“No,” said Bella looking up at him with earnest eyes. “I’d never do that, Vance.”
“May I cut in?” Griffiths appeared at the side of them.
To Bella’s dismay, Vance stood aside, almost as if it were a relief. “Of course.”
If it had been possible for Bella to dance with Griffiths whilst standing in a separate field, she would have done it. As such she kept as much distance as she could between herself and him. “You look very beautiful tonight, Miss Tennyson. Or may I call you Bella?” He did not wait for an answer. “Your brother has told me so much about you. I wondered if I might call on you sometime?”
“I’m very sorry, Mister Griffiths. I don’t know what my brother has said, but I am not looking for a husband.”
“Really? The way you were dancing with the marshal, folks might be forgiving for thinking otherwise.”
Bella pulled away. “Thank you, Mister Griffiths, but I’m very tired. I’d like to go home now.”
“Then allow me to escort you.”
“That won’t be necessary. My brother will…” Bella looked around for Andrew, and saw him far in the distance, riding the buggy towards Milton. Which meant she had no means of getting home.
“I told him I would see you home safely.”
“Thank you, but I can find my own way home.” Bella turned away, trying to look more resolute than she felt. She walked to the corral, but most of the guests had started to leave, and those that remained she did not know well enough to ask for assistance.
She sat down on the edge of a water trough, and rested her head in her hands. She was miles from home, and had no transport, but she was not going to be left at the mercy of Arthur Griffiths. She could hardly believe Andrew would put her in such a position. Did he really expect her to prostitute herself? She wondered exactly what Griffiths had promised her brother in return for handing her over like a bag of wheat from the supply store.
“Bella? I saw your brother leave. Is he coming back for you?" Vance’s deep tones came from somewhere above her. She looked up to see him astride his horse. He had removed his jacket, his white shirt standing out like a beacon of light in the darkness. She shook her head.
“No, I don’t think so. And Griffiths…” She shuddered.
“Come on, I’ll take you home.” She took the hand he offered without hesitation, and he pulled her up so that she sat in front of him, sitting sideways.
Neither said anything for the first mile or so. He had his arms around her waist, holding onto the reins. She could feel the heat of his skin beneath his shirt. She had to fight the temptation to lay her head against his chest, but she was acutely aware of his body brushing against the side of her breast. She shivered a little but it was not an unpleasant feeling.
“Are you cold, Bella? You’re trembling.”
How could she tell him that he was the one making her tremble? The very nearness of him was enough to send her senses into a tailspin. Andrew had said that he was sure she would not do anything immoral, yet Bella knew that if Vance were to ask her, she would do anything he wanted. As Miss Grant had said, Gloria was not here.
“Do you like Miss Grant?” asked Bella, trying to turn the conversation away from the way her body was reacting to him. The annoyance Miss Grant caused to her was enough for her to use it as a barrier between herself and Vance.
“No, she’s a little too vacuous for my tastes. Does it bother you to think I might?”
“It’s really none of my business,” said Bella. “Though I’m sure Gloria would …”
Vance stopped the horse and pulled Bella into his arms. He turned her face towards him, covering her mouth with his. She should have fought him off. It would have been the right thing to do. But all thoughts of right and wrong disappeared under the urgency of his kiss, and the feel of his hands on her body. “Now tell me how you feel about Miss Grant,” he muttered savagely, covering her neck with kisses and tracing the curve of her breast with his fingertips. She moaned, running her fingers through his thick hair, wanting his hands to cover every part of her.
“I hate her,” said Bella. She could not speak anymore because his lips found hers again. He caressed her mouth with the tip of his tongue, sending an electric flame shooting through her body. Bella’s only previous experience of kissing had involved a chaste kiss on the cheek by one of her beaus in England, and that was after six months of discussing the weather in the parlour. Nothing had prepared her a man as experienced as Vance. He knew how to kiss her and exactly how and where to touch her. She was both terrified and exhilarated by the feelings he aroused in her.
It was probably just as well that her fear was stronger than she was at that time. “No,” she said, pulling away. “We can’t.”
Vance leaned back and took a deep breath, leaving Bella feeling more than a little disappointed. If truth be known, she wanted him to go on kissing her. But he was an honourable man, and despite her disappointment, she loved him even more for behaving as an honourable man should. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He got off the horse and walked a few feet away, looking up at the diamond-strewn sky, as if seeking some advice from above. Bella sat in silence, whilst he stared into the distance, seeming to be bringing his emotions and his customary stillness back in check. “I promise it won’t happen again, Miss Tennyson.”
He walked alongside the horse the rest of the way, leaving Bella to sit in the saddle. She felt cold and alone. More than once she fought the compulsion to lean forward and stroke his hair.
She told herself it was probably for the best. She knew that if he kissed her again she would not be able to say no. Vance was a man who kept his promises. Had he not said so? It was with sinking heart that Bella realised he would probably be true to his word.
When they were just half a mile from the vineyard a shot rang out in the night.
Chapter Six
Vance pulled her from the horse, and threw her to the ground, covering her body with his, whilst his one hand struggled to get his gun out of its holster. Another two or three shots hit the area around them. The horse bolted, turning and running off towards Milton.
Vance fired in the direction of one of the shots, but whether it found its target, it was hard to tell. He hauled Bella up roughly and pulled her behind a large rock.
“What’s happening?” she whispered, suppressing the urge to cry out.
“We’re being shot at.”
“Yes, I worked that out, but why?”
“I think it’s likely that I’m being shot at. Obviously Milton is already tired of its new marshal.”
The reality of their situation hit Bella like one of the rocks on the ground. She began to shiver, and this time it was not a result of Vance’s proximity.
“The vineyard is less than half a mile away,” he said. “I want you to run there…”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Bella, they don’t want you, they want me. So I think you’ll be safe. Just keep to this side of the canyon, using the rocks for cover. Then fetch help.”
“Help? Who? There’s only May.”
“Yes, and she’s pretty good with a gun, and I’m gonna run out of bullets soon. So will you please go fetch her?”
“I don’t want to leave you,” said Bella, torn between wanting to fetch help and wanting to stay at his side. “What if they kill you while I’m gone?”
“What if they kill us both when you stay?”
“I’d rather that than you die out here alone.”
Another shot rang through the air, close enough to suggest that whoever was firing had worked out their position. Bella and Vance ducked further down behind the rock, but it afforded them scant protection.
“Bella, you’re no help to me here. In fact, I’d say you were a hindrance the way you keep talking all the time. So please will you just get gone? Crawl to that next rock, then the next one…”
Even though it hurt her to admit it, Bella knew he was right. Her being th
ere only made things worse. Vance would probably die trying to protect her. Still, the thought of leaving him to be killed tore at her heart. “I’ll bring help,” she said.
She started crawling to the next rock, only to have a bullet hit the ground near to her hand. She felt Vance yank her backwards. “They can see your white dress,” he said. “Damn! I should have thought of that.”
“You said they didn’t want to shoot me.”
“They don’t, but I’m wearing a white shirt. They won’t know if it’s me or you so they’ll just shoot anyway. Damn, damn, damn!” He leaned against the rock, but a sudden footfall caused him to spin around and fire. They heard a cry in the night.
“Well, it sounds like I hit one,” he said. “Now we just need to find somewhere to take cover.” He looked around him. “I know where we can go.” He picked up a couple of pebbles and threw them to his right, before pulling Bella to the left, and the next rock along. She heard another shot fire out, presumably in the direction of the pebbles. “There’s some caves up in the canyon,” he said in a low voice. “We’ll try to get up there.”
“Won’t we be trapped?”
“Yes, but there’s a few of them and they all go dark and deep. Come on.”
It took them over half an hour of moving slowly, from rock to rock, whilst Vance worked at redirecting the rein of fire from their assailants. Finally, they reached a ledge in the canyon and another rock to hide behind. “Be careful up here,” he said. “Keep very low, because we’ll be in view. Wait a minute. I’ve got a better idea.” He took off his shirt and rolled it up tight. His dark skin tone camouflaged well against the rocks. “Now we only have to worry about your dress.”
“I am not taking it off.”
“No, if you do that, I’ll be more of a danger to you than they are. I know.” He picked up a handful of dirt and brushed it on the skirt.
“This is my best dress.”
“You got a choice, Bella. It can either be stained with dirt or blood. Perhaps you’d rather deal with the bodice.”
She picked up some dirt and began rubbing it over her dress.
“Turn around, so I can get the back.”
Bella did as she was told, trying hard not to think about his hands sweeping dirt over her rear.
“May is going to be furious,” she said.
“Not when I bring you home alive, she isn’t. Come on.”
He led her across the ledge. At first it was wide, and they were able to take cover behind some of the rocks that rested on the edge. Then it became narrower, and cover hard to come by. He missed the first cave, and the second, pulling her around a corner where the ledge became narrower still.
“Don’t look down,” said Vance, with his back to the ledge. Bella did the exact opposite, feeling herself sway a little. She grabbed the cliff wall, and cried out in terror.
“Shh,” said Vince as a shot rang out. “Do you wanna let them know where we are?”
He held her hand tightly, before leading her into a third cave. When they’d walked a bit further inside, any light from the moon and stars disappeared, leaving them in pitch-blackness. Bella walked forward a little, coming straight up against Vance’s bare chest. She moved, backing into a wall, which felt damp and slimy to the touch.
“With any luck they’ll get tired of looking in the others and give up,” Vance said.
“What if they don’t?”
“They won’t be able to enter the cave with their gun pointed, not on that narrow ledge. They’ll be too busy holding on to the side, so I’ll be waiting to pick them off with mine. Are you cold?”
“Freezing.”
“Here,” he reached out in the dark. “Put my shirt on.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine. Put it on. It’ll be better for both of us if you do.”
Bella, not wanting to ask what he meant by that, put the shirt on. It was still warm from where he’d worn it, and smelled of him. Wearing it made Bella feel that she had become a part of him for a little while.
Using the wall to guide her, she sat down on the ground, her legs suddenly very weak. She did not know if that was from the fear or Vance’s nearness – she could feel him very close to her, joining her on the ground, leaning against the opposite wall – but either way, her legs would no longer hold her weight.
“Are you all right, Bella?”
“Yes. No. I’ve never been shot at before, nor had a man rub dirt all over my best dress.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“How long do you think we’ll have to stay here, Vance?”
“I don’t know. Maybe when my horse gets back to town, they’ll realise something is wrong and come looking for us.”
“But they won’t know where to look.”
“They’ll find us. Don’t worry.”
She felt him move in the darkness, then his shoulder nudged against hers. “Sorry,” he said, “I’m a little cold. I thought we could share some body heat.”
“Have your shirt back.”
“No, you wear it. It looks better on you.”
“You can’t even see me.”
“In my imagination it looks better on you.” Outside it sounded as if some small stones fell from the ledge. “Shh.” She heard him cock his gun, and waited, hardly daring to breathe to see if anyone came to the entrance of the cave.
A voice called out in the night. “Are you sure this was the way they came?”
“That’s Bill,” whispered Bella.
“Shh…”
“Yes.” The second voice came from further away. “I’m sure of it.”
More stones fell, and Bill swore out loud. “The boss didn’t say nothing about climbing the canyon,” he said. Half of his back came into view in the mouth of the cave, but it did not seem as if he noticed the cliff face had ended. “I hate heights. Where are you? Are you coming up?”
When Bill lurched forward, nearly falling to his death, Bella gasped, which was followed by Vance clamping his hand over her mouth. It was lucky for Bella that Bill’s own cry in the night covered her own. Bill scrambled for purchase on the ledge.
“Hell, I’m coming down,” he said, moving back the way he came and out of sight. “Before I kill myself. I didn’t sign up for this.”
After a few minutes of waiting and watching, Vance got up and moved towards the entrance, keeping his gun aloft. He looked out to either side, before coming back to sit next to Bella.
“They’ve gone. Now we just have to hang out here until we’re sure they’re not waiting at the bottom of the canyon.” So they waited…
It was morning when Bella opened her eyes. The sunrise shone into the cave, lighting up their hiding place, and bringing much needed heat. She moved her head to find that she was using Vance’s bare chest as a pillow, with her hand resting on his flat belly. His skin felt smooth against her cheek and fingertips. She traced the line of his torso with her fingertips, from his naval up to his chest, feeling her excitement rising. She stroked his nipple with the tip of her finger, fighting the urge to follow it with a kiss.
His hand clamped over hers. In less than a second he flipped over, and pinned her to the floor of the cave, with the weight of his body holding her down. He shifted slightly and her eyes widened as she became very aware of the effect her touch had on him.
“Vance … ” Before she could say another word he kissed her, pulling her body roughly up to him with one hand on her back, whilst the fingers of his other hand searched for the bottom of her dress, and began to slide up past her stockings to the silky skin of her thigh, sending darts of pleasure shooting through her. She raked her fingers along his bare back and answered his kiss with one full of longing.
“Marshal! Marshal! Are you up there?”
Vance pulled away, and dropped Bella like a stone. “They’ve found us,” he said. “You go first.”
“Why?” Bella’s breath came quickly. She straightened her clothing, beginning to feel the weight of her shameless
behaviour.
“Because if you don’t, I’m going to ignore them and finish what we just started.” He took a deep breath. “No. Give me my shirt. I’ll go and speak to them, then when we’ve gone, you make your way home.”
“Why?” She asked again.
“Because if they find out you’re here, they’re going to start wondering exactly what we’ve been doing here all night. It’ll ruin your reputation.”
He put on his shirt and made to leave the cave. Before he did, he turned back with a heart-wrenching smile. “Next time you touch a man like that, you’d better be willing to deal with the consequences, because there might not be a deputy on hand to save you.”
It was early evening when Bella woke up in her own bed. She had spent the morning avoiding May’s searching glances. The explanation she gave did not sound plausible, even to her. In the end, she feigned tiredness and sought the privacy of her bedroom. She must have been genuinely tired, because the next thing she knew dusk was falling and she heard shouting outside.
She jumped out of bed and went to the window. Griffiths stood looking down over the vineyard. Tom and Bill were hammering at the door of the bunkhouse, ordering Shen and the other Chinese workers to come out. Shen opened the door. The murderous look in his eyes caused Bill and Tom to step back momentarily, before they regained equilibrium and ordered him out using the most abusive language Bella had ever heard.
Tom wore a bandage around his arm, which Bella presumed was a result of being shot by Vance.
Wearing her dressing gown, and with her hair tousled around her head, Bella ran downstairs and out of the front door, closely followed by May coming from the parlour.
“What on earth is going on?” asked Bella, standing on the porch. She was surprised by how imperious her own voice sounded.
Griffiths turned and smiled. “Good evening, Miss Tennyson. I’m sorry to have to tell you that you must leave this vineyard.”
“Leave?”
“Yes, you, Miss Tucker there and the workers. As I’m a gentleman I’ll give you and Miss Tucker till the morning to pack.” His voice became oily. “Of course, we could come to an understanding where you remain.”
Bella's Vineyard Page 6