A Man to Call My Own

Chapter 49

ODDLY ENOUGH, AMANDA DIDN'T complain about any of the traveling this time around. Of course, this trip was to her benefit, and that made all the difference. And everyone coming along was there to help her. At least, she'd see it that way. But the lack of complaints actually made the trip quite bearable, even pleasant, for everyone else.

Except Marian. Being forced into such close confines with Chad again wasn't pleasant at all. In fact, she spent most of the trip quite dejected, frustrated, and with a whole slew of other unwelcome emotions to annoy her. Every time she happened to look at him, he was looking at Amanda. Every conversation Amanda started, he joined in on.

Everyone else was having a fine time on their new adventure. Marian wasn't. If she were anything at all like her sister, she would have found a great deal to complain about. But she wasn't, and so she kept her unhappiness to herself. She actually kept quiet for the most part, so much so that Chad remarked on it when they found themselves briefly alone in the corridor of one of the hotels they stayed at.

"You worried that you won't be in time to recover any of your inheritance?"

"Why would I be any more worried than Amanda?"

He shrugged. "You just seem more preoccupied about it. Never known you to be so silent for so long. Barely heard a word out of you today."

When he'd laughed at one of Amanda's attempts to be funny that morning? When she hadn't been funny at all? When the only ones who would have thought so were the men who adored her? And he wondered at her silence?

She had stewed over Chad's response to Amanda all day, feeling more convinced than ever that Chad was still hoping to come out the winner in the end, where Amanda was concerned. Spencer hadn't thought his wife was funny either. Of course her catty remark had been at his expense, so he wouldn't.

Those two weren't getting along. It was patently obvious to anyone taking notes, and Chad would be taking notes. Oddly, though, Amanda was being remarkably restrained toward someone she actively disliked.

The barbs she tossed at her husband were rather tame for her, more designed to get his attention than to cut to the quick. It was almost as if she didn't really dislike him—or he held something over her to keep her from getting overly vicious.

But as for Chad's remark, and because he was standing there blocking her path as he awaited a reply, she was forced to say something, and she said it rather stiffly, "I have a lot on my mind aside from someone stealing my inheritance. Four proposals of marriage require a great deal of thought."

"What?!"

"You heard me. And I told them all I'd think about it, so I am—thinking about it."

"Who's been bothering you on this trip?"

"No one."

"Then who asked to marry you?"

"Oh, those weren't recent proposals, that was before we left Trenton."

"Who?" he persisted.

She frowned and was forced to admit, "I honestly can't remember most of their names, well, aside from that nice Dr. Willaby."

Chad snorted. "He's old enough to be your father."

Marian shrugged. "He's still very nice."

He then narrowed his eyes on her. "You pulling my leg, Mari?"

"No, I wouldn't dream of doing that," she shot back. "And besides, since none of this is any of your business anyway, you shouldn't be asking. And maybe you should keep your questions to yourself next time if the answers are going to bother you."

"I'm not bothered," he snapped.

"My mistake. You don't sound bothered at all," she snapped back, and pushed her way past him.

She didn't say another word to him that day, or the next. In fact, if she couldn't say something to him without snapping—she'd castigated herself thoroughly over that—then she'd do better to keep her mouth shut. He must have felt the same way because he went back to ignoring her.

The longest and most tedious part of the journey was over when they reached the railroad that connected to the eastern half of the country. The trip had been uneventful for the most part, no attempted robberies with such a well-armed escort, no gunfights or brawls to witness in thie towns they passed through.

There had been the one morning Marian rose earlier than usual and caught her aunt leaving Stuarts hotel room. That could be considered quite eventful, she supposed, though only she knew about it. And she'd been much more embarrassed dian Kathleen had been.

Her aunt had merely grinned at her, and said, "He's asked me to marry him."

"Isn't this rather sudden?"

"Not really. We—ah, sort of shared a bed the night of the barbecue. I was all worried about you, even though Chad was going out to find you. But Stuart was determined to take my mind off of it. It's pretty much why he came over that day for dinner, not just to tell me he was heading to Chicago for a spell, but to let me know when he got back that he'd be courting me proper."

"Will you marry him?"

"Oh yes. I've been in love with that man since the day I first met him, just never thought to do more'n keep it to myself. Even after Frank died, I never dreamed the day might come that he'd show some interest in me."

"Why not?" Marian asked in her aunt's defense. "You're a fine-looking woman."

"But with a small spread, while he aspires to being the cattle king of Texas. Besides, with his wealth, he could have any woman he wanted, so why would he want one who could only bring a few head of cattle to the marriage?"

Marian rolled her eyes. Trust a couple of ranchers to think in terms of cattle rather than love.

"So you were wrong."

"Actually," Kathleen replied with a chuckle, "Stuart says it's the only way he could think of to get my cook into his house."

Marian blinked, and felt her hackles rise indignantly. Kathleen burst out laughing, then put a hand to her mouth to stifle it. Considering the early hour, she didn't want to wake any of the others in their nearby rooms.

With another grin, she hooked her arm through Marian's to lead her back to her own room. "He was joking," she said in a low voice.

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. And let's keep this to ourselves for now. Stuart wants to get married in style when we get back home. He's going to invite the whole county. Says he's going to throw the biggest shindig ever to celebrate. But in the meantime, we'd like to keep our happiness under wraps. Just ain't appropriate, with everything else still unresolved."

And Amanda would be sure to put a damper on it, since the happiness wasn't hers. But that didn't need to be said, it was understood by them both.

Marian was still amazed. She hadn't seen it coming. But then she'd been so wrapped up in her own moping, she hadn't noticed the intimate looks passing between the older couple, hadn't noticed anything at all to indicate they were having secret rendezvous. Not that they could arrange them very often, when half the hotels they stayed at didn't have enough rooms to accommodate everyone, so rarely did one of them get a room to himself or herself.

But she was very pleased for Kathleen. It did add to her own dilemma though. It meant she'd have to live on Stuarts ranch with her aunt when they got back to Texas, at least until she got married herself. But that would mean being back under the same roof as Chad, and she found that so unacceptable she didn't even want to think of it.

It did give her more incentive to find a husband before they returned to Texas, not an impossibility. She was returning to her hometown, after all, where she already knew most everyone in her social circle. And although she had alienated most of the eligible men there, she was returning a new woman— well, new in looks anyway—so she could start afresh.

There was the problem of a time constraint. They might not be in Haverhill very long, and certainly weren't going there with the intention of entertaining callers. But she could work around that if she were determined enough, and she was. Anything would be preferable to having to put up with Chad's continued presence*