His for the Taking

Seventeen



Tears streaming down his cheeks, Noah burst into Miss Jennie’s kitchen like a tornado.

“Don’t stomp or run in the house,” Maddie said to Noah as Cole, who was drinking coffee at the table, looked up from an agricultural journal.

“I hate Bobby Mueller! I hate him!”

“Remember now, we don’t hate people. We may get angry at them,” she said. “We may not like what they do, but we don’t hate them. And what did I tell you about slamming doors?” Noah’s chest rose and fell with impotent fury as he struggled to process what must have seemed like very ill-founded advice.

Cole’s dark brows drew together. “What’s wrong, son?”

“Mueller called me bad names.” Warily Noah approached the table where they sat. Then his face contorted with misery as he stared up at his mother. “He called you a bad name, too, Mommy. He’s always calling you bad names. Then Luke and him laughed. They say you’re a bad lady because I don’t have a daddy.”

“That’s bull,” Cole thundered. “Why didn’t you tell them I’m your father?”

“Easy,” Maddie murmured.

“Easy? No way! You want me to go easy on the morons in this town who attack you?” His carved face fierce, Cole turned to Noah. “Listen to me. The next time you see that big-mouthed brat, you tell him who I am.”

“But you’re not married to Mommy!”

“Okay, you’re right. I should have married her a long time ago. Before you were born. But do you see that ring on her finger? It’s called an engagement ring. I gave it to your mother because I love you and because I’m going to marry her. Soon. But we don’t have to be married for you to know you have a daddy.”

“Really?” Noah asked, his eyes brightening ever so slightly. “Can I tell Mueller?”

Cole and Maddie both spoke at once.

“No,” she said very firmly. “Stay away from him.”

“Yes,” Cole said. “Tell him if he says any more bad things about your mother, you’re going to tell me, and I’ll go over there. Then he’ll have to deal with me.”

“Will you beat him up? Oh, boy! Can I tell him right now?” Noah demanded eagerly.

Maddie felt her collar tighten. “I don’t think…”

“Sure,” Cole said, meeting her gaze. “Why not? If you don’t fight for what’s important to you, you don’t have a chance in hell of getting it.”

Noah leaped for the door and raced out of the house, banging the screen behind him even harder than before.

Maddie turned on Cole, but he spoke first. “I think we’ve given everybody in this town long enough to get used to the idea that we’re getting married. And where has it gotten us? Brats are attacking Noah. I say we move on to the next step.”

“But they don’t accept us as a couple.”

“Who says they ever will? I know their acceptance is important to you, but I say to hell with them. What matters is being a family for Noah.”

How did he feel? she wondered. He wanted Noah, and he liked to sleep with her. But what kind of person did he believe her to be? Could he ever feel close enough to her to share his soul, to love her? Would she always feel this guarded and defensive around him because she wasn’t sure he thought she was good enough for him?

“Let’s have our engagement party,” he said. “We’ll invite everybody you’re so set on impressing out to the ranch for the best barbecue in the county. I’ll hire the best band. They can come or not—whatever. We’ll get married a week later and move to Austin. Then they can gossip all they want to.”

When she would have protested, he arose and pulled her into his arms. “I’m tired of sleeping at the ranch and you and Noah sleeping here. Every night just seems to get longer and lonelier.”

At his words, Maddie felt something hot and wanton flicker to life inside her.

“Don’t make me wait any longer,” he demanded, his low, hoarse tone holding more impatience than ever.

“All right,” she finally agreed. “All right.” Not that she felt completely sure of him. Still, she repeated, “All right.”

* * *

The ranch house exploded with music and people, people who were making it obvious they didn’t want her in Cole’s life.

Maddie needed to get a grip, to relax, so that she could at least pretend to enjoy herself at her engagement party. Not easy, since she was in an overly sensitive mood that had her feeling everything was false, even the few smiles tossed her way. She could think only about one thing: Would Cole have considered marrying her if Noah hadn’t been in the picture?

If only he respected her as much as he lusted after her. If only he’d let her wear something she’d picked out instead of the sexy blue number that shimmered and clung to her body like a second skin.

“I want them to eat their hearts out because you are so beautiful,” he’d said.

Apparently curiosity trumped disapproval in Yella, Texas, because nearly everybody who’d been invited had come. Or else, like most Texans, they were all addicted to barbecue.

Exhausted from having worked so hard to put a party together on such short notice and from standing in three-inch heels in the receiving line for nearly an hour, she roamed the throng jamming the rooms of Cole’s brilliantly lit ranch house. Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten in a while, but she felt too nervous to eat spicy barbecue. She considered going outside where a tent had been set up and a second band played, but decided that maybe she needed a drink to settle her nerves first.

Four young women she’d gone to high school with brushed past her on their way to the bar without even looking at her while several men she’d known her entire life stared at her with lewd frankness. When she glared back at one of them, he smirked. The only friendly faces belonged to Cole’s employees.

Halfway to the bar she saw Hester, so Maddie ducked into a shadowy corner to search for Cole. Finally she found him in the middle of a group, talking to Becky Weber, a beautiful brunette who’d been Lizzie’s best friend. Just as Maddie was about to move out of the shadows and go after her drink, leaving Cole to his conversation, a deep, friendly voice behind her said, “There you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

She whirled. “Adam!”

“Would you care for a drink?”

“I’d love one.”

“What would you like?”

“Pinot grigio.”

He vanished, returning with it almost immediately.

“That’s some dress,” he said, his friendly brown eyes skimming her figure. “You look stunning.”

She blushed self-consciously. “Cole bought it for me and wanted me to wear it.” She smiled. “I’m so glad you showed up. At least now there’s one friendly face.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it. I know what it’s like to have Hester Coleman against you. Cole doesn’t. His mother’s relentless. In her opinion, I’m the bastard brother who doesn’t belong, and you’re the wrong girl for Cole. She thinks she’s protecting Cole and the family, but in truth, she’s so insecure she’s easily threatened and excessively territorial. Bottom line, we’ve both got to fight to win any sort of acceptance here. I’ve made a little headway, but it’s slow going.”

When his dark face began to spin against the sea of people, she realized she shouldn’t have drunk the wine before she ate.

“I should be used to it,” she said with a pretense of bravery, but her voice quavered a little. “I shouldn’t care so much about her opinion at this point in my life. Mainly, I just want to know how Cole truly feels about me.”

“He’s marrying you, isn’t he? He plans to move for your sake, doesn’t he? Since I grew up without seeing much of my father, I can speak from experience. His marrying you will be good for Noah.”

“I know.”

“You feel like getting some air…or maybe dancing?” he asked.

Since Cole was still engaged with Becky, she nodded. “Maybe the fresh air will clear my head.” Smiling, she took his arm.

* * *

The whole time Cole had been surrounded by Becky and several of Lizzie’s dearest friends, he’d been aware of Maddie, who looked vulnerable standing all alone in her dark corner. Before the party, he had imagined her triumphant, dazzling everyone in her blue dress. She was being very brave, but he could tell she was struggling to hold her own.

Thus, at first, he was grateful when his handsome brother brought her a drink. Then his friend Lyle, who’d been watching Maddie the whole night, jabbed Cole and shot him a lewd smile.

“Knowing who she is and what she’s capable of, I’d be afraid to leave her alone for long…even with my brother. They look pretty chummy, don’t they?”

“Would you lay off?” But Cole couldn’t help glaring at the pair.

“If they’re that friendly in public, what do you suppose they’d do behind your back? I hear he’s been dropping by Miss Jennie’s a lot lately.”

“To play ball with my kid.”

“Right.” Lyle chuckled.

Cole watched Maddie incline her head toward Adam, saw Adam lean down to catch what she was saying, saw him smile as he put his big, tanned hand under her arm to lead her out of the room.

Why the hell was Adam taking her outside? Surely they weren’t leaving together? What about Maddie? Didn’t she know she was making a spectacle of herself?

Suddenly doubt had white-hot jealousy boiling to the surface. Clenching his hands, he fought for control.

He trusted Adam. And Maddie…

Then he saw his mother eyeing him triumphantly.

Misreading Cole’s silence as tacit agreement with his insulting comment, Lyle elaborated. “Nobody says you and your brother shouldn’t enjoy her, Cole. We just don’t think either of you should marry her.”

Suddenly Cole’s fist shot into Lyle’s smug jaw with such force he sent the man stumbling backward onto the hardwood floor where he lay spread-eagled, staring up at the ceiling as he rubbed his jaw.

“Damn it, Lyle, don’t you ever say another word about Maddie! Do you hear me? I’m marrying her, and I don’t care what you or anyone else in this room thinks!”

“But what do you think about her, Cole?”

Cole started, aghast at his behavior. Lyle had struck a nerve. Yes, he wanted Noah, and he wanted Maddie in his bed. But would he ever feel sure of her?

As his guests watched in shock, Cole leaned down and yanked Lyle to his feet. “Get the hell out of my house!”

Lyle scrambled for the door. When he was safely out of Cole’s reach, he said, “Did you see that? He hit me! He’s crazy! She’s made him crazy! You’re a damn fool to marry her, Coleman, and you know it!”

Cole raked a hand through his black hair. “Sorry about the disturbance,” he muttered before he plunged out of his house in search of Maddie.

He must have looked upset because when Maddie saw him, she got up from the chair where she’d been sitting beside Adam and ran to him.

“Are you all right?” she cried.

“We’re leaving,” he said.

“Okay, but since this is our engagement party, are you going to tell me why?”

“Because I just lost it in there.”

“He hit me—because I told him the truth about you and Adam. And I told him that he’d be a fool to marry you just so he could sleep with you, and he knows I’m right,” Lyle yelled at her as he roared past the porch in his truck before driving away in whorls of dust.

“Is that true?”

Cole flushed darkly.

“Because of me? And Adam?”

“He said something I didn’t like.”

“And you believed him? You thought that your brother and I…that we were flirting or worse?”

“No, I just didn’t like him saying it. I couldn’t let him get away with talking about you like that.”

“Because you don’t trust me.”

“I do trust you. It’s just that…”

“No, you don’t. You don’t respect me. You’re just like they are, ready to believe the worst of me at the slightest provocation—because you believed him, just a little. Or more than just a little.”

“No, I got mad. I lost it. I’m not feeling too good about it either.”

“You’ll always be the high-and-mighty Coleman, and I’ll never be anything but Jesse Ray’s daughter.”

“That’s unfair. You’re blowing this out of proportion… just like I blew what he said out of proportion.”

“Maybe, but there’s a grain of truth. For your information, your brother was just being nice to me…because everyone else was ignoring me. He was explaining how he understands how I feel, because sometimes he sort of feels like an outcast here, too.”

When she looked up, she saw that Cole’s mother, and everybody else, was staring at her.

“I’ve never felt so absolutely cheap and humiliated in my whole life as you made me feel tonight,” she whispered. “You believed what Lyle said—instead of having faith in me.”

“No! I got jealous!”

“I hate to say it, but your mother was right. She said you were attracted to me solely for the sex.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is. It’s all you see in my friendship with your brother—who’s a really sweet guy, by the way—who’s also having a rough time in this town.”

“I know his problems a helluva lot better than you do.”

“Sex is not enough to hold a marriage together. So, if you’ll be so kind as to lend me your truck, I’ll drive myself home to Miss Jennie’s. Then I’ll pack and return to Austin. Miss Jennie will call when I’m gone so you can pick up your truck.”

“Damn it. I’m not letting you go.”

“This isn’t going to work, Cole! You need a woman you and your friends can respect, a woman you can trust and be proud of.”

“You’re that woman.”

“I wish I was, but I’m not. Not if you found it that easy to believe I could hit on your brother at our engagement party!”

“I got jealous, damn it!”

“Well, I don’t want you marrying me because you feel obligated, because we have a son. I want my husband to love and trust me. I grew up without love, so maybe I’ve wanted that my whole life!” She paused. “Look, I told you—you can see Noah whenever you like. But we can’t marry because you don’t respect me, and I need your respect more than I need anything else. Added to that, I don’t want our marriage to cut you off from everybody you’re close to.”

“I don’t care about them! I want to live in Austin. With you.”

“You cared enough to hit Lyle. No matter what you say, you’ll come to resent me in time. If I let you go, you’ll find someone else, someone who fits in the way Lizzie did, who’s really right for you.”

“And you’ll go back to Austin and settle for Greg?”

“No. Being with you has taught me what it’s like to feel passion. You’ve helped me grow stronger. I’m not going to settle again because now I know I deserve someone who loves me and who respects me, too.”

“But I love you and respect you.”

“I wish you did, but you don’t. You’re just saying you do to get your way.”

“I was a fool. I made a mistake.”

“You’re right about one thing. We both nearly made a terrible mistake.”

Slowly she slid her engagement ring off her finger and handed it to him. “I’m feeling very tired, Cole. I need to lie down. Will you please give me the keys to your truck so I can go home?”

When he reluctantly dropped the keys in her hand, she walked away, stumbling on the first stair of his porch, maybe because the tears that had been threatening to fall were blinding her.

Cole rushed forward to help her, but she cried out when his fingers grazed her elbow. When she turned, and he saw the raw anguish in her luminous eyes, he realized how profoundly he’d hurt her.

Struggling to push him away as the whole town of Yella gaped, she said, “Don’t touch me! I won’t allow you to treat me like I’m something low and despised.”

“I don’t despise you. I love you! I swear I do!”

“I don’t believe you,” she whispered on a heartbroken sob as she hurried past him toward his truck.