Wild Roses (18 page)

“Your strength has returned already, has it?” she asked, laughing as he suddenly pulled her on top of him.

“I believe mine will hold longer than yours will,” he drawled as he trailed his tongue along the pulse point in her throat.

“Ah, a challenge. I do so love a challenge.”

“Going to try and prove me wrong?”

“Most definitely,” she whispered as she kissed him.

 

 

The first hint of dawn's brilliant color was tinting the sky as Ella opened her eyes. Her first clear thought was that neither of them had won the challenge. She was pretty sure they had both fallen asleep at the same time.

Careful not to disturb him, she slipped from their bed and, throwing on her camisole, hurried to the creek. After quickly seeing to her personal needs, she scurried back to bed, smiling faintly to find Harrigan still sound asleep. There was a certain amount of pride to be felt in knowing she had exhausted such a strong man.

She sat beside him, watching him sleep. For one brief moment she suffered a strong urge to weep. She loved him deeply and, she feared, would do so forever. It seemed a cruel twist of fate that it was Harold, a man who wanted her dead, who had sent her the love of her life. It did not seem strange that it would also be Harold who would tear that man from her arms.

What made her even sadder was that she could not tell Harrigan how she felt. Love was something every woman longed for, to feel and to share, yet she had to swallow the words, hide them deep inside of her. Ella could not foresee any time when she would be able to reveal all that was in her heart. That, Ella mused, was the cruelest cut of all.

Afraid she was about to start dripping tears all over Harrigan, she went to stir up the fire and make the coffee. For a little while longer she would pretend that everything was fine. She knew that the minute they got on their horses and started down the road to the city that pretty little dream would be shattered. It would hurt no one save herself if she clung to it for another hour or two.

When she returned to their blanket bed, she gently nudged him, laughing when he muttered and rubbed his hands over his face. “I made you some coffee,” she said, holding the cup out when he finally sat up and looked at her.

“Thanks,” he said, watching her cautiously as he took the cup.

Harrigan sipped at the coffee, mildly annoyed that it was a lot better than his own, and eyed her over the cup. She looked especially tempting as she sat there by his side. It was obvious that she wore nothing but her thin shift and that she had just tossed it on. The front was unlaced, but not fully opened, the edges caught against her nipples, which were hardened by the cool morning air. He glanced down and thought idly that, if she took a deep breath, the bottom edge of the lacy shift would rise enough to reveal all of her secrets.

He looked back at her face and the sweet smile she gave him made him a little uneasy. Today he was taking her to Harold. She should not be so pleasant. Harrigan wondered if this was some form of revenge, if she planned to torment him with all he could no longer enjoy.

“It's morning,” he said.

“Not quite yet,” she murmured as she set down her empty coffee mug.

“The sun will be up soon. You can see its light on the horizon.”

“Only if you keep insisting on looking at it.”

“Ella, at times you can be the most confusing woman,” he muttered, and finished off his coffee in one gulp.

“And what am I doing that is so confusing you?”

“Being nice to me. Today is the day—” His eyes widened when she suddenly placed a finger against his lips.

“Don't speak of it. I have decided that the day has not yet begun. It would be imprudent of you to argue with me.”

“I see. So you're saying that it is still yesterday.”

“Yes, poor deluded child that I am.”

“And just when does the new day start?”

“Oh, in about an hour or two, when one can actually see the sun.”

Harrigan tossed his cup aside and reached for the front of her camisole. He hesitated just a moment to see if she would pull away, then opened it. The last of his doubts about what she was saying disappeared as he bent to drag his tongue across one hard tip. Ella sighed in that way he had come to delight in, threaded her fingers in his hair, and held him close.

Their love-making quickly became intense, almost frantic. Ella reveled in the way he kissed and stroked every inch of her, then greedily returned every caress. They reached the heights they both so enjoyed, rested, then reached for each other again.

They tried to go slowly the second time, to linger over every touch, every kiss, but the rising sun would not let them ignore the passage of time. Its light pushed its way through the surrounding trees. Ella settled herself on top of Harrigan, watching him as she eased their bodies together. When he reached for her, she put her hands on his shoulders and lightly pressed him against the ground. This time when their passions were spent, there would be no resting in each other's arms. Reality would be waiting for them, and before that completely stole away their little dream, she needed to know something.

“I want you to tell me something, Harrigan,” she said. “I want you to answer one little question.”

Harrigan tensed, the clouds of passion clearing from his mind as suspicion snaked its way in. “What do you want to ask me?”

“Such mistrust I can see in your eyes.”

“It's just that you have me at a bit of a disadvantage.”

“I do, don't I?” She smiled faintly. “It's only a little question, Harrigan.”

“And it can't wait until later?”

“No, because I believe it might be best if we don't talk much later.”

“You're probably right.”

“Harrigan,” she whispered as she bent down to brush a kiss over his mouth, “I swear I am not asking for any great promises or commitments.”

“Ella,” he began, unsure of what to say, but deeply regretting more than he cared to think about.

“I just want to know one little thing. Will you miss this, Harrigan?”

“What?” Harrigan was so startled by the question, he was not sure he had heard it correctly.

“I said, will you miss this?” She slowly moved against him to try to silently make it clear what she referred to.

“You mean the passion we share?” He broke free of her light hold, and grasped her by the hips.

“Yes, this.” She closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure as he sat up and pressed her body close against his.

“Oh, God, yes. No one has ever stirred the fires higher and hotter than you. No one has ever felt as good wrapped around me as you do. No one has ever tasted as good, smelled as good, or looked as good as you. Hell, I even delight in those soft sighs and gasps you make. Yes, I will certainly miss this.”

“Good,” was all she could manage to say as he began to move her against him, forcing them to the completion she had tried to hold back.

 

 

Harrigan watched Ella dress even as he pulled on his own clothes. When their passions had been spent she had silently pulled away from him. He did not think he had ever felt so chilled, the cold reaching down deep inside him. This time there was no doubt that he would never return to her arms.

As he cleaned up their campsite, he briefly wondered if he could go to see her later, once she was settled in at Harold Carson's house, then shook his head. That was pure madness. Even if Harold was not the killer she claimed he was, Ella had made it clear that he would be cutting all ties to her the moment he handed her over to Harold. If he showed up at her door, she would probably try to shoot him.

That's if Louise hasn't already put a bullet in me
, he mused as he saddled his horse. The certainty that Louise would be waiting for him in Philadelphia was just another black cloud on his horizon. This was probably going to be the worst day of his life. He suspected it might even prove to be worse than the day he discovered Eleanor's treachery.

He reached out to lift Ella into her saddle and grimaced when she neatly avoided him, mounting without his assistance. She had barely even looked at him. It was for the best, yet it saddened him. He did not want to part from her with such a cold distance between them, but there was nothing he could do to dispel it. After one last look at her, he mounted and picked up her reins. It might only be a few miles to Philadelphia, but it was going to be a very long trip.

Ella stared at Harrigan's back as he led them out onto the road. She wanted to argue with him, to plead with him, but she pressed her lips tightly together. It would do her no good and she decided her pride had taken enough of a beating.

She felt the aching in her body that their long night of lovemaking had left her with and sighed. For a moment she was deeply ashamed of herself, but she quickly pushed that aside. She loved the man. The fact that he did not love her or have an inkling of how she felt did not really matter. She had gone to his bed out of love and that was enough to banish her brief bout of shame.

It would be nice if she could retrieve her pride as easily, she thought, a little sadly. That was going to take a little longer. She had loved and lost and was not finding it poetic or romantic at all. It made her sad, angry, and frustrated. It also made her feel foolish.

Ella reminded herself that, in a few hours, she would be faced with something that should take her mind off all of her hurts and disappointments concerning Harrigan Mahoney. Harrigan had only taken her chastity and her love. Harold wanted her life. She needed to concentrate on that, to clear her mind of all the other clutter. When she faced her guardian, she wanted to do so calmly and with her back straight. Ella did not want Harold to sense any weakness in her.

Harrigan Mahoney was a big weakness, she mused. It was vital that she push all of those feelings down deep within her where Harold could not sniff them out. When Ella realized that part of the reason she wished to do that was to protect Harrigan from Harold, she cursed. She was an even bigger fool than she had thought. In a few hours she would be involved in a fight for survival. Harrigan showed no inclination to help her in that fight, so she was stupid to worry about him. He could take care of himself. It was time to push the man right out of her mind and heart, no matter how temporary that reprieve might be. There was only one person she should be thinking about now—herself. It was the only way she could win against Harold, and Ella was determined to come out of this fiasco alive. She would worry about lost loves and heartbreak later.

“There's the city,” Harrigan announced as he reined to a halt on a small rise in the well-rutted road.

Ella's little mare came to a sedate stop right next to his gelding, blithely ignoring Ella's wish to keep some distance between herself and Harrigan. She looked down the road at the city she had fled nearly three years ago and felt her insides knot up with fear. It was not the city itself which caused her such terror. There was a lot to appreciate in Philadelphia. There were also a lot of bitter, sad memories. And, at the moment, Philadelphia was a death trap for her.

She opened her mouth to try to talk Harrigan out of handing her over to Harold, then closed it again. She had repeated herself until she was sick of hearing the words. While it was true that he no longer thought she was lying or trying to trick him, he did not waver in his intention of completing the job he had been hired for.

It annoyed her a little that she could sympathize with his unwavering sense of purpose. He blamed himself completely for his family's losses and was determined that they would not suffer too badly. That required money, and Harold was paying him handsomely. Even if he felt inclined to, he could not throw that away when he had absolutely no proof that she was telling the truth. It hurt to think that her word was not good enough, but, if their situations were reversed, she was not sure she would act any differently. When family was involved, there came a point where they had to take precedence, and all one could do was pray that others understood.

“I suppose it's pointless to restate my case against Harold,” she said quietly, not able to give up on one last chance of changing his mind.

“I've explained why I have to do this.”

“Yes, you have, and a part of me understands. I hope that you understand that another large part of me still feels betrayed.”

He sighed and nodded. “I swear to you, Ella, I won't just leave you there and do nothing else. I'll do all I can to prove what you say and get you away from the man.”

“And who will you be finding that proof for, yourself or the law?”

“I can't do anything to stop Harold without proof,” he answered, and inwardly grimaced when she gave him a mildly disgusted look in return for his vague response.

“I suppose Harold is informed of our impending arrival.” She smiled at the look of guilty surprise he was unable to suppress. “I'm not stupid, Harrigan. You know my aunt is doing her best to be here waiting for us, to stop you from completing this job. The easiest way to insure that you have any help you might need is to warn Harold. Now, I might be able to come to some understanding about why you are doing this to me, even forgive you, but if Louise is harmed in any way, that is something I will never be able to forgive or forget.”

He just nodded, and started into the city, tugging her along with him. From the moment he had wired Harold of their impending arrival, he had begun to regret it. It had meant that he had no choice about what he could do once he rode into the city. Harrigan was sure that there would be people watching for his arrival, probably even someone at the edge of town ready to ride back to Harold with the news that they were on their way.

As they started through town, he looked toward the railroad station, but had no idea which one of the many trains there was the one Louise might be on. After running from the woman across miles of countryside, he found it odd that he now wished to see her. If Louise arrived and stole Ella out from under Harold's nose, however, it could solve his problems. He would have met his part of the bargain, so Harold would have to pay him, yet Ella would not be given to the man.

A moment later, he inwardly shook his head. It wouldn't work. Louise would never get out of the city. The woman would not only have the law hot on her trail, but every crook and bully Harold could hire. Now that they were actually in Philadelphia, it was probably safer to quietly hand Ella over to the man. Rescue could come later, a well-planned, unanticipated rescue. He just hoped Louise had the sense to know that. It was going to be hard enough to hand Ella over to a man she was so afraid of. Harrigan did not want that trauma compounded by her aunt getting into a losing battle or being taken away by the law.

 

 

“You can't do this, Louise,” Joshua warned as they lurked in the shadows of a narrow alley between two fancy brick houses and watched Harrigan approach with Ella.

“Why not?” she asked. “He's alone, isn't he?”

“He was alone every other time you tried to get him and you failed each time.”

“So I'll either win this time or suffer another failure. Failure only hurts Ella.”

“Not this time. I'm sure that he's being watched, that Harold knows he's coming in today. You show your face and there's no telling what will happen.”

“I believe he may be right, Louise,” George said gently as he moved to stand next to her. “Harrigan will have told Harold that he's coming, and the man will be ready for him.”

“That doesn't mean he'll be ready for me,” she protested.

“I think it does and I think you know it. Harold is well aware of how you feel about him and you have been fighting him for three long years. He knows you're the reason that he hasn't been able to get his hands on Ella for all this time.”

“Well, I can't just stand here and do nothing,” she snapped.

“Fine then,” said a deep, gruff voice from behind Louise and her friends. “You can go to the jail with me. It ought to be easier for you to control yourself once you're secure behind them bars.”

“Now, Thompson,” George began when he recognized the sheriff, but Louise was already turning on the man.

“There's no use trying to talk sense to this pig,” Louise said, glaring at the potbellied man. “He oinks for Harold.”

“Here now, you watch what you say,” Thompson yelled after glaring his two chuckling deputies into silence.

“He's actually said something you should listen to, Louise,” George advised, leaning close to Louise so that only she could hear what he said.

“This fool wouldn't know a wise word if it jumped up and bit his bulbous nose.”

“That's just about all I'm taking from you, missy,” Thompson scowled as he grabbed Louise by the hand and pulled her toward him. “You and this range scum are all under arrest.”

“Arrest? For what? Telling you what an idiot you are? You'll have to arrest the whole damned city.”

George inwardly groaned. He adored Louise's spirit, but her mouth could be a source of unnecessary trouble at times. He waited until the sheriff's deputies had collected all of the weapons. It gave him a moment to think of what to say, although he had the sinking feeling that nothing was going to help Louise or her boys now.

“Sheriff, I assume you know who I am or you would be arresting me as well,” George began.

“Yeah,” growled Thompson. “You're that fool who let this little slut capture you.”

It took George a moment to decide what angered him more—being called a fool or hearing Louise called such a low name. They were almost equal, but he decided that an attack upon his intelligence was of less import than one on Louise's morals. The fact that both insults were delivered by a man who was no more than the lackey of anyone who paid or threatened him, made it all the worse.

“I believe I will hesitate to shoot you today,” George said in a cool, polite tone that caused Thompson to take a step away from him. “I realize that some things may be difficult for you to understand. In fact, I suspect many of the most elemental facts are difficult for you to grasp, but do try to listen carefully. This woman, whose morals you feel so free to slander despite your own craven turpitude, has commited no crime. I believe you may well be commiting one if you incarcerate her.” He glanced toward Louise and caught her grinning at him.

“As I keep saying, George,” she murmured, “you do have a way with words.”

“Well, he can talk as fancy as he wants, but it ain't getting him nowhere,” Thompson said. “This lot is being arrested because they threatened the life of one of Philadelphia's most important citizens.”

“I haven't threatened anybody in this city for so long, I challenge anyone to remember it,” Louise snapped.

“You've threatened Harold Carson.”

“I have only offered to give the man what he deserves,” Louise began.

“Louise, hush,” George said, surprising everyone into silence, including Louise. “Right now the man has no good reason to arrest you. Do not give him one. Do not give Harold what he needs to get you out of his way for a very long time. And try to think of the lads for a moment. They will not find jail a pretty or a friendly place.” He nodded when she pressed her lips together, looking an odd mixture of sullen and contrite.

“If you're done talking, mister, we'll take our prisoners to the jail,” Thompson said, pushing past George as he started to leave the alley.

“Don't worry, Louise, I will get you out of there,” George promised, aching to do something but knowing that joining Louise in jail would be no help at all.

“I'll be fine,” she called back to him as Thompson dragged her away, his deputies pushing the four youths ahead of them. “You go watch out for my niece.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I told you—”

“Damn it, George, I didn't ask you to break your word or go against Harrigan. All I ask is that you watch out for her. I need to know what's happening with her and exactly what that bastard is doing.”

“That I can do,” he replied, needing to yell because Thompson had already taken her across the main street. “And I will do what I can to get you out of there.”

Muttering soft curses under his breath, George began to walk toward Harold Carson's house. He hoped he would meet up with Harrigan before the man gave Ella to Harold, even though he doubted he could halt the transaction. What he wanted to see was how Harold acted as he took hold of his niece and all that was said. Harrigan was far better at deciphering such things, able to understand the true meaning behind the smallest gesture and expression. George was not sure Harrigan was at his best at the moment, and wanted to be able to tell the man everything as clearly as he could when he finally started thinking straight again.

 

 

Harrigan recognized several of Harold's men as he rode down the street. A gasp from Ella stole his attention from counting them. He followed the direction of her wide-eyed gaze and inwardly cursed. There would be no aid from Louise. Thompson was roughly pushing the woman into his jailhouse, her boys being urged after her by Thompson's deputies. Harrigan briefly looked around for George, but saw no sign of the man. His only consolation was that he had not seen George being dragged into the jail along with the others. Since he was confident that Louise had not injured the man, he knew George would be along shortly.

“He's had Louise arrested,” Ella cried in outrage.

“Considering some of the things your aunt does and says, that arrest might not have anything to do with Harold,” he replied, wondering why he was still so quick to defend such a man.

“We both know that Harold had a hand in that. He had Thompson lying in wait for my aunt.”

“There has to be some reason for an arrest to be made, especially of a woman.”

“The reason is that Harold told Thompson to do it.”

Ella made her last statement just as Harrigan reined in in front of Harold's huge brick house. Harold was standing on the walk in front of the house, clearly expecting them, and he gave Ella a very condescending smile.

“What have I instructed our duly elected sheriff to do now?” Harold asked, his air of innocence almost more than Ella could stomach.

“You sent Thompson after Louise,” Ella accused. “You had him put her in jail.”

“I don't know where you get such strange ideas. Why should I do such a thing to a member of my own family?”

“To get her out of your way so that you can finally have a chance of winning this little game. She's been a thorn in your side for years, but you haven't been able to reach her in Wyoming.”

Harold shook his head and adopted a look of innocent sorrow that made Ella want to gag. When she looked at Harrigan, he was wearing an expression that was tight and closed, and she wondered if he was finally seeing Harold for the deceitful, dangerous man that he was. That Harrigan could see the danger in her guardian was of the utmost importance to her, even if he couldn't keep her out of the man's house. Somewhere, somehow, Harrigan had to begin to see the truth. It was all she had left to hope for.

She tensed as Harrigan dismounted and picked her out of her saddle. Ella had talked to herself about this moment from the time she had ridden away from Wyoming. Time and time again she had told herself that she would not let it hurt her, that Harrigan had his reasons, and she had to respect them or how could she truly love the man? It had been easy to decide that she would be calm and mature, understanding and forgiving. Harold had still been many miles away.

Now she trembled, her heart skipping painfully in her chest. She felt afraid and betrayed. She saw George walk up to them and was anxious to ask the man a few questions about what had happened to her aunt. He had to have been with Louise when Thompson appeared. Then she realized that, if he had been, he had obviously not done anything to stop it.

It was hard to suppress a cry when Harold grabbed her by the arm, then shoved her toward one of his huge guards. Ella saw Harrigan's face tighten and his hands clench, but he did nothing. He just wanted his money, she thought sadly. That was all that really mattered to him.

“Ella and Louise tell a different tale than you do, Harold,” Harrigan said, his voice tight as he fought to control his anger.

“I warned you about that,” Harold said smoothly, waving his guard away. “Take the girl into the house, Matthew,” he ordered.