Dog Wood Bride

by Jillian Hart

  "Sorry to wake you, but we caught the horse thieves who were after Orville. He and those mares are worth several fortunes. They're okay now and so are you." His hand landed on her shoulder, a brief blaze of contact, before he strode powerfully away. "The bad guys, including Judson, are tressed up and on their way to prison. They're with Claude, Abe and Forrest right now. See?"

  He paused on the top step, towering powerful and tall, shrouded by the thick blackness of night and backlit by the faint scattering of a handful of stars. The Big Dipper crowned him, dusted a faint pewter glow along the brim of his hat and the line of his rock-hard shoulders.

  "You don't have to worry about a thing. Your brother can take it from here." He sounded hollow, talking in that same matter-of-fact tone he'd used when he'd told her about his past. "I'm not just a horse trainer but a gunslinger and I like to think one of the best. You're safe now."

  "I know I should thank you, and I am grateful." She didn't mean to sound harsh, but he was breaking her heart anew. Completely and utterly, all over again. As if he had no idea he was bringing up the wild, impossible hope that he was there, standing on her porch the way he used to stand in her life, coming to her rescue, there to love her, being every bit, every inch the man she believed him to be.

  And needed him to be.

  That man was gone, wasn't he, as if he had never been that to her? It hurt to tell herself that, because she didn't want it to be true. And she feared she'd made too big of a mistake for him to forgive. All she was ever going to do, no matter how much she hurt, was to tumble in love with him even more, ever deeper, because she could never stop loving him at all.

  No matter what.

  "All that matters is that you are okay, Skye, and your stallion is, too. It's safe for me to walk away now. So, I'm doing it because you asked me to." His voice rumbled deep and genuine, reminiscent of the way he'd loved her, tender and urgent and incredibly honest. He'd possessed her thoroughly, tenderly, and her body heated, remembering.

  "Goodbye, Skye." He steeled his heart, straightened his spine and stepped off the porch. His boots landed on the stone walkway and he did his best to barricade his broken, agonizing heart.

  "Goodbye, Brennan Mosley." Her voice carried on the wind, thin and small sounding, full of pain. "Thank you."

  She didn't know how to call him back, how to admit that she'd been wrong, but he'd been wrong too. Pride held her back, and the fact that she hurt too bad, and they'd messed this up too much. It was too late. Or wasn't it?

  Her pulse thudded in her ears so loudly she couldn't hear the knell of his boots fading into the night. She stood like a fool, wishing for what could not be, knowing she was wrong to let the aching love in her heart make a decision for her. That would only lead to heartbreak. Wouldn't it?

  "Why is he leaving?" Samantha asked in a hushed tone. She'd padded up unnoticed and had been listening with wide eyes and sorrow etched on her gentle face.

  "His work here is done. Apparently our brother hired him because someone had broken into the barn." She stared out into the dark, where he had disappeared, her hero. She hadn't known that he'd stayed in town to help her. To help her. "But I thought he was just using me. I can't even bear to talk to Abe."

  "I did, and he did what he thought was wise, hiring one of the best gunmen he could find as a worker for you. That was kind, wasn't it? He loves us, our brother does."

  Skye shut the door, blinking at the tears that refused to stay pooled in her eyes. "I fell in love with him. And Abe paid him to take care of me."

  "He didn't strike me as that way, and it could have been meant to be a good thing. He never hurt anyone the whole time he was here. Mustangs don't run away in fear when they see him."

  "No, he befriended them." She thought of the pinto mare. "And he won over Orville at first sight."

  "Horses judge the heart. Maybe they are trying to tell you something."

  "I can't handle the pain of thinking about it." Skye rubbed at the tears streaming unchecked down her cheeks, staring out the window into the darkness. Paid, she realized now Abe had paid him.

  That final piece clicked in her heart. Perhaps Brennan had told the truth after all. He'd been working for Abe. Abe was his true boss, and that cash he'd been given was his salary. Not a bonus to deceive her.

  Brennan was forever gone. She could no longer feel his nearness, or the place in her heart where his had been. Some things were simply over, not meant to be.

  It shattered her, that this was one of one. And it was her fault, her and her fragile heart's.

  * * *

  At least that was over and he'd done it right. He'd done what he could at the time. That had to be good enough. For now. Brennan leaned forward in his saddle, knuckled back his hat and rested his free hand on the butt of his Winchester. He was riding shotgun from Skye's star-dusted land to the town jail.

  But he didn't want to follow the faint, platinum trail the star shine made on the road. His heart wasn't in it. His mind was back on that front porch, where he'd taken one look at Skye's pain, the way she couldn't meet his gaze and feared there was no way to patch up the damage he'd done, no way to unbreak her heart.

  He should have at least tried. He should have asked her to forgive him. Frustrated, he pulled Huck back to check on a shadow at the side of the road, but a raccoon shuffled through the foliage, not an armed man. His thoughts turned to the jailhouse to come. How would the deputy respond when he got another good long look at him?

  Anxiety dug in, gripping his gut hard. He pressed Huck into a faster walk, keeping careful watch for the security of the men he rode with. Abe, Forrest and Claude were good men, darn good men, and he would hate severing ties with them, too. He'd looked forward to being friends and, eventually, family.

  His heart may be broken and broken hard, but as they moseyed into town, a smile welled up. The saloon sat on the right, and he recalled sitting there waiting to get a good look at the woman he'd sworn to protect. And maybe marry, if he took to liking her.

  She had a hard dissolution of an engagement, Abe had told him before Brennan had ever stepped foot in Dog Wood. It ruined her reputation, and no decent man will want her now. And in truth, too many of her previous beaus had ulterior motives anyway.

  She's an heiress, Abe had confided, and I want her happy when this is all said and done. There's no reason I can't pay you to save her and keep her safe. You will love her once you see her. I have no doubt any good man will. And fate finally owes you a new chance.

  Those words came back to him now. His heart warmed, less broken now for the remembering of her. She'd waltzed into that smokey, dusty saloon looking like a fashion plate out of Godey's and struggling to be confident and yet looking so defenseless and uncertain at the same time, his heart had softened instantly.

  Heck, he'd loved her then, knew she would do just fine for a wife. Not only that, she would be fun to get to know. Skye. He hurt and healed at the same time thinking of her. He drew Huck to a stop in the street, staying on guard while Forrest and Abe dismounted.

  The streets were quiet except for the faint tinny piano music drifting over from the saloon. Loving Skye was the single best thing that had happened to him yet. It had been the highpoint of his life. The fall had been worth it. So had the pain. He'd take this heartbreak grateful for the opportunity to have been with her.

  His only regret was that he'd hurt her without meaning to. That was the last thing he would ever want.

  He took a moment to breathe in the peace with the darkly pearled townscape all around him. He'd miss this place, too. It had a friendly feel under a spacious, endless blue sky. He thought of the long ribbon of road cutting through the whispering grasses that would take him out of Dog Wood and away from Skye forever.

  "We won't be long, Brennan." Abe called from the boardwalk outside the jailhouse door. "Don't leave town just yet. I have a parting bonus for you, since you gave your notice."

  "That's unnecessary, I didn't stay as long as I promised. Kee
p your money." He touched the brim of his hat, a show of respect, to the man who nodded back, gave him a similar answering look and pushed Judson and crew into the jailhouse ahead of him.

  The deputy looked out the door at him sitting astride Huck and nodded. No recognition shone in his eyes, and he gave a nod. All was well, after all. Brennan felt the air rush out of him in a big, surprised sigh.

  He'd been worried for no good reason. The past was over, at least here. It would have been a good start in this little railroad town where ranching was also king.

  Sorrow dug in hard, and it was strong enough that it would take a lifetime to deal with, a lifetime to get over.

  "Brennan?" A shadow of a horse and rider appeared from the dark of the nearly empty street.

  "Skye?" He blinked, unable to believe it was her sitting barebacked on Orville, with a gun strapped to her hip of her riding skirt. She wore no hat. Her single braid cascaded down over her shoulder to caress her right breast.

  His body responded in a hard, swift punch of heat and desire. Want and hunger pounded through him, turning his blood to flame and naked want. His heart beat with pain, knowing it was over and yet wanting to bed her hard and furiously.

  He couldn't let himself wonder why she'd come, he couldn't begin to hope that there would be a chance for him to love her. There was no sense torturing himself with what could never be. He had to accept what Skye wanted.

  But he wanted that to change. Did he have a shot at that happening? Would there would be forgiveness for him?

  She drew Orville to a stop in the middle of the road. "What are you doing sitting out in the dark all by yourself?"

  "Waiting for word from your brother that those men are locked away. Then it's safe for you, and I can leave."

  "Oh, I see. You work for Abe, not me. It finally hit me. Finally, I figured out the truth."

  "I never meant to keep it from you. I didn't want word getting around that I'm also darn good with a gun, not just a horse." He gulped in a bite of air, doing his darn best to lock up his heart and put the old iron bars protecting it back up.

  Impossible, it turned out, because he, and his heart, were no longer the same.

  "Don't worry," he said gently. "I wouldn't hurt you for the world. You won't have any problems from me."

  "Is that right?" She pushed a lock out hair out of her luminous, unguarded eyes so full of pain and wishes and dreams, he nearly fell right out of his saddle. Then, as if embarrassed that she'd been unable to hide her true feelings, she stared down at Orville's mane.

  The horse gave him a welcoming wicker, warm and amiable, and held out his muzzle for petting.

  "Hey, good boy." Brennan leaned over in his saddle and rubbed the stallion's velvet-hot nose. What a good horse. He was gonna miss him. "What are you doing riding these roads alone, pretty lady?"

  "I'm on a fast horse and I have a gun, although I'm not keen on the notion of firing it. I will if I have to." Her chin went up, and Orville blew out a horsy raspberry, as if to say he was able to handle any situation and outrun any foe. He arched his neck, full of knightly confidence.

  "I needed to talk to you so I can talk you out of leaving for good. I don't want you to go until I tell you something." She dismounted in the shadows, landing with a graceful hop on the dusty street. With the cloud cover it was nearly impossible to see her, but he could feel her as if by heart as she padded toward him.

  Leather creaked as he swung down. He wished he knew how to harden his heart against her, but that was an impossibility. He would always be open to her. She would always have the power to slay him with the slightest look.

  "Thank you. You stopped Judson." She stepped into the soft slant of pearled starlight, pure beauty in the night. "I understand you are quite the accomplished gunslinger. What would have happened if you hadn't come into my life? I might have lost Orville. That was a mighty important thing to do for us."

  Orville nodded, tossing his head in agreement.

  "I wasn't going to leave you high and dry, unprotected. Staying to look out for you both was the right thing to do. I wouldn't have left until I stopped him."

  "I see. You're an honorable gunslinger."

  "I prefer horse trainer. I intended to lay my gun to rest and take up a quiet life, one I've been dreaming of for a long time. But I would never use anyone to get it."

  "Oh, I got hurt pretty good."

  "And I'm sorry for it, Skye. I know I hurt you. But you should know I've been working and saving my own money for years. I can finance my own life and ranch, but I wanted one more job before I settled down."

  "I realize that now, and I'm sorry I hurt you."

  "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole truth. Abe needed help and he hired me. I worked for him and I still do. I get paid in cash from him to take care of your horses and you. But the falling in love was because of you. You're wonderful. I was helpless against your beauty."

  A tender, sweet smile tugged at the corners of his chiseled mouth as he took one step closer. "What does Orville think of all this?"

  "I've hesitated to ask him. He's a horse. He may not understand the gravity of the situation." Tears sounded in her voice, but her eyes were clear pools of honesty, glinting in the dark of night and hard to read otherwise.

  "The fault lies with me," he said truthfully.

  Orville shook his head back and forth, apparently not going to allow that kind of answer. He snorted in protest, and his melted-chocolate eyes filled with unmistakable hurt feelings. He nosed Brennan's shirtsleeve and leaned in hard, knocking him back a step, and Brennan bumped into Huck's side. Huck nickered, deep and gentle, as if he had an opinion, too.

  "I can't believe he's doing this to you." She rubbed her horse's neck. "Orville has never behaved like this with anyone, not even me."

  Skye blushed because her voice sounded thick, her words raw with emotion. Every inch of her tingled in recognition of his nearness and because of everything he'd meant to her.

  "Maybe that's because I love him." His big, gentle hands stilled on the stallion's nose. "Genuinely, I love him."

  Brennan did look like a man who lived on the wrong side of the law in his black Stetson, black clothes and fearless confidence, so mighty and strong. The starlight clung to him, haloing him with a silver polish, as if hinting at the true nature of the man beneath.

  "Orville loves you," she said. "He adores you. I guess he doesn't want you to leave."

  "He's not alone. I don't want to go." He thought of their lovemaking, that singular and special time spent together locked in an embrace, their bodies joined, their souls touching. Breathless, he swiped one hand over his face. His heart swelled with rare tenderness.

  Skye's hand, small and warm, landed on his forearm. She looked up at him with more than caring in her eyes. He could read the affection there.

  And the truth.

  That got to him. He had to stop to clear his throat. Too much emotion in it. She swirled closer, so they were face to face, eye to eye, breath to breath. He gazed down at her, as lovely as starlight.

  She smiled up at him like a promise, and it felt like the first star popping out in the summer sky at the end of a long day.

  "I came to find you," she began, but he didn't let her finish.

  "I love you, Skye." He tugged her into his arms, folding her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her and holding on with all his might. Grateful, he buried his face in her hair, wrestling down the surge of emotion strong enough to carry him away. "I feel as if I've loved you forever and always will, with all my heart and all my soul. Is there any chance that you feel the same for me?"

  "Yes. One hundred percent." She went up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his.

  What a kiss. Sweet and shy at first, then deeper and desperate. He kissed her back with every bit of affection he had, every bit of passion, gave her all of his love and tenderness. Everything he had was hers. Because she loved him.

  That made him the luckiest man in the world. He couldn'
t believe his good fortune. His life had finally turned for the best. He had her love, then he had the real treasure. She was his very life.

  He held his sweet Skye against him, his sweet precious love. Overwhelmed with gratitude, grateful beyond words, he was never going to stop cherishing her with all of his might and all of his soul.

  "You're an awfully busy lady," he said, his voice cracking, humor warming him right up. "Maybe you can put aside some time to say yes and marry me."

  "Are you proposing?"

  "I am, and rather awkwardly. I do not have a speech prepared or rehearsed ahead. Will you marry me anyway?"

  "I think that's a very good idea." She tipped back her head to meet his gaze. "Yes. I would absolutely love to be your wife, Mr. Mosley."

  Pure joy overpowered him. For every day of his life to come, he swore on his honor all the way down to his soul that he would live every day just to honor and cherish her. He would love her with the magnitude of all the stars in the sky. There was no word large enough to describe the love he felt.

  "Then come with me." She kissed him one more time to seal the deal. "Let's head home."

  "There was no better place than that." He swept her up in his arms and lifted her into the air, feeling a sense of rightness fill him. Home, what a beautiful word.

  Epilogue

  Summer, one year later.

  Skye gave the ribbon on the wrapped gift a final tug. There, now she had it perfect. She set Brennan's birthday present on the lace tablecloth beside the other packages.

  June sunshine streamed through the glass panes of the wide windows that looked out at the lush green meadows. She could see the horses grazing in the paddock just beyond the orchard. It was a cozy feeling to see so many contented, well-fed and happy mustangs in their fields.

  What a good year it had been. She felt bursting with joy. She spun the wedding ring on her fourth finger, so pretty with its diamonds and emeralds. She went to the door and looked out, searching the sprawling green for her beloved husband.