by Nerys Leigh
She looked between him and the chest at the foot of her bed. “I… um…”
Realization dawned on his face. “Oh. Sorry.” He rose from the bed, limped with his single boot around to the other side to face the wall, and sat again. “Just let me know when you’re all covered up again.”
She smiled at his back. “Thank you.”
She fetched her nightdress from the chest, half expecting him to steal a glance back at her. But he didn’t turn his head in her direction even once.
“So what do you think about who took the skull?” he asked the canvas wall in front of him.
She reached behind her to unbutton her dress. “Most of the men seemed to think it was the group Hallie and Jeff are with.”
“Yes.”
“But if they did do it, wouldn’t Mr. Webster or Mr. Hall have just gone over there and found it? A three foot long dinosaur skull can’t be easy to hide.”
“No.”
She stepped from her dress and laid it on the bed. “I know we haven’t questioned either of them properly about it yet, but it didn’t sound like they had. So why didn’t they…”
Her voice faded as Ben shrugged off his shirt and her gaze fell on his bare muscular back.
“Why didn’t they what?”
She blinked. “Uh…” What had she been saying? Swallowing, she spun to face the wall on her side of the tent. “Why didn’t they, um, tell us? If they’d gone over there. If they did go over there, that is. To the other camp.”
Shaking her head at herself, she attempted to direct her suddenly clumsy fingers to untie her underskirt.
“That’s a good question. We should go over to Ashwood’s camp ourselves and talk to him.”
Fumbling the ties loose, she yanked off the underskirt and threw it on the bed. She’d never taken so long to get undressed in her life. “We could talk to Hallie and Jeff too. They might have seen something.”
“Good idea.”
Finally undressed, she grabbed her nightdress and pulled it on. At least with that there were only a few buttons at the neckline to deal with. “Did you get the feeling Mr. Rollins knew something he didn’t say?”
Without thinking, she glanced back at him. He was on his feet now, facing away from her, his trousers having been replaced by pajama pants which he was tying at his narrow waist.
She whirled away from his relentlessly naked back.
“I did. Seemed like he didn’t want to say anything in front of the others though. We’ll need to get him alone to question him.”
Having fastened the final tiny button at her neck, she picked up her dress and looked for somewhere to put it. There were hooks on one of the supporting posts and she hung it up carefully. She doubted there were any irons in the camp and she didn’t want to be any more wrinkled than she already was. Her underskirt she folded and placed in the trunk.
“You decent yet?” he asked.
“Just a moment.”
She rushed back to her cot and slipped in under the covers. “All right, you can turn around.”
Now clad in both the top and bottom of his pajamas, he turned to face her. His eyes immediately dropped to her chest.
She followed his gaze to where her buttons were unevenly fastened, one side lower than the other, causing the fabric at the base of the run to bulge. How one glimpse of his bare back could rob her of a lifetime’s experience of dressing herself, she had no idea.
Sighing, she looked up at him. “Would you mind…?” She made a twirling motion with her finger.
Smirking, he turned away. “If you’re having trouble dressing, I’d be happy to help.”
The only trouble she had, evidently, was keeping her eyes from her husband long enough to concentrate on what she was doing. “Thank you for your kind and entirely selfless offer, but I think I can manage.”
His chuckle somehow managed to make her happy and flustered at the same time, and it took markedly longer than it should have for her to undo and refasten the six tiny buttons on her nightdress. If she didn’t pull herself together around him soon, she wasn’t only going to make a fool of herself, she was going to take twice as long to do everything.
“Ready,” she said, once the buttons were corrected and she’d smoothed down her hair and nightdress.
He turned around and his eyes flicked over the thin blanket covering her.
“It gets cold at night in Utah,” he said, going to the chest at the foot of his bed and taking out a folded blanket. He laid it across the foot of her bed. “You might need this.”
Of course, it didn’t help mitigate her attraction to him at all when he did nice things for her.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
As he headed back to his own cot she took advantage of his turned back to roll her eyes at herself. Nothing he did for her meant anything. He was responsible for her, so he would protect her. He was also a nice man, so he would do nice things for her. His Kitten nickname for her meant nothing. None of it meant anything. She just needed to remember that.
She reached for the bag she’d placed beside her bed and opened up her treasure of books. Frowning a little, she took two out, read their titles, then placed them beside her on the cot and removed several more. The problem with having access to so many books was choosing which to read first.
“Are you really planning on reading all of those while we’re here?” Ben said as he settled onto his cot.
Her gaze drifted over the books now splayed around her on the blanket. “Not all of them, but I couldn’t decide which I wanted. Marianne said I could take as many as I liked, so I did. Well, that’s not strictly true. If I’d taken all the ones I wanted, I would have brought the entire library with me.”
“I guess I should be grateful for your restraint then. I’m not sure I could have managed all of them.”
She ducked her head as she smiled. “Would you like to read any of them? Since you very kindly carried them for me.”
He settled onto his back and lifted a paperback book to show her, the type you could buy for a dime and which she’d never been able to afford if she wanted to eat. “I’m all set for tonight, thanks. But I’ll take a look at your little library tomorrow.”
She nodded and opened one of the books on her lap, pretending to read while she darted surreptitious glances at Ben lying on his cot, the book held upright on his chest as he read. All she could think about was how she’d always dreamed of marrying a man who enjoyed reading as much as she did.
Really, Kitty, stop it.
Chapter Five
Kitty awoke to the sound of someone moving about her bedroom.
Her eyes sprang open, chest jolting with panic, before she remembered where she was. And, more importantly, who she was with.
Ben stood beside his cot, side on to her, buttoning up his trousers.
Shirtless.
Startled, she snapped her eyes shut. After a couple of seconds, she opened them again, just a smidgen.
You shouldn’t be looking, she told herself as her gaze traveled over the ridges of muscle sculpting his torso.
So it wasn’t actually wrong, since they were married, but she barely knew him. She certainly shouldn’t be ogling his bare chest.
Much as she ordered her eyes to look away, however, they failed to obey as he bent to pick up a white shirt from his cot and slipped it on.
With the buttons disappointingly fastened, he pushed the shirt into his waistband and turned to face her.
She immediately closed her eyes, forcing her breathing to remain slow and regular. She was good at pretending to be asleep. She’d had plenty of practice while growing up.
After ten seconds or so, she drew in a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, as if only just waking from a deep slumber.
Amusement sparkled in Ben’s eyes. “Good morning, Kitten. Finally decided to admit you’re awake?”
Mortified, she jerked the blanket up over her head.
He’d known all along that she was watching him
dress. If only the ground would open up and swallow her now, it would be a kindness.
Footsteps approached and the blanket was gently pulled down.
Ben crouched in front of her, his face mere inches away. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”
“I… I’m not.” Probably the feeblest lie in the entire history of lies since Adam said, ‘What apple?’
One corner of Ben’s mouth hitched up. “We are married. If you want to see me undressed, all you have to do is ask.”
Was it physically possible for cheeks to burst into actual flames? “Exhibitionist.”
He chuckled softly. “I’m not denying it.” And then he did the most unexpected thing. Leaning forward, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Wait here. I’ll be back.”
He rose to his feet, took a towel and a bar of soap from the chest at the foot of his bed, and left.
Kitty stared at the closed flap where he’d walked out. Slowly, she snaked one hand from beneath the covers and touched her forehead.
Why could she still feel his lips on her skin?
And why had he kissed her?
Shaking away the fanciful notions entering her head, she sat up and looked around, wondering what to do. She needed to get washed and dressed, but how was she going to do that when the only place to clean herself was in a river surrounded by men?
She picked up her Bible from the top of the book bag. She’d wait for Ben to return and ask him if he had any ideas
He walked back into the tent ten minutes later carrying a bucket, which he set on the table. “I’m sorry, but this is all I could find. It’s clean though. I got the bucket from the kitchen. Fair warning, the water is very, very cold.”
Leaving his now damp soap and towel on his bed, he picked up one of the chairs and the book he’d been reading the night before. “I’ll be outside for when you’re ready to go to breakfast. If you don’t have any soap, you’re welcome to use mine.”
He carried the chair outside and closed the flap behind him.
Kitty looked from the flap to the bucket on the table and then back again.
Silently, she rose from her cot, tiptoed to the flap, and pulled it open a sliver to peer outside. He was there, sitting on the chair and reading his book.
Moving to the table, she looked in the bucket. It was full of clear water.
She glanced back at the tent flap. She hadn’t even had to ask. He’d known exactly what she needed and brought it to her.
Her fingers rose to her forehead, where the memory of his kiss still lingered on her skin.
If he didn’t turn into a thorough cad soon, she was in deep trouble.
Chapter Six
Breakfast was another round of jostling for position to be close to Kitty. Ben was sure just about every man in the place spoke to her at some point, even if it was just to bid her a good morning. That shouldn’t have bothered him as much as it did.
It would have been better if she’d been aware of the attention she attracted, but she still seemed to be completely ignorant of how pretty she was, and the effect she had on men. Yes, they were behaving this way because they likely hadn’t seen another woman in weeks, but there was more to it than that.
Accustomed as Ben was to more obviously beautiful women, with their fancy clothes and jewelry, Ben had thought her mouse-like when he’d first met her. But there was something about Kitty that was different; a quiet beauty that stole up on a man. And she hadn’t the slightest idea it was there. He just wished she knew it. Maybe it would help instill the confidence she’d need to be a Pinkerton agent.
“Looks like we’re not going to get the chance to talk to Rollins alone,” Ben said, watching him leave with all the rest of the diggers as he and Kitty exited the mess tent. “We’ll have to find him later.”
She pushed a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “So what are we going to do now?”
“What do you think we should do?” He knew what their first step was, but he wanted to know if she did.
“Go to the other camp and question Mr. Ashwood?”
“Is that a question?”
Her eyes lowered as she considered her answer. He willed her to assert herself, even just a little bit.
“No,” she said eventually. “Going over there is the logical thing to do first.” She looked up at him uncertainly. “Isn’t it?”
Well, at least she’d asserted herself a little. Kind of.
He held out his elbow for her to take. “Good answer.”
They returned to their tent for hats to protect them from the heat of the day. The sun was well above the surrounding cliffs now and Ben knew it would be hot soon. Up here in the mountains, the sun tended to sneak up on a person.
He watched Kitty take from her chest the only hat he’d seen her wear. “Is that all you’ve got with you?”
She looked at the straw hat in her hands. “Yes.”
The brim was tiny, completely inadequate for protecting her from the Utah sunshine. She’d be burned in minutes.
He placed the Stetson he’d taken for himself onto his cot and opened his chest again, this time pulling out the gambler he favored for wearing in the city.
He carried both hats to her.
“That thing isn’t going to help you at all,” he said, placing the gambler onto her head. “Hmm.” He replaced the gambler with the Stetson and smiled. “That’s it.”
She moved her head and the hat flopped down over her eyes. “I’m not sure this is going to work.”
He plucked the hat from her head and she gave him a smile that sent little skitters through his chest. She was so cute.
“I can fix this.”
He took a bandanna, folded it into a strip, and turned the hat over to push it behind the sweatband.
“Try this,” he said, placing it back onto her head.
She shook her head from side to side and up and down. The Stetson remained in place.
“Perfect,” she said, pushing it back a little on her head and smiling up at him again.
Perfect was right. She looked adorable.
“I, um…” He cleared his throat and turned away to grab the gambler hat from the cot where he’d left it. “We should get going.”
They headed to the river first. The water was too deep to cross where it ran past the camp, so they followed it upstream to where it widened and became shallower.
Ben could tell Kitty wanted to say something to him as they walked. She’d been darting glances at him since the camp. She even opened her mouth a couple of times, before her nerves apparently got the better of her and she closed it again.
They’d almost reached the ford in the river when she suddenly blurted out, “W-why…?”
The word died on her lips and she looked away.
“Why what?”
Her shoulders rose and fell in a sigh and she turned back to him, not quite looking him in the eye. “Why did you kiss me this morning?”
So that was what had been eating at her. He’d been imagining all sorts of things but not that. At least he could answer this one.
“It just seemed like the thing to do. Married men kiss their wives in the morning.”
The truth was, at the time he hadn’t been entirely sure why he’d done it; it was simply a spur of the moment thing. But the moment his lips touched her forehead, it had felt right. She needed to feel good about herself, and anything he could do to help her gain that confidence was the right thing to do.
Up to a point.
Kissing her on the lips the way he wanted to was definitely out.
“But we’re not really married,” she said. “I mean, we are, but only in name.”
He gave her a flirtatious smile. “That’s why I only kissed you on the forehead.”
Her cheeks erupted in one of her adorable blushes. “Oh.”
Suddenly he couldn’t wait for the next morning, when he’d get to kiss her forehead again.
A track had been worn into the banks either side where wagons and
horses and people had forded the river. Ben stopped at a boulder and sat to remove his boots. He didn’t want to be squelching in soggy footwear for the rest of the day.
Kitty looked at the river then down at her feet.
He was tempted to just leave her to it, so she’d have to remove her own boots and lift her skirts to wade through the foot deep water. But appealing as the prospect of seeing her bare knees was, he also wanted her to think him a gentleman.
Whether or not that was the case, he at least wanted her to think so.
“Would you like a ride?” he asked, rolling his trouser legs up to his knees.
She moved her gaze from his bare feet. “A ride? On what?”
He finished tying his laces together, looped his boots with his socks tucked inside around his neck, and stood. “Me.”
Holding his hands out to her, he smiled.
“You… you want to carry me across?” She glanced at the river and then at his still outstretched arms.
He leaned forward and lowered his voice as if imparting some great secret. “Don’t worry, we’re married. I’m allowed to carry you.”
A touch of pink blossomed on her cheeks and she looked down with a small smile. In all his extensive experience with women, he wasn’t sure he’d ever met one who blushed quite as often as Kitty. He had to admit, he liked it.
He imagined that, were they properly married and planning on spending the rest of their lives together, she would eventually stop blushing at things he said. If that was the case, he’d make it his mission to give her a reason to blush at least once a day.
His smile faded at the idea that that would one day be another man’s responsibility. Ben hoped whoever eventually got the privilege of being her real husband would be good to her. She deserved to be happy.
Her shoulders rose and fell in a deep breath and she looked up at him again. “All right.”
His smile returned. Thank goodness for her sense of practicality.
Before she had the chance to change her mind, he bent to scoop her into his arms.
She was far lighter than he was expecting. He had a good ten inches on her, it was true, but he wasn’t expecting her to weigh quite so little. Had she not had enough to eat before he met her?
