The Cactus Creek Challenge (40 page)

“She comes out sometimes.” Cassie flattened her palms on his chest, delighting in the thudding thrum of his heart. “In fact, she’s about to make an appearance right now.” Her hands came up to cup his whisker-roughened cheeks.

“Good. I like her.” His voice deepened, sending ripples vibrating through her. “You do know I love you to distraction, don’t you?” His lips came down, brushing hers, teasing, meshing and withdrawing in brief encounters that drove her mad. She tunneled her fingers into his hair, tugging, dislodging his hat. Finally, with a sigh, he stopped playing and took possession, angling his head and deepening the kiss.

Somewhere, she knew she heard angels singing, but it might’ve been in her head. She was flying, floating, her heart soaring to join with his as she returned his kiss. Stars exploded behind her eyelids, and her hands slipped to his lapels, seeking an anchor.

He withdrew slowly, by increments, nipping and pecking, scattering kisses across her cheekbones and along her brow. She sighed, melting against him.

“Promise me you’ll kiss me like that every time I come back from a manhunt.”

She chuckled, pressing her lips together. “Promise me you’ll kiss me like that every time I arrest thieves for trying to rob the jail.” She stiffened, drawing back to look into his eyes. “Speaking of which, why aren’t you at the jail?”

He tweaked her nose, stooped to snatch up his hat, and drew her around the house to the back porch where the cushioned wicker swing swayed in the breeze. He tugged her down to sit beside him. “This is better. I prefer to do my courting out of sight of any passerby who might amble along.” He studied their arrangement and frowned. “Hmm, this won’t do. You’re too far away. C’mere.” Spanning her waist, he lifted her to sit on his lap, tossing his hat to the seat beside him. “That’s better.” The swing swayed gently, and she looped her arms around his neck, hardly believing Ben was holding her as if she was his most precious treasure.

“A detachment of soldiers arrived this morning from Fort Benefactor, three officers and twenty enlisted men, all bristling with guns and officialdom, and whisked the gold out of the jail. On their heels, the federal marshal arrived on his regular route, and he took custody of the unfortunate Shoop brothers and all the evidence, including the box of dynamite. Those boys’ll stand trial up in Amarillo next month. You might be called on to testify, by the way. So the jail’s empty, and I was feeling a little lonely and neglected. I figured you’d be dropping in first thing today. You do have a job to do as the sheriff of Cactus Creek for six more days, you know.” His eyes reproached her, his mouth twitching to hide his teasing grin.

She smoothed his hair where she’d ruffled it earlier and drew her hand down his cheek, delighting in the rasp of whiskers, reveling in the thought that he hadn’t even taken the time to clean up before coming to see her. “In my defense, I was taken prisoner by the matrimony madness taking place in the house. Not to mention my niece decided to put in her appearance last night, and Mama is run ragged fussing over the baby and overseeing the wedding preparations. Dad is looking for a place to hide until it’s all over. Millie just smiles and giggles and sails blithely on, content that in a few days she’ll be Mrs. Ralph Campion.” She rested her cheek on his shoulder. “And anyway, aren’t you supposed to be teaching school today?”

“I declared a holiday. The kids all came to the jail when nobody showed up at the school. They were bursting to tell me all about how they helped scout the town for you and kept an eye on the bad guys. I’m so proud of them, I’m busting my buttons.”

“They were fantastic. I’m so glad for all the things you taught them. If it wasn’t for those lessons …”

“So maybe I haven’t been such a bad teacher?” He grinned, squeezing her waist. “I might just win this Challenge after all.”

His velvety brown eyes twinkled, and for an interval, speech was impossible.

When she caught her breath, she snuggled her head on his shoulder. “What about Jigger? I feel terrible. He’s had a hard month.”

“I checked on him on the way over. He’s beginning to wonder if you aren’t a Jonah. A deputy for almost twenty years and barely a scratch, then you breeze in, and in less than thirty days he’s got a broken wrist and a crack on the brainpan.” She jerked upright, ready to dispute that claim, but he tucked her head back under his chin. “He’s got a headache and a goose egg knot on his noggin, but he says he’s fine, and he was just teasing about you being a Jonah. He’s tickled to death with the job you’ve done, says you’re by far the cleverest sheriff he’s ever worked for.” Ben chuckled, and the sound rumbled under her ear. “I’m thinking he’s earned a few days off. If only I could find a deputy to take his place for a couple of days … Maybe I’ll have to scout around for a pretty girl to help me out.”

She straightened this time and sent him a suspicious glare, her heart as light as it had ever been. “You had better be talking about me, because if you’re not, Cactus Creek will be looking for a new sheriff in the near future. You know, it’s hard to concentrate with you kissing my ear.”

“Do you want me to stop?” His breath tickled her neck.

“Not especially.” Laughter bubbled up again. She couldn’t imagine being happier. “But we have so much to talk about.”

With a sigh, he shrugged and shoved his hat aside to set her back on the swing beside him. “You’re right. I never would’ve suspected
you’d
turn out to be the mature one in the relationship.” That earned him a swat on the leg.

She wagged her finger at him. “I’ve
always
been the mature one. It took you half of forever to realize it. I think I’ve been waiting all this time for
you
to grow up, not me.”

“I suppose, since I’ve spent the last little while kissing you senseless, I should do the grown-up thing and ask you to marry me.” He slipped from the swing to one knee, taking both her hands in his. “I don’t even have a ring, that’s how unprepared I was for you to bull-rush your way into my heart. I just know that I don’t want to live another day without you. Cassiopeia Bucknell, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife at your earliest convenience?”

The reality was so much better than her dreams, she burst into tears, then into laughter at the panic that invaded his eyes.

He tilted his head. “I’m sorry, darlin’, but I have no idea what that means. Is that a yes?”

She nodded, mopping the happy tears with the backs of her wrists. “Provided you never call me Cassiopeia again. The name is Cassie.”

“Agreed if you will do something for me, too.”

“What?” Suspicion laced her words, especially since his eyes were sparkling.

“Put me out of my misery and tell me you love me.” He clasped his hands to his breast and implored her, batting his eyes.

“You nut.” She framed his face, leaning close, her lips a breath away from his. “Benjamin Wilder, I love you with all my heart. I have for a long time, and I always will.”

She slid from the swing into his arms, feeling as if she was coming home.

T
hey kept their engagement a secret from everyone but their parents so as not to steal any of the attention from Millie and Ralph’s big day, but it was hard, especially when Ben caught sight of Cassie walking down the aisle in her bridesmaid finery.

She was so beautiful, his chest constricted and he got dizzy. The best man really shouldn’t sag onto the steps at the front of the church and put his head between his knees. He willed his noggin to clear and his knees to stiffen, knowing he’d never live it down if he keeled over.

Her green eyes, just the shade of her dress, glowed, and her glorious red hair escaped in little tendrils to lie on her temples and neck, just begging him to touch them, to kiss her luminous skin.
It really isn’t fair that she should eclipse the bride like this
. She never took her eyes off him as she made her way to the front of the church.

When the ceremony was finally over, she threaded her arm through his to walk out of the church, and his heart about burst with pride that she was his. If he allowed himself to think of how he almost let her slip through his grasp through sheer ignorance, he broke into a cold sweat.

She leaned in to whisper. “Is that Carl? I hardly recognize him.”

Ben pulled his gaze away from her to glance at the burly man in the back row. He blinked and stopped, staring at his friend.

Resplendent in a black suit and a boiled shirt, he would’ve commanded attention in any crowd. But Carl had gone so far as to trim his beard—he must’ve taken eight inches off—and cut his hair. He held a genuine bowler hat and looked anything but comfortable.

Across the aisle, Jenny and Amanda Hart sat close together. Amanda waved enthusiastically to her teacher and at him. He winked at her and let Cassie pull him toward the door.

“Something’s going to happen there and soon, or I miss my guess. Nothing short of falling in love would make Carl cut his beard.” He helped her up into the buggy waiting to take the wedding party back to the Bucknell house for the reception. Millie and Ralph, in the seat in front of them, had eyes only for each other, which suited Ben just fine. He refrained from putting his arm around Cassie, but he wasn’t above searching for her hand at her side, clasping her fingers under the edge of her skirt and giving them a squeeze.

“I told Jenny weeks ago that I thought Carl would be a wonderful husband and father. She said that was nonsense, but I think she’s changed her mind since. And he certainly has a champion in Amanda. She talks of no one else, and I don’t think it’s just the pony and foal at the livery that she loves.” Cassie tucked a stray curl behind her ear and leaned her shoulder into his.

Arriving at the house, Ben found himself positioned for way too many photographs. At least he was next to Cassie for most of them, but the blinding flashes of powder left him seeing spots. Wedding guests arrived and milled around, and all he wanted to do was grab Cassie up and head for the creek where they could be alone.

Louise and Donald held court on the porch, Louise in the swing, cradling her newborn daughter. Ben, when invited by Donald to admire his firstborn, found himself struggling for something complimentary to say. After all, she was red and scrunched and squirming. No teeth, wrinkles, and carrot-red hair.

Louise kissed her head. “You know, I think she might grow up to look like Cassie. Her eyes are such a hazy blue green. They might turn jade just like Cass’s.”

The infant suddenly got a lot cuter to Ben, especially when he realized that once he married Cassie, this baby would be his niece. “Lots to be proud of there, Don. Congratulations.”

Donald puffed up like a turkey, grinning as if he’d invented daughters. “All right, you’ve done your duty. Go find Cassie and ask her to dance.”

“Am I that transparent?”

“Only to another man in love.”

Ben figured his soon-to-be-brother-in-law was a smart man and went to do as he said.

Carl’s collar bit into his neck like a too-tight halter. The suit, still bearing creases from the box, had set him back a pretty penny, but he couldn’t exactly come to a wedding in his stable overalls, could he?

Something bumped his leg, and he looked down. “Hey, sweetie, you sure look pretty.”

Amanda hunched her shoulders, and her smile reached her eyes and his heart. “Mama does, too.”

“That she does.” Carl’s eyes found her. She stood behind one of the tables serving the beautiful wedding cake she’d concocted and iced. At least she’d taken that burden from him. He shuddered to think what would’ve happened if he’d served up that over-vanillaed disaster of a cake he’d made a couple of weeks ago.

“Are you going to ask her to dance?” Amanda took his hand and swung it while she watched the dancers whirling on the flagstone floor Doc Bucknell had installed in his backyard.

“You think I should?”

Her curls bounced on her shoulder as she nodded.

“She looks awful busy right now. How ’bout if you dance with me instead?” He lifted her onto his arm and whirled her around a few times, laughing when she leaned back, letting her hair fly out, trusting him completely to keep her safe. She’d sure come out of her shell in the past few weeks. Not much of the withdrawn, serious, timid child remained.

They stopped when he got dizzy, and she threw her arms around his neck, giggling. He looked up from her straight into her mother’s eyes. Warmth spread through his chest, and he tried to read her expression, but for the life of him, he couldn’t. He let Amanda slide to the ground and patted her head. She scampered off in the direction of some of the school kids congregating beneath a cottonwood tree.

He didn’t know how he crossed the distance between them; he only knew he was standing in front of Jenny, unable to say a word, unable to look away. His hand went out, and he inclined his head toward the dance floor.

She set aside the cake server, put her dainty little fingers into his paw, and let him lead her onto the floor. He held her as if she was spun sugar icing, feeling every inch of his six foot three and two left feet.