Megan's Marriage

Cover Page

Excerpt

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Epilogue

Copyright

“Many Me.”

Megan realized that her jaw must have dropped, because she suddenly became aware of the fact that her mouth was dry. Her thoughts raced around in her head like a rioting crowd of protesters.

Travis Kane was suggesting she marry him? Travis Kane?

“Marry you?” she finally repeated weakly.

“I know you think I’m crazy,” he replied hurriedly, “but just hear me out. We’ll treat it like a business arrangement. We’ll set a time limit—say for one year. At the end of that time we’ll review the situation, decide if we want to continue the partnership. If we don’t, well—who knows what will have happened by then.”

He flashed that killer smile of his and she could feel herself succumbing to his reasonable tone…

Dear Reader,

We all know that Valentine’s Day is the most romantic holiday of the year. It’s the day you show that special someone in your life—husband, fiancé…even your mom!—just how much you care by giving them special gifts of love.

And our special Valentine’s gift to you is a book from a writer many of you have said is one of your favorites, Annette Broadrick. Megan’s Marriage isn’t just February’s MAN OF THE MONTH, it’s also the first book of Annette’s brand-new DAUGHTERS OF TEXAS series. This passionate love-story is just right for Valentine’s Day.

February also marks the continuation of SONS AND LOVERS, a bold miniseries about three men who discover that love and family are the most important things in life. In Reese: The Untamed by Susan Connell, a dashing bachelor meets his match and begins to think that being married might be more pleasurable than he’d ever dreamed. The series continues in March with Ridge: The Avenger by Leanne Banks.

This month is completed with four more scintillating love stories: Assignment: Marriage by Jackie Merritt, Daddy’s Choice by Doreen Owens Malek, This Is My Child by Lucy Gordon and Husband Material by Rita Rainville. Don’t miss any of them!

So Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Reading!

Lucia Macro

Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Megan’s Marriage

Annette Broadrick

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ANNETTE BROADRICK

believes in romance and the magic of life. Since 1984, when her first book was published, Annette has shared her view of life and love with readers all over the world. In addition to being nominated by Romantic Times as one of the Best New Authors of that year, she has also won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best in its Series for Heat of the Night, Mystery Lover and Irresistible; the Romantic Times WISH award for her heroes in Strange Enchantment, Marriage Texas Style! and Impromptu Bride; and the Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Awards for Series Romance and Series Romantic Fantasy.

One

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

The sudden sound of a voice when she thought she was alone startled Megan O’Brien, causing her to sway. She grabbed the wooden frame of the windmill she was repairing to regain her balance before she looked down the fifty feet or so to the ground.

A late model pickup truck sat several hundred feet away. The relentless wind bringing spring to the central hills of Texas must have muffled the sound of the engine. Otherwise, Megan would have had some warning that she was no longer alone on that part of the family ranch.

However, no warning could have effectively prepared her for the sudden sight of the man standing directly below her, his Stetson shoved to the back of his head, his hands braced against his slim hips. Travis Kane was the last person she wanted to find glaring up at her while she clung precariously to the outdated relic that provided water—when it worked—to the cattle pastured on this section of the Circle B Ranch.

She stared at him with a sense of dread and frustrated dismay, wondering what Travis Kane was doing on the ranch. What could he possibly want with her?

“You got something against living to see your next birthday, woman?”

Anger at his high-handed, arrogant and demanding attitude shot through her. Who did he think he was, anyway, criticizing her, yelling at her? She rested her forehead against a crossbar, fighting to control the strong surge of emotion.

What more could happen for her to have to deal with? She sighed in disgust. For the past several weeks she’d been battling first one calamity, then another. She felt like a punchdrunk fighter, reeling from one disaster to another, unable to successfully cope with any of them.

The frozen gears of the windmill had been one more thing that had to be faced. When she’d discovered there was no water in the holding tank, she’d wondered just how many more things could happen. Well, now she knew. Travis Kane could show up.

Megan couldn’t think of anyone she’d less rather see than the neighbor who’d spent most of their lives delighting in making her life miserable. Well, he didn’t need to worry. Trying to run the ranch on her own had certainly added to her woes over the years, all without his help. She didn’t need any more aggravations, thank you very much.

She glanced back at the rusted gears. The piece was shot—past being repaired. Somehow, she’d have to scrape up the money to buy a replacement part. The cattle had to have water out there, no question about it.

With a shrug at the silent question of where she might find some spare change for the part, she gave up her task for the moment. Concentrating on her footing, Megan began the long climb down the side of the wooden structure to the man whom she’d thought a scourge during her childhood.

“Couldn’t you find an easier way to kill yourself than breaking your blasted neck?” he growled near her ear once she was within range. He wrapped his hands around her waist and swung her to the ground.

As soon as her booted feet touched the ground, she pulled away and turned to face him. From this position, she had to look up at the tall, dark-haired male who had spent their childhood causing her nothing but grief and frustration. She’d known him all her life—twenty-four years. Their families operated neighboring ranches.

The unexpected presence of Travis Kane was all she needed to complete a perfectly rotten day, that capped off a worse month and an abysmal year. She hadn’t seen him in over two years. Twenty years would have been even better.

“What are you doing here? What do you want?” she asked, lifting her straw hat from her head and running her fingers through her short blond hair.

Although it was only April, the hot Texas sun was already causing her to perspire, despite the brisk breeze. She could feel a trickle of moisture slide down the valley between her small breasts.

Megan resettled her hat and watched him through narrowed eyes, waiting for some answers. She didn’t have any time to waste on the man.

Despite his obvious irritation, Travis responded with a reluctant lopsided smile and shook his head. He tilted his hat forward so that it now sat low on his forehead, drawing her reluctant attention to his unforgettable eyes. They shone from beneath the shadowed brim with a resilient and mocking good humor, their deep purplish blue color reminiscent of the bluebonnets that covered Texas during a moist spring. Unfortunately Texas hadn’t seen enough moisture in much too long.

“Well, howdy to you, too, sweetheart,” he drawled, eyeing her grimy coveralls and worn shirt with the torn-out sleeves. “It plumb touches my heart to witness your excitement and enthusiasm at seein’ me after all this time.” He leaned against the windmill and propped- a booted foot against one of the upright supports. “Can’t you drum up a little neighborly affection for an ol’ friend, honey?”

Megan peeled off her work gloves and shoved them into a back pocket of her coveralls. “You always were a pain in the posterior, Kane. I can’t see where much has changed since the last time I saw you.”

He gave her a level-eyed stare, his smile fading. “You know, I thought you had more sense than to clamber around like that out here by yourself. If you were to slip and fall nobody would know about it.”

She turned away from him and started toward Daisy, who she’d left nibbling on a patch of sun-dried grass.

“You don’t need to concern yourself about me.” When she saw that he was following her, she added, “If I were you, I’d worry about my own neck. I hear you’re still working the rodeo circuit. Not exactly a safe occupation to have.”

“Those are calculated risks, Megan, whereas what you do is—” He waved his hand, as though at a loss to understand her.

She gathered up her horse’s reins. “Look, Kane. I don’t have the time or the energy to chat. I’ve got work to do.”

“Damn it, Megan. I’m trying to talk some sense into your head. Will you listen?”

“I don’t have time for you, Kane,” she muttered.

He grasped her arm and turned her so that she was facing him. “You never do. As far back as I can remember you’ve brushed me off, treated me like I’m invisible. Well, fine, maybe I was a pest when we were kids. I’ll give you that. I used to enjoy getting a reaction from you. You always were fun to tease.” He waved his hand at the windmill. “But this is serious stuff, Megan. You have no business being out here by yourself, risking your neck that way. If nobody else will tell you, then I certainly will!”

His eyes glittered with suppressed feeling.

Megan glanced away from him before saying, “I’m deeply touched by your concern for my safety. Thank you for your no doubt well-meant advice on how I manage the ranch, Kane. I’ll be sure to file it along with other words of wisdom that have come my way over the years.”

She spun away from his grip and vaulted up in the saddie.

“Hold on for a minute, will ya?” he said, laying his hand across both of hers where they held the reins. “Don’t be in such a hurry. I came lookin’ for you because there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Enough was enough! She didn’t like to be manhandled and this was the third time he’d touched her since he’d shown up, uninvited, for this little social call.

She glared at his hand and fastidiously lifted it away from hers as though it were a snake. “Really? Well, I do appreciate the effort you’ve made to indulge in a neighborly visit, but I’m afraid I’m busy. Sorry, Travis. Maybe some other time,” she added, thinking about the possibility of hell freezing over.

“What’s wrong with the windmill?” he asked, ignoring everything she’d just said to him. He’d stuck his thumbs into the back pockets of his snug-fitting jeans, nodding over his shoulder.

She didn’t have to follow his gaze. “It’s worn-out, like everything else on the place. I’m going to have to order a new part.”

“Why didn’t you have Butch check it for you? Isn’t that why you have a hired man, to do some of the more physical work around here?”

Megan wanted to scream at him, but she didn’t. She held on to her temper, which wasn’t easy, but she had learned long ago that losing her temper gave the other person the edge. She needed all the advantages possible around Travis. He had an unerring ability to get under her skin.

In a carefully even tone, she said, “It’s not your business, but I’ll tell you anyway. I was up there because the ranch is my responsibility. If there are any risks to be taken, I’ll take them. Besides, Butch is too old to be climbing around up there.”

Travis returned his gaze to her. “Better not let Butch hear you say that. He doesn’t think there’s anything he can’t do.”

Megan knew that he was right. Butch was one tough bird. “Maybe so, but I happen to know that his rheumatism has been acting up. He has no business taking chances.”

“Neither do you.”

So, they were back to that. She turned Daisy’s head and started back down the track toward the barn. “Somebody has to do it.”

“Damn it, Megan, will you wait up for a moment? I’m serious. I want to talk—”

She pulled on the reins. “You? Serious? Don’t make me laugh. You’ve never been serious about anything a day in your life.”

She gave her horse a nudge in her ribs and leaned forward, a signal that she was ready to move. Daisy, like the sweetly trained animal she was, responded beautifully, leaving Travis behind in a cloud of dust.

It was all Megan could do not to laugh out loud, especially after she heard his muttered remarks between the sounds of his coughing.

However, the urge to laugh was quickly gone. There was no reason to be taking her bad mood out on Travis, despite her dislike of him. It wasn’t his fault that she felt like such a failure.

She couldn’t shake the sense of impending doom that was with her from the time she opened her eyes each morning until she fell asleep exhausted each night.

Whether she liked it or not, she and her sisters were going to lose the ranch. It was only a matter of a few weeks now before the mortgage was due. Despite all her efforts, she would have to tell the bank manager that she couldn’t make this year’s payment. The O’Briens of Agua Verde County, Texas, were going to lose the Circle B after the ranch had been in the family for four generations.

Megan had been in charge of the place for the past eight years. She’d done everything she could to pull them through this bad patch, but it was more than a patch. For the past three years everything had been going from bad to worse.

She’d done everything she could, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

Butch was waiting for her when she arrived at the barn. “Did your company find ya?” he asked when she got off the horse. “I wasn’t sure what to tell him other than you’d taken off to the hills somewhere. Where ya been?”

“Yeah, he found me. I was checking the southeast pasture and discovered there was no water in the holding tank. The windmill’s frozen up. There’s no way to fix it without ordering a new part for it.”

“You want me to crawl up there and check it out, just in case something can be done?”

She shook her head. “I already did. The whole thing is worn-out. I need to replace the entire rig, but I can’t. A new part will get us through the worst of the heat. Maybe by fall I can—” She stopped because there was no use talking about the fall. By then, the ranch would no longer be theirs…unless she could somehow produce a miracle.

A sense of futility swept over her.

They both turned at the sound of an engine and watched as a late-model pickup with Travis behind the wheel appeared. He made a sweeping turn and stopped in front of the house.

“Somebody mentioned to me yesterday that Travis was back in town for a few days,” Butch said, rolling a handmade cigarette. “It kinda surprised me when he showed up, asking for you. I didn’t think the two of you were exactly on good speaking terms.”

She turned away from the house and led Daisy into the barn. Butch followed her, placing the newly formed cigarette behind his ear. “We’re not,” she said, leading Daisy into her stall, “but you know how Travis is. He just naturally thinks he’s God’s gift to us all and that we should feel honored that he decides to visit.”

Butch uncinched the saddle and lifted it off the horse while Megan wiped her down. “So what did he want?”

She shrugged without looking around. “He said he wanted to talk to me about something. I can’t imagine what.”

“Maybe he got wind of the trouble you’ve been having. You reckon he might want to buy this place from you?”

She poured some grain into the feed trough of the stall. “He’s not that stupid. Why would he want a place like this? He’s never home. Besides, the Kanes already own a large portion of the county. Why would Travis take on another spread?”

“’Cause his pappy’s young enough and healthy enough to be running their place for a long time, yet. Travis never was one to want to answer to anybody, not even his dad.” Butch grinned at the thought. “Most especially his dad, if you want to know the truth.” He stepped out of the stall and held the door open for her.

She motioned to the nearly empty feed storage bin as they retraced their steps to the barn door. “Did you remember to pick up the grain at the feed store today?” she asked, ignoring the fact that Travis now was leaning against the front fender of his pickup truck, watching, and making no effort to join them.

Butch took his time lighting his cigarette, then he removed his hat and carefully smoothed down his sparse and receding hair before replacing his battered hat. “Yeah, I got the feed. It’s still in the back end of my truck. Ol’ man Brogan said that unless you pay something on the account, he can’t give you any more credit after this.” He recited the message without inflection, studying the horizon.

“So what else is new?”

“It isn’t just you, you’ve got to know that. Everybody in the county’s been hit hard by this drought. It’s been rough. They’re all having to supplement the feed to keep the stock fed.”

“I know.”

“Ranching’s never been a way to get rich, missy. It’s a hard life.”

“You aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know, Butch.” Megan rubbed the back of her neck. “However, the ranch is my life. It’s the only one I know. It’s Mollie’s and Maribeth’s home.”

He awkwardly patted her shoulder. “You’ve done a fine job, missy. A fine job. You took on way too much responsibility trying to look after the girls and run this place all by yourself, but you showed everybody you could do it. Don’t feel bad if you have to give up now.”

She stiffened at the mention of her sisters. “We’ve done just fine so far on our own. You just said it’s nobody’s fault the drought’s lasted so long. Well, it isn’t my fault that all our equipment seems to be breaking down at once, or that the blasted well for the house ran dry last month and we had to drill another one.”

“I never said it was anybody’s fault. Don’t start gettin’ so prickly. All I’m sayin’ is that a young gal like you shouldn’t have to be shoulderin’ such a heavy burden. You should be out enjoying life with friends of your own.”

She gave an unladylike snort. “My friends are mostly married and busy raising families. At least Mollie and Maribeth are old enough to look after themselves.”

He nodded toward Travis. “So when are you goin’ over to find out why he’s hanging around here? He don’t look like he’s plannin’ on going anywhere anytime soon, so ignorin’ him isn’t going to help ya none.”

Once again she looked over to where Travis waited—his long legs crossed at the ankles, his arms folded across his chest—still leaning against his truck.

She glanced to the west before she spoke again. “I don’t suppose this day could get any worse than it already has. I’ll go see what it’s going to take to get rid of him.”

“I wish I had the money you needed. I’d sure give it to you if I did have it,” Butch said in a gruff voice.

She patted his arm and smiled. “I know, Butch.”

“I watched you girls grow up. I seen every one of you in diapers, following your folks around, playing with one another. Rory and June were always so proud of their girls. They wanted the very best for you. Always.”

“I know. Sometimes life just works out different from what we plan…what we want.” Straightening her shoulders, Megan turned away from Butch and headed toward the house, where Travis stood waiting.

Megan was aware of Travis watching her as she crossed between the barn and the house. She was well aware of what he saw—a skinny blond with a mop haircut, a plain face with a mouth too wide and, from the feel of it, a glowing, sunburned nose covered with a smattering of freckles.

Her coveralls were old, faded and wearing thin in some places, while her work boots were too scuffed to be able to tell their original color.

A regular fashion plate, that’s what she was. She was also exhausted and totally out of sorts.

“So what are you hanging around for?” she demanded as she approached him. “What do you want?”

He slowly straightened in his lazy, loose-limbed way. “I told you. I want to talk to you.”

She fought to control her impatience. She couldn’t think of anything that this man could say to her that she would want to hear, unless he planned to announce that he was moving away from Agua Verde County and determined never to return.

Megan came to a stop a couple of feet in front of him and folded her arms across her chest. “What about?”

He glanced toward the house. “Couldn’t we go inside and talk? This may take a while.”

She didn’t want to invite him inside. She didn’t want Travis Kane anywhere around her, the house, or the ranch. Unfortunately, at the moment, she couldn’t think of a single reason he would accept for asking him to leave.

There was no help for it. She’d just have to put up with him and the uncomfortable, itchy way she always felt whenever she had to be around him.

Megan stepped around him and led the way up the steps to the wide porch that led into the kitchen. “C’mon in. Mollie’s probably got some tea made.”

She walked into the large room that was the heart of the house. The kitchen doubled for the family conference room, the homework room, the problem-solving room, or for whatever reason the three O’Brien sisters needed to gain help and support from each other.

The place looked worn and frayed, now that she was looking at it through the eyes of a visitor. Any spare cash she managed to accumulate went back into the running of the ranch, unless it provided necessities for a sixteen-and eighteen-year-old to finish their high school educations.

She found the pitcher of tea, filled two glasses full of ice, poured the tea, then set the glasses on the round table situated in the middle of the room.

Megan waited until Travis sat down before she picked a chair across the table from him and carefully lowered herself. Lordy, Lordy, but she was tired. Not only was she not sleeping well at night, but she was also pushing herself harder with each passing day as though through sheer force of will she could turn the ranch’s fortunes around.

Her body ached with every movement. She longed for a long soak in the tub and promised herself that particular reward for tonight in exchange for having to deal with Travis now.

Travis Kane had always caused problems in her life since she was a kid riding on the school bus. Why should anything be different now?