Distraction (13 page)

“That’s enough.” Libby buttered a roll. “Cade, you
will try and make every effort to attend the social. And you’ll
make every effort to not start trouble,” she added before Cade had
a chance to respond. “Virginia and Charlotte, you’ll find a way to
make room in that wagon for Poppy, or you’ll both have to ride to
town on horseback.” Libby picked up her fork and silence fell over
the table. No one seemed happy with her commands but then no one
spoke up to argue. And now I dreaded tomorrow night’s event.

“Hold that wood steady, Jackson, or it won’t line
up.” I lifted the hammer and struck the nail three times.

Jackson picked up another piece of wood. “If Samuel’s
stupid horse kicked this hole in the stall then why the heck isn’t
he out here hammering this thing back together?” Right then the
horse lowered its head over the stall gate and nibbled the hair on
the top of Jackson’s head. Jackson swung an angry arm at the horse,
and it backed off with a snort.

I pulled the nail out from between my lips and
positioned it. “He’s inside getting prettied up for tonight.”

“Don’t know why he’s bothering. If I had to go to a
dance and look forward to only dancing with Charlotte, I wouldn’t
have even bothered to bathe.”

I stopped and looked up at him. “You bathed? I
thought you looked extra sparkly today.”

“Damn right I bathed. I’m planning on dancing with
that sweet, little Maryann Davis.” He scooted the wood plank into
place. “So hurry up. I’ve got some more spit shining to do. So,
you’re definitely not coming tonight?” There was more relief than
disappointment in his tone.

“Nope. Rather stick a nail through my eye than go to
one of those town socials. The only dancing I’m planning on doing
is with a bottle of whiskey. Looking forward to having the house to
myself . . . or at least free of Charlotte and Virginia.”

“Libby told me Poppy was going tonight.” He stared
down at me apparently waiting for some reaction.

“Yep.” I lifted the hammer.

“Just in case you thought you were going to be alone
with your angel tonight.”

The hammer bent the nail and I ripped it back out of
the wood. Jackson always knew exactly what to say to stir me up.
“Just shut up and hold the wood in place.”

“I’m holding the damn wood in place. Just hit the
nail on the head.”

Jackson wisely fell silent for a few minutes but then
he stupidly opened his mouth again. “I think I’ll ask her to
dance.”

“You’ve already mentioned your dance with Maryann.” I
positioned the nail in place. “This should be the last one.”

“No, I’m talking about dancing with Poppy.”

One blow and the nail went straight in.

Jackson leaned over and looked at the dent I’d left
in the wood. “Shit, one strike. I should’ve been talking about
dancing with Poppy this whole time. We would’ve been done half an
hour ago.” He lifted his head up to look at something over my
shoulder. “Christ almighty,” he said quietly. “On second thought,
I’m dreaming. There’s no way I’ll get a chance to dance with her
tonight.”

I swept up the remaining nails. “What are you
blathering on about, Jacks?” His eyes were round. I twisted back to
see what had him so spellbound.

Poppy stood in the fading light of the barn looking
every bit angel and every bit temptation. Libby had curled her
long, silvery-gold hair and it was piled high in the back with a
ribbon, a blue ribbon that matched the blue dress, a blue dress
that draped perfectly across all of her gentle curves, the gentle
curves that were keeping me up at night.

“Sorry to interrupt your work,” she directed her
apology to me, “but Libby sent me out here to tell you that the
clock in the hall needs winding.”

“She told me that this morning.” I pushed to my feet.
“She sent you all the way out here just to tell me that?” Libby
looked like the typical sweet, motherly sort, but she had a wicked
streak as wide as the Mississippi. She had known exactly what she
was doing when she sent Poppy out.

Poppy stared shyly down at her feet. “I thought it
was strange too.” Her face lifted. If possible, it was even more
incredible framed by the curls of gold. “We’re leaving soon.” There
was not much enthusiasm in her tone.

Jackson stepped over the pile of extra wood and
lifted up his hand. A nail was pinched between his fingers. “Here’s
that nail you were talking about earlier. Enjoy.” He walked toward
Poppy. “I’ll walk back to the house with you, Poppy. I need to
change into my dancing boots.” He looked back over his shoulder at
me. “Because I plan on dancing all night long.”

***

The empty house creaked with the shifting breeze. I
took a long swig of whiskey and stretched back on the couch. A
solitary evening at home had sounded more than inviting earlier in
the week, but my enticing angel had obliterated the urge for
solitude. Four cigarettes and a quarter of a bottle later and all I
could think about was someone else dancing with Poppy. Dancing . .
. the hell with dancing, I didn’t want anyone else talking to her.
I didn’t want any other man watching those perfectly sculpted lips.
I didn’t want any other guy brushing her fingers under the pretense
of handing her a glass of punch.

The bottle hit Libby’s coffee table with enough force
to crack the bottom. The hell with solitude, and if there was
trouble, Libby and her fiendish plot would be to blame.

***

The longs ends of my wet hair soaked the collar of my
shirt as I turned the horse onto the road. A black and silver sky
blanketed the valley. The only sounds were the cattle huddling
against each other for warmth and an owl calling to a far off mate.
River was not pleased about being pulled from his straw bed, and he
was equally not pleased when I urged him to move faster. We both
knew the road well enough that even in the cloak of night, we could
keep up a fast, steady pace.

My mind was occupied solely with the girl when a
movement in the shrubs lining the road sent River onto his back
legs. He dropped back to all fours. White puffs of steam billowed
from his nostrils as he snorted in fear. His ears turned toward the
side of the road.

“Easy, River, easy.” I squinted into the darkness and
reached down to make sure my rifle was within reach. There was the
smallest flicker of movement behind a tangle of branches and then
two blue eyes stared back at me. Even with the odd eye coloring, I
could tell it was a wolf, and from the width of space between its
eyes, it was a big one. I lowered my hand to pull up my rifle. The
animal watched me for a moment and then ran off.

Still agitated, River pawed the ground several times.
I patted his neck. “Just a wolf, River. It’s gone now.” It was
unusual seeing a wolf crouched so close to the road, particularly
with a thousand head of cattle standing a mile away. The barbed
wire would be enough to keep it away from the herd, but there was
something not quite right about the wolf. And River had sensed it
too.

Loud voices and music floated out of the open door of
the town hall. It was the last place I’d wanted to be tonight and
yet now I could not tie up River fast enough to get inside. Libby
was the first familiar face I encountered as I stepped into the
building— and the first friendly face too. Deputy Carson’s scowl
could have cut glass as he looked at me from across the room. So
much had happened that day, I’d forgotten our last meeting was not
a friendly one.

“I thought you might show,” Libby said with unabashed
confidence. My gaze surveyed the entire room. Thankfully, Virginia
was already occupied on the dance floor, and Jackson had found a
few females to entertain with his stories. But I hadn’t seen the
one face I’d come for.

“It looks like you’ll have to wait your turn.
Virginia has hardly been free all evening.”

“Libby,” I said abruptly, “you and I both know I’m
not here for Virginia.”

Libby put on a good show of being confused for a
moment and then a look of worry shadowed her face. “Now, Cade,
remember to behave. It’s been a real nice evening and—”

I grabbed hold of her elbow. “Where is she,
Libby?”

With a nervous flutter of her lashes, she turned her
attention to the far side of the room where a large circle of
polished, bear greased men hovered. My flaxen haired angel stood in
the center. I clenched my jaw. Libby grabbed my arm before I’d
taken one step.

“Now, Cade, don’t do—”

“You started this when you sent her out to the barn
to deliver that ridiculous message. If you toy with danger, Woman,
you’d better be ready for the consequences.” I pulled my arm free
and walked toward the circle.

After a long, uncomfortable wagon ride, during which
I could sense that Virginia and Charlotte wanted nothing more than
for me to fall off the box and disappear into the night, I’d
somehow wound up the center of attention in a circle of strangers,
who were so lathered in foul smelling hair grease I could hardly
take a breath. Since my dancing skills were sorely lacking, and
since I was certain there was no way to top the dance on the porch,
I’d informed my new, eager
friends
that I had no interest in
taking a turn on the floor.

At first I’d been captivated by the loud music
echoing through the crowded hall. I’d never experienced anything
like it in Salem, but now, the musical clamor coupled with the
crush of bodies in the hall was too much.

Boyd, a tall, thin man with a kind smile and a deep
scar creasing his cheek, leaned in so I could hear him over the din
of the instruments. I could almost taste the odor of his hair
grease in my throat. “You’re sure I can’t persuade you to go out on
the dance floor, Miss Seabrooke. It seems a shame to waste good
music.”

“Oh, please don’t miss the music on my account, Sir.
I’m certain there are other girls who would love to dance.”

A stocky boy with tiny eyes and oversized ears socked
Boyd on the arm. “She don’t want to dance, Boyd.” He grinned at me
and moved closer. I stepped back only to discover I was already
pressed against the wall.

“How about some punch, Miss? I’d be happy to get you
some.”

Boyd elbowed him away. “I’ll get her some punch.”

Another boy, who I was certain must have been a
brother or close relation to Boyd, grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t
look now Boyd but you’ve caught someone’s attention and he’s coming
this way.”

I couldn’t see over their heads, so I had no idea
what unwanted attention was coming my way this time.

Boyd shook off the boy’s grasp. “Let ‘em find their
own girl.”

He lowered his mouth near Boyd’s ear. “It’s
Cade.”

Boyd’s face stiffened, and he a backed up a few
paces. Then he straightened to full height and puffed out his thin
chest. “No, you know what? Let Tanner come. I was here first.”

The heads parted like clouds after a storm, and a
tempest blew across the room with a cool green gaze and a purpose.
And, instantly, my heart raced ahead at the sight of him. A hearty
dose of apprehension made its way around the crowd. Some stood
their ground and others peeled off of the circle to find other
female targets. All eyes were on Cade, but his gaze was locked on
me.

“We were here first, Tanner. Why don’t you find
another girl. Half of ‘em have been waiting for you anyhow,” Boyd
spoke up bravely. “She’s already occupied. Besides, she ain’t
dancing tonight, so you’re wasting your time.”

Cade looked at me as if we were the only two people
in the room, and, for a moment, it felt as if we truly were. I
didn’t hesitate for a moment when he stuck out his hand. I placed
my palm in his, and he walked me out to the floor. The music blared
on, but a definite hush had blanketed the crowd as we walked into
the center of the room.

I peered up at Cade. The heat of his gaze had not
waned a bit.

“Remember, I don’t know how to dance,” I said.

His arm went around my waist and he laced the fingers
of his free hand through mine. “I wasn’t really planning on dancing
much.” I placed my free hand on his arm and rested my face against
his chest. Couples dashed around us but we stayed in one place,
barely moving, just holding each other.

I had no idea how long I’d stood wrapped in the safe
cocoon of Cade’s strong arms, but our surroundings had faded away.
Even the discord of the instruments had become nothing more than a
rhythmic ping muted even more by the rhythmic drumming of Cade’s
heart. I sensed people spinning around us, skirts rustling over
petticoats, and rambunctious flirtation on the dance floor, but as
Cade’s grasp around me tightened, the noise and movement around us
diminished to nothing more than dull roar and soft whir of air. I
was lulled into a state of utter contentment for the first time in
a long while when a sharp, angry voice disrupted it.

“Tanner, how is that you always manage to stir things
up just by walking into a place.” The man’s blond moustache
twitched as he spoke. A shiny, star-shaped badge glinted in the
wavering lamplight as he stuck his oversized hands into the small
pockets of his striped vest.

Cade lowered his arm from my waist and looked at the
man. “I’m just standing here dancing, Carson.”

“Well, a few of the men are complaining that you
walked right in and stole their dancing partner. And since we both
know how you love to set your sights on other men’s girls—”

I could feel Cade’s muscles harden beneath my
fingertips. “I’m Cade’s guest,” I interrupted.

The man looked down at me. His long moustache danced
from side to side like a rocking horse as his mouth twisted. He
shifted his suspicious glance to Cade. “Is that right?”

“Yep.” Cade pulled me back into his arms. “Now, if
you don’t mind, I’d like to finish my dance.”