by Bobbi Smith
“You haven’t heard any more about them?”
“Not a word, and that bothers me. They’re out there somewhere gunning for me, and I don’t like being the hunted. I’d much rather be the hunter.”
They walked into the parlor where Amanda was sitting.
“Jack’s planning on leaving us, Amanda,” Dan said as they entered the room. “He’s going after the Sheldons.”
Amanda met Jack’s gaze across the room. “I knew you would. I’m just surprised that you stayed as long as you did.”
“Dan needed me. I couldn’t let him down.”
“And you didn’t. I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“I was just glad I could help.”
“Will you stay for dinner?” Dan prodded.
“All right.”
“Good,” Eileen said from behind them. “I’ll have Maria set an extra place.”
The meal was at once a celebration and a time of mourning. Though Asa was dead, at least the ones responsible were now in custody and justice would be served.
“I could sure use your help around here, if you want to change your mind and stay,” Dan was saying as they finished the meal.
“If I didn’t have the Sheldons to worry about, I might stick around, but I don’t want to risk their showing up in San Rafael and causing more trouble. Two friends of mine, Luke Majors and his wife, Cody, sometimes work as bounty hunters. They’re out tracking them now, so I plan to ride out with Stalking Ghost first thing in the morning. If I can catch up with Cody and Luke, I’ll be able to find out what’s going on.”
“I hope they’ve already caught them,” Eileen said. She was worried about Jack and wanted him to be safe.
“That would be nice,” Jack agreed, but he knew he wouldn’t be that lucky. “The way things have been going lately, though, I doubt it.”
“But look at how quickly you found the robbers, and the sheriff had been looking for them for weeks,” Amanda put in.
“That was just good tracking,” Jack said as he looked across the table at her.
“Maybe your luck is changing,” she said earnestly.
“I’d like to think so—”
For one searing moment, their gazes met and locked. Though it was only for an instant, it seemed an eternity to them.
Amanda was remembering everything Eileen had told her about her Andrew—about how he’d gone away and never come back. She wondered if she could let Jack go without telling him the truth of her love for him.
Jack was mesmerized by the intensity of the look in Amanda’s eyes. He remembered her words to Ted—Not when I love someone else.
Still, Jack knew he had to find the Sheldons and put them away where they belonged.
The sound of Dan’s voice jarred them both back to reality.
“Well, I’m feeling a little weak after all this excitement. I think I’d better lie down for a while,” he said.
Amanda tore her gaze from Jack’s and noticed how pale and drawn her father looked. “I’ll help you upstairs,” she said, quickly going to his side as he started to get up from the table.
“And I’d better be going,” Jack announced as he, too, stood.
“Will we see you again before you go?” Dan asked.
“No. I’ll be heading out at dawn.”
“You be careful and let us know how you are,” Eileen said, her heart breaking at the thought that he was leaving.
“I will,” he promised her as he went to shake hands with Dan.
“We’ll miss you,” Amanda said simply.
Jack looked her way, and again their gazes met. His went over her carefully, storing away the memory of her beauty to carry with him.
“Good bye, Amanda.” His words were quiet, reflecting none of the searing emotions that filled him at the thought of never seeing her again.
Amanda ached to tell Jack how much she wanted him to stay, but he had already turned and was walking from the room. She watched him leave the house and wondered if she could bear to let him go.
Chapter Twenty
Much later that evening, Amanda sat on the porch alone. The night was quiet. It was dark, too, as dark as her mood. She longed for a distraction, anything to take her thoughts from Jack, but there was none. There was just the all-enveloping loneliness and her memories of Jack’s loving.
Amanda got up and moved to stand at the porch railing. She stared up at the night sky, but did not see the stars that shone there. Instead, she saw only infinite emptiness. She saw a reflection of her life without Jack.
She smiled ruefully at the truth of her feelings. He had matched her toe-to-toe since that night at The Palace. She had met her match, and her match was Jack Logan.
A soul-weary sigh wracked her. It did little good to stand there and profess her love for him to herself. She knew the way she felt, but Jack didn’t, and he was leaving San Rafael in just a few hours.
All that Eileen had told her about her lost-at-sea fiancé continued to haunt her. Could she let Jack go without telling him that she loved him? He might not care. He might laugh at her and dismiss her claims of devotion as nonsense. But then, there was always the chance, however slight, that it might make a difference, that he might truly care in return.
Tormented, Amanda started back inside. She meant to go up to her room to bed, but she knew she wouldn’t sleep, not with Jack leaving at dawn. Unable to decide what to do, she was doing nothing, and that was totally foreign to her personality. Usually, she would act on her impulses, but then, she’d never been in love before.
As she started up the stairs, Amanda was startled to see Eileen come out of the kitchen.
“I didn’t know you were still up,” Amanda told her.
“I couldn’t sleep. It was such an eventful day—”
‘‘I know. That’s why I was sitting outside. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, so I thought a breath of fresh air would help.”
“Did it?”
“No, not really. I keep thinking about Jack.”
Eileen smiled knowingly. “I don’t want him to go. I’ve truly come to care about him.”
“He is a good man.”
“Who’s had a very hard life. Things don’t come easily to him.”
“You were right about him being a good Ranger. I still can’t believe that he found Ted’s men so quickly.”
“He’s very good at what he does. Look how he got you back here all safe and sound.”
Amanda smiled, her first smile in hours. “He certainly earned his money.”
“And I doubt he would have traded the adventure for anything.”
“I don’t know about that. I tend to think that he would rather have been out tracking down the Sheldons than staying here, guarding me.”
“Tracking the Sheldons would probably have been easier.”
They shared a smile.
“I hope he finds them soon.”
“I do, too. Then maybe he’ll come back here to us.”
“I don’t know, Eileen. As a Ranger, he’ll have to travel all the time, won’t he? He wouldn’t want to come back here.”
“Not unless he knew there was something worth coming back to. Did you ever tell him how you felt?”
“I wasn’t really sure until just lately, and now it’s too late. He’s leaving.”
Eileen looked sad. “I’m sorry. You’re both so perfect for each other. I thought surely you would see it.”
“We were too busy being at cross purposes to allow ourselves to fall in love. I don’t think he feels for me what I feel for him.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. You didn’t see him when you were brought back wounded. I did.”
Amanda looked at her, surprised. “What happened?”
“Well, first, you know he hit Ted. Then, when we were waiting at Dr. Clayborne’s office, he was like a caged animal. He cares about you Amanda . . . deeply.”
Amanda’s eyes misted at the thought that Jack truly did care for her. “
I didn’t know—”
“I don’t know what’s kept you apart, but don’t you think it’s time you straightened it out? He’ll be leaving in just a few hours. If you really love him, then go to him now and tell him,” Eileen urged. “Don’t miss your chance at happiness. How would you feel if you never had the chance to tell him you loved him?”
Amanda hesitated only a minute more. Then, impulsively, she hugged Eileen. “Thank you.”
“Go to him and talk to him. At least then you’ll know the truth of how he feels.”
Amanda cast a look up the stairs, worrying about her father.
“Don’t worry. He’s sleeping like a baby. Go!”
Amanda hurried from the house and went straight to the hotel. There was no one in the small lobby except the night clerk. Amanda didn’t even stop, for she knew Jack’s room number. The clerk eyed her strangely. It was highly unusual for a woman like Amanda Taylor to pay a night visit to anyone. He wondered what was going on.
Amanda made her way to Jack’s room and didn’t hesitate before knocking. She was afraid that if she took the time to think about what she was doing, she would change her mind, and she couldn’t do that. She knocked at the door and waited.
Jack was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, counting the hours until sunrise. He would be leaving San Rafael forever. There was no reason to come back. There were no ties to bind him here. No reason to stay.
The knock at the door took Jack by surprise. He thought it was either Stalking Ghost or Isaac coming to bring him news. Pulling on his pants, he raked a hand through his hair as he went to open the door. He expected one of his friends. He was startled to find Amanda standing in the hall.
“Amanda! What are you doing here?’’
“I need to talk to you, Jack.”
“What’s wrong? Has your father taken ill?”
“No, this has nothing to do with Papa.”
“Then, why . . . ?”
“May I come in?”
Disconcerted, he stepped back. “Of course.”
She moved past him, her head held high. He watched her cross the room to stand near the window. He tried to gauge her mood, but she gave nothing away. He closed the door and faced her.
“What’s wrong, Amanda?”
“Nothing is wrong, Jack. It’s just that I—” She looked over at him. He was so tall and handsome. It was all she could do to stay where she was and concentrate on what she had to say to him. Remembering Eileen’s story of her beloved Andrew, Amanda couldn’t deny her feelings any longer. “Jack . . . I needed to see you one more time before you left. I couldn’t let you go without telling you—”
“Telling me what?” He had no idea what she was about to say.
“I love you,” she said simply, defying the nervousness that had threatened to hold her mute.
Jack stood stock-still for a moment. “You love me . . . ?”
“I know you probably think this is crazy,” she went on quickly, nervously. “I did myself for a long time, but I realized I couldn’t let you go without telling you how I feel about you.”
Jack crossed the room toward her, his gaze never leaving her. “Amanda—”
She lifted her eyes to his as he neared her, and in that moment she knew she’d done the right thing. The truth of his feelings shone in his regard. He loved her as she loved him.
“I love you, too, Amanda,” Jack said softly. “But I thought Ted was the man you wanted.”
“Is that why you went to the saloon girl?” She knew it was stupid to bring it up, but she had to know the truth.
“Who told you about Susie?” He was shocked.
“Ted did. He heard her bragging about what a great time she had with you the night you went to her.”
Jack chuckled as he took Amanda into his arms. “She had a great time because she didn’t have to do anything for her money.”
“I don’t understand.” She drew back to look up at him.
“It’s true I went to the saloon the night I saw you kiss Ted. I had intended to get good and drunk. But as I was sitting there with a full bottle of whiskey, I realized that I was back in control of my life again, and that I didn’t need to get drunk. I had almost decided to get up and leave when Susie walked over to me and propositioned me. I said yes and went upstairs with her because I thought you were in love with Ted.”
Amanda stiffened in his arms at the thought of him with another woman. He stroked her back in a soothing motion as he went on to tell her the end of the story.
“But when I got upstairs alone with Susie, I realized it was all wrong. I didn’t want to make love to her. You were the only woman I wanted, the only woman I needed. . . . I paid her, but I told her that I wasn’t interested—that she should take the money and take the night off. I’m sure that’s what she was doing when she bragged about what a wonderful time she had with me.”
Amanda looked up at him, seeing the look of total honesty in his expression. “You didn’t make love to her?”
“No, I didn’t, Amanda. I told her what I’m about to tell you—there is only one woman I want, and she wasn’t the woman.” Jack lifted a hand to cup her cheek. Softly, tenderly, he said, “You are.”
He stopped talking then, and showed her how much he loved her. His kiss was a gentle caress of exquisite devotion. He cradled her to his heart, loving her, adoring her, never wanting to be separated from her. Loving her as he did, though, he put her from him.
“You’d better go home now.”
“Why?”
“Being here with me this way isn’t going to do a thing for your reputation.”
She smiled coyly, her gaze upon him. “Then I guess you’ll just have to marry me to protect me.”
He chuckled at her brazenness. “Are all the suffragists as determined and outspoken as you are?”
“Some are worse,” she said with a grin. “You’ll have to meet my Philadelphia friends some day.”
“I’d like that. We could go there on our honeymoon.”
“You’ll marry me?”
“I suppose it would be more proper if I asked you, what do you think?”
She controlled her excitement and waited as he drew her back into the circle of his arms.
“Amanda Taylor, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes, Jack. Oh, yes!”
She threw her arms around his neck and returned his kiss fully.
“You should go now,” Jack said in a tight voice as he tried to control himself.
“I should,” she said in a sultry voice that held much promise, “but I’m not going to.”
“Good,” he growled, his mouth claiming hers in a passionate exchange.
“I love you, Jack!”
It was a flaming kiss that made them both forget everything but the wonder of their need for each other. They came together in a blaze of glory.
Jack took infinite care as he helped her undress. His every caress and kiss told her all she needed to know about the depth of his love for her. When, at last, Amanda lay unclothed on the bed, she lifted her arms to him in silent invitation. He came to her and she sighed in welcome. She had wanted this moment . . . longed for this moment. Jack loved her and she loved him. They would be married.
Jack moved over her, and his body was a searing brand against her. Amanda surrendered to the fire of his need, giving herself up to his knowing caresses. Lost in the mindlessness of their passion, they sought only to please each other. Each touch, each kiss stoked their desire higher and higher.
There was no shyness in Amanda this time. In Jack’s arms, she’d found her heaven. She never wanted to be parted from him. As he claimed her for his own, she clasped him to her. She held him to her heart as they rocked together in the age-old rhythm. Rapture burst upon them in a moment of blissful perfection. Clinging together, they soared to the heights of ecstasy. Conquering and surrendering. Love’s victory was theirs.
Limbs entwined, their hearts beating as one, they savored the
intimate aftermath of their union with gentle touches and soft kisses.
Slowly, reality returned. Dawn would be coming soon. Soon, Jack knew he would have to ride out of San Rafael.
“I don’t want you to go,” Amanda said quietly as she lay cradled in his arms. She had splayed one hand across his chest and loved the feeling of the power of his heartbeat beneath her fingers. “Forget the Sheldons. Let your friends find them. Stay here with me.”
There was nothing Jack wanted more than to stay with Amanda, loving her and cherishing her for the rest of his life, but there could be no hiding from the threat of the Sheldons. Until they were caught, everyone around him was in danger. He rose to press a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you, Amanda. But I have to make sure the Sheldons are caught.”
“There’s nothing I can say or do to change your mind?” She lifted one hand to caress his cheek, and he pressed a kiss to her palm.
Pain shone in his eyes as he looked down at her. “I don’t want to leave you. God knows I don’t, but these men are killers who will stop at nothing to get me. I want to find them before they find me.”
They said no more, but came together again, desperate to love, to have these memories to sustain them when he left.
The dark hours of the night began to fade, and Jack drew away from her.
“It’s almost light, Amanda.”
“I know. If I had my way, dawn would never come, and we could stay here forever.”
He kissed her one last time, then left the bed to dress. It was with a heavy heart that he forced himself to leave her, but he knew it was the only way for them to have a future.
“I’ll take you home before I go. I want to make sure you’re safe. And as soon as I get back, we’ll be married.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“I’ll hurry back.”
She rose and dressed. Jack took her in his arms and held her quietly for a long moment. When at last they broke apart, Amanda had tears in her eyes as she gazed up at him.
“You’ll be careful?”
He nodded solemnly. The depth of her emotions touched him. It strengthened him to know that she would be waiting for him.
Jack had gathered his things and strapped on his gun. Amanda watched him quietly and saw the intensity and courage that made him such an effective Ranger. When he turned to look at her, her heart swelled with pride. Jack Logan would soon be her husband. She loved him.