Chapter 11

11

Maisy curled up on the floor next to Smoke, stroking the wolf's haunches.

Long hours had passed since Lester had shown up at the cabin with his sons and friends. In some ways, she supposed she hadn't really expected him to carry through and come after Smoke, since he'd been all threats and no action in the past. But not only was he carrying through, he also wasn't leaving.

She didn't want to think about what would happen if the fellows stayed indefinitely. Maybe she and Tanner should have left the area this morning instead of waiting until the end of the week. Then she could have taken Smoke away before getting trapped in this impossible situation.

But the truth was, she hadn't taken the danger as seriously as she should have. She guessed Tanner hadn't expected this kind of a showdown either.

Across the unlit cabin, Tanner shifted his position next to the front window that overlooked the cleared rise. Now that darkness had fallen, they couldn't see Lester or anyone else.

The men had taken up positions surrounding the cabin so that no matter which of the two windows Tanner looked out, someone was always watching in the distance with a gun pointed at them.

They were stuck. That's what.

But Tanner had reassured her that Lester and his men wouldn't last long before they gave up. They'd soon grow weary of going without beds and food and the other comforts of home. And the dropping temperature of the night wouldn't be pleasant either.

Meanwhile, she and Tanner were cozy and warm inside the cabin, even though they had to wander about in the darkness because Tanner didn't want to light a lantern and give the fellows outside an easy shot at them. Not that the men would actually shoot at them. Lester wouldn't let the situation get that out of hand.

"Why don't you go to sleep." Tanner's whisper cut across the cabin.

He hadn't seemed happy with her since the moment the men had shown up earlier in the day. She couldn't blame him. If she'd left the mountains earlier in the week the way he'd wanted, they could've avoided all the problems, not only with Smoke but also with the rumors about them.

Lester's accusations had been mortifying to hear, and it had taken all the self-restraint she'd been able to muster to keep from storming outside and telling him how it really was. The only thing that had held her back was the fear that Smoke would follow her.

Course, Tanner had tried to defend her, had explained everything well enough. The trouble was, Lester already had his mind made up that she and Tanner were guilty of fornicating .

Now the rumors would only grow and spread, and she'd have a tarnished reputation for sure. No one would believe she and Tanner were innocent, that nothing had happened between them.

Her pa would trust her though. At least, she hoped he'd be rational about the whole situation and realize Tanner had stayed with her out of the goodness of his heart and not because he'd wanted to take advantage of her.

"Go on now," Tanner insisted. "You may as well get a little sleep."

She sat up on the floor beside Smoke. "You sleep first, and I'll keep watch."

"No. I'm trying to figure out how many men Lester's planning to keep awake." The moonlight revealed Tanner's outline as he peered through the slit in the curtains. His shoulders were rigid, his gun still in hand, and his jaw hard.

"I can keep a lookout too."

"I'm hoping that once the men head off to sleep, we'll be able to sneak out one of the windows and make it down the mountain."

A small whisper of hope broke through her despair. "Do you think we can?"

"We've got to try it. Once we're down by the river, we'll be able to make it to Breckenridge and then to High C Ranch. You'll be safe there."

She wasn't worried about herself, but she knew Tanner was more concerned about her safety than Smoke's.

Silence settled in the room again.

Smoke nudged her hand with his damp nose. She returned her fingers to his neck and dug in, scratching him where he liked it best. She guessed the wolf sensed the unrest and danger but didn't realize he was at fault. And it wasn't really his fault. If he really had killed Lester's calf, he was just being a wolf and hunting for his food.

"I'm sorry, Tanner." Her words were laced with all the regret that was growing inside her. "I shouldn't have involved you in any of this."

He was silent for another beat before answering. "I'm relieved I'm here and that you don't have to face Lester alone."

"I'm glad you're here too." He was the only one who would fight off neighbors with her for the sake of her wolf. If her pa and Glenn had come home, they would've shot Smoke to keep the peace. Of course, they wouldn't have given Lester the pelt and would have kept it for the cash for themselves.

"I can't guarantee that Smoke will make it out alive," he said softly. "But we'll do the best we can to save him."

"You're the kindest and sweetest man I've ever known." Her words came out more impassioned than she'd intended, and once they were hanging in the air, she could feel her face flush.

"Not sure if that's a compliment." His whisper was laced with teasing. "How many men do you know? Three? Four?"

"I know plenty." She kept her voice sassy, hoping to hide her relief that he wasn't upset—or at least, was trying to make her feel better. "Even if you're overly hairy at times, I know a good man when I see one."

"Overly hairy?"

"Do you even know what a haircut and shave are?"

"I did both before going to New York City, so I have a vague recollection."

"You're in need of both again, so you're in luck. I'm willing to do them for you."

"No."

"I've been giving my pa his haircuts for years."

"No, Maisy."

"Not tonight, of course. But once we're through all this—"

"Never." His voice took on a rumble that did strange things to her insides. "I'm already having a hard enough time keeping my hands to myself. Let's not make things worse."

He was having a hard time keeping his hands to himself? "What does that mean?"

"You know."

She guessed he was referring to her, but she wanted to hear more, wanted him to clarify, wanted to know what he really thought of her. "If I cut your hair, I'd be the one touching you, not the other way around." She wasn't above pretending ignorance and baiting him to say more.

He was silent for several beats. "Your touch is like fire," he finally whispered. "If I get too close to you, I burn up."

She smiled, loving that she had that kind of power over him. But she didn't want him to sense her satisfaction. Instead, she continued her innocent act. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was so disagreeable to be near me."

He snorted. "It's too agreeable. And that's the problem."

She could feel her flush deepening. "I guess that means you'll be happy when you don't have to be around me anymore."

"Of course not. I've always loved spending time with you. It's just more challenging now that you're all grown up and so beautiful."

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"More beautiful than any other woman I've ever known."

Her stomach was doing multiple flips, which threw her off balance. She drew her arms around her knees, hugging herself close. Tanner thought she was more beautiful than any other woman he'd known. The revelation was incredible and amazing... and even intimidating.

"More beautiful than the three or four women you've known? Reckon that's not hard to do."

He scoffed. "I've known plenty of women, darlin'. And you top them all." Somehow, his voice ended on a tender and sincere note—one that made her wish things were different between them.

"Thank you, Tanner." Had they been less stubborn about what they both wanted, they might have had a chance to see where their relationship led. As it was, they were going opposite directions—he didn't like being tied down, and she wanted permanence and stability.

Her thoughts flew back over the past few days she'd spent with him in the wilderness. He'd included her in everything he'd done, brought her along, treated her as an equal, and hadn't left her behind. She'd loved every minute with him, whether they'd been resetting his traps or climbing mountain trails.

Her heartbeat clanged to a noisy halt. Love? Why was she thinking of love at a time like this? Was it because she was falling in love with Tanner?

That wasn't possible, was it? Not after being together for so short a time.

Her gaze strayed his way again, to his rugged outline in the moonlight. She loved everything about him from his unshaven face and scraggly hair to his corded body and blazing eyes. More than that, she loved who he was deep inside—his generosity, compassion, and helpfulness. She could spend countless hours with him and never tire of being with him or talking with him. He was interesting and witty and fun to be with.

Yep, she was falling in love with him. Maybe she'd been in love with him long before this visit. Maybe she'd always loved him but had just been too against his mountain-man ways to admit it.

Could she put aside her resistance to be with him? Could her love for him overcome all the other issues and differences they might have?

Maybe.

She sat up, sweet longing pulsing through her.

At her abruptness, Tanner's head swiveled in her direction. "What's wrong?"

What could she possibly say? She couldn't tell him that she was having second thoughts about leaving Colorado, because she wasn't, was she? And yet, how could she possibly walk away from him? Not after this week and what she'd experienced with him. She couldn't imagine a future without him in it—didn't want to imagine it.

"What if I don't go to Minnesota?" She tossed the question out tentatively.

He paused, as though her reply was the last thing he'd expected. "Where would you go instead?"

"I'll stay in the area."

Even though she couldn't see his expression, she could sense the intensity of his posture and knew he was listening to her as carefully as always and taking what she had to say seriously—just one more thing she loved about him.

"Maybe I don't want to go too far away," she added.

"Don't do this, Maisy." His voice held a note of warning.

She pushed forward with what she wanted to say anyway. "Maybe I want to be with you, and maybe we shouldn't worry about all the reasons we aren't right for each other."

"They matter."

"They don't have to."

He released a tight breath. "We already decided to go our separate ways."

"We can change our plans."

"I told you that I refuse to subject a woman to the life I lead."

"What if she's willing to join you anyway?"

"You already told me you want a normal husband and a normal life. Those were your words, Maisy, not mine."

"I know." She could admit she still wanted normal. But at the moment, she wanted Tanner more. Was this what it had been like for Ma? Was that why she'd married Pa? Because she'd loved him enough to sacrifice her own desires to be with him?

There had never been any doubt that Ma had loved Pa and had been happy when she was with him. The trouble had been the rest of the time when he'd been gone. She'd been sad, just going through the motions of living, and hadn't come to life until Pa was home again.

Maisy resented that her ma's happiness had revolved around a man. She'd frequently wished over the years that Ma could've found some joy in being with Nelly and her. But they'd never brought Ma the same satisfaction and reason for living that Pa had.

Maisy had never understood why. But now that her feelings for Tanner were growing so rapidly, she could begin to empathize a little more with what her ma had felt. And maybe it was foolish to even consider walking down the same path as her ma.

"It probably wouldn't work," she finally said. "So don't worry about it."

"I agree." His voice was still tight. "It's for the best not to consider it."

She expelled a sigh. As if sensing her inner battle, Smoke lifted his head and gave her a sloppy kiss. She pressed a kiss back to his face.

All the while, through the darkness, Tanner's stare was unyielding. Finally he shifted his attention out the window and blew out a tense breath.

She wasn't sure what to think of their exchange and Tanner shutting her down so completely. Part of her wanted to take Tanner's advice and not consider the option of being with him. But another part wasn't ready to let the issue go.

She supposed she first had to figure out what it was she really wanted. Did she want a life with Tanner? If so, then she wouldn't let anything deter her from it. Not even him.