High Mountain Drifter (29 page)

"Is that so?" His throat closed up with an unfamiliar burning lump, emotion that rose up uncontrolled, more powerful than he was. He could not hold it down. Her words had touched him deep. She wanted him to stay. He never had an offer like that. He'd never been wanted before.

Affected, he cleared his throat, wrestling to keep the truth of his feelings out of his voice. Not sure he succeeded. "Guess I'd better hang out with you for a bit, then. I make it a rule never to disappoint a lady."

"That is an excellent rule to have." She tossed him an endearing smile, which grew wider when he gave in and trooped along with her. "I like a man who does what I want."

"Now, I never said I'd do what you want." He could joke too.

"Too bad, that's what I heard, so you're doing it." With a quiet little laugh, she led him into the library and closed the door behind them.

A faint glow from a cloud-shrouded moon gilded the uncovered window, drew the room in shades of silver, smoke and shadow. She waltzed into the center of that glow, pearled by the light. It trailed her across the room. She was like a fairytale princess, too amazing to be real, her long cascading locks tumbling down her back as she went, her white robe whirling around her ankles. He was helpless but to follow her, drawn by the heart, bound by the soul.

"Here, let me do that." He took the iron fireplace poker from her. As if he was going to let a woman do the work. No, for now, this moment Verbena was his woman. He'd move mountains for her, hold back the moon, make time stand still if she asked. He'd give his life and more for her. That was certain. He was definitely going to handle the fire for her. "I'll make myself useful while I'm here."

"When will you be leaving?" As if she knew his thoughts, as if she were thinking of it too, her words came quietly. Her question held a small, emotional wobble.

That tore at him. Made his heart break, so full of affection for her. He did not belong in her world. They both knew it. But for tonight, it didn't matter.

"Not tomorrow. I want to stick around and talk to the marshals before they take Craddock." He knelt before the hearth and stirred the embers. They came to life, glowing orange-red. He reached for the kindling bucket and sorted through it, choosing the smallest, thinnest pieces. "I want to make sure they know who they are dealing with. They need to take him seriously, not see a non-threatening city boy playing on their pity. But I put off another job to come here, so I need to get to it. Starting the day after."

"You're leaving that soon." She eased down beside him, a whisper of movement, a light brush against his arm. As the fire leaped to life in the hearth, it cast orange shadows over her, showing what the dark had kept hidden from him. The transparent emotion radiant on her face, in her eyes. Rapt, she gazed up at him, soft with a gentle brand of tenderness he'd never thought he'd see in a woman looking at him.

Caring welled up, so sheer and brilliant it blinded him. Made the world fade, the room, his troubles, leaving only her at its center, where she would always be.

Overwhelmed by the endless, expanding affection, he tried to get control of his feelings. Fished for the smallest pieces in the wood box and tossed them on the rapidly burning kindling. His hand shook, betraying him. There was no way to control this or halt this, the knowledge that she was his destiny
and
the woman he could not have. The opulence of the room seemed to fade back into his awareness. The expensive furniture, the imported rugs, the thousand or so books tucked on hand-crafted shelves. This home was like a castle, and Verbena the princess.

Fairytales did not end well for the men who weren't princes. He dusted the bits of bark off his hands and shrugged out of his duster. Meager heat began to build as the fire grew, but he couldn’t feel it. All he could focus on was the rarity of this moment. Of the privilege of being right here.

With her.

He sat on the carpet, scooting a few feet to lean against one of the sofas, and broke the silence. "Tomorrow afternoon, after Craddock is squared away, I plan to come visit you. Would that be all right?"

"I think it's best." With a small smile, she scooted over to join him. Sidled right up to him, so small and dainty, so dear. "How else am I going to be able to keep my cupcake promise?"

"Right, the cupcakes." He draped one arm around her, tucking her against his side. Amazing how right she felt there, like she belonged there. "I'm not a man who lets an unpaid debt go. When I do a job, I expect payment."

"Then I'll get right on those cupcakes." She snuggled into him, soft and feminine. "I suppose the quality of the cupcake matters too."

"Absolutely." His throat tightened again, so full. Emotions he couldn’t say and didn't know how to lumped there. Aching, just aching. "Quality is everything, I always say."

"Yes, I wouldn’t want to pay you with shoddy cupcakes." That small smile grew as she looked up at him, her gaze brimming with caring. Caring for him. "Only the best."

"Right," he agreed, clearing his throat. "I don't want any that are half-baked."

"Or maybe lopsided or burned around the edges."

"Or unevenly frosted." He cradled her chin in his hand, pulled her into him, just gazed into her eyes, into her, spellbound by the affection there, shining for him. It meant so much.

When her hand pressed against his jaw, it deepened the moment. Her skin was silk, her touch warm and tender. She said nothing more. No words seemed necessary. Their gazes met, held, merged.

He was falling into her, lost in her, the sharp, agonizing sweetness of love changed him. Made him forget who he was and what he was. This time, she initiated the kiss, rising up to match her lips to his. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the tenderness he had. Pure reverence. Utter devotion. So she would know all that he didn't have the words to say.

Or the right.

With a sigh, she ended the kiss, slid against his chest and let him hold her. The fire spit and crackled, casting light and heat over them. The orangish light and the warm glow encircled them, shut out the rest of the world and the night. Truly content, maybe for the first time in his life, he held her tight, arms locked around her, cradling her against his chest. His love. He would give anything so this night, this moment, would never end.

Verbena awoke to dawn's first light creeping around the window drapes. For an instant, she was in bed with Rose, contented and well-rested. It took a second for the sleepy fog to lift from her brain. Not in her bed, she realized, but in the library.

The room was still and cold. The fire had gone out. Zane was gone. She didn't have to get off the sofa to know that. Funny, she didn't remember him leaving last night. She frowned, searching through her mind but the last memory she had was drowsing, snuggled against him. She must have fallen asleep and he'd laid her here, covered her up, put a throw pillow beneath her head. That gave her a cozy feeling, and she smiled into the pile of soft afghans covering her.

She really ought to get up and hurry upstairs before anyone found her, but she couldn’t move. Chalk it up to being too contented. She just couldn’t stop smiling. Last night had been remarkable. No need for words, just being together, reunited after being apart. Seeing the ardent affection gloss the gray depths of his eyes was enough. And although he'd left, she still felt close to him, a part of her. Forever in her heart.

Don't worry about the future, she told herself. All that mattered was right now, today. She vowed to make the most of it.

Which meant she really needed to get off the sofa. So she threw off the afghans, sat up and swung her feet to the floor. She was still wearing her knitted booties and her housecoat buttoned over her nightgown, which had helped keep her warm while she slept, but now chilly air from the floor wrapped around her ankles and she shivered. There was no trace that Zane had ever been here. The library door was closed, the fire banked.

She felt touched by his caring. Never felt that from a man before, not like this. She sighed, remembering being in his arms. He really was her dream man.

"These loaves are beautiful." Gemma Gunderson leaned across the mercantile's front counter and peered into the basket of fresh baked bread. "Oh, and they smell totally delicious. Yum. Our customers are going to snap them up."

"Excellent," Daisy said, giving the basket a little shove in Gemma's direction. "I think this is going to be a wonderful enterprise."

"Me, too." Gemma smiled friendly, as several more of the McPhee sisters chimed in.

But Verbena's mind was drifting right along with her eyes to the mercantile's front window. Apparently she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Zane. She thought of the bracelet tucked beneath her sleeve, with the gold and diamond heart and felt cozy inside, the way she had when they'd been snuggling last night. Contented, she gave a little sigh.

"I heard that." Rose sidled up, keeping her voice low as Daisy, Iris and Magnolia chatted at the counter with Gemma. "I also heard a man's voice in the kitchen last night when I was trying to go back to sleep."

"You're mistaken," Verbena couldn't help teasing. "It was the raccoon."

"Right, you let him into the house, did you?" Rose's blue-green eyes twinkled playfully. "I hope he didn't stay too long."

"Just long enough to thaw out by the fire." Her smile went wider, stretching across her whole face, beaming all through her. "He'd been outside in the single digit temperatures all day and half the night."

"Well, it's important for raccoons to keep warm." Rose waggled her eyebrows. "What else did the raccoon do?"

Oh, those kisses. Remembering, Verbena went squishy inside, melting at the tenderness she'd felt.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Rose winked. "Got a little snuggly with the gorgeous raccoon, did you? Wait, no need to answer. You're blushing as red as a beet."

Verbena checked over her shoulder to make sure her other sisters were occupied. As they were all busy chatting and laughing with Gemma, she was in the clear. "There may have been kissing."

"Ooh, wonderful. I'm so glad." Rose stopped teasing. She squeezed Verbena's hand gently. "You need a good man to love you, after what Ernest did to you."

"It's scary." Down deep, beneath the joy, was that single truth. "Even if I know it can't go anywhere."

"Hey!" Magnolia interrupted, sidling in, a blond bundle of energy. "What are we talking about? You know I'm nosy."

"We're talking about you," Rose teased, giving Magnolia a shoulder-nudge. "We were saying how sorry we feel for poor Tyler wanting to marry you."

"He doesn't know what he's getting into," Verbena teased, rolling her eyes.

"That could be true." Magnolia beamed happily. "But after the wedding ceremony, it will be too late."

Their laughter was interrupted by the jangle of the bell over the door. Everyone turned to stare at the unfamiliar woman who inched in to stand in the doorway. She was petite, maybe in her late twenties, wearing an old wool coat at least two sizes too large and a fraying knit cap over blond curls.

"Hello," Gemma greeted her warmly from behind the counter. "Can I help you find something?"

"Oh, I'm not here to shop, I'm so sorry." The woman had a dear face with apple cheeks and a rounded, carved chin. "I'm lost, I'm afraid. I tried following my directions, but I must have written them down wrong. I'm looking for the Rocking M Ranch."

"Do you think she's answering Aumaleigh's add?" Verbena whispered.

Both Rose and Magnolia nodded.

"Well, we'd be happy to help you with that." Daisy took over, gave Gemma a final thank you and crossed the store, looking polished and lovely in her coat and the pretty blue dress ruffle swirling around her ankles. "We live next door to the Rocking M. It's not too far at all. Just a mile straight out of town. Let me see your directions and we'll get you headed the right way."

"Oh, thank you. I'm ever so grateful." The woman pushed a stray lock out of her worried eyes. "Then you must know Miss McPhee?"

"Yes, Aumaleigh," Daisy said, heading out the door with the woman. They stood on the boardwalk together. Daisy pointed and talked, the woman nodded, listening. It wasn't hard to spot the patch on the woman's coat sleeve or notice how wash worn the fabric was on the hem of her dress showing beneath the coat.

That had been them, all five of them, not long ago. This time last year, they were scraping to pay off the last of the medical debt and still manage to pay room and board for all of them. Verbena gazed down at her dress, at the pretty wool fabric of the garment she'd bought readymade in Deer Springs. She wished with all her might that the woman there, with the patches and the burden of worry, would have a good turn in her future.

"Should we do more to help her?" she asked Rose and Magnolia.

"Well, I don't see her horse." Magnolia bit her lip, perhaps thinking of their past too. "I think she's on foot."

"Oh." All the way from Deer Springs? Now Verbena felt really bad. She launched away from her sisters, buttoning her coat as she went. The bell chimed above her, cheerfully announcing her presence on the boardwalk.