by Austin, Lori
If Ruth hadn’t been watching her father’s face closely, she would never have seen the upward twitch of his eyebrows, the slight narrowing of his eyes, the minute tilt of his head.
“Hmm.” He glanced at Ruth, then at Leon. “Sheriff, take the girl inside for a dance. She’s half-frozen already. Exercise will put some pink in those cheeks and a little less blue in those lips.”
“She’s beautiful just as she is,” Noah murmured.
“You think so, do you?” Robert Kelly was smirking now. “Take her inside, anyway, Sheriff.”
Leon kept his suspicious gaze on Noah. “Won’t you join us, Robert?”
“Soon. I’m going to talk to Walker awhile.”
Her father had an idea—good or bad, Ruth wasn’t sure, but he was up to something.
“I’ve danced enough for one night, Father.”
“Go!” he ordered.
“Come along, Ruth.” Leon stood at her side, trying to lead her away.
But as she shifted her gaze from her father’s face to Noah’s, unease traced down her spine. She wouldn’t put it past her father to smile sweetly, then run Noah off his land as soon as her back was turned. She wasn’t going to let that happen even if it meant arguing with a man who did not abide disobedience.
Then Noah smiled at her, a joyous expression she’d never seen on his face before. He strode toward the door, and she caught her breath, expecting him to walk right through and out of her life forever. She took several steps after him, leaving Leon behind, then paused when he bent, picked up her slippers, and returned. Would no one behave as she expected them to tonight?
“Your shoes, Princess.”
Noah went down on one knee and gently placed her slippers on her feet. Warmth flowed through Ruth, and she held the sensation close. When was the last time she’d felt this safe and protected?
Ten years ago on a train to Kansas.
Staring down at Noah’s dark, bent head as his calloused fingers slid along her heel and calf, Ruth experienced both tenderness and longing.
“I won’t leave without saying goodbye this time,” he murmured, so low only the two of them could hear.
“Don’t leave at all.”
Noah looked all the way up her body until their eyes met. In the half-darkness, his were incredibly blue and so full of hope, her breath caught.
“All right,” he whispered, then straightened and joined her father with such abruptness, she wasn’t sure she’d truly heard him agree.
“Come along, Ruth.” Leon took her arm, and this time she let him lead her back to the party.
Once inside, her chill dissipated quickly. The house was still as hot as August. No one had left. Everyone was having too much fun. Ruth should be pleased, but all she wanted was for the last guests to go to their beds so she could see Noah once more.
Still, she chatted and smiled and allowed Leon to steer her into the living room as the strains of a waltz filled the air.
They had always danced well together, and tonight was no exception—until Leon spoke. “Who is he, Ruth?”
She stumbled, then glanced up, surprised at the vehemence in Leon’s voice. “I told you who he was.”
Leon smiled and nodded as his parents waltzed by. Ruth smiled, too, though her lips felt as if they would crack if she kept forcing them to curve when she didn’t want them to. Since when had smiling at parties that she didn’t want to attend bothered her? Always. But she’d never before had anywhere better to be.
“You said he was an orphan on your train and that you’ve been waiting for him every year. Why?”
“Why?” she stalled.
Leon’s sigh gave voice to his exasperation. “Why were you waiting for him?”
“We said we’d meet every Christmas Eve. We were children, alone in a new place. We needed each other.” Or at least she had needed him.
“But why didn’t you tell anyone that? Why be so secretive?”
She didn’t dare explain to Leon that what was between herself and Noah was the most special bond in her life and she’d wanted to hold the relationship close and keep the knowledge of it between the two of them. From the way he had been behaving tonight, such an admission would only infuriate him more.
“I-I was embarrassed,” she blurted out. “He didn’t come, year after year. It was bad enough to wait and wait on my own, but to have everyone know why I was waiting, … It was easier to keep the reasons to myself.”
Pamela Hoffstead, a young woman near Ruth’s age, danced by in the arms of the lieutenant from Fort Leavenworth. Ruth smiled a true smile at the expression on the young man’s face. Smitten, thank God.
Pamela was nearly on the shelf at twenty-two, and considering the lack of women in Kansas, that was worrisome to Pamela, her friends, and her family. Though the life of an army wife would not be easy, she would be a wife, and that’s what counted.
Ruth sighed: Hadn’t she thought the same thing only a week before? Better to marry Leon than not marry at all? She’d have been trapped in a marriage that would become more of a prison year after year—just like Tildy.
Then she’d never have experienced Noah’s touch, Noah’s kiss, never been consumed with desire to experience all a man had to give.
Ruth was shocked at the direction of her thoughts. How could she remember one man’s touch while in another man’s arms? What kind of woman was she?
“I suspect I can understand why you kept it to yourself.” Ruth dragged her attention back to Leon. “But why did you keep going to the train station when he never came?”
“He did come. This year.”
But had he meant to? Noah had stumbled bleeding from the alley and tried to leave as soon as he’d seen her face. He’d wanted to be alone; he hadn’t wanted anyone to know he was there. It was almost as if he were hiding. But if that was true, then why was he still here and giving his name freely to all who asked?
“Why in hell did he have to come back now?” Leon growled.
The expression on his face surprised her. He was jealous. He had cause. She needed to put their relationship back the way it had been when they were younger—before marriage had ever entered the picture. Because now that Noah had returned, he was in her heart and her soul forever, and even if he left again, the way it had always been between her and Leon was the only way that it could ever be.
Ruth stopped dancing and took Leon’s hand. She led him from the dance floor, through the kitchen, where Tildy made a face at him behind his back, then out the back door and onto the porch, where they could be alone.
Before she’d even spoken, he removed his overcoat and placed the garment about her shoulders. She patted his hand. Leon was a good man. She hated to hurt him, but she had to tell him the truth.
“I don’t know why Noah came back now. I’m only glad that he did.”
Leon’s face stilled. “What are you saying?”
“I can’t marry you, Leon. I’d hoped I might. But I see now that I can’t.”
“Because of him.”
She smiled softly, let him see in her eyes all that she felt in her heart for another. “It’s always been him.”
He cursed and turned away, leaning on the porch rail to stare at the flat land surrounding them.
“He’s a drifter, Ruth.”
“No, he’s a farmer.”
Leon snorted. “That man is not a farmer.”
“Why would you say such a thing?”
He faced her. The expression on his face belonged to a much older man. Even with the relative peace of Kelly Creek, the worries of his job were making Leon old far too young.
“Have you ever seen a farmer move that fast?”
“You’re just mad because he put you down.”
“I’m not saying I liked it, but I am quick. And I know how to fight.” Leon shook his head. “Farmers have shotguns; rifles, maybe. I’ve never seen a farmer with a set of Colts.”
Ruth raised her eyebrows. “How do you know what kind of guns he has?”
“They were looped on the stall door, and he would have grabbed them if he’d been closer.”
“You’re imagining things, Leon.”
“I never had much of an imagination. But I could always read people pretty well. He thought about it for a minute. Only a man who was right comfortable with those pistols would even consider going for them. He’s a gunfighter, Ruth.”
“Noah?” She couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “A gunfighter? Impossible. He’s a farmer.”
But in the back of her mind she saw the blood on her hands, the bullet in Noah’s belly, his harsh voice whispering, “No doctor,” and she wondered.
“You think a man like that will be good for Kelly Creek? Will he love the town? Can he run your father’s business? Take care of the people?”
Ruth sighed. With Leon, the town was always first. That was what made him a good sheriff.
“What about me?” she asked softly.
“I don’t understand.”
It was also what could make him a lousy husband. At least for Ruth, who needed more.
“You didn’t ask if he’d take care of me. If he’d love me.”
He had the grace to look away. “Will he?.”
Ruth removed Leon’s coat. The chill of the night brushed her bare shoulders. She spread the garment over his back and tucked the collar tight under his neck.
“I don’t know about love, but he protected me on the train. I felt safe with him, stronger because of him. I still do.”
Leon’s shoulders slumped beneath the heavy coat; then he turned his head, meeting her eyes. The sadness of his expression cut into her heart. He might not love her the way she needed to be loved, but he thought that he did.
She reached out to him. “Leon, I—”
He shook his head and moved off, ignoring her hand. At the top porch step, he stopped. “I hope you’re right, Ruth. I hope he’s a farmer or a groom or whatever it is you want him to be. But I’m not going to bet anyone’s life on it.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. “What are you going to do?”
“My job. Nothing more, nothing less. If he’s who he says he is, then he has nothing to hide. Right?”
“He’s Noah Walker.”
Of that Ruth was certain. That and little else.
***
Robert Kelly contemplated his new groom, and the brilliant idea that had struck him like a gale-force wind became a storm inside his head.
Robert needed someone strong enough to hold his town. This young man had put the sheriff on the ground with a twist of his arm. He was big and tough and intimidating.
He also had grit. Imagine taking a lowly groom’s job to make his own way when he could have easily sat on his ass and eaten Christmas goose with the family if he’d just knocked on the door. Robert was impressed, and he did not impress easily.
Even though he’d given Leon his blessing, he hadn’t signed anything, and Ruth had not said yes. There was still time to change his mind.
He had a feeling Ruth would say yes to this man and to more questions than “Will you marry me?” The way she’d gazed at Walker when he’d knelt and put on her shoes reminded Robert of the way Cora had once gazed at him.
“Walker,” he said, not wishing to explore that memory any further.
“Yes, sir.”
Walker had been watching Robert as closely as Robert had been watching him. The young man didn’t miss anything—another asset. But the wary expression on his face made Robert think Walker was expecting to be fired. He couldn’t be further from the truth.
“Do you know anything about figures?”
Confusion filled Walker’s eyes. “I don’t understand.”
“Numbers. Money. Banks, boy.”
The young man’s eyes went carefully blank now, but his lips twitched. “I know a little.”
“You want a better job?”
“Just because Ruth and I came to Kansas together doesn’t mean—”
“You’re right. It doesn’t. But I like a man with ambition. One who isn’t afraid to work hard and get his hands dirty. To be straight, I like you. Once this night is over, I won’t be needing an extra groom. However, I do need another man at my bank.”
Walker didn’t answer right away. Robert liked that, too. Big decisions required thought. It wouldn’t do if Walker was all action.
Still, as the minutes stretched on, Robert became impatient. “Have you got somewhere pressing to be, Walker? A better offer than this?”
“I have nothing but my horse and my hands, a strong back, and a ready mind.”
Perfect. A man with nothing would owe Robert everything.
“But there is one thing I’d need before I could stay.”
“Really?” The boy had nerve. Robert liked him more every second. “What might that be?”
“Permission to court your daughter.”
Robert smiled, feeling better than he had in years. Perhaps his prayers were going to be answered in this drifter from heaven knows where.
Ruth cared for Walker, and Walker seemed to care for her. It didn’t really matter to Robert if Ruth got what she wanted as long as he did. But if her wishes coincided with his … well, all to the good.
He should be embarrassed at his machinations. Too bad he didn’t have the time. Life was short; and in the West, shorter. Who knew how long he’d live. But before he went to join Cora and Susan, Robert would ascertain through any means necessary that the town he’d started would not die when he did.
“You know what, Walker?” Robert slapped the man on the back. “I was going to suggest that very thing.”
Chapter Seven
Something strange was going on in Kelly Creek. Noah continued to ponder his conversation with Ruth’s father while he hitched up wagons, saddled horses, and waved goodbye to the guests.
What kind of man would offer a job in a bank to an outlaw who robbed banks for a living? Of course, Kelly didn’t know that was what Noah did. Still, it was mighty odd for him to trust Noah with his business. Even odder that he’d trust Noah with his daughter.
Noah didn’t like it. He didn’t like Kelly, either. Mostly because of the way the man treated Ruth. One minute as a housekeeper, the next as a prize to be bestowed on whoever fulfilled his latest whim.
Even if Noah hadn’t planned to hang around, he would now. Because Kelly was up to something and Noah planned to find out what.
“Off to my bed,” Tim grumbled, not waiting for Noah to respond.
The old man was cranky, but he was good with horses. Even Dog liked him, and that was saying quite a bit. Noah had learned to trust his horse’s judgment when it came to people. Dog had snuffed and blubbered his low opinion of Robert Kelly long after the man had left.
Noah closed the rear door of the barn and secured it. At the front door, he paused. Dawn already tinted the sky. Luckily, the bank was closed on New Year’s Day or Noah wouldn’t even bother going to bed.
“Be at the office by eight in the morning, day after tomorrow,” Kelly had ordered. “And move your things into the guest room.”
“I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“I don’t think my newest employee should be bedding down in the stable.”
“I prefer it, sir.”
Kelly had narrowed his eyes, taking Noah’s measure. He must have seen that Noah would not be budged, because he’d shrugged and said, “Suit yourself.”
Noah could think of nothing more tempting than sleeping in the very same house as Ruth. Better to stay in the barn and cool more than his ardor.
On the heels of that thought, a shadow drifted past the candlelit second-story window—Ruth’s window, from the shape of the shadow.
Though he should stop gaping, go back inside, shut and secure the door, Noah found he could not.
Arms raised, the full thrust of her breasts outlined in the flickering flame, she plucked out pins and let down her hair. The mass tumbled over her shoulders, across her breasts, to her wai
st. His hands itched to bury themselves in those strands, lift them to his face, inhale the essence of Ruth. What would it feel like to have her flame-red hair loosened and flowing all over his naked body?
Noah cursed and rubbed a hand across his face, blotting out the image in his mind and before his eyes. He had to stop thinking of her as if she were any other woman he’d ever known. She was Ruth, and he’d just been given permission to court her properly by her father.
He shook his head. If anyone who knew him heard that, they’d laugh themselves sick. But everyone who knew him was dead.
And Noah had been given a second chance. He wasn’t going to ruin it by reverting to the man he’d been for the past several years. The man who’d put his bloody hands on Ruth, touched her precious body with his tainted mouth, and thought unclean thoughts whenever she came near.
He could become a new man now. He could live in Kelly Creek, be a banker, court the princess, maybe even marry her. Men like that did not dream of taking women like Ruth every way there was to take her.
“Noah?”
He raised his head, shocked she’d sneaked up on him. He was even more surprised to find her in nothing but a nightdress and robe; her hair tumbled about her small face, wild and free. His body responded accordingly, and he gritted his teeth.
“What are you doing out here? You’ll catch your death.”
“I hardly ever get sick. I’m much stronger than I appear.”
Noah grunted. How on earth was he going to become a brand-new man if he couldn’t get rid of the same old urges?
“I am a bit chilled, though.” She stepped closer. “Perhaps if you hold me, I’ll be all right.”
Noah inched back. “That’s not a good idea, Ruth.”
Her brow wrinkled. “I thought it was.”
“Go to bed. It’s nearly dawn.”
“I’m not tired. Besides, I couldn’t sleep until I talked to you.” Ignoring his stiff posture, she grabbed both his hands in both of hers. “That feels better.” She squeezed his fingers.
The ice of her skin made him sigh in surrender and draw her into the relative warmth of the barn. “Be quiet. Tim was tired.”
She laughed, and he wanted to touch her lips with his fingers, or maybe his tongue. “Even if he didn’t sleep as deeply as a hibernating bear, he wouldn’t hear us. Haven’t you noticed? Tim’s a bit deaf.”