When he opened his mouth to protest, she set the palm of her hand against it. “Don’t argue. You belong to those mountains now, and the wide open sky. Not to this tiny town. When you make your peace with your father, you should go back there.”
He wanted to cry in frustration. How could he make her see that the jagged peaks of the Rockies were nothing compared to the rugged hills behind them? That the cries of the golden eagle didn’t make his heart sing like the call of the whippoorwill? That he would be happy anywhere - as long as they were together?
He let the hand that had been clasping her closer fall to his side.
“What do you want to know about the wild west?”
She twisted in the seat and brought her knees to her chin, wrapping her arms around them to hold her skirts in place. “Is there truly a saloon on every corner?”
He laughed. “In every town. But towns can be few and far between. There are a lot of dance halls too - and places for a man to find feminine company if he’s so inclined.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Were you ever so inclined, Cassius?”
“I was tempted - but when you’ve had an angel in your arms, nothing else satisfies.”
“I cannot imagine you being celibate for so long,” she said in disbelief.
“Believe what you will, Wildflower. Company costs coin, and I never had any to spare. Not if I wanted a place to lay myhead and food in my belly. I even took a chance at wrangling cattle.”
“You were always an accomplished horseman. I’m sure it was easy for you.”
His bark of laughter startled them both. “I was just the opposite. I hated being dirty and sweaty for that long, and cows have to be the stupidest animals on the planet. I only lasted as far as Colorado Springs. I knew I didn’t have the patience to help drive them all the way to Laredo.”
“Well if you weren’t wrangling cows or entertaining women, what were you doing for seven years?”
“I spent most of my time playing poker. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. I tried my hand in the silver mines but it was too dark and cramped. I’m too tall for those spaces and I walked around with a bruise on my forehead for months.”
“You always were the one my Ma grabbed to get things from the top shelf. But you were a lot more gangly then.”
Cass gave her a sidelong glance. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”
She swatted him in the arm and stroked his bicep appreciatively, a gleam in her eyes. He was happy to see she was thawing toward him again.
“I don’t want to inflate your opinion of yourself.”
“Ah,” he said with a grin as he stretched his arms over his head. “So it’s a compliment.”
“Now that I’ve done exactly what I said I wasn’t going to do, I think it’s well past time for me to retire. I have a hearty breakfast to prepare in the morning and two slugabeds who tend to wail about cold floors.”
“I shall take my leave as well. The house should be asleep by now.”
Cassius stood and bowed slightly in her direction. “Thank you for sharing your nightly repast.”
When she stood as well, he raised her hand to his lips. Her skin was chilled and he wanted to stand there forever, rubbing it between his own.
“Goodnight, Cass,” she said as she withdrew her hand and whirled toward the door.
“What about the labor I promised in exchange for the apple tart?” He stood, rooted to the spot, watching and hoping.
When she didn’t even glance over her shoulder, his hopes were dashed like a boat against the rocks.
“Consider setting my son’s arm payment enough,” she said as she shut the door behind her.
The streets were quiet as he walked home. A part of him missed the raucous laughter and wild shots fired at all hours that was integral to Leadville. A man was lonely in a different way there. When he got home, every nerve ending was still alight from that brief exposure to the woman he’s always loved. He decided a book from his father’s library would lure him to sleep.
He was reading a volume of Histories by Tacitus when there was a light knock on the doorframe.
When he lifted his head, his mother stood there, her skirts swaying, and her hands clasped in front of her.
