The Rancher's Hand-Picked Bride

Gwen grabbed at it. “I can carry my own things.”

“My mother taught me to be polite to guests.”

“Well, I’m no guest. I’m an employee.”

“You’re a female. I’d never hear the end of it from the women in my family if I didn’t carry your bag.”

Realizing she was fighting a losing battle, she shrugged and reached into the car for the old wooden baseball bat lying on the floor.

Surprise showed on Jess’s face. “Don’t you think that’s overreacting a bit. I’m just trying to be a good host.”

A flush reddened her cheeks. “I wasn’t going to use it on you.”

A grin tilted one corner of his mouth. “Never thought I’d hear myself saying this, but you look kind of cute when you’re flustered.”

Abruptly, her eyes turned cold with warning. “I’d better correct my last statement. I’m not planning to use this bat on you right now. But I do plan to keep it around in case any varmints wander too close.”

“Cute like a rattlesnake,” Jess muttered, clearly rethinking his first reaction. He met her icy glare with impatience. “Well, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Good.” A curl of self-directed anger wove through her. He’d just told her what she wanted to hear. She should have been relieved, but deep inside she’d felt a sting. I’m just overly tense, she reasoned, pushing the car door closed.

Leading the way into the house, Jess silently cursed his great-grandmother for inviting this woman under their roof. She’d always been as prickly as a cactus and the fact that she thought she needed a bat to protect herself from him grated on his nerves. He sure as heck had never given her any indication he found her the least bit attractive. Not that she wasn’t physically good-looking…nice figure, curves in all the right places, green eyes and chestnut hair cut short so that it framed her face in a gentle style. But her core was cold as ice and hard as stone.

After showing her to her room, he went in search of Morning Hawk and found her in the kitchen with Lilly.

“I’ve got a stew on the stove and will be putting the corn bread in shortly,” Lilly said. She was in her mid-fifties, comfortable in her manner and she had a kindly disposition.

“Thanks.” Jess gave her the barest of glances. Lilly had worked for the Logans since she was a teenager. He considered her a trustworthy part of their household and thus felt perfectly comfortable discussing Gwen in front of her. Locking his gaze on Morning Hawk, he said tersely, “I don’t think inviting Gwen to stay under our roof was such a good idea.”

“She’s not as difficult to get along with as some people think,” Lilly spoke.

Surprised by the housekeeper’s defense of his unwanted guest, Jess’s gaze swung to her.

“She kept my niece from getting involved with a real loser. My sister didn’t like the guy so she hired Gwen to check him out. Turned out he not only had a criminal record, he had two wives and a total of six kids.”

“I’m not saying that what she does isn’t useful.” Jess’s gaze traveled between the two women. His jaw tensed. “She keeps a baseball bat with her.”

Morning Hawk regarded him indulgently. “A woman who lives alone should have something to protect herself with.”

Lilly nodded. “A lot of young women have taken to carrying guns. Not that I think that’s such a good idea. But on the other hand, the world has become a much more dangerous place, or so it seems. My daughter has taken up karate and she’s already up to a brown belt.”

“Maybe I should take some self-defense courses before I go out on my next date. And maybe carry a metal detector with me,” Jess muttered, shaking his head as he left the kitchen and went to his study.

Seated at his desk, he doodled on the edges of a sheet of paper where he’d listed a number of women’s names. He had nothing against marriage. He just hadn’t met the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Even more, he didn’t like being pushed! “I’ll find a wife myself and in my own sweet time,” he growled, then focused his full attention on the paper in front of him.

After Gwen had left, he’d given this current situation a great deal of thought. He didn’t like blind dates. If he was going to go out with someone, it was going to be someone he had, at least, a passing acquaintance with. His plan was to hand Gwen the names of three women and tell her to set him up with them. That would make his part a bit more palatable and hers easy, allowing them to get finished with this charade quickly. Stopping his doodling, he made his final list.

Gwen stood at the window in her bedroom, knowing she had to leave the sanctity of the room and face Jess but not wanting to. She’d never understood why he had such a strong effect on her. He just did.

Her mind went back to her first day in school after she and her mother had moved to this panhandle area of Texas. She’d been in fourth grade. When it came time for lunch, a couple of the popular girls had attached themselves to her, more to find out all about her than to claim her as a friend. The three of them were just finishing eating when Jess wandered over to introduce himself. The other two girls had twittered, clearly excited and pleased by his presence. He was two years older and the fact that he was welcoming Gwen was clearly an event as far as her friends were concerned. But he made her feel weirdly uncomfortable in ways she’d never felt before and that had scared her. To hide her discomfort, she’d given him a cold look that told him she didn’t want him anywhere near her. The two girls she’d been eating with were both stunned and quickly made excuses to get away from her. From then on she’d been excluded from the popular crowd. But she didn’t care. They would have expected her to invite them to her house and she never invited anyone there. In addition to the house always smelling like liquor and stale cigarettes, her mother was a lousy housekeeper. Bottles and full ashtrays littered all the rooms except for Gwen’s and she never knew when her mother might come home early from work with a new “friend.”

Even Henry, the one lasting friend she’d made while in school here and who she’d learned to love like a brother, had only been inside a few times. His home life had been as bad as hers in its own way, so she hadn’t been quite so embarrassed about him coming in. Still, the uncertainty of finding her mother drunk or with a “friend” caused her to check the house before she let even him enter.

A knock on Gwen’s door startled her, jerking her mind back to the present. Answering the summons, she found her nemesis standing there.

“I suppose I should be flattered that you didn’t answer with your weapon in your hand,” he muttered.

Again a tint of red colored her cheeks. She’d tried to make herself leave the bat behind, but it had been her security blanket from an early age and she couldn’t sleep without it under her bed. “You said I was safe from you and from what I’ve heard, Logans keep their word.”

Jess nodded to emphasize this point, then extended a piece of paper toward her. “I’ve decided to make your job a lot easier by providing you with the names of three women you can set me up with.”

“I suppose they’re ones who will be totally disagreeable to your great-grandmother, so she won’t get any more ideas about matchmaking.”

“No. Morning Hawk would never believe you would find anyone totally unsuitable. They’re women I might consider marrying if I was of a mind to get married. After you’ve stuck around here for a couple of days, you can say you know enough about me and we can get on to the dating phase of this.”

Before Gwen could respond, he strode away. Closing her door, she stared at the names he’d given her.

For a moment she was surprised that Jeanette Harrison wasn’t at the top of the list. Then recalling the exchange between Jess and Morning Hawk, she realized he was excluding her because he knew Morning Hawk considered her unsuitable and he wanted this little game to flow easily and quickly to its finish.

And it should, she thought as she reviewed the list. She knew all three women to some extent. Each had been born and raised in this rural community of which the Logan land was a part. And they’d all attended the same grade school and high school as she and Jess. After high school, they’d continued their educations and eventually settled in and around Lubbock.

The first was Susan O’Rilley…a tall, slender redhead who was not only beautiful, but very clever and highly intelligent. She had a law degree from Harvard. Currently she was an assistant district attorney in Lubbock, and there were a lot of people who believed she would eventually be top dog.

Next was Mary Beth Lloyd, pretty, medium build, a brunette, also college educated. She taught grade school and had a motherly aura.

The last was Brenda Jackson, a blonde with curves in all the right places. She was a nurse, and a great many of her male patients said she’d given them a new lease on life just by walking into their rooms and smiling at them. Gwen had even heard her referred to as “that healing angel” and “the angel in white.”

“This list should please Morning Hawk.” Still, the whole business grated on her nerves. Abruptly, she squared her shoulders. “I can’t stay in here forever.” Opening the door, she stepped out into the hall.

“So where to now?” she murmured under her breath. Old habits died hard. Without even making a conscious decision, she headed away from the main part of the house, casing out the hall on which her room was located. She’d always felt safer when she knew her surroundings. There were three other bedrooms there. The first two she peered into had a vacant feel to them. Pictures and mementos on the bureaus led her to believe they had belonged to Slade and Boyd Logan, Jess’s older brothers. And she guessed they were kept in readiness for visits from either of them and their wives. The third door was the one next to hers on her side of the hall.

Opening it, she looked around cautiously. It had a lived-in look. There was a shirt hung over a chair and the mild scent of aftershave lingered in the air. Without any doubt, she knew this was Jess’s room. As if she’d uncovered a rattlesnake’s lair, she took a step back and pulled the door closed.

“Looking for me?”

The sound of Jess’s voice startled her. Turning to face him, she ordered herself to appear calm. “No. I was merely checking out my environment. You know, escape routes in case of fire and such.”

“There’s a window in your bedroom and we’re on the ground level.”

“So I might be somewhere else.”

A sarcastic smirk tilted one corner of his mouth. “My room?”

“I didn’t know it was your room before I opened the door. And I can tell you this will be the one and only time I do that.” With a look that said this was a promise, she strode past him and down the hall.

In spite of the air of relaxed comfort the decor of the house portrayed, Gwen felt out of place. Deciding to make herself useful, she headed to the kitchen to offer assistance.

Lilly greeted her with a smile. “Morning Hawk told me why you’re here and swore me to secrecy. I’m supposed to tell everyone that you’re helping her with some sort of genealogy search.”

“Sounds like a good cover.”

Lilly shook her head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her. It’s not like her to mettle in her great-grandsons’ lives like this. And it’s not like the family was worried Jess would never get married. He’s got nothing against marriage.” Her expression took on a hint of apology. “I’m not saying your services aren’t valuable. In fact, I was telling Jess earlier today how you helped out my niece. But hiring a matchmaker. I can’t believe Jess is going along with it.”

“He didn’t have a choice.”

Lilly nodded solemnly with understanding. “When his great-grandma gets a bee in her bonnet, generally humoring her is the best way to handle it. Sometimes, it’s the only way. And she did tell me that he only has to date the women you pick. She’s not actually insisting that he marry any of them.”

“That’s right,” Gwen confirmed.

“Well, I guess it’s all right then. I just hate to see her putting Jess through all of this on a whim.” A puzzled expression came over her features. “What’s really peculiar is that I’ve never known her to do anything on a whim.” Again she shook her head. “Never thought I’d see the day when she got senile. But maybe this is the first sign. Some people think she’s always been a bit wacky, but it’s been my experience that there’s generally a good reason behind everything she does.”

“She did say she wanted to see Jess married before she met her maker. Maybe she’s suddenly gotten worried about her mortality and this crazy idea sprung out of that.” Gwen offered an explanation for Morning Hawk’s behavior. “People can get a bit eccentric when they finally face the fact that they’re not going to live forever.”

Lilly nodded vigorously. “That’s true.”

Not wanting to discuss Jess or his great-grandmother any further, Gwen changed the subject to her original purpose. “Can I give you a hand with dinner?”

Lilly shook her head. “Oh, no. You’re a guest.”

“I’m an employee just like you,” Gwen corrected. “And right this minute I need to feel useful.”

For a moment Lilly made no response, then said, “If you really don’t mind, I would like to get home a little early. Bobbie, my grandson, has a baseball game tonight and I told him I’d try to get there to see him pitch.”

Gwen had hoped that Lilly was live-in help. The more people around, the better. Then chiding herself for this bit of totally unnecessary cowardliness, she forced a smile. “No problem. What do you want me to do?”

“I’ve cooked a stew.” As she spoke, Lilly lifted the lid of a heavy iron pot on the stove and gave the contents a stir. With a shrug of her shoulder toward the long heavy wooden table in the center of the large kitchen, she added, “And the table is set. All that’s left is to take the corn bread out of the oven. When the timer goes off it should be ready.”

“I know how to tell if it’s done,” Gwen assured her. “You run along.”

Lilly hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, now go.”

Lilly was heading for the door when Jess entered.

“I told her to leave and let me finish putting the meal on the table,” Gwen said hurriedly, uncertain how strict Jess was about his help leaving early and not wanting to be the cause of any anger toward Lilly.

“I was just coming in to offer the same service,” Jess returned in an easy drawl, giving the housekeeper a friendly smile. “You run along and go see Bobbie pitch.”

“Thanks.” Lilly grinned back, then hurried on her way.

Surprised that Jess had been willing to take over kitchen duties, but wanting him to leave, Gwen said, “I can take care of things in here. You go back to whatever you usually do before dinner.”

“Fixing dinner isn’t your job.”

The need to feel useful was too strong for Gwen to retreat. “I told Lilly I’d do it. Now, just go away and let me take care of things here.” Suddenly realizing she was trying to order Jess Logan around in his own home, she hid her embarrassment behind a shield of angry impatience.

For a long moment, Jess studied her, then a small crooked grin tilted one corner of his mouth. “I’d offer to arm wrestle you for it, but I figure I’d better keep my distance. As I recall, the last time I saw someone get you riled it was Joe Jackson and you punched him so hard in the stomach, you got yourself suspended from school for three days.”

Gwen recalled the incident vividly. It had happened during her sophomore year in high school. The minute she’d thrown the punch, she’d known it was the wrong thing to do and truly felt horrible about it. But Joe had hit a tender nerve…a very tender nerve. He’d whispered in her ear that he’d heard her mother was “easy” and could be had for a couple of drinks. Then he’d wanted to know what Gwen’s price was. Her shoulders straightened with defiance. “Joe Jackson had a vulgar mouth.”

“True. But most girls would have just slapped him or given him a nasty look and walked away.”

“That would only have egged him on.” Fighting down a surge of old guilt at her act of violence, she added in her defense, “He needed to be taught a lesson.”

“You’re right. He did.”

Gwen had expected Jess to continue mocking her behavior. That he agreed with her, startled her. Adding to her surprise, he grinned.

“I can still see the look on Joe’s face,” he said. “He always bullied you girls because he never expected you to respond the way you did.”

A haunted shadow flitted in Gwen’s eyes. “His type only prey on those weaker than themselves.”

Jess’s smile vanished and his gaze narrowed on her. “You sound like you’ve had more than your share of experience with his type.”

Angry that she’d nearly revealed things she was determined to keep private, she said with cool calm, “All women have had experience with his type. Some are just slower learners than others. That’s what keeps me in business.” Not wanting this conversation to continue, she turned her attention to the timer on the stove. “Looks like it’s getting to be time to pour the drinks.” Realizing he wasn’t leaving, she added, “Since you came to work and you know more about where things are in this kitchen, you can do that. I’ll take water.”

Gwen could feel Jess staring at her. Her breath locked in lungs as she waited for him to make some snide remark about her ordering him around in his own kitchen. Then the sensation was gone and she heard him moving around the room, finding glasses and filling them.

Neither spoke except for the necessary communications involved in getting the dinner on the table and summoning Morning Hawk. As all three seated themselves and they began to dish food onto their plates, the stilted atmosphere remained.

Morning Hawk’s gaze traveled between them. “Obviously the two of you haven’t decided to be social to one another yet, but I am relieved you can be left alone in a room full of weapons and not get into a fight.”

Jess’s eyes leveled on Gwen. “I tried to make small talk but she was like a wet cat. She snapped at everything I said.”

Gwen met his gaze. “You were being nosy.”

“All right, so maybe I was.”

Gwen’s eyes rounded. “You admit it?”

“I realized a long time ago that your coldness wasn’t limited just to me. You seem to hold a grudge against men in general. I was just curious as to why.”

Gwen’s jaw hardened. “Men are users.”

“Not all men.”

“I suppose. But it’s hard to know which are and which aren’t. To avoid any trouble, I prefer to assume the worst and steer clear.” Immediately, she regretted not keeping her mouth shut. Jess was regarding her so narrowly his gaze felt like a knife trying to pierce the thick skin she’d grown around herself. Refusing to allow this conversation to remain on her, she added in a calm tone, “But then some women are users as well. I’m assuming that’s why I’m here. To make sure you don’t get hooked by one of them.”

Jess’s attention turned to his great-grandmother. “I’ve always considered myself real good at telling a shark from a trout.”

Morning Hawk smiled. “Sometimes a man’s vision can be so blurred by the beauty and excitement of the moment, he’s sunk the hook before he realizes he’s snagged a fish not worth reeling in.”

“When I’m doing some serious fishing, I always cast my line carefully,” Jess assured her.

Morning Hawk’s expression became that of a wise sage. “No one can be certain about what lies beneath still waters.”

Jess shook his head in a gesture of defeat and turned his attention to his food.

Gwen breathed a mental sigh of relief as silence again settled over the table.

A couple of hours later, Gwen plopped into the chair in her bedroom.

Following the meal, Jess had insisted on helping her clean up the kitchen.

“I’m sure the two of you don’t need my help,” Morning Hawk had said, and headed for the door. Then as if she’d had second thoughts, she’d seated herself in a rocking chair by the potbellied stove and taken out some handwork she kept in a basket there.

Gwen had the impression the elderly woman had decided that a peacemaker or, perhaps, a referee might be needed.

But as it turned out, the cleaning up had gone smoothly. She and Jess had kept their conversation focused on getting the job done and afterward he’d retired to his study and Gwen had taken refuge in her room.

Drawing in a deep breath to calm her taut nerves, she realized she hadn’t locked her door. Something was definitely wrong with her survival instinct. From an early age, she’d always locked her door. Rising, she flipped the latch, then reseating herself, she frowned.

When she and Jess were cleaning the kitchen, his arm had brushed hers a couple of times and each time she’d felt as if she’d been shocked by a bolt of electricity. And then there was that moment at the table when he’d admitted he’d been prying. The tiniest hint of an embarrassed smile had played at one corner of his mouth and she’d found herself thinking that he looked boyishly handsome. There had even been a momentary weakening in her knees. This was not good. Her mother had always been feeling weak in the knees about one man or another, and that was something Gwen had vowed never to do.

“Clearly, I’m just overly tense,” she reasoned. “I’m not used to living under the same roof with strangers or with anyone else for that matter. I just need a good night’s sleep.”

But even as she muttered these words, she was sure attempting to sleep would prove futile. However, a short while later, after a final check to make sure her bat was within reach, she crawled under the covers and closed her eyes. Almost immediately she fell into a comfortable slumber.

Chapter Three

Gwen opened her eyes to discover sunlight streaming in her window. She couldn’t believe it. In a strange house with a man who unnerved her merely by his presence, she’d had one of the best night’s sleeps she’d had in her life. “I’m definitely losing my edge,” she grumbled, throwing off the covers.

Entering the kitchen a short while later, she found Morning Hawk sitting at the table drinking coffee. Jess was nowhere in sight.

“He’s out riding fences,” Morning Hawk said, as if sensing the trail of Gwen’s thoughts. Nodding toward the refrigerator, she added, “Lilly won’t be here until a bit later. We get our own breakfast around here. There’s eggs, ham and bacon. Make whatever you want.”

Gwen started to say she wasn’t hungry, then her stomach growled and she realized she was. “Thanks.” Opening the refrigerator, she took out a couple of eggs and the ham.

Watching her slice off a piece of the meat, Morning Hawk said, “I assume Jess gave you a list of names you’re supposed to pretend you chose for him.”

Gwen looked over her shoulder. “Does anything ever get by you?”

“Not where my great-grandsons are concerned. At least, not Jess.”

Gwen turned, leaned against the counter, crossed her arms and regarded Morning Hawk wryly. “If you knew that was what he would do, why this charade?”

“Because without some prodding, he wasn’t going to do any serious wife hunting and I want to see him settled before I go to the great hunting grounds in the sky.”

“But this isn’t serious wife hunting. You’re both just playing a game with each other.”

“Did he put Jeanette Harrison’s name on the list?”

“No.”

“Then it’s serious wife hunting.”

“He left the name off because he knew you would protest.”

“He left the name off because, deep down inside, he knows she’s not good wife material.”

Gwen straightened. “Look, I didn’t like taking money for this charade before, but now that I know you’re not being fooled, I refuse to play this game.”

“But it’s not a game. Whether you’re willing to believe it or not, these are women Jess thinks he could marry. And I want you to investigate them just as you would if you were playing matchmaker for one of your regular clients.”