Untamed Hearts

by Colleen O'Connell

  The guests arrived at the church, taking their places in the designated pews, awaiting the ceremony’s commencement. Guests chatted quietly with those next to them.

  Anita Adams and her father, Walt, paused at the back of the church’s main aisle. The congregation stood. Taryn craned to see Anita over the guests’ heads. Brad squeezed her hand. She gave him a small smile, knowing what he was thinking. Their own wedding day was a week away. She would be poised with her father ready to walk down the center aisle then.

  The bridal march started. Anita and Walt progressed down the aisle approaching the altar. Taryn gazed at Anita’s face wondering if she would exude such happiness as Anita did on her wedding day. Wearing a high-necked silk gown with lace trim and train, Anita was stunning. A floor length veil with orange blossom wreaths adorned her head. Anita wore her golden hair styled in a beautiful mass of curls piled on top of her head. Her brown eyes glistened and a brilliant smile suffused her face while her father escorted her down the aisle. When her father placed her hand in Luke’s before stepping back, Anita’s smile gleamed. Again, she wondered if she would possess the same glow in a week’s time.

  At one point during the ceremony, Madeline leaned close, her voice low. “One more week, and I’ll be watching you take your vows.”

  Taryn presented her mother with an obligatory smile. Her mother’s words held sweet sentiment. The words should have caused a surge of impatient longing on her part. Why didn’t it? Why did she get the same feeling whenever someone mentioned her marriage to Brad? Was it a natural reaction?

  Following the ceremony, the guests rushed out of the church to greet and congratulate the new couple before dispersing to make the journey back to the Adams ranch for the reception.

  Once the reception commenced, Anita and Luke were busy going from one group to another with little time to spend among any one of those groups for long.

  The guests milled through the spacious rooms of the ranch enjoying themselves too much to be bothered by the crush and noise the crowd created.

  Walking through the rooms, Taryn unconsciously searched for Jared among the groups. She felt a sense of joy when she saw him. Resplendent in tailcoats, he took her breath away. He stood off to one side talking with Luke. She gave a quick glance toward Brad who spoke with her father. As always, Jared’s presence drew her regardless of her will. The mysterious aura surrounding him made her want to be near. “Am I interrupting?”

  “Not at all, Taryn,” Luke assured her.

  “Hello Jared,” she greeted, feeling self-conscious, wondering if her gown and hairstyle choice were suitable.

  Luke glanced between the two. “If you’ll both excuse me, I believe I’ll go dance with my wife.”

  She wore an organdy lace gown with a heart-shaped décolletage and puffed sleeves ending at her elbows. The gown complemented her coloring. His hand reached up, his fingers cupping her chin. “How is it you seem to grow more beautiful every time I see you?”

  The tone of his voice felt like a caress to her ears and a spark of liquid fire rushed through her veins. She would have thanked him for the compliment, but a tap on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see Anita’s father, Walt, reminding her of the dance she’d promised him earlier. She excused herself from Jared’s side with a slight nod.

  Later in the evening, she walked over to Brad who stood with Robert Michaels and Andrew Donahue. Robert addressed Andrew. “Is Marshal Rhodes coming tonight?” He hadn’t seen the marshal among the crowd.

  “I’m not sure he’ll make it here. He had to go out to the Finster place. Old man Finster is vowing to shoot a herd of sheep as a result of them ruining his pastures. Mavis Finster is in our office more times than I can count with the same story,” Andrew explained. “Her husband never carries it out. We have enough problems with easing tensions between the ranchers and the sheepherders without something like this to add to it. The barbed wire has been the biggest issue. You see, it’s…”

  “Excuse me gentlemen,” Brad interrupted abruptly. “Taryn and I haven’t shared a dance yet.” He escorted her to the dance floor.

  “I’ve not seen you all night,” Brad complained, as the dance commenced.

  “You know how weddings are. So much time spent mingling.”

  “There’s only one person with whom I want to mingle.”

  The same thought ran through Taryn’s mind. She felt guilty that the person she had in mind wasn’t Brad. What was the matter with her?!

  The dance concluded, and Brad led her to the library. Once behind its closed doors, Brad pulled her into his arms. His mouth pressed over hers. She slid her arms around his waist and up his back, resting her palms against his shoulder blades. She wanted him to kiss her. She wanted to settle in her mind the comparisons she had been making between Jared and him. She allowed herself to relax, waiting for Brad’s kiss to consume her, make her feel weak with some unexplained desire. When Brad withdrew, she found herself comparing Brad’s kisses to Jared’s.

  Before she’d met Jared, Brad’s kisses were wonderful. Of course, she’d had nothing with which to compare them. She had never known a man’s kisses before Brad, other than stolen childhood kisses. Now that she had a comparison, she found Brad’s kisses lacking. The power and passion always a part of Jared’s kisses was missing from Brad’s. Brad’s kiss had been pleasant, the feeling of his arms around her made her feel warm, but she didn’t feel overwhelmed. ‘What’s wrong with being comfortable…?’ Her mother’s question once again came to mind.

  Brad made her feel good. Jared made her feel out of control. She knew what Brad felt, thought, and hoped to achieve. He was reliable and constant. She had no idea what Jared felt or thought at any given moment. He lived for the present. He was unpredictable and remained a mystery. To the objective eye, the two men were complete opposites. How could she be attracted to both?! Why couldn’t Brad make her feel as Jared did, or why couldn’t Jared be as reliable as Brad? If one of them had the combined qualities, it would make things so much easier.

  “Do you know,” Brad said, encircling her waist, “this is one of the few times we’ve been alone since I arrived?”

  She gave him a blank stare. The words were slow to register as her concentration was on other thoughts. “The wedding preparations have kept us all preoccupied I suppose. We’ll have our entire lives together.”

  Brad took her hand in his. “In a week. we’ll be married. Then we can return to Chicago where we belong.”

  “We don’t have to return right away. I thought we might travel farther down the coast of California and…”

  “I think you’ve had enough traveling, don’t you?” Brad interrupted. “No,” he decided, “its best we return following the wedding.”

  “It would give us time to spend alone before we returned and our lives revolve around your bank schedule.”

  “We’ll have a week on the train back to Chicago. You enjoyed your train trip out here, didn’t you? Our being together will make it all the better on the return trip. You want me to be successful, don’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “I can’t hope to make a success in the banking world if I spend my time traveling instead of working for what we both want. You’ll come to see it’s the best decision,” he concluded, giving her a squeeze.

  She wanted to believe it would be as Brad said. She did want Brad to be a success. With his ambition, Brad would always provide her with a stable life—a settled life.

  The festive atmosphere of the reception remained in full swing when she and Brad returned to the ballroom.

  “Oh Taryn, there you are!” Anita exclaimed, pulling her to her side. “You can help me settle something. Luke and I were discussing our honeymoon—well, the time we’ll be on the train,” she clarified with a blush. “Luke said the Silver Palace sleepers we’ll be in are not much different than those of the emigrants’ cars. From what I’ve heard, they’re different.”

  “I debated the price seems high for what can�
��t be much more accommodating than those berths in the emigrants’ cars,” Luke explained, sliding his arm around Anita’s waist.

  “Oh, don’t try to explain your way out of it.” Anita graced her husband with an impish grin. She turned to Taryn. “So which of us is correct?”

  Taryn balked, shaking her head. “I don’t want to get in the middle of an argument.”

  “It’s not an argument,” Anita assured her, “only a healthy discussion. You were in the Silver Palace sleepers of the emigrants’ cars, so you can settle this for us.”

  “We weren’t in berths on the Pacific Express. We had to sleep side by side on boards laid across the seats.”

  “Yes, I recall you mentioned it. But you were in the Silver Palace sleepers, weren’t you?”

  “Yes,” she admitted, “on the Central Pacific, which is the train you’ll be on. I don’t know about the exact cost, but the Silver Palace sleepers are very nice and much more comfortable than what can be found in the emigrants’ cars.”

  Anita clapped her hands in jubilation. “You see.”

  “But,” she added, “although elegantly appointed, Luke won’t find the berths as accommodating as he’d like. For a person of his height, he’ll find their length less than desirable.” Luke would have much the same problem as Jared had since they were similar in height. “To settle your question, you’re both right.”

  “You’ve saved our marriage.” Anita hugged Luke, kissing his cheek. The two excused themselves to share a dance.

  “What did you mean when you said ‘we had to sleep side by side’?”

  She turned her attention to Brad. “Pardon me?”

  “You said ‘we had to sleep side by side’,” Brad repeated.

  Had she said those words? Why hadn’t she considered Brad standing by her side? If she didn’t answer with an appropriate response, other, more serious, questions would follow. “I referred to everyone in the emigrants’ cars.”

  Brad nodded, and she didn’t know what he was thinking.

  “What about the statement you made about not knowing the cost of the Silver Palace sleepers? How would you be unaware of the cost?”

  Because it was true. Jared had paid for the accommodations, but she could hardly tell Brad. She had to stay calm. How could she have let so much slip? “I meant I couldn’t say if the cost is exorbitant or not. What I find reasonable others may not.” She hoped her ability to think under pressure would prove believable.

  “I see.”

  She wasn’t sure if he believed her, but he was annoying her with his constant suspicions, even if they were true. She had attempted to forget what transpired between them on the train. Brad forever dredged up the trip. “Brad, I don’t appreciate these questions.”

  Brad’s anger fell away. “I’m sorry, Taryn.” He slid his arm around her waist. “My love for you makes me irrational at times.” His statement eased the icy glare in her eyes. “Let’s dance this next one,” he suggested as he led her to the dance floor.

  ****

  Arriving late, Marcus Rhodes walked into the ballroom, having been smoking a cigar outside and talking with a few of the guests. Noticing King, Marcus frowned in annoyance. Every time he saw him only served to remind Marcus of how he hated the man. Marcus had not received any response to the message he’d sent to the bounty hunter, Miguel Ramirez. He had even sent a second message, and still there had been no response. Marcus grew weary of waiting. He would have to devise another way to make King pay for Matt’s death. He needed something he could use against King. Marcus paused as his gaze fell upon the woman he’d seen with King some weeks ago when he’d first learned of King’s arrival. What was her name? She was Dalton’s niece…Ashford, Taryn Ashford. As good a place as any to start, he decided.

  “Miss Ashford,” Marcus interrupted her while she spoke to another guest. “Might I have this next dance?”

  Startled, Taryn gazed at the marshal. She brushed aside her hesitation as she took his arm allowing him to escort her to the dance floor. Her relationship with Jared had caused her to question the man’s motives solely because he wore a badge. He’d merely asked her for a dance.

  “What do you think of Sacramento? I understand you’re visiting your relatives.”

  She smiled as he began the first turn of the dance. “What I’ve seen of it is very pleasant.”

  “Have you met any people other than Jared King?”

  His contrived question put her on guard. “I’ve managed to meet a few.”

  “I understand you and Mr. King were both on the same train,” Marcus broached.

  “Yes, it’s true.” Honestly, was there anyone left who didn’t know she and Jared had been on the same train?

  “I imagine it helped having others to talk with such as Mr. King traveling the entire way from Chicago.”

  “Mr. King boarded in Omaha, not Chicago,” she answered then felt she played into the marshal’s hands.

  “My mistake, I thought he had,” Marcus said. “Omaha, you say. Traveling on business no doubt.”

  “I don’t know.” Something wasn’t right. The marshal deliberately questioned her, attempting to learn something of Jared. Why? “Marshal Rhodes, if you’re interested in learning more of Mr. King, it would be best if you spoke directly with him.”

  “Nothing more than curiosity, Miss Ashford, I assure you. My job tends to make me ask too many questions even when it is curiosity causing the inquiry.”

  The marshal’s ingratiating smile didn’t reach his eyes. Taryn wished the dance were over. The conversation sparked her nerves to the edge.

  “May I give you some advice, Miss Ashford?” When she remained silent, Marcus took it for consent. “You may find Jared King is a dangerous friend.”

  Those remarks alone proved to her the marshal already knew something of Jared and sought additional information. “It’s kind of you to be so concerned, Marshal, but I don’t understand. In what respect do you find Mr. King dangerous?”

  Marcus stared at her, affronted. “In every respect. Why even now, he has a bounty hunter in eager pursuit. I don’t suppose you would know your friend is a gunman.”

  “I’ve seen the weapons he carries.” The marshal’s first statement triggered ripples of fear through her. Jared had a bounty hunter chasing him?

  Marcus’ eyes widened with surprise. “You know he’s a gunman. The fact doesn’t upset a young woman such as yourself?”

  “Since journeying west, I’ve seen a great many men carrying firearms.” She pierced him with a direct stare. “You yourself walk about with them. You too could be considered a gunman, don’t you think?”

  “I’m a man of the law, not a gunman,” Marcus clarified, his voice terse.

  The music ended. She dipped into a stiff curtsy, then walked off the floor without waiting for the marshal’s escort. She returned to Brad’s side, still fuming over Marcus Rhodes’ questions.

  “May I have this dance?”

  Taryn cringed, resigned to her inability to ignore Jared’s question. His timing, as always, left her unnerved. It was a bold move on his part and extremely awkward. Other men had requested a dance from her throughout the evening, but Brad already questioned the developing relationship between them. She had attempted to brush aside Brad’s questions, explaining her relationship to Jared as one of simple acquaintance, but she’d already learned Brad’s suspicions were growing. “I suppose so.”

  “With your permission,” Jared requested of Brad.

  Brad gave a stiff nod of assent, unable to refuse the request without appearing ill-mannered.

  Taryn noticed Brad’s gaze fastened on them as they walked to the dance floor.

  Jared held her close to his body while he led her around the dance floor in time to the music. “Are you sorry I asked you to dance?”

  “No.” She should have said she was sorry, but she enjoyed the feeling of being waltzed around the floor by him. She needed respite from Brad’s accusing glare.

  “I wanted a
t least one dance with my wife before the evening is over, and she leaves on the arm of her fiancé.”

  “Shhh, someone might hear,” she whispered, skimming the area around them.

  His lip curled. “Meaning your fiancé?”

  “He doesn’t understand why it was necessary, innocent though the situation had been.”

  “Situations are always innocent, Taryn. It’s the thoughts behind them giving them life.”

  She decided to change the subject in order to distract her heart from its wild fluttering. “Jared, when I danced with the marshal, he said a bounty hunter is after you. Did you know?”

  “I know,” he admitted, his lighthearted facial features turning solemn, “but I didn’t realize Rhodes also knew.”

  Her concern rose. “What would happen if the bounty hunter came here and found you? What would happen to you? What if…”

  His voice sounded deep and soothing when he spoke. “Taryn, don’t think about it.”

  “But I can’t help thinking about it. It frightens me to think something could happen to you.”

  He smiled, holding her against his chest. “Sweetheart, there’s no sense worrying about what may not occur. If it does, then I’ll deal with it.”

  “But…” she protested.

  “But nothing. Please erase the concern from your face,” he said, his eyes hooded. “If you keep expressing devoted interest, I’m liable to kiss you right here with everyone watching.”

  She felt reckless enough to allow it yet blanched at the idea. “You wouldn’t.”

  “I’m doing my best to fight the inclination.”

  The dance concluded. He returned her to Brad’s side. Raising her hand to his lips, he kissed the back of it in a gallant gesture. His gaze never left hers. She felt the heat of a blush on her cheeks, knowing it was not her hand he wanted to kiss.

  Following the wedding feast, Jared stopped at Breck’s Casino. Distracted, he left Breck’s soon after sitting down at the card table winning the first hand. He had hoped the game would erase the image of Taryn leaving on Brad Thompson’s arm at the conclusion of the wedding celebration. It hadn’t. He couldn’t concentrate on the card game. For as much as he forbade the aggravating idea of her with Thompson, it still filled his head as he continued toward the hotel’s entrance. He wanted to return to the Dalton ranch to convince Taryn she would never be happy with Thompson. It’s what he’d wanted to do since he’d learned of the engagement. He passed the livery and paused. His decision resolute, he entered the livery, retrieving his horse.