The Gunslinger’s Untamed Bride (23 page)

Juniper tossed his rifle aside. “I’ll take the lady
now.
” He slid back the edges of his range coat.

“You that confident you can outdraw me?”

He remembered his vow to get Lily back. “I’m fast,” he bragged. “A lot of men have thought they were faster than me. A lot of men have died proving they were wrong.”

“Guess I’ll be the first to be right.”

“Not likely. There isn’t going to be any exchange of money, Chandler, and on the off chance you manage to shoot me, you’ll still be dead by nightfall. A U.S. marshal is on his way up. He already caught your brother Ned.”

Chandler’s expression fell. “Like hell.”

“Why do you think he’s here? Tell me where she’s at right now and I might let
you
live.”

Mathews groaned beside him.

Chandler’s eyes widened, then narrowed.

Another flaw in his plan.

He reached for his gun.

Juniper drew, putting two bullets through Chandler’s chest before the man’s gun fired aimlessly into the mud.

Juniper holstered his guns as Chandler dropped to the ground. Beside him Mathews rolled and reached for his rifle. Juniper lunged. Drawing his blade, he slammed it through the man’s gun hand, pinning it to the ground.

“Where is she?”
he shouted through Mathews’s screams.

“Last cabin!” he wailed.

“Rogers!” Juniper called toward the woods. “Get over here!”

A moment later the kid came running from the trees.

“Tie him up,” Juniper said, pulling out his blade and pushing off him. He grabbed his gun and ran toward the other cabins.

“Lily!” he shouted, rushing through the front door of the last one. In the back room his heart stalled at the sight of torn white petticoats trailed across the floor, but no other sign of her.

“Lily!” He pushed a loose board aside and stepped through a gap in the back wall.

A shimmer of gold drew his gaze to the left. Her copper hair floated on the surface of a water-filled trough.

“No!”

He reached in, hauling her up, shouting her name as he tugged a roll of fabric from her mouth.

“Lily?” he whispered.

She coughed, water spilling from her lips, and relief broke through him, shaking him. He lifted her the rest of the way out, quickly cutting away her bindings. Her arms fell around him, then gripped him as she coughed against his chest, wheezing for breath.

“Thank God.” He sighed, pushing her wet hair away from her face as she blinked up at him.

“J-June.” She started to tremble.

“I’ve got you, darlin’.” He pulled her trembling weight into his arms. “I’ve got you.”

J
uniper couldn’t ease his hold. “You scared me, boss.”

“M-m-me t-too. I was t-t-terrified I—”

“I know you were,” he said, her cheek cold against his lips as he kissed her. He lifted her into his arms and the chill of her wet clothes stung him through his thick duster. Her lips were frightfully blue.

“—w-w-wanted to t-t-tell you…”

Juniper carried her around to the front of the cabin. “Honey, we’ve got to get you warmed up.”

She drew a shuddered breath, and snuggled closer to his warmth. “…that I forgive you.”

Those last few words rang out with crystal clarity, dragging Juniper to a hard stop just inside the shack. He stared down at her in the dim light. She forgave him?

“It w-w-was…all I could think. I don’t blame you. He m-made a mistake.”

Juniper couldn’t begin to fathom what those words meant to him. It was too much to grasp.

Her shivers intensified.

“We need to get you warmed,” he said, reaching the front door of the cabin.

“Rogers!”

“Sheriff?” he said, running toward them.

“There’s a coat in my left saddlebag. Bring it here.”

“She all right?”

“We need to get her to camp. Bring up the horses, all of them.”

Juniper leaned against the inside wall and slumped down. Lily shivered uncontrollably. He held her tight, pressing his lips to her slick hair, sharing his heat until Rogers arrived with her wool coat. When the door squeaked open, he held his arm out.

“We’ll be out in a moment,” he said as the young man stepped back outside.

“Lily, we need to get this wet dress off.”

Her teeth chattered as she eased away from him. She shifted her shoulders and the front of her dress fell open.

Shock and rage roared inside him as he brushed aside the torn garment and guided her rope-burned wrists into the sleeves of her coat.

Lily saw the horror and anger playing across his face as he buttoned her into the warm coat. Moisture hazed his eyes when he gazed up at her.

“Sweetheart…?”

“No,” she said. “H-he tried, but you—” Her breath broke on a sob. “I was so scared.”

“Shh,” he soothed, pulling her close.

But she couldn’t stop. Fear and relief battled for release in great sobs. She tugged him closer, needing to cling to him, needing his strength. When the tears finally subsided and she found her breath, he was holding her, his lips brushing gently across her cheeks, spreading warmth throughout her cold body.

“You’re all right,” he soothed.

She nodded, sniffing loudly as she continued to absorb his heat and strength.

“Time to go. Want me to carry you?”

“I can walk,” she said.

He eased up, keeping her close beside him. Outside, four saddled horses waited, the man called Rogers sitting on one. Juniper led her to his horse.

“Where are—”

“Mathews is detained,” he said. “He’ll have to wait for a deputy to come up and get him later.” He stepped up into the saddle then reached for her, lifting her onto his lap.

Lily instantly settled against him. His chest shifted abruptly against her cheek. She eased back and saw that he’d shrugged off his long coat. He draped the dark canvas around her shoulders, surrounding her with his heat as he pulled her snug against him.

“Let’s get you home.”

“Okay,” she whispered. Feeling warm and secure in the arms of her sheriff, Lily closed her eyes and burrowed against him.

A blend of harsh voices intruded on her sleep, different from the gentle murmurs between Juniper and Kyle intermittently filtering through her dazed mind. She shifted against Juniper’s warmth, subtly reassuring herself he still held her. The intrusive noise grew louder, forcing Lily to open her eyes.

They were surrounded by a sea of men. Startled by the sight of so many faces staring at her, she pressed her face to Juniper’s shirt, her arms reaching for his neck.

He dismounted and cradled her tightly. “Miss Carrington is going to be all right. Everyone can get on back to their business.”

“You don’t gotta hide her from us,” one called out.

“We’re sure glad she wasn’t hurt,” shouted another.

“Ain’t often we got a single woman in camp.”

Juniper stopped. He turned, and Lily tightened her hold on him. “She’s not single.”

The steel in his voice tensed Lily’s sore muscles.

“She’s spoken for.”

“By who?” someone shouted out.

“By
me.
Any man who so much as stares at my girl for more than a heartbeat will be dodging my bullets. Y’all got that?”

A murmur of grumbles went through the crowd. Lily didn’t draw a full breath until Juniper had stepped inside a cabin and closed the door behind them.

“I’m
your
girl?” she asked.

His fierce scowl melted into a crooked grin. “If I didn’t stake a claim they’d be hounding at the door, waiting for the chance to woo you.”

“The horror.”

“Exactly.” He brushed a soft kiss across her lips, then set her on a soft mattress. He lit a lamp on the small table beside the bed.

Lily glanced around a cabin a quarter the size of any other she’d seen in the camp. He gathered up a patchwork quilt spread across the bed and pulled it over her shoulders. She noticed the name May in small yellow letters on the ribbing.

Juniper’s cabin.

“Sit tight, sweetheart. I’ll be right back with something to warm you up.”

Panic flared as he crossed the small room. “June?”

He paused at the door. “Günter’s on the steps right outside. Would you rather I have him come in?”

She drew a ragged breath and shook her head. “No.”

“I’ll be right back,” he said again. He stepped outside, and Lily pulled the blanket tight around her trembling body, shivering despite the warmth of her wool coat and quilt.

Nothing a few hours in Juniper’s arms couldn’t abate.

He was back within a few minutes, opening the door wide, saying, “There should be just enough room.”

A man backed into the cabin, his arms gripping the end of a big brass bathtub.

“Right there on the floor,” Juniper instructed. The long tub took up nearly all the space beside the bed as two men set it into place. They quickly retreated. Next came a procession of men hoisting buckets of steaming water. None of them so much as glanced in her direction as they filled the tub.

The moment the door closed behind the last man, Juniper started toward her, his expression dark with purpose. He reached for her foot and began unlacing her boot. Setting aside her boots and stockings, his hands moved methodically down the buttons on her coat. He gently pulled the garment away and lifted her into his arms, shifting her over the tub just a couple feet away.

Air hissed through her teeth as he lowered her into the steaming water. Cold to the bone, the warm water sent a prick of needling sensation across her skin. The raw abrasions around her wrists burned.

“Okay?” he asked.

She sucked in a jagged breath, and pain slowly gave way to soothing relief. “Yes.” She curled forward, raising her knees, rubbing the sting from her skin.

“Lie back and wet your hair,” he said from behind her, the strong scent of soap filling her senses. She glanced over her shoulder to find him kneeling at the curved end of the tub, his hands working a bar of soap into a white lather.

She glanced down at the steaming surface appearing dark in the soft lamplight. The thought of submerging her head into the water put the chill right back in her skin. She remembered the water rising in that trough, the shaft of fear that had spiked through her when she could no longer strain to keep her head above the murky water. Pain had throbbed through her chest as she had fought to hold her breath until she was sure she’d pass out or drown at any moment.

A shudder swept through her. “I’d rather not.”

Juniper’s hands froze on the soap. “I wasn’t thinking,” he said, his expression apologetic. He stood, grabbed a large tin cup from a shelf behind him then knelt back down. “Tilt your head back,” he whispered.

Lily closed her eyes and did as he asked. She sighed as he doused her scalp with warm water. His strong fingers worked the soap deep into her grimy hair, sending ripples of pleasing sensations dancing down her neck to the rest of her body.

As he finished rinsing out her hair, a knock sounded at the door. “That should be Reg with your clean clothes. Here,” he said, handing her the soap and a cloth. “He’ll want to know how you’re doing.”

Before she could say a word, Juniper was out the door. Anxious to get out of the water despite the soothing warmth, Lily quickly scrubbed up. Finished, she draped the cloth over the side of the tub. The door squeaked open, preventing her from rising.

“June?”

“It’s me,” he said, though all she saw was a pile of petticoats and a light gray dress being tossed at the bed. He spoke in a low murmur to someone on the other side of the door.

“Send word if she needs anything else,” she heard Regi say.

“Will do.” Juniper stepped inside holding a silver tray. Her gaze was trained on her chocolate pot as he kicked the door shut behind him. His slow grin brought the burn of tears to her eyes.

“Figured this would be just the thing to get you good and warm.” He slid the tray onto the table and filled the cup.

Lily began to stand.

“Stay where you are,” Juniper insisted.

“But—”

“You’re not done warming,” he said.
“Sit.”

Lily settled back into the warm bath as he handed her a cup of hot chocolate. Just the smell of the rich chocolate made her stomach churn. Wrapping her hands around the warm mug, she took a slow drink and shut her eyes as warm liquid moved through her. But it couldn’t reach the chill deep in her bones.

“Better?”

“I will be,” she said, looking up at him, “once you strip off those wet clothes and join me.”

“That may not be the best idea.”

“It’s a fine idea. You need warming, too.”

“Believe me,” he said, his lips tilting with a smile, “I’m plenty warm.”

“I’m not.”

Juniper released a hard sigh. “Lily—”

“I need you to warm me.”

He stared at her for a long moment, then turned away and barred the door. He reached for his belt buckle, saying, “All right. So long as you know that’s my sole intention, to warm you.” He stripped off his damp clothes in a matter of seconds, and she noted parts of him were definitely heating up. She needed every bit of his heat.

“Scoot forward.”

She did, smiling as he stepped into the long tub and eased down behind her, raising the water level to her shoulders. His arms slid around her middle as she leaned back, settling against his chest as his long legs stretched out on either side of her. Lily released a long, shuddering breath, and her body finally relaxed completely.

“Perfect.” She sighed, thankful to have feeling back in her fingers and toes, not to mention every place where his skin brushed hers.

“How’s your chocolate?” he asked after a moment.

She held her cup up in offering.

“Sharing?”

“Of course.”

He wrapped his hand around hers, took a drink and released her.

“Do you like it?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.

“Nearly as sweet as you,” he said, his arm sliding back around her middle.

“This is your cabin,” she said, her gaze sliding over the tidy, functional space as she drank the rest of her cocoa.

“Yep.”

“It’s…
cozy.
”

His low chuckle vibrated against her back. “It’s a hovel. But having my own place beats bunking with twenty lumberjacks.”

“Do you like being a lawman?”

“I guess.” He lifted the empty cup from her hand, his long arm easily setting it aside. Lily could hardly see anything beyond the brass sides of the tub, and Juniper’s knees raised on either side of her—which suited her just fine.

“Do you like being a business tycoon?”

She grinned at the title. “Sometimes. I like being a part of something I can watch continually grow. But I’ve never thought much beyond profit margins, never really understanding how people were affected by my decisions. Being here has been enlightening. I’ve been given a whole new perspective, not just for this company, but so many others.” She caressed the long fingers laced across her stomach. “Despite all that’s happened, I’m glad I came. I’m glad I met you.”

Juniper kissed the top of her head, and she hoped that was some kind of agreement.

“I want to fix things,” she said.

“I know you do.”

She eased forward and turned to look up at him. “Do you think I can?”

Juniper was stunned she’d ask him such a question, yet she stared up at him as though his opinion had considerable weight. “I think you’re amazing,” he said in flat honesty. “A bunch of griping lumberjacks should be the last thing on your mind right now. You’ve barely thawed out. And now you’re campaigning for them?”

The memory of how close he’d come to losing her brought the tension back into his muscles. “You could have been killed, Lily. God knows I can’t get you off this mountain fast enough.”

“I created this whole situation. You can’t deny it.”

“Sweetheart, this camp was having problems long before you took it over. Right now, my
only
concern is you.”

She leaned up and kissed his lips. “I like the sound of that. Just me and you.”

Her gentle smile brought back the words she’d spoken as she shivered in his arms: “I forgive you.”

The words bumped around in his subconscious, yet he hadn’t forgotten that just a week ago she’d had reason enough to want him dead.

Some things are worse than death,
his heart cautioned. Wanting what he couldn’t have; falling for a woman who deserved so much more than he had to offer.

Her hand found him beneath the water, jolting him from his thoughts. The gliding caress hardened him in a rush and had him swearing under his breath.

“Oops. Sorry.” She flashed a grin that was anything but apologetic as her hand continued to bump his thighs beneath the water. “I’m looking for the soap.”