Jenny Read online

  Cole strode purposefully through the streets, ignoring the curious stares he was getting. He could just imagine the talk around town right now, but he didn't care. All that mattered was Jenny. He had to go to her and find out what was wrong. If it was something he'd done that had upset her, he'd do everything in his power to make things right. He loved her and wanted her happiness. When he reached the hotel, he made his way upstairs. He was a determined man going after the prize he sought.

  "Jenny?" he called after knocking on the door. The answering silence puzzled him, and he wondered if she was even in the room. "Jenny, it's me, Cole."

  "Go away," she answered softly.

  "I love you, Jenny, and I want to talk to you. Whatever is bothering you, we can work out."

  "No"

  "How do you know until we've had a chance to talk? Trust me, Jenny. Talk to me."

  Inside the room, Jenny steeled herself for what was to come. Her Aunt Evelyn had left her alone so she could have a few minutes of privacy, and now Jenny regretted that she'd gone. She could have used someone there to be a buffer between her and Cole. Knowing there was no escaping this confrontation, she unconsciously squared her shoulders and opened the door.

  Cole stood before her, his manly presence seeming to fill the entire doorway. Jenny stepped aside to admit him, and he entered the room without saying a word. She closed the door and turned around to face him.

  She expected incriminations and anger.

  He surprised her.

  "I love you, Jenny," Cole told her quietly. "I don't know what's troubling you, but I know that together, if we try, we can work it out."

  "Cole, I'm sorry about what happened, but-"

  "If the big wedding wasn't what you wanted, I don't care. I never wanted a big wedding. That never mattered to me. I was doing it for you. If you want to, we can sneak off and elope right now. You're what's important to me. I want you, Jenny."

  "No, Cole, you don't understand," she interrupted.

  "Understand what?" He frowned, his tone becoming cautious and guarded.

  "That I don't want this - I don't want any of this-"

  The blunt harshness of her words was like a slap in the face to Cole.

  He loved her.

  They were to be married.

  This was their wedding day.

  "You don't want me?"

  "No," she blurted out, really wanting only to stop him from saying anything more. She was confused by all her conflicting feelings and wanted to try to explain everything to him. "I mean, I'm not ready to-"

  "I know what you mean, Jenny," Cole said, cutting her off harshly.

  His gaze turned cold as he glared down at her. His jaw tightened as he struggled for control over his emotions. He didn't trust himself to say another word. He turned and stalked from the room, shutting the door silently behind him.

  Jenny was trembling as she stared at the closed door. Cole was gone, and his silent closing of the door had been more powerful than if he'd slammed it. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had never wanted to hurt Cole

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

  "Jenny? Are you all right?" Aunt Evelyn asked softly. "I just saw Cole leaving and he looked very angry."

  She all but threw herself into the older woman's arms. "I'm sorry, Aunt Evelyn! I didn't mean to make such a mess of things!"

  "There, there, honey, it'll be all right." Evelyn held her trembling, crying niece for a long moment, gently trying to reassure her. "For all that this has been so difficult for you, Jenny, I must tell you that I'm very proud of you."

  Jenny drew back to look at her, her eyes wide in surprise. "You are?"

  "Very much so," Evelyn said. "There aren't many women around who would have been courageous enough to do what you just did."

  "I don't feel very courageous."

  "But think about it. You realized in time that you weren't ready to get married. You saved both yourself and Cole a lot of heartache by being brave enough to admit it."

  "I don't think he saw it that way. He was furious when he left."

  "He didn't try to harm you, did he?" Evelyn asked. She would not stand idly by and let anyone hurt her niece.

  "Oh, no, Cole would never do anything like that. I'm so sorry I hurt him, Aunt Evelyn. I never meant to-"

  "I know that, sweetheart, but now that you've talked to Cole, the worst is over. What will you do next?"

  Jenny lifted her hope-filled gaze to her aunt's. "I'm going to go back East to school."

  Evelyn nodded. "Then we shall leave town on the next train heading east. There's no reason why you should stay here and suffer the gossip that's bound to come. You pack. I'll find your father and tell him what our plans are."

  Cole was drunk. There was no denying it, and, frankly, he didn't care. After leaving Jenny, he'd headed straight to the High Time Saloon, and he'd been sitting there drinking at the back table ever since.

  "Hey, big guy, you ready for some fun now?" Suzie asked as she sashayed up to his table.

  She had been watching Cole all night, waiting for the right moment to approach him. She'd heard the talk at the bar about what had happened with Jenny and knew he could use some soothing-and she was more than willing to do it. Cole Randall was one hell of a man-sexy, rich, and handsome as all get out. She thought Jenny Sullivan was a stupid fool to have passed up the chance to marry a man like Cole. She would have married him in a minute not that a girl like her would ever have a chance to marry a man like him.

  "No." Cole's answer was sharp as he looked up from where he'd been seriously contemplating the whiskey in his glass. There was only one woman he wanted, and she wasn't Suzie.

  "Well, you just yell if you change your mind," Suzie said seductively as she moved sinuously away. She was certain she could have shown Cole a good time. She could have helped him forget, if only for a little while, but she couldn't force him to come upstairs with her. "I'll be waiting."

  Cole gave a disgusted grunt and took another healthy swallow of the potent liquor. This was supposed to have been his wedding night! He'd been waiting for tonight, excited by the prospect of finally getting to make love to Jenny. It felt as if he had loved her forever, and yet he'd held his passion for her in check. He'd controlled his desire, allowing himself only a few chaste, stolen kisses, when all he'd really wanted to do was make mad, passionate love to her. He'd been eagerly anticipating this night the night he would finally make her his. Now the only consolation he had was in this whiskey bottle. All he wanted to do was drink himself to oblivion.

  Damn her!

  Cole didn't understand how Jenny could have done this to him-to them. He had thought they'd loved each other-cared about each other. Certainly, he loved her. He'd wanted to spend the rest of his life taking care of her, having children together, building a Randall empire on the western slope of the Rockies, but she'd walked away from him with only an "I'm sorry."

  He snarled a vile oath and lifted the glass to his lips.

  "You've had about enough there, don't you think, cowboy?" Fernada said as she came to sit down at his table. She all but ran the High Time and was beloved by those who knew her. She was a gentle, caring spirit who took care of her girls and her customers.

  Cole slid his gaze toward Fernada, but even as drunk as he was, the fury he felt was still etched in his expression. "I don't know if there's enough liquor in this place to satisfy me tonight, Fernada."

  She had heard what had happened at his wedding and knew he could use some real kindness right now. "Getting falling-down drunk isn't going to help anything, but talking about what's bothering you might."

  He gave her a lopsided grin. "I already tried talking."

  "You did?"

  Cole nodded. "I went to the hotel to talk to Jenny, but it was no use."

  "What do you mean?" Fernada frowned.

  "She doesn't want to marry me."

  She shook her head in confusion. "You're a man in a million, Cole Randall. A woman would h
ave to be crazy not to want to marry you."

  11 'Crazy Jenny' -I like the sound of that." His words were sarcastic and slightly slurred.

  "What did she say when you went to see her? Maybe she was just having wedding jitters. Maybe she'll have second thoughts and come around."

  "I don't think so. I told her I thought we could work it out, but she said no."

  "Maybe Jenny just needs some time to think about

  "We've been engaged for months now. She's had plenty of time to think about it." His growing anger was clearly evident in his tone.

  "Well, if you want my advice, I think you should go see her again and try once more. Maybe if you took her some flowers or candy? You should try to sweet-talk her, you know court her a little bit woo her."

  Cole looked up, and, for the first time that night, his expression was slightly hopeful. Someone was offering him a plan of action. "You think that might make a difference?"

  "You still love her and want to marry her, don't you?" Fernada asked insightfully.

  He paused, the pain of Jenny's earlier rejection still sharp. "Yes," he answered slowly.

  "Then you need to go to her and try one more time. Don't give up if you really love her. True love is worth fighting for."

  Cole drew a deep breath and looked a bit unsure as he set his glass back down on the table. "But she said she didn't want me."

  "I don't believe that for a minute. Think about it. What were her exact words? Did she really say, 'I don't want you, Cole'?"

  In his mind, he carefully went over the conversation, and he realized Fernada was right.

  "No, she said, `I don't want this,' "he repeated slowly.

  "So she didn't say, `I don't love you, Cole'?"

  No.

  "All right, then all you have to do is figure out what `this' meant. Go to her and ask her. If she's the woman you love, the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, then try again. Convince her that she can't live without you."

  He finally managed to smile for the first time since he'd come into the saloon. "Thanks, Fernada." He shoved the glass of whiskey aside and stood up.

  "Good luck, Cole."

  He nodded and started toward the hotel. It might be the wee hours of the morning, but he didn't care. He loved Jenny, and he was going to find her and tell her that. He was going to convince her to marry him, and then he was going to spend the rest of his life loving her, just as he'd planned that morning when he'd gotten ready for the wedding.

  That morning seemed very long ago now. He'd been excited, eagerly anticipating the night to come, never suspecting for a moment that it would end like this. But that didn't matter now. Cole knew Fernada was right-anything worth having was worth fighting for.

  Cole started down the street toward the hotel where Jenny was staying; then he remembered a house a few blocks over that had a flower garden in the front yard. Since it was late and very dark, he didn't think the owner would miss a few flowers. As quietly as he could, he raided the garden, picking only the fullest, sweetest-smelling blossoms. Jenny deserved the best. Bouquet in hand, Cole headed for the hotel.

  There was no one at the front desk when Cole entered. Not that it mattered nothing was going to stop him now. He was a determined man. He was going to Jenny, and he was going to convince her to marry him. He crossed the lobby and took the stairs two at a time like an eager schoolboy. Cole stopped before her hotel room door, clutching the flowers in one hand, and knocked.

  He waited.

  No response.

  He knocked again, believing her to be asleep. His anticipation grew.

  When he heard no one moving around inside the room, he knocked one more time and called out, "Jenny. It's Cole. I need to talk to you again. It's important."

  He waited.

  No response.

  Cole frowned. He was a bit angry and a bit worried, and he wasn't sure which emotion was more prominent. He'd known that persuading her to talk with him again might not be easy, but he hadn't fancied having to break down the door to get the chance. The way he was feeling right now, breaking down the door wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but he really didn't want to face her if he was angry. He wanted the opportunity to woo her to sweep her off her feet to convince her that he could make her happy forever.

  "Jenny?" he repeated as he knocked, a little harder than last.

  Still nothing.

  "Damn it, Jenny-"

  His patience about at an end, Cole was set to pound on the door one last, loud time when he heard a door open across the hall behind him.

  "Hey, cowboy! Just in case you're so damned slow that you ain't figured it out yet, she ain't there!" the grouchy, sleepy man snarled at him.

  "What?" Cole glanced over his shoulder in irritation.

  "They checked out hours ago. They're long gone."

  "She left?" He was stunned.

  "What are you, deaf along with dumb?" the man snapped. "She's gone. Now get the hell outta here so I can get some sleep." He turned back inside his room and slammed his door.

  Cole stood there, flowers in hand, staring at the man's closed door.

  Jenny was gone?

  She 'd checked out hours ago?

  He tried the doorknob to her room and found the door unlocked. He stepped inside and stared around himself. The room was dark and deserted. There was no sign of Jenny anywhere. She truly had gone.

  Cole stalked out of the room and started back down the hall to the stairs. He wanted to find the clerk so he could ask him where Jenny had gone. He was startled to find the clerk on his way up.

  "Sir, were you the one making all that noise?"

  "What's it to you?"

  "It's the middle of the night. You have to be quiet," the clerk told Cole, growing a bit nervous when he noticed his black scowl. It was his job to keep things peaceful in the hotel at night, but this cowboy looked more than a little like a troublemaker.

  "I'll quiet down when I find Miss Sullivan. Where is she?" Cole demanded, his stance and tone threatening.

  "Oh, they're gone, sir," the clerk said a bit nervously, realizing that wasn't the news the cowboy wanted to hear. "The Sullivans and Mrs. Anderson checked out quite a while ago."

  "Where did Miss Sullivan go?"

  "I heard them talking about taking the late train out of town."

  Cole brushed past the clerk on the stairs and stormed from the hotel, a man on a mission. He made his way to the railroad station and woke up the clerk there, who'd been dozing behind the counter. The answers Cole got from him were the ones he'd feared.

  Jenny and her aunt had boarded the late train to Denver.

  Jenny was gone.

  Cole turned his back on the man and walked away, disappearing into the night. He stopped in the middle of the dark, deserted street and stood in silence as he faced the reality of what had happened.

  There would be no chance to win Jenny back.

  What he'd thought was going to be the most wonderful day of his life had turned into a living nightmare-hell on Earth.

  Jenny had never really loved him.

  It was over.

  Cole's heart hardened against the pain that stabbed at him. He realized with awful clarity just how vulnerable loving someone had made him. He vowed then and there never to allow himself to care so deeply for any woman again.

  Cole glanced down at the flowers he held, still clutched in his hand.

  Without emotion, he dropped them into the dirt.

  He walked away into the darkness, a solitary man.

  Two Years Later

  Cole sat across the desk from Andrew Marsden, staring at the lawyer, his expression dark. "Are you serious?"

  "Very." Marsden nodded solemnly. "Paul Sullivan spelled it out in detail for me last year when we updated his will."

  Cole swore under his breath. The last two days had been hell for him. It had been terrible enough when he'd learned that Paul had been killed in a riding accident. The funeral had been held yesterday, with th
e burial in the small family graveyard out at the ranch. Now he'd been summoned to the lawyer's office in town and informed that he'd been appointed the executor of Paul's estate. The news came as a complete shock. Cole's gaze was piercing in its intensity as he asked, "Why did he want me?"

  "He trusted you," the lawyer said simply.

  Cole fell silent. It was true that he and Paul had remained close friends even though Paul had never become his father-in-law. They had worked together to build up their herds after the bad winter the year before, but he'd never expected anything like this.

  "Surely Paul had family some relative who could do this."

  "There's only Jenny and his widowed sister, Evelyn. I believe you met her when..." Marsden stopped awkwardly, not wanting to bring up the subject of Cole's almost-marriage to Paul's daughter. Their planned nuptials had been the talk of the town at the time. Then, when the wedding had been called off at the last minute, the news had been fodder for the town gossips for weeks.

  "Yes, I met her," Cole said tersely.

  "Paul loved his daughter and sister, but he told me at the time we were going over the will that if anyone could keep the Lazy S going, it was you. He knew what a smart businessman you were. He respected what you'd done with the Branding Iron, how you've turned it into a show place." Andrew paused and smiled sadly. "I still remember him bragging about how you'd made it through the blizzard that winter with the fewest losses of all the ranchers in the area." "I was lucky."

  "No, you were smart, and Paul knew it. He thought the world of you." Andrew spoke with intensity, wanting Cole to realize how important Paul's choice had been to him.

  Cole was touched by the sentiment. Paul had been a good neighbor and a good friend. "What do I have to do?"

  "According to what Paul directed in the will, you're to run the Lazy S until Jenny turns twentyfive, until she marries, or until the ranch is sold, whichever comes first."

  "Does Jenny know about any of this?"

  "No. He did not tell her about the change in the will."

  Cole's expression darkened even more at that news. He could just imagine how Jenny was going to react. They hadn't seen each other since their wedding day. She'd gone East and stayed there, and that had been fine with him. Now, however, thanks to Paul, they were going to be forced to deal with each other again.