by Sandy James
She’d fought with the intensity of a mother bear trying to protect her cub and hold her tormentor at bay until Adam could find her. Arms had reached out to grab her, to keep her from fleeing. When she’d forced her eyes open after several insistent commands, it took long moments to realize her husband was the one holding her close. Releasing the ghosts that haunted her dreams hadn’t been easy. Simply remembering the images now made her blood run cold.
They hadn’t spoken about her confession, but she knew that reprieve wouldn’t last.
Mercifully, no one had questioned them as they’d said their farewells, but all eyes had been on her. The curiosity reflected there told her the time would come where she might have to lay all her cards on the table.
Thank the sweet Lord, Stephen was gone. His presence would only make a volatile situation worse. Had he stayed, there was no doubt he or his people would sniff out the truth, and then there would be no way to protect Jake from the Shay family or herself from shame.
Her heartbeats sped to a frantic tempo at the thought of Stephen ever learning about the secret she’d held close for so very long. Fear that he’d come for his son had been one of the reasons she had given Jake up to the Curtis family—so that he would never know the facts of his conception or be dragged into the evil Shay dynasty.
With their money and power, they could’ve easily taken him away, and she almost sobbed aloud for the horrible future he would’ve had in their hands—how easily he could have become another of their ilk.
That notion made Grace even more sure that she could never tell anyone but Adam about Jake’s parentage—no matter how much her new friends might push and prod her for the truth. No, she would keep her secret and protect her son. She trusted Adam to do the same.
The scent of smoke made her head pop up. “Do you smell that?”
Adam had already urged the horses to a faster pace. “Fire.”
Tendrils of gray smoke rose above the trees lining the road leading to the Twin Springs.
Her heart jumped to her throat. “Matthew and Victoria are here. Ty, too.”
“Ty’s back in town.”
Reins slapped against the horses’ rumps increased the speed, drawing the couple closer to the ranch.
The first sight of the collapsed bunkhouse drew a frightened squeal. “Matthew!”
“Easy. We don’t know he’s in there.” Adam brought the wagon to a stop, jumped out, and lifted her to the ground. “Check the horses. Victoria and Matthew might be in the barn keeping them calm.” He sprinted toward the bunkhouse.
She fisted her hands in her skirts and hiked them high so she could run to the barn. A quick look inside told her the horses were fine, but there was no sign of Matthew or Victoria. She met Adam at the door to the ranch house. Eyes wide with fright, she searched his gaze.
“No one’s in there,” he replied to her silent question.
“You’re sure?”
“Very sure. The place is gutted.”
“What happened?”
“Can’t tell. When the mess cools, we’ll sift around and see what we can find.”
“Where are Matthew and Victoria?”
He glanced over his shoulder at the house. “Let’s check inside.”
His hand on the small of her back, he guided her to their home.
The kitchen stood empty. About to ask where they should check next, Grace heard the noise. Shuffling footsteps from the second floor ended her worry. But then a high-pitched squeal sent Adam hurrying to the stairs with her following right behind.
He’d stuck his head inside Victoria’s bedroom when another squeal pulled them both toward the bathroom. Voices drifted through the closed door.
“Stop!” Victoria said with a giggle. “I told you. That’s the cold water.”
“As if I’ve ever used a bathtub before,” Matthew replied.
Adam stopped just as he reached for the doorknob. Turning back to Grace, he flashed her a knowing smile. Then he put his index finger to his lips.
Her chuckle slipped out before she could stop it.
Victoria’s responded with a gasp. “Is–is someone there?”
Grace’s chuckle became a full-blown laugh, and heavens, she felt guilty for disturbing an obviously intimate interlude—one both Matthew and Victoria had been needing for quite some time.
“Grace?” Matthew called. “You out there?”
“We both are,” Adam replied. The scolding and decidedly fatherly tone in his voice was in direct contrast to his beaming face.
For several drawn out moments, quiet reigned. Then there were frantic movements in the bathroom.
“Daddy’s here too!” Victoria’s words were filled with dread.
“Why don’t you join me downstairs in five minutes? Both of you.” Adam took Grace’s elbow and guided her down the stairs.
As he sat down next to her on the couch, she felt the need to defend her brother, silly though her words might sound. “He wouldn’t have…been with her if he didn’t love her.”
Her husband arched an eyebrow. “You know this because?”
“I know my brother. After every payday, most of the cowboys would go to town and spend their money on whiskey and…and…whores.” She whispered the last word, still feeling awkward talking to him about anything so personal. After all they’d done together, her timidity was misplaced.
A blush heated her cheeks. Sure, the cowboys might have cursed openly, and she was used to hearing the word.
But saying it aloud?
“And what?” he coaxed, wiggling his eyebrows and clearly enjoying her embarrassment.
“You’re a wicked man.” She gave him a playful slap on the arm. “Matthew didn’t visit those women. He’d buy a new shirt, some pants, and maybe a book.”
“Your point being?”
“He loves Victoria. I’ve seen them together. He wouldn’t dishonor her.”
Adam was amused by how deeply Grace could blush whenever intimacies were mentioned. The woman became a wildcat when she was in his arms, but to discuss coupling in the light of day? She turned as prim and proper as any schoolmarm.
“We’ll have to see what his intentions are,” he said. “When they get some clothes on.”
Victoria and Matthew came down the stairs, heads bowed like condemned prisoners approaching the gallows. If they walked any slower, autumn would set in before they made it to the couch. Both had wet hair. He was wearing some of Adam’s clothes, and she’d missed fastening a few buttons on the bodice of her dress.
He held Victoria’s hand, and she wouldn’t let her eyes meet her father’s as she nibbled on her bottom lip the way she had when she’d been a child and caught doing something naughty.
“Nice pants,” Adam quipped.
“Sorry.” Matthew stared at the pants. “Mine were filthy from the fire. The rest are gone now. Did you see the bunkhouse?”
Adam nodded, figuring he’d ease into the conversation about what the two of them were doing in that bathroom after he assuaged his curiosity over why his bunkhouse was a gutted pile of smoldering ash. “What happened to it?”
Matthew shrugged. “One minute, I was searching for my spurs—the next I’m waking up in an inferno.”
“Someone hit him,” Victoria added, reaching up to touch the crown of his head.
He winced in response.
“Hit him? Someone hit him?” Grace’s voice rose in panic. She turned worried eyes on Adam as she wrung her hands in her lap. “Stephen Shay.”
Victoria shook her head, but Adam was inclined to agree with his wife. He laid a comforting hand over his wife’s and was pleased when she immediately stopped her nervous actions.
“But he left town,” Victoria argued.
Matthew snorted. “As if that ever mattered.”
A meaningful look passed between brother and sister and finally—at long last—Adam lost his patience. “We’ve got a lot to talk about. You both best sit down.” He nodded at the chairs. “Why do you think it
’s Shay?”
“He’s followed her from town to town, he or his detectives,” Matt replied as took a seat.
Victoria set herself on the chair’s arm and reached for Matthew’s hand. He glanced up to smile at her before turning back to his sister.
Then his gaze grew stern. “Grace, you’ve got to tell him everything.”
She started twisting her hands in her lap again. “I–I did.”
“Clearly not everything, darlin’.” Adam took her hand in his.
“He’s been tracking her like an animal for most of her life,” Matthew said. “Started not too long after our first cattle drive. Why do you think he turned up in White Pines?”
“Because of Ty.” Victoria knit her brows. “He stopped those men from robbing Ty. I don’t understand. Grace already knew Stephen, but only in passing. Right?”
Adam glanced at his wife, wondering if she was ready to tell Victoria all that she’d shared with him back at the Four Aces. He wouldn’t spill her secrets unless he had her permission.
His wife didn’t look up, but she gave him a brisk nod.
“Grace knew him when she was younger. He…well, he attacked her.”
“Attacked her?”
“He raped me,” Grace whispered.
“Oh, my God! And I brought him here? Oh, Grace. I’m so sorry!” Victoria’s eyes brimmed with tears as she hurried to give Grace an embrace.
They clung for a few long moments, probably understanding each other in a way only women could before Victoria returned to Matthew’s side.
She leaned closer to him. “You don’t think he knew about Ty being in Den—”
“I damn well do,” Matthew snapped. “He probably had Ty beaten as a way to get to Grace. Then he charmed you into bringing him back here so she didn’t have any warning or a chance to run.”
“Thank God, he’s gone,” Victoria said.
The heat in Matthew’s eyes was intense enough to start another fire. “Who do you think hit me? Who do you think burned down the bunkhouse?”
“I’m inclined to agree,” Adam replied.
Grace’s voice was so soft, Adam almost missed her words. “He won’t stop until he catches me.”
“Catches you?” Damn, but it was hard to keep the anger out of his voice. He didn’t want to frighten Grace, but the time had come for the whole truth to be told, even if her trembling made him feel a bit guilty.
She nodded while Matthew continued the story. “The man’s obsessed with her, has been since she was fifteen. Sends his Pinkerton spies to follow her or shows up himself whenever we finish a cattle drive. We’ve ducked out of just about every railhead in the West to get away from that bastard. Shay’s made her life miserable for years. If he catches her—”
“You kept me safe, Matthew,” Grace said, her voice still low and fearful.
Adam squeezed her hand. “I’ll protect you too, Gracie.” Turning to Matthew, he added, “From this point on, Grace is never alone. Victoria, either.”
His wife’s worried brown eyes found his. “Who will protect you? Who will protect all of you? He’ll hurt anyone who helps me.”
Matthew jumped to his feet. “Grace, you’re not thinking of—”
“He could’ve killed you!” Her voice quavered. “There’s only one way to keep all of you safe.”
Adam didn’t appreciate the direction this conversation was taking one damned bit. “You’ll let me handle this.”
“But—”
“No, Grace. This isn’t open for discussion. You’ll let me handle this.” He turned his gaze to Matthew. “I’ll need the marshal’s help to catch Shay.”
Matthew snorted again. “Oh, for the love of… His help? You need his help? That man couldn’t catch a cold.”
“Sit down, son. We need to talk.”
He sat, wrapping his fingers back around Victoria’s hand, but he clearly didn’t want to listen. “If you’re trusting that man—”
“I meant the new marshal.”
Victoria tilted her head. “New marshal? Did you and the town council finally get around to finding us a new marshal?”
Adam nodded. “Past time to act.”
“Who is it?” she asked.
“You’re sitting next to him.”
Both of Matthew and Victoria gawked at Adam.
Grace didn’t seem at all surprised. His wife, he’d quickly discovered, was a very intelligent woman.
“It’s the perfect solution,” Grace said, breaking the quiet tension.
Matthew still frowned. “I’ve never been a lawman. Why me?”
“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders,” Adam replied. “You’re young, strong and hardworking. Job comes with a salary and the small house on the other side of the jail.” He looked at his daughter. “Perfect home for newlyweds, and I imagine the two of you will be newlyweds real soon.”
His daughter’s blush was bright as she met his gaze. “You can’t force him to marry me.”
“My shotgun says I can.”
Matthew’s grin told Adam things were going to work out fine. “No shotgun necessary. My intentions are honorable.”
Adam scoffed. “I would say what we stumbled across in that bathroom wasn’t entirely honorable.”
“No, sir. I mean, yes, sir. I mean…I was gonna ask her and then talk to you. Just didn’t have the chance.” With a grin, he turned to Victoria. “Will you have me?”
His daughter had some mischief in her. “Not sure I want to be married to a lawman.”
“Damn it, Victoria! You’ll marry me.”
“You have no right to order me around, Matthew Riley.”
“I’m gonna be your husband. That gives me the right.”
She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her breasts. “I haven’t answered your proposal yet.”
They were both far too stubborn for their own good. Before Adam could say anything, Grace intervened. “Do you love her, Matthew?”
Not even a moment of hesitation before his response. “You know I do.”
“And do you love him, Victoria?”
She rolled her eyes before she nodded. “God knows why, but I do.”
With a satisfied grin, Adam slapped his knee. “Then there’s gonna be a wedding.” Getting to his feet, he helped his wife up.
She hurried to her brother who stood up to take her into his arms. “I’m so happy for you.”
He sighed as he hugged her. “Don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it.”
Victoria hugged her father.
He couldn’t help but give one fatherly scold. “If you hadn’t agreed, princess, I would’ve pointed the shotgun at you.”
***
Grace scooted over on the bed to give Adam more room.
He slid beneath the linens as she snuggled up against his warm body. She’d finally gotten used to him sleeping naked but couldn’t seem to share the same habit, even if her nightgown ultimately ended up on the floor most nights. She did, however, enjoy sharing his warmth. Her fear of Stephen made it more than a want—she needed it. Just as she needed Adam’s strength.
“Are you going to rebuild the bunkhouse?” she asked.
“Not necessary. Don’t plan on employing enough cowboys to need one. Gave Ty a piece of land he can build a house on, and Matthew will be living in town.”
Her fingertips traced his collarbone. “Would you really have forced Matthew and Victoria if they hadn’t wanted to marry?”
“Absolutely.”
“Why?”
“Because despite their eternal obstinacy, they’re perfect for each other.”
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and teased the patch of hair on his chest with her fingertips. “Thank you for giving him the job.”
“The council gave him the job. I simply suggested he might be a good candidate.”
The man she married had a heart as big as the Montana sky. Just another of the reasons she loved him so very much.
“Beside
s,” he added. “I’m a selfish man.”
“Selfish?”
“If he stays close, it makes both my wife and my daughter happy.” He kissed her forehead. “You’ve had quite enough excitement for a while. You didn’t need to face watching your brother ride away when God only knows how long he’d be gone.”
“I want him to get to know our son after he’s born.” Then she chuckled. “I hadn’t thought about it ’til now, but Matthew and Victoria marrying will make for some… unusual relationships.”
“Meaning?”
“Our baby will be Victoria’s brother—but also her nephew.”
His laugh was always so warm. “He’ll be Matthew’s nephew and brother-in-law.”
“I don’t even want to think about if Victoria and Matthew have a baby.”
“Why, Gracie. Are you vain enough to worry about being a granny?”
She playfully pinched his side. “I’m too young to be a granny.” Then she froze, a bit amazed she hadn’t thought of herself that way before.
A grandmother, yes.
But a granny?
“I already am.”
“Beth.”
“But no one can know that. No one can ever know that.”
His sigh sounded more like a disgruntled grunt. “You should talk to Jake. Consider telling him the truth. Secrets have a way of slipping out. Usually at the worst possible moment.”
As if she’d give that suggestion even a passing thought. “I won’t do it. I don’t ever want him to know.”
Thankfully, Adam didn’t push her, although she knew better than to think he’d dropped the topic forever. She didn’t want to think about it—didn’t even want to imagine what would happen should Jake find out he was conceived when his father raped his mother. The Curtis family had been good to him, and she wasn’t about to destroy the few good memories he had from his childhood.
His fingers stroked her upper arm. “Since you’re a granny, you should sit in a rocking chair all day and knit.”
How like her husband to try to tease her out of her worries.
She tossed back a remark of her own. “Hard to do when I’ll be busy nursing our baby.”
A surprised squeak slipped out when Adam suddenly rolled to pin her to the bed. The hard length of his erection pressed against her stomach through the thin material of her sleeping gown.