by Lana Dare
Eb touched his shoulder, his eyes full of concern.
“Do you feel all right?”
In deference to Maggie, Hayes bit back his curse.
“Yeah. No. I don’t know. I can’t seem to stay awake.” He turned to watch Wyatt walk unsteadily toward them.
“Wyatt seems to have the same problem. We probably ate too much.”
He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “It’s not as though we’re not used to being up all night. Maybe I should head into the chow house and get another cup of coffee.”
Eb drew a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I hope the doc gets here soon. We need one around here. Maybe you’re getting sick.”
Jeremiah pulled Maggie back several feet.
“Don’t give anything to Maggie. We’ve got to watch out for the babe.”
Maggie pushed out of his arms. “Don’t be ridiculous. I can’t stand this anymore. Hayes, did you or Wyatt do anything—say anything—to make Savannah mad?”
Thinking of what Wyatt and Savannah had done that afternoon, Hayes shrugged, not about to share intimate details of their relationship with anyone else.
Maggie straightened, fisting her hands on her hips and stared at Wyatt. “When you left this afternoon with her, didn’t you say something about—oh, my God! You didn’t actually try to spank Savannah, did you?”
Jeremiah wrapped an arm around Maggie and hugged her against him.
“It’s none of your business. Come on. Let’s get you inside before you get chilled.”
When she started to struggle, he merely lifted her into his arms and strode away with her, carrying her across the yard, up the back steps, and into the house, but not before giving Eb a censuring look.
Once Jeremiah had Maggie inside and closed the door behind them, Hayes turned back to Eb, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I know you mean well, but don’t meddle in our dealings with Savannah. I know you’re looking out for her, but you know damned well how we feel about her. She was real quiet today, but she went out of her way to make us a nice supper and made sure we had some privacy. That tells me she’s made up her mind to marry us. We’ll take over caring for her now.”
He hated like hell explaining himself, especially regarding a woman he would marry, but felt it necessary. He wanted to make it clear that as much as he appreciated that the other men would be watching out for her when he and Wyatt weren’t around, Savannah was theirs.
He sure as hell wouldn’t take kindly to any interference in the way he handled her.
He loved her. He wanted her like he’d never wanted another woman. Only her soft touch and calming voice had kept him from breaking the laws he’d sworn to uphold and killing the man who’d dared to bruise her.
Her uncle had a lot to answer for, and his own inability to lock the reverend away for beating Savannah still infuriated him.
The reverend, as her guardian, had the right, and there hadn’t been a damned thing he and Wyatt could do about it.
Here, things were different, and if the reverend showed up, there would be a far different outcome.
She belonged to them, and both he and Wyatt would do anything and everything in their power to keep her from being harmed.
He’d gladly kill any man who touched her—including her uncle.
Eb nodded once and started to turn away. Pausing, he turned back and smiled coldly, eyeing both him and Wyatt in a way that made Hayes stiffen.
With his hands on his hips, Eb cocked his head, gesturing toward the house, his eyes hard and as cold as ice.
“I’ve been protecting Savannah for a long time now, and there’s one thing I’ve learned. It never hurts to have other men you can trust to keep a woman safe. You can’t always be there. I know you don’t want my advice, and I have half a mind to walk away without telling you what I know, but the women’s safety is my main priority.”
Rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, he sighed.
“Wonder why you’re so tired? If you knew Savannah well enough, you would know that when she’s quiet and subdued, she’s up to no good. She put something in your food. Something to make you sleep. That’s why she invited you to the house. The two of you must have really pissed her off. What did you do, spank her? Tell her that she was marrying you no matter what?”
Hayes avoided looking at Wyatt, not about to let Eb know that he was right. What happened between them and Savannah was nobody’s business. Struggling against the jealousy caused by Eb knowing things about Savannah that he didn’t, and his own pride, he felt his temper snap.
“And just how would you know she would do such a thing?”
Eb’s jaw clenched.
“Because I’m the one who showed her how to do it. Let me tell you a few things about Savannah’s uncle.”
Chapter Six
Picking the last of the vegetables, Savannah knelt in the garden, jolting at the shout from somewhere behind her. Recognizing it as Eb’s shout of encouragement to Phoenix as the other man worked to break a wild horse, Savannah let out a breath and forced herself to relax.
The suspense of wondering when Wyatt and Hayes would appear and retaliate made her increasingly jumpy, until she couldn’t stand it anymore.
Deciding to see if she could find out what they had planned for her, or when they’d be around, she started toward the chow building, where she knew Duke would be fixing supper.
During the short time she’d been here, she’d learned that, although he seldom spoke, Duke knew almost everything that went on at the ranch.
Crossing to the chow building, she scanned the yard for Wyatt and Hayes, both depressed and relieved that she didn’t see them. Hearing sounds coming from inside, she opened the door and went in, relieved to find the place empty except for Duke.
Turning from where he stirred something in a large pot, he nodded.
“Ma’am.”
Savannah nodded back, a little surprised at the cold glint of anger in his eyes, especially since he’d been so nice to her ever since she’d arrived.
“Hello, Duke. I…um…haven’t seen Wyatt or Hayes for awhile.” To avoid meeting his eyes, she poured herself a cup of coffee she didn’t want.
He looked at her strangely, his frown accenting the scar down his cheek, making him look even scarier.
“They’re building your new house. They were in a strange mood, those two. Hardly talked to anybody, and even growled at a couple of the ranch hands on their way out. Must’ve been something they ate.”
Embarrassed that Duke obviously knew about what she’d done, Savannah shrugged and said nothing.
The lump that formed in her throat surprised her.
She’d been trying to turn them away since the moment she met them, and couldn’t get them to listen to her. Now that they avoided her, she should have been happy.
Leaving here, though, didn’t have the appeal it once did.
Knowing she had to anyway, she should have been relieved that Hayes and Wyatt didn’t appear to want her anymore. It would make leaving much easier, and she would be able to relax and enjoy herself with Maggie for the rest of the time she had here.
She should be happy.
Instead, the numbness, the sadness, the anger, and the hurt felt an awful lot like grief.
Blinking back tears, she lifted her gaze, surprised to find Duke staring at her. Forcing a smile, she turned away.
“So, what are you making for supper?”
Her mouth watered at the smell of apple pie scenting the air, and she watched with interest as Duke removed several cast-iron Dutch ovens from the fire and set them aside.
Unsettled at his anger and the uncertainty of Wyatt and Hayes’s absence, she said the first thing that came to her mind.
“Maggie loves apple pie.”
It didn’t surprise her at all that his features softened.
“I know. That’s why I’m making them. She’s a special lady. It takes one to be able to make two husbands happy.”
The implication that she wouldn’t measure up wasn’t lost on Savannah, who nodded and headed for the door, inexplicably hurt.
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that. I’ve got some chores to take care of before Maggie wakes up from her nap. Sorry to have bothered you.”
She started out, ignoring him when he called out her name. She jolted when his hand curved around her upper arm, not even aware that he’d moved.
Not having a choice, she’d remained just inside the door, ignoring the curious stares from a few of the men standing just outside the door.
“What?”
To her surprise, Duke moved closer, not stopping until he stood only a few feet away.
“I would be nervous, too, if I were you. Your men know what you did. If you were mine, I’d turn you over my knee and paddle your bottom until you couldn’t sit down.”
Keeping her head straight, she glanced up at him from the corner of her eye, alarmed at his size. Up close, he seemed as big as a mountain. He stood taller than the other men, but she hadn’t realized just how huge he was.
Swallowing heavily, she took a step back, lifting her chin. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
His cold smile scared the hell out of her.
“Yes, you do. I wouldn’t take that tone with them if I was you. Lying is only going to get you into more trouble.”
Looking away, Savannah shrugged, her stomach clenching. “I’m not in any trouble at all. Your rules don’t apply to me. I’m leaving just as soon as Maggie has her baby. Besides, it doesn’t look like either Wyatt or Hayes is interested in me anymore anyway. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I promised Maggie I’d tend to the garden.”
Walking back across the yard, she once again looked for Wyatt and Hayes, trying to convince herself that the cold, hard knot in her stomach would go away.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, reminding herself that she’d gotten exactly what she wanted. As soon as Maggie had her baby, she could leave here and head south, riding toward the life she’d been dreaming about for years.
Ignoring the heaviness that settled in her chest, and aware that several pairs of eyes sharpened on her, she kept her head lowered and headed for the back door. She bent to pick up the basket of vegetables she’d left beside the garden, the basket she’d forgotten to take to Duke.
“I’ll carry that for you.”
Startled, she looked up into the hard, cold eyes of Hawke Royal, one of the Indians who worked on the Circle T.
“Thank you, but that’s not necessary.” She lifted the basket, intent on getting inside, and away from prying eyes, as quickly as possible.
Lifting an arrogant brow, he took the basket from her anyway.
“We take care of women around here.”
Sensing that more than just carrying a basket lay behind his remark, Savannah kept walking.
“So I’ve heard. Sometimes, though, women don’t want men telling them what to do.”
“Women need the protection of men.”
“Not all of them.”
“All of them.”
She quickened her steps, anxious to get away from the intimidating Indian.
“Your men aren’t at all happy that you tried to poison them. None of us are.”
Savannah whirled. “I didn’t try to poison them!”
Hawke lifted a brow, clearly skeptical. “No?”
“No!” She sighed, looking away. “Look, I really don’t want to discuss this with you. Eb’s lecture and Duke’s censoring looks are about all I can take.”
“You deserved both. Eb told us why you did it.”
Savannah turned back, looking up at him through her lashes. “He shouldn’t have. It’s nobody’s business.”
She’d never appreciated being the subject of gossip in a small town. It appeared that even on a ranch as large as the Triple T, everyone knew everyone else’s business.
Blade inclined his head. “I can understand why you’d think that way. Except for my brothers, I’m a loner myself. It’s different here, though, and hard to get used to. Here, we’re all connected. We have to count on each other to survive and to protect the women. Eb said you just wanted a little time and space for yourself. I can understand that, too.”
Smiling faintly, he lowered his already low voice. “Tell the truth. If Eb hadn’t caught you, you were going to run, weren’t you?”
Clenching her jaw against a surge of anger, Savannah glared at him. “No. I promised Maggie that I would stay until she has the babe. I gave my word.”
Hawke’s brow went up again. “Good for you. You’re not the coward I thought you were.” His lips twitched. “So you really did it just to get them to leave you alone? They must have really made an impact on you for you to be so desperate to get away from them.”
Not knowing how to respond to that, Savannah shrugged and changed the subject, turning the tables to talk about him instead.
“How did you learn to speak English so well?”
Hawke’s eyes became shuttered, his expression harder than she’d ever seen it. “Our mother was white. Phoenix, Blade, and I are half-breeds.”
Savannah inwardly winced at his tone, uncomfortable that she’d inadvertently touched on an obviously sore subject.
“Oh.”
To her surprise, Hawke grinned, his smile taking her breath away. “You’re a woman so you’re naturally nosy and want to know more, but just don’t know how to ask without opening yourself up to being asked questions about your past.”
Furious at being so easy to read, she cursed under her breath and spun back toward the house.
Once they reached the back door, Savannah turned and yanked the basket out of his hands.
“You know what the trouble is with the men around here?”
If possible, Hawke’s eyes narrowed even more.
“What’s that?”
“They’re too arrogant for their own good.”
Hawke’s eyes lit with amusement, and a good bit of that arrogance that set her teeth on edge.
“With good reason. You’re too used to city boys who act tough when they don’t know the first thing about protecting what’s theirs. Wyatt and Hayes do, and they’d both die to protect you.”
“I’m not theirs.”
Alarmed that her voice broke, Savannah rushed into the house, furious at the tears that burned her eyes.
Setting the vegetables on the big wooden table, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, furious at herself for being hurt by Wyatt and Hayes’s obvious abandonment.
“Something bothering you?”
With a gasp, Savannah whirled and, if not for Jeremiah’s fast reflexes, would have knocked the basket of vegetables to the floor.
“I wish you people would stop sneaking up on me!”
Jeremiah blinked once before a slow smile tugged at his lips.
“I came in through the back door while you were working in the garden. I even spoke to you, but you were lost in thought and didn’t hear me. You got something on your mind you want to talk about?
Afraid those sharp eyes of his saw too much, she turned away. “Yes. I can’t wait until Maggie has her baby so I can get out of here.”
Jeremiah had the nerve to laugh.
“I can’t wait until Wyatt and Hayes get a hold of you and make you pay for putting something in their food to make them sleep.”
Gritting her teeth, she glared up at him through her lashes. “They wouldn’t have known if Eb hadn’t told them.”
Jeremiah tapped the underside of her chin until she lifted it.
“Eb finally told me why he taught you to do that. He told Wyatt and Hayes, too. He figured that after what you did to them, they had a right to know. You’re a brave woman, Savannah—braver than I suspected. I know you had a good reason for putting your uncle to sleep so he didn’t bother you, but you won’t get away with doing that here. Wyatt and Hayes are so mad that they’ve been afraid to come near you.”
&nb
sp; Savannah stamped her foot, furious and mortified. “He had no right to tell them that! He had no right to tell anyone that. Maggie doesn’t know, does she?”
Jeremiah gripped her shoulders, his smile full of tenderness and understanding.
“No, honey. Maggie doesn’t know. There’s no point. But surely you see that Wyatt and Hayes have a right to know that the woman they’re going to marry was almost raped by her uncle. If Eb hadn’t shown up that night—hell. I don’t even want to think about it.”
Savannah shoved at him, turning away.
“It’s none of their business! I’m not marrying them or anyone else.”
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken about that. You’re definitely marrying us.”
Savannah spun toward the open doorway, her heart leaping into her throat at the sight of a furious-looking Hayes standing there.
“Damn it. If one more person sneaks up on me, I’m going to scream.”
Hayes came forward, not even glancing in Jeremiah’s direction as he bent and put a shoulder to her belly and lifted her kicking and screaming over his shoulder.
“You’re already screaming, honey, and you’ll damned well be doing a lot more of it before I’m through with you.”
Chapter Seven
Using every curse word she’d ever heard, Savannah hung on to Hayes as he all but dragged her out the back door and to his horse, where a stone-faced Wyatt waited.
Savannah had never been so scared in her entire life, which said a lot considering how life had been with her uncle. She looked back in time to see Jeremiah come out the back door.
He stopped to lean over the porch railing, his arms folded over his chest and one booted foot crossed over the other.
“Jeremiah, damn you! Help me.”
He straightened, spinning to catch Maggie who flew out the door, clearly upset.
He lowered his head and said something to her that Savannah couldn’t hear before straightening and heading toward her, Maggie trailing right behind him.
Struggling not to show fear, Savannah stood her ground, more than a little surprised that Hayes merely held her arm and waited for Jeremiah to approach.
To her shock, Eb appeared from somewhere behind her.