A Daring Proposal (17 page)

Jed didn’t hear the name Billy said. His blood was pounding too loud in his head.

“--but it didn’t work. Then she got in some accident and was laid up for a while.”

“So I heard,” Jed said when he could concentrate again. “That was a long time ago though. Surely there was someone else in her life since then.”

“Not till recently. She’d been chasing--” Billy must have seen a warning glint in Jed’s eyes because he quickly changed his wording. “I mean she’d been dating quite a bit since her daddy died. They didn’t have the same taste I guess.”

“And you think you’re Chaney’s taste?” Jed asked.

“Hey, she called me,” Billy said defensively.

“She also dumped you pretty quick.” Jed caught the flash of anger again. Maybe Billy had been insulted enough to want to make Chaney pay. “Is that it, Billy? Are you trying to make Chaney pay because she dumped you for me?”

“What are you talking about? I haven’t seen Chaney in weeks.”

“How many weeks? Two maybe?” Jed asked taking a step closer to Billy. He was positive he was on the right track. Billy had always been interested in a quick buck.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t seen Chaney in town in a month or more. Well, maybe once with some little girl.”

Ashley. Jed had forgotten about Chaney bringing Ashley to town. Who else had seen her? Then another thought struck him. Maybe this wasn’t about Chaney at all. Maybe someone was out to get him in trouble.

He knew two people that would enjoy doing that. One was dead. The other had the resources and the mo
tive to do anything she wanted.

Johanna.

“Thanks, Billy,” he called as he left the man standing with a bag of feed on his shoulder. Thoughts crowded his head as he ran to his truck and headed for Chaney’s ranch.

His ex-wife could easily afford to buy someone off. Cowboys were often looking for fees to enter rodeos or buy new saddles or even horses. Johanna was crazy enough to think something as old west as cattle rustling would be a fun way to get back at him. She had no idea how serious a business ranching was. To her everything was
a game. A game she had to win.

If Johanna was behind this, there was no telling where or when she would strike next. Jed had to get back to McBride’s Pride and keep an eye on Chaney.

***

Chapter
Eleven

Chaney saw the fancy car coming down the drive as she made her way from the barn to the house. Foreboding crawled over her skin. She didn’t know anyone that drove a car like that. At least no one who would be coming for a friendly visit. That meant facing Jed’s ex-wife without him here to referee. The thought didn’t thrill her.

She stopped halfway to the house and waited for the limo to reach her. When it did one of the back doors flew open and a blonde bullet shot out from it. A six-year-old bullet with tear tracks on
her cheeks slammed into Chaney.

“Ashley,” Chaney said as her arms instinctively wrapped around the child. “Honey, what are you doing here? Where’s your mother?”

Before Ashley could answer any of Chaney’s questions, the driver of the car got out and walked to where they stood. “Ma’am?” he said holding an envelope out to Chaney. As soon as she took the envelope, he walked to the back of the car. From the trunk, he took out three suitcases set them on the ground and walked back to the driver’s door.

“Wait,” Chaney called. “Where are you going? What about Ashley?”

“I was told to deliver her and the envelope. What you do with them is your business.” He slid behind the wheel and drove back down the drive.

Shock would have fried her brain except for the tears soaking her shirt and the uncontrollable sobs of the little girl plastered against her. She didn’t have the option of that luxury right now. Ashley’s welfare was more im
portant than her own confusion.

Pulling the little girl’s arms from around her waist, she lifted Ashley into her arms. “It’s okay, honey. Everything will be okay,” she crooned rocking the girl in her arms.

The blast of a horn brought Chaney’s head up from where she’d rested it against Ashley’s. She saw Jed’s wheels spew gravel as his truck slid onto the shoulder to avoid the car that had pulled out in front of him.

“See, honey. I told you everything would be okay. Your daddy’s here.”

Ashley hugged Chaney tighter. “Daddy’s gonna be mad at me, too,” she wailed into Chaney’s neck. The little girl’s sobs gained strength.

Chaney couldn’t imagine why Jed would be mad at Ashley. Of course, they hadn’t really talked about anything personal in quite a while, so something could have happened she didn’t know about. The speed with which his truck was covering the dri
veway said something was wrong.

“Oh, your dad would never be so mad you have to be afraid of him, Ashley. You know that,” she said trying to calm the child. At least she could say that with sincerity. Chaney knew she had made Jed truly mad many times, but she had never feared him.

Jed jumped out as the truck skidded to a halt inches from the suitcases. “What’s wrong?” he demanded at the same time reaching for Ashley.

Chaney handed him the envelope instead. He glared at her but Chaney knew she wouldn’t
be able to pry Ashley lose yet.

“Ashley came to visit us,” she said trying to infuse some light into an insane situation.

“Why’s she crying? Where’s Johanna?”

“I don’t know,” Chaney said glaring at him. “Why don’t you open the letter and s
ee what it says?”

Jed stared at them for a moment more before tearing
open the envelope he held. Before he pulled the letter out, he looked back up at Chaney. “Give her to me,” he said, this time his voice gentler. “You shouldn’t be carrying her, she’s too heavy.”

Chaney almost grinned. He sounded like a concerned husband. The grin died when she remembered he wasn’t concerned about her, just the baby she carried. “I’m fine, just a little warm. I think Ash and I will go in the house.”

Although Ashley’s crying had subsided a little, she still didn’t want Chaney to put her down. Chaney took a seat at the kitchen table snuggling Ashley close as much for her own comfort as the little girl’s.

“Martha,” she said as the housekeeper came into the room. “Look who came to see us again.”

A huge grin split the older woman’s face. “Well, you must have had a long trip. How about some lemonade? I just made it this morning.”

Ashley peeked through her bangs up at Chaney. “Is it okay?”

“Of course it’s okay,” she answered and gave Ashley a hug. “Two tall glasses of lemonade please.”

“Make that three,” Jed said as he came through the doorway. “My daughter’s here. I want to celebrate.”

Chaney felt Ashley turn in her arms and saw her look at Jed. She hoped Ashley couldn’t see the anger that Chaney could feel emanating from him. She saw the letter fisted in his hand and knew whatever it said he wasn’t pleased. “I’ll bet your dad could use one of those hugs you’re so good at giving.”

“I sure could,” he agreed and squatted beside Chaney’s chair. Ashley flung herself into Jed’s arms and burst into tears again. He dropped a legal looking paper from his other hand into Chaney’s lap as he stood and hugged his daughter.

Chaney stared at the crumpled paper as if it were a viper in her lap. Ever since the reading of her father’s will, she found it hard to trust legal documents. She looked up at Jed.

Jed had closed his eyes as he held Ashley and Chaney could tell he was inhaling the sweet scent of his daughter. Then those blue eyes opened and focused on her. They were intent as he nodded at the paper still untouched in her lap. She saw a softening in his eyes, as they turned less turbulent and more Colorado blue. He was still upset about something, but there was also relief.

She picked up the legal looking document and realized it was from his ex-wife’s attorney. Skimming through all the legal mumbo jumbo Chaney found the words ‘granted full custody.’ Her heart stopped. She took a deep breath and continued to read until she realized the papers said Jed now had sole custody of Ashley.

He’d won. Tears welled in her eyes. She looked across the table where he now sat with Ashley on his lap. He was stroking the baby fine hair from her forehead. When he lifted his head after brushing a kiss to Ashley’s hair, Chaney met his eyes knowing there was still anger in them. Maybe he was mad because now that he had custody, there was no reason for him to continue with the charade of a marriage.

“Read the letter,” he said releasing the paper he’d crumpled in his hand onto the table. Then he turned his attention back to his daughter.

There was a slight edge to his voice. It caused Chaney’s hand to shake as she lifted the paper. Now that he had custody, legal and binding custody, what could possibly upset him so?

One line into the letter Chaney had her answer.

She’s your problem now, Jed. The child is more trouble than the enjoyment of causing you aggravation is worth. Just don’t try and pawn her back off on me.

Chaney’s blood ran cold. How could any mother ever talk about her child that way? She knew fathers could be disappointed because they had daughters, but she couldn’t imagine a mother being so . . . so . . . loveless?

“I didn’t mean to spill juice on the papers,” Ashley said. “But he yelled and it scared me. Then he got mad and red in the face. He started yelling at me.”

Though a minute ago Chaney would have sworn she didn’t fear Jed, when Ash started talking Chaney did. She feared he might explode because she read the intense anger in his posture. She could sense the deliberate concentration required for him not to crush his daughter to him so tightly he might hurt her.

“Did he hurt you?”

Jed’s words came from between clenched teeth. Chaney waited for Ash’s answer with the same intensity. If it was anything but no, there was no telling what Jed would do.

Ash shook her head. “No.”

The way she said it told Chaney it wasn’t the entire truth. “Honey,” she said. “What you did was an accident. If someone hurt you we want to know.” She reached across the table and took Ash’s little hand in hers.

“Mommy took me to my room and said I was too bad to live with her anymore. Then she told me to stay there until she came back for me.” Ash pulled her hand away and looked up at Jed’s face. “I didn’t mean to be bad, Daddy. I’ll be better, I promise.”

Chaney watched Jed wrap his daughter in a bear hug. He murmured in her ear as he rocked her.

The pleading in Ash’s voice and pain on her face pulled at Chaney’s heart. It brought back memories of her childhood, memories of never being able to meet her father’s standards. “I’ll leave you two alone for a while.” She stood, picked up the glass of lemonade Martha had set in front of her and walked toward the hallway. Jed caught her wrist as she passed by.

“We need to talk,” he said. “I’ll be in shortly.”

Chaney wasn’t sure she could face Jed any time soon. Her emotions were too raw, her brain too confused, so as she’d been doing for years, she faked it. She nodded and offered a smile. “
Take your time. Ash needs you.”

Questions from the past assailed Chaney as she made her way to the office. Why couldn’t her father have loved her the way Jed loved Ash? Why couldn’t she ever be good enough? Why had he stopped pushing her to marry if he was going to make it a condition of her inheritance?

Thinking about the last question replaced some of the hurt it had originally caused with confusion. She stepped into the office, closed the door, and leaned against it as she continued to think. If her father were going to insist she marry to keep the ranch, why wouldn’t he put more stipulations on it than he had? Granted the pregnancy part was something she wouldn’t have thought of, but why would he chance Chaney doing exactly what she’d done?

Marry the one man her father would never have accepted.

That brought even more questions to the fore. Why had her father been so sure Jed wouldn’t come back? Even Jed’s uncle hadn’t known where he went or why.

Or he hadn’t been willing to say.

A chill ran over Chaney’s skin. She remembered the conversation she and Jed had the first time Ash had come to the ranch. Jed had said something about things being strained between him and Dale.

Dale
knew something. So did Steve. After Dale’s accident Steve had told her Jed wasn’t afraid of anything and then corrected himself. What had he said?

Chaney squeezed her eyes shut trying to remember Steve’s exact words.
Jed isn’t afraid of anything, Chaney. Well, maybe once but that was a long time ago
. That was it. Of course, he could have been talking about Jed being afraid to come here after his parents’ death. No, Steve had avoided her eyes when he’d said the last part. It had to have something to do with her.

Could it have been the reason he left town without a word? Then she remembered something else. When Jed and Steve had faced off at the hospital, Steve accused Jed of running away. Jed had yelled back saying he hadn’t run, he’d been given no choice but to go. Was that why Jed wouldn’t defend himself when the opportunity arose? Several times, she had brought the subject up and thought now he’ll explain. But nothing. He would get a pained look in his eyes but then it would disappear and he would change the subject. Was he ashamed of something he’d done? Had Johanna been using the past against him to win custody?

That didn’t make sense. If she knew something that bad about Jed, why would she have married him? Besides, Chaney couldn’t think of anything bad Jed had ever done, other than him walking away from her that is.

Chaney felt the door begin to push against her. She stepped away. Jed stepped inside.

“What happened?” she demanded before he closed the door.

Jed’s eyebrow cocked as he looked at her. “Johanna signed the papers and gave me custody.”

“I know that, I mean before.”

“Before when?”

“Twelve years ago.”

***

The blood in Jed’s veins froze. It was one thing to plan to discuss the past with Chaney. It was something else to have her demand answers about it. Answers Jed wasn’t sure he really wanted to give. Chaney must have taken his silence as a challenge because she stepped closer to him.

“What did you mean when you said you’d been run out?”

“When did I say that?” Jed hedged, stepping around her and walking toward the window. He didn’t remember, but he knew if Chaney remembered it, he must have said it.

“At the hospital when Steve accused you of running away. He was talking about when you left town wasn’t he?”

You wanted to talk about the past, Jed, so say something
. He remained silent. Though he stared out at the wide expanse of Chaney’s ranch, he saw none of it. The image before his eyes was that of Travis McBride’s angry hate filled eyes.

“Wasn’t he?” Chaney demanded.

The sharp tone of her voice pulled Jed from his memories.

“Yes,” he answered without turning around. A moment later Chaney’s warm hand was on his arm urging him to face her.

Her voice was soft when she asked again, “what happened?”

In that moment, Jed knew he didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to take away what love she had left for her father. Jed knew if he told Chaney the truth, she would take it the wrong way. She would think her father did it to hurt her. She wouldn’t understand that he had loved her and wanted better for her than an untamed, troubled, dreamer.