Early Dawn (35 page)

To hell with his moves
.
They probably hadn’t been all that slick, anyway, and kissing was sort of like riding a horse: A man never lost his knack. He seized her by her arms and pulled her against his chest. He would just kiss the woman, right and proper, and be done with it.

Only, as she had from the start, Eden surprised him once again. Instead of being shy and hesitant, she melted against him like a pat of butter on a hot biscuit and went up onto her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Matthew Coulter, you are one of a kind,” she whispered, and proceeded to press her lips against his.
Problem
. Her mouth was clamped tightly shut. When Matthew nudged at the part of her lips with his tongue, she jerked as if a bee had buzzed up and stung her on the butt. Arms still hooked around his neck, she reared back to look up at him in startled bewilderment.

And in that look of uncertainty, Matthew found his confidence again. “Darlin’, remember all that practicing on a mirror? Clenched teeth don’t cut it.”

He saw her jaw muscles relax. “John never—”

“I’m not John,” he whispered fiercely as he lowered his head, “and don’t you forget it.”

As Matthew slanted his mouth over hers, he forgot all about making fast work of this task and riding away with a clear conscience.
Honey and silk
. As he dipped his tongue into her mouth, he could have sworn that his toes curled in his boots, and from that instant, he was lost in the sweetness of her.
Eden
. She was vinegar, spice, and sugar, all rolled into one. Stubborn, feisty, impossible to understand sometimes, and yet—she had become his everything.

He wished he had the words to tell her that. In her special corner of his heart, she had become
his
rescuer, not the other way around. She had dug deep and searched out all of his hurting places to soothe away the pain, giving him hope where he’d had none, forgiveness for his mistakes when he’d wanted to blame himself forever, and the ability to laugh again without feeling guilty. Most important of all, she’d taught him that his love for Livvy would never be diminished if he allowed himself to love someone new. He didn’t have to say good-bye to Livvy in order to say hello to Eden.

And this kiss, so deep and dizzying, was definitely a hello. Matthew wanted to sweep her up into his arms, carry her to the cave, and make love to her. Instead he had to leave, not knowing for sure if he’d ever make it back. The thought made him tighten his arms around her, and he never wanted to let go.

When he finally came up for breath, he felt dizzy, and Eden’s beautiful blue eyes looked like cobalt glass that had been melted with a torch and given a brisk stir. She made fists on his jacket as if her legs might not hold her up.

“Oh,
my.
”

Matthew thought,
Oh, shit
, because in that moment, he knew for sure that he loved her. He just prayed to God he could lead the Sebastians on a ride that would have them so confused, they’d wonder which
country
they were in, and then he’d find his way back to her. A sense of urgency driving him, he kissed her again, wishing with all his heart that he could stay. Only he couldn’t. Forcing himself to break contact with her sweet, generous mouth, he shuddered for breath, loosened his hold on her, and fell back a step. His purpose hadn’t changed but his motivation had. To see Eden again, that was his goal.

“I’ll be back,” he whispered gruffly. “If I take longer than expected, don’t worry. I swear I’ll be back, no matter what, even if I have to crawl every foot of the way.”

She nodded. “You’d better come back, Matthew Coulter. If you don’t, I’ll hunt you down.”

He couldn’t believe she could make him smile when his heart felt as if it were being torn from his chest, but she did. He stared at her for a moment, taking in every detail about her. Then he found himself with his arms around her again, which made no sense at all. He had to get going. Her safety depended on it.

“Eden,” he said gruffly, “on the off chance that something does happen, figure out a way to lead your brothers in to where you’re hiding. They’re out here somewhere, looking for you. I know they are. I just wish to God we’d met up with them sooner.”

“I don’t want to think about anything going wrong, Matthew.”

“It’s not likely, but there’s always a possibility. I need to know you’ll be okay.”

“You’re coming back. Understand?” As he pulled away, she cupped his face in her hands, her eyes smiling up at him through sparkling tears. “I mean it, Matthew Coulter, and don’t think I don’t. I’m twenty-three years old, and I’m not even green-broke yet. I want my first time to be with you.”

She truly was the damnedest woman he’d ever run across. “I haven’t asked you to marry me. What about a man not buying the cow when he can get the milk for free?”

Her cheek dimpled in an impish grin. “If I waited around for a proposal of marriage from you, I’d be an old maid before you got the words out.”

Matthew figured she had a point. He’d sort of sidestepped when he’d been trying to tell her that he cared about her, and chances were good he’d sidestep again.

“Besides, I’m not all that interested in a ring and promises anymore.”

“You aren’t?”

“Heck, no.” She crooked her little finger under his nose. “I want your heart wrapped around my pinkie. If I have that, Matthew, I’ll have
everything.
”

Well, the lady definitely had his heart wrapped around her pinkie. As Matthew rode out, his thoughts remained with Eden at the cave, and it took all his strength not to double back. She was a feisty little package, but she was also a battered, exhausted, and fragile lady right now. Leaving her alone in a wilderness area thick with grizzly bears and cougars was one of the hardest things he’d ever done. Had he hung the meat high enough from the tree and far enough away from her camp?
Shit
. A bear could smell a fresh kill from over a mile away. So could a cougar. What the hell was he doing?

Doggedly, Matthew continued forward. When he narrowed it all down, the biggest threat to Eden’s safety didn’t come from bears or cougars. The Sebastian boys were the real danger. They weren’t accustomed to being bested. Out from under their noses, Matthew had stolen a woman who would have brought them a fine price across the border, taken one of their horses, and made fools of them as well. They were men with small minds who’d come to expect things to go their way. They rode in, they conquered, they spilled blood, they looted, and then they rode off, priding themselves on how clever they were.
No one
ever caught them.
No one
ever messed with them. No one
ever
turned the tables on them.

Right now, they were hopping mad. It was no longer about the price that Eden might have brought them across the border. It wasn’t about the bay gelding that he’d snatched out from under their drunken noses. They were still on his and Eden’s trail because they couldn’t let him get away with besting them. If they allowed that, they would have to face themselves as they really were: stupid, no-account snakes who would eventually get caught and strung up.

Matthew had to ride and ride hard, diverting their attention from Eden’s hideaway. And yet, after watching her shooting skill, he felt a spark of hope flame in his heart that, given enough warning, she’d be able to put a bullet right between the eyes of each one of those lousy scum. She’d find tubers and shoots to survive on if the meat ran out. Or she’d figure out a way to hunt. And Matthew had every confidence that her brothers would eventually find her. Even if he ended up getting his ass shot full of lead, she would be all right.

A quarter mile from the cave, Matthew dismounted to cut several branches from an elm. He tied the limbs with rope to trail them behind Herman, travois-style. After saddling up, he looked back every few feet to make sure the brush was obliterating all his tracks, and was relieved to see that it was working.

Once back at last night’s camp, Matthew threw the green branches onto the bonfire he started. When he doused the flames, smoke mushroomed into the sky, sending up a signal he knew wouldn’t go unnoticed. He left some of the wood still burning so the smoke would continue to flow upward. Then he headed north, not really caring where he went, just as long as the day’s ride took him miles away from Eden. The Sebastians would follow him. He felt sure of it. They would be expecting him to ride in a circle, as he’d been doing for weeks.
Not this time
. He would zigzag first one direction and then another to confuse the hell out of the sons of bitches.

 

Eden missed Matthew dreadfully that first night. She cooked her supper well before dark, because there was less chance of her fire being seen when it was still daylight. She’d chosen a spot among the trees for the tiny pit, hoping that the thick canopy of pine boughs above it would cant the smoke, sending it off in angles that would thin out and hopefully vanish before it reached the sky. Matthew believed the Sebastians were somewhere close, so she had to be extremely careful.

As soon as her meal was ready, she kicked dirt onto the flames, the only way she knew to smother them without causing an upward spiral of gray. She didn’t look forward to being alone in the dark without a fire to see by, but it was better than sending the Sebastians an engraved invitation to pay her a visit. She had assured Matthew that she wouldn’t be afraid out here at night, and that had been the truth. On cattle drives, she’d been left alone at camp a number of times. Only then she’d always had light. Tonight would be a whole different kettle of fish. Oh, well. As Ace would say, if she couldn’t tote it, she shouldn’t have picked it up. Tomorrow night would be easier. By then Matthew would have led the Sebastians well away from this area, and it would be safe for her to keep a small fire burning.

As she consumed her supper, she thought of Matthew with every bite. He would like the meat and gravy, she thought, and he’d be making appreciative sounds as he wolfed down the groundnuts. She wished she had his appetite. Normally she ate quite a lot for a woman, but lately she got full really fast and couldn’t force down another bite. She knew she was losing weight at a fast clip. Over the last few days, more than once she’d had to cinch in the rope that Matthew had given her to use as a belt.

When she’d eaten all that she could, she buried what remained on her plate so as not to attract long-toothed predators. After cleaning up the pots and dishes, she went into the cave to figure out where she would sleep. As she moved toward the back of the enclosure, her gaze caught on a familiar shape, and she missed a step.
The bedroll
. Matthew must have sneaked it in here when she wasn’t looking. Tears burned in her eyes. It pricked her temper that he’d left behind his only blanket, but the gesture was so sweet and thoughtful she felt as if he were sending her a hug. He would freeze his behind off tonight. Unlike her, he’d be out in the open, vulnerable to the wind and weather.
Stubborn man
. He was bound and determined to play hero, whether she wanted him to or not.

The pallet and blanket smelled of him—a wonderful blend of leather, sweat, soap, and bay rum. As she huddled at the back of the cave, trying to drift off to sleep, she buried her nose in the wool and pretended he was there beside her.
Matthew.
She grinned as she recalled how he’d told her that he was coming to care for her.
A pretty little redhead with a fiery temper and a sassy mouth sneaked past my guard with a pick and chisel.
As a girl, Eden had dreamed of how a man might someday tell her that he loved her. Her favorite scenario had been of a handsome fellow in a suit who went down on bended knee and spouted romantic avowals of devotion as he handed her a bouquet of flowers.
Bah.
John had finally fulfilled that girlhood fantasy, but when she remembered back, it hadn’t been nearly as fantastic as she’d thought it would be. Now, instead of a well-heeled Beau Brummell, she’d tied up with a dusty cowboy who wasn’t much of a talker, but she wouldn’t have traded him for a thousand San Francisco dandies. Matthew’s proclamation had come straight from his heart. She’d seen that in his eyes. Even more important, he’d had to push out every word. Even though he had never actually said that he loved her, the message had come through loud and clear.

Thinking of how delicious it had felt when Matthew kissed her, Eden knew for certain now that she’d never really loved John. His kisses had never made her feel the way Matthew’s did; nor had she ever felt so deeply moved when John held her in his arms. Earlier in her relationship with Matthew, Eden had cringed at the thought of physical intimacy. Her experiences with the Sebastians had made her dread being touched again, and if what they’d done to her even remotely resembled what went on between a man and a woman in the marriage bed, she’d wanted no part of it.

That feeling had left her now. Remembering the glow of happiness on the faces of her sisters-in-law, Eden knew it
wasn’t
like that between two people who loved each other. More important, she’d come to trust Matthew completely. He would never do anything to hurt her. She felt certain of that. Drawing the blanket more tightly around her shoulders, she tried to imagine what it would be like if he touched her body, not in the impersonal way he had a few times before, but as her lover. Instinctively she knew that every light stroke of his hands over her skin would feel absolutely wonderful. If he ever issued her an invitation to lie with him, she would not hesitate to say yes.