He beamed. “That will be happy. And I will not misplace the ocean again!”
Brianne turned to Sloan. “It worries me that he’s going to have to travel all that distance alone.”
Phineas bounded off the porch and came down beside them. “I’m a traveling man by nature. Perhaps I could accompany Kam.”
Brianne grinned. “How much of this urge to go with Kam is because of the irate gentleman who’s after you for selling him some of that snake oil you call medicine?”
“It’s quite true that Mr. Fairfield’s unfortunate and quite erroneous idea that my medicine is the cause of several embarrassing adverse effects makes my departure most desirable. But at the same time, Kam and I have grown rather fond of one another, and I can see a real future for a partnership between us.”
She shook her head, amused. “All things considered, it sounds like a wonderful idea. You’ll be out of danger, and you can keep Kam out of trouble.”
Sloan bent down to whisper in her ear. “You’re joking, right?”
“We’ll all have a nice long talk before the two of you leave,” she added hastily.
Phineas nodded. “Fine, fine. Who knows? I may find the tropics most agreeable. Kam, let us retire to the dining room for a small repast, and you can tell me more about your homeland.”
The small man and the tall boy climbed the steps and entered the hotel, both talking and gesturing at once. Brianne saw that Horace and Henrietta had settled on the porch in chairs set close beside each other.
Sloan took Brianne’s hand and kissed it. With her heart full of happiness, she gazed up into his eyes. “And just what are you looking so smug about?”
“It’s simple. Kam, Phineas, and Henrietta’s problems have finally been solved. You’ve even made arrangements to get George away from that drunken father of his so that he can be raised and schooled on Killara. Now that all your ‘little chicks’have been taken care of, you’ll have more time for me. I’m looking forward to the calm.”
They both heard it at once — a rumble, almost like thunder, and it was getting louder and louder. Sloan tensed, but Brianne laughed. “I think we’re going to have to wait a little while longer for the calm.”
A cloud of dust appeared at the south end of town and grew larger. The pounding hooves could be heard more clearly now.
Sloan took Brianne’s arm and headed her toward the steps. “I don't know what’s happening, but we’d better be ready. Go upstairs and get your gun.”
“A Delaney never raises a gun to another Delaney.” “You mean — ”
“I think you’re about to meet my family, or at least part of it.”
A dozen men rode their lathered horses down Main Street at a break-neck pace and reined them in hard in front of the hotel.
A tall, lean man with diamond-hard, blue-gray eyes was the first off his horse. Brianne ran to him and threw her arms around him. “Dom, I'm so glad to see you! I wasn’t sure if you’d ride in with the others or not, since you had to come from St. Louis.”
“I met up with them not too far out of town.” His eyes had softened as he looked at Brianne. “Is there any news on Patrick?”
“Yes, we found him. Or rather Sloan did.”
“Thank God,” he murmured, then switched a questioning gaze to Sloan who was standing behind Brianne.
Brianne reached for Sloan’s hand and drew him forward, her face full of love as she looked at him. “Sloan, this is Dominic Delaney, my uncle. Dom, this is Sloan Lassiter.” The two men nodded. Her smile widened as she embraced in turn four more men who had just dismounted and had come to stand by them. “This is Falcon, Cort, Sean, and Joshua Delaney.”
“Gentlemen.” Sloan nodded, warily studying the five Delaney men. Any one of them alone would have been impressive, but together they were daunting, though not to him.
As a group, the Delaneys eyed him suspiciously, and Sloan found himself amused. Obviously they hadn’t missed the expression of love on the face of their niece. Just as obviously their Delaney princess was very precious to them. He braced himself for scrutiny.
“Where was Patrick?” Falcon asked.
Sloan spoke up. “Three brothers had him in a small adobe hut. They had used ether on him to knock him out, but by the time I found him, he’d recovered from its effects.”
“When was the hanging?” Dominic asked.
Brianne cleared her throat. “There was no hanging.”
“All right, so when is the hanging?”
“Dom, Patrick wasn’t hurt, and well … ” She swiveled toward Joshua. “The brothers who kidnapped Patrick are named Odis, Hannibal, and Lester Grimes. They say you once fired them from a cattle drive.” At Joshua’s puzzled look, she added, “Hannibal shot a jackrabbit and stampeded the herd.”
Recognition dawned on Joshua. “Good Lord, Bri, none of those three have the brains of a chicken.”
“Exactly, and Patrick felt sorry for them — ”
There were varying degrees of disgust on the faces of the five Delaney men. Dom’s lips tightened. “I can’t say that I feel any sympathy. We’ve come a hell of a long way for a wild-goose chase.”
Brianne shrugged. “Patrick is sleeping off the effects of an all-night poker game, but he should be up soon. You can talk to him about it.”
“I doubt if it will do any good. He appears to be as softhearted as his sister,” Sloan drawled. “He’s agreed to pay them their ransom so that they’ll have a grubstake.”
As one the Delaneys turned their gazes back to Sloan and fixed particularly on his hand, which was now resting on Brianne's shoulder.
“What did you say your name was?” Falcon asked.
Brianne planted her hands on her lips. “You remember very well what his name is. And just to save you the trouble of asking, he’s from New York City and he’s a financier. And one more thing you should know.” She took a deep breath. “I love him.”
Her statement was met with silence.
Brianne smiled sunnily. “You’re going to like Sloan. He reminds me of a Delaney.”
Faced with Brianne’s happiness, some of the tension began to ease out of the group.
Sean actually grinned. “I’m not sure that’s a recommendation, Bri. We were hopin’ you’d find someone … tamer.”
Chapter 12
Dominic Delaney was waiting in the lobby when Sloan descended the oak stairway for dinner. He inclined his head in a polite nod as Sloan reached the bottom step. “Mr. Lassiter.”
Sloan had been expecting this. He had not known which of Brianne’s relations would be designated to confront him, but he was not surprised that it was Dominic. He had judged Dominic to be a dangerous man from the moment he had caught sight of him, and Brianne’s menfolk would want to make sure he was conscious of an underlying threat. He nodded with equal coolness. “Mr. Delaney.”
“I believe we have a few things to talk about.” Dominic Delaney gestured to the parlor. “Before dinner.”
“And, if our discussion doesn’t please you, I take it you have no intention of letting me join you at the festive family table?” Sloan asked, amused.
Dominic’s icy blue eyes met Sloan’s. “Exactly.”
“Then perhaps I’d better accede to your request.” Sloan headed leisurely toward the parlor. “I have an excellent appetite tonight and wouldn’t want to have to satisfy it at a table for one.”
The parlor was deserted, and Sloan moved toward the window and stood looking into the darkness. Outside, the storm had broken, and at irregular intervals thunder rolled overhead. He waited for Dominic’s opening barrage; it came immediately.
“Are you marrying my niece for her money?”
“I’ve heard the Delaneys are rich as Croesus,” Sloan said, not turning around, “and no I have no need of marrying Brianne for the Delaney fortune. As a matter of fact, I’ve not asked her to marry me at all as yet.”
There was a weighted silence behind him.
“Am I to assume you have no intention o
f asking Brianne to be your wife?” Dominic asked with dangerous softness.
“You may assume what you please.” Sloan whirled to face him. “I have no intention of answering your questions as if I were some bumbling, bashful boy going courting for the first time.”
Dominic’s gaze narrowed on Sloan’s face. “No?”
“Hell no.” Sloan’s lips tightened. “At first I thought this was funny. But now I’m tempted to tell you all to go to the devil, and if I didn’t think it would make Brianne unhappy, I’d do precisely that.” He punched his index finger at Dominic. “But she does happen to love you all, so I’m hamstrung to do anything but be polite to you so she won’t get upset.”
Dominic studied him, his face expressionless. “Does it bother you that she might be upset?”
“You’re damned right it does,” Sloan said quietly, “and that’s why I’m going to tell you and the rest of your family what you’re so eager to know about me.” He folded his arms across his chest and leveled a direct gaze at Dominic. “One. I have enough money to support Brianne in at least the luxury with which you've surrounded her, perhaps even more. Two. I love her so damned much that’s it’s beyond your imagination. Three. I’ll ask her to marry me when and in what fashion I choose and that will not be dictated by you or her family, understood?”
Delaney’s gaze searched Sloan’s face, then, slowly, the faintest smile tugged at his lips. “I believe you’ve made yourself reasonably clear.”
Sloan had the sensation that a gun pointed at his heart had suddenly been holstered. “I tried,” he said wearily. “God knows why Brianne loves me. Everything’s gone wrong since the moment we’ve met and there’s been nothing normal or … ” He trailed off. “But I have a chance now to make all that up to her. So, dammit, stay out of my way.”
Some undefinable emotion flickered across Dominic’s face. “We’ll see,” he answered. He started for the door, but then stopped and turned back. “I think you’ve told me the truth, and I appreciate your honesty, so let me return the favor. One. We’ll be check- ing up on your credentials in New York to make sure you came by that money honestly. Two. We’ll give you time to make your declaration to Brianne, but it had better be damned soon. Three. If your relationship with Brianne hasn’t been a normal one, don’t you think she’d appreciate knowing you want her for a lifetime? You may not be courting your first woman, but you’re Brianne’s first man. She deserves to know your intentions now, not when you decide it might be best to do so.”
Sloan felt an instant of shock as Dominic’s words sank in. “I’ll think about what you said.”
“Do that.” Suddenly Dominic smiled with genuine warmth. “Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
Dominic bowed slightly. “Will you give the Delaney family the pleasure of your company at dinner, Mr. Lassiter?”
The two men exchanged a glance that contained mutual respect and the beginnings of understanding.
Sloan’s arms dropped to his side and he returned the bow. “It will be my pleasure, Mr. Delaney.”
The blue tafetta material of the elegant dress Brianne had chosen for the evening glistened in the lamplight of the bedroom as she stood in front of the bureau and brushed her hair. Delicate lace edged the rounded neckline of the frock, and a line of tiny pearl buttons decorated the back, along with deep tiers of flounces that cascaded into a train.
When Sloan came in the door, she smiled at him in the mirror. “Did you forget something? Or is everyone getting impatient with me? I’m nearly ready. All I have left to do is put up my hair.”
He returned her smile. “Yes, I forgot something. And no, no one is getting impatient with you.”
She took the long length of her hair, twisted it up on her head, and reached toward a pile of hairpins. “What did you forget?”
He crossed the room to her, pulled her hands from her hair, and turned her to face him. The mass of red curls and waves came tumbling down over the sapphire-blue taffeta. “Leave your hair alone. It’s beautiful just the way it is.”
“But dinner — ”
“Never mind that now. Come sit with me.”
Despite his smile, his strange behavior bothered her. “Sloan, what’s wrong?”
He waited until they were seated side by side on the couch before he answered her. “I have to beg your forgiveness.”
At first she thought he was joking and she almost laughed. But before she could, she caught a glimpse of something deep within his golden eyes that told her he was very serious. “Why?”
Rain drove against the window, but the fireplace that was so beautifully inset with blue and green cloisonné held a fire that heated the room and cast a warm light over the furnishings and the two people sitting on the couch.
He reached for her hands. “It was raining that night just over two weeks ago when I rode into Chango,” he said. “So many things have happened since then, we’ve been through so much, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that I’ve been stupid and neglected something very important.”
“What?”
“I haven’t asked you to marry me.”
Breath caught in her throat as she realized that Sloan was proposing to her.
He touched her hair tenderly. “It just seemed so evident to me that there couldn’t be any other end to our love. The problem was, I didn’t put my thoughts into words. I’m sorry.”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t. I’ve been so incredibly happy the last few days. In my heart I knew that we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.”
He smiled slowly at her. “Marry me, Brianne. Be my wife, my love, forever and ever.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes.” And she went into his arms.
He held her tightly against him, his eyes closed, his voice husky with intense emotion. “I had come here prepared to die. Now, instead of facing death, or perhaps even worse, facing endless, bleak years alone, you and I are going to have a glorious life together. There’s only one question remaining. How am I ever going to be able to love you the way you deserve to be loved?”
She pulled away and smiled up at him, her eyes moist with tears of happiness. “It’s going to be so easy, you won’t even be aware of making an effort.”
He laughed, a genuine laugh completely devoid of bitterness or cynicism. “You are so beautiful,” he said, “in body, in spirit. … ”
She lay her head against his chest and pressed against him.
Contentment filled him to overflowing, warming him, giving him true peace. “We have so much ahead of us. We won’t need to spend a lot of time in New York City if you don’t want to, but it would be senseless to liquidate all of my business holdings. I plan to deed over my present house to my stepmother. But we’ll build a new home that’s entirely our own, perhaps on Fifth Avenue.”
“Fifth Avenue?”
“We’ll buy up some land adjacent to Killara, or at least somewhere in the vicinity and start our own ranch. Would you like that?”
“I’d love it.”
“So would I. And traveling back and forth won’t be too hard. Thanks to the telegrams I sent, by now I’m a major stockholder in a railroad company. I’ll buy a private car, and we’ll be able to travel in comfort.”
“I’ve grown very fond of traveling.” She shifted so that she could brush her lips against his throat.
He stopped making plans long enough to glance down at her. “In spite of everything?”
She lightly pressed a finger into the fullness of his bottom lip. “Because of everything.”
He bent his head and kissed her. “Brianne?” “Ummm?”
“Where would you like to be married? When? You realize if it were up to me, I’d just spirit you off to the nearest town and marry you there.”
She chuckled. “Let me tell you something. If you deprive Shamus and Malvina Delaney of a wedding on Killara for their granddaughter, you’ll learn the true meaning of fear.” He laughed and she went on. “George will b
e there, of course, and I want Kam and Phineas, and Henrietta and Horace to detour by Killara on their way west so they can attend our wedding.”
Sloan groaned, but it was a half-hearted groan.
In response she turned her head and took a little nip of his jaw, then daintly licked at the spot. Sloan almost forgot what they were talking about.
Brianne didn't. “They’re already traveling to San Francisco. Killara won't be that much out of the way.”
“I'd like to see the map you’ve been looking at.”
She shifted away and regarded him earnestly. “It's going to be wonderful. Killara has a beautiful chapel. All our friends and relatives will be there. Patrick’s ward, Silver Dove, will come in from St. Louis, along with Elspeth, Dom’s wife, and Victoria, Falcon’s wife. And you’ll get to meet my grandparents.”
He gave a mock grimace. “Oh, good, more Delaneys.” But in the next moment he smiled tenderly. “It sounds very agreeable. As long as I marry you and soon, I’ll steel my courage and ride quietly and meekly into the land of the Delaneys.” He gathered her to him. “And in the meantime I plan to court you.”
Intrigued, she asked, “And what does being courted by Sloan Lassiter mean?”
“You’ll be the first woman I’ve ever courted, and I’m going to make it unique, with lots of laughter and an equal amount of quiet times.”
“And long, long hours in bed?”
He looked down at her. “Not until we’re married. I want to do it right, redhead. The time will pass fast. The next time I make love to you, I want to know that you’re Mrs. Sloan Lassiter, and that nothing will ever separate us again.”
She felt something like awe. “Paradise couldn’t be better than this,” she told him.
“I agree,” he said softly. “By the way, where would you like to go on our honeymoon?”
“How about Ireland? I’ve heard so many stories about the place where my family came from, I’d love to see it for myself.”
“All right, but perhaps after a short stay there we could travel on to Paris. I don’t want to stay in Ireland too long.”
Silken Thunder Page 15
