by Bobbi Smith
“This is my house. I’ll do whatever I want,” she returned.
“Marshal Trent is right, dear,” Maggie told her sensibly, only now aware of her daughter’s state of undress. “Let’s get you upstairs and let the marshal take care of things down here.”
It irked Tessa to be so dismissed, but she abided by her mother’s wisdom and allowed her to lead her back upstairs.
Jared started to go outside. Steve stopped him.
“Would you like some help?” he offered.
“Sure,” Jared said. “We haven’t met before.”
“No, I’m Steve Madison. I just got into town today.”
Jared nodded, though he frowned slightly. There was something familiar about the name, but he couldn’t say quite what. “Good to meet you. I’m Jared Trent, as you’ve probably already figured out.”
“Do you want me to take a look around back?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll help, too!” Jim offered, and Sludge and Henry nodded.
“Sludge and Henry, why don’t you two go with Steve, and Jim can come with me while I check over here,” Jared directed. He doubted they would find anything, though, for even if there had been an intruder earlier, he certainly would be long gone by now.
It was nearly half an hour later when the men decided to give up the search. They hadn’t found any indication that there had been anyone around, and so they relaxed a little bit.
“I’ll send someone over to fix the door in the morning,” Jared told Maggie when they went back inside to find her waiting for them in the kitchen. He was both relieved and disappointed that Tessa was nowhere in sight. His conflicting emotions where she was concerned irritated him. He didn’t need to see her again. He didn’t know why he wanted to—but a part of him did. “Until then, I think we can tie it shut.”
“I’ll take care of it for you,” Steve said. “If that’s all right with you, Miss Maggie?”
“Thank you, Steve.”
“Is Tessa all right?” Jared asked.
“She’s fine now.”
“Good. I’ll check back with you in the morning.”
As Jared rode away into the night, he didn’t look back. If he had, he would have seen Tessa watching him from her bedroom window.
“Are you sure you’re all right, darling?” Maggie asked when she went to Tessa after Steve had secured the door and everything had quieted down.
Tessa was still up, pacing the bedroom, her mood tense and distracted. “I’m fine. It’s just that I can’t believe what happened downstairs!”
“It’s good to know that Marshal Trent is keeping such a close eye on things. He really must be worried about Boyd to do what he just did,” she remarked thoughtfully.
“We were just lucky that no one got hurt. Did they find any sign that someone had been around the house?”
“They didn’t find a thing.”
Tessa frowned, still wondering what had awakened her. “I guess that’s good.”
“Are you going to be able to get back to sleep?”
“I’m going to try, now that I know everything’s safe.”
“Well, good night, sweetheart,” her mother said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’m glad everything turned out the way it did.”
When her mother had gone, Tessa turned down her lamp and climbed back into bed. She closed her eyes, wanting to sleep, but images of Jared as he’d looked when he’d come through the door haunted her. He had been fierce and dangerous like some avenging angel coming to her defense, except that she was the one he’d been attacking. The thought might have made her smile, if she hadn’t been so angry.
Boyd sat in the darkness in his own house very much aware that the marshal had just ridden by another time. Hate filled him. He had been drinking since midday, and each succeeding drink had left him more enraged.
He hated Sarah and he hated Tessa Sinclair.
He lifted the liquor bottle to his lips. Some of the whiskey dribbled down his chin, but he didn’t care. He smiled drunkenly to himself. He had almost gotten to Tessa Sinclair tonight, but the damned marshal had shown up and ruined everything. He’d been forced to sneak away. He’d get another chance, though, and soon. There was no way he would let that woman get away with what she’d done. She needed to be taught a lesson, and he was going to be the one to do it!
Getting to his feet, Boyd staggered into the bedroom. There were still some of Sarah’s clothes hanging in the wardrobe. The very sight of them infuriated him. He tore them from the wardrobe and ripped them to shreds. The action eased some of his violent anger, but didn’t erase it. Only getting his hands on Tessa and Sarah would do that.
Boyd didn’t like being patient, but with the lawman keeping such a close watch on him, he’d have to be careful. Nothing was going to stop him, though. He was going to do whatever was necessary to get his revenge.
When Tessa came downstairs the following morning, it was easy for her to see the damage Jared had done to the front door. Jared certainly must have hit it hard. She frowned as she thought of how angry he’d been over the incident. Tessa knew she should have been pleased that he’d broken down the door to save her, but his arrogant attitude when he’d found out she wasn’t in trouble had been most irritating.
Tessa supposed Jared was just doing his job. She knew he wasn’t hounding her because he cared anything about her. As the marshal, it was his duty to make sure everything stayed quiet in town, and she supposed that was what he’d been doing. Still, she had never given him a reason to think that she needed his guidance or protection in any way, shape, or form.
Tessa shook her head as she untied the door and opened it a bit. Steve had managed to secure it for the balance of the night, but it was going to need some major repairs right away. She’d already spoken to him about working on it today.
“What happened to the door?”
The sound of Will’s voice caught her off guard. She hadn’t expected him to show up so early.
“Will! You startled me, and after last night . . .”
“What happened last night?” he asked worriedly.
“Nothing happened, really. Marshal Trent thought there was an intruder in the house, but the person he’d seen through the window was me.” She quickly explained everything that had happened.
“You should have sent word to me. I would have come to help you right away,” he told her, immediately concerned. “Do you want me to move in here with you, so I can help protect you?”
“I don’t have any rooms left. We took on a new boarder yesterday.”
“I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa. I want to make sure that you’re safe.”
“It’s very kind of you to offer, but I’ll be all right. Why don’t you come on in and join us for breakfast?”
He followed her to the dining room, where her mother was serving the morning meal.
“Good morning, Will,” Maggie greeted him. “I guess Tessa told you all about our excitement last night.”
“She did, and I’m worried about it. What if there had been an intruder? There would have been no one here to help you.”
“I was here,” Steve said from where he sat at the far end of the table.
Will glanced at the newcomer for the first time and took an immediate dislike to him. The rest of the men who boarded with Tessa were no threat to his plans, but this man was young and good-looking, and Will didn’t like the way Tessa was smiling at him. “You must be the new boarder.”
She quickly introduced them. “Steve’s going to be staying on with us for a while, and I hired him this morning to do all the odd jobs around the house.”
She had appreciated his help the night before, and after speaking to him about repairing the door this morning, she’d proposed the arrangement. He needed money, and she needed a handyman.
Will noticed Tessa’s expression as she looked at Steve, and it irked him. He didn’t want her to show interest in any other man.
“That’s good,” Will said, gritt
ing his teeth against his real desire to tell the man to get out of the boardinghouse and never come back. He sat down at the table and accepted the plate of food Maggie held out to him.
“On a happier note, there’s only one more day until the big dance,” Maggie said, changing the subject once they’d settled in to eat. “Are you going to go, Steve? Everyone always has a good time.”
“I hadn’t given it much thought, ma’am,” he replied. He had never been much of a dancer, but it would give him an opportunity to see more of the townsfolk.
“It’s quite a big celebration,” Tessa explained. “You should plan on it.”
“Well, if you and your mother will each save me a dance, I’ll go,” he promised with a grin.
The other men laughed except for Will. He didn’t want anyone else dancing with Tessa.
“It will be our pleasure to save you a dance,” Maggie said. “What about you, Sludge? Are you going to dance with us Saturday night? And Henry?”
Sludge blushed at being put on the spot. He adored the two women, but rarely went to any social functions. “I don’t know, Miss Maggie. I guess if you want me to, I could.”
“I would love to dance with you, Sludge,” she told him, and she meant it. He was a dear man, for all that he wasn’t the fastest at catching on to things, but he was always honest and caring. In all the time he’d lived with them, he had always been a perfect gentleman.
“What about you, Henry? Are you going?” Tessa challenged him good-naturedly. Henry had lived with them for only four months. He’d always been well mannered, but very quiet, staying to himself quite a bit. “I won’t have a dance card, but I promise to save a dance for you, if you’ll come.”
“Oh, no, Miss Tessa. I couldn’t do that.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” he finally admitted nervously.
“Well, why not?” Maggie asked.
He looked very uncomfortable. “Well, Miss Maggie . . . I, uh, I can’t dance.”
“That’s all right, Henry,” Tessa reassured him. “If that’s all that’s bothering you, Mother and I can teach you. We’ve still got time.”
Henry went still. No one had ever wanted to dance with him before, and certainly no one had ever cared enough to make such a kind offer. He had had his eye on one lady in town, but had been too shy even to think of speaking with her. If he knew how to dance, though, he could ask her on Saturday night. “Well, are you sure?”
Jim smiled at him. “I can tell you from experience that both Miss Maggie and Miss Tessa are very good dancers. If you’re going to learn from anyone, they’re the ones to teach you.”
Henry looked up at them and smiled. “I reckon I’d like that, if you don’t mind.”
“We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s have our first lesson tonight, right after dinner,” Tessa said.
“Oh, yes, ma’am,” Henry said, delighted at the prospect. He came from a long line of hardworking people who barely eked out a living. There had never been any time in his life for social skills, but now he was going to get the chance to learn to dance. “I’ll be here.”
“Me, too,” Jim said, grinning at Maggie. “I’ll play my fiddle for you, and maybe take a refresher course, too.”
Maggie blushed a little. “Why, Jim Russell, you know very well you can dance!”
His smile broadened. “But I can always use some practice with a pretty woman.”
Tessa laughed in delight, while Maggie just smiled and blushed even more.
“We should have enough time to teach you the basics,” Tessa told Henry. “You’ll be fine. It’ll give the girls in Durango a thrill to have a new man to dance with.”
This time it was Henry’s turn to blush.
Will had to fight to keep what he was really feeling from showing. Instead, he managed a tight smile. He didn’t like the idea of any other man’s hands on Tessa.
“If the lessons are open to everyone, I’d like to come, too. I’m like Jim. I never want to pass up the chance to dance with a pretty woman,” Will complimented, and he was pleased when Tessa smiled at him.
“With so many men wanting lessons, I think I’d better invite Julie over to help us,” she said to her mother, a twinkle shining in her eyes as she thought that Steve might just show up, too.
“That’d be wonderful.”
Chapter Ten
Jared was standing at the bar in the High Time Saloon, downing his second drink. It was only nine o’clock in the morning, but he’d already told Nathan he wouldn’t be in until late in the afternoon. He had been up all night and was still too tense even to think about sleep. That was why he’d resorted to liquor. On days like this, nothing else would work.
Dan sensed that the marshal needed to be left alone, so he’d stayed at the far end of the bar, giving him his peace. But now that he saw his glass was empty again, he knew it was time to approach him. “Another one?”
Jared nodded and shoved the glass back across the bar toward Dan.
“Long night?” Dan asked.
“Real long,” Jared ground out, not offering any more than that. He was still shaken by what might have happened at the Sinclair house. He just thanked God that he’d had sense enough not to go in shooting. He gave a disgusted shake of his head at the thought that Tessa might have come to harm at his hands.
It had taken him only an instant to realize his mistake, and then the awareness had come to him—the sweet heat of her gentle curves pressed tightly to him. He didn’t want to think about Tessa this way, but images of her wearing only her nightgown and wrapper stayed with him and wouldn’t be dismissed.
Jared took another drink.
Damn, but she was good-looking.
He conceded that much. Tessa was a beautiful young woman.
Damn, but it felt wonderful to hold her that way.
He growled at himself, trying to deny his desire.
Tessa Sinclair is nothing but trouble.
He knew that.
He wanted nothing to do with her.
He tried to convince himself.
Jared told himself that it was his job that kept throwing them together, and, good lawman that he was, he would do his job. He would keep her safe from Boyd Wilson and from anyone or anything else she got herself involved in, but he was not going to let her mean anything more than that to him. She was a responsibility. That was all.
Jared drained his glass.
“You want one more?” Dan asked. He noticed that the marshal’s expression was still dark and that he hadn’t really relaxed since he’d come into the saloon.
Jared shook his head.
“They’re on the house, you know,” Dan added.
“Thanks, but no,” Jared said. “I’ve had enough. I’ll see you later.”
Jared strode from the saloon, out into the brightness of the day. There had still been no sign of Boyd Wilson, and he doubted there would be in the daylight. Evil men like Boyd seemed to do their dirty work in the dark.
Jared headed home. He needed some sleep.
Julie’s heart was quite light as she made her way to Tessa’s house that night. A letter had come from Ellen Prescott, a friend she’d made when she’d been back east at school, and as far as Julie was concerned, the news was the best ever. Ellen and her older brother, Roderick, were coming west on an excursion, and Ellen wanted to stop in Durango for a visit with Julie and her parents.
Julie was excited, and her parents were thrilled. The Prescotts were very well received back east, and she remembered Roderick Prescott well. He’d been six years older than she and Ellen, very mature and very good-looking. By the time she had returned home, he had already graduated from the university and had taken a position teaching literature there. Julie had kept in touch with Ellen, and, through her letters, Julie had learned that Roderick had since published several literary works and had written some poetry.
Julie sighed dreamily and smiled to herself at the thought of debonair Roderick Prescott coming to town
. He was tall and blond and, oh, so very handsome. He’d always been a gentleman when she’d been around him, though, of course, he’d thought her a mere child—a friend to his little sister, and nothing more. But that would all be changed now. That had been some time ago. Now she was a woman fully grown.
As she started up the front walk to Tessa’s house, Julie’s mood was ebullient. Ellen and Roderick would be arriving in less than a week. Ellen had asked in her letter if there was any kind of literary society in Durango that might want to have Roderick read selected passages from his works while they were in town. Julie was going to discuss it with Tessa tonight and see what they could arrange. The short notice meant nothing. She was just delighted that they were coming and couldn’t wait to tell her best friend.
The sound of Jim playing his fiddle came to her as she drew near, and it surprised her. She wondered what was going on inside. When Tessa had stopped by her house that afternoon and invited her to come over for a visit, she hadn’t said anything about a celebration of any sort tonight. Julie supposed the older man was just in the mood to play his instrument. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered to Julie tonight except the news that Roderick Prescott would soon be coming to Durango. That knowledge alone left her walking on air.
Julie finally took notice of the repairs to the front door when she knocked on it, and she realized how terrible last night must have been for Tessa. She’d been so caught up in her thoughts of Roderick that she’d forgotten what Tessa had told her during their earlier visit.
The door was opened almost as soon as Julie knocked.
“You came! I am so glad!” Tessa said in delight as she ushered her friend inside.
“You are?” She was surprised by Tessa’s reaction and wondered what was going on. “Why?”
“Because . . .” Tessa glanced over her shoulder toward the parlor. “We need you.”
“We, who? And for what?”
“You’ll see.”
Tessa took Julie by the arm and led her down the hall. As they entered the parlor, Jim stopped playing.
Julie stared around herself in amazement. The furniture had all been shoved back against the walls, and the carpet had been rolled up. Jim was standing in the corner with his fiddle poised, ready to start playing again. Sludge and Henry were both standing off to the side with Maggie, looking a bit uncomfortable and nervous. Will was there, too.
