Marshal of Hel Dorado (33 page)

 
    
It was why the boys had taken the gold in
the first place. His silent disappointment in their choice was a greater
recrimination than shouting would have been. His decision to return the gold
elicited grumbles, but not defiance.

 
    
As Quanto approached Cody, Kid excused
himself. Cody’s troubled expression left Quanto to look at her. She offered him
a small smile, but his gaze hardened as it swept past her to where Sam stood.
She could feel the Marshal’s presence pressing against her side.

 
    
Cody didn’t bother to disguise his distrust
or his dislike.

 
    
She dropped her gaze to her boots and
sighed. “Marshal, my father trusts you and you have been kind to me, most of
the time.” She decided to forgive him the spanking. She had hit him in the
head. That made them somewhat even.

 
    
“But?”

 
    
 
But what? I don’t know you. I don’t know
your family. You were kind, but you’re still
strangers. You’re still the Marshal. You turn my heart upside down. You
fill my head with
thoughts I’ve never
really had before. I want to kiss you again. I want to know if that was real.

 
    
“But I’m scared.” She cut off the wild
tumble of thoughts with an honest confession.

 
    
“What are you scared of minx?” His voice
gentled and he circled around her, squatting down to meet her gaze when she
wouldn’t look up.

 
    
His brown eyes were whiskey warm, carrying
that same golden sheen as his wheat colored hair. Curiosity and kindness twined
in the look, wrapping around her heart and tugging at her soul.

 
    
“Everything.” The admission cost her,
sliding another knot of tension around her stomach. “I’m scared of going. I’m
scared of staying. I’m scared that they’ll hang me. I’m scared of what my
brothers will do if they try.”

 
    
Sam nodded slowly, rising from his crouch
and holding his hands, palm up out, but not quite touching her. She lifted her
chin, looking from his hands to his face.

 
    
“I can’t promise you that nothing bad will
ever happen. The world is not a friendly place.

 
    
I can’t promise you that this will be a
simple matter. I can’t promise you that will be quick. But I can promise you
that I will do everything in my family’s power to right this, but it will take
time and effort and trust on both our parts to make it happen.”

 
    
Indecision wracked her. She wanted to take
his hands. She wanted to run back to her horse. She wanted to believe him. She
wanted to hide.

 
    
“Minx?”

 
    
She shivered at the caress in the nickname
and with agonizing slowness, put her hands in his. Her heart thudded painfully
inside against her ribs. His fingers closed around hers, cradling her palms
gently. The rough skin of his palms was both hot and cool to the touch.

 
    
“I reserve the right to change my mind.”
She committed to the course that Wyatt and Quanto endorsed. If they had not,
she wouldn’t be here. She knew that. She raised her eyes, meeting Sam’s gaze
directly. “But I promise I won’t unless you give me a good reason, too.”

 
    
Sam smiled, the expression easing away the
doubt and dark clouds in his face. He squeezed her hands gently. “That is a
fair promise.”

 
    
She avoided looking to where her brothers
worked, tilting her head to the side to give Sam a half-grin. “I am sorry that
I didn’t say goodbye. You weren’t terribly upset with Kid, were you?”

 
    
“Furious.” Sam shrugged. “But he had his
reasons as did you. I do not have to like it to understand or respect that. But
let’s not focus on our regrets, but rather our goals, yes?”

 
    
Overhead a hawk screamed into a dive and
Scarlett turned to watch the bird plummet. It rose seconds later, a rabbit
struggling in its talons. She felt a bit like that rabbit, plucked from the
safety of her home for the uncertain future. But Sam wasn’t angry with her, in
fact, he seemed almost pleased to be talking to her again.

 
    
She glanced to the wagons, where the last
of the crates had been loaded and her brothers were finished hitching the
horses. Her brothers and his, working together. Of Quanto there was no sign,
but he was never one for long goodbyes. She saw Cody staring at her and she
offered him a small smile, but he turned away to catch a saddlebag from Jimmy.

 
    
“Your brothers are decent men. A little
strange, but decent.” It was a fair observation and she felt another band
around her chest loosen.

 
    
It could be fun to be on the same side,
except… “I don’t suppose you’ll promise to not spank me again?”

 
    
Sam’s eyes twinkled when he met hers. “No,
ma’am. I definitely can’t promise that.”

 
    
I
t
was just edging towards noon when the last of the crates were loaded and the
wagons sorted. Sam pointed Scarlett away from the horses and up onto the bench
seat of the first wagon, climbing up behind her. The narrow seat forced her to
sit hip to hip with him, but Sam didn’t mind. Corona and Dawn were both secured
to the rear of the wagon and could trot along after.

 
    
Buck drove the second wagon with Noah
bringing up the third. That left the others to mount up and ride circuits. The
burdened wagons would move slower than the men on horseback, allowing the
others to scout ahead and to even plan campsites for the wagons. It would be a
longer trip back to Dorado.

 
    
“I don’t see why I can’t ride with the
boys,” Scarlett complained, parting and plaiting her hair into a braid, before
covering the wealth of red with a hat.

 
    
Gathering the reins in one hand and
releasing the handbrake with the other, he urged the horses into a slow walk.
“Because I want your company.”

 
    
Scarlett bumped his arm with each bounce.
The blonde, Cody, rode up alongside them.

 
    
He grinned at Scarlett, ignoring Sam. “You
sure you don’t want to ride sweetheart?”

 
    
“She’s fine where she is.” Sam kept his
hands on the reins, but settled a long look on Cody. He’d not missed the man’s
constantly straying attention, his gaze always following Scarlett. He’d
intercepted her on the ride in and the hug was a great deal more than
fraternal.

 
    
The wolf in man’s clothing was competition.
Sam wasn’t sure what type yet, but he had the advantage at the moment and he
wasn’t letting it go.

 
    
“I’ll ride later when we switch out.”

 
    
Sam scowled in irritation at her blatant
refusal to play along. Cody grinned, his horse sidling closer.

 
    
“I can always just keep you company.”

 
    
“Only if you want to be bored.” Scarlett
motioned to the wagon. “I can walk faster than this.”

 
    
Teeth grinding, Sam was saved from saying
something he might regret as Kid and Jimmy rode up on his left. “Yo, Cody.
Let’s go. We’re going to range ahead. Need to make sure we have a good crossing
point at the first river.”

 
    
Scarlett waved as they rode off, longing
slipping across her expressive face. Sam sighed.

 
    
“Do you want to go with them?” He tried not
to read too much into her reaction, but this was his opportunity and he didn’t
want to waste it watching her ride away.

 
    
“No,” she shook her head, grabbing the
bench rail as they hit another rock. The horses were moving at a plodding pace,
but the landscape wasn’t friendly to the wagon wheels and it was better to go slow
and steady, than risk a broken wheel.

 
    
Or neck.

 
    
“Then what’s wrong?”

 
    
“I’m worried about Cody.”

 
    
Sam worried about Cody too, but he was sure
it was for a completely different reason. He swallowed back the biting comments
he could make and focused instead on Scarlett. Quanto had said this was his
opportunity, his one chance to try and connect with her, he couldn’t squander
it wasting time on jealousy.

 
    
At least not while Cody kicking up dust
riding away from them.

 
    
He cleared his throat. “Do you want to talk
about it?”

 
    
She shot a questioning glance in his
direction and frowned. “I don’t know if you would understand.”

 
    
“Maybe not.” He agreed. “But, if you want
to talk about it. I would be willing to listen.”

 
    
He tried not to watch her, keeping his
attention on the horses. But her hand rubbed over the pocket of her denim
britches twice, a pensive look clouding her expression. Sam was already
regretting the offer, when she sighed.

 
    
“Cody kissed me.”

 
    
He hadn’t hit the bastard hard enough. His
teeth ground together and he flexed his fingers on the reins. Chin lifting, he
studied the range ahead of them, barely out of the mountains, the land dipped
and rolled. The riders were already out of sight.

 
    
But they’d be back.

 
    
He could hit him again.

 
    
“Sam?” The query dragged him back to the
wagon and he tried to smooth away the scowl on his face. “Are you all right?”

 
    
“I’m fine.” He cleared his throat again.
He’d told her she could talk to him. He’d damn well listen. “He kissed you. But
he’s your brother?”

 
    
It would give him time to figure out just
how much damage was owed the wolf.

 
    
“Exactly. But it was a lot more than just a
brotherly kiss.” The catch in her voice nearly did him in. It took effort to
keep his hands on the reins and not reach out to hug her.

 
    
“Well, you’re a beautiful woman.” He tried
to empathize.

 
    
“But he’s my brother, and I didn’t know he
felt that way.” The quivery note in her voice warned of self-loathing. “I
didn’t mean to hurt him, but when he kissed me, I burned him.”

 
    
“Good.” Pure masculine satisfaction flowed
through him. It explained the blisters on Cody’s mouth the first night he’d met
him. And his wild reaction when Sam asked about Scarlett.

 
    
“Sam!”

 
    
“Good. You didn’t hurt him badly, but
enough to let him know you weren’t interested.”

 
    
No he wouldn’t apologize for feeling that
way, except…”You aren’t interested, are you?”

 
    
“No.” The heated response increased his
satisfaction. Sam leaned back on the bench, resting one booted foot on the
wagon front. He could handle this conversation.

 
    
“What bothers you more? That he feels that
way about you? Or that you burned him?”

 
    
It was the right question, the stiffness in
her shoulders sagged. Another bounce of the wheels rocked her against him and
he stretched a steadying arm out behind her.

 
    
“I don’t like that he feels that way. He’s
my brother and kissing him like that is wrong, but Sam, I shouldn’t have burned
him.”

 
    
“Then why did you?” Sam applauded his
calmness, but he was honestly interested. In the short amount of time he’d
spent with Scarlett, all he’d seen was control. Except, he amended, for the
time at the pond. When she’d been alone, or thought she was alone, she’d
cavorted and played, sending fire swirling up into the sky and down into the
water. The picture of it was forever etched into his mind.