Compromised Hearts (6 page)

Emily was no frontierswoman, but she was strong and willing to learn. She had also been a virgin and, despite what he had told her, that did work in her favor. So too did that touch of puritan in her. Cloud felt confident that there would be no need to guess who’d fathered any child she gave him.

Since he was not a man given to romantic notions, he viewed the matter with a cool practicality. It began to look a very sensible course. With a last look at Emily, he closed
his eyes, intending to get some rest before the rapidly approaching dawn arrived. It was a long way to the San Luis Valley. There was plenty of time to make a decision.

B
y the time they reached a small fort set up to protect the increasing number of settlers arriving in the territory, Emily had gotten used to the horse she rode. She had even named the mare Carolynn, after her equally stubborn sister. She knew she was no rider, but it was no longer the constant battle it had been.

She was, however, still waging a stubborn war against a certain Cloud Ryder. He was a man of exceedingly healthy appetites—he was, in fact, voracious. Emily thought that if Thornton had not been around to keep the man in control during the day, she would probably end up crawling to Harper’s. It
amazed her that she was not absolutely exhausted.

It was neither of those things that truly bothered her, however. What was beginning to frighten her was that the small resistance she did put up was getting harder to maintain. So was an attitude of aloofness. He was slowly possessing far more than her body, and it had not been quite a full week since she met him. Sometimes the shame she felt was so strong it cramped her stomach, but it never stopped her from melting into his arms at night. She trembled to think what the state of her emotions would be by the time they reached the San Luis Valley. Nothing she did seemed to halt her heedless fall into love.

When they dismounted near the supply depot’s meager stable inside the blockade, she got further proof of how much danger she was in. A well-formed redhead burst out of the building, flung her arms around Cloud, and proceeded to give him a hearty kiss that he did little to stop. Emily felt anger and pain knot inside of her and knew she was blindingly jealous.

“Here now, Justine, let a man catch his breath.” Cloud gently but firmly extracted himself from the woman’s hold.

“Asphyxiation would suit you,” muttered Emily as she began to undo her saddle.

Cloud pretended not to hear that but took Justine by the arm and nudged her a step
closer to Emily. “There’s someone here you ought to meet. Emily Brockinger, Justine Dubois.”

“How do you do, Miss Dubois.” Emily saw no reason to not at least be polite.

Justine glared at her. “How do and it’s Missus.”

“Is it?” Emily asked softly, not stopping in the removing of the saddle from Carolynn.

“Yeh, it is. I’m a widder.” Justine smoothed the skirts of her bright blue dress.

“I should have guessed,” Emily murmured. “Your grief is so apparent.”

“Who the hell’s she?” Justine snapped, turning a narrow-eyed gaze upon Cloud.

“My traveling companion,” he drawled, putting an arm around Emily and bending toward her.

Emily held the saddle between them. “Don’t you dare put those much-used lips anywhere near my mouth.”

“Jealous, sweetheart?” he asked coolly.

“Not by a long shot,
darling.
I simply cherish my good health.”

“Our bargain—”

“—said nothing about my having to stand docilely by and be made to look like a raving jackass,” she hissed as she pulled free of his light hold.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he watched her see to the care of her saddle. When he noticed how her little chin was up,
he grinned. She did have a point. It certainly did make one feel a fool when the one you had ridden in with was busy carrying on with another. As he mulled over the matter, Cloud remained oblivious to the man at his side, who had heard the exchange and was struggling to overcome his surprise.

“Any time you can tear yourself away from deciding which miss to bless with your attentions, a hello would not be amiss.”

“James!” Cloud cried, turning to his old friend. “What the hell are you doing here?” He frowned as he surveyed James’s outfit while shaking his hand. “Where’s your uniform?”

“Ah, well, that fool wanted me to lead the men. Gave me a choice—go or resign.” James shrugged his broad shoulders. “I resigned. Came here on the stage.”

“So that’s how you got here before us.”

“Us?” James asked, his silver gaze revealing his puzzlement. “I thought you rode alone. Who’s us?”

“Miss Emily Brockinger and"—he placed a hand on Thornton’s head—"Thornton Sears. This is an old friend of mine, James Carlin.”

Nodding to the man as she started to curry her horse, Emily murmured, “You are slipping, Mr. Ryder. That is a man.”

“Don’t be pert,” he admonished with a grin.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“How did you two happen to meet?” James asked “Well,” Cloud drawled, “I crested this hill and saw this little lady stumbling along, parasol in hand, dragging the stubbornest mule I’ve ever set eyes on and carrying the boy on her back. Naturally, seeing such damned foolishness, out of the goodness of my heart, I went and set her right.”

“I do believe I am going to be ill,” Emily muttered and slapped the currying brush into his hand. “I am going to see what goods the storehouse provides.”

“Need some money?”

She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him from beneath the brim of her bonnet. “I would not take your money if I was blind and maimed and propped up with a tin cup.”

“Got some of your own then, hmmm? What’re you buying?”

“New material for my parasol.” She started towards the door of the storehouse.

“Think you’re good enough to ride with the reins in one hand and the parasol in the other?”

“Not at all. I felt it would be useful for all those leisurely rest stops you give us.”

“See what happens when you’re kind, James? Nothing but base ingratitude.”

“The day you are kind, Mr. Ryder, I shall keel over, lilies clutched to my bodice.” She
had just stepped inside the store when she called out, “Thornton? Coming?”

Cloud grinned at a laughing James as Thornton hurried after Emily. “Cute as hell, ain’t she? Little witch.”

“The girl thinks too much of herself,” huffed Justine, tired of being ignored.

“There does not seem to be anyone here to accept my money. Does that mean that everything is free?” Emily called from within the store.

The two men laughed as Justine rushed into the store just as Emily had clearly known she would. James then turned his hand to aiding Cloud in the care of the animals and cart. Cloud kept him well entertained with the full tale of how Emily had looked when he first saw her.

“Just can’t see you dragging a city-bred girl and a little boy along with you.”

“It has its compensations,” Cloud said as they entered the store to find Emily bent over a box of ribbons and he patted her backside.

“Do that again and I shall do you a serious injury.”

“Got a sharp tongue, doesn’t she,” James observed as they took a seat at a table in the half of the building that served as a tavern. “She certainly doesn’t cling like your others.”

“Nope, Emily’s no clinger. Three beers and something for the boy, Justine.” He smiled crookedly when Justine left the table with
invitation in her every sway. “She’s in a tiff just now.”

“Leaving another behind, are you?”

“Oh, no. I’m taking her and the boy to the valley. That’s where she was headed when I found her. No, Em’s just miffed because I kissed Justine when I arrived—or rather, Justine kissed me and I allowed it.” He took a sip of the beer Justine set down before him. “Very good, Justine. Could you ask Emily and Thornton to come over here?”

“Is she a friend of yours or something?”

Cloud thought over the last few days of traveling with Emily. He was a little surprised to find that he could not think of one moment when he had been bored or had wished to be rid of her. Despite the fact that she was still learning many of the simple basics needed to stay alive in a still untamed territory, she was a very good companion.

“Yeh, Justine, she’s a friend of mine.”

“A friend, huh?” marveled James after Justine had flounced away. “Maybe that’s not such a good thing if she’s the jealous sort.”

“Don’t know if it was jealousy, but she was definitely angry. Said it made her look a fool and she’s got a good dose of stiff-necked Yankee pride. Thinking it over, she’s right and Emily doesn’t deserve to be made a fool of. She doesn’t know a damn thing about surviving out here and admits it, but she was doggedly pushing on anyway when I spotted her. Many another lady would’ve sat down
and wept. For all her tart remarks, she doesn’t bitch either.”

“A high accolade indeed,” murmured James as Emily and Thornton arrived.

Emily sat down between the two men and Thornton scrambled up onto the chair opposite her. She was trying very hard not to be angry, but Justine’s behavior was not helping. The woman did not know about the deal between her and Cloud, yet she was acting as if she would be taking Emily’s place while they were at the fort. For all her remarks about being unwilling, Emily knew that that arrangement would sorely hurt and infuriate her. If nothing else, it would make her look the expedient bedwarmer she was trying hard to deny she was.

“What’s this?” she asked, studying the drink before her.

“Beer. Don’t tell me you’ve never had beer?”

“All right, Cloud. I won’t.” She took a sip. “It’s rather nice.”

“Just what’d you drink back in Boston?”

“Tea, lemonade, an occasional glass of sherry. Beer or ale was a drink for a working gentleman.”

Cloud rolled his eyes in disgust. “Didn’t your sister’s husband work?”

“As little as possible,” Emily replied, her eyes alight with deviltry. “Work is so
common,
you know.”

“Never did understand the rich. Whole
different species. Justine,” Cloud called, “still serve meals?”

“Yup.” She sidled over to press against his shoulder. “I have a fine stew on the menu today.”

He shifted so that the contact was broken. “Sounds fine. Can we have four bowls, please?”

Over the meal, which even Emily had to admit was good, James kept her talking about Boston. He had never been that far east and was honestly interested in a life that seemed to be lived in another world. He thought, too, that Emily’s world in Boston had been that of the financially well-off.

Thanks to James’s pleasant talk, and another tankard of beer, Emily’s mood improved. The arrival of a few more travelers kept Justine busy, which suited Emily just fine. It was a while before she realized that the beer was far more potent than she had thought.

“Where are we to sleep tonight?” she asked Cloud.

Grinning, for he suspected she was beginning to feel the effects of too much beer, Cloud drawled, “Why, Em, sweet, are you that eager?”

She scowled at him. “Your crudity is excelled only by your vanity.”

James snickered softly and Cloud grinned wider, then called, “Justine?”

That woman abruptly left the two young
soldiers she had been flirting with. “Yeh, Cloud?”

“You still have those two private rooms upstairs for hire?”

While Cloud and Justine haggled over the price, Emily’s gaze went to the two young soldiers. One of them was eyeing her, but the other was glaring at Cloud’s back. Emily felt sure that the young man was more than casually acquainted with Justine and resented her fawning attentions to Cloud. She also felt sure that he was within a breath of starting a fight. When she saw how Justine kept glancing toward the soldiers as she pressed against Cloud, Emily knew the woman was goading the poor young man.

She was just about to say something concerning Justine’s game when the soldier broke free of his companion’s restraining hold and lunged. “Look out, Cloud! Behind you.”

Cloud had already stood and turned to meet the attack when she cried out. She, James, and Thornton barely escaped going down with the table as the two grappling men crashed down on top of it. Emily noted sourly that Justine had anticipated the soldier’s move and stepped well out of the way. She now stood avidly watching the fight.

“Are you all right, miss?” James asked. “Just fine. They ought to be thrashing her instead of each other.” “Started it, did she?” James looked at
Justine. “She’s sure enjoying herself.”

“Is there no way to stop this?”

“Not that I know of,” he said, then added, “It’s taking longer than it should though. I think Cloud’s trying not to hurt the young fool.”

Looking at the soldier’s battered face, Emily drawled, “Really? How kind.”

For a short while she stood by doing nothing, wincing at each blow that landed and scowling at the small, avidly watching crowd. She finally decided that she had had more than enough of two grown men pummeling each other for the gratification of a vain woman. Slipping away from James, she took a hasty tour of the place and was rewarded in her search.

Walking back to where Cloud and the soldier wrestled on the floor, she got as close as she dared and tossed the contents of the bucket on them. The cold water did the trick. They separated and sat up spluttering, allowing James and the other soldier to dash in and physically stop them from starting up again. Emily noted that, with some of the blood washed away, they were not as battered as she had first thought.

“What the hell did you do that for?” growled Cloud as he wiped his face with the towel James had fetched.

“It was becoming tedious, Mr. Ryder. Now, if you had been fighting for a worthy cause—”

“He was after Justine!” expounded the
soldier. “I was fighting for her.”

Emily looked at the preening woman with a contempt that made Justine flush with anger. “This? To the victor goes the spoils?”

“Here now!” shrilled Justine.

“Mrs. Dubois,” Emily interrupted icily, “if you must satisfy your vanity by having men beat each other to a pulp over your disputable charms, that is your privilege. However, Mr. Ryder is my guide and guard. He would be of little use to me if he was beaten senseless.”