Ruthless Heart

by Emma Lang

  “Helluva woman you got there, stranger.”

  Grady scowled at the cowboy. “Yeah and she’s mine. Go find your own filly to sniff around.”

  “No offense meant. The lady had no ring on her finger.” With that the cowboy left the store.

  Grady watched Eliza as she looked through the clothing section. She had more confidence, more life in her. Much more than when he’d met her and she seemed almost as meek as the horrible clothes she wore.

  It wasn’t the first time someone had mentioned the lack of a wedding ring. Grady decided he’d do something about that.

  Eliza was furious with Grady. He’d embarrassed her in front of the man who’d offered her assistance, and made a fool out of both of them. He wanted her to act like his wife, yet he acted like a true wolf barking and growling at the other male wolves who dared stand within ten feet of her.

  Deep down, beyond the frustration at the way Grady acted, she was flattered. No one had ever displayed jealousy because of her before. Perhaps it was simply Grady’s way of keeping his lover to himself, but she interpreted it as jealousy and it did give her a little thrill.

  She wouldn’t forget though that she was angry with him. The embarrassment had not faded, and there were still a few ladies in the store watching her and whispering. Eliza was used to being talked about as if she weren’t there, but that didn’t mean she liked it.

  There were nice cotton serviceable chemises in the pile, some that would definitely fit her, but nothing silky. At least he couldn’t say that she didn’t look for one.

  “Can I help you, ma’am?”

  A young freckle-faced redheaded girl appeared at her elbow. Likely no more than sixteen, she had a bright smile and lovely blue eyes. Her youth reminded Eliza so much of Angeline, it made her heart pinch to look at her.

  “I’m looking for a new chemise.”

  “Oh, we have plenty of stock in lots of sizes. They might be a little long on you, but you can hem one up in a jiffy.” The girl reached for the pile Eliza had just gone through.

  “You have lovely garments, miss. I was hoping for something a bit…er, softer.” Eliza was at a loss to tell this sweet young girl she needed something sexy.

  The young woman, however, nodded knowingly. “I understand, and we do have something a bit more in the back. Come with me and you can take a look.” She led Eliza to a door on the left side of the rear of the store. “My name is Amy, by the way.”

  “Eliza Wolfe. Pleased to meet you, Amy.” Eliza liked the girl, the openness and friendliness of her youthful face. “I appreciate your assistance as well.”

  “Oh, I’m glad to help you, Mrs. Wolfe. My grandparents own the store, and I help out when I’m not in school. I’m going to be a teacher.”

  They walked down a hallway where Amy opened a door to a storage room. There were lots of boxes and crates, but they were stacked neatly. Amy walked over to a box in the corner and pulled it from the shelf.

  “Here they are. My grandmother thought some ladies might want something different for their undergarments. It turns out ranchers’ wives don’t buy much unless it’s serviceable.” Amy smiled. “I’m sure she’d be thrilled to know someone is interested in them.”

  The box itself had writing in gold script on it. When Amy opened the box, there were layers of tissue paper on top. She pulled them back to reveal undergarments of various colors ranging from red to purple; there was even a bright pink.

  Eliza’s eyes widened as she absorbed the idea women wore such things beneath their clothes. The vibrant colors reminded her of the bright flowers she’d seen growing wild in the woods.

  “Oh, my.”

  “Yes, ma’am, they are bright, aren’t they?” Amy was as cheerful as the colors. “We do have some cream-colored garments under here.”

  The young woman dug through the colored garments and pulled out two creamy silk chemises. One was simple with piping around the edges and a scoop neck and narrow straps. The other was almost entirely made of lace, which was also completely see-through.

  Eliza’s body reacted to the sexy garments because her mind imagined Grady’s reaction to them. She swallowed and reminded herself that she was in a public store talking to a young woman who was no doubt as much a virgin as Eliza had been two weeks earlier.

  “Do you like either of these, ma’am?”

  Eliza nodded. “I like both of them.” She reached out and picked up the lacy one first, holding it up to her body for fit. It appeared to be made for her. The second one was the same. Amy’s grandmother could have ordered these custom-made for Eliza.

  “How much are they?”

  Amy shrugged. “Grandma bought these three years ago after a salesman gave her a good price, likely hoping folks would like them enough to buy more. I’m sure she’d take whatever you wanted to offer.”

  Eliza recognized the material was well made, as was the actual garment. They were probably more expensive than Amy would admit, but understood they might not ever be purchased because of the practical nature of the people in the area.

  “I will pay whatever she paid for them.” Eliza thought it only fair to at least reimburse the shopkeeper for what she had paid.

  “Oh, she might not even remember what she paid.” Amy laughed. “What if we sell you both of them for three dollars?”

  Eliza stared at the girl in surprise. “The fabric alone is worth more than that.”

  “It’s a fair price. And I think you’ll enjoy them, which is just as important.” Amy smiled. “I saw your husband. He’s a bit, um, intense.”

  “You have no idea.” Eliza smiled back at the girl. “Then I will purchase both of them.”

  “Wonderful!” Amy took a few pieces of tissue paper, then closed the box and returned it to the shelf. She took both garments from Eliza and folded them quickly within the tissue.

  As Eliza followed her back into the store, she couldn’t help but feel as though everyone knew what the tissue paper held. Her cheeks heated, but she kept her head high, secure in the knowledge Amy had been right. Eliza, and Grady, would enjoy them.

  Amy led her over to the counter. “Was there anything else you needed, Mrs. Wolfe?”

  “She needs a hat.” Grady appeared at her elbow, scaring a year off Eliza’s life.

  “We have some bonnets up in front.” Amy stared at Grady with wide eyes.

  “Not a bonnet. Something for being on the trail, not a piece of frippery.” He glanced at the tissue-wrapped parcel, but said nothing about it.

  “We don’t have anything like that in stock right now. I could order something, but it will take a couple weeks to get here.” Amy managed to smile, although Eliza could tell the girl was nervous around Grady.

  “Mr. Sampson said the livery sometimes carried hats for sale.” Eliza had been about to find out where the livery was before Grady decided to jump in and act like a caveman.

  “Oh, that’s true.” Amy eagerly agreed with her. “The folks that own the livery do leather work and make hats for customers sometimes. Elsa and Helmut Johanssen are their names.”

  “That’s wonderful. Thank you, Amy.” Eliza smiled at the girl, trying to put her at ease. “Where is the livery located?”

  “Straight down the street at the south end. You can’t miss it.” She wrapped up the garments in brown paper and secured it with twine. “That’ll be three dollars.”

  Grady raised his brow but pulled the money from his pouch to pay her. “What did you buy, buttons and thread?”

  “No, I purchased what you wanted me to.” Eliza took the package from the girl. “Thank you so much for all your assistance, Amy.”

  “Y-you’re welcome, Mrs. Wolfe.” Amy kept her gaze on Grady, looking like a deer in a hunter’s sights.

  Eliza elbowed him. “You need to stop scaring children and small animals, Grady.”

  He grunted and took her elbow. “Where’s the fun in that?”

  Eliza thought she heard Amy chuckle, but it may have been simply a cough. The t
wo of them walked out of the store with the small package beneath Eliza’s arm. It felt hot against her skin, as if the beautiful garments were reacting to their new owner.

  A silly bit of imagination, but she couldn’t help it. Grady had opened up a new world to her, and Eliza found herself a changed person because of it.

  The ring burned against his leg as it sat in the bottom of his pocket. He sure as hell shouldn’t have bought it. She wasn’t even his real wife. Oh, he could justify the twenty dollars he’d spent by telling her he didn’t want people to ask questions why they were traveling together when clearly she didn’t sport a wedding ring. It was for her comfort as well.

  A big fat pack of lies and he knew it. Eliza was too smart to believe it, too, but she might allow him to lie about it. Maybe even enjoy the lie as much as he apparently was going to.

  When he’d been paying for the ring, he’d at least taken the time to ask about Angeline. From what he could find out, she had been in town only to pass through within a few hours. The jeweler barely remembered her, but when he mentioned her white blond hair, he mentioned she’d been heading toward Montgomery.

  Grady knew Montgomery was the largest town between where he was and the mountains. No doubt his quarry would be either in town or not far from it. It was good news, one he wished he could share with someone, but his wife wasn’t really his wife. She would not understand what he was doing, and for that reason he’d never tell her exactly why he was on the trail. He figured if he didn’t push her for information, she had no right to ask him any.

  As he followed Eliza out the mercantile, he watched her round ass in the ugly brown dress. She had a deliciously curvy body under all that—she’d be a perfect wife if he were honest with himself. However, Grady never intended on having a wife, ever. He wasn’t the kind to get married and couldn’t imagine actually changing his mind. Yet he’d bought the damn ring anyway.

  He had to force himself to keep his hand out of his pocket. It was bad enough he’d actually bought the fucking ring; he didn’t need to be feeling it constantly. Instead he focused on the package she had under her arm. He’d told her to buy something to wear under her clothes, and he sure as hell wanted to know what he’d just paid three dollars for.

  Grady was no expert in ladies underthings, but it seemed that cotton was the cheapest fabric used. He hoped she’d bought something other than cotton, but for only a few dollars, he doubted she had.

  He shouldn’t be disappointed, but he was. Eliza had willingly become his lover, and he was enjoying each second he spent under the blanket with her. But her damn clothes were dog ugly on the outside, which didn’t exactly match with her passionate inside.

  They mounted the horses and rode down the street to the livery. He’d noted a restaurant along the way where they could get a basket of food for dinner. Grady didn’t deny he was selfish enough to want to see what she’d bought and would avoid eating in the restaurant to find out sooner rather than later what was in the brown-paper package.

  The livery was in a long, narrow building sandwiched between a furniture maker and the undertaker. An odd spot to be sure, but a businessman could only use what he could get.

  Eliza was off her horse before Grady even stopped Bullseye. She was obviously still annoyed with him, judging by the way she was leaving him behind intentionally. Grady hoped she would stop acting like a foolish woman since she was anything but.

  The livery had a small office in front. A blond middle-aged woman sat at a workbench, small hand tools scattered around the table. She was deep in conversation with Eliza, who sat on a stool beside her. Grady had no idea his sometimes wife was able to be friendly with strangers. Of course, it was one of the reasons, if not the main reason, he allowed her to travel with him.

  “I’m so glad you’re such a skilled craftswoman, Mrs. Johanssen.” Eliza gestured to the small leather pieces on the workbench. “Your talent is outstanding.”

  How the hell did Eliza know that already?

  “I recognized the quality of the work on the walls just as soon as I came in.” Eliza smiled at the blond woman. “If you have a hat that fits me, I’m sure my husband would be pleased to pay for it.” This time when she smiled, it was more of a dare than a sweet gesture to him.

  She was daring him to contradict her, to embarrass himself in front of the leather-loving Mrs. Johanssen. Eliza was in for a surprise then.

  “I’ll be happy to pay for whatever you want for a hat, honey.” He grinned at Eliza, and she stopped smiling.

  With a perverse satisfaction, he let the smugness show in his face. When Mrs. Johanssen stood up, Eliza stuck out her tongue at him. Grady laughed, surprising all of them.

  “Mr. Wolfe?”

  “I’m just happy is all. Let’s see what you’ve got for hats.” Grady struggled not to let another laugh escape. He didn’t ever remember being so amused or enjoying sparring with anyone before he met Eliza.

  “Of course. Follow me.” Mrs. Johanssen led them into the livery to a stall she obviously used to display her leather work.

  Despite his strange mood, and the fact he was annoyed by his own obsession with the ring in his pocket, he was impressed by the quality of the blond woman’s leather work. Detailed décor shone in the polished leather pieces, everything from hats to belts, even shoes.

  He turned to look at the livery owner’s wife with new eyes. “Liz is right, you have a real talent here, ma’am.”

  “Why, thank you.” Mrs. Johanssen’s pale cheeks flushed a light pink color. “Please try on the hats and see what fits you.”

  Eliza took her time looking at each hat, the brim, the inside, and the decoration added to it. He leaned against the wall and watched her, particularly when she reached up to pull down a hat and her dress strained against her breasts.

  Damned if he wasn’t getting aroused watching her pick out a goddamn hat. What an idiot he was. He frowned at her as she finished looking at the last hat, then started with the first again.

  “For pity’s sake, Liz, pick a hat already.”

  “Don’t rush my decision, husband. I’m the one who has to wear it, not you.”

  “I have to look at it every day.”

  “Then watch something else.”

  He could, and did, watch something else, but that’s what got him tangled up with Eliza in the first place. Her breasts were positively distracting.

  Grady plucked a medium brown hat and plopped it on her head. It landed near her eyes. “Well that one is too big.”

  “What gave you that idea?” she said dryly as he took the hat off her.

  “Shut up and pick one.” He bit his lip to keep from grinning.

  “I like the light one, but I’m afraid it will show things too quickly.”

  “What does that mean?” He picked up the hat she liked and looked at it. “Show what?”

  She rolled her eyes and took it from him. “Perspiration.”

  “Oh, but I will line the hat for you with some soft material, then the sweat will not stain.” Mrs. Johanssen was obviously eager to make a sale.

  “Sold.” He handed the blond woman the hat. “Put the material in, and we’ll take it.”

  “B-but—” Eliza tried to protest.

  Grady pulled Eliza toward him, effectively cutting off her complaint. He kissed her hard.

  “Don’t argue with your husband. Now let’s get out of here.”

  Eliza shook her finger at him. “You’re deliberately being annoying and trying to distract me.”

  They walked out of the stall and toward the front of the livery. “Is it working?”

  She smacked his arm. “Yes, you incorrigible man.”

  “Then I’m doing my job right.”

  Eliza held his hand as he paid Mrs. Johanssen ten dollars for the hat. She mentally calculated how much he’d spent on her clothes so far and wondered how she’d be able to repay him for all of it. She had no money at all and no means to earn any at the moment. Perhaps she could be a schoolmarm after
all; however, it likely didn’t pay a great deal. It would take her years to get enough to pay him the huge amount of funds she owed him.

  Eliza’s excitement over a new hat, her first new hat, began to wane. They agreed to come back in fifteen minutes to pick up the hat, allowing Mrs. Johanssen to sew in the lining.

  “Let’s get some dinner from the restaurant to take with us.” He tugged her across the street.

  Her disappointment deepened. “You mean we’re not eating there?”

  “No need. It’s not even eleven o’clock. We can get what we need, then stop in a few hours to eat.” He glanced back at her. “This way we don’t have to wash up and sit in a restaurant with a bunch of strangers.”

  Eliza wanted to sit in a restaurant, to see the strangers, to experience life. It was selfish of her, to be sure, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. She ought to concentrate on helping Grady find Angeline, not the new experiences she was gifted during her journey.

  With a sigh, she stood by his side while they purchased a basket of fried chicken, biscuits, and even milk. They were all foods she missed from home and were difficult to get while on the trail. She had to admit it would be nice to have a picnic of sorts together with Grady. The restaurant was nearly empty between breakfast and dinner, but she gazed at the empty tables, imagining people eating and talking. At least that’s what she thought people did in restaurants.

  They stepped back out into the sunshine and walked over to get her new hat. Eliza held on to the paper-wrapped package, unwilling to let the new purchase out of her hands. It was something to look forward to, other than cold fried chicken on a rock.

  Grady went inside to get the hat, and Eliza waited beside Melba. She stroked the horse’s neck and took pleasure in having him beside her. He was a familiar face, so to speak, in a world she didn’t quite understand yet.

  As she watched, Grady came out of the livery with her new hat in his hand. The buttermilk color gleamed in the sunlight, and she realized he’d chosen the right hat. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and the color complemented her dark hair nicely.