeezed her hand. “I would never try to change you, Sara. You are amazing at what you do. There isn’t a cowboy around who can outwork you. If you and Buck hadn’t been running the things you do, I couldn’t be in here doing the rest of it. None of that would change if we got married...but it might if you marry someone else.”

Sara swallowed hard. Why was Cord suddenly making sense? Still, Buck’s words last night popped into her head. “So this would be a marriage in name only. We’d have a partnership, a business arrangement?”

Cord frowned and took a deep breath. “I can’t do that, Sara. I’m thirty two years old. I want a family. If I go into this marriage, I want it to be a real marriage. I want kids, and I don’t want to think that in fifteen years you’ll want a divorce.”

Sara pulled her hand away and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Cord rose from the couch to squat in front of her and take both her hands. Even though she wanted to look away, Sara stared into his brown eyes. Her face flushed at the thoughts that were racing across her mind.

“Marriages have been based on a lot less than what we have and worked. I promise you that if you agree to marry me, I will give you the best life you could ever ask for. I would respect you and love you and stand by you forever. I would be true to you and only you and I would be proud to call you my wife.”

“I-I don’t know.” Her stomach heaved again. The more sense Cord made, the more nauseous she felt.

“Is it Cole? Are you and he serious?”

She shook her head. “No. Cole and I are friends. I know folks think there’s something more, but honest, we’re not anything other than that.”

Cord stared. She shrugged.

“Okay, we’ve maybe been a little more than friends but we both know we’re just spending time together for now. I’m definitely not who Cole wants to marry. We just enjoy hanging together.”

“Well, I’m not seeing anyone and I haven’t for a long time. It’s really hard to date someone and know that they aren’t interested in your bank account. That’s another reason this is so right. In our position, it’s hard to trust someone to know that they are with you for you and not for what you can do for them.”

Sara watched his thumb make slow circles on her hand. It was kind of annoying and she wanted to yank away from him. Cord wasn’t a huge man like Buck, but he was just as strong. His hands were the hands of a working man, strong and rough. She didn’t know what to do. She loved Cord, but not like that. The very idea of him kissing her—or anything else—was beyond weird.

His finger lifted her chin and, for half a second, she was terrified he was going to kiss her. God, she wanted to puke right now.

“I swear that I won’t rush us into anything until you’re ready. We’ll take our time to get to know each other, in that way. And, when it’s time, I’ll make sure you are completely happy. Okay?”

Sara frowned. “Are you trying to tell me it’ll be good between us?”

He chuckled. “I’ll give it my best shot, how’s that?”

She licked her bottom lip, unsure how to ask the next question. “W-what if, um, what if it isn’t? I mean what if there’s just...no sparks?”

Cord held her gaze. “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Sara frowned, but decided not to ask him to expand on that. He might be inclined to show her, and she really didn’t want to get into that right now. She pulled her hands from his, hoping he’d stand up and give her some space.

He must have read her mind because he did just that. She stood as well and felt better putting the couch between them. She rested her hands along the back of the soft leather.

“I had an idea,” he began slowly. “I have to go to the Houston Livestock Show next week. I was thinking you should come with me—not only because, in your position, you really need to be there, but it would give us a week alone, away from everyone else, to sort of discuss this further, maybe explore our...options.”

She picked at a button on the leather couch. “Sort of try the shoe on, see if it fits?”

Cord laughed. “Well, we’ll see. I’m not sure either of us is ready for shoe trying. I think it would be great to get away from the house, though. I’m thinking we could spend some time alone and...talk. Who knows, maybe you’ll fall head over heels in love with me.”

Sara lifted her eyebrow knowing he was trying to lighten the mood. “I should go to the show either way. You’re right, I should be there. Where are you staying?”

He named the hotel where her father always stayed. “I already booked a suite. I hate staying for a week in one small room, so there’s plenty of space, and two bedrooms even, “ he added pointedly.

Sara nodded. “Okay, makes sense. I’ll let Buck know I’ll be gone.”

“Speaking of Buck...”

Sara frowned. Buck hadn’t said anything about that scene last week, had he? “Yeah?”

“You know he’s going to do everything he can to talk you out of this. He thinks we’re both insane for going along with this.”

“I know.”

“I won’t force you into this, Sara. But as Jackson said, I’ve got nothing to gain by doing this. I think it would save a lot of future headaches if we were married. We could lock up this partnership tight and ensure the future for generations.”

“If you want me to thank you for sacrificing yourself to me—”

“It’s no sacrifice, Sara. You’re a beautiful woman. I’m a lucky man to be in this position.”

She scoffed and shifted uneasily behind the couch. “You don’t need to pull that crap with me.”

“Its not crap. Any man around would be fortunate to have you even considering marriage to him.”

“You mean sex.”

Cord shoved his hands in his pockets. “We may be marrying for one reason, but I’ve got enough pride that I don’t want men around here thinking my wife isn’t happy to be in my bed. Okay?”

Sara headed for the door. With a hand on the dark doorframe, she ducked her chin to her chest, drew a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

****

“Sara! Your left!”

Buck watched as Sara’s horse jerked hard to the left and cut the stray cows with minds of their own. They’d been out working since early in the day and there were more long days ahead as they moved cattle from the North pasture to the South. Teddy and Cord were with Sam working other parts of the ranch.

He didn’t know what it was today, but he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. She and her horse were like one as they moved. Her long hair, pulled back in a messy ponytail, bounced on her back as she rode. Around her waist, she wore the flannel shirt she’d stripped off earlier, her white tank top soaked with sweat and covered with dirt. She took his breath away at her sheer raw beauty. She twisted and turned in her saddle, yelling out orders that made cowboys scatter in different directions.

He pressed his thighs into Thunder’s side and turned him in her direction. She glanced up as he reached her and pulled Travis to a halt. “How’s it going?”

Sara picked her hat off her head and wiped her brow with the rag on her saddle horn. Buck watched her breasts rise and glanced around to see if anyone else was as aware of her as he was. The other cowboys worked the herd, moving through them and doing their jobs. They were well used to working around Sara and had been most of their lives. Any that were new and weren’t used to her, learned real quick to keep their mind on their jobs or head out.

The sounds of calves bleating for their mamas and mama cows calling back filled the air.

“The herd looks good,” she said, her voice full of excitement and energy.

“Yeah, it does. I think one more day and we should have the new ones tagged and checked too.”

She nodded and yanked her water bottle off the side of her saddle. She took a long drink, then wet the blue checked cloth and wiped her face, the back of her neck, and down her chest. Buck swallowed hard. He would love to help her cool off. He’d start by stripping off her tank top then he’d remove her heavy jeans and...he blinked as he realized she was speaking to him.

“I think by end of the day today, we should be more than halfway done. We can send those new guys out to the West side. Is Teddy taking the plane up tomorrow?”

“Yeah, he and Cord are going out to do a scan and try to get a count.”

Her horse shifted as she took a long drink from her water bottle. He followed the drop that spilled out against her chin and trickled down her neck.

Buck forced his gaze off her and out to the herd. “I’m going to head into town later, want to go?”

She frowned. “For what?”

He shrugged. “I need to pick up some things and thought I’d grab a burger or something.”

“Nah, I gotta pack.”

Buck gritted his teeth, hard. This idiotic trip she and Cord were taking wasn’t good news. For all he knew they’d come back married! He’d already tried to convince her it was a bad idea. Then he tried to convince Cord he should go too, but his brother made it very clear this trip was just going to be him and Sara. Buck was more than tempted to just show up there, and there wasn’t a damn thing Cord could do about it then.

“This trip is the most asinine—”

Her hand flew up. “Don’t start. We’ve already had this fight.” She dug her heels into Travis and they were gone, leaving him with temper flaring and frustration mounting.

The rest of the day, he barely saw her—not until they rode back and she pulled up next to Buck and his large white horse. She was filthy and looked exhausted, but smiled as she passed on horseback. He nodded in reply. Ahead of him, he watched her slip her booted feet out of the stirrups. She bent forward and hooked her legs up behind her until she lay on her stomach in the saddle, her face against her horse’s mane. It looked like the most uncomfortable position he could imagine but she could ride that way all the way back to the ranch. He didn’t know another person who could ride half-asleep the way she did; he’d known her to take catnaps like that for years. Half of it was that horse; Travis and Sara were almost one when they were together.

She’d work her delectable fanny off today. Not that she didn’t always, but today it was like she’d been driven by some outside force. The ghost of her father maybe? Trying to show him that she was good enough? He blew his breath out and twisted his head back and forth trying to ease the ache in his neck.

Did Cord plan to try to seduce her in Houston? Was he thinking he could convince her that they’d be right for one another with some soft words and a few drinks? If it was any other man, he knew Sara wouldn’t so much as think twice about putting a quick end to that. But the way the situation was, her actually thinking about going through with this insane idea, maybe she was willing to try things out.

More than ever he was determined that, somehow, he was going to be there in Houston. Then again, maybe he needed to leave it alone. Maybe a week with Cord would be enough to show Sara what the rest of her life would be like married to him. He was serious and steady, and a hell of a guy, but he was also no party animal. When he and Sara had been at the Houston show in the past, it had been one late night after another. They’d laughed and partied at every honky tonk they could find, and still managed to get the job done the next day. With Cord, it would be a quiet dinner by seven and in bed by eight.

In bed. That was the part that got him every time. Was Cord going to try and take her to bed this week?

His phone vibrated on his belt. The moment he put it to his ear, his brother began talking a mile a minute.

“Shit.”

Sara jerked up at the tone in his voice and he urged his mount next to hers. “The ATV flipped. Cord’s hurt.”