by Tracey Lyons
Hannah lifted her head and inhaled the sweet scent of the freshly mown hay field. The second cutting had been done in yesterday’s early morning hours. Even though their barn had burned to the ground there was still plenty of farm work to be done before the arrival of fall. Thankfully, the weather had held and except for an occasional passing shower, the last two weeks had proved to be dry.
The days since the fire had all seemed to meld together. Every day had seen Hannah rise with the sun. There was so much to be done and she knew that every pair of hands mattered if the barn was to be finished before the first snowfall. Chase had sent a message to her yesterday saying that he’d be out this morning. She turned as the sound of a horse grew near.
The sight of him made her heart beat faster. They hadn’t seen each other in over a week. She met him on the bottom step of the porch. The smell of the sandalwood soap that he’d shaved with that morning assaulted her senses. Even before he actually did it, she knew he was going to kiss her.
His lips felt warm and moist upon her mouth. No other parts of their bodies touched, only their lips. Hannah’s arms hung down at her sides as she leaned into his kiss. Chase pulled away from her and ran a finger down the side of her jawbone.
With his mouth close to her ear, he murmured, “I’ve missed you.”
Shivers of delight ran up and down her spine as his warm breath caressed her skin. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“How are you doing?”
She thought about how long the nights had been for her and about how painful it was for her to look at the empty space where the barn once stood—would he want to hear about those things? She looked over her shoulder more often than not, with each day that went by with no word on Amos’s whereabouts. And she constantly worried about her grandparents, fearing for their health and safety. Should she tell him of those fears?
She figured he had enough to deal with and decided not to tell him how she felt. She mustered up a brave smile. “I’m doing all right. We’ve been very busy trying to get the barn rebuilt while the weather holds out.”
“I have some time today, if you could use my help.”
The linked their hands together and walked to where a group of men worked on the new barn. The sound of the hammer hitting the nail on the head rang through the clear mountain air.
Hannah hoped that in the time it took them to reach the workers Chase would tell her what he’d learned about Amos in the past week. When he didn’t say anything, she felt her heart squeeze just a little bit. Why was he still shutting her out, when they’d promised to be honest with each other?
“We were wondering when you two were going to come join us.” Her grandfather’s face widened in a grin as he gazed at her standing beside Chase.
“Chase has offered to stay and help us.” Hannah picked up a small apron with several pockets sewn into the front of it and tied it around her waist. Reaching into the center pocket, she took out several nails. Hannah took the hammer Chase offered her without comment, knelt on the ground and began to pound the nails into one of several two by four beams that were butted against another one.
“We’re ready to start on the roof trusses today. An extra man would be mighty helpful,” her grandfather replied, handing a hammer to Chase. “Missy, you keep pounding at those nails that way and you’re going to put them clear through that piece of pine board.”
Hannah barely heard a word her grandfather said. Frustration over Chase’s obvious lack of confidence in her filled her. She continued to pound the nail heads until finally she missed with the hammer and hit herself square on the thumb of her left hand. Yelping in pain, she dropped the hammer to the ground. Tears sprang to her eyes and she wrapped her right hand around her injured thumb. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying. When Hannah finally looked up it was to find three pairs of eyes staring at her.
She allowed Chase to help her to her feet, but when he offered to look at her hand she held it close to her breast and said, “I’ll be fine. You go back to work.” Embarrassment surged through her. Chase must think her a perfect ninny to have let the hammer slip like that.
“I’m going to the house to run some cold water over it.”
Chase started after her. “You stay here and work, I’ll be fine.”
Still nursing her wounded thumb, she found her grandmother in the kitchen kneading the last of three loaves of bread that were to be baked today. The white dust from the flour covered her grandmother’s stout arms up to the elbows. The tangy smell of the sourdough mix filled the kitchen.
Clara turned when she heard Hannah’s footfalls in the kitchen. Wiping the dust from her hands on the front of her apron, she turned a concerned eye on her granddaughter.
“I see the hammer finally got the best of you.” She led Hannah to the chair at the end of the table and after a cursory look at her thumb said, “Sit here while I get you a cold cloth.”
“Thanks, Gram.” Even though Hannah hated to be fussed over, today she was willing to let her grandmother take care of her. Chase had succeeded, once again, in leaving her thoughts and emotions in a jumble.
Several minutes later, her grandmother came back into the kitchen holding the wet cloth. “Here, Hannah. This should make you feel better.” As she wrapped the compress around her thumb, Gram pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.
“I see Chase has come by for a visit.”
“Yes, he’s going to help Grandfather today.” Carefully she lifted the damp cloth, peeking at her throbbing thumb.
“Good. He can take your place. We’re going out for a bit.”
She frowned at her grandmother. “I can’t leave.”
“Yes you can. You know my bread needs to rise for a couple of hours. We could go into town and visit with Mabel and Julia. Just a girl’s day out of the house.” She patted Hannah on the hand. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been away from the farm. What do you say?”
Hannah had to admit that being away from the farm for even a couple of hours was too tempting to pass up. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Julia and I know that she wants to show me the rest of her wedding trousseau.”
Her grandmother smiled in satisfaction. “You run along and change out of those work clothes.”
Hannah sighed and her grandmother ordered, “Put on that pretty green riding suit. That color looks so good on you.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Julia was sweeping off the front porch steps when Hannah and her grandmother’s wagon rattled into town. The dust settled around them as they pulled to a halt in front of the Curtis house.
“Hannah!” Julia gave a quick wave. She leaned the broom against the doorframe and went down the steps to greet her visitors. She held open the picket fence gate, swatting at an errant bumble bee that landed on her arm, instead of in the daisies that grew in profusion against the whitewashed fence.
“Oh, Hannah, it’s so good to see you away from the farm.” Julia hugged her close, and then stepped back as she held Hannah at arm’s length. “Just look at you.” She frowned at the fatigue marking Hannah’s face. “You’ve been working too hard, I can tell.”
“There’s so much to be done if we hope to have the barn completed before the cold weather sets in.”
“Let’s go inside. I can show you the new clothes Mother and Father brought me for my wedding trip. It’ll help take your mind off things for a while.”
Julia linked her arm through Hannah’s, as together they walked up the porch steps. The screen door creaked as Mrs. Curtis came out to greet them.
“Clara, it’s about time you dragged this granddaughter of yours off the hill!” Mrs. Curtis gave Hannah a quick peck on the cheek and waited for her grandmother to climb the steps. “Come inside I’ll make us a nice pitcher of lemonade.”
Giving the ties on her sunbonnet a quick tug, her grandmother removed the worn hat. “Lemonade sounds refreshing.”
Before Hannah could accept the offer, Julia chimed in, “We’ll be upstairs
in my bedroom. I want to show Hannah my new clothes.”
“You two run along, then.”
Julia tugged at Hannah’s arm, leading her past the two older women.
Once in her bedroom, Julia closed the door and leaned her back against it. “I wasn’t sure we’d be able to suffer through lemonade with my mother. So tell me, how are things really going with you and Chase?”
Hannah ran her hand along the edge of the white eyelet bedspread that covered the mattress on the wide canopy bed. Turning, she sat down on the edge of the bed with her back to Julia. She picked up one of the ruffled pillows that were strewn about on the bed and hugged it close to her. She didn’t know where to begin. After seeing Chase this morning she was reluctant to admit that she had renewed doubts about him.
“Hannah?”
Julia pushed herself away from the door and walked across the thick rose-colored carpet covering the center of the planked floor. Crossing in front of her, she sat down next to Hannah.
“Tell me what’s happened.”
“I feel that Chase is still keeping things from me.”
“What sort of things?”
Hannah shrugged. “That’s just it, I’m not sure. I thought that after the truth about him came out there would be no more secrets between us.”
Julia looked at her, concern marked her face. “You know what he does. Don’t you think that he still needs to keep his cover intact?”
“I suppose.” She turned and met Julia’s gaze. “Why can’t he trust me?”
“Oh, Hannah, it’s not a matter of him not trusting you. Chase wants to protect you. Don’t forget we’ve got a criminal on the loose. I know my father has been working day and night to try and find Amos Smithson.”
Hannah rolled her shoulders once, trying to release the tension that gripped her like a vise. “He loves me and when you feel that way about someone it should be enough.”
“Have you told Chase how you feel about him.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Not yet.”
“I know you love him, just as I know the two of you can work through this mess.”
“I’ve never felt this way about another man in my life. I was never even courted. What do I know about loving a man?”
Julia smiled. “It will come naturally to you, Hannah.” Giving Hannah’s hand a reassuring squeeze she said, “You’ll see.”
She closed her eyes and prayed that Julia was right. She wanted to be able to declare her love to Chase, but she couldn’t say those words, not until she knew, without any doubts, that he trusted her completely.
She opened her eyes. It wasn’t right to burden Julia with her troubles. Bolstering her mood, she said, “Enough of this talk, show me your wedding trousseau.”
Julia frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I don’t want any of this trouble to overshadow your happiness.” She gave Julia a reassuring hug and then released her.
Julia hopped off the bed and hurried to throw open the doors to her massive oak armoire. Inside were several striped skirts with wide sashes and matching bonnets. There was an exquisitely tailored midnight-blue riding skirt with a matching jacket. Laying her face against a virginal white peignoir, Julia breathed, “Don’t you just love the smell of new fabric?”
Pressing her hand to her mouth, Hannah smothered a laughed. “You are so ridiculous.”
Pulling out the satin nightgown, Julia held it up against her. “I think Stephen will simply crumble when he sees me in this.”
Hannah stared at Julia, speechless. The memory of the day she and Chase made love at Crane Pond burned in her mind. There had been no satiny fabric between them, just the pure blue water of a cool mountain pond. She yearned to be with him once more. Gripping the edge of the bed, Hannah squeezed the cottony fabric of the coverlet between her suddenly sweaty fingers.
Thankfully, Julia was oblivious to her discomfort as she twirled around the room, hugging the garment close, her eyes bright with the anticipation of a bride-to-be. “It’s all going to be so romantic.”
“Julia, Hannah—come join us on the porch for some lemonade!” Julia’s mother called, interrupting their daydreams.
Returning the satin peignoir to the wardrobe, Julia went to peer out the window overlooking the porch. “We’ll be right down, Mother.”
Julia closed the doors and pushed the latch into place. “Come along, Hannah. We don’t want to keep my mother waiting.”
Hannah went down the center hall staircase ahead of Julia. Pushing open the screen door, she stepped out into the warm summer air and found herself face-to-face with Chase.
Julia burst onto the porch two steps behind her. “My, my. Look who’s come calling.”
Even though the words were mumbled, Hannah turned to give Julia a warning glance. It took her a minute to find her voice. “Chase, what a—nice—surprise.”
Beside her Julia squirmed. “I thought he was helping out with the barn today.”
“So did I.”
Chase looked past her and said to Julia, “I had some business with your father.” He turned his attention to Hannah. “I saw your rig out front and thought it would be all right to stop by.”
“You can come calling anytime you please, Mr. Malone.” Mrs. Curtis rose from the rocker she’d been sitting in, prepared to offer Chase a glass of lemonade.
He raised his hand. “No thank you, ma’am. I’m afraid I can’t stay long.” He reached for Hannah’s hand. “I need to speak to you.”
Her sapphire eyes met his penetrating gaze sure and steady. Hannah’s sense of pride was what had attracted him to her from the very first day—she wasn’t afraid to look anyone square in the eye, and he knew from experience that she was never the first to look away. He was worried that her sense of pride and duty to her family would serve only to harm her. Somehow he had to convince her to trust him.
He saw the rapid throb of her pulse along the side of her neck. He desired nothing more than to dip his head and kiss that very spot. He remembered how sweetly and trustingly Hannah had given herself to him! He’d known from the start that she was a virgin, and still he couldn’t seem to help himself. He’d never in his life met any woman like her, a woman who knew her mind and wasn’t afraid to speak it. A woman who looked equally as alluring in jeans and a chambray shirt as she did right now in her forest-green riding skirt.
He realized that they were still standing on the Curtis’s porch and blinked away the image of their lovemaking. He turned from the inquisitive gazes of the other three women and pulled Hannah with him down the steps. Chase was unnerved by her deliberate silence. He’d felt her growing distance at the homestead.
“How’s your thumb?” Carefully, he examined her injured hand, noting the bruise underneath the nail bed.
They walked as far as the rig and stopped. The soft drone of the honeybees drifted up from the flower bed behind the picket fence. The gentle breeze carried the cloying scent of Mrs. Curtis’s prized pink roses.
“It’s sore, but I’m sure I’ll hardly notice it in a few days.” She tensed and he turned to look at her. “I have a feeling that you’re keeping something from me.”
The all too familiar anguish appeared in her eyes. Chase realized that in his need to protect her, he was also hurting her. “Is that why you’ve been keeping your distance from me?”
She shook her head, her hair swinging along her back. “I’m trying not to feel that way, but you’re so closed-mouthed about all that’s happened. I don’t know what you’re thinking, or how you expect me to behave when we’re together.”
He ran a thumb along her jaw. “I don’t want you to change anything at all. You’re right, I am holding back information, but not because I don’t trust you—I need to keep you safe.”
“We’ve been through this before. I can take care of myself.”
He took a good hard look at the stubborn woman who stood before him and realized he’d underestimated her strength and determination. It occurred to him that sha
ring information about the case with her was one way to keep her safe. If luck were on his side, her curiosity would be satisfied.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on. Sheriff Curtis and I are going to track down Amos. We believe he’s hiding out in the mountains behind the mining camp.”
“What about Hank?”
“I think he’s long gone. Hank wasn’t a very smart man to get involved with the likes of Amos and Tyler to begin with, but he seemed smart enough to know when to cut his losses.”
“He wanted to turn Amos in to the law. I can’t believe that he would run away from all that money and the garnets.”
He was tempted to tell her not to worry, instead he reminded himself that being up front with Hannah was the only way to do this.
“He hasn’t turned up here and I doubt that he would be keeping company with Amos.”
“When will you be leaving?”
“We’ll be leaving with the posse at first light tomorrow.”
She walked to him and wrapped her arms about his waist. “I’ll miss you.”
He crooked his finger under her chin and tipped her head back, planting a kiss on her lips. Her mouth felt warm against his. Gently he nipped her lower lip, she responded by running her tongue along the inside of his mouth. He moaned. How he wished they were back at Crane Pond, another time, another day—he vowed to find a way for them to be together, forever.
It took most of his willpower to break away.
“I want you to stay close to the homestead. Promise me you’ll do as I say.”
She rested her head against his shoulder. “I’ll promise as long as it’s not an order.”
He smiled at her tenacity. “It’s not an order, think of it more as doing a favor for a close friend.”
“Fair enough.”
“Hey, city boy, if we’re to leave by morning’s light you’d better get to packing up your supplies and readying your weapon,” Sheriff Curtis said as he strode toward them. “I’m going to put some things together and then check the telegraph office once more.”