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“Anna,” Wade spoke to her once more before she left. “Let’s try to get through this journey with a little less excitement.”
She nodded, but felt embarrassed as if he was talking to a child. They left Wade standing alone in his room and as they went down and through the rowdy saloon, Anna hoped he stayed that way.
* * *
The remainder of the trip went without incident to Wade’s relief. He really had no idea what overcame Anna. She indicated that she had felt she was no longer welcome at the Circle H, which was as far from the reality as possible. He almost hated admitting it, but he liked having her there. She brought a certain element to the ranch which had been missing all these years. It wasn’t for the fact that she was the only female, since he recognized this feeling long before her identity was discovered. There was simply something about her as a person.
As she fidgeted awkwardly on the seat next to Kim he watched her closely and rubbed the back of his neck. Obviously he wasn’t the only one affected by the long trail. Nearly two weeks without a proper night’s sleep. Hell, he was anxious to get back to the ranch for that matter alone. Admittedly, he also wanted to get her safely returned to where she belonged. He smiled to himself and realized how true his words were. Even more so than him, that mountain was her home.
They had come full circle up the western terrain and would shortly be stopping in Lantern for their spring festivities. Usually a time for drinking and womanizing, Wade knew this year would be spent a little different.
He noticed Anna squirm on top of the chuck wagon and he frowned. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well. It wouldn’t be the first time someone threw up after days out on the cattle drive. He kicked Sty into a trot and brought him up alongside the chuck wagon.
“You okay?”
She nodded, but her eyes told a different story. Wade reached out and pulled the horses harnessed to the wagon to a halt. “What’s wrong?”
Shaking her head, she tried to quell the fear in her eyes. He knew instantly that it wasn’t her stomach upsetting her. Turning, he looked around their surroundings. It took a few minutes for him to recognize the familiar landscape since they had come in through the northwestern trail. Wade felt a sinking sensation in his stomach and turned a worried look toward Anna.
“Wade.” Prescott rode his horse up to them and looked concerned. “I think we better turn back.”
He nodded quickly, and pulled the chuck wagon’s horses around. Some of the ranch hands looked confused, but followed Wade’s lead. As they made their way back over the same trail they had just come, he stayed next to the wagon. She sat stiffly in her seat until they reached the end of the clearing that would take them out of that area of the woods. Then she turned and looked back.
Wade frowned and watched her emotionless face. Hell, he would give anything to know what happened in that village. Her eyes remained cold as she watched the woods disappear from view. He wanted to give her some type of comfort, but with the ranch hands all within view he was left simply riding next to her. Which, from the look on her face, he wasn’t entirely sure she would have wanted.
An hour later they pulled into Lantern, having taken a lot longer than anticipated since they had to reroute their path. Wade would have loved nothing more than to head straight back to the ranch and his own bed, but it was getting late and the men were getting restless being in a saddle so long. An overnight visit to their favorite alehouse always lifted morale.
With the horses all stalled in the livery and the ranch hands dispersed, Wade ensured Anna stayed close to him this time as both he and Prescott escorted her to Elizabeth’s restaurant. The woman’s face lit up upon seeing Prescott, and Wade thought if he and Anna weren’t there, she probably wouldn’t have acted so civil.
“Do you have a room for Anna?” Prescott leaned forward and asked in a hush whisper as there were a few patrons in the restaurant.
She nodded and gave the girl a warm smile. “What about you, Wade? Would you like a room?”
Taken aback, Wade did not reply immediately. Both his brother and Anna turned to look at him. He never took one of the rooms above Elizabeth’s establishment. It was common practice that he stayed over at the saloon during his town visits. He cleared his throat and suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Hell, why did Anna have to stand there looking at him?
“Sure.”
Elizabeth broke into a wide smile. “Let me just go and get your rooms ready.”
After she left, the trio stood there silently until at last Wade darted a glance at his brother. Prescott gave him an odd look and he knew what question was going through his head. Trouble was, even Wade didn’t know the answer.
Shortly, Elizabeth returned and said, “I’ve set you both up in rooms across each other. There’s a warm bath waiting for you in your room, Anna.”
Wade swung his bedroll over his shoulder then glanced at the girl before directing his attention to their host. “She won’t be needing it.”
“Oh?” Elizabeth’s brows rose, surprised. “Wouldn’t she like to wash away the dust from the trail?”
“She has a fear of water.”
“Really?” She turned stunned eyes to the smaller woman. “How odd.”
He noticed Anna look away and knew she felt embarrassed. Taking her bedroll and tucking it under his arm, he cupped her elbow and led her to the staircase that went to the rooms above. There were only four doors on the second landing, and Elizabeth had left the ones open that Anna and himself were to occupy. Glancing inside he decided to take the one facing the street as it would be noisier. He slipped into her room for only a few moments to deposit her bedroll on the dresser then departed just as quickly.
“Sleep well and I’ll see you in the morning.”
She nodded before he crossed the hall to his own room. When he turned to shut the door, he noticed her still standing in the hall watching him. He frowned, and motioned to her room. “Go on, get to bed.”
This time she did slip into the room and quietly shut the door behind her. Wade waited until he heard the lock click into place before he shut his own door. He didn’t want to take any chances. The last time he wanted to see her tonight would be behind that locked door. The next when she opened it for him in the morning.
