The Lawman's Surrender: The Calhoun Sisters, Book 2 (14 page)

And fear it was. He’d never encountered a female who had managed to wriggle past his sturdy defenses and wrap herself around his heart like Susannah Calhoun.

Over the years he had faced cannon fire, bullets, raging storms, and a near hanging or two without blinking an eye, but this woman wielded weapons that he feared could destroy him. She was sensual even in her innocence. Fierce even in fear. Invincible even in her vulnerability. The contrasts and conflicts that made up Susannah fascinated him and drew him towards her, despite his best efforts to remain apart. He wanted to study all her facets, become familiar with her hopes and fears, grow attuned to her slightest emotional shift until he knew what she was thinking even before she did.

He wanted to know her inside and out. He wanted to discover her over the years until they were both old and gray. He wanted to stay with Susannah Calhoun until the day he died—and that scared him more than any murdering desperado ever could.

Chapter Ten

Jedidiah seemed to grow more and more distant with every mile that passed. Any question Susannah asked was met with a brief, though courteous, reply. By the time they stopped and made camp for the night at the edge of a stream, Susannah was spoiling for a fight, if only to jolt Jedidiah out of his exceedingly polite emotional distance.

The setting sun cast a pink glow over the sky as he steered the wagon off the main road and along a barely discernable dirt path through the woods. The horses, scenting water, eagerly trampled fallen leaves and broken branches, jarring the wagon so that Susannah had to hold on to the seat with both hands.

Jedidiah finally pulled the wagon to a stop in a clearing at the bank of the stream, and Susannah gingerly climbed down, wondering if they had cracked any of the wheels in the horses’ mad dash to quench their thirst. Jedidiah merely unhitched the team and led the animals to the water’s edge.

Susannah tried to work the kinks from her back, but her ponderous belly would not allow such freedom of movement. As Jedidiah worked with the horses, she tried to think of what she could do to begin to set up camp. Jedidiah had always done all the work, which didn’t seem fair. She had never had to live off the land before, but she could certainly learn how. She decided to begin by collecting some of the dry tinder to build a fire, but found her efforts hampered once more by her faux belly. Nevertheless, she attempted to handle the task.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Jedidiah’s quiet voice echoed across the clearing.

“Collecting firewood.”

“I’ll do that. You sit here.” He came and led her to a large boulder by the water’s edge. “I can handle things.”

“But I can help.”

“Never you mind about that,” he said with a politeness that set her teeth on edge. “Just sit back and let me take care of everything.”

“You act like I’m really expecting,” she complained with a snort of disgust. “I’m not useless, you know!”

The stubborn man ignored her and set about collecting the tinder himself. She made a rude face at his back, then folded her arms across her chest. She had two good hands. Why couldn’t she help?

When the fire was burning merrily, he pulled out the coffee pot. Susannah leaped to her feet and came to stand beside his crouched form.

“I can make the coffee,” she offered.

“Thank you, but no.”

She waited, but he said nothing more. “Why not?”

“It’s not necessary.” He stood and took her arm, leading her back to her rock again. “Just sit here and stay out of the way. Don’t worry about a thing.”

Susannah fumed as he turned his back on her and knelt by the fire to measure out the coffee. Of course she shouldn’t worry—not as long as big, strong,
capable
Jedidiah Brown was around to take care of everything. He may as well have added a pat on her pretty little head to go with his politely patronizing tone!

Other women might enjoy the role of damsel in distress, but not Susannah. She would not sit idly by, wringing her hands while Caldwell and his lynch mob pursued them. And she certainly had no intention of facing the judge in Denver with tearful eyes and a sob in her voice. She meant to take part in the outcome of her own future, and she would be darned if she would let Jedidiah Brown sit her on a shelf somewhere while he fought the enemy on her behalf.

She got to her feet just as Jedidiah turned toward the stream with the coffee pot in his hand.

“I want to help you, Jedidiah,” she challenged. “I am far from helpless, and I refuse to just sit here while you do everything.”

“I don’t see why you feel you need to.” He didn’t even look at her, merely walked toward the stream.

“Well, it doesn’t seem fair that you do everything all the time when I’m perfectly capable of helping you,” she replied, attempting a reasonable tone.

“And here I thought you enjoyed being waited on, princess,” he drawled.

His unexpected sarcasm made her abandon sweetness with all alacrity. “There’s no reason to be nasty,” she retorted with a glare. “And haven’t I asked you not to call me that ridiculous name?”

He didn’t even look at her as he knelt by the stream and filled the coffee pot with water, which just made her angrier. No man had ever ignored Susannah Calhoun!

“I’m talking to you, Jedidiah.”

“I think the name suits you…
princess
.” He rose, water dripping from the stainless steel pot, and gave her a tight smile. “You do like to give orders.”

“I am not giving orders,” she replied, stung. “I’ve
tried
to help, but you won’t let me.”

“I don’t need your help, princess. Don’t think just because you managed to get us out of trouble today that you’re suddenly in charge of this little expedition.”

“Is that what’s bothering you?” She frowned up into his face. “You’re upset because I managed to keep Caldwell from recognizing you?”

His mouth thinned. “He wouldn’t have recognized me.”

She made a sound of disbelief. “Yes, he would have. Taking off your badge does not constitute a disguise, Jedidiah.”

“Now you’re the authority on disguises too?”

“What has gotten into you?” she demanded, exasperated. “You’re treating me like a child. I’m an adult, capable woman, and I saved our necks back there. Accept it and get over your little snit.”

“Snit?” He drew himself up, every inch the indignant male. “I am not in a
snit
. I thought about it, and I’ve decided not to let you be so reckless in the future. You shouldn’t have put yourself in danger like that.”

“You would have done the same thing for me.”

“That’s different.”

“Oh, is it?” She arched her brows. “Because you’re the man, so it’s all right for you to take chances?”

“I’m the one with experience,” he replied stiffly.

“Was it your
experience
that led you to send me to the mercantile alone?” she demanded.

“That was a mistake,” he admitted.

She sighed and closed her eyes, shaking her head. “No, it wasn’t, Jedidiah, because if you’d come to the mercantile with me, we would have been discovered for certain.”

“Then what are you so mad about?”

She threw her hands up in the air. “You’re the one who started this,” she snapped. “I was just trying to help. You’re the one who feels guilty, not me.”

“I do not feel guilty!”

“Then why are you acting so contrary?” she demanded. “If you feel bad because you had to leave me alone for a short time, then don’t. No one knew Caldwell would be around.”

“
I
should have known!” he snarled, bringing his face close to hers, his eyes fierce. “We were almost killed, and it’s my fault.”

“Oh, Jedidiah.” She laid a hand against his cheek. “It’s not your fault. It was just plain bad luck.”

He stepped away, leaving her hand to drop to her side. “I have a job to do,” he said, stalking back to the fire. “And that job involves getting you to Denver alive.”

She curled her fingers into her palm. He couldn’t have made his rejection of her more evident if he had shouted the words from a mountain top. Anger and hurt simmered together in her veins, and she suddenly felt the urge to shake him free of his polite defenses.

“Well, at least I know where I stand,” she said, noting with satisfaction the way his shoulders tensed at her haughty tone. “I’ll just stop worrying about you,
Marshal Brown.
Obviously, you are a man who needs no one in his life. How silly of me to forget.”

He turned toward her as if to say something, but she presented him with her back as she marched to the wagon and dug out her heart-shaped soap from the box of supplies. As she turned back toward the water, he looked as if he intended to speak, but her icy glare froze the words on his tongue. He merely watched her with raised eyebrows as she made her way to the edge of the stream.

She crouched down and ran her fingers through the water. She had hoped the sun would warm it, but it retained a chill from the snow-capped mountains that fed it. No doubt the water would be absolutely freezing after nightfall, but for the moment it was adequate for bathing.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” he asked from behind her.

She didn’t deign to look at him as she rose. “I am planning on taking a bath, Marshal. Please have the decency to act the gentleman you proclaim yourself and turn your back while I do so.”

Silence. Then, “You’re just gonna strip down and jump in the stream?”

“I haven’t had a proper bath in several days, and since you refused to allow me one at the hotel last night…” She shrugged. “I do intend to keep my shift on, however.”

“You need to keep all of it on. What if someone comes by?”

Her response was to slip off her padding from beneath her voluminous dress and let it fall in a heap to the ground. Ignoring his disapproving scowl, she went to sit on the rock again and bent to unfasten her shoes. “Perhaps you could do some of that protecting you’re so fond of while I am indisposed,” she drawled. “I wouldn’t care for Wayne Caldwell to come upon us while I have soap in my eyes.”

A flare of emotion crossed his face, and she hid her smile of satisfaction. Oh, he was so calm about it all. So professional. So aloof from everything but the job at hand. But somewhere inside this polite stranger was the man who had admitted his desire for her just yesterday.

She only had to goad him into showing himself.

“Caldwell is the least of your problems,” he said. “You’ll probably freeze in that water.”

“I’ll survive.” She didn’t mean to look at him, but as she slid off the first shoe, she couldn’t help herself. He stood watching her with overt male interest, the coffee pot forgotten in his hand.

“Do you suppose a weapon might be in order?” she asked pointedly. “If you meet Caldwell with a coffeepot instead of a rifle, he might take that as an invitation to stay for supper.”

His glower satisfied her quite nicely, and she began to hum as she removed her other shoe.

“You think this is funny, don’t you?”

She looked up. “No, Jedidiah,” she said, slowly peeling off one stocking. “I think
you’re
funny.”

“Me?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at his sour expression. “Yes, you. That male pride of yours is smarting because I managed to get us out of a nasty situation all by my little female self.”

“And your
female
pride is getting carried away with itself.” He plunked the coffeepot down on the fire and turned to the wagon to retrieve his guns. “I just don’t want you getting cocky and putting yourself in danger.”

“I have no intention of doing any such thing,” she replied, watching as he efficiently strapped on his guns. “At least not when I have a big, strong man like you to defend me.” She met his suspicious glance with a dulcet smile and a fluttering of her eyelashes.

“Don’t waste your wiles on me, princess,” he grumbled. “I know you too well for that.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” she replied, then proceeded to take off her clothes.

The woman was trying to tempt him.

Jedidiah held on to his control with effort as she stripped the other stocking from her shapely leg. She wouldn’t win. He was still annoyed with himself for letting her drive him into showing his frustration with the way things had gone earlier that day. Already she had caused him to snap at her. He was damned if she would make him forget himself again.

She dropped the stocking to the ground to join the first one.

She won’t do it, he thought, swallowing hard. Always before, she had hidden behind a bush or a rock while she changed her clothes. There was no way she would suddenly strip nearly naked in front of him after taking such pains to protect her modesty. She was trying to get at him, that was all. He recognized the glint of challenge in those gorgeous blue eyes.

He scanned her long, smooth limbs one last time before pasting an impassive expression on his face.

He had a job to do. They couldn’t become involved on a sexual level. It was too dangerous. He knew that.

But as he watched her slim hands smooth over her bare legs, none of it seemed to matter. He knew she hadn’t killed a man. Those delicate fingers hadn’t wielded the knife that had ended Brick Caldwell’s life. They would find the witness, clear Susannah’s name and he would move on. That was the way it had to be.