by Sandy James
She’d wanted him to kiss her—that came as a welcome surprise. Damn, but he wished now that he’d gone right ahead and planted one on her. Problem was his family was wary of her, and the thought of them being unkind made him decide to give Cassie some breathing room.
The moment he’d ridden back to town and discovered she’d left the boarding house, he’d realized just how ridiculous it was to ever think he could leave her alone. A few questions to the town gossips had quickly revealed her destination, and his worry over her made him ride hard to get to her new home.
The empty cabin on Gideon Young’s spread—not exactly the type of home Ty had pictured for Cassie Shay. He’d seen her real home. How in God’s name would she ever be happy moving from the Shay estate to a two-room, run-down cabin? She deserved so much better. Not that he was the man to offer her that.
For now, he’d do what he could to see that she was safe and comfortable.
“I’m going, Cassie girl. But I’ll be back. Soon.”
***
The sun was just beginning to drop on the horizon when Ty returned to Cassie’s cabin. Pulling the brake on the wagon he’d driven, he climbed down and started to unload the supplies.
A loud squeak announced the opening of the cabin door. “Well, well.” Drew leaned his shoulder against the frame. “What have we here?”
Ty grunted and hauled another chair over the side of the wagon.
“Cass?” Drew called over his shoulder. “Did you forget to tell me it was your birthday?”
“Birthday?” Her voice rang from inside the cabin. “Why in heaven’s name would you think it’s my birthday?”
“Because someone’s come to visit,” Drew replied. “And he’s bearing gifts.”
Instead of responding to Drew’s ridiculous comments, Ty nodded at the wagon. “So you gonna stand there all day crackin’ wise, or are you gonna help me get this stuff inside ’fore it gets dark?”
With a laugh, Drew came over to the wagon, hefted a bag of flour over his shoulder, and headed into the cabin.
Cassie stepped outside to allow him to enter. “Ty! What on earth…?”
Ignoring her question, he picked up one of the chairs and carried it into the house as she followed. He placed the chair in front of the small pot-bellied stove and turned to go fetch the other.
He ran right into Cassie, who had set her hands against her hips. “What’s going on?”
“Got you a few things I thought you’d need.”
Since Adam had always given him room and board yet still paid him a salary for his work on the Twin Springs, Ty had squirreled away quite a nice little nest egg. Up until today, he’d never had a reason to spend it. The mere thought of Cassie passing even a single night without something she needed irritated him like finding a farmer stringing barbed wire across good pasture land.
“I can see that,” she drawled. “What I don’t understand is why.”
He simply shrugged and side-stepped her.
She hurried after him. “I don’t understand.”
Ty grabbed the second chair and followed Drew, who was carrying an armload of linens, back into the cabin. As he set the chair down, the sounds of another wagon pulling up reached him. “Looks like the rest of it’s here.”
“The rest of it?” Cassie asked as she followed him outside. “The rest of what?”
“Matthew. Victoria,” Ty said with a nod. “You remember Cassie and Drew.”
“Of course,” Victoria called as Matthew stepped down from his wagon and reached for her. “Good to see you both again.”
Cassie could only stand and gape at what was happening around her. The wagon Matthew had been driving contained two headboards and bedding in addition to a crate with four chickens. Never would she have expected Victoria to extend a polite greeting, let alone bring things for her and Drew to use in their new home.
“I–I don’t understand.”
Victoria came to stand in front of Cassie. “We wanted to help… and to apologize.”
“Apologize?”
Taking Cassie’s hand, Victoria cradled it in her own. “Matthew and I were just so shocked yesterday. We owe you an apology for the less-than-hospitable greeting. We’re here to make amends.” She tugged until Cassie followed her over to the wagon. “We’ve brought you some things to help you settle in the cabin. Ty told us you had next to nothing.”
Their generosity rendered Cassie speechless. She blinked back tears and glanced over to Ty. He held her gaze for a long moment before giving her a curt nod and grabbing a sack of potatoes, which he carried into the cabin.
While the first two wagons had been a surprise, the third thoroughly threw Cassie for a loop. From the distance, she saw two people swaying with the movement of the wagon over the rutted road and wondered who else could possibly be coming to call. As they drew closer and she realized they were more mature than the rest of the people running in and out of her new home, the answer came to her in a rush.
The time had arrived for her to face Grace and Adam Morgan.
Chapter Eleven
The wagon ground to a stop, and Ty stepped over to help Grace to the ground. “Thanks for comin’,” he said as Grace kissed his cheek.
“For you, Ty,” she replied.
Cassie pressed herself against Ty’s side.
He reached down to clasp her hand and wasn’t surprised to discover she was trembling. “It’ll be okay, Cassie girl,” he whispered.
She squeezed his hand in reply.
“Grace, this is Cassie.”
The two women stared at each other for what seemed like far too long. He almost cleared his throat to break the silence when Grace spoke.
“Ty has told us so much about you.”
Her words were clipped and held a depth of meaning, but then again, she wasn’t known for being outspoken. She wasn’t exactly frowning…but the welcoming smile he’d grown to know and love hadn’t appeared. He feared Grace would never get past Cassie’s last name to get to know the real woman.
Adam came to stand at Grace’s side, and he wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders.
“Cassie,” Ty said. “This is Adam Morgan—the man who raised me.”
She bent her knees slightly and bowed her head. “A pleasure, Mr. Morgan.” She did the same for Grace. “Mrs. Morgan.”
“Cassie…” Ty hated that his voice held a note of scolding, but she was slipping back into her impeccable society manners—probably as a way to shield herself from the tension of meeting Adam and Grace. He didn’t want her to hide that feisty spirit he’d grown to love—to let it disappear again—fearing the more she buried it, the harder it would be to dig it out again. “You can call ’em by their Christian names.”
“They have not given me leave to be informal.”
“Well, then,” Adam said, his voice booming and friendly. “Consider this our blessing.” His hand shot out to her.
Cassie met it with her own, and the two shook hands. “Thank you, Adam.”
Grace didn’t extend her hand, but she did say, “Call me Grace. Please.”
“Thank you, Grace. I’m very pleased to meet you both. Ty speaks of you fondly.”
“As he does you,” Adam replied. “Brought you some things for the house.”
Cassie dropped her gaze to the ground. “You’re far too generous. I couldn’t possibly accept—”
“Nonsense,” Adam said. “Ty told us how little you had. Only neighborly to share a few things with you.” He took her hand again and led her to the back of the wagon.
Grace looked up at Ty. “She’s not what I expected.”
“How so?”
“She doesn’t seem…spoiled.” Her eyes wandered to the cabin. “I just can’t imagine a Shay agreeing to live in a place like this.”
“She’s not like them, not from what I’ve seen. Told you what she did for Jake and me.”
She nodded, but her teeth tugged on her bottom lip. “I’m still worried, Ty.”
“About?”
A heavy sigh fell from her lips as she crossed her arms around her waist. “They’ll send someone to find her. You know that, right? She can’t run away and pretend she isn’t what she is.”
“A Shay.”
Another nod. “Stephen might be gone, but that doesn’t mean his family isn’t dangerous to us all—especially to Jake and to you.”
And perhaps Grace as well. Ty hadn’t thought of that. The family still blamed her for Stephen’s death, and if they hunted Cassie all the way to White Pines, they would surely want to exact some revenge on Grace. Not that anyone could reason with the Shays and try to get them to see how truly insane Stephen had been—how he’d chased Grace all over the country to try to catch her. That truth was conveniently ignored.
“We’ll just all have to be on our guards then,” he said.
Her lips thinned as she frowned. Then she turned on her heel and headed to the back of the wagon.
Adam handed her a large wicker basket.
“Seeing as we haven’t had a chance to set up the kitchen, I brought us all a meal,” she announced.
“Oh, Grace,” Cassie said, “how kind you are. I fear cooking is not one of my skills.”
Grace carried the basket to the cabin door. “Then I shall have to teach you.”
Ty took Cassie’s hand and led her into the cabin as Adam followed. “Where’s Drew?”
“He has gone to dine with Gideon and his brother.”
The word good almost slipped out before Ty stopped himself. His jealousy was unreasonable, but it refused to be pushed aside.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light in the cabin, he was pleased to see the wall Drew had been constructing was completed. Although there were no doors yet, Cassie and Drew would each have their own bedroom. After being tortured with images of her sharing a room with him at the boarding house, Ty would sleep much better knowing her bed was going to be as lonely as his own.
Thankfully, the beds he’d purchased were small enough to fit in the tiny rooms. It would take some work to get everything set up before true darkness settled. At least there were some lamps and kerosene in the supplies he’d purchased.
Grace shook out the blanket Adam had brought inside and sat down next to her basket. One by one, she pulled out containers of food. “Let’s eat.”
“I’m so dirty.” Cassie took a step back from the blanket. “Perhaps I should go wash and change first.”
“Your hands are clean,” Adam replied. “We’ve got a layer of dust from riding here. No one cares, Cassie.”
She glanced down at her outfit. “I have new dresses. I could change.”
“Nonsense.” Grace patted the empty spot next to her. “You must be starving. Come and eat.”
“Thank you.” Cassie let Ty help her down, a muffled groan slipping out as she settled herself.
He grinned at her. “Sore?”
She nodded as Grace handed her a plate.
“The place is so clean.” Grace pulled a towel off a large bowl full of boiled potatoes. She passed the bowl to Cassie. “I can’t imagine how much work it was to get rid of the dust and dirt.”
“Been empty almost a year,” Ty added. “Find any critters?”
Cassie smiled. “A family of squirrels had decided the stove was to their liking. They didn’t take it too well when I removed their nest.”
“We’ll have to be sure and clear away anything they left behind in the stovepipe.” Adam passed a plate of fried chicken to Ty. “Can do that tomorrow, son.”
Ty nodded, took the chicken, and dropped several pieces on his plate before handing it to Cassie. “Still lots to do here. After supper, we can finish unloading.”
***
Cassie kept waving despite the dark now concealing the wagon, fearing the Morgans would think her ungrateful.
They seemed nice enough and had obviously gone out of their way to help settle her and Drew in their new home. They’d generously given her items—several that still needed to be unpacked—for the kitchen as well as a few pieces of furniture.
But below that gratitude rested a bit of unease. Grace was a very pretty woman—brown hair pulled into a tight bun and brown eyes that appeared wise—yet she didn’t smile at Cassie. Not once. Ty received Grace’s smiles, as did Adam. Even Drew was gifted with a grin or two. Yet each time Grace’s gaze settled on Cassie, a frown touched her lips. Not that Cassie could blame her. The Shays, especially her father, had given Grace a great deal of misery through the years.
Adam was less reticent. His blue eyes were every bit as wise as Grace’s, and his brown hair held enough gray to make Cassie think of him as a father-figure. He was quick with a smile and a kind word, and she’d instantly liked him—probably because she’d always wanted someone to treat her like a real father would. Instead, she’d been born to a man who treated his wife and daughter as if they were nothing but possessions.
Ty wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she allowed herself the luxury of leaning closer. Drew and Gideon stood by the barn, talking softly. Their new landlord had quickly struck up a friendship with Drew, and it seemed that wherever Cassie saw one, the other was by his side.
“I should be going,” Ty said softly as he squeezed her tighter against him.
“It is getting late. I cannot thank you enough for everything, Ty.”
His shrug jostled her.
Gideon and Drew came striding over to the cabin.
“Cassie… I think I’ll go out to Gideon’s house for a while,” Drew said.
“Got some more wood there he can fetch back,” Gideon added.
Cassie wasn’t entirely sure why, but the men obviously wanted some time alone. “Well, then. We would be thankful to have some more wood. Perhaps Drew can fashion a way for me to hang my dresses so they will not wrinkle.”
Ty’s smile always made something inside her melt. “If I hadn’t seen you wear one back in Frisco,” he said, “I’d be thinkin’ you didn’t own any dresses, Cassie girl.”
She longed to show him exactly how wrong he was. Not that she was vain, but she knew he might be surprised at her appearance in proper clothing. Her hand brushed her cheeks as she wondered how much dirt covered her face.
Ty’s hand followed hers as his thumb rubbed across her cheekbone. “You need a bath.”
“That would be heavenly, but I fear one thing we do not have is a tub.”
“I have something that might work,” Gideon offered. “’Specially since you’re such a little bit of a thing.” His wink softened his statement. “Drew can bring it back, or I’ll send Caleb over with it.”
Since Cassie had yet to meet Gideon’s brother, she thought it a splendid idea. “Please send Caleb. I’ve yet to thank him for allowing us to use this cabin as our home.”
“I can go get it for you,” Ty offered, his voice a bit gruff. “No need to be sending for Caleb.”
Drew arched an eyebrow. “Why not? It wouldn’t be out of his way, but you’d be heading the other direction. Maybe he and Cassie might find they have something in common.”
“They don’t.” With a frown, Ty turned Cassie to face him. “You don’t go near Caleb Young. Did you hear me, Cassie? You’ll stay away from him.”
“Why on earth would I want to stay away from Caleb?”
Although he had plenty of sound reasons he didn’t wish them to meet, Ty couldn’t think of a single one he could admit to Cassie. The women of the town found the dark-haired man so handsome they practically swooned at his feet.
There was no way Ty would let someone like that near his Cassie.
“Um…well…he’s… Damn it, Cassie. Just stay away from him.”
“Your moods, sir, are like the wind.” Whirling around, she pulled out of his embrace and headed into the cabin.
“Drew,” Ty snapped before turning to follow her, “bring back the tub.”
As he entered the cabin, Drew and Gideon headed toward Gideon’s wagon.
He stomped into the cabin
and slammed the door.
“Ty! I was under the impression you were going home.” Her frown was as fierce as a winter wind. “I do not appreciate you ordering me about. If I want to meet Caleb Young—or any other man for that matter—I will. You have no right—”
“I’m sorry.”
“Pardon?”
“I said I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t boss you ’round. I just…I didn’t…” Hell, he couldn’t say what he was really thinking without looking like some barely-weaned puppy chasing after his mother.
Don’t meet Caleb because you might think he’s a handsome bastard.
That smacked of jealousy—exactly like his resentment of her spending so much time with Drew and Gideon. Any man that took her attentions away was a threat.
Could the tender feelings he’d always thought he’d never feel be taking root in his heart?
The cabin walls suddenly seemed to be closing in on him. “I gotta go.”
He jerked the door open, practically ran outside, and jumped on Duke’s back.
Cassie stood in the door and brushed away a tear. “You didn’t say goodbye.”
Chapter Twelve
Cassie handed the cast-iron skillet to Grace.
Grace put it on the bottom shelf before rising back to full height. “Once we get the kitchen set up, I’ll come and teach you to cook. Victoria and Emily would like to come as well.”
Emily—Jake’s wife.
Cassie had been looking forward to meeting her. The notion of having all those women in her new home was a bit daunting, but also exciting. She’d never fit in well with San Francisco society ladies. The women there always seemed a bit shallow and petty—worrying about frivolous things like whether their hair was coiffed properly or their dresses had wrinkles.
She’d preferred to spend time in the stables with Old Tim and the horses. They would ride for hours, or he would teach her something new. How to shoot a gun. How to trap a rabbit. How to build a fire. How to hide in the woods. All those activities gave her far more enjoyment than sitting in a stuffy solarium, drinking too sweet tea, and eating soggy finger sandwiches while gossiping about people she barely knew and cared nothing for.
