“Would you like something to drink?” he offered, leading Melissa to the table.
“That sounds nice,” she murmured, keeping her eyes averted.
Marcus scowled but said nothing.
“Ah, there you are, Miss Bloom!”
Turning to the familiar voice, Marcus groaned inwardly. Dr. Newcomb hovered a little too close to Melissa for his liking.
“Hello, Doctor,” she said politely.
“Please, you know my name is Timothy.”
Melissa’s cheeks pinkened as she nodded but didn’t reply.
“I never got the chance to thank you, young man,” Timothy said, “for being so quick to run after Lissa the other day. Obviously, her horse was spooked by something and bolted with her still on its back. If it weren’t for your quick thinking in taking my horse to catch her, I shudder to think what could have happened.”
Melissa looked back at Marcus with a shocked expression on her face. He cleared his throat to mask his own discomfort.
“Yes, well, I needed to catch Chuck’s mare as fast as I could.”
“Bless you, son.” Timothy’s gaze returned to Melissa. “Would you mind if I stole this beautiful woman for a few dances, McCaide?”
Clenching his hands into fists, Marcus fought the urge to rip the older man’s hand from Melissa’s arm. Why was he having such possessive thoughts? He needed to clear his head, he needed to calm down. He’d promised the doctor a few turns with Melissa, and he wasn’t going to go back on his word.
Nodding with a tight smile, he said, “Go right ahead, sir.”
He instantly regretted that decision when the musicians began playing a more subdued song. He watched with narrowed eyes as Dr. Newcomb pulled Melissa close and wrapped his arm around her waist. Unexplainably, Marcus could feel his temper rise, and he glared at anyone who approached the refreshment table.
The song seemed to drone on and on, and Marcus kept his eye on Melissa in the crowd of people. She was so damn beautiful tonight that his hands yearned to bury themselves in her hair, and his arms screamed to hold her. Unbuttoning the top button of his collar, he swallowed hard.
By the time the song ended, he’d worked himself into a livid frenzy.
~ * ~
Melissa was thankful when the musicians began another lively tune. Dancing so close to the doctor as they slowly swayed back and forth made her skin crawl. She was even more thankful when Marcus came to save her from Dr. Newcomb’s clutches. The older man was nice enough, but he smelled like his medicinal balms and held her a little too close for comfort.
She barely had time to thank him for the dance before Marcus dragged her outside. The moon was up and the stars shone down on them as he pulled her around the side of the barn. The muffled strains of music could be heard through the wall.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, feeling breathless. The cool night air caressed her skin, a drastic change from the heat of the barn.
“Away from him,” he answered in a gruff voice.
Melissa stopped short and stared at Marcus in disbelief. “Are you jealous?”
He rounded on her, his eyes flashing sparks. But she did not flinch.
“No--yes! Damn it, I don’t know. All I know is that I saw red when you were in his arms dancing with him. He was holding you so close it was all I could do not to… Lissa, I can’t think much beyond you most days. I don’t want you to fall for me, but damn it, I don’t want you to fall for anyone else either.”
“Shouldn’t I be able to give my heart to whomever I choose?”
He didn’t answer and threw back his head with a sigh. Stepping closer to him, she decided to take a chance. The lively song inside ended to a round of applause. Once again, the fiddler began another melancholy tune, and she slipped her hands around his neck. She smiled when his gaze returned to her.
“Dance with me, Mr. McCaide.”
He slowly wrapped her in his warmth and began to sway back and forth. Resting her head on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and breathed him in. He smelled so good, like fresh soap, and she absently stroked the back of his neck with her thumbs. His embrace was firm, ensuring she wouldn’t be able to escape, but Melissa didn’t want to. She could hear his heart beating and sighed with contentment.
“Do you know what it did to me to see you in his arms?” His voice vibrated through her, making her body respond to him as she hugged him closer.
“I’m in your arms now, Marcus. And the good doctor didn’t hold me quite this close.”
“If the good doctor had held you like this, Lissa, then he wouldn’t have been able to walk out of that barn on his own two legs.”
Melissa chuckled and pulled away just enough to look into his eyes. They glittered in the moonlight as she stared at him, barely aware that they’d stopped swaying to the music. His breath was hot on her cheek as her pulse raced. She trembled under his gaze, feeling her body tightening with every beat of her heart. Butterflies flew wildly in her belly, and her legs refused to hold her weight as she sagged against him.
“Lissa?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry, sugar.”
“For what?” she asked, genuinely confused.
“For mussing your hair.”
His mouth closed on hers, moving slowly and gently against her lips as his fingers slipped into her bun, making it unravel. Her hair tumbled down her back, and Melissa whimpered with shock, but only for a moment. Standing on her toes, she angled her head just a little to kiss him fully.
Like liquid velvet, his tongue traced her lips, silently asking for her to open to him. Once she did, he began sucking on her bottom lip, drawing it into his mouth. Melissa groaned, digging her nails into the collar of his shirt.
His kiss became more urgent, demanding her response. He was igniting a fire inside her that only he could quench. She didn’t understand the logic of it, but she pressed as close as she could, tasting him. Delving deep.
Her hair was now hopelessly tangled, but she didn’t care. She wanted him to push her to the ground, to lie on top of her as he had the other day. But the reality of where they were intruded upon her fantasies.
“Marcus…” she panted against his lips. “Marcus!”
Releasing her lips, he kissed a trail of fire down her neck. “What is it, sugar?”
She could barely think with his hot mouth on her. “We need to stop. Someone will see.”
She could hear him growl in the back of his throat, but he did not let her go. “Let them see.”
She almost laughed at that. “Sweet, merciful… Marcus, I don’t want you to stop.” It was suddenly hard to draw breath as she clung to him, knowing that if he hadn’t been holding her up, she’d crumple to the ground.
But her words halted his roving mouth. Lifting his head from her skin, he framed her face with his hands. “If you knew what’s good for you, Lissa, you’d stay far away from me. I’m a dangerous man.”
“You’ve told me that before,” she whispered, stroking his face. “I’m willing to risk it.”
“There you two are!” a voice called out in the darkness.
Marcus pulled away from Melissa, but not fast enough.
“Kissing behind the barn, eh? Ah, the joys of youth.”
“Father!” Melissa cried, her cheeks flaming. She could only imagine the fright she must look with her hair in disarray and her dress hopelessly wrinkled. Without knowing what else to do, she fidgeted and wrung her hands in front of her.
“You gonna come back into the barn?” Chuck asked. “Enjoy the rest of the dance? And your sister has been looking all over for Mr. McCaide to lead her in a waltz.”
Clearing his throat loudly, Marcus ran his fingers through his hair. “No, sir, I… I think it’s time I leave.”
“Marcus?”
Melissa trembled when his passionate eyes pinned hers once again. “It’s best, sugar. For both of us.” He turned on his heel and walked briskly down the road.
Melissa had to fight herself not to chase after him. Her skin felt as if it were on fire, yet she shivered in the breeze. Chuck Bloom’s attention returned to his daughter, and she could see the slight grin on his wizened face.
“You gotta watch out for that boy,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Melissa asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
“He’s falling for you, sweetheart. Falling hard too, but he’s so damn scared of it that he doesn’t know what to do.”
Glancing back down the road, she licked her lips and shivered again. Her father’s words thrilled her, but, at the same time, she wasn’t sure if she should believe it. Marcus seemed to push her away more often than he pulled her closer.
“He won’t talk to me,” she said. “He keeps shutting me out.”
“Seems to me the boy’s been hurt in the past. Doesn’t want to be hurt again.”
“I would never hurt him.”
“You know that, and I know that, but
he
doesn’t know it. I also think he’s afraid of hurting you.”
“How could he hurt me?”
“By not marrying you.”
Taking deep breaths of air, Melissa trembled as she realized she didn’t want any other man. She wanted Marcus. She wanted him to kiss her again, to make love to her, but he’d said he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to ruin her for her future husband, whoever that might be. But the only man interested in her was Dr. Newcomb, and she shuddered at the thought of marrying him.
Biting her lip, Melissa kicked the dirt at her feet and excused herself. “I’m going home too, Father. My hair is ruined and my dress is a mess…”
“I understand, honey. Don’t bother to wait up. I’m sure Shirley will want to stay here until the last song is played.”
Kissing her father’s cheek, Melissa walked past him lost in deep thought, pulling the edges of her shawl about her shoulders. She shivered again, but it had nothing to do with the slight chill in the evening air.
Ten
With every step down the boardwalk of the Gulch, Melissa’s thoughts returned to the sexy gunslinger who’d held her in his arms a little while before. He’d told her again and again that he wasn’t the marrying kind. But was she?
In all her years, only two men had ever given her the time of day--Dr. Newcomb and now Marcus. Did that mean she wasn’t the marrying kind? Just the thought made her quiver with uncertainty. If she had to choose between the two men, she’d choose Marcus in a heartbeat, but he didn’t want a wife. Did she have to marry him? Was marriage really the answer for her? Did she really want to save herself for marriage when there were no other viable options on the horizon?
Turning back up the road, she headed for Maude’s
Inn
instead of her father’s store. Her body still ached from Marcus’s consuming kisses, and she yearned for his mouth on her skin again. With each step she questioned her decision, but she already knew the answer. She wanted Marcus and wanted him badly. So badly, in fact, that she was willing to make a fool of herself by asking him--no, begging him--to make love to her. Tonight.
Blushing to her roots, Melissa asked the plump woman behind the service counter at the inn which room he was in.
“He’s in room seven, dearie. Upstairs.” The woman gave her an exaggerated wink and turned away with a cackle, making Melissa flee as fast as she could up the steps near the back of the lobby.
As soon as she was in the long hallway, she looked at the numbered doors. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath as she finally stood before his door. Her palms were sweating, and her skin crawled with anticipation. Could she do this?