“For God’s sake, no. Let’s just go. You’ve wasted enough time already.” He turned away to walk down the hall.
Something inside her snapped and a surge of pure anger hit her square between the eyes. “This is my first visit with the neighbors. I wanted to make a good impression.”
He stopped and turned to look at her. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m new to this whole marriage, rancher’s wife thing. And ignoring me or talking to me as if I’m an annoyance is not helping.” Her cheeks grew warm but this time it wasn’t with embarrassment. “I need your respect outside the bedroom.”
Hannah wanted to slap her hand over her mouth but she held herself firm and didn’t drop her gaze. He’d been the one to ask her opinion on what to do. Now he was back to snapping at her, but she wanted, needed, to be treated as his wife and not as an unwanted guest.
“Hannah. I, uh, was ... I’m sorry.” He ran his hands down his face. “Can you please come with me to the Stinsons now?”
Hannah nodded and walked down the hallway, her head held high. She’d taken Granny’s advice for the first time. Although she was mortified by some of the things she’d said, for the first time, she was proud of herself. Hannah had stood on her own two feet.
It took them about half an hour to ride over to the Stinsons’ ranch. A silent ride, much different from their previous trip to Houston. Matt was either angry with her or didn’t know what to say.
Neither did Hannah.
Matt was the first man she’d spent significant time with, and obviously the first man she’d lain with. He was teaching her how to be a woman in more ways than one, even if he didn’t want to.
The Stinsons’ house was larger than anything she’d ever seen. It was so wide, there were at least ten rocking chairs on the front porch, and room for ten more. A barn two stories high towered over the trees. Everything was simply enormous.
They dismounted at the hitching post to the right of the front porch. Matt helped her down, silently of course, then held her elbow as they walked toward the front door. Surprisingly no one came out to greet them. The large house seemed to be deserted. Most ranch hands were likely out working, but she’d thought there would always be at least a few folks around. Someone to take care of such a big house.
Their boots echoed on the very well swept porch. There didn’t seem to be a speck of dirt anywhere on the Stinson ranch. Perhaps dirt was as intimidated by the place as Hannah was.
Matt knocked on the door. Within seconds it was opened by a plump Mexican woman wearing a fancy black maid’s outfit and a spotless white apron. She nodded at Matt.
“Buenos dias, Señor Graham.”
“Buenos dias, Carmen. ¿Donde esta Señor Stinson?”
“Esta en la jardin alla.”
The woman opened the door wider and gestured them in.
“Gracias.”
Matt took Hannah’s arm again as they walked through the ranch house.
Hannah tried not to stare, but it was hard. Everywhere, she saw fancy furniture, paintings on the walls, elaborate vases, shiny crystals on an enormous chandelier, and rugs softer than anything she’d ever felt under her feet. It was a palace fit for a king.
That king was currently sitting on a bench in a beautiful garden, filled with blossoms and the drone of bees. He was as big as she’d expected, with broad shoulders and chest, black hair liberally sprinkled with silver, and gray eyes. He watched them approach but did not rise until they had nearly reached him.
“Graham.” He rose to his full height, just a smidge shorter than Matt. “Didn’t expect to see you today.”
His gray gaze flickered to her, then back to Matt. She’d thought Matt treated her impolitely but this man just ignored her as if she didn’t exist.
Their visit hadn’t started well at all. Hannah didn’t want to ruin their chances of getting the land they needed, but she had to do something. Hannah’s newfound courage reared its head again.
“Good morning, Mr. Stinson.” She smiled broadly. “I’m Hannah Graham. I’m so pleased to meet you.”
“Good day, madam.” He turned his head slightly in her direction. “What brings you by, Matthew?”
“We are planning a barbecue to celebrate our marriage,” Hannah blurted, surprising herself. “Matt wanted to come by to invite you and your family personally.”
“That so?” Stinson rocked back on his heels and studied Matt.
“Sure is. Hannah and Eva are planning it. I just need to slaughter the steer.” Matt’s smile was tight.
“When is this grand event taking place?” Unbelievably, Stinson seemed to relax a little at the invitation.
“Saturday.” Hannah squeezed Matt’s arm. “I thought perhaps you might have someone at the ranch who plays music, too.” The words were pouring out of her mouth as if someone else were controlling her voice.
“I’ll see what I can do.” He studied Hannah with a stare as sharp as any knife. “You got gumption, girl. I like that.”
Matt cleared his throat, but she didn’t know if it was because of surprise or dismay.
“Thank you, sir.” Hannah managed to smile again. “Will you be able to come to the barbecue?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Mr. Stinson didn’t smile but she saw the amusement in his gaze. He was a formidable man.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, sir. We’ll see you on Saturday then.” She sketched an awkward curtsy, then turned to Matt.
He was likely wrestling with whether or not to ask about the land tract. Hannah had given him the opportunity to get Mr. Stinson on the Graham ranch. Perhaps that was a better place to talk about an offer. She had taken a chance and hoped like mad it was the right one to take.
“Of course. I’ll bring Margaret and Jeb.” He tipped his hat to Matt. “You’ve got an interesting wife there, Graham. I look forward to the barbecue.”
With that, he turned and left them alone in the garden. She was afraid Matt would be angry at her, but honestly she had done it for him, for the Grahams’ future.
Matt wanted to throttle his wife at the same time he wanted to kiss her. Hannah had suddenly found her voice, along with a healthy dose of sass, and she seemed to be out of control. Not only had she told him exactly how she felt, but she’d told Stinson they were having a barbecue.
Even if they had been planning a barbecue, he sure as hell wouldn’t have invited the Stinsons to it. Yet Hannah had thrown out the invitation as if they were all friends. His father had had nothing but disrespect for his neighbor. The rancher had been a pain in the ass ever since his father had settled on the property. To invite the man to a gathering at Circle Eight was almost an insult to his father’s memory.
Hannah hadn’t known the history between the Grahams and Stinsons. He could have told her but he hadn’t. She could have asked him about the barbecue but she hadn’t. Matt realized he shouldn’t be too angry with her because they were both to blame.
He was still annoyed though.
As they walked out of the house and onto the porch, they were both quiet. Hannah marched to Buttercup and got herself up in the saddle with very little grace. She looked down at him, her jaw set and her gaze calm. He didn’t know her well enough to know what her demeanor meant.
He untied her reins from the hitching rail and handed them to her. She looked sheepish for a moment, then took them. Matt mounted Winston and they started back toward home.
After they rode for ten minutes, out of range of the house, Matt couldn’t keep quiet any longer.
“Did you plan on asking my permission for the barbecue before the neighbors arrived?”
She frowned at him. “I know it came as a surprise to you, but I didn’t think I had to ask permission to celebrate our wedding. I didn’t want Margaret to plan it.”
Matt felt the sting of her tone and her words. Though it was true they hadn’t done anything to celebrate their wedding, he wasn’t sure he liked being taken to task by his wife.
“A barbecue costs money, Hannah. Did you think of that?”
She huffed out a breath. “Folks bring a covered dish; the only cost is the steer for you to cook. Everything else will come from the garden. Maybe we can even do some hunting for hares and small game.”
He had to admit, silently, she was right. He had no argument that would stand against her logic. However, it stuck in his craw that she’d made the decision and he had to live with it.
“There’s not enough time to get ready.”
She didn’t respond, which irked him even further. Matt stewed for a while as they rode. If he told Stinson there was not going to be a barbecue, he’d have to hear about it every time they saw each other for the rest of his life. If he allowed the barbecue to happen, he’d have to accept that his wife had made a big decision on her own. That would set a precedent for their marriage he wasn’t sure he wanted to accept.
Damned if he wasn’t stuck between a rock and a hard place. The first week of his marriage was turning out to be a lot harder than he’d expected. His parents had made it look so easy to be married. He hadn’t agreed with the way his father had kowtowed to his mother, but he couldn’t argue the fact they had loved each other.
He wasn’t in love with Hannah, but his body was damn sure in lust. Every time he saw the curve of her breast or watched her ass in the saddle, or even smelled her scent, his damn cock took over his brain.
The longer his mind whirled with thoughts, the more frustrated he got. He needed to talk to Hannah but he didn’t know how. When the house was within sight, he pulled on the reins and stopped. It was time to do something.
“What’s wrong?” Hannah pulled her horse to a stop with a bit more difficulty. She was still learning how to ride, but she’d come far after only a few days of practice.
“We need to go back and tell Stinson there is no barbecue.”
Hannah rode over to him, her frown firmly in place. “Why would we do that?”
“I don’t want him at my house.”
She flapped her hand. “It’s the perfect place to offer to buy his land. There will be lots of neighbors to witness it.”
Matt wanted to argue with her, but dammit, she was right. Stinson loved to posture in front of people and if he was made to look like a greedy bastard, he might give in and accept the offer.
“You are the most aggravating wife I’ve ever had,” he blurted out.
She flinched and then a mask seemed to fall over her expression. “I’m the only wife you’ve ever had.”
At that moment, Matt saw only her; the rest of the world fell away. His breathing sharpened and his heart raced. He leaned forward and grabbed the back of her neck. As his lips slammed down on hers, she gasped. His hand tangled in her curls, knocking her hat off.
Her untutored kisses made his blood run hot. He kissed her hard, a bruising kiss meant to intimidate and to punish. He needed to show her he was the man in their relationship, in charge of their marriage.
The kisses turned into much more than a lesson in power. The softness of her lips, her eagerness to return his ardor, drew him into a dark whirl of passion so sharp, it was his turn to gasp.
Her tongue rasped against his tentatively, then with more confidence. He forgot where they were. He forgot why he was angry. He wanted only to keep kissing her until his desire was quenched.
One of the horses hadn’t shifted, pulling their mouths apart. Hannah looked dazed as she put her fingers to her swollen lips. She looked as sexy as any woman who had just been thoroughly kissed.
Matt was able to pull in a breath and almost cleared his head. What the hell was he doing? They were in the middle of nowhere and he might have taken her right there if the horses hadn’t interrupted them.
“Dammit, Hannah, I-I don’t know what just happened.” His voice was shaking as much as his hands.
“I, uh, neither do I.” She looked down and saw her hat on the dusty ground. It looked like the horse had stepped on it.
“I’m sorry.” He jumped down and picked it up. The hat was probably older than she was, and the horse’s hoof had put a final note on its usefulness. “I think we need to get you a new hat.”
She looked stricken and he felt even worse. “It was my father’s.”
That explained a lot about why it was so beaten up. Matt hadn’t wanted to make her feel bad by telling her the hat was pitiful. Now he had to replace it and without a lot of money, that might be difficult.
“We’ll get you a new one.” He didn’t want his wife wearing her dead father’s hat anyway. A woman should wear a female’s hat. Somehow he’d find a way to get her a new one. After all, he had kissed her and distracted both of them.
“It’s okay. I can wear Granny’s old poke bonnet.” She made a face. He’d seen that bonnet and it was as ugly as a dog’s ass.
He made a silent vow to buy her a new hat. Although it seemed a minor problem, it was a promise he intended to keep.
The kiss, the hat, and the confusion diffused his anger. Matt had an abundance of pride, one of his major downfalls. He had to accept she was right about the barbecue and move on.