Safe in His Arms

SEVEN





The interlude with Margaret at the old homestead had been sweet. Daniel liked the way she’d shared the family history. He’d talked her into going back to the ranch, then went to what was left of the barn. The ruins were still smoking and warm. Paddy didn’t remember much except being hit on the head while he was caring for the cow, but Daniel wanted to find out if the attacker had left any clues in the barn.

Lewis stood in the shade of the springhouse. “What are you doing out here?”

Daniel wiped the soot from his hands on his jeans. “I reckon I’m trying to figure out who might want Paddy dead.” The sun was bright and hot overhead.

Lewis shrugged and stepped out of the shadows. His face was red and damp with the heat. “Uncle Paddy thinks it was likely a thief.” He pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his brow.

“I don’t think so.” Daniel stared at him. “Calvin was upset when I was hired. But upset enough to get revenge? He wasn’t in the bunkhouse when I roused the men to fight the fire.”

“You’re a more likely suspect than Calvin.”

Daniel went back to sifting through the charred debris. “I didn’t hurt him.”

“So you say. Where were you when he was struck?”

“I woke up and saw him with the cow, so I decided to see if he needed any help. When Margaret and I got there, he was on the ground. Ask him if I struck him. He’ll tell you I didn’t.”

The undercurrent to Lewis’s questions puzzled Daniel. As far as he knew, the two of them were strangers, yet Lewis seemed to have a personal stake in his accusations. “Why the questions?”

“I know who you are. What I can’t figure out is what a bank robber is doing playing cowboy.”

Daniel held the man’s gaze. How did Lewis know about his past? Had he recognized him from an old wanted poster? “I don’t think you know me as well as you think you do.”

Lewis lifted a brow. “You deny you’ve robbed banks?”

“If Paddy has questions, I’ll answer to him. Not to you.” He kicked some timbers out of the way, then paused when he saw a hole under them. “What’s this?”

Lewis glanced at it. “A hole.”

Daniel lifted more of the timbers out of the way. “Looks like someone has been digging.”

“Probably putting out hot coals.”

Daniel didn’t argue with Lewis, but the hole was deeper than it would have been if someone were simply shoveling dirt onto the fire. The hole was about two feet in diameter and about four feet deep. He glanced around and saw the handle of a shovel sticking out from under the debris. The metal handle was hot to the touch, so he kicked it loose with his boot. “He used this.”

“Like I said, shoveling dirt on the fire.”

Daniel shook his head. “I think someone was digging here, looking for something.” He stared at the piles of timber, stone, and leather. There was nothing valuable in a barn. Unless . . .

He stared at Lewis. “Could Paddy have buried something out here to protect it?”

“What, you think someone was digging for treasure in the barn?” Lewis’s voice held disgust.

The man was determined to dismiss Daniel no matter what he might find. Daniel walked away from the smoldering ruins and stalked back toward the house.

Lewis jogged to catch up with him. “Listen to me, foreman. You stay away from Margaret. She’s precious to me, and she’s more fragile than she looks.”

Daniel stopped and stared at the smaller man. He couldn’t blame the man for being protective when it was clear he knew about Daniel’s past. “I don’t intend to hurt anyone. And as I said, I reckon Paddy is my boss, not you. He seems pleased I’m escorting Margaret to the dance. If you have a beef about it, take it up with him.”

“I know what you’re up to. You took one look at this ranch and decided to marry Margaret to get it. That would be the only reason a man like you would look twice at a woman like Margaret. You’d never see past her manner to the sweet woman she is inside.”

Daniel clenched his fists. “Are you saying I don’t cotton to beautiful women or that no one would marry Margaret for more than her money?”

For the first time, Lewis looked uncertain. He must have caught the suppressed rage in Daniel’s voice. “A man like you could turn Margaret’s head, and I don’t want her hurt.”

“You keep saying ‘a man like me.’ What do you mean by that exactly?”

“Your type usually has a beautiful woman on each arm. Margaret can hardly compete with the kind of woman you’re used to. She’s been around ranch hands all her life. She’s not used to sweet-talking men. You could turn her head, then leave her and make her a laughingstock.”

“Margaret is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. The men in this county must be crazy not to see that.”

Lewis studied him through narrowed eyes. “I don’t know what your game is, Cutler, but I’ll be watching you. She’s more fragile than she looks. And if Uncle Paddy is harmed in any way, I’ll see you’re hanged.”

Daniel wished he could explain his mission to Lewis, but all he could do was nod and turn away.




MARGARET EYED THE sun in the sky. She was a pure loony for counting the minutes until it was time to get ready for the party. Her anticipation discomfited her. She tried to tell herself it was because of seeing Lucy, but her innate honesty forced her to admit that the thought of spending so much time with Daniel was the thing that appealed to her most.

Five o’clock finally came, and she went into her room to get ready. Their housekeeper, Inez, already had the tub filled with hot water, and Margaret thanked her as she went to her room and peeled off the rough clothes of the day. She stepped into the hot water and slipped down until the water came to her chin.

Inez scrubbed Margaret’s back for her and helped her rinse her long, thick hair. She held out a towel for Margaret to step into. She dried off, then put on her robe.

“Señorita Margaret, no,” Inez protested when Margaret began to braid it again. “Is fiesta tonight. You must wear it in more attractive way. Let me.” Inez pushed Margaret’s hands out of the way and brushed her hair out again. “We let it dry while you get dressed, then I will arrange it for you. What dress will you wear?”

“Oh, anything will do.” Margaret jumped from the chair and swung open the door to the wardrobe. Several worn dresses hung on their hooks. “I don’t have much worthy of a party, do I?” The pang of disappointment made her bite her lip. What was the matter with her? She usually didn’t care what she wore. Tonight should be no different. She’d long ago quit trying to compete with other women with their dainty forms in pretty ruffles.

“I know just the dress.” Inez gave a serene smile. “I will be right back.” She rustled from the room.

While Inez was gone, Margaret stared at herself in the mirror. Oh, why hadn’t God made her differently? The Bible said he had formed her in her mother’s womb and created her just the way he wanted her, but when she met him, she intended to ask what he’d been thinking of to make her look this way. A heavy sigh escaped her lips. This evening was a mistake.

Inez came hurrying back into the room. From her arms draped a dress in a deep shade of emerald. A triumphant smile played about her lips. “Your mamá look lovely in this dress, just as you will. She wear it to a party in Boston before she marry your papá. Every man in the room look at her.”

That certainly wouldn’t happen to Margaret. She wished she’d known her mother. People said she looked like her mother, but they also talked about what a lovely lady she was. If she really looked like her mother, why hadn’t she inherited her mother’s beauty? “Where did you get it?” Margaret stroked the silken fabric with one finger.

“These many years I have saved it for you, for just the right occasion. Today it is right when I see the stars in your eyes for Mr. Cutler.”

Heat crept up Margaret’s cheeks. “Mr. Cutler means nothing to me. I intend to get rid of him. We have no need for his help.”

“My señorita says one thing, but her eyes say another,” Inez said with a smug smile. “I press this, then you try it on.”

It was useless to argue with Inez. Margaret sat on the bed to wait. Her hair was drying quickly in the breeze through the open window. The splendid weather would soon give way to spring’s warmth.

“Now we try this on.” With a flourish, Inez held the dress out for Margaret.

Margaret stood and allowed Inez to drop it over her head. Inez buttoned up the back. The whisper of silk made Margaret feel like a princess. She smoothed the fabric over her waist. Never had she worn such a lovely garment.

“Your mamá, she had your lovely form as well. You are maybe a bit taller, but daily you grow more like her. There now, see how beautiful you look?” Inez drew Margaret to the full-length mirror.

Margaret stared at her reflection in awe. When she was a girl, she’d tried to dress like the other girls. Pa had even bought her a ruffled blue dress she’d coveted. She looked ridiculous in the flounces. But the simple lines of this dress looked elegant on her tall figure. “I—I like it.”

“It is lovely. Now, you sit and I arrange your hair.” Inez pressed her down onto the bench in front of the dresser and picked up a brush. With a few artful twists, Inez pulled the front of Margaret’s hair back and secured it with a tortoiseshell comb. She left the back to fall free.

The ends of her hair had curled as it dried in the breeze. “I don’t know, Inez. It will probably get in my way all evening.” Margaret sighed. “I should probably just braid it.” She panicked, thinking she might draw attention to herself by leaving her hair down. She’d found it best to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.

“No, you must not. This style, it suits the dress. Come, it is time to meet Mr. Cutler.” Inez tugged Margaret to her feet and pointed her toward the door. “You go and have good time. You will see—Inez is right.”

Margaret felt like an ostrich in a ball gown as she hurried out to meet Daniel. What if he thought she had dressed like this to impress him? She gave a mental shrug. Maybe it would serve her purposes if he thought she was interested in him as a man. But it still didn’t feel right. She tugged at the skirt of her dress a bit. Her initial anticipation faded as she worried about what people would think. Lord, help me face this. I can’t bear it if they laugh. Others would probably think she looked as ridiculous and out of place as she felt.

But there was no help for it. She could hear Daniel and her pa talking in the parlor, and there was no time to change or back out. She stepped silently into the parlor. At first neither man noticed her standing in the doorway. Then her pa turned his head and saw her.

For a moment, the color leeched from his face, then he blinked and smiled. “Margaret, for a second I thought it was your mama standing there.” He gave a gruff laugh. “You look lovely, my dear.”

Her father’s praise brought tears to her eyes. His approving words came far too infrequently. Was her appearance all that mattered to him—to anyone? It seemed to be the way of the world. No one cared about who she was inside. No one saw the heart longing to be loved and to give love in return. She sometimes even doubted God’s love for her.

“Thank you, Pa.”

Daniel’s chocolate eyes studied her, and a wave of heat stung her cheeks. What did he think? He said nothing, just raked her with a gaze that made her feel self-conscious and gangly.

He stood and held out his hand. “I’d better take my gun.”

Confusion thickened her tongue. “Your gun?”

“I’ll have to protect you from the other men.” He grinned, but the admiration in his eyes was clear.

Margaret’s heart gave a funny hitch in her chest. “You cut a swell yourself.”

This man made her feel inadequate and uncertain of his intentions. And he was a bank robber. For a moment she wished it wasn’t so, that she could accept his attentions and hope they might lead somewhere. Then reality raised its cold head again. Even if he was who he claimed to be, it wouldn’t matter. His head would soon be turned by some pretty little thing in lace and ruffles, and Margaret’s heart would be broken. It was a good thing he was someone totally unsuitable. But that did little to stop the yearning in her heart. She should turn tail and run.

“Have fun,” her father said.

“Aren’t you going, Pa?”

He shook his head. “Inez has promised me a supper fit for a king. I’m going to enjoy the peace and quiet.”

For the first time Margaret wondered why her pa had never remarried. He was still attractive, with his rangy height and bearing. Inez would make him a good wife. Maybe Margaret should talk to him about it sometime. She stifled a smile. Like she had any business talking to anyone about romance. It wasn’t something with which she had any personal experience.

Daniel took her hand and slipped it over the crook of his arm. His warm fingers pressed against hers, and she could feel the bulky muscles of his arm under her hand. “I have the buggy waiting outside.” He led her to the door and out to the buggy.

She started to clamber into the buggy, but he spanned her waist with his big hands and lifted her with ease into the seat as though she weighed no more than a doll. For the first time in her life, she felt feminine and cosseted. It was a feeling she could get used to. She pushed the thought away and reminded herself of his thievery.

He went around the buggy and climbed up beside her. “Why did you decide to go with me? I thought you hated my guts.”

“Who says I don’t?” She lifted a smile in his direction.

He grinned. “Do I take that as a challenge to prove you wrong?”

“You decide,” she said airily. Her breath caught in her throat at his nearness.

“I reckon I will.”

He reached out and touched her cheek with one finger. She knew she should turn her face away, but she so wanted to lift her face. She’d never been kissed before, and she didn’t find him repugnant. He would be gone soon too. Why not, just this once, find out what other women experienced?

His breath touched her face first, then his mouth, his lips warm and gentle. His arm circled her waist and drew her closer. Her fingers clutched his shirt, still stiff from hanging on the line. All thoughts of his nefarious ways flew from her head like thistledown from a cottonwood tree as she gave herself over to the kiss.

When he lifted his head, she felt cold and bereft somehow. She didn’t want to open her eyes, to face how inappropriate her behavior had been. She peeked through half-closed lids to see him smiling almost tenderly.

“I don’t think you hate me at all,” he whispered.

The amusement in his voice brought her to her senses and she jerked away, though everything in her wanted to fling herself closer. “You flatter yourself. I suggest you keep your kisses for someone who wants them.”

“I thought I was doing just that.”

She hated him for the laughter in his voice. But could she blame him? She’d encouraged him by allowing him to kiss her. Her face flamed with heat, and she wished she didn’t have to turn him in to the sheriff.