Pioneer Passion (31 page)

At first Guy believed, along with his wife,
that Scott was very concerned about the raids, but he rambled on
last night, saying things like, “'Didn’t mean to go this far. This
is my fault.”

This made him suspect that Scott knew more
about the rustlers than he let on. He prayed he was wrong; he’d
grown to like the young man. He needed answers and the first place
to seek them was from his wife.

Rusty awoke in her own bed, realizing that
her husband had carried her there. She woke wondering how her
brother was, and recalled how Susan wanted to stay with Scott. She
had promised her friend she could tend to the injured man if and
when his fever broke. No one disputed her, so she curled up in the
over-stuffed chair in the corner after Susan moved some of her
things into the upper guestroom. But Rusty found that she couldn’t
sleep soundly until almost daybreak. She was too distraught over
the tangled web she and her brother wove. Why hadn’t she listened
to her smart self and told Guy the truth?

She prayed as the night crept by. Having time
to reflect on what had happened it brought to mind that she had
called her brother by his real name many times. Surely Guy had
heard and she feared that that was the reason he wanted to talk
with her. But, her senses had been dulled with worry and she had
not noticed his reaction to the slip of her tongue. She owed him an
explanation and this caused her further regret that her brother
hadn’t listened to her when she insisted he tell her husband the
truth. Things were so good between them now; she didn’t want
another rent in their relationship.

Still in her clothes, she quickly undressed,
sponged off her body and put on a fresh outfit. She found Susan
sitting on the bed next to Scott, looking very worried over him and
he appeared very pale. The girl hadn’t seen her enter and she
watched Susan wet his brow with cool water.

Susan spoke to him tenderly, believing he
couldn’t hear. Rusty was surprised knowing how shy Susan was, but
she seemed to have found the courage to hold his hand in hers.
Rusty was temped to leave her friend to her private moment, but she
watched Susan place her head on his chest, and cry softly. Rusty
was so moved by the love her friend felt for her brother. The girl
jumped when she touched her shoulder and quickly Susan wiped her
tear-stained eyes.

“His fever broke,” she said, her cheeks
reddening.

“He’s a lucky man,” replied Rusty.

Susan shook her head and sighed. “I don’t
think he knows I’m alive. I… I mean, at first he’d smile at me, and
we spoke a few words; I felt he liked my company. Then lately, he
would pass me and seemed to be somewhere else. He doesn’t even
smile at me anymore.”

“I’m sure his mind was on the raids. When
this is cleared up, I bet he’ll smile at you again.” Rusty patted
her hand reassuring her. “If he doesn’t, we’ll have his eyes
checked.” She smiled with a wink, hoping to lighten Susan’s dark
mood. The girl made an attempt to smile back, trying to believe she
was right.

“He’ll be all right,” again she promised.
“Now, go and have breakfast. I’ll watch him for a while,” she
insisted with hint of authority in her tone.

“Oh no, I want to stay with him. You have
done so much for him already. You cared for him as if he were part
of your family. I’m not hungry. I mean, I can’t eat anything, I’m
too worried. You need your nourishment yourself. I’ll be okay.”

“Susan, I think I’d better explain something
to you. Nick, I mean, Scott, is family. He’s my brother.”

“Brother!?” Stunned by the news, Susan
gasped, “Nick is your brother?”

“Scott! His real name in Scott and it’s a
long story.” Rusty sat on the end of the bed and let out a tired
breath, looking plaintively at her sibling. “You know the story
about Guy and how we met.” Susan nodded her big eyes full of
confusion and wonder. Rusty told her what had happened and why the
deception. She saw many emotions fleeting across Susan’s face as
she continued. “When Guy and I returned, Scott asked to continue
our secret. He had grown to love the ranch and was afraid Guy would
not understand and fire him. I didn’t know what to think anymore. I
love Guy and my brother very much. Yet, the longer we withhold the
truth, the more I fear our lie will ruin everything.”

She watched Susan blot her wet eyes on the
hem of her dress, allowing her friend time to digest all she heard.
Then, giving Susan a hug, she said she wanted to be with her
brother in case he awoke. Susan told her that she understood
knowing he was in good hands and left.

Chapter Thirty-Two

While Rusty was caring for Scott, Susan
decided to check on the horse that was ready to foal. “How’s the
little mother doing?” she asked sticking her head into the barn.
She had grown very fond of Peaches since the horse arrived. When
she patted the animal’s nose, she understood why they called her by
that name. Her nose felt like peach skin.

“Any time now,” Guy answered. “How’s Nick?”
he then asked, rubbing the pregnant mare’s belly.

Susan didn’t let on she knew the truth about
Scott, knowing it wasn’t her place to say anything. “His fever
broke and Rusty is looking after him again.” She patted the mare on
the neck, turning her eyes so he wouldn’t see the uneasiness she
felt about hearing her friend’s confession. “Can I name the colt?”
she quickly changed the subject.

The man’s eyebrows knit together. “Well, err…
I guess that’ll be okay. Sure, why not?”

Susan smiled and thanked him and left wanting
to see Scott and relieve Rusty a while. She hadn’t liked the
whiteness of his complexion and the dark circles under his eyes.
Maybe it was only the snake bite that caused him to look so peaked,
but in her heart, she felt it was more than that. He’d been looking
and acting strange even before the accident. She inhaled deeply,
wishing she could help him.

She found Rusty preparing soup for her
brother and asked if she could visit him. Rusty smiled giving her
permission and she carried the try to the back room. Trepidation
felt like fingers down her spine and her heart fluttered like a
hummingbird’s wings. Knocking lightly on the door and receiving no
answer, she waited a moment believing he was asleep. Opening the
door she frowned seeing the bed empty of its patient. She was about
to set the try on the nightstand and leave when she spotted him
over by the window. He seemed to be deep in thought and lately so
preoccupied she couldn’t help but wonder and worry about him. Would
he ever notice her? On second thought, maybe she shouldn’t be
imposing on his privacy, but she couldn’t move from the spot. Scott
hypnotized her with his handsome features and although his size
overwhelmed her, she knew she’d feel safe in his strong arms. Every
time she looked into his green eyes, they seemed to draw her to him
like a giant whirlpool. The young man was so handsome, that he
caused her heart to do flip-flops in her chest. It took all her
restraint not to run into his arms.

“Are you all right? Oh, I’m sorry to
d-disturb you. I… I was wondering how you’re feeling?” Her words
stumbled out. She was acting like a complete ninny and she lowered
her gaze and fidgeted with the hem of her apron. How on earth could
she expect Scott to talk to her when all she was capable of doing
was mumbling in his presence? It was time for her to leave. But
then he turned and she remained rooted to the floor. Their eyes
locked for a moment and there was no mistaking the gentleness she
saw in his emerald irises. It was only a flicker but it made
Susan’s heart skip a beat. Again her glance went to the floor for
an uncomfortable span of time.

“Susan!” he gasped when she broke through his
thoughts. Her name had come out in a whisper as he tried to swallow
the dryness in his throat. She’s all he could think of since he
heard her confess to Rusty that she loved him.

That morning, Scott had watched all through
slit eyes. He’d been awake for a while and heard the conversation
between the two. At first, when the blackness began to fade in slow
degrees from under his lids, his head was clouded with unclear
memories of what had happened. The more he awoke, the more it hurt.
Then he felt hands soothing him with cool water across his warm
forehead. After a moment, Susan was holding his hand and spilling
soft tears on his chest.

The sudden stirring in his loins was familiar
to him and his skin burned; this time it wasn’t from the fever. He
wanted to comfort her and hold her closely to him, but felt too
ashamed to even think about it. Squeezing his eyes shut, he had
tried to control the tremors in his weak body, praying she wouldn’t
notice.

When Rusty came in, he was relieved that
Susan removed her soft breasts from his chest. Upon hearing her
declare her love, he almost cried out from the pain that tore
through his gut. He had to find a way out of this situation for
Susan’s sake and for his sister. Tears trickled down his face, and
he thought, what a heel he had been to everyone who cared for him.
He’d make it up to them or die trying.

After Susan left, Rusty had stood by the
window and he believed she was deep in her thoughts. He called
softly to her, snapping her out of her reflections.

“Scott!” She turned and flew to the bed. “Oh,
Scott, you had us all so worried!” She felt his brow and smiled.
“How do you feel?”

He released a painful grunt and then gave an
agonizing laugh. “Like a herd of buffalo danced over me.”

His sister sighed in relief. He was teasing
her, telling her he would be fine. She went to the night stand and
poured him a glass of water from the pitcher. He drank it too fast,
spilling most of it on himself. Handing him another, which he
sipped, Rusty smiled wanly and then proceeded to tell him that she
would tell Guy everything that night.

Scott nodded. Hell, this deception was mild
compared to the real truth. He had to buy some time and he hoped he
could figure a way out of this mess. But then Rusty said something
that made his skin crawl.

“You were delirious at times and you babbled
something about rustlers, and… and that you were sorry.”

He felt the weight of her questioning stare
and had to think fast. Lying seemed to have come so easy for him
lately making him not like himself very much. But, that was another
flaw in his character, he had gone as low as one could get.

“I think I may have found out something about
the rustlers. When I was in town the other night, I went to the
saloon for a drink. A man can learn a lot in those places if he
keeps his ears opened. I heard a few men talking about delivering
some cattle up north, but they were waiting until they could get
their hands on more.” He closed his eyes, not wanting his sister to
see the lies in them. He needed time and had to work this out on
his own. She would forgive him, he was sure. Weakly, he continued,
his throat drying more with each falsehood.

“They looked shifty and I didn’t know if they
were buying stolen steers or stealing the cows themselves. And this
being citrus country, who else could they be stealing from?” he
added innocently.

“Scott! Why didn’t you tell this to Guy?”

“I had no proof. You can’t accuse men on what
you hear in a conversation. Those men might have been drifters, so
I went to the marshal with their description and what I heard. He
agreed to telegraph around to see if these men were wanted
anywhere. Now you see, as soon as I’m better, I’ll see the marshal.
If I’m right, we’ll have the law on our side. You don’t want Guy to
try and capture them by himself, do you?”

Rusty shuddered. “N-no, for certain, my
hot-headed husband would go off half cocked and maybe get himself
killed!” “She chewed on her thumbnail. “I hate the fact that we
have to keep lying to Guy. But I suppose you’re right; if I told
Guy what you know, he’d try and bring the rustlers in on his
own.”

Scott knew his sister didn’t want to be
responsible if something happened to him, and she agreed that this
information had to be kept a secret for now. Leaning over, Rusty
kissed him on the cheek.

“I’ll be glad when we can tell Guy
everything,” she murmured.

Scott nodded. He would have to fake his
illness longer than he should in order to sneak out and settle this
predicament himself. But, lately, things just seemed to get worse
and trying to convince Yates and his gang that they weren’t needed
anymore was useless. And Guy, who almost stumbled onto the hideout,
had really unnerved him.

Damn, he felt so low, lying to his sister
again. And knowing how Susan felt about him only made him feel that
much worse. Now, seeing the object of his reflections standing
there, he prayed that he could make things right. God, she was so
tiny and beautiful, with her big brown eyes and her cute turned-up
nose. Her heart-shaped mouth fell open and she licked her full lips
nervously. That small sensual act made his pulse race and his loins
tighten. She did such strange things to his insides that he had to
fight the impulse of throwing himself into her arms. Now was not
the time to tell her how much she meant to him. Scott wondered if
he would ever deserve her love.

Susan moved closer and he could see the worry
in her eyes. He hadn’t wanted to cause her pain but it seemed that
was all he had been doing lately to all who cared for him. If only
he could start over again. It was then he noticed the tray in her
hands and seeing her trembling slightly he relieved her of it
before all the delicious smelling soup spilled out of the bowl. He
thanked her placing it on the bed.

He wanted to say or do something to put the
shy girl at ease. He wanted to tell the truth, that she had nothing
to fear from him. His only wish was to hold her in his arms and
make sweet love to her but his conscience wouldn’t let him
Conscience? When in hell did I develop such an emotion? Utterly
frustrated, Scott forced a remorseful smile upon his face as she
turned to leave.