“Well, he hasn’t. Tucker and I are good friends from way back, but that’s all.”
“I guess I was mistaken, then. I had some crazy notion that the two of you were sweet on each other.”
“No, and in fact Tucker has been introducing me to some men in the community since I returned.” She laughed. “I let him talk me into the crazy arrangement, and all I can say is he has extremely bad taste in men.”
Brad looked at her as if she had lost her mind “Doc, I don’t think you need anyone introducing you to men. I’d say you could attract your own without any help.”
“I did it as a favor to him. His mother has this outlandish idea that we’re meant to be together, so Tucker decided if I was seeing other men, she would back off and leave us both alone.”
“And did it work?”
“I don’t think so. But she has been a little quieter lately.”
A curious look crossed Brad’s face. “If you don’t mind me asking, who did Tucker introduce you to?”
“They were both nice men, just not my type at all. One was a local schoolteacher, and the other was a banker.”
Brad started to chuckle, and he shook his head. “Are you certain Tucker didn’t play a joke on you?”
Sarah glanced at him, stunned for a moment. “No, why?”
“I know exactly who you’re referring to, and you haven’t even told me their names. They’re both renowned bachelors who say they’re looking for wives, but never manage to snare a woman. This has been going on for several years now.”
Why would Tucker introduce her to men that were really not interested in marriage if he was seriously trying to find someone for her? Could Eugenia be right?
“If he knew they were not interested in marriage, why would he introduce me to them?”
“Maybe he felt that you were safe with them,” Brad said, laughing.
She looked at him, her mind whirling with questions. “What do you mean safe?”
They halted on the sidewalk, just the two of them on this quiet little side street. Brad reached down and tilted her chin up with his fingers. His touch was warm and comforting, not heady and exciting like Tucker’s.
“Sometimes when a man isn’t ready to face his feelings, he tries to keep what he wants safe until he’s prepared. Maybe Tucker isn’t willing to face what he’s feeling for you.”
Sarah calmly gazed up into Brad’s emerald eyes. “I think we better keep going to the restaurant.”
He smiled down at her. “Let’s go.”
They walked the remaining blocks, chattering about small stuff, laughing and talking. Within minutes they entered the restaurant and were promptly seated.
Brad pulled out her chair and seated her before moving around to his own. It was such a simple gesture; but it left her feeling special, and she couldn’t help but compare him to Tucker. And Tucker wasn’t faring well.
***
Once Tucker was outside, he noticed the night air had chilled considerably. The weather was still confused between winter and spring, so the nights fluctuated in temperature. He shivered deeper into his jacket.
Lansky stepped out of the shadows and fell into step beside him. “Marshal, I didn’t quite believe you when you said you were going to follow my every move, but now I’m a believer.”
“Good. Let me escort you to the edge of town, and we’ll forget all about seeing one another again.”
“But it’s been so enjoyable. Me taking you to all the best saloons in town, while you follow so close you almost have your nose up my ass.” The man rested his hand on the gun that was strapped to his thigh. “You know, why don’t we just settle this right now. Let’s go ahead and get it over with. In five minutes, you’ll be dead, and I’ll be taking over this town.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Tucker said firmly.
“You’re still going to have to face me in the street, Tucker. There’s no way around it, because sooner or later you’re going to try to arrest me, and it’s not going to happen.”
“I’m warning you, Lansky. If I’m there, I’m going to kill you. Do you understand? This time we end it forever.”
Lansky laughed. “I’m not afraid of dying. How about you, Marshal?”
“Everyone dies. Some of us just sooner than the others.” Tucker shrugged. “If you want to meet me down at the county jail I’ll be happy to give you a cell.”
“No. You know there’s a full moon out tonight Spring is close at hand, and I’m feeling feisty. There are more saloons to visit and more ladies to try. See you at the White Elephant Saloon.”
The man looked over his shoulder and grinned at Tucker, who cursed beneath his breath. Why couldn’t he just arrest the gunfighter and be done with it. But his conscience wouldn’t allow him to take care of the problem that easily. And he had to admit that part of him wanted to meet Lansky in the street, but the other part was determined to do this Sarah’s way. Though why he felt so strong-minded to please her, he didn’t know.
He knew only that he was trying, though frankly he would just as soon get it over with, like Lansky wanted.
Tucker followed him into yet another bar, walked in and leaned relaxing against the bar, his boot resting on the footrest.
“May I have your attention?” the Kid called, bringing the piano to a jangling halt. “Shut up everyone and listen to me.”
An uneasy feeling crawled up Tucker’s spine. He was not going to like what was about to happen whatever the Kid had planned.
“I’m sure you all know Marshal Tucker Burnett. But what you don’t know about him is that I almost killed him several years ago down in Tombstone, Arizona. He lived only because Doc Sarah James managed to stitch him back together.”
“You’ll shut up, Lansky, if you know what’s good for you,” Tucker said, his voice low and steely.
Lansky smiled and pointed to him. “But now the marshal has turned yellow. He’s afraid. He’s afraid I’m going to kill him, so he’s refusing to meet me.” The gunfighter laughed. “I never thought I would see the day, that Marshal Tucker Burnett feared dying.”
Tucker stepped rapidly the few steps to the Kid, then grabbed his shirt, pulling the outlaw to within inches of him.
“I’m the law, Lansky. I don’t kill people; I arrest them. And you’re pushing your damn luck.”
The gunfighter swung his fist at Tucker, hitting him in the jaw, knocking him back. But he didn’t let go of the man’s shirt. “Damn you!”
Tucker threw a right punch to the man’s stomach. He ducked when Lansky blocked his next swing, and the two men grappled with each other, staggering. Locked in combat, they stumbled.
Suddenly they fell to the side, crashing through the window of the saloon, landing on the sidewalk outside.
Tucker shook the glass from his face and hair and looked around for Lansky, who lay semiconscious on the wooden sidewalk, moaning. It was then that the smell of lavender in bloom tickled his nose, and he glanced at a pair of female slippers before him.
He frowned, a feeling of apprehension overwhelming him as his gaze traveled up the skirt of the female before him.
He wanted to groan when his eyes met and held the flashing blue orbs of Dr. Sarah James.
“Keeping the peace, Marshal?” she said, her voice tightly controlled—her hand tucked in the crook of Brad Riley’s elbow.
Chapter Fourteen
Tucker stared into Sarah’s blue eyes.
“Your lip is bleeding, there’s a cut above your right eye that needs stitches, and it looks like you’re going to have a beauty of a shiner.” She took a deep breath. “Are you having trouble breathing?”
“No.”
“Too bad, I was really looking forward to binding your ribs.” She sighed. “I better check on the other man.”
Sarah walked over to the gunfighter, her back straight, her steps slow and methodical.
Tucker heard her asking Lansky questions, but his gaze was fixed on the rancher. Slowly he sat up, letting the fog clea
r from his brain, and then rose to his feet.
“What are you doing with Sarah?” Tucker couldn’t refrain from asking Brad.
Brad smiled at him. “We were just returning from dinner, when you fell at her feet.”
“Dinner?”
“Yes, I took Sarah to the Merchant restaurant.”
“Why?”
“Because I happen to enjoy her company and find her attractive.”
“I know, but why would she go out with a cow- puncher like you?”
Brad laughed, stuck his thumbs in his belt loops, shrugged and stared at Tucker. “Because she likes me.”
Tucker beat at the dust that clung to his clothes, before he looked into the face of the man who had gotten into a bidding war with him over Sarah’s basket at the church dinner. He didn’t like Brad’s response or the ugly feelings he suddenly was very aware of.
Sarah walked back over. “He’s okay. Said he was going back to his hotel room. But you’re going to need stitches. I’d say you lost this round, Marshal.”
Tucker tensed. He had already lost one fight to Lansky; he would be damned if he was going to lose again. “It was a draw. If we hadn’t crashed through that pane of glass, it would have ended differently.”
Sarah shook her head. “Meet me at the office and I’ll clean up that head wound.”
“No.”
She frowned, her irritation clearly showing. “Fine, get gangrene, have your face rot off, but don’t come running to me.”
“Doc, you’re being dramatic.”
“That’s why I went to medical school instead of going into acting,” she retorted.
He frowned. “All right, let’s go, then.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Sarah said.
“No,” Tucker responded, realizing that here was his opportunity to send Brad on his way. “It’s not safe for you to walk alone.”
“I’ll walk her, Tucker,” Brad said, his hand on Sarah’s arm.
Tucker felt an overwhelming sense of irrational anger seeing the rancher’s hand lay so possessively on Sarah. “No. There’s no need for you to go, too.”
Sarah turned to Tucker and gave him a harsh glare. “Did that fall affect your thinking? What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t need an audience watching while you doctor on me,” he said, knowing it was just an excuse to get rid of the rancher.
Sarah started to laugh. “A minute ago you were going to let your face rot off; now you’re complaining about an audience.”
“Well . . .”
Brad placed his hand on Sarah’s shoulder and gently turned her to him. “Look, you need to take care of him. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Sarah glanced up at the rancher, her gaze soft and pretty. An urge to smash the cowboy’s face filled Tucker, and he quickly pushed the feeling aside.
“All right. I really enjoyed dinner tonight,” Sarah said. “I’m sorry it ended this way.”
“Me, too.”
A feeling of nausea overcame Tucker, and he rolled his eyes and turned away from the couple. If Brad kissed Sarah, his fist would connect with the rancher’s face.
“Tucker, I can count on you to walk Sarah home, can’t I?” Brad asked, interrupting Tucker’s thoughts of retaliation.
Tucker turned around and faced the man. All it was going to take was one more stupid comment like that one and the smiling cowboy would find his backside in the dirt.
“Of course.”
“Okay.” He picked up Sarah’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Thanks for having dinner with me. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Brad,” Sarah said, as she watched him walk away, a sappy look on her face that Tucker was eager to erase.
After the man walked far enough away he could no longer hear them, Tucker said, “You know, it’s rumored he got some girl with child and then refused to marry her.”
Sarah glanced at him as if he were an idiot. “Wouldn’t be the first man I’ve known to do that.”
Tucker frowned and then shrugged his shoulders. “Guess you see a lot of that in your line of work.”
“All the time.” She glared at him. “Now, if you don’t behave yourself, I’m going to stitch my initials in that cut above your eye.”
“Like hell!” he said, fitting his mood to her response. “Let’s go.”
They started walking down the street. “What were you thinking, getting into a fight with Lansky?”
“I’ve followed him for the last several nights. Every night I’ve tried to do this your way. Not pick a fight with the man, not get into a gun battle with him. Then tonight he stands up in a bar and tells everyone I’m yellow. What did you expect me to do?”
“I expected you to stand up and say if you believe this man, then I have a jail cell with your name on it.” She shook her head. “He certainly knew the right words to get you riled, didn’t he?”
“And just how did you think I was going to get them to the jail?” Tucker mimicked. “Come along nicely now or you won’t get any supper.”
“You expect me to believe that you tried this my way and it didn’t work, so that I will say go ahead, get into a fight with Lansky. He almost killed you last time. I’m not frightened that you’ll be injured and I’ll be unable to heal you. Go ahead. I’m not scared that you’re going to die.”
Tucker stopped on the street and stared at her, his anger seeming to dissipate. “Are you scared for me?”
Sarah started walking again, her steps quick and businesslike. “Let me say it again! Of course I am.”
He grasped her elbow and turned her around to face him. “Doc, I’m used to being in tough situations. I can handle this one.”
“Just like you ‘handled’ the last one with this man.” They reached the office, and with a jerk Sarah pulled the key from her bag, stuck it in the lock and turned the doorknob. She walked through the darkened room, her back straight and her body rigid. In the darkness, he heard her strike a match against flint. A small sliver of flame showed in the gloom, and then the lantern filled the room with a soft glow.
She turned to face him, the light in her hand shimmering across her face. “Come into the next room and I’ll stitch up that cut and put iodine on your other cuts.”
He followed her down the hall to a small examining room.
“Sit on the stool.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, smiling, hoping to lighten the mood, hoping to talk her out of seeing ‘good guy’ Brad.
She took out a small needle and threaded it. Then she poured alcohol on a rag and held the pad to the cut above his eye.
He sucked in air when the cloth touched the wound. “Damn, Sarah, could you find anything that would hurt more?”
“Don’t think I didn’t try. Now shut up or the stitches could leave you with an ugly scar.”
“Does this mean you’re still mad at me?” he asked, noticing for the first time that her breasts were right at eye level. It was tempting to lean into her and put his lips on the bare skin above her dress.
“Why would I be mad? I’m out with one of the nicest men I’ve been around in a long time and suddenly there you are at my feet bleeding,” she said, her voice taut.
She stuck the needle in.
“Ouch!”
She pulled the thread and tied it off. She repeated the process, her touch, normally so gentle, quick and jerky as she rapidly stitched him up.
“Now close your eyes while I put iodine on this wound. This could hurt”
The stuff stung like fire.
“Damn, Sarah!”
“You’re all set,” she said, putting everything in a metal bowl. “But you might want to put a cold rag on that eye tonight. It’s kind of swollen and probably will get worse.”
He slipped his arms around her, unable to resist her nearness any longer. He wanted to feel her soft, tempting body up close against his. He laid his head on her chest.
Her body stiffened.
“Thanks,” he said, placing his lips on t
he swells of her breasts.
She gasped, her breath halting. “Don’t, Tucker.”
He moved his lips up the exposed skin of her chest, up the curve of her neck, around to the apex of her neck and shoulder. She shivered, her breathing coming a little more rapidly. Maybe she enjoyed the rancher’s company, but Tucker still could make her quiver with desire.
But they were friends, nothing more. Why couldn’t he be glad that she had found someone she enjoyed being with?
He pushed the question out of his mind, not wanting to think about his response to seeing her with Brad, not now while he held her in his arms. His lips continued their path up her neck to her ear, his hands molding her body to his. His tongue traced the outline of her ear, and she gasped, while his lips continued to the comer of her mouth. He leaned back and gazed into her eyes. Then his lips found hers.
He covered her mouth, greedily consuming her lips with a hunger that surprised him. God, he wanted her. She made him feel alive, made him feel strong and manly. He wanted to protect her, wanted to take care of her and Lucas, wanted his arms to be the ones she longed to hold her. Reluctantly, her arms wound their way around his back.
Sarah made him feel more a man than he had ever felt. Doubts about his decision to accept the federal marshal’s job crept into his mind.
Suddenly she shoved him away. “Stop it! Stop it now!”
She stepped out of his embrace and walked across the room, her breathing rapid as she drew in deep breaths. She crossed her arms over her chest and bowed her head, her hair felling to cover her face. For a moment it looked as if she was crying, but when she raised her head, he could see the anger that radiated from her gaze.
“Damn you, Tucker Burnett. You don’t know what you want. You kiss me, you have sex with me, but you can’t—you won’t commit to me. I’m tired of being yanked around by you. Here for your convenience.”
“But—”
“You don’t want me. Yet the moment I find a man that’s interesting, you come back around kissing me. You call yourself my friend, but you don’t want anyone else to have me either.”
“That’s not—”
“Oh, yeah, I know what you’re going to say. You set me up with men to take me to dinner. You set me up with the town’s confirmed bachelors. You set me up with men you knew would never be a threat to you.”
The Marshal Takes A Bride Page 20