But why had she told him about Henry? Even during the darkest days of her marriage, she’d never confided in anyone. But something about this man, this stranger, had drawn out her secret. And now that it was no longer a secret, she almost cried with relief. Yet the fear she’d lived with for the past few months still filled every waking moment.

  Zane closed the book and put it down on the table. “You look tired,” he said softly. “You’re really not in any condition to travel.”

  She knew that, but what else could she do? “If I stay, he’ll find me. I have to get as far away as I can. That’s the only way I’ll be free of him.”

  “If you keep running, you’ll never be free. Here, I can protect you. If he tries to hurt you, I can arrest him and put him in prison for a long, long time.”

  Zane wanted to protect her? And who would protect her from him when she was safe from Henry? She gazed at him, searching for something in his eyes that told her he’d expect something in return. She saw nothing but kindness.

  Still, she couldn’t trust him. Every man she’d ever trusted had failed her. Did she dare take a chance and trust a man she barely knew with her life? And even more importantly, her child’s life?

  The baby squirmed in her arms. She stood, gently swaying until she settled.

  Yet as she glanced out the window at the snowflakes drifting down past the window, she realized she had no choice. She had nowhere else to go.

  “Until you’re well enough to find work here in town, you’re welcome to stay here,” Zane told her.

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why are you doing this?” She couldn’t prevent the suspicion that crept into her voice.

  “You need somewhere to stay, don’t you? Not unless you’re planning to set up house in that stall in the livery again.”

  “No,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “But I can’t stay here. Sheriff…Zane…I may not be in a position to sleep in hotels, but I don’t take charity—”

  “Can you cook?”

  She glared at him. “Of course.”

  “I could use a home-cooked meal at night and somebody to keep house. If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll pay you and give you a room in exchange until such time as you find something else or you have enough money to move on.”

  The offer was so tempting, but she couldn’t possibly live in a house with a man—a stranger –no matter how nice he seemed. “Thank you for the offer, but that’s not possible. What would people say?”

  He smiled at her, and a strange warmth flowed through her veins, so deep it almost erased the chill she’d held onto day and night she left Indiana.

  “Somehow you don’t strike me as the kind of woman who worries about what people think.”

  She laughed then. “That’s true. When I divorced Henry, the ladies’ tongues wagged so hard I was afraid they’d fly right out of their mouths.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about the folks here in Rocky Ridge. Word has already spread that you’re here, so any gossip is already old news.”

  “I appreciate it, but I can’t…I’d never rest…”

  He gazed at her, his expression unreadable. “You afraid of me?”

  A flush rose in her cheeks. “Of course not.”

  Even as she said the words, he cocked his head in disbelief.

  “Well, then, since now you have a baby to care for and not just yourself, you need to be thinking about how you’re going to keep her warm and dry. And forget about me ever hurting either one of you. That’s a promise.”

  He was right. Her child was the most important thing in her life now, and she’d do whatever she had to do to keep her safe. She gave him a soft smile. “Fine. I accept your offer, but only temporarily.”

  Their eyes met, and an unfamiliar tingling filled her stomach. No, it was lower than that. Must be an after-effect of childbirth, she reasoned. It surely had nothing to do with the way Zane Morgan was looking at her, as if he found her pleasing to his eye.

  “Good,” he replied. “I’m going out for an hour. If you’ll make a list while I’m gone, I’ll go to the mercantile and get what you need. I don’t keep a lot of supplies in the house since I don’t eat here much.”

  With a smile, he turned and left. Priscilla sank into the chair at the table and gazed at the baby, wondering if she’d just agreed to something that could cost them both their lives.

  Zane crossed the street, tipping his hat to the three ladies he passed on the boardwalk.

  “Good afternoon, Sheriff,” Mrs. Lundstrom, the town busybody called out, forcing him to stop. Her gaze zeroed in on the basket on his arm. “You’ve been shopping, I see.”

  Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Allen stood silently beside Mrs. Lundstrom, their gazes also fixed on the basket overflowing with supplies he’d bought at Todd’s Mercantile.

  “That’s right,” Zane replied. “Have a nice day, ladies.” Before any of them had a chance to ask about Patricia, which he knew they were dying to do, he tipped his hat and walked away.

  A dusting of snow covered the street, and his breath puffed in the frigid air as he passed the telegraph office. He paused at the doorway, indecision gnawing at him. Should he send a telegram to the law in Byron, Indiana? Or should he take Patricia at her word?

  Trust wasn’t something Zane gave easily. The only people he really trusted were his family—Cade and Bella, and Trey and Claire. Nobody else.

  He hadn’t seen any wanted posters with her name on them come through his office, so chances were she was telling the truth. And that was where his responsibility ended.

  So why did he care what happened to her? What was it about her that drew out his protective instincts? He couldn’t define it, but something tugged at his insides, a need to keep her and her baby safe.

  Before he could analyze the unfamiliar feelings, he strode up the porch stairs. He grinned when he saw the wooden cradle beside the front door. It had been his mother’s when she was born, and had been handed down and used by everyone in the family. Cade and Bella’s baby had outgrown it a few weeks ago, and Cade had dropped it off on his way into town for Patricia to use.

  Zane kicked the door frame to dislodge the snow from his boots and opened the front door.

  He stepped inside, setting the cradle on the floor. His ears met only silence. “Patricia?” he called out.

  No answer.

  Had she left after all? Without even saying goodbye? He shouldn’t be surprised, especially since Alice had done the exact same thing. So there was no good reason for the heaviness suddenly settling in his chest. He barely knew Patricia, so it wasn’t as if she’d been in his life long enough that he’d miss her. Even as he thought it, he knew it was a lie.

  As he climbed the stairs, it occurred to him that it was probably a good thing that she’d gone. He’d recognized the way her smile had set off a tingling low in his belly, and how the sound of her voice filled him with warmth. He’d resigned himself to spending his life alone, and taking care of his physical needs at The Lucky Shamrock.

  Now …

  He opened the door to the room Patricia had been using. She sat on the edge of the bed, the baby suckling at her breast. She looked up as he entered. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flooded with color to match the nipple he shouldn’t have noticed, but had.

  He spun around and pinched his eyelids to the point of pain, but not quickly enough that the image of her creamy skin burned into his brain. “I’m sorry…”

  “Next time, I’d appreciate it if you’d knock first.”

  “Oh…sure…yeah…”

  A few moments later, she spoke again. “You can turn around now.”

  He did, his own face feeling the heat of her embarrassment. She had covered herself and the baby with the quilt, and she met his gaze steadily.

  “I didn’t know you were in here,” he said. “I thought…I figured you’d left…”

  “I would have told you if I was leaving,” she said, her voice a little sharp. “I don’t sneak out in the middle of the night.”

  Zane almost flinched. She had no way of knowing that was almost exactly what Alice had done.

  “Was there something you wanted?” she asked.

  Zane shook his head. “No…yes…I have something for you.”

  She eyed him with suspicion. “What?”

  “You’ll see when you come downstairs.”

  She turned her attention away from Zane to the infant. Her hair hung in curls around her face, making her skin appear almost translucent. She looked up and smiled. “I’ll be down shortly.”

  Dismissed, Zane left, closing the door behind him and drawing a good cleansing breath before he went back downstairs.

  A few minutes later, she came down the stairs, pausing at the bottom when she saw the cradle. A smile creased her lips, and she ran her hand along the polished wood. “It’s beautiful, Zane.”

  “It’s been in the family for generations. My cousin’s baby outgrew it a few months ago. Now, it’ll be for yours as long as she needs it.”

  “I…she’s secure in my bed right now, but this…thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Zane picked up the cradle and climbed the stairs. “I’ll put it in the bedroom. No point in waking her since she’s already settled on the bed, but it’ll be ready for next time.”

  Patricia was standing on a stool, reaching to put a can on a shelf when he got back to the kitchen a few minutes later. He stopped in the doorway, watching the way her mouth pursed and the way her forehead creased in a frown. He couldn’t help but notice the way her full breasts strained against her blue cotton blouse.

  His mouth dried up, and heat surged through him, tightening his pants and making his skin tingle. He swore to himself. The woman had just given birth and he was lusting after her like an animal in heat.

  He wished he could pretend he was only interested in her safety, but he couldn’t. It was more than that. He recognized the stirrings in his belly, and they had nothing to do with keeping her and her child safe.

  Tearing his gaze away from her lush curves, he crossed to the stool. “You shouldn’t be doing that,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’ll put the supplies away.”

  She spun around, a frightened squeak escaping her lips. Her hand splayed across her chest before she let out an embarrassed laugh. “Oh…I didn’t hear you…”

  He looked down as her small hand disappeared into his. She seemed so fragile, like a piece of his mother’s china. At the same time, she had so much strength inside that tiny frame. How many women would suffer through the scandal of a divorce? How many women would give birth alone in a livery? And how many women would risk travelling alone across the country? No, she was definitely tougher than she looked.

  She stepped off the stool, landing a lot closer to him than he liked. Those breasts he’d been ogling brushed against his chest, and he almost groaned with the intensity of desire that swept through him and had him leaning closer. Close enough to smell her fresh-washed hair that tickled his chin. Her lavender scent reached his nose. He inhaled.

  “Oh…” she said, moving away from him as if she’d been scorched. “I’m sorry…I lost my balance for a moment…is the baby all right?”

  He’d been so caught up in his own wants and needs, for a split second, he’d completely forgotten about the infant upstairs. Dragging his thoughts away from the woman a hair’s width from the circle of his arms, he sucked in a ragged breath. “She’s fine,” he told her. “Still asleep.”

  “Good.”

  “Not that it’s any of my business, but isn’t it time she had a name?”

  Patricia paused, hugging a bag of flour to her chest. “Evelyn. Her name is Evelyn. After my mother. She was the strongest woman I ever knew. I want my daughter to be strong like her.”

  “That’s a nice name. Evelyn’s mother is a strong woman, too.”

  Patricia’s cheeks flushed, and she turned away, busying herself with unpacking the rest of the basket. She held up a small paper-wrapped package. “What’s this?”

  Zane took it from her. “A surprise.” Without another word, he left the room and climbed the stairs.

  Patricia was rolling out pastry when he walked into the kitchen a half hour later.

  “Here,” he said, sliding a brass key across the table toward her.

  She paused, rolling pin in hand, and stared at the key. Her brows furrowed as she looked up at him. “Why are you giving me a key to your house?”

  “It’s not for the house,” he replied. “It’s for the bedroom.”

  “You put a lock on the door?”

  He nodded. “Lock your door when you go to bed at night. You’ll sleep sounder, knowing you’re safe.”

  She picked up the key and closed her fist around it. “Do I need to protect myself from you?”

  “No. ”He smiled, and her heart did a strange little tumble. “You never have to be afraid of me.”

  She closed the gap between them and reached up.

  Her lips grazed his jaw; her hair tickled his neck. Fire sparked low in his gut at her touch, the heat of her lips searing his skin. What was the matter with him? In all the time since Alice left, he hadn’t been attracted to another woman. So what was it about this one that made him want more than a chaste kiss on the cheek?

  As if she’d touched a flame, she jerked back, her eyes wide and her face flushed . “Oh…I…”

  His mouth so dry he couldn’t form words, he let out a grunt, then headed outside to chop wood. With any luck, by the time he was finished, he’d be too tired to think about anything except sleep.

  Chapter 4

  What had she done? What had she been thinking to kiss Zane, innocent though it was intended? It wasn’t scandalous enough that she was a divorced woman, but to be so forward…he surely must think she has no morals whatsoever now. A painted lady…

  That must be why he’d escaped as quickly. He couldn’t bear to speak to her or even be in the same room with her. Just like Henry.

  And, to be honest, she was beginning to wonder herself. Even though she still didn’t trust him—didn’t trust any man—something about the quiet-spoken sheriff had lowered her guard. He’d shown her nothing but kindness, and it would be very easy to let herself like him more than she already did.

  But that was how men drew women in, like spiders drawing flies into their web. And once they were trapped, they were at the mercy of the spiders until they died. She’d fallen for the promises and kind words once before. She couldn’t let that happen again.

  Still, she certainly hadn’t expected the rush of warmth spreading through her when her lips came into contact with the faint stubble on his jaw. The sensation was so intense she almost swooned. Certainly, she didn’t expect such a reaction right after giving birth. Never before had she felt such a burning need, not even in the early days of her marriage to Henry.

  She’d enjoyed Henry’s kisses—at first. Yet she’d never had that reaction to his kisses. If anything, she’d been left feeling somewhat empty, as if she was missing something vitally important.

  Even when they’d made love, it was bearable, but nothing like what she’d imagined it should be. But she’d known her duty and she’d never refused him, although she had to admit she’d been quite happy when he stopped coming to their bed.

  The sound of wood splintering brought her mind back to the present. Right now, she had work to do. Zane would be expecting supper, and if she didn’t get started, they’d be eating bread and cheese tonight and nothing else.

  While she waited for the stove to heat, she prepared the rest of the meal, yet her mind was still on Zane and how she was going to get through the evening with him.

  Every few seconds, she found herself glancing out the window to the yard where Zane was chopping furiously. He hadn’t even taken the time to put on a coat, and now, with every swing of the axe, his muscles strained against his shirt. His face was flushed, and his hair curled down onto his forehead. She had a sudden urge to thread her fingers through that hair and brush it back.

  Heavens!

  By the time the beef and vegetables were cooking and an apple pie was baking in the oven, she’d realized one thing. She couldn’t continue staying here with this awkwardness between them.

  She’d never been a woman to shy away from her problems. She met them head on and dealt with them. In this case, she knew what she needed to do. She’d embarrassed Zane by her actions and allowed him to think she was a wanton woman. That was bad enough, but she’d put him in such a position that rather than tell her he wasn’t attracted to her, he’d fled without a word. She should be happy she wouldn’t have to deal with any advances from him. So why was there such an emptiness in her chest?

  Dismissing her errant thoughts, she focused on her immediate problem and the solution. As soon as he came inside, she’d tell him she was sorry. Hopefully, he’d accept her apology. If not, then she’d have no choice but to leave.

  Dusk forced Zane back into the house. He was smart enough to realize wielding an axe wasn’t wise when he couldn’t see what he was doing. The temperature had dropped, and even though he’d been warm enough while he was chopping wood, he shivered as he crossed the yard to the house after washing up at the basin he kept inside the storage shed.

  The aroma of roasting beef and cinnamon apples met his nose when he opened the door and stepped inside. His stomach grumbled and his mouth watered.

  This was exactly what he’d expected when he’d built this house – warmth, a home-cooked meal, a woman to share his evenings. And his bed.

  Whoa! Patricia might provide his meals and a clean house, but it was Alice he’d planned to share his bed with. Patricia in his bed wasn’t part of the plan. He’d do well to remember that.

  Just the touch of her lips on his skin had sent shards of heat to his groin. He didn’t even want to think about what a real kiss would do to him.

  Patricia looked up as he entered the kitchen, her cheeks flushing. She turned away quickly and busied herself setting plates and silverware on the table, then serving up his meal.

 

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