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Turning slightly, she looked up at Harrison. “What was it you wanted to speak to me about?”
That sinful grin was back. “I’d like to offer you something I hope you find too alluring to refuse.”
Chapter Seven
Roamingaround the countryside for the past year had made him soft. Aaron hefted the bag of feed onto his shoulder and knew by tomorrow, he’d be so sore he’d have to fall from his bed in the loft to the barn floor instead of taking the ladder.
His first day of work at the livery stable had gone by quick, which he was thankful for. They’d been so busy he’d barely had time to choke down a bite of food mid-day before he was up and at it again. It was near suppertime before the crowd of people coming into the livery stable eased a bit.
Caleb wiped the sweat from his brow and replaced his hat before leaning back against the corral fencing. “For once, I don’t feel the need to crawl home.” He laughed. “As tired as I am, it’s nothing like it usually is.”
Aaron tossed the bag of feed down and stretched out his back. “Well, just so you know, I’ll probably be crawling home in your place.” They shared a laugh as he finished stacking the feed. When the last of it was put away, he looked down the street toward the saloon. The crowd wasn’t as thick as it had been. His thoughts went to Betsey as he watched a few cowpokes stepthrough the swinging doors. He didn’t hear any singing, barely heard the piano truth be known, but he’d been so busy she could have been standing in the street shouting and he’d never have heard her.
“Looks pretty calm down there this evening.”
He glanced at Caleb when he spoke, then headed inside the stable and grabbed the wide shovel to clean the stall he’d missed earlier. “It’s still a lot more crowded than I remember it ever being.”
“Well, there’s more people passing through now and Vern’s trying to hire new girls. Plus, he’s got, Betsey.”
Aaron shook his head. “I can’t believe Ben lets her anywhere near that place.”
“Oh, he wasn’t none too happy about it. They fussed for two solid weeks once she started. Half the town heard them yelling at each other every time she neared the building.”
He could only imagine. He dumped the mess on the shovel into the pale by his foot and scraped it along the ground again.
“I heard about the ruckus down there the other night with you hauling Betsey out and carrying her halfway across town with her squealing like a stuck pig. That never worked for Ben. I doubt it’ll work for you either.” Caleb scratched the side of his neck. “What was that all about anyway?”
“Just wanted to talk to her, is all.” Caleb didn’t look as if he believed him. He finished the stall and leaned his arms on the top of the shovel handle. “How long has she been working down there?”
“Not too terribly long. Can’t remember exactly.” Caleb pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning on and grabbed fresh hay. “She started singing there not long after I asked her to marry me.”
Aaron’s body locked down tight at Caleb’s words. He stared at him as he walked into the stall and threw the hay down. Images of Betsey and Caleb together as man and wife caused something in his chest to clench tight. “You asked Betsey to marry you?”
“Yeah. I only did it because of the baby, though.”
His heart slammed against his ribcage. “Baby?”
If Caleb said anything after that, Aaron didn’t hear him as the word, “baby,” screamed through his head repeatedly.Caleb had asked Betsey to marry him because of the baby?What baby?
Ice filled his veins as images he didn’t want in his head started filling his mind’s eye and he had Caleb up against the stable wall, the man’s shirt fisted in his hands so fast he barely remembered moving. “I don’t think I heard you right, Caleb. You want to repeat that for me?”
Caleb’s eyes were wide as he stared down at him. “Which part?”
“All of it!”
Caleb grabbed his arms and pushed. “Let go of me and I will.”
Letting go of him was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to beat the living daylights out of him and not stop pounding on him until he was a bloody, unconscious lump of flesh at his feet. He stared at him for long minutes before inhaling a deep breath and letting it out. He let go of him and stepped back.
Caleb straightened his shirt and gave him a weary look. “Betsey started working in the saloon after I asked her to marry me.”
“Because of the baby?” At Caleb’s nod, Aaron clenched his jaw, then released it. “Betsey has a baby?” Caleb gave him another nod and even though he knew he had no reason not to believe him, he was having trouble wrapping his head around the fact Betsey had a baby. With Caleb! He wanted to hit him again. No, he wanted to kill him, slowly and painfully.
He turned his head to stare out the barn doors instead and tried to calm the raging anger he felt. The saloon doors were still swinging open every so often and it took little effort to picture Betsey up there on that stage Vern had built. He recalled everything he could about her from the other night and rememberednow how full her breasts had looked. He bit back a curse. “How old’s her baby?”
Caleb made a humming noise. “A few months. I think she delivered back in February.” His brow scrunched as if he were thinking. After a few moments, he nodded. “Actually, I know it was. That’s when we got that big snow and Doc Reid barely made it out to their place in time to deliver it.”
Betsey had a baby in February. Aaron counted backward, his anger growing as he realized Caleb would have slept with Betsey around the same time he had. Had she gone to him when he left her for spite? Probably. “So, when’s the big day?” The words came out clipped and harsh.
