2011 Summer Collection Anthology: Sweet/Sensual
Stories to satisfy your romantic cravings
Presented by Victory Tales Press
Authors:
Celia Yeary, Charlotte Raby, Rita Hestand,
Kate Kindle, Christine E. Schulze, and Cheryl Pierson
Smashwords Edition
2011 Summer Collection Anthology: Sweet/Sensual
Copyright © 2011 by Rebecca J. Vickery
Cover Art Copyright © 2011 by Laura Shinn
Edited and Produced by Rebecca J. Vickery
Design Consultation by Laura Shinn
Other Titles from Victory Tales Press
A Summer Collection Anthology
Bloodmaiden: a Fantasy Anthology
A Halloween Collection Anthology: Sweet
A Halloween Collection Anthology: Stimulating
A Christmas Collection: Sweet
A Christmas Collection: Sensual
A Christmas Collection: Stimulating
A Christmas Collection: Spicy
A Valentine Collection Anthology: Sweet
A Mystery/Suspense Collection Anthology: Sweet
A Spring/Easter Collection Anthology: Sweet
A Historical Collection Anthology: Sweet/Sensual
A Western Saga Anthology: Sweet/Sensual
Smashwords Licensing Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with other people, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this ebook without purchasing it and it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.
Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.
This anthology is a work of fiction.
Though some actual towns, cities, and locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the various authors included. Similarities of characters or names used within to any person past, present, or future are coincidental.
Dedication
We extend our thoughts and condolences to everyone across the United States who suffered from the recent devastating storms.
While the storms ravaged the land of several states, they touched the hearts of all who understand loss, grief, and difficult times.
May God bless us all...
Addie and the Gunslinger by Celia Yeary
Ex-gunslinger Jude Morgan lands in jail in a far-flung West Texas town. On the fourth day, the sheriff ushers in a beautiful woman dressed in men’s pants and toting her own six-shooter. Adriana Jones claims he is her worthless husband who married her, but never came home.
The young woman makes a bargain with Jude in front of the sheriff. Jude is to come home where he belongs, and she will have him released. Once they’re alone, she explains his job is to pose as her husband to thwart the marriage advances of her neighbor, wealthy rancher Horace Caruthers. The older man wants her ranch to join with his; the Pecos River runs through her property.
To seal the bargain, Jude wants a kiss. During the next few weeks, however, Jude and Addie learn that the kiss meant more than they intended. Then, when Addie's life is in danger, will Jude rescue his Addie? Or will Addie save herself and her gunslinger?
The Tripany of Calazar and Trulene by Charlotte Raby
The year of the Tripany has arrived. To Princess Serafine of Trulene's dismay, her marriage to the Royal Prince of Calazar would soon take place. In a time of parallel universes, transportation, and highly advanced knowledge it seemed barbaric to be forced into marriage to prevent a war.
In one parallel universe, filled with fun and friends, Serafine has done the unthinkable—met a young man named Gil, and fallen in love. How can she ever return and marry Prince Aiden when she has no love for him?
But how could she doom her planet to a war she can prevent?
Distracted by Rita Hestand
Jake, a deputy sheriff, rescues a damsel in distress when she has a highly unusual emergency. Instantly attracted to the victim, he becomes worried about her living alone way out on the edge of town. And strange things seem to be happening out there.
Tara, new to the area and renting an old house for the large yard it provides, cannot believe the weird events taking place. The only good thing to happen is meeting Jake.
It soon becomes apparent that someone doesn't want Tara in the house. Could it be the landowner or his son, who is a bit different? Is Tara really in danger? Will Jake be so distracted by his attraction to Tara, he fails to protect her?
The Test of Time by Kate Kindle
Lenore was passionately in love with cowboy Frank McDonald, a born wanderer. She was not the wandering sort at all and only wanted to make a home with the man she loved. But, was Frank that man?
When he leaves her to go on the trail and doesn't come back to finish the important discussion of their future together, she knows she must move on.
But can she? Or will her love for Frank stand the test of time?
The Grey Queen and the Silver King by Christine E. Schulze
The treachery and thirst for power of one man, Sir Roark, begins a war for the Kingdom of Loz. Princess Chryselda, in line for the throne, fights alongside her men to save their city. When injured in battle, she is secreted away.
Hikari, a great warrior but something of a free spirit, upon hearing of her wounds, hastens to her bedside and remains close as she heals. His love can no longer be denied, and he proposes.
In a desperate attempt to defeat Sir Roark, they attempt to reach loyal friends, forced to fight as they flee. The worst happens and Hikari is mortally wounded. Death awaits them both. But will this truly be the end?
One Magic Night by Cheryl Pierson
Katrina meets an interesting, but completely unacceptable man, even though he is a doctor. Her father would never let her see him socially, as he's part Indian. He wants her to marry Jack, an acceptable suitor and upstanding attorney. Then the doctor does the unbelievable and speaks up for her against her inebriated father.
Dr. Shay Logan has returned from medical school to set up a practice he hopes will overcome racial problems, as the town badly needs a doctor. He hasn't counted on this young woman working her way into his heart and life so quickly. Or that he would be defending her against first her father and then Jack.
Addie and the Gunslinger
by
Celia Yeary
Chapter One
"Git up, boy."
The jailer fumbled with the ring of keys until he found the one for the cell door. As he turned it in the rusty lock, the screeching sound echoed off the damp rock walls, along the narrow corridor, and out the open door at the end. The short, pudgy man swiped the sleeve of his shirt across his sweaty forehead and down one side of his pockmarked face.
Jude clamped his back teeth down so hard he thought they might crack. The sound of the man's voice grated on his nerves worse than the key in the lock and the bellyaching of the other prisoners, and the disgusting stream of brown foamy liquid the jailer spit on the floor would turn a man's stomach.
Sitting up on the hard bunk, Jude swung his long legs off the side. With no boots, he sure hated to walk around on the filthy floor, but he couldn't do anything else until he got them back.
He could only wait until the sorry jailer told him why he had to stand. Ever since he'd been in this stinking, rotten prison in a town in the middle of nowhere, he'd done nothing but sit, fume, and curse. The brawl in the saloon hadn't amounted to a hill of beans, but he was well acquainted with small-town lawmen who loved to lord their position and badge over the peons who committed an offense in their town.
As he stood and hitched up his loose pants, he watched the sheriff walk down the corridor toward him and the jailer. The man himself was nothing to look at. Skinny as a rail and strutting along like he owned the world. Damn, he hated the law.
Instead, he riveted his attention on the woman trailing the man with the silver star on his chest.
That is one good-looking woman.
He watched her stride down the slanted corridor, her long legs encased in men's pants, boots fit to kill, and a Colt strapped around her firm, rounded hips. She'd pulled back her dark hair into a severe bun at the base of her long, smooth neck. With her black hat in her left hand, she slapped it on her leg once, twice as she neared the cell.
"This him?" asked the sheriff, as he turned and looked directly at her.
She looked right into Jude's eyes and cursed. The tall, slender woman actually let out a string of words he'd never heard a woman utter in all twenty-four years of his life. He wanted to laugh, because her voice was sort of soft and sweet, but she tried with all her might to sound tough, calling him every name in the book. Who the hell was she?
She glanced at Jude. "That's him, all right, Sheriff. I'm sure grateful you kept him for me a few days. Otherwise, I'd be traipsing all over the country trying to find him."
"Morgan, you have anything to say to your missus, here?"
Jude's mouth went dry, and he tried to figure out exactly what he was to say. She saved him, though, because she began to rant and rave. Placing one hand that held the hat on a hip, she pointed with the other hand straight at him.
"Jude Morgan, I don't know why on God's green earth I put up with you. All you've done is cause me trouble and heartache, and I'm just about to my rope's end. Now, if you're ready to come home and do your duty by me and the ranch you own, well, then you better say it loud and clear, right here in front of the law of this county and me, your wife of two long-suffering years. I've just about had enough of you. Once and for all, can't you do what's right?"
Jude thought he'd never been a slow-witted person. That's one reason he'd been a successful gunman. Just a few months ago, he'd made the split with his previous life, and then the saloon fight broke out, he got involved, and the sheriff threw him in jail. Now, this angel arrived to save him.
Maybe his luck had changed.
Hooking his thumbs in his front pockets, he said, "Well, uh, let's see here." He raised his eyebrows to her, pleading for a name.
"You forgot your own wife. I'm Adriana. Remember?"
"I remember very well. Addie. You don't have to remind me in front of this peace officer, here, and make a fool out of me." He removed his hands from his pockets and with one forefinger, gestured for her to move forward. "Come here, sweetheart, and give me a kiss."
Maybe that carried things a bit too far, because she glared at him with her pretty eyes narrowed and her black, thick brows snapped together.
"I'll take this six-shooter and hit you square between the eyes if you don't come out of that cell right this minute and come home."
She spit the words out, every syllable laced with anger.
"Aww, come on, Missus Jones. Give him a kiss," urged the sheriff as he nudged the jailer's arm. "We'll just look the other way."
"Never mind," said Jude, looking chagrined and sorrowful. "She always was a little cool. But…never mind. All right, Addie, you win. Let's go home."
Still searching his brain for an explanation to this weird turn of events, Jude walked up the corridor behind the sheriff and in front of the jailer. Miss Adriana Jones came last.
When he entered the main room and saw sunlight through the dirty windows, he thought he might cry—if he knew how. Horses carrying riders and wagons loaded with goods rumbled up and down the narrow, dusty road. He heard noises from the street, sounding like freedom.
"All righty, now, Morgan. Here's your boots and hat," said the jailer.
Jude stepped forward, sat down in a straight-backed chair, and pulled the well-worn brown cowhide boots over the grimy socks onto his feet. Standing, he picked up the black felt cowboy hat he'd had longer than he could remember, slapped it on his thigh to remove excess dust, adjusted the braided leather band around the crown, and carefully placed it on his head, covering his thick, sandy hair that was way too long.
Standing straight to his six-foot height, he said, "Belt," and held out his hand.
The jailer fumbled in a cabinet behind the desk and pulled out a tooled leather belt with silver Conchos embedded every three inches. Jude shoved his shirttail down into his pants a little smoother and threaded the belt through the loopholes. He had to take it up a notch, because he'd lost weight on the half-rations provided by the jail.
Glaring at the jailer, Jude said, "My Colts."
The sheriff stood from the desk, where he'd been writing on a form. He spoke to Jude in a voice he might use on a naughty boy he'd caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"Morgan, I don't want you coming near my town again. If you do, you'll be in big trouble. Now, I'm re-issuing your weapons to you, but you can't put them on until you're completely away from here. You understand?"
Jude didn't answer. He couldn't because he clamped his jaw too tightly and his chest burned. Instead, he stared until the puny sheriff looked away.
Jude reached for the gun belt and Colts the sheriff held out and strapped the belt around his hips, all the while looking straight at the man, daring him to say anything. While he was at it, he took painstakingly slow movements tying the leather cords around his thighs, securing the holsters. When he finished, he stood up straight and said in a low voice, "You have something for me to sign?"
The sheriff swallowed and nodded. "Yep, right here on this paper. This states that you received all your belongings. Then, you're free to go."
Jude hooked a thumb in one pocket, cocked one hip, and stared without blinking. "I'm missing one thing. Where is it?"
"Uh, one thing?" He turned to the jailer. "Oskar? What else he got?"
The jailer fumbled around once again in the drawer and came up with a roll of money, tied with a small piece of leather. Jude took it, untied the cord, and counted it. When he had it rolled and re-tied, he shoved it into his front pocket under the wide gun belt.
No one spoke for a few beats, when finally, the woman, Adriana, cleared her throat, and raised her chin.
Looked like it quivered a little to him.
She said in a firm voice, though, "All right, we're finished here. Thank you, Sheriff. Come on, Mister…Jude. Let's go home." Turning on her toes, she strode to the door looking like a queen, and didn't look back. She expected him to follow.
On the board walkway, he stopped her. "What's this all about? Who are you?"
Glancing back at the office window, she said, "Let's not talk here. I assume you want your horse and saddle." She barely slowed down, and after speaking, picked up the pace.
Tugging his hat down, he followed her.
Adriana paid the livery fee. He saddled and bridled his sorrel, and walked him out to the street where she waited on her Appaloosa mare.
He stepped into the stirrup and swung into the saddle. "Mind telling me where we're going?"
"Let's get out of town first. There's a watering hole about four miles out. We'll stop there." In an instant, she kicked her horse into a gallop and took off. Again, he followed.
During the ride, Jude stayed behind half a length or so. That way, he wouldn't be so close he'd eat dust, but he'd be in a position to watch this woman on her mount. Well, she sure could hold her seat, he thought, admiring her backside, gently rounded, and molded in pants only a mite too snug. Adriana's shape was heaven on earth to look at, with full breasts under the shirt that strained across a little too tightly. Her hair, pulled back into that unsightly knot, was black as midnight. Her skin looked tanned, but not so much she looked wind burned. He'd bet her natural color was fair and light. Had to be with those violet eyes—the color his mother had liked…
What had he gotten himself into? The first thing he had to do was keep his wits about him, and to do that, it might be a good idea to stop gazing at her luscious body, and pay attention to the surrounding area.
Portions of it looked like the desert, with all the scrub brush, broom grass, and cactus of every sort. Just a little farther west, though, over the Pecos River, the area boasted land good for running cattle, since it had some grass and the river. Land he'd give his right arm to own.
He spotted the watering hole ahead, marked by lush, green grass and a few desert willows. Probably the prime spot provided water and shade for riders and wranglers as they made their way across the otherwise barren ground. A cool drink of water would be right nice, but food would be even better. In fact, he thought he might starve to death before they reached her ranch.
Miss Jones pulled up, and Jude reined in behind her and dismounted.
She slid off the saddle in one easy move, and threw her hat off so that it hung by the cord down her back. Dropping to her knees at the edge of the springs, she splashed water on her face, and ran her wet hand around the back of her neck. Jude did the same, and wet his red bandana so he could wipe his face, neck, and hands. The clean water was the first he'd seen in four days.
Waiting for her to speak first, he stood and replaced his hat, tugging the brim over his eyes. He walked to the shade, hooked his thumbs in his belt, and waited. She took her own sweet time to get around to the explanation he needed. While he waited, she excused herself and walked away behind a thick stand of brush.
In a few minutes, she returned. As of yet, she had not said a word, so he took the opportunity to use the bushes, too. Give her time to get her story together. He bet it was a doozy.
When he walked back to the shade, she stood in his place but moved over a couple of feet.
"Mr. Jude Morgan, is it?"
What a voice, as smooth and mellow as pure, dark, honey.
"That's right."
"Adriana Jones."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Jones," he said, remembering to touch the brim of his hat. After all, she seemed like a lady, not some low-class trash homesteading somewhere or a soiled dove in a saloon.
"Well, let me cut right to the chase. I need you to pose as my husband for a while. I can't say how long, but long enough for the owner of the ranch that adjoins mine to give up and leave me alone. He's becoming quite insistent that we marry, and there's no way I'm putting my name next to his on a marriage license. In desperation, when he first asked a year ago, I told him I was married and had been for a year."
Jude thought she had some idea such as this, since she'd told the sheriff they were married.
"How did you explain this husband's disappearance?"
Adriana cleared her throat and gazed toward the horizon. "That you…he wasn't ready to settle down, and I'd just have to wait until he got good and ready to come home."
"But he didn't believe you."
"Exactly. I guess I don't lie very well." Looking a little uncomfortable, she studied the toes of her boots.
Pausing, Jude looked at her profile until she turned her head and looked directly at him. She blinked a few times, looked down again, but lifted her gaze to peer into his eyes once again.
"How did it come about that you chose me to be your husband?"
Addie crossed her arms over her waist, as though she was protecting herself. "Caleb, the older wrangler who works for me around the barn and corral, was in town. He watched you get arrested in the saloon, and he came home and told me about you."
"And he knew my name, right? How? I don't remember telling anybody. I was just passing through."
"Well," she said on a sigh, "he claims he knows you from years back on the outlaw trail."
Jude's heart began to hammer. The old man knew him?
"What did he tell you?"
Taking a deep breath and holding it before she blew it out, she explained. "He was a train and bank robber, once, and he said he hooked up with you about five years ago. Sort of for free protection, since you were a gunslinger by trade."
"Well, damn it all. You call him Caleb?"
"That's his name," she shrugged and looked away.
"How about 'Scudder'?"
"I heard him mention it once, but he said to forget it. His name is Caleb."
Jude kicked the dirt with the toe of his boot. "Yeah, right. Scudder Jenkins."
"That's his last name. Jenkins."
He looked at her for several moments as she fiddled with her hat, settling it just so on her head. "He's not that old, is he? Close to fifty, maybe?"
She shrugged and looked directly at him. "I don't know. I can't judge people's ages."
"Does he limp?"
Crossing her arms again, she said, "Yes, which means he doesn't ride very much, just enough to get to town and back in the buckboard. That's why he stays around the house and barn and corrals. And he's blind in one eye."
"Hell." Jude removed his hat and slapped it on his thigh before replacing it.
"I know. It seems like a sad case, but he's happy enough around the ranch. He's very loyal to me and the Jones name."
She sure acted impassionate about the whole thing, he thought. You'd think she would be suspicious of someone like him, Jude, being a stranger and all, but she seemed to trust him.
"Yeah, well, I do know him. How come he's with you?"
Addie looked him straight in the eye.
"Five years ago, he came dragging up one day, riding a nag that could barely walk, and he hung on for dear life. Blood practically covered his whole body, and he had his head wrapped with a dirty piece of cloth around one eye someone had shot out or something. It was horrible, but Maud took care of him and got him well. He never left, and I gave him work to do and responsibilities and he's been satisfied and real helpful. He and Maud argue and fight all the time, though. Just to warn you. They don't mean anything by it."
Jude scanned the landscape, the wide-open spaces, and the arid, dry ranchland, thinking about this man. "Well, he was a little lame from birth, as I recall, but managed well enough until the last year I knew him. He fell off a horse, and the horse fell on him. Ruined his leg good, I thought at the time, but somehow I lost track of him. Just disappeared after that."
Silence descended for a few minutes. She gazed away from him, out across the pasture, as he studied her. She was a looker, all right, one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. He wondered why some man around here hadn't married her. Guess she was fussy, because apparently she didn't want to hitch up with the one who'd asked for her hand.
"All right, so Caleb knows who I am. Who else?"
"Just me. Well, and Maud. We have to tell her everything, because she'll nag us to death until she gets everything straight."
"Do you trust her?"
Adriana pulled her chin back, and said coldly, "I certainly do, and so does Caleb."
He held up a hand. "Good enough for me. What happened to your family?"
"Oh, an accident long ago."
"Well, I sure am sorry for your bad luck, losing your loved ones and all."
"So, will you help me? Pretend to be my husband so I can ward off the advances of Mr. Caruthers?"
"I suppose I'll have to, now, won't I?"
"You could just ride away. I can't stop you."
"True," he said and nodded.
She cocked her head slightly in an appealing manner, and asked, "Where were you going, anyway?"
Jude looked toward the west, and thought maybe he should just ride on. Something about Miss Adriana Jones captivated him, though, and he could at least reward her for getting him out of that stinking jail.
"California," he said and looked into her pretty eyes.
"Are you going or not? Tell me now, and then I expect you to keep your word if you stay. Can I trust your word?"
Jude almost stopped breathing. Here was a beautiful woman who wanted his word. No one, as long as he could remember, would take him at his word. His pa sure didn't.
You lying, boy? You are, good and proper. Drop your drawers and lean over the table, there. You're gonna get one hell of a whupping for lying to me.
But I'm not lying…
"I'll help you, Miss Jones, as long as I need to. After that, I can't promise anything. Is that good enough?"
"My pa said if a man looked you in the eyes, he meant every word he said. You, Mr. Morgan, looked right at me. I believe you, and I trust you."
I trust you.
Jude smiled, he felt so grand. "I'll want a few things, Miss Jones, to seal the deal."
"And what's that, Mr. Morgan?"
"Kisses. One now and one when we finish the job. Maybe a few in-between."
Lifting her pretty little chin, she said, "I don't go around allowing liberties with strange men, Mr. Morgan. Let's think of some other way to seal the pact."
"Nope. That's my price. A few kisses, starting now. And ma'am, I'll do a damn good job for you, if it's within my power."
"Wha…the kisses?"
Jude chuckled. "Well, that, too, ma'am."
Narrowing her eyes, she looked away again. She had trouble looking right at him part of the time. Was she shy? Afraid? Wary? Whatever it was, she was hesitant. Maybe no one had ever kissed her.
"Ever been kissed, Miss Jones?" Wanting to loosen her up, he tried teasing, but it didn't seem to work.
Her voice trembled a little. "That is none of your business. I don't intend our relationship to be at all personal. You just come and go, do your job, and pay no attention to me."
Chuckling under his breath, he thought, like hell.
"Let's think this through, Miss Jones. You say Maud and Caleb know the set-up, but won't your men be suspicious if we ignore each other? How much are they around?"
"In and out from the range. Right now, they're working around the barn and corrals. In a few weeks, they'll move the herd farther up into Painted Rock Canyon. There's more grass up there this time of year. They'll take turns coming and going. I only have four hands left, and they're waiting around to see what happens with Mr. Caruthers. If we marry, he'll take over the ranch, and he might not want them."
"So, it seems we should act like we're married. Where do your wranglers sleep and eat?"
"They sleep in the bunkhouse, but eat with us. Maud's life revolves around food, and her intention is to feed everyone until he's busting."
Jude heard his stomach rumble.
"Let's get this kiss over with, Addie. I'm about to die of hunger."
"Oh, all right. Go ahead." She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and puckered her lips.
After a few seconds, she opened them and asked, "Well, what's keeping you?"
He chuckled low. "Nothing."
Taking a breath, Jude reached up slowly and pushed her hat off, so that it hung down her back by the cord once again. He wrapped one arm around her tiny waist and pulled her flush with his body. With his other hand, he placed his finger under her chin and tipped her head back, and then lowered his lips to hers, keeping them there, kissing her sweet lips she'd clamped shut. With a small move, he teased them open slightly and he tasted her, running his tongue ever so slightly around the inside of her bottom lip.
Not daring to pursue it much further, he made one last move. He circled her body with both arms and hugged her to him, warm and soft. Heaven on earth. He didn't want to let go. Her body went a little limp.
"Thank you, sweet Addie."
Freeing herself from his embrace, she didn't move away but gazed into his eyes.
She whispered, "Why do you call me Addie?"
"Don't know. Just seems right. Not so formal, like I really know you."
"My pa calls…called me Addie."
"Ahh. So, is that all right?"
Pulling her hat up and positioning it on her thick hair, she shrugged one shoulder. "Fine by me. Whatever you want." She strode to her mare and mounted up.
Grinning, he did the same. Before she kicked her horse into a gallop, she lifted her chin and said, "You need a bath, Mr. Morgan."
"Addie. It's Jude."
"Jude. You need a bath."
She took off like a shot from a cannon. It was all he could do to keep up with her. They rode on until mid-afternoon, stopping once more to water their mounts and rest a few minutes.
Chapter Two
The ranch house appeared over a rise, up against another hill, protected from a western exposure. Shadows already formed down the slope, shading the back of the house. Jude took note of the buildings. Two barns were located to the right with one small corral attached, and one larger one to the side. A generous vegetable garden grew near the house, surrounded by a tall fence made with heavy wire.
As they approached, a man on a chestnut mare moved toward them, probably watching to see exactly who rode up. Good. He liked to see men on guard.
When had he last lived in a real house, with a family and a room of his own? Must have been when he was about eight years old. By then, his pa had gone crazy with drink, and had beaten the hell out of his wife and two sons. Jude's older brother died by his own father's hand.
He remembered helping dig the grave, and he, his ma, and pa were the only people around it. Pa told the townspeople a brown bear carved up Jack, so he got a quick burial. No one ever questioned his pa's word except the preacher of the Methodist Church. He didn't find out anything more, though, than Jude's pa wanted to tell.
The rider met them and turned his horse so he'd be right beside Addie. "Howdy, Miz Jones. Get what you went for in town?"
She nodded and looked straight ahead. "I did at that, Sonny. Meet Mr. Jude Morgan."
Sonny, a twenty-something rangy whelp, grinned like a simpleton. He almost came out of the saddle so he could get a good, hard look at Addie in her tight shirt with nice, round breasts under there, straining against the fabric. He ignored Jude and the introduction. The fool made his gut churn. The kid had no right, gawking at her that way.
Exercising his duty as a husband, Jude peered across Addie to look directly at Sonny.
"Boy? Poke your eyeballs back in your head and mind your damn manners. You got that?"
The young man jerked his head, looked forward, but said nothing.
They rode on to the first corral in silence. After dismounting, Addie handed the reins to Sonny, and said to Jude, "Follow him, and when you're finished up, come to the back door. I'll see about Maud." She paused and looked him up and down. "Then, you need to wash up."
Now, he liked a spirited woman, but hell would freeze over before he'd take orders from one with that attitude.
"Addie?" he called before she went too far.
Stopping, she turned halfway around and looked sideways at him. "Yes?"
He waited a few heartbeats, and said, "Don't ever give me orders again. At least not in that tone of voice."
Her mouth opened, and then shut.
"And don't you ever call me Addie again, mister." Turning on her heel, she strode to the house in a fury, he guessed, because she jerked off her hat and kicked a rock in her path, and stomped onto the steps of the porch. As she threw the screen door open, it banged back on its hinges. It slammed behind her as she disappeared through the door.
Jude chuckled under his breath. Well, shoot, maybe he'd ruined her day. Now she'd throw him out quicker than a bucket of slop. Maybe he wasn't ready for civilization, after all.
The barn was dim and cool. He stood in the entrance gazing around at the saddles over stall doors, feed sacks thrown on the floor, tack hanging haphazardly on the walls, and buckets scattered here and there. Dirty straw covered the dirt floor, and horse droppings were a menace to a man and his boots. Who was in charge of cleaning up? Jude hadn't been fortunate enough to own a barn of his own, but he'd seen enough of them to know how clean one should be. This one was a putrid mess.
Sonny stood at the far end, hanging a bridle on a nail. Hearing footsteps, he barely looked up, ignoring Jude altogether.
"Hey, Sonny. Where're the oats?"
Nodding in the direction of a short door, Sonny resumed his task without saying a word. Jude strode over, opened it, and dragged out a sack of oats. "Have you fed my horse, by any chance?"
"Nope."
"Where is he?"
"Turned him out. Your saddle is over here. Thought you'd take care of your own mount."
Jude dropped the sack and took four hard steps to stand in front of Sonny. Before he spoke, he tugged the brim of his hat over his eyes. In a low voice, he said, "That I will, boy, and next time, it's 'no, sir.'"
Without a word, Jude shoved past the young man and out the door to find his sorrel.
With the work finished and feeling satisfied, he walked toward the house. Adriana said to come to the back door. If he remembered correctly, the kitchen was the main area in most homes.
As Jude entered through the screen door, the aroma of food almost keeled him over. How long had it been since he'd had a home-cooked meal, served by a woman who loved to cook and feed people? The last time he remembered had been when his own ma acted in that role. Since she'd died by the time he turned eight, he and his pa had lived like animals until Jude had his fifteenth birthday. Since then, he'd taken all his meals in a saloon or over a campfire.
Just inside, a small area held a washbasin on a table, a bucket of water, soap, and a towel. He looked through the interior door and found Maud stirring something in a big pot on an iron wood stove. No sign of Addie.
Quickly, he washed up, stepped to the doorway, and rapped on the doorframe.
"Miss Maud?"
He removed his hat, smoothed his hair down in back, and waited.
The robust lady swiveled only her head and looked over her shoulder. "Why, come on in here, honey. Adriana will be right down. She went upstairs to change clothes. Want some coffee?"
"I sure do. Should I call you Maud, or what? Don't want to be rude, ma'am." He walked in slowly, looking around at the clean, tidy kitchen.
"That's my name, and the only one I'll answer to."
At that moment, before he could get his coffee, Adriana walked into the room. If he'd thought she was pretty before, now, she looked gorgeous.
The dress color matched her eyes, which he called violet. Not that he knew the names of colors, but he remembered the name from the small flowers his ma liked so much. She'd watch for violets early every spring, waiting for the delicate flowers to pop up. She'd gather as many as she could and stick them in jars of water, cups, or float them in bowls of water. The last thing he wanted to do right now, though, was remember his ma.
Swallowing hard, he said, "Miss Adriana, may I seat you?"
She glared at him so long he thought he'd starve to death before she said anything. When she did speak, her voice didn't drip honey like women usually did around him. To compare this woman, though, with those he remembered from his usual haunts was purely a sin.
"I can seat myself. Sit. I'll get us some coffee."
"Uh, well, that'd be good. Thanks."
As she walked to the stove, she scolded him. "And why in heaven's name are you calling me 'Miss Adriana'? I'm your wife. Remember?"
Jude glanced at Maud, but she didn't turn around. However, he saw her shoulders shake a little. She was laughing.
"Both of you sit down and get acquainted," Maud said without turning. "I think you oughta start talking, instead of sniping, or you'll gum up the works, for sure."
Jude sat and looked across the table at his 'wife' when she sat once more with the coffee. The bluish dress hugged her breasts, just as the shirt had. The neckline wasn't low, but still, a slight amount of cleavage showed. His mouth went dry and he could barely swallow. She'd loosened her hair so that it flowed down her back, starting at the combs she'd used to pull the thick mass up on the sides. Now, she looked very young, much more so than he'd thought before. About eighteen, nineteen, he guessed, probably younger than that creep Sonny.
"Maud, what're we having tonight? It sure does smell good," she said.
"Pinto beans with bacon and onions, cornbread, tomatoes, and peach cobbler."
Addie turned her head to look at him. "Wonderful. Jude, I hope you like simple fare. That's what we get around here. Maud is the best cook in nine counties, but there's nothing fancy."
"Anything not cooked over a campfire is fancy to me, uh, Addie."
Maud turned from the stove with a frown between her eyes. She pointed the wooden spoon toward Adriana. "You gonna let him call you Addie?"
"Think I should?" Adriana asked Maud with her eyebrows raised.
Maud placed one hand on one hip and waved the spoon around. "Well, I think maybe that's a good idea. Sounds natural, like family. Like… Well, just normal, I guess."
Abruptly, she turned back to the stove and continued working.
"Oh, all right, then. Call me Addie, Jude. But do it every time, or someone will get suspicious. Caleb calls me that, too. All right?"
"Sure thing." You're calling the shots, pretty lady.
"Maud, let me help you." Adriana rose and walked to the stove and talked with Maud, leaving him at the table alone.
Jude sipped his coffee. Caleb. Caleb calls her Addie, and her pa called her Addie. What're they trying to pull? Jude remembered riding with the old man, except he really wasn't that old. Just beat the hell up and came close to meeting his Maker more than once.
So, Caleb got him out of jail for some reason, but he wasn't sure if he believed the story about the marriage hanging over Addie's head. Anyway, he'd never heard Caleb speak of a daughter—certainly not a wife.
Both Addie and Caleb wanted something, maybe needed it, so they cooked up a story to get him to the ranch. This Mr. Caruthers. He'd be anxious to meet the man, see if the story held up.
The back door opened and closed several times, and before he could take a good breath, the room filled with men. Thinking he'd just sit and see what happened, he saw Caleb walk in first straight to Maud, and give her a hug around the shoulders. Neither said anything, and Caleb turned back to the table.
"So, son, see you got cleaned up a little. And you met Maud?"
Addie brought a cup of coffee to Caleb and walked back to the cooking area.
Jude nodded. The black patch over Caleb's eye startled him a little, wondering about the useless eye, or maybe the absence of the whole thing. "Yes, sir, I sure did. How're you doing, old man?"
Caleb chortled. "Don't you old man me, you young whelp. You glad to be out of that pokey?"
"Yep. You look good, considering the torture you must have gone through."
"Lost one eye, but the other one is real good. I can still shoot, but with this bum leg, I have a devil of a time riding. Short distances, but I still have to get off and walk around. Could be worse, though. I could be completely crippled up…or dead."
Jude watched the other men. Sonny stayed near the stove talking to Maud, teasing her, and winking at Addie after every sentence. The other three—he'd not yet learned their names—hung around the work table, jawing among themselves, since no one else was paying them much mind.
Maud turned from the stove. "Boys, grab yourself a cup of coffee and find your place. Mind your manners, now. I won't have no sassy talk or cursing or spitting. Adriana, why don't you introduce your husband to everyone?"
Jude wanted to laugh, as he watched Addie almost turn purple from embarrassment, but maybe that much color in her face transpired from anger. Probably, he should've kept his mouth shut outside earlier. She still seemed a mite ticked off.
Clearing her throat, Addie walked sedately to Jude's chair. He shoved it back, stood, and stepped back so he could circle her waist with his arm. She stiffened but only he knew. Otherwise, she smiled gently around the table, waiting until the boys patiently stood behind their chairs. They knew their manners, or at least could follow directions.
"Boys, this is Jude Morgan, my husband. You remember I've mentioned him a few times."
The three new men glanced at each other from the corners of their eyes, but returned their gazes to Jude. He didn't like the looks of any of them. Their kind roamed the west, looking for an easy job for a while until they felt like moving on. Unkempt, shaggy hair, unshaven, and a little too dirty to sit down at the nice table.
What were Addie and Maud thinking? Addie wouldn't allow him in the house until he cleaned up, so what was the deal here?
She spoke. "Jude, on the left here is Gibb. He's been here about four months. In the middle, Roscoe who came around January last year. And last, Joey who arrived a couple of weeks ago."
Gibb, short and stocky, looked to be about thirty. The old guy, Roscoe, appeared less capable of working than Caleb. And Joey was a carbon copy of Sonny—just dirtier.
Jude nodded to each one. He asked Caleb, "What about Sonny?"
"Oh, yeah. He came about a year ago."
Maud banged a spoon on the big kettle. "Alrighty, set right down, everybody. Now, bow your heads while I say grace."
Every man and Addie obeyed. Maud thanked the Lord for the food and for the pleasure of good company. That was it. He thought prayers were always long, even though he wasn't much of a judge of the practice.
"Now, line up here, and I'll fill your plate."
Caleb got in line first, Sonny next, and then the three men. Addie handed a plate to Maud, she filled it, and passed it to the next in line. Jude came last, thinking protocol might have placed him first, but no one seemed to consider him worthy of any special place.
Well, that's sure familiar.
Every man began to eat as soon as he sat down. Jude waited until Addie and Maud sat, but why he did such a thing, he didn't know. Seemed like something a polite person might consider.
Caleb asked, "When you boys gonna be ready to ride?"
Gibb, with his forearms on the table, held his fork in one hand and the knife in the other, suspended over his plate. He swallowed most of the food in his mouth, and said, "Day after tomorrow, I suppose. 'Bout got everything gathered up. Mainly just need to stock the chuck wagon."
Jude asked, "How many head in the herd?"
Again, Gibb answered. "'Round three hundred."
"Are they healthy?"
"Yes, sir, they's healthy."
Jude's pride swelled a little. The old man had addressed him as 'sir.'
"Who stays behind?" he asked, glancing around at the other men.
Caleb took over the conversation. "Well, I always do, and this time, it's Sonny's turn, too. He'll go on up the canyon in a week or so, though. But these three here can manage our small herd for a time on their own."
When everyone finished the pie and coffee, the four men filed past Maud and thanked her for the fine supper. She nodded to each one but said nothing. Jude realized Addie hadn't said a word all during the meal.
Jude stood and thanked Maud. Not knowing what he should do, he turned to follow the men outside, but Caleb stopped him.
"Son, you take Addie for a walk. You might want to stay on the garden side of the house, because the men'll be working around the corrals. I'll help Maud with the dishes."
Addie began to protest. "No, Caleb, you go on. I'll help Maud."
Caleb walked over and hugged Addie around the shoulders. "No, baby, you do as I say. Get acquainted. Talk about things. Go on, now."
She closed her eyes and blew out a breath. "All right. Jude, let's go out the front door."
As she led him through the house, he took note of an office off the kitchen, and across from that room, another one appeared to be a man's bedroom. Caleb's, probably. Past the stairs, they walked through a bigger room with a rock fireplace, nice windows with pretty curtains, several comfortable chairs, and a short sofa. He wanted to stop and study it, since he'd never been inside a nice house with a receiving room. Was that the name? Maybe it was a parlor, like the girls had upstairs in saloons where the man sat until a woman walked out of a room and took his hand. Yeah, that was a parlor, a place to wait.
Outside on the front porch, Addie turned to him. "Let's sit here for a spell. All right?"
A wooden swing hung by chains from the roof of the porch. Addie sat down, and he followed her. She touched her toe to the floor, and set the swing in slight motion. Well, this is another first, he thought. A swing for sitting and talking to a lady.
He cleared his throat. "So, when're you thinking on telling me what the hell's going on?"
Damn, he'd done it again. He felt her stiffen beside him. Why couldn't he remember simple things such as how to talk to a lady? She was one, wasn't she? Sure seemed like it to him.
"You needn't curse. All right, here's the plan. Mr. Caruthers wants to marry me, you know, for the water rights we…I have on this ranch. But there's no way I'll marry him. That's why I invented a husband."
"What's wrong with him?"
"He's old, for one thing. His son lives with him and carries out all his orders. Mr. Caruthers can ride, but he's not young enough to stay in the saddle very long."
Jude rubbed his chin. "Hmmm. What makes him think you'd marry him?"
"Nothing." Addie turned sideways and peered into his eyes in the dim light. "He's just arrogant enough to think I would."
Jude thought for a few minutes, enjoying her looking at him, and breathing in her sweet, clean aroma. He turned his head, too, so their faces were only a foot apart. He whispered.
"He's threatened you, hasn't he? What did he do, Addie?"
Addie looked away with her lips turned inward, slightly shaking her head. "He…said…he'd kill my…Caleb."
"Your pa."
"All right, yes. Caleb is contrary, tough, and can be mean as a bear, but he's crippled and can't see. Mr. Caruthers could kill him easy."
"Does Caleb know the guy has threatened you?"
She sucked in a deep breath. "I haven't told him, but he knows he's done something."
"All right. That's all I need to know right now."
"What will you do?"
Jude smiled to himself in the dark, thinking what he'd really like to do. Addie was about the sweetest, best-looking woman he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting, and he'd be damned if he'd let her go right away.
"Not much right now, until I'm sure about my real role."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Addie spoke with a hard edge to her voice. That in itself was enough to make him suspicious.
"You say I'm to pretend to be your husband, but you know as well as I do he could just kill me and he'd have an opening. Would he do something like that? You say he's threatened Caleb."
For several moments, Addie looked off into the distance, where the sun had gone down and purple shadows swept over the land. She was thinking over his statements and questions, making him even more suspicious she and Caleb wanted something else from him.
"Another question, Addie, while you're thinking. Do you own this ranch free and clear, or does the bank hold a mortgage?"
There was her deep sigh again that already sounded familiar. Addie wasn't a young woman who talked before she thought, and her thinking took a lot of sighing.
She looked at her linked hands in her lap, and then turned sideways enough to look at him. "To answer your first question, Mr. Caruthers is capable of anything. He didn't become a rich, powerful man by being one hundred percent honest. At least that's what Caleb says. We own the ranch outright, but we've had to borrow quite a bit of money over the last two years to survive. And now…we're in a little trouble because we can't pay all the bills."
"So, all right, then. You need something else. I can tell you now, Addie, I'm as poor as Job's turkey. I don't have a red cent to my name, other than a little living expense money. So, don't count on me there."
Her small hand curved around his forearm. It felt like a hot iron burning into his skin, moving through his body, heating his blood, and rushing to places he had no business thinking about. Now, it was his turn to take a deep breath.
"Jude, Caleb should be the one to do more explaining. I'm not certain about anything else. He says you and he have a history, and thinks you might be able to help us out. Talk to him."
"Oh, I intend to." He had a feeling he already knew the topic.
Raising his arm, he brought it around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "Addie," he said softly, "turn your head."
He waited about two seconds before she jumped to her feet. "I need to go in."
Standing with her, he took her arm and pulled her close. "Don't worry, sweet thing, I'll do everything I can to help you."
Stiff as a board, she pulled away. "Thank you. You won't regret it."
Chapter Three
Jude Morgan scared her to death. He had nothing she wanted, except to help her and her pa out of a big mess, one that could bring all of them down, losing the ranch, and leaving them without a nickel or a roof over their heads.
But oh, those eyes. Why did they have to be so blue, the same varying colors of the distant mountains in the late fall, sometimes soft and smoky, sometimes hard and cold?
His gaze wrapped around her like a warm, tight hug, something she never had in her life but yearned for every night when she went to bed. His presence had the power to pierce her façade, her very being, her heart and soul. How could she remain impassionate dealing with him, when her woman's body wanted something new and exciting?
Maud was no help in teaching her the ways of men, courting and kissing and… No, the good woman only filled one role, and that was to keep her domain in order and make sure she'd fed everyone and kept him in clean clothes. Oh, Maud and Caleb had a relationship, although it only amounted to hugs once a day and consultations about some domestic topic.
Maybe she should just marry Mr. Caruthers and dismiss Jude. That way, their ranch would merge with the Caruthers kingdom, and she could live a fine life without working like a man almost every day. Not that she minded that much. She was as good as any hand at rounding up cattle and branding them. Herding was all right, too, even though she always dreaded hitting the trail and living with few baths and practically no privacy for weeks.
Addie was only nineteen, but she'd been working like a ranch hand since she was fourteen. On rare trips to town, she watched the other young women walk around, arms linked, whispering, twittering, talking about woman things. Dresses, and parasols, and sewing, and… Well, what's the use? Maud tended to every female thing around here, and that left her, Addie, to ride the range.
What would Jude do after a few months? Ride away? Probably. He certainly didn't appear to be a man with roots of any sort. She wondered about his upbringing, his home, and his family.
The house quieted, now that everyone had gone to bed. Caleb insisted Jude take the third bedroom upstairs, even though Jude resisted the invitation.
"I'll just bunk down on the floor of that receiving room," he'd said.
Caleb told him, "No, siree, that corner room up there is yours."
The corner bedroom was across the hall from hers, with the landing in-between. Maud used the one closest to the stairs. Addie's nerves quivered every time she heard a noise. Knowing a strange man slept up here made her uneasy. With no lock on her door, anyone could just walk right in. He wouldn't do that, would he? No, because Caleb would shoot him, or if he didn't, Maud would.