Chapter 25
Lily went to the porch as Theo instructed but she stood close enough to hear the exchange. If she’d believed the man simply a charming, unmarried homesteader she underestimated him.
The man who stood beside his wagon waiting on the riders to draw up looked formidable. He’d pushed his jacket back to reveal the twin pistols he wore low on each hip. In his hands, a rifle pulled from beneath the wagon seat.
Three men rode into the space. Two wore dusty hats and boots, were rangy with craggy, sun-bronzed faces. The third, in a black jacket and boots that looked new even to her unpracticed eye, grimaced when his horse took the command to stop abruptly.
Theo’s hat brim sent a swath of shade that hid his features, but his voice left no room for interpretation.
“You’re on private property.”
The closest man pushed his hat back on his head, crossed his wrists over the saddle’s pommel, and leaned forward. The nonchalant air purely an affectation, as the other dusty man’s hands went to his gun belt and his gaze raked the area beyond the house.
“Now, you know we’re just passin’ through.” The man spat a stream of tobacco juice at the ground beside his horse. “We been through this a’fore, Harvey.”
“We have. I’ve told you to stay off my land.”
The man in the shiny boots spoke. He had a high, squeaky voice and waved his hands to punctuate his words. “We didn’t mean any harm. These gentlemen were showing me some property the other side of yours. I’m thinking of staking a claim. Trying to find the best fit for me and my family, that’s all.”
Theo waved the rifle barrel. “Well, mister, you’d best forget ‘bout puttin’ in a claim on any property that borders mine.”
“Why is that?” The man’s twang gave him away. He had to be from somewhere back east. Boston would be her guess. He sounded as if he had a fish up his nose and now his voice shook. “It looks like a fine parcel.”
They might be on horseback, but Theo didn’t seem bothered by it. His glare could have melted mountains.
The silent man shot him a look of disgust.
His partner, the one who spoke first, spat again.
The newcomer urged his horse to take a step backward.
“Forget whatever they showed you. First off, they’re not gentlemen. They’re looking to rob your pockets with their fee for showing you about and filin’ your claim. You don’t need them—you can file your own damn claim.”
The copious spitter snarled. “That’s a lie. We ain’t tryin’ to rob nobody. We’re honest businessmen, and you know that, Harvey!”
“What I know is that you’ve been told to steer clear of here, to stay off my land, and to stop showin’ people any land borderin’ mine.” He looked from one man to the other, ignoring the one whose desire to stake a claim brought them here. “Now get your sorry asses off my land—and don’t come back!”
“You can’t talk to us that way—” The nasally tone increased when the newcomer became indignant.
Theo’s hands moved so fast they were a blur, but she heard a cartridge slide into the rifle’s chamber. He raised it to his shoulder and pointed it at the blustering man.
“My Winchester says I can talk however I damn well please. Now, turn your sorry asses around and get off my land before I have to blow a hole in one of you.” He paused, moving the rifle a hair to the left, toward the silent one whose hand rested near the pistol on his right hip. “And I don’t care who I hit first.”
The spitting man spat one more time. “C’mon, let’s get outta here.” They turned their horses around, but he looked back over his shoulder before he rode off. “Land around here ain’t all that great after all.”
Lily’s heart thudded in her chest and it had nothing at all to do with being enchanted with the man standing in the yard, although she did feel even more in awe of him than she had earlier. Watching him chase three armed men off like that surely gave his already ruggedly handsome character a boost.
But that didn’t make her heartbeat feel like a stallion galloped inside her.
She exhaled the breath she didn’t realize she held and placed a hand over her chest. Fear did funny things to a woman, including making her head feel woozy.
“Oh, my…” Her eyes fluttered and her knees wobbled.
Theo rushed across the yard and took the steps in one long stride. He leaned the weapon against the railing and gathered her in his arms, holding her tightly against his chest.
A mix of spice, horse, and a wonderfully masculine mix of starched cotton and sweat swept up her nose. She inhaled deeply, filling the spaces claimed by fear with the essence of his calm strength.
“I’m so sorry—I should’ve sent you inside.” He opened the front door and carried her into the parlor and went directly to an overstuffed chair beside the fireplace. The hearth sat cold, but sunlight heated the room well enough. He laid her gently on the dark blue cushion, then raised her feet and placed them on a matching ottoman. “There. Relax while I grab you a drink.”
She raised a hand to stop him, but he left the room without looking back.
She surveyed her surroundings. A large room, with an ornately carved mantel above the fireplace. Built-in bookshelves on the far wall. It did not look like a bachelor’s lodgings—and it most certainly did not resemble a sod home or cabin.
No, the comfortable air about the place conveyed the love that had gone into its construction. The original owners had left but their love lingered.
He returned with two glasses. He handed her one and watched while she took a sip.
Lemonade. Her favorite.
“Why, that tastes like home.” She took a second sip and felt the fuzziness leave her head. “It surely does make me feel as if I’m back home in Charleston, in Mother’s drawing room. Thank you, Theo.”
Her feet did not take up the full space on the ottoman, so he sat beside them.
“I’m glad you like it. So, feeling better? You went white as a cloud out there.”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Overcome by the excitement, I guess. Sorry to be such a bother.”
“You’re no bother. I’m the one who’s sorry. I never should have let you witness such vulgar behavior.” He swirled the liquid in his glass before he took another drink. “I shudder to think what opinion you have of me now that you’ve seen that I’m not as gentlemanly as you might have believed. I hate that I’ve been diminished in your eyes.”
His gaze when it met hers underscored his words. She believed him, that he felt unhappy at possibly losing her high regard. No man had ever cared what she thought of him, not really. The southern bluster she’d grown up with showed itself now in its whole truth: a smokescreen designed to convey sentiments that were either entirely false or only marginally true.
He stared at her with sorrow in his deep brown eyes. Clearly, what happened since their arrival did not match his plan for the day.
“You need not worry. If anything, you’ve grown even more…” Heat swept across her chest, and she hoped her neck wasn’t turning pink.
“Even more what?”
She’d painted herself into a corner.
“Remember, we’ve got a pact to tell each other the truth.” His tone was gentle, but his words were serious. “Even if the sentiment isn’t flattering, don’t hide it, please.”
She raised her gaze from the glass in her hand. “Oh, no, there’s nothing unflattering about what I’m thinking. You were magnificent out there. I don’t understand why those men were on your property, not entirely, but I think it’s so brave of you to chase them off the way you did.”
He raised one eyebrow and surveyed her with a tiny grin on his face. A lock of hair fell across his brow. She would’ve loved the chance to push it back into place but that would involve leaning forward—and she felt sure that if she did that she’d lean right into his arms and stay there.
“Well, you’re surely a surprise, Lily. You arrive so starched and prim, almost downright prissy, and yet here you are, making allowances for the man you believed must be the town drunk.” He chuckled. “An unlikely turn of events, don’t you think?”
She scowled at him, but purely for effect. The tone in his voice tugged at her heartstrings. No other dared to tease her this way. “Are you complaining?”
He shook his head and bent forward. “Not one bit.”
They were close enough that she felt his warm breath on her lips.
Close enough that the scent of him, so strong and alluring, swept up her nose.
So near that all either of them had to do…
She tilted her head and ended the distance between them. Theo’s lips met hers with an eagerness that matched the enthusiasm in her own heart. When they kissed the whole world fell away.
Everything, except the man who pulled her into his arms and onto his lap, ceased to exist—including the child growing within her.