Grayson Brothers Series Boxed Set (4 books in 1) (62 page)

She exchanged a glance with Anna, who looked relieved. Having the sheriff under her roof would allow Claire to sleep better too. “That would be generous of you, Sheriff. I’ll make up the blue room for you, but you certainly won’t be paying for it.”

“Generous of you, too, Mrs. Ashier. I’ll have my deputy keep an eye on Larry tonight. I’ll be back later this evening.”

The instant he stepped outside, Anna burst into tears, “Larry will find a way to come back here. He will. And he’ll kill me next time.”

* * *

After Boyd finished repairing Claire’s door, he went to the kitchen, needing to be certain the women were both unharmed. “Where’s Anna?”

“In bed with a snow pack on her shoulder.” Claire crossed to the stove.

Boyd could see that her gait was stiff and she favored her left side. Anger surged through him and he ached to avenge the insults Larry had inflicted on the women. “Why did you put yourself in the middle of this mess with Anna?”

She stared at him as if he’d gone daft. “How could I not? I couldn’t turn her away any more than you could stop from interceding when Larry was dragging her off the porch.”

“It’s different for a man to step into a dangerous situation like that. It’s foolish for you to put yourself in jeopardy.”

“Foolish?” She planted her hands on her hips and winced as if it pained her. “What is foolish about giving a beaten woman a safe place to stay? What is foolish about trying to help a friend?”

“Claire,” he said, trying to reason with her, “you can’t save Anna. She must have family who can help her.”

“She’s ashamed to tell her family about Larry.”

“What’s to be ashamed of? Larry is the one with the shameful behavior.”

“No woman wants to admit that her husband beats her, and that she made a dreadful mistake marrying him.”

“Anna’s life is more important than her pride.”

“Of course it is, but if Anna goes to her family for help, they’ll have to defend her. She’s afraid that Larry will hurt them.”

“What about your safety? Why didn’t she consider that when she led Larry to your door?”

“She had no idea that Larry would have her followed. He didn’t know me. Anna thought we’d both be safe here.”

“Well, you’re not.”

“I know.”

“You need to send her to her family, Claire.”

“I can’t.”

He clenched his teeth to bite off his curse. “You’re getting involved in a situation that is going to get you hurt. Or worse. Dead.”

“I know exactly what the danger is. That’s why I’m giving Anna a place to stay. If I don’t, it’s quite possible she’ll end up dead.”

Boyd froze. How could she know the danger unless... He pinched the bridge of his nose, sickened by the thought, furious with the situation and Claire’s stubbornness. “I’d like to talk with Anna tomorrow.”

“I won’t change my mind about letting her stay here.”

“Well, I’m afraid Larry, or one of those men you’re irritating with your temperance nonsense, will try to change it for you.”

He stepped outside and slammed the door, his body shaking with fury. The woman was just begging for trouble. She had just tangled with a murderer. She could have been killed!

Worry tightened Boyd’s chest, and he knew he was in trouble. He cared too much for Claire, had gotten in too deep to walk away from her and her crazy life.

At five o’clock Tuesday morning, Claire wrapped her heavy velvet robe around herself and crept down to the kitchen. Shivering, she opened the thick iron door of the stove and quietly built up the fire, wanting to have the kitchen heated and coffee on before the sheriff or Anna got up.

It was the least she could do in return for the sheriff’s kindness. He came in late last evening while she and Anna were getting ready for bed. He apologized for keeping her waiting then checked the doors and went to bed.

The aroma of fresh coffee wafted from the percolating pot, and she huddled close to the stove, loving the quiet morning and the homey feel of her grandmother’s kitchen.

But she no longer felt safe here.

How long would Larry stay in jail this time? Knowing he could beat on her door at any moment terrified her. Boyd was right. Even if Duke planned to transport him to Pittsburgh for trial and incarceration, Larry wasn’t going to give up and go away. She’d lain awake most of the night imagining every horrible possibility. What if he broke out of jail again and came back when the sheriff and Boyd weren’t here?

She moved closer to the stove, regretting the dreadful mess she’d gotten into. How she longed to return to the safe, solitary life she’d begun building before Anna came seeking sanctuary. But that life hadn’t included her new friendship with Anna, and Anna’s desperate need.

She couldn’t ask Anna to leave.

If her financial situation didn’t improve, though, she and Anna might find themselves on the street. Without a paying boarder soon, she wouldn’t be able to afford wood for her stove, or coffee for her breakfast.

The crackling fire and the percolating coffee soothed her. She would face each day as it came, and do what she must to survive. Pray to God she would never have to sell her grandmother’s house; it was the first and only home she’d known in many long years.

The hurried tread of feet on the oak floor startled her. She expected to see Anna rushing into the kitchen, but to her astonishment, Sheriff Grayson stepped through the doorway, revolver drawn, eyes squinted against the lantern light illuminating the room.

He wore ankle-length cotton drawers and nothing else.

Over six feet of nearly naked male stood before her. She was so transfixed with the muscles shifting in his bare chest and arms, she could barely speak. “G-good morning, Sheriff.”

His eyes widened, and he spun to face her. “I beg your pardon,” he said, his voice gruff from sleep. “I heard a noise down here and thought someone was forcing the door.”

He was so apologetic that she couldn’t stop her smile. “That would explain the gun.”

He lowered his revolver to his side. “Excuse me.” He started to back out of the kitchen, but a thump from the woodshed snared his attention.

He took two steps toward the door, and it swung open.

Boyd stepped inside, jostling an armload of wood. Confusion marred his handsome face, but when he saw Claire standing by the stove in her robe, he nearly dropped his armload of wood. His eyes registered her state of undress then flew to his brother, who was still standing in his drawers. “What is going on?”

The sheriff glanced at Claire then back at Boyd. “We were about to have coffee,” he said nonchalantly.

She opened her mouth to correct Boyd’s obvious assumption, but the sheriff winked, as if warning her to let him do the talking.

Seemingly unconcerned, the sheriff crossed his arms over his wide chest and braced his bare feet on the floor like a sailor on rough water. His chest and arms were small mountains of muscle and hair, his stomach tapered and flat, his legs long and solid-looking in his snug drawers. The sheriff was a gorgeous man, and he would have been the sensible choice, but he wasn’t Boyd. Leave it to her to be attracted to the wrong brother.

Boyd’s snort of disgust told her he’d caught her staring at his brother.

“Shut the door,” Duke said. “You’re letting in the cold.”

Boyd shoved the door with his foot and just missed slamming it on Sailor’s tail as the dog squeezed inside. Tension sparked from every inch of him. Claire feared he was going to attack his brother. She glanced at Duke to see why he wasn’t trying to clear up Boyd’s suspicions, but he reached down to scratch Sailor’s ears.

“How you doing, clumsy?”

He was purposely driving Boyd crazy. She would have never imagined the sheriff like this, but here in her kitchen, he wasn’t a lawman. He was a brother. Duke was playing games and taunting his sibling and making her like him even more.

The light of humor in the sheriff’s eyes delighted her. In that moment, she sensed the two of them becoming friends. She understood quite clearly what thoughts Boyd was having that put the ferocious scowl on his face, but she wasn’t offended. She loved making him wonder about the situation, about her. He deserved it after flaunting Martha on his arm at the cantata.

Boyd dumped the wood into the kitchen bin, but Claire was watching Duke, whose wide shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.

She pursed her lips to hide her smile.

Murder filled Boyd’s eyes when he stood to face his brother. “Why are you standing in Claire’s kitchen half dressed?”

Duke shrugged. “Because I wanted a cup of coffee?”

Boyd gritted his teeth and took a step forward, but Sailor started barking like they were under attack.

“It’s all right,” Duke said to the dog. He glanced at Boyd and burst out laughing. “Calm down, hothead. I took a room last night to make sure nothing happened.”

Boyd glanced between them, his fists clenched. “That doesn’t explain why you’re standing in her kitchen in your drawers.”

Anna rushed into the kitchen, her eyes brimming with worry. “What the devil is—oh, my...” Her eyes widened as her gaze swept the perfect form of Sheriff Grayson.

Boyd’s face grew as purple as Anna’s house robe, and he glared at his brother. “Get some clothes on and let’s take a walk.”

Unperturbed by Anna’s perusal and Boyd’s ire, Duke chuckled and left the room.

* * *

When his brother was dressed, Boyd followed Duke out of Claire’s house, wondering what was between him and Claire.

“She’s one gorgeous lady.” Duke’s smug grin made Boyd want to rearrange his brother’s teeth.

“You’re doing a fine job of irritating me this morning.”

Duke threw his head back and laughed. “I knew it.” He chuckled again and ignored Boyd’s scowl. “You’ve finally met your downfall, little brother. Radford and Kyle are going to love this.”

“It’s nothing more than my usual romance.”

“We’ll see.” Duke headed across the Common. He chuckled three more times before Boyd elbowed him in the side.

“I want you to deputize me.”

“I have a deputy.”

“I’m serious, Duke. Deputize me, and I’ll take a room at Claire’s.”

Duke halted in the middle of the Common. “Now why would you want to do that?”

“To keep Claire from getting hurt.”

“And to seduce the lovely widow into your bed perhaps?”

Boyd clenched his jaw. “If we weren’t in the Common, I’d pound you for that.”

“I have a duty to protect those women. I’m not going to put a fox in the hen house to keep out a bear.”

“All right, I care about her. For some reason Claire feels a need to help Anna. She’s fool-headed and too stubborn to listen to reason.”

“Claire seems like a smart lady. Maybe she just doesn’t agree with your reasoning.”

Boyd jammed his cold hands into his coat pockets. “She’s gotten herself into a mess with this temperance nonsense, and now she’s refusing to send Anna home to her family.”

“What does that have to do with you?”

“My patrons are grumbling that they’re tired of the women nagging us each day. I’m afraid someone is going to cause trouble. Deputize me, and I’ll look out for Claire and Anna. You and Levi have all you can handle without doing guard duty with those crazy women.”

“Bad idea.” Duke resumed walking. Boyd kept pace, his irritation rising to a dangerous level.

“Whoever nailed that note to Claire’s door two weeks ago sounds like they aren’t toying with her. Those stubborn, idiotic women need someone who can save them from their own foolishness.”

“You sound worried.”

“I am.” Boyd huffed out a frosty breath and stomped through the snow. “Claire has a loaded gun in her closet that she thinks will protect her, but she’ll probably put a bullet in herself before shooting anyone else. If I stay there, I can try to talk sense into both of them. And if they won’t listen, at least I’ll be there if anything happens.”

Duke entered the building that housed his office. “If you can convince Claire to let you take a room, I’ll deputize you.”

“Deputize me, and I’ll convince her.”

Duke took a badge out of his desk drawer. “I’m only doing this because I have to take Levens back to Pittsburgh. I’ll be back Friday. If I hear one complaint,” he said, “or find out you’re taking advantage of Claire in any way, I’ll yank this badge off your chest so fast your head will spin.”

“If you insult my integrity one more time you won’t have a head. I’ll knock it off your shoulders.”

Duke laughed and handed Boyd the badge. “Glad we understand each other.”

Boyd picked up his valise and carried it downstairs to his crowded saloon. “Come on, Sailor.” The dog scurried out from under the billiard table and trotted to Boyd’s side.

On the way out of the saloon, Boyd nodded to Pat, knowing his friend and former owner of the saloon was more than capable of running it for a few nights. Karlton would be there to help out too.

Boyd drew in a lungful of bracing winter air as he crossed the street to Claire’s house. He went around to the back door and knocked.

“Who’s there?” she asked without opening up.

Sailor gave a shrill bark. Boyd rubbed the dog’s head.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

When Claire opened the door, Sailor barreled inside. She turned to scold the dog, and Boyd followed Sailor’s lead by stepping inside. He sat his valise on the oak floor and nodded to Anna who was drying her hands on a red checkered apron tied around her slim waist.

She nodded to Boyd then leaned down to pet Sailor. “Good evening, mister.” She ruffled the dog’s ears. “How did you know we were missing you?”

Sailor wheezed then trotted to Claire. He pushed against her legs until she smiled and stroked his head. “What mischief are you up to this evening?”

“He came to rent a room,” Boyd said, deciding to dive in rather than test the water. He nudged his valise with the toe of his boot. “I brought his bag.”

Claire frowned at the valise.

Boyd pulled his deputy’s badge from his pocket. “My brother’s out of town until Friday. He deputized me to stay here and guard you lovely ladies.”

Her frown deepened.

“That means I need to rent a room.”

Claire glanced at Anna then returned her scowling gaze to Boyd. “I see no humor in this.” She opened the door and nodded for him to leave.

“I’ve been dispatched here by the sheriff.”

“Bother that. He’s your brother, and somehow you’ve convinced him to give you a badge. There can only be one reason you want a room in my boardinghouse when you have your own apartment not fifty feet from here.”

He pushed the door closed and braced his palm against it. “I have a badge that makes it official, Claire.”

She shook her head, but it wasn’t fear filling her eyes. It was something else—worry or discomfort, but not exactly fear. “You can’t stay here.”

“I have to. My brother has entrusted me to keep you ladies safe until he returns from Pittsburgh.”

She lifted her chin. “Then you can sleep in the shed.”

He loved her spunk.

“Excuse us for a moment,” Anna said. She caught Claire’s elbow and nudged her out of the kitchen.

Boyd heard the murmur of Anna’s voice then Claire’s voice raised in dispute then Anna’s soothing murmur again. Then it was quiet. Deadly quiet.

Even Sailor stopped pacing and panting and cocked his ears, listening to the sudden silence.

The sound of a defeated sigh made Boyd grin. He knew that sigh. Claire did that just before she accepted the inevitable.

The two women came back to the kitchen, Anna looking a little nervous, Claire frowning. “It will cost you three dollars a week,” Claire said.

“Fine.”

“I serve breakfast at five-thirty, lunch at noon, and supper at six o’clock. If you’re not present I’ll assume you’re eating elsewhere.”

“Fine.”

“You’re free to use the downstairs rooms and the upstairs bath, but all other rooms except the one you’re sleeping in are private.”

“Fine.”

She gave a stiff nod. “Dry your boots, and I’ll show you to your room.”

He removed his boots and picked up his valise.

She glanced at his stocking-clad feet, and her face flushed.

He followed her across the kitchen and up the stairs, grinning to himself. If seeing him in stocking feet flustered her, she was in for some jolting moments over the next few days.

Her skirt swayed with each step she climbed, making his hands itch to cup her hips and pull her against him. Ignorant of his thoughts, she strode up the hall and opened the door to a corner room. Two tall windows gave him a view of Main Street—and his saloon.

Perfect. He could keep an eye on things there too.

His attention lingered on the large sleigh bed. He pictured Claire lying across the mattress, her hair spilling around her shoulders, her mouth parted and her arms open to receive him. Lust pushed through his groin and the ache nearly made him groan.

She fluffed the bed pillows. “How long will you need the room?”

“Until my brother and I think you and Anna are safe without one of us here.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

“I think Larry proved that it doesn’t take much for a man to punch through a window or break in a door.”

Her face blanched and she turned away. “The bath is your first door to the right,” she said, stepping around him to straighten the drapes on his window. “This is my best, and warmest, room, but if you should need another quilt, I keep one on the top closet shelf.” She took a handkerchief from her pocket and dusted the stand beside his bed. “I wasn’t expecting a guest tonight.”

“Claire.” He touched her hand and stopped her nervous fidgeting. “Why are you afraid of me?”

“I’m not.”

“You are,” he said, knowing it was the truth. It hurt that she still felt she couldn’t trust him.

She tucked her handkerchief in her pocket and moved toward the door. “If I were afraid of you, I wouldn’t allow you in my house.”

“Then you must be afraid of yourself, because you are intentionally avoiding me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You are, Claire. You’re fidgeting like a schoolgirl. Either you’re afraid me, or you dislike me.”

“I’m not afraid of you. And I don’t dislike you. I dislike your lifestyle and your obvious attempts at seduction.”

“My attempts at seduction?” He laughed and brushed his fingers across the soft underside of her jaw. “It is you who are seducing me.”

Her eyes widened, but she boldly met his stare. “If I were seducing you, Boyd Grayson, you would know it.”

* * *

Downstairs, a few minutes later, Sailor met Claire in the foyer, acting so pleased to see her that she released an airy laugh.

“You are just like your master,” she said, brushing her fingers over his tilted ears. “Far too obvious in your affections.”

She went to the music room where Anna was playing the piano. Anna glanced up, her cheek as purple as a grape from Larry’s brutal fist, but she seemed serene.

“It feels wonderful to play again,” she said.

Claire listened for a minute, but she was too tense from her exchange with Boyd to relax. “It’s a terrible idea for him to stay here,” she said, interrupting the song Anna was playing.

“He’s a paying boarder,” the woman said without missing a note.

“He’s a reprobate, and I shouldn’t have allowed you to talk me into renting to him.”

“Well, he’s the one who’s causing you to lose business. It’s only fair that he make restitution.” Anna continued playing, but switched to a soothing ballad.

Claire leaned against the piano and closed her eyes, letting the music flow through her, striving for a calm she couldn’t quite manage. She loved Chopin.

“May I join you?”

The sound of Boyd’s voice startled her and sent her pulse racing.

“Of course.” Anna started to leave the bench, but Boyd stopped her with a light touch on her arm.

“Stay and play a duet with me,” he said, paging through the sheet music on the Piano. “Ah, here it is. Claire’s grandmother and I used to play this Bach piece together.”

After a slight hesitation, Anna sat beside him on the bench. Boyd laid his long fingers on the keys and began playing Aria from Suite in D.

“That’s beautiful,” Anna said with admiration. She studied the sheet music and joined in playing the duet.

Claire stewed. She’d given Anna refuge, understood and supported the woman at her own detriment. She couldn’t bear to have Boyd win Anna’s affections so easily. Or worse yet, to have Anna win his.

When the song ended, he winked at Anna. “May I?” he asked, gesturing to the piano.

“Of course.” She slid off the bench and stood beside Claire.

Boyd ran his fingers up the keys and back down then started a lively tune that made Anna tap her toe. Claire was beginning to get caught up in the rhythm when he started to sing.

I once had a lover with gorgeous blond hair, but the lady was so ornery, I called her Cold Claire.

Anna’s eyes widened, but Claire gasped. She wasn’t cold. She wasn’t! Boyd grinned and kept singing.

She taunted and teased, while I begged and pleased, but the lady didn’t dare, so I called her Cold Claire.

He ran his fingers up the keys then back for another verse.

She pouted so pretty and scowled so sweet, I would have been honored to rub the lady’s feet.

So smitten was I, that I knew I should die, if I didn’t get a kiss from her sweet lips.

Anna ducked her head, but Claire knew her traitorous friend found Boyd’s song humorous. She wanted to slam the piano cover on Boyd’s nimble fingers, but decided it would be more satisfying to put the rascal in his place.

He finished the naughty song and flashed a grin so full of mischief that she felt her knees weaken.

“May I?” she asked, gesturing to the piano in the same manner he’d used with Anna.

Instead of leaving the bench, he slid over and offered her half. Unwilling to let him unnerve her, Claire settled herself beside him and placed her fingers on the cool ivory keys.

He smelled wonderful—a woodsy sort of smell mingled with a hint of cologne. Had he worked the sawmill today? Or had he been carving another piece of art before coming here? Although he wasn’t touching her, she felt his solidness beside her as clearly as if he were flush against her.

Inhaling, she straightened her shoulders and focused on the keys. With every ounce of bravado she could muster, she began singing a temperance song, “Lips That Touch Whiskey Must Never Touch Mine.” It was a sad song about a woman losing her lover to alcohol. He’d promised to reform, but she’d trusted in vain, his pledge broken time and again. The song was reminiscent of her own life, and Claire sang it with conviction.

By the time she finished, Boyd was silent. “Touché,” he said. His handsome face, only inches from hers, was filled with respect and admiration. “You have a lovely voice, Claire.” His dark lashes lowered as his gaze dropped to her mouth. “And lovely lips that should never touch whiskey,” he teased, but his voice was too intimate to be taken lightly.

Claire heard the swish of a skirt as Anna slipped out of the music room. Blast her. How could her friend desert her? Claire wanted to call Anna back, to leap off the bench and follow, but Boyd clasped her hand.

“I’m sorry if I offended you earlier.”

Heaven help her. She couldn’t look into his handsome face and keep her wits about her. She stared at the keys on the piano. “I don’t like your games.”

“I wasn’t playing with you. I meant every word I said.” He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I think you’re afraid to be near me, and that bothers me. I won’t hurt you.”

She glanced up, but he wasn’t smiling. He was gazing directly into her eyes, his own dark and serious. “I’m not afraid,” she said, but she was, and his half-smile said he knew the truth.

She tugged her hand free, but he hooked his arm around her waist and kept her on the bench with him.

“Stay a minute,” he said, but it was a gentle request. He removed his hand from her waist, and she felt a thrill race through her. She hadn’t been touched so intimately since before Jack died.

And never so tenderly.

Her knees bumped his, and she slid back an inch. “Where did you learn that naughty song?”

“I made it up.”

“You did not.”

“I did.” He smiled. “You inspire me.”

“Are you playing with me because I’m a widow?”

He stroked his hand up her forearm. “I like you,” he said, curling his fingers around her arm. “I’m attracted to you.” He gave her a gentle squeeze as his gaze roved her face. “I’d like to kiss you again.”

Her breath whooshed out, and she stared at him. Common sense told her to lift her bottom off the bench and get out of the room, but the reckless girl in her stayed and waited in breathless anticipation.

“You tell me when you’re ready.” He got to his feet and gave her a courteous nod. “I’ll close Sailor in the kitchen for the night. Sleep well, Claire.”