by Jillian Hart
“I haven’t seen a notice come in on him.” Cooper headed for his desk.
“There hasn’t been time for one. He ran before we could arrest him. He’s been nmning since.”
The second marshal cleared his throat. “We had a sighting just east of here from the sheriff over at Sandy. I was hoping you could help us. We lost his trail up in the mountains.”
Cooper rubbed his head. “If it wasn’t for this gold shipment we’re trying to move, I would help. If you need extra hands, I can offer a few of my deputies.”
“We’d be mighty appreciative, Sheriff.” The deputy handed him a sheet of paper. “He could have passed on north to Canada. But we have to be sure. His name is Dalton Jennings.”
“Papa’s home!”
“Papa! Papa!”
“Papa, you’re finally here.” Katie dashed out into the lane, her dress sadly sagging and dirt stained. “We’ve been waiting forever.”
“I’ve only been at the jailhouse for an hour.” Cooper eased down from the wagon. Three girls dashed his way.
“We’ve been cookin’—”
“Maisie, it’s a secret!” Katie interrupted, stomping her foot. “You can’t tell.”
Cooper chuckled, and his gaze snared Anna’s. His entire body tingled just looking at her. How he wanted her touch, her kiss, everything. Need for her shimmered deep inside.
“I’ll see to the marshals,” Tucker said as he clucked to the horses. “If you don’t feel up to riding come morning, you tell me.”
“I will, little brother.” Cooper watched the wagon bump down the drive, grateful for the ride.
“You’re not going tomorrow, are you?” Anna gazed at him with unmasked concern. “The doctor told you to take it easy.”
“I’ll be all right after a good night’s sleep. If I didn’t think I was up to it, I would send someone else. Believe me”
The concern in her gaze relented a bit. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you. Janet Briggs has ordered a ham for our reception.”
“I’d hate a valuable piece of ham to go to waste. I’ll be careful. You have my word on it.” It felt good, this warm teasing between them. The way she smiled, despite her worry.
It was nice to have someone fuss over him. It was nice to have a bride, after all. A convenient marriage, he’d said. One for his girls, not for him. Wasn’t that the agreement?
“I hope you’re not too hungry,” Anna whispered in his ear. “Katie helped to cook the meal.”
“Don’t worry. I’m a brave man.”
Chapter Eighteen
Her wedding day came far too fast, Anna thought as she approached the church. A marriage of convenience. An amicable match between two single parents for the sake of their children had sounded perfect back home in Ruby Bluff, in a place where old friends often scorned her and little girls were not allowed to play with Mandy.
But here and now, she wanted more. Much more. In less then thirty minutes, she would be Cooper’s wife. But would she ever have the love in his heart?
Maisie tore down the front steps and flung herself at Anna’s skirts. “You’re gonna be my mama today!”
“Yes, I am.” She knelt to receive a proper hug.
“Papa and I picked these.” She dashed away and returned holding a bouquet of fragrant purple wildflowers.
“These are shooting stars.” Anna accepted the sweet-smelling bouquet. “Did you know that whenever you pick a shooting star, you get a wish granted?”
Maisie tilted her head. “Already got my wish.”
“Me, too!” Mandy added with a dimpled grin.
Anna squeezed Mandy’s hand and knelt to study the clever braid of flowers crowning Maisie’s gold curls. “Did your Aunt Laura do this?”
“Yep.”
“Mandy, I bet we could put flowers in your hair, too.”
“In a star crown, just like Maisie got?”
“Laura can do it! She got lots of flowers.” The two girls ran off, hand in hand, leaving Anna alone.
Cooper leaned against the threshold, unable to take his eyes off her. She was beyond beautiful. Gold curls fell around her face and a soft blue dress hugged her slim body, the ruffled hem fluttering in the summer breezes.
Then she smiled. Her eyes were bright, and he knew this marriage would be the right kind. Two mature people, making a vow to raise their children. A commitment about duty, that was something he could agree to.
“Ready to tie the knot?”
“As long as I don’t faint. I can’t believe how nervous I am.”
“We’ll be nervous together. Come.” He held out one hand to his bride.
She laid her palm against his, and he felt it. The lightning jolt charging from her to him. She smiled, and his knees wobbled. He wasn’t as immune to her as he’d figured.
A marriage based on duty? Well, he would like the physical benefits. His blood heated at the prospect of the wedding night to come.
“Anna.” Katie reached out, rare affection in her voice. She wrapped her arms around Anna’s waist and held tight. “You’re going to be my mother now. I didn’t much like the one I had before. She left.”
“I know she did.” So much sympathy in her voice. “But I’m not going to leave you. Not ever.”
“You promise?” Katie’s voice lowered. So much need shone in her eyes. “Sometimes people break promises.”
“Nothing will make me break this one.” Anna laid her hand along the side of Katie’s face. “I love you and your sister. I could never leave. I need all three of my girls to make me happy.”
Cooper’s throat filled. Emotions battered him. That wall around his heart, the one he vowed never to take down, crumbled a bit.
“Anna.” Laura held out both hands in welcome. “Look what I did to your little one.”
“Mandy.” Anna knelt to brush at those silk-soft tendrils and exclaim over the purple-flowered crown Laura had slipped into the child’s gold curls.
“We’re running out of time.” Laura grabbed Anna’s hand, his sister as pleased as his daughters over the marriage today. It sparkled in her eyes. “Girls, come help. We’ve got a bride to prepare.”
“I am prepared,” Anna argued on a chuckle.
“There’s the little matter of the flowers for your hair, for starters. Hurry up. The guests are starting to arrive.”
“Hurry, Anna,” Maisie spoke up, “cuz the faster you marry my papa, the faster we can go get us a baby.”
“Nervous?” Tucker patted him on the back. “Wait, don’t answer. Of course you are. No matter how fine the woman, it’s a terrifying thing to enter into matrimonial bliss. I personally avoid it at all costs.”
“Not a bad philosophy.” Cooper ran a finger beneath his collar. The damn thing was too tight.
Cooper saw his girls giggling. Maisie tnpped in front of Mandy and the bundle of purple flowers went flying. Both girls had insisted on wearing their play bride veils. Katie walked in front of Anna, solemn as a hanging judge.
Anna looked radiant. The soft blue fabric brought out the depth of her eyes, made her creamy skin luminous. A lustrous smile touched her lips. His heart leaped. Tonight she would be his. And every night after.
Mr. Briggs handed her over to him, tears misting the old man’s eyes. Anna’s arm felt light in his, although he could feel her nervousness.
“I’m about ready to faint, too,” he teased in a low whisper.
She rewarded him with a smile. He could not tear his gaze away from her lips, soft and sculpted. She tilted her head. Her golden curls caught the light, made it gleam like sunlight on clouds, rich and alluring. So much grace, so much gentleness, he felt as if he could drown in her. And that was the problem.
He wanted to keep aloof. It was all right to need her for his girls, to keep his house, to cook his meals, even to make love to in the dark of night. But this way she made him feel, it was something that frightened him.
When he said, “I do,” it was for the girls, for Katie who needed a mot
her to love her without end, for Maisie who needed a mother to adore her. That’s all.
It wasn’t because he was falling in love with her.
“I think the ham is a success.” Janet swept out from behind the buffet table in the hotel’s dining room to wrap Anna in a hug. “You look so happy, dear. I can’t tell you how sorry we are to see you leave. Why, you’ve filled up a loneliness in our lives.”
“The same way you’ve filled up one in mine.” Anna returned the hug. “You and Frank are like parents to me.”
“I’m so glad to hear that.” Janet’s eyes filled.
“Look at our bride.” Leslie pressed a kiss to Anna’s cheek. “Goodness, the wedding couldn’t have been more beautiful. The way the girls stood up with you and you were married like a family. I used up three hankies during the ceremony.”
“So did I.” Laura came up and hugged her hard. “Now it’s official. We’re sisters.”
Anna’s throat closed. Her only regret was that her own sister couldn’t make the wedding.
“Now that the wedding is over, it’s time to talk about gifts,” Janet began, eyes sparkling. “So I’m giving you and Cooper my best hotel room for the night.”
“Janet, we can’t possibly—”
“You have to,” she interrupted. “Leslie put together a lovely gift basket. And Laura and Larry have agreed to take the girls for the night.”
“You deserve to be alone,” Leslie added. “Two young lovebirds. How I remember being a newlywed. I didn’t see the light of day for two weeks.”
“Oh, yes,” Janet sighed, fond of her memories.
“I haven’t seen much daylight,” Laura confessed. “And I’m not complaining.”
“Maybe I should fix you two up a hotel room.”
They all burst into laughter.
“What are you beautiful women giggling about?” Tucker towered over them, looking dashing in his white shirt and dark tie. “I get it, womanly things. I don’t want to know. Janet, I came to beg another slice of that ham from you.”
Janet’s hand squeezed hers. “See? I knew it would be a success. Coming right up, you handsome deputy.”
“Can I sweet talk you into some more of those mashed potatoes?” Tucker handed her his plate, then laid an arm around Anna’s shoulder. “You’re part of the Braddock family now, for better or worse.”
“I think the worst part is having you for a brother,” she quipped.
“He’s the worst of the bunch,” Laura agreed.
“Hey, give a man some credit. I have a few good traits. I bathe often.”
Laughter filled the room, light and sweet and full of joy.
They were finally alone. Cooper’s hand covered hers, drawing her gaze. He saw the truth in those eyes, dark as the night and twice as bold. She wanted him. The same way he wanted her.
“It’s a beautiful evening.” Her voice vibrated across the sensitive rim of his ear. “Just right for a romantic walk. The sun is setting.”
He hadn’t been thinking about going on a walk with her. The room was spacious and beautiful, dominated by the big four-poster bed. A gift basket sat on the table. He saw the neck of a wine bottle, caught the scent of fine cheese. Anna ran her hand over the textured handle of the basket and smiled.
“I think Janet and Leslie are determined to marry Tucker off next.”
“Did you see how fast he downed that ham? He ran for home, terrified they would start bringing him brides.”
“Maisie didn’t help when she said if he got married, then he could go get a baby, too.” She blushed, although her eyes were laughing.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this night.”
“You didn’t have to wait.” She stepped forward.
Somehow, his hand found hers. “Yes, I did.” He needed her that night more than he’d ever needed anyone. He didn’t want to need. He didn’t want to depend on anyone so much. “Let’s go on that walk you want.”
The town was quiet with twilight shrouding it. Bright bold crimsons and purples painted the sky in wide swaths, clouds twisting with shades of color.
“This is my favorite time of day,” Anna breathed as the last bit of twilight faded.
Everywhere he looked, he saw her and nothing else. The moonlight, the breeze, the ruts in the road all centered on her. Light shone silver in her hair, as magical as fairy dust. The wind sent tantalizing whiffs of her flowery perfume, innocent and seductive, to tempt him.
Stars twinkled as far as he could see, scattered across the velvet black of the sky, an enormous dome of glittering light. A thin moon hung low, glinting like an angel over the deep, black water of the small meadow lake.
“My cousin and I used to go for walks like this.” She leaned toward him, her shoulder sizzling hot against his arm. “I would climb out the bedroom window, crawl across the roof, and swing down from a big old apple tree.”
“Scandalous.” Cooper kept walking toward the edge of the lake. Every step, she was right beside him. The rustle of her skirts. The roll of a pebble caught beneath her shoe. Every sound moved through him.
“I was ten.” She knelt down along the shore to pick up a small stone, then cradled it in her palm. “Jessie and I would meet at our special tree.”
“A special tree?”
“Yes. Sort of like Maisie’s outlaw hideout. Except it was a castle.”
“You were the princess?”
“No, I was a knight.” She ran one finger along the curve of the stone. “Girls can be knights, too.”
How she enchanted him. His chest cracked, dangerously vulnerable.
“Jessie and I would sneak along the riverbank just to watch the moon move through the stars.” She tossed the rock up and caught it, as if testing its weight, then flicked her wrist. The stone skimmed once, twice, three times along the water’s surface. Ripples radiated outward, disturbing the calm of the lake.
That’s what she did to his life. Disturbed the surface, and it radiated clean down to his soul. Nothing was the same since she’d breezed into his life. Not one thing.
“We skipped stones and dreamed of the men we would marry one day.” Another pebble hopped six times across the mirrored water.
Cooper knelt and found a rock of his own. “What kind of man would a girl knight dream about?”
“A boy knight.” She searched for another pebble, then stopped. Her gaze collided with his. “You.”
He needed her. Anna could read that in his eyes, sense it snapping in the air between them. In the faint, filtered light she could see the slash of his mouth and the serious slant of his eyes.
Wisps escaped from her braid and batted in the mountain breeze, tangling in front of her eyes. Cooper reached out and brushed them away.
His touch felt searing hot. His palms cupped either side of her face. His fingers cradled her jaw. Such gentle hands. Sweet desire pumped through her veins, so fast she couldn’t breathe. Excitement thrummed inside, deep and intoxicating. How she wanted him.
His mouth found hers with a buzzing contact that scattered every ounce of thought. There was only the damp heat of his mouth, and she reached up to seal the kiss.
“I don’t believe in love.” He spoke featherlight against her lips. “And look what you’re making me do. I’m falling in love with you.”
Anna laid her other hand against his chest, over his rapidly beating heart. Hope fluttered within her. Nothing had ever felt this powerful.
His kiss was like fire, engulfing all her senses. She gave herself up to the enchanting heat. He nibbled blazing trails along her chin and her jaw, laved his way down her neck. Sensation skidded across her skin, then coiled tight in her stomach
“Oh, Cooper.” She moaned his name when his hands slid over her shoulders, caressed down her arms. Despite her cotton sleeves, she felt naked at his touch.
His mouth sealed hers. His hands anchored her against his chest, wondrous and wide. She laced both hands around his neck and held on. His tongue caressed her bottom lip and she g
asped in pleasure. Every part of her ached for his touch.
He guided her to the pebbled shore, and she knelt with him. She could not bear to have him stop touching her. Then he tugged off his jacket and spread it out for her. She only saw his smile, the tenderness of it, as she settled to the ground, arranging her skirts.
Anna waited, her pulse drumming in her ears, as he laid one hand on her shoulder. That hand brushed downward, grazing her breast. Delicious pleasure spilled through her. She wanted more.
As if he sensed it, Cooper released the buttons at her throat. Faux pearl gave way beneath his strong hands. His mouth caught hers and the slow agony of anticipation pounded through every inch of her body. He laid her back onto his jacket. She pulled him over her, the solid weight of his body felt luxurious—so different and exciting—his arousal hard against her hip.
“What if someone sees us?”
“There’s no one around but the deer.” His hot breath against her throat tickled.
She laughed. “But I worry—”
“Don’t There’s no one here but us.” He interrupted with a flick of his tongue. “I need you. All of you.”
Desire shone in his eyes, shadowed by the night. At the first brush of his fingers against her breasts, she moaned his name. Gave herself up to his touch.
Exquisite pleasure twisted inside, tight and growing tighter. His lips grazed her nipple, and the sharp-sweet sensation left her breathless. Delicious sensation coiled more tightly inside her. Emotions licked through her, bright as flame. Anna felt lost, unable to hold on. This love she felt for Cooper shimmered deep inside, brighter than the stars in the sky and just as everlasting.
She lay back as he tore off her clothes. She reached up to help him, laughing as he lost a button. A cool breeze lifted off the nearby water and shivered across her bare skin. She felt his warm hands span her ribs. Sweep down her stomach. Her thighs trembled as he slid her drawers down until she lay naked beneath him.
