The Marshal and Miss Merritt

by Debra Cowan

  “I thought of that so I asked around town. No one’s seen it. My initials are on it! If Hobbs did find it, he’ll know it’s mine.” She curled her hands into the front of his shirt, resting them on his rock-hard chest. “What if he knows I was in his house?”

  One of Bowie’s big hands moved to her waist. “You said he showed up at the Morning Glory?”

  “Just a bit ago.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He brought me flowers and invited me to dinner.”

  Irritation flickered across Bowie’s rugged features. “So, he was doing the same thing he’s been doing since before that night.”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s hard to tell anything from that. He very well could have your handkerchief and know you were in his house, but his behavior isn’t suspicious in and of itself.”

  “He asked if I had enjoyed the fireworks and mentioned that he hadn’t seen me after the display. Why did he only ask about the fireworks? Why didn’t he ask me if I enjoyed the entire day?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m being stupid, aren’t I? Trying to tell if there was hidden meaning in his words. I just don’t know. I thought about going over to his house—”

  “No!” Bowie’s hand tightened on her waist.

  She petted his chest. “I remembered what you said about that, but I need to know.”

  “Honey, if Hobbs has found your handkerchief, he’s already onto you.”

  “In which case, he would probably keep it, wait to see if I mentioned it. Wait to see if I might return to his house to look for it.”

  “That’s what I would do.”

  She sighed. “So, I guess the best thing to do is not let on that I’ve lost it.”

  “Or that you suspect he might have it.”

  “I’ll try.”

  Bowie’s gaze searched her face. “I hope you didn’t accept his invitation to dinner.”

  “No.” She rolled her eyes. “I told him you and I were courting.”

  Bowie chuckled. “I bet he didn’t like that.”

  “He assumed things between us weren’t serious since they are so new and said that he hoped one day I would accept his invitations.”

  “He’s not giving up.”

  “It doesn’t appear so.” She toyed with a button on the placket of Bowie’s shirt. “You probably think I’m a goose for being so upset.”

  “No.” He smoothed his thumb over the furrow between her brows. “I just don’t want you to worry.”

  “But what if he—”

  Bowie stopped her with a finger on her lips. “I’ll see if I can find out anything.”

  “Thank you. Again.”

  Eyes twinkling, he pointed to his mouth. “Shouldn’t you be thanking me on this spot right here?”

  She laughed and brushed a kiss against his firm, warm lips. Knowing they both had work to get on with, she left, giving him one last smile before walking down the jailhouse steps.

  Thanks to him, she no longer felt the edge of panic, but worry still niggled at her. And she couldn’t shake it.

  Bowie had tried to reassure Merritt about her handkerchief, but he wasn’t sure he had. So in the week since she had told him she feared she had lost it at Hobbs’s house, Bowie had secretly searched the man’s house and the freight office where he worked.

  There had been no sign of the handkerchief. Bowie didn’t like Merritt worrying about it, but so far he hadn’t been able to alleviate that for her.

  He also hadn’t had any luck tracking down Saul. Describing the outlaw’s bay that was missing its left ear had drawn only blank stares from people. Bowie had also questioned Lefty to see if the older man might have seen Saul or his horse around the Morning Glory or while he’d been holed up at Phantom Springs. The older man hadn’t been able to help, either.

  Bowie was taking Merritt to dinner tonight, the second time in a week. While surveilling her, now as much to find Saul as to keep an eye on Hobbs, he had seen the ex-marshal visit Merritt three times.

  He would bring some geegaw or ask her to accompany him to church or to take a walk with him around Town Square. Though she always protested the gifts, she ended up keeping them out of politeness, but she didn’t accept any of his invitations. She spent a lot of her free time with Bowie.

  So far, his suggestion that they take things slow was working out very well. He was a lawman and he was going to stay a lawman. He and Merritt were being smart. This gave her a chance to see if she could accept his job and to judge whether Bowie showed the same tendencies as her late husband.

  After dinner at Steven’s Restaurant, Bowie rented a buggy and drove them out to Phantom Springs where the hot July air was slightly cooler next to the water. He found a spot beneath a thick sprawling oak tree near the small pool formed around the rocks where the water bubbled up from the ground.

  He had been looking forward to this—and Merritt—all day. She looked fresh and cool in a green-and-white-striped dress that sleeked over her full breasts and down to her tiny waist. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail that draped over one shoulder, revealing the elegant line of her neck and one dainty earlobe. Sunlight glittered on the water, painting her fair skin and dark hair a soft gold.

  She walked to the edge of the water, then sent a sweet smile Bowie’s way. “I love it here.”

  “It’s one of my favorite places, too.” He snapped open the quilt he’d brought and spread it on the thick grass beneath the shade tree.

  He offered his hand and she took it, sinking gracefully to the blanket. She folded her legs to the side, causing her lightweight skirts to billow around her. Bowie shifted his holster and sat down next to her.

  “We made it just in time to see the sunset,” he said, pointing at the sun as it descended below the horizon. He relaxed against her, his forearm occasionally brushing her leg.

  The water whispered around them, turning into a sheet of gold as the sun went down. He turned his attention to the scene in front of him. A burst of red and gold melted into the hillside beyond and washed the landscape in a fiery orange before disappearing to leave everything a soft gray.

  Dusk settled over the land. Silver light etched Merritt’s profile and Bowie admired the fine-grained texture of her skin. “I’ve looked for your missing handkerchief at Hobbs’s house and the freight office.”

  She turned to him with a hopeful look on her face.

  “I’m sorry to say I didn’t find it.”

  Despite her obvious disappointment, she smiled warmly. “Thank you for trying. I appreciate it.”

  “I wish I had better news.” He would dearly love to put that worry out of her head.

  “Maybe you were right. I dropped it and it blew away.”

  Bowie knew she didn’t believe that. He didn’t, either, and would keep looking.

  She shifted her attention to the water, now a ripple of silver in the dusky light. He studied her, taken with the way the light glided over her delicate features.

  She reached over and put a hand on his thigh. “Look.”

  He followed her gaze to the water where the light appeared to dance on the surface.

  “It looks like stars on the water,” she said softly.

  It did, but Bowie was more interested in watching her. As the glittering spots faded, he eased back on his elbows, wondering how long it would take to undo the line of buttons down her back. “How long were you married?”

  She glanced over her shoulder, looking curious. “Six years. And I’ve been widowed for three, though I haven’t lived here quite that long.”

  “What made you choose Cahill Crossing?”

  “I wanted a fresh start and I’d heard about this new town that was growing in lush hill country. I thought I’d be able to make a place for myself here.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “Plus I felt lonely in Austin.”

  She didn’t say so, but Bowie thought she’d felt lonely there even while her husband had been alive. He took her hand, playing with her fingers,
and she smiled, putting a kick in his blood.

  The night pulsed around them, ripe with the fragrance of trees and Merritt’s fresh scent. Bowie wanted to kiss her. Get his hands on her.

  She rearranged her skirts. “Have you heard from your sister again?”

  “No, but I sent word to Quin that she’s coming home. The telegraph office in Dodge City will hold the wire until he arrives, if he hasn’t already.”

  “Have you had any contact with him since he and Addie left the 4C?”

  “No.”

  She turned to face Bowie. “You know why I came to Ca-Cross. May I ask why you left?”

  He toyed with her index finger. “Because of Clea. I thought I told you.” He knew he had, just not everything.

  “Is she the reason you didn’t stay after your parents were killed?”

  He snorted. “No, she was long gone by then. Ran off with some rich man’s son.”

  “After I lost Seth, I wanted my family around me. Didn’t you feel that way after Earl and Ruby died?”

  He never talked about why he had returned to White Tail after his folks were put in the ground. Never had. For some reason, he didn’t mind telling Merritt. He just couldn’t seem to pull the trigger and get started.

  Silence stretched between them and she slipped her hand from his to curl over his knee. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have pried.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. I’m a little buffaloed that I do want to tell you, but I don’t like talking about it because I was a jackass.”

  He sat up, covering her hand with his where it rested on his thigh. “When my folks were killed, Ace had left the position and I was the new marshal in White Tail. Ma and Pa were headed to Wolf Grove for the announcement that our family had sold land for the railroad and that a new town would be named after us.”

  Bowie shook his head, recalling the disappointment on his father’s face when his second son had left the 4C to pin on a badge. “Pa never wanted me to be a lawman, and when he and Ma asked me to meet them in Wolf Grove, I couldn’t face his disapproval again. I told them I had a dangerous prisoner I couldn’t leave. That was true, but my deputy would’ve been able to guard that man just fine. I just didn’t want to turn over any part of my job. And I didn’t really want to see my pa.”

  He stared at the water bubbling out of the ground. Merritt slid her arm through his.

  “Do you blame yourself for their deaths? Is that why you didn’t stay after they were killed?”

  “I was to blame. We all felt at fault for it, for one reason or another. Not one of us accepted their request to meet them. We were all off doing something else.”

  Merritt didn’t say anything, just sat there waiting.

  Listening.

  “The day of the funeral, after we’d buried them, Quin started issuing orders, assigning responsibilities for the 4C to each of us. I already had a job. I wasn’t taking on another one, especially if it meant I would have to resign a position I’d worked hard for.

  “It felt like Quin was trying to take Pa’s place and it set me off like a stick of dynamite. I lost my temper, went after Quin. Annie stopped our fight before we did each other any serious damage, but she and Chance weren’t any more willing to stay under Quin’s thumb than I was.”

  Merritt gave his leg a comforting pat that also shot heat through him. He laced his fingers with hers. “We all scattered like buckshot. Looking back, I can see now that my brother was just trying to put some order back in our world, keep our family together.”

  “Have you told him that?”

  Bowie shook his head.

  “Maybe y’all can put your family back together. You’re here and Annie soon will be. Do you want to patch things up with Quin?”

  Bowie hesitated. “Yeah, but I said some things. I don’t know if he can forgive me. Or if Chance and Annie can.”

  “Can you forgive them?”

  “Yes.”

  “You should try to work it out. The only family y’all have left is one another. Don’t walk away from that.”

  He looked down at her, surprised at the shimmer of tears in her eyes. Maybe that was why she felt so loyal to Saul. The man, outlaw or not, was like a brother to her.

  Bowie’s heart felt too big for his chest. Had he ever felt a connection this strong to Clea, for any reason? No.

  He shifted so he could pick Merritt up and put her in his lap.

  She laughed softly. “What are you doing?”

  “Wanted you closer.” He settled his mouth on hers.

  She immediately put her arms around his neck, her breasts pressing into his chest. The feel of her against his arousal had his entire body going hard. A savage desire burned through him.

  She melted into him and he took the kiss deeper, caught up in the soft stroke of her tongue against his, her sweet scent, the way she moved restlessly against him. Aching, he slid one hand into the silky cloud of her hair and cradled her head, bringing her closer. Holding her so tight he could feel the hooks of her stays through his shirt.

  Nuzzling her neck, he breathed in the fresh soap fragrance of her skin, wanting to feel her bare flesh next to his. He cupped her ankle, but before he could move his hand up her thigh, a crackle sounded above them.

  The noise pulled him out of his sensory fog. He lifted his head, breathing hard, struggling to focus. Looking up, he realized he had heard a squirrel or bird in the tree’s branches.

  The interruption served to remind Bowie where they were. This wasn’t the place for what he wanted to do with her. Anyone could ride up. When he finally got Merritt beneath him, he didn’t want the threat of an interruption hanging over them.

  “We’d better stop,” he murmured against her neck.

  “Yes.” The breathy word made it very difficult to put her away from him, steady her on her feet and stand, but he did.

  She folded the blanket, storing it under the buggy seat before Bowie handed her in. He climbed in beside her and clucked to the mare. The buggy lurched into motion, causing Merritt to slide against him. He liked the feel of her so close.

  “Thanks for telling me what happened between you and your siblings. I imagine it wasn’t easy.”

  “You’re welcome.” He took her hand, thinking how pretty she looked with the moonlight skimming her delicate features, turning her eyes to dark, mysterious pools.

  The short ride back to town was made in comfortable silence. Just as they reached the wild north edge of town, Bowie reined up.

  “What—”

  He curved a hand around her neck and pulled her to him for a kiss.

  When he drew away, they were both breathing hard. Her eyes were deep and soft with desire. Her mouth was wet from his, her loosely bound hair slightly mussed from his hand.

  Anyone who saw her would know she’d been kissed. He wanted them to know she’d been kissed by him. She belonged to him.

  The thought stunned him so much that it took him a moment to register the sounds of raucous laughter and voices coming from town followed by the crash of breaking glass.

  Merritt’s eyes widened. “What is going on over there?”

  “There’s no telling.” He groaned, brushing a kiss across her hair. “I’m going to have to deal with that ruckus.”

  He flicked the reins against the horse’s rump, the fog of desire clearing now.

  He chose to drive around town rather than through it to reach the boardinghouse. Was it too much to ask that people keep the peace for longer than a day? He would have liked to have spent an entire evening with Merritt.

  For the first time in his life, Bowie resented his job, resented having to leave a woman for some kind of tomfoolery.

  That pulled him up short. Since when had he ever begrudged his job?

  He’d been telling himself he was in control of his feelings, controlling the pace of his relationship with Merritt, both of them taking their time to figure out if things might work out between them. Control was the last thing he felt.
<
br />   He had barely recovered from the shock of telling her everything he had told her about his family, and now this.

  Something big and hot unfurled in his chest and he couldn’t get a full breath. Whoa.

  That was when Bowie knew he had raced way past cautious and straight into head over heels. It scared the hell out of him.

  Chapter Eleven

  The time Merritt and Bowie had spent at Phantom Springs changed things between them. She felt closer to him than she’d ever felt to anyone, including Seth. Bowie sharing with her the painful rift between him and his siblings had touched her deeply.

  When he had expressed his regret over letting his sister down, Merritt had given that more weight than she should have. This time was different, not based on a feeling, but on the fact that he continued to tell her things. In particular, he talked about how he had felt the first time he had pinned on a badge. For once in his life, he had stepped out of his older brother’s shadow. Been his own man.

  Merritt shared with him, too. About how Saul had come to live with her family and how hurt she and her parents had been when his reckless behavior had escalated into crime.

  As much as Bowie shared, there were plenty of times that he didn’t. At those times, it seemed as if something bothered him. She didn’t press him to talk about it, though she wished he would.

  The man was also distracted, thanks to the badge he wore. She had come to see that he was so intense and driven about his job because he was investigating his parents’ murders. It was personal. How could he not be completely focused on this case?

  He was dedicated to his job as a lawman. There was no denying that and he was good at it. Still, he spent time with her every night, made time for them. She appreciated it.

  In the days that followed their outing to Phantom Springs, he took her to other places. To Wolf Grove to attend a horse race, out to the 4C to show her the sprawling ranch nestled between two of the three water sources that formed Triple Creek.

  What meant the most to her was the time they spent talking on the front porch after Lefty and Mr. Wilson had retired for the night.