BRANDED BY A CALLAHAN (7 page)

Tighe grinned, sent a wink River’s way. Dante thought his twin was laying it on just a touch thick, but who was he to quibble? At least Tighe seemed to have a captive audience, while Dante’s audience—Ana—had flown the proverbial coop. “Sure thing. Now that you’re playing dirty pool with the fated frock, Aunt Fiona decided she’d go ahead and let you know that unless the gown is returned by Christmas, she’s pulling the plug on your portion of the ranch raffle.”

“I didn’t do anything to the stupid dress.”

River drifted out of the room with the boys and Tighe watched her go with obvious reluctance. “I do believe I’m making headway, bro.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself.” Dante sighed. “Focus. You’re wearing me out with minutiae. I prefer my action to be all of a piece, not death by paper cuts.”

Tighe went to the fridge and selected a beer for himself. “Then she got to rambling. Said she and Burke had planned to buy that ranch north of here, and that Chief Running Bear had been on board with the plan of enlarging the Rancho Diablo footprint. But she’s had second thoughts. Says we’re probably stretched too thin, and that everything needs to calm down for a while before she considers taking on more ranch land.”

Dante’s gaze widened. “Fiona made this decision just because her dress disappeared?”

“It might have been the last straw. She says too many things are going awry, that the hands aren’t steady on the plow anymore. I think she means us. Mainly, she’s madder than a wet hen at you.”

“I figured.” Dante sank onto the sofa arm, pondering his brother’s news. “Oh, well, live by the sword, die by the sword.”

“Exactly.”

“Personally, that suits me fine.” He didn’t like the whole marriage-for-acreage scenario, but he would have loved getting the ranch. He’d hoped it would be him who would win the raffle, simply because he’d long dreamed of a place to call his own. He hadn’t really envisioned a family with him there, though. Frowning, Dante realized he’d secretly hoped Ana would want to live with him, here in the circle of the Callahan closeness.

Yet she’d gone back to South Dakota without even a blink. “If our aunt ends the ranch raffle, Sloan and Falcon are in a bit of an awkward place. They got married.”

Tighe smiled. “They’re getting a consolation prize.”

“What is it?”

“Big chunks of Dark Diablo, in Tempest, New Mexico. I’ve only been out there a couple of times, but it’s a jewel.”

Dante nodded. “I know. It’s beautiful.”

“Jonas Callahan was generous about the parcels he offered them. Frankly, I wish I’d gotten to the altar in time for that sweet deal.”

“I never had plans to get to any altar until I met Ana. Now the thought doesn’t totally horrify me.”

“Won’t matter if you love the idea like a puppy loves a bone, bro. Fiona says you’re not getting one grain of dirt from this ranch until you bring her dress back. Further, she’s not sanctifying any marriage or children or anything. You know, Aunt Fiona sounded serious, and I’ve never heard her speak of marrying us off in anything but glowing terms. Now everybody’s mad at you. Including me, I guess. Really puts a crimp in my bachelor status not to have a shot at the ranch. I was planning on using that bait to my advantage. However, I am a bit more competitive than you are, as we know.”

Dante didn’t wholly care that he wouldn’t get any land. He was extremely bothered that his adorable aunt was upset with him. “I didn’t do anything with her dress, Tighe, I give you my oath on that. The silly thing just went...poof.”

Tighe snapped his fingers. “Just like that. Right after Ana tried it on, and you were supposed to put it away.” His brother winked. “Now, listen, bro, we all know you’re a little skittish when it comes to spending more than one night with a beautiful lady, repeats have never been your thing and certainly romance isn’t your—”

“Tighe,” Dante said, interrupting with purpose, “I would never sabotage Fiona, or Ana, or anybody. I don’t believe in magic. At least I didn’t.” He shook his head, still shocked by what had happened to him in the attic. “I just can’t imagine what Ana saw to make her run like that.”

“You didn’t say anything about a running bride.” Tighe looked at him expectantly.

“First of all,” Dante said as patiently as he could, because clearly his brother had taken one too many rings to the bell when he’d been on the circuit, “there was no running bride.”

“You said yourself that Ana tried on the dress, and then she ran away. That makes her a bride on the run, if you ask me.”

“No,” Dante said, even more patiently, “I never asked Ana to marry me. I don’t know why she was trying on Fiona’s fabled gown.”

“Fiona said that Ana had asked about the dress. Said she had heard all the Callahan brides had worn it.” Tighe smiled as if his brother were the slow one. “That means Ana must have believed on some level that somebody might eventually proffer her a proposal. And everybody knows that Callahans need brides in order to get the new ranch. Or at least we did, until Fiona changed her mind ’cause you made her mad. Upset her something fierce. Never saw her that upset, Dante, truly. That gown is part and parcel of our aunt. You better return it on the double, is my advice, and I hope you’ll take it.” Tighe looked at him with a rather pitying, disgusted expression, having decided that his brother lacked honesty and core principles to steal a woman’s dress and do something heinous to it. “Anyway, the point is, Ana doesn’t know you don’t need a bride anymore. I bet she’d come back if she did know.”

Dante blinked at his twin’s circular thinking. Compared it to the mental notes River had given him. “Are you saying that in your august opinion, Ana left because she didn’t want to marry me?”

“My guess is she thought about it, briefly toyed with the idea, as women do from time to time. But then she put on the gown and just couldn’t envision herself taking the walk of happy endings with you waiting at the altar for her. Maybe she saw you as more of a gargoyle than a prince.”

“Okay. That’s all I can take today. I’m off.” Dante headed to the door.

“I’d go with you, keep you company, help you hold your head up. I know how tough it is to take a smack down from a woman you’re hot for.” Tighe nodded as if he knew the secrets to the universe. “I know you came home for her, man. I wish like hell it had worked out for you.”

Dante left, not sure what had just happened to him. He was in the doghouse with everyone. His brother’s boneheaded pity was just about the final ounce of humiliation he could swallow.

It was time to hit the hay and plot his next logical course of action. Until Tighe had started yapping he’d been certain his next stop was South Dakota. River had him convinced all Ana needed was sweet words of reassurance.

But then Tighe had sowed seeds of doubt Dante was sure he’d be wise to consider, if not heed. What woman wanted a man to follow her, track her down, try to sway her—when the last thing she wanted was to ever see him again?

He needed his bed in the worst way, and about ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. Maybe his subconscious would reward him in the night with the answer, because he sure as hell was out of any.

The bunkhouse was dark. The dark sky was lit by a huge hanging moon of brilliant white, a winter moon rising, to his mind. Perfectly serene and silent in a wide sky of black nothingness, which was just about how his brain felt right now.

He pushed open the front door. A lamp was burning in the kitchen, so he detoured that way and grabbed a glass of water, gulping it down. Briefly, he considered the medicine cabinet his brothers tossed various tonics and crapola into on occasion. Grabbed a couple Advil and washed them down with a slug of whiskey, telling himself one or the other medicinal approaches would surely work on the pounding headache he’d developed.

What had happened to that cursed dress, anyway? He was still a bit freaked out over that. And Ana? Had she run from him? Could he be as much of a sad sack as Tighe, imagining something that wasn’t there at all?

He considered taking the whiskey to his room, to give the Advil a chaser until it worked. Picked it up, set it back down, shrugged. All he needed was sleep.

He opened his bedroom door and saw Ana sound asleep on top of the denim coverlet. Her blond hair fell over her shoulders, her black sweater clung to darling breasts, her hips in dark jeans half-turned toward the ceiling.

The headache and sleepiness disappeared just as the wedding gown had. He looked at the gift in his bed and felt as awake as the morning sun.

Sleep was overrated. Way overrated.

He had much better things to do.

Chapter Seven

This time he wasn’t going to mess up. And he sure wasn’t going to let the moment slip away again. He crossed to the bed. “Ana.”

She opened her eyes. “Hi.”

“You all right?”

She smiled. “Yes. And no.”

God, she was beautiful. He was indeed as lost as Tighe. Could he hang himself out on the ledge again without giving her a chance to get there with him? No. “Heard you were heading back to South Dakota.”

“Sure thought about it.” She watched him, her eyes luminous and soft in the lamp’s gentle light. “Hope you don’t mind I came here instead.”

He swept a golden strand away from her face. The feeling hadn’t changed for him. He still felt like an angel had dropped right into his bed, on loan from heaven. He was pretty certain that he could marry this woman, if he was the marrying kind, and fifty years from now he’d still feel like heaven had gifted him with something amazing and extraordinary.

He sank onto the bed. “So now what? You got a flight out in the morning?”

She shook her head. “I wanted to talk to you first.”

“About?”

“I wanted you to know some things.”

She was in the mood to talk. This was good. At least he thought it was. It would be much more to his liking if she was in the mood to try seducing him again, because he sure would let her. Right? He wasn’t that big a dummy to let her slip through his hands twice. “I’m listening.”

“Okay. Dante—”

He waited, letting her take her time.

“I’ve kind of had a little thing for you for a while.” She watched to see how that registered with him.

“A little thing?” He’d been hoping for a big thing. He sure had a big thing for her.

“I feel like if we’d met in another time—”

This wasn’t good. This was the kill-you-with-kindness goodbye. He’d heard about these, and they were killers on the man, who was supposed to be left with his ego intact but instead ended up with his heart shattered.

He wasn’t going there. Ana opened her mouth, and Dante didn’t let her get one more word out. He kissed that goodbye right off her lips, and then he proceeded to show her just how he felt about her, inch by glorious inch.

* * *

A
NA
AWAKENED
IN
THE
NIGHT
,
realizing Dante was wound around her. She smiled—for a moment. It was amazing being with Dante, just as she’d known it would be.

“Hey,” Dante said to her, nuzzling her neck, “why are you awake?”

“I need to go,” Ana said, curling into his arms.

“I thought we discussed that.” He kissed down her neck, settling in the curve of her throat.

“Did we?” It was hard to think with Dante kissing her. Wild, sensual emotions swept her, making her wish for things that couldn’t be.

“Mmm. I made love to you, and you liked it.”

“I did.” She kissed him back, falling a little further in love with him.

“And so you decided that taking off for parts unknown was not in your best interest. You realized there were things around here you’d miss too much to leave.” He moved over her, and Ana’s breath caught.

“There are things I like,” Ana said, and Dante said, “I’m going to give you something else to consider before you make your final decision about leaving,” and then he was making love to her, and Ana let herself get lost in the moment.

* * *

“H
ERE
’
S
THE
DEAL
,”
D
ANTE
said as dawn broke over the New Mexico skies. “You stay here at Rancho Diablo. I’ll do my best every day to convince you that I’m the man for you.” He kissed her hand, raising it to his lips, working his angle. Surely Ana knew that they belonged together. Whatever had spooked her could easily be solved.

She leaned up to kiss him goodbye, then reached for the bag she’d neatly packed. “I have to go, Dante.”

More convincing was needed. “I know in my heart you want to stay. I can feel it every time I touch you, lady. You like me.”

He pulled her to him. She smiled and stepped away, shaking her head. Dante didn’t allow himself to consider defeat—he knew Ana was crazy about him. No woman made love to a man the way Ana did with him and honestly believed she wasn’t in love.

No. Not just in love. She was crazy for him, just as much as he was for her.

It was the baby thing bugging her, he knew it had to be. Trouble was, a guy just couldn’t come right out and say, “Hey, I heard you have one ovary and are worried you can’t have children, but I can fix that for you if you give me a shot.” No, a man had to be more suave than that. He was suave.

At least he thought he was. “Marry me.”

He surprised both of them by saying it. But he felt great the moment he said it. Ana’s eyes widened, and he thought
bingo, that was the right thing to say
.

But then she shook her head, sending his world into dust. “I can’t, Dante. You don’t understand. I— It wouldn’t work. We’re not right for each other.”

“You’re exactly right for me.” He wasn’t going to let her go until he’d told her how he felt about her. Then if she still said no—well, he wasn’t going to think about it. Better to imagine a
yes
coming from those sweet lips.

“Dante, it’s hard to explain. I don’t think—”

If she was going to be like this, he’d just play along with it. So he pulled her outside and helped her into his truck.

“What are we doing?” Ana asked.

“Taking a drive. I’ll drive, you talk. Things come to me when I drive. I’m determined to help you see that you don’t want to leave me in the pond, gorgeous.”

“I’m not leaving you, Dante. I’m taking myself away from the pond.”

“Every woman fishes for a man. At least that’s what I heard. And I’m pretty sure I’ve got bait you like.”

She didn’t reply, but that was all right. He drove to the end of the canyons, parked the truck. A wide panorama of beautiful, undulating gorges and walls carved by time lay before them. “Come on.”

She got out of the truck. “Where are we going?”

“To the most romantic spot on earth. At least I think this is romantic.” He supposed maybe not everyone thought the canyons were as beautiful as he did. But he really loved it here, more than any place he’d ever been. “I’m going to try to change your mind. Be lightly warned.”

She didn’t protest when he took her hand. “Here’s the deal, gorgeous. I know something’s bugging you. Why don’t you tell ol’ Dante? I’m known as a problem solver.”

She let him pull her against his chest, and he ran a comforting hand down her back.

“You can’t solve any of this.”

“Consider me your knight in shining armor.” He kissed her, lingering against her lips. “And this knight really wants you to be his lady.”

“Dante,” Ana said, “you’re not the man for me.”

He looked at her. “You can’t say that after last night. I’m pretty sure I know the sound and feel of a happy woman.”

“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you’re not the man for me.”

This sounded off. There was a hidden message he couldn’t decipher. He took her over to a canyon ledge that jutted slightly out over the gorge and tugged her down next to him. “This is beautiful,” Ana said, staring at the amazing, mysterious landscape.

“It is.”

Why did the canyons sing to his soul? There was something lonely and yet alive, too, about them. He always felt most alive here. “Much better than South Dakota, I’m sure.”

She laughed. “You don’t know that. I love my little town.”

“I can live in South Dakota, if you’re not keen on being here,” he said, struck by the sudden thought that maybe he was in the wrong place. Heck, he was a traveling man—he could go where she wanted to.

“Dante,” Ana said slowly, “I tried on the magic wedding dress that your aunt Fiona—”

“I knew it!” Dante turned to stare at her. “You were crying when you left the house the other day! Because you’d tried on that thing!”

“I wasn’t crying exactly—”

“I know, I know, bodyguards don’t cry. Okay, so you had sun in your eye. What happened up in that attic? Because when I went up there, everything looked just fine to me.” At least for a couple of minutes, anyway. But he wasn’t about to share that. “So you actually put the dress on?”

She nodded, and his face split into a grin. “You like me, Ana St. John, you’re crazy about me, and you want me like chocolate cake. You wouldn’t have been trying out the fit of the magic wedding dress if you weren’t thinking about me.”

Ana looked away. “It’s not very gentlemanly for a man to crow about a woman’s feelings.”

“Oh, I’m crowing, all right. I’m going to crow louder.” He pulled her into his lap, kissing her until she was breathless. “You’re just dragging this out. I am your knight in shining armor, and I think you know it.”

She moved back out of his lap. “Actually, you’re not, Dante. I didn’t see you when I put the gown on.”

“Of course you didn’t, doll. I didn’t go up there until you’d left.” He saw no problem with that whatsoever. “But if I’d known you wanted me around, I’d sure have been there.” He frowned, struck by a thought. “I thought it was bad luck for a man to see a woman in a wedding gown. There’s some superstition about that. I think it’s like a black cat crossing your path. You don’t want to see a woman in a wedding dress, at least if you’re a die-hard bachelor. I believe that if you see a bride, you might end up with one.” He considered the notion. “Of course, I’m okay with that. I don’t believe much in magic and superstition, and elves and gnomes and fairies and things.”

She shook her head at him. “You don’t understand. I didn’t see you.”

Oh
. She was trying to tell him this was about her and not him. He supposed he was a bit of an attention hog; he’d been trying to figure out the wedding gown thing from the guy’s perspective. “Like I said, I wasn’t there. But if you want to put it on again, like, next Saturday, I’ll be there with my best jeans and dress jacket on.” He was pretty hopeful he could convince her. She belonged to him, and vice versa, he just had to close the deal. Wipe away whatever cute little female worries and oogie-boogies were bugging her. It was the man’s role, and he was good at that. “So, Saturday? We can send the jet for your family. I heard my cousin Rafe just updated his aircraft.”

This was easier than he’d thought it was going to be. If all she was worked up about was the gown, they could fix that. He’d thought it was the baby-making problem—and if that had been her issue, he’d been prepared to do a little bargaining.

She put her palms on either side of his face and stared into his eyes. “Dante, the legend of the magic wedding dress is that a woman is supposed to see the man of her dreams, the only man for her, when she puts it on.”

He took her hands in his, kissed them, thinking madly. Okay, now he had a problem because he hadn’t heard that angle. “That’s just some of Fiona’s mumbo jumbo.” But he wasn’t certain. The damn dress had disappeared from his hands. He couldn’t dismiss that. “I wouldn’t worry your pretty head about that if I was you.”

She gave him a look of disgust. “I’m not worrying my pretty head, thank you. You’re doing all the worrying. What I’m telling you is that you are not my prince.”

“Huh. I swear I never thought a woman would ever say that to me.” He didn’t like it, either. “And to think I thought you were holding back for a baby.”

She blinked. “A baby?”

“Yeah. I thought you wanted a child and wasn’t sure I was up to the task.” But he felt icy fingers of fear jab at him. If Ana hadn’t seen him—and though he wasn’t one to go in for nonsense, Fiona’s nonsense sometimes had kick—maybe he couldn’t give her a child.

And that was what she wanted more than anything.

“I do want a child.”

“Very normal for a woman your age and in your circumstances.”

“Which are?”

“You know.” He waved a dismissive hand, wanting to get back to the problem at hand. This subject was leading them down the wrong path. “Hanging out with the Callahans is enough to drive any woman to want a child. The place is just chock-full of hormones. And you’re closer to thirty than twenty. Even I’ve started dreaming of a baby bootie Christmas, and trust me, I never wanted a kid before.”

“It’s not about my age, thank you.”

The ire in her voice bypassed him as a horrible thought arose in his mind. He sat up straight. “Hey, you didn’t see another man, did you?”

“I—”

He looked at her intently, his heart jumping around. “Did you?”

“Well,” Ana said slowly, not meeting his gaze, “yes, I did, as a matter of fact.”

* * *

H
E
HAD
TO
LET
A
NA
GO
, in the end. There was nothing else to do. She hadn’t seen him when she’d tried on the dress—stupid rag, he should have burned it or made a quilt out of it, and if it ever returned, he was going to make that garment regret its fairy-tale shenanigans.

He hadn’t had the heart—or the guts—to tell Ana that the story was even worse—that when he’d actually been in the same room with the thing, it had disappeared.

Left him holding the plastic bag it belonged in, actually.

He hadn’t dared to confess that he and the gown had bad karma. Matters were certainly dicier than he’d expected. So he took her to the airport and said goodbye, his heart tearing into a thousand shreds.

He might have tried to overrule the idea of a wedding dress governed by magical intentions, except it was gone. So he clearly had to let the woman of his dreams go.

But it just felt wrong. In his heart, he knew Ana and he were magical together. Wasn’t that all that mattered?

Maybe not in the mystical world that was Rancho Diablo. But he’d never in his wildest imaginings thought that a woman would leave him because of a spellbound gown.

He went home to face his aunt, who no doubt remained upset that he was responsible for the destruction of her treasured heirloom. He was out of the ranch raffle—no chance for that now. But that wasn’t what he’d change in a heartbeat, if he could.