Annabelle patiently looked at her like she was crazy. “Meg, you’re expecting. I’m too far along to ride a horse. Ruby is the only one of us who can bring him to justice. And my husband is not going anywhere until after this baby is born.”
Meg sighed and sat back down. “You’re right, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have wanted to go after that outlaw.”
Until recently, Caroline had not realized how much of a hothead, Meg could be. But after learning she’d tied up her husband and left him naked in the middle of Main Street, she was careful of Meg. No need to rile her up and receive some of that redheaded spitefulness.
“I know. But this will be good for Ruby and maybe Deke can talk some sense into her. Maybe he can help her realize she has no business hunting alone. Ruby has always been sweet on Deke,” Annabelle said. “This might be good.”
“You’re right, but I worry about her. Since that Mullins kid attacked her, she’s never been the same.”
“Agreed. Deke is a good man. Maybe he can find out what caused her to react in such a strong manner. Plus, she’ll be safe with him. I trust him.”
Caroline had admired Meg for years. She’d watched her as a child, taking care of her sisters. She’d been envious of the three girls. As an only child, Caroline had thought the sisters were so close, and for many years, she’d longed for a brother or sister she could share adventures with. Now, she knew Meg was the visible strength of the girls, while Annabelle was the quiet glue that held them together.
“I hope so,” Meg said. “I worry about her.”
The McKenzie girls had their share of heartache as well, losing first their mother and then their father and almost their farm.
But now they were happy. Everyone at least except Ruby, who didn’t realize the people who loved her knew something was wrong. Even Caroline could see Ruby was no longer that flirtatious, happy, fun girl. Now a strong-willed woman determined to make bad men pay for their crimes had taken her place.
“Deke cares about Ruby. She’ll be fine,” Caroline said, remembering how the man had watched Ruby’s every move. She wanted a man to look at her like that.
“So, are you going to marry the pig farmer, Caroline?” Annabelle asked, changing the subject, her blue eyes laughing with merriment.
Caroline dreaded going home and facing the wrath of her mother for leaving and not accepting the pig farmer’s proposal of marriage. Sure, she wanted to marry and have a family, but she wanted a husband she could feel proud of. Someone who, when she looked at him, sent butterflies flying through her belly, not someone who sent her nose twitching from his odor.
“When pigs fly is when I’ll marry that man.”
*
The state of Texas was so big that in some parts God must have been tired when he created the state. He’d left out a few important details like grass and trees. While there were plenty of mesquite trees in the area, there were very few good solid oaks and no pinewood. Deke liked grass and seedlings, something besides prairie.
Riding to Hide Town, Texas, a person could get lost and ride in circles for days on end, seeing the same scenery over and over. And now that winter was approaching, everything looked more like saplings or nothing at all.
They had ridden all day and said very little to one another. Deke had no doubts Ruby was an experienced horsewoman and she knew how to find a criminal and even how to fire a weapon. He wasn’t worried about her skills; he was concerned about her.
She was no longer the carefree girl he’d met almost three years ago who had begged him to make her into a woman, to show her what happened between a man and a woman. And while he’d ridden away that day hard with the desire to fulfill her every wish, he knew he couldn’t have taken her virginity and disrespected the man who had taught him the profession that had gotten him out of poverty.
Even now, they were riding to avenge the man Deke esteemed, whose loss had been such a waste. And Deke knew from firsthand experience that death often came when you least expected it and were unprepared.
It was the main reason he wanted to settle into a different kind of life, one where he wasn’t chasing the worst of humanity. One where he spent his time doing what he loved.
“Find a good spot off the trail and let’s make camp for the night,” he said, not looking at Ruby, fearing she would see the desire he felt for her in his eyes. Truly, he was trying to hide it as much as possible, but still it was there.
The bleak landscape around them with the rolling hills and few trees would soon be dark, and he had no desire to expose them to any unnecessary risk. As much as he dreaded this first night, it was time to stop and make camp.
“No, we should keep going as long as we can.”
“We’re still a full day’s ride from Fort Griffin. There’s no sense in taking a chance with hurting one of the horses. Let’s stop and get a fresh start early in the morning,” he said, trying to talk some sense into this stubborn woman. She just didn’t give up. Or was she just as nervous as he was of being alone on the trail?
“If we kill ourselves, then he’ll get away with murder,” Deke said.
She flashed him a hostile glare, but pulled her horse up. “All right. There appears to be a grove of mesquite trees over there. Let’s make camp beneath them.”
In less than thirty minutes, she had a fire started and was frying up some trail hash, while he took care of their horses.
“That smells awfully good,” he said as he walked back into the area after ground tethering their animals for the night. He’d rubbed both animals down, fed, watered them and then spent some time just doing what he loved. As a young boy, he’d discovered he had a special way of communicating with horses. His mother had called it his sixth sense, and he couldn’t really explain it, but he understood the animals.
Spreading out his bedroll, he glanced over at Ruby. She was watching him suspiciously, like she feared he would try something. Why she was so distrustful he didn’t understand, but before they could begin to catch this outlaw, he had to gain her trust.
“So, when is Annabelle’s baby due?”
“Next month,” she said, dishing up their supper into metal bowls.
Pain speared through him, and the memory of his son’s face swam before his eyes. In the last eighteen months, he’d tried very hard to forget his image. Most days he was able to block it out of his mind, but there were days when his son’s face haunted him.
“Are you ready to be an aunt?”
“What kind of question is that? I don’t really have any choice in the matter. If it was up to me, both of my sisters would not have married and would still be hunting.”
“Are they happy?” He hadn’t been ready to give up his life and get married, but Laura had needed his help. And he couldn’t say no, not to his mother and not to Laura.
“Yes,” she said with a resigned sigh.
“Then why can’t you be glad they’re settled and content?” His mother had been overjoyed when he’d married Laura. She’d told him of Laura’s situation, and he couldn’t refuse to help her. Though he’d given her his name, he’d never given her his heart.
“Because we had a great life. Catching bounties, making money. I miss them being on the trail with me.”
When Laura had told him about the baby, he’d been thrilled. They’d been newlyweds, and every day, she’d worked on their home, preparing for the baby’s arrival. Closing his eyes, he obstructed the memories, refusing to witness them again.
“Things change. Life changes.” Glancing over at her, he took a bite of his hash. “This is great.”
“Thanks.”
“You’ve admitted you’re not really into womanly duties, so I’m pleasantly surprised how well you can cook.”
She shook her head. “That’s assuming. Besides, don’t you remember the box of cookies I sent with you the last time you went searching for Rivera?”
He grinned. “Yes, I remember them. They were gone before I was ten miles down the road. I ate every one o
f them.”
When he’d married Laura, though he cared for her and promised her forever, it had been Ruby’s image that came to mind when he thought of love. His stomach clenched as anger rolled through him, anger at the ugliness in his life over the last several years.
“I think that was the last time I baked cookies.”
Stretching out his legs, he leaned back against his saddle. “So, once you were all into the things a woman normally does? But not now?”
“Kind of,” she said, staring into the fire. “But now I’m into things that make me money. Things that are exciting and fun and not boring like deciding on what to fix for dinner.”
“Someday you’ll get tired of this life.” Deke was weary from the trail, the sleeping out in the weather, chasing after men who would just as soon kill you as let you take them in to the law. He wanted to settle down and do what he loved. Raise horses.
“I’ve been a bounty hunter now for almost three years. I wouldn’t say there have been times I’ve been glad to get home,” she said, tossing the rest of her supper in the fire. “I hate it when the weather turns nasty. God, I hated it when we were trying to find Annabelle. I wanted to kill Beau, her husband, but she wouldn’t let me.”
Silent, they sat around the fire sated and watched the flames leap into the air. The night was cool, but it wasn’t cold and winter had yet to arrive. Actually, it was the perfect time of year for being outdoors. Deke hated the hottest months of the year, and his memories haunted him during the cooler months when he’d married Laura.
“How come we always talk about me, but never about you?” she asked. “What have you been doing in the years since we last saw you? You’re pretty vague about it.”
“That’s kind of my life in a description. Vague,” he said, standing up. He scrapped his bowl out, took a little water from his canteen, and washed it out. On the trail, that was about as clean as it got.
She stood and did the same to her utensils. Then cleaned out the frying pan. He took the heavy utensil from her and dried it with a dishcloth she’d laid out. Ruby might not be in a house, but she was still doing things on the trail a man would never do. And he kind of liked that. It was nice having a companion. The loneliness that normally gripped him receded, leaving only an empty ache. He could deal with the pain that throbbed with each heartbeat.
They bumped into each other, and she stared up at him, her blue eyes glinting at him, daring almost challenging, and he was stunned. Every time he touched her, she seemed skittish.
“Ruby, you jumped like a roadrunner on a rattler. I’m not going to hurt you.” He licked his lips, staring down at her soft, full tempting mouth. He so wanted to taste her again. He remembered how they’d kissed and how he’d almost broken his promise to himself. He’d almost relented that day and taken her right there on the spot.
Thank goodness, he hadn’t.
“Men like you have a way of making a woman nervous.”
“Do you think I’m bad?”
“No, Deke. I know you’re a good man, but we’re not starting back where we left off. We have a past, which I don’t want to repeat.”
For some reason, he didn’t like being told no. Not that he wanted to stir things up between the two of them again, but it didn’t feel right for her to tell him no.
Years had passed since their kiss, but in his loneliest moments, it was her mouth he remembered, not Laura’s. Sometimes he just wanted to erase the memories of how she tasted.
“Okay, but I think we should kiss just to prove to each other we’re not serious about starting things up again. You think I want to, and I think you’re the one wanting me.” Even he would admit it was a stupid argument, but maybe it would cure him once and for all. Maybe he would think of Laura’s kisses, instead of Ruby’s.
“What? Are you crazy? I don’t want to kiss you or any other man.”
“Oh, come on, Ruby. The woman I used to know was the biggest flirt and tease in the state of Texas.” The first time he’d met her, she was the sassiest little vixen he’d ever met, and it had taken all of his respect for her father to keep from acting on the urges she incited.
“And what did that get her?” she asked. “Nothing but trouble. Now I know I don’t need a man. I don’t need any one.”
“Then that’s why you won’t mind me kissing you. We’ll just get this out of the way, and that way both of us will know it was in the past.”
She stared at him like he’d been drinking loco juice. And all he could do was gaze at the shape of her mouth, how full and curvaceous her lips were, and when she wore that red stuff on her mouth, it reminded him of a ripe cherry, his for the picking.
“You’re crazy. You’re just trying to kiss me.”
Nobody could accuse her of being dumb. Yes, he wanted to taste her once again, but he truly hoped that once they touched lips, they would know this attraction he felt was in the past. They’d no longer be affected by whatever feelings they’d once possessed for each other. He’d quit thinking about Ruby and remember his wife, Laura, once again.
“No, I’m trying to cure this awkwardness between us, so we can move forward to capture this guy without worrying about the other person. This way we’ll know it’s behind us.”
God, maybe he was the stupid one. Here he was talking to a woman about kissing, a woman whose kisses he often dreamed about.
“I don’t see how this is going to help,” she said. “We just need to focus on our goal.”
She was gazing at him, and for just a minute, he thought he saw a spark of something that looked like desire, but then it was gone.
“You’re right. We do,” he said as his hand brushed hers, sending a tingle of awareness through him like a lightning bolt. The surge of hunger was enough to clear his mind of only one thing. “Oh, hell.”
He grabbed her, pulling her into his arms, and layered his mouth over hers. She tasted of heat and passion and longing, leaving him aching with the need for more. Just another taste of how she would feel in his arms, in his bed, and crying out his name. Ruby filled him with a hunger that couldn’t be quenched, and that couldn’t be good. Like a stampede of cattle charging toward him, all those hidden feelings for her from years ago poured over him, filling him with an urgency to throw her onto the ground and…
And that was how babies were made.
The thought made him go cold inside, while his body glowed with a sexual heat that wanted fulfillment. He wrangled with the thought of where this could lead.
Ruby moaned deeply in her throat, and he realized he was the crazy one. They couldn’t do this. He couldn’t do this.
He pulled back. “We can’t.”
Slowly, she opened her eyes, and he could see the desire lingering there. “Haven’t I heard those words before? Don’t you like to start something and then get cold feet? What’s your excuse this time?”
“I’m married.”
*
Ruby pushed out of his arms. For the first time in years, she’d relaxed and felt safe in a man’s arms. Once again, she’d let herself go, thinking maybe they should see if there was anything left between them before they found themselves in a dangerous situation. And once again, Deke Culver had proven just what a snake in the grass he was.
He was married! As in holy matrimony. He had a wife. And he’d kissed Ruby.
If she caught one of her brother-in-laws kissing someone other than her sister, they’d find a bullet hole in a very important part of their anatomy.
Without thinking, she reached up and walloped him upside the head. “Why the hell were you talking about kissing when you’re married? That ceremony means one woman—one man. No one else. Understand?”
“Ouch. You didn’t have to hit me.”
“The hell I didn’t. I’m not smooching a wedded man.”
“You just did.”
“I didn’t know. You’re lucky I’m not putting a bullet in you.” She turned and glared at him over the fire and then moved her bedroll as far from his as she
could get. “This is why you didn’t want to tell me what happened to you in the last three years. This is why nothing much is going on in your life. You’re married.” Ruby couldn’t sit still.
He was hitched, as in a wife, ring, and vows of till death do us part. The shock of those words had not worn off. Revulsion swept through her like a band of Indians chasing the cavalry.
And to think he had a wife sitting at home waiting on him. Poor unknowing woman. Ungrateful bastard.
“When did you meet her?”
“I’ve known her all my life.”
“Oh, so even before you puckered up with me that very first time, she was in your life. Maybe I should do this woman a favor and make her a widow.”
How could he have betrayed the woman he was going to marry by kissing Ruby? He couldn’t be the man she’d believed he was if he had knowingly smacked his lips with hers all those years ago and then gone home to stand before a preacher man.
“No, I didn’t know we were going to marry. It wasn’t planned. I didn’t tie the knot with her until six months after I left your place.”
Ruby sighed. Thank goodness he’d never taken her up on her offer. But still, the man was attached with a ring and a vow; he shouldn’t be smacking lips with Ruby now.
“Maybe it’s time we caught some shut eye.” She climbed into her bedroll, still smarting from the fact that for once she’d felt safe in a man’s arms. She’d enjoyed his touch and hadn’t cringed until after the kiss when she’d learned he was married.
Listening, she heard him rustling around getting into his bedroll. Finally, he settled down and she began to relax.
“Just like your father dying unexpectedly, sometimes things happen to people and they have no control. I hadn’t planned on marrying Laura,” he said from across the fire in the darkness.
Years ago, she’d been so angry when he’d ridden off that afternoon after telling her no, she’d even pulled out her gun and fired at him. Then he’d gone home and married another woman. If this didn’t prove to her that men were simple-minded creatures who didn’t know what they wanted, what would? She didn’t need the heartache. Her independence was much more satisfying.
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