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Under his Protection
Linda Turner
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Prologue
“You’re getting married?”
“When?”
“You can’t! We haven’t even met Rainey yet!”
“You’ll get your chance when you come for the wedding,” Buck said with a chuckle. “The wedding’s a week from Saturday.”
Dropping that little tidbit of information into the four-way transcontinental conference call to England, Buck watched the clock, counting the seconds as he waited for his sisters’ reactions. He didn’t have long to wait.
“You can’t be serious!” Elizabeth retorted.
“You’re darn right he’s not serious,” Priscilla growled. “That’s what? Ten days?”
“No one in their right mind can plan a wedding in ten days,” Katherine added. “He’s joking.”
On the extension, listening to the entire conference call, Rainey laughed softly. “No, he’s not. We’re getting married a week from Saturday. I know it’s short notice, but Buck wanted to get married on your parents’ anniversary. So if we don’t get married in ten days, we have to wait another year.”
“That isn’t even an option,” Buck growled. “We’re not waiting.”
“Don’t get testy,” Elizabeth teased. “No one’s asking you to wait.”
“Just so we understand each other,” he replied. “We want the three of you here for our wedding.”
“Then we’d better get off the phone and see about lining up airline tickets,” Priscilla said. “I don’t even know if my passport’s current.”
“In a minute,” Buck replied. “We need to discuss the honeymoon. Rainey and I are going to Alaska. Who’s available to stay at the ranch while we’re gone?”
His answer was met with dead silence. “C’mon,” he groaned. “You can’t do this to me! You can’t expect me not to go on a honeymoon. One of you has to take my place here at the ranch while I’m gone.”
“What ranch?”
“I don’t know anything about a ranch.”
“Did somebody say something about a ranch?”
Buck grinned. “Cute. Wait until the three of you want to get married. We’ll see who’s laughing then.”
“C’mon, Bucky, don’t be that way.”
His teeth ground on the hated nickname. “Don’t call me that!”
Elizabeth clicked her tongue. “Touchy, touchy.”
“You know we’re just teasing,” Priscilla said. “We’ll be there for you.”
Despite their teasing, he knew he could count on his sisters. Especially when it came to the Broken Arrow Ranch in Colorado, which the four of them had inherited from their distant American cousin, Hilda Wyatt. The inheritance had come out of the blue. They were the last of the British branch of the Wyatts and had never even met Hilda, the last of the American Wyatts. She’d wanted the ranch to go to family, but the inheritance came with strings. One of them had to always be present at the ranch for twelve months. They could be absent for one night, but not for two in a row, or the deed to the ranch would go to an unnamed heir.
Until now, that hadn’t been a problem. Buck had spent the last four months at the ranch without needing any of his sisters to substitute for him, but it hadn’t been easy. He’d been harassed and threatened, the ranch had been attacked and vandalized, and Rainey had nearly been killed. He still didn’t have a clue who was responsible—it could have been any one of his neighbors or someone in the nearby town of Willow Bend, Colorado—but their motive was painfully clear. If they could scare the Wyatts away from the ranch before the year was out, the ranch would be theirs…if they were the unnamed heir.
“So who’s available?” Buck asked. “We’re just going to be gone a month.”
“A month!” Elizabeth blurted out. “Are you serious?”
“I’m only getting married once, sis. I want us to have a honeymoon we’ll remember the rest of our lives.”
Elizabeth blinked back tears at his words. Did Rainey have any idea how lucky she was to have found Buck? He was going to make a wonderful husband, a fantastic father, and Elizabeth wasn’t surprised that he wanted to do everything in his power to make sure Rainey had a honeymoon she would never forget. He was that kind of man.
For the span of a heartbeat, Elizabeth felt the tug of envy—she hoped the man she married would be as thoughtful as her brother. Then she remembered Spencer and the roses he’d sent her every day for the past four days, a dozen for every week they’d been dating. He, too, was going to make a wonderful husband, she thought with a grin. And he was already talking marriage. Maybe by this time next year…
“So do I have a volunteer or not?” Buck asked. “Surely one of you has some time in your schedule.”
Snapping back to attention, Elizabeth didn’t hesitate. “I’ll do it. Priscilla has a show to prepare for, and Katherine’s in a wedding two weeks after yours, so neither of them can stay. That leaves me.”
“What about Spencer?” Katherine asked. “Weren’t you going to Germany with him for the football tournament?”
“Yes, but he knows about the ranch and the terms of Hilda’s will. I have to do my part. He understands that. And since you two are busy and I’m not, it looks like I’ll be staying in Colorado for a while.”
“I’ve hired a new foreman,” he assured her, “so you don’t have to worry about being there by yourself. He’s tough. He’ll take good care of you.”
“I’m sure he will, but I don’t want you to worry about me on your honeymoon. I can take care of myself. And if things get really bad, I’ll do what I have to to hang onto the ranch, Buck. You can count on me.”
He hesitated, then smiled. “I guess I’ll see the three of you next week. Don’t forget the cowboy boots you bought when you were here last. You’re going to need them.”
Chapter 1
Ten days later Elizabeth was in no mood for a wedding. She no longer believed in fairy tales, and that’s all love was…one big, fat fairy tale that was invented by writers and poets and songwriters. Only a hopeless romantic could actually believe that a man and woman could love each other for a lifetime. She knew better. It only lasted until the love of your life went to Germany for an international soccer tournament and met a blond bimbo.
“You’re thinking of Spencer again, aren’t you?” Katherine said as she stepped forward to zip her dress for her. “You’ve got that look on your face…”
Glancing over her shoulder at her, Elizabeth scowled fiercely. “What look? I’m perfectly fine.”
“Yeah,