Safe Havens Bundle

by Sandy James

  His words forced the tears she’d been holding back to finally spill over her lashes. “You cannot tell me what to do. I must protect you. I must protect your family.”

  “Cassie…”

  She swiped away the moisture from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “No. No, I shall marry Drew. I can continue my plans to go to the Dakotas. My family—”

  “Will still come for you.” He snatched his hat from his head and slapped it against his thigh. “Damn it, Cassie… Drew ain’t the kind of man a girl marries. He can’t be a husband to you. He can’t… He won’t… Damn it, Cassie!” His words fairly tripped over one another. “Think about it. Ain’t you wantin’ a family of your own? Ain’t you wantin’ kids?”

  “Of course I want children.”

  “Drew can’t give you kids.”

  Cassie hadn’t wanted the truth thrown in her face. All she could think of was protecting Ty. From her somehow hurting him. From her family bringing him harm. From a future where he would grow to resent her for tying him down when he wasn’t ready. “He could. Drew could be a father. He could give me children.”

  “He won’t. Ain’t you seen him and Gideon together? They…like each other. Drew won’t be a husband to you, Cassie girl. He won’t give you kids.”

  She knew that. At least her mind knew that. Her heart was too battered and bruised to do more than ache at the possibility of being locked in a marriage where she would never know love beyond that of companionship.

  Ty was right.

  But she couldn’t let him know it.

  With a shake of her head, she tried to move.

  He braced his hands on either side of her shoulders and pressed his body hard against hers.

  “Let me go,” Cassie begged. “Why won’t you let me go?”

  “I can’t.”

  “You can. This is for the best. Why should it even matter to you? Why can’t you leave me alone?”

  “This is why.” His mouth covered hers as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her tightly against him.

  Cassie struggled to push Ty away, her hands pressing against his chest as she twisted to get him to break his hold. She might as well have been trying to move a mountain. His only response was to slip his tongue between her lips and stroke the roof of her mouth.

  The heat between them flared as bright as any fire, and she surrendered. Her palms slid up his chest until her struggles became caresses. She stretched her arms around his neck. Her tongue sought his, advancing and parrying in the erotic exchange. All the man had to do was kiss her, and she could think of nothing but kissing him back.

  Ty’s hands moved down her back, stroking and caressing until they settled on her backside. He pulled her up hard against him, and she could feel his hard length pressed against her. Rubbing herself against his arousal, she swallowed his growl and smiled against his lips.

  When he finally ended the kiss, she was panting for breath and entirely unsure of what to say. She framed his face with her hands, loving the rough feel of the emerging whiskers against her palms. “Oh, Ty… What are we to do?”

  “You ain’t marrying Drew.”

  Everything came tumbling back with his arrogant statement. They were right where they started, and even if he was able to scatter her thoughts with nothing more than a heated kiss, her problems still remained. “I see no other solution.”

  “I do.”

  Cassie arched an eyebrow. “Pray tell, what solution do you propose?”

  “Marry me instead.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. Surely she’d heard him incorrectly. “Marry you?”

  Ty hated the incredulous sound of her question, as though becoming his wife would have been unthinkable. In his estimation, Cassie being married to any other man on the face of God’s green Earth was absurd. Picturing her in another man’s arms—even Drew’s—was enough to make him want to hit something. Hard.

  Somehow he had to convince her that he would make her a good husband, even though he wasn’t entirely sure what a good husband was supposed to do.

  Adam and Jake would just have to teach him.

  “Yes, ma’am. Marry me. I can be your husband. I can give you children.”

  A blush spread across Cassie’s cheeks and down her neck. “You would expect…intimacy?”

  At least she didn’t sound appalled at the prospect. If the way she kissed him was any indication, there was a heap of passion in Cassie Shay, and he wanted to explore it. “Hell, yes. You think I wouldn’t want to bed my own wife?”

  “You want…to bed me?”

  His hand rose to cover her breast, and he gently stroked until her nipple hardened into a peak.

  “Yes,” he said, drawing the word out with a hiss. He savored the way she arched into his touch. “I want to bed you. I want to be your husband in every way.”

  Now that the words were out of his mouth, he no longer felt trapped. All along, he’d been fighting the feelings he had for her. Suddenly free from restraint—knowing she would belong to him—he realized he’d settled on her for a wife the moment he first saw her.

  “I mean it, Cassie girl. Marry me.”

  “Do you love me, Ty?”

  Ty dropped his hand back to his side.

  Do I love her?

  He wasn’t even sure what love was. His whole life, he’d been taking care of himself. Sure, he had Jake. And then Adam had become a father figure for him.

  But love?

  Love was supposed to be something so strong and so enduring it could weather any storm. At least that was what Grace always told him. She’d read him stories where the knight always rescued the fair maiden so they could live happily ever after and face any trial life tossed at them—so long as they were together.

  Ty had never felt that kind of attachment to anyone. Anything that came his way he handled solo. He’d been on his own since his kin dumped him at the orphanage at an age so young, he couldn’t honestly remember what living with his family had been like. Sure, he exchanged letters and visits with a couple of his siblings.

  But did he love them?

  Ty wasn’t sure he even knew how to love.

  How was he supposed to answer Cassie’s question? Women, he’d learned, were a mite touchy where tender feelings were concerned. They always seemed to have some romantic notions that he never truly understood. He didn’t believe she’d appreciate his honesty about the subject—not that he’d had much experience wooing the weaker sex. If he gave her the truth, she would never agree to marry him. And while he didn’t understand love, he did know he felt something for her—something that went beyond simple lust. Something that made him believe he could spend the rest of his life at her side and be content.

  It wasn’t love.

  But it was enough.

  “Cassie girl… We ain’t known each other nearly long enough to know if—”

  Her hands shot out, pushing him back. He tripped over a piece of wood and sprawled on his ass.

  She hurried away, shaking her head.

  “Wait! Cassie, please!” Scrambling to his feet, he chased after her, catching her at the entrance to the Four Aces. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Why’d you run away?”

  “I cannot marry you.” Cassie’s voice was shaky, and a few tears traced paths down her cheeks.

  “Why not?”

  “You don’t love me.”

  “Cassie…”

  She shook her head. “I cannot marry a man who doesn’t love me.”

  He scoffed at her. “You were going to marry Drew. He doesn’t love you, either.”

  “He does. He loves me—as a friend.”

  “I love you…as a friend.”

  She angrily scrubbed her tears away, her hurt switching to anger so quickly, Ty’s head was spinning. “I don’t wish for you to love me as a friend!”

  “You ain’t making any sense. You’d marry Drew because he’s a friend, but you won’t marry me for the same damn reason?” As God was his wit
ness, he would never understand women—especially this woman.

  She tried to push his hands away again, so he held tight. “Let me go. I’m not marrying you. I’m not marrying anyone!”

  His patience was at an end. “What are you talking about?”

  “I don’t have to marry anyone. Now let me go.”

  Ty obeyed, mostly because he knew when she was this upset he’d never get an answer that made any sense. He trailed her inside the saloon.

  “Cass, did you decide?” Drew asked. His gaze settled on her face and he frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she replied. “I have come to a decision.”

  “What exactly have you decided?” Grace asked, her eyes rising to meet Ty’s.

  “I shall not marry now.”

  “But Cassie—” Drew began before Cassie interrupted with an abrupt slash of her hand.

  “My family believes me to be already wed. I do not have to follow through.” When Drew opened his mouth, she fisted her hands. “I will not be forced to make such an important decision on a whim. I fled to escape one forced marriage. I refuse to be pushed into another. I am very tired, and I believe I shall go home now.”

  On that pronouncement, she grabbed her coat from the back of the chair, turned on her heel, and stalked out of the saloon.

  Adam stood up and grabbed Ty’s arm when he tried to hurry after her.

  Drew exited, most likely to follow her back to the cabin.

  “What the hell, Adam?” Ty stared at the restraining hand. “I need to talk to Cassie.”

  “Let her go. We need to talk,” Adam replied as his wife nodded.

  “About?”

  “A lot of things…”

  Since Drew was chasing after Cassie, he knew she’d get home safely, so he decided to indulge Adam. Jerking a chair away from the table, he flopped into it. “Talk.”

  Adam and Grace shared a long look, the kind Ty had learned was a way they could communicate without words. On Grace’s curt nod, Adam turned to Ty. “Do you love Cassie?”

  Ty was getting damned sick and tired of that question. Nor was he particularly willing to share all he felt with anyone else—even Adam and Grace. “I ain’t known her long enough to know.”

  “Then why?” Grace asked. “Why should it matter if she marries Drew?”

  Swiping the hat from his head, Ty dropped it on the table. He ran his hand over his face as he tried to figure out a way to explain things without revealing Drew’s secret. After watching the man get tossed into the street by his family, he didn’t think it would be wise to gossip about him, especially in a town as judgmental as White Pines could be.

  “It just…does,” he replied. “I asked her to marry me instead.”

  “Oh, Ty…” She sighed. “That would be like signing your own death warrant. Drew has already placed himself in danger with his ruse. Should you marry her… I’d fear for you.”

  “Do you think you owe her for saving your life?” Adam asked.

  “Of course I do. But…it ain’t that. There’s just somethin’ about her…”

  I sound like an idiot.

  “She turned you down,” Grace said. “She wouldn’t marry you.”

  He nodded, still feeling the pinch of hurt over Cassie’s refusal of his proposal. “At least she ain’t marrying Drew, neither.” He had time now to try to woo her. There was no way he was letting her slip away now that he’d made up his mind.

  She belonged with him—that’s all there was to it.

  “I’m gonna marry her.”

  “But she didn’t agree?” Grace asked.

  His temper bubbled over. “Why do you hate her so damn much?”

  “I don’t hate her! She’s a wonderful person. But…she’s a Shay.”

  “She’s not like them,” he insisted.

  “I know that.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “Her family is the problem. Don’t you see? They’ll never let her go. Just like Stephen would never let me go. They’ll keep coming back for her. If you marry her, they’ll kill you.” She put her hand on his arm. “Please, Ty. Please think about that before you do anything rash.”

  Since he didn’t consider marrying Cassie to be rash, he nodded. This subject was obviously too upsetting for Grace to think clearly. Once he and Cassie tied the knot and Grace—and everyone else—realized nothing bad would happen, then they’d learn to accept her as his wife.

  Only one obstacle remained.

  Cassie would have to agree to marry him.

  “I’m taking you home, Gracie.” Adam rose and held his hand out to his wife. “You coming back to the ranch?” he asked Ty.

  With a nod, Ty grabbed his hat and put it back on his head. Plucking his jacket from the chair, he jammed his arms inside it and headed out of the Four Aces. As he threw himself onto Duke’s back, he formed a plan.

  One month.

  He would give Cassie one month to change her mind. And in that month, he would do everything he could to convince her that he’d make a good husband.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “I cannot believe how big it is,” Cassie said as she stood center stage.

  “No bigger than most theaters,” Drew replied. “Remember, when that wall came down, we became one building instead of two.” Pointing to the tables spread through the saloon, he smiled. “Your job will be to get your voice to project to the farthest table. And remember—there will also be noise from the crowd.”

  “Noise? But surely people will not be rude enough to speak during a performance.”

  His laugh was loud enough to echo through the cavernous room. “Oh, angel. I forget how sheltered you’ve been. They’ll talk. They’ll spit tobacco. They’ll clink their glasses. They’ll even heckle us or point their guns at us if they don’t think we’re doing a good job. It will be a din.”

  “I cannot do this, Drew.” When he’d asked her to perform Shakespeare for the introductory show at the Four Aces’ new theater, she’d thought it a grand adventure—especially when he’d proposed that they do some scenes from her favorite play, Romeo and Juliet.

  Now that she was standing on the stage and realizing how many people would be watching them, she feared she wouldn’t be able to follow through. “I was wrong. You need to find someone else to play Juliet.”

  “You can, and you will.”

  “But—”

  “You’re simply having a bit of stage fright. It shall pass.”

  “I shall lose my supper.”

  His laughter brought a hesitant smile to her face. “My first performance, I emptied my stomach into a bucket just off stage. Everyone gets stage fright, Cass. You’re strong. You can do this.” He turned her to face him. “Now, we practice.” He took a piece of chalk and strode closer to the edge of the stage before crouching to mark an X on the floor. “Stand here when you say those last lines we practiced.”

  Hurrying over, Cassie placed her feet on the chalked lines. “How am I to remember all this?”

  “All what?” he asked with a lopsided smile.

  “All…everything. My lines, my—”

  “You already know the lines. You’ve quoted Romeo and Juliet more times than I can count.”

  “My lines,” she continued, “and where to stand, and what to do with my hands. Are you certain I am the right person for this part? Surely, there is another woman who would love to play Juliet.”

  Drew put his hands on her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re young and beautiful—the perfect Juliet.”

  “Is there a particular reason you’ve got your hands on her every damn time I see you?” Ty’s voice boomed through the empty saloon.

  She jumped in surprise, clipping Drew’s chin with the top of her head.

  An easy smile crossed Drew’s face. “Simply giving her a little reassurance. Surely you’ve noticed she needs a bit of encouragement and nurturing from time to time.” He turned back to her. “I need to work on the set for a while. We’ll finish blocking later.”<
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  The sound of his feet slapping against the stage faded after he disappeared behind the curtain.

  Ty strode over to the stage. As he stared up at her, he snatched the hat from his head. “What’s blocking?”

  “And good afternoon to you too, Mr. Bishop.”

  He rolled his eyes as he climbed up on the stage. “For God’s sake, don’t start with that Mr. Bishop sh—”

  “Ty!”

  “—stuff again.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at the disgruntled frown on his handsome face. “I was merely reminding you to use proper manners.”

  Crooking his finger, he called her closer.

  Cassie was helpless to resist.

  When she stood in front of him, she tossed him a sweet smile even though she expected a scolding. Hands grasped behind her back, she rocked on her feet, waiting to hear what he’d say.

  His words came as a shock. “Good afternoon, Cassie girl.”

  Ty was clearly trying hard to be polite. The last week, it seemed like the rough cowboy she’d known—the one who always liked to boss her around—had learned something from her. Cassie hadn’t decided if she liked this new side of his personality or wished that he would never change.

  Since the kidnapping, something between them had been…different. He didn’t come to see her nearly as often as he had when she’d first arrived in White Pines. When he did, he never made a move to touch her. She missed his kisses more than she would ever let on, not wanting him to know how deeply he’d ensnared her heart.

  Perhaps he was sorry now that he’d tendered a marriage proposal. That thought made her sad, because ever since the words had fallen from his lips, all Cassie could think about was how much she wished she had accepted his offer—although she also wished his desire to marry her had come from true affection rather than a simply masculine wish to protect her.

  Suddenly nervous to be in Ty’s presence, she knelt down to grab her copy of Romeo and Juliet. “H–how is your family?”

  His response was his typical shrug.

  “Grace and Adam are well, I pray.”

  She’d made a point of asking after them every time she saw Ty, hoping he would let them know she was concerned about their welfare and wishing they’d one day forgive her for the ordeal she’d put them through. With her luck, Ty probably forgot to pass on her well wishes and greetings. The man seemed to think grunts and nods were all he needed to use to make conversation.