The Trailrider's Fortune (38 page)

"Yep. She's
here, safe and sound," Rafe responded levelly, gesturing back at the lump
in his bunk.

"Well!"
Miranda huffed.

"Little
privacy might be nice. Meet you in the kitchen for breakfast in a half-hour or
so."

Miranda pursed her
lips and hissed. "You're positively
depraved
, Raford Conley."
She glared at him, then their brother. "And you're not far behind him.
Allowing his crude debauchery on your land."

Before Travis could
respond, Rafe reiterated, "Half an hour, Rannie. Polish up your pulpit and
save your sermon till then."

His sister was
still mumbling about evil taking root when Rafe slammed the cabin door shut
behind his siblings. He crossed to the bunk and peeled back the quilts. Sparkle
had blushed to a bright pink hue. "Mornin', darlin'. Damn, but you're a
fine sight first thing in my day."

"They're
gone?" she looked around timidly.

"Yep. Come here,
you." He gathered her in his arms, releasing a hearty laugh. "We sure
got Miranda's tail in a knot this time. Catchin' us naked in bed together!
Serves her right. She's always been a busybody."

"Why don't you
put a bolt on that door?"

"Never needed
one. Only man on this spread who'd dare come through it is Travis. I'll deal
with him. But just now I'd a lot rather deal with you…even though we spent most
of last night not sleepin'." He winked.

"Your family's
waiting for us," she reminded, evading his clutches.

"Let 'em
wait," he growled, lunging to catch her as she darted past him. She grabbed
her discarded nightgown pulled it over her head. "I can rip that right
back off you, you know."

"You could,
but unless you plan to bring me back to the main house buck naked in front of
any wranglers who happen to be around, you'd better leave it alone. In case
you'd forgotten, this was what I was wearing when you abducted me from my room
last night."

"I never did
any such thing," he protested, grinning broadly. "You came out here
and threw yourself at me. Just like old times. Begged me to make love to you.
Four, five times."

She arched a brow
at him. "Well, maybe it was only once or twice," he amended.

"Behave
yourself when we go face your family, and maybe I'll do that tonight," she
cajoled, smiling back.

Rafe honestly
couldn't remember ever being this damned happy in his entire life. "I'll
behave if you pay me an installment now. One taste. Any part, you pick. One
taste to hold me over before I face the grand inquisition."

"Don't be
ridiculous," Sparkle replied. "There's no lock on your door, your
sister's furious already, and it's full daylight." She gestured toward the
curtains over the big window.

"Darlin',"
he said in his most seductive slow drawl, "we're gettin' married." He
abruptly scooped her up and tossed her back on the bunk. There he quickly pulled
her nightgown up to her waist and held her pinned to the mattress.
"Thought you knew from Dodge that I like daytime even better than nights.
I like mornin's. I can see what I'm enjoyin'." He parted her thighs and
buried his face, reducing Sparkle's protests to mewling whimpers.

A short time later,
he stepped through the back door into Travis' kitchen with Sparkle in his arms.
Barefoot in her flannel nightgown, she hit the floor running and sprinted
through the kitchen into the hall.

"Would've
introduced her, but she has this peculiar notion. Thinks she ought to dress for
breakfast," Rafe drawled, cocking a dark brow at Miranda.

"Well, imagine
that. Some decorum, after all."

"Rannie, I
love that little gal. Don't you talk her down, or I'll toss your butt into a
wagon and drive you back to the depot myself."

Miranda scowled
back at him. "Oh, it's nothing against her. I'm sure you're to blame
anyway. I trust you have an explanation for your deplorable behavior.
Fornicating in that disgusting cabin."

Rafe poured himself
a mug of coffee and took the empty chair beside Travis. "You plannin' on
handin' me some crap as to how Sis here conveniently showed up this mornin'?
Know damned well you wired her again."

"You haven't
been yourself for months, Rafe. You kept insistin' you wouldn't see the gal or
talk to her, even though she'd come clear from Kansas."

"Didn't mean I
wanted everybody else seein' her."

Miranda wasn't
cowed so easily. "From what I understand, first you deliberately shunned
the poor girl. Then you spoke so harshly to her, you reduced her to tears. She
came to discuss business and you obviously lured her somehow into a
compromising encounter. You should be ashamed of yourself, Raford, though I
seriously doubt you comprehend what shame is."

"She used business
as an excuse, but it was personal between us all along. I knew I'd upset her
yesterday afternoon. Waited until I'd calmed down, came into the house last
night to talk things out. Then I took her out to the cabin. Ain't ashamed of
sharin' my bunk. Just a mite foolish it took me two days to get her in
it." He winked at his brother

Miranda gasped in
outrage as Travis chuckled aloud and tipped his coffee mug against Rafe's in
salute.

"May I remind
you both that relations between unmarried persons is a sin before the
Almighty."

Rafe snorted.
"Whatever I've done or refused to do my whole life's some sin or another,
the way you tell it, Miranda. What's one more sin, if I've already got the best
seat in Hell? Make me out to be the next thing to Old Scratch himself, but—"

"Isn't this
woman your fortune teller?" Miranda interrupted. "The same girl you
were so positive didn't have genuine feelings for you?"

"Yes, but he
was mistaken," came a female voice from the doorway. Sparkle entered the
kitchen in her dressing robe. "I love your brother."

Rafe rose and went
over to wrap an arm around her waist, drawing her into the room. "You look
fine, darlin'. Pretty as a picture." He pulled out the empty chair beside
his. "Pardon my manners," he drawled, gesturing for her to take the
seat. "Sparkle, you already know Travis. The know-it-all-harridan with the
sharp tongue is our sister, Miranda Donaldson. Miranda, this is Sparkle
LaFleur, my fiancée."

"Well, glory
be!" Travis crowed. "Raford's gettin' himself hitched at last.
When?"

"Soon as I can
get the local preacher out here," Rafe answered firmly, giving Miranda a
triumphant glare.

Sparkle shook her
head. "No, that's not quite accurate." She inhaled and looked first
at Travis, then Miranda. "We'll be married as soon as Rafe hangs up his
peacemaker and finds a new way to make a living."

"
What
?"
Rafe thundered, his jaw literally dropping open. He'd said several things
during the heat of their mutual passion, but he didn't recall any such
stipulation.

"It was nice
meeting you, Mrs. Donaldson," Sparkle calmly went on. "Travis,
forgive me, please, but I'm not very hungry this morning. I think I'd like to
take a bath." She got up and left the kitchen.

Rafe started after
her, bumping his chair with his hip and sending it crashing to the floor again.
"Dammit, Sparkle! You never said nothin' like that last night. You can't
expect me to—"

Travis caught
Rafe's upper arm to halt his flight. "Let her go, Raford. You just got
back together. Don't start trouble again. You don't calm down, I won't have any
kitchen chairs left to sit on. Give her some time. She's probably a little put
out cause we embarrassed the two of you earlier. Let her calm down before you
go hollerin' at her."

Miranda used her
most authoritative tone. "
Both
of you sit yourselves back down.
I'll
speak to the girl." She called to Mrs. Abbott, requesting water be put on
the stove to boil.

Rafe glowered at
Travis, waiting until their sister left the kitchen. "Thanks for bringin'
her out to the cabin," he snapped. "Couldn't you figure Sparkle might
have been with me before you went nosin' around?"

Travis flashed Rafe
a broad grin. "Course I knew she was with you. I heard you drag her out
last night. I also knew if Rannie got an eyeful of you two bunkin' together,
she'd insist you marry the gal. Sparkle told me she loved you. Saw a chance to
give things a shove in the right direction."

"You sneaky
little son-of-a-gun."

Travis broke into
utter glee. "Wish you could've seen your face when you thought I was
sellin' Snatch! Boy, if—"

"Sparkle
told
you she loved me? When?"

"Five minutes
after she got here. I came out and asked if she was carryin'. Figured maybe
that's why she'd come."

"Great,"
came Rafe's snort of disgust.

"She answered,
'Only a torch.' Just like that. Told me she left town instead of marryin' some
other fella everyone said was perfect. Told me she loves you, even with your
scar, cause you're adventurous and…" He paused a moment.
"Irreverent."

They both started
to laugh. "Irreverent?" Travis repeated. "More like downright
lecherous. You know, before the door creaked and gave us away, I caught a
glimpse of you and—"

Rafe grabbed a
fistful of Travis' shirtfront, jerking him out of his seat. "Just forget
whatever you saw, Travis."

He shook his head.
"Can't. Saw one of the prettiest, nicest gals I've ever met in my life
with her arms around my brother. Saw him lookin' truly peaceful for the first
time in months. Saw you got a damned good reason to listen to what everybody's
been tellin' you for years, Rafe. It's time you settled down. And I hope right
now I'm seein' a man with sense enough to appreciate what he's got and hang
onto it this time."

* * *

Sparkle opened the
guestroom door at the soft knock. Miranda entered and closed the door behind
her. "I've had Mrs. Abbott put some hot water on. You'll catch your death
in a cold bath." She eased onto the edge of the bed, wincing slightly with
the effort. "Now, would you mind explaining what's been going on here? If
I ask Rafe and Travis, I'll get two completely different pictures. I'm more
interested in your version than either of theirs."

"You don't
even know me," Sparkle replied warily.

"But I'd like
to. I'd heard you were very pretty and had unusual eyes. Travis wrote to me
early last spring, concerned because Rafe seemed serious about you. Knowing he
met you working in a saloon in one of those lawless cow towns. Travis suspected
you were more interested in Rafe's money than Rafe himself."

Sparkle had to
laugh. "I've never asked him for money. He'll tell you that. Rafe's spent
some on me, but it was always his own idea, not my suggestions. Did Travis also
tell you I brought a bank draft in Rafe's name for several thousand
dollars?"

Clearly he hadn't,
for Miranda looked startled and her features softened noticeably. "I'm not
destitute," Sparkle went on. "Rafe and I haven't discussed his
financial situation. He mentioned he had savings, but I never asked for any
specifics."

"He's quite
well off. My husband's a bank manager in Omaha. He looks after Rafe's
investments. He was at least wise enough to salt away most of the bounties he's
made, has quite an impressive portfolio now. Suffice it to say he doesn't need
any additional outlaw reward money."

Sparkle took a deep
breath and played with the sash of her robe. "Mrs. Donaldson, I honestly
don't know what you want me to say. I love your brother for all the same
reasons I assume you love your husband."

"And those
would be?" Miranda prompted.

"He's strong
and independent. He has an amazing sense of humor. He can be stubborn and impossible,
or perfectly reasonable and sweet as a lamb. Either way, sometimes I just want
to kill him," Sparkle admitted with a tiny smile. "And I'm happiest
when I'm with him, wrapped in his arms. That's why I came here."

"Those are
some of the same reasons I love Zach," the other woman agreed. "Yet
I've never thought of my husband as being anything like Rafe. Why did Rafe
think your relationship was over? He told me you'd found someone else when I
was nursing him back from his gunshot wound."

"Rafe and I
were very close. I didn't really have another suitor. We had a
misunderstanding. I came to explain and see if he'd give us a second chance.
Have you never had an argument with Mr. Donaldson? One that took a little work
to patch up?"

"Oh, a good
many of them." Miranda's laugh was musical. She pressed a hand to her
rotund abdomen. "The last big set-to we had was…about seven months ago.
It's heavenly making up, isn't it?"

Whatever doubts
Sparkle harbored about this woman's acceptance were gone. Miranda didn't dislike
her. Miranda was frank and amusing; and, like Travis, bore a striking
resemblance to Rafe. So strong it was impossible to look at her without seeing
something of the man Sparkle loved.

"I know you
and your mother never approved of Rafe's line of work."