Safe Havens Bundle

by Sandy James

  “You ain’t goin’ out there to greet him in your underthings,” he scolded. Then he glared at the door. “Be out in a minute, Caleb. Go wait outside.”

  Cassie was horrified. She’d planned to tell Caleb she was feeling poorly and had been resting. Then she would have sent him on his way. Instead, Ty had just announced their intimacy in a voice loud enough that all of White Pines had to have heard.

  The door slammed, marking Caleb’s retreat.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ty couldn’t stop scowling at Cassie. Not that he had a right to be mad at her. Caleb was the one who’d interrupted them at the worst possible moment.

  Well, a few minutes earlier would have been much worse...

  He smiled at the memory of what they’d shared, thinking about how wonderful her tight heat had felt as it squeezed his cock so tightly. Damn if he wasn’t getting hard again.

  Not that he could do anything to relieve the ache. She’d be too tender after her first bedding, and then there was Caleb to deal with.

  The scowl returned to Ty’s lips.

  Cassie stomped her bare foot against the floorboards. “I cannot believe you would embarrass me like that.” She tossed the blanket from her shoulders and resumed dressing.

  Despite the relaxed, sated feeling Ty just experienced, his hunger leapt back to life at the sight of her camisole falling open and revealing her beautiful breasts. The pink nipples were tight buds, and he struggled to tear his gaze away from them.

  “We’ll be the talk of White Pines now.” She yanked on her petticoat and fumbled with the ties.

  He probably should’ve felt bad for sullying her reputation by letting Caleb know they’d shared a bed. But he didn’t. Not in the least. His intentions were honorable, and now that she’d given herself to him, her fate was sealed—whether they’d made a child together or not.

  She will be my wife.

  “Get dressed!” she hissed.

  With a heavy sigh, Ty threw aside the rest of the covers. The cold immediately raised gooseflesh on his skin as his poor balls pulled tight to his body. He picked up his discarded clothes and started dressing, more to banish the cold than to obey her demands.

  Cassie jerked on her skirt, buttoned her shirt fast enough to misalign the buttons, and then slid her feet back into her boots. She was reaching for the doorknob before he could get to his Colt.

  “Wait,” he scolded as he scrambled for his gun belt.

  “Why?”

  “Need my gun.”

  “Whatever for? It’s Caleb.” She opened the door and stepped out of the bedroom.

  Ty jammed his Colt in the holster and followed.

  She’d already made her way to the front door. Throwing it open, she slipped through. “Caleb?”

  With an angry growl, he grabbed Cassie’s coat and slammed the door behind him.

  Caleb was leaning against the small fence surrounding Cassie’s vegetable garden. He was bundled up against the cold and chewed furiously on a piece of straw sticking out from the corner of his mouth. The heat of his scowl could have set a forest ablaze.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  His gaze still fixed on Ty, Caleb spit out the hay and pushed himself away from the fence. “Drew’s asking for you.”

  “Drew?” Her eyes searched his. “I don’t understand. He was going to fetch Gideon and then go to town to work on scenery for Romeo and Juliet. Why would he ask for me?”

  To hear that Drew was with Gideon wasn’t a surprise. Lately, the two men were inseparable. Ty had always understood that Gideon shared the same quirk as Drew, so it hadn’t come as a shock that the men had become friendly. While Ty was pleased for them in an odd sort of way, it also meant Drew left Cassie alone at home far too often. A tiny cabin a few miles from town was no place for a woman to be without a man to protect her.

  “He was attacked before we got to the Four Aces,” Caleb said. “Had Gideon and I not come across the men beating him, could’ve been real bad for Drew. He’s not even worried about himself—he’s worried about you. Wanted me to be sure you weren’t in danger and to bring you to him.”

  “Attacked? I–I don’t understand.”

  “I do,” Ty said. “It was your uncle and that bastard Robert.”

  He held up Cassie’s coat so she could don it. He pulled it closed and fastened the buttons as she looked up at him. The pain in her eyes made him gather her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head.

  “Robert?” she asked as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “You truly believe he and my uncle haven’t given up?”

  “Yep.”

  Caleb cleared his throat loudly.

  “Where’s Drew?” Ty asked.

  “Still at the Four Aces,” Caleb replied. “Gideon sent for the marshal and Doc while I rode to fetch Cassie.” His eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you doing all the way out here?”

  “That’s none of your concern,” Ty snapped.

  “But it is my concern.” Caleb put his hands on his hips. “I’m wantin’ to court Miss Cassie. Don’t want her spending time alone with the likes of you.”

  That sure answered whatever concerns Ty might have had about whether Caleb had any interest in Cassie.

  “Caleb...” Cassie shook her head and pushed away from Ty. “We already talked about this many times.”

  They’d discussed Caleb courting Cassie? That was news to Ty. His temper was rising by the minute.

  Ty turned the topic. “Robert had to be the one who went after Drew.”

  “You don’t know that,” Cassie retorted, taking his hand and squeezing it tight. “Could’ve been a robbery, right?”

  The woman was grasping air. He draped an arm over her shoulder, but Caleb replied before Ty could find the words.

  “It wasn’t a robbery,” Caleb insisted. “Gideon and I went to help Drew with painting something for the play. When we went ’round back to go in the stage door, we found two men beating Drew but good. Never even tried to pick his pockets. Gideon shot one of ’em. I pulled the other off Drew and pounded him into the mud. He oughta be in the jail by now.”

  “The one Gideon shot?” Ty asked.

  “He’s waiting for burial.”

  Ty nodded. Gideon always was a good shot. “Talk to the other one yet?”

  “No time. Came to take Cassie to Drew.” Inclining his head at his horse, he reached out to her. “You can ride with me.”

  “She’ll ride with me,” Ty insisted. “You go on ahead. I’ll get our horses and take her to town.”

  “H–how bad is Drew?” Cassie asked, his voice a harsh whisper.

  Caleb shrugged. “Not good, but he’s not gonna die or nothin’.” His gloved hand was still extended to her, and he beckoned her with an insistent flip of his wrist. “Come with me. I’ll get you there faster.”

  She didn’t let go of Ty’s hand.

  He shook his head at Caleb. “She goes with me.”

  With a fierce frown, Caleb grabbed his horse’s reins and threw himself into his saddle. Then he glared at Ty. “She’s not your wife, Bishop. She’s a single woman, and she’s fair game. I’m aimin’ to court her, whether you like it or not.” Without waiting for a reply, he dug his spurs into his horse’s sides. Hooves churned up snow clumps that flew back at them.

  Ty fetched his coat from the house, donned it, and then pulled Cassie to the barn. It only took a few minutes to get the horses ready. They wouldn’t be far behind Caleb.

  “It’s my fault,” she said. “Drew was hurt because of me.”

  Ty lifted her onto her mare’s back. Despite his certainty Drew’s attack was Robert Putnam’s doing, he couldn’t stand the hurt in her voice. “You don’t know that.”

  She nodded furiously. “I do. I know this was Robert. Drew claimed to be my husband. Robert could never allow that. He sent those men to kill Drew, then he’d come for me.”

  Settling himself in his saddle, he directed his horse out of the barn. All Duke needed was a squeez
e of Ty’s knees and a cluck of his tongue to head down the road to White Pines at a canter. He glanced over her shoulder to be sure Cassie followed. When she prodded Duchess, he eased up the pace to be able to ride side-by-side.

  She sniffled.

  “Don’t you start cryin’,” Ty said, trying to keep the bite from his tone. He could handle any of her strong emotions—except sadness. Her tears always hit him far harder than he thought they should, making him want to do anything to bring a smile back to her lips. “Caleb said Drew’s gonna be fine.”

  She gave her head a shake. “He’s hurt because he tried to protect me. I should never have accepted his help.” Her fingers clenched the saddle horn. “I never should have come here. I’ve put all of you in danger.”

  Although she was clearly talking more to herself than him, he wasn’t about to let her continue blaming herself. “Stop it.”

  She knit her brows. “Stop what?”

  “Stop talking like you’re gonna leave.”

  “I am.”

  “You ain’t.”

  “I am. Just as soon as I can make arrangements, I’m going to—”

  Ty grabbed the mare’s reins and dragged her to a halt. Then he moved Duke close enough that his thigh brushed Cassie’s. “What you’re gonna do if you don’t stay close to me is find yourself back in San Francisco, standing before a preacher and getting your ass hitched to Robert Putnam.”

  She tried to turn her head away, but Ty gripped her chin to force her to continue looking at him. “You ain’t marrying that bastard, Cassie girl. Not now. Not ever.”

  Her gaze shifted, and she tried to turn her head again. “I cannot allow good people to be hurt because of me.”

  He held her fast. Then he brushed his mouth over hers, hoping to wipe away the worried frown. “You’re staying put. Promise me.”

  “Ty...I cannot—”

  “Promise me!” He hadn’t meant to shout, but she frustrated him almost more than he could bear. The thought of her leaving him—even worse, being married to a rat like Robert—was untenable.

  He never got his promise. Cassie pushed his hand away from her face and stiffened her spine. “I shall do what I have to do.”

  Slapping his reins against his thigh, he shook his head. “You will do what I tell you to do. You’re gonna marry me, Cassie. You’re gonna let me protect you.”

  Her gasp frightened some birds from a nearby bush. “You may not boss me around, Ty Bishop. I will not put you in any more danger, and I most certainly will not marry you. Look what Drew’s lie about being my husband did to him. A marriage to me would be a death sentence.”

  He wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled. Since she refused to listen to him, he tried a different tack. “Let’s wait and see Drew before we decide anything.”

  Cassie was content to let the rest of the ride to town pass in silence. Her thoughts consumed her as she fretted over Drew’s fate—and over her fears of what her running away from her family had wrought for the wonderful people of White Pines.

  If Ty’s predictions were true—if Robert had hired men to kill Drew—she’d put as many miles as she could between her and all the people intent on protecting her. Drew had only pretended to be her husband. What would Robert be driven to do if he discovered that not only had she given her innocence to Ty, she’d given him her heart?

  Ty would be as good as dead.

  Robert was cunning, and with the financial backing of her uncle—and her grandfather—there would be no way to stop him from finding her and dragging her back to San Francisco. And he’d surely kill any obstacle to marrying her—her “husband” and the man she loved being the two biggest hurdles.

  No, as soon as she could pack a few things, she’d be on her way.

  But where?

  She hadn’t truly decided beyond wanting to put more distance between her and her family. And Robert. While marrying him would end this battle now and forever, she couldn’t stomach the thought.

  After what she’d just shared with Ty, she couldn’t even speculate about having Robert bed her without growing nauseated. How could she ever share that kind of intimacy with anyone but Ty?

  If she saw Robert Putnam again, she’d scratch his eyes out. Her uncle and grandfather? She’d spit at their feet and tell them she was no longer a Shay. How dare they hurt Drew!

  Dear, sweet Drew. The man was as gentle as a lamb. He’d helped her in her time of need, befriending her and protecting her. And what had he received in return for those kindnesses?

  He was beaten.

  She choked back a sob, sending up a prayer that he hadn’t been hurt too badly.

  Ty rubbed her thigh. “You cold, sweetheart?”

  The words wouldn’t come. Her heart was too troubled to explain all that burdened her.

  Her fear for Drew. Her heartache at leaving behind her new friends.

  And Ty.

  Sweet Lord, how could she leave Ty behind?

  “Drew’s gonna be fine,” he said with a nod.

  “You don’t know that...”

  “Just save the worrying for when we get there.” He pointed up the road. “There’s White Pines. We’ll see for ourselves soon enough.”

  “What if...what if...” She couldn’t spit out her fears, nor could she tell him that she’d be falling apart had it been him that was hurt.

  No, her mind was made up. Once she knew Drew would be all right, she would gather some things together and set out on a new adventure.

  One that led danger away from the wonderful little town—and the man she loved.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The moment Cassie saw the damage to Drew’s face, she choked back a sob.

  Both his eyes were bruised and swollen nearly shut, and red welts colored both cheeks. He smiled at her with a split lip as she came into the bedroom. When he grimaced, she felt as though someone had struck her.

  Her mind had been whirling all the way from the cabin to White Pines. Every thought came back to the same problem.

  Robert Putnam.

  He’d sent someone to hurt—perhaps kill—Drew because he thought she’d taken him as a husband.

  Gideon fixed accusing brown eyes on her from where he sat on the bed at Drew’s side. They’d taken Drew into one of the upstairs bedrooms that the Four Aces owner—Will Spencer—used for himself, his daughter Emily, and her husband Jake. Cassie saw Jake often when she and Drew rehearsed Romeo and Juliet and had watched Jake’s daughter, Beth, from time to time, so she knew these rooms well.

  Gideon dipped the cloth he held in a basin of water, wrung it out, and then dabbed at the small trickle of blood coming from Drew’s nostril.

  Drew held a shaking hand out to Cassie. “‘But soft! What lies through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!’” His swollen lips and winces with several words made her heart hurt.

  “Oh, Drew. I am so dreadfully sorry.” She hurried to the other side of the bed and sat on the mattress, taking his hand in hers. She kissed the back of it—grimacing at the bruised and scraped knuckles—and cradled it against her chest. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  “What the hell happened?” Ty asked as he strode over to stand behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and she drew strength from the connection.

  She didn’t need Gideon’s confirmation. An innocent man—a man that Robert believed was her husband—had been savagely beaten. No doubt her uncle and grandfather had paid for the loathsome venture.

  Sadness ran roughshod over her.

  She’d known she couldn’t stay here in paradise. The time she’d spent in Montana had been heaven on earth—just the way she’d always dreamed the true West would be. Although the Morgans still didn’t truly accept her, she genuinely liked them. She also liked Jake and Emily Curtis and their beautiful daughter. And Caleb and Gideon Young were like brothers. Everything inside her told her she belonged here—in this town and among these people rather than among the social elites of San Francisco. The peo
ple of White Pines were solid and good folk rather than weak-willed as were all the supposedly superior blue-bloods she’d known.

  And then there was Ty Bishop. Leaving him behind would be akin to ripping her heart from her chest. She loved him—more than was probably wise.

  The time had come to run away again—this time from what she loved instead of what she loathed. The pain was almost more than she could bear. But she owed it to these wonderful people to make their world safe from the Shays and the evil they perpetuated.

  “I’m so sorry,” she whispered before she kissed the back of Drew’s hand again.

  Matthew came striding into the room, his shiny marshal badge pinned to his lapel. “Doing better, Drew?”

  “I shall survive,” Drew replied before turned back to Cassie. “This isn’t your fault, angel.”

  She couldn’t speak for fear tears would choke her, so she didn’t bother to correct him.

  “Who did this?” Ty asked.

  “Two men,” Matthew replied. “One’s dead.”

  “Dead?”

  “Shot him right between his damn eyes,” Gideon said, putting the now stained cloth back in the basin.

  “You ain’t told me nothing Caleb didn’t,” Ty said, his voice harsh and rough. “The other bastard?”

  “Got him in a cell before Gideon could finish him off too,” Matthew replied. “Got winged on the cheek by a bullet, but I didn’t think he needed Doc. Drew needs him, though. Victoria helped patch the prisoner up. He won’t say much, but I’m going back to try again in a few minutes.”

  “I’m goin’ with you.”

  Although he frowned at Ty’s suggestion, Matthew nodded.

  Victoria came into the room, carrying a fresh basin of water. She handed it to Gideon and took the used bowl in return. “How are you feeling, Drew? We sent for the doctor.”

  “I need no doctor, and I wish you could all stop fussing over me,” he replied. Then he flinched as Gideon pressed a wet cloth to his brow.

  “Nonsense,” Victoria said. “He can give you a look then see to our prisoner.”

  “It was the Shays,” Ty stated. Judging from his clipped and angry tone, his patience had come to an end.