sure.
McCandle looked beside himself. “Who the hell do you think you are, coming into this town, my town , claiming my future wife as your own?” His tone was quiet.
Too quiet.
Hawk grinned, his grip tightening. Mandy knew what it felt like to be prey—to be captured, so predatory was his smile in all its violence.
“I am Hawk. And I’ve come,” he kissed Mandy’s fingers, “to claim,” he looked into McCandle’s eyes, his own gaze mesmerizing with what Mandy had only seen in a cougar’s eyes right before it ripped its prey to pieces, “what’s mine.”
Mandy could only stare at Hawk.
McCandle gave a start at the double entendre. He stood there for a long moment, as though he were trying to comprehend what he’d just heard. Without another word, he turned and stalked out.
Mandy stared after him until Hawk himself blocked her view. He was so close she had to tilt her head back, to look up. “I can explain,” she offered.
“Please do.”
“There was no fiancé,” she got out quickly, “just my visions. I lied. I was desperate. He had me backed against a wall, and he was insisting I marry him. I had to do something .”
“So you told him you already had a fiancé, and he believed you,” Hawk’s tone held obvious skepticism. He was again stroking the palm of her hand.
“Meg had a cousin who likes to travel. She told him to send me little trinkets from all over, with short, little cards attached that said things like ‘I can’t wait to be with you again.’” She licked her lips and looked away. “Of course, they weren’t signed.”
“Of course,” Hawk drawled. “And why all the secrecy?” His voice was so calm, Mandy’s heart picked up another notch.
She gave him a nervous, little laugh, misunderstanding his meaning. “I just added a little mystery, you know, to drive him crazy.”
“No. I meant, why not tell me this sooner?”
Her eyes met his. “It hadn’t come up?” she tried. She knew he wasn’t going to like the next part, and she wished he’d let go of her hand. “I would tell him he would soon see,” she bit her lip and whispered, “and then it would be—too late.”
***
The irony of what she had done undid him. He didn’t know whether to laugh or shout. She couldn’t have planned it better if she’d tried.
McCandle would not take this lightly. Could not take this lightly.
He’d spent too much time trying to lure him here. McCandle had invested years in his revenge against him. All this time, Hawk had thought it was Jason McCandle—but Jason had, obviously, had a son soon after he had massacred all those people on the wagon train. Hawk could hardly reconcile this twist of fate. Why come after him? The Hawk? Didn’t McCandle already have it all? He had the ranch. He had Jason.
Now, after all this time, and all of the young McCandle’s careful planning, he had brought Hawk to town, only to learn that Hawk knew the woman he himself had planned to marry. To find out the woman he planned to marry, the woman who had been putting him off all this time with her mystery man, had been putting him off—for Hawk.
The brother he wanted to kill.
McCandle had a grudge, and it was a grudge that had already cost untold lives.
Mandy was unwittingly fueling the fire.
Hawk stared down at Mandy. After a long moment, he gave her a tight smile. “Between you and me, Mandy love,” he cupped her face in his hands, “we’ve just declared war.”
***
Several hours later, Mandy stared at the patterns on the rug that lay over the wood-slat floor, remembering those words. She turned and went the other direction in her agitation. Before she had gone three steps, she turned back almost violently, and headed the other direction.
“I can’t believe he’s going along with this,” Mandy mumbled again, looking up to where her best friend had been watching her pace for the past hour. “Meg, whatever possessed us to start this mysterious fiancé farce?” She made a face as
McCandle looked beside himself. “Who the hell do you think you are, coming into this town, my town , claiming my future wife as your own?” His tone was quiet.
Too quiet.
Hawk grinned, his grip tightening. Mandy knew what it felt like to be prey—to be captured, so predatory was his smile in all its violence.
“I am Hawk. And I’ve come,” he kissed Mandy’s fingers, “to claim,” he looked into McCandle’s eyes, his own gaze mesmerizing with what Mandy had only seen in a cougar’s eyes right before it ripped its prey to pieces, “what’s mine.”
Mandy could only stare at Hawk.
McCandle gave a start at the double entendre. He stood there for a long moment, as though he were trying to comprehend what he’d just heard. Without another word, he turned and stalked out.
Mandy stared after him until Hawk himself blocked her view. He was so close she had to tilt her head back, to look up. “I can explain,” she offered.
“Please do.”
“There was no fiancé,” she got out quickly, “just my visions. I lied. I was desperate. He had me backed against a wall, and he was insisting I marry him. I had to do something .”
“So you told him you already had a fiancé, and he believed you,” Hawk’s tone held obvious skepticism. He was again stroking the palm of her hand.
“Meg had a cousin who likes to travel. She told him to send me little trinkets from all over, with short, little cards attached that said things like ‘I can’t wait to be with you again.’” She licked her lips and looked away. “Of course, they weren’t signed.”
“Of course,” Hawk drawled. “And why all the secrecy?” His voice was so calm, Mandy’s heart picked up another notch.
She gave him a nervous, little laugh, misunderstanding his meaning. “I just added a little mystery, you know, to drive him crazy.”
“No. I meant, why not tell me this sooner?”
Her eyes met his. “It hadn’t come up?” she tried. She knew he wasn’t going to like the next part, and she wished he’d let go of her hand. “I would tell him he would soon see,” she bit her lip and whispered, “and then it would be—too late.”
***
The irony of what she had done undid him. He didn’t know whether to laugh or shout. She couldn’t have planned it better if she’d tried.
McCandle would not take this lightly. Could not take this lightly.
He’d spent too much time trying to lure him here. McCandle had invested years in his revenge against him. All this time, Hawk had thought it was Jason McCandle—but Jason had, obviously, had a son soon after he had massacred all those people on the wagon train. Hawk could hardly reconcile this twist of fate. Why come after him? The Hawk? Didn’t McCandle already have it all? He had the ranch. He had Jason.
Now, after all this time, and all of the young McCandle’s careful planning, he had brought Hawk to town, only to learn that Hawk knew the woman he himself had planned to marry. To find out the woman he planned to marry, the woman who had been putting him off all this time with her mystery man, had been putting him off—for Hawk.
The brother he wanted to kill.
McCandle had a grudge, and it was a grudge that had already cost untold lives.
Mandy was unwittingly fueling the fire.
Hawk stared down at Mandy. After a long moment, he gave her a tight smile. “Between you and me, Mandy love,” he cupped her face in his hands, “we’ve just declared war.”
***
Several hours later, Mandy stared at the patterns on the rug that lay over the wood-slat floor, remembering those words. She turned and went the other direction in her agitation. Before she had gone three steps, she turned back almost violently, and headed the other direction.
“I can’t believe he’s going along with this,” Mandy mumbled again, looking up to where her best friend had been watching her pace for the past hour. “Meg, whatever possessed us to start this mysterious fiancé farce?” She made a face as