by Ari McKay
Stone shrugged. “Guess I’m feelin’ off,” he replied, scraping his plate into the slop bucket. “Don’t tell Mary. I don’t want her to think I don’t like her cookin’.”
“I won’t.” Luke studied him more intently, concern blooming in his eyes. “Should I get Doc Wilson?”
“Nah, it’s nothin’ like that.” Stone put his plate in the sink, and then he stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll just let you finish in peace.”
Luke glanced down at his plate, seeming less interested in the chicken and dumplings. “I’m about done myself. I’m more tired than hungry anyway.”
“I wasn’t tryin’ to put you off your feed.” Stone wasn’t sure why Luke had lost his appetite, but he hoped it wasn’t because of him. “I just….” He looked at Luke and cleared his throat. “Ah, hell. I can’t do this anymore, Luke.”
The concern on Luke’s face turned to alarm, and he pushed back his chair and stood up, facing Stone. “You can’t give up on the ranch now! Once Dandy Jim is gone, things’ll calm down. It won’t be like this all the time.”
Stone winced. Luke thought he was talking about the ranch, of course. He shouldn’t be surprised; he’d made everything about the ranch, putting it before what Luke wanted and needed, so why should Luke think he meant anything different? He needed to explain and try to set things right between them.
“That ain’t what I meant.” He wished he was better with words, so he could make his feelings clear to Luke without messing up things even more. “I mean, I can’t go on bein’ so unfair to you. I’m judgin’ James for what he’s done, but I ain’t one bit better than he is, am I?”
Luke shook his head, appearing puzzled. “I don’t follow.”
“I ain’t good at explainin’ things,” Stone replied, wondering how he could say what he needed to and not sound like a fool. “I’ve been selfish. I’ve expected you to be here and support me, and I ain’t given you nothin’ in return except trouble.”
“Well, that ain’t true,” Luke replied, frowning. “I got a place to stay and a job. It ain’t like I did all this work for free. I ain’t never thought you expected me to do nothin’. What I did, I did ’cause I wanted to do it, no other reason.”
“No, not that.” Stone wanted to growl in frustration, and he paced back and forth, agitated. “I mean that night, Luke. That night we went to bed together. I ain’t been fair to you about that. I told you how it was goin’ to be and expected you to stay. It’s the most selfish thing I ever done in my life, and it’s eatin’ me up inside.”
Luke regarded him somberly for a long moment, and when he spoke, his voice was quiet and deep. “You told me how it was goin’ to be, yeah, but I don’t recall you tellin’ me what you expected me to do. Right or wrong, stayin’ was my choice. Nobody made me do it.”
Stone shook his head. Luke was a generous man, and it wasn’t surprising he’d be willing to let Stone off the hook. “I didn’t think you’d leave. Copper Lake is your home, no matter what you try to say about it not belongin’ to you, but that don’t make what I said to you or what I expected of you right. I didn’t even listen to you. I didn’t take what you wanted and needed into account. I can’t stand it, knowin’ I treated you like that.” He stepped closer, holding out his hand to Luke, willing to beg if that was what it took. “Can you forgive me? I’ve felt lower than a snake since then, but today I realized how bad I could’ve made you feel. I never want you to feel bad, Luke. I want you to be happy again. I miss seein’ you smile and hearin’ you laugh, especially when the reason you don’t is me.”
Luke turned his gaze downward and swallowed hard. “I don’t think there’s much to forgive. I know you got your pa’s ghost hauntin’ you. You got somethin’ to prove ’cause of him, and I wanted to help you prove it to yourself and everyone else and maybe lay that ghost to rest at last. But if you want my forgiveness, you’ve got it. I ain’t goin’ to lie and say I’m happy, but I don’t hold nothin’ against you.”
Hearing that Luke forgave him loosened one of the knots in Stone’s stomach, but he wasn’t done, not yet. He gathered his courage and stepped forward, resting his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “Thank you, that means a lot to me. But I want you to be happy. You deserve it, Luke.”
For a moment, it seemed as if Luke was going to respond, maybe even move closer, but his gaze flicked to something over Stone’s shoulder, and he stepped back quickly, extricating himself from Stone’s grasp.
“Evenin’, Mr. Rivers,” Luke said pointedly, putting more distance between himself and Stone.
Stone whirled to find James standing in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. Stone didn’t know whether he was angrier at the man for trying to destroy his life or for wrecking this moment when he and Luke might have been coming to some sort of understanding. He supposed it didn’t matter either way; anger was anger, and he clenched his jaw as well as his fists.
“You no good, lyin’, double-crossin’, filthy snake!” he hissed, glaring at James. “You claimed kin on me, and all you wanted was to get your hands on the ranch!”
James’ elegant lips curved in a mocking smirk as he strolled into the room, seeming unconcerned by the accusation. “Why, cousin, I’m hurt,” he drawled. “How could you say such a hateful thing to me when I’ve been nothing but a perfect house guest?”
Stone’s eyes narrowed. “Oh really?” He wanted very badly to wipe that nasty smile off James’ face. “Wreckin’ the windmill, makin’ my horse throw me, destroyin’ the water tank, burnin’ down the stable. You call that bein’ the perfect guest? Not that you got your soft, white hands dirty in the process. Your hired boys did the work, but you’re the one who deserves all the credit.”
“You have proof of all this, of course,” James replied, still looking so smug Stone itched to punch him. “Otherwise, I can’t imagine you would slander my good name in such a way.”
Stone pushed his sleeves up. “You ain’t got no good name. A man is only as good as his word, and yours ain’t worth a pile of steamin’ shit. Anything that happens to your name, you done all by yourself!”
“Again, I must ask if you have any proof,” James replied, seeming unperturbed by Stone’s aggressiveness. “I can prove it if you slander or assault me, and I doubt the authorities would be as quick to believe your wild claims without evidence to back them up.”
Stone stared at James, unable to believe the man’s gall. “Are you threatenin’ me?” he demanded. “You think you’re just goin’ to walk away from this without a mark on you?”
“From where I’m standing, you’re the only one making threats, cousin,” James replied with an elegant shrug of his shoulders. “I’m simply stating what will happen if you insist on making baseless accusations.”
“Well it ain’t like I made this up,” Stone snapped. “We caught your man Hendry settin’ the stable on fire, and he decided lettin’ us know you were payin’ him to do the dirty work was a damn sight better than rottin’ in jail all by himself.”
For the first time, James’ mask cracked, and Stone caught a flash of genuine alarm in James’s eyes. “Men like that will say anything if you pay them enough.” He was obviously trying to bluster his way out of trouble, but he sounded far less self-assured now.
“Or do anything, if you pay them enough.” Stone was pleased at the way James was finally starting to show he wasn’t completely confident. “But you know, there’s the little matter of Priss’s will. You got a reason to make me fail and to pay to make it happen, since you’d get the whole ranch by makin’ me give up.”
James’ eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at Stone in silence, and when he spoke at last, his voice was hard and cold. “Maybe Hendry did tell you I hired him, and maybe you can suggest I had a clear motive, but you won’t do a damned thing about it, cousin. Not unless you want the whole town to learn your other little secret.”
Stone glared. “And what little secret would that be?”
“Tha
t you prefer the company of men,” James replied, pointing at Luke. “That man in particular.”
A ball of lead suddenly formed in Stone’s stomach. Somehow James must have figured out about him and Luke, or maybe he was just guessing, but he wasn’t going to let James think he’d won. “You have proof of this, of course?” he asked, parroting James’ words and tone. “Otherwise, that’s slander, as I believe you mentioned.”
“The rumor alone would be enough to ruin both of you.” James’ smirk returned. “But as it happens, I can support my claims with words straight from your own mouth, cousin. You do seem terribly concerned about your foreman’s happiness, and there is that night you mentioned. The one you spent together in bed.”
There was a sound of blood rushing in Stone’s ears as white hot fury enveloped him. It wasn’t so much the threat that James would expose him and Luke; it was hearing James mention that night, daring to sully it with his words and twist it into a tool for his own purposes, that sent Stone over the edge. He wasn’t even aware of what he was going to do until he was suddenly looking at James down the barrel of his gun.
“Not if I kill you first.” Stone pulled back the hammer with a decisive click.
“Stone, no!” Luke exclaimed, stepping forward as if to stop him. “He ain’t worth it!”
“I ain’t lettin’ him ruin your reputation,” Stone replied coldly, not giving a damn what happened to him so long as Luke was protected. “I’d rather hang and have the satisfaction of knowin’ he didn’t win.”
James’ bravado seemed to have deserted him completely, and he stared at Stone, paralyzed with fear, eyes wide like those of panicked deer. Stone snarled, disgusted by the man’s complete lack of guts, but he couldn’t take the chance James would carry out his threat. Slowly, his finger began to tighten on the trigger; whatever happened, Luke would be safe, and that was all that mattered.
“Mr. Harrison, please don’t kill him.”
The soft female voice came from the hallway, and Stone’s gaze snapped over James’s shoulder to where Agnes Wilson stood, her face white and her eyes full of entreaty. “Please don’t,” she repeated. “I heard it all, and what he did was wrong, but I love him!”
Stone blinked, lowering the gun because he sure as hell wasn’t going to shoot anyone in front of a lady. “You love him?” he asked, staring at her, unable to believe he’d heard her correctly. “After what he’s done, you can say you love him?”
Agnes nodded and blushed. “I knew he was full of himself and selfish, but he isn’t all bad. I know it.” She glanced at James, frowning. “He just wasn’t raised right. Back east, some folks think it’s all right to do whatever they have to do to win. He just needs someone to show him what’s right.”
Stone couldn’t have been more shocked if Raider had suddenly come up to him and demanded wages. “You’re worth fifty of him!” He shook his head in confusion. “Beggin’ your pardon, ma’am, but a rattlesnake is still poisonous even if you cut off his rattle.”
“Don’t let yourself get fooled by some pretty trimmin’s, Miss Agnes,” Luke pleaded, gazing at her earnestly. “He ain’t goin’ to worry about makin’ you happy, and you deserve better than that.”
Rather than defend himself, James inched closer to Agnes, moving behind her as if seeking protection. Stone sneered, not surprised he was cowardly enough to hide behind a woman’s skirts.
Agnes drew herself up, looking very dignified. “Thank you kindly for your sweet words about what I deserve, but the fact of the matter is, I know what I want.” Her voice was firm and certain. “I’m twenty-four years old, and I don’t have any real prospect of a husband around here, especially since two of the most attractive bachelors are already spoken for,” she added with a smile at them both. “But I do love him, warts and all, as the saying goes. If you will spare his life, Mr. Harrison, I can assure you he will leave Serenity, and he will never breathe an improper word about you or Luke. I swear it.”
Stone was at a loss, and he looked at Luke, seeing his dumbfounded expression mirrored on Luke’s face before returning his attention to Agnes. “You’d marry him?” he asked, wondering if he’d understood her correctly.
“If he’ll have me,” she replied quietly. “He hasn’t exactly asked me.”
Stone shook his head. He didn’t know what Agnes saw in James Rivers, since all he could see was a backstabbing dog who was lower than a horse thief, but Stone had never pretended to understand the way the heart worked. If she could marry James, even knowing everything he’d done, that was her decision.
“Well, what do you think, Luke?” he asked. After all, this was Luke’s decision, too. “Should I kill him, or shall we have an engagement party?”
“I’d rather not see anyone’s blood spilled.” Luke was still watching Agnes with a blend of concern and disbelief. “Not even his. And not in front of Miss Agnes.”
“I’ll marry her,” James spoke up quickly, falling on the suggestion with pathetic eagerness. “We’ll go back to Boston, and I won’t say a word to anyone. Just don’t hurt me!”
Of all the strange things Stone had seen in his life, this had to be about the strangest, but he was just as glad to settle the matter without being arrested for murder. And James sure wasn’t getting off scot-free, either; little Agnes seemed to have a will of solid iron, and Stone had the notion being married to her was going to either make or break Mr. James Rivers.
“Well, then, I guess we should congratulate the happy couple, Luke.” He looked at James, his expression implacable as he holstered his gun. “But let me tell you one thing, you coward. If I hear a hair on her head has been harmed or she’s suffered one moment of sadness because of you, I’ll come all the way to Boston and blow your head off. Do you understand me? Any more dirty dealin’ and you’ll pay. Miss Agnes is the only thing standin’ between you and me, and you’d best make sure she stays happy and healthy for a long, long time.”
James didn’t look too happy about that, but he nodded with the air of a man who saw the prison door slamming shut. “I understand.”
“You’d better.” Stone crossed his arms over his chest. “Now if you two will excuse my rudeness, I’d be obliged if you’d go back to town and spread your happy news. I’ll have Mary pack up James’s things. I’m sure he’ll want to stay at the hotel in town until the weddin’, to be near his beloved.”
Agnes walked over to Stone, craned up on her toes, and gave Stone a soft kiss to his cheek. There was gratitude in her brown eyes, and Stone got over his surprise at her unexpected action quickly enough to return her wry smile.
“Let’s go.” Agnes took James’s arm, and then she nodded to Luke and Stone with the air of a lady who was taking her leave of a perfectly normal social situation. “Good evening, gentlemen. I do hope you’ll both come to the wedding.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Stone gave James a warning look, wanting to make certain the man realized if there wasn’t a wedding, he didn’t have a future. “I’m lookin’ forward to it.”
James led her out, his expression grim, and it wasn’t long before Stone heard the front door open and then close again, and he turned to Luke, relieved to have that burden lifted at last, only to find Luke gazing bleakly at him.
“I’ve got to go, too.” Luke’s voice was low and pained. “I thought I could do it. I thought I could be satisfied with stayin’ here and helpin’ you with the ranch. I thought just bein’ near you would be enough, but it ain’t. I want to be with you. I ain’t stupid. I know I can’t tell most folks that I fancy men. Dandy Jim was right about that much. But I ain’t got to live alone and in fear neither. Priss and Sarah made it work, and hell, even Miss Agnes got her man, such as he is. I want my man, too, one who ain’t afraid to be with me no matter how risky it is.”
Stone gazed back at Luke, the words making his heart ache for what Luke had been through and yet, at the same time, erasing the last of his uncertainty. Luke did still want him, despite what he’d put Luke through,
and it was about time Luke got what he wanted.
He put his hands on Luke’s shoulders and gazed into his eyes. “Are you sure it’s worth it? Are you sure I’m really who you want?”
The bleak look on Luke’s face shifted into a confused frown. “You think I would’ve stuck around all this time, tryin’ to help you fix everything Dandy Jim broke, if I wasn’t sure? ’Tweren’t because of the ranch,” he retorted hotly. “It’s just a place, and I ain’t takin’ nothin’ with me but my clothes when I leave ’cause I don’t give a damn about things neither. I know what I want, and if it ain’t here, I’m goin’ to go find it somewhere else.”
“It’s here.” Stone wasn’t well acquainted with happiness, but he felt it now, a warm glow inside him like a fire on a cold winter night. Stone had finally learned it didn’t matter a damn what anyone else thought. He’d rather have Luke than a hundred ranches, because he’d learned the truth: home wasn’t a place. It was a person, and for him, that person was Luke. “Believe me, it’s right here, and I ain’t about to let you go off and try to find it in someone else’s bed. You’re mine, Luke Reynolds, and I’m yours.” He pulled Luke into his arms and captured his lips in a deep, hard kiss.
Luke let out a startled yelp that was swiftly muffled by the kiss, and for a moment, he stood frozen, as if paralyzed by pure shock. But then his brain and his body seemed to catch up with what was going on, and he slid his arms around Stone’s shoulders and parted his lips, responding to the kiss at last.
Stone gave a small growl of satisfaction as Luke kissed him back, and he took his time, exploring Luke’s mouth and reacquainting himself with the way Luke tasted and felt. Then he lifted his head and stared down into Luke’s eyes. “If that offer to share your bed is still open, I want to take you up on it. And not just for one night. For every night.”
Luke stared up at Stone, looking dumbfounded, and then he scowled and punched Stone’s shoulder hard. “I ought to kick your ass from here to Reno, makin’ me wait all this time! Do you know how much time you’ve wasted that we could’ve spent in bed already? Why the hell did you wait until I was about ready to walk out the door?”