The Texan's Bride

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CADDE HARDIN ALWAYS THOUGHT he’d eventually get married. He just never dreamed it would be a marriage of convenience.

And a pain in the ass.

“One of these days I’m going to wring her damn pretty neck.”

He threw his briefcase onto the desk, scattering piles of folders, and slam-dunked his body into a leather chair, which protested with loud, annoying squeaks. He was so angry he could barely breathe.

How many more times was Jessie, his wife, going to stab him in the back?

His brothers, Cisco—known as Kid—and Chance stood in the doorway. “Is it safe to come in?” Kid asked. Cadde nodded.

“What the hell happened?” Kid wanted to know. “You said you had it handled, but once again Jessie shot down your proposal.”

Cadde yanked off his tie. “I’m well aware of that.” For a whole week he’d been telling Jessie how much he needed her vote at Shilah Oil’s next board meeting. The company had to move forward. She had agreed, but evidently she’d changed her mind, voting against expanding drilling outside of Texas. He could feel his blood pressure rising by the minute.

“What did she say when you told her about the proposal?” Chance asked, taking a seat.

Cadde threw the tie onto the desk. “She said it sounded like something her father, Roscoe, would do. He was always a wildcatter, a risk-taker.”

“Did she agree to vote your way?” Kid plopped into a chair and rested his boots on the desk. Usually, Cadde would knock them off, but today he wasn’t in a mood to fight with Kid. Jessie and her about-face was all he had on his mind.

“No,” he muttered.

“Sounds as if she’s still pissed about the marriage,” Kid commented.

“I didn’t force her into this arrangement. Roscoe was dying and he wanted me to protect her, to take care of her, and I agreed.”

“For a piece of the pie,” Kid murmured under his breath.

He glared at Kid. “Don’t start with me today.”

Chance spoke up. “Face it, Cadde, she has to be upset at having her husband chosen for her.”

“She was there when Roscoe made his wishes known. She didn’t object or get angry. She accepted her father’s decision.”

“Still…”

“Dammit, Chance.” Cadde swung out of his chair and stood to gaze at the view of Houston, but all he saw were Jessie’s dark eyes. Swinging back, he said, “Don’t you think I’m aware of that? I’m at my wit’s end on how to handle Jessie.”

“Since I’m an expert on women—” Kid formed a steeple with his fingers and looked at Cadde over the top “—I’d say Jessie wants something…and she wants it from you.”

“What would that be, Kid?” Cadde asked in a sarcastic tone.

“I don’t know, but whatever she’s angry about is aimed at you.”

“That’s for damn sure.”

“Shilah Oil is going nowhere without her support on the board,” Chance said. “So your best bet is to have an honest-to-God talk with her.”

“It might be as simple as a divorce,” Kid added.

Cadde frowned. “You think she wants a divorce?”

Kid shrugged. “What else could it be? I mean, Roscoe sheltered her all her life. She’s probably looking for some sort of freedom. And fun—preferably not with a man handpicked by her father.”

Chance turned on Kid. “You don’t know that. He needs to talk—”

“I’ll see y’all later,” Cadde said, grabbing his briefcase and heading for the door.

“What? No orders?” Kid’s pesky voice followed him.

“Get your damn feet off my desk! Chance, I want the drilling log on the Carver well when I return.” Why had he brought his brothers in on this oil venture? They had a way of getting under his skin. But the truth was he needed their expertise to make Shilah Oil a successful company. Besides, they were brothers who stood together in rough times and in good times.

Right now Cadde didn’t want to think about his siblings. Jessie occupied every corner of his mind.

In record time he was in his truck and driving north out of Houston toward Brenham. Maybe he and Jessie could talk and work things out. The knot in his gut eased a little.

Lord knew he didn’t enjoy the marriage any more than she did. The first time he had dinner at the Murdock estate Roscoe had made it very clear that his daughter was off-limits, so he was shocked when Roscoe had brought up the suggestion of them marrying. He’d told the man he would look out for Jessie, but he didn’t see any reason for a legal ceremony. They didn’t love each other. They were barely more than acquaintances.

He’d never paid much attention to Roscoe’s daughter, and he’d thought she’d grown to be an unattractive old maid without much appeal, except her father’s wealth. As for Roscoe—it had been said that he resembled the back end of a horse going the wrong way. The man wasn’t handsome by any means and Cadde had assumed his daughter favored him. He’d been mistaken.

Roscoe was big and barrel-chested with a booming voice that could make babies cry. Jessie was just the opposite; slim, feminine and beautiful with long dark hair and the blackest eyes he’d ever seen. She obviously took after her mother. Roscoe never spoke about his wife and there were no photos of her in the house.

That first night Cadde had dined with the two of them, he looked everywhere but at the gorgeous woman sitting across from him. No way did he want Roscoe to catch him eyeing his daughter. That would put an end to his oil career. He played the part of cool indifference well, and the status quo remained the same every time he visited the Murdock estate.

He’d spent a lot of years working toward one goal—owning his own company. He, Kid and Chance had roughnecked all over Texas. They knew the oil business. He wasn’t jeopardizing that goal by acting stupid. Jessie was his boss’s daughter and in his eyes that meant she was off-limits.

Then, Roscoe being the gambling wildcatter that he was, sweetened the pot.

“How long have I known you, boy?” Roscoe had asked that day in his hospital room.

“A little over ten years.”

Roscoe nodded. “You roughnecked on a wildcatter well. I saw you had potential and I brought you into the office. You’ve been my right hand since then.”

“Yes, sir. I’ve learned from you and I’ll always appreciate the opportunity you gave me.”

“It’s payback time, boy. Don’t you know that?”