by Kaki Warner
“Just Benton,” Ty corrected. “I’m no longer with the rangers.”
Lottie frowned at him. “You keep saying that. Why? And since when?”
“Since I delivered you to the San Angela jail.”
“But why? I don’t understand.”
“You can argue about that later,” Yarborough said impatiently, obviously still hoping to get in some fishing before dark. “Either of you got any proof it was self-defense? Other than parroting what the other says? Any witnesses?”
Lottie was losing patience, too. She had just gone through a horrifying court hearing, had watched strangers handle her grandfather’s remains, had been attacked by a drunken brute in her cell, and now she was being interrogated again? It was beyond belief. But before she could give Judge Yarborough her views on his insistence that they provide witnesses for every little bitty thing, a voice called from the cell on the far side of Ty’s.
“There’s me.”
Startled, they all turned to see Prosecutor Ramsey smiling hopefully through the bars.
“I saw everything. And I’ll be happy to testify to that once I’m released. If it pleases the court, of course. Your Honor. Sir.”
Judge Yarborough sighed and muttered and sighed again. “Aw, hell. Charges dropped on all of you. Except for Millsap. Sheriff, release Ramsey and Miss Weyland from their cells.”
“What about me?” Ty asked.
“You, too. But I expect all three of you in my courtroom at nine o’clock in the morning for the official ruling. Understand?”
Lottie nodded, sudden relief making her dizzy again.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Ramsey called. “And thank you for—”
“Shut up, Ramsey. I’m still mad at you. Sheriff, send a wire to Ranger Headquarters that we’re holding Lieutenant Millsap until his arraignment in a year or two, or when I’m back in San Angela, whichever comes first. Meanwhile, get him a bucket unless you want him puking all over your floor. The rest of you get out of my sight. I’ve got fish to catch. Ridley, bring the bait.”
Because Lottie couldn’t tolerate the thought of spending the evening locked in a hotel room no matter how much more luxurious it was than a cold jail cell, Ty suggested a picnic along the banks of the Concho River that ran through town.
This time, they went by buggy. It was a perfect June evening—not too hot, the sunset sky awash with fiery colors and tattered purple clouds, and a breeze so gentle she could discard her bonnet, but steady enough to keep the mosquitoes away.
Ty picked a beautiful spot. Secluded and quiet, yet within view of town. She hadn’t realized how much people noise had filtered through her small cell window until she felt the soft, still evening close around her.
While he tied the horse to a lanky mesquite, she looked for a soft, dry place to spread the blanket. The rhythmic drone of frogs and the smell of wild mint growing along the bank drew her to the river. Lightning bugs danced through the grass, and crickets added their song to the plaintive calls of bobwhites and the distant lowing of cattle. The air smelled of wildflowers and damp earth—a vast improvement over the stink of her filthy cell.
She took a deep breath then let it out on a long sigh. Never had she valued her freedom more. She was still shaking, still half-afraid it would be snatched away. She had to keep telling herself that it was over. Done. The past was behind her, where it belonged. She was safe.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned and gave Ty a weary smile. “Thank you for bringing me here. I needed this.”
He smiled but said nothing.
Together they spread the blanket on a grassy spot, sat down, and set the picnic basket between them. He had been silent since they’d turned onto the river road and she could tell he had something on his mind. She hoped he wasn’t still angry that she hadn’t told him. But if so, she would give him the space he needed to come to terms with it. It was time for a new start . . . no matter how long it took.
He’d brought a simple meal of cold ham slices, deviled eggs, carrots, and bread pudding that had gone soggy during the ride from town. This time, Lottie ate her fair share, having gone without decent food since she’d finished the contents of the basket Jane had brought to the train station the morning they’d left Greenbroke.
Her dear friends. How she longed to see them. “After the ruling, assuming it goes my way, we should send Becky a wire telling her I’ve been cleared.”
“You’ll be cleared. No one in their right mind could hold what you did against you.”
They ate without speaking, both more interested in food than conversation. After they finished, Ty tossed what scraps were left into the bushes while she returned their plates and utensils to the basket so he could carry it to the wagon.
Lottie watched him, arms wrapped around her shins, cheek resting on her bent knees. She loved the way he walked, assurance showing in every line of his long, muscular body. Loved the way he looked at her, those flame-bright eyes drawing her in, sending heat coiling low in her body. Loved the way he seemed to know what she was thinking, what she needed, and what she needed him to do to bring balance when she felt unsteady and confused. She loved him.
She knew that now. Had known it for some time. He was her anchor—her lost self—the part that had been missing from her life that made her whole. But was it too late? Had she ruined their chance at happiness with her silence?
The events of the day unraveled in her mind, awakening the terror that still hovered just below the surface. She felt raw, as if her skin had been scraped away and all her nerves were exposed. Even now, tears pressed behind her eyes and her bruised limbs felt wobbly and weak. But she dared not complain and add more worry to the regrets Ty was obviously battling. He had been so solicitous all evening. A rare thing in her life. Grandpa had wanted her tough, so he had never fussed over her. She liked that Ty did.
But she needed to know why he was fretting. If they were to move past this, there could be no more secrets, no unspoken words hanging between them.
He returned to sit beside her, one leg drawn up, his forearm resting across his bent knee as he stared out over the slow-moving river. That fall of dark hair shadowed his deep-set eyes and partially hid the bandage Dr. Tillips had put on his gash.
“We should probably talk,” she said.
Avoiding her gaze, he plucked several long blades of grass and idly worked them into a loose braid. “About what?”
“About what happened. What I did.”
“That’s in the past now. We should leave it there.”
She studied his strong profile, the high, intelligent forehead, his straight nose and square chin, the muscular slope of his neck. In the months she had known him, Ty had grown into a handsome and powerful man. Even his poor scraped hands looked bigger and stronger. Yet she knew how gentle they could be when they moved over her body.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
He tossed the grass aside and looked at her, a crease of worry between his dark brows. “I never doubted you, you know. It bothered me that you didn’t tell me—bothered me a lot—but I never doubted you.”
“Doesn’t it upset you at all, what I did?”
He shook his head. “Now that I know, I admire you for it. It took courage to do what your grandfather asked you to do.”
“Then what’s troubling you?”
Unable to remain still, he plucked two more blades of grass, tore them into long strips, then tossed them aside. Leaning back on his elbows, he looked up into the night sky. “I’m not a killer, despite what I did to my parents’ murderers. Millsap knew that, which is why he dared do what he did. I should have realized that and protected you better.”
How like Ty to see Millsap’s attack as his failure. “You did protect me, you silly man. You stopped him from forcing me.”
His looked over at her. “Silly?”
In the
fading light, his eyes looked more gray than blue, but that shock of awareness that sent blood thrumming through her veins was the same. She felt something loosen inside—that last knot of resentment and hurt that had clogged her thinking over the last days. In its place came a feeling of such contentment she felt new all over again. “I love you, Ty.”
For a moment he didn’t move or speak. Then a slow smile spread across his chiseled face, showing a flash of white teeth and deep grooves where those elusive dimples dented his cheeks. “Sorry. I didn’t catch that.”
Laughing, she rolled over and pushed him flat, pinning him down with an arm over his chest and her knee trapping his. He went utterly still, except for the steady thump of his heartbeat against the breast pressed against his side. “I said I love you, Tyree Benton.” Stretching up, she kissed the thumb dent in his chin then slid higher to run her tongue along his bottom lip. “And I think I have for a long time.”
“Have you?”
“I have.”
“Since when?”
“Since we started over the second time.”
“Third time lucky.” And in the next instant, he flipped their positions until she was on her back and he was nuzzling her under her chin.
“Stop!” she choked out and tried to shove him off.
He drew back. “What?”
“That tickles!”
Surprise gave way to an evil grin. “You’re ticklish here?” He nuzzled her neck again, sending her into thrashing giggles. “How about here?” A finger bounced along her ribs.
“You’re mean,” she cried, caught between laughter and suffocation.
“But you love me anyway.”
“I can’t breathe!”
“Let me help.” He kissed her with an open mouth, his breath mingling with hers, his tongue sliding inside.
Giggles gave way to a different kind of hysteria, and suddenly it was too much—the tickling, the weight of him pressing her into the ground, the days of terror and uncertainty. She felt like she was flying apart and the only thing holding her together was Ty.
Her mind splintered. Tears flooded her eyes. She began to shake.
“Lottie? What’s wrong?”
Words caught in her throat. She didn’t know what was wrong with her or how to answer. She only knew if he let her go she would shatter into a thousand jagged pieces.
“Shh. It’s okay, honey. I’m here.” Arms locked around her, he rolled them onto their sides and tucked her against his chest, his strong body curled protectively around hers. “I’ve got you. I won’t let you go. Breathe.”
It was a long time before the tears and shaking stopped. It seemed she had been weeping for days. Ordinarily such uncontrollable emotion would have embarrassed her. But not with Ty. He understood. Only with him could she let the fear go and simply let herself be.
It grew late. The air cooled. Even the crickets tucked in for the night and lights were beginning to dim in town. The dampness of the ground had seeped through the blanket and into her bones. Her bruised muscles were so sore she could scarcely move. “We should go.”
Cooler air rushed into the space between them when he lifted a hand to brush hair from her eyes. “You’re staying with me tonight.” He wasn’t asking.
“At the hotel?” He’d already taken their belongings there after the judge had released them from jail. “I thought you booked two rooms.”
“I did. But you’re staying with me tonight.”
She looked up at him, not sure what to do. Then she realized this was what she needed, what she craved from this man. To be held for a while. To feel safe.
She smiled. “Are you courting me now, Mr. Benton?”
“I do believe I am.”
“Then I’ll stay.”
Chapter 20
“Why did you leave the rangers?” Lottie asked him on the road back to town.
He gave the simplest answer, not wanting to bring up her arrest or his run-in with Millsap, although, in truth, he’d decided to leave the battalion long before he knew about the charges against her. Before he’d decided to marry her, too. Assuming she’d have him. “I felt it was time to move on.”
“I had nothing to do with it?”
The woman was too smart to let him get away with half answers. He might as well get used to it. “You had everything to do with it.” He saw her frown as she digested that. Simple answers were never enough for Lottie.
And sure enough . . .
“I don’t want to be the cause of you giving up a job you love.”
“Loved,” he corrected. “I didn’t mind hunting down miscreants, but I do mind nursemaiding prisoners and politicians. I need a better purpose in my life.”
“Like what?”
“Ranching. And you,” he added with a grin.
She didn’t smile back, her sharp mind racing ahead of him to someplace he couldn’t see. He’d better get used to that, too.
“So you don’t have to get back to Austin?”
“Not right away. I’ll have to go in to sign papers and turn in my badge. But I have time to take you back to Greenbroke, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Would you have time to take me to my grandfather’s ranch, too? The judge said he would have Dr. Tillips seal his remains in a box for me. I’d like to put him to rest beside my mother and grandmother. I feel bad I didn’t do that before.”
He could tell by the tremor in her voice that the subject was a hard one for her. Not surprising. She was probably still seeing her grandfather’s skull in Ramsey’s hand. “I’ll see Tillips and make arrangements for a wagon first thing in the morning.”
“And wire Becky that we should be home in a couple of days.”
Home. Where would that be? Greenbroke? Her grandfather’s ranch? Someplace new to both of them? That smothered feeling crept over him again—the one that came when she started making decisions without him. But now wasn’t the time to argue about it. She was still too brittle, and he wasn’t yet sure what he wanted to say. Or do. Or where he wanted to settle.
The hotel lobby was empty when he escorted her up to his room. “The water closet is downstairs at the end of the hall. Your valise is in the wardrobe. I’ll be back as soon as I drop the basket by the kitchen and return the rig to the livery.”
By the time he entered the room a half hour later, she was already asleep.
He studied her in the light of the lamp she’d left burning. A fierce need to protect her rose within him, bringing with it a rage so consuming he almost shook with it. She looked exhausted and battered, purple smudges below her eyes. The bump on her head was starting to go down, but the bruise on her cheek where Millsap had slapped her showed darker in the dim light. He wished he’d killed the bastard.
He wanted to wake her up and tell her that. He wanted to hold her and kiss the bad memories from her mind, and brand her body with his. But now wasn’t the time.
After unbuckling his gun belt, he set it on the nightstand within easy reach, then pulled off his boots. Leaving on his shirt and trousers, he slipped beneath the covers and gently pulled her back against his chest. She sighed and wiggled for a minute, then settled into the slow rhythmic breathing of deep sleep.
It took him an hour longer.
Ty awoke early, quietly dressed, and left Lottie sleeping while he tended to a few last-minute details. When he returned later, the room was empty, her valise gone. For one terrible moment he feared she had left him, then realized she wouldn’t do that. At least not without an explanation. Thinking she must have gone to the washroom, he hurried downstairs. When she emerged a few minutes later, he was waiting outside the door, weight on one hip, his shoulder propped against the wall. Trying to look unconcerned.
“You shouldn’t have left the room without me,” he scolded. Millsap was still in jail, but others might see her as easy pickings.
>
“I didn’t want to be late to the hearing.”
Taking her valise, he steered her out the back door to avoid as many curious eyes as possible. She was probably the most recognizable woman in town since the hearing, and there might have been some who thought what she’d done was wrong—no matter the circumstances—and try to render their own form of justice. He was there to see that didn’t happen. Rather than march her through the lobby, he led her out the back door to where he’d left the wagon and horse in the shade of the trees behind the jail. As he tossed in her valise beside his saddlebags and the borrowed shovel, she stared at the fancy pine box in back. “That’s Grandpa?”
He nodded. “The judge told Tillips to bill Ramsey for it. The bastard never should have done what he did.”
Lottie didn’t respond, but he saw a slight easing in the tension across her shoulders.
“I’ll get a blanket to cover it,” he said. No need for her to look at a coffin all day. “How far is the ranch?”
“Not far. If the ruling doesn’t take too long, we should be back in time to catch the afternoon stage to the rail line.”
Ty smiled, his thoughts jumping ahead. Or we could spend the night under the stars in the back of the wagon. He reminded himself to bring two blankets. Or three. And maybe something to cook over a campfire.
Sims was waiting when they arrived at the courtroom. Hopefully his smile meant something other than yesterday’s fishing had been good. While Lottie took her place at the table, Ty pulled him aside and spoke to him privately for a minute. Reassured that all would be well, he patted the elderly lawyer’s shoulder and asked where the judge was.
“Running late,” Ramsey answered from the prosecutor’s table. “He can’t find his fish creel.”
Ty nodded and bent by Lottie’s chair. “I have an errand to run but I won’t be long.” Before she could interrogate him, he told Sims not to let her leave the courtroom without him, shot her a don’t-argue-with-me look, then walked quickly back down the aisle between the pews.