The characters in this story are purely fictional. All rights reserved. Copyright 2013

Prologue

He'd had too much to drink and he knew it. Levi Matthews was not a drinker and he didn't have a clue as to what had possessed him to imbibe so much. He would reflect on this night later and realize that it had been fate. For years he would curse it but later on he would get down on his knees and thank the powers that be for the night that would change his life forever.

Alicia Morgan had been trying to trap Levi Matthews into marriage for years. Somehow he had managed to escape her clutches until tonight. Levi stumbled out of the Lucky Lady saloon and into the cool night air and started down the empty street, his path lit by the silvery light of the half moon overhead. Even through his alcohol induced haze he knew it was too late and too dangerous to ride home tonight. Stumbling down the uneven planks of the dusty sidewalk, he headed for one of the hotels in town.

Levi had a smaller but profitable ranch that he had built from the ground up. He'd refused to fight in the civil war; therefore his family had disowned him. So he'd taken the small inheritance he'd received from his maternal grandfather and left, never once looking back. He'd moved from town to town gambling and living a carefree life. One night the stakes had gotten pretty high and one of the players had run out of cash and put his land up. Levi had won so he took it as a sign that he should put down some roots and do something with the opportunity that had unexpectedly presented itself.

He walked into the lobby of the hotel but didn't see the clerk so he rang the bell and waited. A few minutes later a sleepy Harold Morgan came to the counter and gave Levi the key to a room upstairs. Walking up the steps; only stumbling twice he opened the door and walked across the room stripping as he went. By the time he fell across the bed and pulled up the covers he was naked. Snoring softly he didn't hear the door open then quietly close.

Alicia heard the bell ring as she lay in her bed trying to think of a way to get Levi Matthews to marry her. She'd done everything she could think of short of seducing the man. She was a beautiful woman and she knew it. She could have any man in town she wanted but the one man she did want didn't seem to be interested her. She wanted Levi and by God she would have him if it killed her. She could just imagine what it would feel like to have those strong calloused hands caress her body. Voices coming from the lobby of the hotel her father owned brought her out of her thoughts. One voice of course was her father's but the other one, that one belonged to the man she had just been fantasizing about.

Quickly she threw back the covers, ran across her room and quietly opened the door just enough to peak out. There, standing on the other side of the counter was the man of dreams. He was wearing his signature brown Stetson, a cream colored shirt with a form fitting chocolate colored leather vest and although she couldn't see his lower half she knew he was wearing a pair of snug fitting denims. Her father handed him a room key then the two men went their separate ways. Her father back to his room and Levi to his.

Alicia didn't think about what she was doing as she went back to her bed to put on her slippers then quickly went up the back stairs to the room her father had given Levi. Trembling fingers reached out and grabbed the door knob turning it' silently opening the door. The room was dark but with the milky light of the moon filtering through the curtains she could make out the sleeping form on the bed. Turning the lock on the door, she started across the room. His clothing was scattered on the floor and she realized that he was naked under the covers. Not wanting to be overdressed, she removed her own filmy gown and slippers then pulled the covers back and slid into the bed.

Sliding her hand down his muscular chest to his taunt stomach caused shivers of excitement to course through her body. Alicia was not inexperienced, virgin yes, inexperienced no, so she knew exactly what to do. Splaying her fingers across his stomach she followed the thin line of hair until she found what she wanted. Cool fingers wrapped themselves around his manhood gaining an almost instant response.

God, if this was a dream he did not want to wake up from it. A warm feminine body lay next to him stroking him with a practiced hand causing a moan to escape his lip. Opening his eyes he looked at the woman laying next to him. Good God that looks like Alicia but as her hand continued its assault on his body her warm moist mouth began to cover his chest and neck making its way to his lips. Levi knew at that moment that it was definitely not Alicia because this woman knew her way around a man. He knew she wanted him but even he didn't think she would stoop to seducing him nor did he think she had the kind of skill this woman had. His mind shut down and his body took over but even in his drunken haze he knew something wasn't right.

The golden rays of sunlight streamed through the curtains giving the room a bright and cheerful glow. Levi lay on his side facing the window, his head was pounding and his mouth was so dry his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He was just closing his eyes to go back to sleep when he heard a feminine sigh behind him. He looked down and saw a creamy arm with slim finger laying over his side. Instantly a feeling of dread engulfed him; rolling over he wanted to vomit when he saw who was laying beside him, naked.

"Son of a bitch!" What in the hell was she doing here? His stomach rolled again as he lifted the covers to find the proof of what had truly happened. There on the sheets and himself was the tell tale proof that not only had they had sex but that she had been a virgin. "SHIT! What the hell Alicia? What have you done?"

Her eyes snapped open then she smiled at him like the cat who ate the cream and he wanted to kill her right then and there. "You mean what we did. And oh Levi darling, it was wonderful, so much more than I could have hoped for. Each time you made love to me last night was better than the previous time." Alicia purred. "I can't wait for the next time."

"You bitch! How could you do this? You know this doesn't change anything. I don't want you, I will not marry you and there will NEVER be a next time!" Slate blue eyes bored into her as his icy tone finally broke through to her and the realization of what she had done began to sink in. With tears welling up in her eyes she threw back the covers, grabbed her gown and slippers then ran out the door.

One month later Levi was finishing up his work for the day when he saw a buggy was coming down the road and headed straight for his house. Sighing he took off his leather work gloves and slapped them on his thigh as he walked out of the barn to the front porch of his house. As he got closer he realized who his guests were. "What can I do for you Harold?"

"You can marry my daughter, you son of bitch!"

"Now wait just a damn minute. I told her when I woke up and found her in bed with me that I would not marry her. I didn't ask for her to come into my room and seduce me while I was drunk; in fact I have done everything I could to avoid her since I moved here five years ago. So you can just leave."

"Oh, I think you will be marrying her and it will be today." Harold said as be brought his shot gun up for Levi to see. "My grandchild will not be born a bastard."

It felt like he had been kicked in the chest by a mule. He hadn't looked at Alicia until that minute but by the look in her eyes he knew that there was indeed a baby. Looking back at Harold he said, " I'll marry her but here are my conditions you can take it or leave it. First, I will never touch her again so there will NOT be anymore children and if there are, I will divorce her. Second, we won't be staying in Bankston. I'm selling the ranch and we're moving. Now, ie you'll wait here I'll go wash up and we can go back to town and find the preacher."

He turned to go up the steps of his porch but stopped when Harold called his name. "I don't agree with those terms. Alicia is our only child, I'll not have you take her away from her mother and I."

Levi stared at the man that he liked despite the fact that he had a selfish viper for a daughter. After all he was doing what any father would do. "Then I'll still be selling my ranch and moving, as a bachelor. I'm not staying here. And that's final."

The old man's shoulders slumped in defeat. If Levi didn't marry Alicia, she and her child would be ruined as well as them. Most likely their business would suffer too; then how would he support all of them? He didn't doubt that Levi was telling the truth. His daughter could be ruthless when she wanted something and she had wanted this man for years. "Ok Levi, you win. We will wait here for you."

An hour later he was married to a woman he all but hated. How was he going to be able to live the rest of his life attached to this woman? The only thing good in this entire situation was that he was going to be a father. And by God he would be a loving and understanding one, not like his own father who was cold and unyielding. If he were honest with himself he did have to admit that his wife was a beautiful woman. She had long silvery blonde hair with piercing blue eyes and a willowy body but it lacked the soft curves he enjoyed in a woman.