Joshua's Montana Bride (Sweet, Clean Western Historical Romance)(Montana Ranchers and Brides Series) (3 page)

Then, suddenly, Laura reached down, grabbed a bag, stood up quickly, and started to race toward the door of the hotel.

In an instant Joshua knew that Laura had no intention of greeting him. On the contrary, she looked like she had a mind to put as much distance between herself and Joshua as physically possible.

Laura knew she had to get away. Why had he come for her? What business was it of Joshua McKenzie's what she did with her life? Maybe he hadn't actually come for her. Perhaps it was just a coincidence. But she knew that couldn't be true. The expression on his face had told her that he'd been relieved and even pleased to see her.

Laura grasped her bag tight in her hand. She thrust the door to the hotel open and ran out onto the boardwalk. Her best chance was to mingle with the crowd on the boardwalk. Maybe she could lose him. She had no idea where she was going. Just that she had to get away from Joshua.

Laura emerged onto the boardwalk and twisted her head down the street, determined not to look in Joshua's direction. She'd taken only a few steps when she felt a firm hand seize her arm.

She heard a deep, soft voice, both familiar and unwelcome, in that moment. "Laura. Wait. It's me. Joshua."

Laura whirled and looked at him. His green eyes were locked on her, his brows furrowed, his square, wide jaw firm and determined looking. His face was the last thing she wanted to see right now. "Leave me alone," she cried, trying to pull away from him.

His grip was firm, but gentle. "Wait, Laura. Hear me out," he said, his voice as persuasive as always.

Laura took his hand and tried to wrench his fingers from her arm, but he still wouldn't let go. A few passersby frowned at the sight of the tall, wide shouldered handsome cowboy grasping the arm of a distraught, pretty young woman.

Laura saw that Joshua just ignored the querying looks, so intent was he on holding on to Laura.

"I don't want to speak to you," she cried out.

"I know you're upset. I understand what you're doing here," he said.

How could he understand? Joshua couldn't possibly know why she was here. "What do you mean?" she demanded.

Joshua leaned in, drawing Laura closer to him. "Your mother sent me," he said in a low voice.

Laura felt her feet go numb. There was a long pause. "Mama?" she said eventually.

Joshua's brows furrowed. "Your mother asked me to come and find you."

Laura was momentarily lost for words. She peered into Joshua's eyes, searching for any sign of a lie. He couldn't be telling the truth. Laura's mother would never have sent him after her. If anyone would have come to find her, it would have been Eli. Maybe Joshua coming hadn't been the worst thing after all, she thought. Laura could only imagine how Eli would have handled the situation. Joshua was different from Eli. She'd always known that.

"Why would she do that? Where was Eli?"

"Nowhere to be found. Guess he was working somewhere on the ranch. Maybe that was for the best," he said quirking a brow.

Laura didn't want to give him an answer to that. Everyone knew about Eli's temper. But still she had an overwhelming desire to get away. Even from Joshua.

She glanced down at his hand and he let her go. Once she was freed, the impulse to run subsided for the moment. Laura looked up into his eyes and saw a patient understanding there.

Joshua glanced around. "We need to talk," he stated.

Laura's heart was still thundering and her throat felt as tight as it had been in the restaurant.

"Can we walk? I need to speak to you," he said.

Laura's breath was still fast and short. Maybe some time to compose herself would be useful. "Fine. We can talk. I need to get my breath back," she said raising a hand to her throat.

Joshua smiled. "You always were a faster runner than me," he said.

She refused to smile at him, not wanting him to think that he was even beginning to win her over. "Let's just walk, and you can tell me what you've come to say to me," she said.

Joshua frowned and nodded. "Okay. That sounds good to me," he said gesturing with a gentlemanly hand. "After you."

Laura clutched her bag and straightened. "I haven't changed my mind about going home," she said.

Joshua nodded. The vaguest hint of a smile on his face provoked a brief rush of indignation inside her which she struggled to control. He didn't think she was being serious. But, he didn't understand. She couldn't go home. Not after what had happened.

They started to walk along the boardwalk. They suddenly looked like any other couple out for an afternoon stroll. Laura snapped a look at Joshua. She'd forgotten just how tall he was, and how wide his shoulders were. It must be all that hard labor on the ranch. The kind of hard, outdoor work which she hated to be around. Every one of the townsfolk of Helena looked well dressed, clean, elegant. There was none of the crudeness about them that she'd had to live with on the ranch.

Joshua didn't say anything to Laura. He seemed to be giving her time to compose herself, clear her thoughts. He'd always been considerate. It had been something that had often irritated her. She couldn't understand how a successful rancher as Joshua so obviously was, could be so calm, so quietly focused and determined. But that was what he was like. What he'd always been like, as long as Laura had known him.

They walked on, saying nothing to each other, and Laura gradually started to feel calmer, more settled. Eventually she asked the question which was starting to burn in her mind. "Why did you come after me?" she asked.

Joshua's mouth tightened, and he took a moment to consider his reply. "I believe you're coming home," he said simply.

Laura stopped and gazed up at him, a look of incredulity written across her face. "Home? I don't think so."

Joshua sighed. "Now, Laura. You know this isn't right."

Laura's eyes narrowed. "I can do what I want. You can't stop me," she stated.

Joshua nodded. "That's right. You're a free woman. You have a mind of your own. And I respect that. I always have," he said.

Laura was taken aback by the directness of his statement. "You respect it? So why did you come chasing after me?"

Joshua frowned and looked away, saying nothing, apparently lost in thought. After a moment he turned and looked at Laura, his eyes narrowed, sincere. "I came here because of what happened to your mama after she heard you'd ran away," he said bluntly.

Laura's mouth opened and she found that the power of speech had briefly deserted her.

Joshua's green eyes peered into her, searching for some kind of reaction.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with my mother?" she managed to ask at last. Her hand went involuntarily to Joshua's arm.

Joshua sighed and glanced around. He waited a moment until there was no-one near them. "You running away has given her an apoplexy," he said quietly.

"An apoplexy? She's sick?" Laura demanded. Her heart started to thud and she couldn't take a breath.

Joshua reached out a hand to steady her. "She took your leaving bad, Laura" he stated. His eyes had widened in concern.

Laura reached an arm up to her throat. Suddenly swallowing was as difficult as breathing. "My mama is sick?"

"When she found out you'd run off, she near as darn fainted dead away. Me and the housekeeper had a hard time settling her. I had to convince her everything was going to be fine. It wasn't easy. She was in a real state," he said.

"Where was Eli?"

"Out on the ranch," he answered.

"So he doesn't know what I've done, yet?"

"I don't rightly know, Laura," he responded.

The sound of her name on his lips brought her attention back closer to the moment. She'd always liked the way he said her name. There was a soft, gentle tone to it that had always calmed her spirit. And now was no different.

"But my mama is okay. Isn't she?" she pleaded, her eyes searching his face.

Joshua glanced down at her hand. "I left in a hurry. When I said goodbye she looked as pale as anything. She seemed to be settling down. But I can't say for sure that she's okay."

Laura closed her eyes and tried to figure out what she should do. She didn't even know what she could do, now that she'd dug this hole so deep.

"Oh, mama. What have I done to you?" Laura ejaculated, her voice filled with anguish. The thought of her dear mother, ill and distraught, apparently on the verge of a nervous collapse, threatened to overwhelm Laura.

Joshua leaned in closer. Laura caught the scent of him, a mixture of soap and the leather of his waistcoat. "You haven't done anything that can't be fixed, Laura. Your mother loves you. That's all. She doesn't want to see anything bad happen to you," he said quietly.

"But what can I do? She'll be so ashamed of me."

Joshua shook his head. "She won't be. When you come home, she'll be so relieved to see you, it'll all be forgotten. Forgiven," he said.

Laura's eyes widened. "You think she'll forgive me? You must be crazy," she said harshly.

Joshua sighed quietly. "I know you've had your problems at the ranch. Life wasn't the way you wanted it to be," he said.

"That's putting it mildly," she said. "Tell it to Eli."

Joshua's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Laura shook her head. "Nothing. I don't want to talk about it," she answered.

"Has Eli been bad to you, Laura?"

She frowned and her jaw tightened. There was no way she was going to have discussion about her brother Eli with Joshua McKenzie, here on this boardwalk.

"If he's the reason you left, then there's some talking that needs to be done," Joshua said.

Laura shook her head. "I'm not going to talk about him."

Images of her mother flashed into her mind. Laura recalled the happy childhood she'd had; how hard her mother had worked to make the ranch a good place to live, even after the death of Laura's father, leaving Eli in charge. So many good, happy times had been won in the face of so much hardship. Her mother had always put Laura before Eli, always made sure that her daughter was happy.

The images made Laura's heart ache. She felt her eyes moisten. She wouldn't cry. Back at the restaurant she'd fought back the tears, and she presumed she could do the same here, on the boardwalk. But for some reason the tears couldn't be held back, nor the sobs that accompanied them.

Laura glanced up at Joshua and saw the worry in his eyes. Before she knew it his arms were around her, and he was holding her close. For a brief moment she stiffened, intending to pull away from him, but there was something about his embrace that was deeply comforting, reassuring to her, in spite of the impulse to deny how it felt.

Laura sobbed into his hard chest. Joshua held her close. The feelings of despair and regret that threatened to overwhelm her subsided in the face of his tender yet respectful touch.

Laura didn't care what anyone who saw them thought. They may look like an embracing couple but she knew they were anything but that. Joshua McKenzie was only doing what he'd always done. He was being one of the best friends she'd ever had. As she stood there, her breathing beginning to calm, her thoughts starting to clear, she already knew what she had to do to put right the terrible mistake she'd made.

It was like coming home to a nightmare. Laura sat next to Joshua on the buckboard seat and stared at the Thorne ranch house. It lay down in the valley, at the end of the trail, a two storey building, white boarded exterior, a wide, dusty yard and corral out front. Barns, stables and outbuildings were dotted around the main house, a landscape as familiar as any other from her childhood. It had been her home for as long as she could remember. And now she was being driven back to it, disgraced and filled with remorse. She didn't know how she was going to react to walking in the front door. In the fading light of the late afternoon, the house looked vaguely menacing.

Thoughts of her mother filled her mind. She glanced at Joshua by her side. He hadn't said much since they'd arrived by train at the Great Falls station. She'd been grateful for his silence. It had given her some time to think about how on earth she was going to ask her mother to forgive her.

"What am I going to say to her, Joshua?" she asked him.

He turned his head to her, keeping a tight grip on the reins. "You'll find the right words, Laura. I know you will," he said slowly. His voice was strangely reassuring, gentle even, with not a hint of admonition or criticism.

Laura looked away and sighed. She just hoped her mother was well enough to appreciate that her daughter had returned home, albeit in disgrace.

The buckboard drew up in front of the house. Joshua jumped down and came around, extending a hand to assist Laura. She let him help her down. He took her bag and handed it to her.

Laura looked at the house, wondering what she was going to find inside. Joshua gazed at her and nodded imperceptibly without saying a word. There was a strength in his gaze that seemed to affect her, allowing her to draw something up from deep inside herself. Just as she started toward the house the front door opened and Eli Thorne came striding out.

Eli looked at Laura and his face changed color. There was no pleasure at seeing her, no smiles, no welcoming arms, merely an ill disguised fury. Narrow dark eyes peered at her from under deeply furrowed brows. His dark hair was unkempt. His shirt was open at the neck, the buttons of his plaid shirt loose. His shirt sleeves were rolled up showing off his thickly muscled arms and tight fists. He strode toward Laura.

"What in tarnation do you think you were doing?" he demanded, his voice a barely contained roar.

Laura took a step backward and pressed up against Joshua, who rested a hand lightly against her waist. Joshua stepped around Laura putting himself between her and Eli. "We need to talk, Eli," Joshua said going toward the irate brother.

Eli didn't even look at Joshua. His eyes were fixed firmly on his younger sister. Laura looked at Joshua wondering what he was going to do. Was he squaring up to fight with Eli? Why was Joshua even concerned about what was going to take place between herself and her brother?