Love and Fury: The Coltrane Saga, Book 4 (24 page)

Briana stared at him, horror-stricken, then cried, “The man believes I am his sister, so he would never bed me. What could you possibly be thinking of now?”

Gavin released her wrists and sat down. Briana remained standing. “Coltrane is vulnerable right now. He’s had a bad experience, what with the Bowden girl being killed. It’s common knowledge in Silver Butte that her parents blame him for the girl’s death. No matter how arrogant he appears, he’s bound to be upset. He is surely aware that he has sullied the Coltrane name. Think,” Gavin crowed, terribly pleased with himself, “what it would do to that bastard if he was guilty of bedding his own sister. Incest!” He paused, wanting her to absorb the full meaning of what he was saying. Then he continued excitedly, “He’ll be willing to do
anything,
pay any price, to keep something that damning from becoming known, keep people from finding out.”

Briana shook her head. “I’ll be no party to this.”

Gavin smiled. “Then your little brother will die in agony.”

They locked eyes, Briana’s glittering with rage and Gavin’s taunting.

He rose to leave, smirking as he said, “I’d best be getting back to Silver Butte. I’ve a lot of arrangements to make. I suppose you will want to go to Colt as soon as I’m gone and tell him the truth.” He smiled. “I don’t want to be here when you do. For your sake, I hope he doesn’t become so angry with you that he kicks you out of this house…because Hollister will be waiting for you.”

She was helpless. They both knew it.

“You know I must do what you ask, you bastard, but Colt is too honorable to bed his sister, so how do you expect me—?”

“There are ways, my dear.” Gavin laughed. His gaze moved over her body, lingering on her bosom. “Use them.”

He left. Briana stood for a long, long time staring at the closed door, not really seeing anything through her tears.

She hated herself for having no alternative, and she prayed that somehow, someday, she would be able to let Colt know how sorry she was for what she had to do.

Chapter Fifteen

Briana lifted her gaze from the book she was reading and looked at Colt. He was seated across the room, behind his desk. Very handsome, in a pale-blue shirt and soft brown leather vest, he was examining the ranch ledgers.

It had been a pleasant day, and, for the first time, Colt had asked her if she wished to join, him in his study after dinner. Briana took this to mean that he was warming to her. Oh, there had been some friendly moments, but inviting her to his study was new, and she was warmed by his invitation.

Colt was, Briana acknowledged, not only the handsomest man she’d ever met, but also most appealing in other ways. He possessed a casual wit and a gentleness that contrasted with his sometimes steely manner.

She sat back in the large, comfortable chair, trying to keep from staring at Colt. She looked around the study approvingly. She liked every room in this house, and that made her curious to know Colt’s parents. Warm and loving people had decorated this house; she knew that much from living in it.

It was a big house, however, and wealth was evident. She was used to being a servant, and she had to be careful not to appear awkward, even though a great deal of the time she felt that way. She reminded herself to act as though she had been born among these people, for Dani indeed had. No behavior must carry over from her days as a servant, Briana told herself again and again.

She also had to be most careful of her feelings about Colt. She knew what she had to do, but, sweet heaven, she was beginning to like him more and more. She had to be on her guard, she admonished herself. Everything she was doing was being done for Charles, loathesome though the assignment was. She had to be careful not to feel sorry for Colt.

It was hard, though. He was so nice to her, even when he was trying not to be. Why, a couple of days ago, she had ridden out to join him on the range, to see what a branding was like. She knew the wranglers were going to brand a new shipment of cattle, fifty or so, and she’d ridden out fifteen minutes after Colt left the stable, hoping he wouldn’t make her go back when he discovered her.

She’d ridden up as he was giving instructions to Branch Pope. When he turned and saw her, she joked, “You never heard me the whole time I was following you. Why, I could have been a fierce Indian and put an arrow in your back.”

When he said nothing, merely staring at her, she asked, “Are you angry because I rode out here? I…I wanted to see what kind of work you do.”

“The house is your territory,” he said, “and the range is not. What did you come out here for?”

“Who says a woman can’t ride the range,” she retorted, “especially when she happens to own half of that range?”

“Are you trying to make a point?” he asked wearily. “Because, if so, I don’t—”

“This is my home, Colt, and I should learn all I can about it,” she said hotly.

“Your home…that you waited fourteen years before becoming curious about?” he said softly. “Let me ask you something, Dani,” he went on, his eyes sharp. “Don’t you feel the least remorse over turning your back on us all that time?”

Unable to think of anything else to say, she murmured feebly, “Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Interesting, isn’t it, that you realized this ‘mistake’ at the same time our father decided to divide his estate? Was that only a coincidence, Dani?”

She felt shame wash over her and told herself furiously not to be so silly. She wasn’t really Dani, so what was there to feel ashamed about? But underneath that, Briana knew all too well what there was to be ashamed
of.
Everything she was doing was cause for shame.

Keeping her eyes on the wranglers, she made her face as impassive as she could until, finally, he sighed and said, “Sorry if I’m being rough on you, but that’s how I feel.”

They sat eyeing each other for several moments, and then, maybe because he felt he’d gone too far, or maybe because it didn’t make any real difference, Colt invited her to stay and watch the branding. And when it was time to eat, he asked her to join him and the wranglers around the cookfire. Despite the crackling anger that was still there between them, Briana managed to enjoy the day very much.

After the meal, not wanting to stay longer than Colt would tolerate, she touched him on the shoulder and smiled, saying, “Maybe now you won’t think I’m in the way every time I want to see how something’s run on the ranch?”

Colt didn’t respond. He was asking himself why her touch had jolted him, why having her near all morning had made him feel so emotional. He didn’t like the effect she was having on him. And yet, he liked it very much.

He gave her a curt nod in parting, saying nothing. But as he watched her ride away, he considered that touch and the warmth he felt when she was near, musing about it until he forced himself to shake the feeling off.
He had work to do, and Dani could not be allowed to interfere—not in
any
way.

Briana knew that something about her bothered him. Sometimes he was so harsh and sometimes he was so nice. He seemed jumpy around her sometimes too, as she felt jumpy around him.

She sat there looking at him behind his desk and sighed. He looked up.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m a little tired, I suppose. I’ll go along to bed soon, but this has been nice. Thank you for inviting me in here. It’s so cozy.” She smiled at him warmly.

He laughed softly, a friendly sound. “Today was rough on you. How do your hands feel?”

She looked at them ruefully. Despite the leather gloves he had given her to wear, and despite the years she had toiled for the deBonnetts, her hands were still sore. “I’ll probably have blisters tomorrow. They won’t kill me, I guess.”

“Do I need to remind you that it was
your
idea to learn roping?” The twinkle in his eyes was evidence that he was amused.

She shook her head, her beautiful long hair flying saucily around her face. “It was gorgeous outside today, and I enjoyed every minute. I certainly had more fun than I would have here in the house. I’d much rather be with you, learning how the ranch operates.”

Colt looked thoughtful. She was trying to fit in. No matter that he thought she ought to take her money and go back to France, the fact was she was here, and she wanted to belong.

He was starting to grow quite fond of her, and that was another puzzling thing. There were times, he grimly admitted, too many of them, when he found himself wishing she were not his sister, that they were not related.

He put down the ledger and stared at her silently. Briana squirmed uncomfortably. “Why… Is there something the matter?”

“I just don’t understand you.”

She got very nervous. What had she done? Had she aroused his suspicions? “What is there to understand?”

“Why weren’t you more concerned about seeing Father?” he challenged suddenly. “You could have visited him in Paris before you came over here, but you didn’t. Why not?”

Briana lowered her eyes. “It’s as I told you before. I have a lot of turmoil, emotions that I must sort out. For now, I want to concentrate on life here; I want to see for myself what it’s really like. Later, maybe I will go to visit him and Kitty. Maybe.”

“Why does Mason keep hanging around?” Again he caught her off guard.

Taking a deep breath, she told him the best lie she could. “I will be honest with you, Colt. Gavin persuaded Aunt Alaina to allow him to accompany me here because he was afraid I might not want to return to France. You see, he wants to marry me.”

Colt nodded. He supposed he had expected as much. “Are you going to marry him?”

She shrugged, hoping she was showing only reluctance, not repugnance. “He cares for me, but I just don’t love him. I have no intention of marrying him, and I’ve told him that over and over—but he won’t listen.” She looked up at him, then went on. “He says that sooner or later he will make me love him. I don’t want to hurt him, so I’ve just stopped arguing about it, hoping that he’ll eventually realize I mean what I say. I don’t love him.”

A strange undercurrent permeated her tone. Why? Colt wondered. What was the reason for all that tension?

“He told me,” she went on, with no trace of resentment or bitterness, “how you’d asked him to leave and not return unless he was invited. I want you to know that I understand. I am fully aware of how impossible Gavin can be. Aunt Alaina spoiled him terribly.”

Colt nodded curtly. “Yeah, she’s good at that. I remember what a little brat you were, thanks to her. When you left here, I was glad to see you go. Remember this?” He pointed to the tiny scar beside his left eye.

Briana had no idea what he was talking about. She got up and leaned over to get a closer look at the scar. She touched her fingertip to his face. “A scar,” she murmured, then gave a mock gasp. “Surely you don’t mean
I
did that?”

Colt was happy with the view he was getting of her bosom, thanks to the low neckline of her dress. Half sister or not, she was graciously endowed.

Briana saw the warm, glazed look in his eyes and knew she was arousing his desire. The realization filled her with shame, for she had never been brazen.

“Tell me,” she said, “did I really give you that scar? Is that why you resented my coming here, Colt?”

He shifted his position, looking up at her. “I don’t resent you, Dani. I just don’t understand how you could ignore your family all these years. You came back now only because of the money, isn’t that so?”

She turned away. Dear God, how could she ever carry out Gavin’s plan when this was how he felt? “It was time for me to make a change in my life,” she murmured, returning to her chair. “I might have come here even without the money. I don’t know.” She shrugged.

“I do,” he said tightly. “You wouldn’t have.”

She stared at him, not knowing what to say. He picked up the ledger again, shutting her out, and she said, “Tell me about tomorrow, Colt. What are we going to do?”

Without glancing up, he explained that some of his cows had strayed up into the hills near Destry Butte. He and some of the men would be riding up there to try to bring them down. Several were going to be dropping calves soon, and Colt didn’t want them straying far away. “It’s almost a half day’s ride to get there, and it’s rough riding up in the high country. Lots of snakes and coyotes. You’d better stay here.”

“Oh, Colt, please,” she begged, “let me go. It will be a new adventure. I promise not to get in the way. You know I ride well now, so I won’t be a bother.”

What the hell,
Colt told himself. It was going to be rough on her, but maybe that was just what she needed. Then she’d realize once and for all that her place was not here. Let her get her fill.

He acknowledged that there was a new reason why he wanted her to hurry up and leave. He did not like the way she was making him feel. A moment ago, when she was standing so close, leaning over him, he’d seen the rise and fall of her breasts with every breath she drew.

He shook his head. The last damn thing he needed when everything else in his world had gone wrong was his half sister making him feel desire.

“All right,” he told her, “you can come along, Dani. But I’m warning you. It’s rough going, and no one will have time to coddle you. I don’t want to hear any whining.”