The Bounty Hunter's Bride (17 page)

Clay looked at Goose. “Andy can’t go to town, but you can.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Clay went back to his bedroll, dropped to a crouch and slipped a single bullet from his gun belt. He handed it to Goose. “Leave this at the Silver River. Tell the barkeep to give it to Morgan.”

Goose palmed the casing. “How will he know it’s from you?”

“It’s the same caliber that killed his wife.”

Goose laughed.

Clay felt sick.

Andy rolled over in his bedroll. “Let me take it. There’s a social on Saturday. I want to go.”

Andy, Clay decided, was an idiot. “You’re the one they followed down this canyon.”

“For no reason.” Andy pouted. “I was nice to that girl.”

“You’re staying put.” Clay turned to Goose. “Leave the bullet with the barkeep at the Silver River but skip the dance.”

Goose pinched the brass casing, turning it to catch the light of the fire. The bullet glowed orange, reminding Clay of a setting sun. Weary, he slid into his bedroll, put his head on the ground and closed his eyes. Unless Morgan had lost his instincts, it wouldn’t be long before he came all the way down the canyon.

B
ack in Denver, Beau had enjoyed church socials. He’d liked flirting with pretty women and he didn’t mind dancing. Once Lucy had come into his life, dancing had been more than fun. They’d found the rhythms unique to them. Beau wanted to find that rhythm with Dani, but nothing had changed since he’d ridden out of Sparrow Canyon. When he’d reached Castle Rock, he’d stopped at Scott’s office and told the man to push hard for the adoption. As soon as the papers were signed, Beau intended to go after Johnson. One way or another, the chase would end.

After seeing the attorney, he’d ridden to the parsonage. He’d greeted Dani with a tip of his hat, not the embrace he’d wanted, but the girls had all hugged him. Now, standing in the Castle Rock schoolhouse, dressed up for the dance and holding a cup of punch, he could still feel their skinny arms around his middle.

For the third time in ten minutes, Beau looked at his pocket watch. He wanted to visit the Silver River for news, but he couldn’t leave Dani. He didn’t know where she’d gotten the dress, a royal blue gown that matched her eyes, but it fit her to perfection. Riding next to her in the surrey, he’d stared at the dirt road to keep from noticing her dainty shoes and the way she’d tapped her toes to an imaginary waltz.

She’d volunteered at the punch bowl, a place where every man in town would have a reason to talk to her. Dani didn’t know it, but Beau was standing five feet behind her, keeping a watchful eye.

A few bars into the opening polka, the first man dared to approach her. Beau recognized the rancher from the picnic. While riding with Dawes, he’d quizzed the sheriff about every man in Castle Rock. The rancher, a recent widower, had a little boy. He never missed church, paid his hands well, didn’t gamble or drink and was the first to show up when a neighbor needed help.

His only fault was bad taste in vests, but Beau counted that reason enough to dislike him. As the man approached Dani, Beau crossed his arms and stared. Unaware he was being watched, the man turned on the charm. Dani gave him a cup of punch. As he lifted it to his lips, Beau lowered his chin. The motion caught the rancher’s attention. So did Beau’s hardest stare. The poor fellow nearly choked. With a stiff nod, he set down the cup, walked away and asked another woman to dance.

Good, Beau thought. Dani didn’t need a goody-two-shoes rancher for a husband. She needed a man who understood her. Beau watched as she squared her shoulders. The blue silk puffed at her shoulders, then narrowed to fit her arms. He thought of her hands. She was wearing white gloves, dainty things trimmed in lace with pearl buttons at the wrist. Beau thought the gloves were nice but unnecessary. He liked Dani’s hands just fine.

Another man approached. Beau didn’t know him from Adam and didn’t care to. The fool hadn’t bothered to shine his shoes. He took a cup of punch, saw Beau and left without a word. Dani followed him with her eyes. When he asked another woman to dance, she sagged a bit but not for long.

Looking at her back, he imagined the smile pasted to her face and felt bad. Then again, if a man couldn’t meet Beau’s stare, he didn’t deserve to dance with the prettiest woman in the room. Dani didn’t need a weakling for a husband. She needed a man who knew how to fight and love. A man who could be tender with children and cows but fierce with everything else. A man like…He clenched his jaw.

Five more men wandered to the refreshment table. All five looked at Dani, saw Beau and turned a pasty white. They each asked other women to dance, leaving Dani alone at the punch bowl with her shoulders as stiff as those of a stone angel. Beau’s gaze drifted to the dance floor where he saw Josh and Adie gazing into each other’s eyes. They’d been married for years, but they danced like newlyweds. As the couple turned with the music, Josh spotted Beau. He said something to Adie. They stopped dancing and walked toward Beau.

To hide the fact he’d been watching Dani, Beau went to greet them. “Nice social,” he said as they met at the punch bowl.

Josh grinned. “It would be nicer if you were dancing.”

Adie leaned close to Dani and pretended to whisper in her ear. “I hear Beau’s light on his feet.”

Dani’s cheeks turned pink. They both knew Josh and Adie were playing matchmaker. The effort irked Beau to no end. He didn’t need any prodding to ask Dani to dance. He’d been fighting the urge all night.

Still blushing, Dani gave Adie a cup of punch. “You must be thirsty after all that dancing.”

She sounded wistful. Beau felt bad about chasing away her dance partners, but no one had measured up.

Josh and Adie traded a look. Without a glance at Beau, Josh offered his hand to Dani. “May I have this dance?”

Dani turned pinker. “I don’t think—”

“Go on,” Adie insisted.

Josh swept Dani into the crowd. Adie said something friendly, but Beau didn’t hear the words. His eyes were glued to Dani, who looked happy for the first time all night. The fiddler played a fancy scale. The guitarist joined in, followed by the bellow of the accordion playing the first bars of a polka.

Dancers crowded the floor, but Beau had eyes only for Dani in her blue dress, whirling with Josh, who’d said something that made her smile. Four bars into the song, Beau spotted three men closing in on Josh, intending to cut in. Not caring that Adie was in midsentence, he strode onto the dance floor, beating out the other men, including the rancher who’d been ahead of him.

He tapped Josh on the shoulder. “I’m cutting in.”

No small talk. No smiles. Just an order to hand Dani over and do it now.

Josh had the bad manners to chuckle. “Of course,” he said, making a slight bow to Dani.

The next thing Beau knew, they were spinning and whirling and he’d never felt so sure of the rightness of having this woman in his life. Nor had he felt such conflict. He wanted to make Dani his wife, but first he had to finish with Johnson. One dance, Beau told himself. Just for now, he’d enjoy the smile he’d put on her face. He’d let the scent of her hair drift into his nose. He’d look at the gold waves and imagine them free from pins and ribbons, cascading down her shoulders. Just for now, he’d let himself feel the blessing of two hearts beating as one.

When the song ended, Dani looked into his eyes. Short of breath and flushed, she smiled. “That was a surprise.”

Without the shelter of the music, Beau felt the bleakness of the future. He had to leave. Now. Before the band struck up a waltz or reel. It didn’t matter what the musicians played. He had to resist.

Beau hooked his arm around her waist and aimed for the door. “It’s time to go home.”

“What?”

“It’s late.”

“But we haven’t cut the cake.”

“Forget the cake. I want to leave.”

She gave him a look that tore him to shreds. He didn’t know if she was angry, hurt or both. Before he could decide, the musicians played the opening chords of “Camp Town Races.” The music tripped him like a rope.

Dance with her…Just one more.

He saw the interest in her eyes, a curiosity that reminded him of her innocence and her tender heart. She wanted a husband. She wanted a family of her own and to be loved for herself. Beau wanted to give her those things.

But he couldn’t. Not now.

“Beau?” Her eyes clouded. “Are you all right?”

He sobered instantly. He couldn’t let Dani see his feelings. He’d already crossed the line by kissing her in the kitchen and again at the picnic. Brotherly caresses, he told himself. Except her feelings, he suspected, were growing as fast as his. He couldn’t risk hurting her. He had to be her friend, nothing more.

Beau schooled his features. “Sorry,” he said in a level voice. “If you want cake, we’ll stay.”

She touched his arm. His bicep bunched, a reflex he couldn’t stop.

Dani looked into his eyes. “I’d like to dance some more.”

“I can’t.”

Her voice dropped to a murmur. “Because of Lucy?”

Beau fought the urge to lie. If he claimed to be grief stricken, Dani would let him off the hook. If he told the truth—that he loved her and it hurt too much to hold her—she’d fight for him. He didn’t think he could resist, so he thinned his lips to a line. “It’s got nothing to do with Lucy.”

“Then why?”

He didn’t want to hurt her, but he had to make her leave.

“Mind your own business.”

Dani blinked in disbelief. “I don’t deserve that.”

She was right, but Beau couldn’t apologize. They’d be dancing to a waltz and finding that rhythm he wanted. He couldn’t let that happen, at least not yet, so he said nothing.

Dani’s mouth tightened. “Excuse me. I’m going to help with the cake.” She brushed by him.

Instead of going to the refreshment table, she raced out the door. Beau held in a curse. He couldn’t let her walk alone in the dark, so he followed her, pausing on the steps to let his eyes adjust to the night. As his vision cleared, he scanned the landscape. To the west he saw a stand of pines, pale grass and nothing else. He looked east and saw an empty meadow. He hadn’t seen anyone suspicious tonight, but that didn’t mean a thing. Back in Denver, he hadn’t seen Clay Johnson on the roof. With his heart pounding, he shouted Dani’s name.

Holding her skirt and fighting tears, Dani hurried away from the schoolhouse. She feared Adie had seen her spat with Beau and would come after her, so she ran for the cover of a group of pines. When she reached the farthest tree, she circled away from the schoolhouse and slumped against the rough bark. She could hear the music coming from the open windows, but the shadows made her invisible.

That’s how she’d felt at the punch bowl. Not a single man had asked her to dance. The rejection had reminded her of embarrassing times in Wisconsin. After she’d broken the engagement to Virgil, she’d become a wallflower. A pariah. Unloved and unwanted by anyone. She hadn’t been bothered when the rancher left her alone. She wanted only Beau, but after the third man walked away looking pinched, she’d faced a hard truth. She didn’t measure up.

Dani didn’t understand. She tried to be kind. She had a good mind and pitched in wherever she could. The blue dress fit perfectly and flattered her figure. She’d seen Beau’s eyes when he’d helped her into the surrey and silently thanked Adie for being a tad bit bold. Riding to town, she’d imagined dancing with Beau but not the way it had happened. He’d cut in on Pastor Josh because he’d been worried about someone like Andy, not because he wanted to move with her to the music.

He cared about her, but he cared more about killing Clay Johnson. That was the sad, hard truth.

“Dani!”

His voice roared over the music. She felt bad for hiding but didn’t want to be found sniffling like a child. She reached in her pocket for a handkerchief, felt Lucy’s embroidery and burst into tears.

“Dani!”

He sounded close to panic. Hurt or not, Dani couldn’t let him suffer. Hoping the darkness would hide her puffy eyes, she raised her voice. “I’m over here.”

Beau walked through the pines, stirring the needles as he peered into the shadows until he found her against the tree. “Why are you out here?”

“I’ll go back in a minute.” Her voice quivered.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why did you leave?”

“I needed air. That’s all.”

She could smell the starch of his shirt, the bay rum he’d splashed on his jaw. Even blind in the dark, she felt Beau’s nearness. So much remained unsaid. Unfinished business. Unspoken promises. With the moon turning the meadow a pale green, Dani flashed on Patrick’s failure to share his true feelings. He’d left her with a mountain of doubt. She wouldn’t do the same to Beau. He deserved to know how she felt.

Before she could find her tongue, he aimed his chin at the schoolhouse. “I’ll walk you back.”

“Not yet.”

“It’s not safe out here.”

I love you.
The words were strangling her, but Beau’s eyes stopped her from saying them. Bitterness glinted in his dilated pupils. She could hear the tension in his voice. She’d felt it in his hands when they’d danced. She longed to spill her heart, but not with Beau on the verge of a rant. She turned on her heel and fled.

He grasped her arm. “Dani—”

She sidestepped to avoid him, then left the shelter of the pines. A full moon lit the meadow, turning the grass into shimmering blades. The next thing she knew, Beau had his hand on her shoulder. Without a word, he spun her around. Their gazes collided in the dim light that revealed her tearstained cheeks.

“You’ve been crying,” he said. “Tell me why.”

“No.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

She didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t tell Beau that she loved him, but neither did she want to turn away. She settled for the easiest truth. “Tonight reminded me of the dances in Wisconsin.”

“Why?”

She gave a rueful smile. “After the fiasco with Virgil, no one ever asked me to dance.”

Beau hesitated. “Josh asked you tonight.”

“He’s a minister!” Dani couldn’t believe her ears. “It was like dancing with my father.”