by Linda Devlin
He took a long stride toward her. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked in a kind voice.
"You're here," she said softly. "I don't have anyone left but you, Jedidiah. We're family. We belong together."
He shook his head. "If you'd married Mayfield or Cooper or any one of the dozen other suitable gentlemen in Spring Hill, you'd have your own family by now."
"I didn't love them," she said softly.
Jedidiah stopped in his tracks. "But you came to Rock Creek and within what—a few days? maybe a week?—you thought yourself in love with Sullivan?" He shook his head. "Just like a woman. That doesn't make any sense at all."
"You're right," she whispered, not bothering to tell him that it hadn't taken any time at all to fall in love with Sin. "It doesn't make a lot of sense. But that doesn't make what I feel any less real."
"He's not good enough for you," Jedidiah said without anger. "Sullivan's... Well, he's too much like me. We stay on the move, we live by our guns, we're beholden to no one. We're too rough around the edges for the likes of you, Eden."
"Maybe I like a man who's rough around the edges," she said, trying to remain calm.
Jedidiah shook his head almost viciously. "No, you don't. You're a woman. You don't know what you want."
"So, would you like to choose my husband for me, Jedidiah?" Eden asked, her anger and frustration rising. "Goodness, how silly of me to think that I have the right to choose my own!"
"Now, Eden," he began.
"How foolish of me to listen to my heart, instead of asking you who I should love."
Jedidiah shook his finger at her. "You can't tell me it wouldn't be just as easy to fall in love with a shopkeeper or a gentlemen farmer back in Georgia, as it was to fall in what you think is love with Sullivan. You're just... fascinated with him because he's different. That's all there is to it." He nodded with finality.
She shook her head in wonder at his skewed reasoning. "You don't know anything about love."
"I know all I need to know," he said in a wise voice that made Eden roll her eyes. "Come on, Shorty, you know I only want what's best for you."
"Yes, I know," she conceded. "Misguided as your actions are, I realize your intentions are good."
He gave her a big bear hug, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. "It is good to see you," he admitted, "even if you shouldn't be here."
"It's good to see you, too," she whispered. "I've been so worried about you lately. I started to have those dreams again, like I had during the war, where people I can't see are shooting at you."
"I told you not to worry about me," Jedidiah said, his anger fading as he set her on her feet again.
"Easier said than done," she replied. "Were the dreams true? Have people been shooting at you?"
"Now and again," he said, trying to appear unconcerned. "This last job I was on did get a little risky at times. There were lots of bad guys," he added casually. "A few of them we thought for a while were on our side. But we rooted them out." He winked at her. "As you can see, they were all lousy shots."
"How can you make light of danger when I worry so? You know I adore you."
Jedidiah leaned down, placing his rough and hairy face close to hers. "So, can I move back into the hotel?"
"No."
His friendly grin disappeared.
"I adore you, but I'm also very angry with you," she said calmly. "With you and Sin both. What do you expect? You chased my husband of less than a full day away, and then I find him sitting in a saloon with a floozy on his lap. I love Sin with all my heart, but he doesn't mind telling me and everyone else who's present that he doesn't love me. I thought he did. I made myself believe I could see it... and now I'm just disappointed and confused. And to top it all off, someone is apparently trying to scare me into leaving town."
"You really should leave town," Jedidiah said. "This place is too rough for you."
She lifted her chin. "Maybe I'm tougher than you think."
That got an annoying grin out of him, just as Sin appeared in the doorway.
"Nothing," Sin said. "The place is empty, and no one's lurking around outside, either."
"What next?" Jedidiah asked, turning his back on Eden and walking to Sin.
Sin spared a quick glance for Eden, then returned his attention to Jedidiah. "We don't leave her alone, not for a minute. Rico and Nate will help keep an eye on her."
"Excuse me," Eden said, stepping toward the big men to join the conversation. "Don't you two think you're overreacting over a few ugly bugs?"
They ignored her.
"I need to check with the sheriff in Ranburne," Sin said. "We ran across some rough characters on the way to Rock Creek. I want to make sure they're still in jail."
"The Merriweathers?" Eden asked in a lowered voice.
Sin cast her a quick glance and nodded once. "Then there's Lydia to consider. She disappeared as soon as she found out Grady had left the hotel to Eden. Maybe she thought the old man was going to leave the place to her and this is her way of getting even."
Eden decided she'd much rather face Lydia than the two remaining Merriweather brothers. The memory of that morning on the trail gave her chills.
"There's a third possibility," Sin said softly. "I'm heading over to the saloon to check it out."
"What possibility is that?" Eden asked, but again Sin ignored her.
* * *
While it was true that Eden needed to get out of Rock Creek, he'd be damned if he'd sit back and allow someone to frighten her, or worse, hurt her. Scorpions!
Cash was sitting at the table in the corner, cleaning one of his fancy six-shooters.
"I want you to tell me right now," Sullivan demanded. "Did you do it?"
Cash lifted tired, bored eyes. "Did I do what?"
"Did you plant scorpions in Eden's kitchen?"
To Sullivan's dismay, Cash grinned. "No, but at least her adversary is showing some imagination this go-round."
"Runt," Sullivan muttered. "You think this is funny?"
Cash sighed. "Of course not, but I assume all's well with our nice girl Eden. Otherwise you wouldn't be here harassing me."
Sullivan didn't always like Cash, but the gambler had a way of reasoning things out, of making sense of a situation that didn't make sense to anyone else. It was like he could see around corners. His judgment was never clouded by emotion.
He took a seat and leaned slightly over the table. "Okay, if it's not you, then who? You can't believe that Eden would release seven scorpions in her kitchen just to make me think someone was after her."
Cash set dark eyes on Sullivan's face. "Seven?"
He nodded."And we can't be sure who put them there. Could be what's left of the Merriweather brothers. We ran across a threesome of bandits on the way to town and they tried to ambush us at sunup. One of them ended up dead, and Eden shot one in the gun hand."
Cash grinned. "She did? Well, maybe there's hope for your girl. That's not nice, not at all."
Sullivan ignored the comment. "Sheriff Tilton was supposed to collect them, but I want to make absolutely certain they're behind bars. This doesn't feel right, not for those two, but until I know for sure..."
"I'll ride to Ranburne this afternoon and check on the Merriweathers' situation, myself," Cash said, taking the threat seriously at last. "Any other ideas?"
"Lydia," Sullivan said softly. "She disappeared after Grady died and left the hotel to Eden. Maybe this is her way of getting revenge."
"Notes and scorpions," Cash said thoughtfully. "Sounds like a woman to me. There is, however, one other possibility." He set his six-shooter aside. "What if the stories are true?" he asked, his voice low as if he were sharing a secret.
"What stories?"
Cash grinned. "Did you never hear a drunken Grady ramble on about his days as an outlaw?"
"Sure, but..."
"Did you never hear the story about the last big haul he and his partner made? The gold he supposedly hid away?"
"Maybe someone did," Cash supposed. "Maybe someone wants Eden out of that hotel so they can tear it apart to look for the gold. Think about it. They waited and waited for Grady to die. Hell, he's been dying for months, an inch at a time. They figure he dies, the old place gets closed up, and they'll have all the time in the world to search for the gold. But then Eden comes along, and Grady leaves her the hotel, and she acts as if she has every intention of staying. Maybe this someone doesn't want to wait anymore. Maybe they figure they've waited long enough."
"Who could it be?" Sullivan asked softly, an unpleasant gnawing in his gut.
"Could be anyone," Cash said with an air of indifference. "Anyone at all."
* * *
Eden was already tired of her contingent of guards, and it was just now suppertime. Good heavens, she couldn't turn around without running into an armed man!
All four of her guards, as well as Millie and Teddy, were presently eating steak and potatoes and green beans in the hotel dining room. Even Nate was eating a little bit. She hadn't seen him take a drink all afternoon.
She'd instructed them all that Teddy and Millie were not to be told about the problem. There was no reason to worry the children unnecessarily. Still, she felt better knowing that someone would keep an eye on the little ones, as well as watching over her. Sin had already spoken to the schoolteacher, Mr. Reese, about the situation. No one would bother them while he was around, he assured her.
Uncle Jedidiah sat with Millie and Teddy, in order that they all get better acquainted. Teddy had been his usual quiet self at the beginning of the meal, but already he'd begun to open up a little. Millie had charmed the big man from the moment she'd opened her mouth.
When everyone had been fed, Eden gathered up as many dirty dishes as she could handle and carried them to the kitchen. Eventually she would have to hire someone to help her. If only Lydia had stayed! Maybe the girl couldn't cook, but she might've learned. She could certainly wash dishes and help with the cleaning.
She turned around to make another trip to the dining room and was startled to see Sin standing right behind her. He hadn't made a sound as he'd followed her into the kitchen.
"We need to talk," he said.
"We don't have anything to talk about," she said primly. Sin had told her he didn't love her. She'd seen him with a floozy sitting on his lap, and still her heart did funny things when he was near. She didn't know if she wanted more to slap him or to cry or to kiss him. Instead, she did nothing at all.
"Last night was a mistake."
"The wedding or making love with me?" She lifted her head to look him in the eye, showing no fear.
"Both," he whispered.
It hurt, worse than she'd imagined, to hear him actually say the words, to hear him admit that what had happened between them was a mistake. She didn't want to believe him.
"What are you more afraid of?" She looked him squarely in the eye. "That I truly love you or that you might love me?"
"I'm not afraid of anything."
She reached up and pushed back a long strand of dark hair that fell across his cheek. He didn't flinch, but she could see him almost turn to stone, steeling himself against her touch. It would be easier if she could fall out of love as quickly as she'd fallen in, if she could convince herself that Jedidiah was right and she only thought she was in love because she'd never known anyone like Sin before.
"You don't believe in love. You don't believe in fate. You don't believe in anything," she whispered. "I think you don't want to believe in love because if you did then you might have to consider that what's happened between us is good and real and true."
"Eden..."
"It's easier for you to dismiss what's happened between us as something physical and temporary," she said, thinking this out as she spoke, "because you're scared of what might still be to come if it's more than simple passion. You're afraid this might be something you can't ride away from at the drop of a hat," she whispered. "You're afraid a mere woman will change your life."
"No woman, not even you, is going to change my life."
She smiled, just a little. "Maybe not, but I surely did want the chance to try."
He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and then almost immediately moved that hand to the back of her neck. The way he touched her, even now, made her think—no, made her certain—that he did love her.
"If I was going to allow any woman to change my life," he said with a touch of bitter humor, "it would be you."
That reluctant admission was enough, for now, to make her forgive Sin everything. Eden raised up on her tiptoes and laid her mouth, lips slightly parted, over his. He met her for a simple, deep, searching kiss that didn't last nearly long enough.
When they drifted apart Eden whispered, "No matter what Jedidiah says, we are married. You can set me aside; you can pretend last night never happened; you can tell yourself that the wedding and what came after was just a foolish mistake.... But that won't make it go away. It certainly won't make me go away."
"I know," he whispered.
"But until you can tell me you love me, what we have won't be complete. You have my heart and my body. I've given you everything I have to offer a man. But what do I have of you, Sin? All I have is the little piece that you're willing to share. It's enough, for now, but it won't be enough forever."
"We don't have forever," Sin said. "You need to go back to Georgia and forget this marriage ever happened. You have to forget you ever met me." He laid his hand on her shoulder again. "I'd prefer that you go willingly, but once we're sure there's no baby I'll tie you up and carry you to Spring Hill myself, if I have to."
Baby. Her heart skipped a beat.
She was about to argue with him when a familiar voice bellowed from the dining room, "Where the hell is Sullivan?"
Chapter 15
Sullivan had been banned from the hotel by Jed, after being caught in the kitchen with Eden. Just as well. He couldn't look at her and not want her, and no matter what she thought, he knew no good would come of this so-called marriage.
Since he'd retreated to the saloon, the girls, all three of them, had tried to cheer him up. Ethel had been persistent and Kate had been bold in her suggestions. Laurel had set herself down on his lap again and called him Sully in her most seductive voice. He'd waved them off, one at a time. He didn't want to be cheered up, damn it, and he sure as hell didn't want to try to forget Eden with another woman. Right now he was content to wallow in his misery.
Another lively evening at the saloon was well underway when Cash pushed his way through the doors. His black attire was dusty. His usual calm had forsaken him for an intensity that seeped through his pores. The mood in the saloon dimmed. Even the girls steered clear as Cash strode to Sullivan's table.
"I have bad news," he said, choosing to stand over the table instead of sitting down. "The Merriweather brothers escaped while en route to San Antonio for trial. Killed a deputy and wounded a U.S. marshal. Tilton said he was just about to ride over here and warn you, since the brothers have been cursing your name and your lovely wife since the day he arrested them."
"I was afraid of that," Sullivan muttered as he stood. He would have to take this news to Jed and the others. Bad as this was, it was almost a relief knowing exactly who they were up against. An unseen enemy was the most dangerous; they all knew that too well.
"Not so fast," Cash said with a raised hand. "I have more bad news."
Sullivan sank into his chair, and Cash sat down, placing his forearms on the table and leaning forward. "They escaped three days ago, well after the first warning note was left for Eden. Now, if she will admit to writing that warning herself, we'll know we're only up against one enemy. If she doesn't..."
"She didn't write the note," Sullivan said, never more sure than he was at that moment.
"It's possible the Merriweathers don't know where to look for you and your wife just yet. But they know your name, and if
they ask the right questions in the right places, they'll be here soon enough; you can count on that. In addition to the Merriweathers seeking revenge, someone out there is trying to frighten Eden into leaving town. Once they discover she doesn't scare easily, the problem will only get worse." Cash brushed a spot of dust from his black sleeve. "How on earth did such a nice girl get herself into so much trouble?"
"We can't escort Eden out of town until we know where the Merriweathers are," Sullivan muttered. "Bushwhacking travelers is what they do, and she'd be too exposed on the trail, too vulnerable."
"So we sit tight, for the moment."
Sullivan laid his eyes on Cash, trying to read the gambler's face. As usual, it was damn near impossible. "You don't like her much."
"No."
"Why not?"
Cash gave the question some serious thought before answering. "I don't like her because she brings trouble wherever she goes. Women like her always do. I don't like her because she's trying to wrap you around her little finger. She's doing a fine job of it, by the way."
He feared Cash was much too close to the truth. "If we have to go do battle, are you with us?" he asked.
Cash lifted surprised eyebrows and almost smiled. "I consider a woman to be the worst possible reason to go to war, but if you need me, I'll be right beside you. We are not the most remarkable of men, Sullivan. We are, at times, selfish and callous and shiftless. But we are notable soldiers, and when the time for battle comes, there are none better. If there's a fight, I will not miss it."
"Thank you." Sullivan wondered how he could've ever suspected Cash of being so underhanded as to try to scare Eden out of town.