Wanted by You, page 7
Riley, however, had an ace up her sleeve – or so she thought. She began to slow down her eating, and let the dishes pile up next to her. Maybe if they saw that she wouldn't even acknowledge the fact that they were next to her, they might take a hint.
They didn't.
They were typical Alpha males who were rough and tough when it came to nature and other men, but wouldn't even consider doing their own dishes. Riley wanted to open her mouth and ask who was responsible for cooking and cleaning when she wasn't around, but she didn't think it would help her situation. Especially not with Scott Lucas handing out punishments like it was the newest trend.
She was stuck.
When Riley finished her breakfast, she took a moment to sigh through her nose, hoping Scott would realize that she was not happy about this, before she finally stood and stretched. Somebody had already placed a bucket of water a few feet off. At least they had considered her well enough to put her dish washing station underneath a tree that provided shade from the already high sun. She bent down and grabbed any and all dishes, carefully heading over to the tree so she wouldn't drop them. A rebellious part of her wanted nothing more than to do just that.
Surprisingly enough, she found soap adjacent to the bucket and couldn't help but smile with amusement. So cowboys did have some form of humor.
All right, Riley, let's get this over with, a voice in her head told her.
How was she supposed to do this three times a day? She had already resolved that once she was married she would do her wifely duties, but she wasn't even engaged. It upset her to know that Scott knew she was unhappy doing this job and had categorized her chores into things he knew she wouldn't like. This was torture, pure and simple. She was even considering what would be happening right now at home. Reese Hemingway might have been proposing marriage, which would undoubtedly be as bad as, if not much worse, than what she was doing right then.
Wait a minute, the same voice in her head said quickly. What if you pretended to enjoy it?
"Why would I want to do that?" Riley asked herself, making it a point to keep her voice down so no one overheard her talking to herself.
Think about it, Riley, the voice pointed out. Scott's only making you do this because he knows you don't like doing things like this. Well, if you liked it, his entire plan would be for nothing, don't you see?
"Yeah ..." Riley forced a smile on her face, and instead of thinking about what she was doing – because the good Lord knew that would take up a good deal of her energy – she thought back to what Scott had told her.
Would her father truly not pay her ransom? She believed that he would. It had never been questioned in her mind only because she never thought her father wouldn't pay for her safe return. Wouldn't it make sense that he did, especially if he wanted her to marry Reese Hemingway? The longer he waited to pay the ransom, the longer she would be with these men, which would mean whether or not she actually did anything her reputation would start to get tarnished. If such a thing were to happen, she wouldn't get any man to marry her, let alone someone as wealthy as Mister Hemingway.
Scott seemed pretty certain that her father wouldn't take such an action. Did he really believe her father hated her that much, to leave her on her own to fend for herself with these rowdy cowboys who would do who knew what to her?
Scott.
She was still incredibly upset at his obvious betrayal. Here she was, actually considering the possibility that she was enjoying his company, that she might actually like him. Kendra had been right – Scott Lucas was the exact sort of man she found herself attracted to. He was tall with broad shoulders and sparkling eyes, and he seemed to enjoy the outdoors as much as she did. But he was a wanted criminal, a cowboy with the worst reputation regarding women. There was no way someone like her could even fathom being with him, especially if she wanted a love match.
Riley wasn't that naïve. She knew cowboys never fell in love.
Scott could detect a phony smile from a mile away, and the one currently chiseled on Riley's face was definitely the fakest smile he had ever encountered. Just seeing it on her amused him to the point where he actually chuckled aloud as he grabbed some rolled tobacco and placed it between his lips.
Riley was unlike any other woman he had ever met, so her time with him would be captivating if anything. His men seemed to like her feistiness. And him? Well, Scott was perfectly happy with simply watching her, just as he was doing now. She was interesting to watch. The emotions expressed on her face were so blatant, and yet Scott highly doubted she even noticed what she was doing.
At that moment, after Scott had taken a long drag of his cigarette, one of the younger members of his posse took a seat next to him, his own eyes on Riley's frame as well. Tom Cardigan was a wild youth who wanted nothing more than to feel wanted, to belong to a group. It was easy to recruit him, but even now it was difficult for him to realize that there were moments when to be wild, and there were moments when to be relaxed. With Riley around, it was absolutely crucial that Tom rein in his natural abilities and mind himself when he was around her.
"So, who's this one?" he asked in a cracked voice. The boy couldn't have been than nineteen. And he seemed to maturing late, so the gang would tease him if his voice ever cracked while he was speaking – which it did. Quite often. This was one of the reasons why whenever there was talking required and intimidation was necessary, he was not allowed to speak.
"This one," Scott said, looking back at Riley with a grin, "is Riley Ledger, daughter to Bradley Ledger, sheriff back in their town."
"I see," Tom murmured.
Scott took a long drag of his cigarette, knowing that there was something more Tom needed to say, something more Tom needed to ask, but Tom hadn't said anything just yet. Scott waited until the kid had enough courage to do so.
"Is she one of the ones where we can all have fun with her?" Tom asked, turning his head to look at his leader. "Or is she just yours? Because she's mighty pretty, and she seems spirited that a good tumble in the hay with her would prove to be very –”
"No." The word was out of Scott's mouth before Tom could even finish his sentence. Scott had thought about letting him finish, but the picture currently sketched out in his mind wasn't one he had ever wanted there, so he answered quickly, and more importantly, firmly. "No. We won't force ourselves on her at all. She's not mine or yours or anybody's. If there is even one hair out of place on that pretty little head of hers, that person will have to deal with me. And you know what would happen if somebody had to deal with me, right?"
"Not good," Tom said.
Scott nodded his in agreement and took another long drag of his cigarette. It was silly of him not to have thought that the members of his gang wouldn't want to be with Riley in such an intimate way.
He sighed through his nose so the smoke slid out his nostrils. Well, he would have to keep an extra careful eye on her.
Chapter Fifteen
Once Riley had finished with the dishes, she felt a sense of accomplishment touch her mind. She, of course, would never admit such a thing out loud, only because then that would mean Scott was right, and admitting Scott was right would only inflate his never-ending ego. Such a thing was definitely not going to happen.
At least in her own mind she could admit that she might have been wrong. What had her mother always told her? Doing things that she didn't like but needed to be done built character. A lot of the time they weren't as bad as she had originally thought they were going to be. Cooking and cleaning might be tedious, but they weren't going to kill her. Not to say she actually enjoyed doing the chores, but they weren't the death of her.
At least not yet.
After washing her hands, she stood up, waiting a moment to stretch her tense muscles. Riley turned to look back at Scott, wondering just what he had planned for her now that she was finished with what he wanted her to do. A new cigarette dangled from his lips and he was staring at what Riley assumed was the sky, maybe the horizon. For a moment, Riley simply stared at him, wondering for a moment, what he was thinking.
If, hypothetically, her father didn't pay her ransom, as Scott had practically told her would happen, what would happen to her? Did that mean she would stick with the cowboys or ... Scott wouldn't actually kill her, would he? No. The question itself was absolutely ridiculous, but it left one unanswered. What would happen to her? Surely a posse of cowboys wouldn't want a lone woman hanging around. Surely she would just hold them back from whatever they were planning on doing next?
Riley didn't like surprises and she most certainly didn't like not knowing what was going to happen to her in a given situation. Maybe they would hold onto her until her father officially refused to pay, and then dump her into the next town. This seemed to pique Riley's interest. She could start over and do exactly what she had always wanted to do – be independent. Yet, as nice as that sounded, she had not a penny to her name, and as a result, knew she couldn't survive on her own unless she wanted to get some sort of degrading job. Plus, though she didn't particularly care one way or the other about her father, she would desperately miss Kendra.
But maybe Scott would just return her back home? That would make sense, wouldn't it?
Not really, a voice in her head pointed out. Think about it. He grabs you, demands a ransom. When he doesn't get what he asks for, he just gives you back? Why would he do that?
Even if he did, Riley realized her father would treat her worse than he already did. Her reputation would be ruined, Reese Hemingway would never want to marry her and she'd be a spinster for the rest of her days. Although she did not want to marry Hemingway, the romantic in her did want to marry, and she knew that would be practically impossible if people found out that she had been with a wanted criminal for so many days.
Running her fingers through her hair, she realized that attempting to figure it out would just give her a headache she didn't want. Instead, Riley decided to head back to camp, pushing all her thoughts to the back of her mind. She'd worry about that sort of thing later, and maybe later, she might actually have a better idea of what was going to happen to her.
"So," she said once she took a seat next to Scott. "Are we going to do anything fun or are we just going to sit here doing absolutely nothing."
Scott glanced over at her, the corners of his lips quirking up just slightly, revealing his amusement. He grabbed the cigarette between his index and middle fingers, exhaling through his mouth, making it a point to blow the smoke opposite of where Riley was. "Tell me," he said after placing the cigarette between his lips once more, "if you were back at your home right now, what would you be doing?"
Riley glanced at the diminished fire, stewing over Scott's question. Reading was somewhat obvious, but she knew they didn't carry books with them. She would most likely be with Kendra and ... Her thoughts trailed off. She knew exactly what she would be doing. A nostalgic smile touched her face, and a feeling of homesickness tainted her normally cheerful albeit blunt disposition.
"Dancing," she told him. "I would probably be dancing. My sister is a beautiful dancer and whenever we had spare time together, she would teach me."
"You know," Tom said, leaning forward. He was sitting on the other side of Scott, looking at Riley with wide eyes. "I've always wanted to learn how to dance."
Scott's eyes snapped at the boy next to him, a look of suspicion clearly written in them. Riley didn't notice the change in Scott's demeanor, and neither did Tom. Tom's eyes were too focused on Riley, hoping she would take his hint and teach him how to dance.
"Oh, I can assure you that I am a horrible teacher," Riley said, feeling her cheeks flush only slightly.
"You're being modest," Tom said with what he hoped to be a charming smile. "Please? I don't think I'll ever have the opportunity to learn."
Well, she would be dancing if she were at home. Maybe if she made friends with other members of Scott's posse, she might enjoy her stay more. Plus, Kendra would be so proud of her for being generous enough to teach criminals how to dance. They needed the knowledge just as much as Riley had. Who knew if they would retract from their life of crime and want to settle down? Every lady did love a man who could dance, after all.
"Oh, all right," Riley said, standing. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt." She stepped forward, about to head over to where Tom was waiting when she stopped herself once more. "Since you are the leader of your posse and everything," she began, running her fingers through her hair, "I was wondering if maybe you wanted the first dance? What do you say? It could be fun."
Riley had no clear idea as to what she was doing, if she was being perfectly honest. She was still hurt by Scott's betrayal and yet here she was, asking him to dance. Maybe she was trying to amends or something. Or maybe she was manipulating the situation she was currently in – she had longed to feel Scott's body pressed up against hers, and making love was the only thing closer than dancing. And making love was not something she was familiar with nor did she want to be familiar with it. At least not yet. But dancing...
She had no idea why she wanted to be close to him at all. Maybe he would say no. Maybe that would work out better for her.
Scott took a long drag of his cigarette, avoiding the colors that made up Riley's eyes, and instead, focused back on the horizon he had been studying. Horizons had always fascinated him. In a way, they always kind of told what was going to happen in the future. Weather, visitors, anything really had to touch the horizon before getting anywhere. Maybe he was looking for some kind of sign.
"I say," Scott said after a long moment, his words outlined by smoke, "I don't dance."
He watched as a flicker of what looked like disappointment touched her irises, and in an instant, he saw that it was gone. Well, good. She needed to learn that the world wasn't always going to give her what she wanted.
The reason that Scott had said no in the first place was because he wanted to say yes. He wanted to dance with her much the same way he saw Reese Hemingway dance with her at that disgraceful outdoor dance he had thrown. Except if Riley had been the woman in his arms, it was a guarantee their bodies would be much closer, more intimate than she had ever experienced in her life. He was quelling his desire to get close to her, and that was that.
Yet, as he watched Riley begin to teach the basics of how to dance from the corner of his eyes, he couldn't help but feel a prickle what felt suspiciously like jealousy start to inhabit his stomach. Logically, he knew Tom wasn't doing anything wrong, but Scott was also a man of his word. If Tom tried anything, he would be sorry. If the kid was anything, he was smart. The only way for Tom to get close to Riley was dancing.
Maybe he should have taken Tom's lead. He wanted to be close to Riley. Maybe he should have said yes. And maybe this jealousy would go away relatively soon as well.
Chapter Sixteen
That night after the camp finished dinner and Riley washed the dishes, she made it a point to thoroughly clean her hands, her face, and her teeth. Just because she was living with a gang of criminals did not mean she had to smell like them in any way. She might not have been the most feminine woman on the planet, but she did care about basic hygiene. Her father didn't really care about his teeth, and now they were bordering on yellow. Like hell that would ever happen to hers. Gross. Normally, she'd be taking a nice, hot bath, relaxing her tense muscles. The water always had a calming effect that traveled deeper than just her thick skin. Since she highly doubted Scott had some bathtub he was hiding, she would take what she could get and she would be thankful for it too.
As Riley cleaned herself off, she reflected back on the majority of the day and found that she had a better time than she had ever imagined she would. Tom was actually quite charming, despite being a few years younger than her. It amused her every time his voice cracked, and she teased him about it, but made sure he knew she was just teasing him. In fact, Riley believed she had made a few friends because soon after Tom had started his lessons, many of the other men wanted to learn how to dance, too.
The reason for this, of course, was the fact that they were planning to settle down once this sort of life had lost its adventure, or when they found a woman who was more adventure than what they were currently getting. They all treated her like she was a lady, surprising Riley even more that criminals were more gentlemanly than the so-called well-bred men she actually knew. Her intimidation of them all had nearly faded, but she always made it a point to keep her last line of defense up. Just in case.
Scott never changed his mind about dancing, but then again, Riley never believed that he would. He was one of the most masculine men she had ever met, so the fact that he even contemplated dancing felt like a victory unto itself. As far as she knew, he didn't plan on giving up this sort of life anytime soon. Even if he did, Riley highly doubted he cared one way or the other if he knew how to dance. Then again, Riley could admit that he probably didn't need suave dance moves to attract a member of the female species.
There were moments when she was dancing with the other men that she felt his eyes upon her, but every time she looked, he was staring at something off into the distance, smoking one of those damn cigarettes. However, the feeling persisted, and she actually caught him. It was only once, but it meant something to her because when she glanced into his eyes, he didn't immediately look away. He locked her in such a position that if it wasn't for the hours and hours of training with Kendra, she probably would have stopped mid-dance.
* * *
Riley tried to read the way his eyes looked at her, but he, too, had some sort of defense up. Which was a commodity unto itself because she didn't think someone like Scott would need to defend anything about him. It was obviously something she was unfamiliar with as well, because for the life of her, she couldn't decipher the meaning behind his eyes, and had to look away.
