“No!” he shouted. “How about a week, week and a half at most? In fact, the sooner the better. I want you here with me.”
Annie hesitated; he wanted her, but would that be enough? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath “Okay. I have a lot of things to take care of. I have to pack and close up my apartment, give notice at my job, and who knows what else.” Her mind reeled with the amount of planning and work involved. “I want to be there too. I’ll do my best to wrap up everything here as quickly as possible. How about I call you tomorrow night? I should have a better idea of a date for you.”
“Yeah, call me tomorrow and we’ll talk some more, and Annie?”
“What?”
“I’m glad you answered the phone.”
The phone clicked before she could reply. She held the phone to her chest smiling and feeling warm. She began weaving many dreams around Burke and his ranch, hoping that she wouldn’t be disappointed.
Over the next couple of days, she found that packing up her apartment was surprisingly easy. All she really needed were her clothes and a few personal items. She looked at her apartment decorated all in black and white. Grinning, she stared at her white couch. It wouldn’t last an hour at Burke’s place. It was going to be her place too. Her only problem was telling Sonny. She dreaded telling her stepbrother her plans. She had a bad feeling that he wasn’t going to be reasonable about her upcoming wedding.
She paced, sat down, and paced again. She had called Sonny earlier, inviting him over to break the news and now, he was due any time. Her hands turned red from all the wringing. The beating of her heart intensified. He was going to be angry but she planned to stand up to him for a change. But, all the waiting had been for nothing. Sonny never showed.
The next day, the confrontation was devastating. Sonny marched into her apartment with his high power business suit and his slicked-back dark hair taking her by surprise.
“You were supposed to be here yesterday.”
“I was busy yesterday, but today I came to find out what my little whore of a sister is doing behind my back!” He yelled as he stepped toward her.
“Please, Sonny isn’t it time for me to find a life of my own?” she pleaded.
Sonny grabbed her upper arms and shook her. “Your life is what I tell you it is. You got that?”
*
*
*
*
Annie stepped off the plane, sunglasses masking much of her face. She frantically tried to cover the rest with her hair. It was just as she had predicted, Sonny wasn’t happy about her plans and he tried to bully her, to threaten her. When that didn’t work, he took it out on her with his fists. She got one kick in, and it only enraged him. She could still see the fury in his eyes as he painfully slapped her left cheek, causing her eye to swell. She tried to cover her head, but he punched her in the mouth, making both her nose and lip bleed. When she tried to crawl away from him, he wrapped her hair around his fist and kicked her. Her back and ribs felt incredibly sore. She knew that she was fooling herself hoping that Burke wouldn’t notice. The bruises were too fresh and too pronounced. However, she was free. Sonny warned her not to leave and if she was stupid enough to do so, she wasn’t to darken his door again. He left her apartment feeling confident that she wasn’t going anywhere. Somehow, she got through it. It was over and done and now she had a new life to look forward to.
Annie walked toward the baggage claim and instantly spotted Burke. She had the pleasure of studying him unawares. He still looked so masculine, shoulders were broad and hips lean. He filled out his Wranglers nicely. Handsome wasn’t enough to describe him. She took in the sight of him for a moment longer before she approached.
She winced in pain trying to smile. She was so happy to see him, but the look of absolute fury on his face alarmed her. She wanted to back away, but she didn’t. She stood her ground waiting for him to say something and was stunned when she found herself enclosed in his strong arms. It was a homecoming for Annie. She was where she belonged.
Burke swore softly.
“Let’s get your stuff.” Taking her hand, he located her bag, never letting go of her. Leading her out to the truck, he gently helped her in.
Annie could feel his tension; it matched her own. He got into the truck and just sat there looking straight ahead. It had been such a relief when he hadn’t asked her any questions in the airport. Emotions were high and she didn’t know just how much longer she could hold out without breaking down. It took all she had to stay calm, but she knew that her shaking hands were just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe Burke would wait until they got back to the ranch before questioning her, but she looked at his thunderous expression and knew he wanted answers.
Burke opened his arms and she willingly went into them, snuggling against him. He pulled her tightly against him, rocking her back and forth. That was the end of her struggle to stay strong. Annie put her face against his wide shoulder and cried. It seemed as though once she started, she couldn’t stop. She cried not only for the beating she had taken, but also for everything that had gone wrong in her life. She cried for the cruelty of her ex-fiancé and her supposed friend Lisa. She cried for all the loneliness she had suffered when she found that her so-called friends had turned their backs on her. She even cried for the little girl that had lost her mother too early, leaving her in the hands of a nasty stepfather. Finally, she cried in relief that she was in Burke’s strong and comforting arms.
Burke ran his hands up and down her back. Eventually, the tears stopped. Slowly, he let her go and gently put her seatbelt on for her and started the truck.
The trip home seemed long, silent, and a bit awkward. She half expected him to turn the truck around and drop her back off at the airport. He didn’t ask a beaten weeping woman to be his wife, but to her amazement, he kept going.
Annie tried to smile as Burke helped her down from the truck. She cried out in surprise when he swung her up into his arms and carried her inside. She felt exhausted from her earlier outburst. All she wanted was a hot bath and a warm bed, but she owed Burke some answers, no matter how humiliating they were to her. Burke gently placed her on the threadbare sofa and mumbled that he’d be back with some coffee.
In that moment, Annie wished that she were a beautiful, whole, sexy woman. She wanted to be all those things for Burke, but sadly, she knew the truth. She was a bruised, broken, frigid woman with cuts and bruises on her face and hideous whip marks on her back. Leaning forward she rested her elbows on her knees, groaning in despair as she covered her face with her hands. What if Burke didn’t want her anymore? It was so humiliating to allow him to see her this way, but she didn’t have a choice, she realized; she didn’t have a Plan B.
Annie looked up as Burke entered the room. The look of anger in his eyes was disturbing, and she prayed that his anger was not aimed toward her. She couldn’t bear it if it was. She had hoped and dreamed of being his wife and the mother of his children. Now, she had doubts of her dreams ever coming true. She sat up straight, her hands shaking as she took the coffee Burke offered. She watched him sit down in a brown leather chair opposite her. He deserved to know what happened to her, and he deserved the right to back out of their arrangement. Annie’s heart twisted while she gazed at his handsome face. It looked so hard and unyielding that it made her fearful of the outcome. Taking a deep breath, she started to explain.
“It was my stepbrother, Sonny,” she began, looking at her hands. “He didn’t want me to leave New York, and he definitely didn’t want me to get married. He slapped me around a bit and he left, warning me to be there when he got back or I’d be sorry. He also told me that if I left, that I was never to darken his door again and that I was cut off financially.” Taking a deep breath, Annie clasped her shaking hands together. “As soon as he left I made arrangements with the doorman to have all my boxes shipped here. I packed a bag and got the hell out of there.” Annie finally looked up to gage Burke’s reaction. She was relieved to see sympathy in his eyes. “I didn’t take time to think about how I would look to you when I got here. I would understand if you wanted me to leave.” Her eyes silently beseeched him to let her stay.
Burke strode across the wooden floor and took her hand. “We’ll get married at the end of the week,” he said gruffly. He helped her to stand, then he led her to the brown leather couch. Gently, he sat her down and sat next to her. His arm went around her pulling her towar
d him, and he kissed her cheek.
Annie finally relaxed and laid her head against his broad shoulder.
“I, um
… Burke. I’m a virgin and I would like to wait to have sex until after the wedding.”
He stiffened against her and she wondered why.
“Something wrong?”
“It’s time for bed.”
Moments later Burke walked her to her room, her separate room.
Annie gave him a slight smile as he left. She closed the door hoping that everything would turn out all right.
*
*
*
*
Annie awoke to brilliant sunshine and a cool breeze flowing through her window causing her lace curtains to billow. Her momentary confusion melted away to avid delight when she spotted Cat sleeping on her pillow. Annie leaned over and gave her a kiss. She felt buoyant as she realized she was still at the ranch. Burke’s tender loving care last night left her with little doubt.
“I can’t wait to be Mrs. Burke Dawson!” she told Cat.
Eager to see Burke, she quickly dressed in jeans and a red T-shirt. She grimaced as she looked in the mirror and saw her bruises in all of their colorful glory. Her eye had swelled and her lip was fat. It would take a while for them to heal and fade she realized ruefully. Knowing there was nothing she could do about it, Annie picked up the kitten and headed down the stairs.
The house empty and quiet, very quiet and her disappointment in Burke’s absence cut deep. Surely, he would want to greet her on her first morning on the ranch. Annie went out to the front porch hearing the wooden screen door slam shut behind her.
“Now where do you think he is?” she asked Cat.
Shading her eyes with her hand, she looked all around. Burke wasn’t in sight. Realizing that she was alone for now, she went back inside for coffee. Despite her disappointment, it thrilled her to be in Texas. Looking around the kitchen as she drank her coffee, Annie realized that she had more than enough to keep her busy until Burke got back. The whole house needed cleaning and the floors were a strange brown color. She just knew it would sparkle and shine with a good scrubbing. Eager to show Burke that she could be an asset to the ranch, she began to do just that.
Hours later she began to rethink her decision to make things sparkle. Her back and arms ached. The place looked good, but she was beat. A quick dinner was all she was able to rustle up.
*
*
*
*
Burke scowled staring at the plate of salad and quiche before him. “What else are you serving?”
“This is it,” Annie sat herself opposite of Burke. She smiled at him, happy that he was finally home after such a long day. “Is something wrong?”
she
asked, noticing the scowl on his face.
“Is this what you eat in New York? I’ve been working for about fourteen hours. I’m a big man and I need more food than this at dinner.”
Annie’s happiness quickly deflated.
She’d been so eager to please him and had spent most of the day on her hands and knees scrubbing his floors.
Not that he’d noticed, obviously. She felt sick to her stomach wondering if she’d fled from one controlling male to another. He’d been so gentle last night, but now his scowl made her apprehensive. She had to make this work since she didn’t have a Plan B, or C for that matter. Her doubts quickly waned, however, as she saw just how tired Burke looked. He had washed up when he came in, but his hair and clothes still carried dust and sweat. He was right. He worked hard and expected a big meal.
“You’re right,” she conceded. “I had no idea you could eat so much. I usually cook just for myself and lately I haven’t had much of an appetite. Let me make you a sandwich. I’ll know better for tomorrow.”
She went to the refrigerator and grabbed out the fixings for a sandwich.
Burke’s smile surprised her Men and their stomachs.
“Look, I’m a bit grouchy, but I appreciate coming home to a home cooked meal. I usually just heat up a can of something;
A
nnie gave him a brief nod
,
and hande
d him the sandwi
ch.
“Good night then. I’m tired.”
“You aren’t over doing it are you? You still must be in pain.”
“I’ll take it a bit easier tomorrow, but don’t worry, I’ll have a hearty meal for you.”
Chapter Three
The next few days went by swiftly. The first day at the ranch had set a pattern for both Annie and Burke. He left early in the morning and she didn’t see him again until dinner. Annie kept herself busy cleaning the house. It felt a bit lonely, despite Cat’s antics, but Annie was glad to be there. The way Burke treated her was her only confusion. He acted quite cold toward her, and he hadn’t touched her since the first night. He seemed aloof and she didn’t understand why. She could only hope that after they were married and shared a bed he would be a bit more affectionate.
Affection wasn’t something Annie had experienced in her life, but she longed for it. It was an ache inside her, to love and to have that love returned. She suspected that she was indeed falling in love with Burke. It was becoming painful hoping for a crumb of approval or a show of feelings from him. She looked forward to the security the marriage would bring her. Surely once they were married, Burke would hold her, kiss her, and whisper sweet loving words to her.
Maybe he didn’t find her attractive. It could be that she had read his signals wrong. Lord knew that her past judgment about men was a disaster. She could still hear the echoes of her ex-fiancé laughing at her. She could still hear his taunting voice calling her a cold frigid bitch. Maybe he was right.
Tomorrow was her wedding day, and the thought of displeasing Burke in bed made her anxious. Of course, she had some idea of Burke’s expectations. She’d seen movies and read enough romance novels to have some rudimentary knowledge of the act. But in just about all the books she read, love was involved, and Burke didn’t love her, might never love her.
Annie was brushing her teeth when she heard the screen door slam. Quickly, she rinsed her mouth and went to see who was in the house. She found Burke rummaging through the refrigerator. He hadn’t once come home in the middle of the day before now. It was a nice surprise. Annie watched as he grabbed meat, cheese, and bread and set them on the counter.
“Sit,” she insisted. “I’ll make you a sandwich.” He looked worried and she bit her bottom lip, wondering what was wrong. “What happened to the lunch I made you?”
Burke didn’t even look at her. He shrugged his shoulder. “I must have misplaced it somewhere,” he replied.
Clearly, something was on his mind. Annie went back to making his lunch, waiting. Waiting for him to call off the wedding, waiting for him to say he didn’t want her, waiting for him to say she wasn’t worth it. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. Her nerves felt stretched to the limit. She whirled to face him ready for the blow she knew was coming, maybe not physically, but a blow all the same. “If you don’t want to marry me just tell me,” she blurted out.
He stood up and walked over to her and he reached for her. He pulled her against him, enfolding her in his arms. Taking a half a step back after a few minutes, he cupped her face in both his hands, lifting her face toward his, looking deeply into her eyes. “We’re getting married tomorrow. Nothing changes that, Annie.”
Burke lifted her up into his arms. “You look tired.” He carried her to bed, putting her down and kissing her forehead. “The house looks great.
Take
a nap, Annie,” he whispered.
*
*
*
*
A hand shaking her shoulder awakened Annie. Her momentary confusion gave way to a loving smile as she realized Burke sat on her bed. “Have I slept long?” The darkening sky out her window answered her question. “Oh no, There’s no dinner for you!” she exclaimed in dismay, struggling to get up.
“Slow down, darlin’.” Burke held her struggling body tightly against his. “I already ate. I came up earlier, but you looked conked out so I let you sleep. My friend Ted is downstairs and I want you to meet him. I also have some papers we need to sign before the wedding,” he explained.
Annie relaxed against him and nodded her head. “I’ll be down in a minute,” she replied. “I just need to freshen up.”
Burke winked at her as he got up. “You look fresh enough for me.” He gave her a roguish grin.
Annie felt herself blush as she watched him walk out the room. She just couldn’t get enough of his broad shoulders, and she blushed even more when she realized that she’d been staring at his tight rear end. He was such a handsome man, and Annie felt lucky to have him. Quickly she changed into a paisley blue, sleeveless dress and put her wildly curling auburn hair up. Her bruises were still very visible. Experience had taught her that trying to hide them with make up just made them look worse. She whisked on a bit of mascara, dabbed on some lipstick and she was done. She felt a bit nervous looking at her reflection in the mirror. With resignation, Annie turned from the mirror and pulled on a lightweight cardigan to hide the bruises on her arms. Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs.
Burke’s friend, Ted, delighted her. He tried to pretend she wasn’t black and blue and Annie adored him for it. She liked his whiskey colored eyes and his understanding smile. By the time she had coffee ready for them, Annie felt as though they were on their way to becoming fast friends.
Annie noticed that Burke seemed a bit nervous. She assumed that he was anxious his friend wouldn’t find her worthy of him. Annie understood considering he had been married before, and it hadn’t worked out. It was amusing that the usually confident Burke Dawson was rattled over something so small.
Her smile quickly faded as Burke handed her papers to sign. “What’s this?” she asked quickly scanning the documents.
“I’m not only Burke’s friend, but I’m also his lawyer,” Ted explained. “He asked me to prepare a prenuptial agreement for the two of you.”
Annie knew her eyes were full of accusations. “I don’t understand, Burke. Why would we need a prenup? Are you already planning to divorce me?”
“Of course I’m not thinking about divorce, but Annie I was burned once and I couldn’t bear to sell any more of my land.”
Annie saw the truth in his eyes. She knew what this land meant to him. Glancing down she continued to read, not willing to sign anything until she read it thoroughly. At first, it seemed straightforward, in the event of divorce, he would not give her a settlement, but rather he would pay her alimony as determined by a judge. The next paragraph, however, made her seethe.
“I’m supposed to leave any children we have behind if we divorce?” she asked incredulously. “Are you insane? I could never leave a child of mine behind,” she said angrily “I understand about the land. Truly, I do, but as far as children go, you can just forget it. I’m not signing this. I’m sorry.” She got up and turned to go to her room. “I’ll be out of here tomorrow,” she whispered heartbrokenly, and then she ran from the room.
*
*
*
*
Burke watched her retreat in consternation. He knew that he had ambushed her, but he hadn’t expected it to go as badly as it did. Shaking his head, he got up and poured himself some whiskey, and quickly downed the first shot. He grabbed another glass and poured two shots. He could see the commiseration in Ted’s eyes. They both swigged their shots and slammed the glasses down on the table. Burke wanted to refill his glass, but he knew that he’d had enough. He’d try to make things right with Annie. He had put in too much time and effort to find a wife and he wasn’t willing to start from scratch. Besides, he realized that only she would do. “So, counselor, what the hell do I do now?”
“I’ve got to tell you Buddy, if you give up that little filly upstairs you’re crazy. She’s as sweet as honey and she’s crazy about you.”
Burke sighed. “I wouldn’t go that far. Sometimes it seems like she barely tolerates me.”
“Well, I guess you haven’t seen the way she looks at you,” Ted insisted. “She’s a keeper. If I were you I’d have your lawyer rewrite the prenup and leave the section about children out of it.”
Burke was confused. “You are my lawyer.”
Ted laughed. “That’s why you should heed my advice, old friend.”
“Fine,” Burke conceded. “Rewrite the damn thing, and in the meantime, I’ll try to get her to stay and marry me.”
Ted slapped Burke on the shoulder good-naturedly. “Good luck Burke. Just remember groveling is not unmanly.” He laughed.
Burke walked him to the door. “You and Sherry will be here for the wedding tomorrow?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s a good thing you talked the Judge into coming out here. Those bruises Annie’s sporting are very visible.”
Burke rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah she’s been through the wringer all right. I’m glad Judge Mathers consented to come out here. I didn’t want Annie to be embarrassed in town.”
Ted shook Burke’s hand and headed out. Burke sat down on the front steps looking at the night sky lit in all its splendorous glory contemplating his next move. He just didn’t have the energy to look for another wife and he wasn’t sure what he’d do if he couldn’t get her to change her mind. Maybe he was being an ass. Maybe he should just admit to himself that he wanted Annie for Annie and not as an unpaid housekeeper. When he had first started his wife search he had naively thought that almost any woman would do, but now he realized that he needed Annie.
Burke looked up at the sky again asking God what he should say to her to make things right again. He felt so hopeless and out of his element. Hell, what did he know about women? Obviously not enough to keep the women in his house happy, that much he knew. A shooting star appeared and traversed the sky, leaving Burke more hopeful than he’d been in a long time.
*
*
*
*
Annie threw her clothes haphazardly into her suitcase, but she didn’t care. She could hardly see as tears blurred her vision. How she’d ever gotten herself into such a mess she would never know. Her heart beat out of her chest. Where would she go? Finally, she decided that it didn’t matter. Anywhere else was fine. She had some money in the bank and if she was frugal and found a job, she’d be fine.
Sitting on the bed, she blew her nose. A ghost of a smile spread across her face as she watched Cat jumping in and out of her suitcase. She had to get herself together. If she looked inside, she knew she would find the strength to go on. Shakily, she wiped away the last of her tears and went to the window, looking at the ranch she’d fallen in love with. There were a few of the horses romping in the corral and she smiled. She liked Texas and she liked small towns. There had to be a lot to pick from in Texas. All she had to do was to find one. She could buy a cheap car and just drive, this time taking her time to make a decision. Annie felt a bit better knowing that she had a plan. Her heart was still shattered, but she’d get over it, she hoped.
She took a deep unsteady breath. Turning from the window, she jumped, seeing Burke leaning against the doorframe watching her. Regret and pain were evident in his blue eyes and she knew that her eyes mirrored his. Annie quickly looked away. She didn’t want him to sway her into signing her future babies away. It was inconceivable to her that he could even have thought she’d go along with his grand plan. She steeled herself and stood up straighter. There was no way she was going to let him come into her room and call her darlin’ and make her change her mind. No way in hell.
“I heard you crying and I’m as sorry as I can be, Annie. I never want to be the cause of your pain. He stepped into the room until he stood right in front of her. “Well, Miss Douglas, you give one hell of a fight.” He ran his finger through his hair. “I really thought I was right in this situation.” He sighed heavily. “Annie, I’m sorry, I should have talked to you about the prenuptial agreement. I realize now that it must have seemed like I ambushed you.”
“Damn right it did!” Annie put her hands on her hips, giving him her most defiant look.
Burke took her hands in his, running his calloused thumbs over the top of her smooth ones, caressing her. “I made a mistake and I don’t want to lose you. I told Ted to rewrite the prenup, omitting the part about the children.”
The contrast between their hands was huge. Hers were so small and white and his were deeply tanned and rough. She felt a quickening inside as he continued to rub her hands. She felt so much for this man and she wanted to marry him. His mere touch made her tingle in places she never knew could tingle and it made it hard for her to think. Pulling her hands away, she walked over to the window. She felt him right behind her, near enough that she could feel the heat of him, but he wasn’t touching her.
“I’m glad you had him rewrite it,” she told him after a lengthy silence. “I understand about the land, really I do,” she continued, as she turned around into his embrace. “I want this to work between us. It hurts though that you would even think that I would have signed that despicable piece of paper. Maybe we don’t know each other well enough to marry. Maybe we should wait awhile,” she said pensively.
“No,” Burke insisted. “It’s obvious that you have doubts.” He wrapped his arms around her and placed his chin on her head. “A lot of it has to do with my ex-wife.”
“You never talk about her,” Annie accused, taking a step back. She had to crane her neck to see his blue eyes. They looked troubled. “But sometimes I think she’s still here between us.”