"No, damn it, I thought I could waltz onto the ranch, sweep you off your feet, and give her a mother to take care of her."
"You don't love me," Mary said.
Lee got up from the sofa and began to pace. "What difference does that make?" he asked. "You don't love me either."
"It makes a great deal of difference," Mary protested, "when two people are thinking about getting married."
"Oh, yeah?" Lee argued. "What about Pelham Everhardt Cosgrove III? I suppose you were madly in love with him."
"Maybe I am."
"And maybe I'm the king of England." Lee quirked an eyebrow at her. "I can tell from your kisses just how broken up you are over his desertion."
"What I shared with Pelham is none of your business! He's a fine upstanding gentleman, which is more than I can say about you."
"Thank God!"
"The simple fact of the matter is that you came to Cheyenne to ask me to marry you because you've gotten yourself into something you don't know how to handle." Mary summarized Lee's situation. "Though why you thought I would do you any favors is beyond me."
Lee looked her right in the eyes. "Maybe I thought I was doing you a favor. Maybe I thought I was doing all of us a favor—Maddy, me, and you," he said softly. "Maybe I somehow got the idea into my head that you might be tired of teaching school and having to carry that little silver gun of yours in your pocket all the time for protection against rough cowpokes and amorous Indians. Maybe I thought you might like to have a family all your own. Maybe I thought you'd make a decent wife and a damn good mother." Lee turned away from Mary and walked to the door. "And maybe, just maybe, I'm crazy as hell to think so." He reached for the doorknob.
If he had lied to her or tried to sway her with his Irish charm, she could have turned him down without a second glance, but he had spoken the truth. Her truth. For some inexplicable reason, Lee Kincaid knew how she felt.
"Lee…" Mary's voice stopped him.
"Yeah?" he turned back around to face her.
Mary held out her left hand. "Maybe you're not as crazy as you think."
Lee walked over to the sofa and took the ruby and diamond ring out of his pocket. He grasped Mary's hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. "And maybe I'm even crazier."
* * *
Chapter Six
Lee Kincaid might doubt his sanity, but as Mary watched him slip a thin gold band onto the third finger of her left hand some twenty minutes later, she knew she had definitely gone stark raving mad. She didn't know what had possessed her to agree to this. Lee didn't love her. He probably didn't even like her much—not nearly as much as she liked him. But he needed her. And Mary was more than willing to take advantage of that fact. The man who had filled her dreams in the months since she had met him had finally taken note of her. For once in her life, she wasn't just an aunt, a sister, a daughter, or a granddaughter. And, unlike Pelham, Lee Kincaid wasn't interested in her family connections or how much money she had in the bank. He knew her family's worth. He had worked with David and Reese and been friends with them for over a decade. He might have reasons for marrying her that didn't equal love, but marrying her for her money wasn't one of them. He needed her. No, she ruthlessly reminded herself seconds later, he didn't need her—Mary Alexander—he simply needed a wife to mother a motherless child. Any woman would have sufficed.
But, Mary concentrated on the thought, he chose her.
"You may kiss the bride," Father Joseph announced, glancing from Lee to Mary and then back to Lee. "Congratulations."
Mary looked up as Lee lifted her wedding veil from her face, then closed her eyes as he bent down and lightly touched his lips to hers. His mustache softly brushed her cheek, like the flutter of a butterfly's wings. Mary kept her eyes closed, anticipating more. But to her great disappointment, Lee straightened, gently took her by the elbow and turned her around to face the wedding guests.
She froze. Mary hadn't expected to see any guests other than her family, lining the pews of the church. Nor did she remember seeing them when she re-entered the sanctuary, but the pews were packed—even more crowded than before. The people who had come to see her married to Pelham Cosgrove III had stayed to see her become Mrs. Liam Gordon Maclntyre Kincaid. And it appeared that other guests had joined them. Mary spotted the society editor of The Cheyenne Leader scribbling away in her little notebook and squeezed her eyes shut, envisioning the write-up her wedding would make.
"Mary?" Lee urged her forward. "They're waiting for us to walk down the aisle as husband and wife. Come on, chin up. You have more than enough courage to handle this." He stepped forward. Mary followed, her head held high. "That's more like it." Lee praised her. "Here, take your bouquet," He reached over, accepted Mary's flowers from Tessa, then handed them to his bride. Their fingers touched beneath the flowers. Mary's were as cold as ice. They were halfway down the aisle when Lee motioned for Judah and Maddy.
"Mary," Lee said when the elderly gentleman and the little girl joined them in the aisle. "This is Mr. Judah Crane. He's an attorney who represents the estate of the friend I told you about, as well as being a close family friend." Lee turned to Judah. "Judah, this is Miss Mary Alexander," he grinned at his slip of the tongue, "I mean the former Miss Mary Alexander. She's Mrs. Liam Kincaid now."
Maddy whined and danced from one foot to t
he other as Judah let go of her hand to shake Mary's. "Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kincaid."
Lee released his hold on Mary and reached down to pick up Maddy. "You've already met Maddy," he said to his new bride, "but you haven't been officially introduced. Mary, meet Maddy. Madeline Gray." Lee smiled at the child in his arms. "Maddy, this is the pretty lady I told you about. Her name is Mary." Maddy stared at Lee, a solemn expression on her little face, then flung her arms around his neck and held him tight.
Seeing the two of them together—her new husband and his ward—made Mary want to follow Maddy's example and fling her arms around them both and hold them close to her heart. She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked at the sheen of tears clouding her vision.
"Lovely wedding, ma'am." Judah bowed to Mary. "Thank you most kindly for inviting us." He turned to Lee. "I know I should, but I can't remember who you are." He shrugged his thin shoulders. "1 don't think I know any of these people. Lovely bride. Darling little girl. Can we go home now? I'm sure it's time for my nap."