by Carrigan Fox
“I know. But I had to talk to you. I want to apologize for being so rude to you. I thought that…” she trailed off, suddenly not sure how to continue. She wasn’t sure she wanted to continue. He was grinning at her arrogantly with his tanned, muscular chest exposed. In the gap of his shirt, Chase could see the pale hair on his chest, and her stomach began to flutter. Her fury these past two days had dampened the fire she felt coursing through her body every time she saw him. Now that she understood what he’d done for Elisabeth, the fury was gone, and the fire was back.
“You thought that…” he interrupted her thoughts and encouraged her to finish her apology.
“You gave me that ridiculous speech about women, and I was so furious with your ignorance. And then I overheard you tell Elisabeth to leave you alone. I thought you were toying with her. I felt bad for her, and I…well…I’ve been unspeakably rude to you these past two days. She just told me what you’ve done to help her. She an amazing woman. She’s so courageous. And it’s very kind of you to help her get her life back together,” Chase hurriedly spit out. She tore her gaze away from his chest and met his eyes.
They were warm and full of laughter. “You were spying on me,” he accused lightly.
“I wanted to make sure you were treating Elisabeth like a lady. I knew she had been through enough in London,” she answered. It sounded like a noble enough reason. It wasn’t entirely a lie, and it sounded better than to admit to spying on him. “I am truly sorry for jumping to conclusions.”
“I accept your apology.”
“Thank you.” They stood for a few moments and endured an awkward silence. Chase allowed her gaze to drop to his exposed chest again before catching herself and quickly raising her gaze to his face. He hadn’t noticed her attention. Actually, he was guilty of doing the same thing, his eyes grazing the front of her shirtwaist.
“I kind of miss you, Cochrane,” he finally drawled, breaking the silence. “I missed your naïve comments at the poker table this evening. It didn’t seem right playing without you there slamming down whiskey and ale and smoking your cigars.” He laughed then, and she wasn’t sure if he was mocking her or not. “It just doesn’t seem appropriate to ask you to join me now, does it?”
She imagined her eyes lit up. “Perhaps if you had a deck of cards, I could get Reese and Marcus. We could all play in here,” she suggested.
He laughed again and shook his head. “I don’t have any cards. Perhaps I’ll have to get a deck.” He studied her face for a moment. “So everything these past two days, that was all misdirected anger on Elisabeth’s behalf?”
“I’m afraid so,” she answered with an apologetic smile.
“And now that you know why she’s with me and why I wanted her to keep her distance from me on the ship, now you aren’t angry anymore?”
“No. I’m not angry anymore.”
“So…I can expect that since you are no longer angry with me, you won’t subject me to that treatment again?”
“Correct,” she grinned.
“Not even the kiss?”
Even with the playful grin he’d been displaying, she was shocked with the change of direction in the conversation. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Chase most certainly did want to kiss him again. She wanted to kiss him right now. She wanted to brush her fingers lightly over the soft hair on his chest. She wanted to press her lips gently against his.
“Not even the kiss,” she lied.
He moved suddenly and stood over her, bending his head and bringing his face within inches of her own. “You’re an awful liar, Chase,” he scolded gruffly. He wrapped one arm around her waist and hauled her body up against his own as he shoved his free hand into her hair. He brought his mouth down on top of hers. She recovered from the shock of his nearness only the moment before he kissed her. She gasped in surprise, and he took advantage of the opportunity. His tongue slipped lightly between her lips, touching the tip of her own. She moaned softly and wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing their bodies closer. More than anything, she needed his strength to support her weight, as her knees suddenly seemed shaky.
His tongue rubbed against hers silkily, and she enjoyed the sensation for a moment before boldly returning the favor. His mouth was cool and tasted of whiskey. When her tongue entered his mouth, he closed his lips around it and gently sucked, sending chills down her spine as a warmth spread in the pit of her stomach and then settled lower. His grip tightened around her waist, and she could feel the hardness of his body pressed against her. She moved against him and felt satisfaction when he groaned in response.
He pulled his mouth from hers and looked into her eyes for only a moment. “Dammit, woman,” he muttered. He kissed her mouth again for a brief moment and then pulled back abruptly. “You need to get back to your room,” he ordered gruffly, gently pushing her away from him.
“Why? What’s wrong?” she asked, too rattled to think clearly.
“Your brother has gone for a shave. He’ll be back from the barber soon.”
She looked to the door and looked back at his passion-filled eyes. She longed to reach out and place her palms on his abdomen, to feel his hard muscles. She imagined moving her hands slowly up his chest, fanning out and pushing his shirt open. He was beautiful. Taking her eyes off of his chest, Chase looked up and found him studying her with narrowed eyes. He reached for her again and rubbed her arms lightly before circling around her back again.
“Soon,” he answered simply.
Unable to resist any longer, she gently placed her hands on his chest and pushed them up around his neck. She smiled when he shuddered. “I’ll leave…if you give me a kiss goodnight,” she suggested boldly.
He laughed with surprise and shook his head, gently nudging her away from him. “Your brother will come through that door any minute.”
“And if Marcus walked in right now, what is the worst he could do to us?”
He opened his eyes and looked down at her. “He could shoot me,” he said seriously, taking another step away from her and buttoning his shirt up. “He should shoot me,” he continued. “I would if I were him. You need to go back to your room, Chase. You’re a lady, and it wouldn’t hurt you to remember that.”
She thought she had heard that reminder for the last time when she left England. Put off, Chase moved away from him and folded her arms beneath her breasts. “Contrary to popular opinion, I know exactly who and what I am. And I don’t need constant reminders to behave like a lady,” she remarked with a frown of disappointment and even slight anger.
He looked at her for a moment with confusion, and then looked down and shook his head at the floor. “Chase…” he began.
“I’m going,” she interrupted. She walked quickly to his door, wanting to get out of the room before she started crying. It hadn’t occurred to her that Colton would think she was acting like a harlot. She was humiliated and shocked at her own weakness. She was supposed to be strong and independent and intelligent. Instead, she had gotten caught up in the kiss, and he’d had to remind her that her behavior was unacceptable. For the first time, Chase experienced the disappointment she was sure her parents had felt about her. She expected more from herself. And for a moment in room 217, Colton Webb had made her forget that.
***
She deserved more. She deserved to be treated like Lady Chase Fairfax.
She was just so beautiful and irresistible. Webb didn’t know what had come over himself. When she stood there before him, apologizing for defending a woman who had experienced enough pain and humiliation for ten lifetimes, he suddenly realized how strong she was. She had pretended—quite successfully—to be a man in order to protect her grandmother and sister. He smiled, remembering the swell of her breasts pressing against her shirtwaist, wondering how he’d missed those before. She had acted brazenly and kissed him when she probably would have rather shot him, all because of some revenge on Elisabeth’s behalf.
He suddenly was more curious about her plan for reven
ge. The kiss was supposed to be the beginning. He wondered what other magnificent forms of torture she had devised.
He grinned to himself, still tasting her on my lips. Her scent lingered in the air, a combination of sweet fruit and spice. Sugar and spice. It seemed appropriate for Chase Fairfax. She was the most intriguing woman he’d ever met. And as Marcus Fairfax’s sister, she was most definitely off limits.
CHAPTER 7
Chase had spent more than half of the night tossing restlessly about in the bed she shared with Elisabeth. She woke her early the next morning, after what seemed like only minutes of restful sleep.
“We have to leave within the hour, Chastity. We have a train to catch,” she greeted with a warm smile.
Chase sat up in bed and stared groggily around the room. Her eyes settled on the beautiful brunette standing over the bed. She was already dressed and ready to leave.
“Am I running late?” she asked, swinging her legs out from under the warm covers and pushing herself to her feet.
“Perhaps a bit,” she answered. “You didn’t sleep well last night. I told your grandmother you should be allowed to sleep a bit late.” She had a knowing grin on her face, almost as though she suspected the thoughts that had haunted Chase the night before. She felt a guilty flush creep up her cheeks and lowered her head to avoid her scrutiny.
“Thank you,” she muttered softly.
Elisabeth handed her the lavender skirt she had picked out the evening before. She scowled at the garment but reached for it just the same. The thought of riding for days on a train wearing constricting skirts was not appealing to her. She wished she could throw on a pair of trousers so that she could travel in comfort.
“Where did you disappear to last night?” Elisabeth asked innocently as she handed her the white shirtwaist.
“I went for a walk around the hotel.”
“Did you happen to see Colton on your walk?” she asked with a small smile. She turned her back to Chastity, unable to conceal her knowing grin.
“I did. I apologized for treating him so awfully. It was good to clear the air,” she assured her as calmly as possible.
“I imagine it was.” Her response was curt and sarcastic. Was it possible that she knew what had happened?
In her head, Chase replayed the scene from the hotel room, again feeling the warmth of excitement course through her body. One thing was certain, they had definitely not cleared the air last night. The thought of being in the same room as Colton Webb tore her in two. On one hand, the attraction was undeniable and was enough to stop her breath. On the other hand, her head was still swimming in humiliation of his reminder and rejection from the night before.
A knock on the door encouraged her to tuck all thoughts of Colton Webb in the back of her mind. Elisabeth opened the door and invited Reese to join them.
“I thought I would come help you with your hair,” she greeted. She stopped and studied her sister’s face. “Why are you scowling so sourly this morning?” she asked.
“I think it has something to do with my cousin,” Elisabeth volunteered.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Chase scolded. “It has nothing to do with Webb. I’m just thinking about how eager I am to settle into our new home. I don’t want to bother with this train ride to Texas. I just want to be home, where I can wear trousers again,” she muttered.
Elisabeth gasped and then laughed and shook her head.
Reese looked at Elisabeth as though she were searching for sympathy. “You and your fascination with men’s fashion. I will never understand it. As for the train ride, it will pass quickly. In a mere four days, we will pull into the station in Slaughter, Texas.”
“There’s a train station in Slaughter?” Chase asked. “I got the impression that it was a small cattle ranching community.”
“It is,” Reese assured her. “But it is growing. And the ranchers use the railroads all the time. Colton says that he takes the train to Midland nearly once a week to get supplies and things. They even ship their cattle north by train.”
Chase paused in the middle of tying her hair back in a white ribbon. “Colton says?” she asked. When had she been conversing with Colton?
She shrugged nonchalantly. “I asked him about Slaughter over breakfast.”
“Why didn’t you just ask Marcus?” she asked. Chase couldn’t deny the signs. A knot was forming in her throat while its twin settled in the pit of her stomach. Her entire body seemed to grow tense and heated all of a sudden. She didn’t need an objective observer to tell her what she was experiencing. She was jealous of her sister. And why wouldn’t she be? After all, Reese was the stunning fair blond who stopped the man in his boots on the street outside of a saloon full of half-naked women.
“He wasn’t there,” Reese answered simply.
Chase wanted to change the subject. She also wanted to interrogate her sister about her conversation with Webb. She wanted to know if he had mentioned her. She wanted to know if Reese was attracted to him. How could she not be? After all, she was a female and she was breathing.
“Is that all you’re going to do with your hair?” Reese asked, nodding at the simple style that her sister had been favoring since they’d left Liverpool.
Chase scowled at her in response. “Yes,” she spat. It wasn’t fair to take out her jealousy on Reese. She was the most loyal person she knew. And if Chase sat down with her and told her about her feelings, her sister would comfort her and assure her that she had nothing to worry about. And Reese would go to great lengths to make sure that Chase never had any reason to feel jealous of her again. If she knew that her sister had developed feelings for Webb, she would be nothing more than polite toward him, encouraging no future intimate breakfast conversations.
“We’d better be on our way if we’re going to make that train,” Elisabeth warned brightly. “I wonder if Colton and Marcus will be by for our bags.”
“Marcus said he would send a bellhop for them. Colton is waiting for us with Grandmother in the lobby. Shall we join them?” Reese invited.
Chase thought of their kiss from the night before. She thought of his rejection. And she focused on his instructions to behave like a lady. She straightened her shoulders and licked her lips. She could be a lady. She had been taught to be nothing but a lady since the day she was born. And if Colton Webb wanted to see me acting like Lady Chastity Fairfax, then a lady he would see. “Let’s,” she answered properly.
As they descended the staircase, men watched from the lobby below. The only man who didn’t seem to be enthralled with the women’s entrance was Webb. He was sitting beside their grandmother on a bench, listening to her attentively. She was lively and animated in whichever story she was telling, and he laughed at all the right places. Chase had not seen her looking so happy in years. She paused on the staircase and watched her, her head tilted to one side. On second thought, she couldn’t think of a single moment when her grandmother had looked happier. She had always considered herself to take after her grandmother more than any other family member. She imagined her life married to a stuffy man like her grandfather had been. Or worse, Jett Stockton. She imagined a lifetime of oppression, watching the men around her make every minute decision for her. And she imagined how she would feel making this dramatic change this late in her life. Chase felt an overwhelming sense of exhilaration on her grandmother’s behalf. Nearing seventy, she was starting life over. No wonder she looked so beautiful.
“What are you smiling about?” Reese asked, pausing to give me a nudge.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” she asked.
She followed her sister’s gaze and smiled at the scene. “She has her entire life ahead of her,” Reese commented. With seventy years behind her, it seemed such a strange thing to say. But for the first time, the life ahead of her was hers to create. And it occurred to Chase in that same moment, that she had her entire life ahead of her, as well. And her sister, too.
Chase grinned into her sister’s sapphire eyes and took he
r hand. “What a road we have ahead of us, Reese. Decisions decisions decisions.”
Reese smiled in response, though the look of fear flitted behind her eyes for a moment. It was natural to be afraid of the changes ahead. But the knowledge that these changes were within our control was empowering.
“Ladies, are you ready for Slaughter, Texas?” Webb greeted. He made a deliberate effort to avoid meeting Chastity’s gaze.
She demanded his attention when she responded, “Positively, Mr. Webb. Tell us, what can we expect from your little ranching town?”
Instead of turning to her, he looked at Elisabeth and Reese when he answered, even casting an occasional glance at Lady Colchester. “It’s quiet and friendly. There’s a bit of competition between the ranchers in the area, but nothing too dangerous. When it comes down to it, each of us would be quick to help out a competitor in need. Ranching keeps us all busy. The town itself consists of a couple of quiet streets. There’s a small general store and a post office. Bobby runs the barbershop in town. Chantal owns the saloon in town. There’s just enough to keep the people of Slaughter in supply. Midland is a short train ride away. Most of us buy our major purchases there.”
“It sounds perfect,” Chase commented to herself. If Jett Stockton was to ever decide to look for her, or if Elisabeth’s family ever came to find her, Slaughter would be the last place they’d search.
Webb turned and finally looked Chase in the eye. “It’s not perfect,” he corrected. “But it’s home,” he finished with a modest shrug.
His eyes had met hers for a mere moment, but it was enough to make her insides tremble. She stared at the back of his head for a moment, still able to relish the memory of the softness of his thick, blond curls sifting between her fingers. She wasn’t aware that she had pulled her lower lip between her teeth until her grandmother took her arm, and she bit down abruptly. She touched the tip of her tongue to her smarting lip and tasted blood.
“Damn,” she muttered.
