No One But You by Leigh Greenwood Page B

“This calls for a celebration!”
    Some of the tightness left Salty’s face as he turned to ask, “Why? Because you’re getting rid of me?”
    â€œDamn right. Rose likes you more than me.”
    The lighthearted mood that quickly enveloped the room covered Sarah’s discomfort and allowed her to avoid meeting Salty’s gaze.
    It wasn’t much of a celebration when you could toast only with coffee, water, and milk, but that didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirits. Sarah was relieved to see Walter enter into the fun, yet she couldn’t help but remain concerned about what Salty might be thinking. When he’d spent a long moment looking at Jared before answering her, she’d believed he was going to refuse. No doubt he’d accepted because of her son rather than her.
    She wasn’t prepared for how much that upset her. She put down her fork so no one would see how badly her hand was shaking. She believed she’d gotten her attraction under control, but hearing his name on her lips had forced her to realize it controlled her . Now she had promised to marry a man who wanted her land, who wanted to help her son, and who had shown no interest in her as a woman.
    It was a devastating blow, but it wasn’t too late. She could still change her mind until they were married.
    * * *
    One word—his own name—had changed the course of Salty’s life. One minute he was an ordinary cowhand with little likelihood of any other future; a minute later he was a soon-to-be stepfather and landowner with the responsibility of making a bankrupt ranch profitable. Yet he could only achieve this by marrying a woman who didn’t want to be married, and who didn’t want to marry him because she found him attractive. This was made worse because he was attracted to her. If she found out—if she even suspected—she’d probably back out of the agreement.
    He took a drink of coffee to loosen his throat, which had become dry and tight. It was difficult to smile at Sarah, to laugh at Monty’s jokes and ignore his innuendo, while his brain was working feverishly to come up with a way to survive the coming months. Years. He wasn’t particularly strong on marriage, but he was very strong on women. It was easy to avoid temptation when there were no eligible women around, but how was he to avoid falling victim to his needs when the object of his attraction was his legal wife? There would be no cold streams to dive into when the temptation grew too strong. There wouldn’t always be wood to split, post holes to dig, or cows to be wrestled to the ground, either.
    The sensible thing to do would be to turn down Sarah’s offer. Walter would be good with the kids and kind to Sarah. He’d told Salty that marriage had taught him his need for women was counterbalanced by his need to avoid being reshaped and reformed by them, so he would have no trouble with Sarah’s requirement that they live apart. But it took only one glance at the brightness of Jared’s smile, the sound of his laughter, for Salty to know he couldn’t go back on his promise to the boy. If any good was to come of the years spent dealing with his father’s disability, it would have to be in what he could do for Jared.
    â€œStop looking like you’ve been sentenced to ten years of hard labor,” Monty said to him. “If you’re having second thoughts, I could take your place.”
    Jeff’s voice was hard, his tone caustic. “I doubt Sarah wishes to add a third child to her household.”
    The amiability drained from George’s face. “I’d like to look over the ranch accounts with you later this morning, Jeff. They aren’t finished yet, are they?”
    Jeff’s mouth tightened with anger. “I know when you’re trying to get rid of me.”
    â€œI’m sure you do. If you spent more time on your accounts and less searching for