Luke’s Runaway Bride (16 page)

“Oh, Jenny, I’m so sorry.”

After a minute, she stepped back and composed herself. “Who exactly are those people the reverend sent to meet Adam?”

“They’re a nice couple. They’re interested in adoption.”

She glanced toward the buildings. Her nose dripped and she rubbed it with the back of her hand. “Are they still in the saloon waiting for us?”

“No, I sent them away.”

“Does Adam know them?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. Thomas told me they can’t have children of their own. They arrived last week on their way through to Montana. They plan on homesteading when the new land’s released.”

“Adam will have to leave this town?”

He paused. “If they take him, yes.”

Her eyes stung. “Oh, Luke, isn’t there some way to keep him here? Look at him, how much he enjoys his friends. He’s peaceful here with you, I sense it. Here with
you,
” she repeated, wondering if he’d understand. Was there any hope that Adam could stay here permanently?

Luke turned his gentle, handsome face to the boy and smiled. “Sometimes I almost wish…”

She paused and waited for him to finish, sensing he’d almost let her in. “You wish what?”

“Nothing. I’m just dreaming.”

What was he about to say? She turned and looked into his deep eyes, exploring and wondering.

“I don’t know what it is about you,” he said, “but being around you makes me want to be a better man.”

Her stomach knotted. She tried to ignore it, but could no longer deny the intense attraction she felt for him. “You’re already a good man. You’re the most noble man I know.”

His gaze darkened and flickered. With a sharp exclamation, he swung her into his arms and slanted his lips over hers. Sweet, tender lips.

Sensations rippled along her mouth, down her spine and right to her very toes. Her body came alive. He was kissing her. This was what a kiss was supposed to feel like. Like a night sky with a thousand twinkling stars. Her fingers curled into his shirt. With a moan, he wove his hands into her hair. Her skin tingled everywhere he touched her. Their tongues twined and pleasure pounded through her. She pressed her body tighter to his, never wanting to let go. He put a large hand to her waist and drew her closer, his body responding.

Children’s voices in the distance interrupted them. She tore away, breathless. His broad shoulders heaved with his troubled breathing.

Adam barreled toward them. The other children followed, chanting for lemonade. Jenny glanced at Luke and they laughed.

“Sure, we got lemonade in the kitchen,” he said to the youngsters, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. Then, looking at her, he smiled in that tender, almost unbearable way that sent her heart racing again.

“You’ll come tonight, won’t you?” Luke asked above the children’s heads. “To the party?” He suddenly seemed very vulnerable.

Vulnerable? Luke? “Oh,” she said, caught off guard. “I don’t know—”

“Come with me. Please. Say you’ll accompany me.”

What harm could come of it? Every harm, she told herself. These were new sensations she was feeling, and where could they possibly lead? The situation was already complicated, and Luke and his drugging kisses would only complicate things further.

With a tremulous smile at the children yanking on her skirts, Jenny met his awaiting gaze. “I’d like that.”

Blazes, the woman could kiss.

Despite trying to convince himself otherwise all afternoon and well into the evening, Luke thirsted for more of her.

He
should
push away. But even as he thought the words, he didn’t feel them. He wanted her. With every aching muscle in his body. He’d be meeting her in half an hour, and his gut tightened at the prospect.

A tapping sound broke through his thoughts. What was that? As he walked down the dark alley behind the saloon, Luke turned and glanced over his shoulder. He had the uncomfortable feeling he was being watched.

No one there. He was imagining things.

He straightened his shoulders. He was too caught up in Jenny and that powerful kiss. More than just a kiss. A closeness he couldn’t describe, one he’d never felt before.

All the more reason to walk away. Why had he invited her tonight? It scared him to think he could become dependent on a woman. He rubbed his jaw. Or…was he more scared to think someone might become dependent on him?

Right now in his life, he wasn’t shackled by obligation and sentiment. No wife. No children. He’d always lived alone and been alone. He liked it that way. Sentiment, in the long run, only caused you trouble. Wasn’t that what he’d learned as a child in his own family?

Besides, how far could this go between him and Jenny without jeopardizing Adam’s situation? If Daniel were to discover anything going on between them, then Luke’s carefully drawn out plan with the judge might collapse.

Stones crunched on the boardwalk. His senses went on alert. Two women with ribbons on their bonnets walked by, carrying satchels and packages.

What would Daniel’s next move be? Luke had new plans of his own, now that Jenny had agreed to help.

“Evening,” he said to the two guards posted at the saloon’s back door.

Stepping past them, Luke filled his lungs with air and told himself he had things under control. Harley wouldn’t try anything in a busy saloon. All of Luke’s men were on alert. So tonight he wouldn’t worry about it more than necessary.

Inside, beside the wall of drying herbs and garlic, the tin clock read nine-fifteen. He nodded to his men, the cook and the waitresses, and then looked in on Adam, who was fast asleep. The boy had no problems sleeping in his room.

But the saloon was no place for a boy to live permanently.

Luke ran a hand over his clean white shirt, and that same disquieting thought popped into his head. Was this a place for
him
to live permanently? Is this what
he
wanted for the rest of his life?

Ever since Jenny came into his life, he’d been raising all sorts of questions he thought were long buried.

Despite the hum of the crowd down the hall, a lonely silence engulfed him. Trying to avoid it, Luke shoved the kitchen doors open and stepped through.

The bar was packed. The smell of leather and cigars and perfumed dancing girls hit his nostrils. Something within him sprang to life.

Hell.

What was going on with him lately? The saloon had always been good enough and it always would be. He liked his life. He liked this place, just the way it was.

He removed his guns and checked them behind the counter, keeping the derringer in his boot.

Never mind the lonely silence.

No woman would
ever
change his mind.

Tonight, he’d enjoy a friendly conversation with Jenny. That’s all. He’d just have to restrain himself. How difficult could that be?

He accepted an ale at the crowded bar. Leaning against the oak counter, waiting for her to arrive, he scanned the room.

The dentist was here, Luke noted with a groan.

And Mona, inching her stout body taller, was shouting at the regulars. “If I hear one more person call me by that name, I swear you can get your own drinks! You know my name’s not Mona Lisa!”

In the round of ensuing laughter, she caught Luke’s amused eye, saluted and mouthed, “Happy birthday.”

He nodded and tilted his hat. Mona was a good woman.

A guitar strummed below the stage. The piano player got into position, and Lola, all dolled up in a frilly gown, began singing in that low, melodic voice.

Luke leaned back and planted one booted foot over the other. Then he made the mistake of looking up the stairs to the balcony. Jenny was making her way down.

The vision hit him full force. He shot up and with a taut jerk of his body, knocked his ale onto the counter. “Oh, hell,” he said, trying to mop it up. One of the bartenders took over, and Luke glanced up again at the vibrant woman who stole his breath.

How was he supposed to restrain himself when Jenny looked like this?

S
everal minutes later, Luke was still staring.

Where did Jenny get that gown? A dusty rose color that brought out the rose stain in her cheeks, its small capped sleeves exposing her creamy shoulders and bare arms. A black velvet cameo necklace drew his eyes to the hollow curves at the base of her throat, the most erotic throat he’d ever kissed, one he’d love to kiss again.

Her glistening, long hair danced around her shoulders, free and spirited, just like her. His eyes traveled down her body. Rose fabric cinched her waist and billowed at her hips, making him imagine what was underneath.

He’d never hungered more for a woman.

When she sought him out in the crowd and her deep blue eyes met his, the sparks electrified him.

Restrain himself? He gulped and swiped his mouth. Right.

Despite the crowd that engulfed them, Luke took three strides toward her and held out his hand. “You look beautiful.”

She took the hand he offered. Her skin glowed and the pulse quickened in her throat. That crooked, captivating smile of hers quivered. Was she affected by him, too?

“Thank you.” When she clasped her fingers around his and he yanked her closer, directing her to two empty bar stools, he felt that pounding in his chest again. He wondered what he’d gotten himself into. Maybe if he didn’t look at her, he wouldn’t get caught up in her charms.

Kerosene lamps flickered above them, a circle of lights dancing on the polished bar. He pretended to study a floorboard, the only safe place to look. But Jenny lifted her skirts to sit down, and he found himself staring at her shapely calves and ankles instead. It was torture to look at such an intimate part of her. With a soft groan, he removed his hat, checked it behind the bar and tunneled his fingers through his hair.

He loomed above her slender frame. Ordering her a lemonade, he sat down. Dammit, the group of men next to him shifted, accidentally jostling him in her direction. He clenched his muscles and tried not to touch her. It was impossible to hold the strained position for long. Another jarring and Luke’s arm and thigh brushed hers. Her heat melded with his and his belly tightened. There was no way he was looking into her eyes, though. He had no control when he did that.

“Where’d you get…” He muttered his question into his ale, finishing in a nervous mumble.

“Pardon? Are you talking to me?”

He turned to look at her. She leaned closer to hear him. The top of her dress dipped open and he got an unexpected eyeful. He blinked and wrenched away. Blood leaped to his loins. He was being ridiculous. For cripes sake, couldn’t he handle talking to her, looking at her? Of course he could, and he’d prove it.

In a rash decision, he swiveled to face her. Big mistake. Those velvet blue eyes ensnared him. “Yes,” he repeated, “I wondered where…” he gulped “…you got the pretty dress.”

Glancing down at her skirts, she smoothed the silky fabric, stroking it over her thigh. Stroking and stroking… He swallowed and snapped himself out of his daydream.

“I bought it from one of the girls,” she said with a proud lift of her chin.

“Bought it?” He was too surprised to remember to look away. “With what? I thought you didn’t have any money.”

She hesitated for a moment, watching him, then her soft lips curved into a smile. “So far, since yesterday, I’ve earned fifty-one dollars and thirty-five cents. No thanks to you.”

His jaw slackened. “
What?
How’d you do that?”

“Sewing.”

“You made all that money sewing?”

“Yes. Well, one dollar and thirty-five cents of it, and fifty dollars for selling my blue gown.”

A strange sensation of pride filled him. He had no reason to be proud of a woman he had no ties to, but he felt it all the same. “A dollar thirty-five in two days? That’s amazing. People pay that kind of money for underwear?”

“It wasn’t just underwear.” With a haughty flick of her head that made him laugh, she leaned her arms on the bar. Her bare arms… He shook his head to clear the enticing vision.

“Yoo-hoo, Luke!” Lola hollered, popping out from behind the red stage curtains. Her skirts were ruffled and her slinky corsetlike thing shimmered under the lamplight. “We’ve got a dance planned in your honor. Happy birthday, sonny boy!”

Oh, thank God. Rescued. He nodded and waved. Normally, he hated when anyone made a fuss over him, but tonight he was grateful for the distraction.

The accordion and piano played a ballad from Kentucky, then began rowdier tunes. Forming a line on stage, the dancing girls pulled up their skirts and kicked up their legs. He’d never seen this dance before. Apparently, neither had the other men, for the place got suddenly boisterous.

Even Jenny seemed to take it with a smile. Across the saloon, seated at a table covered with a checkered cloth, Olivia and Travis were talking softly to each other. Luke wondered what they were so serious about. They nodded and glanced in Jenny’s direction, then rose and joined them at the bar. Luke saw to it they were seated and comfortable, Olivia next to Jenny.

One of the Texan drovers tossed his hat in the air. “Give us a limerick, Franklin!”

“Oh, no,” groaned Luke. “Not Franklin.”

Mona was passing by, and Jenny leaned across to ask her, “What’s a limerick?”

“It’s a party game,” Mona answered, arranging the empty glasses on her cork tray. “It’s popular in London. Franklin taught us how to play, didn’t he, Luke?”

Luke grimaced. He knew it was Franklin’s ploy to somehow get to Jenny. Luke had seen him eyeing her ever since she walked in. Wait a second. Why did Luke always get the urge to prove himself to Jenny when Franklin was around? She was free to court anyone she pleased.

Mona wiped her hands on her apron. “It’s a poetry game. Be warned, though. They start out tame, but as the drinkin’ goes on, the verses get bawdier. Better, in my opinion.”

Lola hollered from the stage, bracing her hand on her hips. “I’ve got one for you first, Luke. The girls and I made it up for your birthday.”

Luke waved in friendly response. Lola was honest and straightforward. Everything that came from
her
came from her heart, unlike Franklin.

Luke grinned. The crowd cheered. “And will you come up to Limerick?” They chanted the line they always did, then drank. “You said it, Lola!”

Franklin stood up and patted his parted red hair. He undid a button on his well-fitting wool suit, peered in their direction and smiled. Luke groaned. There were several women in the crowd tonight, some of them married, but all of them gazing warmly at the dentist. The respectable woman seated next to him stared up longingly at his clear, sharp features as his baritone voice filled the air. Franklin’s eyes twinkled as he addressed Jenny and Olivia.

The crowd chanted their line. “And will you come up to Limerick?”

Franklin swept his hat in the air and winked at Jenny.

Luke winced. What the hell was the man doing, winking at the woman seated next to
him?

Luke peered at her and she was beaming. He sank into his chair. Was she attracted to Franklin? The possibility burned a hole in his gut—another sentiment he was unused to feeling.

“Oh, how sweet,” said Olivia, clasping her hands to her face. “Franklin called us jewels. He’s such a gentleman. So dashing in his suit. No wonder the women flock to him.”

“And the words. Such grace. They roll off the tongue,” added Jenny. “A man who appreciates poetry. Of course, he is a well-educated dentist.”

Luke scowled. Poetry? Her obvious pleasure disarmed him. He glanced at an equally unamused Travis, and the both of them rolled their eyes.

During the continued cheering, Franklin wove his way toward them. There was nothing Luke could do to stop the man. Luke stood up and wiped his palms on his denim pants, towering above Franklin and the rest of them. Why did he feel so inadequate around the dentist?

He sighed. Because anything he might offer a woman like Jenny, Franklin could offer twofold. A better home. A
normal
home. A better place in society. All the children she might want. Friends and things she was accustomed to. And Luke was darn sure Franklin would give her all the money she wanted, and not make her
earn
it.

As Luke stood there like a useless knot on a log, Franklin bent toward Jenny’s ear and whispered something. Smiling up in response, Jenny placed her hand in the dentist’s to rise.

Luke’s confidence evaporated. He couldn’t stomach watching the rest. He needed air. Grabbing his hat from the counter and his duster at the door, he strode out of the saloon.

Nodding to the men guarding the doors, he hit the boardwalk, weaving past the strolling couples. The cool evening air felt good on his damp skin. A block away, he finally stopped and leaned over the railing.

Horses and carts moved down the street. Light from the lampposts flickered over them. The mercantile windows were dark, but a few taverns and restaurants down the way were open.

Luke took a deep breath of dusty air. What had happened to him back there?

What was Jenny Eriksen doing to him? Why did he want her so badly? Because he couldn’t have her?

Quick footsteps raced toward him. Startled, he swung his head up.

Jenny stood there under the lamplight—slender, breathless and beautiful. A soft dew moistened her brow. Her hair tumbled around her satin shoulders. He leaned his massive body back against the rail, grateful for the support. He was too surprised to do more than nod. Why had she followed him?

She opened her lips, then pressed them closed. Shadows warmed the curves of her heart-shaped face and the silhouette of her bare throat and shoulders. She rubbed her arms in the chill. “You know, it’s very rude to just get up and leave.”

“I thought Franklin had your attention.”

“Well,” she said, catching her breath, “he doesn’t.”

His heart skipped at her words.

“I wanted to say happy birthday before I went up to bed.”

“Did you?” He eyed the heightened color of her lips. “Thanks.” The thought of her in bed… What would that be like? His gaze riveted on her face, then slowly moved over her body.

Lying naked alongside him, or maybe on top? He shuddered at the thought. Hmm…he’d love to please her. He’d love to show her how he felt about her.

Her heightened color subsided. When she rubbed her arms again, he removed his coat and pressed it around her shoulders. “Here, take this.”

She tugged the corners close and he smiled at the baggy fit.

Their eyes met. “You always wind up alone,” she said gently.

“That’s how I like it.”

“Oh,” she said humbly, stepping back, “would you prefer I left—”

“No,” he responded. He ached to reach out and touch her, but instead, slid his hands into his pockets.

When she leaned over the railing beside him, he inhaled her musky, womanly scent. How could he resist her?

“You do everything alone,” she whispered. “Even with Adam, you’re trying to tackle it by yourself.”

He didn’t answer.

Crickets chirped. The night became still. Then a breeze picked up and lifted strands of her hair. She mesmerized him. “Do you ever accept help from your friends, just because they’d like to give it?”

“I try not to.”

“Why?”

“It’s simpler that way.”

“Is simpler always better?” Her voice caught. Her eyes glistened and her mouth beckoned.

“Not always.” Unable to stop himself, he reached up with one hand and untangled her hair. He felt her tremble at his touch. His fingers grazed the soft spot at the back of her neck, and at the contact, fire raced along his skin. His voice was raw and husky. “It would be simpler to walk away from you right now.”

He heard her breath hitch. Looking down into her big, deep eyes, he felt like he was gazing into the midnight sky. Like he was dreaming a runaway dream. She was temptation.

He leaned in close and kissed her.

It was a full, sensual kiss on the mouth. First a tantalizing persuasion, then a mutual, deepening need. He slipped his arms around her waist and tugged her body to his. His coat shielded them. She belonged here. Like she was made just for him. Her warmth melded into his until he didn’t know where his body ended and hers began.

She responded with a hunger that drove him wild.

His lips searched lower and deeper, tugging at her earlobe, at the hollow curves of her throat and her bare lush shoulders. There wasn’t a spot on her he didn’t yearn to kiss. He cupped a supple breast, then traced his lips down her throat, over her blouse, over the cloth covering her nipple. He kissed there until he felt the round swell and harden. She quivered beneath his touch. Oh, she felt good.

Heat seeped through his muscles, through his legs and through his groin. His limbs felt heavy. He knew he was defenseless. He couldn’t get enough of her, her skin, her mouth, her taste, her scent. If this continued—

They tore apart. She brought a trembling hand to her mouth. He could only stare, trying to regain his composure, calm the beating of his heart and the pounding of his blood.

With a tender moan, Jenny drew herself together and disappeared into the night.

Luke tried to work off his frustration by walking. His boots pounded the dusty, deserted street. For the last hour, it hadn’t helped. He still felt restless. Under the lamplight, by the guns and ammunition depot, he kicked at a pebble. It ricocheted off the boardwalk, hit the water trough with a ping.

Alone again. Just like he liked it. He scoffed at his own words.