Sterling's Way (Lawmen & Outlaws) (15 page)

“Do you enjoy your work? Do you like owning a sawmill?”

He stopped walking, so she had no choice but to do the same. They had reached a bend in the stream. A cluster of large cottonwoods hung low, providing dense shade and welcome coolness.

“Very much, although I don’t wonder if I’m biased because I’ve never done anything else. I’ve nothing to compare what I do there against what I could do elsewhere.” He pondered a moment more, and then added, “But since I’m content, I suppose it doesn’t matter that I’ve only attempted one profession. The roundabout answer is yes, I do enjoy what I do. Sorry it took so long to get to the point.” His quiet laughter blended flawlessly with the sound of the burbling creek water.

“You got to the point, and that’s all that matters.”

She fanned her face with one hand while she looked around for a place to rest. Another log, longer and wider than the one where they had left their hats, was just a few feet away. With a nod in its direction, Kristen asked, “Do you mind?”

“Not at all. I could use some time off my toes, too.”

They sat on the log in companionable silence for a few minutes. It felt like they were the only two people in the universe and Kristen loved the thought. At that moment, she didn’t need—or want—anything more than what she had beside her.

Just when she thought she might burst out in unrestrained laughter from the sheer joy of the moment, Jack turned to face her. He stuck a hand in his jacket pocket and pulled out a small paper-wrapped bundle. He held it out to her.

“I saw these and thought you might like them.”

Kristen hesitated. Back home, accepting a gift from a gentleman implied some social obligation. But here, where the world was wild and bundles were tied with butcher’s string? Was it acceptable to take a gift from a man without having first agreed on their degree of entanglement?

She didn’t care. Jack, and his gift, was the best parts of her life since she had left home. Whether or not being friendly with him, or taking his token, was socially acceptable or not wasn’t worth the effort to consider.

Smiling her delight, Kristen took the package. It was light in her hand, so weightless it seemed impossible that anything could lay hidden beneath the paper.

“Open it,” Jack prompted. Pleasure showed clearly in his eyes as he watched her undo the wrappings.

The earrings were simply made but elegant, with stones so vibrant they stole her breath. The turquoise seemed to glow as she ran a light fingertip across one earring. It warmed against her skin when she lifted them from the wrapping.

“Oh, Jack. They’re beautiful.”

“I hoped you might think so.” Jack waited until she clipped them to her ear lobes before he went on. “My mother had a pair just like these. When I was a little boy and I’d try hard to remember my mother, I would picture her wearing the earrings and imagine her as a queen.” He stopped, and then reached a fingertip to touch the left earring. His fingers brushed the side of Kristen’s neck. His nearness raised gooseflesh on her arms but she hardly felt it.

“I’m touched beyond words.” She stopped, wondering how to proceed. Never before had she received such a thoughtful gift, and she wanted Jack to know how much she appreciated the gesture. “I…” Kristen swallowed around the words caught in her throat, and then met his gaze. “I love them.”

Jack’s fingers spread along the back of her neck. He pulled her close as he leaned forward. Kristen’s heart quickened when she realized what he meant to do but she made no attempt to avoid what seemed inevitable.

It was destiny, pure and simple. When Jack’s tender kiss brushed across her waiting lips, she knew that every moment in her life had been leading up to this one, perfect kiss.

Chapter Sixteen

Julia held the length of yellow muslin up for inspection. Sunlight filtered through the parlor windows, making the fabric glow like gold.

“Isn’t it the prettiest thing? Patrick is so sweet. Said it reminded him of me.” Julia’s voice held more than a hint of pride.

Since Patrick called upon her the previous afternoon, all anyone at Brown’s Rest heard about was the visit, the man or what the man said, thought or did.

They all hoped the newness of the courtship would wear off in due time. Until then, Kristen did what everyone else had been doing; she smiled, listened patiently and nodded a great deal. She didn’t mind, not really, half-listening to the chatter. It gave her plenty of time to reflect on her own adventure from the day before.

Jack had not tried to go further than the one perfect kiss, and for that Kristen was truly grateful. It was fine to be desired, but she had no interest in being pawed. Any man who wanted her body first had to claim her heart. Jack had done the first, but there seemed to be no way for their relationship to progress, and that stabbed like a knife to the quick of her. How could she give herself heart and soul to a man who intended to leave town at the conclusion of his business?

It seemed hopeless. But…the memory of their kiss chased all other thoughts far from Kristen’s mind. So far, in fact, she forgot to nod and murmur, something Julia quickly noticed.

“Kristen, are you all right? You seem awful quiet. Are you feeling poorly?”

“No need for concern. I feel fine, thank you. I just…oh, I guess I was just wool-gathering. Sorry.”

“Aw, don’t go apologizing to me.” Julia carefully folded the yellow fabric into a small rectangle, and then hugged it against her chest. “I know I’m rattling on and on about Patrick. You must be getting tired of hearing me but you know I just can’t help myself. That man…he makes my middle—oh I don’t know how to explain it. He makes me feel all fuzzy inside, like I don’t rightly know what I’m supposed to be doing. He makes me feel…”

“Fluttery,” Kristen breathed.

“That’s exactly right! I feel kind of fluttery inside, like I have a flock of sparrows locked up beneath my ribcage. Do you think that’s normal, Kristen? I’ve never felt this way before, and I wonder if it ain’t—oops!
if it isn’t
—somehow strange. What do you think?”

With a small sigh, and a similar fluttery, caged-bird feeling, Kristen said, “I think it’s absolutely the way you should feel when you’ve met someone special.”

Julia’s arms tightened, and she hugged the fabric closer. “Mmm…that’s got to be it. That Patrick, he sure is something else…”

She squeezed Julia’s shoulder as she brushed past her on the way to the front door. It was still early in the day, but Kristen planned to take a short stroll along the walkway. If she was lucky, she might run into her own someone special…

Just as Kristen placed her bonnet on her head and began to tie the ribbons, Julia started. Slapping herself on the forehead, Julia said, “I nearly forgot to tell you—a man came calling on you just before dinnertime yesterday. You were out, but he said he’d be back.”

Slowly, Kristen turned to face the other woman. Feigning calmness, she asked, “A man? Did he give his name?”

“No name, but he did have an accent. Kind of eastern, the same as yours.” Julia lowered her voice and grinned. “If it’s any help, he was very good-looking. Tall, with a mustache, and dressed like a businessman. Suit, tie, polished shoes…looked out of place here in the land of the red dust, but he sure was a cool drink of water in the blazing sun. Land sakes, Kristen—you do know how to attract the handsome fellers, don’t you?”

She smiled wanly. Yesterday’s visitor could only mean one thing.

Suddenly the bright morning seemed dark and dismal. Wordlessly Kristen removed her bonnet. She turned and went up to her room, her mind working so fast negotiating the stairs was a challenge.

****

“Thank you for coming into my office, Jack. Please, be seated.”

Randall Brown’s message had come shortly after daybreak. Jack had taken his time shaving and dressing, not wanting to appear to be at the banker’s beck and call. Too, he figured the land grabber might want to settle their differences in the fashion of the place, and if he was to take part in a gunfight before day’s end he at least wanted to be groomed for the occasion.

But Brown didn’t look like he wanted to fight. He waited until Jack sat down before he sat heavily in the desk chair. For a long, tense minute neither man spoke.

Then, the banker plowed his fingers through his hair. It stood up at odd angles, and had his expression been less frustrated Jack might have grinned at the sight of him. But Brown’s hangdog face, and the tense straight line he formed with his lips, discouraged glee.

“I don’t know what to say.” Brown spread his hands wide, palms up and fingers splayed. “This has never happened to me before, and I just don’t know what to say about it. I’m shocked by what I’ve learned, what I’ve unwittingly been a party to. My father, and my grandfather, would be so disappointed if they knew…for once, I’m glad they’re gone, not around to see my disgrace. I’ve brought shame upon my family, and upon myself. I am sorrier than I can say.”

Jack recognized penitence when he saw it. He could also identify a man who wore the burden of mortification heavy on his shoulders. Randall Brown was a study in both.

“Why not start at the beginning? Tell me what happened. Maybe together we can figure out something to do about whatever it is.”

Hope glimmered in the other man’s eyes. Without a second’s hesitation, he reached into the top desk drawer and pulled out a bundle of papers. A pulse hammered in Jack’s temple. He recognized the parcel instantly.

“Before we talk, I think I should return what’s rightfully yours.”

****

Two hours later, Jack emerged from the bank with the deed in his breast pocket, just over his heart. He couldn’t wait to place it in Granny’s hands again.

A pang of guilt stuck him when he thought of his grandmother. How could he have doubted her grasp on reality? Granny was old, but she wasn’t feebleminded. He would remember it in the future.

Perhaps a small gift, a token of the Wyoming Territory might please her. The Emporium had a nice selection of gee-gaws and frippery. It was still early. He had time to take a peek at the merchandise and choose something appropriate for Granny.

As he took a step off the walk and into the street, the bank’s door opened again and the marshal stepped outside.

“That was quite a thing you did inside there, Mr. Sterling.” Marshal Gifford looked carved from the same stone that made up the mesas surrounding Brown’s Point. His skin was sun-toughened and his hair bleached. With the silver star pinned to his chest, Gifford looked every inch the western lawman.

“It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t see pressing charges against a man who had been duped by one of his own employees. How could he know his assistant, the man he trusted implicitly to carry out his request to buy land at a fair and equitable price, was pocketing the cash and stealing deeds? Brown thought those deeds were bought on the up-and-up. If anyone’s to blame, it’s that snake he hired to buy property for him.”

Marshal Gifford spat a long, brown stream of tobacco juice into the dirt. Then he wiped the back of one hand across his mouth, disgust on his grizzled face. “Mark my words, I’ll blame that varmint all right—just as soon as I catch him. That snake can’t get too far, not with the posse I intend to rustle up this very morning. Yessir, that land robber will get what’s coming to him.”

“What more could I ask for?” Jack smiled, hoping to put an end to the conversation.

The lawman had more to say. “You could’ve asked for a whole lot more than you got, that’s what. You could’ve made Brown pay damages, you know.”

Jack shrugged. What good would that have done? Randall Brown had already had his dream of returning to the land where his family settled thwarted. Attempting to exact retribution seemed cruel, and unnecessary.

Jack had his deed. He didn’t want anything else from Randall Brown.

“So, you planning on leaving town now? You don’t have to, you know. We sure could use a feller like you around here.” The marshal eyed Jack speculatively as he spoke.

Jack hurried to dismiss the offer. “That’s kind of you to say, but I’ll be heading back to Kansas. A few days, maybe…then I’ll have to go home. My business is done here. I’ve no reason to stay.”

“Shame. Well, good luck to you.” Gifford spat again before he turned and headed toward the jail.

I don’t have a reason to stay. Do I?

He turned, and squinted into the sun’s glare. Brown’s Rest was just at the end of the street. There were figures on the porch. Pulling his hat low and extending the brim with his open hand, Jack strained to see who stood there.

He recognized the first figure instantly. The sight of Kristen’s slender waist, slight build and glowing hair brought an immediate smile to Jack’s face.

Memories of yesterday, of feeling that girlish figure pulled tightly against him, her arms locked around his shoulders and her heart beating next to his, made him want to rush across the street, onto the porch to lift her off her feet. Who was he fooling? All Jack really wanted to do was carry Kristen home to Kansas, introduce her to Granny and then, with the whole of Carroll’s Junction looking on, marry her.

What’s stopping me? I don’t even care that she’s keeping a secret. She can keep it, as long as she’ll keep me, too.

His mind made up, Jack strode down the street toward the boardinghouse. There was no sense in putting off the inevitable. He had lost his heart to the woman, he might as well see if she felt the same way.

He had nearly reached the boardinghouse when what he witnessed stopped him dead in his tracks.

The man on the porch with Kristen swept her into his arms, leaned close and kissed her.

Jack watched the exchange for as long as he could tolerate it, his heart and head both ready to explode. Then, he turned on his heel and walked away.

He felt like he’d left his heart in the Wyoming dust. He was going back to Kansas, and he never planned on losing his heart again anyway so what did it matter if it stayed—crushed and broken—in the red soil?

Chapter Seventeen

Wade Gantry stood nearly a foot taller than Kristen, but even with his hat on his head he didn’t look nearly as large in real life as he had appeared in her mind. When she had bolted, sure he and Father were insurmountable obstacles, Wade’s presence in her life seemed stifling, overpowering and all-consuming.