“Then you’d better rest while you can.”
Jessie glanced at the storm cloud with a sigh. It would be a long night. “I hope she doesn’t bother you too much.”
“She won’t. I’ll be busy watching the storm.”
The man obviously had not spent much time around frightened little girls. Jessie eased away and turned toward the door.
“Jessie...”
She looked up, halting at the tenderness and compassion in his beautiful green eyes.
“Most of us have things in our past we’d like to keep there,” he said quietly. “I won’t tell Quintin, or anyone else, about what happened tonight or about your husband hitting you.
“I don’t expect that anyone around here will give you any trouble.” A smile teased the corners of his mouth. “Women are so scarce, men hold them in high regard. But if anyone bothers you for any reason, you tell me.” A strand of hair blew across her cheek, and he brushed it aside with his fingertip, lingering a second longer than necessary. A tingle rippled across her skin and her heart skipped a beat. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.” She had the notion that he could take care of just about anything—except what troubled her most. She didn’t know if even Cade McKinnon could mend a broken heart or heal a battered soul.
***
Two hours later, Cade stuck his index finger in his ear and wiggled it, wondering if his ears would ever stop ringing. He had been eyeball to eyeball with snarling mountain lions that didn’t shriek as loud as one tiny girl.
Ellie had been at it for a good half-hour. Lightning lit up the living room, and thunder rattled the windows. She let loose with another wail that would have sent a weaker man hightailing it to the bunkhouse.
“At this rate, we’ll all go deaf,” he muttered, stomping across the floor and knocking on Jessie’s bedroom door. Scowling when she didn’t answer, he pounded again, almost shaking it from the hinges. Seconds later, the door flew open. One look at Jessie’s wide, frightened eyes made him feel like a heel. “Sorry, I didn’t figure you’d hear a normal knock.”
“I couldn’t.” Shifting her sobbing daughter to her other shoulder, Jessie sighed, patting the little girl’s back.
Lightning flashed, and Jessie tensed. So did Cade. As the thunder rumbled overhead, Ellie screamed, tightening her arms around her mother’s neck. “Shhh, honey, it’s only thunder. It won’t hurt us.”
Cade studied the trembling child and her mother’s haggard expression. She looked ready to drop. “Let me take her for a while.”
“That’s okay.” Jessie watched him warily, turning sideways to put her daughter out of his reach.
Though she seemed to move without thinking, Cade hated the fear and distrust in her eyes. “Jessie, let me help.”
Two small red circles blazed in her pale cheeks. She looked down at the floor. “I don’t know if she’ll go to you.”
Cade stepped into the room and rested his hand on the child’s back, leaning over until he could see her face. She clung to Jessie, her eyes squeezed shut, breathing in shuddering little sniffs. “Ellie, will you let me hold you for a while?” When she didn’t respond, Cade caressed her soft cheek with his thumb. “Sweetheart, your mama is plumb wore out. Would you let me rock you?”
Ellie opened her eyes, staring forlornly at him.
He tipped his head and smiled at her. He pointed toward the rocking chair in the corner of the front room and the lamp burning nearby. “We can sit out here, and I’ll sing to you. Songs cowboys sing to the cattle so the critters won’t be scared of the storm.”
Ellie raised her head, studied him for a minute, then leaned toward him, holding out her arms. A swell of emotion took him by surprise, and he wondered how he could teach her mama to accept him with childlike trust. Cade carefully lifted her and cleared the lump from his throat. He glanced at Jessie. She looked dumbfounded. He settled Ellie comfortably in his arms, her head nestled against his shoulder, and walked toward the rocker. As they reached it, the lightning and thunder hit once more.
Ellie shrieked and began sobbing all over again. Murmuring gentle words that he couldn’t hear, Cade rubbed her back and sat down. He rested his cheek against her dark brown curls and started to sing quietly, rocking in rhythm with the song.
Jessie followed them into the room and sank down on the sofa, curling her bare feet up on the cushion beneath her skirt. She hadn’t changed into her night clothes, though she had unpinned her hair and brushed it. Cade wanted to sift his fingers through the thick strands, starting at her temple and ending at the soft waves curling around her waist. He ached to smooth away the lines of worry on her brow and reassure her that, like the storm and her daughter’s fear, the heartache of her past would fade away.
By the time he finished the third verse of “Goodbye Old Paint,” Ellie had quit sobbing, but she still breathed in little gasping sniffs. He brushed a kiss on her forehead, thinking how the tiny frightened sprite had captured a place in his heart. Looking at Jessie, he saw tears glisten in her eyes. So he composed a few more verses to the song, silly nonsense that made her smile.
Then he sang “Colorado Trail,” holding her gaze with his, changing the girl’s name in the song to one he liked better—
Eyes like the morning star,
Cheeks like a rose,
Jessie is a pretty girl,
God almighty knows.
When she shook her head with a tiny smile, he winked and continued singing.
Ellie’s breathing slowed until it became normal. He shifted her a bit, and she mumbled, “More.” So he obliged her with one he had learned trailing a herd to Kansas.
Whoopee ti-yi-yo, git along little dogies,
It’s your misfortune and none of my own,
Whoopee ti-yi-yo, git along little dogies,
For you know Montana will be your new home.
Long before he reached the last chorus, the child was sound asleep, her breath warming his neck, her small hand curled against his jaw. He looked at Jessie, wanting to share the precious moment.
She, too, was sound asleep, her head resting on the arm of the sofa. The worry lines had vanished from her forehead, leaving her face soft and inviting. Did she have any idea how beautiful she was? He doubted it. A woman needed to be told of her beauty, needed it to be appreciated by her man.
He rocked Ellie a while longer, indulging in the opportunity to look at her mama. Jessie frowned in her sleep, making a tiny sound of anguish in her throat. Did she dream of her husband? Of the pain he had inflicted, both physical and emotional? Or did some unspoken fear haunt her?
He had made a bit of headway toward earning her trust, but what would she do when she learned he was lying to her? He couldn’t tell her that he had faked the fight with her brother or that firing him had merely been for show. It would only worry her more if she knew what Quint was doing, and the knowledge might put her in danger. Even if she understood his reasons, his deception could destroy what little faith she had in him.
The best he could do for now was watch over her and her family, be alert for anyone who might pose a threat to them. Including himself. He wanted Jessie Monroe, pure and simple. But she wasn’t the kind of woman to be a man’s mistress. Nor was he the kind of man to have one. He had always scoffed at the notion of love at first sight—until he opened the back door, looked into Jessie’s beautiful eyes, and saw the other half of his soul.
He figured she’d laugh in his face if he suggested such a thing, though he could tell she was attracted to him. After what she had been through, she wouldn’t be all that interested in marrying again. And with something as important as a wife and family, he should move slowly, even when he didn’t want to.
She was as skittish as a new colt and as distrustful as a whipped pup. Gentleness and patience would be crucial to winning her trust and her heart. He could handle gentleness. Patience was another thing entirely. Once he made up his mind about something, he usually stormed ahead like a herd of stampedi
ng Longhorns. He’d have to work on that.
He rose and carried Ellie into the bedroom. Laying her on the bed, Cade pulled the sheet and blanket up, tucking them around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead, smiling when she wiggled and pulled her arms out from underneath the covers.
Going back to the parlor, he stopped beside the sofa, looking down at Jessie, and felt a twinge of regret. He shouldn’t have watched her for so long. Come morning, she was liable to have a crick in her neck. Maybe he’d offer to rub it out. She would politely refuse, but he would insist. He grinned, anticipating winning that small battle.
He leaned down and carefully slid one arm beneath her back and the other under her knees. He held his breath and straightened slowly, lifting her from the sofa. When she didn’t awaken, he exhaled in relief and cradled her against his chest. She laid her head on his shoulder and curled her hand around his neck, sighing softly.
He stood there for a minute, savoring the feeling of her in his arms. Walking as quietly as he could, he carried her toward the bedroom.
Her eyelids fluttered, and she looked up at him in sleepy confusion. “Cade?”
“You fell asleep on the sofa.” He stopped beside the bed but was in no hurry to put her down. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Umm.” She yawned and snuggled closer, her hair brushing his jaw.
Pleasure spiraled through him, though he figured she would be mortified if she realized what she was doing. He held her a moment longer. “The storm is over, and Ellie’s all tucked in, sleeping like a little angel.”
He reluctantly laid her down, taking delight in how slowly she withdrew her hand from around his neck.
“Thank you,” she mumbled as he pulled the cover up to her waist.
Pausing, he touched a lock of her hair. “You’re welcome.”
He blew out the lamp and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. The storm had past, and moonlight frolicked across the bed, illuminating Jessie’s face in a soft glow.
Cade caught his breath. Eyes closed, her lips parted slightly in sleep, she was almost more of a temptation than he could resist. He smoothed the back of his knuckles along her jaw. At her tiny sound of pleasure, he lightly brushed his thumb across her lips and felt a jolt all the way to his toes.
“Goodnight, darlin’,” he whispered and walked quietly from the room. As he pulled the door closed, he heard her soft gasp.
He didn’t wait around for her to sort things out.
Chapter 4
Jessie awoke to the warmth of sunshine on her face. Curled up on her side, she lay still for a moment, enjoying the comfort of the mattress and the fresh clean scent of the pillowcase. Ellie slept soundly on the other side of the bed, her arm wrapped around one corner of the pillow.
Turning over onto her back, Jessie smiled and stretched her arms above her head, breathing the pleasant aroma of coffee and bacon. Coffee? Bacon? “Merciful heavens!”
She threw off the sheet and light blanket, scrambling from the bed. Grabbing a clean pair of stockings from her satchel, she plopped down on the ladder-back chair beside the washstand and pulled them on. She shoved her feet into the boots she had worn on the journey, though her high-button shoes would have been more appropriate for working inside.
“Working?” she mumbled as she stood and poured cold water from the pitcher into the basin on the washstand. Splashing her face, she jerked the towel off the rod and wiped the sleep from her eyes. “I’ll be lucky if I still have a job.”
Hanging up the towel, she winced at a twinge in her neck. She’d gotten used to having all sorts of kinks in the morning from sleeping on the ground, but hadn’t expected one from a good bed. As her gaze fell on her image in the mirror above the washstand, she realized it probably hadn’t been from the bed at all. The last thing she remembered clearly was curling up on the sofa, laying her head against the arm of it, listening as Cade sang to Ellie.
And to her. His gentleness with Ellie had touched her deeply, but other memories brought heat to her cheeks. His smile and wink as he substituted her name in the song, calling her a pretty girl. The solid strength of his chest and arms when he carried her to bed, as if she weighed no more than her child. The hint of soap on his skin. The warm whisper of his breath on her cheek, and the faint tug on her hair as it brushed across the light stubble of his beard. Jessie closed her eyes in dismay. Had she really snuggled closer?
Oh, yes. And she had wanted to stay there.
She stared in the mirror at her rumpled dress and disheveled hair, which she usually controlled with a loose braid at night. Picking up her brush, she tugged it through her hair, grimacing at a stubborn tangle.
Surely, she had only dreamed the touch of his thumb on her lips, a caress so like a kiss that even now it quickened her heart. Of course, he hadn’t called her “darlin’.” That, too, had been a dream, hadn’t it?
Quiet humming came from the kitchen, a cheerful tune in a beautiful deep voice. How could a man be so happy cooking his own breakfast when he had hired a housekeeper the night before?
Because he’s not thinking about breakfast.
Jessie groaned softly. She should be angry with him for taking such liberties, not wishing he would touch her again. Gathering up her hair, she twisted it into a knot at the nape of her neck, angrily jabbing the hairpins into place. “Quit acting like a love-starved old maid,” she whispered. “You fell for a sweet-talkin’ man once. Don’t do it again.”
Cade wasn’t anything like her husband, but he could still hurt her. Any man could. She didn’t know if she had the strength to survive another broken heart.
Squaring her shoulders, Jessie walked out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. She took a deep, fortifying breath, cutting across the corner of the living room and through the doorway into the kitchen.
“Good morning.” He set his empty plate in the dry sink and looked up with a smile, the warmth in his eyes making her heart do a little shuffle step.
“Good morning.” She picked up an empty cup from the table and moved to the stove, pouring a cup of coffee.
He leaned against the dry sink, holding his coffee cup, and watched as she savored her first sip. “I left you some bacon but figured you’d want to cook your own eggs.”
“Thank you.” She peeked into the warming oven, her mouth watering at the plate of crisp bacon sitting there. “Mr. McKinnon, I believe you lied to me.”
Frowning, he met her gaze, concern flickering through his eyes. “Why?”
“You said you couldn’t cook.”
Relief swept across his face. “I can manage coffee, bacon and eggs. It’s everything else that gives me trouble, including biscuits. All we have this morning is bread from the bakery in town.”
“A nice change from biscuits.” Until last night, Jessie and the kids hadn’t even had biscuits in over two weeks. She couldn’t remember the last time they had bakery bread. “I’m sorry you had to cook your own breakfast. It won’t happen again. I usually wake up at the crack of dawn.”
“Not a problem.” The corner of his lip twitched. “I left you the dishes. Besides, you had a rough night.”
“So did you.”
“Once my ears quit ringing, it was pretty nice.”
She didn’t dare let him know that she agreed. “I appreciate you helping me with Ellie.”
“I’m glad I could.”
She smiled up at him. “She likes you.”
“I kind of figured that.” His smile held a hint of pride. “I like both your kids, though Ellie’s such a charmer I don’t think anyone could resist her.”
No one but her father, Jessie thought bitterly. At least he had simply ignored her. It could have been worse. He could have taken a razor strop to her like he did Brad. Thankfully, most of the time, even that had been more of an effort than he wanted to make.
“She can be a little scamp, but a loveable one.”
“I can imagine.” He set his cup beside the empty plate. “I probably w
on’t be in until supper time. We have to go look for a wayward bull.”
“Did he run off during the storm?”
“No, he’s been gone for a few days. He’s a prize Hereford. I had a good-sized pen fenced off for him, but he keeps breaking out. He wants to wander with the other cattle. Unfortunately, he isn’t particular about the company he keeps.”
“How will you keep him here once you find him?”
“Build a bigger pasture and use barbed wire this time instead of wood.” He paused, his expression thoughtful. “Some folks won’t like that, but Ty and I have been thinking that we should start fencing the ranch. Keeping our herd contained—and other cattle out—is the only way to improve our stock. A few of the bigger ranches are stringing wire, so we won’t be the first. But we’ll ease into it, just the same.”
Feeling the twinge in her neck again, she rotated her shoulders, then leaned her head to one side, trying to stretch it.
“Sore neck?”
“A little.”
“Want me to try to rub the kink out?”
Her heart took a little leap. “No, thanks. It’s feeling better already. Guess I’m not used to a real bed.”
“I shouldn’t have let you sleep so long using the arm of the sofa for a pillow.”
“You were busy with Ellie.”
“I could have put her to bed sooner.” He hesitated, his gaze moving over her face like a caress, settling on her mouth.
Longing stole her breath, and she quickly lowered her head to keep him from seeing her reaction.
He slowly raised his hand, lightly nudging her chin upward with his knuckle until she looked into his eyes. “But I was watching you. Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
“Cade, don’t...” she whispered.
“Don’t tell the truth?”
Don’t tempt me. She closed her eyes for a heartbeat, then stepped back, away from his touch, away from the invisible web of desire and loneliness threatening to trap them both.
McKinnon's Bride (Willow Grove, Texas Series Book 1) Page 4