Yesterday's Magic (14 page)

“Oh.” Her pretty pink lips made a small
circle and there was a sudden pull in his gut when he wondered what
it might be like to kiss that mouth. Or, holy shit, have that mouth
wrapped around his cock.

“Are you feeling all right?” she asked. “You
look a little warm.”

“I’m fine,” he said. “We might as well join
them.” He motioned for her to go first.

She hesitated. She looked very serious. “I’m
sorry if I got in the way tonight,” she said.

He started to dismiss the notion but then
noticed that several people at the nearby tables were taking an
interest in their conversation.
You’ve got ‘em talking now.
Yancy’s words rang in his head. People were probably taking one
look at her in that dress and then looking at him, just knowing
that the son was closely following in the father’s footsteps.

“You’re probably not any happier to be here
than I am,” he said. He didn’t shout but he spoke just loud enough
for those close by to hear.

“Yes. Well. I suppose that’s true.” She
turned but not before he caught the hint of hurt in her dark eyes.
She started walking toward the table, moving so fast that he
practically had to hurry to catch up.

Hell. If the night didn’t get better soon,
he’d get a bottle and join Yancy somewhere. Getting drunk sounded
like a damn good option right now.

When they got to the table, the men stood up.
Patience and Madeline, who had chosen to sit next to each other,
remained sitting. They looked at Bella and disapproval shone in
their eyes. Bart and Madeline’s escort had a very different look in
their eyes—that of pure male appreciation—and that made the hair on
the back of Jed’s neck stand up.

Bart waved his hand in the stranger’s
direction. “Jedidiah, this here is Ben Stroud, from up near
Shinoah.”

Jed stuck out his hand. “Jedidiah
McNeil.”

“Sheriff McNeil.” Stroud smiled but it didn’t
reach his eyes. “As you were walking over, Madeline happened to
mention that you’re the law in this town.” He turned his eyes
toward Bella. “And who is your lovely companion?”

Jed had the sudden urge to shove Bella behind
him and then shove a fist into Stroud’s face. “Allow me to present
Mrs. Merribelle Wainwright. She’s from Ohio.” There was no need for
Stroud to get any false hopes that Bella was a local woman.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,
Mrs. Wainwright,” Stroud said. He bowed in Bella’s direction. It
was not done in a manner than any person should find objectionable
yet Jed found himself grinding his back teeth together.

Bart stood behind Patience. “Bella, this is
Miss Patience Devine and her sister, Miss Madeline Devine.”

Bella smiled at the women. They didn’t smile
back.

Jed grabbed the back of the chair next to
Bart, intending to pull it out for Bella. However, she slipped into
the empty chair next to Stroud. Jed sat down and hoped that supper
would be served soon.

It was. And while he and the others ate their
roast beef and potatoes and green beans, he tried to tell himself
that his attitude toward Stroud was influenced by his natural
distaste for strangers in Mantosa. But, as he sipped his coffee
once the dishes had been cleared away, he had to admit that it had
far less to do with the fact that Stroud was a stranger, but rather
that he seemed infatuated with Bella.

The man had spent most of the meal talking to
Bella and ignoring his own girl. That, of course, had set a scowl
on Madeline’s face that did little to increase her
attractiveness.

When it came time to move the tables to the
side and start the dancing, he was relieved when Stroud remembered
his manners and asked Madeline for the first dance. Jed stood next
to Bella, at the far side of the room, directly opposite the
musicians. There were three men. One played a violin, one a guitar,
and the other tapped a tambourine against his leg. He was the only
one of the three singing and Jed had to admit that the man’s voice
was pleasant enough.

The trio had arrived in town the night before
and they’d leave by early morning, on to the next town that would
pay them money to add a little music to an event. What a life. No
roots, no responsibilities. No family.

His sister had surprised him yesterday.
Elizabeth had shown some of her old spunk when she’d insisted he
take Bella to the dance. He’d never been able to say no to her.
That wasn’t usually a problem.

Now, he was obligated to spend an evening
with Bella Wainwright. She had hardly looked at him during dinner.
Now, she was standing stiffly at his side, acting as if she didn’t
care if he ever asked her to dance.

And that would have been just fine if he
hadn’t seen her tapping her toes to the music.

When the first song ended, Jed was relieved
when Bart and Patience remained on the dance floor. He didn’t feel
like making conversation. However, when Ben Stroud led Madeline off
the floor and came and stood entirely too close to Bella, his
stomach started to churn with an emotion that did not in any
fashion resemble relief. And when Stroud leaned close to her and
whispered something in her ear, Jed thought his supper might not
stay in its rightful place.

Without so much as a glance in his direction,
he watched Bella nod at Stroud and then walk onto the dance floor.
Stroud followed. Jed told himself that he didn’t care. Madeline
Devine wasn’t so careful about hiding how she felt about the
situation. She stood there, her mouth hanging open, her breath
coming in short spurts.

He did not intend to discuss it with her. He
looked to his right, saw a group of men gathered near the dessert
table, and headed toward them.

“Gentlemen,” he greeted the group. “Did you
leave a piece of pie for me?” he asked. See. He could make
conversation when he needed to.

Wymer patted his stomach, which hung
significantly over his belt. “I believe that might have been the
best dinner yet.”

Jed had hardly tasted his food. And it was
her fault. “Yes, the ladies should be proud.”

“You brought Freida’s niece didn’t you?”
Wymer asked.

He could feel the hair on the back of his
neck prickle up. “I did.” He resisted the urge to turn around.

Earl Bean, who’d been hovering in the back of
the group, stepped forward. “Whose the fellow that she’s dancing
with?” he asked.

“Ben Stroud. Comes from over near
Shinoah.”

Wymer scratched his chin. “Stroud, you say. A
couple years back I bought a mare from a man named Stroud. Poor
thing never did settle down. I figured somebody had beat the hell
out of her once too often.”

Jed turned around so quickly that his hip
caught the edge of the table. Stroud and Bella were dancing the
polka. He held her at a respectable distance and the two of them,
while not the best dancers he’d ever seen, were managing to do the
music justice.

“Might not have been the same man,” Wymer
said. He tried to pull his pants over his belly but didn’t meet
with much success. “Just the same, I got me a daughter about
Bella’s age and I wouldn’t want to take a chance on her dancing
with a man like that. I suppose you wouldn’t want your sister
dancing with a man like that.”

Wymer’s message was loud and clear. He
thought Jedidiah wasn’t doing his duty.

Christ. His duty was all he’d been doing
since he returned to Mantosa five years ago. “She’s not your
daughter and she’s not my sister. I don’t much care who she dances
with.”

That was enough to send Earl Bean running to
the dance floor. And for the next hour, most every single man who’d
been standing near the table, even Wymer, found their way to the
dance floor. By the time intermission was called and Bella returned
to stand next to Jed, she was breathing hard which did not make the
top of her dress any less tight. He stared at his shoes.

“Seems like you’re having a good time,” he
said.

“I’m so out of shape,” she said.

“What?”

“I mean…I’m a bit winded. Not used to dancing
I guess.”

Her face was flushed, her eyes sparkled, and
wisps of hair clung to her neck. He imagined that she might look
very much the same after spending a night in a man’s bed. Her skin
would taste salty, her breasts would rise and fall with shallow,
quick breaths, and her thighs would be sticky with both his and her
pleasure.

She’d been married. She no doubt knew how to
delight a man, to make him ache with need.

He rubbed his chin. “You know you being a
widow and all, I think you might want to be a bit more careful. Men
could get the wrong idea.”

She turned toward him. “What?”

It occurred to him that she might not
appreciate him passing judgment. God knows he’d had enough people
pass judgment on him and he’d hated every minute of it. It made him
wish he’d never said anything. But damn it, a woman’s reputation
was sometimes all she had. She should be concerned about it. It she
wasn’t, then she should at least be a bit more observant about
Freida’s position. People respected Freida. It wouldn’t do to have
them whispering behind her back.

“Well?” She prompted him. She cocked her head
to the side and the movement caused a strand of her hair to brush
the underside of her chin. And God help him, he could see how soft
her skin looked and it didn’t take much of an imagination to know
how it might feel to place his lips there.

His father had no doubt been fooled by smooth
skin and a subtle scent that seemed to want to drag a man under. “I
don’t know why I need to explain this to you. But since you seem
determined to be deliberately dense, I’ll just say it. You’re a
widow. A woman who has been without a man. People watching you
tonight might get the wrong idea.”

She pressed her lips together. “Your sister
is a widow,” she said finally. “And didn’t I hear you encouraging
her, almost congratulating her, on coming into town yesterday.”

He blew out air—hard enough that she could
not mistake his irritation. “Coming into town and carrying on with
a group of men are two different things.”

She drew herself up. “Carrying on?” she
repeated, her lips barely moving. “Perhaps if you’d have asked me
to dance yourself then I’d have had no opportunity to
carry
on
and embarrass myself and evidently you, too.”

So it was his fault that she’d let ten or
more men hold her tonight. “I guess I’m inclined to favor the
opportunity to choose my partner, rather than having her thrust
upon me.”

She let out a soft gasp and he was fairly
confident she hadn’t done it for his benefit. She looked like she’d
been struck.

“I want to go back to my aunt’s house,” she
said, her tone colder than the outside air.

Christ. He should not have said that. Not
only would Freida and Elizabeth want his head, it simply wasn’t
fair to Bella. He’d had his opportunity to step aside and let Earl
Bean escort her to the dance but he hadn’t taken it. “Bella,
I’m—”

“Please,” she interrupted. “Can we just
go?”

He’d hurt her and he wasn’t proud of that.
Hell, maybe he could just go find a sick cat or an old dog to kick,
too. Hopefully by the time they’d reached Freida’s, she’d have
cooled enough to accept his apology. “I’ll tell Freida that we’re
taking our leave,” he said.

She turned her back to him. He wound his way
through the dancers. Freida and Thomas were standing by the food
table, enjoying a glass of punch.

“Jedidiah,” she said. “I haven’t seen you
dance much tonight. Is something wrong?”

I’m afraid that if I hold your niece, I
might not want to let go, and that scares the hell out of me.
He shook his head. “No. I came to tell you that Bella and I are
leaving now, Freida.”

She studied him. “There’s at least another
hour of dancing, Jedidiah.”

“I know. But I don’t want to leave the
Sheriff’s office empty too long.” It was an excuse she’d
believe.

Thomas stepped forward. “Freida and I can see
Bella home safely if you need to get back to work.”

It was another opportunity to rid himself of
Bella Wainwright. But he hadn’t yet apologized. “You two stay and
enjoy the dance. Good night.”

He walked to the door. Bella already had her
cloak on and it was buttoned up to her chin. She waited while he
put his coat on and then she walked out of Stonemark Hall without a
word to him.

“It’ll take me a minute to go get the team,”
he said. “You might want to wait inside.”

She didn’t answer.

The fool woman. It was much colder now than
when they’d arrived and the wind had picked up, too. If he hadn’t
done his duty by dancing with her, he was surely not doing his duty
now. “Please, will you wait inside?” he asked.

She stared at him.

Christ. She was the most stubborn woman. He
turned and headed for his rig.

Bella counted to ten as she watched Jedidiah
walk away. The man drove her crazy. He’d practically goaded her
into coming to the dance with him but from the minute he’d picked
her up at Freida’s, she’d sensed that he was pretty freaked out
about the whole thing. He’d hardly spoken to her during dinner.

Ben Stroud had either taken pity on her or
he’d been bored with his own date. He’d spent most of dinner
talking to her; unfortunately, it had been about how great he was.
Great shot, great hunter, and some bold hints about his prowess as
a lover. She’d tuned him out until he started talking about playing
cards. He’d bragged about how he’d recently won a large pot from a
man reputed to have more money than sense.

As he’d described the man, her throat had
closed up and she’d had to force herself to swallow. She was sure,
based on how her father had described Toomay, that Stroud was
describing the same man. She’d been even more certain when Stroud
told her that he’d heard that the man was on his way to Mantosa and
that Stroud intended to stick around for a few days so that he
could take another large sum off the man’s hands.