by Sandy James
“I brought some friends with me.” Ty nodded toward them.
Friends. Why did his choice of words make Cassie feel as if she would weep?
Probably because she’d led him on, brazenly kissing him. Heavens, she’d awakened on top of the man—twice! He surely thought she was a woman of loose morals, not one he would ever consider courting. She might have enjoyed his kisses—like the one they’d shared this morning that all but melted her bones.
But he clearly believed nothing special occurred. His kisses had meant everything to her, yet they’d meant nothing to him.
Cassie bowed her head, trying to find the inner strength to graciously greet the people who obviously loved Ty and face them as his friend.
Drew’s hand settled over hers where it rested on the saddle horn. “Be patient, Cass. Let’s meet these people, find out everything before you get upset. That woman might not be his—”
“I am not upset,” she snapped before letting him say a word that would pierce like a knife to the heart.
His fingers brushed over her cheek, and she realized tears had already spilled over her lashes. “‘Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction...’”
She loved how her friend could so easily divert her sadness. “Romans, chapter twelve, verse…twelve?”
“Correct, as always. I know how you feel about Ty.”
She tried to dismiss him with a flip of her wrist, but Drew grabbed her hand midair.
“I’m here if you need me. No matter what.” Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Thank you, Drew.”
An exaggerated clearing of a man’s throat drew her attention. Ty had dragged the woman over to her, and the marshal had followed close on their heels.
Cassie’s cheeks burned when she realized they’d seen Drew’s quick kiss and probably misinterpreted it.
Frowning up at her, Ty crooked his finger.
She bent down and was taken by surprise when he snatched the cap from her head and her braid tumbled out.
“Ty!”
Now the marshal and the woman both frowned.
“Ty?” the man said. “What’s going on here?”
“Told ya. Brought a couple of friends back with me.” Nodding at the marshal, Ty said to Cassie and Drew, “This is Matthew Riley. He’s the law in White Pines.” He smiled at the brunette. “That’s Victoria Riley, Matthew’s wife.”
“And your sister,” Victoria added. “Well, not his real sister.” She turned to Cassie and Drew. “He’s already got plenty of those, but we grew up together.”
Cassie would have breathed a sigh of relief at the news that Ty didn’t claim Victoria if she hadn’t been keenly aware of the intense scrutiny directed at her. Since Ty didn’t seem inclined to introduce her, she feared for a moment he’d decided to hide her family name. Wondering if she also needed to try to conceal her identity, she looked back to him for guidance.
With a heavy sigh, he took the lead. “That’s Drew Pearson, and this…this is Cassie Shay.”
“Shay?” Matthew roared. “She’s a Shay?”
Ty nodded as he reached up to help her from her horse. His big hands settled on her waist as he lifted her effortlessly to the ground.
She sidled up next to him, hating the condemnation flowing to her from the marshal.
“Yes, Mr. Riley,” she replied, angry at herself that her voice trembled. “I’m Cassandra Shay.”
Matthew snatched the hat from his head and slapped it against his thigh. “What in the hell are you doing, Ty?”
“She saved my life,” he replied, seemingly calm and collected. He wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and hauled her up even closer against his side. “Saved Jake’s life, too.”
“What happened?” Victoria asked, her eyes never leaving Cassie.
“We didn’t get quite the welcome we’d hoped for. Derrick Shay and his little lapdog tried to kill us.”
“Kill you?” Matthew smacked his hat back on his head. “I warned when that bastard Derrick invited Jake to come to San Francisco.”
“How ’bout we save the whole story for when Jake gets here and we can tell everyone at the same time?” Ty glanced back over his shoulder. “Cassie and Drew can stay out at the Twin Springs—”
“No!” Cassie shouted before she could stop herself. Taking a quick breath to try to calm her racing nerves, she added, “I mean, no, thank you. I’m grateful for the offer. I just…couldn’t possibly impose.”
Ty glared down at her. “Cassie… There ain’t anywhere—”
“I can’t stay there, either, Ty,” Drew said as he dismounted. “Your father surely wouldn’t want you extending an invitation to us without his permission.”
“It’s my home too,” Ty insisted. “Adam won’t—”
“Ty…” Victoria laid a hand on Ty’s free arm. “Think about Grace for a minute.”
A responding scowl told Cassie all she needed to know. She would sleep in the street before she’d force a woman her father had wronged so badly to give her shelter. “I saw a boarding house…”
“That’s a marvelous idea, Cass.” Drew tossed her a smile. “We can take rooms there—”
Ty was shaking his head before Drew could even finish. “Used most your money on supplies.”
“I have money,” Cassie asserted.
“Of course, you do.” Matthew snorted. “You’re a Shay.”
Straightening her spine, Cassie met the marshal’s hateful gaze as Drew came to stand at her other side. It was painfully obvious Matthew had already decided what he thought of her just by the condemning tone of his voice.
“Matthew…” A growl rose from Ty’s throat.
Matthew’s dark eyes narrowed as he pushed the brim of his hat back with his knuckle. “Have you forgotten what Stephen Shay did to Grace? To me? To you, for Christ’s sake!”
“I ain’t forgotten.”
“Then why in the hell would you bring his…what? Do you even know how she’s related to Stephen?”
“She’s his niece,” Ty replied, looking down at her.
The moment of truth had arrived. She’s promised herself she wouldn’t lie, not after everything her father had put these good people through—after everything he’d put her mother through. No, best to lay the truth out on the table now.
She opened her mouth to speak.
Drew’s hand suddenly encased hers, and he squeezed her fingers. Hard.
Glancing back at him, Cassie knit her brows at why he’d want her to keep silent. Since her father hadn’t been active in San Francisco society, she wasn’t sure whether Drew knew her father’s identity or not. From the way his hand was cutting off the circulation in hers, Drew not only knew, he didn’t want her to confess.
But why?
“She’s Derrick’s niece too,” Ty added.
Cassie gave Drew a curt nod and dropped his hand. “Derrick is my uncle, but my grandfather is my guardian. Both of my parents are dead.”
It wasn’t a lie—it simply wasn’t the whole truth.
So why did it feel so bad to say the words?
“You’re one of the New York Shays?” Matthew still frowned at her.
She didn’t confirm or deny, holding her tongue until she could get Drew alone and ask why he’d steered her down this path.
“Cassie, why are you dressed like a boy?” Victoria asked.
“’Cause we had to get her outta San Francisco without her family following,” Ty replied before Cassie could figure out how to answer.
“You mean you kidnapped her?” Matthew’s question came out a roar. “They’ll come here to get her back.”
“Didn’t kidnap no one,” Ty replied. “Just helped her escape.”
“Escape her family,” Matthew added. “What in hell possessed you to bring the wrath of the Shays down on us all? Jesus have mercy, haven’t they hurt us enough? She’ll make things worse—much worse!”
It was all suddenly too much. Their hatred. Her own fear. The hurt that
she’d finally found a place she could call home but would have to quickly be moving on.
Her gaze flew to her friend’s. “Drew?”
“Let’s go, Cass,” he replied. “We’ll go get a couple of rooms ’til we can decide where to go from here.”
Ty almost shouted at her to stop when Cassie pulled away from him to follow Drew, but he was torn between her and his family.
Matthew and Victoria glared at her as Drew handed her Duchess’s reins and then started to lead his own horse toward the boarding house down the street.
Cassie turned back once to glance at Ty over her shoulder.
The pain in her eyes hit him like a blow to the gut. “Don’t go!” he hollered.
She shook her head and glanced away.
With all the anger bubbling through him, Ty turned back to Victoria and Matthew. “What kind of welcome was that?”
“Welcome? You expected me to welcome a damn Shay?” Matthew’s voice was loud enough Cassie and Drew had to have heard. “Not now, not ever.”
“Ty…” Victoria laid her hand on his shoulder.
He had to fight the urge to jerk away from her touch. He’d known her most of his life, and he’d never seen her be anything but generous and caring. “She’s not like them.”
“She’s one of them,” Victoria replied.
“You know…when Grace came here sayin’ she was Jake’s sister, you all gave her the benefit of the doubt. But I bring Cassie to you and—”
“It’s not the same at all,” Matthew insisted.
“But we all gave Grace a chance. Cassie’s trying to find a better life, just like most everyone who comes out here.”
Matthew set his hands against his hips as he worked his jaw—his way of saying he wouldn’t budge.
Victoria, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought.
Maybe that was a good sign.
All Ty could think about was getting to Cassie and smoothing over the lack of welcome she’d received from the people he’d told her would accept her. Perhaps he’d had a little too much faith in his family and friends, or perhaps he’d underestimated how much pain Stephen Shay had caused Matthew and Grace.
Either way, Cassie was the one who suffered.
Drew was giving her the support and comfort Ty wanted to provide, causing jealousy that sat on his chest like a heavy weight.
“Let her get settled, Ty,” Victoria said. “We need to talk to Daddy and Grace and see what they think is best to do with her.”
“Do with her?” Ty asked, his tone angrier than he’d intended. “She’s not a stray puppy, Victoria. You can’t give her to someone else to take care of. I brought her here. I need to watch after her.”
Matthew’s frown didn’t fade. “Her friend—Drew, was it?—seems to be taking good care of her. Let him.” His jaw worked again until he said, “A Shay. Damn it, Ty. What in the hell were you thinking?”
“I was thinking she saved my life. I was thinking she saved Jake’s, too. And I was thinking you all would treat her a helluva lot better than you did.”
Mounting Duke, Ty rode away before he said something he’d regret. As he passed the boarding house, he had to fight the urge to stop and check on Cassie. Her anger needed time to cool, and if he went charging in there, he might really mess things up, especially since he didn’t know if she wanted to keep pretending to be a boy.
No, he’d wait until morning. For now, he’d go back to the Twin Springs and talk to Adam and Grace to see if they could help him fix this mess.
Chapter Nine
“Lie down, Cass. You need to get some rest,” Drew called from across their small room.
She stared out the second-story window, hugging herself and rubbing her upper arms. Yes, she was tired. The day had been draining, both physically and mentally.
But rest?
Impossible.
People still bustled along the busy street, mostly men heading to the Four Aces—the local saloon. The moon cast enough light she could clearly see their faces. Not sure why she checked each one, she simply kept looking.
Oh, who was she trying to fool?
She searched those faces to try to find Ty Bishop among them. How she’d allowed her attachment to the man to become so strong so quickly remained a mystery, but attached she was—and probably would be for a long, long time to come.
Then she suddenly saw Ty sauntering toward the saloon with his typically cocky gait. Her gaze followed him across the road to where he clapped his hand against the shoulder of another man waiting on the boardwalk. Jake. He’d returned to White Pines as well. Ty would be relieved his friend was home safely. She could almost feel him relax as the two of them spoke.
Her heart wanted him to somehow realize that she watched him, to look up and see her and know he’d made a huge mistake in walking away with no fond farewell. If he was truly her love, he should feel her gaze upon him and should come running and beg her forgiveness for being such a callow cad. A soul mate would sense her—no matter the distance between them.
As the men turned and entered the bar, Ty never looked back.
“I love you, Ty Bishop.” Her whispered words slipped out.
“Cass…” Drew patted their small bed. “Come and sleep. We’ll start fresh tomorrow.”
The town would surely be scandalized if they discovered that she and Drew taken a room together. She didn’t give a damn. Her old life was over. All the silly rules that went along with that life were over too. She needed a friend right now. Since Drew hadn’t consulted her when he’d made the arrangements with the boarding house owner, he must have known how much the day had cost her and decided to remain close. Besides, she’d still been dressed as a boy when Drew had spoken to the shopkeeper. The skinny man probably thought they were brothers.
Arms wrapped around her waist from behind, hugging her close. “He hurt you.”
A small mocking laugh slipped out. “More than he shall ever know.”
“Ah… So that’s it, then. You love the cowboy.”
Cassie nodded, seeing no reason to deny it to Drew—the only person who seemed to care about her. His hug was comforting, but it wasn’t what she needed.
Only Ty could truly mend her hurt.
Pushing out of his embrace, she went over to pick up her bundle of cash from where she’d set it on the dresser. “At least we have some funds left.”
“We need to figure out where we go from here,” Drew added.
She didn’t ask why he said “we.” She knew. They’d become their own family—outcasts who were unwanted and unwelcome to the people who meant the most to them.
“The Dakotas,” she replied. “Exactly as I planned from the beginning. We’ll build a farm there. A house. A barn. A garden.”
He shook his head and went back to sit on the edge of the bed. “It’s too late, Cass.”
“Too late?”
“We can’t get that far and find—let alone build—a place to stay in time for winter. Winters here aren’t like San Francisco. You’ve never seen the kind of snowstorms we get out here. Real blizzards.”
“How exciting. I would love to see a real blizzard.”
His laughter made her bristle, reminding her too much of her grandfather and uncle whenever she mentioned she wanted to go to college or to travel the world and see its wonders.
“Trust me,” he said. “You haven’t missed anything—except maybe a bad case of frostbite.”
“Then where shall we go?”
“We stay here.”
Her mouth fell open as she blinked in confusion. “Here? Stay here? Are you jesting?”
“I assure you, I’m quite serious,” Drew replied. “We’ll find a place to stay tomorrow. A house or a cabin we can call our own close to town.”
“Why?”
“We both need to tend our wounds. To heal. We’ll figure the rest of the future out come spring.”
Wounds. Heavens yes, she had wounds, but they were all on her heart. As were Drew’s.
> Perhaps he was right—injuries like that needed time to repair every bit as much as physical hurts.
Staring at her roll of money, Cassie frowned. “If we stay in White Pines, this will have to last us a long time, Drew.”
He patted the bed, so she put the money back on the dresser and went to sit next to him.
“It will last until we find ways to make more,” he said. “Did you see the theater they’re adding to the saloon? We can work there, Cass.”
“What could I possibly do there? You’re the actor.”
“Ah, but you know Shakespeare too. We can both act. Can you sing as well?”
The man had lost his mind. “I–I couldn’t possibly…”
His lips touched her forehead. “Sure you could. Let’s start fresh tomorrow, start asking around to find out where we can call home for a while.”
One question gnawed at her, and she would get no rest until she found out Drew’s reasoning. “Why didn’t you let me tell Ty my father’s name? You let him believe I wasn’t Stephen Shay’s daughter.”
“After that greeting? No, angel, that’s knowledge best kept to yourself. At least for now.”
She dropped her gaze. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t lie to Ty.”
“You didn’t lie. You just…withheld information.”
“A lie by any other name…”
“Would still keep the peace. They’ll find out. One day. Just not today.” He stood up, pulled Cassie to her feet and dragged back the quilt. “Come to bed.”
Letting Drew pull her down with him, she stretched out at his side. He threw an arm over her waist and yawned.
How odd to be so close to a man’s body and feel nothing but the comfort of friendship. Of course he felt nothing but friendship for her, either. Her family would still be scandalized at their conduct.
That delicious thought helped Cassie find her first smile since she’d left Ty.
She shifted a little to get her bunched up shirt straightened, wishing she had one of her soft cotton nightdresses instead of the clothes Drew loaned her. She wanted—no, needed—to feel like a woman again.
“You win,” she finally said. “We shall stay. But I will buy myself some dresses. If I must stay in this place, I will stay as me, not as some…boy.”