The Damaged Heroes Collection [Box Set #1: The Damaged Heroes Collection] (BookStrand Publishing Mainstream)

by James, Sandy

  Daniel nodded, grinning at her like some besotted suitor.

  James wanted to pound the smile right off his face.

  “They’re out riding the fence line,” Daniel replied, “but they’ll be back soon.” He leaned forward to address James. “I can pick out a nice horse for you. See if you can handle him and whatnot.”

  “I can handle anything you throw at me.”

  Susan gaped at him. “I still don’t understand. You hate horses. Don’t you remember when—”

  James waved a hand to interrupt. “Of course, I remember. Things are…different now.”

  “Different, huh?” Susan’s laughter always sounded like a melody. “I guess we’ll see how different when you get on the horse.”

  Daniel patted her thigh.

  James wanted to break his hand.

  “I don’t know the story, Susie. What happened to him?”

  She placed her hand over Daniel’s that still rested on her leg. “He was a little…frightened the last time he rode.”

  “The only time I rode,” James muttered.

  “Frightened?” Daniel asked, his smirk only darkening James’s mood.

  “Yeah,” she replied. “The horse kinda…took off on him. His dad had to chase him down.”

  Daniel nodded. “Same thing happened to Hank the first time I put him on a horse. Must’ve been when he was nine or so, but he outgrew it. Kids get over frights pretty easy.” Another nod to James. “Hard to believe he hasn’t been on horseback since he was a little boy.”

  Obviously holding her tongue, Susan glanced back to James. He spared her the choice of whether she’d embarrass him more by telling the whole truth. “I wasn’t a kid. I was thirty.”

  She quickly came to his aid. “But he’d never been on a horse before, so he didn’t know how to use the reins. The stupid animal bolted. It wasn’t James’s fault.”

  Her quick defense cooled his temper.

  Daniel cocked his head. “Never on a horse ’til you were thirty? Not sure how you managed that. Must be mighty fond of walking.”

  James just grunted in response.

  Daniel pulled the wagon to stop in front of a big red barn. He threw the brake, hopped out of the wagon, and reached up for Susan before James could climb down and help her.

  Daniel lifted her to the ground, and she smoothed her skirts in place. Such an utterly feminine action, it made James’s heart flutter. The woman had no idea how beautiful she was.

  He hadn’t realized he’d been staring until Daniel loudly cleared his throat.

  “Where do you keep the horses?” James asked. “From the smell of this place, they’ve gotta be close. Must be fun to have your home smell like a compost heap all the time.”

  “A what?” Daniel asked.

  “Never mind.”

  Daniel inclined his head toward the barn. “Let’s go look for a good animal for you.”

  James followed, but he wasn’t thinking about a horse. His gaze wandered the house, the barn, and the corrals. The ranch had to be one of the nicest he’d ever seen. No wonder Susan had grown so close to Daniel. There were horses everywhere. She loved horses. Guilt flooded his mind. This was something he’d taken away from her because of his fear of the animals. After that one disastrous ride, James had never wanted to even see a horse again. Susan hadn’t ridden since that day.

  What else had she sacrificed to make him happy?

  Daniel was obviously rich. If she had to live in this new time, what better person to take care of her? A wealthy, respected man or a lowly bartender who’d been stupid enough to throw her away?

  * * * *

  Susan watched them go into the barn, intending to follow when she heard Abigail calling to her.

  Waving her arm, Abigail motioned Susan to come to the kitchen door. “Susan! I’m so glad you came! I just put on some tea. Come on in and have a cup.”

  Although Susan enjoyed their light conversation, it came as a relief when Abigail finally led her out to the fenced corral right outside the barn. She’d done nothing but worry about James and what would happen when he got on the back of a horse.

  Daniel tightened the cinch on a fairly tall bay while James watched. She had no clue what James intended to prove. Good God, he’d been so afraid after his only horse ride, she’d been sure the man wouldn’t go near anything equine again.

  “Who’s that?” Abigail asked.

  “My…um…That’s James Williams. He’s the new bartender at the Golden Nugget.”

  Abigail’s chuckle took her by surprise. “Daddy must not like him much.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  “He’s saddling Tobacco.”

  “And?”

  “He’s a bit…spirited.”

  That sure didn’t bode well.

  Abigail turned her back to the picket fence and hoisted herself up to sit on the top rail. Susan joined her, gaining a great view of the corral so she could keep an eye on James should he need any help. Using her hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunshine, she wished for a moment she had her Ray-Bans.

  What kind of paradox would wearing sunglasses cause?

  Daniel slapped the horse on the rump then stepped aside and gave James a sweeping gesture that seemed a bit melodramatic. The twinkle in his eye declared Daniel was up to something. James glared at the rancher and stepped up to Tobacco.

  James moved to the wrong side to mount the horse, and Susan couldn’t help herself. He’d probably think she was being bossy, but she called out to him anyway. “Other side.” He looked confused, frowning over at her. “Climb on from the other side.” With a nod, he moved to the correct side of the horse.

  Things happened pretty damned fast. James got his foot in the stirrup, swung himself into the saddle, and promptly found himself sprawled out on the ground when the horse reared. Susan jumped from her perch and ran to him. Crouching down she had the overwhelming urge to run her hands over his arms and legs to be sure he hadn’t broken anything. There weren’t any emergency rooms in River Bend. She gave in and started to check for injuries.

  Dust still floated around him, and he gasped for air as if the fall had knocked the breath right out of him. “Are you all right?” she asked, patting his collarbones to be sure there weren’t any fractures.

  His hard glare surprised her. He knocked her hands away. “I’m fine.”

  She stood up and set her hands on her hips. “You don’t look fine. You can’t breathe.”

  James slowly worked his way back to his feet then patted the dust from his ass, acting as grouchy as a grizzly bear whose hibernation had been interrupted. “I can breathe.”

  Daniel grabbed Tobacco’s reins and led the horse back to James. “Care to try again? Or have you had enough?”

  “I’ll try again.”

  Like she could watch the stubborn man break his stupid neck to prove some macho point. “James, I don’t think—”

  His hard eyes silenced her. Striding confidently back to the horse, James took the reins from Daniel. At least he was mounting on the correct side this time.

  “Need some help there?” Daniel asked as the horse began to turn tight circles when James tried to mount. He was clearly having a hard time not chuckling at the whole situation.

  She didn’t see anything funny and couldn’t help herself from interfering. Hurrying to his aid, Susan grabbed the reins and stopped Tobacco. She ignored James’s frown and said, “If you want to do this, at least let me give you a few pointers.”

  “I don’t need—”

  “I don’t care.” She sighed in relief when he threw himself into the saddle. Handing him the reins, she showed him how to hold them properly. “Pull back when you want him to stop. Nudge him with your heels if you want him to go.” After a few more hints about steering, Susan finally took a step back. Then she joined Abigail on the top rail again.

  James seemed to catch on pretty quickly, especially when she kept calling out advice. After he’d worked the horse into canterin
g around the corral, Susan finally let herself calm down.

  Even though his heart still hammered in his chest, James felt himself begin to relax. This riding a horse stuff wasn’t nearly as bad as what he’d remembered. Maybe if Susan had been able to help him the last time, the experience wouldn’t have been nearly as dreadful. His father had never given her the chance, practically tossing his son up onto the saddle and giving the horse a loud smack on the rump to send it jumping into a run.

  His father had a sense of humor as warped as a piece of weathered wood. Susan always said it was amazing that James turned out to be a kind and caring person having grown up around a man like that.

  There was no way he would show any fear to her, even less of a chance he’d let Daniel Miller get the best of him. Yes, he’d been dumped on his ass when the horse reared, but that had made James all the more determined to master this skill. By facing his fear, maybe he’d impress her.

  After several passes around the corral, he decided he liked riding horses. He reined Tobacco to a skidding stop in front of Susan and her friend. If he had a hat like Daniel, he would have taken it off, but the best he could manage was an awkward bow at the waist. When Susan applauded as her friend followed suit, he couldn’t help but grin. Savoring the scowl that settled on Daniel’s face, James dismounted. “If the price is right, I’ll take him.”

  * * * *

  The sun was setting by the time they’d shared a supper with Daniel and Abigail and the boys. Susan couldn’t help but feel confused over the strange dynamics that had accompanied the meal.

  Daniel shifted between smiling and frowning. James seemed to be having the same mood swings. They were making her crazy, acting like they both suffered bouts of bipolar disorder.

  Abigail was her same chatty, funny self. Cain seemed his normal sullen and silent. It was Hank’s behavior that came as a surprise. He acted like James was nothing more than some common criminal. The cowboy threw James several insults that seemed cruel coming from a young man Susan had judged as being kind and friendly. Maybe her first impression had failed her, something that seldom happened.

  Daniel drew her attention back to the present when he lifted her up into the wagon. James had already boarded on the opposite side when Daniel said he’d have one of the boys bring Tobacco, a saddle, and some tack into the livery the next day.

  Susan again found herself sandwiched between the two men. As the wagon lurched into motion, she was thrown back. James’s strong arm on her shoulder kept her steady. Her face flushed warm at his touch, and she shyly pushed his hand away even though what she really wanted was for him to put his arm back around her and act as if he still cared for her, even if only a little.

  The three of them rode in quiet. Susan enjoyed the cricket song and watched as the stars began to dot the enormous sky. Perhaps they were in Montana—so sparsely populated, it was still a territory in 1880. Wasn’t it called the Land of the Big Sky?

  Busy marveling at the beauty of nature, she felt a warm hand reach for her left hand and give it a squeeze before settling on her thigh. Then another warm hand slipped under her right, wrapped around her fingers, and rested on her other leg.

  Glancing first at James and then to Daniel, she wondered how long it would take the two of them to realize they were both holding on to her. Turned out to be about thirty seconds.

  They looked at her lap and then at her and finally at each other. Pulling away as if her hands burst into flames, both men muttered a curse. She pulled her bottom lip with her teeth to keep from laughing, figuring neither would see the same humor she did in the situation.

  “So,” she asked Daniel, trying to fill the weighty silence, “where did you meet Hank and Cain? Where does a rancher find cowboys to work his ranch?”

  “Hank and Cain were nothing but little boys when I found them begging for handouts on a street in San Francisco.”

  The story hit home to the teacher in her who had seen students surviving in far too awful living conditions. “How old were they?”

  “Just turned eight and nine. Bought ’em a meal and sat ’em down for a good, long talk.”

  Although she knew it would hurt to hear their story, she had to ask, “Where were their parents?”

  “Hank’s died about a year before I found him. He ended up in an orphanage. Met Cain there and they got close right away. Don’t rightly know about Cain’s family though, no matter how much I tried to get the story out of him. Both those rascals ran away and lived on the streets for more than six months before I found them. Then I brought ’em back here to the Circle M to give them some skills so they could earn a living instead of begging for handouts. Elizabeth, my late wife, loved them too much to let ’em go. They’re part of our family now.”

  “She sounds a lot like you, Suz,” James said, taking her hand again and giving it an affectionate squeeze before easing away. “You collect people too.”

  Not sure she wanted that comparison to be made, she also thought he was overstating the things she’d done for students over the years. Yeah, she’d been known to take one or two into her home for a few days. But only until they could get back on their feet. The thought of one of her students going hungry…She simply couldn’t bear it. Without question, she understood what had motivated Daniel and Elizabeth to save those young boys.

  “Collect people? Care to enlighten me?” Daniel asked.

  James shook his head and mouthed “paradox.” Susan didn’t see any paradox growing from their simple conversation but figured better safe than sorry, so she humored him.

  “Just sharing a memory,” she finally replied with a shrug.

  They rode along in silence again for a good long while, and Susan figured the tension would never ease until the ride ended.

  As they entered the small town, Daniel was the first to speak, sending the tension level soaring even higher. “There’s a harvest dance coming up next week, Susie. I’d be mighty pleased if you’d accompany me.”

  James turned and stared at her openmouthed. “You can’t go to the dance with him.”

  “Why not?” she asked. “What business is it of yours anyway?”

  Daniel reached for her hand again. “I’d be right pleased if you’d go with me.”

  “She can’t,” James insisted.

  “I can.”

  James seemed to think it over a good, long time. She had no idea what was flying through his thoughts. He couldn’t possibly be jealous of Daniel wanting to spend time with her.

  Could he?

  No. James didn’t have a jealous bone in his body, especially where she was concerned.

  Daniel reined the wagon to a stop in front of the Golden Nugget. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I’d be honored to take you. You’ll be the prettiest woman there.”

  James snorted a laugh and climbed out of the wagon. “She can’t dance. Unless you want to find out the hard way, you should take my word on it.”

  Why didn’t he just go ahead and throw her under the wagon next time? She hadn’t revealed his embarrassing experience with a horse, but he didn’t care if he humiliated her in front of Daniel with her dancing story.

  Daniel gave her a warm smile. “I’m not scared a bit. I’ll be more than happy to teach you to dance, darlin’.”

  She nodded, trying not to let the anger choking her rise to the surface.

  James shook his head and stomped onto the boardwalk. A date. That guy was asking Susan on an official date. It might be one thing to have her walking out to the ranch to visit Daniel, but to parade their budding relationship around the whole damned town? James’s temper swelled near to boiling over.

  He watched Daniel lift Susan from the wagon. Then the rancher pulled her into a hug. James wanted to jerk her out of that embrace and blister her ears about her ridiculous flirty behavior. Instead, he stared at them, breathing hard enough his nostrils whistled with each breath. She was going to get a piece of his mind as soon as he could get her alone.

&nb
sp; “I need to leave, darlin’. We’ve got a mare just about to foal.” Daniel looked up at the sky and smiled. “Full moon, so tonight’s the night. Will you go to the dance with me?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Daniel pulled her into a tight hug and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. James was about to shout at them when the kiss mercifully ended. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped breathing until his infuriated exhale rushed from him. Both Daniel and Susan turned to glare at him.

  “Want me to escort you inside?” Daniel asked.

  “No, thank you. I need to have a few private words with James first.”

  They stood side by side, watching Daniel drive away. When he was sure the annoying rancher was out of earshot, James reacted with all the fierce jealousy flowing through him. “I know where you’re going when you disappear. You’re with Daniel Miller. You’re screwing him, aren’t you?”

  Chapter 13

  Susan brushed right past James, not dignifying his ridiculous and insulting question with a response. She didn’t even have to look over her shoulder to know he followed. His footsteps fell hard behind her, loud enough against the wooden floor to echo over the customers’ voices. Those voices fell silent with his first shout.

  “Don’t you dare walk away from me! Answer the question!”

  Hurrying until she was practically running, she almost made it to the stairs. Before she could even mount the first step, James’s hand snaked around her waist and pulled her back hard against his chest.

  “You’re not getting away that easy.”

  Susan struggled when he lifted her clean off her feet and started to carry her away from the stairs. Her toes brushed against the sawdust-covered floor, but she couldn’t get a foot down enough for any leverage. “Let me go.” She twisted and squirmed, landing at least one good kick against his shins, although she hated to admit that it hurt her foot more than it probably hurt his leg. He’d never been this forceful before, hauling her around like a naughty child. “I mean it. Turn me loose.”