“Were they the same people who took you?” he asked, as if he forced the words through his teeth.
She shook her head. “No. They were paid to adopt Rose. It’s never the same couple.”
“This sort of thing has gone on before?”
Grace’s eyes widened at his booming voice. She raised her own voice in anger.
“Yes, and I’ve helped a few girls run away before they met the same fate as I did. I won’t subject my sister to that kind of life. I killed a man and saw my chance to run away.”
Levi paced in front of her. He ran his hand through his hair, stopping a few times to look at her, only to resume his pacing. When he glanced up at her again, the cold anger mixed with something close to anguish.
“How long were you there before you managed to get away?” He spoke slowly, and his voice had dropped to a more even tone again.
Grace shrugged. “Perhaps six months. I didn’t know what to do at first, or where to go. I couldn’t trust anyone. I found out that some of the kids in the group of orphans I’d been with had been sent back to New York, and that Rose was one of them.” She wiped a hand over her face before continuing.
“I was determined to find my sister, and reunite with her, so I followed the train tracks. Along the way, I took odd jobs to get me from one town to the next. Some people took pity on me.” She smirked. “I learned to beg well enough when I was little.”
Grace shifted weight, leaning heavily on her crutch. “It took me the better part of three years, but I finally found my sister. She’d been sent west again, because someone had asked for a girl about her age and description. I knew exactly what that meant. Along the way, I discovered that this had been happening to other girls.”
She stared Levi in the eye. He stood still as a rock, looking at her. She leaned slightly toward him, then quickly looked away when the tears began to fall. “I’ve never sold myself to any man, in all the years I went looking for my sister, in case you’re wondering.”
Somehow, it became important that he knew. She’d been stupid and offered herself to him, out of desperation. No doubt he now thought that’s how she managed to survive.
Levi shook his head, and ran his hand over his face. He stared at her, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t going to say anything. She should know that by now about him. Levi Colter was a closed off, quiet man who lived alone. He didn’t open up to anyone, and he didn’t judge anyone, either. He looked unsure of what to do. Finally, he glanced up at the sky.
“Hunting is best at dusk or dawn. We need fresh meat. If I ain’t back later tonight, expect me tomorrow.”
With those words, he stepped around her and headed for the cabin. He emerged moments later with his rifle and buffalo robe slung over his shoulder.
“You’re just going to leave?” Grace blurted, still standing outside. She hadn’t moved.
His eyes met hers for only a second. “I need some time to think on things, and I do that best when I’m alone out in the woods.”
Without another word, he headed into the forest on foot, leaving Grace to stare after him, wide-eyed and stunned into silence.
Chapter Eleven
Levi made his way through the forest, eager to get back home. The early morning air helped to clear his troubled mind. He’d stayed away from his cabin, opting to spend a night out in the open, to temper the anger inside him. It had taken hours to fall into a restless sleep, but the tension from the night before had eased.
He held his rifle in one hand, and a leather strap in the other with three pheasants tied to one end, which dangled over his shoulder and down his back. He could have shot the buck that had wandered close to him just after dusk the night before, rather than the birds, but he hadn’t been in the mood to dress a carcass, much less carry it all the way back to his cabin.
He’d opted to go on foot without his horse when he’d left yesterday afternoon, because he hadn’t wanted to take the time to saddle the gelding. He’d simply needed to get away and put some distance between himself and Grace Jennings, in order to calm the rage inside him.
Levi muttered a curse. He shouldn’t have left so abruptly. Grace had looked confused, and scared when he’d come out of the cabin and stomped off, but he couldn’t face her at that moment; couldn’t let her see the turmoil that had raged in him.
Cold fury had raced through him, fueled by what he’d learned about Grace, and what had happened to her. The system that was supposed to provide for children without families, and find a better life for them, had failed her miserably. How many more orphans were out there who might be worse off than before?
Grace’s soft, brown eyes haunted him. They’d been full of mistrust one minute, then filled with tears of disbelief and gratitude when he’d presented her with the crutch he’d made. Admiration for her tempered the storm that had waged inside him the night before. Neither her handicap, nor what someone had forced her to become, had beaten her down.
She’d done what he’d been unable to do. She’d found her sister, while he’d been too late to reunite with Maggie. It had crossed his mind repeatedly that his sister might have suffered the same fate as Grace, but he’d never know the answer. He’d been told Maggie was dead, and the family who had adopted her had even shown him her grave. He’d failed Maggie and hadn’t been there for her, but he could help Grace and her sister.
A slow, warm sensation spread through him. His taut features from the night before had relaxed. His lips twitched in a slow smile. Grace Jennings was a survivor. She’d learned to manage getting around on her crippled leg, and she’d done what was necessary to escape a horrible fate.
Levi’s heart sprung to life in his chest, filled with feelings and sensations that were completely foreign to him. The sudden idea that he might want to share his life with another person, one particular woman, came on as quickly as a viper’s surprise strike. He nearly laughed out loud.
He stopped walking. “You’re smitten,” he said to the trees, as if they could perhaps talk him out of such a silly notion. “What the hell do you know about women? You can’t even communicate with her. You run away like some damn coward instead of telling her that she’s one heck of a brave lady for what she’s been through.”
Lady. Levi’s mouth widened in a grin. She wore britches. A dress might look real nice on her, but he couldn’t conjure up the image. Besides, dresses were impractical in the mountains.
He stopped, took in a deep breath, and tilted his head to glance up at the clouds drifting lazily across the sky.
“Hell.”
What if she thought he’d left because he was angry with her? A female might think that way. It might not occur to her that all he’d needed was some time to get his thoughts and emotions under control. He’d wanted to physically hurt someone yesterday after what he’d learned. Hatred for folks he’d never met welled up in him.
Levi set out again to reach his cabin. His strides lengthened. He’d been gone all night, and although it was still early morning, he wouldn’t have put it past Grace to take the kids and leave. There was no reason for her to stay anymore. The snow was mostly gone, and she’d have a fairly easy time getting off the mountain.
He pressed his lips together, silently calling himself all sorts of names, none of them flattering.
Why the hell didn’t you teach me about communicating with a woman, Buck?
The simple answer was that Buck had no use for women after his wife had left him. He’d said so many times that women weren’t to be trusted. Had that simply been his broken heart talking? Despite his bitterness, Buck had often spoken fondly of his wife.
Levi hadn’t ever given it much thought. His life was complete, away from other folks, up here in the mountains. This kind of life kept him safe. He didn’t have to worry about losing someone he cared about, and wasn’t responsible for anyone but himself.
Why, then, did the thought of Grace leaving send a surge of unease through him? He’d liked having her and the kids around, even if he had
n’t been able to properly talk to her. He liked teaching Andy the things Buck had taught him, passing on his knowledge. Levi smiled. He liked the flowers Rose had picked, too.
You like being part of a family.
He cursed. It hit him like the charge of a wild boar. He didn’t want to be alone any longer. He liked taking care of Grace and her sister, and Andy. How had he thought his life was complete all this time? He was no longer a boy who couldn’t protect or look after his sister. His guilt for having failed Maggie had kept him paralyzed, and hiding out alone in the mountains all these years.
Levi adjusted the birds over his shoulder. If Grace had left, he’d simply have to go after her again. She needed to know that he wasn’t angry with her. He had told her he needed to think on things, but he wouldn’t put it past her to draw the wrong conclusion from those words.
If he’d paid better attention yesterday, he would have realized then that the look in her eyes just before he’d left had been a mixture of disappointment, confusion, and sadness.
Levi gnashed his teeth. A fierce desire consumed him to learn to communicate with Grace. He was set in his ways, but he’d never shied away from learning new things about his environment and the things that lived in it. He could learn about Grace, and how to interact with her, too, if he wasn’t too late.
A shot rang out, echoing through the morning stillness. Levi’s head snapped up, and he cursed. Gripping his rifle, he threw caution to the wind, and ran in the direction of his cabin. His head darted around, quickly taking in his surroundings, and assessing any danger. Smoke rose from the cabin’s chimney. Everything looked calm in the clearing surrounding his place.
“Grace,” he called, before the structure came into full view.
The mule brayed loudly, and the horse whinnied in panic. A piercing, high-pitched scream sent birds fluttering through the air. Levi cursed again as a chill went straight to his bones. He’d heard that sound plenty of times, and it wasn’t a woman’s scream. He dropped the pheasants he carried, and sprinted toward the corral. His pulse pounded at his temples, dreading what he’d find.
The horse bucked and reared in the corral, and the mule continued to bray loudly. The blood drained from Levi’s face at the sight of the small, dark-haired figure lying in the dirt. A short distance away, a large cat crouched close to the ground, its ears flat against its head as it stalked toward Grace. It had obviously decided that she was easier prey than the mule or horse.
“Grace, get to your feet,” Levi shouted at the top of his lungs. Her head whipped around while she struggled on the ground. Dammit! Had she lost her crutch?
Levi slowed, and aimed his rifle at the cat, sighting it between two of the corral planks. He wasn’t the best shot from this distance, but he was too far away to throw his knife. He hesitated for a fraction of a second, and pulled the trigger just as the cougar tensed for a leap.
The instant he fired the rifle, Levi sprinted forward, and ripped his knife from his belt. The large cat fell on its side, mere inches from where Grace still struggled to get to her feet. She managed to stand, then cried out and instantly sank back to the ground.
Levi ducked between two of the fence rails, and skidded to a stop in front of her. He dropped to his knees.
“Grace,” he breathed. One quick glance at the cat, and he sheathed his knife. The predator lay still, blood oozing from a hole between its ribs. Levi had aimed for the head, but when the cougar leapt, his shot missed and had apparently hit the cat in the heart.
All color had drained from Grace’s face, and her eyes were wide with fear.
“Levi,” she rasped, and reached her arms out, scurrying toward him on her knees.
Levi expelled a relieved breath that she seemed all right, other than she was shaken up. He didn’t hesitate, or think about his actions, and gathered her into his arms. She fell against him, and sobbed into his shirt. Her body trembled, and he tightened his hold around her.
“It’s all right,” he murmured against her cheek, saying the words over and over while he stroked the soft tendrils of her long hair.
He had no other words to comfort her, but the way she clung to him told him it was the right thing to say and do. When he shifted weight to lift her into his arms, with the intent to set her on her feet, her hands gripped his shoulders. She moved her head away from his chest, and gazed up at him.
“I tried to shoot it while it stalked the mule,” she whispered. “I missed with the one bullet I had left, and your horse ran past me and knocked me to the ground. I couldn’t get back up without the crutch.” She darted a quick look to the ground where the crutch had fallen out of her reach.
Levi stared down at her. Her eyes glistened, and so did her lips.
“I’ll have to have some words with my horse about knocking you off your feet all the time,” he said to lighten the mood. His lips twitched in a hesitant smile.
His heart still pounded in his chest, the fear for Grace’s life still fresh in his mind. If he had been even a minute later, she would be dead. He didn’t dare move, but held her in his arms, almost in his lap, and simply stared into her brown eyes. A powerful rush of warmth spread through him, which quickly replaced the fear from a moment ago.
Grace locked her eyes with his. Her arms wrapped more tightly around his neck, and he couldn’t move. The nervous snorts from his horse, and the trampling of hooves from the mule as it moved around anxiously in the corral, ceased to exist. There was only Grace, and the way she looked at him with wonder in her gaze.
Had she moved her head closer to his, and tugged his face toward her, or had he done that on his own? Her lips touched his, soft and hesitant. Levi’s insides ignited. His hand lifted to her face, the tips of his fingers brushing up against the soft skin of her cheek, while his other arm drew her to him. A rush of emotion, more powerful than he could describe, nearly knocked him on his back. He fisted the fabric of her shirt in his grip, and leaned toward her, while at the same time, tugging her more fully to him.
Grace clasped her arms around his neck, her lips parting beneath his. Levi’s body tensed from the wondrous sensation of her soft mouth enticing him. The sweet ache in his chest threatened to explode. His fingers weaved through her hair at the nape of her neck, and he followed her lead, parting his own lips and moving them across hers. Every part of him yearned to wrap around her, draw her into him, and shield her from everything she’d endured. It was the thought of what she’d suffered at the hands of other men that stopped his actions cold. Right now, the need and desire she awoke scared the living daylights out of him, and he abruptly pulled away from her.
Grace stared, wide-eyed. Her mouth was slightly open, and her lips still glistened. Levi moved to stand, and reached for her hand to pull her to her feet. She accepted his help, her gaze locked on his.
“I’m sorry, Grace. I didn’t mean for that to happen,” he stammered.
Grace’s forehead scrunched. She shook her head slightly. “I’m the one who kissed you first,” she whispered. She held on to his arm, and adjusted her weight on her good leg. Levi supported her elbow, his eyes locked with hers, unable to look away. His heart still drummed fast in his chest. What the hell was happening to him?
“I don’t want you to think . . . I’d never take advantage of you.”
A soft smile spread across Grace’s face. Levi darted a quick glance to the ground in search of the crutch. He might need it himself to remain standing. His legs felt like putty. Grace reached her hand up to touch the side of his cheek. A renewed wave of tenderness and emotions, for which he had no words, flooded him at her soft touch.
“I don’t believe you could ever take advantage of anyone, Levi Colter,” she said in a satiny whisper. “You are the kindest man I’ve ever met.”
She leaned up and brushed her lips against his cheek. The feather-light contact lasted no more than a second. Levi forced his arms to remain where they were against his sides. Every part of him wanted to pull her closer, repeat what he’d done a m
oment ago.
“Thank you,” she said, breaking the contact. “Thank you for saving me yet again.” She laughed softly. “I think I’m becoming too dependent on you.”
Chapter Twelve
Grace’s legs trembled when she entered the cabin, and she leaned heavily on her crutch. The strong scent of wood smoke and leather followed her into the room, bringing with it an overwhelming sense of safety and security. Her heart still beat fast inside her chest, but it wasn’t from her near-fatal encounter with the cougar. Her entire being was tuned in to the man who followed right behind her.
Rose and Andy both darted from the back room. Rose threw her arms around Grace, nearly knocking the crutch from her hand.
“We heard all the noise outside, and the gun shot,” the girl sobbed. “Andy was just about to come and see what was going on, but I reminded him what you told us - that we had to stay inside, no matter what.”
Grace glanced at the boy, who stared up at her with wide eyes. She smiled.
“I’m glad you did what you were told.”
“What happened, Mr. Colter?” Andy’s eyes darted to Levi, his voice filled with excitement.
Grace limped further into the cabin, and turned to look at the woodsman. A blast of warmth rushed through her when she found his eyes resting on her. A mixture of puzzlement and tenderness flashed in his blue gaze. He was still thinking about her impulsive kiss, just as much as she. It was written all over his face.
Her lips tingled, and she quickly directed her attention back to her sister. No man had ever affected her as Levi did. She’d never deliberately kissed a man. What had possessed her to kiss this one? Fear for her life? Gratitude?
Grace mentally shook her head. She’d been scared for her life plenty of times, but not once had it caused her to impulsively kiss a man. Even in Harlan’s Colorado bordello, kissing had been discouraged. The few times a man had taken liberties that way, she’d been repulsed by the act.
In His Arms: Blemished Brides Book 3 Page 9