The Law and Miss Penny (41 page)

Authors: Sharon Ihle

BOOK: The Law and Miss Penny

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Slipping into her robe as she crossed the room, Mariah called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Amelia."

The little girl's voice startled her, but Mariah recognized her name in an instant. She quickly wiped her eyes, then turned the key in the lock and opened the door. Outfitted in his Brother Law apparel, Cain held his young daughter in his arms. She was wearing the lovely leghorn shade bonnet he'd purchased in Durango—or more correctly, it was wearing her.

Morgan touched the brim of his own hat with his free hand. "Afternoon. I'd like you to meet my daughter, Amelia. May we come in for a moment?"

"Oh, ah, sure." Mariah backed into the room, fumbling with the buttons at the throat of her best white robe.

"Amelia, this is Miss Penny. The lady who owns the hat."

The girl lifted the bonnet off of her head with a little help from her father, and handed it to Mariah. Flashing a broad grin, one which clearly revealed the space her front teeth had once inhabited, she said, "You're pretty."

"Thank you, Amelia. So are you." Her mind afire with questions, Mariah took the hat to her dresser and laid it down. Daisy, who'd bounced down off the bed the moment she heard Morgan's voice, was dancing around his legs, begging him for just a scrap of attention.

"Daddy, look," cried Amelia. "She gots a puppy."

"She sure does, Pumpkin." Morgan leaned over as if to set the child down, but paused to ask Mariah, "How does Daisy feel about youngsters?"

"She doesn't bite them, if that's what you're asking, but I have to be honest: Daisy doesn't, as a rule, like children. She'll probably run away and hide under the bed." As Morgan set Amelia on her feet, Mariah cautioned the girl. "Be real quiet around Daisy at first, let her sniff your hand so she will understand that you don't want to hurt her, and she might play with you."

Giggling as the dog's cold, damp nose touched her fingers, Amelia sank cross-legged onto the floor and let Daisy make her acquaintance.

Assured that his daughter would be preoccupied as well as safe, Morgan took Mariah by the elbow and steered her over to the window. Before saying a word, he tied one of the heavy velvet drapes back out of the way. Sunshine spilled into the room, lighting Mariah's dark hair with a fiery glow.

"I want another chance," he said simply.

"'Chance'?" He couldn't be talking about her, not with his daughter in the room. Mariah held her heart at bay. "What kind of chance?"

"To apologize first. The things I said to you yesterday, the awful accusations, especially the way I tried to blame you for my neglect of Amelia. I was angry, and—"

"You had every right to be angry," Mariah said, cutting off his apology, her heart all too eager to welcome him back, to love him again, if even for just this moment. "If anyone needs to say I'm sorry, it's me. And I am."

"For what?" He grinned, his green eyes twinkling. "Taking my blank mind and transforming me into Cain Law? I thank you for that rebirth, princess. Say you forgive me. Say that you... love me, if only just a little."

Mariah's treacherous heart pounded in her breast. God forgive her for the wicked, wanton woman that she'd become, but all she really cared about was this last moment with Cain, and all she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and bury herself there forever. Strangling on the words she knew she had to say, Mariah managed them somehow. "Love you? But what about Amelia's mother? Surely you can't just—"

"Oh, hell. Between the Doolittle Gang and all that's happened, I guess I never did get around to telling you about her, did I?"

"No." She swallowed hard. "You never even mentioned her name."

Morgan glanced at Amelia out of the corner of his eye, and then quietly said, "Her name was Virginia. She got caught in the cross fire during a holdup almost three years ago."

With a soft gasp, Mariah said, "Oh, Cain. How horrible."

He nodded. "It was all of that and more for Amelia at her tender years. I knew I couldn't raise her alone, so when Virginia's sister Prudence offered to take her in, I let her. I see her as often as I can, but..." Again he glanced at Amelia, who had already managed to make herself a mighty good friend of Daisy's. "We haven't been together nearly enough."

Because she didn't know what else to say, Mariah whispered, "I'm so sorry. For you both."

"Don't be. Virginia's death isn't something I dwell on anymore. We were, in many ways, polite strangers." Suddenly, Morgan could no longer bear not touching Mariah. He reached over and brushed his fingertips across her long, loose hair, and then let them fall to her throat, caressing the delicate skin there as he said, "I'd rather talk about us. I love you, Mariah Penny. Did you hear me? I love you. That's something I never could say to Virginia, or anyone else for that matter. I take it as a real sign that we belong together."

His touch, as always, was magical; her body, as ever, eager to believe his every word. But something disturbed her, a concern that would not be denied. "Cain Law once told me that he loved me. I loved him back with all my heart." He looked as if he was about to take her into his arms, so Mariah stepped out of his reach, evading him while she still had the strength. "I never thought I'd hear those words from a man like Morgan Slater, and frankly, I'm not sure what I think about hearing them now. I don't even know what I think of the man."

Morgan had halfway expected this kind of reaction to his declarations, so he'd come prepared. "I didn't want to have to get tough with you, Mariah, but I should warn you that Amelia and I decided to make a little stop on the way over here in case we needed some more ammunition." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle of #20 love potion. "I don't want to have to use this on you, princess—it tastes like old socks—but I'll force it down your throat if I have to."

Her heart lurched, and she began to laugh. In spite of all her doubts and fears, Mariah laughed and laughed until she discovered that she was crying as well.

Morgan pulled her into his arms, thumbing a tear off the corner of her mouth. "If you still have doubts about this Morgan Slater fellow, we'll just get rid of him again. I'll be anyone you want me to be—anyone at all—just as long as you tell this man standing before you that you love him. And that you'll marry him."

"Oh... oh, my God." Mariah fell into his embrace, her tears soaking his frock coat, and through a sob of sheer joy, she finally said, "If I say yes, you won't mind if I call you Cain, even though the name belonged to my dog?"

"I don't mind, if you don't mind being called... Mommy." He took her face between his hands, staring hard into her moist eyes. "I'm serious about that part, princess. I do understand if you have some doubts about Amelia, but I can't neglect her any longer. I intend to keep her with me—with us—even though I don't know what to expect, since I haven't been around much the past few years. I don't know if she's willful or obedient, spoiled or charitable, incorrigible, or even—"

"Shush." Mariah briefly pressed her lips against his, making sure they would stay sealed, and then glanced over to where Amelia and Daisy were playing on the floor. "That's all I need to know about your daughter, Cain. I trust Daisy's judgment completely. She only cottons to very special people, remember?"

Remembering that he, as Cain Law, had been special enough for Daisy to "cotton" to, again he drew Mariah into his embrace. As her body molded against his, surrounding him with her intoxicating scent, for a moment he thought he might happily drown in that sea of cinnamon, rosebuds, and silken skin. Gathering himself, he whispered against her hair, "Is that a 'Yes, I'll marry you,' princess?"

Mariah's emotions exploded inside of her, as wondrous a feeling as the dawning of a new day. "Yes, darling. I'll marry you. Oh, yes." Their lips met again, their hearts beating as one, and the world seemed to spin beneath her feet.

From across the room, Amelia glanced at the couple and screwed her pert little mouth into a frown. "They're kissing, Daisy. Just like Aunt Prudence and Uncle Jack." She called to her father. "Is there going to be a lot of that kissing, Daddy?"

Cain broke away from Mariah's mouth long enough to say, "As much as possible, Pumpkin." Then he returned to the decidedly pleasurable task at hand.

Amelia let out a noisy sigh, and muttered to the little dog. "Kissing. I don't think I like all that kissing."

Daisy hopped into Amelia's lap, her pink tongue laving the girl's cheeks, and confirmed in her own way that, like it or not, there would be a lot of kissing going on in the Slater household from now on.

The End