by Caroline Lee
Verrick’s Vixon
Sunset Valley Book 2
Caroline Lee
Copyright © 2018, Caroline Lee
[email protected]
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.
First edition: 2018
This work is made available in e-book format by Amazon Kindle at www.amazon.com
Printing/manufacturing information for this book may be found on the last page
Cover: EDHGraphics
Contents
Introduction
Advisory
Also by Caroline Lee
Untitled
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Coming Soon
Become a Cohort
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Calm. Detach. Focus.
These are the words Verrick--the West's most notorious gunslinger--has lived by for the last twenty years. But six months ago his life changed when he received a telegram from his grown son, asking for help. Arriving at Sunset Valley, Verrick was disturbed to discover the difficulty in detaching himself from this family he hadn't known existed.
And when it comes to Cora Montgomery--his son's new sister-in-law--detachment and focus are impossible. She's as full of life and laughter as he is solitude and silences, and her paintings capture the world in a way Verrick can't fathom. From the moment he meets her, he's puzzled by their strong attraction...and concerned, too.
But when a revenge-bent rival threatens Sunset Valley, Verrick knows he'll do anything to protect his new-found family. So he leaves...never expecting Cora to follow. And during their desperate race to save the ranch, he definitely doesn't expect Cora to carefully peel back the armor he's built around himself, showing him what a life with a loving woman could be.
Cora Montgomery is changing him, just as he needs all his wits and carefully honed instincts. And the worst part? Verrick isn't sure he's strong enough to stop her.
Advisory
Heat level 3/5: contains violence, minor cursing, and sex behind closed doors
Also by Caroline Lee
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This one is for Verrick.
He’s been hanging around in my brain for years now, tugging at my heartstrings. He’s finally getting his story.
Chapter One
Sundays were her favorite days.
Not because of church in the little town of Black Aces, Montana, although that was always a pleasant experience, especially if she got the chance to flirt with any of the handsome miners. And not because she always spent Sunday afternoons in the kitchen with her sister, helping—as much as she was able to, at least—prepare the family dinner. And definitely not because it was the one day a week she put aside her paintings.
No, Sundays were Cora Montgomery’s favorite days of the week because he ate with them.
Despite a standing invitation to dinners and other meals, Verrick only joined them Sunday evening. Oh, there were other times of the week she saw him, of course; he’d made it very clear over the last few months he was there at Sunset Valley for their protection. But Sunday evenings were the only time he put aside his role of gunslinger and protector, and sat down with them like…
Like family.
This Sunday was no different. He’d appeared in the doorway like a ghost, drifting into existence. It always made Cora wonder how long he’d been standing there, and if he’d seen her do anything embarrassing like pick her teeth or flick that piece of dough at her sister or make that bawdy joke.
And if he had, would it matter? Would it change his opinion of her? Or, as she suspected, did he have no opinion of her at all, and thus it was impossible to change?
Cora was no stranger to men, no stranger to the feelings they could evoke. But Verrick was the first one who could make her this unsure of those feelings. Unsure of herself.
She didn’t like that uncertainty. But she liked him, it was undeniable. He was intriguing, interesting, full of mystery…and completely uninterested in her, for all she could tell.
“Verrick, join us!”
Shannon was busy ferrying the food to the table when she called out her usual welcome, and Cora shook herself. How could she let her pregnant sister carry that roast, while Cora sat there staring at the fine figure Verrick cut in his perfect black?
How did the man manage to stay so clean and tidy all the time? She’d never seen him with a shadow of a beard, never seen him with dust on his black trousers or a wrinkle in his simple black shirt. He was far from dapper, but he was…elegant. In his own way.
Cora shook herself.
Food. Help Shannon.
Right.
She finished with the platters of vegetables and biscuits her sister had cooked, and even helped serve, all the while trying her damnedest to ignore the way he sat there silently, sucking at her attention.
Conversation swirled around the table, and Cora did her best to contribute her own teasing. Lucas always laughed out loud, and even Shannon scoffed and rolled her eyes, which was her way of secretly laughing at what she considered Cora’s inappropriateness. But Verrick rarely reacted. There were times he’d raise one pale brow, which was practically a shout from him, but otherwise he watched and ate silently.
They were used to his oddity by now. Cora couldn’t tell if he just didn’t understand their teasing, or if he found no humor in it. He’d occasionally tried to make a joke, but his humor was extremely dry. Arid, even. She’d done what she could to encourage it, but feared she’d made a fool of herself by laughing too exuberantly at his attempts.
She feared she’d made a fool of herself in a lot of areas since Verrick had come into their lives.
“I have some rather exciting news.” Shannon gained everyone’s attention with her announcement. She folded her napkin and placed it carefully beside her plate, grinning all the while. “Cora made today’s dessert.”
Both men’s heads swung to Cora, and she tried not to wince. They all knew her talents did not lie in the kitchen.
Verrick was the first to break the silence. “Is it edible?”
Shannon answered, bless her. “Probably,” she quipped. “I helped.”
“I helped,” Cora finally found her voice to correct her sister. “You baked it; I just helped.”
Lucas cleared his throat. “How much salt is in it?”
“The normal amount,” Cora quipped, remembering an earlier conversation, “and very little arsenic.”
“Arsenic?” Did Verrick sound alarmed?
Lucas’s eyes narrowed good-naturedly. “Well, as long as Shannon did most of the real baking—”
His wife interrupted by tossing her folded napkin at his head. “Be nice!”
Lucas caught it, laughing. “I’m just being cautious!”
Shannon sat back in her chair, her lips tw
itching as she tried not to smile. “I was there every step of the way, but Cora really did bake the cake. She asked to learn to make a few desserts, although I can’t imagine why.”
Used to being the outrageous one, Cora looked down at her locked hands, surprised by the rush of embarrassment her sister’s teasing brought on. Maybe it was the way Shannon looked one twitch away from winking lewdly. Or maybe it was the glance Lucas had flicked between Cora and Verrick.
It was a family joke that Lucas loved desserts. But until Verrick began to join them for Sunday dinners, they hadn’t realized he did too. It was one thing Lucas was willing to admit he’d inherited from his father.
Apparently he didn’t see the similarities in the way the two men moved, like great cats. Or their golden eyes, only a few shades darker in Lucas’s case. Or the shape of their jaws and their graceful litheness, or the way they both balanced on the balls of their feet when they hesitated.
And maybe I just spend too much time watching Verrick.
The man hadn’t admitted to being Lucas’s father when he’d arrived months ago, hired by Lucas himself to protect their little family. It wasn’t until their enemy, Joseph Pierce, had shown up to hurt Shannon that they’d seen the true depth of Verrick’s caring for his son. His expressions might be stoic, but Cora could see the pride in his eyes when he watched Lucas.
And that knowledge made her go all gooey inside. Made her want to learn to bake cakes and impress him and make him want to stay here forever, and not just for Lucas’s sake.
Calm down, lady.
Shannon nudged Cora under the table. “Why don’t you get the dessert and serve it?”
Cora nodded gratefully for the distraction and had to concentrate on not fumbling as she stood up. She didn’t want anyone to see how nervous she was.
“What’s wrong?”
Damn. Of course Verrick would notice. She ignored his question, and prayed everyone else would too.
Her sister came to her rescue yet again. “Aren’t you looking forward to Cora’s cake, Verrick?”
Cora squeezed her eyes shut.
Please say yes. Please say yes.
“Not particularly.”
Double-damn. Didn’t the man understand the concept of polite fictions?
“There’s no actual arsenic in it, Verrick.” Lucas chuckled. “I’m just teasing her.”
Cora tried to keep her hands from shaking and her expression calm as she turned back to the table with a chocolate cake on one of Lucas’s mother’s large platters. It should’ve been a moment of triumph for her—she’d tasted it enough to know, not only was the dessert edible, it was good—but instead, she fought to keep her emotions under control.
Why was it so important to her Verrick like her efforts at baking? Why did his opinion matter? And why did it hurt to think he didn’t trust her with such a basic feminine ability?
Why am I trying to impress him?
As she placed the cake down, she met Verrick’s golden eyes across the table. And froze.
He’d had the ability to capture her attention—to capture all of her—since the first moment they’d laid eyes on one another, there on the front porch. Maybe it was her artist’s mind, but she felt like she could see him, see all of him, in his eyes.
Solemn, eerie, still.
And sometimes, when he wasn’t quite sure if he should join in with their jokes, or continue to be aloof: hesitant.
Like now.
Just like every other time she’d seen that expression in his golden eyes, she ached to reassure him, to make him confident once more.
Cora was already reaching towards him—for what purpose, God only knew—when his eyes shifted from unsure to deadly, and his head whipped around to stare at the back door. His hand was dropping to the gun belt he wore everywhere, even to their Sunday dinner table, when a knock came.
Lucas exchanged a glance with Shannon, then stood to answer the door.
There was a boy on the back porch, a teenager Cora recognized from town, who sometimes ran errands. He pulled his hat off his head as soon as he saw the ladies at the table.
“Sorry for intruding, Mr. Ryan, but a telegram came.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. “It’s important.”
“Thanks very much, Timothy.”
Lucas held his hand out, but the boy shook his head. “Beggin’ your pardon, but it’s for Mr. Verrick over there.”
Verrick was already up and moving. He nudged Lucas to one side and flipped the boy a whole dollar as he snatched the telegram out of his hand.
While he was reading, Cora cleared her throat. “Would you like some cake, Timothy?”
The boy’s face lit up. “Yes, miss! Thank you!”
He pushed his way inside, and Lucas stepped out of the way to let the boy have his spot at the table. Cora was happy to be able to cut him a large slice and watch him enthusiastically dig into it.
Nice to see someone appreciate my efforts.
That thought led back to Verrick of course, and she sought him out once more.
Look! she wanted to say. Look! Timothy is eating my cake, and he isn’t dead. He likes it!
But she didn’t, especially not when she saw him. The telegram was dangling from the fingers of Verrick’s left hand, and his right hand was wrapped white-knuckled around the grip of his larger revolver…and he was frozen, just staring at her. His expression was stoic, as always, but his eyes appeared…stricken.
Before she could ask him what was wrong, his gaze flashed to Lucas, then Shannon. He was worried, that was obvious. But why?
“Verrick?” she asked hesitantly.
“Dinner was good. Thank you.”
When Shannon looked up, startled, and met his eyes, Verrick nodded once.
“Thank you for making me feel welcome. I have to go.”
After a shocked moment, Shannon’s laughter seemed forced. “Goodness! That sounds ominous. You’ll be back by next Sunday, I assume?”
“No.”
Shannon’s laughter died, and she joined the rest of them in staring at Verrick in confusion.
“I…” He crumpled the telegram in his fist. “I’ve enjoyed being part of your family. Thank you.”
He nodded once more to Shannon, then shifted to face Lucas. The look the men exchanged was guarded, mysterious. Cora’s own hands clenched into fists, hating that she didn’t understand what was going on.
After a long moment, Lucas nodded to his father. Verrick returned the gesture, then reached for the door. At the last moment, he turned around and met Cora’s eyes. Whatever message was in them, she couldn’t read it.
Then he grabbed his coat and was gone.
Shannon let out a huff of surprise. “He’s coming back, isn’t he?”
Cora exchanged a look with Lucas over Timothy’s head. Lucas’s eyes were full of pity. Pity Cora didn’t want or need.
She drew herself up to her full height, stuck out her chin, and said, “No, I don’t think he is.”
But she wasn’t about to let him go.
He hated feeling…scared.
He hated feeling in general, although if he was honest with himself, hate in itself was a kind of feeling, and strong emotion of any sort was dangerous—
Focus.
Verrick forced himself to breathe deeply, to slow his race towards the stable and his horse.
Calm. Focus. Detach.
It was the mantra he’d lived by for years, one that had served him well. An emotional mind was a dangerous one, allowing room for mistakes and illogical decisions. He was logical. He would not allow emotions to interfere with his movements, his plans.
Stopping in the center of the yard, he inhaled sharply through his nostrils, forcing the panic out through parted lips as he exhaled. His heart rate slowed, his tension eased.
There. I can conquer fear the same way I conquer other emotions.
It was really quite easy, all things considered, and it confused him why other men didn’t employ the
same methods. He’d spent a lifetime observing, and had concluded many men didn’t mind feeling emotions. Many of them embraced the wildness, the unpredictability of feelings, and seemed to base their lives around it.
A conundrum he’d spent many years examining.
For Verrick, emotions were something which happened to other men…right up until he received that telegram from Lucas Ryan. From his son, asking for help. He’d promised the boy’s mother he would always be there to help Lucas, and he was a man of his word. He’d left his employment—returned the hefty sum he’d been paid to act as a bodyguard out in San Francisco—and arrived at Sunset Valley as fast as he could.
And ever since then, he’d been feeling quite a bit more than he was comfortable with.
“Verrick!”
Her voice called to him from the house, and he closed his eyes briefly. He’d been afraid she might chase after him, and had told himself that’s why he was moving so quickly, rather than the fear.
It was a lie.
“Miss Cora.” He made himself stop, nod politely to her, when he wanted to be saddling his horse already. “What do you want?”
Maybe his words were harsh, but he didn’t think anyone less observant would’ve seen her slight wince.
“Where are you going?” She was panting from chasing him.
“Away.”
“Are you coming back?”
He hesitated, not liking the panic in her eyes, and not liking that he cared. Then, forcing himself to be honest, to be brutal, he said, “No. I bring danger to this place.”
