by Connie Mason
Suddenly Chad noticed a tiny drop of oatmeal clinging to the corner of Sarah’s mouth and he leaned close. His glittering gaze held her immobile as he flicked out his tongue and lapped the oatmeal from her lips. A groan slipped past his throat. She tasted delicious and that one taste wasn’t enough. Leaning closer, his lips covered hers. He felt Sarah stiffen when his tongue delved deep, devouring her with shameless satisfaction.
Chad wanted to pull her against him, to mold the length of her warm body to his, but feared he’d hurt her. He had to satisfy himself with cupping her breasts in his large hands and rolling her nipples between his fingers.
He heard her whimper of protest and wondered if any man had touched her since Abner’s conception. He could tell she enjoyed his touch, and he felt something powerful and erotic jolt through him at the thought He began to gently massage her breasts, savoring their softness.
He felt Sarah stiffen and pull away from him. “No! Stop! I can’t do this.”
Chad’s jaw hardened. “You should have told that to Abner’s father.”
Sarah looked as if she’d been struck and Chad felt a brief stab of remorse. She rose awkwardly to her feet and shrugged him away when he offered to help. Unable to use her arms, she lost her balance. Chad saw what was happening and swept her into his arms scant moments before she toppled over. He held her against him, barely able to contain his amusement.
“Where do you wish to go?” Chad asked.
“The parlor will do,” Sarah said, “but I can walk. There’s nothing wrong with my legs.”
The corners of Chad’s mouth tilted upward into a wolfish grin. “Damn right there isn’t. Your legs are damn near perfect.”
“You’re incorrigible, Chad Delaney,” Sarah said, glaring at him.
“Guilty,” Chad agreed. He lowered his head as if to kiss her again.
Sarah stiffened in his arms. “Don’t do that!”
Chad remembered the blood-pounding desire he had felt when he’d kissed her, the way she had returned the kiss for those brief few moments, and he wanted to feel her mouth soften beneath his again. His lips hovered inches from hers as he stared into her compelling violet eyes, stunned by the turbulent emotions he saw stirring deep within them.
Suddenly the front door was flung open. It hit the wall with an explosive bang.
“Harlot! Thank the merciful Lord we’re here in time to prevent you from sinning again. You have been seduced by the devil. He forces you to fornicate with any man with coin to pay for your services. You are doomed, I say!” the reverend intoned loudly. “Doomed to everlasting hell.”
“Father! Mother!” Sarah shuddered.
“So, the rumors are true,” Hezekiah charged, eyeing Chad with righteous indignation. “You are living in sin with this man. Repent now or suffer the fires of hell.”
Chad set Sarah carefully on her feet, his temper dangling by a slim thread. “You have a poor opinion of your daughter, Reverend.”
“I have but one daughter, her name is Ruth,” Hezekiah intoned. “Ruth is a fine, God-fearing woman.”
Chad’s unrelenting gaze bored in on Sarah’s mother. “Have you come to help Sarah, Mrs. Temple?”
“I wish to bring a sinner back to God,” Hazel said, glancing submissively at her husband. “I pray for Sarah’s soul every day.”
“Wouldn’t you like to see your grandson?” Chad asked.
“Chad, please,” Sarah begged.
“No, Sarah, I’d like to know what your sanctimonious parents think about their grandson. Abner is a fine boy; they should be proud of him.”
“The boy is a whore’s get,” Hezekiah claimed in a holier-than-thou voice. “He is nothing to us. Isn’t that right, Hazel?”
A fleeting look of remorse crossed Hazel’s face, but it was so brief Chad thought he must have imagined it “Yes, Hezekiah, you’re absolutely right The boy is nothing to us.”
A strangled sob escaped from Sarah’s throat “Say whatever you want about me, Father, but please leave Abner alone. He’s an innocent child and doesn’t deserve your scorn. If you opened your heart to him you’d…”
“I did not come here to talk about your bastard,” Hezekiah said, his thin chest puffed out with self-righteous fury. “I’ve come to redeem a sinner. To turn her away from the devil. But I see now that Sarah does not seek redemption.
“Sarah is an embarrassment to my family and must be punished. Fornicating openly, without shame or remorse, is evil.”
“Father! I’m not what you think. You must believe me.”
Hezekiah snorted in derision. “Do you even know who fathered your child? How many men had you lain with before conceiving the devil’s spawn? And don’t think for a minute that I believe your story about being forced. Even as a child you were disobedient, unruly, and a liar, nothing like your sweet sister.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Father. I’ve been truthful with you but you refuse to believe me.” Her chin raised fractionally. “I no longer care what you think. Nor will I allow you to hurt my son. You cannot make me leave Carbon. I have no other place to go.”
Chad’s hands clenched at his sides. He wanted to toss the preacher out on his ear so badly he had to exert tremendous restraint to keep from doing so. He moved closer to Sarah, unconsciously lending support.
“You leave me with no choice,” Hezekiah thundered as he pointed a bony finger at Sarah. “On your knees, sinner! It is my duty to beat the evil-ness out of you.”
He turned to Chad as he removed a leather strap from somewhere beneath his rusty black coat. “I suggest you leave, sir. I strongly advise that in the future you curb your lust Consorting with whores will lead you to perdition.”
Chad eyed the length of leather in the reverend’s hands and snarled in outrage. “And I strongly advise that you leave this house and not return. If you raise that strap to your daughter, you’re placing your life in serious jeopardy.”
Sarah refused to cringe beneath her father’s hurtful words. In her heart she knew she’d done nothing of which to be ashamed. What really distressed her was the fact that Chad had to hear all this. This was the first time her father had turned up on her doorstep since he’d disowned her, and she prayed it would be the last.
She stared with awe at Chad. No one had ever defended her before. She had managed on her own before Chad Delaney walked into her life and she could do so again.
“I can defend myself, Chad. Father beat me once but I won’t allow it to happen again.”
Her words had no effect on Chad, and in fact, Sarah had no idea whether Chad had even heard her, so intent was he on the reverend.
“Your daughter has suffered enough for her mistake, Reverend, and paid a hefty price. Leave her alone, she’s not bothering you.”
The leather strap wavered in Hezekiah’s hands. “Sarah’s presence in town upsets my family. She knew what she was doing when she first sinned with a man. You do not know her evil nature, sir. Be off with you and leave (he sinner to me.”
He took a menacing step toward Sarah, but Chad deliberately blocked his path. “Are you going to leave or must I throw you out?”
Hazel pulled on her husband’s arm. “He means what he says, Hezekiah. Perhaps we should leave and return at another time. He will tire of Sarah soon and leave town. His kind never sticks around long. They flit indiscriminately from whore to whore.”
Sarah made a strangled sound in the back of her throat. To be called a whore by her own mother deeply saddened her. She knew her mother was completely dominated by her over-zealous father but she’d harbored a slim hope that her mother would relent one day. That hope was now shattered, just as quickly as her life had been ruined by a man. Fortunately Chad intervened before Sarah broke down completely and made a fool of herself.
“Listen to your wife, Reverend,” Chad advised.
“Leave now while you still have two good legs to carry you.”
“Are you threatening me, sir?”
“You’re damn right I am!
Get out, get out now.”
Hezekiah sent a threatening glance at Sarah, then grasped his wife’s elbow and headed for the door. “Very well. I cannot abide the stench of corruption,” he said, directing his words to both Sarah and Chad.
“And I cannot abide a sanctimonious sermonizer who sees only black and white. Good day, Reverend.”
Hezekiah dragged Hazel out the door as if the devil was nipping at his heels. He did not look back as he marched away, his body rigid with outrage.
Sarah watched her parents leave, her eyes awash with tears. She thought they had broken her heart years ago, but that was nothing compared to what she now suffered. How could they be so unfeeling toward their own daughter, so unforgiving? A preacher’s duty was to save sinners. Not that she had sinned, for she had been sinned against, and was paying dearly for it As a result, her trustful nature had been seriously impaired and her innocence lost forever. Fresh tears flowed down her cheeks in silent mourning as she turned her face away from Chad.
Chad cursed beneath his breath. He’d known heartless people before but the Temples topped the list. He glanced at Sarah, saw her tears, and felt something inside him give. He marveled at the fact that he cared so much. He thought he’d lost that ability long ago. Women were devious creatures; he didn’t want to feel anything for them. Sarah had a son but no husband. The townspeople called her a whore. Her own parents had disowned her. Who and what was the real Sarah? he wondered.
Despite his grave misgivings, Chad reached for her, moved by the perplexing urge to offer comfort Carefully he brought her into his arms and lifted her face to his.
“Don’t cry. They’re not worth it.”
“It’s not just them,” Sarah admitted. “It’s everything. This town, the people, the difficulty of putting food on the table. I’d take Abner far away if I could, but I can barely feed us let alone find the money to settle in another town. I’m not a whore, no matter what you’ve heard. Granted I’m an unwed mother, but that doesn’t make me a bad person.”
Raw emotion surged through Chad, primitive and undeniable; an emotion he’d never expected to genuinely experience.
“I don’t know what happened, Sarah, and I don’t really care. I do know that your parents have no business treating you like an outcast Everyone makes mistakes; no one is perfect. I’d say you’ve paid dearly for your mistake.”
Sarah blinked away her tears. Despite the small spark of compassion Chad displayed upon occasion, there was an aloofness about him, a dangerous, unreadable temperament that made him hard to understand. He confused her, and she found that unsettling. Then all thought vanished as Chad’s mouth claimed hers.
Chad tasted the sweetness of Sarah’s mouth and groaned. Reason bid him stop. Inexplicable need urged him on. He wanted Sarah Temple. Not just sexually; he wanted to protect her and Abner from the people of this town. From her own parents. What had started as an unaccountable need to comfort Sarah had grown all out of proportion. He’d never felt this way before, never thought he was capable of giving solace. Not only that; he wanted to give her more pleasure man any man before him had.
Sarah whimpered as he pressed her closer.
“Don’t,” she said, dragging her mouth away from his.
Painfully aroused, Chad was barely able to think beyond the pressing need between his legs. “I want you, Sarah,” he muttered against her throat as his lips teased the wildly beating pulse there. “Let me comfort you. I won’t get you pregnant, if that’s what you’re worried about. I know how to prevent it”
His words were like a dash of cold water. “Let me go.” Her voice was deadly serious.
Chad’s arms dropped away and he stared at her in consternation. There was nothing wrong with two lonely people wanting each other, was there? He searched her face. What he saw shocked him. There was a wounded look to her eyes and mouth. He had somehow hurt her and for the life of him he couldn’t think what he had done.
“What’s wrong? What have I done?”
Chad’s words shamed Sarah. She’d tried so hard to live a respectable life despite the town’s groundless condemnation. Then Chad Delaney had marched into her life and made her feel things that frightened her. She disliked men intensely. Yet something about Chad made her think sweet, romantic thoughts instead of dark sin and pain. His kisses evoked irresistible pleasure. Nothing had prepared her for the shattering effects of desire. It puzzled, humiliated, and terrified her. For a brief moment, though, she had reveled in the unique taste and scent of him.
The pressure of his body against hers had felt good and right despite knowing it was wrong. But it was Chad’s careless words that had brought her to her senses. He considered her a whore, like everyone else in this town. Would Chad believe her if she told him she’d been raped? Would he pass judgment and call her a liar and a sinner?
“I repeat, Mr. Delaney, I am not for sale. The One-Eyed Jack Saloon has a variety of women who I’m sure would suit your needs.”
Chad’s eyes narrowed with contempt “Are you holding out for a better price? I should have known. Women are all alike. All they do is take. I finished giving a long time ago, Miss Temple.”
“I never asked you for a thing, Mr. Delaney. Your opinion of women is appalling. Experience has taught me that men can’t be trusted. What soured you on women, Mr. Delaney?”
“What soured you on men?” Chad shot back.
Sarah gave a harsh laugh. “Need you ask? Look at me. Look at my circumstances. My own parents despise me, and do you know why?” Chad opened his mouth to speak but Sarah forestalled him. “I’ll tell you why. Because I believed a man’s sweet talk I was a trusting, naive child who fancied herself in love. And then…” Her words fell off and she looked away.
“So you fell for some man and he got you pregnant. I’m surprised your parents didn’t make him marry you.”
“That’s not exactly how it happened,” she said bitterly, “but close enough. My parents refused to believe the truth and disowned me when I told them I was pregnant”
“What is the truth?”
Sarah stared at him. “The truth, Mr. Delaney, is that you’re like every other man I’ve ever known.”
They were still glaring at one another when Abner rushed into the house, nearly bursting with excitement.
“Mama, Mrs. Barlow is having her baby. Doctor Clayter is there now.”
Chad looked at Abner in disbelief. How could this be happening to him? He thought he’d solved the problem of Sarah’s care and now he faced a new dilemma. With a new baby added to her other responsibilities, Carrie Barlow would not be able to help Sarah or care for Abner. Now what? Chad wondered. How in the hell did he get himself into these messes?
“Isn’t it exciting, Mama?” Abner enthused. “Doctor Clayter sent me home and said he’d be over as soon as he’s through at the Barlow house. Can I go out and play, Mama? I like Danny Barlow, he doesn’t call me names.”
“Go out and play,” Chad said, answering for Sarah. “And stay out of trouble.”
Chad could not imagine a worse scenario. He had no clue where to find Freddie Jackson. He had arrived in Carbon looking for an outlaw and had unwittingly inherited responsibilities he couldn’t seem to escape from. His entire life was going to hell in a handbasket. At one time life had been damn near perfect He had his brothers, his ranch, money, and all the women he wanted. Now he was a moderately successful bounty hunter saddled with a woman and child he couldn’t wait to get rid of. His pockets were nearly empty and the man he was hunting was still at large. What else could go wrong?
“I’m going over to the Barlows to see if I can help,” Sarah said, heading out the door.
Chad’s gaze settled on her bandaged arms, and he raised one eyebrow in surprise. “How do you propose to do that?”
“Carrie and I have never been close but she’s always been kind to me. The least I can do is lend moral support”
She swept out the door and Chad felt obliged to follow. The Barlow shack wasn’t far.
Chad rapped on the door when Sarah stared at her useless hands and stuck her foot forward to tap the door. A large man on crutches answered.
“I’m Sarah Temple,” Sarah said. “I’ve come to lend whatever support I can for Carrie. Is the doctor in with her?”
“Come in. I’m Charlie, Carrie’s husband. I don’t believe we’ve met.” His gaze swung to Chad.
When Sarah offered no introduction, Chad jumped into the void. “I’m Chad Delaney, a friend of Sarah’s.”
“Friend, indeed,” Sarah mumbled beneath her breath as she walked into the tiny parlor. Just then Doctor Clayter came out of the bedroom, wiping his hands.
“You have a fine son, Charlie. The baby arrived a bit early and is rather small, but he’ll be fine. You can go on in and see Carrie and your son now if you’d like. But first, a word of advice. Let Carrie rest a year or two before putting another babe in her belly. She’s had too many children in too short a time. This one is healthy but I can’t guarantee the next one will be if you don’t give her time to recover fully.”
Charlie had the grace to flush. “I’ll be careful, Doc. We don’t need any more mouths to feed. By the way, when can I get this cast off my leg? I need to get back to work to support my family.”
“I’ll come out early next week to remove it Meanwhile, see that Carrie stays in bed for a few days. You can manage that long without her, can’t you?”
“Sure, Doc,” Charlie conceded. “I’ll see that you get paid, too. Just as soon as I get back on my feet again.”
Chad said nothing as Charlie disappeared into the bedroom, but he couldn’t help thinking how privileged he’d been compared to the kind of poverty the Barlows and Sarah experienced on a daily basis. The Delaney ranch was a prosperous business that supported all three brothers rather well. Some years were leaner than others but there had always been money for the little extras that made life enjoyable.
