or the next thing I know, the Rangers will be looking for me the way they’re looking for you.”
“You go tell Len. He’s out by the corral waiting.” With a mixture of anger and authority the older man left no doubt that he was the leader. “I want to watch the dancing.”
Mary heard them moving behind her. The tinkling of their spurs soured the music’s rhythm. She waited, hoping one of them would step into the light, but there were too many people. One, or both, could easily blend into the crowd.
She circled between the groups of people, eager to spot the face that would match the young southern voice. But most of the cowhands looked the same. Tall, lean, tanned by the sun. The lively music and laughter intermingled voices. She hoped to catch a few words that sounded like one of the men she’d overheard.
She didn’t notice Cooper standing beside her until he spoke.
“Would you dance with me, Mary, if I promised not to talk to you?” His face was guarded, void of all expression. She couldn’t be sure if he looked worried, or angry, or if he was simply playing host.
Dancing was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had to tell him what she’d heard. Even if it was some kind of joke the boys were playing, Cooper had a right to be warned. Only they hadn’t sounded like they were joking.
Mary faced him and slowly raised her hand. “You promise not to say a word?”
“Cross my heart, darlin’,” he answered. The hint of a smile fought its way across his face as his hand reached for hers. The worry lines along his forehead relaxed.
“Good, because I’ve something I have to tell you.” Mary couldn’t read him. He gripped her ?ngers as if he had been looking for her for hours and didn’t plan to let her go anytime soon, but his eyes held an uncertainty. “It…”
“It can wait,” he whispered against her cheek as he pulled her onto the ?oor.
His arm felt solid around her waist, but he didn’t pull her as close as he had when they’d danced in the livery. His ?ngers caressed hers as he swung her in time to the music. For a man who claimed to hate dances and told his sisters he saw no need for a ball, Cooper managed to keep in step. At ?rst, Mary thought of nothing but trying to stay up with him without making a fool of herself. She wasn’t about to tell him she had never truly danced, but she feared it was apparent, for she could not seem to follow him or the music.
When she tromped across his boots for the fourth time, he leaned close and whispered, “Why don’t you just stand on them, darlin’. At least then I’ll know where you are.”
Mary felt her face blush all the way to her hairline. She fought to pull away, but he held her as they continued to try to follow the music.
Anger boiled inside her. She was trying to help him but he guided her into the center of the room, a place she never wanted to be. Mary ?red out the ?rst thing that came to her mind. “Stop calling me darling!”
He pulled her far too close to be considered proper. “I’m not even talking to you.” He brushed her ear with his lips as he spoke. “Relax. Dance with me, Mary. Just like you did before when no one was watching.”
“I don’t want to dance,” she answered, aware that people stared at them. “I need to talk to you.”
“I thought we were never speaking again.”
“Shut up and listen.” Mary decided Cooper would drive a mute woman to scream. Her own meek ways were fading fast in frustration.
He laughed again, loud enough that several couples turned to face them. “You’re sure getting bossy, Mary, my dear.”
Releasing all but her hand, he walked to the side of the musicians’ stand. The tune was too loud for conversation. Mary didn’t want to shout. Without a word, she tugged at his arm and pulled him into the back of the barn.
He made no protest as they slipped between the patchwork blankets and melted into the blackness of one of the horse stalls. Mary slowed and gripped his arm tighter. The place had been swept clean, but the smell of hay and horses still lingered.
As she crossed the darkness, he moved closer, letting her know he was right beside her. The warmth of his body comforted and excited her at the same time. When she touched the smooth wood at the back of the stall, she turned to face him. “Cooper, I have to-”
“I know, I lied.” His hands moved up her arms and into her hair. “I’ll never be sorry for kissing you,” he said, a moment before his mouth found hers. His kiss was hard and hungry, as though he’d been starving.
Mary opened her mouth to protest and the kiss deepened.
He leaned closer, pushing her against the back of the stall. Her mind told her this was insane, there was information he must know. He might even be in danger. But pleasure stampeded over reason.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she returned his kiss.
He took the advance with a low moan and welcomed her along the length of him. They moved, like old lovers, in perfect harmony to this dance.
Her hair tumbled free. His hand spread into the dark curls, lost in the softness as he drank deep of the taste of her. Quiet, shy, plain little Mary had somehow become the woman he knew he couldn’t live without. Even in the darkness, with the music playing and people laughing only a few feet away, Cooper couldn’t bring himself to stop. From the moment he’d helped her off the horse and she slipped from his arms, all he’d been able to think about was her. He’d gone half mad trying to look for her without being obvious. About the time he decided she must have left the party and walked back to town, she appeared.
She rushed to him, saying she needed to talk, pulling him into the shadows. He forgot all the words he’d planned to say to her. Now he couldn’t get close enough to her. It didn’t matter if they talked, as long as they held one another. He planned to take a lifetime to convince her how he felt; right now all he wanted to do was show her.
She thawed as he touched her.
Hesitantly, he brushed his ?ngers over her breast and caught her reaction against his lips. She moved so that his hand caressed her once more.
Pure pleasure bolted through his blood. He closed his ?ngers around her, feeling the soft mound through thin cotton. Her dress might be drab and ordinary, but there was nothing short of perfection in his hand.
Widening his ?ngers, he moved his hands slowly along her sides as he kissed her, loving the way she swayed against him when he cupped her round bottom.
He wanted to undress her. To make love to her. He didn’t care if the entire county saw them. But he would wait. For now, just holding her would have to be enough.
His arms closed around her and he straightened, lifting her off the ground. She was his as surely as if they’d said the words. He had ?nally found his mate. Whether he bedded her this night, or waited a year, didn’t matter. She was his other half, and he was hers.
He pulled an inch away and whispered, “Marry me, Mary.”
Before she could answer, shouts exploded from the other side of the quilts. The music stopped. Everyone spoke at once. Cooper circled his arm around her shoulder as they ran toward the light.
“Rustlers!” someone yelled beyond the dancers. “They’re driving the herd out of Echo Canyon. Hurry!”
The women cried out and scrambled for their children. The men moved in a mass toward the barn door and their horses.
“Let’s ride!” one man shouted. “We’ll catch them this time!”
“Get my ri?e from the wagon. I’ll give them a fair trial before I shoot every last one of them.”
“Hurry, men! We don’t want any to get away.”
Cooper almost dragged Mary along, for she held with a death grip on his arm. They crossed with the others to the corral, where the horses seemed to catch the excitement.
“You can’t go!” She pulled at his arm, realizing for the ?rst time how much stronger he was than her.
He barely heard her above the crowd. “I have to. A year’s work depends on those cattle.” He tried to be gentle. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Her grip didn’t loosen. “You can’t go! I heard men talking…”
Cooper pulled from her as Duly brought up his horse. The midnight mare pranced between them. “Stay with my sisters!” he yelled as he swung onto the saddle.
“Don’t go!” She had no time to explain. “Your future is in danger. Don’t go!” Mary wasn’t sure if he heard her last words. Everyone shouted as the men rode off toward Echo Canyon.
