by Sandy James
Her heart in her throat, she reached across the table.
His hand shot out to hold hers, showing there was some compassion in his soul. Surely a man who could move her to tears with his recitation of one of Shakespeare’s greatest soliloquies would understand if she gave him a smidgen of the truth.
“I shall beg if I have to, but, sir, I do not wish to return to San Francisco. Please allow me to maintain my ruse.”
His fingers squeezed hers. “Then tell me why I should keep your secret.”
“I am to be married to a horrible, horrible man. I had to leave to escape that fate.”
“Why would your family ever make you marry someone so…as you say…horrible? The dowry you possess should offer you the choice of any husband you wish.” Blue eyes searched hers, but Drew’s hand stayed firmly locked around her fingers.
Trying to give him all the sincerity he needed and praying he believed her, Cassie confessed some of her story. “My family is forcing this marriage on me. This man has some hold over them. He pressed for this marriage, and my grandfather and uncle wouldn’t deny him.”
“Why do you consider him a bad choice?” His eyes narrowed. “Unless… Does he beat you?”
The question she’d feared the most because it reached right to the heart of the matter. Her mother had always told her a wife’s lot in life was to bear all her husband heaped upon her—his sexual advances—repugnant though they were—his desire to bed other women, even his need to raise a hand in discipline.
Cassie never believed such nonsense.
When she’d been a child, her father’s way of punishing her mother had been to slap her until she could barely stand upright, then he’d lock them both in a closet for hours and hours. She always thought her mother’s fear of closed spaces had been born in that punishment. Cassie had learned to soothe her mother through her fears by telling her stories and stretching her own imagination.
A man who loved and cherished a woman shouldn’t hit her or lock her away, and Cassie had barely known her father. She didn’t mourn his passing.
Robert had struck her—only once when she dared to interrupt an interlude he was having with one of the maids.
Cassie’s response when he’d slapped her face so hard her ears rang had been to throw herself against him and raise her knee to his groin with enough force he’d doubled over and coughed hard enough she was amazed he hadn’t passed out.
Once her grandfather was told, she was beaten—but not by Robert. By her uncle with his cane. It had taken weeks for the bruises on her face, shoulders and back to heal. Although she’d been spanked by her father and uncle when she’d been a child, she’d never been beaten before.
She wasn’t about to stay in San Francisco and marry Robert, knowing she faced a lifetime of such brutality.
“Miss Shay?” Drew prompted, rubbing his thumb over her palm.
“Yes.”
“Yes, he beat you?”
She nodded.
He sat there considering her for several long moments. “It appears I have no choice.”
“No choice?”
“You need my help.” He heaved a lengthy sigh. “‘Frailty, thy name is woman.’”
Cassie tossed him an annoyed frown. “‘Men are sometimes master of their fates.’ And women masters of theirs, Mr. Pearson. You are not the only one who can quote Shakespeare. Or shall we switch to the Bible? ‘Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them.’ Deuteronomy—chapter thirty-one, verse six, I believe.”
“‘Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have…’ Hebrews—chapter thirteen, verse sixteen. While I love a good literary duel, we are back to my original dilemma. You need my help and my silence, so I must champion your cause.”
A shadow cast over their joined hands, and a voice filled with barely restrained fury cut through the air. “What you must do is let go of her before I knock out every one of those shiny white teeth.”
“Ty!” Cassie dropped Drew’s hand and reached out to lay hers on Ty’s forearm. His hands were fisted against his slim hips, and his eyes had narrowed to angry slits. “Are you hungry?”
Hungry? Ty couldn’t even think about anything but his anger, although a smile twitched at the corner of his lips at the pluck Cassie seemed to have in bushels. “I skipped right over hungry when I woke up and found you’d left our bed.”
She blushed to the roots of her hair. “Ty!” she squealed before she lowered her voice. “What will Drew think of you speaking to a lady in such a manner?”
“A lady?” He arched a disapproving eyebrow. “Don’t rightly give a damn what Drew thinks.” He lifted his hand to tug her cap down lower. “Didn’t figure a man sharing a berth with his younger brother would raise too many eyebrows.”
The man sitting opposite her—this Drew, as she called him—snorted a laugh, so it was clear her disguise hadn’t fooled him at all.
Trying to size up the man, Ty had to swallow the jealousy that covered him like a cloak.
The man returned the intense scrutiny.
Drew was everything a woman had to consider handsome—hell, he was as pretty as some women. Cassie must have seen something in Drew she liked, or else she wouldn’t have been chatting with him so sweetly.
And holding his hand.
Damn, how he’d wanted to put his fist right through the pretty boy’s face.
“Mr. Bishop, this is Drew Pearson.” Cassie nodded at the man opposite her. “Mr. Pearson, this is Ty Bishop.”
Drew’s lips set into a frown. “Is this the man we spoke of, Miss Shay?”
“God almighty, he knows your name?” Ty tried to keep his voice below the shout that wanted to erupt. “You can’t run ’round telling everyone who you are. That pitiful disguise is bad enough. Why, a blind man would know you ain’t a boy!”
“It truly is a bad disguise, isn’t it?” Drew actually smiled at Ty.
Ty still wanted to punch his lights out, but one side of his mouth rose in a grin. “Yeah, it’s mighty sad.”
Cassie sat up a little straighter, raising a defiant chin. “I thought it was a perfectly wonderful disguise.”
“You were wrong.” Turning to Drew he said, “You’ll keep her secret.” A command, not a question.
“I’ll make that promise,” he replied, “just as soon as one of you answers my question, although I’m leaning toward believing you are not her—as she says—horrible fiancé.”
“Her fiancé?” This time he did shout, and the few diners in the car turned to stare at them.
Ty threw himself down on the bench next to Cassie, forcing her to move over to give his bulk room. Their thighs pressed tightly together, and every time she tried to move away, he only spread his legs a little wider to force contact. It was past time she got used to his touch.
She finally finished trying to pull away and actually pinched his hip when he pushed against her one more time.
That earned her a smile until he remembered Drew’s words. “What in the hell is he talking about, Cassie?”
Drew was the one to answer. “From what she’s told me—which isn’t much, mind you—she’s running away from San Francisco so she doesn’t have to marry a man her family chose for her. A man, I might add, who beats her.”
“I’ll kill him,” Ty blurted out before he could stop himself. “No man who’s worth a damn hits a woman.”
For some reason, his words made her press closer to him. “While I appreciate your chivalrous response—”
“My what?” Maybe if he read as much as his adopted father, Adam Morgan, he would understand more of the big words that seemed to constantly roll off Cassie’s tongue.
Again, Drew filled in the information. “Chivalrous—it means gallant, courteous, brave.”
“Yes,” she said. “Ty is all those things.”
Her words seemed a bit too dreamy. And damn, if that didn’t please him.
“You never said why you were running away,” Ty scolded, giving her hat a
nother tug.
“You never asked. You simply followed me whether I desired an escort or not.”
He couldn’t remember spending time with any woman that made him smile half as often as only a few minutes with Cassie could. “Saucy vixen, ain’t ya?”
A laugh drifted from across the table. “Might I be brazen enough to ask something?”
Ty gave Drew a curt nod.
“Since you’re not the person she ran from, are you the person she ran to? Are you two…close?”
She sputtered in protest. “Mr. Pearson! Why, I–I didn’t…I am not…carrying on with Mr. Bishop.”
Leaning back, Drew drummed his fingers on the top of the table. “If you really are intent upon me keeping this secret of yours, you both need to satisfy me as to whether Miss Shay will be better off in your company, Mr. Bishop, or better off being returned to her family—her very rich and powerful family. The same one that could hunt me down like a rabid dog should they know I helped shelter her, especially since I’m assisting her in staying with a man whose intentions might not be…respectable.”
Ty leaned forward and set his jaw. “I could end your problem right now,”
“And, pray tell, how could you do that?”
“I could just shoot you, grab Cassie, and get the hell off this train.”
Her outraged gasp echoed through the dining car, again drawing stares.
Since he’d already decided to get off the train at Missoula, he dismissed the other people, figuring once they were on horseback again, no one would have any idea of where they were heading—especially since he was well-trained in how to keep someone from picking up their trail.
“You will do no such thing,” she insisted, tugging on his arm.
Drew just grinned at him. “Whether you realize it or not, Mr. Bishop—”
“For the love of God, can we please stop with the miss and mister manure?” Ty asked, groaning. He was a Montana guy, always would be. The polite way city folk talked grated on his ears like a rooster crowing before sunrise.
“Fine, Ty,” Drew replied. “Whether you realize it or not, you more than answered my concerns.”
“How exactly did I do that?”
“You’re protective of Miss…of Cassie. You clearly have feelings for her, so I need not worry about her being harmed in your company.”
Before Ty could deny any tender feelings for Cassie, the conductor walked into the dining car. “Next stop Missoula! Five minutes to Missoula Mills!” He hurried through the car to exit through the far door.
“My stop,” Drew said. “Where are the two of you heading?”
As Cassie opened her mouth, probably to reply, Ty reached out to grab her hand and gave it a cautionary squeeze.
She looked up at him with those incredible hazel eyes.
He gave his head a quick shake.
“Might I make a suggestion?” Drew pushed his way out of the booth to stand at the end of the table and stare down at them. “My parents live in Missoula. You both look a bit worn out. I can offer you a room—” A smile spread across his face. “—or rooms. You can get hot baths, warm meals, and good night’s sleep. You can always catch tomorrow’s train if you’re traveling farther on this line.”
Ty shook his head at the same time Cassie nodded. “We ain’t stayin’ with his folks, Cassie.”
“Why on earth not?”
“We don’t know anything about them.”
“Then we shall just have to get to know them while we are their houseguests. I can have a bath, Ty. A bath.” Her smile all but stole the breath from his lungs.
He suddenly knew he could never deny her anything.
Ty looked back to Drew. “You sure your folks won’t mind? Can’t let no one know ’bout who Cassie really is.”
“I would warn them to keep silent. They are quite adept at keeping secrets.”
A loaded response if he’d ever heard one.
“Please, Ty?” Cassie gave his hand a squeeze. “A hot bath.” Her sigh hung in the air.
Drew put the last nail in the coffin of Ty’s resistance when he looked at her and said, “My younger brother will have some clean clothes for you, and Ty can have some of mine. We’re near to the same size.”
Ty gave Drew a nod and pulled Cassie up off the bench. “You go get the rest of our things. We can put the horses in a livery and follow Drew to his parents’ place.”
The train slowed, the jerky movements causing her to lose her footing and stumble against him. His arms wrapped around her to hold her steady while her hands landed against his chest. The feel of her pelvis pressed so closely against his was nothing short of agony.
When he’d awakened, he’d been dreaming of her, stroking her lithe body while he kissed her. The dream had been so real, he’d blindly reached out, wanting to touch her, but she was gone.
After calming his panic, he went in search of her. Finding her so cozy with another man had sparked a fury that nearly blinded him.
How in the devil had she managed to capture his attention so completely? Hell, he was even dreaming about her.
At least tonight, he would have chaperones aplenty. But once they started the two-day ride to White Pines, he and Cassie would be alone. Riding all day. Camping at night. Not another soul in sight.
How was he supposed to keep his hands off her?
Chapter Six
Cassie pulled her pathetic jacket a little tighter, trying to keep the biting wind whipping around her from blowing it open again. She hadn’t considered its lack of warmth, only chose it to serve the purpose of disguising herself as a boy. Dismissing the late autumn cold, she tried to focus instead on the happiness that seemed to radiate from Drew like a halo. Ty, on the other hand, remained stoic, as she’d quickly learned was his way.
“My mother will be so pleased,” Drew said, a bit breathless as he hurried up the street. His eyes sparkled like an eager child on Christmas morning. “I promised her I’d be back last year. And Father—I’ve missed Father. I should have returned before now, but…”
“But what?” Cassie asked, hoping conversation would help keep her mind off the numbing cold. She longed for her fur-lined cloak and favorite wool mittens before scolding herself that silly luxuries weren’t worth the torture of being tied to a brutal, adulterous man for a husband.
Better to suffer a chill and find a more rewarding life for herself.
“My oldest brother and I parted on bad terms. A quarrel with no resolution. I stayed away to keep peace in the family. But I’ve missed my parents dearly. I shouldn’t have avoided them.”
“Why did you quarrel with your brother?” It might not be any of her business, but his voice sounded so forlorn. She’d had few people to share her problems with other than Old Tim, and she hated to think her new friend had no one to confide in.
Drew never answered, instead stopping at a whitewashed house and staring.
“This your place?” Ty inclined his head to the home.
With a hard swallow and a nod, Drew stepped up onto the porch to knock on the door before stepping back down only a pace away from Cassie and Ty.
A few moments passed, and she began to fear no one was home. The promise of a hot bath and a warm bed might not be fulfilled. Worse, they’d have no place to sleep and then where would they go? Tendrils of fear began to weave through her limbs, intensifying the cold.
As if reading her thoughts, Ty stepped up behind her and whispered, “Saw a general store a few streets back. We can buy some bedding and some food. We can camp just outside town. I’ll make sure you’re warm, Cassie girl.”
Cassie girl.
An endearment?
He’d used the term before, but she’d assumed it was a mere slip of the tongue.
An endearment.
Her insides warmed even as she shivered from the stray flakes of snow that began to dance around them.
“No, no,” Drew replied over his shoulder. “There’s no problem. My family will welcome us. I’m sure of it.�
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Grunting in response, Ty stepped back, his gaze searching the house as if seeking a threat. His right hand kept drifting to his hip.
After a few of those movements, she realized he was reaching for a gun he clearly missed—the one her uncle had stolen. She tried to follow Ty’s scrutiny and saw the drapes in a second-story window pulled aside. A red-headed woman—perhaps in her early twenties—peered down at them. Before Cassie could wonder at one of Drew’s relatives having such fiery hair, the door opened.
“Well, well. The prodigal son returns.” A man with the same light hair and eyes as Drew leaned his shoulder against the doorframe and folded his arms over his broad chest. His fine suit spoke of wealth.
Huddled behind him was a plump woman dressed in an opulent green gown who Cassie assumed was Drew’s mother. Her hair was more gray than brown, and she clasped her hands together as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Aaron.” Drew met the man’s eyes with his own. “It’s good to see you again, brother.” He looked past him to the woman. “Mother, are you well?”
When she moved forward, Aaron’s arm shot out to block her before sweeping her back several paces. “She is quite well—at least she was until you darkened our doorstep. We were sitting down to a fine meal, and now we must face the distasteful task of asking you to leave.”
So much for a warm welcome…
The hatred in Aaron’s tone and hard eyes forced Cassie to move closer to Drew and take his hand in hers, somehow knowing he needed the connection.
“How dare you flaunt your sins in front of us!” Aaron’s face grew ruddy and splotchy as he stared at their joined hands. “Release that boy!”
Good God. Aaron thought Drew had used her in the way a man used a woman.
Her face could hold no surprise because she’d already guessed Drew’s preference. Among the wealthy of San Francisco were men who favored other men. No one spoke of it openly, but the more affluence they had, the less they were shunned by society. She never saw them as anything other than people.