More lightning flickered in the distance, accompanied by the sound of thunder. She would have to be on her guard, in case this turned into a storm and came their way. Right now, it stayed far enough away.
When a pair of arms snaked around her middle, she wasn’t taken by surprise. She sank into the embrace, recognizing Craig’s broad chest, the shape of his jaw as he kissed her neck, and the way his hands slid across her belly in a familiar touch. She smiled and inhaled his familiar scent.
“Finally,” she whispered.
“Yeah. It’s been a long day.”
Quinn turned so she could wrap her arms around his neck. All she wanted was to feel his lips on hers, taste him and touch him. They didn’t have a lot of time, but she wasn’t about to rush. Neither was he. The caress of his lips on her mouth and the delicate trace of his fingers over her skin set her aflame.
Between the soft touch of his lips, she murmured “I love you.”
“Craig,” she said and pushed against him gently, even though she hated to break up the moment. “Craig.”
“Hmm.”
“When we get back tomorrow promise me we’ll stop hiding,” she whispered and kissed his rough jaw, the subtle burn of his five o’clock shadow against her lips.
“I promise. We have to. I don’t want to pretend we’re just friends anymore.”
Quinn turned her mouth to his and thrilled in the way his lips took over her senses. She drank it all in, his taste, his touch, his smell, all mingling with the scents of prairie. If she gave up her guard a bit further, she would’ve pulled him down to make love to him on the earth, but she held onto her wits with a thread of will power.
“Oh, fucking hell.” The voice behind them came out with knife sharp loathing.
She shoved Craig aside, but he’d already turned to face Robby.
“What a surprise,” Robby continued sarcastically and took several steps forward. His fists clenched, ready for action.
“Robby—“ Craig began to speak but before he could say anything further, Robby fired a punch at him. The blow caught Craig squarely on the jaw and before he could recover, Robby rushed him, launching himself through the air and bringing Craig to the ground.
In shock, Quinn stepped back, her mouth wide open. This was exactly the last thing she wanted to happen.
“Couldn’t keep your hands off her, could ya?” Robby continued, lifting his fist as he straddled Craig’s chest. Before he landed another blow, Craig grabbed Robby’s arm and jerked it to the side, finally regaining his senses lost during the surprise attack.
Quinn shook herself into action and shoved at Robby to dislodge him from Craig.
“Knock it off,” she hissed, but Robby ignored her and kept his attention and anger focused on Craig.
“You knew damned well I wanted her back, yet who the hell cares, right?”
Even though Craig had removed himself from Robby’s hold, Robby made another go at him and again the two men landed back on the ground, scuffling around. A flash of lightning, closer this time, flickered over the brothers who fought noiselessly, except for the sound of their labored breath and strikes of fist against flesh.
This couldn’t be happening. Quinn put her hands to her mouth. She couldn’t go for help, couldn’t bring Jacob into this. He would probably hear anyway.
Blinding hot anger raged up inside her. Who did Robby think he was, acting like this? He went too far this time and it had to stop. This wasn’t the way she wanted everyone to find out.
She tried to put herself between the two men again, but this time Craig stopped her.
“Let me take care of this,” he told her, glancing at her only long enough to make sure she stood back.
“Oh isn’t that sweet?” Robby drawled before going for Craig with another raised fist. Craig deflected and tossed Robby to the ground.
“Nice to see you don’t need a girl to fight for you.” Robby’s voice rose and Quinn was sure the people over at the tents would hear.
“Robby, stop this now,” she ordered.
Robby turned his attention on her and pushed himself to his feet, rubbing his jaw. “What the hell, Q? He’s not for you. He’s too old. He just lost his wife and he’s got a kid. I don’t think he’ll even stick around, and we all know you won’t budge from this place. What’re you going to do when they decide they want to go back east to their old life? You going to go with them? Hell no. Honey, you’re a small town girl and he’s a big world traveler. As much as I feel for you, how in the world would you ever live up to Elise’s memory? Look at what she was, the things she did. You’d always come in second with him. With Marisol. You deserve to be first. He can’t give you that. I can.”
His words were a blow harder than any fist could’ve landed. They were a lie, she knew that, just talk meant to hurt her and Craig, but the impact was complete, the damage done. Quinn glanced back at Craig. He touched his fingers to his lip. Even in the dark, she could see the smear of blood on his chin.
“Don’t listen to him.” Craig’s voice was low and soothing amongst chaos. “It’s not true.”
Damn it.
Robby laughed with no humor. “Just wait one winter. Craig may be able to make it through, but if Marisol can’t, he’ll put her first and leave. Then what? What are you going to do about your broken heart then?”
“Stop. It doesn’t matter. Whatever happens, happens,” she told Robby. “You and I were never going to get back together, even if Craig didn’t come back. Even if Craig decides to leave.”
“I don’t believe that. If it weren’t for him we would’ve had a shot. I would’ve made sure of it.”
The anger grew again from glowing embers to flickering flames. All these months of trying to make him understand they were long over had led to this. She took a long step forward and planted her hands on Robby’s chest in a hard knock that she felt right up to her shoulders. The blow knocked him back several feet and obviously took him by surprise.
“No, I said we were done. But you wouldn’t listen to me.”
She shoved him again and would’ve continued her assault but a pair of strong arms pulled her away and off her feet. Craig’s mouth moved by her ear, whispering something meant to soothe her, but instead she kicked her legs against him in an effort to free herself.
“Let me go,” she growled.
Craig whispered that he loved her and that Robby didn’t know what he was talking about.
She should’ve listened to him, but instead she focused on Robby, who took several steps forward, his fists balled up again.
Quinn kicked harder, not meaning to hurt Craig, but desperate to be free.
Jacob stepped out of the darkness and took hold of Robby, grasping his arms in a tight hold.
The rest of the world came back into focus. Not only Jacob stood there, but Thea as well, a hand pressed against her mouth, plus two guests who looked shocked. And deeper in the dark, closer to the tents another face. Quinn hoped it wasn’t Marisol, but couldn’t be sure because when she looked again, the face was gone.
“What in God’s name is going on?” Jacob demanded, but from the dark look on his face he knew. He didn’t release his hold on Robby even though he had stopped his struggle to get loose.
Quinn relaxed against Craig’s chest as he lowered her so she could stand on her own. His arms remained tight around her in what must’ve looked like an intimate hold.
“Just having a word with my brother,” Robby replied, his glare fixed on Craig and Quinn. A smile crossed his face, but trouble lurked within the expression. “I interrupted a lover’s moment apparently. What do you think, Jacob? I think Craig is a bit old for your baby sister.”
Quinn nearly pulled free of Craig’s grip again, but he was ready and managed to keep her restrained. She didn’t say anything though and she looked from Robby to her brother to gauge his reaction.
No, he wasn’t happy. His dark brows furrowed and he had a hint of a distasteful grimace on his mouth as if he’d been told so
mething he really didn’t want to hear. Like his little sister had gotten involved with his best friend. Damn his big brother protectiveness.
Jacob let go of Robby so quickly that he stumbled forward, but stood his ground once he was free.
“Get back to your tent now,” he ordered Robby. “In the morning ride over to the Hightower ranch and use one of the trailers to get back to Long Knife Creek. We’ll deal with this then, depending on how many of my guests witnessed this little brawl.”
He returned his attention to Quinn and Craig. Craig dropped his hands from Quinn so she stood free of him, but remained close enough to feel the warmth of his body on her back. He would support her, not deny Robby’s claims.
“Jacob—”
Jacob raised his hand and shook his head. “No. This is not the place to discuss what my sister is doing out here with whom and why. I don’t even want to talk about it. Just please remember where we are. Remember there are other people around here who might be a little concerned by what happened.”
He could’ve meant the guests, but Quinn figured he referred to Marisol. Everyone else was an adult. They’d all deal with it, but Marisol, if she’d seen it, would require a heck of a lot more damage control.
The look of disappointment on Jacob’s face was clear but he didn’t say anything else, just turned away from them, storming off to his tent. Quinn followed him with her gaze then caught Thea’s expression, a small regretful smile, barely visible in the dark, but aimed at both Craig and Quinn. She turned and walked back to her tent in silence. The other couple had already left.
Without a word, Robby rubbed his jaw and left, but not before throwing his brother the look of death.
“You should go check on Marisol,” Quinn suggested in a whisper. “I thought I saw her.”
“Damn. I’m sorry. I never meant to bring this on.”
Quinn put her finger up to his lip. “Shh. It’ll be okay. Not the way I wanted everyone to find out, but at least now we don’t have to tell everyone. Except maybe your daughter.”
“You’re a hell of a fighter, you know that?”
“Couldn’t let you have all the fun. Now get going.”
“What about you?”
“I’m going to get my blood pressure down to normal. I want to make sure everyone is asleep before I go to bed.”
Craig leaned down and kissed her softly. “Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Everything will look better in the morning,” Quinn muttered and looked out at the dark prairie where lightning danced.
Chapter 16
Shame filled her all night. Never before had she acted that way around her brother’s guests. It made him look bad and his reputation was everything.
When she joined everyone in the morning, after changing her clothes, she could hardly look Jacob in the eyes. She sat by herself at one of the long tables, feeling like she put herself in self-appointed time out. Robby had gone so at least she didn’t have to face him, but Lance and Becky avoided her and Craig sat with Marisol and Bonnie. Quinn wondered again if the girl knew what had happened the night before. Time would tell because she wasn’t going to go find out right now. Time alone, that’s what she needed. Distance so she could avoid questions and comments.
Jacob seemed as happy to avoid her as well. Thea was the only one willing to be a bridge between him and Quinn.
“He’ll come around,” she told Quinn as they brought dishes to the chuck wagon.
“I honestly didn’t want him to find out this way. We were going to ease everyone into this. I’m mortified, Thea. I’m so sorry.”
Thea put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “It’s a bit of a shock to him. And a little more than weird, you know. He still sees you as a kid and Craig as a man. This came out of left field, but he’ll get used to it. He loves you and he and Craig were always close. Just give him time.”
How much time? When they were back on the trail, Jacob rode with some of the guests. Thea had returned to the ranch with the chuck wagon and other supplies. Despite lots of long looks that nearly broke her heart, Craig kept his distance, sometimes riding with Marisol and Bonnie and sometimes with another guest who wanted to talk books.
Marisol barely looked her way, which confirmed Quinn’s belief she’d heard everything that happened. The girl kept her chin up and, though she talked with Bonnie, there was a definite frown on her face and on occasion she cast cold glances her way.
Then there were the comments thrown out that Quinn knew she was meant to hear because of the lift in the girl’s voice and the increase in volume.
“I really don’t think I like this long riding stuff,” she told Bonnie once when Quinn was a few yards away. “I hope I don’t get bow legs like Quinn.”
Shock and hurt were like a cold slap. First of all, she was not bow legged. Second, it was a low blow, but after the initial sting wore off, Quinn realized what the girl was doing. Damn, this was what she dreaded all along.
“And I’m beginning to hate the smell of horses. I don’t think I ever want to smell horses again.”
Marisol chose this route to take in dealing with Quinn’s association with her father. She planned to distance herself from the very thing that had become so important to her, the things she and Quinn bonded over.
Quinn dropped back to the rear. She didn’t want to hear any more. She couldn’t help the girl’s hurt, not right now. After the ride ended, she’d talk to Craig about it. Maybe he knew the way to get around the girl’s reaction, to ease Marisol’s dislike of Quinn’s involvement.
She’d never been so happy to see Long Knife Creek Ranch at the end of the day. She just wanted to get back to Emerald and her normal life. What lay in store for her and Craig? Repair whatever damage Robby had done and begin their relationship the proper way. Of course, this depended on Marisol, if the girl would come around and accept her. She wouldn’t force her, but she prayed, watching how the girl dismounted from Sunny and went through the motions of taking care of the horse without any of her usual fondness, that this would be a short lived reaction. Nothing in the world would make Quinn want Marisol to lose all the progress she’d made over the last few months.
“I’ll talk to her when we get home, but give her some time.”
Craig’s voice came from behind her, leaning in toward her ear.
Quinn didn’t even turn around to face him, just nodded her head and continued on with her task of removing Piper’s saddle. “Guess she heard the fight last night.”
“Guess so. It’ll be fine, Quinn. Everyone will come to terms with it. I don’t see why our plans have to change. We don’t have to break the news to everyone now. We just have to let them see that—”
“I’m not some Lolita and you’re not a dirty old man.”
He laughed low and quiet. “Not exactly what I was going to say, but I guess that’s the gist of it. I’ll give you a call, okay? Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Quinn heard him walk away, felt the cooler air against her back where he’d been. She pulled the saddle off Piper’s back and carried it to her truck but she kept her eyes on Craig who joined a very bored looking Marisol. How different this girl acted from the one who’d left the Long Knife Creek the day before. How long would this version stick around? She already she missed the vivacious and fun-loving Marisol.
Before she left Long Knife Creek, Quinn had to face her brother, if for nothing else, to apologize for the previous night. She found him in his office and when she entered, he didn’t give her his normal smile of welcome. His eyes met hers for a moment then dropped to the papers on his desk, his jaw tightening visibly.
“I wanted to apologize for last night.”
Jacob nodded but still didn’t look at her.
“Craig and I were going to let everyone know about us, after we got back from the ride. We never wanted that scene. You know I’d never do something like that in public.”
“How long has this thing between you and Craig b
een going on?”
Quinn furrowed her brows. She didn’t like the chill in his voice. “It’s been building a while. It’s not just ‘a thing’, Jacob. We’re not just fooling around. I love him.”
Whoa. That wasn’t meant to slip out. It couldn’t be roped back in so she lifted her chin and met the look he finally shot her. One eyebrow cocked as if he waited for her to either clarify or retract the statement. No, she refused to pacify him. She was a grown woman and didn’t need her brother’s permission to fall in love.
“You sure about that? I remember the way you used to follow him around when you were a kid. Sure it isn’t remnants of that crush?”
“Give me a break and some credit for being relatively grown up, Jacob. No, I’m not reliving my idolization of him. I can tell the difference.”
“Christ, Quinn, he’s eight years older than you.”
“So? Why do you make it sound like it might as well be fifty? Why should that make a difference? Eight years is not that bad.”
“Not always.”
“And to let you know, I’m the one who started this. Not Craig.”
“You know, Quinn, I think I need time to digest all this, so why don’t you head on home and let me do it. I don’t know if you’re making things better.”
Quinn shook her head. “Okay, whatever. Honestly, Jacob, I thought you’d understand. I really hope you come around.”
Jacob narrowed his blue gaze at her and frowned. “Well, I’d say I was the least of your worries. I’d concentrate your efforts on Craig’s daughter. She’s the one who’s more likely to be hurt.”
Quinn whirled around and stormed out of the office, shutting the door with a definitive slam. Did he think her stupid or careless? Of course Marisol was a huge consideration. The girl’s feelings were top priority in this mess.
***
“We need to talk.”
Craig stood outside Marisol’s closed bedroom door. As soon as they’d arrived home, over an hour ago, and had the horses and equipment put away, Marisol retreated to her room and hadn’t made a sound since. So she knew. That was apparent by the cold shoulder he’d received the entire day. Now time had come for damage control, for trying to make her understand.
Sweet and Wild Page 19