The Wedding Ransom (34 page)

“What!”

“I told him my grandfathers had a vast amount of gold and jewels, but owing to the warfare in Yucatan, they couldn’t get to it in time to meet the deadline for buying the hotel. I also informed him that they’ve promised half of it to me as a gift on my wedding day. When I agreed to marry Barlow, I said that I wanted a show of good faith. Because the hotel meant more to me than any jewelry, I wanted him to give it to me as a wedding gift. In turn, I’d give him the treasure. He thinks the contract doesn’t matter because it’ll all be community property anyway. He signed the paper, Rafe. All I have to do now is say ‘I do,’ and the hotel will be ours!”

“And you’ll be married to the grouper!”

“Well, yes, that’s the down side. But I’ll start divorce proceedings immediately.”

“On what grounds?”

“I’m not worried about that. I’m certain I can find something.”

Rafe dragged his fingers through his wet hair. “I can’t believe you actually intended to do this. Your grandfathers obviously didn’t spank you enough when you were young. Hell, Maggie, you knew I’d gone to Triumph. Why would you even consider doing something this drastic? Why would you whore yourself by marrying Barlow Hill!”

Maggie froze as a bitter chill seeped through her. How could he? How dare he? With her chin up and her spine straight, she rose regally from the bath. Naked and dripping, she stared down at Rafe. “Whore myself? Isn’t that the same as what you thought to do? Tell me, Mr. Malone, why is my sleeping with Barlow Hill any more of a moral transgression than your breaking your word to Luke Prescott? Seems to me two whores are soaking their sins in mineral water this afternoon.”

“Damn you, Maggie.” If looks could kill, she would have been struck dead in that instant. He rose from the water like a sea monster, angry and wrathful and destructive. And as beautiful as a god.

Emotion churned inside her as she watched him stalk across to where his clothes lay. She scuttled to retrieve her dress and held it before her, shielding herself from the burning fury of his gaze. Rafe snagged his pants off the floor, but instead of donning them he reached into a pocket and withdrew a velvet pouch. “Count your blessings, Maggie. You’ve been saved from your moral decline. I acted faster than you.”

He threw the pouch at her, and Maggie caught it instinctively. She stared down at the small bag, and awareness stole through her like a disease.
Oh, no
.

Tears filled her eyes as slowly, fearfully, she lifted her head and looked at him. She saw bitterness. Hostility. Anguish. Dear God, no.

He showed her a caustic grin. “You don’t need to whore yourself now, Maggie. I beat you to it.”

Maggie dropped the pouch on the ground as if it were a hot cod. Clutching her dress to her chest, she blinked back her tears and asked, “Why, Rafe? Didn’t Lucky reach you in time? Didn’t you know I’d already solved the problem?”

“Solved the problem!” Rafe barked a laugh as he shoved his legs into his pants and yanked them up. “You call sacrificing yourself on that shark’s bed a solution? Well, I don’t!”

“Better I sacrifice my body than you your honor.”

“I have no honor!” he shouted. “I’m a thief, Maggie. A very good thief. And everyone knows there is no honor among thieves.”

With that he stalked toward her and scooped the pouch up off the floor. “Put your dress on, Maggie,” he said coldly. “Then let’s go find Barlow Hill. Let’s go pay your wedding ransom.”

Before Rafe had the opportunity to settle up the sale of Hotel Bliss with Barlow Hill, he ran into Snake MacKenzie. Literally. Snake’s fist, to be precise. He lay sprawled on the ground rubbing his aching jaw as he squinted up into the sunlight at the gleeful buccaneer.

“Well, scrape my barnacles,” Snake said. “That felt good.”

Rafe ran his tongue over his teeth, checking for any damage. “What did you do that for?”

“If you have to ask, you are dumber than I gave you credit for, Malone. You should be glad you’ve still got your head, in fact. Having to wait until I got my strength back gave me time to calm down. Still, I’d flay your hide today if I didn’t think it would break Maggie’s heart.”

Rafe glanced back toward the bathhouse where he’d left the woman when she refused to accompany him on his visit to Hill. Break her heart? Shoot, after the little scene they’d shared, she’d likely hand her grandfather the knife. “Maggie is not very happy with me at the moment.”

“Do you know about her plans?”

“Her wedding plans, you mean?” The pirate nodded, and Rafe continued. “She wrote it in the note she sent with Lucky.”

“Are you going to stop her?”

“Yeah, I am. But I have to ask, Snake, why the blazes haven’t you put a halt to it already?”

Snake scratched his whiskered cheek. “Oh, don’t think I didn’t give Maggie a piece of my mind once I pried the details about her scheme out of her.”

“I’m amazed you had any available to give,” Rafe muttered beneath his breath.

“Ben is back from your place, and he and me, we argued our lungs out,” Snake continued. “I even faked another heart spell. But she saw through me, and she wouldn’t be dissuaded. So we put our heads together and decided we’d allow the wedding to proceed. Then we’ll kill him, of course. We’ll slit the bilge rat from stem to stern and solve her problems. Being his widow, Maggie will automatically inherit his holdings, Hotel Bliss included. Remember, Malone, the only reason we haven’t killed him already is that he told us he’d willed his estate to the Masons in the event of his untimely death. Once he marries, though, his widow will get it. We just have to make her one. I won’t pretend I don’t like that idea.”

Rafe shook his head. How had Maggie managed not to strangle these pirates over the years? “You aren’t going to murder Barlow Hill.”

“The slug,” Snake said automatically. “Why not? Do you want to do it?” He rubbed his jaw, pondering, then added, “I guess that would be all right. I was looking forward to it, though. I still have what it takes, you know.”

“I’m sure you do,” Rafe drawled dryly. “Where is he? Up at the hotel?”

“Nah. He’s across the lake at the house he’s having built, overseeing the overseer. Something about tile. I’ll say this for the worm, when he puts his mind to something, he gets it done. That house has gone up fast. So, how you gonna kill him, Malone? Shooting? Stabbing? Dare I hope cat-o’-nine-tails?”

Rafe blew out a heavy sigh. “Sorry to disappoint you, Snake, but I don’t intend to kill him.”

“Well, somebody has to kill him. We can’t let him stay married to Maggie.”

“We’re not going to let him marry Maggie in the first place. We don’t have to. I found your treasure, Snake. Part of it, anyway. Enough to buy off Hill.”

“The rattlesnake.”

“The cottonmouth,” came Ben Scovall’s scathing voice.

Rafe twisted his head. He wasn’t entirely surprised to see the woman on the suave buccaneer’s arm. Not this woman, in particular. Luella Best wore a pair of man’s breeches, carried a ruffled, white silk parasol, and flashed that familiar, flirtatious smile. “Hello, Luella.”

“Well, if it isn’t Rafe the Rogue.” Her wise eyes twinkled at him, and she blew him a kiss. “I knew you’d arrive in time. I tried to tell Pepper here that you’d come to save the day, but he didn’t have quite the confidence in you that I did.”

Pepper
? Rafe noted how the tips of Ben’s ears turned pink, and he arched a questioning brow toward Snake. The pirate reached out a hand and helped Rafe to his feet before grumbling softly in his ear. “As in peppermint candy. I suggest you don’t ask.”

Rafe covered his laugh with a cough, then dusted the dirt from his behind.

“Now, tell us about the treasure,” Snake demanded. “Does Montgomery know you got it? Did you have any trouble? Where is it? Where are Lucky and Gus? Did you get the whole thing?”

“I got enough, and that’s all that’s really important. Gus and Lucky will be along later. I needed to travel fast to get here by Hill’s deadline.”

“The cur.”

“The knave.” Ben stared out over the lake toward the home under construction. “I must say I am anxious to see the deed done. Shall we approach the lion in his den?”

Gazing past Rafe, Luella clucked her tongue. “Judging by the looks of things, that will have to wait. First you must get past the tigress on the rampage.”

The men all turned as one. “Uh-oh, boys,” Snake said. “She is loaded for bear. Who is gonna take her on?”

“I will,” Rafe said, his lips settling into a grim smile as he watched Maggie approach.

Ben grimaced. “You sure, Malone? Have you ever done this before?”

“No. But how difficult can it be?”

The pirates, and even Luella, groaned collectively. The lady reached over to pat Rafe on the arm, but she spoke to Ben. “Pepper, I think we should all participate. I’ve come to know Rafe pretty well. Dealing with frustration is not one of his strong suits. I’d hate to see him hurt himself. Or hurt her, either.”

“I’m not going to hurt her,” Rafe replied, his gaze meeting and accepting the challenge clearly visible in Maggie’s eyes as she drew near. “I’m going to beat her.”

Maggie halted her march next to them, her bag at her side. “Who wants to join me in a game of golf?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie took aim at the flag fluttering in the afternoon breeze some thirty yards away and gave her ball a whack. The small brown sphere sailed up and over the stick marking the hole. Way over.

“Seashells, Maggie!” Snake exclaimed from his seat atop the folding camp stool Ben had assembled for his use. Though his health was much improved, he still tired easily. He talked of itching to get back to the game, but at the moment he seemed content to stroll along with the players as an observer. “Try to hit it hard next time, why don’t you? What did you eat for lunch? I think I’d best get me some of that.”

She tossed her papa Snake a mutinous glare as Ben moved to stand behind Luella Best. “Leave Mary Margaret alone, Snake,” he grumbled.

Luella flashed Ben a brilliant grin and batted her eyelashes fast enough to stir up a wind. “Let’s hit a good one this time, Pepper. I must say I’ve been caught by the spirit of this game. I would so much like to do well.”

“We will give it our best, Luella.” But Ben’s hands—on effort to help the widow hit the golf ball resulted in an ugly slice. Ben muttered under his breath. Luella nudged him with her elbow in a teasing manner, then said something in his ear that brought a slow smile to his face.

Despite her ill humor, the sight lifted Maggie’s heart. Returning to Hotel Bliss to the news of Papa Ben’s budding romance with Luella had been the lone bright island in an ocean of darkness. The widow had returned with Ben from the Winning Ticket Ranch, supposedly to treat her rheumatism in the healing waters of Lake Bliss. After watching their interplay and seeing how spry the elderly woman appeared, if Maggie not had personal knowledge of the benefits of Bliss water, she’d have suspected the widow of faking her illness to spend time with Papa Ben.

The woman was a practiced flirt. Likable, certainly, but still a flirt. Maggie was determined to keep a close eye on her. She wouldn’t have Papa Ben hurt.

“Oh dear. That shot was even worse than Maggie’s,” the elderly woman said.

Maggie stiffened and battled to hold back a snappish retort. Ben eyed her uneasily and said, “Uh, Luella. It’s probably best if you don’t comment on her game today.”

Luella blazed on as if she hadn’t heard him, and as if Maggie weren’t well within hearing distance. “I do so admire your granddaughter, Pepper. She’s a strong woman. Just like my dear daughter-in-law, Honor. I do think if they had the opportunity, the two of them would be great friends. Next time I come to take the waters here at Lake Bliss, maybe I’ll bring Honor with me. That would be nice, don’t you think so, Maggie dear?”

Maggie gave up pretending not to listen. “I liked Honor when I met her in Galveston.”

“She’s a gem. And you realize, Hotel Bliss is not all that far from the Winning Ticket. We could visit back and forth quite often. You girls have a lot in common, you know. Honor has me to put up with, and you have your grandfathers. Speaking of whom, I simply can’t wait to meet Mr. Lucky and renew my acquaintance with Mr. Gus. I had hoped they’d return to Lake Bliss before my departure, but it doesn’t look like that will happen now, does it? Luke will be along any day now to fetch me home.”

“Luke is coming here?” Rafe’s voice boomed from behind them.

Snake turned around. “Malone! You finally sank it, hmm? So what did you take on that hole, twenty strokes?”

“Twenty-seven.”

A muscle twitched at the side of his jaw, and Maggie wanted to laugh. The hardheaded, slick—handed thief had actually thought he could beat her at her own game. Well, she’d shown him. She’d whipped him up one side of the makeshift golf course and down the other. It should have made her feel good, wonderful, stupendous.

Then why was it all she wanted to do was cry?

Rafe glared at Luella. “Luke is coming to Lake Bliss? Soon?”

“Yes. Sooner than I’d like, I’m afraid.” She smiled shyly up at Ben. “If I had known how pleasing I’d find the…waters…here at Lake Bliss, I’d have instructed him to wait another week. As it is, I expect him tomorrow or the next day.”

Rafe paused for just a moment, then abruptly threw down his club. He looked straight at Maggie for the first time since the first hole when he’d gone behind her in the game by seventeen strokes. “I’m tired of waiting. I’m going to go find Hill and take care of this situation once and for all. No more delays. Are you coming?”

“No.”

“Fine.”

“Fine, yourself.” Maggie lifted her chin and turned her back on him, calmly setting up for her next shot. Inside, however, she was far from calm. As she heard him stalk away, she could no longer hide the trembling in her hands. The weight in her pocket grew heavier and heavier with each of Rafe’s steps.

He would be furious. Absolutely, positively incensed.

What he shouldn’t be was surprised. A girl didn’t grow up among professional thieves without learning a trick or two herself. As clumsy as he’d been with his club, bumping into him on the first hole had been easy. His anger had worked in her favor, too. If he’d been paying attention, he might have noticed the lightening of his pocket.