by Judith Stacy
“Anna…”
She tightened her arms around his neck and locked her lips on his. Cade scooped her up and laid her on the bed she’d already turned down for the night. Looking at her in the lantern light, he wanted to bury himself in her body, in her soul, in her life.
Cade pulled off his boots, then stripped off his clothes and stretched out beside her. She snuggled against him and he saw the passion burning in her eyes.
He kissed her and pulled her nightgown off. His hands sought her shapely curves. She moaned against his chest and pressed her palms against the hard muscles. Her fingertips roamed him, shyly. Their bodies matched perfectly, her curves molding against his taut, straight lines.
Cade rose above her and eased himself between her thighs and into her body. Anna grasped his powerful shoulders, holding him with all her strength as he moved within her. She couldn’t think, only feel.
Faster he moved, pushing her higher, driving her upward until the aching throb within her broke in great pulsing waves, consuming her.
Cade held back until his whole body screamed for release, for the exquisite relief only Anna could provide. Then he lost himself in the depth of her, over and over.
“I have to go.”
Cade muttered the words against her ear as she lay curled in his arms. She’d fallen into a light sleep after they’d made love.
“I can’t stay here,” he said, easing away from her and sitting up on the bed.
Without him at her side, the night air chilled her. Anna drew the quilt over her.
“I know,” she said, stroking his bare arm.
He rose and searched through the room, finding the clothing he’d thrown off only a short time ago.
“Don’t worry about coming over to make breakfast in the morning,” he said, pulling on his clothes. “We’ll manage.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said, pushing herself up on her elbow. “Of course I’ll—”
“No. I don’t want Kyle to see us together so soon…after, and get any ideas.”
“Oh,” she said, a little embarrassed, but not surprised that Cade’s concern would be for his brother—and her, too, really. “I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll make supper.”
Cade looked around the room, making sure he’d gathered everything that belonged to him, then blew out the lantern.
“Good night,” he said, and left.
When he reached the back porch he closed the door solidly behind him and faced the darkness.
Cade pulled in deep breaths of fresh air. Good God, what had he just done?
Chapter Eleven
As Anna got supper on the table she glanced out the kitchen window, watching for Cade. She’d spent most of the day doing just that. She hadn’t seen him since he’d left her bedroom last night, but he hadn’t been out of her thoughts. All day she’d stolen glances out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of him at the lumberyard. She hadn’t.
Turning back to the stove, Anna pulled the roast from the oven. She’d taken extra care with tonight’s supper, wanting to prepare something special for Cade. Her mother’s recipe for roast with potatoes, carrots and onions was always delicious. She knew he’d love it.
Footsteps sounded on the back porch. Anna’s heart thudded as she watched the door. She tried to steel herself, fearful she’d blush at the sight of him, but failed. After what they’d shared last night, Anna knew she could never keep her feelings in check around him again.
Disappointment swamped her as Ben and Kyle walked into the kitchen.
“Get washed up,” Ben said to his brother, hanging his hat and the keys in their spot near the door. “And throw those clothes out the window. They’ll stink up the whole place.”
Dirty and sweaty, his shoulders slumped, Kyle stumbled into the washroom and closed the door. It seemed the punishment Cade had given him for missing school had worn him out.
“Where’s Cade?” Anna asked, trying not to sound anxious.
“I don’t know. He’s been yelling and grousing all day. He hasn’t been in a mood this foul in a long time,” Ben said, as he washed his hands at the kitchen pump.
“Is it because of the broken saw?” Anna asked.
“Maybe. He was going to see Charles Proctor at the bank about a loan. That’s enough to put anybody in a bad mood.” He dried his face and laid the towel aside.
They sat at the table together. A few minutes later Kyle staggered out of the washroom wrapped in a towel, and headed upstairs. Anna doubted they’d see him again tonight.
If Ben knew, or suspected, what had gone on between her and Cade last night, he gave no indication of it. He talked about the lumberyard, then stayed to help her with the dishes. After that, he changed clothes and left.
Anna lingered, anxious to see Cade, sure he’d be home any minute. She’d never known him to miss supper, or stay out late. But after an hour passed with no sign of him, Anna went home. He would come to her with he finished with his business, she knew.
She made a fresh pot of coffee for him, then busied herself rearranging the flowers in the kitchen window.
How she loved this house. Anna smiled as she recalled the wonderful moments she’d experienced, though she’d lived here only a short while. Times with Cade. Talking, laughing, having coffee.
And last night, of course.
Anna felt her cheeks heat at the memory. Yet she felt no shame, no remorse for what she’d done. Why should she? She loved Cade.
How could she ever leave him, or this place? She’d left her own home in Virginia so easily. Anna couldn’t imagine not living here forever.
Kyle flashed into Anna’s mind as she got two coffee cups from the cupboard and placed them beside the stove. A smile grew on her lips, sure she knew the reason now that he wouldn’t stay in school.
Suddenly, she couldn’t wait to tell Cade. She wished he’d hurry over. She wanted nothing more than to tell him she’d solved this problem, to relieve his worry, make things better for him.
In that instant, she wished, too, that she could buy him the new saw he needed for the lumberyard, solve all the matters that troubled him.
Of course, she could be facing matters of her own that needed attention, Anna realized. She touched her palm to her belly and smiled. Was she carrying his child?
She couldn’t think of a better place to bring a baby into the world. Here, in this house. With Cade, who’d shown, through his care and patience with Kyle, that he would make a wonderful papa.
Anna went up the staircase to the second floor. She lit the lantern on the wall and stood in the doorway, images of a child’s bedroom filling her mind.
The stacks of boxes in the corner caught her eye. On the day she’d moved in she’d realized these were Henry’s belongings. She wanted to return them to Cade.
Carrying the lantern, she knelt and dug through the boxes. Books, a couple of shirts, a pair of boots that had seen better days, and several thick stacks of papers.
Thinking them family correspondence, Anna pulled the papers from the box, intending to tie them with ribbons. Her hands stilled when she read the top sheet.
Receipts. Dozens of them for supplies ordered by the Branford Lumber Company. Why weren’t these at the office?
Anna’s mother had kept the books for her father’s business and Anna had been so intrigued she’d learned the trade herself at Miss Purtle’s Academy. She could think of no reason why this record of company expenses would be here.
Unless…
A chill swept up Anna’s spine. Henry had lied to her about owning the business. Cade had said the financial problems at the lumberyard started a few months ago.
Would a liar limit himself to one single lie? One deception? She thought not.
Anna flipped through the receipts, debating on what action to take. If she suspected Henry had been skimming money from the company, she needed to find out for sure. Her heart soared at the possibility of solving Cade’s problem, being the one to help him, end his worry.
; Yet she couldn’t take unfounded suspicions to him. Henry was, after all, family. Cade valued family above all else. She wouldn’t accuse his cousin without proof.
And, too, she needed to keep this possibility quiet in case she proved it correct. What would happen if word got out that he couldn’t handle his employees, his money, his finances? A lack of confidence from prospective customers might ruin his business.
Anna gathered the receipts, took the lantern and left the room. She’d find out for herself. And once she knew the truth, she could present her findings to Cade.
He would be so happy with her.
“Oh, Henry…” Anna whispered in despair as she sat behind Cade’s desk at the lumberyard office. She’d used the key that always hung by the back door at the Riker house, and let herself in. The lantern beside her cast a flickering pool of light as she went over the company books.
Just finding the ledgers had been a difficult task. Neither Cade nor Ben, it seemed, put much stock in organizing such things. And they hadn’t kept up on the entries, either, she noticed after she finally found the ledgers and went through them. No entries had been recorded since Henry left.
But his presence was felt now, long after his abrupt departure. As she’d suspected, Henry had stolen money from the company. A great deal of money.
Using the receipts she’d found in her upstairs bedroom—which, surely, Henry had forgotten all about when he’d left town in such a hurry—she compared the amounts due each supplier to the figure Henry had entered in the ledger. They weren’t the same. Henry had consistently written a higher figure in the ledger and, apparently, pocketed the difference.
Anna’s heart ached at the discovery. Cade had trusted Henry because he was family. And Henry had taken advantage of that trust to the point where it now jeopardized the very existence of the company.
Why would Henry do such a thing? Anna’s stomach knotted as she realized the worst. Had she played a part in this deception? With her on the way to California to marry Henry, had he needed more money?
She looked back through the entries once more, this time paying closer attention to the dates. A chill ran up her spine. The thefts had started not long after she’d written to Henry, accepting his marriage proposal.
What sort of man would steal from his cousins in order to provide for a new wife?
And what sort of person was she to have been so completely taken in by Henry?
Anna sat back, drawing in a heavy breath. She’d wanted proof of her suspicions and she had it. Now, at least, Cade could see the cause of his financial troubles. With this money drain ended, the company would pull itself out of the hole in short order. She’d solved the problem, yet the thought of breaking the news to Cade brought her no pleasure.
Maybe she should tell Ben first? Maybe he would rather handle the situation himself, tell Cade in his own way—
The back door burst open with such force that Anna jumped and spun around in her chair. Cade stood in the doorway.
“Oh, it’s you. Thanks goodness…” She pressed her hand to her chest as if that might still her runaway heart.
“What are you doing in here?” he demanded.
A sharp edge hardened his voice, one Anna had never heard before. It alarmed her.
“I’m…I’m checking on something,” she said, not wanting to blurt out the truth.
Cade circled the desk, glaring down at her. His gaze bounced over ledgers, the receipts, the pencil in her hand.
“What the hell are you up to?”
The venom in his tone and the glare in his eyes took Anna aback. What was he thinking?
“I’m going over the company books,” she explained. “I—”
“You’re what? Who said you could come in here? Who told you to look at the books?” he demanded. “How did you get in here?”
“I took the key from the house,” she said. “Look, Cade, look at what I’ve—”
“I knew you were up to something.” Cade drew away, looking at her in a whole different way now.
Anna’s blood ran cold. “You think I’m sneaking around here, looking at your books so I can do what—steal from you? Is that the kind of person you think I am?”
“I wondered why you agreed to marry Henry,” Cade told her. “You thought he owned the company, that he had money. Is that what you’re in here checking on? Trying to find out if I was telling you the truth about our financial problems?”
Anna sprang from her chair and opened her mouth to speak. But no words came out. Raw emotion filled her—hurt, anguish, disappointment, outrage. Plus the very old feeling ingrained in her since she was a child—that she was unworthy to be trusted, relied upon or counted on for help. Useless.
Anna left the office without a word.
“Where’s Miss Anna?”
Cade glanced up from the pan of eggs he was scrambling as Kyle came into the kitchen. “She’s not here.”
“She wasn’t here yesterday morning, either,” Kyle said, concern in his voice. “Why not?”
Cade held on to his patience as he lifted the eggs onto the plates alongside a slice of ham. The last thing he wanted was to explain anything to Kyle.
“She’s just not coming over this morning,” Cade said.
Ben strolled into the kitchen, then stopped when he saw Cade at the stove. “Where’s Anna?”
“She’s not coming,” Kyle said, none too happily.
“Why not?” Ben asked.
“Because she’s not.” Cade slammed the pan down on the stove and stormed out the back door.
He felt like hell. He hadn’t slept last night. Everything hurt—his stomach, his head…his heart.
How could he have been such a fool—again? Fallen in love with a woman he barely knew, let his heart overrule his head? Just like before. He’d let his guard down, let Anna into his life. And she’d betrayed him. Just like in Texas.
“Cade!”
Ben approached, causing Cade to wince. He didn’t intend to tell anyone about this, not even his brother.
“What’s going on?” Ben asked.
“Nothing.”
Ben didn’t say anything more, just looked at him. Patience and family ties ran deep and strong among the Rikers, and Cade was too weary to fight it.
“I was such a damn fool ….” He looked away, shaking his head. “I caught Anna in the office last night, going over our books.”
“What was she doing that for?” Ben asked, genuinely puzzled.
“I had a bad feeling about her right from the start,” Cade said. “I shouldn’t have trusted her.”
“What reason did she give for going through the books?”
Cade shrugged. “None.”
“Did you ask her?”
“I didn’t have to. It was obvious to me that she came here in the first place because she thought Henry owned the business and had money. She was checking up on it.”
“Oh, that’s nice, Cade. Smart, too.” Ben shook his head in disgust, then headed toward the lumberyard office.
Cade walked the other way.
He spent most of the morning yelling at people who didn’t deserve it, throwing things and taking his foul mood out on anybody unfortunate enough to cross his path. He told himself over and over that he’d done the right thing. Even if it hurt like hell. Even if he loved her.
Cade finally ended up at the lumberyard office. He found Ben at his desk, ledgers and papers spread out around him.
“You are an idiot,” Ben declared with a woeful shake of his head. “I can’t believe I’m related to you.”
Cade wasn’t in the mood. “Shut the hell up.”
“You’re going to listen to what I have to say.”
Cade just glared at him, then headed to the stove in the corner and picked up the coffeepot.
“Henry was robbing us blind,” Ben said.
Cade put down the pot and swung around. “No, he wasn’t. Henry wouldn’t do that.”
“It’s all right here.” Ben gestured to t
he ledgers and papers. “He took the bills for company expenses, inflated them, entered the higher amount in the books as if the company had paid that amount, then pocketed the difference.”
Stunned, Cade approached the desk. “That’s why we’ve been having financial problems?”
“Anna figured it out,” Ben said. “She must have.”
“But how…how would she know what to look for?” Cade asked, shaking his head.
“Maybe she learned something useful in that academy she attended.” Ben rose from the chair. “But that’s not the real problem here. The real problem is what’s going on with you and Anna.”
“There’s nothing going—”
“I saw you go to her place the other night. I can guess what went on,” Ben said. “So what happened afterward? You got scared and ran?”
“I didn’t get scared,” he insisted.
“Trusting someone—especially a great woman like Anna—isn’t a bad thing.”
Cade turned away. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved with her the way I did. It was a mistake.”
“No, it wasn’t and you know it,” Ben said.
“Don’t tell me what I know,” Cade declared.
“Okay, then, let me tell you what I know,” Ben replied. “I saw the way you looked at Henry when he talked about his new wife coming out here. I know you were envious—hell, I was, too. I know that’s why you pushed Henry so hard.”
Cade just looked at him, unable to say anything.
“Then when you met Anna, it was plain as day that you’d fallen in love with her.” Ben shook his head. “But you’re so damn stubborn that you can’t get over the past. You can’t keep measuring every woman you meet by that one in Texas. You’re getting ready to lose the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“It’s not that easy,” Cade said.
“Who ever said being in love would be easy?” Ben asked. “You love her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but…”
Ben shook his head. “Damn, Cade, I can’t believe I’m related to you. Sometimes you can be so—”