“Take this, Brianna. You might need it before you get back to town.” Jemma handed her a fine woolen wrap.
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll be fine.” Brianna hesitated to take the shawl.
Jemma placed it in her hands and walked with her outside where the chilled air blew around them. “Perhaps I should fetch you a coat.” She started back inside the house, but Brianna grabbed her hand.
“The shawl will be fine, Jemma, and much appreciated. It probably just feels colder than it really is because it’s been so hot.”
Skeptical, Jemma gazed at the darkening sky. “That’s a possibility, but it certainly looks like a nasty storm is brewing. It might be best if you and Tully stay the night. I hate the thought of sending you off into a downpour with darkness approaching.”
“Please don’t worry on our account. I’m sure we’ll be back in Baker City before it has a chance to rain.” Brianna hugged Jemma and lifted Lily in her arms when the child bounded up to her with her parasol.
“I love my present, Miss Dumont. Thank you for coming to my party.” Lily gave her a tight squeeze before Brianna set her down.
“Thank you for the invitation, Lily. It was my pleasure to share in your special day.” Brianna bent down and lightly tapped her index finger on the end of Lily’s button nose. “I’m so pleased you like your parasol.”
“It’s bee-you-tee-full!” Lily swung it around, almost accidentally hitting Brianna with it before she raced back into the house.
Jemma released an exasperated sigh. “We so appreciate you coming for Lily’s party. The parasol is adorable and she’ll greatly enjoy it.”
“It’s particularly fetching with those boots.” Brianna wondered how Tully had found such a tiny pair then realized he most likely had them custom-made for the child. The fact that he’d go to such bother for the little girl made her heart soften toward him even more than it already had.
“I imagine we’ll have to wrestle those boots off her when it’s time to tuck her into bed tonight.” Jemma smiled as Tully led the horses to the end of the walk. “Thank you for everything, Tully. As you may have surmised, Lily adores her boots.”
“I’m glad she likes them. Thanks for a fine supper, Jemma. Tell Thane I’ll be out on my next day off to help him with the hay.” Tully would have told Thane himself, but his friend had hurried off with his hired men to secure the outbuildings and run his thoroughbreds into the barn before the storm hit. He waved a hand at Brianna, motioning her to join him. “Let’s get moving, Fred. I don’t want to ride home in the rain.”
“Why do you insist on calling her Fred?” Jemma asked as Brianna hurried down the walk and stepped next to Hoss.
Tully boosted her up to the saddle and handed her the reins before he swung onto Cotton. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s her name until she gives me a reason to call her something else.”
Brianna grinned at Jemma. “I suppose I should feel fortunate he didn’t decide to call me stupid or ugly, or Aloysius.”
Jemma laughed and waved as the two of them rode out of the ranch yard. Before they made it to the top of the hill, big drops of rain started to fall. Tully settled Brianna’s hat on her head and untied a rain slicker from behind his saddle.
“Put this on.” He held it out to her.
She shook her head and pushed his hand away. “The shawl Jemma loaned is sufficient. You wear it.”
Tully tried to drape it around her, but she grabbed it from his hand and threw it at him. “I won’t wear it, so unless you want it trampled by the horses, you put it on.” She glowered at him.
Finally, he shrugged into the slicker and pulled his hat lower on his head. “Are you sure you want to ride home. I could leave you with Jemma and come back for you tomorrow.”
“No. I prefer to go home. I’m sure the rain won’t get any worse.”
The temperature continued to drop and soon the rain turned to snow. Incredulous, Brianna glared at Tully through the flurry of snowflakes. “It’s nearly July! How can it snow this time of year? The temperature has been almost unbearably hot. This abrupt change in the weather makes no sense.”
Tully sighed. “It can snow any time, although it’s rare to get any storms between May and September. We can still turn back if you want to stay at Thane and Jemma’s place.”
Brianna shook her head, concerned she would freeze to death before they reached either the ranch or town. “I’d prefer to return to Baker City.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” The snow fell so hard, Tully struggled to see more than a few feet in front of him, but he knew the road well and it wasn’t yet dark, so he wasn’t overly concerned about making it back to town.
However, Brianna frantically glanced around, trying to get her bearings. The lost, frightened look on her face combined with the chattering of her teeth finally forced him to rein both horses to a stop.
“Confound it, woman! You’re gonna break every tooth in your thick head if you don’t stop them from clacking together like that. It would be a shame to damage such pretty, pearly teeth.” Tully scowled at her as she pulled the shawl tightly around her shoulders.
She wished she had accepted the coat Jemma offered. In fact, she wished she had stayed at the ranch instead of deciding to ride back to town. “I… I’m… trying,” she said between chatters.
“Dad-blasted summer storms and contrary women…” Tully mumbled under his breath. Frustrated, he reached over and grabbed Brianna, settling her across his lap. He wrapped the ends of the slicker around her, sharing his body heat with her.
“What… are… you… doing?” Brianna asked through frozen lips.
“Warming you up and getting you home. Now hush up and hold on.” He grabbed Hoss’ reins in his hand then urged Cotton forward.
The heat radiating from Tully instantly penetrated Brianna’s cold body. She snuggled against his chest, grateful for his warmth and his brawny form that blocked the frigid wind.
As the snow swirled around them, she lost all track of time and place. They might have ridden for hours or minutes — she couldn’t tell.
All she knew was nothing in her life had ever felt as good as being in the sheltering circle of Tully’s arms. Content and drowsy, she closed her eyes, ready to fall into a peaceful slumber.
“Fred! Don’t you dare fall asleep. I need you to stay awake until we get back to town.” Tully glared at her, but she refused to open her eyes. Gently, he jostled her. “Fred! I mean it. You open those beautiful eyes and look at me right now or else…”
Unable to obey his orders, her mind wondered what sort of threat he’d carry out. No matter how much she wanted to, her eyelids weighed too heavy to force open.
“Brianna? Please, darlin’, open your eyes.” Worry etched vertical lines between Tully’s eyes as he gazed at the woman in his arms. Concerned if she fell asleep, she might succumb to hypothermia, his mind scrambled for an idea to keep her awake.
Later, that was the reason he gave for pressing his lips to hers until he teased a response out of her. When she slid her hands up his chest and wrapped them around his neck, he shifted in the saddle so he could hold her closer.
Overcome with a need to hold her, to love her, Tully deepened the kiss and masterfully shared the ardor that made his blood zing in his veins and heat churn in his gut.
In the length of a few heartbeats, they both went from nearly frozen to feverish.
Despite her innocent response to him, passion drove her to return his kisses. The sparks that had flickered between the two of them from the moment they met caught fire and combusted.
While he continued to work a spell over Brianna with his kisses, Tully glanced up and realized they’d reached town. The streets were empty and not a soul was in sight, so he kissed Brianna all the way to Maggie’s shop. When he stopped the horses out front, he slid from the saddle with her still in his arms and carried her down the alley to the back of the shop.
At the door, he kissed her neck and nuzzled her ear. “I need t
he key, Fred, if you don’t want to stand out here all night.”
As though she’d awakened from some enchantment, Brianna opened her eyes. Shocked, she realized they’d not only reached Baker City, but stood at the back door to Maggie’s shop.
Suddenly aware that Tully held her against his chest, she glanced at him and took in the yearning on his face as his eyes glowed with desire.
All the way into town, she thought she’d been dreaming of Tully’s touch and kisses, but it hadn’t been a dream. It was real. He was real, and so very tempting as he held her in his arms.
Before she fully regained her senses, Brianna pulled his mouth to hers again and engaged in a kiss that should have melted snow from where he stood all the way back to the Jordan Ranch.
Tully moaned and held her even closer against him. “Give me the key, Brianna.” As he said her name, his voice was so husky and deep, the sound of it sent a delighted shiver trailing through her.
Mistaking her response to his affections for a reaction to the cold, Tully set her on her feet. He reached up to a support beam in the overhang above the back entrance and retrieved a key. Quickly unlocking the door, he picked her up again, carrying her up the stairs and into the sitting room.
Tenderly depositing her on the sofa, he built a fire in the stove, then one in the kitchen. While he worked, Brianna curled up, tugging a crocheted afghan off the back of the sofa over herself. She felt as though she might never be warm again.
The chill came not from the snow, but from Tully setting her down. The world seemed like a cold, bereft place without his arms around her.
Nothing in her past had prepared her for the remarkable experience of falling in love with the handsome, teasing sheriff. He evoked emotions in her she hadn’t even known existed.
She heard Tully moving around in the kitchen. Eventually, he reappeared with a cup of hot tea and placed it in her chilled hands.
“Do you need me to stay with you, darlin’?” he asked, placing a hand to her forehead. Her skin was cool but not overly so.
However, his hands felt like they were on fire. Every part of him longed to take Brianna in his arms and love her all night long.
“I’m fine,” she whispered, sipping the tea. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
Fearful that he might surrender to the voice in his head screaming at him to steal more honey-sweet kisses from the gorgeous woman, Tully took a hasty step toward the stairs.
“Are you sure you’ll be fine?”
“Yes, Tully. Will you be able to make it home in the storm?”
He grinned. “This little skiff isn’t anything compared to some of the blizzards Cotton and I have been through. You get those wet clothes off and get warmed up.” Suggestively, he waggled an eyebrow at her. “Unless you’d like me to stay and help you with that.”
“No, thank you, sir.” She feigned an indignant huff. “I do believe it’s time for you to go home, Sheriff.”
Tully nodded. “I’ll check on you in the morning. Good night, Fred.”
“Good night.”
Tully hurried back out into the storm, hoping the snow would cool the inferno Brianna had set ablaze in him.
The fire burning in her blue eyes did nothing to temper his longing. Sheer force of will was all that kept him from racing back up the steps and claiming her as the love he’d waited his whole life to find.
Chapter Eleven
Although the snow melted not long after the sun rose, the amorous tension crackling between Brianna and Tully didn’t ebb.
When he stopped by early that morning to check on her, Brianna could feel something pulse between them that left her frightened yet fascinated.
Nervously twirling his hat in his hands and shifting his weight from one foot to the other, Tully must have felt it, too.
Neither of them spoke of the ardent, driven kisses they’d shared the previous evening among the swirls of snow.
“Are you sure you feel well, Fred?” Tully asked, studying her face. “I could take you to see Doc.”
She shook her head. “I’m perfectly healthy, Sheriff, but I do thank you for your concern and for seeing me safely home.”
He nodded and moved to the landing. “If you need anything, be sure to let me know.” Before she could speak, he clattered down the stairs and said a few words to Maggie then left.
Brianna sank onto her sofa, convinced Tully’s handsome appeal increased every time she saw him.
Recollections of how good it felt to be in his arms, to know the delicious, rich taste of his kisses, to see sparks burst to life in his expressive hazel eyes, made her lean back with a careworn sigh.
A relationship with Tully was not only out of the question, it bordered on ridiculous. They were both too determined to have their own way, opinionated, and strong-willed to get along. Tully had an obvious lack of interest in proper behavior. Fine manners were something she not only valued, but also insisted upon for maintaining an orderly lifestyle.
A hundred reasons why they were ill suited popped into her head, but it did nothing to change the whispers from her heart telling her Tully was the one man she could love for a lifetime.
Annoyed with herself and her infatuation with the good-looking sheriff, Brianna pinned on her hat, picked up her notebook and pencil, grabbed her reticule, and rushed out the door.
She interviewed a dozen people about the snowstorm and the damages it caused. She spoke with the person who managed the meteorological station and recorded his input about the freak summer storm.
To finish the article, she needed a quote from Tully and walked to his office. When she stepped inside, he was alone at his desk, writing what appeared to be a report.
He glanced up at her and smiled. “Hey, Fred. What can I do for you?” Politely, he stood and held out a chair at his desk for her.
Once she was seated, he sat in his chair and leaned back.
Brianna took out her notebook and pencil. “I’m nearly finished with an article about the snowstorm and wanted the sheriff’s thoughts on any adverse effects it caused.”
Tully supposed she probably wouldn’t appreciate him making a flippant comment about the effects she’d had on him last night. After he made it home and settled the horses in the barn, he stood out in the snow for a long time, trying to cool the fever he couldn’t shake.
Every time he thought of her, of how good she felt in his arms, he’d heat up all over again.
Even now, as she sat across the desk from him all prim and proper in a dress the same shade as whipped butter, his mouth watered at the thought of tasting her sweet kisses again. All he’d have to do is take two steps around his desk and she’d be in his arms, with those delectable lips pressed to his.
“Sheriff?” Brianna asked in a tone that made it clear she was there only on business.
“Problems with the storm, huh?” Tully yanked his thoughts together and gave her a generic comment about any damages he’d witnessed. He cautioned people to be prepared for inclement weather any time of year, and to be mindful of the dangers of hypothermia and frostbite.
Rapidly taking notes, they both glanced at the door when Dugan Durfey ran inside. “Boss, Luden Scott just sent word in that the horse rustler struck his place and took Loco.”
Tully lunged to his feet. “That’s it. I’m hunting him down and I don’t care how long it takes.” He started out the door then looked back at Brianna. “Can you get yourself home, Fred?”
“Yes, of course.” She watched as he ran out the door, heading toward his place.
Brianna left the sheriff’s office and hurried to the newspaper office where she left the snowstorm article for Bowen. He happened to walk by as she was about to leave.
“Any progress on the horse rustler story?” he asked.
“Tully just received word he struck again last night. I shall request he allow me to accompany him to the location where the horses were stolen.”
Bowen laughed and shook his head. “You can try, but
Tully won’t let you tag along. Just talk to him when he gets back.”
Brianna gave her employer a look that expressed her determination to do as she pleased then rushed out the door.
Sammy fell into step beside her and she glanced down at the boy. “Did you see the sheriff run out of town?”
The child nodded then lifted his hands, as though asking a question.
“A rustler took some horses, including one named Loco. Is that the sheriff’s horse?”
Sammy’s eyes sparkled with amusement and he grinned. He pointed to the side of his head then made an outlandish face that caused Brianna to laugh.
“The horse is crazy, is that it?”
Sammy nodded.
“So he lives up to his name?”
Another nod.
They’d reached the back door of Maggie’s shop. Brianna pulled a coin from her reticule and hastily scribbled a note, handing both to Sammy.
“Sammy, would you please run down to Mr. Owens’ livery and give him that note? I need him to saddle a horse for me. And make sure he uses a western saddle.” Brianna opened the door and ran up the stairs to her apartment.
Faster than she’d ever changed in her life, she yanked off her dress and pulled on a riding skirt, blouse and vest. She grabbed a jacket, then unpinned her hair and braided it, tying the end with a ribbon.
She dropped her reticule in the bag she used to carry her notebook and tossed in a few extra pencils.
After snatching a pair of leather gloves from the dresser, she raced down the stairs and to the livery. Sammy waited there, rubbing a hand over the muzzle of a saddled horse.
“I got your note, Miss Dumont,” Milt Owens said as she approached.
“Thank you, sir.” Brianna pulled money from her bag to pay for the rental of the horse and handed it to Milt. He gave her back the coin she’d given to Sammy.
“The boy gave me the coin. Thought maybe you were making a deposit.” Milt grinned when Brianna put the coin into Sammy’s hand and kissed his forehead.
“Thank you for your help, sweetheart.” She cupped Sammy’s chin in her hand. “You stay out of trouble until I get back.”
Corsets and Cuffs: (Sweet Historical Western Romance) (Baker City Brides Book 3) Page 13
