Dance With A Gunfighter (33 page)

Her arms tightened around his neck. "Well, I’m sure
ol’ Bossy is overjoyed to see you. I’m glad, too, by the way."

His face grew serious. "Are you?" he asked.

"Yes. Oh, yes!" She kissed him hard.

"Are you sure?" His intensity rocked her, he
looked as if his life depended on her answer.

He was acting very strangely, she thought. "I’m
sure."

He kissed her again, then looked hard at her for a long
time. Finally, he said, "I don’t know if I should speak now. It seems the
setting should be better than a barn. I should have brought some flowers, and
maybe a guitar player to strum a slow Spanish song."

She frowned. "Whatever are you talking about?"

His face crinkled into a lop-sided smile, then he shook
his head. "Now I know I’m going about this all wrong."

She’d never known Jess to be tongue-tied or to act so
happy and confused and...and almost scared...all at the same time. "Spit
it out, McLowry."

He reached into the breast pocket of his jacket, and took
out a billfold and handed it to her.

Her gaze jumped from him to the leather square in her
hand.

"Open it," he urged. "It’s for you."

She unfolded the leather, and pressed it back so that the
stack of greenbacks inside could be seen.

"My God," she cried. "Where did all this
come from?"

"Poker. I went to Tucson. I thought about going to
Tombstone, but decided against heading there because I figured I was too well
known. Turns out to have been a good decision. Anyway, I joined a big game. Had
a lucky streak, and high-tailed it out before I lost it all back again. Those
boys are probably still trying to find me."

The fear his words caused her was so great she didn’t know
whether to cry or to slug him. "You didn’t, Jess! What if they come after
you?" she cried. "What will we do?"

He grinned. "Relax, woman. I won this money fair and
square--and they don’t even know who I am. A cowboy at the game said he thought
I was McLowry, but another cowpuncher said not to worry, that McLowry was dead.
He went on to explain that Tanner’s men had been chasing McLowry, but before
they caught him some Apaches did. They killed him, poor bastard."

"They think you’re dead?"

"Word spread from Tombstone to Tucson and beyond.
Since neither Jackson City or Dry Springs is high on the gunslinger-gambler
circuit, none of them had heard I was living on your ranch."

As she thought about it, a smile spread over her face.
"That’s wonderful. That means they’ll leave you alone--the gunfighters,
the ones seeking to build their reputations will find someone else to go
after."

"I finally confessed to those boys I was playing
poker with that my name was Martin Bulfinch."

"Now you are just joking with me."

Blue eyes twinkled. "Am I, darlin’?"

She laughed aloud. "Martin Bulfinch?" She
laughed again. "Well, I suppose no one would think the dangerous desperado
Jess McLowry would take a name like that. Perhaps your secret is safe."

Their eyes met. With word getting out that Jess McLowry,
gunfighter, was supposedly dead, he could stay here in Jackson City in relative
safety. The people of Jackson City would know to keep his secret. He clasped
her hands around the money. "There’s over two thousand dollars here,"
he said. "Enough to buy a few more head of cattle and more supplies."

"It’s your money, Jess," she said. "I can’t
take it."

"It’s for you, Gabe. I had hoped it would be for us,
if you would have me." He took a deep breath. "Marry me."

"What?" she gasped.

He took her hand, and to her complete surprise, got down
on one knee. "Let me try that again. Gabriella, will you marry me?"

Her heart was pounding. She grabbed both his hands and
pulled him to his feet. "Now I know you’re just joking."

"I mean it, Gabe." He put his hands on her
shoulders, his eyes intense. "I’m just a broken-down gunslinger, but I’ve
got a strong back, and I’ll work hard to build a good home for you, for us,
and...I love you, woman."

She stared at him. For how many months had she dreamed of
him saying these words to her? But now that he had, she had to give pause. She
had obligations to Pa and Henry, and to Chad. If she were to marry Jess now, to
allow herself the happiness that would come from being his wife, how could she
ever find the strength to leave him, to act against Tanner and Murdock when the
time came? Or would she simply give up on her hope for revenge and justice?
Would she, once again, do nothing just as she’d done nothing the day Tanner
came to her ranch? Nothing but watch from the safety of the kitchen as Tanner
killed her family...

"Jess, I...I don’t know what to say."

The light seemed to go out of his eyes at her words.
"I see," he murmured.

How could she refuse him? But how could she accept and
live happily ever after, after witnessing so much horror? She was being torn
apart. "Jess..."

"I misread you," he said too quickly. "You
don’t have to say anything more. I understand. I never really expected a woman
like you would want to--"

"Stop," she cried. "You didn’t misread the
way I feel about you. What you misread was that I could think about marriage
yet." Her gaze hardened. "Two men are still out there. I’ve got to
find them. They killed my pa and Henry. They have to pay!"

"You’ve got other responsibilities now. The ranch.
Chad."

"I love you, Jess McLowry, with all my heart, but my
father and brother...I can’t abandon their memories, what they lived for."

"What about your own life, Gabe? What about us?"

"Don’t ask me to choose. Please don’t ask that of
me."

He walked a few steps away. "One day, you
will
have to choose, Gabe, whether I ask you to do so or not. I’ll know by what you
do. I won’t stand by and watch you destroy yourself. I’ll do what I can to
protect you, but if you choose to go after them, I won’t be here when--or
if
--you
return."

The thought of losing Jess was more than she could bear.
"Please don’t do this to me, Jess. I don’t know what’s right
anymore."

He spun toward her. "Say yes. That’s what right. Be
my wife." He took her hand.

She looked at their joined hands. How could she deny him
anything? How could she exist without him? "Yes. I will, Jess. I’ll marry
you."

He shut his eyes, as if giving a silent prayer of thanks.

She put her hands on both sides of his face, and waited until
he opened his eyes so that she could look at him, could look at the love he
professed. It was there, all of it. She pressed her lips to his, wrapping her
arms around him, molding herself against him.

He pulled her closer. As quickly as that, his touch, his
kisses, turned her body to fire, and she pressed herself to him. All the days
of missing him, of worry, and his profession of love filled her heart, and made
her want him, ache for him, in a way she’d never known before.

He lifted his head and seemed to search her face, his own
so open, so vulnerable, it tore at her to see it.

"I want to make love to you," he whispered.

Her breath caught. She nodded once, tentatively.

"Gabe?" he asked again.

The hesitation was gone. "Yes. Yes! Love me,
Jess," she cried.

He pulled back the blankets on his bed, then stretched her
out onto it and lay down beside her. He kissed her, over and over, whispering
loving words as he let her get used to his hands, the feel of him, seeming to
know even before she did when she wanted more from him.

His body was lean but muscular. His shoulders were broad,
his stomach flat, his legs and arms long with corded strength. The scars that
crisscrossed his back brought a pang to her heart that only made her love him
more.

He made her feel like she was the most important and
beautiful person in the world as he touched and kissed and caressed her until
she wanted more and more, but of what, she didn’t know.

She’d heard that making love with a man was supposed to be
painful, and Mrs. Beale had once confided that it was another chore women must
bear, but she knew no torment so sweet, no chore so longed for.

Their eyes met and held, and the world seemed to stop. He
lifted his head and looked down at her, marking that moment they became one.
She felt the love between them as a tangible thing, something she could hold in
her hand or put on her dresser to cherish, it was that real, that strong.

 Then their lips met again as their bodies seemed to
blend, his fire meeting hers, twining, dancing, until the world seemed to
shatter.

He lay atop her, their bodies still joined, and her hands
lightly caressed his shoulders. If it were possible for a heart to burst from
being too full, hers surely would now. She squeezed her eyes tight, savoring
the heavy feel of him, his scent, the taste of his kisses, the sound of his
disjointed breathing as it slowly returned to its normal quiet. If she lived to
be a hundred, she would never forget the beauty of this night, or of the love
she felt.

Blue eyes gazed up at her then, his face showing all the
concern he felt for her. "Did I hurt you?"

She smiled softly. "Not at all."

"Thank God you were such a tomboy," he whispered
with a grin.

"What?"

"Nothing. Am I too heavy?" He lifted himself
onto his elbows, but still remained melded within her.

"You're perfect," she replied, her hands around
his back.

"We belong to each other, Gabe, heart and soul and
body." He held her fiercely, protectively. "When we marry, we’ll
declare, in the eyes of the law and everyone, what we’ve known to be true for a
long, long time."

"Yes," she said softly. She felt a sudden chill,
as if a hawk had flown overhead, blocking the sun.

"What is it?" he whispered.

"Nothing."

The lie hung like a specter between them.

He seemed to wait for her to say something. She had the
feeling she’d somehow failed him when he withdrew from her. "Maybe you
should go back to the house, now." He gave her a chaste kiss on the
forehead. "You might not want Chad to know about you being out here
tonight. He might get a notion to take a shotgun after us and then you’d have
to marry me even sooner than we planned." His joke fell flat. He studied
her eyes, but she looked away. "I’ll see to the stock," he said, then
got up and dressed.

She wanted to stop him, to ask him to come back to the
cot, to hold her again. Instead, she sat up and watched him walk away.

o0o

Over the next six weeks, Gabe tried to get used to the
idea that she and Jess were going to marry. It wasn’t easy to do, though. That was
the only reason she put off picking a date for the wedding--truly, the only
reason. As Jess quietly went about rebuilding the ranch, she had tried to
explain this to him. He didn’t seem to understand, and she found herself
avoiding him more and more, while the looks he gave her grew increasingly dark
and troubled. She told herself everything would work out just fine.

One afternoon, while she was mucking out the stables and
Chad was brushing the horses--by tugging on the bridle to get their necks down,
he could reach everywhere except the middle of their backs when sitting on his
chair, Gabe heard horse hooves on the packed dirt outside.

She stepped from the stables to see a small figure stopped
in front of the house, just looking at it, as if undecided whether to approach
or not. She stared, unable to believe her eyes. Under a cowboy’s hat, long
blond hair flowed. She called out, "Susan! Susan Flint! Over here!"

Susan turned, and was out of the saddle and running toward
Gabe just as Gabe ran toward the girl. They hugged, and Gabe stepped back,
holding Susan’s hands in hers. "Look at you! You’re so grown up!"
Susan was a good six-inches taller than Gabe. Thin and angular, she had a
natural elegance about her and a maturity beyond her years. Her blue eyes sparkled,
and her cheeks were pink from the sun.

"It’s so good to see you, Gabe!" Susan cried, a
big smile on her face.

"I can’t believe you’re here. Is everything all right
at home?"

The smile disappeared. "Yes. Well, no. I’ve got to
talk to you about it."

"Does your mother know you’ve come here?"

"I left her a note." Susan’s mouth tightened.

"Well, let’s go inside," Gabe said, taking her
arm. "You must be hot and thirsty."

Just then, Susan stopped herself from being led toward the
house, and stared past Gabe.

Gabe looked over her shoulder. Chad had wheeled himself
out of the barn and was watching the two young women with curiosity. His black
hair was clean and shiny and his sun-baked skin made him so dark he looked more
Apache than anything. The planes of his face were still sharp, but he’d gained
back some of the weight he’d lost, and his arms and chest had grown strong from
working as much as he could helping McLowry on the ranch.

Gabe looped Susan’s arm with hers and marched her to him.
"I told you my brothers had been killed. That’s what I thought--but look!
This is my brother, Chad." Gabe went to his side, and placed her hand
protectively on his shoulder. "The doctors don’t know how he did it, but
he’s here. Miracles do happen. Susan Flint, meet Chad Devere," Gabe said,
then looking at her brother. "Chad, this is my friend, Susan."

"Hello," Susan said, taking off her hat. The sun
glinted off her blonde strands as if they were gold. Chad’s dark eyes lifted to
hers, but he said nothing. A quizzical look crossed her face, and then, ever so
slowly, a smile spread across it. "I’ve never seen a miracle before."
She offered a sleek, long-fingered hand to him.

He took her hand and held it.

He didn’t speak, and neither did Susan.

"Chad..." Gabe began, and their hands
immediately dropped. She was going to explain to Susan why Chad didn’t say
anything to her, but then, something told her that wouldn’t be wise. "Chad
was tending the horses and I was mucking the stables. We’re both glad to take a
break from that. Let’s go up to the house. I’m sure you’d like something to eat
and I’ve got some fresh squeezed lemonade in the cooler."