by Sandy James
She chuckled as he turned her loose and went to help his daughter out of the wagon. “I remember. Thank you for being so generous.”
Will pulled the front swinging doors open as she reached them. “My new cook is finally here! Had to choke down Emily’s lunch, and—” He glanced over his shoulder. “—I sure as hell don’t wanna choke down her supper, too.”
Matthew followed her into the saloon. “Where do you want Grace’s trunk?”
“Up the stairs, second door,” Will replied as Adam and Victoria came into the saloon.
“I think I’ll go up and get settled in.” Grace headed toward her new home.
“I’ll give you a hand.” Victoria followed her to the staircase.
Adam watched Grace mount the steps. She turned back to glance at him. Everything in him wanted to go to her, throw her over his shoulder like a sack of grain, and carry her right back to the wagon.
Instead, he sighed and nodded.
She nodded back before she retreated down the hallway.
He turned to Will. “I need you to watch over her. I don’t like leaving her here.”
“I’ll be keepin’ an eye on her.” Will shifted his gaze from Adam to the empty stairway and back again. Stroking his handlebar moustache, he gave him a smile. “You got intentions for that filly?”
“I’ve got lots of intentions. She just doesn’t accept all of ’em yet.”
“You’ll do right by her, Adam?”
“Why the sudden concern?”
“Being she’s Jake’s sister, I’m kin. I’ve a need to watch over her well-being.”
Matthew came stomping down the upstairs hallway, turned back and shouted, “Yes, your majesty!” A door slammed as he marched down the stairs. As he passed Adam and Will, he grumbled, “That woman will be the death of me.”
“‘But love is blind, and lovers cannot see,’” Adam quoted after Matthew walked by.
Will arched a brow. “That be Jake’s brother?”
“Yep. Matthew Riley.”
“He’s taken with Victoria?”
“Oh, yeah. And she’s every bit as taken with him.”
“Weddin’?”
Adam shrugged. “Both are a bit stubborn, so it might take them some time to figure things out.” His gaze moved to the stairs when Grace descended. “Might take Grace some time to figure things out too. I’m keepin’ you to your promise to watch out for her.”
“Yes, siree, Adam. I’ll make sure there’s ain’t no trouble from the customers.”
Will’s words made Adam’s gut twist into a painful knot. Leaving Grace here was going to mean every unattached male in the territory would be coming to get an eyeful of the new woman. “Keep her out of the saloon when you’ve got customers—just like you do Emily.”
“Sounding a bit possessive, ain’t you?”
“Very possessive.” He reached out to take Grace’s hand when she came to stand beside him. “You all settled in, darlin’?”
“All settled in. I should go start supper.” There was a touch of fear in her brown eyes. “Are–are you leaving now?”
“Not yet. I’ve got some business in town.”
Will slapped Adam’s back. “Stay to supper?”
“I do believe I will.”
***
Jake and Emily hadn’t come to eat when Grace served dinner to Will, Adam, Victoria, and Matthew. Not that Adam was surprised. The stubborn streak in Jake ran a mile wide, but the crestfallen look on Grace’s face had set Adam’s anger building. The least the boy could do was listen to Grace’s side of the story.
As he helped her with the dishes, she kept her thoughts to herself. He wanted to ask her what was flying through that far too clever brain of hers, but she seemed content to pass the short time they had left together in quiet. How he would ever be able to get in that wagon and drive away remained a mystery.
He caught Jake’s voice out in the saloon. “Grace, will you excuse me a moment?”
“You’re leaving? You’re heading home now?” Her eyes were wide.
He kissed her forehead. “Not yet, darlin’. Just need to talk to someone for a minute. How ’bout we take one last walk after that?”
“I’d like that.” She nodded at the sink. “I’ll meet you out front when this chore’s done.”
Adam went to find Jake. The boy was pouring whiskey and talking to two cowboys. The saloon had grown crowded while they ate, souring his mood.
Jake glanced up, locked gazes with Adam, and nodded. A few moments later, he joined him at the end of the bar.
“Jake, I’m wanting a word with you.”
“Sir?”
“We need to talk about Grace.”
Jake’s mouth fell into a fierce frown. “She’s gonna stay in the room next to Em and me. Can’t say I’m liking that much. Can’t you take her back to the Twin Springs?”
“You need to give her a chance.”
“Don’t wanna.”
This wasn’t going to be easy, not that Adam had expected Jake to welcome Grace with open arms. “Keep an open mind, son. Think about this from her point of view. She was only fifteen when you were born.”
“On her birthday.”
“Who told you that?”
“Matthew. Came to talk to me after you and Grace left yesterday. Wanted to ‘set me straight,’ so he said. Can’t blame him for what happened, though. He was only a little boy when she tossed me away like some runt puppy.”
“She tried to do right by you, Jake.”
The young man sighed. “I guess it was my fault our mama died. Left her and Matthew alone as much as it did me. Still... Couldn’t she have raised me? She didn’t send Matthew away.”
“He was old enough to sit a horse and help on cattle drives.”
“Why’d she have to up and give me away?”
“How could she have kept you? She didn’t have any money. Had to hire herself to cattle drives to earn enough to eat. Might’ve been different if she were your mother. She might’ve seen the responsibility differently. But she was a girl with two younger brothers to look after. She did what she thought was best. Was she supposed to care for a newborn while she slung chow for hungry cowboys and watched after Matthew?”
Jake dropped his gaze to the bar he rubbed with a towel as if trying to remove some spill that wasn’t there. “No, I ’spose not. But—”
“You’re a smart young man. You know she doesn’t deserve your hate. She didn’t murder your parents. There’s no way she could have predicted that. She gave you a family she hoped would make you happy and provide you a home.”
After a few moments of turning it over in his mind, Jake shrugged. “Emily likes her. She needs a woman to be close at hand, ’specially with the little one on the way. Grace seems...kind.”
It was more of a concession than Adam had expected, considering all Jake had gone through. “You’ll give her a chance?”
“I’ll try.”
“You’ll help Will keep an eye on her?”
That got his attention as Jake lifted his gaze to Adam’s. “She in some kind of trouble? Don’t want no trouble around Em and the baby.”
“No trouble. She has nightmares. Someone hurt her bad. Still haunts her.”
A lopsided grin lit Jake’s face. “Has nightmares, does she? You’re sharing a bed with her then? Aren’t you both a mite…old for that?”
Adam chuckled, despite himself. “No, son. I haven’t had that particular pleasure yet, nor would I brag about it if I had. I’ve slept in a rocking chair in her room. And as for my overly advanced age, I can still whoop your sorry behind if I have to. I’d keep that in mind if you’re thinking about giving Grace any grief.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for her, and I’ll tell Em about her nightmares so she can go to her if she hears something during the night.”
“That’s my boy.” After cuffing Jake on the shoulder, Adam went to Grace, who now stood at the entrance to the kitchen.
She leaned a shoulder agains
t the door where she must have been watching Adam speak to Jake.
The noise level in the saloon had dropped despite the growing number of customers. Every man gaped solely at Grace. Some with dropped jaws. Some with admiration. Some with pure lust.
His mood darkened in a heartbeat.
He crooked his finger.
She smiled and hurried to his side.
With a scowl directed at every other male in the Four Aces, he took her hand and dragged her out to the boardwalk.
It wasn’t until she stumbled after him that he realized he was walking too fast. “Sorry, darlin’.”
The sun had set, and the night air grew chilly. When she shivered, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Their walk was slow, their silence uneasy. He had so much he wanted to say to her, especially now that he’d made up his mind. He’d already known his intentions, but talking to Jake and hearing the possessiveness in his own voice sealed her fate.
Grace belonged to him now.
He just had to find the appropriate way to tell her so.
Had she been any other woman, he would’ve ordered her to come back to the ranch with him. Then he would drag her back to town the next day to stand in front of Reverend David and recite their vows. Of course, he’d make love to her tonight so she’d have no good reason to turn him down. Sneaky, yes. But a foolproof plan.
He couldn’t do that to Grace, not after all she’d survived.
When they reached the alley by the general store, Adam tugged her into the dark so they could have some privacy. As he folded her into his embrace, he sighed in contentment.
This was where she belonged—in his arms.
At that moment, he didn’t give a damn whether bad memories shadowed her. He didn’t care that she was still keeping something from him. And he didn’t know how he could ever leave her at that saloon. All alone.
Grace was grateful to Adam for finding them a secluded moment. She ran her palms up his arms until they rested on his shoulders. She pressed her cheek to his chest and sighed. All she wanted was to stay in his embrace. When he kissed the top of her head, tears threatened at the sweetness of the gesture. How easy it would have been to go back to the ranch with him—too easy.
She had to keep reminding herself that this wasn’t real. Her sins had ensured it.
“Last chance, Gracie.”
“Hmm?”
“To come back with me tonight.”
“You know I can’t.”
His exhale hung in the air. “I’m gonna wear ruts in the road between White Pines and the Twin Springs.”
“No, you won’t. You’ve got too much to do to worry about me. Aren’t you leaving on the cattle drive next week?”
“Those plans might change.”
“Change? I don’t understand. Why would they change?”
“I’m not sure my being gone that long is a good idea. Might need to stay a little closer to town.”
“Please don’t do that for me.”
“Don’t you understand?” His finger coaxed her chin up until she was gazing into his handsome blue eyes. “From the moment you knocked on my door, everything I’ve done and everything I will do is for you.”
He kissed her before she even knew his intent. A damned exciting kiss it was too, making every nerve in her body tingle from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.
Grace pressed herself against him, drawing from his strength and hoping it would become her own when she watched him drive away.
As Adam’s tongue glided across hers, she mewled her approval. The way he made her body sing, she could hold nothing back. She couldn’t get close enough to him, wanting to drown in the emotion only this man had inspired.
Love.
She loved him, and damn if that thought didn’t make her tremble.
Love wasn’t supposed to happen to her. The past should have assured that. The mistakes she made, the choices she regretted, the murder she’d committed all with the same intention—to keep Jake safe.
Love wasn’t for people like her.
She loved him anyway.
He kissed her, tenderly and long, caressing her back. When he finally pulled back, he gave her a hard stare. “You’re staying put. Promise me.”
Promise him what? That she’d stay in White Pines forever? Or just for the few days she’d granted herself to get to know her son?
Grace glanced away, afraid he’d see the answer in her eyes.
“Look at me.”
After a deep breath, she obeyed.
“You’re staying where I put you. Promise me.”
“Adam, I–I can’t. You don’t know about me, about my past.”
“I don’t give a damn about your past. All I care about is your future. Promise me, Grace, or so help me…”
Grace.
That was one of the few times he’d called her Grace instead of Gracie. He was good and angry.
“So help you what?” she asked. “How can you expect me to stay when you don’t know anything about—”
“I told you, I don’t care what you think you’ve done that’s so horrible you need to run away from me. Promise me or I’ll carry you right back to my wagon and hold you under lock and key until you do.”
If only he knew the truth, he wouldn’t be saying such things to her.
He sighed and his voice softened. “I love you, Gracie.”
The world stopped spinning. The moon fell from the sky. The stars all burned out.
To her, hearing those words from Adam was every bit as much a miracle. “You–you can’t. You don’t even know me.” A tear spilled over her lashes. “You don’t mean it.”
He grabbed her shoulders and had to stop himself from giving her a sound shake. Instead, he growled deep in his chest. “Listen to me. I love you.”
A choked sob rose from her chest. “But I don’t want you to love me!”
“Why?”
“You deserve a good woman, Adam. Someone people could look up to. I’m just a–a–”
“A what?”
She buried her face against his chest.
“One day, you’ll learn to trust me,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m still waiting for my promise.”
She wiped away some stray tears with the backs of her hands. “Fine. I promise. For now. If you knew all there was to know about me, you wouldn’t care if I left or not. You’d probably put me on the next stage passing through White Pines.”
Adam’s frustration finally got the better of him. He grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the Four Aces as she hurried along beside him. He shoved the swinging doors open and pulled her through, taking her toward the stairs.
The loud male voices followed them through their trek across the saloon.
“Ain’t you a pretty little filly! You new to White Pines?”
“Hey, gorgeous. You married?”
“I’ve got a claim that’s bound to strike gold. Why don’t we have a drink? We can plan the weddin’.”
Adam tried to scowl at each man. Single women coming to Montana were few and far between, especially pretty ones like Grace. If any of those men found out how well she could cook...
He couldn’t make it to the staircase fast enough.
She dropped his hand and tried to climb the stairs.
He caught her elbow and hauled her back into his arms. There, in front of everyone, he kissed her. Ignoring the whistles and cat calls, he let every man there know that he’d staked a claim on Grace Riley. He let her know as well. He didn’t end the kiss until he felt her surrender and sag against him.
“You’re staying put,” he said. “I love you. I can’t lose you. Please promise me you’ll stay. I won’t leave ’til you give me your word.”
She laid a trembling hand against his cheek. “Oh, Adam. Don’t you realize? I love you too. I shouldn’t, but I do.”
Gathering her skirts in her hand, she hurried up the stairs. The saloon had grown quiet enough, the door closing on her room echoed w
ith the force of a cannon blast.
***
Matthew was coming out of the kitchen when he saw Adam grab Grace and kiss her. Right in front of everyone in the saloon.
Emily stepped around him on one side, and Victoria gawked from the other.
“Did you know about them?” Emily asked.
“Not for a fact,” Victoria replied. “But I sure hoped.”
“I knew.” Matthew smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. “I knew from the first moment I saw them together.”
Victoria stepped around him to stare at him face-to-face. She gave him a stern frown he found incredibly attractive.
Damn, but the woman had grit.
“Why would he kiss her right here in front of everyone?” she asked. “It’s not decent.”
Matthew snorted a laugh at her. “So prim and proper, aren’t you?”
Her responding glare could have burned his skin.
The cat calls started again, this time directed at Victoria.
Matthew gave the stink eye to as many men as he could. When one grew brave enough to walk right up to her and run his shaky fingers over her braid, Matthew pushed her behind his back and grabbed the stupid cowboy by the vest.
Giving the man a sound shake that knocked the hat from his head, Matthew growled deep in his chest. “Keep your filthy hands to yourself or I’ll hit you so hard when you wake up, you’ll need a shave.”
When he drew one hand back—ready to throw a jealous punch—cool fingers covered his fist.
“Don’t,” Victoria murmured.
He glanced back at her. “But he touched you.”
“I’ll survive. Don’t get yourself thrown in jail. Not for me.”
“He touched you.”
Her other hand covered his fist. “Please, Matthew. Please just let him go.”
Releasing the cowboy’s vest and giving him a shove, Matthew said between clenched teeth, “Touch her again, and you’ll regret it.”
The offender scrambled to pick up his hat and scurry out of the bar.
Matthew leveled a hard stare at the rest of the crowd. “Anyone else want to touch what doesn’t belong to him?”
It was quiet enough cricket song could be heard drifting in the night air.