“Was it because of Roberts?” he asked, though he was sure he already knew the answer.
She lifted her gaze to meet his, and the pain in her eyes made his heart sink. He’d hoped that Neal Blackwell had nothing to do with the robberies, hoped Jesse had misinterpreted the conversation he’d overheard between Roberts and her husband. But her worried expression suggested otherwise, and that could mean only one thing. She knew something, knew something bad. Knew something she didn’t want him to know.
“Yes,” she said, slowly. Her voice—even her face—confirmed his suspicion.
He tried thinking of something to say to relieve her mind, but that would mean having to lie. “Had Jesse wanted to tell me that Roberts had escaped? Is that what had brought him to the farm?”
She nodded. “It’s true, then?”
“’Fraid so.”
Sucking in her breath, she lowered her lashes, blocking him from delving into her thoughts. “Like I said, you’ll find Jesse in the barn.”
He was about to leave the house when something made him stay. Maybe it was the way her lips trembled. Or the way she knotted her hands by her side. Perhaps it was the haunted look that shadowed her delicate face.
Whatever it was made him close the distance between them. “Ellie-May…” He heard her intake of breath. “I don’t want to hurt you.” Growing up as an outlaw’s daughter, God knows she’d suffered enough without having to contend with an outlaw husband. Matt laid a hand on her shoulder. “You know that, right?”
She met his gaze briefly before looking away.
“I mean it, Ellie-May. If there’s something you think I should know…”
“No,” she said, her voice soft. Uncertain. “There’s…there’s nothing,” she stammered.
He stared down at her tempting mouth, and every muscle in his body tensed. Since his hand was already on her shoulder, it took no effort to draw her slight body closer. She didn’t fight him, didn’t protest. If anything, she seemed to welcome the protective comfort of his arms. He was surprised at how natural it felt to hold her in his arms…how right it felt.
She stiffened as he tightened his hold, then relaxed, her hands against his chest.
Looking down at the woman in his arms, Matt drew in his breath. At that moment, it seemed that nothing else existed but the two of them. He yearned to press his mouth to hers and taste her sweet lips, but he forced himself to hold back. Right now, earning her trust was more important than satisfying his needs. Unless she was honest with him, he couldn’t help her.
“I mean it,” he said. “I would never purposely do anything to harm you or the children, but I have to know what I’m up against.”
He sensed her lowering her guard. Her eyes softened, drawing him ever deeper into their smoky-blue depths. He felt a closeness, a connection, a spark, and it was an exhilarating moment.
Somehow his good intentions went by the wayside, and he brushed her lips with his own. Much to his delight, she offered no objection. Instead, she lifted her mouth to his, showing him that she welcomed his kiss as much as she had welcomed his arms. Only then did he claim her mouth fully with his own.
Her lips were every bit as sweet as he’d imagined, her mouth every bit as yielding as he’d hoped for.
She kissed him back with such sweet intensity, he felt like he was in heaven. The fact that he was breaking his personal moral code didn’t escape him. No doubt later he would have to deal with his guilt, but for now, he wanted to absorb her on all levels. He wanted to feel her, smell her, taste her.
Hands on her back, he pressed her closer to deepen the kiss and take in as much of her as possible. His pulse quickened when her arms found their way around his neck. Quickened even more when her fingers delved into his hair.
All too soon, she pulled away, a look of dismay on her face. “I can’t do this…” she whispered.
Before she was able to explain, the kitchen door burst open, forcing them further apart.
It was Jesse, talking so fast he stumbled over his words.
Matt shook his head. “Whoa, boy,” he said, raising his palms outward. “Slow down.” It was good seeing Jesse looking more like his old self. Matt just wished the boy’s timing had been better. A whole lot better.
Jesse started over, but he still talked a mile a minute. “I remember why I wanted to see you. I wanted to tell you that Roberts had escaped—”
“I heard,” Matt said and immediately regretted it. Disappointment at not having been the one to break the news was written all over Jesse’s face. “How did you know he’d escaped? The sheriff said he’d kept it quiet.”
“I told you, I know things,” Jesse said with a secretive smile.
“Yeah, you did,” Matt said. “And you’ve made a believer out of me.”
Jesse looked pleased. “Did you to talk to him before he escaped?”
“Yeah, I talked to him,” Matt said. Acutely aware of Ellie-May’s every move, he heard her intake of breath, sensed her stiffen. Roberts worried her, that much was clear. The question was, how much did she know about him?
“What did he say?” Jesse asked.
Matt frowned. “Privileged information.”
Jesse’s face dropped. “Ah, come on. I’m the one who told you what Mr. Blackwell said.”
“That’s enough,” Matt said, glaring at the boy. Jesse opened his mouth to say something more, but Matt stopped him. “I said that’s enough!”
Matt glanced at Ellie-May, and his heart ached. She looked as if she’d been punched in the stomach, and there wasn’t a dang thing he could do about it. “What…did my husband say?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Matt silenced Jesse with a shake of his head, but the damage had been done.
Ellie-May’s sapphire eyes bored into him. “I asked you a question.” This time, her voice and manner made it clear that she had no intention of letting the matter drop.
Matt lifted his shoulders in resignation. “Jesse heard your husband talking about stolen loot from the stage holdup,” he said, studying her face intently as he spoke. Whatever she knew, whatever dark secret she held, he hoped it had nothing to do with the crime.
She frowned. “Everyone talked about the robbery at the time. That doesn’t make my husband a criminal.”
“Maybe not, but Roberts is. I have reason to believe that he and your husband might have been in cahoots.”
“That’s not true!” she said, her voice strained in hot denial. “They were friends, nothing more. They were both from Hannibal, Missouri, and—”
“Roberts is from Ohio,” Matt said. “Born and raised there. Far as I know, he’s never been to Hannibal.”
She drew back and looked at a loss for words. “Why?” she managed at last. “Why would he lie about a thing like that?”
Matt sucked in his breath. “Roberts might have thought it was the only way you would trust him enough to let him work on the farm.”
Her forehead furrowed. “But…but why?”
“The money from the stage is still missing,” he said slowly, watching her closely. “If Roberts thought it was buried on the farm, it would explain his interest in working here.”
She stared at him with stricken eyes. “And you believe my husband stole it.”
Not wanting to discuss the matter any further in front of Jesse, Matt told him to get his hat. “It’s time to go.”
After Jesse had left the room, Matt reached for her hand. “Ellie-May—”
She looked at him with a strange expression, as if seeing him for the first time, and snatched her hand away.
* * *
For a long moment, Ellie-May couldn’t find her voice. The pain in her heart was so sharp, she could hardly breathe. She felt like her life was spinning out of control and she didn’t know how to stop it.
She’d thought that by keeping the money hi
dden, her world would be safe, but that was no longer true. How foolish of her to think she could save Neal’s reputation, save her children from scorn. But maybe most foolish of all was trusting Matt.
“So that’s it,” she managed at last, her voice a suffocated whisper. “That kiss… You used me.” It seemed like almost everyone she had ever loved or cared about had betrayed her, but never before had she been betrayed by a kiss.
“Ellie-May—” He reached out to her, but she backed away.
“You used my children,” she said, her voice rising. “All you wanted was for me to confirm your suspicions about my husband.”
Matt shook his head. “You got it all wrong. It was nothing like that. I would never—”
She didn’t let him finish. “That’s why you’ve shown so much kindness to my children. Why you gave them presents. I should have known you’d do anything to get your man.”
“No!”
Despite his denials, she persisted, her body shaking. “You worked your way into my family with gifts, hoping for information.”
“That’s not true.” His voice broke. “Everything I did was because I’ve become fond of your family. Fond of you.”
She shook her head in disbelief. His lips didn’t just lie with their kisses, they lied with his words, and she didn’t know which was worse.
“Get out!” she said.
“Ellie-May, please…”
Jesse returned, but even his presence failed to break the tension in the room.
“Go!” she sputtered and then in a lower but no less intense voice added, “And don’t come back!”
23
Ellie-May stood in the open doorway, watching Matt and Jesse ride away. Her heart was beating so fast, she could hardly breathe.
Even after finding that money beneath her porch, she hadn’t wanted to believe that Neal had put it there. She’d searched her head in vain for another explanation. Someone else to blame. But now that she knew Neal had been heard talking about it, the last of her hopes were gone.
Only after Matt and Jesse had vanished from sight did she slam the door shut and rest her head on the cool, smooth wood. Since the pressure on her forehead only reminded her of the feel of Matt’s hard chest, she quickly pulled away.
She closed her eyes and tried to sort through her confused thoughts. She wished she hadn’t felt Matt’s mouth on hers. Wished she hadn’t tasted his lips, tasted him. For it only filled her with a hunger that she now knew could never be satisfied.
For a moment in time, Matt’s kiss had made her forget everything. In his embrace, no sack of stolen money existed. In his arms, all the pain of the past had seemed to vanish. More than anything, he’d made her feel beautiful and feminine. He’d made her feel wanted. Made her feel whole.
Shaking her head, she pushed the memory away. How utterly foolish to think even for a moment—a second—that Matt’s kiss had meant something. All he’d wanted was to ply her with affection in exchange for information. She should have known that he would do anything to get his man, including fake his kisses.
It hurt her deeply to think he would stoop so low. She didn’t want it to, but it did.
Still, she had only herself to blame. He had no reason to protect her, protect her children. He owed her nothing. Trusting him was the last thing she should have done. The fault was hers. All hers.
Hands clenched, she paced the floor. If only she hadn’t looked under the porch and found the sack of money! The bag beneath her porch weighed on her conscience to the point that it had given her nightmares. She was so tired of thinking about it. Worrying about it. Obsessing over it.
Now that Roberts had escaped, she had something else to worry about. He obviously knew the money was hidden somewhere on the farm. What if he came back looking for it?
Feeling as if the world was pressing down on her shoulders, she sank on a chair and held her head in her hands.
As she sat pondering, something suddenly occurred to her. The money was a problem—no question. But what if it were also a solution?
With this thought came another. What if the banknotes suddenly turned up? What if the money was returned to its rightful owner? That would certainly stop Roberts in his tracks, and he’d have no reason to stick around. Certainly, he’d have no reason to return to the farm.
Chewing on a nail, she weighed the problem of leaving the money in a safe place where it could be found. She didn’t dare drop it off at the bank. The Haywire Bank was located in the center of town, and someone was bound to see her. Same was true of the hotel where Matt was staying. If she left it at the railroad station, it could easily be stolen by one of the vagabonds in the area.
After much thought, a solution finally occurred to her. She’d leave the loot on Mayor Wrightwood’s porch. His house was located a way from town, and he was gone during the day. She could easily sneak to his house and back without being seen.
No doubt the mayor would welcome the attention he’d get for such a find and use the occasion to give one of his long-winded speeches.
The more she thought about it, the better her plan seemed. The sheriff wouldn’t know who’d left it there, and Roberts would have no reason to return to the farm.
She paced the floor until every detail had been worked out to her satisfaction. There could be no room for error. Neither the sheriff nor the mayor must ever know where the money had come from.
With a new sense of resolve, she made her plans. She would retrieve the gunnysack from beneath the porch tonight after the children had gone to bed. Tomorrow, while they were in school, she would leave the bag on the mayor’s doorstep and be done with it.
* * *
Matt rode away from the farm with the memory of Ellie-May’s stricken face very much on his mind and her accusations still ringing in his ears. He felt about as bad as it was possible to feel. Kissing her had been a mistake. It wasn’t like him to act so forward where women were concerned. Especially when he had a job to do. He knew he would pay—and pay dearly—for kissing her and breaking his moral code, but never had he thought he would pay like this.
Ellie-May Blackwell had affected him in ways he didn’t understand. Ways he couldn’t control. Whenever he was around her, he felt like a schoolboy with his first crush.
It hurt that she thought he’d tried to trick her with a kiss. Nothing could be further from the truth. Never would he do such a thing. Using a woman in such a way went against everything he believed in. It cut him to the quick to think that Ellie-May thought otherwise.
He waited until he’d ridden a mile away from the Blackwell farm before reining in his horse. Turning in his saddle, he waited for Jesse to catch up.
He’d picked a shady spot next to a sprawling sycamore tree and reached for his canteen. He wasn’t the only one taking advantage of the shade. On the other side of the barbed-wire fence, a mama cow rested next to her two calves. The peaceful scene did little to quell his tumultuous thoughts.
Watching Jesse with furrowed brow, he bit back his anger. The boy drove him crazy at times, but then he’d turn around and do something impressive. Like today. After causing a scene with Ellie-May, Jesse had gotten on a horse without a moment’s hesitation. Being tossed from a saddle caused most people to lose their riding nerve. But not Jesse. The boy had grit, that was for sure. He also had the uncanny ability to pick up on things that most people would miss.
“What’s the problem?” Jesse asked, nudging his horse closer to Matt’s.
Matt uncapped the canteen and took a quick swig before answering. “The problem is you. If you ever hope to be a Ranger, you’ve got to learn to keep your trap shut.”
Jesse stared at him from beneath his floppy hat. “What did I say?”
Matt raised an eyebrow. “What did you say? You mentioned overhearing something Blackwell said. That’s what!”
The panicked look on Ellie-May’
s face had to have meant she knew more about the robbery than she’d let on. Matt had long suspected that, but he didn’t want to believe it. Now he had no choice.
“I didn’t know it was a secret,” Jesse said defensively.
“We don’t discuss Ranger business in public,” Matt said. “Call it a rule.”
Jesse wrinkled his nose as always whenever Matt mentioned rules. “All I did was state the truth.”
“We don’t know that. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
Jesse slanted Matt a sidewise glance. “Is it cuz you like her? Is that why you don’t want me talking about her husband?”
“I don’t…” Matt cleared his throat. “It’s part of an ongoing investigation. That means you don’t talk about anything you know or think you know. From now on, you’re not to say a word about Roberts or Blackwell. Understood?”
“Yeah,” Jesse murmured, looking properly chastised. “So what are we gonna do now?”
“We do nothing.” Matt handed the canteen to Jesse. “You’re going to the stables to return the horse. I’m heading for the sheriff’s office. See if there’s any news.”
Jesse took a quick gulp of water and handed the canteen back. “If they haven’t caught Roberts, are you gonna look for him?” he asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Matt capped the canteen and hung it over the saddle horn. “No sense in that. No doubt he’s miles away by now.”
Jesse thought for a moment before asking, “Can I come to the sheriff’s office with you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I want you to get some rest.” In the glare of the sun, the boy looked pale, and the bump on his head had turned almost purple. “You took a bad fall.” The corners of Jesse’s mouth turned down, and Matt found himself relenting. “Get some rest and meet me at the Feedbag Café at six for supper.”
“Can’t. I gotta go to work at six.”
“Okay, then meet me at five.”
Jesse nodded. “Will you tell me if there’s any news then?”
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