by Linda Broday
Stifling a sob, she laid it aside and sank into a chair, trying to understand why he’d kept the locket, trying to figure out what it meant.
* * *
Cade rode in just as the sun was setting. He was satisfied with his purchases, but disappointed that he hadn’t gotten a chance to set Hiram Dunston straight. Folks told Cade he’d gotten stinkin’ drunk and was in jail. His conversation with the rotten low-life would have to wait. He didn’t like waiting.
Clothes flapped in the breeze on the line beside the house. Skye had been busy. He didn’t see her anywhere and assumed she was inside. He led the horses to the small corral beside the barn, unsaddled hers, and turned both loose.
Thrusting a hand into his pocket for luck, sheer panic set in.
He’d lost the locket. His most cherished possession. Hurrying into the house, he stooped to look under the table and around the room. Movement drew him up short.
Skye stood with arms folded. “Looking for something?”
“You might say that I am. Something I greatly treasure that’s brought me good luck.”
“Would this be it, by chance?” She opened her hand and the gold locket dangled from a finger.
Cade swallowed hard, waiting for her anger. “You found it.”
The lines of her face softened, surprising him. “Why did you keep it, Cade?”
“It reminded me of the price I paid for my own stupidity.” He covered the space between them and took it. “And I never get tired of looking at your picture. Remembering. Dreaming.”
“I didn’t know you cared, didn’t know that you gave me another thought after that day and the horrible words that were spoken.”
He forced out the words he’d locked in a far corner of his heart. “I cared. Always.”
Slowly, he moved closer until only a whisper of distance remained between them. He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “You don’t know what you do to a man. You’re impossible to forget.”
Skye leaned into him. “What did we do, Cade? I loved you, you know.”
“But Matthew—”
“Matthew wasn’t you. He was a good husband, but I never loved him. I only gave my heart away once … and you gave it back.”
“I was a fool.” His ragged breath was loud in his ears. Familiar heat pooled low in his belly. He bent his head and crushed his lips to hers.
* * *
Skye closed her eyes. Like the brush of fine silk, the sweep of his mouth across hers stole her breath, her thoughts, and any desire to resist.
An overpowering hunger rose up.
But what would happen when he rode off again without looking back? Could she keep it from destroying her?
She pushed away from his broad chest and stumbled outside. The old dugout drew her, the place she always sought when life pressed around crushing her. She sank into the chair she’d put there long ago and buried her face in her hands.
The lines had blurred and she didn’t know how that happened. Cade Coltrain was no longer her husband’s brother. He was her love. And God knew if he kissed her again, she’d lose all ability to resist.
Even if he made no promise to stay she would welcome the warmth of his arms.
Purple twilight cast deep shadows before she returned to the house. She busied herself bringing in the clothes and folding them, cooking a meal. Once she spied the smoked ham on the table, supper was easy.
The package wrapped in brown paper sitting next to the ham aroused her curiosity. She rested her hand on it.
Whistling, Cade strolled through the door. “Open it.”
“I told you I didn’t want anything.”
“But you never said a word about need.” Cade’s blue eyes were as soft as his words.
“The money used to buy these things—”
“Was come by honest,” he finished. “Worked at the livery in exchange for the buckskin and two dollars. So don’t stand there. Open it.”
Tearing away the paper her breath caught in her throat. “Oh, Cade!”
The chemise was lovely with its lace and pretty pink ribbon. She held it up to her for a second before turning to the nightgown in the paper. She ran her fingers across the fabric, admiring the tiny pink rosettes sewn around the neck and sleeves. Simply beautiful—and much needed.
“I thought you’d like them,” Cade said quietly.
“No one ever bought me anything like this.” She laid her gifts down. “Your peace offering?”
“No. My reason is simple. I saw them and thought they might put a smile on that pretty face of yours. Nothing more, nothing less. You have every right to your anger. Hold on to it, Skye. At least you’re feeling something. Helps you remember you’re not dead.”
“I want to be sometimes when life stomps on me.” She put the gifts away and sliced some of the ham then opened her last jar of fresh peas. She also found a can of peaches for dessert.
Sitting across from him, she brought up the subject she’d been dreading. “Did you find Dunston in town?”
“Nope.” His eyes met hers. “You can relax. The louse is in jail. I still mean to have a talk with him before I leave though.”
“I wish you’d drop it.”
“Not a chance.”
After supper, Cade disappeared outside while she washed the dishes. Probably doing some last minute chores before turning in. She rigged a blanket to separate the kitchen from the rest of the house. Dragging in her washtub, she filled it with water. She wanted to be clean when she put on the new nightgown. Her bath didn’t take long and when she came out, Cade sat at the table.
Still wet, his hair curled around the neck of his clean shirt. He smiled. “Looks like we both had the same idea. Not much water in the pitiful little creek I found behind the house but it was enough. The gown looks real pretty on you, Skye.”
“Thank you again for it.”
He unwound his long legs and stood. “I’ll empty the tub.”
“I appreciate that.” The bed against the wall drew her attention. Something rested on the pillow.
Curiosity was so strong she barely heard Cade carry the tub outside. She moved slowly to the bed. A perfectly shaped heart made from a piece of leather lay on her pillow. A thin strip of red fabric was woven around the outer edge, and colorful feathers filled the center. Her breath caught as she picked it up and stroked the small gift.
Cade opened the door and stepped inside. “Not my best work.”
“It’s just lovely. Did you make it?”
“Yeah, not a very good job, I’m afraid. Didn’t have a lot to work with. The leather came from a flap of my saddlebags. The rest, I found in town today. Do you like it?”
“I love it.” Skye laid it down. “Cade, will you hold me?”
He moved to her and she melted in his arms, breathing his clean fragrance. His light touch on the back of her head, his gentle breath ruffling the hair at her temple, and his strong heartbeat beneath her ear renewed her sagging spirit.
Skye glanced up. “Do you think you could sleep inside the house tonight? I’m lonely.”
Instead of a reply, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. “Anything to ease your loneliness, pretty lady. Just let me blow out the lamps.”
When darkness filled the room, he sat on the side of the bed, undid his holster, and pulled his boots off. Then she heard him getting out of the rest of his clothes. She wished the lamp still burned so she could see his muscular body. It had been so long.
He stretched out beside her and pulled her close. His tender touch on her body after so long was almost more than she could bear. Tears bubbled in her eyes. This man who wanted to protect her and had fashioned a heart from a piece of leather from his saddlebags was unaware of the true gift he gave her.
She rose long enough to pull her nightgown over her head then she nestled in his strong arms.
The kiss they shared spoke of need and passion.
And a deep hunger to matter to someone.
~Chapter 4~<
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Moonlight filtered in through the window illuminating the beautiful woman lying next to him.
Cade rose on an elbow and trailed feathery kisses across Skye’s eyelids, her delicate cheekbones, and down the slender curve of her throat. Though she tried to pull him on top of her, he would have none of it. He meant to enjoy every second of their fleeting time.
He slid a lazy hand up her long, shapely legs and left dawdling caresses along their length.
“Turn on your belly, darlin’,” he said.
When she obeyed, he slid his palm down the curve of her spine to her firm bottom. A moan slid from her lips as he moved her hair aside and feathered kisses from the back of her neck down her sleek body.
Each touch awakened a hundred treasured memories of time spent loving her. A life he’d thrown away to chase a fickle dream.
“That’s enough.” Skye turned back over and tugged at him. “I need you, Cade. Now.”
“Not yet.” He stared down, his gaze worshiping her. Skye’s breath became ragged as she stroked his chest and back.
Her velvet skin was silkier than he remembered. He moved lower, kissing and caressing every inch.
Returning to her mouth, he whispered roughly, “You are the most incredible woman I’ve ever known, Skye O’Rourke. I’d give anything to spend the rest of my days with you.”
Her hand seared a path across the corded muscles of his chest. “Shhhh. All we have for sure is right now, this moment. Maybe we don’t have a right to ask for more.”
Cade tenderly smoothed back her hair and wiped away the tears that leaked from the corner of her eyes.
When he could bear no more sweet torment, he positioned himself on top of her and took all that she wanted to give.
The pleasure was almost more than he could bear and when release came, he could’ve sworn all his bones turned to liquid.
How could he tell Skye how much he still loved her?
Yet, what right did he have to speak of such things? He’d given her to his brother.
Fool!
Long after their bodies had cooled and sleep claimed Skye, Cade lay listening to her soft breathing and counted himself a very lucky man.
For what she’d just given him, he’d crawl naked over a thorny field under a scorching sun. Skye was his one true love and always would be, until a bullet found him and ended his torment.
* * *
Over the next week, Cade worked making repairs and fixing things. But when night fell, Skye welcomed him into her bed. She dreaded the day when he’d ride out, chasing his next adventure.
How would she go back to her empty life? How could she forget the sound of the male rumble in his chest when he kissed her? And how could she forget their lovemaking that was sometimes slow and passionate and other times raw and frenzied? She told herself not to get too attached to him.
But her heart refused to listen.
A little over a week since his arrival, Skye woke to find her milk cow dead with an arrow protruding from the heifer’s neck and belly. Cold fear spread down her spine and along her nerve endings.
Cade pulled out the arrow and broke it over his knee. Silently, his searching gaze swept the land around the homestead. “Go in the house, Skye,” he said quietly.
She wasted no time arguing. Hurrying into the house, she bolted the door and reached for her rifle. Despite the arrow, she knew who was to blame. Hiram Dunston couldn’t fool her. But Cade was here now. He wouldn’t let Dunston hurt her.
Unless he caught Cade by surprise and killed him.
Quaking inside, her breath stilled as she listened for sounds beyond her door.
Time seemed to stand still. At last, Cade hollered to let him in. She threw the bolt and hugged him.
“I dragged the cow a good distance down to a ravine.”
“I’ve never known Dunston to use arrows before,” Skye said. “Do you think—”
“It was him all right.”
“Did you see him?”
“No. But hoof prints around the cow were the exact same as the prints near the fence posts he yanked from the ground.”
The day wore on with no sign of Dunston. Skye relaxed. Maybe he went back to town. The man could’ve seen Cade and decided things were too dangerous for him. She hoped so.
Still, what would happen when Cade left? Cold knowledge washed over her. Either she would kill Dunston—or he’d kill her. She knew that as sure as the sun rose.
For supper that night, she fixed a stew from her limited larder and made cornbread. Cade talked about some of his travels. He’d been all the way to California, Montana and up in the Dakotas.
“Hid out for a while in the Badlands of South Dakota. Posse chased me to hell and back.”
“Why?”
“A big rancher I’d worked for got murdered. They claimed I did it.”
Skye placed her hand over Cade’s. Her question was soft. “If you were innocent, why didn’t you tell them and clear your name?”
He snorted. “They weren’t exactly in the mood to talk. They’d have hung me first thing from the highest tree and asked questions later. Men live by a different set of rules up there. But there were plenty of men I did put in a grave, so I guess it sort of evens out in the end.”
“No wonder you dodged my question about being wanted.”
“My name’s on a poster in most states, even Texas,” he admitted. “Let’s talk about other things. How did Matthew die? You never said.”
Skye worried with the edge of her apron remembering that awful day. “Horse stepped in a hole and fell. Matthew landed beneath the animal and died instantly.”
“At least he went fast. Did you have a good life with him before …?”
She sighed, choosing her words carefully. “Matthew did his best. You can’t make yourself love someone if the feelings aren’t there.”
“I can relate to that. Is it too late to start over, pretend I didn’t hurt you?”
How could they begin again when he meant to ride off at the first opportunity? Sudden thickness in her throat made it difficult to swallow. She rose to clear the table.
It was strange how much of her life she’d spent in denial and pretense. She’d pretended not to care when Cade left, pretended to love Matthew, pretended she hadn’t had to marry to save her reputation.
But the greatest lie she told herself was that she had only carried Cade’s child a few short months.
~Chapter 5~
Cade strapped on his Colt and saddled his buckskin early the next morning. He needed to ride, sort things out. That Skye hadn’t answered his question about starting over chewed on him like a rabid dog.
In his heart, he knew she could never pretend he hadn’t hurt her. That kind of pain went bone deep. Forgiving time was past.
She didn’t trust him.
Hell, he didn’t trust himself. He knew he could never settle down and live here. The life of a farmer wasn’t for him.
Not even the deep abiding love he felt for Skye could put a plow in his hand and attachment for this godforsaken land in his blood.
What had drawn his older brother to this rough terrain?
Much lay untouched, left to the thorny brush and cacti. The wild rugged expanse stretched as far as the eye could see.
Skimming the ground, feeling the horse’s powerful muscles beneath him, brought some sense of peace.
He’d just reined the buckskin in when his stomach clenched tight making it hard to breathe.
Trouble rode the wind.
Trouble he couldn’t ignore.
Skye was in danger. He knew it as sure as he knew his name.
* * *
Humming, Skye opened the chicken coop Cade had built and stepped inside. She gathered the eggs and took them to the house where she set them on the table.
Her heart was light for the first time in a long while. Lying in Cade’s strong arms each night, touching his body and having him touch her had brought a sense of well-being.
But it wa
s a false sense of security.
Cade didn’t belong in this world. He was a dreamer and a wanderer who lived by the gun.
Unconsciously, her hand drifted to her stomach where perhaps a new life already grew. A child would lessen the loneliness and make it easier to face each new sunrise. She’d give it all the love she possessed.
Just as she turned to tackle the rest of her chores, a hand closed around her throat.
“You belong to me, woman. Time for a little fun.” The deep raspy voice filled the small dwelling, settling into the corners. “I came to get my due. I won’t leave less’n I get it.”
Skye’s blood froze in her veins. Her thoughts had been so firmly on Cade she’d forgotten to watch out for snakes under her feet. A hurried glance found her rifle leaning against the wall—too far away.
Shaking, she slowly swiveled and stared into Hiram Dunston’s ugly pockmarked face. “Then get ready to die. My husband’s brother will be back any second. He’ll give you everything you’re due and then some.”
“No one wants you. You’re used up,” he snarled.
“Begs the question—why are you here?”
“I ain’t too particular and I like a wildcat.”
“My husband’s brother is a wanted man and it won’t bother him to kill one more.” Her breath came in great heaving gasps. She stomped his feet, pounded his chest, clawed his face. Doing whatever she could to free herself.
Dunston whipped a gun from his waistband and pressed the cold steel to her forehead. “You’re lyin’, tryin’ to save your own skin.”
“Then you’re surely a fool,” she said softly.
He jerked her against him by her hair. “Only one man called me a fool. He’s dead.”
With a curse, he slung her across the room, laughed when she landed on the floor, slamming her head against the iron bedstead. Though pain shot through her body, she refused to utter a sound.
“Now, get those clothes off before I lose my patience.” Laying his pistol on the table, he crept slowly toward her.