The Gunslinger’s Untamed Bride (21 page)

She peered over at the thick green shrubs growing out on both sides of the shaded cove that now seemed incredibly small. Her gaze shifted to the camouflaged hook, then to the man kneeling beside her. She wasn’t about to risk hooking those handsome features.

“The fish aren’t going to lunge up and bite you,” he teased.

“What about you?”

He smiled. “I won’t lunge up and bite you, either.”

Lily actually giggled. She couldn’t recall ever feeling quite so giddy. She’d also never sat beside a stream in her bloomers or enjoyed anything as much as she enjoyed Juniper’s company.

“I meant that I don’t want to hook you.”

“I’ve survived worse,” he said, and moved closer, his arm reaching around her. His hands gently gripped both her wrists. “I wish I had a pole. I could really show you something.”

Lily wished they had a hay-filled stall and the rest of the night to themselves.

Juniper tried not to notice the fine tremble of Lily’s body as he guided her arm back. “Release some slack,” he said, his voice gruff to his own ears. She released a few coils as he helped her toss the fly to the center of the small pool.

He breathed in the sweet floral scent of her. “Take up some line,” he instructed, guiding her wrist as he dragged the fly across the water, though he could hardly think of anything beyond the heat of her slender back pressed to his chest. Luckily the trout were hungry tonight. Their supper swam up and the line snapped taught. Lily’s excited shriek had him laughing as he reached for the line she nearly dropped into the water.

They had a half dozen fish in no time. After enduring nearly an hour of Lily’s delighted giggles and bright smiles, Juniper congratulated himself on fighting his urge to peel off the rest of her clothing and make love to her right there on the riverbank.

They followed the same rocky path up the river. Approaching another boulder in the fading light, he slid his arms around her waist. “Careful,” he said, pulling her close, though she hadn’t shown any signs of slipping. Just because he hadn’t seduced her didn’t mean he’d give up any excuse to touch her. Every minute alone with her was both a torture and a blessing.

Reaching their shoreline, he knelt beside the river and cleaned the fish as she pulled on her stockings and boots, then her velvet skirt and petticoat after petticoat. Finished threading the cleand fish onto the line, his gaze moved over the river and trees. Maybe after he left the camp, he’d move here, put up a small cabin and make a quiet life for himself. There was plenty a man could do in these mountains to make a simple living. Maybe he’d look into trapping.

He stepped into his boots and straightened his pant legs. Lily was all put back together by the time he grabbed the line of gutted fish. Her smile sent a whisper over his skin. It wasn’t a flirtatious smile, just a slight tilt of her lips coupled with a warmth in her gaze that made him want to take her in his arms and draw out the passion they’d shared the night before.

She’s not for you,
he silently reminded himself, and started toward camp.

As Lily walked along beside Juniper, her hand brushed against his, but he made no attempt to hold it. Though she’d been preoccupied with fishing, she now realized that he hadn’t even tried to kiss her. Not once.

“I enjoyed the fishing lesson,” she said, clasping her hands together.

He smiled down at her. “Me, too.”

The light of a campfire glimmered from the darkness up ahead, and disappointment began to fester inside her. She wouldn’t get any more time alone with him.

“Took you long enough,” Regi said as they walked into camp. He sat beside a tall fire, Juniper’s rifle across his lap.

“Do we have any firewood left?” Juniper asked, looking at the massive bonfire Regi had constructed.

“It was getting dark.”

Juniper shook his head and walked toward their supplies. He supposed he should be thankful Reg hadn’t burned down the forest while they’d been gone.

“You actually caught fish,” he said, sounding surprised.

“Lily caught half of them.”

“Did you really?” he asked, his eyes flaring wide.

Her nervous smile caught Juniper’s attention. “I did,” she said.

“Lily, can you pull out the basket and plates Rachell packed for us while I fry up this fish?”

“Sure.” She went to fetch the supplies, and Juniper thought he saw a touch of sadness in her expression as she looked at him. Wondering at her sudden change of mood, he strode toward a packhorse loaded with supplies.

By the time they’d eaten and had spaced three bedrolls around the dwindling fire, he couldn’t deny the sullen change in Lily’s mood. She was upset about something. Although she’d been conversational with him and Reg, she’d hardly looked him in the eye for the past two hours. Reclined on his own bedding, he subtly watched her sitting on her side of the fire, her gaze never lifting above the flames as she sat cross-legged with her blanket wrapped around her shoulders. It wasn’t long before Reg curled up in his bedroll and snored softly.

Juniper stood to put the last log on the low fire. As he did, Lily rose and quietly moved to sit on his bedroll. He smiled as he eased down next to her. Not about to make a move, he waited to see what she wanted.

Somber eyes stared up at him as she seemed to search for words.

“Is something wrong?” he asked.

“No. Not really.”

He heard questions brewing in her mind.

“To be honest,” she said a moment later, “I’m wondering why you haven’t made any attempt to kiss me since early this morning.”

Juniper nearly groaned. As much as he liked her flat honesty, at times it was hard to take. “Believe me,” he whispered, “it hasn’t been easy resisting the urge. I’m not about to assume that our tumble in the barn entitles me to such liberties.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “I rather thought it did. I suppose this kind of awkwardness is customary after a, uh…
tumble,
did you call it?”

Hell.
He’d upset her. “I didn’t mean that in a negative way.”

“How did you mean it?”

“Just that…I’ve never had an affair with an employer or with a woman who’s so engrained in my past.”

Lily kept hearing the implication that he’d had similar relations with other women.
Well of course he has,
she reasoned. It was the realization that he’d intended the distance he’d kept between them all day that troubled her the most.

It’s not as though he’s courting me.
“A tumble,” she breathed, the word feeling vastly inappropriate for what they’d shared.

Juniper hissed a curse. “It was more than that.” His arm slid around her, pulling her close. “Honestly, Lily, I’ve never had an awkward moment with a woman because I’ve never cared enough to worry about the next day.”

“I make you worry?”

“Hell, yes, you make me worry.” His fingers grazed her cheek. The intensity of his gaze made her tremble. “The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

She believed him. She also knew there likely wasn’t any way around it. He’d given her so much…leaving was going to hurt.

“I enjoyed today,” she said, brushing her fingers over the back of his hand.

He turned his palm to hers and laced their fingers. “So did I. And tomorrow we’ll be in Pine Ridge.”

“Exactly.
Tomorrow.
Can’t we have this last bit of time together?”

His gaze shifted warily toward Reg sleeping beside the fire. “You’re referring to kisses and a bit of cuddling, right?”

“Yes,” she said, laughing as she leaned into him. “Unless you’d rather not. I’ll understand if you—”

His mouth brushed over hers, ending her words. The possessive caress of his tongue stealing across her lips shattered her breath. He took her mouth in a bone-melting kiss…nothing rushed, just the slow sensual mating of their mouths.

He lay back and she moved with him, following him down, stretching out on top of him, melting against him, savoring every stroke and texture as she returned every touch. His hands caressed her from her shoulders to her hips. His kiss became teasing bites on her lower lip, sending shivers dancing across her skin.

“Just so we’re clear,” she said in a breathless whisper, “you can do that to me anytime you feel the notion.”

“You can be sure I’ve wanted to just about every second since I woke up this morning.” His hands continued their slow, sweeping caresses. “But I’m not about to give anyone up at that camp the impression that there’s more between us than business. Once we get to Pine Ridge, you’re the boss and I’m the sheriff—that’s it. I don’t want you to think I’ve taken advantage of you.”

“Considering I’ve made all the advances, I can hardly accuse you of taking advantage, and I’m quite familiar with professional conduct.” She laid her head against his shoulder as she stared up at a starlit sky beyond the dark tips of towering pines. “In fact, it’s all I’ve known for so many years, I forgot how good it feels to just be…”
What?

“Yourself?” he offered.

“I suppose,” she said, though she knew that wasn’t exactly true. “Or at least who I’m supposed to be.”

“Which is?”

“Lily Carrington.”

He pulled her closer, his hand coming to rest on her hip. “Is she so different from Lily Palmer?”

“Yes,” she said. “I believe she is.”

“I don’t see how.”

“That’s because you didn’t know me until this past week. I don’t think I really knew myself. I’d truly forgotten how my life used to be, all the things I used to care about. I’ve been so caught up in who I was supposed to be, I forgot about everything else. I never realized I’d suppressed so many memories.
Good memories.
How very strange that I’d find them because of
you.
But I suppose you know just how it feels to shut a part of yourself off. I’ve seen you when you change.”

“Change how?”

“When you turn cold and closed off. Like when we were standing in front of that mob. You’re not the same person you are now.”

“Maybe so, but it’s a part of who I am.”

“Do you like that part of you?”

Juniper glanced down at her upturned face as she gazed up at the night sky. He’d never pondered any such thing, and wasn’t sure he wanted to. “I suppose not,” he said.

She shifted over him, folding her arms over his chest. “I’ve decided I’m going to change it, the part of me I don’t like.”

“Simple as that, huh?”

“Simple as that,” she said.

“You think I should change, too?”

“No. I’m quite fond of you the way you are,” she said, kissing him softly. “It’s not as though you don’t have reason to be armed. You’re a sheriff, after all. Though I do prefer you when you’re just Juniper.”

Just Juniper.
He wasn’t sure that anyone outside of his family had ever seen him as just Juniper. The fact that Lily did was something like a miracle to him. Deep down, he knew he didn’t deserve to have her looking at him with trust bright in her eyes. He didn’t deserve the sweetness of her kiss. He didn’t deserve it, but he
needed
all of it, more than he’d ever needed anything in his life.

T
hunder boomed overhead, echoing through the small upstairs office of the sawmill. Lily sat at Jim’s desk, a pencil in her hand, another tucked cutely behind her ear. Her gaze traveled from the ledgers to the papers spaced across the desktop as Johnson, one of her accountants, talked with the speed of an auctioneer.

Standing on the stairwell, Juniper couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. Prim, stylish, attractive as all hell. When she turned on the
boss
attitude, there wasn’t much a body could do but stand back. The moment she’d walked into that office, her men had started hopping. The three accountants swarmed around her, giving their detailed analysis of the mill, answering her questions, producing notes and charts at her request without a moment’s hesitation. The five of them huddled around the desk, all seemingly unaware of the downpour battering the roof. The light rain that had started this morning had become a full-on storm. Getting Lily back to her cabin in a relatively dry manner was going to be tricky.

He’d taken a few moments to meet all three of her sharply dressed accountants while Lily freshened up when they’d first arrived. He got the clear sense that they were rather protective of their pretty, young employer. A lot of good it had done them or Lily when she’d flittered off to wherever she pleased with
a gun in her pocket.
He grinned at the memory. He saw now how she’d gotten away from them. She rode roughshod over the lot of them. He doubted there was a man who could control her.

And rightly so,
he thought, watching her lips flatten, her eyes darken with concentration as she pored over some papers her man Allen had set before her.

Having changed into a sleek black dress with fine gray pinstriping running down the long fitted jacket and trim skirt, she looked like a million dollars of high-powered intelligence. Her hair shimmered beneath the oil lamps burning bright on the wall above her, reminding him of the way her hair had glimmered across the hay while her eyes had glowed with passion.

A lump formed in Juniper’s throat. A wad of pride, he supposed. Watching her, he realized just how far out of her element this rough-cut lumber camp office truly was, and how Lily Palmer Carrington must shine in the fancy boardrooms of her San Francisco office.

Fairly certain his presence had been making her nervous, he’d left her alone with her men much of the morning, leaving Günter on guard. He and Kyle had been asking around about Chandler and Mathews. So far, none of the men they’d talked to had seen or heard any news since the robbery. Chandler was one more reason he couldn’t wait to get Lily off the mountain. Tomorrow morning the carriage he’d sent for would arrive and he’d be sending her home under Kyle’s protection.

She’d gone through hell in the past week because of this camp and had arrived this morning with a burning determination to save it. She didn’t just give off a bossy attitude. There was no denying her prowess and skill, something the men working with her recognized and respected. It showed in their attentive replies as she double-checked their numbers and cross-referenced their carefully calculated profit projections.

I’ve decided I’m going to change it, the part of me I don’t like.

He couldn’t imagine what she’d want to change. If this was the other side of her personality she’d been referring to, Lily Carrington impressed the hell out of him. The thought that she saw herself flawed in some way gnawed at his conscience. He hoped he hadn’t put such notions into her head. He’d been damn hard on her in those first few days and had made some harsh comments in regard to her business practices. He wondered if that was why she tended to watch him out of the corner of her eye if he was in the room.

Jim stomped toward the door, his expression miserable, his shirt drenched with sweat.

“Relax,” Juniper said to his friend as he stepped out onto the landing. “She’s got it all under control.”

“Yeah,” Jim muttered, “and once her group of fancy men let her know I can’t read any better than she can chop down a redwood, she’ll throw me out on my ear.”

“That’s crap. This place would fall apart without you.”

“I know that and you know that, but people like them Carringtons…” He shook his head. “You wait and see.”

“I think she can do this company some good.”

“What’s good for the account books ain’t always good for the rest of us. We’re in the hole here, and you know it. Once they start looking to trim the fat, the rest of us start losing jobs.”

“From everything she’s told me, she intends to invest her own money into this place and expand your employee roster—something McFarland was never willing to do.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Glancing back at Lily, he knew part of her enthusiasm was generated by her will to help the folks she’d met in The Grove. He didn’t doubt Lily or her intentions to follow through with those plans.

Reginald broke away from the pack, took his coat and hat off a nail in the wall and strolled toward him.

“Reg,” Juniper greeted. “Everything going well?”

“Smooth as can be.” He lifted a pocket watch from his vest and clicked it open. “Only noon? Looks like nightfall out there.”

“The rain has likely driven the crews in early. Cook will have the doors open for dinner.”

“I could use a nice scotch.”

“No booze allowed in camp,” said Grimshaw.

Reginald gasped. “What kind of rot is that?”

Jim laughed.

“The kind that keeps men from sawing their own limbs off,” said Juniper. “Is Lily about finished?”

“Not likely,” Reg said, glancing back at her and their three accountants. “You’d better intervene before she exhausts every last one of them.”

“Gonna make me risk a limb, huh?”

“Hardly,” he said with a snort. He gave Juniper a long measuring glance that let him know he hadn’t forgotten the scene he’d witnessed this morning. Juniper and Lily had awakened at first light, still tangled in each other’s arms. After a few lengthy, intimate caressing stretches, they’d sat up to find a wide-eyed Reginald sitting across the smoldering fire. June figured he had some fast explaining to do, but Lily had simply greeted her cousin with a cheerful “Good morning” and had begun to pull out breakfast supplies as though spending the night snuggled up with her father’s killer was nothing out of the ordinary. Juniper had followed her lead, and Reginald hadn’t uttered a word about it. But Juniper had felt his gaze on him during the ride to camp. Once there, Lily hadn’t given either of them time to sit around and speculate about anything.

“I’d say you’re the only one suited for such a task,” Reginald insisted.

“Think I’ll go track down Davy,” Jim said, shuffling down the steps. “Make sure he hasn’t washed away in all this rain.”

Juniper walked into the office. “Miss Carrington? Gentlemen?”

“Sheriff Barns,” Lily said, glancing up as though he were just the person she wanted to see. “Do you think we could arrange a meeting with all the camp foremen? If we’re going to compile information for improving efficiency, I would like to hear their input before we leave tomorrow.”

“I’ll mention it to Jim. I’m sure he can get them together after dinner.”

Lily glanced back at the men sitting before her.

“All right then,” said Allen, removing his glasses. “Should we adjourn until after dinner?”

“Very well,” she agreed.

Allen, Johnson and Brown walked past him, each giving a greeting of “Sheriff Barns.”

Juniper waited near the door as Lily pulled on her thick wool coat. She fastened each shiny black button then grabbed the umbrella she had propped against the desk. She walked toward him, not-quite-five-feet of pure feminine primness from head to toe to umbrella. She stopped beside him, her eyes suddenly bright with an excitement that bubbled over into a smile.

“Oh, June,” she whispered, stepping close. She glanced past him, making sure the coast was clear before stepping into his arms and giving him a quick squeeze. “The numbers look good,” she said in a soft tone, as though conveying a secret.

“Not as bad as you anticipated?”

“It’s going to take some funding to make up for McFarland’s loss, but the potential is there.” She drew a deep breath, regaining her schooled composure. “The mill’s production capabilities will be worth the investment.”

“That’s good news,” he said. “Is there a reason why you’re keeping that a secret?”

“It’s no secret, but it’s hardly appropriate to give anyone false hope at this stage. There’s still much to be done. I feel so much better having seen the actual proof. McFarland provided some paperwork while looking for investors, so I had some idea of the mill’s capabilities, but not the details I needed to truly put my mind at ease.”

“Why did you buy the camp instead of just investing?”

Lily’s good cheer dampened at the thought of revealing the details behind her acquisition of McFarland Lumber. “We started out as investors,” she said. “He put requests in with various companies. I looked over the information and expressed an interest. Upon meeting me, he refused to deal with Carrington Industries.”

“Because…?”

“He refused to do business with a woman.”

“Then why would he sell you the mill? I knew he was losing money and scrambling for more financial backing, but the change of ownership hit everyone here without any warning.”

“He didn’t intend to sell, nor did he bother to investigate his new investors. I own various companies and I used them to take control of the Pine Ridge Lumber Camp, knowing he wouldn’t want to stay on with a woman controlling his company.”

Juniper’s eyebrows shot up and Lily felt the warming signs of color rising into her cheeks.

“So you can understand why he went out of his way to make this a difficult transition. He was not a happy man when I arrived to personally claim the title.”

“I would have liked to have seen that.”

“It was rather a fun morning,” she admitted.

He laughed and took the umbrella from her hand. “I’m thinking you did this camp a favor,” he said, holding out his arm to escort her downstairs.

Thunder clapped and rolled, rattling everything inside the hollow building as they walked through the millhouse.

“It would appear we arrived just in time this morning.”

“The rain has made a mess of the roads. It’s not going to be a pleasant walk back.”

Regi and the others stood just inside the wide doors of the sawmill, all of them pressing down their hats and flipping up their coat collars.

“We haven’t had a bad meal,” Johnson was saying.

“You won’t find better food in San Francisco,” Allen agreed.

“A lumber camp is only as good as its grub,” Juniper told them. “And we have the best in the Sierras. Cook is about the only reason this camp still has workers willing to put in a day’s work. Any man who works is guaranteed excellent food and a place to sleep.”

“I was told corned beef would be served tonight,” said Allen.

All of their talk was starting to make her hungry. “Should we head to the dining hall?”

“Everyone but you,” Juniper said evenly.

Lily gaped at him.

“No way am I taking you into the cookhouse with nearly a hundred men. You’ll eat in your cabin. Reg can join you if he likes.”

“If it’s all the same to you, Lily, I’ll go ahead and dine with the others.”

“All right then,” Juniper said, ushering her forward before she could respond. “We’ll see you back at the cabin after you eat.” His hand pressed against the small of her back, guiding her toward a steady veil of rain pouring off the rooftop.

“In a hurry?” she asked, smiling up at him as he popped out the umbrella.

He only grinned. “Hold this.”

The moment her fingers curved around the wooden handle he lifted her into his arms, saying, “And I’ll hold you.”

“Juniper!”

“The mud will ruin your fancy coat.” Rain spattered across her coat and skirt. The steady tapping echoed beneath the umbrella like artillery fire as he charged through the downpour.

Figuring there was no point in arguing with him, Lily leaned close and breathed in the refreshing scent of spruce, pine and
Juniper.
“I’ll try not to complain,” she said, discreetly kissing his jaw.

“Easy.” His eyes darkened with blatant desire. “I can’t get caught kissing the boss.”

Lily contained herself as he hurried down the hillside and across the rain-soaked grounds. She was still quite warm and cozy when he bounded up the steps of her cabin. He tilted the umbrella back to shield them from any onlookers and plastered his mouth to hers. Lily slid her arms around his neck and kissed him for all she was worth.

By the time he’d released her mouth and set her feet on the small wooden porch, she was dizzy and short of breath.

“I’ve got to stop doing that,” he said, shaking out the umbrella and closing it.

Lily could only smile. She rather enjoyed his surprise bursts of passion. “I wasn’t complaining.” She took him by the hand and pulled him into the cabin. The moment the door closed behind them she launched into his arms, and he was kissing her the way a starving man devours a feast. His lips shifted, touching her cheeks, her eyes, her nose, her chin.

Abruptly he stepped away from her. “I’ll go grab us some food.”

She’d rather have
him,
but managed to keep from blurting out the words as he pulled the door open.

“Bar the door behind me,” he said, the steady sound of rainfall muffling his voice. “Don’t open it for anyone else.”

She did as he said, sliding the bar into place. Pulling off her jacket, she sat heavily onto the lower bunk of the first bunk bed. She expelled a hard breath, trying to ease the sudden rise of passion. The tingling swirls only increased as she recalled the way he’d looked at her as he’d stood in the doorway to the office, the pride in his grin…
She loved him.

Lily was certain of it.

Juniper Barns.
Just his name sent a hopeless surge of emotion expanding through her chest.

How can this have happened?
How could she have fallen in love with the man who’d killed her father? Yet, after getting to know Juniper, she couldn’t blame him for what had happened.