One Wedding Night... Read online

  “Fine by me.” Russ watched her walk into the bathroom and close the door. Seconds later, the shower came on. He didn’t want to think about what she was doing, but he couldn’t help it.

  He wanted to be doing it with her.

  Ten

  Russ’s gaze tracked Lynn’s movements as she walked out of the bathroom and approached the bed. She’d put her clothes back on, and all he could think about was taking them off of her.

  She moved to the bed and worked at straightening the covers. “I guess we’re sharing, huh?” she asked, her expression hesitant.

  “I guess.” It was only one night. He could keep his hands off of her for one night, couldn’t he? “Tomorrow, we’ll be moved in at the ranch.” If there had been a bed there, he’d have insisted that they spend the first night there instead of cooped up in his room together where she was close enough to smell, close enough to touch.

  “Okay.” She sat on the edge of the bed. “I guess I’ll try to get some sleep.”

  Russ nodded and reached over and turned off one of the lamps in the room. “Go ahead. I’ll stay up a while,” he said, leaving the one closest to him on. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do, but he wasn’t going to get in that bed with her. Not while he was hard and ready for her and she was so damn enticing.

  She gave him a slight frown, then lowered herself to the bed on top of the covers. Turning her back to him, she settled her head on one of the pillows. Her butt wriggled as she tried to get comfortable, and Russ thought he’d go insane watching it.

  He closed his eyes, wishing he had someplace else to go. But he knew it would look strange if he left, so he kept his rear in the chair. Slouching down, he crossed his arms over his chest and tried to get comfortable.

  It was going to be one hell of a night.

  Lynn woke in the morning and discovered she was alone in Russ’s room. Her joints were stiff, and she stretched, trying to work out the soreness that she was sure she’d gotten from working on Russ’s house. She was also aware that her stomach ached. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was later than she usually slept. She hadn’t eaten well the night before, so she probably just needed some breakfast.

  Sitting up, she threw her feet to the floor, wondering where Russ was. Across the room, a pillow from the bed was on the chair. He must have spent the night there instead of sleeping beside her.

  Despite her own stipulation that she and Russ wouldn’t engage in sex, Lynn had been tortured with fantasies of him joining her during the night, taking her into his arms, and making love to her.

  Well, obviously he wasn’t that disturbed by keeping their relationship platonic because he hadn’t once tried to cross that line. She was discovering that it was she who was having problems staying on her side of it.

  What a way to spend your wedding night!

  Sighing with pent-up frustration, she wondered where he was, what he’d been doing, how long he’d been gone? She got up, went into the bathroom and washed her face, then quickly changed her clothes. The last thing she needed was for one of her sisters-in-law to notice that she’d slept in them.

  After pulling on her boots and jacket, she stepped outside and started for the house. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Russ’s truck parked in front of it. It was loaded with some of the furniture from her bedroom!

  Lynn covered the ground as fast as she could without running. As she started up the steps, Ashley and Catherine came out to meet her.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, and there was no way she could disguise the shock in her voice.

  “We knew you were gonna have an…um,” Ashley paused, glancing meaningfully at Catherine, “interesting night, so we thought we’d help you out by packing your things. We hope you don’t mind.” Her eyes were lit with excitement.

  Catherine smiled at Lynn. “Russ, Ryder and Jake have already made one trip. They’re inside getting the rest of your things. We were careful with everything, and we labeled all the boxes. All you have to do is unpack when you get home.”

  Lynn stared at them. It was obvious that both women thought that they’d been very helpful. She’d never intended to move everything she owned to Russ’s ranch, only a little at a time, just enough to make it look real. Without causing suspicion, there was nothing Lynn could do but thank them.

  “That was really, uh, nice of you.” She looked around them and saw Russ and her brothers coming out of the house with boxes in their arms.

  “Hey, darlin’,” Ryder called, looking at Lynn. “We’re just about to go over to Russ’s room and put his furniture in the truck.”

  Lynn swallowed hard, and her gaze quickly found Russ’s. He deposited a box in the truck, then promptly walked over to her.

  “Morning, sweetheart.” Without hesitation, he put his hand behind her neck, then his lips came down on hers.

  His kiss shot fire through her veins, and she pressed closer to him. Before she had time to think, the kiss ended. He looked directly into her eyes. “Run ahead of us and get your things together,” he said, and there was a warning in his eyes.

  Lynn blinked, then went into motion, turning and hurrying across the yard. Damn! She didn’t want her brothers to walk into Russ’s room and discover that he’d spent the night in a chair!

  Rushing inside, she threw the pillow from the chair onto the floor, then stripped the bed and tossed the covers on the floor with the pillow. She gathered her things and stuffed them in her suitcase. As she was closing it, the door opened and the men walked inside.

  There was a discernable look of relief in Russ’s eyes as he glanced around the room, and his gaze connected with Lynn’s. She gave him a smile that looked sweet, but he knew her well enough to know that she felt the same way he did. Neither of them wanted her brothers to be suspicious of their marriage.

  “All ready.”

  The men made quick work of moving the remainder of Russ’s furniture to the truck. Ashley and Catherine had made Lynn promise to invite them over in a few days to see the place. Lynn drove her own truck behind Russ, and her brothers followed in Ryder’s. By lunchtime, everything had been unloaded and placed in their new home, and Ryder and Jake had left.

  Standing beside Russ in front of the house, Lynn watched her brothers drive away. “How on earth did all this happen?” she asked.

  Russ chuckled. “I’ve got a better idea now of what you meant when you called Ashley and Catherine barracudas,” he told her, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “They got the idea that you’d want all of your things here right away, then put both of their husbands to work. I had to go along with it. I had no choice.”

  Lynn giggled. “I told you what they were like.”

  “Yeah, you did.” He looked at the house, then at Lynn. Without thinking about what he was going to do, he swept her up in his arms.

  “Russ!” She squealed and held on to his neck.

  “Maybe this isn’t like the real thing, but you deserve to be treated like a bride, so I’m gonna carry you inside.”

  The two-story farmhouse was old, but it had been well kept. The outside needed a little work, but had it really been her first home away from the Bar M, Lynn couldn’t have been more happy with it.

  “You don’t have to do this,” she told him, her tone husky.

  “Yeah, I do,” he answered, then proceeded to the door. He leaned down so Lynn could grab the handle of the screened door, then as she opened it, he shouldered it aside and crossed the threshold with her in his arms.

  They stared at each other in silence, and electricity sparked between them. Russ’s gaze dropped to her mouth. He’d known he was tempting himself by touching her, but he’d spent half the night watching her sleep in his bed. He couldn’t take it any longer. He had to have a taste of her.

  Just a taste, he promised himself.

  He touched his mouth to hers, and she gasped, then made a sound of pleasure deep in her throat. Her hands, secured behind his neck, tightened. He deepened the kiss, touching her t
ongue with his.

  Continuing to kiss her, Russ slowly lowered her legs to the floor, then slid his arms behind her back. Her hands rested on his chest, her palms flat against it and applying slight pressure.

  Aware of her hesitation, Russ lifted his mouth from hers. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  Lynn shook her head. “It’s not that. I mean, I liked the kiss. I’m just not feeling too well. I didn’t eat anything this morning, and my stomach feels upset.”

  Letting her go, Russ stepped away. “I don’t think there’s anything here to eat. Why don’t we go into Crockett and get something? We can shop for groceries while we’re there.” He didn’t want to go back to the Bar M. Crockett seemed safer, even if by now half the town would have heard rumors of their marriage.

  “Okay. Let me just use the bathroom, and I’ll be right back.”

  He watched her leave, then went into the kitchen. Hell, he was kidding himself. He wanted to make love to her. Right now and for as long as they were in this make-believe marriage. He wanted to satiate himself with her.

  Maybe then he’d be able to come to terms with what it was going to feel like when the day came for them to part.

  He was used to women leaving, wasn’t he? Lynn wasn’t any different. Sure, she was attracted to him, but her attraction didn’t go beyond physical desire. He couldn’t forget that. He wasn’t going to do anything foolish, wasn’t going to give her his trust.

  Russ looked up when he heard Lynn walk into the room. Her face was colorless, her eyes teary. “You okay?”

  She nodded, but it was obvious she wasn’t. He approached her, but she stepped away from him. Frowning, he put his hand on his hip and studied her.

  “What is it?”

  Lynn felt as if her throat was clogged. Her hand went there and massaged it. “I’m not pregnant.”

  “You’re not?” Russ sounded confused, then it dawned on him what she meant. “You mean you—”

  “Yes,” she answered, realizing now that her cramping stomach was her period starting, not hunger liked she’d assumed. Trying to keep her composure, she forced a laugh. “I guess the joke’s on us, huh?” She didn’t know what was wrong with her. She should have been feeling relieved, even happy, that she wasn’t having Russ’s baby. Instead, she had to fight the tears that threatened to expose her true emotions.

  “Damn.” Russ leaned against the kitchen counter. He didn’t know what to say. She’d told him nerves and anxiety could cause her to be late, but he really hadn’t believed it. He did feel relieved, he admitted silently. At least he wouldn’t have to face her family and admit that he’d gotten her pregnant. He was also relieved that when he’d stated that she wasn’t pregnant, he hadn’t been lying.

  “Yeah.” Despite her best efforts, a tear escaped the corner of her eye. She nervously wiped it away as she watched for his reaction. It hurt to see that he was obviously relieved.

  Disappointment filled her. She hadn’t faced her true feelings, hadn’t accepted that she was possibly falling in love with him. She realized now that all of her feelings toward Russ had been hidden. Having been overly concerned about being pregnant, she hadn’t realized she was losing her heart.

  Though she’d fought him on getting married, she’d actually been fighting her feelings for him. In fact, she’d gone ahead with the marriage because she was in love with him.

  All of her hopes and dreams could have come true right here in this house with Russ, if he loved her.

  But he didn’t love her.

  He’d married her because he’d thought she was pregnant, because he wanted to protect her reputation, because he didn’t want to be the laughingstock of Crockett.

  She could see all of that in his eyes.

  He doesn’t love you.

  Lynn sniffed and wiped at the tears continuing to slide down her cheeks, hating that she was showing so much emotion in front of him. Gathering herself together, she looked at him. “We need to rethink our options.”

  His eyes darkened. “What do you mean?”

  She gestured around them. “This is your home, not mine. I don’t belong here, especially now. I’m thinking of coming clean to Jake and the rest of my family.”

  “Coming clean?” He straightened, but didn’t move toward her.

  “I think we should tell them everything. You know, that we’d never planned to marry at all, and that we’re going to get an annulment.”

  “We’re not telling anyone anything!” he ground out through clenched teeth. Furious, he stalked toward her. “Hell, your brothers would kill me. And the gossips in Crockett would be laughing at our expense. Maybe it wouldn’t bother you, but I’ve been the butt of town jokes before, and I’m not gonna let it happen again. We’re married, and we’ll stay that way until all this dies down.”

  Russ felt like a fool. She’d only just learned that she wasn’t pregnant, and she was ready to call an end to their arrangement. Well, he wasn’t gonna let that happen.

  Not yet.

  “Well, exactly what do you want to do?” she demanded. “We can’t just go on living together.”

  “We were going to do that anyway. Your not being pregnant doesn’t change anything. Besides, we’re not living together, we’re married. I told you I was going to marry you regardless. You were the one who didn’t accept that. It’s done.”

  “For how long?”

  “As long as it takes.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Hell, I don’t know, Lynn. As long as necessary.”

  “And you get to decide that?” she argued, her tone forceful. Was this how it was going to be? Russ making the decisions, controlling her life? It made her want to scream.

  “I’m not saying that, but we have to give it some time. I’ve gone along with just about everything that you’ve dragged me into. The least you can do is wait for a while on this. What’s it going to hurt?” he demanded.

  She shrugged, unable to come up with an argument that made sense. “All right. We’ll do it your way,” she conceded grudgingly. “For a while.”

  A week later, they’d just about settled into their new home, though they were still waiting for their phone to be hooked up. It had taken a few days to unpack, but together they’d gotten all of the boxes emptied and everything put away. Russ had insisted on putting his bedroom furniture in one of the smaller rooms because his bed was smaller than hers. Lynn had argued with him, but she’d quit when he put her bed together in the master bedroom.

  They had just finished dinner when they heard a vehicle pull up at the house, then someone laying on the horn. By the time they both got out the door and on the porch, Jake was out of his truck and running to meet them.

  “We need your help!” he said in a rush, and his tone was filled with concern. “Ashley’s gone into labor.”

  Lynn stared at her brother with disbelief. “She’s not due for another month!”

  “I know. Ryder’s really worried. Everything is probably fine, but I’m gonna fly them to San Antonio, just to be on the safe side. San Luis isn’t equipped for any kind of prenatal emergencies.”

  “Are you ready to leave now?” Lynn asked.

  He nodded. “Ryder’s settling her in the plane, and I’d like to have Catherine come along with us, but that’ll leave no one at home to watch the twins. Can you take care of them?”

  “Of course.” Lynn looked at Russ, and he agreed with a nod. “We’ll come right over. We can stay at the ranch with them since all of their things are there.”

  “Great. I’m gonna head back then.”

  “What about Matthew?”

  “He’s coming along with us. He wants to be where the excitement is,” Jake called over his shoulder, then hopped into his truck.

  “We’ll be right behind you,” Russ called to him, fishing into his pocket for the key to his truck.

  Lynn pulled the door to the house shut. By the time Jake had pulled away, she and Russ were in his truck following a short distance
behind him. They arrived at the Bar M in record time. Catherine and Matthew handed over the babies to Lynn and Russ. Lynn gave Catherine instructions to call home as soon as they had news. She and Russ watched in silence as Jake drove the short distance to the landing strip.

  Within minutes, the Cessna six-seater was in the air.

  Lynn walked into the den, her hand on the back of her neck as she massaged her aching muscles. Russ was sitting on the sofa. He patted the seat next to him, and she dropped down on the soft leather and moaned. Her joints felt tense and stiff.

  “I don’t know how Ashley does it. If one of those babies even thinks of waking up before morning, I’m in trouble.”

  Russ grinned at her. “I know what you mean. They sort of suck the energy right out of you, don’t they?”

  She smiled to herself. “But they’re so absolutely adorable that I don’t really mind.”

  “Yeah.” He watched as she rotated her shoulders. “Stiff?” She nodded, and Russ moved closer. “Turn around and I’ll massage them for you.”

  Lynn obeyed immediately. She tilted her head down as his strong hands moved over her neck and shoulders, working out the tension in her muscles. “That feels so good.” She moaned, and leaned back closer to him to give him better access.

  “You’ve done a great job with the babies,” Russ told her as he continued to soothe her aches. He admired her ability to take charge when she was needed, as well as the way she tenderly cared for the infants. It wasn’t hard to see that she possessed natural tendencies for mothering. Though she hadn’t wanted to be pregnant, and in fact they knew she wasn’t, Russ was aware that she was going to be a great mother one day.

  But not for your child.

  The thought struck out of nowhere. It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. Though Russ had long ago decided that he’d never marry again and have children, he felt an unwelcome sense of anguish when he thought of Lynn getting on with her life after they separated.

  “You’ve been a lot of help,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “I couldn’t have handled those two without you.” Russ had surprised her. He’d been attentive and cooperative, fetching what she needed, helping to feed the babies. During their baths, he’d handled the infants with gentle care. And earlier, when Melissa had fallen asleep in his arms, Lynn had felt a strong tug on her heart.