Justified Deception (Prequel: Dancing Moon Ranch Series) Read online

  Annie, also in the raw and carefree-as-you-please, seemed oblivious to the fact that she was swimming with a bunch of naked men. "Annie!" Ruth cried. The splashing stopped and all heads looked her way. Focusing on Annie, she said, "Come here right now."

  "But I just got in," Annie whined, "I want to swim longer."

  "Do as I say or I'll come in after you."

  Reluctantly, Annie crawled up the embankment, where Ruth snagged her arm and tugged her toward the campsite, snatching up her jeans, tee-shirt and underwear as she went. Grabbing the nearest towel, she dried Annie and helped her dress then said, "Go help Edith unload the supplies. I have something to tend to here."

  Annie scurried off, and Ruth returned to the river. Catching sight of Matt bobbing waist-deep in water, she planted her hands on her hips, and said, "This is totally inappropriate. I want to talk to you."

  "Fine." He started heading toward her.

  Horrified, as his body began to emerge from out of the water, Ruth said, "Not here! When you're dressed!" She turned and headed for the truck, blood pumping a low steady throb as the sight of Matt's half-naked body became emblazoned in her mind. She could almost feel the sleek, rock-hard contours of him, so muscular, so very male. Everything about the man was pure male. Just the thought of his broad chest and lean hard torso sent adrenaline rushing through her.

  She'd barely had time to contain herself when she saw Matt walking toward to her. Barefoot, wearing only Levis. His bare chest glistening with moisture, his face alight with mischief as evidenced by his wry grin, she found it hard to concentrate on what, exactly, she intended to say, distracted as she was by the sight of his broad chest and the play of muscles in his arms as he made an elaborate display of drying himself with a small hand towel.

  Conscious of her erratic pulse rate, and realizing he was waiting for her to speak, she said, "I can't believe you'd allow Annie to swim in the nude with a bunch of naked men." To her horror, her voice cracked on the word naked.

  One corner of Matt's mouth tipped up with a one-sided smile. "Seeing naked men doesn't faze Annie. She's been swimming in the raw like the rest of the boys since I first started taking her on the trail when she was three."

  "She is not one of the boys, and she's no longer three. She's a little girl, not very long from becoming a young woman, and if she doesn't learn modesty now she won't learn it by the time she reaches puberty," Ruth said, attempting to hide the shakiness in her voice while trying to find some part of Matt to focus on that didn't set her nerves jangling and her heart skipping.

  "What do you suggest? That I set up a cabana by the river?" Matt said, while passing the cloth in a leisurely movement over his upper torso.

  "That might be a start." Ruth's gaze zigzagged across his chest and down his lean belly, following a thin line of hair that disappeared beneath the waistband of his well-worn, low-slung jeans. From the way the damp denim clung to the bulge in his pants, it was obvious he hadn’t bothered to put on underwear, and that he was aroused. The thought brought a rush of heat to her face. Mindful of where she was staring, she snapped her gaze up, and from his grin, it was clear that her intimate perusal had not escaped him.

  "It happens every time a woman undresses me in her mind," Matt said.

  Ruth's cheeks felt as if on fire. "I did not undress you in my mind! I’m just not accustomed to seeing men wearing threadbare jeans with..." she paused.

  "Nothing under them?" Matt completed her thought. "Sorry, but that part of me is kind of sensitive and I didn’t feel like shoving it into skivvies filled with briars. Besides, threadbare jeans are a lot more comfortable when riding all day than shoving my male part into a straightjacket." His lips quirked with a smile. "Is this better?" he cupped his hands over himself, leaving no doubt as to what they were discussing.

  Ruth felt as if every erogenous part of her body had just gone on red alert. "I didn't mean you were displaying yourself now," she said in a shaky voice, "I meant out there in the river." Her gaze shot to his cupped hands. "And will you stop doing that! It's obscene!"

  Uncupping his hands, he folded his arms and said, "Is this better?"

  Attempting to bring order out of the chaos, Ruth drew in a long breath, and said, "It's bad enough that Annie sees men in the raw, but seeing her own father is worse. Haven't you heard of Sigmund Freud and the effect the sight of a naked parent can have on a child?"

  Matt curved a finger under Ruth's chin and lifted her face until her eyes met his, and said, "What would Freud say about a man wanting to kiss a woman senseless?"

  "Stop changing the subject!"

  "Ruthie girl, I'm not changing the subject. You’re the one who brought up Freud. And since you’re not my mother, I intend to do this...." He bent down and kissed her. She allowed her lips to remain on his long enough to feel lightheaded from lack of air. Then abruptly, she broke the kiss and pushed him away. "You should not have done that," she said, angry that she'd again lost herself. "I'm not one of your Lorindas. And if you don't care enough about Annie to discuss this in a reasonable way then my services are of no use to you and I'll pack my bags and leave."

  Good grief! Had she said that? Told him she'd leave? Had she been so distracted by his kiss that she’d completely lost sight of her reason for being there?

  To her surprise, Matt squeezed her arm, and said, "Okay, honey, I’ll promise to behave, and you can give me that tongue lashing about Annie."

  Ruth started to protest about his continued use of hollow endearments, but decided to hold to the subject of Annie. "I don’t see how you can make light of this. Like I was saying, Annie is no longer three years old. She’s a little girl about—"

  "I know, about to become a young woman." He began idly rubbing up and down Ruth's arm as he said in a sober voice, "You need to lighten up, honey. You’re far too—"

  "I am not your honey!" Ruth snatched her arm from his grip.

  "When you kiss me like you did you are my honey," Matt said. "You're about as sweet as anything I ever tasted." He looked at her with such candor Ruth found herself wanting to believe his meaningless words.

  "As for Annie," Matt continued, "it's different out here. Except for my new ranch hand there's not a man here who hasn't looked after her—fed her, read to her, helped her dress. They're all like big brothers."

  Nostrils flaring, Ruth said in a wavering voice, "But they are not her big brothers, and they're definitely not little boys. And even little girls can fantasize. But they can also get confused."

  Matt raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm, his warm breath fanning the embers inside her. Holding her gaze, he said in a sober voice, "That's why I need you, Ruth, because right now I'm as confused as Annie."

  Ruth felt the prickles of his day-old beard against her palm. Even that stirred something inside her. Alarmed with the strong reaction his nearness brought, she pulled her hand from his, and said, "I want to buy some girlish things for Annie."

  Looking steadily at her, Matt replied, "Fine. While we’re tracking down the cougar, Edith can take you and Annie to town." He moved toward her as if to kiss her again, but this time Ruth pressed her hand to his chest to stop him, then turned and headed for the truck, troubled by her inability to control her responses to Matt's presence, and determined to hold him at bay until she found the answers she was seeking. And the first step to finding her answer could be waiting for her in the form of test kits in her post office box at Pine Grove. If the kits were there, she'd pass the swabs inside Annie's cheeks while Annie was sleeping, and in a little over a week, she'd know if Annie was Beth. But she also knew that, even if Annie was Beth, the battle to take custody of her would just be starting.

  CHAPTER 7

  Annie gazed at herself in the dressing room mirror, and said, "I look like a sissy."

  "You look beautiful," Ruth replied, straightening the collar of the dress Annie was trying on.

  Annie stood staring at herself, as if a little uncertain, then her brows gathered with a small fr
own, and she said, "It's all flowery."

  "It's pretty. And you look so grown up."

  She pursed her lips. "I don't want to wear a dress."

  "I don't blame you," Ruth said, "I didn't either when I was your age, but your father said how pretty he thought you'd look in a dress and I thought it might be nice to surprise him."

  Annie looked at Ruth's reflection in the mirror. "Daddy said that?"

  "He sure did." Ruth untied the wide sash and started unfastening the row of buttons down the back. "But it doesn't matter. We'll buy the dress and hang it in your closet so it will be there if you decide to surprise him."

  "The guys will laugh."

  "I'll smack them upside the head if they do."

  Annie smiled.

  Ruth slipped the dress over Annie's head and hung it on the hook over the little blue bathing suit. She helped Annie dress, paid for the clothes, and joined Edith in the truck for the ride home. It had been a successful trip to Pine Grove. While Annie and Edith were in the feed store buying a dog bed, puppy food, and an assortment of dog toys for the puppy Annie was soon to have, Ruth checked her post office box and was relieved that the DNA test kits had arrived. Swabbing Annie's mouth while she was sleeping would not be a problem, but Ruth had no idea when she'd be able to get to town again to mail the tests back to the lab. But while she was in town, she did mail the photocopy she'd made of Annie's birth certificate to Bill. Her next mission would be to find a way to slip the certified copy back into the file.

  On the return trip to the ranch, she glanced through the window of the truck cab at the mound of bags and boxes. Most contained girlish clothes and puppy supplies, but some held gifts for the men, including Matt. She’d thoroughly enjoyed her shopping spree. However, she was reasonably certain the men would not share her joy.

  Three days later, when Edith rang the big, brass bell on the back porch, announcing supper, a dusty, trail-weary, unshaven bunch of men took their places at the lengthy table. However, one chair remained vacant. Matt looked at Ruth, and said, "Where's Annie?"

  Ruth draped her napkin over her lap, and replied, "She'll be down in a minute."

  "She knows she's to be here when Edith rings for supper," Matt said. He started to rise.

  Ruth motioned for him to sit down. "Leave it be. She'll be down in a minute. And when she gets here, if any of you says anything derogatory, I'll skin you alive." Her gaze moved slowly around the table, passing over each grizzled face.

  Matt had no idea what was up, but the look on Ruth's face clearly told them if any of them crossed her, she'd do precisely what she'd said. Still, he added, "If she doesn't get her little fanny down pretty soon, I'm going up after her. She knows the rules."

  "Then tonight we'll bend the rules."

  Matt was about to remind Ruth that she was his employee and Annie would follow his rules, when the room became silent and he heard Deke say, "Well, well… will you look at what we have here."

  Annie stood in the doorway, her small frame clad in a pink and white checked dress with a pink sash, and its collar and cuffs embroidered with tiny flowers. She wore her hair in long pigtails, each fastened with a tiny pink bow. Shiny, black patent leather shoes with little straps, and pink socks fringed in lace, completed her outfit.

  Matt stood. "Honey, you look beautiful," he said.

  Annie looked at Matt and beamed.

  The men followed suit. And when Annie stepped over to her place at the table, Tanner got up and pulled out her chair. Matt saw that Annie was blushing, and for the first time since she learned to talk, she seemed at a loss for words. Maybe Ruth was right. Maybe Annie was on the verge of becoming a young woman. Funny how he hadn't noticed it until now. Dressed as she was, she even acted different, more ladylike. He looked at Ruth and winked, and Ruth returned his gesture by giving him one of her glowing smiles that lit up her eyes.

  The spell was broken when Seth looked across the table at Annie, and said, "Next thing we know you'll be strutting your stuff around here like Miss Lorinda."

  Annie glared at him. "Shut your mouth, Seth, or I'll shove this biscuit up you where the sun don't shine."

  "Annie!" Ruth yelped.

  "Well, I will."

  Ruth glared at Seth. "Annie's a young lady and she should be treated like one." She turned to Matt. "I want to talk to you after dinner."

  Matt liked that idea, but he didn't intend to spend the whole time discussing Annie's vocabulary. He had other ideas for Miss Ruth Crawford. Her tirade at the campsite, and the kiss that followed, gave him a sample of the passion she kept bottled up inside. It also opened up a whole range of possibilities. For three long, restless nights, while lying under the stars, he'd thought of nothing but those possibilities.

  After Seth's comment, and Ruth's rebuke, no one dared tease Annie about her appearance. In fact, everyone remained uncommonly quiet throughout the meal. But while the men were sitting around the table finishing their pie and coffee, Ruth, who sat at the opposite end of the table from Matt, shoved her chair back and left the room. When she returned, she held several plastic bags in her hand. "These are for you men," she said, then walked around the table, handing a bag to each.

  From the curious looks on the men's faces, Matt knew they weren't sure whether to thank Ruth or not. Understanding their skepticism, he looked into his bag and stared at its contents, unblinking. "What the hell?"

  "I'm sorry I couldn't find suits in solid colors," Ruth said, "but all they had were Hawaiian prints."

  As the men lifted bathing suits from their bags, Annie started giggling. "You guys are gonna look like a bunch of gall-danged flowers floating down the river."

  Seth jammed the suit back into the bag. "Shut up, twerp."

  His comeback served to prompt a challenge from Annie. "You can't make me. Just wait'll I tell Sue Anne you've takin' to wearing flowers. She'll laugh herself silly."

  "And you look like a gall-danged sissy in that get-up."

  At once, Annie's lips quivered and tears filled her eyes. She looked around at the men, then shoved her chair back and ran from the room.

  Ruth glared at Seth. "How could you do that? She's just a child."

  "I didn't mean anything by it and Annie knows it."

  "Obviously, she doesn't. She’s not a boy who you can tease and mock and toughen up to be a ranch hand. And the language you men use in front of her is appalling." Turning abruptly, she marched out of the room.

  Matt stared after her, determined to channel all that spitfire in another way...

  After he'd had his say with her about the prissified bathing suits.

  Shoving his chair back from the table, he grabbed the bag with the bathing suit and started after her. He caught up with her in the hallway. Waving the bag, he said, "Honey, there's no way in hell the men will wear these suits you got them. You might as well take them back."

  Ruth pinned him with smoldering eyes. "If they don't, then Annie will not be along when they swim."

  Matt knew he was fighting a losing battle if he thought he could change Ruth's mind. Still, she should understand what she was asking. "If word got out that the boys at the Kincaid wore flowers there'd be hell to pay, never mind the knock-down, drag-out brawl that would take place when my men learned they were the laughing stock of Pine Grove."

  "That may be so," Ruth said, "but it doesn't change the fact that if your men refuse to wear bathing suits, Annie will not be with them, not as long as I'm in charge of her well-being."

  Matt held her unwavering gaze. "You're overreacting to something that's been going on around here for years. Besides, it's about the only chance Annie gets to swim."

  "She'll get a chance tomorrow. I told her we'd go."

  "Where?"

  Ruth stubbornly lifted her chin. "It's really none of your business."

  "Honey, don't get your hackles up. Ranch rules. No one rides out of here without telling their whereabouts."

  Wariness lurking in her eyes, Ruth said, "Well, if you have to know
, we're hiking to a swimming hole where the water's warm."

  "Indian Hollow," Matt said. "It's about an hour hike up the mesa above the cottonwood trees. There's a meadow there where warm water's fed into the pool from a hot spring. Best place on the ranch to swim in the raw." And Ruth would, he vowed, determined that the day would come when she'd shed her clothes, and her inhibitions, and swim the way God intended.

  Ruth looked at him steadily. "Annie has a new bathing suit, and I can assure you, we will not be skinny dipping." But the flush rising up her face contradicted her words. Had he misread her? Did she have the guts to do it? There was no question she was a gutsy woman. She had no problem standing up to him or his men. But swimming in the raw after making such a fuss...

  "Have you ever tried it?" he asked.

  "Of course not," Ruth replied.

  "Then you don’t know what you’re missing. If you ever tried it you’d never swim any other way. It’s like every inch of your body is being caressed by—"

  "Stop!" Ruth cut in. "I can assure you, I will never swim like that."

  "Yeah, well, we'll see."

  Ruth braced her hands on her hips and faced him squarely. "No! We will not see. There's nothing, and no one, who could so much as tempt me to swim in the raw, so don't even go there."

  Matt suppressed the desire to pull her into his arms and kiss away all that prudish, citified nonsense, and he would, when the time was right. "How long do you plan to be gone?"

  Ruth shrugged. "I don't know. A couple of hours. I'm bringing along a picnic and a book on etiquette for little girls. It's time Annie learned to act like a young lady instead of a cowhand."

  "Honey, the picnic’s fine, but skip all the etiquette stuff. Annie doesn't need those kinds of female notions put in her head."

  Eyes glinting with indignation, Ruth said, "Learning etiquette is not a female notion. You and your men could do well to learn some decent manners. With the vocabulary the lot of you use around Annie it's no wonder she has the mouth of a guttersnipe. And you don't set much of an example yourself. She should be scolded and corrected when she uses crude language."