Whirlwind Bride

by Debra Cowan

  “I won’t butt in again then.” He pulled on his coat and opened the door. “Just watch yourself. That’s all I’m saying.”

  Long after he’d gone, she sat at the table staring at the smoldering red flames in the stove. Because she was his best friend’s sister, concern was probably the most of what he felt for her.

  She closed her eyes, refusing to dwell on the disappointment. He wasn’t the man for her. Why couldn’t she accept that?

  Chapter Fourteen

  He knew Susannah meant what she said about finding a father for her baby. After all, that was why she’d come to Whirlwind in the first place. She’d already faced fear and scandal for her child, left her home and friends and family, made a job for herself here. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for Lorelai.

  Riley felt the same himself, and the child wasn’t even his blood. Still, just the thought that some other man would raise Lorelai and sleep in Susannah’s bed set off a deep-reaching anger inside him. He had no right to tell her what to do, and she was the wrong woman for him.

  But since they’d talked last week about her suitors, discontent had risen in him like a cresting river. It edged into a flutter of panic, then grew, grabbing him around the throat and choking him.

  Two days ago, April had come in on a storm, but the weather for tonight’s Founder’s Day dance held at the Pearl was clear and calm, with only a slight nip in the air. Riley hadn’t come to town for all the festivities, like the box social or the horseshoe competition. Two calves had gotten stuck in a bog and he’d spent the day pulling them out and getting them back to their mamas. Then he’d cleaned up and headed for the dance.

  He knew Susannah would be here on some man’s arm. This past week, he had purposely kept his conversation with her limited to the baby or Cora’s mare. She’d made it clear that she didn’t want his opinion on anything else.

  Pearl Anderson had moved all the tables against the walls in her restaurant and cleared a large area for dancing. Cal Doyle sat at the piano, brought over from Pete Carter’s saloon. Jed Doyle stood next to him, playing the fiddle. Couples already whirled around the pine floor to the lively turn of “Turkey in the Straw.”

  Riley spotted Susannah right off…dancing with his brother. His gut started to churn. And when Davis Lee and Susannah glided past, and Riley got a good look at her blue satin dress, he nearly cussed.

  It was cut low on her bosom, so low that one wrong step could send her tumbling out of it. The ice-blue color matched her eyes, and the lace kerchief tucked into her neckline for modesty dipped so deeply between her breasts, fuller since Lorelai’s birth, that it only teased a man with what he couldn’t have.

  The fair, lustrous hair piled atop her head drew Riley’s eye to her elegant neck and shoulders, down to the swell of her breasts. What the hell was she thinking, wearing something that daring? Every man in here would pounce on her like a fox on a chicken.

  Riley’s hands curled into fists and he went looking for something to drink, hoping Pete Carter had sneaked in his usual bottle of whiskey to slip into the punch. Riley downed two cupfuls of the liquor-laced brew, restlessness boiling inside him.

  Between dances, Davis Lee fetched Susannah some of Pearl’s untouched punch. He said something to her and she laughed, the joyful sound clutching deep at Riley’s gut. He decided he’d better dance before he did something stupid, like drag her out of there.

  An hour later, he’d danced with every widow in the place, except Cora, who’d stayed home with the baby. Every true widow, he amended as his gaze once again found Susannah. She was now partnered with Jake Ross. The Baldwins had already claimed the reels to “Durang’s Hornpipe” and “Buffalo Gals.” Tony Santos had swept her around the room during the “Blue Danube Waltz.”

  The sight of her with every one of those men pulled at some darkness inside Riley, a ferocity to protect that he’d never experienced and didn’t understand. The worst was seeing her with his own brother, he admitted as Davis Lee once again led Susannah onto the dance floor for another reel.

  It hit him then. If Davis Lee hitched up with Susannah, Riley would be her brother-in-law and little Lorelai’s uncle. He didn’t feel brotherly in the least toward the blonde who tied his gut in knots. If she wound up with Davis Lee, Riley would forever have to see her and the baby and know they belonged to another man.

  A man whom he had never seen before stepped inside the restaurant, the tin star he wore branding him a lawman. He asked something of Pete Carter, who stood next to the door. What was going on?

  Pete pointed toward Davis Lee and Susannah, whirling on the opposite side of the room. The stranger paused next to the fiddler and waited for the song’s end.

  As Davis Lee led Susannah off the floor, the stranger followed. He caught up to them at the refreshment table set up along one long wall. After a short conversation, Davis Lee nodded and pointed out the door. The man said goodbye to Susannah, his gaze lingering on her exposed bosom so long that Riley took an involuntary step forward before reminding himself she was none of his concern.

  Davis Lee tucked her hand in his arm and made his way across the dance floor to Pearl and May Haskell, depositing Susannah with them. Then he walked over to Riley. “Could you take Susannah home tonight?”

  “What’s going on?”

  “That was the sheriff from Waco. He’s delivering a prisoner for trial, and I’ll be in charge of him until the judge gets to Abilene.”

  The last thing Riley wanted was to be alone with Susannah, even if it was only for the short walk to Cora’s. “Why me?”

  Davis Lee’s gaze scanned the crowd, stopping to rest on the Baldwins, who had already formed a circle around Susannah. “Well, I sure don’t trust her with all those other fellas. Have you seen the way they’re looking at her?”

  How could he miss it? “All right,” he said reluctantly.

  “Unless you’re willing to let her take her chances in that dress.”

  Riley stared flatly at his brother. “I said all right.”

  Davis Lee grinned and slapped him on the back. “I’ll tell Susannah. Thanks.”

  After Davis Lee left, Riley made his way over to her and the older women in her circle. He greeted them all, keenly aware of the rapid rise and fall of Susannah’s chest, her skin radiant from all her exertion. Her blue eyes glowed like smoky sapphires, and desire pricked at his already raw nerves like a knife.

  Impatience and a sense of urgency streamed through him, but he said to Susannah, “We can stay as long as you like. Just let me know when you’re ready to go.”

  “Thank you.” She barely spared him a glance, smiling broadly when J. T. Baldwin bent over her hand and asked for the next dance.

  She accepted and they stepped out on the floor for a waltz, this one to the poignant strains of “Silver Threads among the Gold.”

  She seemed as unwilling to be alone with Riley as he was with her. They were the last ones to walk out the door a couple of hours later, as Pearl said good-night.

  All of Susannah’s dance partners had tried to convince Riley to let them walk her home, but he’d said no. He would’ve agreed if he hadn’t promised his brother, he told himself, even though he knew it wasn’t true.

  The two of them walked in silence, which irritated Riley. But he had no inclination to start a conversation, which also irritated him.

  She held her shawl loosely about her shoulders, and moonlight slid into the valley of her breasts. Riley swallowed, pulling his gaze away. Didn’t she realize what a woman dressing like that did to a man? Hadn’t she noticed how every male at the dance had been drooling over her? If they’d ever seen her bare breasts the way he had, she could’ve been in danger of being ravished. “You had a good time tonight,” he said.

  “Yes, it was wonderful,” she said dreamily. “I don’t remember the last time I danced.”

  “Probably wore your slippers clean out,” he groused.

  She flicked him a look. “I was so proud of all my students. To a on
e, they mastered the waltz.”

  “They sure couldn’t wait to show off for you.”

  She frowned, then looked away from him, humming softly under her breath. They neared Cora’s and she turned to him. “You can leave me off here. No need to walk me to the door.”

  “I told Davis Lee I’d see you home. That means the door.”

  “Very well.” She looked down her nose at him and quickly covered the several yards to Cora’s house.

  He didn’t know what devil came over him, but he damn well wasn’t having her walk away from him when every other man in town had put his hands on her tonight. “You ought to take care with what you wear. Wouldn’t take much for things to get out of control.”

  She stopped in front of the door, her gaze freezing on him. “Are you saying I tried to entice someone? Tease him?”

  “I’m just saying you ought to cover up.” He stopped at the edge of the porch. “That dress might be considered indecent by some.”

  She glanced down, her fingers grazing the swell of her breasts. Right where he wanted his fingers. “Davis Lee had no complaints.”

  Whatever control Riley had exercised tonight snapped like a frayed lead rope. In two steps, he was in front of her. “Neither do I.”

  He didn’t think, just closed one hand around her wrist and hauled her to him.

  “What are you—”

  His lips covered hers. His hand tightened on her waist, holding her to him. His other hand curled around her neck, which was warm and silky beneath his palm. He expected resistance, kissed her hard and deep in an effort to overcome it.

  But she didn’t stiffen. She leaned into him, her breasts pressing against his chest. She looped her arms around his neck, opening her mouth to his. Their tongues tangled and she made a soft noise in her throat.

  Raging need drove through him and he backed her into the wall, sheltering her body with his as he reached beneath her shawl and pulled down one sleeve of her dress and chemise. He drank her in, deep and sweet and giving every bit as good as she got.

  He grew hard, throbbing, the desire quickly overtaking whatever common sense he had left. She framed his face in her hands, her kisses soft and willing. Her tongue played with his. He didn’t want to leave her mouth, but a searing need spurred his lips to her ear, down her throat.

  She kissed his jaw. Heat sizzled between their bodies. Her skin felt like warm silk beneath his palms and he lifted her to him.

  He nipped at her collarbone, aching when she whispered his name and offered herself to him. He trailed his lips down her velvety skin where her breasts swelled over the top of her corset. He tugged her thin chemise down as far as he could and closed his mouth over her nipple. He laved her, drawing the peak into a tight bud that tickled his tongue, nearly drove him over the edge when she moaned and clutched him to her.

  His mouth moved to her other breast, and he dragged at the fabric, gently grazing her other nipple with his teeth. She pressed against him, her hips seeking his through the folds of her skirt. She caught at his waistband and tugged him closer; her hand slid down, pressing and kneading.

  He was already full and hard, straining for her. His hands moved up her arms to cup her breasts, and he felt goose bumps. Cold. Realized where they were and what they were doing.

  He stopped, lifted his head, his blood swirling with black, savage need. She opened her eyes and the sultry invitation there brought him as close to begging as he’d ever been. Heat centered between his legs and he realized she still had her hand on him.

  They stared at each other, their breathing labored. Realization dawned for her at the same moment it did for him. Uncertainty flared in her eyes and she dropped her hand. He ached to his very marrow.

  “No.”

  They said it together. She half turned from him, hurriedly adjusting her chemise and corset, then straightening her bodice.

  “Susannah…”

  “I don’t understand, Riley.” Her voice thickened as she looked at him with eyes half-dazed from desire and confusion. “You say you want to be friends, then you kiss me like that. What am I supposed to do?”

  “You kissed me back.”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and pulled her shawl tight around her.

  He throbbed beneath his trousers, the want carving away self-restraint, common sense. But he’d seen the hurt in her eyes. He couldn’t let it remain. “I thought I wanted to be friends, but I don’t.”

  “Very well—”

  “Hear me out.” He wanted to touch her, but that was the worst thing he could do right now. “I want more than friendship from you, but I don’t want to put you in the same position LaFortune did. I don’t want to hurt you, Susannah. I don’t want your being with me to be a source of shame.”

  She stared at him for a moment, her breathing still ragged. “You want me?”

  “Yes. I know you feel it, too.”

  Her features were sharp and fragile with desire. “I do, and I want to be with you right now, Riley. Tonight.” She reached for his hand, linked her fingers with his. “When you touch me, I want more.”

  He stroked her cheek, tempted to accept her invitation and forget what she deserved. Which was more than a fast coupling in the dark. “Go inside, darlin’. Before I do something that’s wrong for both of us.”

  “Come with me,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

  Every part of his body pulsed with the need to go, to say yes. “Susannah, I can’t be noble much longer.”

  Rejection flashed in her eyes. After a long moment, she unlinked their fingers and went inside.

  He started off the porch, then hooked an arm around the column and knocked his head against it. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman, almost enough to deceive himself into believing that she belonged here. With him.

  Watching her dance with all those men tonight had torn him up, but claiming her this way wasn’t right.

  Riley’s kisses last night had turned everything upside down. Until then, Susannah thought she’d known where she stood with him.

  She’d gone soft and wet when he’d first touched her, and when he’d put his mouth on her breasts, she’d nearly come undone. She wanted to take him to her bed. To her utter mortification, she had asked him to come inside with her.

  Remembering that moment, she bit back a groan. It didn’t matter how much she told herself to listen to her head. Whenever he was around, her body took over. She knew these feelings would go away in time, but the middle of the next morning, they were still making her ache for him.

  Cora stood by the dry sink, mixing up a batch of biscuits, while Susannah gathered up her newest set of flyers. She checked on Lorelai, glad to see the baby had gone to sleep after her recent feeding.

  Taking her light shawl from the peg behind the door, Susannah wrapped it around her shoulders. “After I stop at the newspaper office to post this notice, I’m going to tack up some flyers around town.”

  “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you’re willing to help so much.”

  She went to the woman who had become a surrogate mother, and hugged her. “You gave Lorelai and me a home when we had none, Cora. We’ll both be forever grateful. I’ll help you any way I can.”

  “That Banker Dobies has no idea who he’s messin’ with,” Cora said with a strained smile. “We’ll show him, won’t we?”

  “Absolutely.” Susannah hoped her smile covered up any uncertainty. The banker had raised Cora’s mortgage payments, and last week his threat to foreclose on the house had struck panic into both her and Susannah. But together they had come up with some ideas to make more money.

  Susannah had decided she would offer to teach reading. Through her charm school, she’d noticed only three of her students could read. Tony, who operated the telegraph, was literate, as was his nephew, Miguel. Once they read her advertisement, they could tell others. The Baldwins, Pete Carter and Jake Ross all had need of her services. There had to be others, as well.
r />   She opened the front door. “I won’t be long.”

  “All right.”

  She hurried off the porch, refusing to look at the place where she and Riley had gotten so passionate. But how could she forget about him saying that he didn’t want to put her in the same position Paul had? How could she resist him when he said things like that? Ooh, the man made her crazy.

  The only thing she knew to do was stay away from him. The mild spring air was just what she needed to try and erase the memory of what they’d done last night. Enjoying the warmth from the bright sunshine, she walked to town. New green grass poked through the red dirt. Birds called cheerily from the tops of the town’s buildings.

  She stopped first at the newspaper office of the Prairie Caller and placed an advertisement, then went next door to the saloon. In deference to her reputation, Pete Carter came outside. She explained why he needed to attend her newest school. After his initial scoffing protests, she saw genuine interest on his rough-hewn features.

  She walked back to Haskell’s to ask about tacking a flyer outside his store. Just as she finished pinning up the notice, she saw a big man heading purposefully down the walk toward her. Riley.

  She practically jumped into the street and headed across to the Pearl.

  Embarrassment flamed through her again about what had happened last night, how she’d thrown herself at him. She had learned better from her experience with Paul, so what was wrong with her? A quick glance across her shoulder showed no sign of Riley. Breathing a sigh of relief, she went into the restaurant and left some flyers with Pearl, who was sure some of her customers would be interested in Susannah’s new school.

  She stepped outside, her gaze darting across the street. No sign of Riley, thank goodness. Intent on tacking up a notice at the post office, she turned right. A strong hand closed around her elbow.

  “You’re not avoiding me, are you, Miz Phelps?”