Pine needles crunched under the weight of someone’s boots as they neared.
Kitty and two pairs of legs stopped in front of her hiding spot.
Rainee swallowed the cry welling up inside her.
Then a man knelt in front of the opening.
Rainee scarcely drew breath and remained stock still.
The bushes parted. Leaves rustled and branches crunched. The urge to bolt shot through her like the blast of a cannon, but her body would not move, and there was nowhere to go.
On hands and knees, the man crawled through the small opening.
Rainee screamed, but she would not give up without a fight. A strength she never knew she had visited her at that moment. She raised her legs and kicked wildly at the intruder. Strong hands clasped her feet, rendering her powerless.
Her hands took up the battle.
In vain she struggled to free herself, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not break his hold on her. “Let go of me, Ferrin. I would rather die than go back with you. I will not marry him and you cannot make me. I refuse to be sold off like a piece of merchandise.”
“Rainee. Rainee, it’s okay. It’s me, Haydon.”
Rainee stopped struggling. “Haydon?” Through moisture-filled eyes she saw the blurred image of him hovering before her in the darkness. “Is—is it really you?”
“Yes, it’s really me.” He released her legs.
Rainee lunged forward, throwing herself against Haydon. His arms wrapped around her and pulled her against him.
Pools of tears pocketed her eyes and sobs tore from her.
Haydon rubbed her back. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
Rainee wrenched away and shook her head venomously. “No! It is not okay. It will never be okay again,” she cried before melting into the haven of his sturdy arms. Ferrin had found her. She would have to leave the man she loved. Because his life was now in danger, too. Ferrin would stop at nothing to get his way.
Haydon held Rainee’s trembling form close to him. He needed the connection to her. Almost losing her had frightened him half to death. When he had first discovered she was betrothed, he had been angry until he learned the truth. Now, Haydon refused to let those infidels take her. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here and get you warm.”
She nodded against his chest and slid from his arms. He crawled out and held the bushes back while she climbed out.
“It’s too late to try to get back to the house. We’ll have to camp out here.”
Her chin shot upward. “I—I cannot sleep out here alone with you. It—it is not proper,” she said through chattering teeth as she wrapped her arms around herself. That was one rule of propriety she would never break.
Haydon removed his jacket and held it out as she slipped her arms through the sleeves. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes as if relishing the heat his jacket provided.
“We’re not alone, Rainee.”
She glanced at Kitty and looked up at him like he had slipped a few knots.
He smiled. “Smokey’s here, too.”
Smokey stepped out of the shadows. “Miss.” He gave a quick nod.
“Smokey, why don’t you…”
“Get some wood for a fire. I’m already on it, boss.”
“And quit calling me boss,” he spoke to Smokey’s retreating shadow.
Haydon placed his arm around Rainee’s shoulder and led her to an opening near the river. Reluctantly he let her go to roll a log over for her to sit on.
She clutched his jacket tighter. In the light of the moon, her lost, sad eyes pecked at his heart. Haydon wanted to pull her into his arms again and make her forget all of her troubles.
“Sit down. I’ll be right back.”
“Where—where you going?”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her
close. His lips pressed against her hair and he kissed her there. “It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m not leaving. I need to get a blanket from my horse. I’ll be right back.”
A moment and she nodded her head against his chest.
He didn’t want to let her go, but he helped her sit down and then walked over to his horse. After securing Rebel to a tree branch near the river, he untied the blanket from his saddle and reached inside the saddlebag and pulled out the sack his mother had given him before he’d headed out the door.
Smokey was arranging the wood he had gathered into a pile.
Haydon unrolled the blanket and draped it over Rainee’s legs, then sat next to her.
The small fire started to crack and pop. Within minutes it grew stronger and warmer, filling the air with smoke, pine and heat.
“I’m going to gather more firewood.”
Haydon nodded at Smokey, then reverted his attention back to Rainee. Shadows from the fire danced across her face.
“Here.” Haydon handed her the bag of food. “You need to get something in your belly.”
Rainee took the sack from him and wrenched it open. She dove her hand into the bag. Her actions reminded him of Abby at Christmastime. His little sister couldn’t wait to open her Christmas stocking. When Abby finally received permission, she dove into it and yanked the items out as fast as her little hands would let her.
That’s what Rainee was doing now. Only this wasn’t a happy occasion like Christmas.
She yanked out the sandwich and removed the cloth around it. In one bite, a huge portion of the sandwich disappeared. Rainee’s cheeks swelled like a chipmunk’s.
She tore off another large portion and then another until the sandwich disappeared.
Haydon watched her devour the sandwich like a starving animal, and the sight tore at his heart.
Without saying a word, she rammed her hand into the sack again and plucked out an apple. She opened her mouth wide and bit into it, closing her eyes as she chewed. Within minutes it too vanished.
All of a sudden, she froze and turned wide eyes up at him. “Merciful heavens,” she spoke through the last bite of apple. “Where are my manners?” She quickly turned away.
Haydon reached over and gently pulled her chin toward him. Yellow-orange, fiery shadows pranced across her face. Her eyes refused to look up at him. “Rainee.” He tilted her chin up. “It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.” Humor threaded his voice.
Her gaze flew to his, and he smiled. After a single moment, her lips tilted upward as well. Haydon stared at her lips, and then his eyes traveled to hers.
She blinked, and her gaze dropped to his mouth.
Haydon leaned slowly toward her and gently nudged her chin closer to him. Her soft skin under his fingers was intoxicating.
Her eyes slid shut, and their lips connected. Rainee’s parted lips tasted like sweet apples. His mouth caressed hers and she returned his kiss with a sweet, innocent passion.
All the popping and cracking coming from the fire didn’t even come close to all the sizzling and popping going on inside him.
Suddenly she pulled back and scooted away from him.
Why did that always feel like such a rip to his soul? “What’s the matter?”
“I am sorry, but I cannot do this. As much as I want to, I just cannot.” She shook her head.
“Do what? Kiss me?” He searched her eyes as if they held the answer, but all he saw was fear and pain. He reached for her hand, noticing the lacey gloves she always had on. The question of why she always wore them drifted over him. Another time he would ask. Right now he wanted, no needed, the connection to her again. He reached for her hands, but she tucked them under the blanket. Disappointment drifted over him like the smoke from the fire.
“There is something you need to know. And once you hear it, you will be sorry you ever kissed me.”
H
er heart had never hurt this badly before. Rainee stared into Haydon’s bewildered face. He deserved to know the truth. And once he heard it, she feared he would no longer want anything to do with her.
“Haydon, I—I…” She drew in a long breath for courage and shifted her body toward his. “Remember when I first came here, and I told you to trust me that I had no choice but to place an advertisement? You need to know the real reason why I left and the truth about my family.”
“I know what you’re going to tell me, Rainee.”
“You—you do?” She swallowed hard and stared at him. How could he possibly know?
“Yes. You placed the advertisement looking for a husband so you wouldn’t have to marry that old man your brother sold you to like some worthless animal.” His words spewed bitterness.
Rainee sucked in a sharp breath and slammed her hand against her chest.
Dear God, no. Ferrin must be at Haydon’s ranch.
She swallowed the lock of air lodged in her throat. “Where—where is Ferrin now?” Her heart slowed to a crawl while she waited for his answer.
“He’s in jail. Right where he should be.”
Ferrin? In jail? She gulped. All sorts of scenarios dashed through her mind about what Ferrin must have done to land in jail. Each idea increased the dread inside her. “What happened?”
Haydon relayed what had transpired and how Ferrin had pulled a gun on them. Knowing what evil her brother was capable of, relief rained over her that no one had been seriously hurt. Or worse, killed.
“I am so sorry, Haydon.” Her eyes met his. “I never meant for your family to get involved in my family’s problems. I thought I had done a secure job of covering all my tracks so that he would never find me. I should have known better. When Ferrin sets his mind to something, he will do whatever it takes to achieve it. And right now, he is determined I shall marry Mr. Alexander.” She shuddered at the very idea.
Haydon took her hands in his.
She stared down at their hands, relishing the strength and feel of his even through her lacey gloves. Her heart ached for what could never be.
“Rainee, you don’t have to marry him. He can’t make you.”
“Yes, he can, Mr. Bowen. For he is cruel to his very soul, and he will stop at nothing to get his way. And there is nothing you, nor I nor anyone else can do about it.” Her body had the scars to prove it.
So it was back to being called Mr. Bowen again. That didn’t bode well.
She removed her hand from his.
He wanted to snatch it back, but he controlled the urge.
What did she mean there wasn’t anything anyone
could do about it? The Civil War had ended the sale of one human being to another. “Of course you have a choice.” His gaze sought hers. “You can stay and marry me.”
Her eyes widened. “Marry you? But I thought you did not want to marry again.”
“I didn’t. Then I met you.”
She faced the fire. The light from the flames danced across her lovely face, accentuating the glistening trail of tears trickling down her cheeks. Haydon slid his arm around her shoulders. He tucked her under his arm and pressed her head against his chest.
Smokey tossed a few more logs onto the fire. A look of compassion passed between the two men. Smokey jerked his head toward the bushes, a signal that he would give them some privacy. Haydon mouthed his thank you and Smokey slipped into the thick brush.
He positioned Rainee so he could see her face. Her eyes were downcast.
Haydon thumbed the tears from each cheek, then lifted her chin toward him.
With her eyes still closed, Haydon lowered his head, inching his lips toward hers. When their mouths touched, Rainee clutched a fistful of his shirt with one hand. They clung to each other. Their hearts beat as one as their kiss deepened. Salty tears trickled over his lips. Whether they were hers or his, he didn’t know.
He wanted to pull her close, but the way they were seated made that impossible. Instead, he allowed his lips alone to get closer to her.
When his need to show her how much he loved her increased, he released her mouth and once again snuggled the side of her face against his chest. “Rainee. What would I do without you?” He struggled to calm
his erratic breathing and noticed she was doing the same. They held each other tight for a long time.
Smokey slipped from the shadows, carrying a bed-roll.
He tossed several more logs onto the fire. Haydon shifted Rainee until he could see her face. A yellow-and-orange glow danced across her lovely features. Her eyes searched his with a yearning he could not describe. He wanted to kiss her again. To hold her forever. To shield her from the beast that waited to take her from him.
He pressed his lips against her forehead, lingering for several moments before he reluctantly withdrew his arms from around her. It was time to get some rest. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”
After helping her get situated by the fire, he lay opposite to her and watched her until she fell asleep.
As he drifted off to sleep, he determined that no matter how long it took, he would find a way to stop her brother from marrying her off to that old man. He had to. His heart depended on it.
Hours later, daylight filtered through Haydon’s eyelids. He slowly opened his eyes to greet another sunny day. He scratched his neck and yawned, then looked toward Rainee.
The blanket she had used lay neatly folded on the ground.
Haydon sat up and scanned the area.
Smokey stepped into the clearing and headed toward him. “Miss Devonwood is gone again, boss.”
He closed his eyes, then slipped his boots on and stood. “Where’d she go?”
“Her tracks lead that way.” Smokey pointed down
the river. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear her leave. I must have been more tired than I thought.”
“Well, I did. I heard her moving about earlier, but I thought she was just going to relieve herself.” Haydon snatched his hat up and plopped it on his head. “Listen, I don’t want Mother worrying about us, so will you head back to the ranch and tell her what’s happened? I’ll go look for Rainee.”
“Yes, sir, boss.” Smokey bent down and hoisted his saddle over his shoulder.
“Smokey.”
The older man faced him. “Yes, boss.”
“Please stop calling me boss and sir. You’re family, remember?”
Smokey just smiled and then proceeded to saddle his horse.
After Haydon snuffed out the fire, he hauled his saddle over his shoulder and saddled his horse. “God, please help me find Rainee, and keep her safe until I do.” A sigh squeezed out of his heart and past his lips.
“Amen,” Smokey added.
Rainee glanced over her shoulder before she stopped and leaned her back against a tree to catch her breath. Having traveled so far and so fast yesterday, every muscle in her body ached, and the blisters on her feet screamed with pain. She had no idea where she was or how far she had gone.
Last night, her fears of what Ferrin might do to the Bowens if she did not leave them had kept her from a good night’s sleep. After all, he had already shot one of them. Worse was the understanding her brother had found her even though she and Jenetta had been so careful. On her journey here, she had even disguised herself
as an old woman and had worn several other disguises to keep Ferrin off of her trail. Only at the last stage stop had she changed into her own clothing because she did not want to meet Haydon looking like a haggard old woman.
She still could not believe he had actually mentioned marrying her. It was the one thing she had wanted to hear since her arrival. But she knew that marrying him would put his life into jeopardy, and she could not stand to be the one putting a target on his back. He didn’t understand what Ferrin was capable of. She pressed her lips together and sniffed. Choppy, short breaths were all she could manage as she silently cried, stumbling through the underbrush.
She had to keep going. The idea of being at her brother and Mr. Alexander’s mercy was all the incentive she needed to force her body into submission.
Broken tree limbs crunched under her feet and the sound of water rolling over the river rocks echoed in her ears.
Coming around a bend in the river, Rainee stopped. In the distance, Indian men, women and children milled about. Knots of terror twisted in Rainee’s stomach. She had heard stories about the savage Indians out West and how they brutally murdered and scalped white people. She touched her blond hair and fingered a loose strand. The spotted mule deer jerky she had eaten before her escape churned in her stomach. She pressed her hand against her mouth, gulping down her fear.
On unstable legs, Rainee backed up, then whirled, smacking hard into a wall of flesh. The pulse in her neck matched the rapid drumbeat coming from the Indians’ campsite. She opened her mouth to scream but stopped when her trail of vision landed on Haydon.
“Rainee, why did you leave?”
She pressed her hand against her heart, willing it to calm down. Ignoring his question, she asked, “What—what are you doing here?”
“I came to take you home.”
Rainee swung her head back and forth. “No! It is too great of a risk.” She pointed toward the Indians. “I would rather be taken captive by those—those savages than go back and be forced into marrying that ogre.”
Haydon threw his head back and laughed.
Rainee frowned. When he continued laughing, she slammed her hands on her waist and glared up at him. “And, pray tell, just what is so funny about that?”
“Those savages, as you call them, Rainee, are Nez Perce Indians. They’re friendly.”
“Well then, all the better for me. I shall go live with them.”
“And just how will you communicate with them? Do you speak their language?” Humor waltzed through his eyes.
Glad he was finding this whole situation so funny, she planted her hands on her hips. The idea of going back and being forced to marry a man she did not love…a man old enough to be her grandfather…a man who was every bit as cruel as her brother was, there was nothing funny in that.
She whirled, placing her back to him. She did not know any Indian language. That fact caused her spirit to deflate. Now what would she do? Every time she ran, Haydon followed her, determined to take her back. She could not let that happen. Not with the threat of Ferrin nearby. No jail cell would hold him. That she was certain of.
“Rainee.” Haydon’s hands rested on her shoulders.
He circled her until she faced him. He clasped her hands in his. “Trust me. I meant what I said last night about you marrying me. And I promise I won’t let him harm you or force you into marrying that man. Let’s go back to the ranch and—”
“No!” Rainee ripped her hands from his, and one of her lacey gloves came off in the process. Her eyes widened in horror. She slammed her gloved hand on top of her naked one to cover the hideous scars.
Horrified by what he had seen in that one, short flash, Haydon gawked at the raised scars trailing up and down Rainee’s hand and wrist, which he could still see although she tried mightily to cover them. Concern and compassion drove through him as he gently raised her hand off the one she covered. His stomach churned at the sight of the raised scars marring her small hand.
She yanked her hand back, and with shaky fingers she snatched the glove from him and rammed her hand into it.
“Rainee.” He wanted to see her, but she turned from him. Red flooded her cheeks, and she slid her hands behind her back. “How did you get those scars?”
Rainee chewed on her lip.
Haydon waited for her to answer, but anger at the one who had done that to her boiled within him.
Finally, she whispered something, but he didn’t hear what she’d said. “What did you say?”
“Ferrin.” This time she spoke a little louder.
His fist clenched at his side and his blood ran hot. That man was even worse than Haydon had imagined. If Ferrin thought Haydon would let him anywhere near Rainee, the thug was sorely mistaken.
In that second, he made up his mind to marry her
as soon as possible. She may have come here to marry him out of convenience, but someday he hoped that convenience would turn to love. One thing was for sure, he vowed he would not fail her like he had Melanie. Haydon extended his hand toward her. “Come on.” Contempt for her brother spewed through his voice.
Rainee jerked her head up and looked at him. “I am so sorry, Haydon. I know my hands are hideous,” she blurted. “I never meant for you or anyone else to see them. But you jerked my hand so quickly the glove came off, and I could not get them hidden fast enough. I know they are grotesque. The ones on my back are even worse.”
She was talking so fast Haydon had a hard time keeping up with her.
“My Aunt Lena was right. She said no one would ever want me because of them, but I—” Tears glistened in her eyes, and her shoulders rose and fell as the words died away.
Haydon stood there speechless. She actually thought he was offended by the scars and that no one would want her? And what did she mean by the ones on her back? Just how many beatings had she endured? He reached for her, but she stepped backward and bumped into a tree.
“I am so sorry. I should have never come here.” Faster than a bolt of lightning, she shifted past him and took off running.
“Rainee, wait!” He bolted after her, barely dodging the branches. When he caught up to her, he captured her by the elbow and turned her toward him.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Let me go,” she said through gasps of air. She tried to jerk free, but
Haydon clutched her forearms. “You are better off if I leave.”
At that moment he could only be ashamed of his previous behavior toward her. All he had thought about was himself and what he wanted. He never once cared about why she had written the advertisement. Or why Jesse had responded to it.
Wanting to shield her from everything she had ever been through, he wrapped her in his arms, pressed her head against his chest and her body against his and cradled her.
Moisture from her eyes seeped through his shirt.
“Rainee, I’m so sorry.”
Her body trembled and sobs racked her small frame.