by Ivy McAdams
She pulled back to look at him, but his hands were already on her face, in her hair, claiming her even as his lips found hers. He tasted like heaven, a familiar sensation she’d been longing for. Electricity sparked through her, and she hopped into his arms as he lifted her from the ground.
“I thought I’d never kiss you again,” he groaned between feverish kisses.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and choked back a threatening spring of tears as she ran her fingernails down his back. “I couldn’t live with the thought of it,” she whispered.
“You’ll never have to again.”
* * *
Clay stopped Georgene on the edge of the trees, and Sadie could feel the tension grow heavy in his muscles. The afternoon sun cast the group of tents and horses grazing along the perimeter of the clearing in a warm orange glow. A familiar soft rumble of voices and the casual ambiance of camp life reached them, and Sadie's heart swelled. She'd never imagined she'd miss it when she'd first been brought to the camp. That she'd ever turn her life upside down to run back to it.
She lifted her cheek from Clay’s shoulder and sat back as he dismounted. He was just sliding her down to join him when someone among the tents shouted.
They turned as one to find Clara marching toward them with a beaming smile and open arms.
“Sadie Tanner, as I live and breathe. I never thought I’d see your face again.”
Sadie grinned, overwhelmed by the rush upon seeing Clara. She hurried past Clay and into the other woman’s arms, hugging her right back.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t,” she panted into Clara’s shoulder.
The blonde held her at arm’s length with a toothy grin. “I knew you two were inseparable forces. It was only a matter of time until you crashed together.” Clara’s nose wrinkled as she winked.
A blush crept into Sadie’s cheeks. “I’m glad you had faith in it. It was a frightening ordeal at times.”
Clara waved the thought away. “Of course. Love is a risk. You wouldn’t be normal if you weren’t a little afraid.”
Sadie wanted to mention that she hadn’t heard of love typically including shootouts, but Clay stepped up behind her and stole her thoughts away.
“Look what the beautiful lady dragged in,” Clara scoffed, popping her hip out. “I was starting to think we weren’t going to see you again either.”
Sadie frowned, glancing over her shoulder at Clay. He gave a stiff nod.
“Thanks for the welcome.”
“Oh, I’m happy to see you for sure, but I may be the only one. Come on.”
Clara led the way into the tent clusters, and Sadie’s hand found Clay’s. He held tight to her fingers as she leaned into his arm to whisper.
“What happened, Clay?”
“I haven’t been back to camp since I lost you. They probably think I’m dead.”
Her insides clenched, and she tugged on his arm, bringing him to a stop in the shade of a stray tree.
“That was days ago,” she hissed. “Where have you been?”
He regarded her with a quiet reserve. "Emerald Falls. Here and there. Keeping watch over the Murphy plantation."
“Are you crazy? Aren’t you supposed to lay low after you rob someone?”
“Sure. But what if someone robs me? Am I supposed to just go home and forget about it?”
Her voice disappeared, gone with her breath. She pulled harder on his arm and snagged the back of his neck, pressing a possessive kiss to his lips. His words settled deep within her bones, but she had no reply to his confession.
He’d waited for her. Watched out for her. Risked his life to remain near her.
She wished she’d been so loyal.
She was happy to spend the rest of her life making it up to him.
Clay’s lips hummed softly into her kiss, and he rested his forehead against hers.
Clara cleared her throat, and Clay looked up. A crowd was heading toward them. Ace led the way, followed by a scowling Tom and a few other men. Ginny and Bridget hurried along behind them.
“Clay Pearson,” Ace boomed, arms open wide but one of his brows tilted in question. “I was starting to think someone had picked you up. Thank goodness you made it home, and with a visitor I see.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Tom barked, pushing his way up alongside Ace and glaring at his brother.
“I’m coming home after a few days on the prairie,” Clay said with an annoyed edge in his voice. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
“Happy? You didn’t follow through on getting this girl to St. Aspen on time. Probably blew our deal wide open. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking I didn’t give a shit about the deal. She’s not for sale. It was a bad deal anyway.”
Tom’s face contorted with rage, and he puffed up, stepping up to Clay. “You think my idea was shit? We could have gotten a lot of money for her if you hadn’t ruined it. You were on board in the beginning! What the hell happened?”
Sadie felt so small next to the yelling men, and Clay’s hand was crushing hers. When he bowed up against Tom, she let go and took a step back.
“You want to know what happened? When you heard that man’s name on the train, you spun off into one of your brilliant ideas. That’s fine. I like to contribute to Ace’s cause as much as the next guy, but your scheme quickly went from kidnapping that man to taking him and his innocent daughter. Then you got him killed!”
The tendons in Clay’s neck were standing out, and she fought the urge to reach out and smooth her fingers over them to calm him. But he was in no state for soothing.
“I didn’t,” Tom spat. “The idiot got shot. And not by me.”
“It was your idea,” Clay growled. “Your responsibility. The deal went sour. It was a flop. We can pick up a new one.”
“The hell with that,” Tom snarled. “I’ll take her in myself.” He reached a hand over to snag Sadie’s sleeve.
Clay’s body snapped. Sadie gasped as he leapt forward, and Tom’s fingers were snatched away from her. Clay slammed his brother back against the tree next to them, pinning him by his throat.
Tom’s wide eyes blinked and rolled as he collected his bearings. When Clay’s fingers squeezed around his neck, they snapped to him.
“You will not lay a finger on her,” Clay breathed. “She’s not a part of your plan any longer. She’s mine.”
A primal satisfaction writhed within Sadie’s chest, and she couldn’t help but reach out to Clay’s free hand. It rested just behind his revolver, and she wound her fingers with his. His body eased at her touch, and he turned to look back at her.
“Come on, Clay. He’s your brother,” she murmured.
Dirty pig of a man or not, Tom was the last family Clay had left. She ran her fingers over his knuckles and coaxed him away. Clay turned to glare back at his brother and released him. Tom cleared his throat, straightening his shirt without looking up at either of them. Then he turned and strode away.
The group stood in silence a moment before Ace stepped forward.
“I’m just glad to see you back in one piece, my friend.” He clapped Clay on the shoulder, draining most of the tension from his body.
“I’m sorry I ruined the plan.”
Ace nodded with tight lips. As he began to speak, Sadie stepped forward.
“It wouldn’t have mattered,” she said. “My aunt would never have paid you.”
Ace frowned with a perked eyebrow.
“She did write you back. I found the letter while we were in town. It’s...well, it’s gone now, but Clay read it too.”
Clay nodded. “I did. She said she refused to send any money.”
Ace let out a long breath as he rubbed at the dark hair on his chin. “Then it sounds like everything ended as it should have. We weren’t going to get paid, and Miss Tanner here needed a new family.”
The smile on Ace’s face was more genuinely friendly and welcoming than she’d ever seen it. It moved her
to a place of even greater peace, and she smiled back.
“Welcome to our camp, my dear,” he said, taking her hand. “Again.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Clay cleared his throat, narrowing his eyes and giving Ace a jaunt of his chin. Ace let go of Sadie with a grin and hands in the air.
“Of course. Well, I’m sure you both have plenty of stories for us. Shall we gather around the campfire for dinner?”
Clay smiled. “Wouldn’t miss it. We’ll be right there.”
Ace gave a two-finger salute, and the gang meandered back into the center of camp.
Clay pulled Sadie in close, and she slipped into his arms, feeling on top of the world and the most grounded she'd ever been. He leaned in close, sliding the brim of his hat along the top of her head and shrouding them both in the shadow of the afternoon sun.
“Bet you’re glad I waited around the plantation like an idiot now, hmm?” he breathed.
She chuckled, rubbing her nose along his. His lips captured hers and stole her breath away.
“Thank you for believing in me,” she whispered across his lips, “you stubborn ass.”
His chuckle was deep and warm. “I love you, Sadie Tanner.”
Her body ignited in excitement and an influx of emotion. She trailed her fingers down his cheek as she kissed him again. “I love you too.”
He lifted her off the ground and spun a lazy circle with her cradled against his chest, a warm smile on his face. “You’ll never be without a family or love again.”
Epilogue
Sadie stood alongside Clay in the cool morning air, pressed in against his ribs and nestled under his arm. On his other side, he propped an elbow on a long-handled shovel and admired his handy work.
“It looks perfect, Clay. Thank you,” she said.
The yellow daffodils she’d picked on the way that morning swayed in the breeze up against the wooden cross Clay had erected there beneath a wide, old aspen tree. She’d helped him build the cross the day before and carve the large letters into the grain.
Jed Tanner it read in neat scroll, just below the etching of a single sprawl of an elk antler Clay had carved with a railroad tine. Sadie hadn’t known he could create such beautiful things, and she’d leaned over him the entire hour it’d taken him to produce the perfect marker for her father’s grave.
Or at least, Jed Tanner’s grave.
She wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to come to terms with the truth about Papa. He’d loved her, and she’d loved him, and no proof in letters would change that.
No amounts of troubled past would change her direction now. After three days of living in the Van den Berg camp as a new member rather than a prisoner, she felt like part of the family. Three days of living in Clay’s tent had been even better.
He’d taught her so many ways to love a body and a soul. She was drunk on learning him.
More than that, she was thankful. She’d found her place in the world and gained a community after all, and she couldn’t be happier.
“Thank you for all of this,” she whispered, rubbing her nose into the hollow of his shoulder. “Taking care of my father.”
“Of course,” he said, voice deep and raspy in her hair.
“And for taking care of me.” She found his eyes. The deep blue ones that still sent electricity through her like a chill. “I never knew my life could be so happy and fulfilled until I met you.”
He rested a palm against her cheek, running his thumb over her nose and lip. “I should thank you for the same. My life before you was answering to Tom and Ace. I didn’t question it. I had nothing worth fighting for.”
She smiled, and he leaned forward to kiss her. She melted against him.
When his lips broke from hers, she could feel his smile, then his breath. “Let’s go home.”
Thank you for reading!
I hope you enjoyed Sadie and Clay’s adventure in finding love in the Wild West! I love getting lost on the wild frontier, following the cowboys and outlaws as they attempt to navigate the right side of the law. Above all else, we all need a little love! And you know who else in Emerald Falls deserves a little genuine affection? Why the local reformed prostitute of the Van den Berg gang, Ginny, of course.
If you enjoyed the beginning of the Emerald Falls series, please consider leaving a review. Word of mouth is a book’s best friend! Even a single small sentence helps spread its love around.
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To catch up with Ginny, check out Seduced by a Wrangler or read ahead for a preview of her story!
The Emerald Falls series continues with Seduced by a Wrangler.
Turn the page to read a sample now!
Ginny meets Noah…
The saloon itself was in good shape, faded paint on the walls, sturdy columns in the middle of the wide room to accommodate the second floor above, and large paintings hanging along any wall not containing a window. A piano with an energetic older man bouncing on the keys stood against the wall opposite the bar and a few tables with chairs dotted the floor. The one closest to the front window had drawn a crowd around what sounded like a game of poker.
Men lingered here and there around the room, some speaking and laughing with one another, some hovering next to ladies dressed in lacy dresses that pushed their bosoms up and out and showed far too much leg.
Things Ginny used to wear, including those fake smiles and batting eyelashes.
Thank goodness those days were behind her.
She'd take the thin lavender dress she wore, nearly day in and day out, over all that mess any day.
Those fancy clothes came at a high price.
As she made her way further into the saloon, a cloud of smoke hit her and she coughed into her elbow. Her eyes burned, and she struggled to get past a pair of smokers and over to the bar.
The smell of tobacco and sweat was strong, and she pressed the back of her wrist beneath her nose. Just as she reached the bar, however, something else hit her. Something much more pleasant. She dropped her arm and drew in a deep breath, casting her eyes side to side. She started when the man she'd just past looked up from his drink.
His faded brown wide-brimmed hat lifted, and his light eyes met hers.
For a moment her breath was gone. His soft blue eyes were shadowed by his hat, but she didn't miss them twitch left and right, as if unsure where to settle. His jaw was firm, smooth but for a whisper of dark hair on his chin, and his lips looked soft and inviting. He had to be one of the best looking cowboys she'd run into in a bar.
The thought sent a roll of butterflies through her stomach.
But why was he looking at her like that?
Had he heard her sniff him?
An itchy warmth spread into her cheeks, and she chuckled aloud to herself as she perched against the bar a few feet away from him. She didn't make a habit of smelling men, but she thought about walking by him twice.
She tilted her chin in his direction.
"Hey."
His eyes moved again, creasing a little at the edges when they settled on her, then he tilted his chin up. "Hey."
His voice was deep and rolled like a well-oiled wagon wheel.
She smiled at him. "What you drinking?"
He peered down at the clearly labeled bottle of beer in his hand. "Carters Beer."
One of her eyebrows perked as she leaned further into the bar. "Sounds good. Hey, I'll have one of those." Her voice lifted as she snagged the bartender.
A man in faded overalls glanced between her and the cowboy and turned to fetch the drink.
"Here," a woman called as she carried in a wide crate. She was tiny, her long black hair flowing well past her waist, but set the wooden box of beers down without so much of a grunt. "We're out up here."
The bartender pulled a bottle free, popped the lid, and slid it across the bar to Ginny.
She caught it in her open palm and lifted it toward the cowboy in a to
ast-like manner. "A fresh one. Perfect."
His eyebrows went up a fraction, but he offered no other friendly signs.
What a stick in the mud, she thought as she lifted the beer to her lips. It wasn't as smooth as she'd hoped, but it was way better than whiskey.
When she lowered the bottle to the bartop again, she tried to keep her eyes on the stacks of bottles behind the bartender. Mostly whiskeys, a few bourbons and gins. A bowl of apples and almonds.
Over her shoulder men milled about the saloon. Three in a nearby corner guffawed so loud her insides clenched. Her eyes lingered on them, curious as to what had caused the outburst, but they returned to a normal level of speaking that she couldn't catch.
Nothing caught her eye like the cowboy at the bar. He was beautiful.
And she'd seen her fair share of men.
Even if he didn't seem up for conversation at the moment, she couldn't help herself. Her eyes and her energy were drawn to him. Another few words wouldn't hurt.
She leaned toward him again, a growing smile on her face. "You from around here, or you just―”
Two boisterous men in wide hats pushed their way up to the bar, nearly knocking her to the side and cutting off her communication to the cowboy. She stared with wide-eyes, unsure whether to be relieved that she hadn't been trampled or irked that they'd ruined her one-sided conversation.
She tilted her head, peering through the loud strangers to find that the cowboy's head was lifted again, and he was looking at her. Nerves fluttered in her stomach, and she grinned.
While the bartender brought the strangers their drinks, she sipped on hers. When they stepped away, she slid down the length of the bar to stand next to the cowboy. Before she could finish her question, he spoke.
"I'm just passing through."
She nodded, a small pang of disappointment settling in her chest, though why she had no idea. He was just some stranger in a saloon. What did she care if he was merely passing through?