The Payment (3 page)

Dane went slowly down stairs, the woman will
probably not be easy to handle; that he knew was definitely a
certainty. Even though he might have made the greatest mistake in
his life, he could not deny he still wanted her. Desperately.

He wanted her with a passion that over took
his common sense. He shook his head in disgust at himself. Damn
this uncontrollable lust, well all he could do is hope things would
work out.

Tuff stood up when Dane came back into the
parlor. He guessed by the look on the boy’s face that things
between him and his wife were not good. “Well boyo I hope yah don’t
live to regret this day. She don’t seem too fond of yah. Let’s just
hope that over the next few days her disposition towards yah will
change.”

Dane could only silently agree, but he did
not hold out to much hope. Grunting in answer, he ran his fingers
through his hair. “Come on old man let’s get changed and ready to
leave. I can’t wait to get back home.”

Slightly, in control of herself, India
suddenly jumped to her feet remembering his threat to come back up
to her room. By God if he tried to lay a finger on her, she would
shoot him. As she rushed to change her clothes, her thoughts were
on how she might be able escape the bastard.

That's what she intended to do, escape him.
Her life would be a living hell if she were going to be forced to
spend the rest of it with him. She doubted she could survive
spending eternity with him. They both detested each other, and she
doubted the situation would ever be any different.

No, she needed to find a way to leave. The
money hidden away in one of the wagons would be enough to live on
for six months or more if she needed to. She just finished pulling
on her boots when a knock sounded on her door.

Her mouth thinned into a hard line knowing
who stood outside her room. At this point, if she laid eyes on her
brother the thin control she held on her emotions would snap
completely.

Jarrod knocked again on his sister’s door
and when she refused to answer, he let out a heavy sigh. He decided
to wait for her down stairs. Hopefully, by the time she came down
her anger towards him would have eased some.

When she heard Jarrod walk away, India
snorted in disgust. Coward she thought as she stood up and started
to braid her hair. Finished she picked up her hat and placed it on
her head. On her way out the door, she swept up her gun and gun
belt.

As soon as she came down stairs, she saw her
brother waiting for her and sneered. “What do you want now? Surely
you don’t have another debt you want me to pay?”

Jarrod winced. Not only from his sister’s
look but her ugly words as well. “Please India; you must know how
much I hated doing this to you.”

“
You ruin my life and all you think
about is your own feelings. You’ve ruined my life.” India spat
him.

Jarrod’s shoulders sagged but he gazed at
his sister hopefully. “You don’t know that India. Dane seems to be
a good man and who knows, you just might fall in love with
him.”

A look of incredulous horror spread across
her face and India truly thought that her brother might be insane.
“Oh for God’s sake. Jarrod you ruined my life, and you did it to
save yourself. I despise you both.” She pushed past him and hurried
out of the house.

Her words lashed at him and Jarrod doubted
that his sister would ever forgive him for forcing her into this
situation.

FIVE

Dane finished saddling his horse when Tuff
approached him. He let out a sigh of forbearance and turned to face
him. He knew by the look on the old man’s face that he would suffer
another lecture, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Tuff had been part of the family for so long
that he, along with Chin Li were like parents to him and his
brothers, and they loved them as fathers. He could never hurt their
feelings.

“
We both know how yah brothers are
goin to react when yah bring home a wife but there surely going to
pitch a fit when they see all this stuff. I also suggest yah
prepare yah wife about what she’s gonna face when we get home.”
Tuff advised then shifting his hat on his head, walked
away.

Dane grimaced; he knew everything Tuff said
was true. Things were really going to erupt with an explosion of
devastating force. All this mess might have started out as a way to
get revenge and because he lusted after a beautiful face and body,
but now he sensed it to be something else as well.

However, he couldn’t tell his brothers those
reasons but how will he explain this insanity to his brothers. Well
at the moment, he didn’t have any ideas but there is still plenty
of time to think up something that would sound believable.

Suddenly catching a movement out the corner
of his eye, he swung his head around and his brows lifted in
surprise at the sight of his wife. He was surprised at seeing her
dressed in a tight fitting checkered shirt and even tighter pants.
On her slim hips sat a six-shooter.

What mesmerized him though, were the sweet
curves of her pert little backside as she sashayed towards the
barn. At the provocative sight, a part of his body reacted with an
instant jolt. He cursed the ache growing in his groin. Only when
she went inside the barn did he let out the breath he never
realized he held.

He rested his brow against the saddle,
closed his eyes and tried to get control of himself. A few minutes
later, he lifted his head and spied his wife reappearing atop a
magnificent white stallion. It was so unexpected, and it surprised
him. He thought she would have ridden in one of the wagons.

Maybe she isn’t the spoiled little brat he
first thought.

Fluidly mounting his own horse, about to
give the signal to get the wagons moving, he stopped himself when
he noticed an intense argument going on between his wife and her
brother. He wondered what they were arguing about now.

As he stepped outside, Jarrod noticed his
sister atop Lightening and rushed over to her. “You can’t take
Lightening.”

India glared down at her brother. “You’re
forgetting this horse is mine, and I’m taking him.”

“
Damn it India I have half a dozen men
waiting to put him to stud.” Jarrod tried to reason with
her.

“
Damn you, you have no right to agree
to such a thing. Lightening is mine.” She spat at him. Throwing her
brother a final look of disgust without another word, she rode past
him and everyone else. She grew even more furious at her brother;
he did not have the right to use her horse without her
permission.

Dane shook his head and giving the signal to
Tuff, he rode out after his wife. It is definitely going to be a
long trip and just watching his wife riding up ahead of him in
those tight pants will most likely going to keep him highly aroused
for some time to come.

The first night they made camp. He became
irritated at his wife. Dane sat on a rock, and watched her from
heavy lowered lids while she ate her meal. His wife did nothing but
see to her own horse and never helped with supper or anything else.
He eyed her when she finished her meal, washed her plate and cup
before she retired to one of the wagons.

She never said one word to any one, since
they left the ranch. He wondered if she would remain stubbornly
silent for the rest of the trip. He thought it would not help
matters between them if she kept it up. Letting out a sigh of
aggravation, he wondered how he could change things between them.
So far, he was unable come up with one decent idea.

Even though she found it hard to ignore her
husband’s stare since they made camp, she was relieved to finally
be away from him. India climbed into the back of the wagon, pulled
off her boots and took off her gun belt. She lay down on the pallet
and tried to make herself relax.

Tears stung her eyes and for the first time
today, she let them fall. All her emotions, which she kept tightly
buried over the last few days came pouring out, and she let the
misery of her future consume her.

Never will she forgive Jarrod for this. As
for her husband, well if she managed to have her way, he would not
be her husband for very long. She needed to find some way to leave
and could only pray that he will keep away from her until she
escaped.

If he insisted on his husbandly rights, she
did not know what she would do. She just could not let the man bed
her. She must find a way to leave before he tried. The thought of
being intimate with the man struck terror in her heart. It did not
matter how truly handsome he looked with his golden hair and golden
eyes.

It did not matter how enormously and
powerfully built he is. She doubted she would ever find the man
attractive, not after he forced her to marry him.
Liar
whispered through her mind, and
she let out a growl of protest. She refused to let herself feel any
attraction for the bastard.

Somehow, she would find a way to leave and
nothing and no one will stop her.

Dane helped Tuff clean up, and afterwards
laid down on his bedroll. With his head resting on his saddle, he
gazed up at the sky full of stars. Tonight is his damn wedding
night and he so much wanted to join his wife in the back of the
wagon.

He grimaced over imagining his wife’s
reaction if he did, and if he dared to consummate their marriage.
God help them all, he felt sure all hell would break loose. No, he
would have to wait until she accepted their marriage and him. No
matter how much he wanted to take her in his arms, he would force
himself to wait.

It would most likely nearly kill him, but he
wanted his wife willing. He felt nothing but contempt and revulsion
at the thought of trying to force himself on his wife. He never
forced a woman in his life, and he did not intend to start now with
his wife.

Frustrated, he rolled over to his side. He
silently cursed, having a wife is damn hard and especially this
one. She was spoiled, stubborn and so full of anger that he
wondered if he would ever be able to consummate his marriage at
all.

With her stubbornness, he would probably be
an old man before he could even kiss her. In all probability, it
will take a tremendous lot of patience on his part. He wondered if
he might possibly manage it at all. He knew he didn’t have any
common sense, marrying her already proved that particular
point.

He tossed back over on his back and glared
up at the sky. He knew he would have to explain to her about his
brothers at some point. Damn the boys were not going to be happy
when they saw her.

Hell, that’s putting it mildly. They were
going to be damn furious, and they won’t spare her feelings at all.
They won’t mean to but after what Irene put them all through, who
could really blame them.

Maybe in a few days when she is more settled
he could explain things to her. Hopefully, there will be some
understanding inside her, and she wouldn’t become too upset when
she faced the boys. Hell, he should not have insisted on this
marriage, he is nothing but a damn fool.

Yet he could not deny that he still wanted
her with a hunger he found nearly impossible to control. He
desperately hoped things between them worked out and they could
have a happy and a true marriage in the end. Ah, well only time
would tell, and he could do nothing about it now but just make the
best of a bad situation and pray like hell that things between them
will improve as quickly as possible.

SIX

Three days later Dane walked back into camp
after bathing in the river. His thoughts, as usual, were on his
stubborn wife. It became nearly impossible to stop himself from
becoming angry and frustrated. Nothing he tried would remove the
icy coldness and loathing from her eyes.

She ignored him and everyone else. She never
lent a hand around camp either, and he knew Tuff was damn right mad
about it and complained about the fact often enough.

He called her a damn spoiled little brat and
needed her backside swatted. The thought of doing such a thing to
his wife made a smile hover on his lips. She would probably shoot
him if he tried.

As he walked into camp, he suddenly stopped
and looked around puzzled. No aroma of boiling coffee or food
cooking filled the air. His gaze turned to Tuff and he frowned
wondering why supper wasn’t cooking. However, when Tuff started
yelling, he let out a miserable sigh and turned to find his
wife.

“
Why ye damn spoilt little brat, I
should take yah over my knee and give yah a good thrashin that yah
deserve for deliberately throwing our food away.” Tuff grew so
angry, he forced himself not to lash out and strike the gal. He
never struck a woman before and he wasn’t going to start now. No
matter how tempted he was.

Her gaze on the older man, India swallowed
her anxiety. She trembled inside but refused to show it and lifted
her chin in the air. She thought of the idea last night and now
that she managed to dispose of all the food, she started to have
second thoughts over her quickly thought up plan.

However, it was far too late to have regrets
now, so she made herself put on a brave front. Without answering
him, she forced a smile on her face, shrugged her shoulders in
unconcern, and quickly turned away. Straight away, her eyes landed
on her husband, and she felt her knees grow weak.

There could be no mistaking the blazing fury
in his golden eyes. Now she grew truly afraid, and she backed up a
step. She swallowed the lump of fear now clogging her throat as she
waited for his reaction to her malicious behavior.

Dane could not believe the woman would do
such a childish and spiteful thing. At first, he only stared at his
wife in disbelief then within moments the hot anger washed through
him. It took every effort not to lash out at her.