by Linda Broday
“Any idea why on top?”
George took a big gulp of beer and wiped the foam from his thick mustache. “She said she wanted a good view of the town when she rode in. That’s all I know. If I’d have thought she was mixed up with those prisoners, I wouldn’t even have stopped for her.”
“We don’t know that for a fact.” Although it certainly appeared that way. “Did she give you a name?”
“Nope, but then I didn’t ask either.”
“How about any baggage with her?”
“Nope. Just her by herself. To me, it looked like she’d been hurrying, because of the way she was perspiring.”
“Like how?”
“Sweat stains under her arms and trickling down her neck into her…uh…you know.”
“Bosom?” Ridge tried not to laugh.
“Yeah, that. I tried not to look, but I couldn’t help it. She had real big ones, and the material of her dress was some filmy, see-through kind. Her lips were bright red and shiny.”
“What did the rest of her look like? You did lift your eyes up to her face, didn’t you?”
George flushed bright red. “I tried. Really, I did. But she kept fiddling with her buttons, and before I knew it, she…uh…she spilled out. I’m no pervert. I just couldn’t get my eyes to focus on anything else.”
Which meant he’d never know her to see her again. Everything became clear. She was definitely in cahoots with Pickens and Tiny. She could’ve dressed normal and entered town beforehand to look everything over, maybe even talked to the prisoners to make plans under cover of night where she wouldn’t have been seen. As far as knowing where to come? It would have been simple enough for one of the men to have told her they were coming to Hope’s Crossing, and if they didn’t return by a certain time, to come hunting them.
“Anything else, George?”
“That’s it in a nutshell, Steele. Glad you caught me early.” George’s smile came and disappeared fast. “I plan to be good and drunk by sundown.”
“Do me a favor and take it easy. There’s more to life than this.” Ridge stood and put his hat on.
“Not for me. I got money to spend and no one waiting.”
Ridge moved to the doors and turned around, his gaze on the lonely man. Until Addie came into his life, he used to be in George’s shoes. In fact, so were each of his best friends. Thanks to Luke Legend, they were all married now and far more satisfied than they’d ever been riding the outlaw trail, dodging the law and digging out bullets.
His thoughts turned to Dr. Mary and her all-out battle to save Jack. They’d been lucky until today. The whole lot of them had gotten too comfortable, too lax. Danger still lurked thick around them, only now it was hidden behind heavy-lidded eyes and fake smiles.
Dammit! If Ridge didn’t watch it, he’d be planted in some hole, and Addie would be wearing widow’s weeds.
Twenty-Four
Before Ridge headed home, he and Addie visited Jack in the town’s two-bed hospital that was empty save for him. Jack lay with his throat wrapped and eyes closed. At the sound of Ridge’s spurs, his eyes flew open. “About damn time,” he croaked. “Did you catch them?”
“Sorry.” Ridge gave him a full accounting. “I can’t prove it, but the woman had to be in on the escape.”
“Yeah. The bastards.”
“They’d best stay far away from here is all I got to say.” Ridge pulled two chairs next to the bed, and he and Addie sat down.
Addie folded her hands in her lap. “I’m sorry about the turn of events, Jack. I’ve never watched anything more horrifying.”
“I hear I have you to thank for saving Willow. If anything had happened to that little girl, I’d never have forgiven myself.”
“I’m just glad I could get to her in time. Sawyer’s upset. He hasn’t eaten anything all day.”
“That’s because he’s been in here pestering me and Dr. Mary flat to death with a million questions.” Jack put an arm across his forehead. “He did the same thing when I got rattlesnake bit a while back. I keep telling him I’m too mean to die, but that boy doesn’t listen.”
Ridge barked a laugh. “You’re full of hot air, Jack. Are you sure you should be talking?”
“If I shouldn’t be, do you think I would?”
“Absolutely yes.” All kidding aside, Ridge was relieved to see Jack sounding something like his old self. For a moment, when he was trying to stop the gushing blood, it appeared all Ridge’s efforts might be in vain. Losing Jack would be like losing a brother.
They talked until Dr. Mary came in and told them to let her patient get some rest. Ridge pulled to his feet and put his old Stetson on. “Is there anything we can get you before we go?”
“Nope.” Jack’s smile pulled up on one side. “Check back tomorrow though. I’ll probably need my bedpan emptied.”
“In that case, I’ll send Bodie.”
“You would too.” Jack reached for Ridge’s hand and shook it. “Thank you for saving my life. Doc here said it’s a good thing you were there.”
“Anytime. We’re brothers in every sense that matters.”
“Amen.”
Ridge stood outside the small building a long moment, staring up at the sky awash in swirling shades of blue. If a man was lucky enough, once or twice in a lifetime he might find true friends—ones who would be there when the chips were down as well as when things were rosy. Jack, Clay, and Travis would stand with him at the Alamo if a situation called for it. That much he was certain of.
Addie seemed to sense his mood and slipped an arm around his waist. “He’ll be all right.”
“For now. But what about the next time, or the next? We’ve all cheated death over and over. There has to be a reckoning at some point.”
“That’s true for all of us, dear. But one thing I know, Ridge Steele, that day is not now.”
“Then I guess we’d best go home, love. We need to feed our boy.”
“And continue with his lessons. Tonight, I think I’ll start teaching him to cipher. A man always needs to be able to do basic sums.”
She looped her arm around his elbow and leaned closer. Her fresh scent and the nearness of the soft rise and fall of her breasts sent his senses reeling. For a moment, he struggled to remember his name or where he was.
“You shouldn’t do that, love.” He shouldn’t have glanced down into his wife’s upturned face, her eyes double-dog-daring him, her lips lush and slightly parted.
“Do what?” she asked innocently.
Never one to let a dare stop him, he slid his big hands into her golden hair and kissed her right there, smack in the center of town, in front of God and everybody.
* * *
A week passed, Jack continued to get stronger, and the excitement settled down. Ridge and Addie’s roof had been a small job compared to the other houses, and it hadn’t taken long to repair. The work continued on the others.
Addie spent her days working in the garden, helping Bodie with his lessons, and riding King. Wednesdays, she had tea with the ladies. But Thursdays she reserved for Eleanor, and they became very close, sharing things they’d never told anyone. She enjoyed all the warm and lively discussions she had with her friends, but mostly the teasing that went on among them that made her truly feel she was a real part of something good and lasting.
But for how long? Tiny and Pickens would’ve raced back to her father, so it was no stretch of her imagination to think that Ezekiel now knew where to find her.
The cold hand of vengeance seemed to be reaching for her.
She was stronger than she ever had been, though, and had Ridge beside her. They’d outraced a tornado, killed a stalker, and they’d handle Ezekiel together. Her father had no hold over her. None whatsoever.
Last night she’d lain in Ridge’s arms after making love and shared her fears. “He’s comin
g. I feel it so strong. The truth is I don’t know what he’ll do, and that’s the part that terrifies me. He’s so volatile, and that makes him difficult to predict.”
“You have me now, and you’ve never seen the depth of rage of which I’m capable.” His eyes had blazed in the low light of the room. “To get to you, he’ll have to go through me, and I can assure you I will make that very hard.” He’d softly caressed her cheek. “I love you, Addie. The depth of it goes bone deep and sometimes I lie awake watching you sleep and feel all this emotion bubbling inside until I nearly burst. You’re mine until the end of time, and I’ll kill anyone who hurts you. That is a promise.”
Addie didn’t think she could ever love anyone as much as Ridge. The nights in his arms had made her even more aware of how deep her love went. He seemed to know exactly which places to flick, caress, and kiss to bring her to a shuddering climax. Each lovemaking session left her boneless, limp, and wanting more.
Propped on an elbow, she twisted a finger in his hair. “I love you, Ridge. I think I’ve known for a while, but I wanted to be sure Dr. Mary was right. I never knew even a parent’s love, but when I snuck up to your bed and laid down beside you, my heart became so full of this longing to be whole. I knew then that I had to fix myself so I would be able to share the good times and bad.”
“My dearest, no words exist to describe the depth of my love for you.” His hands were shaking. The kiss shot heat into her core, and tears filled her eyes.
Whispers of hope curled against her spine that no one could ever steal this happiness.
After they stopped talking and he’d thought she was asleep, he stood at the window for ages, staring out at the darkness. What had he been thinking about? Likely about the upcoming confrontation. Perhaps he was planning exactly how he’d handle Ezekiel Jancy.
When she was with Ridge, it seemed as though nothing in the world could touch her, as though a protective shield was around her. But what if Ezekiel caught her on her own? What then? How courageous would she be?
How defiant?
Questions and doubts rushed over her, but by daylight, Addie worked to put her father out of her mind. No use buying trouble early.
On one day, she rode King into town to have lunch with Ridge as she often did.
Her husband emerged from his office, grinning. “You’re right on time, Mrs. Steele, and looking prettier than one of those wild roses you love.” He swung her down from the horse, desire shimmering in the depths of his eyes. “I wish I could freeze this moment forever.”
“Compliments will get you whatever your heart desires, cowboy.”
Jack Bowdre strode by on the boardwalk, his throat heavily bandaged. “Keep looking at each other like that, and you’ll need to get a room at the hotel,” he rasped.
Addie laughed. “Thanks, Jack. We always love your advice.”
“You’re welcome to stuff it under your hat next time,” Ridge hollered.
“Glad to help.” Jack kept walking and entered the newspaper office. He seemed fit enough, considering his brush with death, and Nora confirmed that he was recovering nicely. No one had seen hide nor hair of Tiny and Pickens or the mysterious woman who’d aided their escape.
They were evidently long gone.
Ely was recovering as well. The eleven-year-old hobbled everywhere on his crutches, playing with the other boys. Addie was happy to see him still enjoying most of what he wanted to do.
The stagecoach rumbled into town, and Addie turned to watch it pull up in front of the Diamond Bessie Hotel. The door opened, and a dapper gentleman in a tailored, three-piece suit stepped out, then turned to offer a hand to a young woman inside the coach. His close-cropped silver beard and mustache gave him a look of distinction that held her attention. He had an easy smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes, the kind that made you feel happy to be alive. Addie guessed him to be somewhere near fifty and itched to know who he was and why he’d come. No one dressed that fancy ever came to town unless he was a businessman—or a gambler. Yes, perhaps he was a gambler.
That bit of speculation made, Addie turned her attention to the other traveler.
Rather plain was the first description that came to mind for the young woman. She was in her early twenties and wore a fitted brown dress that matched her nut-brown hair. Only the dress was twisted and pulled in disarray. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a large red bow perched at a curious angle on her head and was not the least becoming. The new arrival appeared rather…well, mousy. And yet she seemed like someone Addie would like to know. She didn’t have that store-bought look Addie tended to mistrust.
The woman took a deep breath and gave the town a long, appraising glance before thanking the man for the courtesy.
“My pleasure, miss.” He reached back inside the coach for a silver-knobbed black cane. “Perhaps we’ll see each other around.”
“I’m sure we will, Mr. O’Connor. It was a delight traveling with you.”
“For me as well.” He spoke in an Irish brogue, tipped his black Stetson, and turned to collect his bags.
Addie filed those little details away in her mind. “Ridge, do you know the man, O’Connor, who just got off the coach?”
“Afraid I don’t. Maybe he’s just passing through. Why?”
“No reason. I just find him a little unusual for our town.”
Ridge chuckled. “I’ll ask around, Miss Detective.”
The woman traveler glanced left and right before peering at the hotel. With an unsure hand, she lifted her skirts to step onto the boardwalk. She almost seemed to expect someone to meet her.
Fascinated by her odd behavior, Addie leaned over. “Were we expecting someone, Ridge?”
“Only the banker, but I don’t think that’s her. I’ll introduce myself.”
They hurried over. Ridge stuck out his hand. “Welcome to Hope’s Crossing, ma’am. I’m Mayor Ridge Steele, and this is my lovely wife, Addie.”
A smile touched the new arrival’s brown eyes as she grabbed his palm, relief showing in her face. The slender woman stood a head taller than Addie, and a smile transformed her plain features. “Pleased to meet you both. I take it my telegram didn’t make it. I’m Charlotte Wintersby, the banker. Please call me Charlotte.”
“How wonderful, Miss Wintersby…Charlotte. We’ve expected you for weeks.” At first glance, Addie liked her. The second glance didn’t change her opinion. Miss Wintersby wasn’t stuffy or imperious like she’d imagined most bankers would be. Still, she also didn’t fit the image of a professional who dealt with large sums of money. Who knew? Maybe Charlotte would surprise them all. “I’m curious about your traveling companion. I think you called him Mr. O’Connor.”
“Yes. Angus O’Connor. He has the most delightful Irish brogue.”
Now, Addie was even more curious about why the man was in Hope’s Crossing.
Ridge took Charlotte’s bag from the stage driver and arranged to return for the large trunk. “Let’s get you settled in the hotel. I’m sure you’re tired from the journey.”
Addie’s attention wandered back to the dapper man disappearing into the hotel. Curiosity pricked at her again. No one that well dressed would ever be connected to her father. Still, there was something about him that drew notice. No one had met him, so maybe he was passing through, like so many who arrived these days.
“Yes, I’m a little tired.” Charlotte gave the town another stare. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I love what I see here.”
“And why did you want to come to a town formed by outlaws, Miss Wintersby?” Ridge held the door for her and Addie. “Didn’t you consider that it might be a little…how shall I put this…dangerous?”
Addie wondered the same and moved closer so as not to miss the reply.
“Not really. Who is more naturally suited to protecting their own money and investments? I begged father to let me
take this bank. San Francisco had become stifling.” Charlotte straightened her shoulders, stepped inside, and headed straight to the registration desk.
The mysterious Mr. O’Connor strode toward the stairs, carrying his bags, evidently having already checked in.
Dragging her attention back to their new banker, Addie whispered to Ridge, “What do you think of Charlotte?”
“She’s young. Inexperienced. But I suspect she has a good head on her shoulders.”
“That’s my impression too. I like her and can’t wait to get acquainted. I’ll make a nice welcome supper for her tomorrow night and invite the Colbys, Bowdres, and Lassiters.”
“Sounds good, Addie. Thank you for stepping into the role of hostess.” He threaded his fingers through hers, his gaze searching her face for something. “We never talked about dinners and entertaining you’d have to do.”
She grinned and shrugged. “We’re in this together, and I’m happy to do whatever you need, whether it’s a dinner party or”—she lowered her voice—“be a lovestruck wife.”
“Are you? Lovestruck, I mean.”
“You have to ask?” Her voice came low and husky.
“Some things a man likes to hear spoken aloud.”
“I am utterly lovestruck,” she whispered in his ear. She rested a palm on his vest, met the dare in his eyes, and pressed a long kiss on his lips.
Soft laughter broke them apart. Charlotte stood nearby, smiling. “I take it you haven’t been married long.”
“A little more than a month,” Ridge admitted. “I didn’t think it showed.”
“Mr. Steele, it’s beautiful to see people in love.” Charlotte tugged off her kid gloves, also brown, one long finger at a time. “Maybe one day, if I meet the right man, I’ll know what it’s like. Mother’s about to lose all hope for me.”
To say something of that nature to strangers struck Addie a bit odd, but she released a light laugh and, instead of breaking apart, wound her arm around Ridge. “It’ll happen. Did you get a room, dear?”
