Page 60 of Short-Straw Bride

Travis’s jaw began to twitch. He couldn’t quite figure out where this was headed, but his gut told him he wasn’t going to like it.

“Papa can’t force me to marry Roy if I’m already married to someone else.”

“Jim?” The single word clawed its way out of Travis’s throat as he tried to convince himself he’d misunderstood Cassie’s meaning.

His brother finally lifted his head, defiance glittering in his eyes. “I offered to be her groom should she find herself in need of one.”

Travis shot up so fast his chair tipped backward onto the floor. “You did what?”

Jim slowly pushed to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why so surprised, Trav? I’m just following in your footsteps.”

“Jim?” Cassandra’s smile wobbled, and uncertainty clouded her features.

“Everything’s fine, Cassie.” Jim patted her shoulder, but his eyes never left his older brother. “Travis just doesn’t handle surprises well. He’ll get over it.”

“Outside,” Travis ground out between clenched teeth. “Now.”

He rounded the table and strode down the hall, his arms throbbing with the need to hit something. When he reached the front door, he wrenched it open, not caring that it thudded against the wall with enough force to loosen the hinges.

What could Jim be thinking? He’d known Cassandra Hayes for all of about two minutes. How could he possibly make a decision that would affect the rest of his life on a . . . a whim? Travis paced the length of the porch, the heels of his boots pounding against the pine boards. He was on his second pass when Jim finally got around to joining him.

“You can save your breath,” Jim said as he pulled the front door closed, “I ain’t changin’ my mind.”

Travis stalked up to him, his hands fisted at his sides. “Think about what you’re doing, Jim. You don’t really even know the woman.”

“I know enough.”

“What do you know, exactly? That’s she’s pretty? Quit thinking with your eyes and try using your brain. The girl’s been pampered her whole life. She can barely sit a horse, she can’t cook, probably can’t sew or garden, either. What happens when those pretty smiles of hers turn into pouts because she hates being a rancher’s wife? Will you follow her to town?”

“Maybe.”

Fear coiled in Travis’s heart at Jim’s dark expression. Would he actually choose town life with Cassie over the ranch?

Jim drew himself up to his full height and set his jaw. “Meredith’s got a bum leg and a penchant for meddling, yet you seem willing enough to overlook her faults. It’s no different with Cassie. I can teach her what she needs to know. And if there comes a time when she wants to return to town, I can handle that, too. I’m sure Palestine could use a new carpentry shop.”

An invisible vise clamped over Travis’s chest. His lungs refused to draw in a full breath. His heart throbbed as if his rib cage were shrinking.

Meredith’s words came back to him, flaying his defenses like a skinning knife cutting away a hide. “How long do you think the others will be content to live here in your shadow?”

Would they really leave? All of them?

“Marriage is forever, Jim.” Travis leaned a bent arm against the doorframe, needing its support. “You can’t just jump into it on a chivalrous impulse.”

“Like you did?”

“That’s different,” Travis sputtered. “I knew that I lo—” That I loved her. The shock of that thought sent him reeling. He pushed away from the wall and staggered over to the railing. His palms dug into the wood as he locked his elbows and braced himself against the truth swirling around him.

He loved her. He had all along. That’s why he’d not protested when Everett Hayes demanded a wedding. That’s why he’d rigged the straws. It wasn’t to spare Meri’s reputation or an act of brotherly duty. Nothing so altruistic. He’d wanted her for himself. Needed her.

Somehow, on a gut level, he’d known she was the one meant for him, and he’d made up his mind to do everything in his power to keep her.

Jim’s quiet footfalls sounded behind him. “Look, Trav. It’s a last resort. Neither of us plans to rush into anything. I might have a strong hankerin’ for the woman, but if I marry her, I want her comfortable enough around me that I don’t have to bunk with one of my brothers while she adjusts.”

“Hey!” Travis spun to face his brother, fists clenched. But the half grin on Jim’s face stole his ire. He thumped his fist against his brother’s arm anyway, though he put no real force behind the blow. “Yeah, well, I’ll listen to your advice when you actually have some experience as a husband. Until then, keep your thoughts to yourself.”

Jim thumped him with his own fist, and Travis grinned as he staggered slightly to the side. Suddenly their problems didn’t seem quite so dire.

“So would you really do it, if it came down to it?” Travis asked.