1933563060-Devils-Pact-Cruise

by Devil's Pact (lit)

  He hurried to the front of the wagon, jerked on the reins and brought it to a halt.

  “Who’s there?” His wary eyes read her thoughts, intent on leaving her no doubt he expected the truth and would settle for nothing less.

  “It’s just Doctor Keeling and his assistant, Caleb Walker. The doctor comes over at least once a week to check on Reed. It’s the only time the girls and I go to the river. The only fun they have since…” Her eyes misted over and her voice trailed off.

  The quarter moon reached overhead, its light shining bright, radiating in her eyes. He’d be a fool to believe what he saw was genuine. Something was out of sorts when it came to his stepmother. She didn’t look and certainly didn’t act like the wife of a husband who was at death’s door.

  Then again, what the hell did he know about how wives behaved?

  Over his shoulder, he glanced back at the house, then at her. The explanation was believable at least. With a golden price riding on his head, there was no space for risks.

  “Get rid of them. Quick. Say a word about me, and they’re dead.”

  She gasped. Her face turned pale.

  He noticed her mouth move and waited. Nothing came out. “Go on. I’ll be listening.” He slapped the mare’s rump, and it lunged forward. “Their lives are in your hands.”

  Chapter 3

  As Megan wheeled the wagon in front of the house, a chilly forewarning began to roost. Her body shook with fright. What if they noticed she was nervous? What if Devin misconstrued something Caleb said? Surely he wouldn’t kill them. Deep down, she knew he meant every shrill word.

  Dear God, she prayed for strength.

  “You’re late, I was about to go search for you.” Caleb Walker’s frantic voice reached her from the doorway as he came barreling out of the house.

  The wagon came to a creaky stop. She looked at her dearest childhood friend, and terror shook her body. The past years had been exceedingly noble to him. Caleb had grown taller, much more breathtakingly handsome and refined in his finely tailored three-piece suit. His splendid, chiseled features and exquisite deep blue eyes, along with his charm and grace, only added to what one could assume was perfection—God’s true intent at the male species. In an effort to gather strength and courage, anything to keep the man that touched her heart; alive, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

  “I was worried about you.” His voice thrummed with emotion as he practically yanked her off the wagon into his tight embrace. “You’ve never been this late before.”

  Quickly, she pushed away from Caleb and stepped back. Worried, her eyes roamed the dark shadows cloaking the various structures, looking for a sign. He was out there lurking, watching, and listening.

  “You’re trembling.”

  “I’m cold. I was swimming. My hair is wet,” she rambled. To avert his questioning gaze and hide her shakiness, she fumbled with the chaotic bun at the nape of her neck. She paid no mind to the loose tendrils dancing in the light breeze around her shoulders. The back of her dress was soaked from her partially dried hair, which further aggravated the unpleasant situation.

  “How does one get grass in their hair from swimming?” Caleb asked as he picked blades of grass from her tousled hair.

  “Caleb, I can’t answer all these questions.” She swatted his hand away. An inappropriate thrill blazed through her at the picture the answer brought to her mind. Hussy. She hurried to the back of the buckboard. “I’m tired, cold, and wet. Please, help me with Shelby and Emma. I want to get them inside.”

  “Yes, yes, of course.” Brows in a tight knit, he stared at her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She could feel Devin’s eyes watching her. He was near. Of that, she was certain. And if she wasn’t careful, dear, sweet, worried Caleb was as good as dead. Her pulse raced.

  “I’m fine, really. The girls need to get to bed, and I want to check on Reed,” she reassured him after taking a calming breath.

  “Very well, though next time, I’m accompanying you. It’s not safe to be out by yourself.”

  “I’m not by myself. I have the girls with me and my gun.” Her hand went to her pocket and suddenly realized it wasn’t there. Devin kept it. She tried to swallow her heart back down her throat.

  “Precisely why you and the girls should not be alone.” He scooped up six-year-old Shelby and handed the wrapped bundle to Megan.

  “Look at you.” His gaze raked over her disapprovingly from head to toe. “You look ready to swoon. How would you protect yourself against a gang of outlaws? Let’s not forget the reason the mountains are called Apache Mountains.”

  “I didn’t come across either,” she countered nervously. Does one outlaw constitute a lie? she wondered as he gathered ten-year-old Emma in his arms and followed her into the house. Who she had encountered was far worse in her mind than any red-skinned savage or ruthless band of outlaws.

  The ruffian was not only dangerous and deadly, he was related. And if that was not horrendous enough, he was ruggedly handsome and kissed so sensuously, all her resistance vanished. She’d found herself not only instinctively responding, but yearning for him something fierce, which aggravated her to no end.

  “Consider yourself fortunate,” Caleb said as his booted foot kicked the door open. He stepped aside to let her pass first. Once inside, he kicked the door closed.

  “Doctor Keeling,” she called out, ignoring Caleb’s ongoing rant about the dangers of a single woman traveling alone with two small children.

  “In here.” The portly older gentleman’s soothing voice traveled from Reed’s bedroom.

  “I apologize for my tardiness. How is Reed?”

  With Shelby cradled in her arms, Megan strolled into Reed’s bedroom while Caleb left to put Emma to bed. She flashed the doctor a warm smile that quickly vanished when her gaze fell upon her husband lying motionless on the bed: skin and bones, his skin ghastly, the color of death. Yet the man had a will of iron. He clung to life with every last breath in his emaciated body, refusing to relinquish life until his only surviving son returned.

  Devin Spawn, the most notorious, ruthless, double-gun cutthroat to roam the western frontier.

  As luck would have it, he’d finally arrived.

  What would happen now?

  She knew in her heart it was the only reason Reed remained alive. He’d told her many times he wanted to see Devin one last time, set the story straight before he died. His son deserved to know the truth.

  Day after day, week after week, month after month after his second wife, Ella, died, he’d stop by the Silver Nugget saloon while in town for supplies. Nursing the same mug of beer for hours on end sometimes, reminiscing with Megan while she mopped the floor, wiped the tables, or washed the dishes. Sometimes, he’d follow her outside while she did laundry.

  No matter where she was, Reed would seek her out. After the first few visits, she started looking forward to his company. Reed was the only person who was truly kind to her, expected nothing in return except a sympathetic ear. Their chats continued until he unexpectedly asked her to marry him days before her eighteenth birthday.

  Ecstatic at the prospect of never setting foot in the Silver Nugget again or becoming one of Jazelle’s girls on her eighteenth birthday, she graciously accepted.

  They left together that same night, went straight to the preacher, and never looked back.

  That was, until Reed’s condition became increasingly worse. Her memory and realization of what the future held also became increasingly apparent and terrifying her due to the resemblance to her past.

  The enormity of Devin’s arrival sent shivers rippling through her body for more reasons than the obvious. Sure, he was so utterly masculine that if most men stood beside him, they would be reduced to mere boys. The potent male heat radiating from his body was intoxicating. His silver eyes were strikingly seductive, and in a blazing fury, awakened a need in her she laid to rest long ago. The most impressive, potently virile part of him that embedded foreve
r in her memory was beyond compare, beyond description, and stole her breath away. The thought of it trembled her heart and stimulated places she didn’t even know existed with an overwhelming arousal that transcended her knowledge and dazed her consciousness.

  She brushed each carnal desire, stark image, and wayward thought aside. Instead, she worried how his presence would impact Reed’s condition. After all, awaiting Devin’s arrival was the sole reason Reed held on. If he passed on now, what would become of the girls? Unfortunately, she had a good idea of what the future held for her, and she wanted no part of it.

  What of Shelby and Emma? Who would take them in? Would they be safe? Would they end up like her, working at the Silver Nugget Saloon or upstairs in Jazelle’s Place?

  Doctor Keeling sat in a wooden chair beside the bed, his expression full of kindness and understanding.

  “Don’t fret none,” he said in a comforting tone. “Doing my job. Besides, you and the girls need a break. Just wish I could come by more often to lend you a hand. Glad Caleb’s here to help you out. Now, you go on and put Shelby to bed. We’ll talk when you’re done.”

  With a smile, she offered her thanks. Leaving the doctor, she carried the sleeping child into their bedroom. The room was simply furnished with two twin beds, a dresser and mirror, small table and chair, and two chests, one for each of the girls. On the wall, she hung a single shelf and filled with books. That was her contribution to the girl’s education since taking over their upbringing.

  * * * *

  Caleb looked up at her as he pulled the covers over Emma, now sleeping snugly in the bed closest to the door. He smiled and pulled the covers back, making room for Shelby.

  At the Spawn ranch often enough, he knew their sleeping arrangements. For the time being, they suited him just fine. Shelby and Emma shared one twin bed, and Megan slept in the other whenever she found the time.

  “Here, let me help you,” he offered, moving to take Shelby from her arms.

  “Quite all right, I have her. Thank you.” She moved past him and settled the small girl next to her big sister, tucking them both in.

  He sighed out of frustration as he watched her kiss them both on the forehead. No matter how hard he tried, she refused his assistance. Sooner or later, she was going to need him, and he was ready. For now, he was biding his time and waiting for the inevitable. A horrid way to look at it, but such was life.

  Reed was going to die any day now. And he was ready to take her husband’s place in every way possible.

  Take care of her, provide for the children. Oh, yes, love her the way she deserved to be loved.

  From the first day laid eyes on her, a scared, bony thirteen-year-old girl who lost her family in an Indian raid, he loved her. That would never change.

  If only she gave him a chance to make up for what his parents had done. The day his father found them doing more than playing in the horse stable, his mother shipped him off to Europe. Not once did he forget her, stop loving her, nor stop dreaming of the day they would eventually marry. News of Megan marrying a man old enough to be her father turned those dreams into nightmares.

  After completing his medical education abroad, he returned to Tejas a year ago when his own father fell ill. He intended to relocate to Boston after his father later died and begin his own practice, along with a close friend he met in school. Reed suffering his first stroke halted his plans. He remained in Tejas in order to be of assistance, help in any way he could as Megan cared for her ailing husband.

  When Reed suffered his second stroke, he vowed he wouldn’t leave without her, aware it was a matter of time before she was a widow. Months later, he was still waiting, his patience running thin.

  Soon, he kept telling himself, she would be his bride, then his lover.

  For now, he had to settle on being her friend.

  He closed the bedroom door and locked it as she crossed the room. She gave him a look of ‘not again’ as though expecting his weekly ‘will you marry me?’ plea.

  “Listen to me. You’ve lost so much weight you’re almost as gaunt as Reed. Your dress is practically falling off you.” He hoped she would see the concern in his expression, the heartfelt desire and willingness to take care of her and the girls, and come to her senses. Intentions of a good friend, or any way she would have him. Unwilling to watch her suffer, he wanted to be there for her.

  “Thanks. You’re much too kind,” she said wearily. She straightened the scooped neckline hanging off her shoulder, causing the front of her bodice to dip dangerously low and reveal the swell of her taut bosom sitting high on her chest.

  “Wasn’t meant as a compliment,” he said roughly, struggling to resist the pathetic urge to look down and try to catch a peek at her breasts.

  “None taken.”

  “Those circles under your eyes are more noticeable. You look ready to fall over any moment from exhaustion or malnutrition. Take your pick. Why don’t you admit you need help?”

  “And you’re the one to help me?”

  “Yes. If you’ll stop being stubborn.”

  “What would your mother say? That woman hates me.”

  “Something she’ll have to deal with. All that really matters is how I feel about you.”

  “Not tonight. I’m tired. Doc is waiting for me.” She closed her eyes, and released a heavy sigh.

  “Then when?” He grabbed her by the shoulders, because she really did look about ready to fall over from exhaustion. The movement shifted her neckline lower, and just like a man, he used the opportunity to glimpse the pink tips of her pale breasts, visible through the low, gaping neckline. He felt a stirring in his groin. His heated voice suddenly took on a strained quality. “When can we discuss our future?”

  “Lower your voice, please.” She glanced at the sleeping girls. “You’ll wake them,” she whispered.

  “We both know after they spent the afternoon swimming, they’ll sleep so deeply, a tornado wouldn’t wake them.”

  They both knew it was true. Even now, he could hear Shelby’s light snoring. There was no way she could get around it—he knew the running of her household backwards and forwards. Each morning he came by to take the girls to school. Then he returned for coffee and grown-up conversation afterwards. He was certain she enjoyed the pleasure of his company, probably more than she dared admit. Always a chivalrous gentleman, he kept it innocuous, but tonight was different. He was unable to brush off that sense of doom he felt when she didn’t return on time.

  “Tonight, I’ll take your advice and get to sleep as soon as you and Doc leave. I promise.” She tried to shrug out from under his grasp, but he held his ground and tightened his grip slightly.

  “You know good and well you’ll constantly wake up throughout the night to check on Reed. The man’s practically de—”

  “What a horrid thing to say,” she snapped, cutting him short.

  “Forgive me.” His hands slid down her slender arms, then released her. “My patience is on edge tonight. When you didn’t return, I was so worried about you. That’s all. Why don’t I return tonight after I see Doc into town? That way, you can get rest, and I’ll watch Reed.”

  “Caleb, we’re not kids any longer.” She looked up at him.

  He saw a sadness in her eyes as if she wanted to cry. A bitter reminder of their childhood innocence, their lost youth stolen. A pitiful feeling he shared but never revealed. He wanted to take hold of her until the pain and disappointment subsided and make up for those lost years.

  “What would people say? It wouldn’t be right.”

  Out of frustration, he exhaled deeply. “Meg, I’m here all the time. Practically everyone in town knows how I feel about you.”

  “I’m a married woman. What is Dr. Keeling thinking, the two of us locked away in my bedroom while he sits with my sick husband?”

  “Doc knows Reed’s condition. Knows my intentions are honorable. He doesn’t gossip.”

  “Does this fall under doctor/patient confidentiality?” Her v
oice held a touch of amusement, and he concluded he was finally getting through to her.

  He grinned. “You can call it that if you wish.”

  “You’re incorrigible. What will I do with you?” She shook her head and amusement rang in her voice.

  “It’s what I can do with you that matters.” There was no mistaking the sultriness in his tone.

  “Not tonight, Caleb. Tomorrow.”

  “You promise.” The pink flush on her cheeks made his blood boil and his chest puff with hope.

  “You’re impossible.” She swatted her hand across his chest playfully.

  He caught it and held it close to his heart. He wanted her to hear his heart beating for her.

  “I don’t know how you ever passed medical school,” she said, “with your mind always in your britches.”

  “Passed Female Anatomy with an all-time high score, thanks to you and my britches.”

  “Glad to be of service.” She smiled sheepishly.

  Gently, his fingers nudged her chin upward. He focused on her soft, hazel eyes as they glimmered with longing. She may have been teasing, but he knew she was remembering being his first patient so long ago, just as he was. How could her body ever forget his touch, his hands caressing her young, developing breasts, his naive fingers on her unsullied flesh exploring every heated inch and the warmth of his lips on hers anymore than he could?

  “Any time you’re ready for your exam, I’ll be glad to demonstrate my professional skills,” he offered softly.

  “Perhaps tomorrow. For now, let me pass. Doc is waiting on me,” she said quickly, ducking away from him.

  “Till tomorrow, milady,” he whispered close to her ear as he leaned over and opened the door. He bowed and waved her through. Caleb immediately contemplated removing that godawful dress. Sparks of blazing arousal leapt from his cock to his balls at the thought of what he would do next.