The Lady and the Lawman (34 page)

Looking
up into her husband’s face, she couldn’t remember why she’d
been apprehensive. Her hand caresse
d
his stubbly cheek, contouring his strong jaw. She ran a thumb ran
across his lower lip and h
e
bit down on her appendage playfully. His eyes sparkled with
amusement, mesmerizing her, forgetting all of her troubles.

“
I
love you.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. She
meant them with all her heart, but was afraid of what he would do
when he knew the truth. Skittish now, she dropped her hand from his
face.

He
grabbed her wrist, holding it in midair. “What took you so long,
sweetheart?”

“
What—”

He
lowered his head to hers for a quick kiss, cutting off her question.
She melted. The ice that had surrounded her heart her entire life
began to thaw. His arms about her and his mouth pressed to hers only
added more heat, her whole body at once alive, happy.

Lifting
her head, she laughed. A beautiful sound, even to her own ears.

“
Stay
just like this.” He tugged on the sheet at her breast. “I’ll be
back as soon as I can.” A quick chaste kiss brushed by her lips as
he went to the door.

“
Grant,”
she called to him.

He
looked to her, one hand on the doorknob.

She
didn’t want him to go. Not yet. Not now after she’d shared her
deepest feelings. “I wanted to tell you I love you, one more time.”

His
smile lit up his face, little crinkles of happiness formed at the
edges of his beautiful eyes.

She
approached him and ran her hand up to his face, then down his large
body...and lower still. “But it would be better if I showed you
instead.”

“
I
really should...oh
God, yes, right there.” His voice hitched and ended with a groan.

“
Right
there? How about here?” Her hands moved over him as her mouth came
up to circle his ear with kisses.

“
Turn
around and grab hold of the table. Whatever you do, don't let go,”
he commanded, yanking the sheet from her body. He still had a thing
or two to show his vixen wife.

***

Two
hours later, Grant walked through the doors of Croft’s saloon.
Since this dive was the first place he met Maggie, he wasn’t sure
if he should think of this place fondly or with hatred. That led him
to thinking about how he left her, sleeping and sated in their bed
from the multiple orgasms he'd wrung from her body.

There
were a handful of men at the bar and a few playing cards at a table,
but it was a slow time of day. Most of Croft’s customers were
sleeping off their night of debauchery.

“
Jimmy,
a bit early for you?” Grant called to the bartender.

“
Mornin’,
Sheriff.”

Jimmy
looked exhausted. His clothes were wrinkled, sleeves rolled up and
his hair was mussed as if he’d been working for two days straight.

“
Had
your baby yet?”

The
man smiled, fatherly pride noticeable even through the exhaustion
etched on his face.

“
Over
a week now. A boy!”

“
That’s
just great.” Grant leaned over the counter and gave him a
congratulatory slap on the shoulder. “Croft awake?”

“
No
sir. He went into his office around five and hasn’t come out
since.”

“
Then
I know just where to find him. Thanks.” He tipped his hat and
looked forward to stirring Croft from his sleep.

***

Margaret
woke to sunlight streaming through the open window. She was
refreshed and blissfully happy. Stretching, she smiled to herself. At
long last, she was home. Home with someone who loved her. She had had
her proof the night before, then once again during the darkest hours
of night, then again only an hour ago. And in a way she never
imagined. Her cheeks flushed just thinking about what Grant did to
her.

Who
would have thought a Philadelphia socialite would find the love of
her life—and happiness to match—in the arms of a sheriff in the
wilds of Colorado?

She
smiled again, grinning now. Me, she thought.

Leisurely,
she dressed and attempted to make the bed.
While
she was completing the task, unease washed over her, goose bumps
rising on her arms. She knew the sensation well. Danger. Grant’s
house was to be a safe place, devoid of the dangers that had been
following her for months. But now here she was, alone in the house,
fear prickling up her spine. She shivered, knowing that whatever the
danger, it was close.

She
needed to get to safety—in Grant’s arms—and fast. She sprang
from the bed and dashed into the parlor. A silhouette of a man
blocked out most of the light from one of the front windows.

Dalton.
It had to be him, ready to kill her!

She
screamed and fl
ed
into the kitchen. She hadn't made through the doorway when a hand
clamped down on her shoulder. She was yanked into the man’s evil
clutches. She grabbed onto the molding around the doorway, holding on
with all her might.

He
was too strong. Easily enough, her fingers slipped from their tenuous
hold and she was pulled backward. An arm c
ame
around her waist, squeezing the air from her lungs. It was too late
for her to resist. The man had her in his grasp. Thrashing in his
arms, she screamed, but a hand pressed tightly over her mouth. There
was no escape.

The
man grunted as she struggled still. A swift blow to the head turned
her world to black.

***

“
I
got nowhere at Croft’s,” Grant shouted into the bedroom as he
shut the front door behind him. “No leads at all. Everyone was
asleep. They heard the shots, but that’s nothing new at that end of
town. Even Croft sounded believable.”

All
was quiet in the house and he expected Maggie to be in bed, sleeping
off their activities from the night before. Just thinking about it
made him hard.

He
unbuttoned his shirt as he entered the bedroom, but he stopped
halfway. No Maggie. Where the hell was she? His eagerness to have her
naked, in bed, waiting for him was greater than he anticipated.
Looking around, he noticed the outfit he’d so carelessly thrown to
the floor was gone. A cursory search of the house yielded no Maggie,
but some damage to the parlor. A table was knocked over and the
braided rug was turned up at one edge. Could this be her attempt at
cleaning?

Damn,
where was she? He was becoming quickly agitated, and concerned. He’d
told her not open the door to anyone, only himself and....

She
was with Tom, of course. Maybe he took her to breakfast. Relief
filled him as he left the house to join them.

***

Margaret
awoke to darkness. Complete, utter darkness. Only a thin sliver of
light seeping in from the cracks in and around the doorway illumined
the room. She was lying on a lumpy bed of some sort, with a scratchy
wool blanket that felt worn and frayed under her fingers.

Blood
rushed to her head as she sat up. She quickly laid back down, her
head throbbing where she had been struck. Closing her eyes to the
pain, she tentatively placed a hand at the base of her neck and found
a lump the size of a goose egg. Giving in to the pain wasn't going to
help her escape, so she fought the dull ache and carefully went to
the door to see if it was unlocked, afraid she might run into some
obstacle in the darkness. Turning the knob resulted in nothing. The
door did not give an inch.

She
returned to the bed, to sit and think about her most recent
predicament. How was she going to get out of this? It was amazing how
she could be kidnapped for the third time! It had to be some kind of
record.

Hopefully,
Grant would find her missing and start a search. How long had it been
since she was kidnapped, she didn’t know. She didn’t even know
where she was, so she was wary of her chances at being found.

He
loved her. She knew it in his every look, every touch, every action.
The thought was enough to keep her spirits and hopes lifted.

Her
entire life now was with Grant. She didn't miss her life in
Philadelphia one bit. Everyone in the town—except Dalton—was a
friend, and they were true friends. She’d never had those before.
She thought back to the dinner when she was forced into the
engagement with William. She had believed those at the dining table
were her closest of friends. Now she knew better. Personal gain and
appearances were all that mattered.

William
had never cared about her, only her money. But when Grant had learned
of her inheritance, he didn’t seem fazed. No interest was raised
about the amount of the inheritance, and he had never inquired how to
receive any of her funds. He'd made love to her with a tenderness and
warmth that spoke his true feelings, without words. Without a care
for anything but her.

Tears
slipped from her eyes. Any escape was futile. Hopefully, she’d
still be alive when Grant found her. Exhausted, not knowing what time
or what day it was, she fell asleep on the smelly cot.

***

“
Where’s
Maggie?” Grant asked. He reined in his horse with a cloud of dust
as Tom rushed out of his stable to meet him.

“
What
do you mean? I haven’t seen her.”

There
was something definitely wrong. He knew Maggie. There was no
possibility she would have just gone off somewhere. Well, not
anymore. If she was with anyone voluntarily, it would be Tom.

“
You
haven’t seen her?”

Tom
shook his head as he grabbed the bridle of Grant’s horse to hold it
still. “Not since the other night with you. What’s wrong?”

“
She’s
gone.”

“
Gone?
Climb down and tell me what you know.”

“
No
time. I’ve got to find her—and I know where to start.”

“
Wait!”

Grant
turned the horse around.

“
What
do you want me to do?” Tom asked, worry in his voice.

“
Meet
me in town as soon as you can. I’ll need all the help I can get.”

“
Grant!”
Tom
shouted
as he started off. He reined in and turned to his brother. “You
love her, don’t you?”

“
Since
I first laid eyes on her.” He prodded the horse into action.

***

The
door rattled as it opened with a key. He carried a tray of food in
his left hand, a lantern in his right.

“
You!
I thought you would have given up by now.” Bitterness welled up
inside of her at the sight of her captor.

“
I
know. That's why it worked out so well. Your precious husband
shouldn’t
have let you out of his sight,” said William Hunt with a wicked
smile on his face.

“
But
why, William? Why did you do this? It's been days since you left.”

“
Ah,
but I didn't really leave, now did I?” William was reveling in his
evil deed. If his hands weren’t full, she imagined he would rub
them together with glee. “Masterson knows nothing about my presence
and believed I returned east, tail between my legs, giving up what
was rightfully mine.”

She
was scared. She’d never seen William this way before. He had a
harrowed look about him, his anger focused to a sharp razor’s edge,
ready to slice her to bits.