by Judith Stacy
This certainly wasn’t Henry.
Tall, good gracious he was tall. With broad shoulders. A wide chest. Dark hair and piercing blue eyes. He was handsome in a rugged way, Anna decided. He wore dark trousers, a vest that fit snugly over a snowy white shirt and his black hat rode low on his forehead.
Their gazes locked and he stopped still in his tracks. He looked at her—hard.
Anna couldn’t move. She couldn’t even tear her gaze from his. Her mouth went dry and her heart pounded in her throat, and suddenly she became conscious of every wrinkle in her dress, every errant strand of hair, every flaw in her appearance from her long days on the train.
He hung back for another moment, then seemed to gather his strength. He walked over. Anna had to tilt her head back to see his face. Goodness, he was even more handsome up close.
Heat warmed her cheeks and she lowered her gaze, admonishing herself for having the thought. She had trouble remembering what Henry looked like at times, and here she was thinking another man attractive? What was wrong with her?
“Miss…Miss Kingsley?”
Anna dared raise her gaze once more. The man looked slightly dangerous, and none too happy about seeing her.
“Cade Riker,” he said. “Henry’s my cousin.”
“Oh.” A thread of relief wound through her. Yet her heart hadn’t slowed and she wasn’t sure she could compose a coherent sentence beneath the man’s blistering gaze.
“I, ah, I—” Cade stopped, cleared his throat, then jerked his chin toward the depot. “You need to come inside.”
Anna glanced around. The few people who remained on the platform took notice of Cade, then her, then every one of them ducked their heads and turned away.
“Is Henry—”
“Just come in here.”
Cade strode to the station door and waited. When she walked toward him, he watched her every step, making her oddly nervous. Heat rolled off of him as she passed by. She felt his gaze on her back; it made her knees unsteady.
A few people milled around the waiting room, while others slouched on the wooden benches. They all glanced at Anna, then looked away. The ticket agent behind his barred window did the same. When Cade opened the door to the stationmaster’s office, the man inside cast her a quick look, mumbled something to Cade, then hurried away.
Anna hoped the other people in Branford would give her a warmer welcome.
She stepped inside the small office. A row of windows opened to the street. Pedestrians passed by, along with horses, wagons and carriages.
The door closed behind her. Anna turned to face Cade. They were alone in the room. He still didn’t look happy.
“I’d like to see Henry now,” she said, her sense of unease rising.
Cade planted himself in front of her. He took off his hat and pressed it to his chest, then drew in a deep breath.
Still, he didn’t speak.
“Really, Mr. Riker,” Anna began, a little annoyed now. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see Henry—”
“Henry’s gone.”
Anna blinked up at him. “He’s—”
“Gone.”
She glanced around the office, as if she might spot Henry lurking in a corner. “Gone where?”
“Just gone,” Cade told her. “He’s not coming back.”
“Not—”
“Ever.”
“But….”
Cade pulled a folded handkerchief from his shirt pocket and thrust it at her. “Three days ago. Left a note. Not coming back. Said to tell you he’s sorry.”
Anna just stared at the man frowning down at her, holding out a handkerchief. Henry had left three days ago?
Three days ago she’d been on the train, trying to remember what he looked like.
Three days ago she’d been fantasizing about walking down the aisle in her grand wedding gown.
Three days ago she’d been imagining how she would use all the lovely gifts her friends had given her.
Three days ago—and many before and after—she’d suffered fits of anxiety wondering how she’d ever discover the secret of being a good wife.
And all the while Henry had been gone?
A wave of dizziness came over Anna, but she refused to give in to it. She couldn’t, however, fight off the awful feeling of shame.
Henry must have figured it out. He must have reread her letters and realized how unprepared she was to be a wife.
Humiliation washed over her. Somehow, Henry had known.
Cade stared down at his cousin’s intended, more than a little put out with the woman. Here he’d gone and taken time out of his busy day to meet her at the station, to break the news about Henry, news that caused so much pain to himself. He’d gone home first, washed, put on a fresh shirt. He’d remembered to bring a clean handkerchief for her. He made arrangements with the stationmaster to let them use his private office. He’d even thought up some consoling words, some nice things to say about Henry.
And the woman had yet to bat an eye or shed a tear. Here he stood with his hat in one hand and a clean handkerchief in the other, and she acted as if nothing were wrong.
“Try to calm down,” he told her.
That got a reaction. Her head snapped up and anger flashed in her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you don’t seem very upset about the fact that your husband-to-be is gone,” Cade told her. “I took the afternoon off and walked over here to break the news—”
“Oh, well excuse me for causing you so much inconvenience. I traveled two thousand miles, spent weeks on that wretched train, expecting to have a husband and a new life waiting for me. And all I find is you.”
“Henry’s my cousin. That makes you my responsibility,” Cade declared. “So I’m paying for your ticket back home out of my own pocket. I already checked the schedule and the next eastbound train will be through here in about an hour.”
Everything in Anna revolted. How could she go back to Virginia and face her family and friends after this?
“Keep your money, Mr. Riker. I have no intentions of going anywhere.”
“You’re staying? What the hell for?”
Why on earth wouldn’t this man leave her alone with her humiliation?
Anna dug deep, finding anger beneath her embarrassment.
“I’m staying because I choose to. Not that it’s any of your business,” she informed him.
Cade shook his head and mumbled a curse. “Fine, then. If you’re hell-bent on staying, I’ll find you a new husband.”
Another husband? Anna’s mind reeled at the thought. Henry hadn’t wanted her—in fact, he’d walked out on her before she’d even arrived. Would any man in town—or anywhere—be interested in her?
“You’ve just told me Henry is gone. Do you think I could marry someone else tomorrow?” Anna demanded.
“Well, hell, I don’t know.” He sighed tiredly. “All right, I’ll find you a job somewhere. Can you do anything?”
“I can do this.” Anna spun around, marched out of the office and slammed the door.
Footsteps pounded the boards of the platform behind her as Anna left the station. She knew it was that awful Cade Riker. Honestly, the nerve of the man. Why didn’t he just leave her alone?
She quickened her steps but he caught up easily and planted himself in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.
“Look, Miss Kingsley, I’ve got no time for this foolishness. You’re my cousin’s wife-to-be, so I’m willing to do the right thing. I’m taking responsibility for you.”
“You are not responsible for me!” Anna blurted the words, surprised to hear them come from her own mouth. “I’m responsible for myself.”
Cade looked at her as if he didn’t really comprehend what she’d said.
“Good day, Mr. Riker.” Anna stomped away, fuming.
She just wanted to get away. To have some privacy. To sort through what had happened.
“What are you doing?” Cade called.
Cade stopped at the edge of the platform, the extra height making him tower over her. “You don’t know where you’re going. Hell, you don’t even know where you are.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“I can’t let you just roam around town by yourself,” he said, coming down the steps, frowning.
Anna glared up at him. “Listen good, Mr. Riker, because I don’t intend to tell you this again. I don’t want your help. Stay out of my way or I’ll go to the sheriff. I’m sure he’ll be glad to help me once he finds out who I am. Henry Thornton was an important man in this town, you know.”
Cade paused. “He was?”
“Yes.” She threw the words at him. “He owns—owned—the lumber company, the biggest in the state.”
One of his eyebrows rose sharply. “Is that a fact?”
“It most certainly is. And not that it’s any of your business, Mr. Riker, but if I need any help, I’ll go to the lumberyard and speak with Henry’s employees. I’m sure they’ll be glad to assist me. Why, I’m sure they would even give me a job, if I ask.”
Cade pressed his lips together. “You think so?”
“I’m sure of it.”
“You’ve worked at a lumberyard before, have you?”
“Of course not. But I completed a full course of study at Miss Purtle’s Academy for Young Ladies in Virginia.”
“Miss Purtle’s Academy for Young Ladies, huh?” Cade nodded slowly. “I guess you’ll fit right in with the boys down at the lumberyard.”
“I’m sure I will.” Anna spun around and stomped away.
She walked two blocks, dodging men and women on the boardwalk, hardly seeing them, her mind in turmoil. She couldn’t remember ever meeting a man who instantly made her as angry as that Cade Riker did.
When she reached the next corner, Anna stopped and her anger drained away. She looked around. Businesses, people, wagons and horses. Nothing familiar. Nothing.
A rush of emotions rose in Anna. She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t know where to go. She’d left her family and home behind and come here expecting a new life, a new opportunity. And now she had none of that.
She’d been abandoned at the altar—almost. Left to suffer searing humiliation heaped atop the abandonment she felt.
Anna gulped quickly, trying to force down her emotions. A single tear escaped. Then another. She glanced around, spotted the entrance to another alley, then ducked inside.
The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the dirt lane. She dropped her satchel and gulped again. She’d never been able to hold off her tears. Anna folded her arms against the wooden building, buried her face in them and cried.
She sobbed until her tears ran out, then lifted her head and gasped.
Cade Riker.
He stood at her side, legs braced wide apart, hat pulled down low. Looking solid. Sturdy.
Their gazes locked. Cade stepped forward. He didn’t offer her a handkerchief this time. Instead he brushed away her tears with his big thumb. Anna let him.
He slid his arms around her. She let him do that, too.
The hard muscles of his chest and arms sapped her strength. Anna moved against him and turned her face up. She smelled his scent—soap and cotton. She saw the dark whiskers on his chin.
He leaned down. His mouth hovered above hers; his hot breath puffed against her lips. She didn’t pull away.
Cade kissed her.
His mouth covered hers, hot and moist. He deepened the kiss and drew her closer, holding her against him, their bodies, their mouths melting together. Anna curled her fists into his vest and held on.
He pulled away, finally, and the cool air in the alley drifted between them. He held her gaze for another moment, then turned and walked away, leaving Anna alone once more.
Chapter Three
Cade stepped up on the covered porch of the building that housed his office, and went inside. Much of his time was spent here. But this morning something rebelled in him, urging him to go elsewhere. He didn’t know where.
Or maybe he did.
Cade shook off the unwelcome thought and decided he was just tired. He hung his hat on the peg beside the door and crossed to the little stove in the corner. He hadn’t slept much last night. Worries about the business had kept him tossing and turning, along with visions of Anna Kingsley.
He’d kissed her. Cade warmed at the memory. Yet what the hell had he been thinking?
He took a cup from the shelf and poured it full of thick coffee from the pot atop the stove. He’d kissed Anna Kingsley. On the mouth. Kissed her and held her, and felt her soft—
“Did you get Miss Kingsley taken care of?”
Cade whipped around at the sound of Ben’s voice, sloshing coffee from his cup, and saw his brother sitting at his desk across the room. Cade hadn’t realized he was there.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Cade demanded.
Ben raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing,” Cade barked.
Ben rose from his desk, grabbed a linen towel off the peg beside the stove and handed it to Cade. “You’re a bear this morning—even worse than usual.”
Cade took the towel, dried the lukewarm coffee from his hand and mopped up the spill from the floor.
“I’ve got a lot on my mind, that’s all.” He stewed for minute, then blurted, “I kissed her.”
Ben frowned. “Kissed who?”
“Miss Kingsley.”
“You kissed her? You were supposed to tell her about—”
“I know, I know.” Cade winced. “I don’t know what the hell happened. One minute she was yelling at me—”
“She yelled? At you?” A little grin pulled at Ben’s lips. “Damn…”
“Then the next thing I know, I’m kissing her.”
“Was it a peck on the cheek? A brotherly sort of kiss?”
“Not hardly,” Cade grumbled.
“This just proves what I’ve been telling you,” Ben said, shaking his head. “You’re spending too much time worrying about the business.”
Cade didn’t answer, just moved to his desk and dropped into his chair. Courting a woman was the farthest thing from his mind. Even with Ben’s help, he could barely handle the daily operation of the fast-growing company, the problems with customers and orders, the situations that constantly arose with employees. He had Kyle to look after, too.
And, of course, the latest problem, which he hadn’t any idea how to handle.
“I thought that you telling her about Henry yourself would…” Ben stopped and shook his head. “I thought it would help you deal with…what happened. So did you finally get around to breaking the news to her about Henry?”
Cade nodded. “Yeah, I told her. She didn’t even cry.”
“Guess you got off lucky, not having to go through a crying jag with her,” Ben mused. “Sounds like she’s a strong woman. No wonder Henry wanted her for his wife.”
Cade had thought it odd when Henry had announced that he’d found himself a wife in Virginia. He’d spoken of this Anna Kingsley after returning from his trip, but never indicated he and the woman had deep feelings for each other.
Cade had been surprised when Henry told everyone that the woman had agreed to marry him. Surprised and a little suspicious. The whole thing just didn’t sit right with Cade.
But he went to the saloon that night along with the other men to toast the groom-to-be. Cade didn’t drink, usually, but he made an exception on this occasion.
Now, after meeting Anna Kingsley, he wondered if his unease that night had been caused by something else entirely.
He shrugged. “I offered to help her, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Claimed she could handle things herself.”
“Somebody who didn’t want something from you?” Ben utter
ed a short laugh. “That must have been a relief.”
Actually, it annoyed him, Cade realized. The woman was out of her element here in the West. She knew no one, had no place to live. He doubted she’d learned anything useful in that academy for young ladies she claimed she’d attended.
But she’d insisted she could handle things herself. Shouted it at him, actually.
Suspicion once again crept into Cade’s thoughts. Was there another reason Anna had refused to return to Virginia?
“So what are you going to do?” Ben asked.
Cade had already mulled it over and knew there was only one thing he could do. He owed her an apology.
Surely she’d been in shock when he’d delivered the news of Henry’s abandonment, and that was the reason for her odd reaction. He’d judged her too harshly.
He wasn’t very proud of himself for the way he’d handled everything. He’d lain awake last night thinking about what had happened at the train station and in the alley.
Mostly about what happened in the alley.
Cade shifted in the chair as the same stirring that had kept him awake made itself known. Strong, urgent desire.
“I’m going to find her. See how she’s holding up. Make sure she’s all right,” Cade said, deciding to keep his planned apology to himself.
“Better make it quick. She’ll head back East soon.”
“Didn’t sound like she wanted to,” Cade said.
“She’ll go,” Ben said. “She’s got no reason to stay here. I’d give it a week or two and she’ll be gone.”
A week or two? Gone, never to return?
Cade drummed his fingers against his cold coffee cup. Maybe Anna Kingsley could do him some good before she left.
Cade Riker.
Anna came awake, annoyed that after her first night in weeks snuggled in a real bed, Cade Riker would pop into her mind right away.
She rolled over, enjoying the feel of the soft feather mattress. When she’d stumbled out of the alley yesterday afternoon, Anna had spotted the Harrington Hotel. The woman at the registration desk, Mrs. Harrington, had gasped aloud when Anna explained why she was there. She’d come around the desk, hugged Anna and expressed her sympathy over Henry’s desertion. Most everyone in town, according to Mrs. Harrington, knew Henry was expecting a bride from back East.