Somewhere in that part of brain where he could still think, he knew he needed to stop before he lost all control.
He released her and took a step away, taking in ragged gulps of the night air.
In the moonlight, she glanced up at him, her eyes filled with raw desire. Her breaths were unsteady, as ragged as his. She raised her hand, trembling, to her lips, swollen from his kiss.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice shaky, “but I’m real glad I did. And I just want you to know, I wish things were different.”
With her eyes boring into his, she took a step and rested her hand on his. “They don’t have to be different.”
Her heat surged through him, coiling tight in his belly. It took every ounce of willpower he could muster not to drag her back into his arms and bury himself in her softness. “They do, Olivia.” He couldn’t keep the sorrow out of his voice. “They do. And as much as I wish they could be different, we both know they won’t ever be.”
Chapter Ten
Olivia’s eyes were gritty from fatigue and her body felt as if she was carrying a hundred pound sack as she trudged along down the street from the orphanage to the main street the next afternoon. She’d promised to go to Priscilla’s for tea, even though was in no mood to be sociable.
She wasn’t surprised. She’d gone early to the orphanage to prepare breakfast for the children, and since she hadn’t slept more than a few minutes the night before, by the time she left after lunch, she was exhausted.
Landry’s kiss – and his words – had affected her so profoundly she hadn’t been able to put him out of her mind. He cared for her. He hadn’t said it in so many words, but his meaning had been clear. And while she should be filled with joy and happiness that her feelings for him were returned, he’d made it quite clear there was no future for them together.
As she turned the corner to the main street, she saw Landry’s brother and his friends leaning against the corral fence outside the livery. Landry was carrying two buckets of water to the trough inside.
Tobias said something, and Landry grinned, then started to pour the water into the trough. Then he looked up, meeting her glance. She stopped, tempted to cross the street to speak to him, even though she really didn’t want to have any contact with Tobias and his friends. Before she had time to make up her mind, Landry made the decision for her. He turned away and went back to pouring water into the trough.
Her heart filled with pain unlike any she’d ever known. “Oh, Landry,” she whispered to herself. “I wish things were different, too.”
***
Landry threw the thin blanket off and punched his pillow, then flopped his head back down. Night hadn’t brought much relief from the heat of the day, and even the air drifting into the room through the open window didn’t cool him much.
But it was Olivia that was keeping him awake.
He’d managed to avoid ever since he’d kissed her after the dance, but he’d known it was only a matter of time before he saw her again. Rocky Ridge was a small town. It would be impossible for him to live his life there without running into her.
His stomach clenched, and his chest tightened. How was he supposed to spend his life here – seeing her, wanting her, loving her from a distance? How was he supposed watch her marry another man, knowing he’d be kissing, her, touching her, making love to her. Seeing her grow with another man’s children inside her.
The answer was plain and simple. He couldn’t.
He had no choice now. He had to leave.
***
“What time is it, Miz Olivia?” Daniel asked as he rocked his small body in one of the chairs on the orphanage porch while Olivia swept the floor.
“A little after two,” she replied. “Why?”
His small shoulders slumped and a frown creased his forehead. “’Cause Mr. Mitchell said he’d take me riding again. Miz Potts said I could go, and he said he’d come before two o’clock. But he didn’t.”
Olivia’s heart stuttered. She hadn’t seen Landry since their kiss after the dance. He’d come by to take Daniel riding three times since then, but both times, they’d avoided each other.
The last time, she’d forced herself to stay in the kitchen, knowing he was outside with Daniel. She’d heard Daniel tell him she was there, but he hadn’t come inside to see her.
In a way, she was glad. Being with him, knowing there was no future for them, was too painful. At least if she didn’t have to see his smile and remember the taste of his lips, she could try to pretend she was happy. Even so, he was never far from her thoughts no matter how busy she kept herself.
But one thing she did know, Landry wouldn’t disappoint the boy if he had any other choice. “If he said he’d come, I’m sure he will. He’s likely delayed because of his work. You must learn to be patient. Good things come to those who wait.”
A proverb she should remember herself, she admitted. And it seemed waiting was all she could do – wait and hope something would persuade Landry to change his mind about them.
“Did you and Mr. Mitchell have a fight?”
Olivia started. “What?” Was the tension between them so obvious that even a child could see through the politeness?
“You didn’t come talk to him when he was here yesterday,” Daniel pointed out. “You used to talk to him a lot.”
Yes, she thought, she used to enjoy talking to him, being with him. “It’s fine, Daniel. Nothing for you to be concerned about.” Olivia whisked the broom across the floor, sending dust and dirt flying off into the yard. “You may wait here for Mr. Mitchell, but be sure to let Mrs. Potts know when you’re leaving.”
Daniel nodded and turned away, his glance scanning the street, hope in his eyes.
Olivia went inside and put the broom away. She’d better hurry and leave before Landry arrived.
She wasn’t fast enough. As she threw the door opened and hurried out, she collided with him as he was standing on the porch speaking with Daniel.
She couldn’t prevent the squeak escaping her lips as she grabbed onto Landry’s shirt to keep her balance. His arms snaked around her waist, tugging her into the muscled wall of his chest.
Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up and their gazes locked.
“Afternoon, Olivia,” he said softly, holding her just a fraction of a second longer than necessary before releasing her.
She took a step back. “Landry.”
For what seemed an interminable length of time, neither of them spoke.
“My ma and pa used to look like that,” Daniel put in.
“Oh …” Olivia had forgotten Daniel was there. “What do you mean?”
“Like they was mad at each other, but then I’d see them kissing when they thought I wasn’t looking.”
He grimaced, and Olivia couldn’t help smiling. To an eight-year-old boy, grown-ups kissing would get a reaction not unlike eating Brussels sprouts.
“You ain’t going to kiss each other, are you?”
Olivia would like nothing more than to be wrapped up in Landry’s arms and to feel his lips on hers. Just the thought sent a tingling sensation through her to settle low inside.
“No, Daniel,” Landry replied, but his eyes never left Olivia’s face. “We’re not going to be kissing. Ever.”
Olivia heard Daniel sigh. “That’s good. So can we go riding now?”
Landry nodded. “We sure can. Mount up and we’ll be on our way.”
Daniel ran off, and as Landry turned to follow him, Olivia reached out and rested her hand on Landry’s forearm.
He stopped, faced her, his eyes mirroring her sadness and despair. “You’re wrong about this, Landry,” she said quietly. “I hope you realize it before it’s too late.”
He didn’t answer, but spun around and bounded down the steps to join Daniel.
***
Landry sat on a bench in front of the livery the next afternoon, watching as the stagecoach rolled down the street and came to a stop in front
of the Wells Fargo office. Four guards rode in with the stage, rifles at the ready. A rifle leaned against the seat beside the driver, and another armed man sat beside him.
As Landry looked on, all the men except the driver dismounted. The driver handed a metal strongbox down to two of the men who carried it inside the office. One man waited at the door, watching the activity inside the office. The other two stood a few feet away, their eyes constantly sweeping the street for anyone suspicious.
So that’s the mine payroll, Landry thought. He wasn’t surprised the strongbox was being held in the Wells Fargo office rather than the bank. He’d heard the bank had been robbed three times while he was gone, and that Wells Fargo had recently installed a new safe in their office, one that was reported to be completely secure.
Landry leaned back against the livery wall and watched. A few minutes later, the men exited the stagecoach office. They stood together on the boardwalk for quite some time, then the driver climbed back onto his seat on the stage and flicked the reins.
Landry got up and waited for the stage to come down the street and stop at the livery. It was only then he caught a glimpse of Tobias and Uggie leaning casually against a post in front of The Lucky Shamrock. While they seemed to be uninterested in the stage’s arrival, Landry suspected they were taking in every detail of what was going on around them.
A good citizen would go to the sheriff and tell him Tobias was up to something. But since he didn’t know what or when, it wouldn’t do the sheriff much good anyway.
He was glad he didn’t know exactly what Tobias was planning. Tobias was still his brother, his own flesh and blood, the only family he had left. How could he turn him in?
Yeah, he thought, he was glad he didn’t know.
***
“I don’t know what to do.” Olivia picked up the china cup with the floral pattern and took a sip of her tea while Priscilla bustled around her kitchen, sliding a batch of freshly baked molasses cookies onto a matching plate and putting them on the table between them.
Olivia sniffed appreciatively. The cookies were still hot to the touch, but she couldn’t resist picking one up. She broke off a piece and popped it into her mouth.
“There’s nothing you can do,” Priscilla said, folding the towel she’d used to pull the tray out of the oven and setting it on the shelf beside the stove before sitting down opposite Olivia at the table. “If Landry’s got it in his head that he’ll never have the kind of life here that he thinks you should have, until that changes … or he changes his mind about it …”
Unfortunately, Priscilla was right. And Olivia had no choice but to accept it.
“What’s even more worrisome now is that Tobias and his friends are back,” Olivia said. “From what Landry told me, Tobias has always been such an influence on him. I’m so afraid he’ll feel he has no choice but to go along with whatever Tobias suggests.”
“Things are better for Landry now, though. People are starting to see he’s not the villain they thought he was.”
“They are improving, but people like Emmett Farris and Mrs. Lundstrom will see to it that his past is never forgotten. And now, with Tobias here … ” Her words trailed off.
“I can understand why you’re concerned,” Priscilla put in. “From what Zane tells me, Tobias was a good boy until his father died and he started running with James Uggers and Frank Gage.”
“I don’t like Tobias. Something about him makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end.”
I agree,” Priscilla said. “Both he and Landry were in prison by the time I came to town, so I didn’t know them before. But Zane, his brother and his cousin grew up here. Zane told me that they were all friends until after Landry’s mother passed. Tobias changed after that.”
Olivia nodded. “Hopefully, Tobias will move on soon. The longer he’s in town, the harder it will be for Landry to get his old life back.”
“It will. Since Tobias’s guilt was never in question, anyone associating with him will be judged the same way. Zane is concerned that Tobias is up to something, and that he’ll try to convince Landry to join him.”
As Olivia walked home later that afternoon, Priscilla’s words ran through her mind again and again. She hadn’t known Landry and Tobias when they were boys, but Landry himself had told her how close they’d been, how much he’d looked up to Tobias.
That closeness, that bond had been at the root of Landry ending up in prison. She couldn’t help wondering how strong it was now.
Zane, Landry and Tobias had grown up together. He knew them better than most, and he was worried about Tobias’s influence over Landry.
Olivia only hoped his concern was unfounded.
***
Clouds hid the moon, and the air was heavy with moisture. The tinny sound of music from the piano at The Lucky Shamrock carried in the silence of the deserted street, while faint light from inside cast shadows on the boardwalk.
Landry sat on the bench outside the livery trying to decide if he should wander down to the saloon for an hour or two, or go inside and try to sleep.
Movement in the shadows down the street caught his eye. He squinted, peering into the darkness. Was his imagination playing tricks on him?
No. There it was again. Three figures near the alley between the dressmaker’s shop and the bank. And one of the figures was Tobias. He’d recognize the swagger in Tobias’s step anywhere.
A few moments later, a faint glow of light appeared in the alley, then disappeared behind the building.
Landry’s chest tightened as the realization of what his brother and his friends were about to do hit him. They were going to rob Wells, Fargo. That was the business Tobias had been talking about.
The payroll for the Silver Dollar Mine was locked in the safe in the office, and the mine owner thought it was secure.
But they didn’t know Uggie. He was one of the best safecrackers in the territory.
Landry bounded to his feet. He had to stop them! He had to stop Tobias before it was too late.
He hadn’t been able to prevent his brother from getting involved with the wrong people five years before, but this time … this time he would. One way or another, he had to make him see that this wasn’t the answer.
Landry hurried across the street and down the alley where the three men had disappeared. He rounded the corner in time to see Gage working the lock on the back door.
Tobias swung around and drew his gun.
“It’s me,” Landry whispered.
Tobias slid his gun back in his holster. “Glad to see you’ve finally gotten some sense and you’re coming with us.”
“You can’t do this, Tobias.”
“You got something against living good, with money to burn, a soft bed and a warm woman beside you?” Tobias asked. “We’ll have all that.”
Landry shook his head. “You’ll be on the run forever.”
“Not once we get to Mexico.”
Uggie moved to stand beside Tobias. “Your brother is a grown man, doesn’t need a kid telling him what to do.”
Tobias took a step closer to Landry, peered into his eyes. “If you’re not here to join up, go home. The boys didn’t want to split the money anyway—”
“No. I tried to stop you, to get there in time the last time, but I was too late …”
“Was it worth the price you paid?”
“Every second of it, and I’ll do it again if it’ll stop this. You said you want it to be like old times. You and me. I want that, too. I want my brother back, but not like this … like before … like when we were boys. Do you remember, Tobias?”
“Yeah, I remember. I remember being hungry, and the beatings, and …”
“We won’t be hungry now, and Pa’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Like I told you, it’ll be like before once we get to Mexico.”
Landry shook his head. “No. You won’t get to Mexico. They’ll hunt you down and either send you back to prison or kill you.”
<
br /> “You don’t have much faith in me, do you?”
“Tobias, you’ve served your sentence. You’re free now. You can start over.” Landry took a step back then reached down, gripped the mother-of-pearl handle of his Colt and drew it out of his holster. He pointed it at Uggie and Gage.
Tobias’s eyes widened. “What are you doing?” His eyes flitted from Landry to Uggie. Uggie’s hands stilled on the door handle.
“I’m stopping you from making another mistake,” he said, keeping his eye on Uggie and Gage. He knew it was possible that Tobias would jump him, but he also knew that deep down, his brother cared about him. “One way or another, I’m going to stop you from ruining your life.”
Tobias had protected him all the time he was growing up. His brother still had the scars on his back from getting between Landry and his father.
Now it was time for Landry to return the favor.
Prison had changed Tobias, but Landry was willing to bet some things hadn’t changed. That he would never hurt Landry. “Either leave with me now or I’ll shoot them both,” he told Tobias.
“You gone crazy?” Tobias’s voice grew louder, then lowered to a harsh whisper. “Put the gun away.”
“Nope,” Landry said, keeping his eyes on both men but directing his words to Tobias. “I will shoot them both.”
“Kill us and you’ll hang,” Gage pointed out. “I don’t think your woman will like watching you swing from the end of a rope.”
Landry cast a glance at his brother. “What about you, Tobias? Will you like watching me die because of you?”
For several long seconds, their eyes locked. Finally, Tobias raked his hand through his shaggy hair. “You really think you can get your life back in this town?”
“I do,” Landry said. “And I want my brother here with me.”
Tobias’s gaze shifted to Gage and Uggie.
“What’s the matter with you, Tobias? You getting soft?” Gage rubbed his hand down the leg of his pants.
Tobias didn’t answer.
Landry's Back in Town (Rocky Ridge Romance Book 1) Page 10
