Cowboy from the Future (8 page)

“Like
inventing coffee.”  She ran a hand through her hair and made a face at the
snags she felt.  “I also need a bath.”  Since Cade smelled pretty damn good,
they must have some kind of shower around the place.  “Just tell me I don’t
have to heat buckets of water over a fire or something.”

“Water?” 
He scowled like that was crazy talk.  “We’re not the savages you believe.  We
have a sonic bathhouse, like the rest of the world.”

Sonic
cleaning instead of water?  That sounded weird, but doable.  “Does it have
shampoo?”

“Sham-what?”

It
was one step forward, two steps back.  God the future was a pain in the ass.  “Will
it wash my hair?”  She asked tiredly.

“Oh. 
Yes.”  His gaze went to her messy curls, tracing over them with an odd
expression.  “Although, your hair seems fine to me.”  Cade cleared his throat,
glancing away.  “Really… fine.”

Whatever
tiny bit of apprehension Addy felt about this man melted away at his
awkwardness.  “Thank you.”  She said softly, charmed by the big dummy.

“You’re
welcome.”  He muttered and cast an uncomfortable look around, like he was
searching for a safer subject.  “Um… Was Deke bothering you earlier?  I could
talk to him, if you want.  I know he can intimidate people.”

“It’s
fine.”  She smiled.  “He was very cute.”

“Cute? 
Deke?”

“Yeah. 
He was warning me away from you.”

Cade
muttered a curse.  “I’ll talk to him.”  He said darkly.

“No,
don’t.  And don’t be annoyed with you brother.  I know annoyance is your
natural state, but it’s nice that you have someone to protect you.  You should
never take that for granted, Cade.  It’s a much harder world when you’re alone
in it.”

He
shot her an unreadable look, still concerned with her
Cowboys and Aliens
dating prospects.  “Deke’s right, you know.  You should avoid me.  For
your
benefit, though, not mine.  If you’re here, you will be hated by association.  You’ll
remain alone forever, if your name is blackened with mine.”

“Because
you’re a Voltron?”

“Voltyn.” 
He corrected with a sigh.  “We’re dangerous.  Ask anyone.”

“Right.” 
She leaned closer to him.  “Tell me.  Did you really buy this place, so you
could take care of your little brothers?”

He
frowned defensively, which she took as a big, fat yes.  “What does that have to
do with anything?”

“It
just doesn’t seem like something a dangerous man would do.”

“And
you know a lot of dangerous men?”  Cade retorted, like she’d just insulted his
Black Hat status.  “I’d be shocked if you ever came within a gantii of anyone
without bayma on his hands, lady.”

She
squinted at him.  “Okay, I seriously have no clue what that means.”

He
made an aggravated sound and got to his feet, shoving his hands into his
pockets.  The waistband of his pants slipped down farther on his lean hips and
Addy struggled not to notice.  She was
epically
unsuccessful.  Seriously,
was she nuts or did Cade have an even better body that Patrick Swayze in
Dirty
Dancing
?  And
no one
had a better body than Patrick Swayze in
Dirty
Dancing
.

“Huh?” 
She said when she realized he was talking and she hadn’t heard a word of it.

“Gods,
why do I bother trying to reason with someone with so little common sense?”  Cade
actually looked over at Rushmore like Washington or Roosevelt might be able to
answer that.  With no presidential wisdom forthcoming he shook his head.  “Just
stay away from me, Adeline.  You’ll be far safer.”

“No,
I don’t think so.”  She gave him a smile.  “I think you’re the safest place I
could be.”

Cade
didn’t seem to have an answer for that.  He just stared at her.  “I’ll have
Jacobi show you where you can bathe.”  He finally decided and turned to go.

Addy
caught hold of his sleeve.  “Can’t you show me?”

Cade’s
purple gaze jumped to hers, his irises burning bright.  The heat reflected
there had her breasts tightening.  Oh
wow
.  Addy’s insides melted,
unable to look away from that predatory gaze.  She barely held back a whimper
of desire, as he leaned in closer.  He really did smell incredible.

“It’s
a very bad idea for me to be near you when you’re naked.”  He said flatly and
her stomach dipped.  “In fact, it’s a bad idea for me to be near you, at all. 
Someone will notice that I…”  Cade tore his eyes away from hers and shook his
head.  “Just stay away from me.”  He stepped back from her.  “It’s the only way
we’ll survive this crazy plan of yours.”

Addy
bit her lower lip as he headed for the exit, again.  “Cade?”

“Jake’s
harmless.  You’ll be safe with him showing you the sonic bathhouse.  I promise.”

“It’s
not that.  Really.  I just…”

He
looked back at her when she trailed off.  “Just what?”

Damn. 
What could she say to him, that wasn’t a proposition?  “Um…”  Addy searched for
another topic and her gaze fell on a squashed looking, half piano/half violin
instrument shoved against the wall.  Her eyes lit up.  “Is it okay if I try
playing that thing?  I took lessons as a kid.”  Granted, it had been on a
Steinway, but how different could it be?

Cade
gave sigh.  “Do whatever you want.  Just do it
quietly
.  The last thing
I need is you causing any more disruptions.  I like it when things are peaceful
around here.”

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“Shit!” 
Deke bellowed as Cade slammed him against the wall of the kitchen.  “What’s
your problem, man?”

“My
problem is you threatening Adeline.”  Cade retorted, leaning in closer.  “If
you’re pissed about her staying here, you come to
me
, not her.  I swear
to the gods, if you bother her again, I will take off your head.  Got it?”

“I
didn’t threaten the girl.  I just warned her not to fuck with you.”  Deke
shoved him away.  “And I’m not pissed about her staying here, either.  I just
wanted to be sure Addy and I understood each other.  Which we do.  Since you
aren’t protecting yourself, I figured I had to do it for you.”

“What
kind of protection do I need against a girl who’s
half my fvreing size?
”

“It
doesn’t matter how big she is.  I see the way you look her, Cade.  Like she’s
the godsdamn sun.  She could break you into pieces without even trying.”

Deke
was right about that.  Addy Mulhaney already had so much power over him, it was
frightening.  She could get him to do anything, just by saying please.

Fuck.

Cade
closed his eyes and stepped back.  “Leave her alone.”  He said, wearily
pinching the bridge of his nose.  “I know what I’m doing.”

“The
hell you do.  I don’t think
she
does, either.  The girl says things that
no one would
ever
say.  Not even me, and I’ve been half-crazy since the Wilderness
War.”  Deke frowned.  “How did she react to you being a Voltyn, anyway?”

“She
doesn’t even know what a Voltyn
is
.”

“You’re
shitting me.”

“I’m
not.  I had to
tell
her.  She now believes Voltyn are unfairly
subjugated and that I should fight against the humans’ tyranny.  If asked, she
will no doubt begin making me placards to protest on the streets for equality.”

Deke’s
mouth slowly curved.

“It’s
not funny.”  Cade insisted, refusing to be moved by Addy’s naive defense of his
heritage.  “You’re right about her saying crazy,
crazy
things.  Half of
her words are ridiculous and the other half are magic.  If she starts saying
them to anyone but
us
…”  Cade trailed off and his jaw ticked.  “That
son-of-a-bitch sheriff’s already half-certain she’s trouble.”

“She
is
trouble.  A man can’t help but notice that right off.  It’s part of
her charm.”

“Yeah,
well, I spent all morning convincing Zecker that her appearance wasn’t some
stunt to reopen the brothel.  He’s looking for an excuse to start hassling her,
just for knowing me.”

Deke
snorted.  “That dickhead might be onto something.  We’d make a lot more gold
around here if Addy was dressed in a skimpy little omjah and carrying a whip,
that’s for damn sure.”

Cade
slanted him a deadly glare.

“Oh,
calm down.”  Deke snickered.  “I’m just fucking with you.  No one’s going to
touch your woman.”

“She’s
not mine.  I think some human called ‘Michael Landon’ wishes to marry her.” 
And if Cade ever met the man, he planned to fry the bastard, just on principle.

This
girl is supposed to be yours.

Deke
ignored that.  “Look, we’ll keep Addy close and she’ll be safe.  The crazy shit
she says will stay between us.  Nobody else in the polis even speaks her
language.”

“It’s
bigger than just the language.  She doesn’t
understand
.  Not anything. 
It’s dangerous, Deke.  Not knowing what she doesn’t know could get her hurt.”  Cade
plowed a hand through his hair.  “She actually asked if Voltyn were the same as
aliens.”

“
Aliens?
 
We killed off those tentacle motherfuckers seven hundred years ago!  Everyone
knows that.”

“I’m
telling you, she
doesn’t
know it.”  Cade shrugged, equally baffled.  “Maybe
Adeline’s people are isolated from the rest of the world.  They might not know
all that we do.  She thought we still bathed in
water
, so it’s possible
she comes from a more primitive polis.”

“With
those clothes?  Her coat must have cost more than the bar.”  Deke shook his
head.  “Fabric that pink and shiny sure wasn’t created by some remote cave-dwellers
living out in the Wilderness.  Hell, it wasn’t created
anywhere
that I
know of.”

“That’s
just it.  I think she comes from somewhere we
don’t
know of.  This woman,”
Cade tried to find the words to describe what he didn’t understand himself, “she’s
odd
.”

“Yeah,
I know she’s a little odd, but she still seems…”

Cade
cut him off.  “It’s not a fucking criticism.  Adeline is
special
. 
Unique.  It’s like she’s from another world, Deke.  A better world.  Like she
was just
dropped
here and she has no idea how to survive in a place like
this.”  Cade met his brother’s eyes.  “She looks at me and I see… purity.”

Deke
studied him for a long moment.  “Wherever Addy comes from, she
is
trouble.  Being pure
makes
her trouble.  She’s gonna attract it.  When
it all goes to hell,
you’ll
be blamed, just because you’re Voltyn.  Are
you ready for that?  Are you
sure
you want to risk everything for
Adeline Mulhaney?”

“Yes.” 
Cade said simply.  Voltyn were bred to protect.  He’d keep her safe or die
trying.

Deke
was quiet for a beat, considering that.  “Alright.”

“No
lectures on how I’m being an idiot?”

“Fuck
no.  I like the girl.”

“You
don’t like anyone.”

“I
like
you
and
you
like her.  That’s enough.  You’re planning to
keep her, right?”  He asked in a more optimistic tone.  Since when was Deke
ever optimistic?

Cade
rolled his eyes.  “No, of course I’m not keeping her.  She doesn’t belong
here.  Besides, she would never want me.”  He let out a long breath.  “I just
find her presence… pleasant.”  Having Adeline in his home felt right.  Every
time he glanced her way, Cade heard that damn click.  He wasn’t ready to give
that up.  “It’s temporary.”  He insisted, trying to convince himself.  “She
won’t really stay until spring.  The mayor will be back soon and he’ll never
allow a lady to live with a Voltyn.  She’ll leave with Hugo.”

Something
inside of him snarled at the thought.

Deke
scowled.  “You’d have to be a drooling idiot to let another man steal that girl
away from you.  Especially, that bigoted fuck Hugo.”

“How
do you suggest I stop it?  Tie her to my bed?”

“Well,
it’s not a
bad
idea.”

“Oh
for gods’ sake…”

“Cade,
you deserve to be happy.  It’s why I didn’t make my non-threats to her more
threatening.  Because, Adeline could be
good
for you.  Just give her a
chance
to see it and she’ll see it.  Jake and I both think so.”

“And
you two are such experts on women.”  Cade scoffed.

“I
know you want more than just a couple of nights with the girl, so you need show
her you’re not a complete jackass.”  Deke retorted.  “It’s the only way you’re
going to win her over.  Wherever she comes from, she’s used to a softer life.  She’s
going to be scared away if you shout at her.  She’s not going to understand it’s
just you, being you.”

“Scaring
Adeline away would probably be the best thing for her.”  Cade let out a long
breath.  “Besides, Voltyn know nothing of softness.”

“You’re
half-human.  Figure it out.”

“Damn
it, why are you pushing this?”

“Because
this girl is supposed to be yours, moron.”

Gods,
he wished that was true.  “She’s not.”  Cade said quietly.

“She
is.”  Blue eyes gleamed with a not-entirely-sane light.  “I’m sure of it.  This
woman’s been dropped here like a miracle from the gods.”  Deke had always been
the most religious of the brothers.  “How else do you explain it?  Your whole
life, you’ve saved me and Jake.  Now, she’s come to save
you
, Cade.”

Deke
had finally lost his mind.  “No matter what you believe, she will never be mine. 
I just want to keep her here for a week or so more.  It would be pointless to
try for anything else.”

“You
don’t know that.”

“Of
course I do!  Are you blind?  Adeline could have
anyone
.”

“So
why is she all alone, then?  Why isn’t this Michael Landon guy here, right
now?  Why is she so sad that she doesn’t have a family?”

“I
have no idea, but any man in the world would kill to have her at his side.  She
isn’t going to settle for a Voltyn.”  Cade wasn’t kidding himself about this
situation.  “The woman already has more than I could ever offer her.  Why would
she need me at all, when she…?”

Adeline’s
panicked scream cut him off.  “
Cade, help!
”

***

Addy
and Jacobi hit it off from the first.

Jake
was a surfer-looking teenager, who seemed to be in a perpetually cheerful
mood.  Back in the twenty-first century, he’d be studying for his SATs, saving
for his first car, and dating the homecoming queen.  Here in Shadow-of-the-Gods,
his life was a lot less carefree, but he still had the boundless curiosity of a
child.  He lead Addy to the small building behind the saloon, showed her how to
turn the sonic bathhouse on, and politely stepped back outside so she could use
it in privacy.

But
he kept up a solid stream of questions through the door.

How
far had she traveled?  What was her home like?  What sort of foods did they eat
there?  Why were her clothes so different?  Why did she talk so funny?

He
wanted to know everything there was to know about her, but he didn’t stop
talking long enough for her to answer any of his excited queries.  Not that she
had
any real answers.  She would’ve tried to come up with some halfway
convincing lies, though.  He just didn’t give her a chance.

Finally,
out of desperation for him to be quiet, Addy called on the skill that had won
her the fourth grade talent contest:  She started belting out
99 Luftballons
.
 She’d taken voice lessons during her “rock star phase.”  She wasn’t gifted
enough to stick with it for long, but she could still hit all the high notes. 
The peppy tune and German lyrics easily came back to her as she sang.

Jacobi
couldn’t have been more impressed if she grew wings and flew around the yard. 
“What does it mean?”  He breathed when she was done.

“I
have no idea.”  Addy stepped out of the bathhouse, shocked that she felt so
clean, considering she’d just showered without water.  Nothing would ever
replace shampoo, but this sonic thing wasn’t half bad.  “Something about red
balloons and Captain Kirk.  It was written in the ‘80s.  Nothing back then had
to make sense, just so it had a catchy tune.”

“The
‘80s?”

“Yeah. 
It was a very colorful and hair-sprayed decade, which I was born too late to
fully experience.  It had the most awesome music ever.  And fashions.  And
movies.”

Addy
adjusted the clothes Jacobi had lent her.  Flannel had apparently come back in
style, although the pattern was less Kurt-Cobain-lumberjack-checks and more
interconnected circular-diamonds.  How did you weave a
circular-diamond?
 
All things considered, her outfit could’ve been worse, though.  Her least-favorite
bra was still cutting into her shoulder, but she did smell better.

“I’m
telling you, Jake,
nothing
beats an ‘80s movie.  
Dirty Dancing
should have won every award that…
Shit!
”

Addy
broke off with a panicked scream as three dirty-looking men rounded the corner
of the tavern and grabbed Jacobi.  The kid struggled, but he was quickly
overpowered.

“Stop!” 
Addy cried as they knocked Jake to the ground and started kicking him.  “
Cade,
help!
”

One
of the men turned to snarl something at her.  She had a feeling that it was a
warning to stay out of it.  Addy ignored that (probably good) advice and grabbed
his arm, trying to wrench him away from Jacobi.  Whoever these assholes were,
they were full-grown men and Jake was a teenager.  It wasn’t fair.  Knowing
nothing about what was going on, her loyalty instantly and totally swung behind
Jacobi.  Addy always sided with the underdogs of the world.  Especially when
they were Cade’s little brother.