Harlequin Historical February 2013 - Bundle 2 of 2: The Texas Ranger's DaughterHaunted by the Earl's TouchThe Last De Burgh

by Jenna Kernan

  He liked to be called sheriff. He found deep satisfaction in protecting these people, in providing the kind of order absent from the early part of his life.

  But there was a hole in his heart. He’d gotten himself a reputation for avoiding the women in the red-light district and giving more than one of them train fare home. When he began avoiding the respectable women’s tentative approach, he became a puzzle. Rumors included that he was married already and that a bullet wound had rendered him incapable. That last one made him laugh. He was physically capable, but he just couldn’t get past the dark-haired gal who hailed from Texas. Had she moved on without him? Did she have a banker for a husband? It hurt him to think on her, but his mind just kept running along the same old track.

  He wanted her happy, didn’t he? Wasn’t that why he left? Still, he was one step closer to respectability. He’d never be her match, never be a banker or a preacher. But he was learning his letters, thanks to the help of Mr. Eli Evans, the headmaster of the school. Boon imagined being able to write well enough to send Laurie a letter, ask her how she was faring and if she now had everything she wanted. But the daydream always ended with her not writing back or telling him she was married and expecting a child. It kept him from writing, that and the fact that his lettering still looked as wobbly as a sick chicken.

  But he’d found a job as a lawman on his own. He’d not used the reference that Bender had offered him. It wasn’t a Ranger, but he had camaraderie with his deputies and it looked like he might even get reelected.

  “Justice?”

  Boon turned to find Sam Gardner, one of the town council, heading toward him. When he’d arrived and applied for the position as deputy they’d asked his name and then his Christian name and he’d said, “Just is Boon,” and somehow that had become Justice Boon. The name stuck and he’d come to accept it.

  He even got used to attending church on Sundays. The singing was nice, though he could do without the lecture.

  Gardner was telling him that council had approved the cost of patrols to accompany the ore from the mine to the railhead, when Boon noticed a dark-headed woman and turned to stare. He always noticed the ones with black hair, couldn’t help himself. He kept looking for Laurie in every face, even when he knew he was a fool for doing so.

  This woman was medium height like Laurie and her hair color was right, though her hair was done up in a bun at her nape, instead of flying about her shoulders as he recalled her. She wore a wide hat, but not the fancy ladies’ sort. This was more sombrero than bonnet, practical, and reminded him of the hats the cowpunchers wore in Texas. He’d never seen a woman wear such a covering. His brow quirked as he noted the canvas duster she wore over her dress. It was fitted in the bodice and trimmed with black ribbon so it almost looked like a military jacket.

  He’d seen similar ones worn by ladies traveling on the Wells Fargo to keep the dust from ruining their clothing. Her hat kept him from seeing her face, but his heart gave a jump and would not listen to the reason of his mind. What would she be doing here in Colorado? Garner noticed his inattention and turned to stare.

  “You know her?” asked the councilman.

  Boon was about to shake his head no because he did not recognize the confident stride of this woman or the straight, upright posture of a female at ease with her surroundings. This was unusual by any standards. He was intrigued. Who was she?

  She was heading right for them.

  “Fine-looking woman,” said Gardner.

  Boon felt the jolt of recognition and his heart set off like a bird released from its cage a moment before remembering that it couldn’t be Laurie. Not here.

  Likely the woman had spotted his badge, displayed upon his vest, because she needed the sheriff.

  Still his feet were in motion. He could see her smile now, but not her eyes. He jogged the final twenty feet and found himself standing in the road before a covered walkway. She lifted her chin and revealed her dark flashing eyes.

  “Laurie?” he whispered, not believing what he saw, not willing to hope that she was really here.

  Her eyes glittered and her smile was bright, but her chin trembled.

  “What are you doing here?” He reached, but remembered that she was not his and let his hands drop to his sides.

  Her voice was sweet and familiar. “I came to see you.”

  He stared in bewilderment.

  “Me?” he asked.

  The first flicker of unease showed on her face. “I’ve missed you, Boon.”

  He glanced about. “Where is your family?”

  Surely she hadn’t come all this way alone.

  “I left them back in Texas. I’ve been living on my own for several months now.”

  He stepped up beside her and offered her his elbow. She took it, looping her arm in his, and he led her...where, he’d didn’t know, but he’d be damned if he’d let the gawkers listen to this conversation. They strolled along as if old friends, when in fact he felt nervous and hopeful all at once. He actually felt sick to his stomach with the hope and worry spilling about inside him.

  “I see you’re sheriff.” She paused and turned before him.

  They’d reached the end of the walkway and would have to descend to the street, which was dusty and sprinkled with manure.

  “Yup, been so for several months.” Was she married? Engaged? He wanted to ask, but instead he just stood there staring, wishing, dying.

  “Boon, I have a confession to make.”

  Here it comes, he thought, his whole body tense with dread.

  She rested a bare hand upon his chest. Where were her fancy white gloves?

  “I’ve missed you,” she said. “When you left, it nearly killed me. You shouldn’t have gone.”

  “I did it for you.”

  “No, you did it because you couldn’t believe that I loved you, even though I told you so. Instead, you decided it was better to be noble and break your heart and mine.”

  Boon had pictured seeing Laurie again, but in none of his imaginings did she tear into him like this.

  “You wanted to be a lawman and so you have become one, with no help from anyone. I’ve already heard that you are performing your responsibilities with fairness and competence, Justice.” She smiled.

  “Oh, Laurie, that just sort of happened.”

  “I like it,” she said. “It suits you.”

  He mustered his courage. “So you aren’t married?”

  She snorted. “You are such an aggravating man! No, I’m not married. I told you I loved you. Did you think leaving me would change that? Did you think that I’d just forget and take up with some, some...”

  “Banker?” he supplied.

  She threw up her hands. “Boon, when I said that I was still a child. But I’ve grown up.”

  “Only a few months ago,” he said.

  “A lifetime,” she countered. “I am no longer interested in marrying a man for his profession or the color of his eyes or because I hope to earn respect through him. A woman would be as big a fool to marry for respect as a man would be to choose a bride for her innocence.”

  She’d taken the words he’d said before leaving and twisted them somehow. He stared, taking in the differences along with what remained familiar. Laurie’s new confidence shone like polished silver.

  “You are the first person who has ever understood me and the only one who allows me to be myself,” she said. “I am done with pretending to be something I am not. And I miss you. So I’ve come to ask...” Her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard, squaring her shoulders as if readying herself for a blow. “I am here to ask if you have any feelings for me?”

  Could it be true? Could she really be here for him?

  She lifted a bare hand and stroked his cheek. He closed his eyes at the sweetness of her touch and clenc
hed his jaw against the sweeping arousal that jolted him like lit gunpowder. He couldn’t stop himself from capturing her hand and holding it as he opened his eyes to see that she was really still there.

  “I was wrong about everything,” she whispered. “You are the best man I ever met and I’m not letting you go without a fight.”

  She moved closer, fingers stroking his face, her thumb brushing his lower lip. She moved to stand before him, her hands gliding down his neck and then his shirt until her right hand covered the silver star pinned on his vest. Then she rested her head against him. But when she spoke, it was not in a whisper. It was with words loud enough for every passerby to hear. She did not hesitate or falter, just spoke from her heart.

  “I love you, Justice Boon, and I can’t live without you.”

  Boon almost took her up in his arms. He believed her, saw the changes she spoke of, but still there was one hurdle.

  “Your father?” asked Boon.

  “Is shocked and I do not care what he thinks. He’s getting used to the idea that I have my own mind and do not take orders like one of his men.” Laurie lifted her head and gazed up at him as her fingers curled about the lapels of his vest to give him a little shake. “I choose you. And I’d fight them all to have you.”

  His eyes closed and he gathered Laurie up against him. He could care for her now. He had a job, a home and the respect of this community.

  She had given herself to him. The sweet relief poured down on him like spring rain, followed by the raw need for possession. She was his at last.

  She clung to him as he cradled her in the safety of his arms.

  “Is it true?” he whispered.

  She nodded, her eyes welling with tears. He let her draw back to arm’s length.

  No one had ever been willing to fight for him. No one had ever really loved him before. He knew he did not deserve her, even now. But he loved her. That was the only explanation for leaving her behind.

  “You sure about this?”

  She was and did not hesitate. “Completely.”

  “Laurie, I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but I know I’m not strong enough to let you go twice.”

  “That will save me the trouble of coming to fetch you again.”

  “I’d like to stay here if you’re willing.”

  She glanced about the bustling street nestled among the pine trees and blue peaks of the Rocky Mountains and nodded her approval.

  “Anywhere you say,” she agreed.

  He grinned at her. “You look so different.”

  “I am different. Wait until I tell you about my clothing. I hope you’re not shocked.”

  He grinned. “Not a thing you can say or do will shock me. I’m the one who knows you, remember?”

  “Yes, and I’m the one who recognized you were a good man before even you did.”

  “I still got some bad.”

  She lifted her eyebrows in speculation and gave him a lustful look that burned him up like a spent matchstick.

  “I hope so. I’m looking forward to riding double with you very soon.”

  His ears went hot as the memories of their night ride poured through him, bringing him to an arousal very inappropriate for a public street.

  “First I aim to marry you.”

  She smiled, her eyes twinkling with delight. “I thought you’d never ask. Yes, Mr. Boon, I’d be honored to be your wife.”

  He gathered her up and kissed her hard. Gunfire sounded and hollering. Someone shouted, “The sheriff’s found himself a girl!”

  He pulled back to see the gathering of curious citizens. He pointed at the ones with raised weapons and motioned to his own holster. The firearms disappeared.

  “Wife,” he corrected. “The sheriff found himself

  a wife.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Laurie had taken to calling her fiancé Justice. It suited him perfectly. And, as they were to be married, he needed a last name to offer his bride. Justice surprised Laurie by wanting to marry properly in a church with friends and family. Laurie had invited her parents and Boon invited the friends he’d made in Silver Cliff. He had also insisted she wear white, saying that she was pure as snow and he wouldn’t hear any different. She’d finished her gown just before her parents arrived at the station.

  The wedding had been perfect, the supper overly long. But finally she was alone with her husband and all that separated them was a tri-fold screen and the length of the bedroom in the small house that came as part and parcel with his position in Silver Cliff.

  Laurie Garcia Bender Boon removed her petticoats, bloomers, stockings, corset and shift all from behind the screen. The splashing she heard on the other side told her that he made use of the washbasin. The scraping that followed caused her to cock her head.

  “Are you shaving?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “At night?”

  “Don’t want my whiskers to mark your fine skin.”

  The idea of his scratchy cheek grazing over her inner thigh caused her breath to catch. She hurriedly burrowed into the sheer lace gown that combined femininity and daring. Laurie paused to stare at herself in the oval mirror.

  Pins still captured her hair in an elegant upsweep. Her cheeks were flushed in anticipation and she could see the dark outline of her nipples through the lace.

  “Justice?” She liked the sound of his new given name as much as she liked being Mrs. Justice Boon. Tonight she would go to him without regret because she was his wife.

  “Hmmm?” he answered.

  “I’m ready.”

  Something clattered against porcelain. A moment later came the sound of running feet as her husband charged across the room. Next came the squeak of the ropes beneath the mattress.

  She giggled, picturing him diving headfirst into their marriage bed.

  She wondered what he’d do if she dove right in after him, for she was equally eager for their wedding night to begin. Through his love and his unconditional acceptance she now truly believed she had nothing of which to be ashamed. Her past experience was a mistake or perhaps a crime, as her husband insisted. He was adamant that she was no more at fault than the victim of a robbery. He said he didn’t miss what she lacked and any man who did was “a damned fool.” Besides, he said he wouldn’t know what to do with a scared virgin on her wedding night. That last comment was one of the sweetest things he’d ever said, because she was certain he spoke to alleviate her sorrow at not being able to come to him as pure as her white dress. But she believed he really didn’t care.

  Laurie stroked the train of her wedding gown, now hanging over the screen. This was the first dress she had made since turning her attention to riding skirts and she was proud of her efforts. She’d never forget the look on Justice’s face when he first saw her in this dress, all wonder and gratitude. She felt just the same to find her tall, handsome husband-to-be waiting for her beside the altar.

  Justice had helped her with the long row of pearl buttons that descended down her spine, punctuating each one with a tiny kiss at her shoulder and neck until she was tingling and aroused and aching to have him. He’d been reluctant to release her. His demanding kiss and command that she “hurry back” had changed her mind about the need for nightclothes. But he’d given her a push toward the screen, saying that he wanted to see what she had been sewing out of all that lace, as her gown contained none of it. Strictly ivory satin and silk roses with a bustle and train that made walking nearly impossible, but did lengthen the waistline dramatically in the modern style.

  She stared down at the circle of gold on her left ring finger. The gold filigree band was set with three diamonds. The perfect symbol of the bright future they would share. Laurie extinguished the lamp on the dressing stand.

  “Laurie?” He
sounded fretful, impatient. Eager.

  She smiled as anticipation curled inside her and stepped from behind the screen. Boon had the lamp beside the bed turned down so the golden light gilded the taut skin of his bare chest. The sight stole her breath away. Her gaze wandered to where the covers pooled at his waist and her brow lifted in speculation at the interesting tenting of the bedding.

  Their eyes met. His sharp intake of air made her smile.

  “I’m the luckiest bastard in the world,” he said.

  She knitted her brow. “Don’t call yourself that. You’re a lawman, a respected member of this community and my husband.”

  His shy smile held a hint of pride. “Still getting used to all that.”

  Laurie made him wait, lifting her arms and removing her hairpins one by one while her husband devoured her with his eyes.

  “It’s like you’re wrapped in a bridal veil.”

  “It’s the same fabric,” she said.

  “If I die right now I won’t have far to go. I’m already in heaven.”

  She shook out her hair, letting it tumble all about her bare shoulders. Justice flipped back the covers, recalled he was naked and flicked them back. His gaze flashed to hers, his intent stare searching for her reaction.

  Her lips curled in a sensual smile. “Not a scared virgin. Remember?”

  “Come here, wife,” he ordered.

  She did, gladly, padding silently across the floor, closing the distance between them. The rightness of this struck her hard as he enfolded her in his arms. She lay beside him on their marriage bed inhaling the heady aroma of soap, leather and the scent that was uniquely his own. Laurie clung, pressing against his side as his hand swept down her back.

  “I want to keep the lamp burning. I want to see you when we share this bed.”

  She nodded her acceptance as her fingers grazed over the soft skin, exploring the chiseled muscle of his chest. Amazed, she noted his nipple hardening at her touch. A tingle of anticipation rippled along her spine. What other surprises awaited her?

  Laurie lifted her gaze to meet his, finding him biting his lower lip. She tilted her chin and he swept in to kiss her long and hard. His tongue grazed her lips and then danced with hers as he took her to the bed. His biceps bulged as he drew back, resting on his elbows.