Whirlwind Reunion

by Debra Cowan

  All the way back to Whirlwind, she studied him. He had stopped before going too far physically. He had asked for her help and had actually respected her opinion.

  Annalise had to admit he wasn’t the same man who had hurt her all those years ago. This new man reached places inside her that the old one never had, and she wanted to think he was changed enough not to make the same mistakes, but she just didn’t know.

  Matt sensed that asking Annalise for help with the hoofprints had changed something between them, in a good way. On the drive back to Whirlwind, she had studied him with open curiosity, as if she saw something she hadn’t seen before. Until now, she hadn’t seemed any closer to reconciling with him, but Matt thought she was ready to move things along.

  That was only one reason he wanted to be the first to arrive for the Founder’s Day festivities. Unfortunately, Pa had bent the wheel on his wheelchair and Matt had to hammer it out before they could leave the ranch.

  As a result, he was late to the Pearl Restaurant where the day would kick off with the tie-picking party. Most of the ties had already been chosen from the basket being guarded by May Haskell. Later in the day, the tables here would be moved to clear the pine floor for dancing, but before that there were horse races, games, a picnic and buggy races on the schedule. Matt had every intention of doing all of that with Annalise.

  He stopped in the doorway of the restaurant, searching the throng of people until he saw her. She stood across the room talking to Bram, Jake and Emma Ross. Her thick mahogany hair hung in a braid down the back of her blue-and-white calico dress. The garment molded to her high breasts and nipped in at her waist. Just looking at her put a kick in his blood.

  He made his way to the corner of the room, but the fabric matching her dress wasn’t in May’s basket. Finally, he caught a flash of the pattern over by the open door.

  Andrew Donnelly had it, and he was showing it to his friends, Creed Carter and Miguel Santos.

  Grinning, Matt started across the floor, joined along the way by Russ.

  “I was starting to think you weren’t going to make it before everyone paired off.”

  He explained to his brother what had delayed him, noting Russ already wore the matching string tie to Lydia’s red-white-and-black calico dress.

  The other man glanced at him. “You don’t have a tie.”

  “That’s where I’m headed right now.”

  “May’s over there.” Russ pointed to the opposite corner.

  “Yeah, and the tie matching Annalise’s dress is over here. I need to get it before the pairing-off starts.”

  He strode to the three boys with Russ behind him. Miguel and Creed went outside to talk to Zeke Keeler, but Matt stopped Andrew before he could do the same.

  “Hey, Andrew, why don’t you switch ties with me?”

  The husky boy shook his head, blue eyes sparkling. “I have the one I want. I’m spending the day with Dr. Annalise.”

  Over my dead body. “C’mon, what do you want for it? How about fifty cents?”

  Andrew’s gaze went to Annalise then sharpened on Matt. “You’re real sweet on her.”

  “Yeah.” Expecting the kid to ask for candy or maybe another fifty cents, he said, “So, name your price.”

  “Let’s start at ten dollars.”

  “Ten dollars!”

  His brother chuckled and Matt glared at him. “That’s robbery!”

  “You said name a starting place.”

  He threaded his hat brim through his fingers. As he considered handing over that much money, Jericho Blue walked up.

  The tall quiet-spoken man looked from the boy to the man. “What’s going on?”

  Grinning like a possum, Russ gestured toward Matt and Andrew. “Your brother-in-law is bartering with my brother.”

  “More like robbing me,” Matt muttered, then said to the boy, “Five dollars.”

  “I’m not going down from ten.”

  “This is supposed to be a negotiation, kid.”

  “It is. I’m negotiating up.”

  Russ and Jericho laughed.

  Matt hated being pulled over a barrel like this, but he really wanted that ribbon. “Well, ten dollars then.”

  “Is that all it’s worth to you?”

  What the hell? “I just met your price.”

  “You met my first price.”

  Miguel and Creed came back inside, watching with wide smiles from several feet away.

  Matt eyed the Donnelly boy, who was more shrewd than he would’ve guessed. “Jericho told me you’re planning to buy a horse.”

  Andrew’s blue eyes lit up, but his face gave away nothing. Matt couldn’t help but admire that. “I can help you choose one.”

  “I’ve got Jericho for that.”

  The murmurs of appreciation behind Matt aggravated him. “How much more money do you need in order to buy it?”

  “Just your ten dollars.”

  Other people were starting to take notice of the negotiation. Trying to be patient, Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. “Then why don’t we make a deal?”

  “Because I don’t have any tack.”

  Russ barked out a laugh.

  Matt threw Jericho a dark look. “What are you teaching this kid?”

  The former Ranger just grinned.

  “All right, everyone.” May clapped her hands, speaking loud enough to be heard above the noise of the crowd. “We’re ready to begin.”

  Matt shoved a hand through his hair. Confoundin’ kid. “I’ll pay for your horse’s first pair of shoes.”

  The boy thought for a minute. “I’ll also need a bridle and a saddle blanket.”

  It was on the tip of Matt’s tongue to tell the lad to get lost, but he wasn’t passing up this opportunity to spend the day with Annalise. “Okay,” he said grudgingly.

  “And a saddle.”

  Matt nearly cussed. “Are you kidding?”

  “One made by Jake.”

  Hell, no, he wasn’t kidding. The boy obviously knew quality because Jake Ross made the best tack in the state. Despite Andrew’s age, he wasn’t wet behind the ears.

  Well aware of his brother and friend laughing, Matt’s eyes narrowed. He pointed his hat at Andrew. “You know I could just take it?”

  “But you won’t, not in front of Dr. Annalise.”

  He scowled because the kid was right.

  “Matt, you’re holding us up,” Pearl called out.

  The men began to gather on one side of the room and the women on the other.

  Andrew waggled the ribbon. “Mrs. Haskell’s fixin’ to start pairing everyone off. What do you say?”

  Matt couldn’t help but admire how the boy had turned the situation to his advantage. He had no intention of letting Andrew know that though. “You’ve got a deal.”

  Stepping over to the kid, Matt counted out the money. “Talk to Jake about your saddle sometime today. I’ll tell him to send the bill to me.”

  “All right. Thanks!” Andrew gave Matt the string tie, grinning down at the money in his hand. With a sly look, he said, “I would’ve let you have it for just the bridle.”

  Matt bit back a smile. “I would’ve bought the horse for you, too.”

  “Shoot!”

  Matt laughed along with Russ and Jericho.

  The boy extended his hand. “I still think I got a pretty good deal.”

  “Better than good,” Matt agreed wryly. He shook Andrew’s hand, chuckling as the boy ran over to May and grabbed another tie from the basket.

  All eyes seemed to be on Matt as he took a place beside Russ and put on the tie.

  His brother clapped him on the shoulder. “I hope what you just paid is worth it.”

  “It is.” His gaze went to Annalise who was watching him with a little smile. A little smile that had him thinking about getting her alone.

  Feeling suddenly targeted, he dragged his attention from her and saw the other women were whispering and looking at him. Their intense scrutiny made him fee
l as if he was standing there in the altogether.

  He wasn’t crazy about the women knowing he’d paid to spend the day with the doctor, but he didn’t mind if the men did. It saved him staking a claim on Annalise to every man he saw today.

  Once they’d paired up, he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and they walked outside. The sun shone from a clear blue sky.

  Shading her eyes with a flat-brimmed straw hat, she looked up at him, green eyes dancing. “I can’t believe you bullied a boy into giving up the tie.”

  “Bullied? If anyone was bullied, it was me. That boy bargained better than a lot of men I know.”

  “You’re too good at negotiating for him to best you.”

  “Not today, but it was worth it to get what I wanted.”

  She flushed with pleasure. “You’ve always been good at getting that, too.”

  Yes, and he wasn’t stopping now.

  The morning passed quickly. Matt won a couple of the horse races. They rooted for Quentin in the horseshoe toss; he and Cora tied for the win. After watching the wheelbarrow race, Matt and Annalise participated in the sack race.

  They came in dead last because they fell once and Matt was content to lie there with Annalise on top of him. He was enjoying the feel of her soft curves until she smacked him on the arm and whispered that everyone was looking.

  Her cheeks stayed rosy with color until they joined their friends for the noon meal under a copse of trees on the northeast side of the church. Matt spread a blanket and they ate the potluck lunch provided by the ladies of town.

  Davis Lee and Josie sat down with baby Tannis and it wasn’t long before Riley and Susannah and Jake and Emma joined them. Davis Lee’s child was too small to do anything except sleep. Matt thought she already looked completely different though she still had a lot of hair.

  The Holt and Ross girls played together. The young girls, two and one respectively, were both blond, but Lorelai had blue eyes and Molly had green.

  At one point, Matt caught Annalise watching the new baby with sadness. He reached for her hand and she gave him a small smile. When the children began to fuss, the other couples took their leave.

  Annalise showed no sign of being ready to go so Matt leaned back against an oak tree, content to study her. The sun lent her skin a peachy glow and her eyes sparkled with vivid color. As his gaze lazily roamed over the curve of her lips, the stubborn slant of her jaw, heat prickled in his chest.

  She watched the people who milled about town. “I noticed Mr. Julius and Cosgrove are here.”

  “Yeah. Cosgrove paired up with Zoe Keeler. He probably wanted to be with Deborah Blue, but Bram managed to get the tie matching her skirt.”

  “Probably by doing what you did.” Annalise smiled. “I’m glad. He’s crazy about her.”

  Dragging his gaze from her chest, he said, “I went out to the Eight of Hearts yesterday and I did find evidence of a fire where you said, but all I could tell was it wasn’t fresh.”

  “So the remains could’ve been from the one I saw or a much older one.”

  He nodded.

  “Did you use the impression we made to compare with other cattle prints?”

  “Yes, and what I found was strange. The prints in the impression are uniform, all the same width and depth. There’s no way the stolen cattle left tracks that perfect. Some were calves, some bulls.”

  “And the animals’ weight varies too much for the prints to be the same. Some would be deeper or wider.”

  “Right.” Matt huffed out an exasperated breath. “It beats anything I’ve ever seen.”

  “You’ll figure it out,” she said confidently.

  “With your help.” He took her hand.

  She smiled, gently tugging from his hold to lean back on her elbows. She tipped her face to the sky, the leafy branches blocking the sun from her eyes. A slight breeze stirred the hem of her skirts. “It’s a beautiful day.”

  “Mm-hmm.” His gaze traveled over the elegant line of her throat, bared to him, making him want to press his lips there, then lower. Later, when they were alone.

  “Pa’s been talking about having surgery on his leg. Is that why he’s been coming to see you?”

  “What did he tell you?”

  She didn’t look at him, didn’t move, but Matt felt a sudden tension in her. “He hasn’t said much. Is it dangerous?”

  “There are risks, yes.”

  He noticed how carefully she answered and he felt a pinch of some emotion he couldn’t define. “We’re talking about some doctor going inside him. It could mess up his innards and who knows what. I want you to convince him not to do it.”

  “I can’t do that. I can only tell him the options and risks, Matt.” She looked at him then. “It might enable him to walk again.”

  “And it might not. It might kill him.”

  “True.”

  He sat up, resting his arms on his bent knees. “He listens to you. If you tell him it’s too dangerous, he won’t do it.”

  “Is that all he told you?” She sat up, too. “That he was thinking about having the surgery?”

  “Yes. He hasn’t mentioned it in a while. Russ and I are hoping he’s put it out of his mind.”

  She didn’t respond and Matt realized she hadn’t answered his questions or agreed to discourage J.T. from the operation. Maybe she didn’t want to talk about this when they were supposed to be having fun.

  He let it go for now. Later in the day, they competed in the buggy races and danced until well after dark, when Annalise told him she was ready to go. He was, too.

  Since their night together, he’d been trying to show her that she could depend on him, that he could be patient, and he thought she’d recognized that.

  He bypassed her front stoop in favor of the back door. He couldn’t kiss her the way he wanted if they were in plain sight. He gathered her to him, widening his stance so he could bring her right against him. Moonlight skimmed over her velvety skin, made her eyes dark and liquid.

  Brushing his lips across her forehead, he worked his way to her jaw, nuzzling her cheek with his. “Have a good time today?”

  “Yes, thank you,” she said softly.

  He settled his mouth over hers. She melted against him like hot wax, sending a scalding rush of desire through him.

  He wanted her. He had wanted her all damn day.

  Bracing his back against the wall, he bent his knees until her breasts were pressed tight to his chest, her stomach cushioning his erection. Even now at the end of the day, he caught a whiff of her primrose scent.

  He spread his hands on her back and held her to him as he set his teeth on her neck then grazed her ear.

  She sighed, pulling him to her for a kiss. Her hands were in his hair. She was his, all his.

  He dragged his hands to her waist, his thumbs feathering over her tight nipples. He wanted to take this inside, but what did she want?

  I love you. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but something held him back.

  She stared up at him, her fingers touching his mouth. “Stay with me tonight.”

  He hesitated. He wanted her until he ached, but he wanted all of her—mind, body and soul. Her heart. She had his.

  If he stayed, he would at least have her for a time. He knew she wouldn’t take him to her bed if she didn’t still love him, but she wasn’t ready to say the words. “Matt?”

  For now, this had to be enough. He closed the door behind them and followed her upstairs.

  They made love slowly and when she fell asleep against him afterwards, he stayed awake staring at the ripple of moonlight on the ceiling.

  An edge of frustration had gnawed at him all day and he’d thought it was because he wanted to get her alone, but now he knew the real reason. If she was any closer to trusting him, he couldn’t tell. They might be in this bed together naked, but she was still holding him at arm’s length.

  She wouldn’t let him in past a certain point and he wasn’t sure she ever would. />
  Chapter Twelve

  In the following ten days, Matt wondered more than once if Annalise would ever trust him again. Since the Founder’s Day celebration, they had been together as often as he could get to town. They were getting along well. Sometimes he stayed the night; sometimes he didn’t. But as far as he could tell, things weren’t any different now than they had been then.

  Each time he saw her, touched her, he looked for something in her face besides desire and fondness. He told himself to be patient every damn day, but his nerves were twitchy.

  If he didn’t get some space from her, he would start pressuring her and his gut said don’t. She would get as jittery as a spooked horse.

  A low, simmering frustration grew. She never came to him for anything except sex. While he had no complaints about that, he wanted her to discuss things with him or ask for his opinion or lean on him for support. The fact that she didn’t told him louder than words they hadn’t made any progress.

  Until now he hadn’t considered she might view this time together as a trial run, but perhaps she did.

  The situation between them wasn’t the only thing that had him setting his teeth. He was no closer to catching the rustlers and he still hadn’t been able to figure out why the hoofprints in the impression Annalise had made were so uniform. All of it buffaloed him.

  For the next several days, he was needed at the Triple B and while he had no intention of calling it quits with Annalise, he was glad he had to be elsewhere. Putting some distance between them would give him a second wind as well as clear his thoughts, and he needed both.

  She hadn’t said one thing about the future; it was only about now. If he didn’t take a break, Matt was afraid something stupid would come out of his mouth.

  Like the nonsensical thoughts that were running through his head. Last night, he’d considered proposing just to get a reaction out of her. That would’ve been a mistake.

  That evening, on their way back to her clinic after having supper with Russ and Lydia, Annalise had asked if he would mind stopping at the cemetery.

  As the sun sank into the horizon, they stood side by side, staring at the wooden marker she had placed next to her parents’ graves. Regret filled him, the same tearing regret he always felt over the loss of their child as well as the way he had misjudged Annalise.