The Officer and the Bostoner (Historical Western Romance) (Fort Gibson Officers Series, Book 1) (20 page)

She recoiled. She’d known that sharing his bed wouldn’t be nearly as exciting as those moments of passion had been with Wes, but with the hardened look in his eye that matched the darkness of his face, she knew it’d be nothing less than painful torture. “No.” She shook her head vehemently. “I don’t care what the papers say. I am his wife. I promised myself to him. I will not get the marriage annulled.”

“
So then you have the money to break our contract?”

“
No, I was hoping you’d—”

He cut her off with a sharp bark of laughter. “You hoped I’d forget the whole thing, did you?”

She swallowed and nodded. “Yes.”

“
There’s a lot I could do with twenty thousand dollars, Allison. And frankly, being married to you isn’t worth that much, but I know I’d never see a dime of it if you married that impoverished fool, Captain Tucker.”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. Wes would likely do everything in his power to pay that off if that’s what he must do, but he’d die trying. That kind of debt would take more than an entire lifetime to pay off. Their chances of ever having any kind of future together would forever be clouded with such an exorbitant debt that they only had because of her. She could never live with herself, knowing Wes would work himself into an early grave trying to repay that. She knew he would, but he didn’t deserve that. Tears pricked her eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Now, go back inside before anyone sees you.”

“
I hate you,” she hissed, then clutched her skirt and started running blindly in the direction of the Lewis’ house, stopped only when she collided with a hard surface at such a speed she was knocked to the ground.

“
Whoa there,” came Wes’ soft voice.

She blinked her eyes to clear them and looked to where she was practically lying on top of him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

“Yes, I know that.” He brushed her hair from her face.

Her tears came more rapidly at his gentle gesture and she tried to gain her feet.

Ever the gentleman, Wes helped her to stand, a question in his blue eyes. One she couldn’t answer.

“
Thank you,” she said, brushing out her skirt. “I must go now.”

“
Is that it then, Allison? Do you truly intend to annul our marriage and leave with him?”

Allison could hardly form a word over the emotion building in her throat. “Yes.”

He let out a deep breath and shook his head, his hands fisting at his sides. “This isn’t a game, Allison. Colonel Lewis has already ordered Jack to find four men to ride out to Fort Smith. They’ve left already and will be back by nightfall tomorrow at the latest. Then, the next day, everything will be done. Is that what you want?”

What she wanted and what she’d have to do were two entirely different things. “Why are you even speaking to me? The last time I saw you, you couldn’t wait to get out of my sight.”

He pressed his lips into a tight line. “I might not like the fact that my wife is influenced so strongly by money, but I do recognize that if I don’t put my pride aside and tell her how I feel about her, I might truly lose her.” He raked his hand through his hair and blew out a deep breath. “I don’t want that to happen, Allison. Now, tell me, do you want to leave with him or do you want to stay here with me?”

“
Him,” she croaked, though they both knew it was a lie.

“
I don’t believe you,” he countered. “If that were true, you wouldn’t be here crying.”

“
Stop!” She swiped the tears coursing down her cheeks. “You’re only making this harder.”

“
No,” he corrected gently. “You’re making this harder by not admitting I’m who you want.”

“
Fine, I admit it, Wes,” she cried, clenching her hands into fists. “I love you, Wes. I don’t want to marry him. I want to stay married to you.”

Wes’ strong arms wrapped around her and brought her against his firm chest. “Then stay.”

She shook her head. “I can’t.”

He gritted his teeth. “Yes, you can.”

“No—” she shoved at his chest to put distance between them— “I can’t.”

“
Why not?”

Allison squeezed her eyes shut to dam up her tears. “I can’t explain it.” For if she did, she knew he’d try to talk her into something foolish. She could never live with herself if she had to watch his smile dim and the light in his eyes fade as he toiled away the rest of his life for something that could never be completed. And heaven forbid if Nicholas insisted that any children she and Wes might have would owe the money to him if they were unable to work off the debt in their lifetime.

Wes stepped back and crossed his arms, a hardness in his eyes that she’d never seen before. “I’ll only sign those damn annulment papers if you tell me but one thing: what is it about him that makes you more loyal to him than a hunting hound?”

Stung, she mirrored his defensive stance. “My loyalties are none of your concern.”

“When they concern me, they are.”

“
Well, Captain Tucker, you are a very fortunate man, because soon, nothing regarding me will be of your concern.”

“
Not for my lack of interest,” he said. “It seems to be you who cannot make up her mind, and I think I’m entitled to know why the woman I love is leaving me for a man who will never love her the way I will.”

A new round of tears filled her eyes. “I know he’ll never love me the way you will, but it’s because I love you more than him that I must marry him.”

“That makes no sense,” he countered.

No, to him it wouldn’t. “Wes, please stop.”

“No. You’re not being honest with me. Just tell me why you want to marry him.”

“
His money,” she said bitterly. Wasn’t that what he’d accused her of earlier? Only marrying Nicholas for his money. It was true—in a way. If she didn’t marry him, she’d owe him money. Not that it mattered. It was far easier to allow Wes to think his initial opinion was true and that she was marrying Nicholas for his wealth.

A shadow crossed Wes’ face. “I might not earn ridiculous amounts, but I do earn enough to take care of you and keep you comfortable, Allison.” His quiet voice crumbled her resolve.

“I know you do,” she whispered before she could think better of it. “You’ve taken wonderful care of me and I know you’d continue to if I were your wife.” She sniffled and took a deep breath. “But that’s the problem. I cannot condemn you to a miserable life because of your love for me. And that’s what would happen if we stayed married.” Then, before he could ask her anything and destroy her resolve, she grabbed her skirt and retreated to the Lewis’ house.

~Chapter Twenty-Three~

Wes speared his fingers through his hair. The past day had been nothing less than torture as he’d done everything he could to chance another encounter with Allison. When that hadn’t happened, he’d set aside all pride last night and had gone to the Lewis’  where he was informed calling hours were over.

Wes had never been tempted to do anyone bodily harm before the moment Colonel Lewis had closed his door in Wes’ face, but there was always a first.

Now, dinner was almost ready to be served and by his calculations he only had a few hours to get this straightened out before General Bridges would be here to grant the annulment. Wes scoffed. Colonel Lewis or General Ridgely could have done that. Out here, they had absolute jurisdiction. He suspected Colonel Lewis had only sent riders on to Fort Smith to allow Wes more time. While he appreciated his efforts, it didn’t make sense as to why Colonel Lewis had refused him entry into his home last night.

Wes strode to the door of his office. There was one last thing to do; and with no other options available to him, he had to try.

“
Mr. Parker,” Wes said as evenly as he could as he approached the other man.

“
Yes?”

Wes ignored his arrogant tone and forged ahead. He wanted Allison. Why she hadn’t had the nerve to confront this man and tell him to go to hell, he’d address later; for now, he just needed to find a way to free her from the imaginary shackles she’d set for herself before it was truly too late.

“I want to talk to you about Allison.”

“
Miss Pierson, you mean,” the man said in icy tones.

“
No, Mrs. Tucker,” Wes corrected with a forced smile. “As much as you might not like it, she is no longer Miss Pierson but has taken my last name, which I gladly gave her and will allow her to use forever if it’s what she desires.”

The other man snorted. “We both know you only gave her your last name so you could make her your whore. You took advantage of her, is what you did.”

“No, I gave her my last name and my protection because I was trying to keep her safe until you got here. Now that you’re here, I see that the person I really should have been guarding her from is you.”

“
Me? Her own betrothed? I don’t think so.” He snarled and shook his head. “No, you saw your chance for a quick affair without consequences and took advantage. She has nothing to fear from me, and we both know it. I courted her for two years with nothing more than a handful of chaste kisses. You were around her for mere days and got her to fall in love with you.”

Wes stared at him. He was jealous. A wave of understanding, and even sympathy for the man, came over him. “A person can’t help who they do and don’t love,” he said softly.

“I couldn’t care less if she loves you instead of me. It will be harder to convince my clients with families that I have a doting and devoted wife when clearly I do not, but my only irritation as far as you’re concerned is that you stole her innocence from me.”

“
From you?”

“
Yes. It was mine to claim, not yours”

“
You act as if she’s nothing but an object to possess,” Wes said with a sneer.

“
No. She’s just a woman. One with very weak morals, it would seem.” He pursed his lips as if he were in deep thought. “I suppose I’ll have to forgive her, though. It’s not her fault you attacked her.”

Blood roared in Wes’ ears and it took every ounce of strength he possessed not to grab the man about the neck and throttle him. He truly didn’t know what Allison saw in him or why she’d choose a man like him when she loved Wes. She’d said some cryptic statement yesterday suggesting it was because of her love for Wes that she couldn’t marry him and had to marry Mr. Parker instead. That could only mean that Mr. Parker was using some underhanded tactic to get her to leave and marry him. Whatever it was, Wes wouldn’t have it, nor would he allow Allison to be manipulated that way.

“Since you seem to hold her in such low regard, then you won’t mind if the two of us don’t sign the annulment papers tomorrow.”

The man’s mouth formed a tight line and something flashed in his eyes. “I might find it hard to look at her knowing she was so careless with whom she allowed to sample her wares—” he let his eyes slowly travel Wes’ form, his lips curling in disgust— “but I still require a wife, and she’s the one I’ve been promised to have.”

“You and I both know that contract you had with her became void the moment she pledged herself to be my wife, so drop the nonsense.”

“
Ah, but do you think you can convince her to stay with the likes of you when she has so much more than you can offer her in Austin?”

“
Like yourself?” Wes asked bitterly. “She might have thought you were charming in Boston, but I have the strangest feeling that you won’t be nearly as charming once the two of you are married.”

A smile spread across the man’s face. “I’m glad to hear she thinks so highly of me. As for the rest of your
assertion,
what does or doesn’t happen after we marry is none of your concern.”

A knot fisted in Wes’ gut as his worst fears were confirmed: this man had no real desire to marry her. Well, perhaps he did, but not because he loved her or planned to treat her right. She was an amusement, a plaything, something to have to make himself look better. That knot turned to fire. Allison was none of those things, and he wouldn’t stand for her to be treated that way. “Why is it that both of you speak as if she has to marry you? She doesn’t. That blasted contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on, so why do you both insist she must marry you?”

The man twisted his lips and nodded casually, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Perhaps she feels a deep sense of loyalty to me. She has known me far longer than she’s known you.”

“
Or perhaps you’ve provoked her into thinking she must marry you,” Wes countered. There was no other logical reason for Allison saying it was because she loved him that she couldn’t marry him. Mr. Parker had to have bullied her into it. “What will it take to make you disappear?”

“
Allison’s vow to take me as her lawful, wedded husband,” he said, flashing Wes a quick grin.

Wes was not amused by the man’s insolence but refused to let him know that. “Other than that, sir.”

“What I want, you couldn’t get for me,” he said with a shrug.

You just might be surprised.
“You’ll never know if you don’t ask,” Wes said, matching the man’s tone and adding in the same careless shrug.

A sharp bark of laughter rent the air. “I already know. I don’t need to ask.”

“How much?” Wes bit off. He’d already assumed the man wanted money, and the startled look on his face only confirmed it.

“
More than you have,” Mr. Parker snapped.

Wes crossed his arms.  “Name your price.”

“Forty thousand dollars.”

“
Is that all?”

The man blinked, then laughed. “Is that all?” he mocked. “Sir, I do believe that’s more than you might ever see in your lifetime.”

Were Wes just an army officer with a family of adequate means like the other officers, the man would be correct. But Wes still had that trust at the bank in Charleston. His mother had refused to allow him to relinquish it, claiming he might need it someday. He’d denied her nonsense and left. All he wanted was to be free of money; that’s the only thing money
couldn’t
buy. Except perhaps Allison’s hand in marriage, he thought with a twist of his lips. “If I secure that money for you, will you inform Allison the choice is hers to make and that you make no further demands?”

Mr. Parker narrowed his beady eyes on him. “No. Not until that money is in my hands. I don’t trust that I’ll get it otherwise.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it.” His tone was harsher than he’d intended it to be, but not because he was annoyed or felt any great loss at having to give nearly all of his trust to this man so he’d leave Allison alone. He’d do anything to secure that, but he hated that she’d allowed this man to manipulate her like this. Did she not know her own worth? That was another thing he’d address with her later.

“
How exactly do you plan to get such a hefty sum?” Mr. Parker wondered aloud. “I understand your family had to have some money in order for you to go to West Point to be an officer; otherwise, you’d have had to enter the army like the majority of the others: as a private.”

“
Don’t worry about where I get the money,” Wes snapped. “You’ll get it and that’s all you need to know.”

“
You won’t ask your family to sell their plantation for you, will you?” He picked an imaginary piece of lint off his coat. “I’d hate to know I was responsible for sending a family into the street.”

“
I’m sure you would,” Wes muttered. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have arrangements to make.”

“
You’re not thinking about speaking to Allison and telling her the joyous news yet, are you?”

Wes stared at him.

“I will not give her my permission to break our contract until I get my money, Mr. Tucker.”

“
Captain Tucker,” Wes corrected sharply. He folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t know what kind of lies you’ve poured into her head that have made her believe she must honor that damn contract. But sir, if you want any money from me, you’d better understand that I’ll do as I please and so will Allison. She has no obligation to marry you as far as I’m concerned, and as her rightful husband, the law is on my side. It is only to ensure you never bother her again that I’m even willing to entertain this ridiculous formality of giving you money in exchange for releasing her of whatever fear you’ve put into her head; and you should consider yourself fortunate that I’m willing to give you money to leave her alone and not bash your skull in. Is my meaning clear, sir?”

“
Quite,” he said quickly, then
tsk, tsked
. “But you are a bad businessman,
Captain
Tucker. Any man with any sense of business at all wouldn’t take my word or handshake for this but would insist we write it all down.”

Wes pierced the man with his stare. He was right, dash it all. “All right, since you lack the honor of the men I generally do business with and feel you’ll have a problem keeping your word, let’s go write down our terms, then we’ll go see Allison.”