Safe in His Arms

NINE





Margaret clutched the glass of punch in her hand. The coolness of the glass kept her rooted in reality. Stake his claim, indeed. Those other men weren’t interested in her, only in her father’s ranch. And the only claim Daniel was going to stake was on the bank’s money. She had to make sure he failed in that attempt. Still, she wanted to weep, which wasn’t like her. Not at all. But then, ever since Daniel had arrived, she hadn’t been behaving in a characteristic way. She had a sinking feeling that she was heading for major trouble. The sooner Daniel was exposed and out of her life, the better.

Where could he have gone in such a hurry? She stood and set her empty glass down among others on top of a barrel. Maybe she could overhear something if she found out where he went. She tried to be nonchalant as she strolled around the barn. But there was no sign of his tall figure. She headed toward the back door, then stepped out into the dark night that enveloped the yard. The sweet scent of flowers teased her nose.

She heard a murmur of voices from over by the feed trough. Stepping cautiously, she inched her way toward the voices. Just as she was nearly close enough to hear, she stepped in something. From the way it squished up over her ankle, she knew just what it was. Then the unpleasant odor reached her nostrils, and she knew for certain it was a fresh cowpat. She sucked in her breath and gingerly tried to wipe it off on the grass.

She stumbled into the side of the horse trough, and a pail clattered to the ground. The murmur of voices stopped, and she heard Daniel’s familiar deep voice.

“Get out of here before someone sees you. Tell Frank I’ll be in touch so we can make our final plans.”

A woman answered, “I don’t want to talk about Frank. I want to talk about us. I want you back, Daniel.”

“Golda, this is not the time or the place. I’ll talk to you later.”

Moments later the moon illuminated Daniel’s white shirt as he came toward her.

“Margaret, what are you doing out here in the dark?” When he saw her trying to scrape her shoe, he grinned. “Need some help?”

She wanted to shout her questions at him, but she forced herself to smile at him instead. “I think I’ll go to the house and get cleaned up. Tell Lucy, would you, please?” She needed to get away from him before she said something she shouldn’t.

“I’ll come with you.” He took her arm.

She wanted to shake his fingers off her arm. The only reason he was working at the Triple T was to scout out the job he’d come here to do. It had nothing to do with her or any attraction he might feel. And there was another woman involved, and if her voice was any indication, she was beautiful. He was a good actor. A man in his position would have to know how to lie and cover up the truth pretty well. Daniel was an obvious master at it.

He guided her across the yard to Lucy’s front porch. “I’ll send Lucy in to help you.” He hurried back across the yard toward the barn.

Margaret should have felt relieved at his absence, but she was furious with herself and her own gullibility. In spite of what she knew about him, she had begun to believe that he really did feel something for her. But that conversation she’d overheard had made it clear he had only one purpose in coming here tonight. She had made a good cover for him to meet with his cohorts.

That was the way it had been all her life. She was never loved for who she was, only for what she could provide. Tears burned the backs of her eyelids, but she fiercely willed them away. He’d be gone soon. Then life would get back to normal, and all these odd feelings that had plagued her lately would be gone. She would take over running the ranch, and life would be good again.

By the time Lucy got to her, Margaret had already managed to get cleaned up. Lucy made suitable noises of commiseration. “I think I’ll just go home,” Margaret told her. “Could you loan Daniel a horse? I’ll take the buggy and go home by myself.”

“Oh, don’t do that, Margaret! I’ll fetch him and let him drive you. It’s not safe to go alone.”

“I’ve been doing it all my life.” Alone was what she did best.

“Not at night,” Lucy said firmly. She stopped and put a hand to her stomach. “Oh dear.”

“What is it?”

“I—I think the baby is coming.” A puddle of fluid pooled at her feet. “The baby isn’t expected for more than a month.”

“Stay calm. You get to bed and I’ll fetch Nate and have Jed go for the doctor.”

“The doctor is here.” Lucy clutched Margaret’s hand. “I’m scared,” she whispered. “I thought I was ready for this, but it’s too soon. What if the baby dies?”

“You’ll both be fine,” Margaret said, though her heart fluttered at how fragile Lucy looked tonight. She prayed silently and ran for the door. “I’ll be right back with the doctor and Nate.”

She collided with Daniel on the front porch. A wave of relief so intense passed through her that she shuddered. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her, and his touch did just that: a sense of calmness quieted her turmoil.

“What’s wrong?” Alarm tinged his words.

“It’s Lucy. The baby is coming.”

He pulled away. “I’ll fetch Nate.”

“And the doctor,” she called after him. “He’s at the dance too.” She rushed back inside to Lucy.

A confused expression on her face, Lucy sat woodenly in a chair. “I should know what to do, but my mind is empty.”

“Let’s get you undressed and into your nightgown.” Margaret helped Lucy disrobe, then found her nightgown in the bureau. Lucy was trembling when Margaret dropped the nightgown over her head.

“I’m so scared, Margaret. I’m not strong and brave like you.”

Strong and brave. That’s how everyone saw her. What would they think if they knew it was all a facade? People thought of her as mannish because of her size, so she had obliged them by becoming even more that way. No one seemed to appreciate her feminine qualities, so why bother cultivating them? It was ironic. Lucy wanted to be more like her, and Margaret wanted to be like Lucy.

“You’re stronger than you think,” Margaret said.

A white-faced Nate burst into the room, followed by Dr. Cooper. Nate knelt and embraced his wife. “I’m here, Lucy. How are you feeling?”

“I—I’m not sure,” Lucy stammered.

Nate helped her to the bed, with Margaret trailing behind. The doctor shooed them all out of the room so he could examine Lucy.

Daniel was pacing across the parlor floor with William in his arms when Margaret stepped into the room. Jed was sitting in the rocker with his head in his hands. Eileen sat on the floor beside him. He sprang to his feet when he saw Margaret and Nate.

“She’s fine,” Margaret said soothingly.

Jed’s stiff shoulders relaxed and he sat back down. “Will it be a long time?”

“Probably. Babies take their time.” Margaret wanted to go to Daniel and feel his strong arms around her. She needed comfort and reassurance too, but he wasn’t the appropriate one to turn to for consolation. He looked solid and strong standing there with little William in his arms. His strong, craggy face looked like the face of someone who could be trusted. Unfortunately, looks were deceiving. Margaret sighed and looked away.

Daniel put William on the floor, and the tot scampered across the room to his father. Nate scooped him up. “You should be getting to bed, little man,” he said.

“Baby brother,” William announced.

“Maybe a brother but maybe a sister,” Nate said. “You’ll like either one. Maybe the baby will be here when you get up in the morning. Like Margaret said, babies take a long time. Your new brother or sister might not make an appearance until tomorrow.” He motioned to Jed. “Jed and Eileen will tuck you in and read you a story.”

Jed took William from Nate and carried him from the room. He was still protesting at being put to bed, but he didn’t cry. Margaret wished the little one could have stayed. It would have given her something to do with herself.

The doctor came through the door, wiping his hands on a cloth. “She’s doing fine, but it’s going to be awhile. Might as well get comfortable.”

“What about the baby?” Nate asked.

“Too soon to know. Perhaps we’ve just miscalculated the date,” the doctor said. “Otherwise, we may lose it.”

A lump formed in Margaret’s throat. Daniel took her hand, and she looked up in surprise.

“Let’s pray together,” he whispered.

Pray with an outlaw. The thought seemed ridiculous, but as she bowed her head, Margaret found it made perfect sense.




THE MOON GLIMMERED on the rocks around the river and bounced off the water. Charlie took out his pocket watch and held it up to the scanty light. Well past midnight. Had something happened to Daniel? He chewed his lip and thought about it. Daniel knew too much to get caught by the law. He was much too experienced a rider to get thrown or injured by his horse.

What if Daniel had lured him here to get him out of the camp? Maybe he intended to tell Frank that Charlie was too young to be involved. Daniel had been adamantly against him hooking up with Golda and her brother. Charlie didn’t trust him. Not one bit.

He stood and paced along the river. Small pebbles rolled away from his boots, and one splashed into the water. The small sound distracted him. He should leave right now. Make sure there was no funny business going on behind his back.

Another sound came to his ears, softer and more furtive. He yanked his revolver free from the holster. “Who’s there? Show yourself or I’ll shoot.”

A figure stepped out of the shadows. The moonlight illuminated her beautiful face. Golda had followed him? The rush of pleasure at the realization was quickly squelched when he saw the displeasure on her face.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded. “When you sneaked off, I thought maybe you were going to meet Daniel.”

“So what if I was?” he countered.

She laughed and stepped closer. Her perfume filled his head and made it impossible to think. All he could do was stare at her full lips.

Her fingers caressed his face. “Don’t play me for a fool, Charlie. We both know Daniel is up to something. I want to know what it is.”

What did she want from him? If she were to take a man, it would be someone like Daniel. Strong, powerful. Not a guy like him. She had some plan, but Charlie couldn’t fathom what it was.

“I don’t know anything other than what we both know—he’s gathering information about banks in the area.”

She stretched up on her toes and brushed her lips across his. Heat whipped through him, and he clutched at her waist.

“Easy, boy,” she said in a whisper.

She cupped his face in her palms and kissed him again, a slow, deliberate caress that drove all thought from Charlie’s head. His eyes were still closed when she pulled away.

“Now tell me what you’re doing out here all alone,” she said, “and I might give you another lesson in love.”

He took a step toward her, but she danced away, her skirts swinging. “You have to pay for my favors, Charlie.”

“My money is back at camp,” he said, still relishing the taste of her on his lips. This was headier than any taste of liquor he’d had.

She stepped close enough for him to catch another whiff of her perfume. “Not money, Charlie. Information. Information is power. I don’t like to be kept in the dark about anything. Especially not if it concerns your brother. I saw him tonight. Hanging out with some redhead. I didn’t like it. What’s he up to?”

She’d seen Daniel? Where? He didn’t want to look stupid so he just shrugged. “I just wanted to get out of camp a little while. Hugh was getting on my nerves.”

Her smile was sultry. “Come now, Charlie. You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”

He swallowed hard when she put her hand on his chest. “That’s all I was doing, Golda. Honest. You know how Hugh can get. I get so tired of hearing him talk about the gunfight in Tombstone.”

Virgil Earp was a friend of Hugh’s. When Hugh learned Virgil had lost the use of his left arm after being dry-gulched, Hugh talked of nothing else but the ambush. He’d tried to talk all of them into heading to Arizona and taking revenge, but no one was interested. Least of all Frank. Not when the richest banks were right here in Texas.

Golda tipped her head to one side and stared up at him. “Surely you’ve talked to your brother, Charlie?”

“I haven’t.” At least only through Richard, and Charlie wasn’t about to betray their friend. “We didn’t part on good terms.”

“You have proven him wrong. I don’t know what we would have done without you. He doesn’t realize you’re a man now. A very handsome man.” She stepped closer, and her hand slid up his chest to his face.

It was about time someone realized he wasn’t a kid. If Daniel could see him now, he’d realize how wrong he was. He thought he heard something and realized he needed to get rid of her.

He took her wrist in his grip and pushed her away. “We’d better get back. Frank is going to come looking for us if we’re gone too long.”

“Leave my brother to me.” She started for the trees, then turned. “You’d better not follow me. We don’t want it to be obvious we’ve been together. The other men might be jealous. And you know how Frank gets.”

He nodded. “I’ll be along in a few minutes.” When the rustling in the trees faded, he whirled back toward the river. “Who’s there?” he demanded in a harsh whisper.

Richard stepped into view. “You’d best leave her be, Charlie. She’ll chew you up for breakfast.”

“Mind your own business,” Charlie snapped. “Where’s Daniel?”

“He got detained tonight. What about tomorrow night?”

“No thanks. I’ve changed my mind. I have no interest in listening to more of his lies. Golda herself told me they didn’t know what they’d do without me. I know what Daniel wants, and I’m not interested in hearing any of it.”

He stalked off to where his horse was tethered and swung into the saddle.