The tension stretching between the two men on either side of her was like a palpable force that sucked away Delilah’s appetite and left her shoulders inching toward her ears.
“This is delicious, Delilah,” Seth said, smiling as he helped himself to another piece of chicken.
“You’re an excellent cook,” Dugan said, snatching the last deviled egg.
Delilah would have laughed at their competitive, childish behavior if it hadn’t been so disconcerting. She caught Tully giving Ian and Maggie a concerned look but he remained silent.
Ian wiped his mouth on a napkin and glanced across the table. “Did you read in the paper about the group of men who went to Pendleton to help with the sheep shearing? It said they sheared eight thousand sheep. That’s a bunch of woolies.”
Tully nodded. “I did see that.” He turned to Jack. “You suppose your dad will start running sheep soon?”
Jack shook his head. “No, sir. Dad’s mentioned the first person who brings sheep on the ranch will be the last. He offered some colorful descriptions that I wasn’t supposed to hear. Mama would make me suck on soap if I repeat what he said.”
Delilah had to hide a smile behind her napkin while others at the table did the same. At least the tension had ebbed slightly.
Brianna asked Maggie if she planned to attend the newly formed temperance union’s upcoming meeting. They invited Delilah to join them amid the men complaining about the group doing nothing but stirring up trouble.
Tully looked around the table and grinned. “I heard a funny story the other day.”
“You did?” Ian asked, leaning back in his chair. “Let’s hear it.”
“On the twenty-eighth of February, a pretty girl walked up to a bachelor and asked him if he thought it was okay for a girl to propose to a fella on Leap Year. The bachelor man got quite excited and assured her it would be not only acceptable, but the sensible thing to do. The pretty girl looked quite relieved. ‘That’s wonderful to hear you say. Widow Sourface admires you so much. She’ll be so happy when I let her know you’ll accept her proposal tomorrow.’ And the poor old bachelor couldn’t run fast enough to leap over what happened that year.”
Delilah grinned while Ian rolled his eyes. Seth and Dugan didn’t so much as crack a smile.
Thankfully, they were all finished eating and people had started to move the tables near the platform aside to provide plenty of room for dancing.
“Come on, boys.” Tully rose to his feet and clapped Dugan on the shoulder. “Let’s lend a hand.”
While the men walked off and Sammy trailed after them with Jack, Brianna and Maggie cast Delilah sympathetic looks.
“What has gotten into Seth and Dugan?” Maggie asked. “They acted like two ornery old bears intent on claiming the same honey pot.”
Brianna looked at Delilah and grinned. “I think the honey pot in question has no idea that’s what they’re after.”
“There is no honey pot and that is the end of that,” Delilah said, flustered by their teasing.
Maggie laughed while Brianna’s grin broadened into a smile. “Oh, believe us when we tell you it’s not. Things will get far worse before they get better.”
“Will you please clarify that statement?” Delilah asked as she helped them clean up their table.
“It means once you figure out which one of those handsome deputies has claimed your heart, they’ll stop going at each other like bulls in a pen full of heifers,” Maggie said.
Delilah didn’t know whether to be shocked, amused, or affronted.
Maggie hugged her around the shoulders. “Don’t worry, it’ll all be fine.”
“Eventually,” Brianna added. As though she sensed a need to change the subject, she pointed to Delilah’s dress. “I just love that gown. It looks like you captured spring and wrapped it around you. The velvet roses on the back of the sash are splendid.”
“Thank you,” Delilah said, relieved to change the topic to fashion even if the women’s good-natured teasing left her utterly unsettled.
Once the dance area was cleared, the musicians took their positions on the platform. Since the mayor was still recovering from his gunshot wound, he took on the role of calling out the dances.
Seth claimed Delilah for the first dance. As he swung her around the floor, she could feel Dugan’s eyes boring holes into her back.
If he’d wanted to escort her that badly, why in the world hadn’t he asked sooner? It served him right for waiting until the last moment, expecting her to be available. Delilah had never lacked for dance partners or escorts, even if she wasn’t interested in any of the men who’d accompanied her to dances, concerts, plays, community events, and special military dinners.
In fact, the only one she’d eagerly looked forward to seeing was Dugan and he had yet to take her anywhere other than on walks or horseback rides. Yet, he was the one who made sure she safely visited the weather station twice a day. He helped in her yard and around the house, in her father’s absence. When she’d mentioned a leak in the roof, he’d immediately climbed up and repaired it.
Dugan was a hard-working, dedicated, loyal friend, but that wasn’t enough for her. Not when she wanted his love. However, the thought of falling for him, surrendering to him, filled her with fear. She’d seen her friends wed and settle into domesticity, some of them completely subservient to their spouses. Delilah didn’t want to live within those constraints.
She wanted to be free to sketch birds and write articles for magazines. She didn’t want a man telling her she couldn’t wear britches and climb trees or insisting she stay home to prepare a meal for him when she’d rather work in her garden.
Would Dugan give her the freedom she craved if she did admit how much she cared for him?
Seth was safe because her feelings for him would never lead anywhere. Dugan was the one that made her limbs weak and her stomach flutter like a hummingbird’s wings. Could she settle for safety over passion, friendship over love?
In spite of her heart shouting the answer, she chose to ignore it and smiled as one of the cowboys from the Jordan Ranch asked her to dance.
Dugan danced with every woman over sixty in attendance and several females under the age of ten, but he never once danced with any of the single young women in attendance. He certainly failed to ask her to dance. She’d just finished a rousing polka with a man she knew worked for Thane in one of his mines when she turned to her next partner and found herself swept into Dugan’s arms.
Suddenly, the rest of the dancers ceased to exist, the music faded into the background, and there was no one else in the world except Dugan.
She looked up into his smoldering blue eyes and wondered what he was thinking. He seemed so intense, so… words failed her as his gaze fused to hers. Her mouth filled with moisture as she recalled his kisses.
When he drew her closer and started dancing her toward the doorway, she wondered if their kisses filled his thoughts, too.
“Delilah,” he finally said in a raspy tone that rendered her limbs languid.
Nearly tripping on the hem of her skirt, he kept her upright and swung her outside the door. In a few steps, he’d positioned them around the corner of the building where the dusky evening light wrapped around them in an amber-hued glow.
“Why are you dancing with doting grandmothers and little girls?” she asked, hurt by the fact he’d ignored her even if she didn’t want to give voice to her thoughts.
“Because I don’t wanna dance if it ain’t with you, Delilah. I don’t want to draw another breathe unless you’re beside me.”
Even in the muted light, she could see his eyes darken while his nostrils flared. His lips parted, and she knew she was a goner.
“Dilly,” he said, giving her a long, thorough look as his hands bracketed her face. “What are you doing to me?”
She’d lost the ability to speak the first time he’d said her name in a husky voice. If he expected her to be able to respond, she couldn’t, even if she’d known wh
at to say, which she certainly did not.
“Delightful, darling, delicious Delilah,” he muttered as his head descended toward hers.
Her eyes closed, anticipating the impact of his kiss when cool air suddenly spilled around her. She opened her eyes to see Seth shoving Dugan against the wall.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Dugan growled. His jaw clenched in anger as he glared at his friend.
“Leave my girl alone,” Seth warned, raising a fist with a threatening scowl.
“Since when is she your girl?” Dugan asked, removing his suit coat and handing it to Delilah.
Without thinking, she took it, appalled two men she admired were about to engage in fisticuffs over her. It was unthinkable!
“Both of you stop this nonsense right this minute,” she said, stepping between the two of them.
“Delilah, honey, I’ll settle this,” Seth said, placing a hand on her waist and kissing her lightly on the mouth.
If she hadn’t been so shocked by his improper advances, she would have slapped his face.
Dugan didn’t give her a chance to, though. He stepped around Delilah and grabbed Seth around the neck, pulling him backward.
From that point on, fists began flying while the two men grunted and grumbled.
Delilah raced inside the warehouse and scanned the crowd for Tully. He stood with a few businessmen and ranchers, laughing at something Ben Amick said.
“Sheriff!” she said, rushing over to him and placing a hand on his arm.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, giving her a worried glance.
“It’s Seth and Dugan. They’re outside fighting.”
Tully growled and grabbed Ben’s shirtsleeve. “I might need your help. Come with me.”
The two men ran outside. It didn’t take long before Ian, Maggie, Allie, Brianna and several others followed them.
Delilah stood between Maggie and Allie, watching as Tully pulled on Dugan and Ben yanked on Seth, trying to separate the two deputies.
Finally, Tully whistled with such force, Delilah wanted to cover her ears.
“What in the dickens has gotten into the two of you?” the sheriff asked in a booming, commanding voice.
Dugan and Seth glared at each other, chests heaving. Neither said a word.
When they remained silent, Ben and Tully released their hold on them and stepped back. Delilah watched as Seth took another swing at Dugan and he ducked, but it caught Tully on the jaw.
“That’s it!” Tully bellowed, grabbing the back of Dugan’s collar in one hand and Seth’s in the other, treating them like misbehaving boys.
Horrified, Delilah watched as Tully marched them down the street in the direction of the jail.
Unable to believe she was the cause of the public debacle, the color drained from her face and she felt lightheaded. Before she fainted for the first time in her life, she turned and ran home.
Chapter Nineteen
Tully kicked open the door to his office then shoved Dugan and Seth inside. “I don’t know what put a burr under your blankets, but I’ve had about all I’m gonna stand. Now, start talking!”
Seth leaned against his desk and glowered at Dugan.
Dugan, in turn, glared at Seth as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
“He won’t stay away from my girl,” Seth said, taking a step forward.
Dugan met him halfway across the floor, glowering as they stood toe to toe. “The problem is Delilah isn’t his girl. I saw her first.”
“I can’t help it if you’ve dawdled and missed your chance to take what was right in front of you. Be a man and step out of my way,” Seth taunted.
Dugan punched him in the gut and Seth landed another blow to his jaw.
“Children, children, that’s enough of this,” Tully said, shoving them inside the jail. He opened two cells and pushed Dugan in one on the right and Seth across the aisle on the left. “You two are staying here all night and when I come back in the morning, I expect all this stupid, senseless fighting to be behind you. Am I understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Dugan ground out.
Seth nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Have a nice evening,” Tully said, turning off the light.
The sound of his boots on the planked floor echoed into the jail, along with the creak and slam of the door as he left.
Dugan sank onto the edge of the thin mattress covering the narrow cot and sighed. He shouldn’t have gone to the dance. A whole pile of shouldn’t-haves weighed down on him like a stack of bricks dumped on a ripe berry, squashing the anger right out of him.
Shouldn’t have antagonized Seth.
Shouldn’t have started the fight.
Shouldn’t have danced with Delilah.
Shouldn’t have waltzed her outside.
Shouldn’t have been so intent on kissing her.
Yep. That was a great big shouldn’t right there.
She’d looked so danged beautiful in that summery dress, he’d been beside himself the moment he set foot in the warehouse and saw her sipping punch with Seth. The cozier Seth got with her, the more it irritated Dugan until he could hardly contain his temper.
The fact he had no right to lay any sort of claim on her never entered his mind. All he could think about was how much he wanted to be the one holding her close, making her smile, listening to her laugh, walking her home.
Him.
Not Seth. Not anyone else.
Frustrated, disappointed, and out of sorts with himself for thumping all over his best friend in front of half the town, Dugan couldn’t explain what had gotten into him. He’d done his best to avoid dancing with Delilah but a point came when he found himself walking to her side and taking her for a spin across the dance floor.
The next thing he knew, they were outside where the setting sun wrapped her in a glorious, golden glow that made the sparks flickering in her eyes look like fireflies. How was he supposed to resist her beauty and charm when he had no desire to do anything but surrender to them — to her.
It wasn’t like Delilah had paid him any attention, anyway. She’d barely said more than a few words to him all evening as she kept her focus on Seth.
Dugan sighed. Seth had been the one to ask her to the dance and it was only right she pay attention to him. Still, it made Dugan want to ram his fist through a wall each time she smiled at Seth or laughed at something amusing he said.
Why hadn’t he just gone home after the fiasco with the boxed supper? That would have been the mature, intelligent thing to do. Nevertheless, maturity and relying on his smarts hadn’t been a strong point for Dugan when it came to Seth and Delilah, particularly this evening.
How had Seth not known which boxed supper she’d made, anyway? If Dugan hadn’t bid on it, he was sure the muttonhead would have never figured it out. He’d known at a glance which box she’d made because of the little ribbon bird tucked in among the flowers. Besides, he’d been with her when she’d gathered the flowers that morning on their way back from the weather station. She’d said she wanted to sketch them, but he’d recognized the posies topping the box and wondered if that was the real reason she’d chosen them.
Had she wanted him to recognize the box? Or had she counted on him not paying enough attention to know it was hers?
At any rate, Dugan couldn’t believe he’d just slugged and punched his best friend because of a woman who didn’t care about him enough to even allow him to take her to a silly spring dance. Was she worth losing the friendship of a man who’d stood beside him since the day they’d met?
Seth had saved his life numerous times over the years and he’d done the same in return. Up until Delilah arrived in town, Dugan would have said nothing would ever challenge their friendship.
Yet, here they were, locked in cells like common criminals because they’d both allowed Delilah Robbins to turn their heads.
It would be easy to cast the blame her direction, but that wasn’t entirely fair. She’d done nothing. In truth, he’d ne
ver actually witnessed her flirting with Seth, only graciously accepting his attention; the same way she did his. Perhaps she was just too polite and mannerly to tell them both she had no interest in romantic relationships with them.
Confused and growing quite livid with himself for acting like a fool, Dugan stood and began prowling back and forth across the confines of the cell.
There weren’t any windows in the jail, but Tully had left one light on in his office and the door open. A sliver of that light trickled into the jail, giving Dugan the ability to see Seth sitting on the cot in his cell, watching him pace like a wild animal caught in a trap.
“If you’re planning to wear a groove through the floor and tunnel your way out, you won’t make it before morning,” Seth commented with a hint of humor in his voice.
Dugan stopped and leaned his arms on the bars of the cell. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts enough to speak, but he eventually cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Seth.”
“For which thing? That punch to the gut was a little uncalled for.”
A grin kicked up the corner of Dugan’s mouth. “Agreed. I’m sorry for trying to horn in on Delilah this evening. She clearly made her choice and I should have respected that. I’m sorry for losing my temper and for the things I said about you.”
Seth stood and walked over to the bars of his cell. “What did you say? I don’t remember hearing you call me any names.”
“Well, I was shouting in my head the whole time I was wailing on you.” Dugan’s grin broadened. “I really am sorry, Seth. I don’t know what came over me.”
“I’ve got a good idea,” he said wryly. “If you promise to never, ever do that again, I reckon I can forgive you.”
“Thank you.” Dugan felt humbled by Seth’s quick acceptance of his apology and willingness to forgive him. He wasn’t sure he’d have been as big-hearted as his friend.
Lightning and Lawmen (Baker City Brides Book 5) Page 22