Why hadnt she moved that jewelry? Mad at herself, mad at Cal, it felt near to breaking her. Without her health and anything of value, she was at the complete mercy of her stepfather. The man whod offered her to Hennessey like a horse to be traded.
The horseman reached over her head and dragged open the heavy wood door enough for the comforting warmth of hay and horse to float through. You dont believe in a mans goodness?
No.
Never? You think there isnt one good man in this entire territory?
There was one. Affection warmed her, chasing away the cold and pain and taking her back to a simpler part of her life, when the summer had seemed to last forever and when shed known kindness. My father was a good man.
Is that so? Come inside, out of the wind, why dont you, and tell me about him.
She saw what he was up to. The steadiness in his voice, the interest. He wasnt here out of the goodness of his heart. No man did anything for free. Not without expecting something in return.
And she feared what it was. What had gone on between the horseman and her stepfather? Had Cal paid Hennessey with cash? Or not?
What are you doing out on a night like this? she asked instead, tucking her memories away to keep safe.
Couldnt sleep. Have a lot on my mind.
Your next job, perhaps?
No. I figure Ill head home for a bit. Im not worried about my next job. They tend to find me. He nudged her elbow, guiding her into the darkness.
She inched away, refusing to lean on him. She knew what he was thinking. You would be better off with the horses. Even with the jewelry. It would fetch you a few hundred if you were to sell it.
I dont want a ladys bracelet. Ive got enough horses.
Why didnt he have a wife? The dark hid him from her, and he moved with the slightest sound into the aisle. She listened to the rustle as he moved, to the tap of his solid boots on the floor and the scrape of metal as he found the lantern.
A match flared, and light danced across his rugged features. My, hes handsome. Shed always thought he was nice looking, but this close, he was devastating. A generous forehead over dark, expressive eyes. The high, sharp cheekbones of his native ancestors and the same proud look. A straight nose that wasnt too big, but fit his face well. Over a mouth that was hard enough to be cut in stone, but suited him and didnt look harsh. A jaw as strong as he was, and he clenched it hard so that muscles bunched in his throat while he studied her.
Ive been cast aside, youre aware of that. It was only the truth. I did not make a good wife.
I suspect thats a matter of opinion.
I dont want to marry again.
What? If your stepfather offered you to me, he may do the same to someone worse. Ever think of that?
Her stomach rolled. It was logical, of course. The horseman was right. She hadnt considered the possibility. Cal had said he was looking for a situation. One that suited him financially, no doubt.
While her stepfather could not force her to marry anyone, he could make her life so miserable she would choose anything as an escape. Just as shed chosen Brett. As an escape. As the one chance at happiness she thought shed ever get.
Come on up to the loft. Theres a good view from up there.
I dont want to sit with you. I came here to be alone.
Me, too. We can be alone together. Come on. He carried the battered lantern with him, sending light swinging back and forth across the dirt floor. Horses inside their shadowed stalls snuffled and shifted in protest, for their sleep was disturbed. Hennessey stopped at the end of the aisle. Why dont you come on up and make me understand why you wont at least consider the proposition I have for you.
Why? It wont be in my best interest.
You cant know that. Youre assuming Im no better than your stepfather or that bastard who hurt you. He held out his hand, palm up, just as hed done with the stallion. At least come tell me no and be done with it.
She found her feet moving forward. I can tell you no from here.
Yeah, but if you reject me here and now and I go back to the bunkhouse to lick my wounds and leave for home come morning, then youll never know what happened to the stallion. A gleam of triumph widened his smile as he climbed the ladder, taking the light with him.
That man! She found her feet moving forward, taking her to the small glow of light, trailing down the wooden ladder from the loft above.
Hennessey gazed down at her, one brow cocked. Interested?
Wasnt that what shed expect? Men liked to dominate. They liked to control. Be in charge. Use leverage. The very reason why she could never marry again.
But you have nowhere to go. That truth weighed like a thousand-pound anvil on her chest as she curled her hand around the sanded rung.
Thats it. The horseman gripped her wrist, then her elbow, aiding her up with hardly a strain to those muscles of his.
Reminding her how strong he was. Not as big as Brett, but bulkier. Iron hard. The latent power in Hennesseys tall, lean form frightened her. It was his touch that soothed like steaming hot chocolate on a cold day. Like a toasty hot bath before a crackling fire.
She pulled away, her feet solid on the hay-strewn boards. She skirted a pile of hay just to get away from him.
The snows letting up. Hennesseys baritone rumbled along the rafters she had to duck to miss bumping her head.
Sure is a bad sign, getting a hard snow this early. Likely to be a cold, long winter. The old-timers say that, too. Like a touch, his voice drew her closer. That means your stepfathers situation is going to get worse. This hay wont last him through a long winter. He pinched pennies this summer by trying to get by with fewer hired hayers. It might cost him big.
I know what youre trying to do.
Fine. Im not denying it. But its a free country, and I do have the right to ask.
She remembered how hed looked on the midnight prairie. Remembered how hed watched over her when shed been feeding the deer. Im not afraid of him, she realized. It wasnt much, but it was the reason she followed him to the edge of the loft, where he threw open the haying door. The night air rolled in.
Are you cold? he asked. Ill give you my coat.
Already he was shrugging out of it. It was a soft calfskin jacket lined with fluffy sheeps wool. How warm it would be, she realized, and how it would smell of his salty male skin. No, Ill be fine enough. I dont plan on staying here long.
Well see what I can do to change that. He shoved his fists into his pockets, looking oddly nervous and vulnerable for a man who towered over her, pure strength and might. Look at the storm break. Sure is something.
He wasnt a polished ladys man, that was for certain. Katelyn leaned her shoulder against the door frame. The rough-textured wood caught on her sleeve. It would be best to be honest with him. He looked as if he was suffering. I know what my stepfather offered you.
Im sorry you had to hear that. Had to make you feel pretty bad. I mean- He hesitated, swiped his big hand over his face. Youre not an animal.
He really wasnt eloquent, was he? She bit her lower lip to keep from smiling. That was a change from the men she knew, friends of her stepfathers, friends of Bretts. No, Im not livestock to be traded. Im glad you understand.
Good. Then come and sit with me. You might as well enjoy the view while youre up here. He eased onto the floor and hung his feet over the edge. He held out his hand, palm up, to help her down. You arent in a hurry to go back into that house, right?
Right. Hennessey might not be sophisticated, but he was perceptive. Hed said the exact words to make her stay with him. At least he understood. That was what mattered. He wasnt going to take Cal at his word.
Her relief felt as endless as the night sky, where the storm clouds ripped and shredded apart to show a thin curve of moon. The prairie stretched in a frozen hush as if in waiting.
Or, maybe that was the way she was feeling. Not relieved because the horseman understood but worried over what Cal would do next. Where he would send her, before she was strong enough to strike out on her own. Who would her stepfather offer her to next?
Cal was desperate, she realized that. Stretched tight and hurting for money. He was proud and cared only that it looked as if he were doing well. What he had to do to maintain that facade, well, he would do. Even sell her to the highest bidder.
She shivered, repulsed, afraid. The calm after the storm, the gloss of the moonlight on miles upon miles of snow made the world look like a prized pearl. So beautiful it hurt to look at it. She ached, wondering where her horizons lay, what the morning would bring.
What if one of the other hands found the stallion? Would one of them take her instead of diamonds and gold, when there was no money behind Cals reward offer?
The only option left her was to run tonight, in the bitter cold. She was not yet strong enough for travel. And without funds, she couldnt take the easier journey seated on a passenger train. That left more arduous forms of transportation. She would not survive a stagecoach rattling her across Montana Territory.
Want to know what happened to the stallion?
Her head jerked up. You said he got away from you.
No, I said I didnt catch him. I wasnt honest. I trapped him in a small canyon in the mountains. Made sure he was safe and hid my tracks on the ride back.
How badly is he hurt?
So much concern. Dillon figured he liked the woman even more for her softheartedness. He could spend the rest of his days counting the pretty, privileged women hed come across in his work, who saw their prized matched teams as little more than an extension to their fine, fashionable buggies and surreys.
He always figured a horsemans wife ought to at least like horses. The bullet hit him in the shoulder, I think. It was hard to tell in the dark and it happened fast. When I corralled him in, he wouldnt let me close enough to patch him up. From what I could see, it was nothing serious now, but if the bullets still in there, hell need care.
He always figured a horsemans wife ought to at least like horses. The bullet hit him in the shoulder, I think. It was hard to tell in the dark and it happened fast. When I corralled him in, he wouldnt let me close enough to patch him up. From what I could see, it was nothing serious now, but if the bullets still in there, hell need care.