Tim frowned. “What are their names?”
“Angeline and Lettie.” The names he’d carefully memorized rolled off his tongue as if he knew them intimately.
“Ayup, they was here two days ago. They rode over to Bowson with Randy Burns. He was delivering a load of lumber just outside of town.”
“I appreciate your helping them. This Randy a man to trust with my sister?” Grady peered at him with a narrowed gaze, exactly what a worried brother would do.
“Absolutely. He’ll make sure they get to Bowson, and then help them find a safe place to stay.” Tim closed Cab’s stall door, and Grady did the same with his own horse’s.
“Then I’m obliged to you for finding someone to look out for them. God only knows she never listened to me, stubborn little cuss.” Grady wanted to rub his hands together with satisfaction.
He was closing in on his prey.
Eliza stared at the steamy wisps rising from the bath and tried not to sigh again. She should be enjoying the deepest, hottest bath she had ever had. The hip tub she’d grown up with hadn’t allowed for a deep soaking. The hotel’s luxury was unexpected and should have pulled her from her doldrums.
It didn’t.
Grady was nearly ready to get rid of her, and she knew it all too well. He was being deliberately cruel, driving a wedge between their relationship, or whatever it was they had together. She had a choice to either allow him to do it or fight him.
The old Eliza would have allowed him to do what he pleased. However, the new Liz would not.
Decision made, she would enjoy the bath no matter what self-pitying nonsense she’d been wallowing in. With a smile, she soaped up the wash rag with the lavender bar she’d found in the bathing room.
The sweet scent filled the air as she scrubbed off the dirt and grime from the trail. Then she scrubbed her hair, delighting in dunking her head beneath the hot water to rinse it. She washed her hair again and felt cleaner than she had since she couldn’t remember when.
She remained in the bath a few more minutes until the water grew cool. Her fingers were wrinkled, and she felt indulgent for having not only used so much water for bathing but having been the only one to use it.
With a grin, she stood up and reached for a towel. That’s when the door to the bathing room opened, and Grady stood in the doorway.
Eliza was completely naked.
His eyes widened as his gaze wandered up and down her wet form. She felt frozen in place, her heart pounding so hard she thought her ribs might crack. Then he closed the door behind him.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and reached down to find her courage again. Her decision had been made; now, she had to keep to it. After all, she’d made a promise to herself and no one else.
Instead of covering up, she stepped out of the tub, sluicing water on the floor. A few drops landed on his dusty boots. The air between them crackled, and every small hair on her body rose. Although she was wet from the bath, a different kind of moisture gathered between her legs. She knew it meant she was ready to be with Grady.
Judging by the erection clearly visible in his pants, so was he. She actually heard him swallow, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. She smiled and gestured to the tub.
“Would you like a bath now, Grady?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Later.”
“The water is cooled down now, but we can probably request a bucket of hot water.” She knew she was pushing him now, acting as if she wasn’t standing there naked as the day she’d been born. Eliza trembled with arousal and nervousness.
“I’m hot enough.” He stepped toward her, and she managed not to jump.
Eliza reached for the towel on the stool and stopped when a growl sounded from his throat. She licked her lips and waited to see what he would do.
“Come here, Liz.”
It was an order, one she could either follow and be the same old girl she always was, or she could seize the moment to take control. “Come here, Grady.” The words echoed in the small space.
One of his brows went up as he regarded her with his blazing gaze. She expected him to crook his finger and disregard her.
What she didn’t expect was for him to cross the few feet between them and grab her by the waist. As his mouth came down on hers, she closed her eyes and swallowed the small smile that threatened.
After a hard kiss, he stepped back and looked down at her body. He was dusty, and her clean skin was now peppered with smears of mud.
“Maybe I should’ve taken that bath.”
Eliza grinned. “Then let’s get your clothes off.”
With a courage she hadn’t known she had, she slowly removed his hat and shirt. As she ran her hands down his chest, the crinkly hairs tickled her palms, and she loved the difference between them. When her fingernails scraped his copper-colored nipples, he groaned.
She knew enough about him to recognize it wasn’t a groan of pain but rather of pleasure. Her education continued as she pushed him onto the stool to take off his boots.
“You’re getting all dirty,” he remarked as she knelt in front of him.
Eliza tugged off his boots, very conscious of her naked breasts brushing close to his canvas trousers. “I think I’ve been dirty since I met you.”
He barked out a rusty laugh. “That’s the truth if I ever heard it.”
When he was barefoot, she pulled him to his feet. He watched her as her hands drifted toward the buttons on the trousers. Eliza knew he was waiting to see what she would do, if she could finish what she’d started. Her blood pounded through her veins as she reached for him.
The trail of dark hair led from his belly button downward. Some impulse possessed her as she traced the line with her finger, and his body jerked.
“You learn something new today, woman?” His voice was laced with tension.
“I learn with every moment I spent with you.” She met his gaze and kept it as she unbuttoned his trousers.
His staff sprang free and thumped against her hand. Satin covered steel and hotter than a blazing fire, she hesitantly touched him with her fingertips.
“You ready to keep on with that education?”
His question was laced with so much more than a simple request. There was so much she didn’t know about the relations between men and women. Prior to meeting Grady, all she’d known was what she’d observed with farm animals, which of course told her nothing. With animals, the male bit and forced the female to do his bidding.
Grady was offering her the power to control their relations. She shook with the possibility of moving past the simple sexual actions they’d already shared.
Swallowing fear, she leaned forward and kissed him while her hands closed around his staff and squeezed.
“Mmmm, yeah, Liz, more.”
She tickled his lips with her tongue as her hands continued to explore his manhood. He opened his mouth, and she mimicked what he’d done and found his willing tongue. They slid against each other, exploring the recesses of his mouth, his teeth, and her arousal.
He groaned low and deep in his throat. She felt hot and cold all over, on pins and needles. She was new to seduction and wasn’t sure what to do next. He saved her the trouble of deciding.
“Lay that towel on the floor, and let’s get busy, woman.”
She shook with the arousal that coursed through her, amazed he was there with her even after all they’d been through. Eliza loved him, too much, so much, she could hardly take a breath.
With trembling hands, she laid the towel on the floor, and then watched as he stripped completely. He was such a wonderful specimen of man, and hers for the taking, at least for this precious moment now.
She took hold of his cock and pulled him close until they both sank to the floor onto the towel. As she pressed her breasts into his chest, he made a sound of approval. His chest hair tickled her nipples, making them tingle deliciously.
He lifted her leg and slid forward until he was nudging her ent
rance. Before she could fathom what he was about, he’d entered her in one quick thrust. She gasped at the sensation, the fullness from his penetration.
They’d made love in many places, in many positions, but never like this. It was as if they were on level positions, rather than one on top of another. His dark gaze found hers, and then he started to move.
She pulled him close enough to kiss, his lips just as hot as the rest of him. Sweet, sensual, wet kisses as he thrust in and out of her grasping pussy. She could hardly believe how arousing just facing him was.
Grady’s hand held her leg up even as he kept a steady rhythm with his lower half. “Feel good?”
“Mm, feels wonderful.” She nibbled his earlobe, and he sucked in a breath. Obviously another ticklish spot. Deliberately, she did it again, and he growled at her.
Eliza was surprised how at quickly her body responded to his, perhaps because they knew each other’s triggers, likes, and desires. Or perhaps because she loved him and wanted to spend her life making love with him.
He nibbled at her lip. “You look different without your spectacles. Sexier. Your eyes are so damn blue. Like bluebonnets.”
Eliza vowed to take them off each time they were intimate. It was the first time he’d complimented more than her breasts, and she found a little voice inside her who very much enjoyed it.
His slow pace was creating a storm within her, a hunger she wanted to be slaked. Although she tried to thrust back against him, because she was on her side, she had no leverage.
“Faster.” She bit his shoulder as he buried himself inside her.
“Pushy.”
“Desperate.”
He chuckled, and suddenly, she was on her back with her legs in the air. Eliza forgot to breathe as he pounded into her, deep, so deep. She closed her eyes and scratched at his back, pulling him toward her, to fly with her, be with her.
“Yessss.”
Her body tightened in its familiar rhythm of release, like a spring being wound up. She felt herself sliding into the vast reaches of space, amongst the stars. Eliza whispered his name as she exploded into a million points of light, shining against the blackness behind her lids.
His fingers dug into her hips as he found his own release, joining her as she soared high above the Earth. He collapsed against her, his heart thumping hard against her.
For that brief moment, they were one. He was hers, and she was his. She loved him.
Chapter Twelve
‡
Grady stared down at Eliza as she slept. She looked so damn innocent, so naïve with her dark hair spread over the pillow. He should have left long ago and made sure she couldn’t find him.
He turned away, unable to look at her any more. Since he’d already broken his vow never to touch her again, he wouldn’t repeat the mistake even one more time.
Grady a job to do, and he was determined to do it even if it meant killing a woman. He left two golden eagles on her bag, hoping she wouldn’t think of it as payment for services rendered. Then he picked up his saddlebags and slipped out the door without a sound.
The pre-dawn sky was slate gray as he walked down the sidewalk to the livery. He’d make sure to leave extra money for Hanson if the man wasn’t yet awake. Eliza should head back to where she came from or where she needed to be, but he didn’t want to rush her. Hell, she could even decide to stay in town.
Just as the hotel lobby was deserted, so was the livery. He saddled his horse quickly and left five dollars in the slat of Cab’s stall. As he walked out into the murky light, his mood couldn’t have been darker.
Considering he’d tracked his quarry and caught up to her within two days, he should be in a good mood. Or at least not ready to snap somebody’s neck at the least provocation.
The streets were quiet except for an occasional bird call and a dog bark. He mounted his horse, and against his better judgment, looked back at the hotel. If luck was with him, Eliza would let him go without following him.
Grady turned and left town, letting the wind erase his tracks. It was time to become the hunter again.
He rode until the horse was lathered, and he had more sand in his eyes than he thought possible. The sun had risen in the clear blue sky, reminding him that the summer had not yet let loose its grip on the land. Sweat ran in a river down his back as he found some shade near a creek.
The water was cool and inviting, and clear, judging by how fast Bullseye pushed him out of the way to get to it. He patted the equine’s great neck in silent apology. Normally, he wouldn’t push his horse so hard. He didn’t know whether it was his desire to find the woman he hunted or to run from the one he’d left behind.
Grady didn’t want to know.
He managed to get down a biscuit with ham he had gotten from Ana the day before. He drank water using his hand as a cup to wash it down. Within fifteen minutes, he was back on the trail somewhat refreshed and completely determined.
Eliza knew Grady was gone the moment she opened her eyes. The bed was completely cold on the right side, and so was her heart. She lay in the bed a few more minutes, feeling sorry for herself for waking up alone. Self-pity was going to get her nowhere of course. She gave herself a stern talking to, and then rose from the bed to dress. Perhaps he was down at Ana’s restaurant drinking coffee.
Eliza nearly forgot she was naked, and there were numerous places on her skin where the flesh was slightly reddened, particularly around her nipples. Her cheeks flared as she realized it was whisker burn from Grady.
She wished he had stayed in bed with her and woken her in the morning to make love. Now that she’d had a taste of what pure bliss was, she wanted it with him over and over again.
Her heart sank to her knees when she realized his saddlebags were missing. She had hoped what they’d shared the night before would be enough to bind him to her.
It appeared she was completely mistaken.
Eliza didn’t allow herself to cry until she saw the golden eagles on the dresser. The two of them sparkled in the sunlight that came through the lacy curtains on the windows. They stared at her, nearly sneering at her naïveté and her inability to accept that a wolf could not change his nature.
She wanted to hurl them into the street and howl at the cruel trick fate had played on her. Instead, she sat on the edge of the bed with the coins in her hands and wept.
Once the tears had subsided, Eliza’s heart was still just as heavy and just as broken. However, her logical side took over and forced her to recognize her own stupidity. The old Eliza would have wired her father and waited to be retrieved then punished.
The new Eliza, who had become a true westerner under Grady’s tutelage and a woman under the starry night sky, would never return to Silas’s house. It was time to find her man and fight for him.
Eliza washed and dressed with speed then almost flew downstairs with her bags. Although she shouldn’t accept the money he’d left for her, she took it anyway. She wasn’t quite sure what he’d meant when he’d left it behind. Perhaps he’d thought of her well-being with no money in hand, or perhaps he wanted to give her the means to begin again without him.
Either way, she wasn’t going to give him up without a fight. She’d tracked him once, she could do it again.
After asking Mr. Fowler to watch her bags, she walked down to the livery to retrieve Cab. Although she hadn’t accompanied Grady the day before, she knew where the building was. A ginger-haired man was shoeing a horse when she arrived.
“Good morning, sir. Are you Mr. Hansen?”
He stopped and wiped his brow on his rather dirty sleeve.
“Morning, ma’am. Yep, I’m Tim Hansen. Can I help you?”
“Yes, I am hoping you can. My, er, husband boarded my horse here yesterday along with his own.” She managed a smile although it hurt her face to do so. “I would like to retrieve Cab now.”
Eliza didn’t know if Grady had paid for the boarding or not, but she had the golden eagles tucked into her gloves if she needed t
hem.
“Cab? What kind of horse is it?”
For once, she didn’t know the answer. “Brown with a white blaze on his nose and white stockings.”
“Oh, you mean that old fella in the back. I saw your husband’s horse was gone this morning, but he left more money.” Mr. Hansen scratched his arm. “I figured you was staying here a few more days.”
Grady had left more money? She didn’t know what that meant either.
“Could we retrieve Cab now? I’d like to get started with a morning ride.” She stepped toward the barn, and he followed.
“Sure thing, Mrs. Wolfe. I’ll be glad to saddle him for you. He’s got a good temperament.”
The interior gloom of the barn was barely touched by the bright sunlight outside. Mr. Hansen picked up a lantern by the door, which threw a warm glow ahead of them.
“Did my husband mention to you where he went this morning?” She strangled out a chuckle. “He left so early I thought perhaps he’d have been back by now.”
“I don’t rightly know where he’s gone, ma’am. He left afore I even got up.” Mr. Hansen led her to the corner stall. “If you want to wait right there, it’ll only take me a few minutes to get him ready.”
Eliza rubbed Cab’s neck. “Yes, thank you. That would be lovely.”
She tried not to think about the fact Grady had left before the livery was open, or that he’d left even more funds for her. The man had to remember she would try to follow him, or maybe he was hoping if he left enough money, she wouldn’t.
He’d be very surprised then when she found him.
“Here you go, ma’am.” Mr. Hansen handed Cab’s reins to her and they walked out of the barn together.
The sunlight hurt her eyes, and she blinked against the pain. It wasn’t tears for Grady again, that was for certain. She only had one emotion when it came to the Wolfe who’d stolen her heart.
Determination.
“Thank you for your assistance, Mr. Hansen.” She noted a mounting block and walked over to make use of it. “I need to go retrieve my bags from the hotel then I’ll be on my way.”
Ruthless Heart Page 18
