He’d just begun to turn when he stopped, as if by a hand to his arm.
She doesn’t know you love her. You’re giving up without a fight. That’s not the man I raised. Blake glanced around, stunned.
Go fight for what you want.
Was this just his wishful thinking? By now, she would have already said yes. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but Lesley was still on his knee.
I’ll never know, and I’ll always regret, he said to himself. That is a hotter hell then the first!
He strode forward. “You’re in my spot, Atkins. Move aside.”
Belle bolted to her feet, and Lesley scrambled up. Blake ignored the man and took Belle’s trembling hand, unable to miss seeing the huge diamond ring Atkins clenched in his fingers. He swallowed hard, hoping he wasn’t too late.
“Go away, Harding,” Lesley barked. “This doesn’t concern you. Do you have any brains at all?”
“Not many, but enough to know you could never love Belle the way I do. You could never make her as happy as I will. I may be a rancher without a college education, but Belle will always know how much she’s loved.”
He hadn’t taken his gaze from hers since he’d picked up her hand. She was silent, and he prayed she wasn’t about to break his heart. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the backs of her fingers. “I love you, Belle. Will you be my wife? At the moment, I don’t have a ring or a head full of fancy words, but I do have a heart full of love. That’ll never change, not even when I die.”
He swallowed, bracing himself for the worst.
She doesn’t want to hurt me, so doesn’t know what to say. Dear God in heaven, Belle. Say something!
“Y-yes. I’ll marry you.”
Lesley crowded in, thinking she was speaking to him.
Blake knew different. Her gaze hadn’t left his since he’d shown up. He swept her into his arms and twirled her around. Finding her lips, they kissed. His world came together in an earth-shattering burst of love. Such happiness was once in a lifetime!
“Belle!” Lesley screeched. He grabbed Blake’s arm and tried to pull it away. “I’ve been patient. It’s time you grew up and stopped acting like an imbecile. You were promised to me.”
Blake halted and lowered Belle to the ground. They both stared at Lesley.
“Promised?” she said, confused.
The man straightened up, anger burning deep in his eyes. “I should have known better than to trust Velma Crowdaire. I wouldn’t have spent a year on you, but her husband owed me gambling debts. You were their means of payment. A pretty wife whose monthly allowance would be mine—and then her inheritance too. I have no desire to own a ranch, and stay connected with your family, but fifteen thousand dollars would set us up for life, above and beyond what I already have.” His eyes gleamed with desire. “Think of it. I never planned to let you stay two months, let alone six . . .”
Under his arm, Belle trembled. Blake’s anger grew. How could Atkins hurt her like that?
“Don’t listen to him, Belle. All he has are words. And words can’t hurt you unless you let them. Who cares what his pathetic motives were.” In a swift move, he grasped Lesley’s shirtfront and pulled him close. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood tonight, Atkins. Get yourself off this ranch and out of town by tomorrow. I don’t care where you go or how you do it. If not, all those mean words you just said are going to get crammed back down your throat so far you’ll turn inside out. And I’ll enjoy doing it. Do I make myself clear?” Blake shoved him away. “Now get! And don’t set foot in Eden again.”
“I won’t go! Crowdaire owes me thousands. Harding, you don’t—”
Blake landed a punch that sent him reeling backward. He hit the bench and fell to the ground. It was a moment before he climbed to his feet, one hand covering his bloodied mouth.
“Get the cotton out of your ears, Atkins. I gave you fair warning. That’s how things are done around here.”
Blake held Belle until he was sure Atkins was good and gone. “I hope you won’t let that skunk ruin our night.” He lifted her back into his arms and twirled her once more, her lips too tempting not to take another kiss.
“I love you so much, Blake,” she whispered against his mouth as they turned slowly under the stars. “I don’t care about Lesley. This giddy happiness feels so good. I’ll never stop loving you, taking care of you, needing you. You’re my everything. I’m going to cry . . .”
A sound made Blake glance over his shoulder to see Belle’s sisters standing close, as well as Henry. Their eyes were shining with as much happiness as he felt in his heart.
“She said yes, everybody!” Blake called. “Imagine that.” He stole one more kiss before setting his wife to be on her feet. “You’ve made me the happiest man in Colorado, Miss Brinkman. I hope you know that.”
“I do,” she whispered up into his face. “And I will.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
Henry glanced at his calendar, marveling that Halloween was just two weeks away. He shuffled his papers together, put them neatly into the top drawer of his desk, and stood. He had a lunch appointment with Elizabeth. She’d been patient, but now he had a few answers for her. Taking his hat off the rack, he stepped outside to a clear, semi-sunny day. He was halfway down the stairs when Blake and Belle came galloping down the road at full tilt.
Blake saw him first and pulled up. Belle followed suit, having taken to a Western saddle like a drunk to whiskey.
Henry backtracked several steps to avoid the billowing cloud of dust they’d created. “You know better than that, Blake! I’m surprised at you,” he chastised. “You could run someone over.” Still, he couldn’t stop a wide grin. The two look so cute together now that they’ve finally stopped pretending they aren’t head over heels for each other. He glanced at Belle. “How do you like him?” he asked when Belle reached down to stroke Strider’s neck. John’s black gelding had never looked better.
She grinned at Blake, certainly unaware she had a streak of dirt across her cheek. “We’re good friends already. He can run like the wind.”
Henry narrowed his eyes at Blake. “You better not get her hurt.”
Blake shrugged. “You try and stop her. It’s a war all the time, and I’ve already lost. What will she be like after we’re married?”
Belle laughed, her heart in her eyes. She sidestepped her horse closer to Blake and laid her hand on top of his, which was resting on his saddle horn. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” she said in a sultry voice.
Blake actually blushed.
“Where’re you off to, Henry?” she asked. “We came into Eden to have lunch at the café and see Lavinia. That sister of mine has jumped right in. She loves spending time there.”
“Actually, that’s where I’m going as well. I have a lunch appointment with Elizabeth. We have business to discuss.”
“That’s a likely story,” Blake mumbled, then laughed when Belle wiggled her brows at Henry. “You two sure do a lot of ‘business’ together. I’ll ask you again. Is there something we should know?”
If Henry wasn’t such a coward, he’d admit to himself he had enjoyed dancing with Elizabeth at the party. She invoked in him something he’d never felt. Since that night, he hadn’t been able to keep his mind on his work. He shook his head. “Nope, nothing at all.”
“Well, we have several errands to take care of with the rebuilding of the leather shop before we head over. Maybe by the time we get there, you’ll be finished talking business and we could join you.”
“If we are, you’re more than welcome. You know that.”
Blake reined Banjo around. “Come on, my bonny Belle,” he said good-naturedly, smiling at his wife-to-be. “We have things to accomplish so we can eat with a clear conscience.”
Henry watched them ride away with a full heart. Both those young people deserved all the happiness they could find. Arriving at the café, Henry found Elizabeth already there, seated in one of the booths along the wall. He wasn’t a man prone to
feeling nervous, but he was at the moment.
“Elizabeth.” He sat and got comfortable. The smile she gave was one he’d grown used to. One he would miss if she decided to leave.
“Henry.”
There’s affection in her voice, or is that just wishful thinking?
They made small talk until Karen came out, took their order, and returned with tea for Elizabeth and coffee for him. They couldn’t avoid the topic any longer.
“Blake and Belle are in town today and may be in soon,” he said quietly. There were a few other diners, and he didn’t want to be overheard. “They’d like to join us if we’re through with business by the time they arrive.”
The Brinkman sisters had gone out of their way to make Elizabeth welcome in town. And even more, it seemed they were friends. He couldn’t imagine how things would play out. It might make this whole paternity business difficult when it came time to break the news.
She set her cup back in its saucer. “I’d like that.”
He nodded, fiddling with the fork on the table. “Okay, then we better get talking. I’ve had a reply from Judge Wesley in Denver. As far as he could, he’s corroborated your story about being in Denver at the time you stated by checking the hotel logs. Same with John. The waiter at the place you had supper had a local customer who recognized John Brinkman and a woman who fit your description. I’m prepared to go forward if you’re ready to tell the family. I don’t know what their reaction will be, but if I had to guess, I’d say they’ll believe you and welcome Johnny as their brother. If that’s what you want, I’ll make an appointment to gather them together.”
She stared at her teacup so long, Henry reached out and touched her hand.
She glanced up. “I’m sorry, Henry. I was just thinking.”
“It looked like more than that. If you’re too nervous to break the news, I’ll do it for you. That is, if you still stand by everything you’ve told me.”
Strange, it’s as if she’s avoiding my gaze.
“I can’t go through with it. And I don’t want you to either.”
Stunned, Henry sat back as if he’d been shoved.
“I’m confused,” he said slowly. “You can’t now? Or ever? What’s going on?”
Clearly rattled, Elizabeth took a sip of her tea, then resettled her cup in its saucer with a shaky hand. “Ever. I lied. Johnny isn’t John Brinkman’s son. As much as I wish he were, he’s not. The Brinkmans have been so kind to me. Taken me in under their wings. I just can’t go through with the deception.”
He looked away, flabbergasted. Sometime during the weeks she’d been in town, he’d come to believe Elizabeth’s story. As much as he wanted to be angry with her, he found that more than that, he wanted to understand.
“All right. How about you tell me what’s really going on? Can you do that?”
“I’m not proud of myself, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“That’s not what I’m thinking at all.” Maybe he didn’t have a right to know, but he felt like he did. He had been prepared to stand behind her and her story.
“I did meet John, just like I said. We had picnics in the park. All that was true. We were attracted to each other, but he was a gentleman. We had dinner, but that was all. I fell in love but knew we didn’t have a future.”
She looked down at her hands, her lips a tight, white line.
“You don’t have to tell me any more.”
“I do. You deserve to know. We left Denver that night in a panic because Mrs. Masters thought her husband had been caught in a compromising position, which later was proven false. Back in Virginia, once things were seemingly back to normal, one of Mr. Masters’s business associates was over. They’d been drinking. Late that night, he found his way to my bedroom.”
Alarmed, he reached over and covered her folded hands with his. “You don’t have to go on, Elizabeth.”
“I want to, Henry.” Her voice wobbled. “Telling the story for the first time to someone other than Mrs. Masters feels good. He forced me. When I found myself with child, everything else played out the way I told you. Everything except for the fact I used to pretend in my mind that John was Johnny’s father. I wished it true with all my heart. Wanting to avoid scandal, Mrs. Masters gave me the funds to move. I chose Denver, because that’s where I had good memories. You know the rest, about me seeing the newspaper with John’s image. I thought perhaps I could make a better life for Johnny by coming to Eden. We had so little, barely scraping by. I know what I did was wrong in every way. I feel so ashamed. I’m leaving town on Wednesday.”
Henry was still trying to digest the turn of events. Leaving? “Where will you go?”
“I don’t know yet. Anywhere. It doesn’t matter. I kept back monies for the stage in case I needed to leave. And thanks to you, I haven’t had to spend much. I can never thank you enough for all you’ve done. You’re a special man.”
In a daze, Henry felt himself shaking his head. “I haven’t done a thing. But I can. I know a lot of people here. Why don’t you stay in Eden, where you have friends? I can help you find work and housing.” And more.
“I can’t ask that of you.”
“Then do it for Johnny. Don’t go off into the unknown again.”
Too many men waiting to take advantage.
She shook her head. “Still, I just don’t think I—”
He reached across the table and picked up her hand, intent on changing her mind. “Then stay because I want you to, Elizabeth. Right now we’re friends, but I’d like there to be more.” He held up one hand when she opened her mouth to speak. “You don’t have to respond. Just know you’ll always have a friend in me, if that’s what you want.”
Karen approached with their plates, arranged the food, and left. After his emotional speech, Henry had no idea what else to say. He finally dared a look to find her staring at him. He didn’t know what to think.
“You’re sure?” she whispered.
“With all my heart.” Her face fell, and if he didn’t take action quickly, he knew she would dissolve into tears. “Belle will be here soon and want to know why you’re crying.”
Her eyes opened wide. “You’re right. We can’t have that.” Taking her napkin, she blotted the corner of each eye. A pretty smile blossomed. Without the strain of the unknown, she looked like a young girl.
Is Elizabeth my destiny? He didn’t know, but looked forward to finding out.
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
Belle’s hand nestled warmly in Blake’s. They walked toward the hotel in the crisp fall air, ready for a hearty lunch. What will Eden be like when it snows? She could hardly wait to find out. Her mind—free of the battle of what she should do with her life—felt happy, relaxed, and in love.
She’d never felt this way with Lesley. Never once in all the times they’d stepped out. She trusted Blake with her life . . . and more, with those of her sisters. How wonderful to have such faith in a person. Thank God I didn’t let Mavis talk us out of making the journey to Colorado. At the thought, she actually shuddered, making Blake glance down.
“You all right?”
The concern in his eyes over her small tremble made her smile. “I am now.”
His brow crinkled. Seemed that was happening a lot these days. He wasn’t used to a woman who teased. Ann had been sincere, calm, and loving, according to what Blake had shared. Belle found herself so giddy she wondered how Blake—or her sisters—could stand her. She hoped that feeling never went away.
Her smile faded. But it took Father’s death to bring this happiness. That was the only aspect that pricked her heart. Without him, she’d never have found Blake, and her future would be so different. Life is so strange. She sighed. There’s no explaining it.
They stopped at the mercantile, where a bright display in the window caught Blake’s eye. Facing it, he stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck.
“Blake!” Chills cascaded deep inside. “Stop this. What will people th
ink?”
“That we’re looking at the display, sweetheart.” He pulled her more tightly against him, making her breath come fast. “Isn’t that the most interesting set of cookware you’ve ever seen?”
She elbowed him, but that only made him laugh.
“Relax, there’s no one around.” He nuzzled below the other ear, making her light-headed. “Mmm, you sure smell good. What is that?”
“Sweat.”
“Really? That’s good. I’ll never have to buy you perfume.”
“Yes, you will, Blake Harding. You’re not getting off that easy.”
He laughed and turned her around. “I’m glad you’re so spunky. With you, life will never be boring.”
They were on their way again.
“I should hope not.”
Santiago and his father rode past. She smiled when they dipped their chins.
“What do you think about Santiago?”
“What about Santiago?”
“Surely you kid. He has eyes for Katie. I noticed it the first time they met.”
Blake swiveled, glancing back at the riders. “I don’t know. They’re both young. I’m sure it’s not what you think.” He pulled her to his side and glanced down at her. “But if it is?”
That was a good question. She liked Santiago, but she couldn’t picture Katie married to someone who owned a cantina. Then again, she’d never have pictured Katie owning a lumber mill either. Or herself a tannery. Life was a surprise.
Maybe it’s best to let life happen as it will.
Crossing the street, they entered the hotel and stepped into the café.
“There they are.” Belle gestured to Henry and Elizabeth sitting in a booth. “Looking like two little lovebirds, if I do say so myself. I wonder why he’s being so secretive about his feelings. She’s a beautiful woman, and you’ve seen how he’s taken to Johnny. Why, I think he loves that boy as much as she does.”
They made their way among the tables. Lavinia came through the kitchen door, a coffeepot in her hand. Her face lit up when she saw them.
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