Patty's Gamble Page 16

  When she reached the two men, she saw that John’s friend had cut the fence and had some barbed wire near his feet to repair the damage.

  “Miss me, honey?” John asked, shooting her a suggestive smile.

  Forcing herself not to gag, she held out the rope to him. “I don’t suppose you’ll make this your last act of cattle rustling,” she dryly commented.

  “Ah now, Patty, you should know me better than that,” he replied and pulled the rope so the cow walked through the hole in the fence.

  “What kind of life is this?” She gestured to the cow. “You steal from people. And all for what? A little bit of money?”

  “It ain’t a little bit of money. It’s twenty dollars. Zeke here gets twenty, too. Not bad for one cow.”

  “But you’re selling your integrity for twenty dollars.”

  “Add those twenties up, and you get a better number. That’s what I’m aimin’ for.”

  She wasn’t surprised by his response, though a part of her had hoped he’d consider giving up this kind of life. It’d been bad enough he took to gambling, booze, and women.

  “Not all of us can be as noble as that husband of yours, honey,” John said with a chuckle. “Nor would I want to be. That’d be a borin’ way to live.”

  She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye but refused to look over at the person quietly approaching. Whether it was Greg or one of the ranch hands, she couldn’t tell, but she knew better than to alert John or Zeke that someone was approaching, so she kept her gaze on them. “You’d be surprised how much fun it can be to earn an honest wage.”

  At that, John snickered. “And you have no idea how fun it can be to join a man who knows what he’s doing in bed. But I don’t see you jumpin’ at the chance to be with me.”

  As much as she tried to hide her grimace, she wasn’t successful.

  “Don’t say it won’t be worth it until you’ve tried it,” he replied with a pointed look.

  “Which is why you have to pay women to be with you,” Zeke quipped as he repaired the fence.

  John smirked. “They won’t even take you.”

  Zeke shrugged.

  A gun clicked, and they looked over at Greg and the marshal. Patty frowned. Where was the mayor?

  John turned his gaze to Patty, his expression a mixture of amusement and disappointment. “I should have known you’d find a way to turn us in.” Though he didn’t add more to his statement, Patty suspected a slight admiration in his eyes.

  “Foolish girl,” Zeke muttered.

  “No, she’s a smart one,” Greg snapped. “Because of her, you and your friends won’t be stealing from other people anymore.”

  “Thanks for telling me what was going on, Wilson,” Marshal Taft said before gesturing to John. “Return the cow to her, and Zeke, finish repairing that fence.”

  John handed her the rope. “Well, it was good while it lasted.”

  “And it lasted longer than when you’re with a woman,” Zeke replied.

  “Enough of that talk,” the marshal said. “There’s a lady present.”

  Zeke huffed. “Some lady. Seems like a lot of trouble to me.”

  A whistle came from behind Patty, so she glanced over her shoulder in time to see Marv, Archie, and Randy leading Lyle over to them. Lyle didn’t look the least bit happy about the turn of events. Well, it served him right for all the trouble he caused, trying to steal from Greg and whatnot. Patty could only guess what other things he’d done. She suspected this wasn’t his first offense, but at least it’d be his last.

  When Zeke was done, he got on the horse, and the marshal gestured to Greg and Marv. “You two help me get these three to jail.”

  “What about Mayor White?” she blurted out.

  “Mayor White?” the marshal asked.

  “Yes. He’s involved in this, too.” She motioned to John. “He told me so.”

  John shook his head. “Sorry, honey, but I never said nothing of the sort.”

  “Yes, you did,” she argued.

  “You must’ve thought I did.”

  “But he was out here when you helped me marry Greg,” she said. When she noted the curious expressions on the ranch hands’ faces, she added, “I wasn’t ever in danger of marrying John. We made it up to get Greg to marry me.”

  Archie chuckled. “You’re a smart one, Patty.”

  Patty turned her attention back to John. “So where is the mayor?”

  “Don’t know,” John replied as he stroked the stubble on his face. “Probably asleep at home.”

  “But he was there that day I married Greg.”

  “Yes, that is true,” John told the marshal. “He was trying to stop me from forcing Patty to marry me.”

  “No, he wasn’t. He was part of the plan.”

  “That’s not the way I remember it. Did he ever say he was going to help me marry her?” John asked Greg.

  Greg glanced at Patty then sighed. “I’m sorry, Patty. I believe you.” He looked at the marshal. “The mayor was here that day, but he made it seem as if he protested her marriage to John. I was led to believe the mayor was chasing them so he could rescue her.”

  “Without proof,” the marshal began, “I can’t arrest anyone. All I can do is keep an eye on him.”

  Her grip tightened on the reins. It wasn’t what she hoped for, but she knew he was right.

  “Maybe the marshal will get him in the future,” Greg softly told her.

  She glanced at John who offered her an apologetic shrug. Why would John protect the mayor? What did he have to gain by it? He was going to be arrested. What else did he have left to lose?

  “I’ll be back soon,” Greg told Patty. “Archie and Randy will see you to the house.”

  “And we’ll all sleep a little better tonight knowing you all are behind bars,” Archie told the three men who glowered at him.

  Patty hid her disappointment. She had hoped Greg would return to the house with her right away, but such wasn’t going to be the case. She couldn’t be surprised. The marshal had three dishonest men with him. If she was in his shoes, she wouldn’t want to go alone with them either.

  But despite her disappointment, she was relieved things turned out as well as they had. It could have easily been worse. Someone could be lying on the ground with a bullet wound, or someone could have been bucked off by a horse, or Greg’s plan might have failed. Yes, the mayor was still free to do his dirty deeds, but there was nothing she could do about it. Maybe someday he would be brought to justice.

  Suddenly feeling tired, she followed Archie and Randy to the barn while Greg, Marv and the marshal led the three men to jail where they wouldn’t be a threat anymore.

  ***

  Greg didn’t return as soon as Patty hoped, and the longer she lay awake in bed waiting for him, the more she worried about what might be happening. John could go into detail about how she dressed in disguise and came to him in the saloon.

  He could even lie and say he’d been intimately engaged with her. The more she thought about the things John might say in order to get even with her, the more tense she became. John was a scoundrel, after all. Lying, cheating, and stealing were all his favorite pastimes. And he had nothing to lose by telling Greg all sorts of horror stories.

  It was only by some miracle that she managed to fall asleep, and when she did, she had nightmares that Greg was dropping her off at her pa’s ranch and warning her that she better not come back.

  When she finally woke up, she was aware of a strong pair of arms holding her. A second later, she realized her back was to Greg’s chest. Lips brushed her shoulder, and the telltale sign of Greg’s erection notified her that he had more in mind than sleep. She opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder in time to see his smile widen.

  “I’m sorry. I tried to wait until you were awake before kissing you, but I couldn’t resist.”

  She rolled over so she could face him. She pinched herself, and he laughed.

  “What are you doing?”
he asked.

  “Making sure I’m not dreaming.”

  “Rest assured. You’re not dreaming.”

  He lowered his head and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Soon he had her enveloped back in the world of sheer joy and bliss of being with him. Her fears had been for nothing. She wasn’t sure if other men would have been as forgiving, but he was and she’d never take that for granted.

  His lips left hers, and she let out a low moan as he kissed her neck. He’d learned right away that she found pleasure in this action and had used it often while making love to her. And that being the case, she thought it was sweet of him to do it now.

  Before long, he was kissing her breasts, lightly nipping at her nipples until she couldn’t take it anymore. She rolled him onto his back and took him into her, letting out a low moan as he filled her core.

  “You feel good,” she whispered.

  “So do you, sweetheart.”

  He reached up and cupped her breasts in his hands. He traced her erect nipples with the pads of his thumbs. She closed her eyes and tightened the muscles of her core, satisfied when he groaned and shifted his hips in an attempt to get deeper into her. Biting her lower lip, she opened her eyes and shot him a wicked grin before she did it again. He lightly squeezed her breasts and returned her smile.

  “I love it when you ride me,” he whispered.

  “You’re more fun to ride than a horse,” she murmured then leaned forward to kiss him.

  Her tongue caressed his lower lip until he accepted her into his mouth. Their tongues intertwining, he ran his hands down her back and cupped her behind. Then he proceeded to guide her hips in a slow, rocking motion. Straightening up, she took his lead and moved back and forth in earnest, soon establishing a rhythm that only heightened the pleasure for them both.

  He brought his hand to her sensitive nub and stroked her until she climaxed. She stilled and cried out as wave after wave of pleasure crashed into her. After several seconds, she descended back to earth. Bringing his hands to her hips, he moved beneath her, thrusting deep inside, his movements growing more determined as he came closer to finding his release. And when he finally did, he grew taut and throbbed inside her.

  Several seconds later, he relaxed and brought her into his arms. She snuggled up to him, feeling more complete than she’d ever felt in her entire life.

  “Patty,” he whispered, his breathing still heavy.

  “Yes?”

  “I love you.”

  With a big smile, she offered a shy, “I love you, too,” in return.

  Epilogue

  A year later

  Herb’s fiddle music swelled around Patty as she held her one-month-old baby girl she and Greg finally decided to name Angie. The square dance was a big success, something that didn’t surprise her since they had started to become a monthly occurrence in the spring through autumn months. She hadn’t expected Greg to actually agree to the idea when she asked him if he’d do it. But he agreed since the ranch hands looked forward to the times when they could mingle and dance with women. Though it didn’t always result in marriage, everyone had a good time.

  On this particular August evening, she was sitting with Heather who was helping Ian stand. “I can’t believe he’s already six months old,” Patty mused.

  It seemed like yesterday she and Greg were over at Heather and Mitch’s to welcome their son to the world. And now here he was, eager to learn to crawl.

  Patty glanced at her daughter and tapped her on the nose, “Don’t you be in any hurry to grow up. There’s nothing wrong with being young.”

  Angie graced her with a smile before turning her eyes to the couples who danced on the lawn. The little girl was curious about the world, seeming to want to figure out everything there was to learn.

  “Heather, you think some day our children will get married?” Patty asked.

  “Married?” Heather’s eyes grew wide as she turned her gaze in her friend’s direction. “They’re not even out of diapers.”

  “I know, but look at how old they are already. Soon Ian will be walking and talking, and Angie’s not far behind.”

  “Give them time to be children before you play matchmaker.”

  “I’m not going to play matchmaker.”

  With a chuckle, Heather shook her head. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “I won’t, though it would be wonderful if they got married. We’d be related by marriage, you know.”

  Heather sighed. “You’re hopeless, Patty.”

  “There’s my granddaughter,” a familiar voice called out.

  Patty looked up in time to see her pa heading in their direction. Winking at Heather, she lowered her voice and said, “He’s been finding all kinds of excuses to come by now that Angie’s here.”

  He pulled up a chair and sat on Patty’s other side. “You can’t blame a grandfather for being excited.”

  “No, you can’t,” Heather agreed.

  Patty placed Angie in his arms and smiled. “You two look happy together, though,” she added with raised eyebrows, “I’m surprised you convinced Stella to come tonight.”

  He shrugged. “Remember that storm we had two months ago?”

  “Who could forget?”

  She still got chills when she thought of how close the tornado came to tearing apart her house. Had it not dissipated on the edge of their property, she didn’t think they would have made it out alive. That evening when her father came to check on her, she asked if he’d check on Stella, just to be on the safe side, and as it turned out, Stella’s roof had received a gaping hole in it. Her father and a couple other men pitched in to help repair it. She hadn’t heard much about Stella since except that her father was happy with the work they’d done to the roof.

  Now, as she studied her father’s expression, another thought came to mind. “Did you invite Stella here because you like her?”

  “Like I said,” Heather inserted, “you are a matchmaker.” Giggling, she stood and picked her son up. “I’m going to see what Mitch is up to while you keep on hounding your pa about his love life.”

  Patty rolled her eyes. “Can you believe her, Pa? What’s wrong with me being curious?”

  “Nothing, but I hope you focus more on raising my granddaughter than what others are doing and who they’re doing it with.”

  “Of course, I will. Greg and Angie come first. But as you can see,” she pointed to Greg who was talking to Marv and Mitch as Heather approached them, “he’s fine and you’re taking care of my daughter. So what else do I have to do but see how things are between you and Stella?” As an afterthought, she added, “She’s not that much younger than you.”

  “Some might consider ten years a huge age difference.”

  “But it’s not when you’re as old as you are.” When she saw his eyes narrow at her, she quickly added, “I didn’t mean that in the wrong way.”

  His face softened into a smile. “I know. But I’m not that old. I had you when I was twenty-three. That’s really not that long ago. Time passes fast.”

  “Which is why you should enjoy it.” Leaning toward him, she patted his back. “I’d like to see you with someone. Ma would want that, too.”

  “No one will ever take your mother’s place, but I think Stella and I could have something just as good.”

  “I knew it!”

  “But don’t get too excited yet. I’m not going to rush anything.”

  “You can’t afford to wait too long at your age.”

  “What did I tell you about calling me old?” he asked with a huff.

  “I’m not calling you old. You said yourself that time moves fast. You got to seize the opportunity and take it while it’s here.”

  “While that’s true, there is the chance of acting too quickly.” He glanced over at Stella who was walking toward them. “Now, don’t you dare say anything about this conversation. Understand?”

  “What do you take me for?” Honestly, her pa ough
t to know she’d never embarrass him like that.

  When Stella reached them, Patty motioned to the seat Heather had been sitting in. “Want to join us?”

  With a hesitant smile, Stella said, “Actually, I’d like to apologize to you.”

  “Apologize?” Patty asked as Stella sat next to her.

  Clasping her hands in her lap, Stella nodded. “I was rude to you when you came out to see me last year.”

  “Oh, don’t mind that. I came by unannounced, and I was prying where I had no right to pry.”

  “Patty, I appreciate you making excuses for me, but the truth is, I was rude and should never have treated you like that. I… Well, after years of not being around anyone besides family, I was scared.” She glanced at her hands and swallowed. “It’s not easy to open myself to new people.”

  Realizing Stella needed to do this—and to be absolved from guilt—Patty rested her hand on Stella’s. “Thank you for the apology, Stella. That’s very kind of you.”

  Stella relaxed.

  “I told you my daughter would understand,” Patty’s father said.

  “I appreciate it,” Stella told Patty.

  Patty leaned toward her and whispered, “You make my pa happy, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen him smile that much.” She rose to her feet, ignoring the curious expression on her pa’s face. “I need to talk to my husband. You two enjoy yourselves.”

  Before they could reply, she went over to Greg and was thrilled when he slipped his arm around her waist.

  “Heather tells me you’re creating more trouble,” he playfully admonished.

  Patty shook her head at Heather who was bouncing Ian in her arms. “I’m not doing anything of the sort.”

  Heather looked over at Mitch. “She’s determined Ian and Angie will marry, and she’s doing everything she can to get her pa hitched as well.”

  Marv chuckled. “Well, I don’t see Archie complaining about her attempts to fix people up. Seems like he’s glad she meddles in people’s business.”