It was the first time she’d called him by his Christian name. Deuced and danged, but he sure liked the way it sounded when she said it.
“What do the eggs look like?” he asked, caring far less about the eggs than keeping her talking. Her dark eyes snapped and sparkled with vibrancy while she glanced up at the nest with excitement on her face.
“Oh, you should see them. They’re bluish green and spotted with brown, hints of purple, and black. They aren’t quite as blue as a robin’s egg, but still a lovely color. I can hardly wait to finish the sketch and write my notes. My associates in Washington will be thrilled to read more about the pine grosbeak. Did you know they can be so tame, it can actually be a danger to them?”
Dugan shook his head and gently took Delilah’s elbow in his hand, guiding her away from the tree. “I did not know that. What else do you know about these particular birds?”
“They’re basically a big, boreal finch. They love spruce and fir trees, but will sometimes be found in a maple tree. They like to eat maple buds, you see.” Delilah smiled at him then gave him a questioning glance. “What brought you out here this afternoon, Deputy?”
He raised an eyebrow. “So we’re back to this formal business now?”
“No…I just… it didn’t…” she stammered.
He chuckled and brushed his knuckles over the soft curve of her cheek. A cheek that blushed a pretty shade of pink.
“I’m just yanking your lead rope. It’s been a bit of a trying day and I needed a few minutes of quiet before I head back to the office. I’m sure glad I came out here. Seeing your father board the train and thinking you’d left without so much as a goodbye pert near broke my little heart.”
He rolled his bottom lip out in a boyish pout, one that had frequently gotten him out of trouble with his mother and nearly into trouble with girls when he was older.
Delilah didn’t appear completely immune to it either when her eyes focused on his mouth and she took a step closer to him. He didn’t think she had any idea she’d done it. Nor when her hands slid up his arms and rested on his shoulders. “I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, Dugan. I promise.”
“Well, I hope you decide to stay right here for a long, long time.” He pecked her cheek, then, as much as he hated to do it, stepped back. “I really need to get to the office before Seth thinks I’ve either disappeared or run off.”
“Where’s Sheriff Barrett?” Delilah asked, walking with him to where he’d left his horse.
“At a meeting in Pendleton. Until he returns, Seth and I are splitting his duties and responsibilities.”
“You both handle it admirably,” she said, watching as he swung onto the back of the horse.
When he held a hand out to her, she glanced at his fingers waggling at her then up at his face. “I can walk.”
“I know you can, but you might as well ride with me. You can’t even use the excuse of your skirts getting in the way. Just give me your hand and I’ll do the rest.”
Delilah appeared to consider her options then finally placed her hand on his. A jolt shot through his system when their palms connected, but he ignored it and pulled her up. Although he would have preferred to tug her across his lap, she swung behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
“You’ve done this before,” he stated, not bothering to ask a question. She’d swung up with too much ease for this to be her first time.
“I used to ride behind Papa all the time. In fact, I’ve always had a pair or two of britches, in spite of how much my mother hated them. Papa and I would often go for rides together and he’d help me scout out birds.”
“What happened to your mother?” Dugan asked, glancing back at her over his shoulder.
“I was fifteen when we lost her. We’d enjoyed a lovely dinner and were sitting in the parlor as we often did in the evenings, discussing current news and things Papa had heard at work. Without any warning, my mother turned pale and clutched at her chest. We sent for the doctor straight away, but by the time he arrived, she was already gone. He said her heart just stopped working.” Delilah drew in a stuttering breath. “Papa and I still miss her every single day, even though she passed away almost eleven years ago.”
“I’m sorry, Delilah. I know how hard it is to lose a parent.”
Her grip around his waist tightened slightly and he felt her lean her head against his back. With the hand not holding the reins, he reached up and placed it over her joined fingers.
“Are both of your parents gone?” she asked.
Dugan nodded. “My father worked for the railroad and was killed in an accident when I was just a little bugger. I was almost seven and my sister, Darla, was eleven. We lived on a farm out of town where we had cows and chickens, horses and pigs. Darla and I loved it out there. But Ma couldn’t keep up with everything so she sold the farm and moved us into a little place in town. We got along, but it never did feel like home to me. Ma died a few years ago and then Darla and her husband decided to move to Portland. I bought my brother-in-law’s place and sold Ma’s house here in town. I’ve got Barton, and my sister’s horse, Button, and a cow named Mildred, a calf named Daisy, and a bossy barn cat named Prudence that recently had five of the cutest little kittens.”
“Kittens? Oh, I’d love to see them,” Delilah said, giving Dugan a squeeze. “I mean, if you’d like to show them to me.”
“I think that could be arranged.” He glanced back at her. “If you like to ride, you’re welcome to use Button anytime. She’s a gentle mare and you wouldn’t have a bit of trouble with her.”
“I do enjoy riding and I might take you up on that offer sometime. Maggie was telling me how women around here ride astride with split skirts. I may just have to give it a go.”
“Maggie can set you up with one of those skirts. She sells them in her shop,” Dugan said, then didn’t want to sound like some pervert who stared at women’s clothes all day. “I mean, I’ve seen them on display before.”
Delilah chuckled. “I didn’t think you’d been shopping for them yourself.”
Dugan grinned. “Do you often go traipsing around the woods dressed like a boy?”
“Only when I want to climb trees to study my birds.”
He looked back at her again. “I can’t quite picture the delightful Delilah Robbins, belle of every Washington, D.C. ball, shimmying up a tree in a pair of boy’s britches. If I hadn’t seen it myself, I’m not sure I’d believe it.”
“I’m certainly not the belle of any ball,” she said, stiffening slightly. “For your information, I detest going to those sorts of things. They’re always so full of stuffy politicians and women ready to break into mean-spirited gossip. However, I’d appreciate you keeping the knowledge of my britches and tree-climbing abilities to yourself.”
“I don’t know. It might take a bit of coercion to keep me quiet,” he teased as he came around the corner of her fenced yard and stopped Barton at the back gate.
“What type of coercion?” she asked, using his arm to swing down. She placed one hand on her cap then tilted her head back and glared up at him. “I’m not one to succumb to underhanded means of compliance.”
Dugan braced his right forearm on the saddle horn and leaned down until his face was close to hers. “The only compliance I’m thinking about is a kiss goodbye.”
“Well, I suppose one little kiss wouldn’t hurt anything.” She took a step closer to him. “But just one, mind you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he drawled then captured her lips in a kiss he’d meant to be a quick, friendly peck. Regardless of what he planned, the second their lips touched, the kiss turned into a sizzling, involved exchange that nearly felled him right off the horse.
Finally, Delilah took a step back and clasped a hand to her chest, as though she struggled to catch her breath.
“Consider me coerced,” he said with a teasing smile. “You are a dilly of a girl, Delilah Robbins.”
“You’re quite something yourself, Deputy Durfey.
” She turned and scurried inside her backyard, flouncing toward the porch in spite of her boyish attire.
Dugan sat on Barton and admired every swaying step she took. The knowledge that Delilah hadn’t left town made him feel like he’d just been given the moon and all the stars. With his heart full, he turned the horse and made his way toward the office.
Chapter Ten
Delilah sauntered down the street, enjoying the beauty of another warm spring day. When her father suggested they move to the “Denver of Oregon,” she never anticipated Baker City being a place she’d quickly consider home. The town not only boasted lovely weather, but also provided a variety of birds for her to study, and offered any number of luxuries like the opera house. Baker City also had more than its share of brawny, handsome bachelors.
Two particular bachelors, both of them deputies, came to mind.
Seth Harter had been incredibly attentive and friendly. In addition to escorting her to the play last month, he’d treated her to ice cream at the drug store, taken her for a drive in a buggy he borrowed from Milt Owen’s livery, and accompanied her to a choral performance. Seth was easy to talk to and laugh with, and he always made her smile.
Dugan Durfey was an altogether different beast from Seth. Oh, both men were hardworking, kind, amiable, trustworthy, and upright, of that she had no doubt. And both were charming, good looking, given to teasing and tomfoolery.
But Dugan hadn’t squired her around town at all. On the contrary, he’d not asked to accompany her anywhere.
Yet, several times, she’d looked up from her work in her garden to see him pulling weeds or scowling at Oliver, warning the raccoon to behave himself. He’d shown up to escort her to the weather station every day when she went out to gather the details for the reports she had to send twice a day: once in the morning at five, and again at five of an evening. Dugan would just appear out of nowhere, wait while she collected the information she needed, then walk with her to the telegraph office to send the message.
A few times when she’d been out in her britches studying birds in the woods behind the lumber mill, she’d looked down and spied Dugan keeping an eye on her. He’d invited her out to his farm one afternoon to see Prudence’s kittens. She’d knelt in the straw in a stall and held each one, but a little black kitten with a white paw and splash of white on her face was her favorite. Dugan had told her she could have one, or as many, of the kittens as she wanted, and she’d been strongly considering bringing one home. She just needed to figure out a way to train it to leave her birds alone.
If she asked Dugan, he’d no doubt offer an idea or two. For a man who let others think he was no smarter than the average dunce, he had a keen mind, sharp intellect, and was as well-read as anyone she’d ever met.
Comparing the two deputies always left her feeling at odds, mostly because she liked them both and didn’t want to have to choose one over the other. Seth was a fun-loving beau who made her feel cherished and special. Dugan was her self-appointed protector, champion, and a friend in whom she could confide.
The only thing she wouldn’t feel comfortable telling him was how much she’d enjoyed his kisses, how much she craved his attention.
Ridding her thoughts of the delicious taste of his lips or how magnificent it felt to be held in his arms against his muscled chest proved impossible. Honestly, Delilah didn’t want to set aside those thoughts, no matter how much she knew she should.
The kisses she’d shared out in the meadow with Dugan had been the single most entrancing, mesmerizing, toe-curling thing that had ever happened to her. Even knowing it was foolhardy to wish he’d take her in his arms again, to lavish her with his affections, she couldn’t help but wish he would.
Seth hadn’t even attempted to hold her hand. He seemed content just to cup her elbow and perhaps walk a little closer to her than was considered entirely proper.
Dugan, on the other hand, took every opportunity to touch her. Of course, it was mostly in a gentlemanly manner, except for those wild, wanton kisses they shared in the meadow.
Annoyed with her inability to focus on something other than Dugan’s all too tempting lips, she stopped on her walk and listened. Slightly cocking her head to the side, she heard sparrows tweet-tweeting and there was the song of a meadowlark. Oh, she’d have to find one soon. She was dying to sketch a western meadowlark up close.
With her thoughts on birds, she continued on her way to Edwin and Hattie Greenfield’s place. Since she’d discovered Thane had left Jemma there to await the arrival of their baby, Delilah had tried to visit frequently. Lady Jemma Bryan Jordan was as gracious and approachable as the other women of Baker City who’d garnered Delilah’s admiration. Although she hadn’t been in town a full six weeks yet, she considered Jemma, Brianna Barrett, Maggie MacGregor, and Allie Amick among her friends.
Delilah had stopped by the mercantile and purchased a few little treats she thought Jemma might enjoy. She was on her way to deliver them, but wasn’t in a rush due to the beauty of the warm afternoon.
When she’d been at the boardinghouse yesterday afternoon, Jemma had seemed fidgety and uncomfortable. Several times she’d rubbed her lower back. The poor thing looked like she was ready to burst. Hattie had hovered around her, fussing and clucking, until Delilah thought Jemma might scream in frustration.
Delilah didn’t know if Thane leaving Jemma at the boardinghouse was more for his benefit or Jemma’s. From what she’d observed, Thane adored his wife, even if they frequently clashed in their opinions. She couldn’t imagine him wanting to be away from her. If Delilah was the one about to bring a baby into the world, she’d much prefer to be in town, close to a doctor than on a remote ranch with no one but a sister-in-law to provide help since men made up all the other occupants of the place, except for Jack and Lily.
As she strolled along, enjoying the soft spring breeze, she concluded what Thane had done was for the good of his wife, even if Jemma remained angry at him for leaving her at the boardinghouse.
From what Delilah understood, Edwin and Hattie had worked for Jemma’s family for years. When Thane came to England to collect Jack and Lily, he’d married her and sold her home. He’d given the Greenfields generous monetary compensation, leaving them financially set for life. Hattie and Edwin had missed Jemma and the children so greatly, they’d traveled to America for a visit, and decided to stay.
Delilah was glad they had. Hattie was like a mother to Jemma and she could see the affection between Jemma and Edwin, like one would share with a doting uncle.
She was nearly to the boardinghouse when a sound like thunder boomed around her. She glanced at the sky, but it remained a beautiful shade of blue that put her in mind of Dugan’s eyes.
The noise grew louder and a cloud of dust swirled down the street. The ground vibrated and Delilah widened her stance to keep her balance on the boardwalk. She shaded her eyes with her hand and gaped at what appeared to be a sea of cowboys riding like the hounds of Hades had been unleashed behind them.
Before she could do more than blink, the men reined to a stop in front of the boardinghouse. Thane Jordan fairly leapt from his horse and charged up the walk without as much as a word of hello. The screen door squeaked in protest when he nearly ripped it off its hinges in his haste to get inside the house.
Allie Amick hustled right behind him, but she at least took time to smile at Delilah before rushing inside.
Tully Barrett, Ben Amick, Ian MacGregor, and two cowboys from the Jordan Ranch dismounted. The cowboys took the reins to the horses and headed down the street, Delilah assumed to take them to the livery or perhaps out to Tully’s place.
“Has something happened?” she asked, as Tully, Ben and Ian approached her.
“Jemma’s fixin’ to bring a new little Jordan into the world,” Tully said with a beaming smile.
If she didn’t know better, he could have been the proud papa. In fact, all three men looked about as pleased as any she’d ever seen as they motioned for her to precede t
hem up the walk to the front door.
“She’s having the baby? Today?” Delilah asked as Ben pulled the screen door open and she stepped inside followed by the three men.
“Ian and Tully were out at the ranch helping us with a little project. Thane’s been building Lily a playhouse in the backyard so she’ll quit trying to run off every dad-busted time we blink,” Ben said, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “That lil’ gal of ours can find more trouble faster than you can turn around.”
“The playhouse is quite a sight to see,” Ian said, shaking his head. “It’s got a high-pitched roof and gingerbread trim, and even a little porch out front. Maggie, Allie, and Brianna are planning to finish the inside of it with wallpaper and curtains.”
“Allie had all she could to do keep Lily from grabbing a hammer and jumping right into whacking on nails,” Tully said with a grin. “Anyhow, Dugan rode out with the news that Edwin had sent for the doctor and Thane should light a shuck for town if he wanted to get here in time to attend his first-born’s arrival.”
“Where are the children?” Delilah asked, glancing from Tully to Ben.
“Sam, our bunkhouse cook, is watching them. Jackeroo didn’t cotton to being left behind, but Lily’s young enough that she didn’t exactly catch on to what’s happening today.” Ben removed his hat and hung it on a rack by the door. Tully followed suit but Ian hadn’t worn a hat. His wind-blown hair testified to that fact and how fast the men had ridden into town.
“I think Jack’s worried because his first mama died birthing Lily,” Tully said, walking down the hall toward the kitchen. “Sometimes that boy carries the weight of the whole world on his little shoulders.”
Lightning and Lawmen (Baker City Brides Book 5) Page 12