Broken Road

by Char Marie Adles

  “Give me back the bottle, darlin’,” he drawled.

  Devil scrunched up her nose. He smelled of more liquor then what had been in the bottle. “Not a chance. You’re already drunk as a skunk. Tell me what made you drink. I know for a fact that you never touch a drop of alcohol if you can help it.” Giving in to what her body wanted to do she leaned her forehead against his and stared into his eyes. “Trust me.”

  She was asking him something no one ever had and he didn’t know if he could. It took him a long moment, but as she stared up at him with those sparkling blue eyes he felt his resolve slip away.

  “Damn me, but you could tempt saint,” he whispered roughly. He tightened the grab he had on her wrist and was about to lean in a kiss her, but she cried out in pain.

  His eyes flew back to her’s. “What’s wrong?”

  “Wrist,” she choked out, tears pooling in her eyes.

  Wrist? Had she said wrist? Then he remembered. He looked to were he had a death grip on her burned, cut hand he let go immediately and backed up hands his hand in front of him.

  “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t…I couldn’t…I’m sorry I didn’t mean to!” he was frightened that he had really hurt her. Had he opened her stitches again?

  Devil sniffed and wiped her eyes and sat the bottle on the desk.

  “I think maybe you should go to bed,” she suggested quietly.

  His look of hurt turned dark. “I think it is you who should leave.”

  Fine if he wanted it that way she would play too. She picked up the bottle, saluted him and took a deep drank that burned the hell out of her throat, but she smiled as she did.

  Suddenly she found the bottle smashing against the door.

  “Don’t ever do that again,” Winthrop rasped.

  “If I’m the one who drove you to drink I think its only fair to tell you that you do the same to me. No need to feel bad about it. I can hold my liquor like no other,” she said with a snort, “the only gift my father ever gave to me. It took him five bottles before he started to feel even the littlest bit fuzzy.”

  Winthrop fell silent as her words sank in.

  “Was your father a drunk?” he asked hesitantly. He had an itching feeling it was more then that. So help him if the man was still alive-!

  “Yup, guess you get a cookie, but not only a bad drunk, but the worst women beater the state of Colorado had ever seen. He made national headlines about it six or so years ago. Good thing the son of a bitch is dead.” Devil laughed softly. “He got what he deserved alright.”

  He crushed her in his arms and tightened his hold till she squeaked. “I won’t let anyone hurt you or Lilla, I promise. Ever,” he rasped.

  Devil sighed and relaxed in his arms. “I think it’s best if you go to bed now. We can talk tomorrow.” She started to pull away but he gripped her tighter.

  “I don’t want to sleep alone tonight,” Winthrop whispered against her hair.

  Devil closed her eyes for a moment. Dear heaven how could she resist this man? She had a feeling that it was a very bad idea, but she was never good at being good.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Getting them both up stairs was going to be a problem. Mr. Canter was awake yet couldn’t quite mange to walk in a straight line and Devil was trying to balance them both which was proving harder then it looked. They bumped along on the stairs and Devil tried not to smile at the things the silly man was saying.

  He was more of a teddy bear then a grizzly bear at the moment and she was loving every moment of it. How often did you get to see a powerful man like that? Never. She was so going to use this against him when he was more of his normal self again.

  Devil grinned. “What fun,” she murmured.

  “Fun?” Winthrop grinned down at her. “We could have some real fun.”

  Oh boy. Devil wanted to fan herself.

  “Not until you sleep, shave, and shower,” Devil said with all the mock seriousness she could muster.

  Winthrop lost his smile and nodded solemnly. “I heard the ladies like a clean man,” he said quietly as if it were some great secret.

  Devil puzzled that over and asked about the word that had her confused. “Heard?”

  He nodded again. “Yeah. Not like I would know though. Being a ‘woman hater’ and all and no woman ever being on the ranch.” He eyed her from the corner of one silvery blue eye with far more clarity then he should have. “Do you like a clean man, little lady?”

  Devil swallowed thickly and shifted under the new embarrassment she felt at his words. Just as quick as the embarrassment came it turned into frustration she couldn’t understand. So she did the only thing she could.

  She shook her head. “I wouldn’t know myself; I didn’t spend much time around men. Not that I wanted too, but I imagine that we both would rather be clean.”

  The truth had seemed to be a rather good answer and he only smiled faintly as they made it to his room.

  They stumbled as his foot caught the edge of a rug on the floor and they tumbled onto the bed in an ungraceful tangle of arms and legs.

  “Ugh,” Devil grunted as Mr. Canter landed on top of her. The man was a lot heavier then he looked and she would have thought. His lean weight pressed her down into the silkily softness of the mattress and covers.

  Winthrop shifted his weight so that he wouldn’t squish her, yet just enough to keep her pinned against himself. He knew that he was a bit over the edge, had a bit to much to drink and had to much of her on his mind. Yet what could a simple kiss hurt?

  He leaned in slowly giving her plenty time to push him off yet she didn’t, he took that as a good sign. As he leaned in her eyes widened and her mouth parted the briefest fraction and that was all the invitation he needed. He brushed his lips against her’s in a bare tease, and then he went for the kill.

  Devil was dazed at how quickly a kiss could turn from teasing to demanding in only a few seconds. So she closed her eyes and went for a ride. Somehow she lost track of what was going on and only seemed to notice that something more was happening when she found herself with her shirt over her head and tossed onto the floor.

  “What are you doing?” Devil gasped.

  “What do you think?” asked a deep husky rumble against her neck.

  Devil shivered in delight at the moist feeling as he nibbled his way down her throat and to the hollow of her neck.

  Okay, she was really going to have to stop this soon. Real soon…and yet she didn’t want to. But it had to stop now. Before it went to far.

  Devil tried to push herself up and being to explain why she couldn’t do this when she found out she didn’t have to.

  He had fallen asleep with his arms around her waist and his head on her lap.

  She felt the insane urge to laugh at the irony and hopelessness of the situation. How ironic that she would drive the man to drink and then pass out. Most likely when he woke up he wouldn’t remember a thing just like her father never had after to much to drink and a beating.

  Devil sat up and tried to untie and untwist herself from Mr. Canter’s arm around her waist, but he tightened his grip on her.

  “No,” he muttered, turning his head so that she could see the side of his beautiful face.

  She started down at his face and soothed a hand over his forehead. If only his face could have looked so peaceful when he was awake. Maybe she could tease him into smiling everyday.

  He grumbled, frowning slightly when she stopped stroking his hair from his face.

  She resumed stroking his head and smiled slightly. Maybe everyday was asking a bit much. Devil realized how easy it was just then to get use to the kindness of a man who should have terrified her. He did still scare her, but she was used to him by now. He may not however know that he was being kind yet she did and somehow she knew the gruff kindness was what had started to change her.

  Devil frowned slightly. “Royal would have a cow if he saw me going soft like this.” She shrugged. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”r />
  She plopped back on to the pillows, closing her eyes and petted him on the head over and over again. He snuggled closer like giant kitten.

  Like she had said, she had never been a good child. One night with the big bad boss couldn’t hurt.

  ...

  Before he was even fully awake Winthrop knew he was going to have one hellofa morning to look forward to. His skull felt as if it was going to spilt open and he still felt a little fuzzy around the edges.

  “Damn,” he grumbled and then flipped onto his side.

  Only he didn’t. He hadn’t moved at all.

  He opened one sleep dusted eye and looked around to see what had him pinned to the bed. Expecting to see himself tangled in the bed covers he felt a shock go down his spine when he saw what, more like who, he was tangled up with.

  The very Devil was in his bed, sleeping with him.

  Winthrop tried not to stiffen at the contact and survey the situation. The kid was pressed tightly against his chest, resting her hand over his heart, breathing softly against his cheek, with the help of his very own arms to keep her there. One was under her chest curled under her side to hold her and the other was curved over her waist to pull her closer should she move away. Only then did he notice she didn’t wear a shirt and neither did he. He had her legs trapped between his own and he felt far too much not to have his very own body to tell him this was the best morning he had ever had, waking up next to her.

  Color flushed a dull red over his high cheek bones as a hot bucket of self preservation washed over him. His mind was yelling for him to jump out of the bed, that he didn’t need a woman in his bed, in his life. Let alone a woman that was this young and already a mother to a baby. Yet his body was putting on a damn good fight.

  Reluctantly he stared to untangle himself.

  “No.”

  Winthrop froze, he looked down.

  Devil snuggled closer to the heat that was warming her and fought to put the lid on the nightmare that was threatening her peaceful sleep.

  Winthrop noticed the change in her before he even thought of what was happening for it happened to him often enough. Her brow furrowed and she shifted restlessly against his side. She was having a nightmare.

  He lay back down next to him feeling a connection to her through this nightmare of her’s. They had more things in common then he would have thought. He gathered her to his chest and stroked her hair from head to waist as gently as he could with his trembling hands. It was the only think he could think of doing that might offer some measure of comfort, when no one had ever comforted him and he didn’t know how.

  “Shhh…it’s only a bad dream, sweet,” he whispered kissing her forehead. The endearment had come out without him noticing and he felt her hot tears sting his neck.

  “…no…father. I will not let you hurt me ever again,” she sobbed quietly.

  Winthrop tightened his arms around her.

  She wasn’t as strong as she thought and he had an idea of just what she was talking about in her sleep. He now knew in his heart with Judd had told him was true. He father had been abusive.

  Somehow he didn’t find being so close to this kid to be disturbing like he did any other woman which startled him to no end. But the thing that scared him was the fact that he liked her there in his arms. It felt right. It felt like forever.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Devil woke feeling stiff with cold and rolled onto her back to open her sleep dusted eyes to a sight she didn’t want to see.

  A fully dressed Mr. Canter was leaning against the windowsill looking out over his ranch below with a grim face that looked as if it had been carved of stone. When he heard her move on the bed he turned that same stony grim expression to her.

  It hit her like a ton of brick over the head would have.

  His unnerving silver blue eyes focused on her face.

  “Morning, kid. Mind telling me what the hell happened here last night?”

  Leave it to a man to get straight to the point and make it hurt as if he were going to rake your body over glass.

  Devil would have taken the glass and did it with a smile and a cheerful tune over what she was about to do.

  Devil carefully covered her bared chest pulling up her knees, resting her chin on them, and picking at the edge of the blanket. When she was sure she could look him in the face she did just that.

  “It’s simple really. You were drunk and I helped you to your room,” she said trying to sound normal and giving a half shrug with one slim shoulder.

  He smiled without humor. “You know that’s not what I meant. What I wanna know is why I woke up with you in my bed.” His eyes took in her carefully hidden body with an expert glance and he raised an eyebrow.

  Devil colored at the accusing look and coiled ready to strike. “If you must know it was your entire fault,” she retorted.

  The other eyebrow joined its brother in the middle of his proud forehead. “Oh really?”

  “Yes, really. I tired to help you yet when it was time for me to go you wouldn’t let me. One could even say in my place that it was rather disappointing when you took what you wanted and fell asleep,” Devil said tartly with a bitter smile.

  At that Winthrop felt his jaw slide south about a hundred miles per minute. That was the last thing he had expected out of her mouth and damn it if he wasn’t feeling guilty as sin now thanks to her.

  Had he really taken something from her while he was out of it? He had never been good with holding his alcohol which was one of the reasons he never drank, yet he had this time and he couldn’t remember a damn thing of the night before.

  Winthrop felt himself flush with guilt and embarrassment. He had been a fucking idiot and the girl might pay for his mistake now.

  “I’m sorry,” he began reaching out a hand towards her only to realize he was still leaning up against the room’s only window. He got up and slowly came over to the bed. He knelt beside the bed and put a hand on Devil’s small hand clutching the bed’s blanket.

  Her hand was cold and he felt another stab of guilt for not having thought to cover her with another blanket after he had left.

  The girl snatched her hand from under his as if he were going to burn her. Then he noticed it had been her injured hand.

  “I’m sorry,” he repeated looking up into her icy blue eyes. The mirrored pain in them shattered his soul until he couldn’t look in them anymore. “I am sorry for whatever I did last night, but I’m even sorrier that I can’t remember what I did to you.” He turned his head away and looked at the ground, shame overcoming him. “Please tell me what I did to you. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Winthrop took hold of her upper arm and gave in a squeeze.

  Devil stared down at the man before him and thought of her father who she had never been sorry for a single thing he did, even the ones he didn’t remember, yet she couldn’t shake her fear of this man that still lay deep in her heart.

  She shook her head looking away from him and trying to free her arm from his gripping fingers.

  “I will not repeat things that are already part of the past. Let go of me. I’m going to check on Lilla.” How she hated how her voice shook!

  She was shaking and it was his entire fault. He knew she had been scared of him before yet somehow it hurt even worse for he knew this time it was his fault. She wasn’t scared of him now, but terrified he would bet. So he let her go.

  Devil was quick in snatching her shirt and making a beeline for the door. Before she closed it she said, “Please never drink while we’re here again.” Then she was gone.

  Winthrop slid down the wall with a humorless laugh. His head bumped the bed and he rubbed the sore spot.

  “You can bet on it, little lady. Never again,” he muttered with a curse.

  He was never gonna forget her with liquor. Not a chance. He couldn’t take a chance like that again. Winthrop knew that he was going to have to do something about what he did last night, he didn’t know what he had
done, but he had a good idea of what that something was.

  …

  Screw this, Devil thought as she tried to make her bed with one hand, since her injured hands was burning with a fury for having pulled at the new stitches. She flung the covers a final time and forgot about what she was trying to do. This morning with Mr. Canter hadn’t helped either. He was saying one thing and doing another and so was she.

  She wanted the man and she was damn well sure he wanted her too. So what in the hell was their problem? She had less then a month to be selfish and she had to quit being scared of the past and put herself out there to enjoy life for once.

  She laughed a little at her thought ‘putting herself out there’. If being a country singer and a model wasn’t ‘putting it out there’ then she didn’t know what it was.

  She looked to Lilla who was asleep in the crib in her room, had been for little over half an hour, and decided that she would sleep for a while longer. Maybe long enough for Devil to do something about Mr. Canter.

  Devil grinned as a plan began to form in her mind. Oh yes, she was going to have some fun.

  Bending over to give Lilla a quick kiss she made way for Mr. Canter’s room on the top floor of the house. He had come back inside an hour after lunch and had locked himself inside since.

  The stairs never even squeaked once and Devil had to admit she was surprise the house was in that good of shape since it was old.

  She gave a brief pause before she pushed the door open and looked in. No one was in the house besides them so she wouldn’t have to worry about anyone walking on them. She took a step into the room and looked around for the man who she was seeking.

  Mr. Canter sat at a big oak desk against the wall facing away from her and she saw that he was looking at something.

  Tiptoeing forward she looked over his shoulder as saw that he was staring at a picture of a pretty white woman with bright red hair and a pretty smile, but the thing that threw Devil off was the woman’s eyes. They were a light green, but they seemed to be cruel and icy. It didn’t suit such a pretty lady.