Nicholas grinned, leaning back in his chair. “You want me to turn into a rancher? I’ll lose my big-city image, Cleary. And I’m not sure Lin could cope with roughing it in a ranch house kitchen.”
“It sure beats having her roughed up again by New York City hoodlums.” Cleary’s eyes darkened as he spoke the words, his voice soft, even as his jaw was taut with anger. “I don’t want to think what could happen to her if the gentleman sends more of his troops here, Nick.”
“If we were found there, I’d be on my own,” Nicholas said bluntly.
“No one but me knows of the place. With the right moves, you can be in residence and a part of the community without making a stir. I’ll have the local lawman keep an eye on things for me.” His slouched position underwent a swift movement as he stood and faced his friend.
“I don’t want to bury your bride. And neither do you. This fella is playing for keeps. He made a mistake with his first move, but I think he’s sharp and I’ve got a feeling he’s ready to send in another crew.”
“Can we do anything legally?”
“If the birds we’ve got in jail now decide to sing out, we’d have all we need to send him away for a good long stretch.”
“I know his name,” Nicholas said bluntly. “Lin told me she’s certain it’s the other half of Joseph Carmichael’s firm.”
“Yeah, Vincent Preston.” Cleary said, with a trace of disgust. “I’ve heard that name before, just this morning, in fact. On paper, he’s clean cut, and we don’t have any proof otherwise.”
Nicholas stood and crossed the room. “I’ll tell you what, Cleary,” he said smoothly. “Give me ten minutes alone with those two, and I’ll give you chapter and verse. We’re talking about my family here, and I won’t draw any lines when it comes to looking out for them.”
“You know, Gussie told me once she thought you had the look of a man with secrets. I’ll bet you could kill a man a dozen different ways, Nick.”
“Let’s just say my education came from the streets,” Nicholas told him. “I got my book learning in the university, but I was well versed in survival before I was sixteen years old.”
Cleary stood to face his friend. “Trust me on this one, will you? I want Lin and Amanda out of town, and I can still smooth your tracks behind you if you’ll leave today.”
“Today?” Nicholas’s mind raced as he considered the thought. Loading up their basic necessities wouldn’t take long, and Katie could stay with friends if she didn’t want to be alone in the big house. The bottom line was safety, and if Cleary was certain of his plan, Nicholas might do well to follow along.
“Today.” Cleary emphasized the word. “Someone in town carried a message to the station and a wire was sent off to New York yesterday. Our prisoners whistled down a boy and paid him to deliver a note to Henry. He was bright enough to bring it to me. You’re probably going to think I’m foolhardy, but I let him dispatch it.”
Nicholas felt the stirring of anger. If Cleary had jeopardized… “What did it say?” he asked harshly.
Cleary grinned suddenly. “‘Caged birds learn to sing.’ I’d never have given them credit for enough intelligence to put their threat quite that way, but I figured it’s going to bring results from New York, one way or another.”
“You think—”
“I think it’ll take Vincent Preston less than two days to set things in motion, and this time it won’t be a couple of amateur thugs. I plan to be ready for them.”
“All right. Write out directions to the place and I’ll get things rolling at home.” Nicholas frowned, his mind moving rapidly. “I’ll need more than my revolver. Get me a repeating rifle and plenty of rounds. Bring it to the house.” He opened the door of his office, waiting as Cleary walked out ahead of him.
They crossed the lobby together, Nicholas slowing his stride as he caught sight of his clerk. “Thomas, take over here until further notice.”
To the man’s credit, he neither frowned nor flinched, just nodded and turned to watch his employer pass through the double doors, onto the sidewalk.
“Tell Sam Ferguson to send a heavy wagon to the house. I want his two best horses, and my gelding tied on behind. I’ll need my tack for the gelding and enough oats for a week for all three animals.”
His words were spoken in an undertone, and the men parted company abruptly as Cleary veered off toward the livery stable. Nicholas moved with a single-mindedness that was a basic part of his character, one he’d not been forced to employ for the past months, and his mind moved rapidly along with his long strides as he headed for his home.
His wedding night might be on the back burner for a few days, he decided wryly. His prime concern now was convincing Lin that they must flee the town and settle for a more primitive lifestyle until Cleary had a chance to set things in order.
He opened the front door and entered his wide foyer, glancing into the parlor and then the dining room in search of his family. Katie came from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
“You’re home early for dinner, Mr. Nicholas. Miss Carlinda is out back with Amanda. They’re playing under the tree with the kitten.”
“I need to talk to you, Katie,” he said quietly.
“Uncle Nicholas is home.” Amanda looked up with a joyous light in her eyes, and Lin’s gaze followed her direction. Nicholas stood on the back stoop, watching them. She felt a chill of foreboding as he stepped to the ground and headed in their direction. His eyes were intent on her, his jaw set in a determined fashion, and she rose from the ground to meet him, her movements a bit awkward due to her bruises.
“What’s wrong?” Her heart fluttered in her chest as she met his gaze. It wasn’t anger alone that gleamed from those blue eyes, but a measure of concern that frightened her.
“Nicholas? Has something happened?”
He nodded, reaching for her, drawing her against himself. She leaned readily against his strength, aware of the solid, measured beat of his heart as he held her close. “We need to leave town,” he said, his words barely audible as he bent his head to murmur them for her alone. “Cleary is sending a wagon for us. Can you be ready in an hour?”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“North of here. An empty ranch house. Cleary says it’s safe, and I’d trust him with my life.”
She nodded in silent agreement. “How much shall I pack?”
He leaned back from her and tilted her head upward, cupping her chin. “Just like that, Lin? No questions?” His eyes warmed as he gazed into hers, and she felt a jolt of heat travel from the spot where his hand touched her back. “You trust me?”
“At least as much as you trust Cleary,” she told him. “I’ll do whatever you say, Nicholas.”
“That’s my girl,” he whispered. His attention was diverted as Amanda rose, the kitten in her arms, her eyes wary as she faced the two adults.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“We’re going on an adventure,” Nicholas told her, releasing Lin to crouch before his niece. His smile was quick as he gathered the child into his arms, then stood with her clinging to his neck. The kitten mewed, and Amanda laughed.
“You scared her, Uncle Nicholas. Are you going to carry us both?”
He nodded, and indicated the back door with a nod. Lin stepped quickly to the stoop and opened the door, waiting as Nicholas passed her, his nose nuzzling Amanda’s cheek, his words soft as he spoke reassuringly to the child.
“I want you to mind Lin now, sweetie. She’ll help you get your things together for a long ride. Run along upstairs, and I’ll be there in a moment.” He touched Lin’s shoulder, catching her attention. “Don’t lift anything. I’ll do the toting down the stairs.”
“Can I take my kitty along?” Her priorities obvious, Amanda stood hesitantly before them, and Nicholas did not quibble.
“Of course you can. I’ll have Katie find a box for her.”
Lin hastened up the stairs, hearing Nicholas issuing orders in the kit
chen behind her. Whatever he had in mind, she was certain of his motives. Keeping Amanda safe and secure was uppermost in his mind, and she could only second the decisions he made.
The wagon was large and sturdy, loaded with essentials that would keep them from hunger and harm. The sight of three guns being placed beneath the seat was enough to unhinge Lin, but Nicholas shot her a reassuring glance as she contemplated the armory he planned to travel with. “We need to be ready for anything,” he said soberly.
“Katie has about loaded up the whole pantry, and that crate—” she motioned toward a large container “—has enough linens and pillows to fill a closet.” Her own belongings were packed, not neatly perhaps, but with a degree of haste that had not allowed for her usual methodical style of doing things. Amanda’s clothing and books filled a trunk, and Cleary had muttered dark words as he lifted it to his shoulder and carried it from the back door.
The wagon had been pulled up at the rear of the house, and between the two men, they had filled it in less than a half hour with what Katie deemed necessary for their survival.
“I want you to go roundabout,” Cleary said, his long fingers unfolding a map for Nicholas’s perusal. Hastily drawn, it nevertheless was in detail, and Nicholas nodded as Cleary explained the route he would have them take. “I’ll know where you are, and I’ll come as soon as things settle down here. Once we get the marshal in on this, I’ll feel better. In the meantime, I’ll have three less to worry about.”
A road led northwest from town, little-traveled but easy enough to follow, and it was there that Nicholas directed the team of horses an hour later. “We haven’t come this way before, have we?” Lin asked.
Behind them, Amanda was perched comfortably on a feather tick, nestled in the pillowy bed that provided a nest in one corner for her and her kitten. Her head drooped and a yawn escaped her lips, even as Lin watched. She turned back to Nicholas as he spoke.
“It’s a roundabout way to travel, but Cleary wants us to leave with the least number of folks aware of what’s going on. If we’re very lucky, Sam will do as he’s told and no one will find out we’ve gone until it’s too late to track us.”
“Is it so dangerous for us here?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Nicholas answered. “Cleary doesn’t scare easy. And today, he’s convinced that we need to be in a safe place. I trust his judgment, Lin.”
“And I trust you,” she said quietly, snaking her hand beneath his elbow to clutch at his forearm. He squeezed it against his side and she was reassured by the gesture.
Nicholas loved Amanda. She was certain of that. And his affections spilled over onto her. If not to the depth of the devotion he gave his niece, at least he cared enough to give her his name and his promise of safekeeping.
Perhaps someday…sometime soon, she hoped, he would return the love she’d come to acknowledge over the past days. Her gaze touched his dark hair and sought the strength of purpose in the depths of his blue eyes. Resting her fingers against his arm, she recognized the tensing of muscles beneath her touch and was swept with helpless admiration for the varied roles he was capable of playing in the game of life.
More than a cultured man of the world, he was also a man who moved with assurance in the place he had chosen. Yet, he was an enigma. Dressed as a professional man of business, he offered a facade of gentility to the public eye, even as he owned a primitive measure of strength that promised protection for those who sheltered in his care.
He belongs to me. The words vibrated in her mind, and she rejoiced in the truth of them.
Her thigh pressed with blatant familiarity against his, and heat rushed to her face as she thought of the past two nights when he’d been beside her in his bed. She’d almost wished last night that his gentlemanly instincts would vanish and his arms would have drawn her beneath him in a consummation of their wedding vows. But it seemed that Nicholas would not so readily claim his bride.
His murmurs in her ear had given her another night to recover from the injuries she’d suffered, and even as she drifted off to sleep in his arms, she sensed the tension of masculine desire surrounding her. His body was firm, his male parts making themselves known against her soft flesh, and yet he did not press her to accept him.
In many ways, Nicholas was a gentle man, she decided. More than aware of the bruises she wore, he’d been satisfied to wait. Yet, his eyes were ever on her, his face set in stern lines of constraint, and she felt most pampered and cosseted by his patience.
Now he was faced by another obstacle, and he’d been able to turn in another direction without hesitation. The man held hidden depths she’d only begun to explore. The next days would perhaps allow her access to the total persona of Nicholas Garvey, and she felt anticipation soar within her as she contemplated the venture ahead.
“How long will it take us?” she asked quietly, and met Nicholas’s gaze as he glanced at her momentarily. His hat was pulled low over his forehead and his eyes were in shadow, narrowing as he searched the horizon quickly before returning his attention to her. A new image of the man filled her mind, a hard-edged version of the Nicholas she’d come to recognize, a glimpse into the mystery she intended to unwrap.
Gone was the banker, the elegantly dressed gentleman who left the house each morning to go to his place of business. In his place was a man who might be taken for a gunfighter at first glance. His leather coat hung open, allowing quick access to the holster he wore. Denim trousers fit long, muscular thighs and calves with precision, and worn boots she had not seen before today covered his feet, rising halfway to his knees.
“We’ll travel through the night,” he said quietly. “I don’t think we’ll be followed, but I’m not taking any chances with making camp. You and Amanda can stretch out in the back and sleep.”
“Amanda can. I’ll be here, beside you,” she said, her words soft, but determined.
He looked down at her quickly. “Stubborn little cuss, aren’t you?” A grin touched his stern mouth and vanished in an instant, but the momentary warming of his features lifted her spirits.
“I never said I’d be easy to get along with, Nicholas,” she said lightly.
“So long as you do what I tell you, we’ll be fine.” Beneath the quiet words lurked a warning, and she knew, without a doubt, that he was capable of enforcing his ultimatum, should the need arise.
She nodded in agreement, leaning her head to rest against his shoulder, a sigh escaping her lips.
“Are you tired?” he asked, switching the reins to his left hand and shifting in the seat, his right arm moving to circle her waist. “I don’t want you to overdo, sweet. There’ll be a lot for you to cope with once we arrive.”
“I just want to be close to you,” she said, speaking the words that were the cry of her heart. “I need you, Nicholas.” Those words of confession hung between them for a moment, and then she continued, as she revealed the thoughts she’d been harboring.
“I’ve never known what it was to feel this way.” It was perhaps not the right time for the admission, she supposed. But he deserved to know her thoughts and feelings.
He tightened his grip and she felt his warmth radiate from his body to hers, knew the pleasure of long fingers that spread against her side, sinking into the flesh of her hip and nestling her closer. He dipped his head and his kiss touched her temple, the brush of lips a tender caress.
“I fear our marriage isn’t getting off to a good start,” he murmured. “You deserve a soft bed and the luxury of a comfortable home, Lin. Instead, I’m about to present you with a deserted ranch and a house that probably hasn’t been lived in for some time. I hope you’ll find it in your heart to understand the need for all this.”
“If this is what it takes to keep Amanda safe, then I’m in it for the long haul,” she told him firmly. “I can cope with most anything, Nicholas. You forget, I’m not from the upper crust. I’m just a very ordinary woman, and I can make do nicely.”
He laughed, a throaty ch
uckle that sent shards of excitement down the length of her spine. “You’re far from ordinary, sweetheart. You outshine any other woman I’ve ever known. You have the nicest little bottom on you, and the softest curves I’ve ever—”
Halting his words abruptly, he sighed. “I need to change this conversation, I think. Or you’ll find yourself in a compromising position.” At her quick glance into the back of the wagon, he laughed softly. “Amanda’s sound asleep, all tucked into her nest.”
“I’m not certain you can compromise me, Nicholas,” she said, her heartbeat increasing with the movement of his hand as he slid it upward to cup the underside of her breast. “That word doesn’t apply any longer. I’m your wife, remember?”
“Not yet, you’re not,” he reminded her with a heated glance. “But you will be. And soon.” His head dipped quickly and his mouth was hot and open against hers. It was a quick kiss, hard and filled with promise, and she inhaled the scent of male desire as he shifted in the seat beside her.
It was not an unknown aroma, for he’d come to her the past two nights with a complete lack of covering. Obviously, the man slept without benefit of nightshirt or drawers and she’d been exposed to knowledge of his male parts, aware of the musky scent of him as he responded to her presence beside him. The sensual thrust of masculine desire against her body had told her of the restraint he held over himself.
He was her husband, yet he waited for the claiming of her body, and she knew a moment of pure love for the man who would not give her pain, but be satisfied to await the time when she could respond to him.
“I love you, Nicholas.” She spoke the words softly, quietly and without prompting, knowing she must tell him of the emotion that filled her to overflowing. “I never knew I had the ability to feel so much for a man.”
His body was taut, his arm like a steel trap around her, and he growled an inaudible reply. “You needn’t feel obliged to answer,” she said quickly. “I know you care about me, and you love Amanda, and that’s all that matters right now. I just wanted…”
He glanced down again and she saw desire in his eyes, saw the brilliant blue turn dark with a glittering, midnight flare of passion leashed, held on a short rein. His lids almost closed, and she sensed she would be consumed in the flame of his desire should he but halt the team and turn to her. If Amanda were not asleep just feet away, she would no doubt find herself tossed into the back of the wagon, Nicholas beside her.
Tempting a Texan Page 16
