by Lana Dare
Hawke grinned, something he did more and more around her. “I’m glad you like it. It’s more durable than the material you use for your skirts.” He gestured toward the material she’d spread on the table to measure. “Make your skirts, but you need some fur-lined leggings for winter.”
Sarah grinned. “They’re gonna be so soft! I can’t wait to wear them.”
Blade cuddled her closer, running a hand over her hair, which she’d taken to wearing in a braid. “We’ll start the moccasins tomorrow.”
Phoenix clenched his jaw, wondering what he could do to get closer to her, to spend time with her.
He sure as hell couldn’t sew.
Then he smiled.
Hawke and Blade were experts with the rifles they carried across their shoulders, and with the knives and tomahawks they wore attached to their belts.
Neither one of them, though, could shoot as well as Phoenix.
Drinking the last of his coffee, he moved to the table and took a seat on the other side of her. “I know she needs some things to wear, but I think it’s time to teach her how to shoot. When she’s here alone, I think she should have a gun with her, and know how to use it.”
Sarah’s smile never faltered, but Phoenix couldn’t help but notice that she glanced at both Hawke and Blade as if seeking their approval.
Hawke nodded. “Good idea. Between shooting and working on her sewing, she’ll be too busy to get into trouble.”
His teasing tone may have fooled Sarah, but it didn’t fool him.
Waiting for Willy to appear had everyone on the ranch on edge, a tension that grew worse with each passing day. They all knew he wouldn’t give up his gold so easily.
They’d also learned from Hayes and Wyatt that Willy couldn’t stand for anyone to get the better of him.
Sarah had done it in two ways—taking his gold and escaping his attention.
Willy Krenshaw would never stand for that, and would feel that he had to make Sarah pay for embarrassing him.
He should have come by now, and the fact that he hadn’t made them all wonder what the outlaw had planned.
Eb and Jeremiah had reduced some of his and his brothers’ chores so they could spend more time watching over her, and as each day passed, everyone worried more.
Sarah smiled up at Hawke. “I won’t need to shoot anything. I’m real careful when I pick flowers, and don’t go too far.”
Phoenix got to his feet again, too restless to sit still. “But if something happens, I want you to know how to shoot. We’ll go out first thing in the morning.”
Sarah smoothed her hand over the material of her buckskin dress as if she couldn’t stop touching it, looking from Hawke to Blade.
Phoenix snapped, slamming his hand on the table hard enough to knock her bolt of material to the floor. “Don’t look at them. I’m your husband, too.”
He regretted his tone as soon as the words left his mouth. Frustrated that the tension of waiting for Willy had gotten to him, allowing his jealousy to show, he ignored his brothers’ sharp looks and leaned over the table until his nose almost touched Sarah’s. “And you’re sleeping with me tonight.”
Turning, he stormed out before he said something that would make things even worse.
* * * *
Sarah watched Phoenix leave, swallowing heavily as she looked up at Hawke. “Did I do something wrong?”
Running his hand over her back, Blade smiled. “No. You haven’t done anything wrong.” He ran a threatening hand down to her bottom and tapped gently. “I’ll be glad to let you know when you do.”
Hawke went to the coffee pot on the small stove. “Phoenix is just a little upset. It’s nothing for you to worry about. Are you going to the chow shack to help Duke?”
“Yes.” Grinning, she jumped to her feet, anxious to learn more of Duke’s brand of cooking. “Duke has really warmed up to me.” Pausing, she folded the material again, knowing that she wouldn’t get to it again until the next day. “It’s a shame that he doesn’t have a woman. He’s such a nice man, but he seems so lonely.”
Hawke’s brows went up as he slid a glance at Blade, who scrubbed a hand over his mouth, his dark eyes dancing with amusement.
Blade got to his feet and took the material from her, dropping everything onto the small chest in the corner. “I’m sure you’re the only person in the world who’s ever called Duke nice. He’s a hard man, Sarah, one who’s already lost the woman he loves. He’s very bitter about it, and has a bigger chip on his shoulder than Hawke’s.”
Hawke raised a brow at that, his eyes hard until he looked in Sarah’s direction. “I’m just realistic.”
Blade grinned. “You thought we’d never have a woman in our lives. Who’s to say a woman doesn’t show up here and do to Duke what Sarah did to us?”
Sarah started pulling on her boots, pausing to frown up at them. “What did I do to you?”
Blade closed the distance between them and bent to touch his lips to hers. “We’re still trying to figure that out. Come on. I’ll walk you to the shack. Hawke and I have some things to look into. Stay with Duke until we get back.”
* * * *
Sarah rolled out biscuits under Duke’s watchful eye. “Duke, do you think you’ll ever get married again?”
“No. Pay attention to what you’re doing. If you make those biscuits too thin, they won’t rise right and I’ll get blamed.”
Giggling, Sarah glanced over at him, once again amazed that a man who looked so fierce could be so sweet. “You know, you remind me a lot of Hawke and Blade. They’re both big men, but they don’t make a sound when they move. They also look scary as hell, but they’re so nice.” Wrinkling her nose at his scowl, she turned back to her work. “Like you.”
Smiling at his growl, she started cutting out biscuits. “Don’t growl at me. I’m not scared of you.”
“You should be.” Duke sighed and stirred the chili he’d been working on, not looking at her. “A long time ago I was a nice man. I’m not anymore. Life changed me, just like life changed your men. Life is ugly and cruel. Just because your men changed doesn’t mean that I would.”
Curious, she turned, leaning against the table. “How have they changed?”
Meeting her gaze, he smiled, a small rare smile that she’d begun to cherish. “They’re not as hard now, especially Hawke.” Shaking his head, he set the big spoon aside. “Don’t get me wrong. No one could ever accuse any of your men of being soft, but Hawke has always been hard as stone. He’s a good man to have at your side in a fight. He has a sixth sense about him that I’ve never known to be wrong.”
Sarah blinked. “A sixth sense?”
Shrugging, Duke took the tray of biscuits from the table in front of her and slid an empty one in its place. “He seems to know things. He’s always been able to size up people right away.” He laughed softly. “Same thing he does with horses.”
Shrugging again, he slid the tray of biscuits into the stone oven. “He seems to have a sense for danger, and he’s been a bear lately, worried about you.”
Shocked at that, Sarah set the rolling pin aside. “What? That’s not true!”
“He won’t let you see how worried he is, but all three of them are sick with it. We’ll all be glad when Willy finally makes his appearance and we can deal with him once and for all.”
He went back to his chili, tasting it and adding salt. “Just make sure you do what they say. If anything happens to you, Hawke will be ready to kill someone.”
* * * *
Watching Hawke dig into his chili, Sarah thought about what Duke had said. “You’re really worried about Willy, aren’t you?”
All three of her husbands stilled, some unspoken communication passing between them. It lasted only a second, but she’d seen it—and it worried her.
Blade sighed and turned his attention back to his chili. “We told you that we can handle Willy. When he shows up, we’ll take care of him. You just do what we say in the meantime. I want someone’s ey
es on you at all times until we’ve dealt with him.”
Hawke’s brow went up. “Don’t you trust us to keep you safe?”
Nodding, Sarah picked at her biscuit. “Of course. I just don’t like putting you in danger.” Her stomach knotted at the thought of anyone on the ranch getting hurt because of Willy, but she didn’t know what she could do to prevent it.
Phoenix looked up from where he’d been staring down into his coffee. “Anything that’s a threat to you worries us. As much as I hate to admit it, we’re impatient. I know I am, which is why I yelled this morning. We’re used to meeting trouble head-on, not sitting around waiting for it.”
Grimacing when she realized she’d crumbled her entire biscuit into her chili, Sarah picked up her spoon and began to stir it in. “I think I should go to Tulsa.”
Whipping his head toward her, Phoenix blinked. “What?”
Hawke and Blade both stilled, lifting their heads to narrow their eyes at her in disapproval.
Waving away the lecture she sensed coming, she glanced at Blade and Hawke, hoping they would side with her. “Wait. Listen to me. He’s probably in Tulsa, trying to figure out how to find us. He’s mean, but he’s not that smart. No.”
With a sigh, she got to her feet, aware that she’d drawn the attention of several of the ranch hands. “He wouldn’t have stayed in Tulsa waiting for us to go back to town. He’s too impatient. If anything, he’s lost somewhere between here and Tulsa. Maybe if we—”
“No.” Hawke gathered his dishes and hers and got to his feet. “You’re not going to do anything except what we tell you to do.”
Phoenix rose, reaching for her hand, which she placed in his without hesitation. “I’ll walk her back to the cabin. Give us a few minutes alone.”
Hawke inclined his head. “We’ll have another cup of coffee. Get things between you worked out.” His eyes narrowed. “I mean it, Phoenix. Get whatever’s wrong between you worked out.”
Sarah’s hand trembled in Phoenix’s much larger one as they made their way outside. Once away from the others, she looked up at him, struggling to see his features in the faint light. “Are you mad at me?”
He squeezed her hand and kept walking, but not in the direction of their home. “No, honey. I’m mad at myself.”
Surprised at that, she stopped, smiling when he also stopped and pulled her into his arms. “Why? It’s something to do with me, but I don’t know what.” Her face burned, and grateful for the semi-darkness, she stared at the front of his shirt. “You’ve been quiet ever since we went to that cave. Even when you make love to me, you don’t play anymore.”
Phoenix sighed and threaded his hands through her hair, pulling her head back to look into her beautiful eyes. Running his thumbs over her cheeks, he smiled, a sad smile that tugged at her heart. “It’s not that, although taking you opened my eyes. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week.”
Sarah’s heart dropped. Lifting her chin, she nodded. “I understand. You’ve decided that marrying me was a mistake after all.”
“What?” Phoenix scrubbed a hand over his face. “Marrying you is the smartest thing I’ve ever done, honey. I’ve messed this up. I know it, but I don’t know what the hell to do about it.”
Shocked when he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face against her neck, she held on to him. “What is it? Please talk to me. Tell me what to do.”
“Hell, woman, you drive me crazy.” His lips moved against her neck, sending little shivers of delight through her. “I want you so much I ache, but I don’t know how to get close to you the way Hawke and Blade have. I know how to give you pleasure, but I don’t know how to talk to you.”
Lifting his head, he brushed stray strands of her hair from her face. “I love to tease you, but I’m not good at saying all that other stuff.”
Sarah cuddled against him, loving the feel of his hard arms wrapped around her. Leaning back, she looked up at him and grinned. “Now that I know you’re just as nervous around me, I feel better.”
Phoenix’s eyes narrowed, a small smile playing at his lips. “You do, do you? You like having me all tangled up inside?” Leaning her back over his arm, he ran a hand over her breast. “How much better do you feel?”
Able to see through his teasing now, she ran a hand over his chest. “A lot better.”
Straightening, he took her hand in his. “Let’s go to the cabin and you can show me how much better.”
As they made their way back, he lifted her hand to his lips. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Sarah blinked, stopping abruptly. “You do?”
Reaching down, he patted her bottom. “Yes, brat. I do, and I can’t say it’s a comfortable fit.” Taking her hand, he started toward the cabin again. “I’ve never felt like this before. Just be patient with me, all right? Hell, you have me jealous of my own brothers.” Pausing again, he pulled her close, bending to brush his lips over hers. “I just look at you, and I can’t think of anything else. I want you all the damned time, but I don’t want you thinkin’ that’s all I want from you.”
Lifting his head, he frowned. “I’m just worried that I’ll say the wrong thing—something I never had to worry about before. Blade always knows the right thing to say, and Hawke hardly ever talked at all.”
Running a hand over his chest, and warmed by his vulnerability, she smiled at his groan. “I like your teasing.”
He smiled and led her toward the cabin, the lantern they’d left on the porch guiding their way. “Good, because I love to play with you, but I want you to know that I take this marriage seriously.”
Sarah glanced over at the chow shack, smiling at the low drone of conversation coming from inside. She knew that Hawke and Blade would be coming out soon, and felt guilty for wanting a little time alone with Phoenix.
Still holding her hand, he made his way up the steps, smiling as he pushed the door open. “I’ll show you just how much—hell! Get down!”
* * * *
Lifting his coffee cup to his mouth, Hawke stilled. “Something’s wrong.”
Aware of the sudden silence of the men all around him, he got to his feet, his heart pounding furiously at the sense of urgency. “I’m gonna go check outside.”
Blade followed him, reaching out to grip his arm. “You’re just nervous about Phoenix and Sarah being alone together.”
Shaking off his brother’s hand, he went outside, his gaze zeroing in on Sarah. “I won’t interfere. Phoenix has to work out his own problems with her. Damn it.”
He rubbed his neck where it itched, and carefully began to make his way around the chow shack. “It’s not Phoenix and Sarah. Something’s wrong. Something else. It’s not right. Shut up.”
His senses sharpened, his hearing becoming even more acute. Slicing a hand through the air when Blade started to speak again, he spun as Eb rounded the corner of the chow shack and approached.
Eb’s gaze narrowed, his body tense. “What is it?”
Hawke gritted his teeth and reached for his gun, having left everything else at the cabin when they left. “I don’t know. Something. Quiet. Birds are quiet. Nothing’s moving. Neck itches.” When his neck itched, danger was close. It had always been that way for him.
Eb eased his own gun from its holster. “I’ve never known you to be wrong, Hawke. If you say something’s wrong, that’s gospel as far as I’m concerned.”
Hawke swallowed heavily, fear for Sarah tightening his gut. “I hope I’m wrong.”
Making his way around the chow shack, he glanced in the direction of the cabin he shared with the others and nudged Blade, keeping his voice low. “Go check the other side of the chow shack, and then go get Sarah and take her inside. I’m going to check around the cabin.”
The feeling that something was terribly wrong grew stronger, and hurrying his steps, he rushed around the side, sparing a glance for Phoenix and Sarah, still in the distance.
Nothing mattered more than Sarah’s safety.
Slowing his steps, he approached one of the windows they’d left open in deference to the warm, humid night air. Crouching next to it, he held up a hand to signal for Eb to stop, but his boss hadn’t gotten where he was standing back while others, especially his own men, were in danger.
Trusting Eb’s abilities, he eased into position to look into the window while Eb did the same on the other side.
The scent of sweat and whiskey came to him on a breeze, sweeping away the womanly scents that Sarah had brought into their home.
His gut tightened in fury.
Not seeing anyone inside, he eased back and glanced at Eb. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to see his boss shake his head even in the moonlight.
Nodding, he crouched low and continued on, moving around the next corner and to the open window there. Slowly straightening, he held his breath, listening for any sound coming from inside.
Any movement.
Breathing. Anything.
He could be patient, and had the ability to sit for hours, but not when Sarah was in danger.
He reminded himself that she would be safe with Phoenix.
Her safety depended on his patience.
Taking a deep breath, he clenched his jaw.
His prey would soon become restless, and give himself away.
Hawke could wait, and when his prey moved, he would have him.
* * * *
Blade crept around the side of the chow shack, stilling when he heard the sound of ragged breathing coming from around the corner.
Crouching low, he slid his knife from the sheath attached to his thigh, his pulse racing with anticipation. He needed to get rid of the threat and get to Sarah.
He didn’t dare yell out and give away his position, not knowing the danger.
But, he trusted Hawke’s instincts with his life.
Peering around the corner, he saw that only one man stood in the moonlight, but Blade waited, taking the time to scan the area for others.
The man stood about twenty feet away, a gun in each hand. He crept toward the far end of the chow shack away from Blade, peeking around the corner.
