by Lily Graison
They were being watched.
Chapter Twenty
When Grace stiffened and sucked in a harsh breath, Rafe turned to see what held her attention. That’s when he saw them. Ben Crowley and two of his hired hands sitting atop their horses near the creek bank.
Rafe jerked Grace’s dress back together, covering her exposed breasts, and jumped to his feet, then helping her from the ground. If she hadn’t been standing there, her dress undone and her breasts bared for all to see, he would have jerked Ben off his horse and beat him to within an inch of his life.
He stepped in front of Grace instead, helping her hide as she righted her clothes and faced Ben with hatred burning in his lungs. “What the hell are you doing on my property?”
Ben glanced at the two men with him before chuckling. “Well, I was looking for my stray cattle. There’s a section of fence down up over the next rise and I thought they’d wandered down here to the stream.” He grinned and peered at Grace over Rafe’s shoulder. “Never expected to ride up on you out here with your new houseguest. Jesse not giving you two the privacy you need?”
Laughter followed Ben’s question and Rafe forced himself to stand still. He had a big problem now that Ben had caught him with Grace and he wondered what to say. Ben didn’t deserve an explanation to anything but the trouble he could stir up would be legendary. One word to anyone and the news would run like wildfire through town.
The people of Willow Creek were as good as they came but gossip seemed to be the only past time anyone had. Once word of this got out, the whole community would know it in a matter of days. Jesse would hate him and every person in Willow Creek would think the worst of Grace.
She tugged on his shirtsleeve and he glanced back at her. She’d fixed her clothing, righted her wet, tangled hair best she could, but the red blush staining her cheeks wouldn’t be so easily fixed.
He turned back to Ben and looked the man in the eye. “I’ll look at the fence. As far as your cattle, I haven’t seen any strays. I’ll let you know if I find them.”
Ben stared at him, that irritating smirk still on his face as he nodded his head in Grace’s direction. “Jesse decide he didn’t want that little lady after all?” He pushed the front of his hat up with one finger. “I can’t imagine him just handing her over to you, Rafe.”
That’s because he wouldn’t. Rafe didn’t speak the thought aloud.
“Put your boots on, Grace.” He started toward the horses, yelling over his shoulder, “Get off my land, Ben.”
Long moments of sly looks and knowing grins from Ben and his men were followed by soft chuckles. Still, they didn’t make any attempt to leave.
Ben glanced at Grace, his gaze roaming the length of her from head to toe. “Is what I said in town true, sweetheart? You repaying Rafe for his generosity by warming his bed?”
Rafe stopped and turned back to face Ben. “I won’t tell you again, Ben. Get off of my land.”
The man laughed in response. “My house is twice the size of Rafe’s old broken down place, Ms. Kingston, and its staffed with hired hands who do nothing but see to my needs. They do all the cooking and cleaning and I’ve money enough to buy half the Montana Territory if I wanted. How’s about letting me have a taste of those pretty little titties and I’ll provide you a nice, cozy bed to lay your head on at night and buy you all the fancy dresses you can wear.”
Rafe closed the distance between them with fire burning in his lungs. He lunged for Ben the moment he reached him, jerking him from his horse and slamming him against the ground. He’d barely heard Ben grunt before his hired hands were off their horse and grabbing for him.
Rafe didn’t know who threw the first punch but between the sting of each bruising hit Ben and his men landed, he gritted his teeth, fought back as if his life depended on it and tried to block out the sound of Grace’s terrified screams.
He rocked back on his feet, dazed by a jab to his head, and watched the world go fuzzy. Blinking, he staggered, righted himself and grunted as Ben plowed into him, taking them both to the ground.
The punches still came, the noise deafening and he’d just managed to get Ben to his back and return some of those blows to the man’s face when the sound of a gun shot echoed across the valley.
“Stop it this instant!”
Rafe blinked and looked up. Grace stood over him and Ben, his rifle in her arms. She looked mad as hell.
She grabbed his arm, pulling at him, and he climbed to his feet best he could as she leveled the gun barrel on Ben and his men. “Now, you three best be on your way.”
Her voice was shaky, a hint of fear laced within her words, but Ben crawled to his feet, spit out a mouthful of blood and laughed as he wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “No need to get all riled up, Ms. Kingston.”
When he made a move toward her, Grace raised the gun higher and Rafe wondered if she’d really shoot him. As much as he hated Ben, he didn’t want to see Grace hang for killing the man. He wasn’t worth the cost of the rope they’d use to do it with.
Reaching for the gun, Rafe took it from her, having to tug a bit to get her to let go. She frowned at him but released it anyway. When Ben and his men were back on their horses, Ben threw him a look that said they weren’t finished.
They rode away, their laughter rolling over the hills and it wasn’t until they grew small on the horizon that Rafe turned to look at Grace. She was staring at him, her eyes holding so many emotions he wasn’t sure he could name them all. He lifted his gun and grinned at her through cracked, busted lips. “I didn’t realize you could handle a gun.”
“I’m not some weeping flower unable to take care of myself, Rafe Samuels. I’m highly capable of many things.”
He chuckled and started toward his horse. “I’m beginning to see that. I’ll have to remember not to dismiss your talents before I’ve seen them myself in the future.” Placing the gun back into the scabbard attached to his saddle, he turned to Grace. Her eyes still seemed a bit too wide but at least she wasn’t crying. He wasn’t sure he could handle a hysterical woman. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”
She visibly relaxed. Rafe saw it move through her body like a living thing. Her shoulders lowered, the breath she’d been holding was released and the wide, terrified look in her eyes vanished. He smiled at her and watched as another emotion filled her pretty violet eyes. Anger.
“Rafe Samuels, if you ever do something so foolish again, I’ll shoot you myself!”
He stopped himself from laughing and crossed the distance between them. She reached for his face, touching his busted lip. He hissed a breath and tilted his head. “It’ll heal.”
“Maybe but you won’t be nearly as pretty until it does.”
“You think I’m pretty?” He smiled and wished he hadn’t a moment later. His battered lips didn’t like the sudden movement and ached from the action.
Reaching for her, Rafe grabbed a handful of her hair, his fingers lingering in the long locks as they dangled by her face. He sighed at the sight of his busted knuckles, dried blood crusting his hands. He could only imagine what his face looked like.
The busted lip wasn’t the only blemish. His left eye felt a bit funny too and his cheek was throbbing. “Jesse will want to know what happened.”
Grace nodded her head. “What should we tell him?”
Rafe released her hair and sighed. “Hell if I know.” They stood staring at each other for long minutes before Grace started back toward the creek bank. She sat, put on her wet boots and tucked her stockings into her pocket before standing back up.
“I suppose we can always tell him the truth.” She turned to face him and lifted one shoulder. “I’d leave out the part where I was half undressed and the fact that we were….”
Her words trailed off as her cheeks reddened. Rafe smiled and rounded up the horses. She followed without another word.
When he reached for her, and settled his hands on her waist to lift her onto the horse, he lowered his head, giving
her a soft kiss. “I’ll think of something to tell him.” He lifted her, waited until she’d settled before gaining his own saddle. “And I’ll leave out your wanton, unladylike behavior.” When she gasped, Rafe grinned and turned the horse toward the house.
He’d gotten nothing he’d set out to do that day done but he wasn’t complaining. Grace had given him more than he could ever ask for and the sudden thought of marrying her didn’t leave him feeling so hopeless as it once did. Maybe she wouldn’t leave him like he thought she would. If he were lucky, she might even come to love him.
Of course, hell might freeze over, too.
Arriving back at the house, Grace knew a fight was brewing before they even got the horses stopped. Jesse was on the back porch, pacing the length of it, his lips an angry slash across his face. They rode to the barn as Jesse jump from the porch to follow. Rafe was helping her dismount when Jesse slid to a stop beside them.
“Where the heck you two been?” He flashed her a look before glaring at Rafe. Once he got a good look at his face, his eyes widened. “What happened?”
Rafe threw her a look before grabbing her horses reins. “Ran into Ben and two of his ranch hands while we were checking the fence line.”
Jesse tilted his head to look at Rafe’s face. “They all three jump ya or are you just getting slow in your old age?”
Rafe ignored the jab and walked the horses into the barn.
Grace wondered what he’d tell Jesse but turned toward the house when they left her standing in front of the barn. She hurried into her room, changed her clothes, braided her hair, and rushed back down to the kitchen.
She busied herself with supper, scrambling eggs and onions and laying out the left over biscuits from breakfast. She’d set everything on the table and was filling their glasses with water when the door opened.
Jesse was the first to enter, his face still red with anger. Grace set the glass in her hand down and gave him a tentative smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to prepare you something more than eggs, Jesse. It’s been a busy day.”
He stopped, his ears turning red to match his face before he ducked his head and sat down. “It’s all right. I don’t mind them so much when you fix them.”
Grace sighed in relief and looked toward the door, waiting for Rafe. She wondered what he’d told Jesse and not knowing was eating her up inside.
She pulled her chair out and sat down. “So, how was school?”
Jesse looked startled and shook his head at her. “Fine. I don’t want to talk about it.” He shoved his mouth full, gulped a large amount of water and nodded his head at her. “Rafe had no business takin’ ya out on the range like that. You’re safer here. Next time he tells you some story about you being safer with him, just know he’s lying.”
Grace didn’t argue with him and ate in silence. When Jesse finished eating, he excused himself and went to his room. Grace cleared the table, glancing out the window every few minutes, trying to see Rafe. The moon was cresting the mountain by the time he walked into the house.
Laying the towel in her hand down, she watched as he hung his coat and hat. “What did you tell him?”
Rafe grinned and walked to the sink. “Nothing remotely close to the truth.” He washed his hands and turned toward her, reaching for the towel. “He knows how Ben is. It didn’t take much to convince him that Ben provoked a fight. You’ve seen first hand how easily he can do that.”
Grace nodded. “Yes, I have.” Rafe sat and ate while Grace finished cleaning the dishes. She’d dried the last one when Rafe brought her his plate. When he walked away without another word, she watched his retreating back until he disappeared into his room.
She hated when he did that. Dismissed her without a flicker of a glance back. She finished the dishes, dried her hands and looked around the room. There was nothing else for her to do now but going to bed was the last thing on her mind. She glanced at the doorway to Rafe’s room and hesitated only a second before walking to his door.
He was standing by the dresser, rummaging through a small box. Grace cleared her throat and waited for him to turn to look at her. “Can I get you anything before I go upstairs?”
Rafe stared at her for long moments before he shut the lid on the box. He crossed the room, grabbed her hand, and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind her. The moment they were shut off from the rest of the house, he kissed her.
Grace gave little thought to his busted lip as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with every ounce of passion she felt for him. Long minutes passed before they broke apart, both panting for breath. She looked at his face, ran a finger lightly over the bruises she could already see forming, and sighed before laying her head to his shoulder. “What are we doing, Rafe?”
His hold on her tightened. “I don’t know, Grace.” He lowered his head, brushing his lips across her forehead. “I really don’t know.”
Chapter Twenty-One
A week after the run in with Ben Crowley and his men, Grace was still no closer to understanding what Rafe wanted. They spoke little in the evenings when Jesse was home but every day at lunch, Rafe would come into the house a different person from the one she’d seen the night before.
It took ages to get him out from under foot most days. He insisted on helping her with the dishes. He’d laugh, talk about his plans for the ranch, and spent more time stealing kisses than he did washing their dirty plates.
He’d left her weak kneed and staring at the ceiling in dreamy bliss before leaving to finish his chores minutes ago. The urge to rush to the window to try and get a glance of him was intense. She had trouble doing the simplest of chores, her mind wandered to him so often, and even though his motives were unclear there was no doubt she was losing her heart to him.
Glancing toward the window, she wondered if he was out in the yard, and was walking across the room to check when the thud of horses hoofs hitting the road caught her attention. It was more than one from the sound of it and she instantly thought the worst.
She’d been waiting for Ben to come around and cause trouble for them since the fight at the creek a week earlier but so far they hadn’t seen him.
Dropping her broom, Grace ran to the window, peering out into the yard. Two men on horseback and a wagon were pulling to a stop by the barn.
It wasn’t Ben. These men looked clean, their hair dark under their hats, and they both looked lean as they sat their horses. But the sun was directly overhead, shining in her eyes as she looked at them. She couldn’t see either man clearly.
Her heart was slamming against her ribcage until she looked at the wagon. A woman dropped the reins and stood, waiting as one of the men walked toward her, then helped her down.
When she turned to the house, a smile on her face and a basket perched on one arm, Grace realized they had visitors. The first to drop by since she’d arrived in Willow Creek.
Trying to tidy her hair, she rushed to the kitchen, fetched a pot of water and smiled when a soft knock tapped on the back door. Grace dropped the coffee pot on the stove and hurried to the door, relieved to see another woman for the first time in weeks.
“Hello,” Grace said, smiling.
The woman was beautiful. She was dressed in her Sunday best, her blonde hair pulled into a fancy uplift of curls. She returned Grace’s smile. “Hello. I’m Sarah Avery. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to come visit you sooner. May I come in?”
“Oh!” Grace blushed and stepped out from in front of the door. “Yes, please, do.”
When Sarah swept past her, Grace couldn’t help the bubble of excitement that caused her chest to tighten. She had a guest. One who smelled like delicate flowers and brought a basket of goodies with her.
She shut the door, turning to her visitor and hesitated when Sarah stopped in the middle of the kitchen. “I’ve always wondered what this house looked like.”
Sarah sat her basket on the table and then removed her cloak, draping it over the back of one chair as her ga
ze ran over every surface in the kitchen. “We’ve ridden past this place countless times but there was never anyone for me to visit. Colt, my husband, told me Rafe had a woman in his home and I nearly danced with excitement.”
Grace listened to Sarah ramble, nodding her head when appropriate until it seemed as if she finally ran out of steam. She stopped talking, exhaled a long breath and laughed. “I’m sorry. As you can tell, I don’t get out much.”
“That’s all right,” Grace said. “Neither do I.”
They shared a laugh and Grace busied herself with the coffee, chatting about nonsensical things until it was done. She poured it into the mugs she and Rafe used every morning and urged Sarah to sit. “I don’t have any tea. The mercantile was out last time I was in town.”
Sarah grinned. “That’s quite all right. Coffee will go great with these.” She lifted the towel from her basket, pulling out a plate of sweet biscuits oozing with blueberries. “I had to sneak these out of the house. Colt was determined to eat them all.”
She slid the plate closer to Grace and reached for one, smiling as Grace did the same.
“So,” Grace said, “Your husband is Colt Avery. Any relation to Holden?”
Sarah smiled. “Yes. They’re brother’s.”
Grace nodded her head. “I keep forgetting this is a small town.”
“Smaller than you think. Gossip travels quick, which is why I’m here.”
The door opened before Sarah could say more and Rafe walked in, followed by Holden Avery and….Holden? Grace blinked and stood, staring at the two men. They looked exactly the same. The same dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and identical smirks. She laughed and shook her head. “Twins.”
Sarah nodded. “Hard to look away, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
Rafe cleared his throat, gave Grace a look that said she needed to stop staring at the Avery men, and lifted the front of his hat with his thumb. “We’re headed out to the range. May be a while before we’re back. Will you be all right here alone?”
