by Sandy James
She didn’t succeed.
Never in her life had she looked at a man and felt such a desire to know all there was about what happened between a man and a woman. Then again, Ty was the first naked man she’d ever seen. Her mother had given her little guidance—most of what she’d learned about mating came from Old Tim’s awkward explanation. He’d felt someone needed to educate her about the ways of the world, but she still felt ignorant—something she despised.
Losing herself in her admiration of Ty Bishop’s strong body, she was taken by surprise when he turned around. “Why, Cassie girl. Didn’t think you’d be one to peek.”
Her face was on fire, but she stared anyway. His chest was covered with a light coating of hair that thinned to a line, fanning his navel before spreading out around his—
Good God, what was wrong with her?
Her eyes went back to his face, and the grin she saw there pushed aside her mortification, replacing it with a need to knock his arrogance down a notch. A little bravado allowed her to give him as good as he’d given her.
She cupped her hand to her ear. “I am truly sorry, but I’m having difficulty hearing you from so very far away.”
His laughter made her smile, and his gaze held hers until she turned away.
She threaded her fingers through her hair to try to work out some of the tangles and then wove it into a long braid. Once she was able to let it loose again, it would be too curly to manage. But the braid was efficient and would help her maintain her ruse should they encounter other people on their trek.
“Ready?” Ty said, having crept up behind her.
Cassie jumped in surprise. “You move like a ghost.”
“Thank you kindly.”
“It wasn’t a compliment. You scared the life out of me.” Grabbing the pile of dirty clothes, she held out her other hand. “The soap, if you please.”
“Left it by the brook. Why?”
Just as Old Tim had taught her, she would be as self-reliant as possible. “I need to wash out the rest of our clothing. We can hang them from the trees to dry tonight while we sleep.”
***
Drew was still solemn when Cassie followed Ty back to their campsite.
She could try to coax him out of his melancholy, but the type of wound his brother had inflicted wouldn’t heal easily. Only time would help—time, friendship, and understanding.
A yawn slipped out, and all she wanted to do was crawl into her four-poster bed, drag her down quilt over her exhausted body, and sleep for hours and hours. Instead, she lay down on the bedding she’d spread on the hard ground and covered herself with a wool blanket.
Drew stretched on the opposite side of the small fire, his back to her.
“Sleep well, Drew,” she called to him.
“You as well.”
Sleep was quickly overtaking her, but Cassie was jarred awake when Ty flopped down beside her. “You should not sleep so close to me, Mr. Bishop. It isn’t proper.”
“Passed proper days ago, and I told you to call me Ty. Promised to keep you warm tonight, remember?” Wrapping an arm around her waist, he drew her closer, pressing his front to her back. Then he dragged her blanket over both of them. “Go to sleep, Cassie girl.”
She was simply too tired to argue with him. Her last thought before sleep claimed her was that he was, indeed, keeping her very warm.
***
“So let me see if I understand this correctly…” Cassie shifted in her saddle to relieve the incessant pressure on her sore backside. “You went to live with Adam Morgan even though you and Jake tried to rob the man?”
Ty nodded. “Sounds odd, don’t it? He said since we didn’t have anywhere else to go, we might as well go back to Montana with him. Adam’s been like a father to me and Jake. He’s a good man, taught me right from wrong. God knows where I’d be if—” He swallowed the rest of his words.
Trotting her mare up closer, she tossed him a smile to turn his sad thoughts. “Do you like being a real cowboy?”
“A real cowboy?” He snorted. “Never thought ’bout it.”
“But being a cowboy is so…romantic. In the books I’ve read, they talk about how wild and exciting the cowboy life can be.”
Good Lord, I sound like a ninny.
“Books? About cowboys?” Drew interrupted. “Why, Cass, are you saying you read dime novels?” He clucked his tongue. “And here I thought you were a lady.”
His wink made her cheeks flush hot. She opened and closed her mouth, not sure how to reply. Ty’s chuckle only made her cheeks warmer.
“I’m just teasing,” Drew said.
Desperately wanting to steer the conversation a new direction, Cassie ferreted more information. “Do you plan to work on the ranch for the rest of your life? The Triple Springs, is it?”
“Twin Springs,” Ty corrected. Then he shrugged. “Don’t rightly know what the future holds. Adam gave me some acres to call my own. Might just build a cabin and stay there ’til I’m old ’n gray.”
A cabin. A simple cabin with a garden and a cat and a man to call her own—all she’d ever wanted, and it seemed Ty wanted it as well. Perhaps they were more alike than she’d come to believe.
A contented sigh slipped out. Mercifully, both her traveling companions ignored it.
The contentment faded as she thought about reaching White Pines. “Adam and Grace Morgan will not welcome me.”
“Can’t lie and say they’ll be happy to have a Shay comin’ back to town,” Ty replied. “Shays ain’t my favorite, neither.”
“Pray tell what harm—” She clapped her mouth shut before the ridiculous question slipped out.
As if he would let it pass. “Other than try to drown me? How about having me beaten near to death?”
“My family had you beaten?”
“Stephen Shay was tryin’ to get to Grace. Had me beaten in Denver to make it look like a robbery so he could be the one to save me—gave him an excuse to follow me back to White Pines. The man hounded Grace her whole damn life.”
Cassie wished he’d at least whitewashed the facts a little to spare her feelings. “Will they hate me?”
“Can’t rightly say. Your family put Grace through hell.”
“Grace. Jake’s mother?”
He nodded. “You saving Jake’s life will be in your favor. The fact you ran away from them can’t hurt. Not sure what they’ll think about you being Stephen’s niece.”
Niece?
Where had he come by that misinformation?
She almost corrected him before realizing the folly.
Her father was the man who’d raped Grace Morgan—when she was barely more than a child, according to what Cassie had overheard. She was already facing condemnation simply for who she was even though she hadn’t met anyone in White Pines except Jake. Perhaps by hiding her father’s identity and letting them believe one of her uncles was her father, she would at least be given a chance to fit in. The only relationship they were sure of was that Derrick was her uncle. She had five others.
Jake was her half-brother. She’d had a hard time coming to terms with that. Her father had railed at her mother, blaming her over and over for not giving him a son. Yet, he’d had one all along—one who was clearly close to Cassie’s own age. And that son had been created when he’d raped a woman barely past her first flux.
She’d never loved the man.
Now, Cassie hated him.
What would it have been like to have a brother, to not be a lonely only child?
How would Jake react when he discovered she was his sister?
How would his mother react?
She turned the topic. “How did Grace come to marry Adam Morgan?”
“I was wondering the same thing,” Drew chimed in.
Cassie had almost forgotten he was riding with them.
“Came lookin’ for Jake,” Ty replied.
Cassie’s curiosity was still unquenched. “Why would Grace put Jake in an orphanage?”
“Didn’t. Gave him to the Curtis family to adopt. They got killed, and Jake ended up with me in Denver. Grace never even knew ’til he was already grown up.”
Although she was dying to ask about Ty’s family, she didn’t. It was difficult enough for him to talk about Jake’s past. No wonder, considering how much the men had suffered. Reading between the lines was easy enough—Ty and Jake had known starvation. “Grace came to find Jake and met Adam. Yes?”
Another nod.
“She told Jake about his father’s family,” she added. “That he was a Shay.”
“He’s a Curtis. Always will be.” Ty’s jaw clenched. “Jake got an invitation to San Francisco from your uncle. Then he almost killed us both.” He gave his horse a kick to hurry ahead, effectively ending the conversation.
She had no doubt everyone in White Pines would despise her. They would never welcome her in their fair town.
No, she would be forced to move on, and that meant she’d be leaving Ty Bishop behind.
Chapter Eight
For the second morning in a row, Cassie woke up on top of Ty—her face pressed to his neck, her legs resting between his in an indecent position.
Fire flared to life inside her, settling low between her thighs. Sweet Lord, but the man was turning her into some wanton creature who could do little to control her desire whenever he was near.
Now she needed to politely and gently extract herself from the embarrassing situation before Ty woke and—
“I’m startin’ to like the way you wake me up,” he said in a husky whisper.
Yesterday, she’d scrambled off him and in her haste, slammed her leg into what was obviously a tender area. His curse had echoed through the woods, making her more careful this morning.
Trying to roll away, she was stopped when the arms he’d wrapped around her waist clasped tighter. “Careful,” he cautioned.
“I remember.” But he wouldn’t release her. “Shouldn’t you loosen your hold, if you wish me to move?”
Instead of answering her, his hand grabbed her braid and gently tugged her down until his lips touched hers.
Cassie had waited for this, wanting to experience his kiss again. Having Ty hold her through the long cold night was wonderful, making her feel almost cherished. She could make believe that he truly cared for her—that he held her close because he had feelings for her and not simply because he worried whether she was warm enough or because he felt he owed her his protection for rescuing him.
Her greatest fear was that he could never forget who she was—a member of the Shay clan—or that her uncle tried to murder him. Even worse, once they reached White Pines, her true relationship to Jake was sure to come out because she wouldn’t lie to protect herself if one of them guessed the truth. Not that she would volunteer the information…
Her father had been a terrible man, not only to her and her mother but to Jake’s mother as well. Once the truth was revealed, Ty would hate her.
Everyone would hate her.
The kiss quickly changed from sweet and gentle to warm and consuming when Ty’s tongue slipped past her lips to mate with hers. Cassie had quickly learned how much joy could be found in such an intimate kiss, and she’d craved it—dreamt of it—since the last time he’d kissed her. With a moan, she tried to mimic his actions, hesitantly letting her tongue chase his as it retreated. He gently held it with his teeth and then gave it a tender pull. Everything inside her sprang to life.
His hands settled on her hips, and he pressed his hips up immodestly against her center. Heat burned low in her belly, her most private area feeling heavy and damp. From what she’d seen of Ty’s body as he’d bathed in the brook, what had hung limp between his thighs had now changed size. Considerably.
Fear seized her imagination as she thought of the horrible things her mother had said about what a man could do to a woman. Cassie scrambled away, her knee connecting with his groin again.
Ty hissed, rolling to his side and pulling up his knees. The curse that fell from his lips was one of the words she’d been told never to use.
“I’m so sorry, Ty… I didn’t mean…” Knowing nothing she could say would make him feel better, she slipped away to tend to her needs, hoping he’d forgive her for always being so clumsy.
Ty took several deep breaths, waiting for the pain in his balls to ease. She’d make a eunuch of him yet—one way or another. It had been a mistake to sleep next to her, but he’d worried about whether she was warm during the cold autumn nights.
That lie didn’t even hold up for a few precious seconds. He’d lain side by side with her because he desired her. Something about Cassie Shay had enchanted him from the moment he’d seen her, and whatever spell she’d woven around him seemed to grow stronger with each passing day. He tried to convince himself he only felt responsible for her because she’d saved his life. He argued with himself that he was being a gentleman by protecting her from her ogre of a fiancé and her disgusting family. He even explained his desire as nothing more than a simple lusting.
None of those tacks worked for a damned minute.
No, Cassie was more to him than a woman in need of help or a quick roll in the hay. Tender feelings—the type he’d seen in Jake whenever he was around his wife Emily or in Adam whenever Grace was near—had ignited deep inside.
In some ways, he resented that she’d affected him so strongly. His life was fine as it was. Turning it upside down would only bring strife.
What he intended to do about Cassie, he wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he couldn’t let her go. Not now.
Not ever.
“Better?” Drew said from across the dead fire. “That had to hurt like hell.”
Ty scowled and sat up. The disapproving frown Drew had thrown his way when he’d first slept next to Cassie spoke volumes for what he thought about the arrangement. No doubt Drew also felt the need to protect her after she’d supported him when his family had tossed him out.
“That woman’s a menace,” Ty replied.
“That woman’s a temptation. What I need to know is…how much is she tempting you?”
The sharp pain in his groin had faded to a dull ache. No, it was Drew’s question that caused him discomfort now.
Ty chose not to answer.
“I feel responsible for her,” Drew pressed on. “I plan to watch out for her well-being.”
“She ain’t your responsibility,” Ty snapped, hating feeling like some kind of cornered animal.
What he did with Cassie Shay was none of Drew’s business, and he hated the man pressuring him about things he hadn’t even figured out himself.
“She’s the type of woman a man marries, not one he tumbles.”
“I ain’t tumbled her.”
“Yet. They’ll come looking for her, you know. Once they figure out where she’s run away to, the Shays will be knocking on your door. And they won’t be happy.”
He’d thought of that too—he just hadn’t figured out the proper solution to keep Cassie safe yet. Perhaps Drew would make a good ally, as would Ty’s family and friends when he finally got her to White Pines. “I reckoned.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“What will you do when they show up?”
Ty shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“What bridge?” Cassie’s sweet voice called as she emerged from the shelter of the pines.
Throwing a cautionary glare to Drew, Ty turned to frown at her. He’d grown tired of her having to wear men’s clothing, and he longed to see her in a dress or a skirt, something that showed her for the beautiful woman she was.
“We need to get moving.”
***
White Pines was even more beautiful than she’d expected.
Straight out of one of her books, the town represented all the romantic notions Cassie held of the Wild West. Two-story buildings lined the streets. A wooden walkway ran the length of the town on both sides of the main ro
ad, protecting people from walking through dirt and mud. Horses stood waiting at hitching posts.
Enchanting.
A saloon. A boarding house. A church in the distance. Even a small theater that was in the middle of being constructed. Everything about the town fit her imaginings, and she sighed in satisfaction. She wouldn’t have to find a way to steal away to the Dakotas after all because there was no way that territory could hold a candle to White Pines, Montana.
She’d come home.
“Ty!” a slender brunette called from the door of the marshal’s office. “You’re back!”
An enormous smile lit Ty’s face.
Cassie had to swallow hard to keep her jealousy at bay. The woman was beautiful with a long, dark braid that hung nearly to her hips. A heart-shaped face framed blue eyes as clear as a crystal stream. She was short, almost as tiny as Cassie herself.
“Ty! You’re home!” the woman called again, waving her arm.
“Victoria!” He nudged Duke with his heels to speed the last of their journey.
When he reached the woman, he jumped down from the saddle, embraced her, and swung her in a big circle.
Drew rode up next to Cassie, close enough their knees brushed, and reached for her hand. She gladly accepted his fingers closing around hers, needing to pull from his strength. After a bolstering squeeze, he released her.
She’d never allowed herself to consider that Ty might have a woman waiting for him when he got back to his town. Not that she’d bothered to ask—whether from fear or assumption.
That oversight had come home to roost.
A tall man with brown hair stepped from the marshal’s office, a tin star pinned to the right side of his vest. “Ty! Welcome home.”
Ty shook the man’s hand. “Glad to be back, Matthew. Jake turned up yet?”
“We got a message from him yesterday,” the marshal replied. “Should be here later today. Wish you’d have let us know you were safe.” His amber eyes settled on Drew and then on Cassie before he frowned.
