Carrie moved her head back to look into his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
Simon chuckled and held his hands out in surrender. “Only what it sounds like. I love dogs. In fact, my love has been the downfall of my family.”
“Nonsense. Your parents’ deaths were an accident. Your grandmother has always been in good standing, and Beth is now a Jones. The whole of Missoula believes they are now her most intimate of friends.” Carrie plucked the biggest puppy from the box and snuggled her face into the fur. She tried not to giggle as the little creature licked her face. She pulled her head away from the excited pup, placed him in the box, and faced Simon. “You know what your problem is?”
“That you won’t make your mind up about the dog?”
She picked up a small, whimpering female from the corner, and held her still by caressing her head. “No. You cannot forget about the past and focus instead on your future. You blame yourself for things that are not your fault.”
“Like my parents?” He lifted his head.
“Yes. And last year. You were wounded in a horrid accident, but you are alive. Why can’t that be enough for you?”
“I am alive only in body. My soul did not make it past the end of the season.” Simon plucked the small animal from her hands, tucked her into the crook of his arms, and ran his strong fingers over the small animal’s delicate fur.
Carrie too caressed the dog, in tune with Simon’s movements. “Why? Because a few insolent reprobates and backstabbing madams have slighted you in town? You yearn to be accepted again but don’t realize that those who love you have never turned their backs on you.”
Bud peeked around the corner, interrupting the moment. Carrie took a step away from Simon as though they’d been caught in a delicate position.
Bud smiled. “Made up your mind, Miss?”
Simon handed her the pup. “I think this conversation is for another time. Have you made a decision?”
Carrie snuggled the little female pup. “She’s perfect.”
“Splendid choice,” Bud said, and disappeared behind the wagon.
Simon motioned toward the trail to the lake. “We’ve a few minutes before you’re needed for supper. Let’s show your new friend where to find water.”
Carrie nodded, and followed in Simon’s wake until the noise from the wagon at their backs dissipated. Simon slowed as she drew next to him. His shoulder brushed hers, and memories of the night before flooded her senses. She was as ninny-headed as the rest of the ewes down in Missoula. Why did she let his charm affect her? At this point she wasn’t certain who was more dangerous to her—Thomas and his determined attentions or Simon’s sensual pull.
He jumped off a rock in the path, and the side of his coat holding the flask fell heavy. Carrie didn’t miss the movement, but she didn’t want to break the serenity of the evening by mentioning the whiskey. Instead, she let him help her down from the rock. “You didn’t hurt Jake, did you?”
Simon shook his head. “I couldn’t find the little blowhard, but I did bring back your basket. I’ll expect your now famous huckleberry flapjacks in the morning.”
“You like those?” She blushed. “I have perfected that particular dish, haven’t I?”
Simon chuckled. “I suspect you’re a much better cook than you let people see. Be honest.”
“I’ve no intention of being humble. Aunt June has taught me most of the recipes. I’ve made the entirety of the suppers for the last few days.” She exaggerated her proud smile.
“I thought something was a bit off with the brisket last night.” He winked, and Carrie giggled. This was the man she’d wanted back for over a year. He might argue the mountain had no effect on him, but her and Aunt June’s plan proved a good one.
She wanted to say as much. Shake him, and argue until he saw the truth behind his happiness up here. Force him to remain happy, but she didn’t want to ruin his newfound mood. The pup wiggled in her arms, and she let her go.
“What are you going to call her?” Simon asked, keeping his gaze on the small dog now ahead of them on the trail.
“I don’t know. I’ve never had a pet long enough to name one. Mother always scurried them off to the cook, and the cook would dispose of them. I’m certain half of the time I would have cried at whatever method she used.”
“Since most of your desired pets were purchased to be your dinner, I have to agree. I wouldn’t want to know what the cook did with them either.”
“What do you think I should call her?”
Simon gave her a sideways grin, then stared at the treetops as they walked. After a moment of his not-so-subtle show of thought, he nodded. “Nots.”
“Knots?” Carrie raised an eyebrow. What sort of name was Knots? Unless you were a sea captain with a canine stowaway. Captain Simon was not, and Carrie had never even seen the ocean. “You’re joking.”
He stopped and faced her with hands extended as if to stay her judgement. She stopped, and after a breath, he reached out and moved her hair off her shoulder. The tenor in his voice grew low and sensual when he said, “Her full name will be Forget-me-not. Nots for short. Or have you forgotten?”
The man could melt snow when he spoke in such a tone. She swallowed hard and shuddered at the tingle running down her spine from Simon’s caress. With a deep swallow to bring moisture to her dry mouth, she continued down the path. “Because I brought you the flowers when we first got here?”
“You still have it?” Carrie didn’t bother to hide her smile. The fact that Simon had kept the small token meant more to her than any show of appreciation she’d ever received for her cooking.
“You gave it to me. It’s mine.” He tucked it back in his pocket and patted the fabric where it was secured.
“Is this how you seduce all of your women?”
“Only the difficult ones. Usually I only need to wiggle my eyebrows at them.” He demonstrated the comical movement.
“The woman who falls for that will end up working in the Grizzly Bear Saloon. That’s the most ridiculous seduction technique I’ve ever seen.”
“By the way you responded to me last night, you’ve been wasting your life away with all of those fools, waiting for me and my techniques.”
“You flatter yourself too much. It was a slip in judgement is all. It won’t happen again.”
“Says the woman who hasn’t even realized the fancy jewels from her foolish beau are now missing.”
Carrie clutched the base of her neck where the necklace had been, but as Simon promised, they were gone. “What did you do?”
“Do you care?” Simon shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Nots to the edge of the lake. “They don’t suit you anyway.”
“They were a gift, and Thomas is expecting me to wear them tonight when he comes to visit.”
“You mean to court you.”
“No…yes.” She hung her head and kicked a pebble into the water. Simon knew her almost as well as she knew herself. There was no use lying to him.
“Tell him to go away. Stop dangling hope in front of the boy or it’s going to come back to bite you in that perfect little backside of yours.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Yes it is. You say, ‘Thomas, I’m sorry, but Simon has my flower, so I can’t be with you.’”
Carrie’s face heated, and she blinked several times. By now she’d honestly believed Simon could no longer shock her with his words, but he continued to prove otherwise. “I’ll say no such thing! Not only is it ludicrous to commit social suicide with such a retort, but you and I together in such a way will never happen.”
“It will.” His eyes slid over her body, sending tingles wherever they roamed. “Eventually you’ll see what it’s like to be mine in every way.”
“Even in marriage?” Hah. I got him there. She stared at him in triumph. The man had vow
ed on many occasions never to marry. A confirmed bachelor with enough pain on his hands with a sister to watch over.
“Perhaps one day I will marry you. When you’re so old you can no longer see.” He stopped before her, towering, as he was apt to do when aiming to browbeat her. It wasn’t going to work.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but women in my family do not grow senile. You’re going to have to keep your hands to yourself. Or do as Aunt June says and marry me first.”
“Don’t temp me, Carrie. If you play coy, I may take you to the preacher, just to show you who is right, and who is satisfied.”
She gave a playful glare. His words were games. She wasn’t intimidated. “And which do you claim?”
“Right.”
“So that would make me satisfied?”
“Mmm,” he moaned his agreement and stared at her lips. The sounds sent heat to her core and made her stomach flip. She took a deep breath to help boost her confidence, but it didn’t work. To her relief, Nots chose that moment to wiggle her way between their feet.
Carrie gave him a victorious stare and stepped back. She’d won the battle by pup. Unfortunately, she had a feeling the war was far from over. At least she had a few hours to gain her wits before being forced to battle Thomas and his game of passion. Somehow, that battle didn’t sound as fun.
Chapter 11
Like nights before, Carrie finished her dishes as the men gathered around the fire to settle in for the evening. Except tonight their new friend Bud sat at Aunt June’s serving table as he watched her godmother’s every move like one of the dogs in his wagon eyeing a treat.
Thankfully Thomas had chosen to eat in his own camp, giving Carrie a necessary respite from ardent men. The only males she encountered tonight, besides Simon of course, were the ones who regarded her only for her food.
Simon hung back, keeping his distance, but he watched her. She’d locked eyes with him several times over the meal, and he’d stolen her breath with the memory of more lustful promises.
He wouldn’t dominate her thoughts tonight.
Tonight she would concentrate on getting Thomas to turn his attention elsewhere. Which would be a lot easier if she wasn’t the only eligible woman in camp. It would appear that to be a successful spinster cook, you must first be a spinster.
Thomas appeared on the other side of the fire and smiled. His hair had been slicked back as though he’d made a valiant attempt to clean up after a hard day’s work.
Carrie gave a questioning glance to Aunt June, who waved her off distractedly. It appeared her godmother would be no good to her tonight.
Carrie walked to Thomas and motioned toward a seat by the fire, but he shook his head. “I thought we could go for a stroll tonight. Don’t worry, we’ll stay where we can be seen.”
She tried her best to give a genuine smile as she followed, but the strain in her cheeks made her doubt her own sincerity. Thomas maneuvered her to walk near the chicken coop, and Carrie stifled a sardonic chuckle. What a romantic stroll, right through a giant pile of poo.
“I’m glad to finally get to speak with you alone.” He turned a thin-lipped grin on her, but immediately frowned. “Where’s your necklace?”
“I’m sorry. I must have forgotten it when I bathed earlier,” she lied. Her hand flew to her empty neck, then back down to her side.
He gripped her palm in a painful hold and laced it through his arm. Her heartbeat sped up, but not in the same way it did when Simon touched her. This was different. More visceral. “When a man gets you a gift, you cherish it. My mother has never received a gift from my father that she hasn’t kept a close eye on. One would think you didn’t appreciate the present.”
“About that.” She stopped and faced him. “I shouldn’t—”
“Carrie!” Simon shouted behind her. She pivoted as he jogged up to them. “You forgot this at the lake.”
The blasted man turned to Thomas and winked before leaving Carrie to wallow in embarrassment.
Thomas’s face grew red, but all he did was clear his throat. Carrie clasped the necklace and placed it around her neck, then focused back to their walk. “You have to forgive Simon. He’s a little uncouth.”
Thomas scratched the back of his neck. After a few moments of tense silence, he finally spoke. “I apologize for my odd behavior. We can’t seem to find my friend. The Bonner camp is a little frazzled.”
“Which friend?” Lord, please don’t let him say Jake.
“Jake. He went missing sometime today. Hasn’t been seen all afternoon.”
“How terrible.” Her ribcage felt fit to break with each hard thump of her heart. There was no way Simon had caught up with the reprobate and beaten him to death. Was there? Although he had shown signs of the easygoing Simon she once knew, he was fiercely protective of what was his. And for some reason he’d taken to protecting her ever since she and Beth had grown close. “You should be out searching for him instead of here with me.”
“Jake would have wanted me to keep my word with a woman.”
“You talk as if he’s already dead. Did you find him?”
“Oh, no ma’am. He’s still missing, but this is wild country. There’s no telling what happened to him. He more than likely went down to a saloon somewhere.”
“With any luck he will waltz into your camp later this evening with not even a scratch.”
“God willing,” Thomas said.
The moment grew tense. She didn’t know what else to say. The way he spoke, as if not concerned about his friend. She supposed it could be as he said—Jake went down for a drink and a good time.
Thomas tugged her closer to his side by her arm. “You have a way of making a man feel special, Miz Carrie. Like I can take on the world, and everything would go my way. As long as you are by my side.”
She smiled. What else could she do? This wasn’t the first time a man had said something similar to her. It didn’t make it any easier to believe, though. A man should be able to take on the world by himself. A woman should only have to help make him stronger, not be the strength for him. A man should know himself before seeking a wife.
Perhaps it was a good thing Simon chose not to marry. With the way he wandered through life, he’d never be in a position to accommodate a woman. For the best, she thought. If she was going to be an old spinster, at least he was going to wither away, unattached, right alongside her. Now all she had to do was get the courage to persuade Thomas to turn his focus somewhere else, without allowing him to talk his way out of rejection.
* * * *
Simon sat next to Aunt June and her traveling beau. Unlike the couple who were focused on no one but each other, his attention stretched across the meadow to where Carrie strolled alongside Thomas. He’d used the necklace to warn Thomas off, but it hadn’t seemed to work. The blasted man kept mooning over Carrie like she was a prize he’d already won and had no intention of letting go.
She wasn’t Thomas’s prize, and he planned to let him know as much. First he’d let the little vixen dig her pit deeper. She needed to struggle every once in a while with the consequences of her actions. And letting her find her own way out of a sticky situation with a beau was as best an example as any.
“Simon.” He heard his name being called. He peered over his shoulder to see Garrett and Wall waving him over. Blast! He’d been so wrapped up in Carrie’s affairs, he’d forgotten the Devil May Cares had caught a ride up on the wagon.
Simon stopped next to the men, far enough away from the camp to talk in private. He raised his head in greeting. “How’s the river?”
“Low,” Wall answered. “We’re only going to get one drive down before we run out of river. We had to block some forks and unblock others in order to get a direct route. The boys and I are going to have to take the drive down in no more than two days or else the raft will have to stay here until next spring. By th
en the logs will be no good to the mill.”
“That’s where we have a problem,” Garrett said. “The steam pulley you designed over the winter is busted, and we have no idea how to fix it. If we’re gonna get a load down the mountain, we need to get it repaired.”
Wall kicked something on the ground and shook his head. “If I stay behind to fix it then the boys will only have four on our team, two who know the waters and what they’re doing. My two greenhorns did a run over in Wisconsin, but this is their first experience with Montana white water. I’m going to need someone experienced to go down.”
“I’d go, but I have to stay with the train,” Garrett said.
“What about Beth?” Wall asked, his voice dripping with hope.
Simon was about to respond when Garrett shook his head first. “No one tells Beth. She’d go whether I wanted her to or not, and I’d go mad up here wondering if she’s gone and gotten herself killed.”
“I second Garrett,” Simon said. “Beth stays behind, and no one says anything to her.”
“Well, then, that leaves you.” Wall stared at Simon with a look on his face of half pleading, half order.
As much as he hated to leave Carrie, his friends needed him. And Wall was right, the Devil May Cares needed one more experienced person if they were going to get the logs down the rivers. Especially since they were so low. Lower rivers meant more log jams. This drive wasn’t going to be like the rest. This was going to be fast, difficult, and dangerous. Not a drive for Beth, and barely a drive for the two experienced loggers turned greenhorn river men. If Wall couldn’t go, then Simon was up. “I’ll go.”
“You’re one to ride the river with,” Wall said, and slapped his shoulder in thanks.
“I’ll remember you said that next time you need me to take your place. Can’t ride the river with me if you’re staying behind.” Simon gave a crooked smile to his friend, who chuckled.
Wall craned his neck and studied the top of the hill where the chute sat lifeless after a long, hard day’s work. “I think the big bugs at the mill will be happy with the drive. Happier if we can get two down before the river runs low.”
Wild Passion Page 12
