The Outlaw Takes A Bride (The Burnett Brides) (14 page)

Yet there was a certain mysteriousness and worldliness about her that led him to believe she was not an innocent but a woman who knew about the intimacies of life. He couldn’t help but wonder about the man who had showed her how to be a woman.

He couldn’t help but stare at her; the fiery highlights in her hair flittered in the candlelight like tiny shooting stars. She was warm, responsive, and if he had been a less honorable man, she’d be doing more than just sleeping in his room.

It was surprising he had some measure of honor left after all these years that still held him in check.

He took a deep breath to calm the erratic beating of his heart. “So you were an only child.”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly.

“Is it true that only children are spoiled?” he asked not really caring about her answer, just wanting to hear her talk, to see the vivid expressions on her lovely face.

She laughed and he couldn’t help but think how nice it was to hear the sound.

“Somewhat. But what people don’t tell you are the high expectations placed on an only child. After all, your parents only have one chance to do it right. Not to mention the fact that there’s no one there to share the laughter, the responsibilities, and the burdens. I would have loved to have had siblings.”

Beth had gone from laughing and playful to serious, and he resisted the urge to reach across the table and hold her hand. He wanted to, but somehow he knew it wasn’t appropriate. Damn the proprieties! He wanted to touch her, feel her silky skin beneath his own.

She smiled, though the sadness in her eyes still lingered. “I’ve talked all evening, and you’ve said very little. So where is home?”

He raised his hand and signaled for the check. It was time to go. Her questions were becoming more focused.

The waiter brought over the check, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the necessary coins.

“Wherever I lay my head, that’s where I call my home.” He stood and pulled back her chair.

“I think you’re avoiding the subject,” she said, rising from her seat, her interest clearly piqued.

“Maybe. It’s been so long since I went home that I’m sure they’ve forgotten about me.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I didn’t leave under the best of circumstances,” he said, taking her by the arm and leading her toward the staircase.

“Even more reason for you to go home and straighten things out,” she said.

“Not likely.”

He could never return home and face his father, mother, and brothers. His past was anything but honorable, and having to face his father was impossible.

The comfortable atmosphere that had enveloped them since Beth’s return evaporated, leaving Tanner feeling uneasy as they trod up the steps of the hotel.

A thought crossed his mind. What would he do if the couple next door were as busy tonight as they had been last night? Surely the man next door wouldn’t get lucky two nights in a row.

He opened the door, and Beth stepped into the hotel room that had been their sanctuary, their home, since her accident. A feeling of dread came over Tanner.

The air seemed thick and heavy with the remembrances of the night before. Every little creak and groan caused Tanner to jump for fear the couple next door were about to repeat their performance.

“I bet you’re feeling tired, since you went for a walk today,” he asked, hoping that she would just go to bed and he could slip out for a while.

“Not really.” She sat down in the chair, watching him expectantly.

“Have you read today’s newspaper?” he asked, starting to pace the floor.

“Twice.”

She glanced at him, and her eyes darkened to a deep green, her pupils wide and dilated. She swallowed nervously. God, just looking at her left him with little doubts as to what she was thinking.

“Want me to set up the checker board tonight?” he asked, a restless energy preventing him from sitting down.

“No.” She went to her reticule, which lay open on the dresser. “Why don’t you go smoke one of those cigars you’re so fond of while I get ready for bed. I think I’d like to take a quick bath and slip into my nightgown.”

He swallowed. The thought of her slipping into that soft nightgown, the one that was a luminous white, that clung to every curve, every voluptuous inch, the one that shadowed the nipples of her breast, was too tempting, and he agreed. It was time for a cigar.

“Take your time. I’ll be back in a little while,” he said, hurrying out the door, and shutting it firmly behind him. He leaned against the frame and took a deep breath. God, he didn’t know how much more close proximity to this woman he could take. She was soft, appealing, and sexy as hell, but worse than that, he enjoyed being with her, and that scared him worst of all.

***

Tanner found himself sitting at the counter of the White Elephant Saloon, a block from the hotel. He’d needed more than a cigar. He’d needed a sip of whiskey to dull how much he wanted Beth.

She was a lady. He was an outlaw. And she would soon be married, though the idea of seducing her was a temptation dreams were made of. But it was a deed he could never attempt. He’d caused more heartache in his short life than one person should be allowed, and he was not about to accrue yet another offense.

Still, the thought of her languishing naked in a tub filled with warm water was enough to require a second drink.

And that was the one that got him into trouble.

Tanner sat at the bar thinking about Beth, dreaming of the way her breasts peeked through the cotton material of her gown, the way she appeared, so gentle and kind, but with such a strong spirit. He couldn’t help but remember the way she had withstood the pain while he had held her down and Doc Benson removed the bullet.

Yes, she was a lady, but she was a strong, decent person, and he wasn’t going to corrupt her with his ways.

“So I finally caught up with you without your lady friend.” The voice came out of the blue, sending his heart into rapid pulsating.

Tanner jerked around at the sound of a voice he immediately recognized.

He tried not to let his surprise show. “Hi, Sam, sit down and I’ll buy you a beer.”

“Thanks, don’t mind if I do.”

The bartender drew a draught of beer and sat the mug in front of Sam, the man who had robbed Beth’s stage.

“We’d just about given up on you ever riding with us again. Where you been?” the outlaw asked.

“Had some things here in town that I needed to take care of,” Tanner drawled trying to slow his racing heart and get his nerves under control.

“Yeah, I saw what you’ve been taking care of. She’s a right pretty little piece, too.”

Tanner only smiled.

“So why don’t the two of you come out to where we’re staying. You know where it is. After all, you’ve been there before.”

“Yeah, I know where you’re at. I’ve been busy.”

Sam drank from his glass, greedily gulping almost half the beer.

“You know, Jackson, I’ve gotten the feeling you don’t want to be with us anymore.”

“No, I’ve just been busy, that’s all. Women can take up all your time.”

Sam stared at him, picked up his drink, and downed it. “I’m going over to the Palace and try out Miss Jane’s girls. Why don’t you come with me? We’ll make a night of it.”

“Sounds like fun, but well, she’s waiting for me, and I think I’m going to finish my beer and call it a night.”

Sam set his empty glass on the counter and then stared at Tanner.

“Bring her out soon, Jackson. We’d all like a piece of her.”

Anger flared like an explosion in a mine shaft, but Tanner managed to hide it.

He shrugged. “I’m not much good at sharing, but I’ll be out there soon enough, Sam.”

“You do that.”

The outlaw stood and walked out the door, leaving Tanner alone, trying to hide the fact that he was shaking, he was so angry.

Sam wanted him to bring Beth out to the hideout where his men would insist on sharing her.

That was it. He would not harm Beth deliberately even if it meant destroying the rest of his life. Though the doctor had wanted her to wait another week, Beth’s life suddenly seemed to be in more danger here in town than from a horseback ride.

Tanner couldn’t just put her on a stagecoach and send her on to Fort Worth, where Sam and his boys might hold it up again. He couldn’t just let her fend for herself. But taking her to Fort Worth would mean days together on the trail. No matter what he did, Tanner was going to come out the loser, but he really had no choice.

He was taking a huge risk, and he knew it. But it seemed small compared to the danger that Beth would be in if she stayed here, where Sam could find her. Tanner couldn’t let anything happen to Beth.

It was too late to leave tonight, but they would be departing at first light.

Tanner opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Beth wrapped in a towel, her long, bare legs exposed to his gaze.

She blushed. “I ... I took longer than I expected.”

“I’ll come back,” he said, stepping back into the hall, determined to go anywhere to get away from the sight of Beth in that clinging wet towel and all that exposed skin.

“No, uh, I’m almost done,” she said hurriedly, her hazel eyes warm and languid. “Just turn around and close the door.”

Reluctantly, he stepped into the room and shut the door. He turned to face the portal, feeling as if he were confronting a firing squad. How could she be almost done when she’d been wearing nothing but a towel?

This was torture. He could hear her rustling behind him. The noises were intimate swishes of cloth brushing against naked flesh, and his mind supplied the picture while Beth provided the sounds that made him want to groan. Why had he come back to the room so soon?

For a brief moment he wished that he were that piece of cloth being rubbed against her satiny skin, over her lovely breasts, between her thighs and down her long legs.

The image of her naked was so vivid that this time he did groan, which he promptly covered with a cough.

“Are you getting sick?” she asked, her voice breathy from her actions.

“I’m fine,” he snapped.

God, he was lying. He was about to die from just standing there in the same room while she finished toweling off.

“You can turn around now. I’m dressed,” she said.

When he faced her, she was sitting before the dresser, running a comb through her long auburn locks, which hung almost to her waist. Her cheeks were rosy and flushed from her bath. Damp tendrils of hair clung to her nape and face; the luminous nightgown flowed over her curves like a river clinging to its banks.

He drank in the sight of her and knew there was no way he could abandon her. He could never leave her to the mercy of a madman like Sam Bass. No matter what the consequences to himself, he had to take her to Fort Worth and deliver her safely into the hands of her new husband-to-be. But he wasn’t ready to tell her of their change in plans just yet.

“How’s your shoulder?” he asked, knowing that the next few days would test her strength.

“It’s better. It’s still sore, but I can move it a bit now.”

She was getting well, and while he was glad, he knew that their time together was drawing to a close. Though it was for the best, he wasn’t ready for their brief idyll to end. Unbeknownst to her, tomorrow morning he would take her to the man who was waiting for her.

Irrational anger surged through him. He didn’t want to take her to any man, especially one who was going to marry her. But he had no choice, and he needed to accept the fact that at this time tomorrow he and Beth would be on their way to Fort Worth.

He walked over to the table and began to remove his gun belt, taking his Colt navy revolvers out and laying them close at hand.

He took a seat in the chair, then reached down and tugged on his boots. He was tired, and it was best they make it an early night, for dawn would find them on the road.

“If you’d like, I could ring for a bath to be brought up for you?” she offered, glancing at him from the dressing table, where she sat.

Bathing here in the same room with her was more than he was willing to risk. As it was, the whole evening had taken on an intimate hue. First with her bath and now with him sitting here watching as she combed the curls that wound down her back, fighting the desire to run his fingers through her tresses.

“No, thanks.”

She shrugged and continued pulling the comb through her long auburn locks. The greenish tint of her eyes caught his attention, and his gaze held hers in the mirror. A look passed between them that seemed to ignite a flare along the base of his spine, sending hot flashes of need curling through him.

Damn, but he wanted her.

She cleared her throat nervously.

“Did you have a nice smoke?”

He gazed at her, his frustration mounting at the way his body responded to her. “Yeah.”