by Linda Broday
Touching Adam’s bandaged shoulder and chest, Brett blinked hard. The apology was his to make, not Adam’s. He cleared his throat. “You didn’t let me down, so don’t even think it. I’m sorry I put your life at risk. I should’ve kept you with me.”
Adam’s glare hardened. “Because you think I’m still a kid and need to have someone watch me like a hawk? I’m a man. I’m not as tall as you or have your muscles, but I’m a man all the same.”
“I know that, son. I’m proud to have you stand beside me. But maybe I needed the reminder. I’d send for your mother, but it’s too dangerous out here.”
“I don’t want her to see me like this anyway,” Adam said. “She’d make me go into town. I’m tired of being safe. I want to do something important.”
Brett touched his shoulder. “I think I understand what you mean.”
“When those men came last night, all I could think about was making sure they didn’t hurt these orphans. I didn’t even care what happened to me as long as I could stop ’em.” Adam’s sudden outburst revealed the rage inside.
When Brett spoke, his voice was thick and a bit raspy. “That’s what being a man is about. How old you are doesn’t make any difference. You’ve grown up since you came West.”
“Where’s my rifle?” Adam glanced around. “I can still shoot. I want to keep it beside me.”
“I’ll bring it to you. The help is appreciated.”
Adam nodded and closed his eyes. He seemed relieved that his request wasn’t met with an argument. Brett found the rifle he’d retrieved from the grass where his nephew had fallen and took it to him. Finding him asleep, Brett laid it beside his bedroll.
He stood for a moment watching Adam get the rest he needed, thinking how close he’d come to losing him. The hole that would leave would never fill. Adam was his now, thrown away by a father that, from all accounts, was like Dowlen. In a lot of ways Adam was like a son instead of a nephew.
Heaviness filled Brett. Rayna was the only one who understood that kind of pain. He needed her wisdom and gentleness.
With Doc and Cooper spending the night, Brett found time to seek her out around dusk. “Take a walk with me, Rayna?”
Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to.”
He felt his muscles quiver when she wrapped her arm around his and fell into step with him.
As they walked, the horses crowded around, wanting his attention. He petted, rubbed, and spoke to each of his friends and, in turn, they talked back in their own language of kindred souls. One, a beautiful gray with black markings, mane, and tail, nuzzled his shirt. Brett laughed, stroking the mare’s face. “You’re out of luck. Don’t have any apples today, girl.”
“She’s so sweet.” Rayna ran her hand over the sleek sides. “What is her name?”
“Doesn’t have one.”
“That’s mean. She needs a name.”
“I usually let my customers name the horses. Why is it so important?”
“Because they love you and they need to belong, just like we do,” Rayna said softly. “At least that’s my thinking on the subject.”
“When did you learn about horses?”
“I don’t have to be an expert to know that they’re the same as people, only hairy.” Rayna dropped a kiss on the mare’s nose and crooned to her.
Brett watched in amusement. He would never doubt Rayna’s feelings for all living creatures. “Why don’t you name her?”
“Are you sure about this?” she asked.
“I am.”
“I’ll have to think of a good one.” She wrinkled her forehead in thought. “Names are serious business. Mind if I take some time? But why have you changed your mind?”
“You convinced me she needs one, and I don’t like disappointing a lady. Take all the time you need.” He took Rayna’s hand, curling his fingers around hers. “I want to show you something.”
She hesitated. “I can’t go too far from the children.”
“We won’t. I promise. It’s very near.”
A little ways farther, they walked around a rock outcropping, and she sucked in a breath. “Oh, Brett! This is beautiful.”
A pool of blue water surrounded by lush grass and trees lay nestled in a hidden alcove. The flowing sound of a small waterfall added charm and music to their ears.
“This is my oasis,” Brett said, watching her. “It’s where I come when I need to think or to find solace after a trying day. This place always soothes my soul.” When she sat down on the thick grass, he dropped next to her with their shoulders touching. “I thought you’d like it. If ever we need peace and serenity, it’s now.”
Rayna’s face glowed in the last rays of remaining light. “I never would’ve known this was here. It’s like how I picture heaven to be. My heart can’t take in all the beauty.”
Neither could his. Brett stared spellbound at how the light played on her glorious hair and gentle face. Rayna was the woman of his dreams. If he couldn’t run his fingers across her lips, kiss her, he would lose his mind. The weariness of fighting folded around him like a heavy gray shroud. He had no more resistance against desires that refused to be locked away.
A sudden thought niggled in his brain, exciting him. Right now, the Wild Horse offered as much privacy as their jail cell in Steele’s Hollow. They were apart from the world. It was safe to give in to what they wanted if only for a little while. If she were willing, perhaps they could find peace together in these quiet, stolen moments.
Perhaps he would know the taste of her again.
Happiness replaced gloom for the first time in days. Brett traced the curve of her cheek, hope making his heart pound. It had been so hard denying himself the feel of her. “Do you mind if I kiss you?”
Her eyes shone as she leaned into him at once, her upturned face a silent invitation.
Very gently, he lowered his mouth to her moist, slightly parted lips. A current ran through him the second he touched her, and he realized the quick kiss he’d had in mind wouldn’t satisfy this time.
With a ragged groan, he slipped his arms around her, crushing her to him.
His need was too great to pull back. Her breasts pressing against his chest, her heart beating next to his, brought instant peace.
Hungering for everything he’d denied himself, he thrust a hand in the silkiness of her fiery curls. Her scent swirled around him like a caress, touching him everywhere as it burrowed beneath his skin.
When he ended the kiss, his lips remained at the corner of her mouth, their breaths mingling. “Thank you, Rayna. You are like this oasis. You set the jagged edges of my soul at rest. I wish…”
Rayna caressed his face with her fingers. “Me too. I would give anything to spend the rest of my life with you right here in this hidden place where nothing can hurt us.”
“We’re safe here,” he said, reassuring himself as much as her. He nibbled her ear and left a trail of kisses down the slender curve of her neck to the collar of her dress. When he raised his glance, he saw expectation in her blue-green eyes.
“Brett, I dreamed of this moment but was too afraid to hope it might happen.” A smile trembled over her lips.
The palm she rested on his chest sent heat shooting beneath the fabric. His skin quivered everywhere she touched as hunger consumed him. He lifted her hand to his lips. “Never wonder if I want you,” he murmured hoarsely. “I will to the day I die.”
Gently, he laid her back in the lush grass and leaned over her, probing the fathomless depths of her eyes. “This friends thing isn’t working too well.”
“What do you mean?” Her breathless question was hushed.
“What I feel for you is far more than a friend would. I need you to sleep beside me forever.”
“I’ll wait however long it takes.” Rayna paused as worry rippled across her face. “But—”
“But what?”
“You may change your mind when you find out some things about me.”
He smoothed back her hair, taking a te
ndril between his thumb and forefinger. “I know all I need to. Keep the past where it is. What matters is what’s before us.”
With a hand under her chin, he left feathery kisses along the seam of her mouth before taking her lips in earnest. His touch followed the contours of her body and rested on the flat plane of her stomach. Rayna had brought light to his world, and he cherished every moment spent with her. The depth of emotion running through him shook his being as they kissed for what felt like a very long time—and not near long enough.
Pulling back, wrestling back control of the heat that raged between them, he gazed at her in wonder. How could his feelings be so strong in such a short time? A month ago, he didn’t even know she existed.
Finally, he gave a ragged sigh. “As much as I’d love to stay here, we can’t. We have people depending on us.” Getting to his feet, he offered her a hand up.
Rayna stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you showed me your special place. I needed this bit of beauty. Thank you for finally being honest about your feelings.”
She walked to the edge of the pool, staring into the blue water. Bending, she picked up something.
“What did you find?”
Holding out her palm, she showed him a glittering green stone. “I’ll put this in my medicine bag so I’ll always remember you and the Wild Horse.”
“It’s pretty.”
Unfastening the top two buttons on her dress, she pulled out the leather pouch he’d made and dropped the stone inside. The glimpse of her creamy skin dried the spit in Brett’s mouth.
Only that peek wasn’t enough. That one brief view just whetted his appetite. A powerful hunger rose again.
After tucking the medicine bag back into its place, she buttoned her dress and smiled up at him.
Walking back, he thought about the new direction their relationship had taken. They weren’t just friends. He’d been a fool to think they could be.
But what exactly was she to him?
They hadn’t made love—even though his body cried out for her—so they weren’t lovers.
Companions?
He frowned. That didn’t seem right either. All he knew was that her curves perfectly fit his hands. One day he wanted to touch her bare skin beneath the layers of clothing. He dreamed of someday exploring her soft, satiny skin to his heart’s content.
Suddenly he knew what to call her.
The mercantile owner kept a Montgomery Ward catalog on the counter, and sometimes Brett liked to thumb through and look at all the stuff beyond his means.
Rayna was what he wished for. She was his Wish Book woman.
*
The night seemed to whisper a warning in Brett’s ear two hours later. Trouble was coming. He felt it.
This time they were ready, complete with horses so they could mount and pursue at a moment’s notice. The ten ranch hands, plus Brett and Cooper, were spaced along the side that joined Dowlen’s land. Every one hundred yards they’d built a bonfire, which lit up the countryside. Dowlen wouldn’t have to strain in order to see his way across if he chose.
And when he violated Wild Horse land, a hail of gunfire would greet him.
Brett moved into the shadows to wait. Nothing moved on either side of the property line that had already seen too much trouble.
The night was young. Dowlen preferred midnight or after, but Brett swung around at the sudden noise behind him.
The dark form sneaking upon his position came from the direction of the camp. He could see the outline of a horse behind the person.
“Brett,” a voice whispered. “Where are you?”
The skirted figure had to be Rayna. His heart stood still. All he’d need would be for someone to shoot. He moved toward her. “Rayna, what are you doing out here?”
“I brought coffee. Thought you might need it to keep you warm and awake.”
“It’s too dangerous. Go back to camp.”
She moved closer into the light from the bonfire, and time stood still. He ached to hold her, to tell her how beautiful she was with the dancing flames brushing her features and firing the golden red glints of her curls.
“I will in just a minute.” She removed a blanket from around the coffeepot and drew a cup out of her pocket.
Brett took the cup from her and held it as she poured. The fragrance of the brew filled the night. He gazed at her features, taking a sip. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping instead of gallivanting across the countryside?”
“Couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about our secret spot and how you kissed me. I’ve never known anyone like you. Do you ever think of me sometimes?”
He stroked her cheek with his fingertips. “You are impossible to forget.” He should know, because he’d tried.
“I’m glad.” Rayna set the pot down in the grass. “I was afraid you’d be angry with me for coming. My father gave me a terrible whipping once because I followed him when he went to visit Mrs. Vager’s wagon. He was always sneaking over there after her husband left.”
“I’ll never raise a hand to you.”
She stared over his shoulder with fear in her eyes. Her breath came in harsh gasps. “No!”
Brett whirled with his finger on the trigger of the Winchester. What he saw could certainly frighten anyone, but bullets were useless.
The full moon that appeared so near on this night began to darken at the left edge. Slowly, the black shadow crossed the moon’s surface until it blocked all light. A dark, ominous red was all that remained.
A blood moon. Large and mysterious, it loomed in the sky like a giant bird searching for prey.
Though he’d seen the sight before, the orb still struck fear in his heart. He didn’t mind fighting the things within reach, but this gave him a helpless feeling. It seemed to be taunting. Or sending a warning of some kind.
Rayna made a strangling sound. “This is a bad, bad omen.”
He tried to reason with her. “It’s nothing to be afraid of. It’ll go back the way it was.”
Far in the distance, Brett could hear Bob chanting and calling on the spirits to save him.
“It means death,” she whispered, grabbing the coffeepot. “I’ve got to get back to the children.”
Putting his arm around her, he walked her to the horse. She placed the coffeepot into a basket she’d rigged onto the side of the animal.
Before he helped her up, he drew her against him, feeling the wild beating of her heart. “Please be careful. If you hear shots, gather the children and run to our secret spot. They won’t find you there.”
“I’m worried for you.” Rayna fisted a handful of his shirt. A little sob sneaked from her mouth. “Please be safe. I don’t think I could bear it if something happened to you.”
“It won’t.” His mouth found hers, and he kissed her until calm replaced his worry for her. He hated to let her go. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll see you in a bit.”
He formed a step with his hands for her foot and boosted her into the saddle. Then he watched the darkness swallow her, wishing she wasn’t so scared. Trying to dispel the omens she saw everywhere around her was a job. He hoped the children were asleep and oblivious to the fear. They sensed such things.
Sighing, he listened to the measured incantation in the distance for a moment, then went back to watch for evil he knew how to fight.
Sitting down in the shadows, he glanced up at the sky as a shiver crept up his spine.
A few hours later, thick fog rolled in, blocking out that red-as-blood ominous moon and encasing him in a damp blanket. He could barely see the fires that burned up and down the Wild Horse eastern boundary.
Alarms sounded in his head.
Dowlen would take advantage of the blinding haze.
But there was one thing his neighbor needed to know and know it well—Brett didn’t intend to lose this fight he’d never asked for. He would still stand when this was all over with.
Could Edgar Dowlen say the same?
Twenty-two
&
nbsp; Rayna sat down outside the tepee Brett had erected for her and Sister Bronwen, listening as Bob chanted in his strange tongue. She didn’t need anyone to tell her about fear. She’d lived with it, breathed it, smelled it until she sometimes gagged.
Memories crowded the edges of her mind. She thought of the night she left her father passed out under the wagon filled with bones, still clutching the empty jug of liquor. The large harvest moon lighting her way had been yellow as she struck out across the dark prairie. Maybe if it had been red like the one above, she wouldn’t have found the courage.
She still remembered her first cleansing breath of freedom as the wagon disappeared behind her.
If only she could’ve saved her mother. Rayna had killed a man for Elna Harper but, in the end, it hadn’t mattered. She still lost her when Raymond Harper took his wife into town and came back alone. She’d never known what happened, but she had her suspicions.
Steeling herself, Rayna glanced up once more at the ill-boding blood moon hanging over her so round and full and close. Fear of what it meant made her shudder.
She couldn’t stop whatever rode toward them.
Just as she couldn’t keep her father from ridding himself of her mother, despite Rayna’s pleading and bargaining. He’d threatened to get rid of her, and he’d carried through.
No one could prevent what this moon set in motion either.
Bob’s chanting stopped. Rayna glanced in his direction and, through the smoke of the juniper he’d laid on the fire, saw he’d fallen. She hurried to his side and helped him to the log she’d been sitting on.
“Are you hurt, Bob?”
His heavy breathing and the bowed head told of his exhaustion.
“No. Must call the spirits.” When he tried to rise, she laid a hand on his thin arm.
“Rest a while. Your legs have given out.” Rayna felt his despair and fear. “Bob, what does the blood moon mean to your people?”
“Comanche know. Much fighting. Big battle. Call spirits to protect.”
The flap on the tepee opened, and Sister Bronwen emerged. “You old fool. God is the only one who can offer protection. Your chants and mumbo jumbo are useless and getting on my nerves. I’m trying to get some rest.”
