Willow Smoke (Riders Up Book 3)

by Adriana Kraft

  Everything had been going so right. Five hundred a month wasn’t right, but it wasn’t a great burden, either. Two thousand was an entirely different matter.

  Could she talk to Maxine? Would she be able to make Reggie be reasonable? Hardly.

  She could save some money if she dropped out of school. She did have some jewelry she could hock. Reggie was right. Nick would buy her most anything she asked for, but she wouldn’t do that.

  And she wasn’t a thief. Damn if Reggie Lassiter would turn her into a thief. She’d figure out a way. She had to. Maybe they’d get lucky and win a few more races. The extra purse money helped.

  One thing Reggie didn’t have to worry about was her telling Nick about their arrangement. This was her family that was causing all the trouble, and she’d deal with them one way or another. Why had Reggie and Maxine been easier to handle when she was dirt poor? Reggie was right about one thing—he and Maxine were her family.

  Daisy gingerly touched the rising bruise circling her left breast. She squeezed her eyes shut. Family didn’t do this. Reggie was no more a blood relative than the man in the moon. Or the cow that jumped over the moon. Daisy shook her head. Was she going crazy? If this pressure cooker didn’t drive her crazy, nothing would.

  “Damn,” she muttered, “Nick will be home soon.” Stepping out of the shower, Daisy dried off. She put powder on her bruise, but she knew Nick would notice it before it went away. She’d have to concoct a good story to explain the discoloration. She shuddered—that was so like Maxine. She was becoming too good at lying, at not telling the whole truth. No wonder Nick couldn’t trust her. Hell, she wasn’t sure she could trust herself any more.

  Nick had raced home as soon as he’d heard that Reggie Lassiter had shown up there. He failed to understand why Clint’s man couldn’t intervene. Clint had explained that the detective’s hands were tied unless Reggie had tried to break in. Someone from the inside had opened the door.

  That someone had to be Daisy. Mrs. B. wouldn’t let the man in, and she would have told him about Lassiter ringing their doorbell. Daisy, however, remained silent and distant throughout supper. She’d said she had a lot of work to do and, after helping clear the dishes, she’d disappeared into the upstairs room that she’d set up as a makeshift study/office.

  Getting up from the desk in his study, Nick scanned his bookshelves. Too bad there wasn’t a book that could provide a clue to what really made Daisy Matthews tick. She loved him; he was assured of that now. She needed him about as much as he needed her, but there was still a heavy chain that held her back. And he wasn’t entirely certain that Reggie Lassiter was the complete problem.

  Lassiter. The bastard. Nick’s fingers balled. What he’d give to be alone in an alley with the creep. If they didn’t get him soon, he might have to take matters into his own hands.

  Nick ran a finger down the spine of a book. Lassiter wasn’t the only factor holding Daisy back. She simply seemed unsure about making a lifelong commitment. Nick squinted at the small lettering on a book. Maybe that wasn’t too surprising. Other than Cassie Travers, everyone who had mattered to Daisy had died or left her when she needed them most.

  Slamming his fist against the wall, Nick muttered, “I’m not leaving. Why can’t she trust that? What more do I have to do to earn her trust?”

  “You’re very quiet tonight. Was it something I did?” Nick asked, crawling under the covers and cradling Daisy.

  “No.” She sighed against him. “I’m just a little preoccupied.”

  “Care to tell me about it?”

  He sensed her hesitate. Her breath seared his bare skin.

  “There’s a lot of work for my class. We have a horse off his feed badly. The vet hasn’t been able to figure out his problem yet. I want to stay at the apartment the next few nights. It’s so much further to commute to the library and the track from here.”

  Nick stiffened.

  She circled his nipple with a finger. “It’ll only be a few days. I’ll get my paper written; then I’ll be back.”

  “That’s what you want.”

  “Yes, it’s what I need. I do love you, Nick,” she whispered. “Don’t question that.”

  He sighed. “I know. And I love you more than I can ever say. It’s just that I’m not sure what’s happening anymore.”

  “Welcome aboard.”

  Nick leaned over and brushed his lips across her forehead. She inched away. Now, what the hell. She wasn’t telling him about Reggie paying her a visit. She wanted to be away from him for a few days. And she was withdrawing from his embrace.

  “Do you have something else on your mind?”

  “No,” she yawned. “I guess I’m just exhausted. It’s been a hard week.”

  “I understand. Why don’t you just roll over and we can cuddle? You’ll be asleep in no time.”

  He’d never tire of the pressure of her rear against his groin. He grazed his lips across the back of her neck. And cradled her breast... She jerked away as if he’d hit her with a hot poker. “What the hell?” he demanded. “What’s wrong, Daisy? Let me look at you.”

  Nick pulled down her nightgown, trying his best to ignore the shame and the tears filling Daisy’s eyes. The black, blue and purple blotches on her breast made his stomach curdle. “Son of a bitch,” he screamed. “That bastard did this to you. I’ll have him killed before dawn.”

  “Don’t talk foolish,” Daisy yelped, sitting up in bed, tugging the gown up around her. Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know Reggie was here?”

  Nick was out of the bed and pacing. How could he have left her so unprotected? His house had a security system, but she’d opened the door.

  “Why did you let him in?”

  “I didn’t think. He barged in.”

  “But you opened the door.”

  “I didn’t want to disturb Mrs. B.”

  “Disturb...” Nick threw back his head. “That’s super. You risked your own neck so you wouldn’t awaken Mrs. B.”

  “Yes.”

  Nick refused to be put off by Daisy’s meek tone. She was still sorting out pieces to the puzzle and he had only a limited amount of time to find out what had transpired that afternoon in his own house. He came to a halt by the bed and crossed his arms. “So what did he want?”

  Daisy looked away. “What do you think?”

  “Money.”

  He watched her nod her head a fraction.

  “Did you pay him?”

  “I will.”

  “How much?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “The hell it isn’t.” Nick clenched his fists. “That asshole comes to my house and manhandles my woman and it’s not my business?”

  Daisy breathed deeply. “I’m pleased to be your woman, Nick. I really am.” Her voice rose. “But that does not make me your property. I won’t have you treat me the same way Reggie does.”

  Crestfallen, Nick slumped down on the bed. “You know I’m not doing that.”

  Daisy shook her head. “Both of you seem to think you can get me to do anything you want like I’m some kind of puppet.”

  “Not true. And you know it. I wouldn’t do a thing to harm you.” His eyes rounded, staring at her partially bare breast.

  Glancing down at herself, Daisy rearranged her gown again. “Oh, you wouldn’t leave bruises on my body. You’d leave them on my heart, on my soul.”

  What could he say to that? How could she think that of him? What had he ever done to her that might make her think that?

  She folded her hands on her lap. Carefully, she interlaced her fingers and then looked at him boldly. “So how did you know Reggie was here, Nick? And how did you know he was at the track the day the security officers escorted him off the premises?”

  Nick pinched the bridge of his nose and reached for his glasses. He’d need every bit of armor he could muster before this spat was concluded. His head already throbbed.

  “Well?”

  She looked detached. He
knew it was one of her favorite defenses for self-protection. “You had him followed, didn’t you?

  “I’ll bet Clint Travers is behind this. And Cassie hasn’t breathed a word. Everybody’s looking out for poor Daisy Matthews, aren’t they. Nobody thinks I can take care of myself.”

  “You shouldn’t have to take care of yourself by yourself,” Nick mumbled.

  “I have for most of my life. So how is this so different?” She raised her palm, stopping him with his mouth open. “I know, you’re going to tell me that love is different. I don’t know about that. Others loved me, and I still had to wind up going it alone. Why should I become dependent on someone else taking care of me?”

  Nick reached to pat her thigh but withdrew his hand. “I’m not trying to make you dependent,” he explained. “God, Willow, I’ve looked for you all my life. Now having found you, I can’t stand the possibility of losing you. I can help. I want to help. If you’ll let me.”

  “Seems like you’re doing a pretty good job of that behind my back.”

  Nick could not discern from the glint in her gray eyes whether she was still angry or was teasing. He wasn’t about to take a chance and guess wrong. “It seemed like a good idea to have Reggie followed. He’s got to screw up someday, and then we’ll have him behind bars for a good long time.”

  Smiling thinly, Daisy replied, “I can’t say I’d have anything against that.” A sob rippled through her body. She closed her eyes and opened them. “And I don’t want to lose you either, Nick. I’m not sure I spent my life looking for you, but now that we’ve come this far, I don’t want to lose you either.”

  “I’m glad for that.” Nick tried to breathe while resisting smothering her in his arms.

  Daisy’s mouth drooped. He wasn’t sure he didn’t like her defiance more than this wrenching sadness. “So how long have you had a tail on me?” Her voice was a hoarse whisper.

  His shoulders slumped. “Aw shit,” he muttered. “I knew I should have told you. Cassie said we had to tell you. I just didn’t want you to worry or feel like a bug under a microscope.”

  “So what do you think I feel like now?” she whimpered.

  Her chin fell to her chest and her eyes closed. She sat like that for minutes.

  Had he ever been so scared? She’d walk out on him for sure now. Why didn’t she say something? Anything would be better than this damn silence.

  - o -

  What to do? Daisy tried to gather her wits behind her shuttered eyelashes. She’d smoked Nick out, that was for sure. At first, she’d been furious. Then she’d begun to see what was happening through his eyes. Yes, he had been searching for a willow when he found her.

  She should get out of bed and leave. She had every reason to. She had every right to. But she loved him, and he loved her. Didn’t she have a right to cherish that, too?

  It probably really didn’t make much difference for Nick to know about Reggie blackmailing her. He already knew her sister and brother-in-law had their hooks in her for money. That he and Clint had a man following Reggie seemed only prudent. What would it take for that guy to intervene? But then, Reggie had closed the door before he’d accosted her.

  Did Reggie know about the tail? She refused to let her brother-in-law win by robbing her of what she had been searching for: family. She could make that with Nick. She knew that now.

  Given that Reggie had crossed a threshold to physically abuse her without being provoked, she shuddered to think what would happen next.

  She peeked through her eyelashes at Nick. The man looked about ready to come apart. Could he feel worse than she did? One thing was certain now: she loved him with her whole being. She’d die before giving him up.

  Slowly, Daisy raised her head and opened her eyes. She wet her lips and grinned a little. “You look like hell, Mr. Underwood.” He searched her face as if for clues.

  There was no question he was searching for hope. And she was done withholding. “I believe my favorite line from Ibsen is in his play Ghosts: Things are not so desperate as you think.”

  With that said, Daisy reached for his hand and pulled him to her. “We’ll muddle through, Mr. Underwood. I’m not sure to where, but we’ll muddle through.”

  Nick’s smile split his face. “God, I’m relieved to hear that. So what’s this Mr. Underwood business?”

  “Don’t know.” A warm glow crept from her neck to her cheeks. “I guess I’ve become fascinated with the name of late.” She yawned. “Maybe we can talk about it later. I really am tired now. Have to be back at the track in about six hours.”

  “Okay,” Nick said, fluffing up a pillow. “We still have more to talk about. Reggie’s not just going to disappear, even if you are paying him off.”

  “I know. And I do love you,” she murmured, backing her buttocks against his crotch.

  “And I love you. Sweet dreams, Willow Smoke.”

  As she drifted off to sleep, Daisy revisited the campfire in the Boundary Waters where Nick had shared his secret name for her. She recalled how the northern lights danced across the lake. She relived their primal mating under those lights.

  That was part of her life now. No one was going to steal it from her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Daisy left the doctor’s office clutching her stomach. She felt worse than before entering.

  Angling across the parking lot toward her pick-up, Daisy crumpled the Xanax prescription in her hand and threw it on the pavement. She’d take the medicine the doctor prescribed for diminishing the itching, but damned if she would take a drug to reduce the increasing anxiety attacks. Drug dependency was not a risk she was willing to take.

  It had been over two weeks since Reggie confronted her at the Kenwood house. She’d made two payments already. They hadn’t been too difficult, but she knew it was just a matter of time. She was in over her head and sinking fast.

  Resting her forehead on the truck door, Daisy gulped in air. What else could she do? She’d dropped her class at the university. There was no way she could concentrate on her assignments, and it would save some money. If she moved in with Nick, which he wanted her to do, that would save a bundle of cash.

  But that was a hell of a reason to make the move. She thought she wanted to move in with him anyway, but the money issue was a cloud making reasoning difficult. And if she did move in, Reggie would simply hike the amount of protection payment he wanted. There was no end in sight.

  Sam had told her to take some time off from work. It was the slowest season of the year for their stable, but he’d also been clear that her lack of focus made it dangerous for her and for their high priced horses. He was sure if she took some time away from the pressure of the track, she’d be fine. Daisy laughed a dry laugh. Sam had no inkling about pressure.

  Daisy wiped the back of her hand against her brow. She was sweating profusely on a chilly November day. Climbing into the cab, she realized she needed to talk to someone she trusted. With shaking fingers, she started the engine, drove out of the parking lot and headed for the Travers farm.

  “First things first,” Cassie said, after hugging Daisy and ushering her into the kitchen. “I’m fixing you a bowl of chicken noodle soup. And then we’ll talk. Your old bed is still available upstairs if you need to rest.”

  “I don’t know what I need,” Daisy wailed, frustrated with her lack of control.

  “That’s okay. We’ll sort things out,” Cassie soothed. “We always do.”

  Daisy nodded.

  Taking small sips of soup and munching on saltines, Daisy began to perk up a little. Cassie had kept the conversation light. Daisy waited for her cue.

  “So are you going to tell me about it?” Cassie asked, softly.

  Daisy shrugged. “You’ve probably guessed most of it. Nick hasn’t formally asked, but he’s made it clear he wants us to get married. Reggie is threatening to hurt everyone and everything I love if I don’t pay him protection money.” Daisy paused. Was it her voice that sounded so distant, so detached?<
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  “I’ve been a mess lately. I dropped out of school. Sam has told me not to come to work for a while because I’m too much of a risk to the horses. I’ve got to come up with the money. But Reggie keeps increasing what he wants. I can’t do it much longer.” She stared at Cassie, afraid she was going to bawl like a two-year-old. “I’m not going to steal from Nick to pay Reggie off.”

  Cassie leaned back and pursed her lips. “So that’s what he really wants—to bleed Nick dry.”

  Daisy choked back tears and nodded. “What can I do? The more involved I am with Nick, the more in danger I put him. Without Nick, I can’t pay off Reggie for very long.” Daisy pushed the empty soup bowl aside and laid her head on the table and sobbed. Cassie’s fingers rubbed her neck, and sobs came from her toes.

  “It’s okay,” Cassie whispered. “Let it out. Let it all out. You’ve bottled up so much over the years. You’ve got a lot of tears saved.”

  Between sobs, Daisy mumbled, “I don’t want to lose him. He’s become more like family than anyone but you and Clint.”

  “I know. It hurts sometimes to be in love.”

  “But I can’t keep Reggie from gouging Nick. I want to fly to the moon.”

  Cassie chuckled softly. “I’ve had a few moments when I’ve wanted to do that. My guess is you’re not giving Nick enough credit, and maybe you’re empowering Reggie more than you should.”

  Rubbing her eyes, Daisy sat up. “What do you mean?”

  “Have you told Nick everything that’s going on—how much Reggie is demanding, your dropping out of school, your trip to the doctor, Sam asking you to take some time off?”

  Daisy shook her head.

  “I suspect the two of you together could come up with better solutions than either one of you can by yourselves. Sounds like he’s not pressing you as hard as I think he should because he doesn’t want to risk losing you. Yet what do you have in the long run if you can’t problem solve together? If you can’t trust one another enough to share your darkest fears?”