Luke’s Runaway Bride (6 page)

How did she wind up this near to him? She squirmed away.

“Hey, come back here, it’s almost cleaned up.” He moved closer, poured water from his canteen onto the cloth and wiped her forehead. When he looked into her eyes again, her pulse rushed like a waterfall.

His gaze went lower, down to her quivering lips and then back up. A powerful awareness shot through her. He seemed different than he had last night. Gone was the hardened stranger and in his place was a compassionate man, rugged and appealing.

“Let me help you to your feet.”

“No, it’s all right…” She shouldn’t allow herself to be swayed. He was her captor and she was his prisoner.

It was too late to stop him. Attempting to pull her up, he grasped her upper arms, but squeezed the sore one by mistake. She yelped.

“You’re hurt.” He released her. His face creased with concern as his gaze skimmed over the jacket. “Where?”

“My right arm.”

“Let me check to see if it’s broken.”

“No, please—”

He was unbuttoning the sheepskin jacket before she could stop him, his warm hand grazing her shoulder, trailing down her bare arm. She tried to ignore his touch and the tingling sensations.

“It’s not broken, thank God,” he said. His charcoal-gray eyes, flecked with cinnamon-brown, glistened as he looked at her. A knot tightened in her belly.

His fingers slid from under the jacket, more of a caress than a withdrawal. His gaze slid down to her mouth.

She knew it was coming, but in her mind she whispered
No.

She heard a shameless moan of surrender. Good grief, it was coming from her. She turned her face away so his lips couldn’t meet hers. His mouth grazed her earlobe instead, sending a shudder through her body.

She thought turning away would stop him, but he kept going, hungrily kissing her jaw, skimming his lips along her throat. She gasped. No man had ever kissed her neck before, and his warm lips were as soft as butterflies. Although untouched, her nipples ached, as if he were teasing them with feathers.

His lips tantalized her throat to the base of the hollow. In a rush of desire, she arched her neck. How would his demanding lips feel on hers?

No. This was bad. This should stop.

She tried to wrench away. He followed, not allowing a break. She gasped for air. “Please…”

How would Daniel react to seeing her here? Shame tore at her. “No. I said
no—
”

She ripped free, raised a palm and slapped him hard across the face. “I’m engaged to a man you call your
friend.
”

He blinked. She watched the red stain of her handprint rise on his cheek. Who the hell did he think he was?

Regret flitted across his face. He slid the jacket closed.

With a shaky sigh, he turned away. “You have my word this won’t happen again. Button up. I’ll help you back on the horse. We’ve got miles to go.”

There was no way in hell anyone was going to take advantage of Daniel Kincaid. Daniel bit off the tip of his fresh cigar and spat it into the dusty street. If he came within five feet of Luke McLintock, he guaranteed Luke wouldn’t rise from the dirt for days.

Dressed in a freshly pressed worsted wool suit, silk vest, cravat and overcoat, he rubbed at the kink in his neck. Blazes, he needed a drink. He smacked his dry lips together and lit his stogy. His temples pounded from lack of sleep.

What the hell was McLintock trying to prove?

For cryin’ out loud, it was just a kid they were fighting over. A Mexican. And how did anyone know for sure who the father was? Might be anyone. Hell, it might be Luke.

The only reason Daniel had paid that waitress, Maria, was because he’d been a sitting duck. It was her word against his, but she’d seemed content, and
quieter,
with two extra dollars in her pocket each month. He shouldn’t have given her that.

If McLintock told Jenny anything about the boy, Daniel would deny every word.

Was he expected to give up his life for this kid?

His mouth twisted. Hellfire! If he knew Luke at all, Luke’d have the kid off his hands quicker than lightning. Luke didn’t want the boy any more than he did.

Daniel gritted his teeth, chomping into the cigar. The bitter taste seeped across his tongue. Since when had Luke become so high and mighty? What had happened to the little squirt who used to follow Daniel around, mirroring his every step as if Daniel were a knight of the round table? Now Luke had proved he was no better than his lowly father.

Cripes, if the bullet had struck an inch lower, McLintock would have dropped dead…

A flash of sunlight blasted off the bank window into Daniel’s eyes. Squinting, he turned the corner.

Blazes. The gun had gone off by accident. Was that why McLintock was doing this? To get even for the bullet graze? So what! McLintock had tried to grab the derringer out of his hand. So Daniel had let him have it! He wished now he’d pulled the trigger deliberately, and hadn’t weakened at the last minute.

And yeah, he’d called the sheriff. McLintock needed to be thrown in jail. Anything to stop him from spreading a false rumor about the boy. Daniel’s shoulders stiffened. His fury yesterday was nothing compared to how he felt today.

He reached the office door and thrust a gold key into the lock.

“Mornin’, Mr. Kincaid, sir,” the night guard rumbled. A former boxer from New York City, Harley Cobbs scoured the street, on the lookout for anything unusual. Daniel had hired him three years ago, the minute he’d laid eyes on Harley’s face, which was as broad and gnarled as the trunk of a weathered pine. Daniel bet if you sliced his skin, you’d see the rings.

“No trouble last night, sir. The office was quiet.”

Daniel turned the knob and kicked the door. He already knew that. The
trouble
had already fled town, most likely by the quickest method available—the train. Reaching Cheyenne by horseback would take two to three days. “Tell the two other men I don’t need ’em anymore.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.” No sense paying for extra security when it wasn’t necessary. Yesterday, he’d hired additional men to protect the office. He hadn’t thought of protecting Jenny, and knowing he’d been outwitted made him seethe. McLintock would pay.

Stalking into his private office, Daniel scanned his morning appointments. It was up to him to make the next move. What else could McLintock do but sit and wait for a response?

In the meantime, Daniel had to deal with Jenny’s father, Nyland Eriksen. Luckily the old geezer was out of town.

What would Nyland say if he knew about the kid? Nyland wouldn’t give his daughter so freely. Daniel’s hands trembled as he butted out his cigar. It’d taken him ten years to get here, on the verge of the best deal this side of the Rockies, a deal with the Union Pacific. A deal with Nyland Eriksen.

Daniel deserved it. He’d scouted and surveyed land for fifteen years, using his wits and know-how to predict where the next tracks would be laid. Over yonder in that flood-prone valley, or dynamiting through the hills? As soon as Daniel was married to Jenny, Nyland promised him a permanent deal. A ten-year contract as the official scout for the railroad. Damned if Luke McLintock was going to blow this deal.

Did he think he could compete with Daniel? Did he think they were in the same league? Why, McLintock would always be nothing but a workin’ class boy. Scrapin’ the manure off other people’s boots. Servin’ them penny beer, for cripes sake, when Daniel was making deals of twenty thousand dollars a crack.

And beautiful Jenny being terrorized by the bastard…why, she was nothing more than a little kitten who needed protecting. Like all women did. Her and her silly notions of opening a store. Daniel planned on keeping her so busy with a brood of her own, she wouldn’t have time to do much else. Thankfully, she could hold her own in business conversations with the mayor and the governor and anyone else Daniel entertained, and he was sure proud to show her off on his arm. Her lush body and quick mind were a delightful bonus, although being Nyland’s daughter would have been enough.

“Morning, Daniel,” cooed a feminine voice behind him.

He spun on his chair and peered up at Sally Bloomfield, one of his clerks. “Mornin’.”

She rubbed her ruby lips together and played with a strand of her brown curls. Well now, didn’t she look tempting? Her curves strained the fabric of her lace blouse, teasing him with a hint of rosy tips. Why was she wearing that blouse? She knew how much he liked it. He had an urge to lay her over the desk and take her, like he had on many occasions. But he was engaged now, and had every intention of living up to his new standards. Four weeks, and he hadn’t strayed. He deserved a medal.

His stare was bold. “I told you before, address me as Mr. Kincaid.”

Sally’s smile faded into a pucker.

He glanced through the office window. “Go get your papers in order. I’ve got a client to tend to.” Stiffly, he edged his tall, muscular frame around her and kept walking.

His business with the miner didn’t take long. The young man was leaving when the doorbell jingled. Daniel glanced up to see who it was.

Queasiness rolled down his spine. “Did you make it in all the way from the Springs this morning, Mrs. Walters?”

The gray-haired woman straightened her bonnet. “Yep, took me nearly two hours.”

“So the train derailment’s been fixed?”

“Yep.”

Oh, hellfire. That meant Nyland would be back in town, looking for his daughter. That changed everything. Daniel excused himself. “Harley, step into my office.”

They crossed through the sunshine beating through the bars of the front windows. Daniel shoved his finger beneath his sweaty collar. His cravat was tighter than a noose. He closed the office door. “I want you to take a trip.”

“Where to?” The ex-boxer curled his hand over the walnut grip of his gun.

“We’re going to Cheyenne. Get two tickets for this evening’s train.” Daniel sputtered with indignation as he explained the situation, sticking to his story about the robbery, and adding a kidnapping-for-ransom charge. “It’s a messy situation. Let’s keep it quiet, so Nyland Eriksen doesn’t find out.”

Something in Harley seemed to come alive. His tired eyes blazed with eagerness. “Are we bringin’ McLintock back?”

“No, just the two women.”

“What should I do to him?”

“Stay behind a few days.” Daniel crossed his arms, leaned against his desk and crossed one booted foot in front of the other. “Get him alone,” he said calmly. “Then I want you to break some bones. Make him feel it.”

Once again in the saddle behind Luke, Jenny tried to pull away. He’d removed his coat, and only the thin cloth of his shirt separated them. Why did he have to be the type of man a woman couldn’t ignore?

He yanked her closer. “You’ll fall off again. Hold tight.”

“I don’t want to.” But she let her arms stay where he placed them, around his muscled waist. She was still shaken from her fall, and the ground below seemed awfully far down.

Her palms were slipping with sweat. A line of perspiration ran down his spine. His back muscles, under the soft cloth where she held him, grew damp, and she swallowed. Her breathing lost its rhythm every time she touched him. What was wrong with her? She wriggled away.

Why had she let him kiss her throat? Why hadn’t she pulled away sooner? It was fear that made her heart pound, she told herself. She didn’t fear Daniel, and that’s why her heart never pounded like this when
he
kissed her.

Daniel took pains to make her feel comfortable. He never took her anywhere without the proper chaperon, and she wouldn’t be caught dead with him, alone like this.

Another hour passed, but her misery didn’t lessen. The sun’s heat blazed through the jacket. She had a permanent squint from the glare. There was nothing but sagebrush ahead. Two speckled birds chirped from a tree they passed and a jackrabbit darted out from a shrub and slipped into a pocket of dirt.

When would she see Olivia again? Jenny scanned the rolling hills, squinting through the shimmering light, hoping to see someone. A ranch or farmhouse. Anything.

Nothing but dried grass and tumbleweeds. “How much farther?”

“We’re close. Over this hill.” The stallion climbed the gentle slope. Jenny poked her head around Luke’s shoulder to look. Pines and aspens grew along one side of the valley. There must be a stream below. The vegetation was thicker and greener there.

She sighed. “And this is where Olivia and your man Tom are waiting?”

“Hold on now, I didn’t promise they’d meet us here.”

She sprang up. “
What?
Another trick? But you said—”

“I said they’d meet us in Cheyenne. And they will, in due time.”

Her mouth opened in protest, then closed. Maybe he was lying about ever bringing them together. Maybe she’d have to escape on her own and come back to rescue Olivia.

They crested the hill. The green valley revealed a ranch house and stable, and he was heading straight for them. Who did the ranch belong to? Cattle grazed the fenced slopes, forty or fifty head. She spotted two horses tethered by the hitching post. Would she dare to take one?

Would the opportunity arise?

Their mount slowed as they approached the well-kept homestead. A deep green pond shimmered beside them, the reeds around it thick and as tall as people. The reeds rustled and a muddy boy jumped out, surprising her.

Luke pulled back on the reins to stop the horse. The boy dashed to his side, holding a twisted stick. “You’re home, you’re home!”

Jenny reared back. Who was this child?

With shaggy black hair, he was no more than four or five. He stood barefooted, his skin bronzed the color of gold. His rumpled shirttails were laced with grime and his fingernails blackened with dirt. His smile, though, was a genuine flash of white. And, aimed straight for Luke.

Did Luke have a son? The shocking thought hit her full force.

“Adam,” Luke roared from the saddle, “I can’t believe how dirty one little boy can get.”