“Hmm, Marshal Tom Gray. Good man. The kinda man you’d trust with your life.” Emilio glanced at Slick then turned his attention back to Oscar. “You know that look I was talkin’ ‘bout?”
The young man nodded.
“She had that look for Marshal Tom. This was way back. ‘Bout three years after she came here. She was in love with him and he her. They were goin’ to get married.”
“So how come they didn’t?”
“Marshal Tom died ‘bout a week before the wedding. Killed by the same gambler that took Miss Regina and Mr. Javier. Miss Evie weren’t the same after he died. That’s why we ain’t allowed to gamble in the bunkhouse.”
Jake sucked in his breath upon hearing how Marshal Tom had died. Losing him to the same gambler’s gun that had taken her sister must have been devastating and his sympathy for Evie rose. It also made him feel even less worthy of her than before. Did he even have the barest whisper of a chance with her? Considering what he now knew, he doubted it. And yet, there was something about her that drew him, something he couldn’t deny, something that made him want to try.
“An’ it’s jes a damn shame,” Cesar remarked, as he shook his head.
Emilio nodded in agreement, and it was obvious to Jake that he did, indeed, still love Miss Evie. “She’s a fine-lookin’ woman, especially when her hair is down and blowin’ in the wind an’ her eyes are smilin’.”
Jake had to agree, though he didn’t say so out loud. That was the image he had of her in his mind and the one he should try to sketch. He slipped out of his bunk and headed toward the door.
Cesar watched his progress, a smile hiding beneath the mustache on his face. “Where you goin’?”
Jake could almost hear ‘city boy’ after the question, even though the words were not said. He’d heard them before, mostly from Oscar, but chose to ignore them. After all, he did come from a city. He knew the unspoken words were meant as an insult. If that’s the worst they could come up with, he’d take it. “Take a piss.”
“Sure you are.” Cesar scoffed and grinned. “So what’s your story, Jake? You been here almost two weeks, showin’ up just before Oscar here,” he gave a nod toward the other man, “and we don’t know nothin’ ‘bout you, ‘ceptin’ you don’t ride. Hell, you don’t even own a horse or a saddle.” He narrowed his eyes as his gaze rested on Jake. “You get a letter, too?”
“No, sir,” he lied, not willing to let these men know he did. He wasn’t in the mood for a razzing. “And my story is that I gotta go take a piss.”
He left the bunkhouse, though that didn’t stop the sound of laughter his departure brought nor the comments he could clearly hear.
Evie was still sitting on the patio. She’d lit a lantern against the growing darkness. The warm glow settled on her skin and reflected off her hair.
He walked toward her. “May I join you?”
She glanced up at him. In the light cast by the lantern, he could see color blossoming on her face. “Oh, Mr. Hannigan, of course.”
He took a seat then leaned back against the cushion and crossed his legs at the ankle. From inside the house, he heard quiet conversation coming through the open windows, as supper dishes were washed. Apparently, that was a chore the older two children participated in, as he could clearly hear their young voices and the gentle encouragement from an older woman.There were other voices, too. He recognized Antonio’s deep tone as well as Heath’s. “It’s a lovely evening,” he finally said.
“Yes, yes, it is.” She didn’t look at him, her gaze trained on her lap. “I’m sorry,” she blurted out.
“Sorry? For what?”
“For asking you to kiss me.” She glanced at him, then returned her focus to her hands folded in her lap. “I shouldn’t have.”
His gaze roamed over her face, settling on her rosy cheeks and a dark curl that fell over her shoulder. He was struck by the urge to reach out and caress that curl. Actually, he wanted to pull the pins from the loose bun at the back of her head and let the rest of her hair flow free, like it was the night of the storm, when it looked like she had just rolled out of bed. “I didn’t mind. Honestly.”
“I’m glad you didn’t mind, but still, I shouldn’t have.” She gave a rueful laugh. “I don’t know what possessed me. I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“What? Kissed someone?”
She laughed again as she shook her head, that curl bouncing against her shoulder. “Be that bold.”
“Why not? I’m a firm believer in asking for what you want.”
“And what do you want, Mr. Hannigan?”
“For starters, I wish you would call me Jake. I thought we agreed you would.”
She tilted her head to the side, and it was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. “I’ll try to remember that.”
That cocking of her head made her too irresistible. He stood then and walked around to her side of the table. He hid his smile as she watched his every move, her brow furrowed in puzzlement, her eyes full of curiosity. He stopped in front of her, placed his hands on the chair’s armrests on either side of her, his gaze roaming her face, seeing the anticipation in her expression.“For another thing,” he whispered just before he lowered his head. He captured her mouth in the sweetest of kisses, molding his lips to hers.
