I nearly ravished the woman I already laid claim to.
The knowledge sobered him.
Lynn lifted a hand and the force holding him dissipated quickly. She hesitated before looking to his mother. “I’ll be fine. Go ahead.”
“You sure?”
“Momma, I’d never harm her,” Parker said, meaning every word. “Hell, I’m fully planning on hunting down the sick fuck who hurt her and her family. The very idea of causin’ that woman pain ties my stomach up in knots.” His confession took him by surprise. “Shit.”
“Watch your mouth, son,” his mother scolded.
His father merely laughed harder as he touched Parker’s shoulder. “Why don’t you take Lynn to your place? I’ll hold the fort down here and your momma will handle findin’ something for Lynn to wear.”
He expected Lynn to bolt for the door and to try to outrun him. She came to him, lifting her hand to him, looking so trusting that he wanted to wrap his arms around her and protect her from all the bad things the world had to offer. He took her hand in his and led her from his office building. The midmorning sun was already harsh and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust.
Two stage coach runners moved through Main Street, kicking up a plume of dust behind them. Their gears squeaked and groaned as steam pushed out of the varying vents. One whistled, signaling it was nearing a stop. The other continued on, just passing through. The dust cloud dissipated, but the smell of grease and oil hung in the air. It mixed in with the smells of the town. Thankfully, they’d built a sewage system. Prior to that, the heat combined with the smells during the day could drop a man, especially one with heightened senses of smell, like shifters.
Eli and Jonathan lived just outside of town because they’d hated the smells. Parker wasn’t left much of a choice but to live in town. He needed to be close to his practice in the event of an emergency. He’d been a big backer of the sewage system and of harsh laws on waste management.
Parker stepped out into the street more with Lynn. People in town all stopped what they were doing, their gazes locking on him and Lynn. Several men tipped their heads in greeting. Some of the women began to whisper, hiding their mouths behind their fans, leaning into one another, murmuring gossip and he knew his mother had been right. The town would be talking nonstop about him and Lynn. He also knew she would indeed be branded a hussy because of it.
Anger seeped through his every pore.
He stopped and Lynn ran into the back of him. “If you all would be so kind as to stop staring at my soon-to-be-wife, that would be just dandy.” Their jaws dropped, but he didn’t stop there. He pulled Lynn up to him and put his free hand to her abdomen. The fierce need to publicly acknowledge her as his was too great to resist. Not only that, he felt compelled to focus on her lower stomach. “This is too much stress on the lil’ one and I need to get her home and get her some rest.”
The tiniest of yelps came from her as her hand moved over his, trying to pry his off. It didn’t work.
Parker hid his smile at the sight of the townsfolk all being at a loss for words. Finally, Henry tossed his hat in the air. “Yeehaw! Doc went and did it. He found himself a wife and is startin’ a family.”
Shouts and whistles followed.
Lynn whimpered, practically shoving herself against him.
Several of the townswomen curled their lips at her, peering down their noses as if she wasn’t good enough for him. Parker saw red and fought to keep his temper in check. Letting out a long, slow breath, he fixated on the woman who owned the dress shop. “Mrs. Fairs, my momma will be stopping past shortly. Give her whatever she wants or needs. Bill me for it.” The thought of Lynn in her blue dress came back to him, making his cock harden. “My bride-to-be looks damn fetching in blues. Momma will handle getting you her measurements. Get some of those silky chemise things I’ve been hearing the ladies talking about too. Oh, and get some things in red. I love the color red on a woman.”
The woman nodded.
He twisted, rattling off more things he wanted for Lynn to the owner of the General Store. Lynn huddled against him, obviously not liking the attention.
The look on her face was priceless. Reminding him of a baby animal finding itself face to face with a hunter, unsure if it was being let go to grow or if it was about to meet its maker.
She clung to his hand, her fingers digging into his flesh, surprising him with just how strong she was. He was about to rush her to his home when the townsfolk stopped staring at her and started staring upwards.
A large shadow eclipsed the street. Parker glanced up and sighed as he spotted his cousin, Lawton, high above pedaling some contraption, which in turn was powering a giant balloon of sorts. While it had all the makings of a hot air balloon, it was lacking key components, like a basket for starters. As it turned slightly, Parker caught sight of the side of it. There, stretched out big as day, one stitched to another, were women’s bloomers. Many had repair spots on them. Others were big enough to fit a man with room to spare. When he caught sight of men’s bright red undergarments sewn as part of the balloon, Parker cringed.
The townsfolk laughed, apparently seeing what he was seeing. Lawton’s contraption dipped severely and the laughter faded. The gossipy townsfolk screamed and scattered, no doubt fearing a repeat performance of the time Lawton had decided to build mechanical wings and add them to his bicycle. He’d then come up with the bright idea of building a launch ramp off the top of the General Store and riding the bike with wings off the roof of it. That ended in Parker spending the day stitching up curious townsfolk, while the rest of the men and women fought to put out the fire Lawton had managed to start at the bank.
Hanging his head, Parker exhaled, already tired and he hadn’t even spoken to his cousin yet. Lawton had a way about him. One that could drain others around him. He was too swept up in his work, in his next invention or contraption.
Lynn tugged on Parker’s hand. “Are you seeing this?”
Unfortunately, yes. He grunted as black smoke wafted from the back portion of the contraption. “Yes.”
Lawton was there, high, high above, his thick aviator goggles on, accompanied by his aviator’s hat, a scarf blowing in the wind behind him as he pedaled fast. His face was caked in dirt, so much so that with Parker’s heightened shifter vision he could make out what looked to be laugh lines. Didn’t look as if Lawton had shaved in weeks, maybe months. His once white shirt was caked in dust and dirt. His trews were worn and nonexistent below the kneecaps, except for stray strips of them flapping in the breeze. The sad thing was Lawton most likely didn’t even notice. He had one focus, it was improving technologies. He didn’t bother with simple things like remembering to order new pants from the tailor or brushing his hair most days.
Parker wanted to crawl under the nearest rock. The whole town knew Lawton MacSweeny. They’d been subjected to his various inventions since he was in short pants. At last check, Lawton had been further east in the New Territory, attending various conventions and world fairs to show off his newest inventions. He’d not sent word home that he’d be returning. Parker was surprised. He more than likely forgot. That was how his mind worked. He was brilliant, but absentminded.
Case in point, he was pedaling barefoot. Lawton more than likely forgot his shoes before leaving on his newest quest. It would be a very Lawton thing to do.
“Is that old man crazy?” Lynn questioned.
Old man? Parker laughed. Lawton was hardly old. He was actually younger than Parker. “Don’t let Eli hear you call Lawton an old man. He’ll use it against Lawton and might very well take offense.”
“Lawton?” Lynn asked.
Parker pointed up at the balloon contraption. “My cousin. Eli’s twin brother.”
She blinked and slinked up closer to him. “Twin? That man up there looks like an old bird who is crazy. I’ve seen Eli. He looks nothing like that.”
Parker nodded. “Lawton is caked in dust, grease, and dirt. Under all that hair and muck i
s a face that looks just like Eli’s. And if I’m guessing, Lawton hasn’t bothered to clean up since he started pedaling that damned thing.”
“And when was that?”
Parker grunted. “Knowing my cousin, somewhere around Boston.”
Lynn laughed and then paused when he didn’t join in. “Seriously?”
“’Fraid so. Lawton is smart. Real smart, but the boy is guilty of tunnel thinkin’. He doesn’t see what’s around him. He only sees whatever he’s workin’ on,” Parker stated. “Eli will want to know he’s home. I’m guessing Eli will pin him down, make him scrub off the dirt and grime, eat something, and put on clean clothes. Once that dirt and grime is off Lawton’s face, you’d be hard pressed to tell him and Eli apart.”
Lynn shielded the sun from her eyes with her free hand as she looked up. “Is he safe on that? It’s spitting out smoke. Lots of smoke.”
Parker shrugged. “We long ago stopped worryin’ about his safety. He’ll be fine. He always is. Come on.”
He led her to his home, which was just across from his office building in the event he was needed in an emergency that fell outside his normal office hours. Whisking her onto his front porch, Parker slipped his hand to her lower back, his fingers skimming her backside. He wondered if his imagination was playing tricks on him because for a moment, it seemed as though she was curving her body to meet his, allowing him to feel her rump without giving him a hard slap to the face like some women might.
Parker opened his front door and Lynn drew to a stop, wonder in her blue eyes. “You all right, darlin’?”
She gulped. “This is your house?”
“Yep.”
“It’s huge. Why in the universe would you need something this size? Why not just live above your offices? They’re plenty big enough.”
He bent, putting his lips close to her ear. All he could think about was kissing her. He wanted to push her against the wall and brand her mouth with his until she knew exactly who she belonged to. “You ask a lot of questions for someone who doesn’t like answering them.”
Her mouth snapped shut and she asked him nothing more as he led her into his home. It felt odd bringing a woman who wasn’t kin into his house. When he bedded a woman, he rented a room at the hotel a few towns over, never wanting to accidently mix business with pleasure. The only women he could recall ever being in his home were his momma and his aunts. None other.
Lynn spun in a tiny circle and her full lips pursed as if a question was perched upon them. He grinned and she bit on them, remaining silent. Parker couldn’t help but snicker at her. She was adorable in her awe.
Adorable?
When had he ever viewed a woman as adorable before?
Sexy.
Oh, yeah, she was that.
Beautiful.
And then some.
But adorable?
Shaking his head to clear his foolish thoughts, Parker motioned to the hallway. “There is a full washroom there and another upstairs. I’ve got running water here and I’ve got hot water too.”
“Parker,” she said, her voice low.
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“For?” he questioned.
Her response came in the form of a well-placed kiss to his lips. As she made a move to pull away, he grabbed her by the elbows. “Parker?”
“Dammit, woman, I was doin’ my best to be good about the fact I know you’re sore and need time before I take you again.”
“Take me again?” she asked.
“Fuck you,” he replied. He’d never been one to mix words, but as he watched her face fall and her gaze harden, he knew he’d said the wrong thing. Parker had taken her virginity on his office desk of all places, and then spoke to her like she was the whore the town had all been whispering about before he’d foolishly gone and told them she was to be his wife. “What I meant to say was—”
She shrugged away from him. “I’d like to take a bath and then I could use some sleep.”
“Lynn.”
She ignored him, facing the other direction.
Silently, he cursed himself for not being more thoughtful of her feelings. He didn’t have much in the way of practice when it came to such things and had a lot to learn. If he was lucky and played his cards right, she just might stick around and teach him.
Someone pounded on his front door with such force he thought they might break it down. Assuming it was another emergency, he thrust it open. Cole stood there, seething mad.
“Where is she?” he demanded.
“Cole?” Lynn asked, shooting past Parker. “What is it? Is Molly hurt?”
“She’s still out at Jonathan’s place,” Cole said, pulling Lynn into a hug and igniting Parker’s beast. The man actually had the nerve to caress Lynn’s cheek. “You all right? The whole town’s talkin’ about you two.” He slid an angry gaze at Parker. “The grapevine’s got the two of you about to get hitched and you already expecting. Since I know you, Lynn, I’m not inclined to believe that. Still, I thought it best I come get you now.”
“You ain’t taking her anywhere,” Parker ground out between clenched teeth.
“Oh, I’m not?” Cole slipped Lynn behind him, puffing out his chest, welcoming a fight.
Lynn rolled her eyes and came back around, standing between them. “Enough. Both of you. This is ridiculous.”
“You’re not leaving with him.” Parker crossed his arms in defiance. “Not happening. You’re mine, woman.”
“She’s yours?” Cole asked, lifting a brow. “I don’t think so, asshole. Lynn, let’s go.”
“Would the two of you listen to yourselves?” She shook her head. “First off,” she pointed at Cole, “you can’t just come running and then demand I leave with you.”
Parker grinned.
She rounded on him. “And you, I’m not yours. Far from it. You’ve no intention of marrying or settling down and I have no intention of being someone’s fuck toy.”
“You fucked her?” Cole charged him, slamming into him full force. He delivered a wicked punch to the face, catching Parker off guard. Before he could land another, Parker responded, returning one of his own. They stumbled into an end table, breaking it to pieces.
“Yoohoo,” his mother’s voice pierced the testosterone in the room.
They stopped, both looking over at her.
She pursed her lips. “Why are two grown men acting like little boys?”
“He started it,” Parker said quickly.
Cole snorted and stopped when Momma gave him the same stern look. He bent his head. “Sorry, ma’am. I just came to get Lynn. This one here wasn’t so willin’ to let her go.”
“Seems to me you both are fools,” Momma said. “Look around. Do you see Lynn?”
Intense fear and concern for her safety came over Parker. “Momma, which way did she go? I need to find her. What if something happens to her? What if we didn’t round up all the outlaws this morning? What if she gets lost? What if…?”
Cole laughed. “Seriously, buddy, you do realize you sound like some love crazed cowboy.”
“Do not.”
“Now you sound like you’re ten and still in short pants,” his mother scolded. “Parker, what is goin’ on with you? This isn’t like you. Normally, it’s Jonathan I’ve got to correct for actin’ like a child. Not you.”
He slumped his shoulders. “Momma, I claimed her.”
Cole went nuts, coming at him again. “You did what?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” his mother said, sweeping in without a care in the world and grabbing each man by the ear, halting the fight. “That’s about enough of that you two.”
“Sorry, ma’am,” Cole said sheepishly.
“As you should be.” Momma tugged harder on Parker’s ear. “What do you mean you claimed her? Tell me you didn’t take advantage of that young thing. She’s fragile and you can’t just go about saying you claimed someone without…”
“Momma, I claimed her. The only par
t I didn’t do was say the words. From what Pops has always told us, those are sort of a place marker for the deed itself and, Momma, I done did the deed.”
She released them both and took a step back. “Parker?”
“I couldn’t have stopped it if I wanted, Momma.”
“Did you hurt her any?” she questioned.
“I don’t think so. No. Well, yes.”
Cole growled.
Parker waved a hand at him. “I hurt her with words without meaning to. I don’t know how to be all flowery and romantic with the ladies. I said what I felt and what I felt at the moment was crude. Lynn took exception to that and didn’t look very open to rectifying the situation any.”
His mother drew back her hand and slapped him a good one across the face.
“Momma?” he asked, rubbing he cheek.
“That is for being stupid and letting that girl slip through your fingers. Parker, do you understand what you’re telling me?”
“I put my foot in my mouth with her?”
Momma rolled her eyes and huffed. “Men. Son, she’s your mate.”
He stilled.
“No. The odds of that are… no.”
“You just claim any ole one?” Cole asked snidely.
“No!”
Cole stared at him. “But you do charge right in and start putting any ole woman under your protection then, right?”
“What? No.”
His mother laughed. “Sweetheart, I believe this nice young man is trying to point out the obvious. Honor Lynn Smith is your mate.”
Cole gasped. “How do you know that name?”
“We knew the Smiths and were friends with them.”
“Hurt her and I’ll kill you,” Cole said flatly.
“If my boy even thinks of harming her, I’ll handle him myself. You won’t have to trouble that handsome head of yours.” She took a deep breath and then exhaled it slowly. “I need to send word to Shirley and tell her Lawton is back in Prospect Springs.”
Cole lifted his brows. “Lawton?”
Mary Sue pointed upwards. “Did you miss the hot air balloon being operated by the man on the unicycle?”
Parker’s Honor (Cowboys and Supernaturals 2) Page 6