Captivated By A Gunslinger (Emerald Falls Book 3)

by Ivy McAdams

  His chest moved as he drew in a deep breath. His fingers resting on his belt tightened. A subtle flair of his nostrils told her she’d struck a nerve. She’d shocked him. Something about that sent a new thrill through her.

  His eyes grew darker, hungrier.

  She’d done more than shock him.

  And it felt good.

  “I thought for a moment that you liked it, the way you were touching me.” There was a growl in his voice that stirred her belly. “That is, until you pushed me away.”

  A flair of panic jumped through her. The excitement in his eyes had dulled, and she wanted it back. There had been something about the way his eyes fixed so solidly on hers that transferred that delicious energy to her. It’d been an amazing high she didn’t want to let go of. So much so that she reached out and touched his arm as she spoke.

  “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just, the hair. When you―” she stuttered and licked at her dry lips.

  “Something you’ve had a bad experience with.”

  It wasn’t a question. It was very matter-of-fact, and the blush that rushed into Clara’s cheeks was deep. It felt as if the words had been written on her face, clear as day for Ace to see.

  She nodded at him.

  His eyes lowered, and she was afraid she’d broken his mood even further. Her fingers tightened on his arm.

  His hand moved before his gaze, reaching out and sliding up the side of her hip. Her breath caught in her throat when his eyes met hers again. The spark was back, and she had to concentrate not to break out into a silly grin.

  “I’ll remember that for next time.”

  The pitter-patter of her heart drove into a full thrumming against her ribs. Next time?

  The hand on her hip moved up her body, bending with her curves, up her throat to press against her cheek.

  “I have to go take care of some things this morning,” he said, voice still dark and throaty, “but I have some plans I need to discuss with you later. Alone.”

  Her stomach fluttered, and a heat she’d never experienced flared low in her abdomen.

  “I hope you don’t plan on running your mouth the whole time,” she said, feeling a hazy drug weighing on her eyelids.

  “Only if it’s against yours,” he growled, giving her cheek one last caress before moving toward the exit. “See you soon.”

  Then he was gone, and Clara clutched the bag of ginger to her chest with a shuddering breath. Later could not arrive fast enough.

  Chapter 9

  Clara completed her chores in a haze. She prepared a cool, soothing ginger tea for Sadie, which seemed to at least relax her enough to nap. Clay had stood outside their tent, concern creasing his brow and weighing in his eyes. His fingers were dry and worn where he’d stuck them in and out of his pants pockets for the last couple days, worrying over Sadie and trying to remain quiet and vigilant in the background.

  Clara had given him a pat on the arm and assured him that most women got sick like that while pregnant. It hadn’t comforted him much.

  She’d also washed all the dishes, taken a few blankets from tents to beat and hang them in the warm sun, cleaned and refilled their community water bucket, and replenished some of her herbal supplies.

  Finding enough tasks to keep her mind off Ace had been a challenge.

  Bringing the last dose of horse tonic down to the herd was her last chore for the afternoon.

  Sadie’s horse Clover was moving much better and no longer had any heat in her leg. Clara gave the gray mare a handful of oats as she patted the sturdy shoulder.

  “Sadie will be happy to see Clover feeling better,” Bridget said, brushing the other side of the horse with a thick comb.

  “She will,” Clara agreed. “She could use a lifted spirit today too.”

  Bridget tilted her head, jostling a wave of red ringlets. "What's wrong?"

  “Oh, she’s just come down with the baby tummy. Vomiting, feeling horrible.”

  Bridget’s brows creased. “Poor thing. I’ve heard that can be quite awful.”

  “So have I. The tea I made for her earlier seemed to help. I just hope it doesn’t plague her for too long.”

  “You think she’ll need a doctor?”

  “Not now. At least not yet.”

  Bridget draped her arms across the gray horse’s back. “Clay going to let her stay here and not go?”

  “That I don’t know, and I’ll admit, I’m worried about it too.”

  “He really is worked up about this, isn’t he?”

  “It’s new territory for him too. I’m sure it’s stressful watching your new love go through so much.”

  Bridget nodded. “No doubt. They’re both so sweet on each other. It’ll probably just get worse.”

  Clover crunched on her oats as the women around her fell into silence, petting her soft hide.

  “Speaking of being sweet on each other…”

  Clara’s gaze popped up find Bridget’s eyes dancing playfully back at her.

  “What was up with you and Ace last night?”

  Clara’s heart skipped a beat and fell into an uneven rhythm. “What do you mean?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Bridget shrugged a shoulder high up over her ear, batting her eyelashes. “You were just staring at him, lost in your own thoughts. So much so that you didn’t hear him say your name three times.”

  The redhead stifled a giggle with her fingers, and Clara’s face warmed.

  “I’ve never seen you do that,” Bridget said. “What was going on?”

  Clara’s lips pinched together as she calculated her risk levels, telling Bridget the truth. She wanted to confide in her friend, and yet, whatever was going on between her and Ace was so new and electric, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to share it.

  In the end, she settled for a compromise.

  “He’s very nice to look at.”

  Bridget laughed aloud. “You were just admiring him during a big meeting? That you were delivering?”

  Clara’s throat itched, and she cleared it. “Sure. Sometimes you’ve just got to have a look.”

  Tears glistened in the corners of Bridget’s eyes as she giggled and ran the comb down the horse’s back again. “That’s beautiful. I thought you might never look again. I’m proud of you for giving it a go.”

  Clara’s chest constricted, hit by both a rush of nerves and excitement. She did have the opportunity to give it a real go if she was reading Ace correctly, and she was rarely wrong. She wasn’t sure how to feel about that, but more than anything, she was curious.

  “Thanks, I think,” she said with a small smile.

  Bridget nodded over the back of the horse. “If anyone around here needs a little heart-felt thanks, it’s you. And who best to give it to you than the king himself?”

  The excitement stirring in Clara’s belly grew stronger. “It is rather poetic, I suppose.”

  “Of course it is. I hope everything works out for you.”

  Clara looked to the grass beneath her feet, glancing at the horse’s hooves and the toe of her boot that needed to be patched. Her brain flew through all the possibilities of what Ace could mean for her, unsure what everything should entail. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted from him, but she wanted to find out.

  “Don’t discount love,” Bridget murmured.

  Clara’s eyes popped up and settled on the bright blue ones across from her. They were stern, serious.

  “I know you have some notion in your head that love is impossible,” Bridget said, “but so did I months ago. I was in a dark place. Love was just a silly word I’d heard as a girl. But it found me.”

  Clara swallowed back an ache of guilt. She might have felt betrayed for years, living at the abusive hands of her husband, but Bridget had suffered weeks of being held prisoner, including a level of sexual assault Clara had never asked for details on.

  If the now spry and happy woman had overcome so much, there was no reason to believe love was that much of a fairytale.
/>   “I’ll try to keep my mind open.”

  Bridget’s bright smile was back. “That’s all it takes.”

  * * *

  The fire crackled in the evening air, twists of flame dancing into the twilight hue settling over camp. Clara watched it over the rim of her tin cup. Her dinner balanced on her knees, mostly untouched and grown cold. Many of the others had already eaten the quick turkey stew she’d thrown together.

  After talking with Bridget, she’d flown through preparing dinner in an even more anxious state. It’d been bad enough after talking to Ace that morning. Bridget had certainly added a few bricks to the load.

  She did her best not to let it bother her and had thrown herself into her work, cooking and finding even more things to clean and mend. A few of the men had even commented on her working like a mule.

  Nelson had cracked an ugly toothless grin and asked if she was gearing up for a promotion, scoping out the bank and doubling her chores. She’d given him a polite smile while pushing the words from her mind.

  Her best plan of action was just to ignore it all. The looks, the whispers, the feelings swirling around in the pit of her stomach. Letting it bother her was far less than helpful. She’d rather take the rational route.

  That was, until Ace came riding back into camp.

  She put all her attention on the food in her lap, even though she wasn’t hungry. Even the thought of eating it made her stomach turn. So she pushed it around in the bowl on her knees, at least pretending to be occupied by it.

  “Evening, Ace,” Clay called out from a few seats down from her, and she knew the leader had joined his gang around the campfire.

  Clara’s gaze rested on Clay for just a moment before flitting over to Ace.

  He sat directly across the fire from her, the flickering flames blocking most of his body but for his face above. His eyes were zeroed in on her like a predator with its prey.

  At first, it startled her, and she jerked her gaze back to her bowl. The next time she peeked, nothing had changed.

  His mouth moved as he chewed food he occasionally spooned in, but his eyes never moved. Nearly never blinked. The low brows gave him a smolder that she couldn't quite read. He was either angry or trying to rope her in with his eyes. Or a little of both.

  Her breath shuddered as she stared.

  She hoped it was both.

  Otis sat next to him and talked constantly, asking questions she couldn’t hear and nudging his arm. Ace weathered every bit of it, showing no sign of recognition.

  On the contrary, his unmoving eyes and the way his body pointed in her direction told her he had no intention of giving his attention to anyone but her.

  When his bowl was empty, he stood and dropped it into a stack near the fire. Then he circled the campfire, brushing past others sitting around it until he reached her. Without a word, he held out a beckoning hand for her.

  She didn’t know where he was taking her, but she remembered every word he’d said that morning, and her curiosity drove her hand straight into his. Her bowl hit the hay bale next to her, and she was on her feet. His fingers were hard and strong on hers, tugging, caressing, and he pulled her out of the campsite and into the rows of tents.

  She wanted to ask where he was taking her so badly she couldn't stand it, but when it came down to it, she didn't give a damn. After a day full of questions and emotions she couldn't quite process, she was ready to see what he intended.

  He led them past the outskirt of camp and into the edge of the trees. A small alarm went off in her head as they went deeper into the forest. It wasn’t a section of the trees she normally went in, and it looked as if they’d just wander into the vast forest and get lost. A suspended trust led her on.

  When the tree line broke, she realized they were at the river. It was a much larger section of the river she’d only been to a couple times. The water was slower and darker, a much wider, deeper section than the ones she frequented. She washed clothes and dishes in a narrower spot where the water rushed.

  Ace tugged her down the gently sloping bank, and she pulled back.

  “We can’t cross here,” she said. “It’s dangerous.”

  Ace’s fingers slipped from hers as he continued along to the water’s edge without her. Then he shucked his leather jacket down his arms and tossed it and his hat farther up the bank.

  “That’s true,” he said as he lifted his shirt up over his head. “But I don’t intend on crossing.”

  Her breath froze, and excitement buzzed through her veins.

  His eyes caught hers as he worked the belt buckle on his pants, stepping out of his boots. The rational part of her brain screamed at her to stop him, or look away. What on earth was he thinking undressing out there in the forest? But the part of her brain that had latched onto his words that morning, onto the thrill that she might get a second chance at that kiss, dominated and shoved any other thoughts away.

  She stared with unblinking eyes as his belt fell open, and he worked the laces of his trousers.

  He may have chuckled, or his lopsided grin may have just pulled her with some unknown force, and her eyes snapped up to his face. The sultry and cocky smile on his lips nearly melted her into the sandy bank beneath her.

  He turned toward the water as he dropped his pants and stepped into the edge of the river. Her lips parted as she openly gaped at the backside of his naked form.

  The muscles bunching along his back and shoulders, tapering down into narrow hips and a hard and glorious rear that made her want to reach out and touch him. She’d accidentally caught sight of Lloyd’s backside a time or two, and the emotion it elicited was nothing warm and wonderful. Not like with Ace.

  Her lip trembled as her eyes scanned him, down his long legs and back up again. He was tantalizing her. Teasing her in a manner that made her fingers clench into her palms with enough force to bite.

  Then he cast a look over his shoulder that sent her stomach somersaulting.

  “We have some things about the plan to discuss. The water’s warm enough for a swim tonight.” His voice had a deep, breathy growl to it, and she leaned forward to hear more. “Coming in?”

  Her body went rigid.

  In? To the water?

  “You mean get into the river at night in the middle of October? You’ll be lucky you don’t freeze.”

  He turned to face her, the height of the water just over the top of his hips. “I’ll keep you warm.”

  The second retort she had ready shriveled and disappeared. Her teeth were chattering already, and it wasn’t from the cold.

  “I suppose you want me to strip out of my clothes as well,” she fired, a hip jutting out to the side.

  “Want? Of course. But I’ll take you fully clothed if you so prefer.”

  Her confidence wavered. He had an answer for everything.

  He lifted a palmful of water in each hand and spread it onto his arms. It ran down each shoulder, water droplets trickling over his skin. How could something so simple look so darn enticing?

  A scattering of goosebumps rose on her arms, and she rubbed some warmth into them. With an offhand laugh under her breath, she shook her head.

  How dare he tempt her so? He just assumed she had any desire to come out into the forest alone with him and swim in the river, just like that? In October, no less? The chill in the air was not heavy, much less so than the last couple weeks had been. But that was beside the point.

  Ace Van den Berg was a cocky scoundrel.

  “I’ll certainly not be jumping into any water with my clothes on, thank you.” Even as she said the words, they sounded ridiculous.

  He must have been just as amused by her declaration because his eyes narrowed and the edge of his lip curled higher.

  A blush rose in her cheeks, and she glanced away, a wash of disbelief coursing over her. She’d gone beyond seriously considering his proposal, and it was insanity. He’d bewitched her.

  “I might fancy a swim, but you’re not going to watch me u
ndress,” she said, forcing her strength to overcome the slight tremble in her voice.

  This time he did chuckle. Deep and rich. It tickled up through her toes and into the pit of her stomach.

  “My lady,” he rumbled, turning to face away from her.

  She stood frozen on the bank, eyes moving over his well-rounded shoulders and the canyon of his spine in the center of his muscled back. If he'd just take three steps backward, she'd see the rest of him above the water. That was something she'd never grow tired of looking at.

  After a few breaths, she realized she hadn’t moved. And neither had he.

  The position he’d put her in was as exciting as it was frightening. She’d lived the last eight months firmly standing her ground. All the men knew what to expect from her.

  Nothing. And she liked it that way.

  No one would ever have the power to hurt her again.

  She wasn’t keen on relinquishing the control she’d built for herself.

  But she was waist-deep in this dance with Ace, and she didn't want to back out. It was too much fun. She wanted to press forward.

  Just as long as her hands were on the reins.

  Her fingers slid the first few buttons free of her blouse.

  She wouldn't have chosen to go swimming in the river at night. Certainly not naked. But it wasn't as if Ace had demanded it of her. He was out there, half-submerged in water. The only thing he'd beckoned her with was his eyes and his words.

  And it’d worked.

  She slid her shirt free, followed by her pants. It took only a moment’s hesitation, and a glance at the ever-patient man standing with his back to her, for her to pull her undergarments free as well.

  The night’s air was cooler than she’d thought. Especially after taking her first step into the water.

  She bit back a yelp and kept moving.

  Once she was in, she was determined to be fully committed. Or else she’d have to stand before Ace fully nude. She moved in nearly as far as he’d gone, dropping down to submerge herself to her shoulders.

  His head moved a little as she approached him, but he didn’t turn around.