The Circle Eight: Nicholas (2 page)

The heat shimmered on the horizon. A trickle of sweat meandered its way down between her bosom
s. She resisted the urge to scratch and focused on squinting into the distance. Between the lazy ribbons of summer, something brown wavered. She leaned forward as though an extra foot of room would make the object clearer.

“What is that ahead?”

Bartholomew shook his head. “I can’t rightly tell, Miss Winnie. Might be a barn of sorts. Maybe.”

Winnie hung on
to the hope it was a building and the Circle Eight. She was tired of sitting in the carriage and the endless rolling green hills of Texas. Her bottom was numb and her nerves frayed.

As they drew closer, the brown smudge took on a distinct shape. A large house with a barn behind it. Her excitement over arriving for the wedding was tempered by the reality of seeing Nicholas Graham again. After flipping once, her stomach flipped again and she tasted the coffee she’d consumed that morning. Perhaps even yesterday’s coffee.

“There’s lots of folks around and plenty of wagons. I think we found what we’re seeking.” Bartholomew sounded tired, more so than she. He was an old man, not used to driving for two days in a carriage, even one with a top to keep the sun off their heads. Guilt lanced her.

“We can stay for several days nearby. I
, for one, look forward to not being in this vehicle for some time.” Her fervent hope was there was someplace to stay, such as a boardinghouse like her own. She straightened her shoulders and swiped at the dust on her skirt. Arriving just before the wedding was not what she intended, neither was being so filthy, but it couldn’t be helped. After some trouble at the boardinghouse, she hadn’t left Houston until two days after they were scheduled to depart.

Now they were riding in, caked with dirt, less than an hour before the wedding. She made a face. Vaughn and Elizabeth would not mind but Winnie did. They were her friends and she owed them much. The quilt she’d had made, carefully wrapped in brown paper in the back of the rig, was only a token.

As they rode up to the sprawling house, she noted the shiny windows and the scent of new wood. The Grahams had rebuilt their house into a solid home for a big family. A very big family. She’d never seen the like in Houston. In a city, everyone built up, not out. This house was nearly as wide as a city block.

A variety of wagons, curricles and carriages were parked all around behind the house. People stood in groups dressed in fine clothes.

“Winnie!” Vaughn stood at the corner of the house, waving and smiling. She could almost feel the happiness in the air, emanating from her closest friend. He looked very handsome, as usual, but the joy on his face made him almost glow.

“There’s Mr. Montgomery.” Bartholomew pulled the carriage to a stop. “I’m powerful glad we found him.” She could almost see the relief in his posture.

“Please relax and find a quiet place to rest.” She squeezed his gnarled hands. “You are a good friend, Bartholomew.”

The older man shrugged off her touch. “Now don’t be getting all female on me, Miss Winnie. I’m too old for that kind of nonsense.”

She smiled and turned to greet Vaughn. His face held a grin brighter than the sun. She accepted his help in descending from the carriage. He bussed her cheek and took her hands.

“I cannot tell you how glad I am to see a friendly face.” Beneath the obvious happiness, she sensed stress.

“Elizabeth has four brothers.” She raised one brow, waiting for confirmation the Grahams didn’t welcome him with open arms.

“And each one of them has interesting ways to torture me.” Vaughn shook his head. “I always wondered what it was like to have a big family. I wonder no more.”

This time Winnie laughed. “How is Ellie?”

His expression softened. “Beautiful. Bossy.”

“Healthy too? She wrote me about the baby. I am so very happy for you.” And indeed, she was. Regardless of the dark moments in her own past, she was genuinely pleased for her friends.

“Thank you and yes, she is healthy. With Eva, the housekeeper, and Hannah, her sister-in-law, clucking over her, she is well taken care of.” He glanced at a group of women
to his right. “No doubt they are comparing notes on how often I bring her tea or a pillow for her feet.”

Winnie patted his arm. “They are simply making sure she is well taken care of. You do not have the shiniest history, Vaughn.”

“You need not remind me.”

“I only meant to reassure you if they didn’t want you to be with her, you would not be standing here today waiting to marry your love.” She waited while he considered her words.

“I believe you are correct. Ellie’s brothers are fierce as hell. Even the fourteen-year-old, Benjy. Remember him?”

“I do.” She took his arm, eager to be part of his day. “Why don’t you introduce me to the
rest of the new family you are about to join?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Vaughn was always such a gentleman, no matter the situation. Elizabeth was the perfect match for him. Winnie couldn’t imagine how it felt to be so connected to another human being, and for that, she envied them.

As she and Vaughn walked toward the barn where the men had gathered, Winnie belatedly realized she hadn’t washed the dust from her face, hands or clothing. She no doubt looked like a vagabond.

Just like that
, Nicholas was there in front of her. All the breath whooshed from her body and her face heated. She felt like a twelve-year-old girl and not a twenty-five-year-old woman.

He was incredibly handsome with thick, dark
, wavy hair and those blue-green eyes like Elizabeth. His jaw was set, seemingly carved of granite. He stood with his legs apart, arms crossed and hat down toward his eyes. Dangerous. Unfriendly. A shiver ran up her spine despite the warm summer day.

Beside him were three other men
; two were obviously kin, with the same eyes and build. The other had hair as dark as pitch and the coldest blue eyes she’d ever seen. The four of them were a wall of muscle and guns.

“Montgomery. Who’s your friend?” One of the other men spoke to Vaughn.

Vaughn squeezed her arm. “This is Miss Winifred Watson. She is a friend of mine and Ellie’s. Benjy and Nicholas also know her.”

The men’s gazes cut to Nicholas, who hadn’t moved so much as an eyelash.

“That true, Nick? You know her?” The same man spoke, and she came to the conclusion he must be the eldest, Matthew.

After a few moments of excruciating silence, during which Winnie’s cheeks heated, he finally nodded. It wasn’t as if she came armed and threatened the family. She was a wedding guest. This type of greeting was unacceptable even in impolite society.

“I am also able to speak for myself. Elizabeth and Vaughn invited me to the wedding. I was unaware there was an inquisition involved to attend.” Her sharp words made three of the men smile.

“She reminds me of Aurora.” The second brother spoke. “And Hannah when she gets a bee in her bonnet.”

“Damn sure is tart like Liv too.” This from the dark one.

“We’re pleased you could come, Miss Watson. I’m Matt Graham and this is my brother Caleb and brother-in-law Brody Armstrong.” Matt tipped his hat. “I’m sure Ellie will be happy to see you. The
Graham ladies are in the house. Why don’t you take her there, Montgomery?”

“I’d be happy—”

“No.” Nicholas finally spoke.

“Pardon me?” Vaughn’s tone told her he was near his breaking point with his new family. They were tough men—she didn’t blame him. If she hadn’t been dealing with men her entire life who were harder, darker and more evil, she might have been intimidated.

“You go near that house, and the women are gonna shoot you.” Nick unfolded his arms. “I’ll take her.”

Winnie blinked in surprise. He treated her as though he didn’t want her there, yet he offered to escort her to Ellie? Where was the Nick she’d met in Houston, who held her so tenderly and kept her alive? He
’d been replaced by the cold stranger made of icy stone.

“I know you don’t spend much time around polite society, but it’s customary to ask a woman if you may escort her.” Winnie’s words made at least two of the other men snicker.

Nick’s lips tightened and something flashed in his eyes, but was gone before she could identify it. “Miss Watson, can I walk you to my sister?” The words were polite but the tone was contained annoyance. Good. She didn’t like this man, didn’t recognize him. They had shared one of the most intense experiences of her life. He shouldn’t trivialize it by treating her like a stranger.

“Thank you, Mr. Graham. I would be pleased to accompany you.” She patted Vaughn’s hand as she pulled away from him. “I shall see you shortly.”

Vaughn smiled. “Please tell her I love her.”

Nicholas made a harrumph of disbelief. Winnie tipped up her chin and waited for him to take her arm. Who was this man? His behavior had already tainted her fond memory of being with him.

With obvious reluctance, he took her arm and they turned toward the house. Immediate warmth flooded her, along with a sharp awareness of the man beside her. She’d felt nothing but pleasure at seeing a friend when she’d touched Vaughn. With Nicholas, the experience was completely different. Her body was aware of his, painfully aware.

Each breath he took, the warmth of his hand, the hardness of his arm, the length of his stride
—all of it assaulted her senses. She could hardly think with him beside her. His height was another issue. She was not particularly tall and he was. In fact, she only came to his shoulder.

It occurred to her that he had shortened his steps to meet hers. It was a small concession but she noted it. Beneath the stiff exterior, perhaps Nicholas was still there. The man she’d met in Houston, who
’d carried her bloodied body in his arms, may still be there.

The revelation gave her hope. She had missed him, the long conversations they’d had, and the warmth of his company. If she were honest with herself, she had been looking forward to
seeing him. Secretly hoping he’d smile and she would have an excuse to see him again. And perhaps again.

Instead he treated her as someone he’d never met, worse, someone he didn’t like. Until the moment she recognized his shortened stride. They would reach the house in moments. She had to say something or lose the opportunity to do so.

“Although I don’t believe the feeling is mutual, I am glad to see you again, Nicholas.”

His arm tightened even further, nearly steel beneath her hand. He did not respond.

“I thought we had become friends in Houston. At the very least, more than casual acquaintances.”

“I was there for my sister.” His gruff reply made her heart thump.

“That doesn’t mean nothing happened.” Anger crept into her voice. “You saved my life, Nicholas.”

He was silent for a few moments. “The doctor saved you.”

She came to a halt, yanking back on his arm. “I refuse to allow you to cheapen what you did for me. I won’t forget it and you will accept my gratitude and my friendship.”

He dropped his gaze and blew out a breath. “I wasn’t saying nothing happened and I
don’t meant to cheapen anything. I don’t know how to be your friend. Truth is, nobody wants to be my friend.”

Relief flooded her. He hadn’t forgotten and neither had she. “There is no secret formula to being a friend. Vaughn and I don’t see each other often but when we do there is no artifice required. We simply accept each other for who we are.”

“You might change your mind if you have to accept me.”

Beneath the cool words, she heard something else, dark and thorny. She knew that place well,
had fought with it many times in her life. He might also be damaged emotionally, and pushed everyone away to avoid feelings. There were months that passed when she spent her days alone, avoiding everyone except for the strangers who rented rooms from her. A boardinghouse gave her the opportunity to insulate herself. It was not only a business decision to survive but to protect herself from her emotions.

Oh yes, she knew Nicholas, probably more than he knew himself. Winnie knew what she had to do.

Chapter Two

Nicholas wanted to drop her arm and run. His heart thumped almost painfully at her nearness. She was as beautiful as she was smart. It would take her no time at all to discover his dark secret. Her directness bothered him more than he wanted it to. Hell, he didn’t know what he wanted.

As they approached the house, he told himself to keep walking, making sure each foot moved forward. Being so close to her reminded him of how beautiful she was, even if she had an inch of dust on her from the trip. Hell she could be wearing a turnip sack and cow shit and still be stunning.

All he had to do was get through the wedding. One day. He could do it and then go back to his life. Not that it was a lure for him. The yawning hole inside of him was proof positive of the misery he lived with every day. Winnie made things darker because she was all lightness and good.

“Oh dear, I need to wash up. Is there someplace I can splash some water on my face?”

He sighed inwardly and turned toward the back of the house. The well pump was always available, including a bar of soap and a towel. It might not be the fancy basin she was used to but it would get her clean. He wasn’t sure what he expected her reaction to be, but it wasn’t gratitude.

“Thank goodness. I think I’ve swallowed a bushel of dirt since yesterday morning.” She took hold of the pump handle as though she’d done it a thousand times.

Nick stood there like a fool while she used soap and water like a normal person. Nick watched her small hands, ivory white and delicate. Her fingers were thin and elegant. He remembered holding them in his callused, darker hands and wondering at the differences between them.

Nothing had changed.

They were still different. Night and day. Darkness and light.

She dried her hands and face on the towel and then used it to pat at her clothing. He couldn’t help but gaze at her lushly curved form as she pressed the damp cloth to the dust she’d collected. His body tightened with longing, an ache at his core, a hunger he would never be able to satisfy.

But oh how he wanted to.

Nick was no stranger to bedding a woman, but his experience was limited to two, and both of them were professionals. Good thing Eva didn’t know about it or he would never hear the end of it. The housekeeper had been a mother to the entire clan since the Grahams had lost their own.

Yet this thing
—whatever it was—that drove him to crave Winnie was different. It was intense and consuming. He thought he had conquered it by leaving her behind in Houston, but seeing her again only served to remind him of what he was shunning. His mouth actually watered to taste her skin. And her scent.

Yes, he’d spent many nights remembering the scent that was uniquely Winnie. He’d breathed in deep, inhaling her into his body, into his soul, until he could not rid himself of her. He wanted to kiss her, to taste her, to lose himself in her softness.

No. No. No.

It couldn’t
,
wouldn’t
, happen. His body was tight and hard, eager, regardless of how much his brain told him no.

“Thank you for allowing me to freshen up.” She smiled at him and he froze. Something must have shown in his face. “Nicholas?” She reached toward him and he flinched. Her hand dropped.

“What did I do?” Her whispered question held a wealth of pain. Pain he’d inflicted.

“Nothing. You did nothing.” He struggled to find the right thing to say. “It’s me. I
’m not a good person, Winnie.”

She shook her head. “You are wrong, Nicholas. You saved me
in more than one way.” Her blue eyes held genuine emotion. He turned his head, unable to look at her. His heart shifted, but he resisted the urge to allow it to actually beat. “Nothing will change what happened between us. Only you can determine what happens now.”

“
Not a thing gonna happen.” The words were pulled from his gut, rusty and rough.

“Then you’ve made a choice.” She kissed his cheek before he could react. Her scent filled his nostrils,
and the urge to pull her to him, lose himself in her essence, roared through him.

This could not be. Could not. With an effort that bordered on pain, he stepped away from her. His muscles tightened to oak as he restrained himself from moving close to her again. It would take years, if ever, before he forgot the feel of her soft lips on his skin.

“I won’t give up.” Winnie stared at him a moment longer before she turned toward the house, chin in the air. “Stubborn man.” Leaving him behind, she walked away.

Nick shook with the need to follow her, beg her to forgive him. Tell her…what? That he was an idiot, a black hole of misery, or that he could never be who she needed?

She looked back at him. “Do I have to escort myself or will you be a gentleman?”

He forced himself to move. She was right, of course. He had said he would bring her to Elizabeth and the rest of the women. Eva would have him hogtied if he let her walk in while he stood outside like a fool.

Nick held the back door open and gestured for her to step inside. She nodded regally and swept into the house. Feminine voices and giggles permeated the air. His sisters were like a gaggle of geese, honking and flapping their wings. They all stopped in the cacophony of female silliness and stared at him.

Elizabeth wore a light blue dress with her brown hair in a wreath of intricate braids on her head. She radiated joy, bright enough to make his eyes sting. “Winnie!” She pulled the petite blonde into a hug. “I am so happy you’re here.”

“So am I.” Winnie slid a telling glance at Nick. “Although it was a long journey, I wouldn’t miss this wedding.”

“
Hija
, is this Miss Watson?” Eva watched the embrace with her all-knowing dark eyes. She wore a lacy dress that accentuated her olive skin.

“Yes, this is Winnie.” Elizabeth turned to smile at everyone. “Winnie these are my sisters Olivia, Catherine and Rebecca. My sisters-in-law Aurora and Hannah. And of course, Eva, she who keeps us all in check.”

The girls descended on Winnie and Nick took the opportunity to sneak out the back door. Eva followed him, her brow furrowed.

“Nicholas, you run.”

His shoulders clenched. “Let it be, Eva.”

“One day you cannot run. I think perhaps that day will be soon.”

Nick left as fast as his legs could carry him. Seeing Winnie had been even more difficult than he imagined. He resisted the urge to retreat to his favorite thinking spot. All he had to do was get through the next few hours. It couldn’t be any harder than the last ten minutes.

Winnie had a clear view of the bride and groom as they were joined in matrimony by a preacher. Her eyes stung as the love surrounded them, permeating the air with all that would come from such a marriage. On this day, everyone should have been smiling.

Yet she knew without checking that Nicholas was not.

Darkness surrounded him, she saw it, felt it, knew it. Perhaps that was the reason she had a strong, instant connection to him. The reason she had almost fallen in love with him. The reason she had turned into a quivering mess inside when she saw him. They were connected at an elemental level. Two kindred souls searching the dim caverns for some sign of light, then refusing to go toward one when found.

Amidst the congratulations
after the bride and groom were married, she and Nick stood apart from the others. Winnie was strong enough to hide the darkness around her, but he wasn’t. His family noticed it, scowling in his direction as the happy backslaps and hugs abounded in the Circle Eight yard.

The wedding celebration took off in full swing with mounds of food appearing from people’s wagons and inside the house. Winnie had never seen so much food at one time. The makeshift tables with wood planks and sawhorses groaned beneath the weight of the bounty. She watched as the Graham men retrieved barbequed steer from the pit near the barn
; the delicious smell made her stomach rumble.

The brothers were all teasing each other, except Nicholas. He carried his end of the grate with the meat on it, his expression void. There w
ere no smiles or happiness to be found in that man. It made her heart hurt. Although she fought against her own demons, she felt something for Vaughn and Elizabeth. It wasn’t quite joy but it was happiness they had overcome all the obstacles to their marriage.

Her gaze kept straying to Nicholas. She found herself moving toward him, a still fish in a pond of activity. While the wedding guests milled around chatting and filling their plates with food, he stood by, alone and frozen.

She wanted to touch him, comfort him and show him that someone cared for him. The urge became an ache. Her feet moved of their own volition until she stood beside him. Before she thought about what she was doing, her hand crept into his. The callused paw was much larger than hers, but it was a perfect fit.

His fingers tightened and he turned to look at her. “Winnie?”

“Nicholas.”

He glanced down where their hands joined. “I don’t understand.”

“There’s nothing to understand.” She couldn’t explain it if she tried. Being there with him, alone in a crowd, was where she was supposed to be.

He walked toward the barn
with Winnie in tow. The rest of the crowd disappeared. She focused on Nicholas and the spell woven around them. Her heart thumped steadily while a tingling spread from the contact with his skin. His lovely, warm skin.

He pushed the barn door open and stepped inside, pulling her along.
After he closed the door, the dimness of the barn surrounded them. Dust motes danced in the sun’s rays that broke through the slats. The smell of new wood hung in the air along with the sounds of soft nickers from the horses.

Neither of them spoke. Winnie followed him into the last stall where the hay appeared to be stored. She trembled with anticipation for whatever was about to occur. Nicholas
pushed the stall door closed and looked at her.

Desolation and sadness were etched on his face. A sob rose in her throat but she swallowed it back down. Now wasn’t the time to weep for him. Now was the time to show him she cared. Winnie didn’t fool herself into thinking she would heal him, but she could give him a few stolen moments of intimacy.

She unbuttoned his shirt with deliberate care, waiting for him to protest.

He didn’t.

Sounds from the wedding revelry were muffled in here, where only the two of them existed. She kissed the exposed skin as she worked, until she pulled the shirt free of his trousers. His belly contracted as she drew closer to his cock, which strained against the buttons and fabric constraining it.

Winnie knew much about copulation, more than she wanted to, but at this moment, she wanted to make love for the first time in her life. There was no
artifice, no pretending to be something she wasn’t.

When she reached for his buttons, he made a sound of protest, but she ignored him. His staff sprang free, the velvet steel hot and heavy in her hands. He groaned as she squeezed and caressed him.

“It’s gonna be over before it starts.” His voice, low pitched and gritty, reached through the haze of arousal.

She gentled her movements and then finally stepped away to rid herself of her own clothing.
His gaze followed her movements as she shed everything until she stood in nothing but her skin.

“Sweet angel on earth.” This time his tone was softer.

Winnie smiled and finished removing the rest of his clothing. She laid them on the hay to make a bed of sorts and then crawled on them. When she held her arms up, he started as if she poked him.

“Please, Nicholas.”

He lowered himself with agonizing slowness until they were fused from top to bottom. It was incredible, like nothing she’d ever experienced. Perhaps it was because she had feelings for him, or perhaps because her experiences were more like a chore.

Pleasure ricocheted through her as he cupped her breasts and rolled the nipples between his fingers. His cock pressed against her thigh, eager and hot. She opened her thighs, inviting him to join them together.

She pulled at his back until he slid into her welcoming heat. Inch by inch, he entered her and was finally seated deep within her core. Tears stung her eyes as the perfection of the moment washed over her.

This was what
making love felt like.

Then he started to move and her wonder increased, as did her passion. She pulled at his hips, urging him faster and faster. Soft moans escaped her throat but she made no other sound. They hid from the world, creating a cocoon of ecstasy only they knew of. When she crested, stars danced behind her closed lids and her breathing ceased. Pure joy exploded throughout her body as she clutched him, pulling him even further into her tre
mbling body.

His back tightened and his breath gusted past her ear as he pushed into her one last time, finding his own release. She thought
he said, “Angel,” but her own ears rang with the aftermath of their joining.

Their labored breathing echoed in the stall and Winnie heard the murmurs of the crowd
outside the barn enjoying themselves. Anyone could have walked in on them at any moment. She wouldn’t, and couldn’t, regret what they’d done.