about to start begging now. ‘‘No,’’ he mumbled. ‘‘It’s part of nothing. And it’s certainly not something you have to do to play the part of my wife.’’
He pulled his hat lower as if ending the discussion.
She didn’t say a word, but moved her arms around his neck. Slowly she leaned into him and raised her face to his.
‘‘I think I’d like to kiss you,’’ she whispered against his cheek. ‘‘For no other reason than I want to.’’ Her mouth moved feather light across his cheek and touched his lips.
At first the kiss was awkward, but after a few moments he pulled her closer and groaned as she melted so softly against him.
He’d kissed a few women in his years, but none tasted like Kora. Her lips were soft and yielding, with just enough hesitancy to fascinate him. He hadn’t kissed her since that night in the barn, and now he was surprised at how much he’d missed the taste of her.
As the kiss continued, she moved her fingers over his shoulders and touched the hair at the base of his neck. She was getting used to him, he thought. Accepting him one action at a time.
Her small hands lightly stroked his jawline as her lips brushed against his. She was no longer just accepting his kiss, she was returning it.
He let her set the pace, returning her kisses, without demanding more. Slowly she grew bolder, and he answered her request.
His fingers around her waist gripped tightly as he kissed her again and again. ‘‘You like riding?’’ he whispered against her lips.
‘‘I like riding with you,’’ she answered.
She straightened, trusting his grip to hold her, as she opened her mouth. The action was bold, but his smile told her of his pleasure. His arms tightened as the kiss deepened. No words could pass between them. No words were needed.
When the horse stopped, Win glanced up in surprise. ‘‘We’re home,’’ he whispered as his face moved against her hair, loving the clean smell of it.
‘‘Really?’’ She sounded as if she didn’t believe him. ‘‘The trip seemed shorter on horseback.’’
Win laughed as he swung down, then reached for her. His hand slid lightly up her leg to her waist in an action far bolder than he’d ever done. When she didn’t pull away, he lowered her slowly, close to his body. ‘‘Maybe it was because we didn’t talk much.’’
She turned away. He might have thought he’d stepped too far, embarrassing her with his teasing. But her hand lingered on his sleeve, moving along his arm as his hand had covered her leg. The slight touch was a promise.
Cheyenne appeared in the kitchen door before Winter could say anything.
‘‘Win!’’ Cheyenne yelled as he hobbled onto the back porch. ‘‘They found a man shot at dusk on the south rim. Another lookout spotted a rider wearing black moving away from that direction.’’
Win pressed Kora to the corners of his mind. ‘‘I’ll ride back for the doc!’’ He turned to ready his horse.
‘‘No need.’’ Cheyenne stepped off the porch. ‘‘The man’s dead.’’
Winter’s rage matched the fury of the storm blowing in from the north. He gave Kora a quick nod of goodbye and began issuing orders at his men. By midnight they’d brought in the man’s body and prepared it for burial at dawn and doubled the guard in every section. The trouble had finally reached them.
Winter knew killers waited somewhere in the night. He’d reacted when they’d ambushed Cheyenne and him, but now he was planning to act. He couldn’t stand by while they picked off his ranch hands one at a time. By dawn he planned to be hunting the men down. He’d start by paying the fellow at Breaks Settlement a visit. If the man was still alive, he might tell who rode with him and who hired them. Then he’d find the other two riders in black and see that they were soon behind bars.
SEVENTEEN
BY FULL SUNUP TWO MORE MEN RODE IN WOUNDED. Both told the same story of being shot at by two men in black dusters. One reported that he had the feeling they were shooting wild, trying to scare more than kill.
Winter organized riders and Kora helped with the wounded. The Winchester Quarantine, as the ranchers were calling it, was working, but no one knew for how long. The riders in black reminded everyone that the trouble was real and could be deadly.
The men lived in their saddles, and Kora worked late each night cooking and nursing. Dr. Gage came almost daily, and on most visits the gambler was with him. Wyatt reported he’d been out of town on a two-day poker game, and in truth, he looked as if he hadn’t slept.
Kora watched him talking with Jamie, realizing the man was fascinated by her sister. But there was something dark about him, as if all around him stood in brighter light. He laughed and was always friendly and polite, but Kora didn’t miss the wariness in his eyes or the sadness that turned his mouth down when he thought no one was looking. He seemed overly interested in the blockade, and Kora finally decided that he might be trying to fit into this ranching world that seemed to have little use for gamblers except on Saturday night.
Kora did enjoy Steven Gage’s company, however, and looked forward to the doctor’s visits. He was a kind man whose low voice was as soothing and reassuring as his medicine. Almost from the first, they became the kind of honest friends few people find. She could talk and laugh about almost anything with Steven.
One evening, when everyone had turned in for the night, Steven was still waiting for Wyatt and Jamie to make it back with his buggy. He relaxed in the kitchen with Kora. They talked over coffee and joked about the possibility of Jamie and Wyatt’s children.
Just as Kora finished laughing so hard she had to hold her side, she looked up to see Winter in the doorway. He seemed so tall and dark, like a one-man thunderstorm that would wipe out an entire county if it moved.
He was just standing in the doorway staring. His Stetson was low, shading his eyes, and the layer of dust over him reminded her of the way she’d first seen him.
‘‘Winter!’’ She fought to sober her expression.
He’d been constantly worried about the blockade, and he didn’t need her laughter. After his long day he probably only wanted food and sleep.
For a moment he stood as stone, then suddenly turned and vanished. Kora could feel the sparks in the air, rippling through the room like dry lightning.
Steven stood, looking nervous. ‘‘I really thought Wyatt and Jamie would be back by now.’’ He paced to the window and back.
Kora stared at the doorway, then at Steven. ‘‘I hope nothing’s wrong,’’ she said, thinking more of Winter than her sister. Why would he come all the way to the door and not come inside?
The doctor shuffled. ‘‘I think I’ll make a final check on the wounded. If they’re doing all right, they can be moved into the bunkhouse soon. My buggy should be back by the time I’m finished.’’ He almost ran out of the kitchen.
Kora cleaned up the dishes and set Winter’s supper out, thinking somehow Winter’s dark mood had been caught by Steven. She made Win a plate every night, even though some nights he came in too tired to eat it. At least tonight he made it home in time to say hello before retiring into his study. He reminded her of a clock wound too tight; he seemed to tick off his life in double time.
Win hadn’t kissed her again since that night he’d brought her home. Kora couldn’t help but wonder if he thought of it as often as she did. Sometimes late at night, when he was sleeping soundly, she’d touch her lips to his, but it wasn’t the same as it had been when he’d held her so close.
She waited on the porch for a few minutes, then grew restless. He should have been back from the barn by now. Something was wrong. She could feel it, though she had no idea what it might be. She’d seen the anger in Winter’s fast movement. And Steven had felt something, also.
With long quick steps she hurried to the barn, suddenly needing to know what had happened. She couldn’t help Win unless she knew what bothered him so. There was no use worrying herself sick alone in the house, when all
