Blue started growling, and in seconds, Spirit had come to his side and joined him. The puppies thought their mother was sensing danger and started yapping, adding to the earsplitting cacophony in the room. The sound was deafening.
“Shhh, Blue,” Lily said in an effort to quiet all the animals.
Evelyn glanced at the vicious-looking animals and moved closer to Thorpe’s side. “Oh, Thorpe, I had to see you,” she said in a low, sultry voice. Evelyn looked around at the strangers in the room. “Who are all of these people?” She glanced at the pastor who was supposed to marry them when she skipped out on the wedding. She pointed a finger at him. “And what is he doing here?” Her gaze landed on the blonde woman standing nearby holding the coffeepot, and instantly she curled her lip in disapproval. She looked at the cake in Thorpe’s hand before she eyed the woman again. “Is that a wedding cake? Did someone marry?” Surely Thorpe did not marry that woman.
Stone was the only one that seemed to maintain calm. “We are celebrating, ma’am.” He saw no reason to reveal more information.
Thorpe finally got his thoughts in order. He glanced at Lily to gauge her reaction to Evelyn, and her face registered the surprise he felt. She was holding on to Blue’s fur as if she feared he might attack. His eyes snapped back to Evelyn. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in England?”
So this was the woman that left him at the altar, Lily thought. She was lovely in her expensive velvet cape with a fur hood and a matching fur muff. Just as she imagined, Thorpe’s ex-fiancée was a very beautiful woman in her expensive clothing. It was easy to see why Thorpe hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind.
“Thorpe, I need to speak to you in private,” Evelyn said.
“Evelyn, you are interrupting our party,” Thorpe told her curtly.
She placed her hand on his chest and leaned close. “Thorpe, honey, I know I’ve hurt you, but it was exactly as you suspected. Please, can’t we talk in private?” she whispered. “I’m sure you don’t want everyone to hear what I have to tell you.”
Thorpe was curious about her statement, and knowing Evelyn as well as he did, he was certain she wouldn’t leave until she accomplished her mission.
“We’ll go to the kitchen,” Lily said.
Everyone took their cake and coffee and headed to the kitchen. Spirit and the puppies followed Lily and Blue.
“That is Evelyn Tremayne,” the pastor said as soon as they were seated at the table.
“Is that the woman Mr. Thorpe was going to marry?” Jed asked.
“Yes.”
“He certainly seemed surprised to see her,” Stone said.
“I know he is.” The pastor didn’t think it was his place to discuss Thorpe’s business, so he redirected the conversation and asked the newlywed couple about their plans.
* * *
“What do you want, Evelyn?” Thorpe said when they were alone in the parlor.
She turned her dark eyes on him. “Could we sit down?”
Thorpe pointed to a chair for her, but she sat on the settee. Thorpe placed his plate of cake on the table and walked to a sideboard across the room and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. He poured a generous amount in a glass and took a healthy swallow before he walked back to stand in front of her. “Well?”
She reached for his hand. “Please sit beside me.”
Thorpe sat down, but kept some space between them. “Evelyn, what do you want?” He was growing impatient.
Evelyn pulled a handkerchief from her reticule and dabbed at her eyes. “Oh, Thorpe, I don’t know where to begin.”
“Just say whatever you came to say.”
She inched closer to him and placed her hand on his thigh. “When you came to Kansas City, I was afraid for you. You see, Ainsworth threatened your life.”
Thorpe thought he did see tears in her eyes. He set his glass on the side table and grasped her shoulders. “What do you mean?”
She stared into his eyes. “He . . . he did force himself on me.” She nearly climbed into his lap and dropped her head on his shoulder. “Oh, Thorpe, I didn’t know how to tell you. I was so afraid he would kill you.”
He wasn’t certain he believed her. “You sounded pretty convincing when you told me you wanted to go to England and be the wife of an aristocrat.”
“I had to make you believe me. He said if you followed us he’d have you killed. I couldn’t let him do that. I knew he would follow through on his threat. He knew how much I loved you.”
“When did he force you?”
“Right after he came to the ranch,” she whispered. “He came to my room in the night and I didn’t know . . . until he . . . well, he was in bed with me and had me pinned.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then? Why didn’t you go to the sheriff?”
“I didn’t know what to do. He knew about you and he threatened your life. I knew you would confront him. I was so scared for you. I couldn’t let anyone know or I would have been scorned. I couldn’t do that to you or Father.”
“Why didn’t you tell your father? He would have shot him on the spot.”
“Can’t you understand he threatened me? Why don’t you see what I was going through? You never had anyone force you to do anything!”
Thorpe was furious. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I guess back in England by now.”
“When did you have your baby? Did he take your baby?”
“No, there is no baby. He shoved me down the stairs at the hotel when he found out you were there.” She sobbed into her handkerchief. “I lost the baby and I came close to dying. Father traveled to Kansas City so I wouldn’t have to travel alone.”
Thorpe moved away from her and jumped to his feet. He stalked around the room, stopping only to pick up his glass and down the contents. What kind of man would shove a woman down a staircase? He couldn’t travel to England to kill him. What was he supposed to do?
Evelyn walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and placed her cheek on his back. “I came as soon as I could to tell you what happened. You have to know I wouldn’t have left you at the church without cause. He told me he would kill you if I didn’t leave with him.”
Thorpe turned around and she held on to him. She’d removed her cloak, and he noticed she was wearing a deep blue dress that flattered her curvaceous figure. Unless he’d seen for himself that she was pregnant, he would have never known. She was more voluptuous now, a very enticing package to any man.
“Thorpe, I’m so sorry. I just didn’t know what to do. I’ve never stopped loving you.”
Thorpe was a man who always knew what to do, made decisions, and followed through. But right now, he didn’t know what he was going to do about anything.
“Please hold me, Thorpe. I’ve missed you so,” Evelyn said softly.
She sounded so sincere that Thorpe couldn’t help himself from trying to console her. He wrapped his arms around her. “Shhh . . . we’ll figure all of this out.” His thoughts went back to that night in this very room when she’d undressed for him. It was the night when he lost his head and took her to his bed. He couldn’t think about that night. He needed some time alone to think. “How did you get here?”
“I had our foreman drop me off. I knew you would take me home.” She pulled back and looked up at him. “Or I could stay the night with you. That’s what I want to do, Thorpe. I want to show you how much I love you. I’ve missed you so much.”
Her offer surprised him almost as much as her account of what had happened with Ainsworth. “I have a houseful of guests.” He pulled away from her. “I’ll go tell them I’m taking you home. I’ll just be a minute.” He glanced at the plate of uneaten cake. Lily had gone to so much trouble to make that cake, and his first bite was delicious, but he’d lost his appetite. He walked to the kitchen without enthusiasm. He’d been so happy just a few minutes earlier, celebrating with his friends. Now he had no idea what he felt, but it wasn’t joy.
Everyone was sit
ting at the table drinking coffee when Thorpe entered. He glanced at Lily and said, “Sorry for the interruption. I’m going to have to take Evelyn home. Their ranch foreman dropped her off so she has no way back.”
The pastor stood. “Thorpe, I was getting ready to leave and I can drop her at the ranch.”
Thorpe liked the sound of that. “Are you sure you need to leave? I’m not rushing you.”
“I told the missus I would be back in a few hours.”
“I appreciate it. I have a lot of work left to do today,” Thorpe said. “I’ll go tell Evelyn.”
Everyone walked to the front door with the pastor and Lily noticed Thorpe placing Evelyn’s cloak over her shoulders. Evelyn turned and kissed Thorpe on the mouth again, and whispered something to him that Lily could not hear. She did hear Thorpe say, “I told you we’d work this out.”
Thorpe walked out the door with the pastor and Evelyn, and after they rode away, he walked to the stable. He needed to go to work and try to think things through.
“Well, that was a surprise,” Isabelle said.
“I can’t say Thorpe looked too happy about her sudden appearance,” Stone added, stealing a glance at Lily.
Lily didn’t think he looked unhappy, especially when Evelyn threw herself at him.
Jed excused himself saying he was going back to work, and Lily was left alone with Stone and Isabelle. She thought she would give them some privacy so she went to her room to change her clothing. She needed to go for a ride.
Lily and Blue entered the stable and she pulled Blaze and Daisy from their stall to brush them down. She heard some voices at the other end of the stable, but she thought it was Jed talking to the horses. Once she finished brushing both animals, she saddled Blaze. “Yes, you get to come with us,” she said to Daisy. She knew the mule would pout if she didn’t get to go outside with them.
“You spoil that mule rotten,” Thorpe said from behind her. He’d been listening to her talk to them the entire time she brushed them down.
Lily didn’t turn around. “She’s worth it.” She mounted Blaze and headed out of the stable with Daisy and Blue trotting along beside them.
Thorpe had already saddled Smoke and he galloped up beside her. “You going for a ride?”
“Yes. I thought I’d give Stone and Isabelle some time alone.”
“It was a nice wedding.” Until Evelyn showed up, he thought. Evelyn surfacing like she did after all of these months threw him for a loop. He didn’t know what to think about her story, but he thought she was telling him the truth. Why would she make it up? He figured a woman who had been through such an ordeal would have been scared to death. Even though it was difficult for him to understand, it was possible she was too afraid to tell him about Ainsworth.
But then his mind centered on Lily and everything she’d been through. Lily fought her own battles. He remembered that shot she’d made when that killer was holding Isabelle. Lily would have taken care of Ainsworth herself. But Evelyn wasn’t like Lily; she’d always had her father to come to her defense. She’d never been forced to protect herself. When he’d asked her to marry him, she looked to him to take care of her. If he could take time from the ranch he would go to England and settle the account with Ainsworth for what he’d done.
“I think Stone and Isabelle will be very happy,” Lily said, pulling Thorpe from his deliberations.
“My mother and father had a sound marriage. My father never got over her death.”
Lily was surprised that he’d shared that part of his life with her. She wondered if he was thinking he might be happy married to his ex-fiancée. From Evelyn’s behavior when she walked in the door, it was obvious she wanted to resume their relationship no matter what had passed between them. But she wasn’t going to bring up Evelyn if he wasn’t. “My parents were happy together, too. As difficult as it was for me at the time, I thought it fitting they died together.”
Thorpe appreciated how alone Lily must have felt losing her parents. It took an unusual woman to recognize that her parents would have preferred death together than continuing life without each other. More than ever he understood why she was determined to find her grandfather. She appreciated the importance of family.
“I think that was one of the reasons my grandfather left. He didn’t know what to do with himself once my grandmother died. Finding his brother gave him a purpose, much like Jed. Jed told you he was a blacksmith, but what he didn’t tell you was someone wanted his business, and basically the man took it from him. Jed had lived in that small town his whole life and he felt betrayed by the people. No one spoke up for him. He didn’t have power or family. He was on his own. Finding his brother turned into his purpose.”
Thorpe slowed his horse. “Did he tell you that?” Hearing what happened gave him a better understanding about Jed’s comments earlier in the day.
“We talked about a lot of different things when we had watch together late at night. At first, Jed didn’t say much, but we became friends, and he began to open up about what happened to him.”
Thorpe told her about his conversation with Jed when he told him about the opportunity in town. “Surely he has to know I wouldn’t let anyone take his business from him.”
“People have disappointed him before. Maybe he’s afraid it would happen again. I think he’s hoping his brother is ready to leave the military and they can do something together. It makes all the difference to have family with you.”
Lily was wise beyond her years. Thorpe had made a new family on his ranch with his foreman and workers. Not only did he consider them friends, they were his family. They all worked toward a common goal, and that was one of the reasons he offered houses to the men who married and had children. He wanted them to know they were his family. “I didn’t know my foreman, Curtis, until I hired him to help me drive cattle here from Texas. He’s been with me all this time, and the rest of my men have worked for me nearly as long. They became my family.”
Lily remembered the first night they’d discussed what Christmas was like at Dove Creek. She’d thought he must get lonely, but now she saw he had many wonderful people in his life.
Thorpe reined in at one of the most scenic spots on the ranch. He wanted to tell Lily about the situation with Evelyn, but he hadn’t figured out how to go about it. It was important to him to give her an explanation. “Let’s give the animals a breather.” He jumped off Smoke and lifted Lily off Blaze’s back. Instead of releasing her, he pulled her closer. “Lily . . .” Gazing into her eyes, his only thought was how much he wanted to kiss her again, but he didn’t want to be refused. She was looking up at him with those large blue eyes, and he didn’t care if she turned him away; he had to try. When their lips met, he half expected her to push him away like she did the last time, and when she didn’t, he took command and kissed her with unrestrained desire. Only when he realized he might not be able to stop with a kiss, he pulled away. He didn’t go far; his lips found her neck and he planted kisses leading to her ear. He was perplexed by his reaction to her. For the life of him, he couldn’t keep from putting his hands on her. “Lily . . . I want you.”
Lily could barely collect her thoughts. Just a short time ago another woman had been kissing him, and here she was ready to give him anything he asked for. “Thorpe, what are you doing?”
Her question brought him up short. What was he doing? He wanted Lily more than he’d ever wanted another woman. Yet he knew he couldn’t have her. Even if he was willing to think about marriage, Evelyn coming back in his life changed everything. He’d taken Evelyn to his bed and he couldn’t forget that.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Thorpe closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “I don’t know what I’m doing. When I get close to you, all I want is you. I can’t keep from putting my hands on you.” He cupped her face in his hands. “I want more. I want all of you.”
“Aren’t you forgetting about the woman you were kissing earlier
?” She didn’t intend to ask that question, but she wasn’t sorry she did. She was jealous, and she’d never in her life felt that emotion. And when he kissed her, she thought about pulling away, but she couldn’t, or wouldn’t. Deep down, she wanted to know whose kisses he preferred.
If only he could put Evelyn out of his mind permanently. “She kissed me, and anyway, you kissed Anderson,” he countered. He hated that he sounded like a jealous fool, but he couldn’t help himself.
“He kissed me,” she retorted. “I don’t see Captain Anderson here, and I told you we were friends.”
“Lily, I never thought I would see Evelyn again.”
“It looks like she has other plans.”
Thorpe began to tell her everything Evelyn had told him. It didn’t surprise him to see Lily’s eyes welling with tears. “The poor woman. I can’t believe that man did those things. Why didn’t she report him to the sheriff?”
“I asked the same thing and she said she was afraid.” Thorpe was quiet for several minutes before he said. “I don’t know what it means, but I still want you. It doesn’t change that fact.”
She looked up at him and said what she thought. “You’re attracted to me. That’s all.”
Thorpe shook his head at her comment. “Any man in his right mind would want a beautiful woman like you. And I do want you.” He wasn’t sure what he was saying to her. He just wanted her to know . . . what? He was conflicted. While he wanted Lily, he felt an obligation to Evelyn. He couldn’t be like Ethan Horn and use a woman and throw her away. Evelyn had been through so much that he couldn’t in good conscience walk away from her.
Lily wanted Thorpe, but it was a lifelong kind of wanting. She knew it wasn’t going to happen. She couldn’t compete with a woman like Evelyn. “You want me in your bed.” Her words were blunt, yet she thought when he said he wanted all of her, he meant more than just kissing.
He wasn’t going to lie about that. “Yes, I do.”
“I think you have some unresolved issues that you need to work out with Evelyn.”
As much as he didn’t want to agree with her, he had to face up to his responsibilities. “Yeah.”
Christmas at Dove Creek Page 26
