Intimate Strangers (Eclipse Heat Book 2) (31 page)

Hamilton rode to town with his instructions in hand. Obtain Pauley’s resignation by end of the day or withdraw all of the Double-Q money and transfer it to the Abilene bank.

Reporting at supper that night, Hamilton confirmed their success. Quince money had staved off the panic and getting rid of Pauley had been easy. “The head teller took over for the moment. We’ll find a manager soon. If Pauley has the sense God gave a goose, he’d better hightail it out of the state. Now that his manipulations have been revealed, he’s not a popular figure in Eclipse.”

It quickly became apparent to Lucy that Hamilton had more skill protecting Quince business than in securing his future with Comfort. Before Eclipse citizens or Ham had had an inkling of her intentions, Comfort set up another enterprise, moving Iris Howard and Roberta Harris in with her and establishing Comfort’s Boarding House.

In Eclipse, Iris was a constant reminder of unpleasant things although she wasn’t considered responsible for her relatives’ misdeeds. But since the Circle Five ranch house had been shot all to pieces and the land, money and cattle had been confiscated by the state, she’d been thrown upon the mercy of the town and the town was more than willing to let Comfort resolve the problem.

Hamilton was seething at breakfast the morning after he found out. “Comfort says Iris can help her set her house to rights. Then she’s going to start the old lady clerking at the store part of the time. I’ll be damned if Comfort didn’t move your friend in too.”

According to Hamilton, Roberta had rented a room in Comfort’s house and intended to use the upstairs space over the mercantile for her dress forms and sewing supplies.

“It’s like a female fortress at Comfort’s place,” he complained loudly.

“I suspect after being abused by Owen Bailey for years, Comfort needs to feel in control of what goes on in her life,” Lucy told him dryly. She understood that need only too well now that her own control slipped farther from her grasp each day. She was ashamed to admit that her children spent each day making her feel safe instead of the other way around.

“I wanted to bring her out here so she could rest and recuperate without anyone bothering her. Do you know what she said?” Hamilton growled the question. “She said she had businesses to run and had no time to lie around in bed.”

Ambrose didn’t bother to hide his grin and Lucy smiled but refrained from pointing out the obvious. The Quince men didn’t choose their women with practical regard. Comfort was no more cut out to be a ranch wife than Lucy had been.

Since Ambrose was busy with the end-of-the-year business, during the day it was easy for Lucy to keep her moments of panic hidden from him. Her kitchen had always been her domain and she found excuses to linger there each night ’til Quincy accompanied her up the stairs to the silent bedroom.

Her restless sleep wasn’t so easily disguised. One night, waking covered in perspiration and filled with horror, she eased from the bed and stood in front of the bedroom window trying to shed her suffocating alarm.

Ambrose joined her in her vigil. Sliding his arms around her shoulders, he pulled her into his embrace, making her feel safe as he rumbled his question. “Bad dream?”

Lucy nodded and leaned back into his warmth. He folded his arms around her front in a bear hug. “Need to talk?”

She tilted her head, smiling up at him. “I’ll put the coffee on.”

It was the middle of the night but they went downstairs to the kitchen and sat at the table before she said, “I think I’m losing my mind.”

Ambrose poured the coffee and sat next to her. “Why’s that?”

“Everything is over and I should be getting back to normal.”

Ambrose disagreed. “Some things take a while to heal, Luce. You’ve been through hell and back.”

“But I’m not back,” Lucy admitted bleakly. “Sometimes I can hardly breathe I’m so scared. I can’t go to the barn anymore. Poor Brody thinks I’ve grown roots in the kitchen.” She closed her eyes, trying to appear calm. Afraid to voice her fear.

Ambrose did it for her. “Slocum made a nice scapegoat but maybe we quit uncovering rocks too soon. I’ve never thought Pete was smart enough to put together a gang of rustlers, let alone plan the downfall of the Double-Q.”

Lucy sighed, thankful that Ambrose didn’t laugh away her worries. “I want it to be over,” she moaned.

He agreed, nodding with understanding as he said, “I catch myself looking over my shoulder when I’m riding the range. You’re not the only one feeling uneasy, sweetheart.”

Although the night was hot, Lucy shivered as she confessed her latest worry.” We promised to have a fall roundup celebration on the Double-Q this year like we used to do in the past. I’m dreading it, Quincy. ”

“Yep, me too,” he admitted grimly. “But with the Double-Q’s stake in holding the town together, I don’t see any way to cancel. Ham posted the notice in Comfort’s mercantile and he says half the county’s already said they’ll be here. We’ll put on a shindig the Eclipse citizens won’t forget for a spell and then hunker down on the ranch through the winter and mind our own business.”

The last week in September, Lucy and Brody spent their time either in the kitchen cooking and baking or in the barn preparing for the fall roundup dance. While the Quince women made the barn pretty, Ambrose, Hamilton and Alex worked on building a platform for the musicians. After that project was finished, the men remained in the barn each night, planning the security that would patrol the area during the party.

Lucy and Brody were pinning up a horse blanket on the wall behind the platform when Ambrose yelled, “Lucy, come here.” He was in the feed room at the back of the barn where he’d gone to get more nails. Lucy handed the horse blanket to Alex to finish hanging and hurried to see what Quincy needed.

“What is it?” she asked breathlessly when she entered the small room.

Ambrose pulled her close and lowered his head for a kiss. “What it is,” he growled, “is a hungry man who wants a quick taste of his wife.”

Lucy slid her arms around his neck and leaned into his embrace, rocking her hips against him suggestively ’til she felt him harden and lengthen against her thigh.

“Now whatcha gonna do?” she asked mischievously. Since she’d shared her fears with Quincy she’d begun to breathe easier, as though he’d shouldered some of her burden.

He rubbed her back and asked, “You okay?”

She nipped his shoulder playfully and said, “More than okay.”

“Good,” he answered, dropping his hand to her rump and lifting her against his arousal. “I’ll show you later what I’m going to do about this,” he promised.

He walked her back to the others and she smiled at the cheery interior of the barn, decked out as much as a barn could be. The Quince men had joined in the gathering of gourds, pumpkins and autumn foliage that Brody and Lucy used to add color. Later, as they left the barn, Lucy admired the golden bales of straw scattered on the floor for seating, and the vivid horse blankets hanging on the walls added a final festive touch.

She held hands with Ambrose on their way to the house and he leaned close, murmuring promises for her ears only. “I know a little girl who has some work cut out for her appeasing the hungry wolf she was teasing earlier.”

Lucy bumped him with her hip and whispered, “Behave.”

He grinned down at her and answered. “I can be quiet, but I’m planning on a full night of misbehaving.”

The kids went off to bed and they left Hamilton in the kitchen forking down another piece of pie. Ambrose had her dress unbuttoned by the top step and Lucy couldn’t keep her hands off his chest.

She was consumed with a sense of urgency and quickly closed the door when they reached the room. Lucy’s clothes hit the floor followed by blankets and pillows Ambrose threw from the bed. She stood naked before him and unbuckled his belt, pushing him to the edge of the mattress and seating him so she could pull off his boots and divest him of his pants.

“You in a hurry tonight?’ he laughed.

“Yes.”

“You sure you can handle what I’ve got for you?”

“Yes,” she said, straddling him and sliding down on his cock until he filled her.

“All of me?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said fiercely. “Every bit of you deep inside of me ’til I can feel you in my throat,” she demanded.

Ambrose stood, holding her rump as she circled his waist with her legs and clung to him. He braced her back against the wall and began pumping in hard thrusts that carried him to her core.

“Love me?” he growled.

“Forever,” she answered.

The first time was hard and fast and when Lucy came she had to bite Quincy’s arm to keep from screaming her pleasure.

The next time, they put the pillows behind the headboard to quiet the infernal squeaking as they used the bed.

She took him in her mouth, tasting herself on his cock as she laved his length with her tongue and sucked him ’til he groaned.

He pushed her on her back and kissed his way down her torso, lapping her pearl until she begged him to fill her again.

Their coupling was sweaty, violent and noisy. When they came together for the last time, Ambrose collapsed, pulling her next to him and grabbing the blanket from the floor to cover her.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he mumbled tiredly.

“I love you too, Ambrose,” she whispered, holding him in her arms while he slept.

The next morning, Quincy stood in front of the kitchen window drinking coffee when Brody walked in grumpy with her complaint. “Sure was a lot of thumping going on last night after I went to bed. I could hardly get to sleep.”

Lucy kept her back turned toward the room, her cheeks too heated to face Brody.

“Oh, your mama got it in her head she wanted the furniture moved around. You know how she is when she gets these notions,” Ambrose drawled.

Lucy sneaked a quick look at him and he caught her gaze and winked. She was almost glad to see Hamilton shamble in looking for food as usual.

He immediately started talking about the fall roundup and she grabbed the topic to change the subject from her furniture moving. “It’s a shame I’m not more excited about this party.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Hamilton unexpectedly complained. “We’ve invited everyone in the county and promised too much fun, games and dancing for them to stay at home. I wish to hell it was already over. Comfort will be here but now that Iris is leaving, she’s more interested in finding new help and getting ready for the holidays than in partying.”

Nobody had expected Iris Howard to last long clerking in Comfort’s store and they’d all been right. Less than a month after she started, Iris had announced she was returning to Boston. Lucy grimaced, picturing the old lady looking down her nose at ranch wives who came in to shop. “It’s probably just as well she’s going, Hamilton. I suspect she put a damper on business when she was there.”

* * * * *

Lucy watched from the kitchen window early Friday morning as people began to pour through the Double-Q gates. Tents were pitched for some and others pulled their wagons around behind the barn into the shade and then draped a blanket over the side for privacy.

Days before, the pig had been slaughtered and buried in coals for slow cooking and thick steaks had been carved from a butchered steer. Now the smell of roast pork and beef filled the air. A carnival mood pervaded the ranch as friends and acquaintances greeted each new wagonload of guests while clusters of people stood everywhere visiting with one another.

Hamilton and Quincy had laid planks across saw-horses. Soon the improvised tables groaned under the dishes carried in by ladies from all over the area.

Ambrose had organized daytime competitions and had his ranch hands watching everyone. When a neighboring rancher commented about the security patrol, Quincy drawled, “One year a group of boys decided to roll their first smoke. They fired up a haystack while they were at it and we almost lost the barn.”

The rancher nodded at the Double-Q riders mingling with guests and said, “Best tell ’em to look sharp in that case. You’ve got sodbusters and their kids here and they don’t have a lick of sense.”

”We’ve arranged competitions to keep the children busy,” Lucy answered. Hamilton had brought molasses and ginger candy from Comfort’s store to be given as prizes for the contests.

Alex had been practicing with the Winchester all week, much to Brody’s disgust, since her shooting lessons had been neglected and she couldn’t compete. To make her feel better, Ambrose added a slingshot contest, and Brody’s pocket bulged as she carried her sling and arsenal of stones with her, waiting for the other competitions to end.

In a surprise move, Ambrose put together a shooting match for the ladies. The prize for the winner was a dress sewn by Roberta and muslin cloth from Comfort’s store for the makings.

Lucy smiled when Alex brought the Winchester to her where she was cutting the pies. He grinned and whispered, “They all witnessed that you can cut a rope with a bullet from a fair distance. If you compete, likely no other females will bother to try.”

Lucy laughed, pleased at his pride in her. “Alex, I don’t think I’ve got the time right now, anyway. I’ve got more blasted pies to cut.”

He asked diffidently, “You reckon it would be okay to let another woman use your gun for the competition?”

“Who might need the use of the Winchester, Alex?” The red blushing up Alex’s neck was a sure sign that his good deed was more than simple generosity.

“I’ll bet it’s for Lizzie Mack, Mama.” Brody popped up at Lucy’s side. “Alex is sweet on her.”

“Hush up, Ambrosia Cordelia Quince. Lizzie is a friend, that’s all.” And then he lowered his voice even more and explained, “I don’t reckon she’d have any trouble winning that prize now that you’re not shooting. Lizzie can shoot the white tail off of a jackrabbit on the run.”

Lucy looked at her son with interest. Lizzie was a farmer’s daughter. “I’d be pleased to have a crack shot like that win with the Winchester.” She wiped her hands on her apron. “I guess I have time to watch the match and root for your friend.” She followed Alex to a good spot and waited.

Lucy was surprised to see over twenty women waiting with guns in hand. Behind her, she heard herself being discussed. “Jesus, my old lady’s been after me to teach her to shoot ever since Quincy’s woman shot the hanging rope and saved him. It’s unnatural, I tell you. No good will come of arming a bunch of females.”

She strained to hear the rejoinder, curious to see if the other man felt the same way. “I’m giving my Rosie lessons every evening. There’s too many drifters and ne’er-do-wells comin’ through these days to trust that she’ll be safe at home.”

The second man chuckled and then added, “Besides, I get to squeeze up next to her and do a little spooning while we practice. I’d rather know that Rosie’s safe even when I can’t be home than to leave her defenseless and alone. Damn, look at what happened to Quincy’s woman.”

Lucy left the men gossiping and walked closer to the women and girls who stood waiting to demonstrate their shooting skills. Alex carried the Winchester to a tall, freckled girl whose dress was three inches too short. Ambrose came to stand behind Lucy, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “Is that our boy sparkin’ his first flame?”

Lucy wanted to deny that Alex was maturing into a young man, but the evidence was before them. Nonchalantly, their son handed Lizzie Mack the Winchester, taking a moment to show her the basics of handling the weapon.

Quincy nudged Lucy and murmured, “Reckon our boy is having his first crush.”

As they watched, Alex stepped away from Lizzie and offered his hand to an older man standing next to the Mack girl. Then, as the competition got started, Alex gestured at Lucy and Quincy, escorting the man to where they stood watching.

Joseph Mack said gruffly, “I thought I’d come see this young man my Lizzie speaks so highly of.”

Alex demonstrated his manners with his formal introductions, and then everyone’s attention turned to the shooting.

One of the farm women stepped up to test her skills and hissing spread through the crowd as bullies tried to distract her aim. Lucy looked at her son shrewdly. Bringing Lizzie’s father over to meet the Quinces had put the Double-Q stamp of approval on the Macks, subtly protecting the farming family.

Lucy squeezed Quincy’s arm. “The celebration was a good idea,” she murmured. They’d greeted their Eclipse guests, demonstrating the solid prosperity of the Double-Q ranch. Texas power was shifting and the Quinces had just discovered how insidious outside forces could be. It was important to nurture alliances with their neighbors and meet future challenges with a united front.

Lucy smiled and nodded as ranch women and farm women alike passed by. The games proved to be a greatly enjoyed activity and everyone appeared to be having a good time.

Ambrose nudged her shoulder and she refocused on the shooting match. All but three women had been eliminated. Lizzie was one of those who remained. She looked longingly at the bolt of muslin material and then back at the judges, Hamilton and Hiram Potter.

“It’s to be a shoot-out,” Quincy said. “Best shot on the fly.”

Although she didn’t really know the girl, Lucy was proud of her. With the pressure of hundreds of eyes watching, Lizzie squared her shoulders, ignoring the hissing and catcalls filling the area. When her turn came, she didn’t flinch or take her eyes off Sheriff Potter. He threw the rock into the air and she tracked it with the Winchester. Quiet suddenly blanketed the crowd as she squinted down the sight and squeezed off the shot, shattering the rock in the air.

“Whoo-hoo, way to go, Lizzie,” Alex crowed and waved his hat. Joseph Mack’s lips twitched in a reluctant grin as he watched her son’s exuberance.

“Your girl’s a mighty fine shot. You teach her?” Ambrose asked. The rancher and the farmer faced each other suspiciously.

“No. My wife, Lizzie’s mother, was a fair shot. She worked with both the girls before…” His voice trailed off and he seemed at a loss for a minute. Mack touched a long sheath at his side. “I favor a knife.”

Lucy shuddered at the blade he wore on his belt, trying to focus on his answer. For a moment a savage expression played across the farmer’s face.