Let Me Love You (10 page)

The winter air seeped in, chilling her as she tried to hug her legs tighter. The front door of the cabin let in huge gusts of snow-chilled air every time it opened. Her knickers and socks were poor coverage against the dropping temperature. But maybe, she could scrap a little ice through the gap between the logs, just a bit to hold back her thirst. Picking at the mud, she tried to loosen another chunk of it.

“Nothing like bacon on a cold night.” Joseph smacked his lips as he chomped down on a thick slice of cured ham shank. He shook his head like a huge dog did after being fed. “Got a piece for you, wife, if you want to be nice.”

Brianna turned her face towards the wall. Her belly grumbled but she preferred hunger.

Joseph
tsked
under his breath. “You sound awful hungry. That belly is good and empty, isn’t it?” She heard his boots hitting the floor as he came closer. The scent of ham grew stronger and more tantalizing with each footfall. “Bet you’re thirsty, too.”

A hand gripped her hair, tugging her head around to face a piece of ham. He dangled the roasted meat in front of her nose as the scent filled her senses and her belly rumbled loudly.

“Say ‘fuck me, Joseph’ and it’s yours.”

She snarled at him instead. The hand holding her hair tightened, making her cry out with the pain. He stooped down until his mouth was right in front of hers. He stuffed the ham into his mouth and chewed it with huge motions of his jaw as he forced her to keep her face level with his. Shutting her eyes didn’t keep her from hearing his lips smack or smell the scent of that meat. Opening her eyes, she shoved her foot into his unprotected crotch again.

“Shit!”

Joseph rolled away from her. His cussing made her smile as she recognized her own power. She might be the one wearing chains, but he couldn’t force her to like him.

A second later, a hard smack landed on her face. This time she laughed at his abuse, smiling as she tasted blood on her tongue. Joseph frowned at her glee.

“We’ll just see how you feel after a night in your knickers. You don’t get nothing until you ask me to fuck your pretty little pussy. Not even water.”

Her humor died away as she hugged her legs tight. She shivered as she pictured the snow right on the other side of the tree-trunk wall. Only a foot of wood separated her from ice. The idea was hypnotic in a fashion, drawing her towards a dream world where everything sparkled on millions of icy crystals all full of color and wonder… She let it carry her away, because it was so much more inviting than looking at the ugly reality of Joseph.

Sloan held his tongue as the bartender picked up a glass and began to polish it. His temper was paper thin, but there was a finesse to prying information out of a barkeep. The man glared at Jed before spitting on the floor.

Jed’s face didn’t betray a single emotion, but Sloan fought to keep his own temper leashed in the face of the bigotry. The West was full of it. Indian, Chinese and the black man were all harnessed for labor but resented by the same men who wanted them breaking their backs in the sun. Jed simply turned and pushed out the shutters that served as doors. Sloan returned his attention to the barkeep.

“Sure you can’t help us find that homestead?” Sloan placed a small leather pouch on the bar and fingered it so that the coins inside clinked against one another. The barkeep’s hands froze on the glass as his mustache twitched.

“The Corners boys owe me a fine bit. Now, if I was to go spreading their personal information around to strangers, they might not show up in my place again.”

Sloan flicked the leather pouch again. A month’s pay for him, but worth every penny if it got him enough facts to find the Corners’ homestead tonight. The new sheriff didn’t know and the land office wouldn’t be open until ten the next morning. But even the sheriff couldn’t force anyone to divulge the information. Sloan looked at the barkeep.

“Guess you’ll have to decide if you want that bill paid or those boys back in here wanting more of your whiskey for free.”

The barkeep was tempted. Sloan saw it in his eyes. But the man stiffened and went back to polishing his glass. “Maybe, maybe not. Fact is, Joseph was telling me that he’s set to come into some money. I need customers that have a good income. There’s nothing that says I need to like them any too much.”

“What kind of money?” Sheriff Seth Kindle turned from where he’d been leaning against the bar to aim his gaze at the barkeep. “From where? What I hear is, that family hasn’t worked their land in years. Knowing about a crime makes you guilty, too.”

“I didn’t admit to nothing, lawman.”

Sloan wasn’t in the mood to let the information slip out of his grip. Kindle was a lawman and that shiny badge pinned to his vest had a habit of shutting up men like the barkeep. “It’s simple, really. I can cover the man’s bill in exchange for information or you can deal with the sheriff tomorrow when we get that information from the land deed office. Either way, I’ll get what I want. You’ll be the one left with a bar tab and no one to make good on the debt. My offer expires when I leave.”

Sloan didn’t bother to voice the fact that Kindle’s deputies were on their way to the land deed office’s manager. But the man lived on a homestead a good two hours’ ride outside town. In the dark it might just be impossible to find, even for an experienced trail man. Sloan felt his gut twisting with the possibilities of what Joseph Corners might be doing with Brianna out on his land. But no one in town knew where that parcel was, except the barkeep in front of him. The game held the highest stakes he’d ever gambled with, but he was going to win. Well after midnight now, the saloon crowd had thinned out. This was the third bar they’d searched looking for information on Joseph. Silver Peak didn’t want for watering holes.

“Guess we aren’t doing business.” Sloan reached for the pouch, but the barkeep placed the glass over it. “Joseph’s a loud man with whiskey in his belly. I only overheard him talking, but I hear a lot of nonsense in this bar. That don’t mean I run to the sheriff with every bummed-out miner who’s prone to plotting crazy stuff while his head’s in a whiskey bottle. They sleep it off and go back to their claims. That’s not a crime.”

“True enough. But a woman’s gone missing this time.” Kindle glared at the man as a trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face. “I find her up at his place and I’m coming back for you. That’s a promise.”

“Now see here!”

Sloan felt his temper snap. He grabbed the front of the barkeep’s vest and hauled the man up against the bar. His eyes bulged as the tips of his boots scrapped along the wooden plank floor.

“The only thing that is going to be seen is my fist coming towards your face. That’s my woman out there in the night and no one steals from me. Tell me where that weasel lives and I’ll pay his tab off as a thank you. Don’t tell me and I’ll watch you rot on a chain gang along with Joseph Corners for kidnapping.”

“Fine… He just said he was getting married. I thought it was one of them mail-order brides. I figured the girl was coming with a dowry. Honest. I never knew nothing about no kidnapping! Not one word, swear it on my mother’s soul.”

Sloan tightened his grip on the man’s shirt. “Where’s the claim?”

The barkeep muttered out the directions and Sloan forced himself to release the man. He didn’t want to. He needed to kill something. Craved the solid flesh-to-flesh contact that would make sure no one ever touched his woman again.

“Let’s go, Sloan.”

Sheriff Kindle was already heading towards the door. Sloan eyed the barkeep. “I’ll be back if you sent us on a fool’s errand.”

The barkeep swallowed roughly before Sloan turned to follow the lawman into the freezing night. He heard the barkeep pick up the pouch. Sloan had never spent a month’s pay so fast or so well. For the first time in his life, he recognized that money meant nothing compared to a woman.

His woman…and he was going to find her.

Kindle was already sitting in his saddle as Sloan mounted his own horse.

“You can’t kill him.”

Sloan gathered up the reins as he kicked his mount into action. White puffs appeared in front of the animals’ mouths as they took off into the early morning hours.

“I mean it, McAlister. I’d have to hang you if you pulled a trigger in cold blood. Corners is a coward. You won’t be getting a fight out of the man.”

His blood wasn’t cold, far from it. Rage flowed through him like a spring river gorged with melting snow.

“McAlister.”

“I heard you, Kindle.” Sloan didn’t slow his mount. He shot a hard look at the lawman. “You get the first shot, but if he slips through your grasp I’m taking a shot. I’m not going to spend my life looking over my shoulder for that bastard.”

“You might be wrong.”

“Then I’ll apologize.” Kindle rolled his eyes at the idea. Sloan simply shrugged. “The only thing I’m wrong about was thinking Joseph had been put off back on the dock. I didn’t finish the job. Brianna’s up there or he knows where she is.”

Jed reined his horse in closer to Sloan’s. The night was half gone and darkness blanketed everything as the early morning hours crept by. “She’s been up there a good amount of time.”

Jed kept his voice low, but it sliced into Sloan like newly sharpened razor blades. He didn’t like the sting, because nothing should matter so much to him. An iron-hard rule that Brianna had somehow managed to melt in two. Jed was right about one thing, she had been with Joseph Corners too long. One minute was too long. He tightened his grip on his rifle. It might be uncivilized, but he enjoyed the solid steel of the weapon resting against his palm. Always had. It allowed him to slip into a calm that could prove deadly to anyone who crossed him. Joseph had stepped way over the line.

“Let’s go find her.”

Warren and Jed moved in tight as the sheriff and his men led the way. They knew the road better and, in the dark, it was an advantage that Sloan needed. It would still be early morning before they reached the claim. The amount of time ate a hole in his gut. The idea of what he might find tormented him. He shoved it all aside, forcing his attention to the task of finding Brianna.

Finding Brianna alive was what mattered. He’d deal with the rest of it after he had her back in his arms.

Chapter Eight

Cold did funny things to the mind. Brianna didn’t much mind at the moment though. She enjoyed the strange dreams of her life’s moments and Christmas mornings from her past. But her stocking was empty. She pushed her hand down into it, searching for even one piece of sweetbread, but all she felt was the scratchy wool yarn the sock was made of. Her belly growled deep and long as slumber faded away in the face of hard hunger.

Her eyes fluttered open. The first rays of dawn were turning the cabin gray. Two of her captors were snoring louder than full-grown hogs. Her lips rose in a tiny smile at the image. Joseph did remind her of a hog. He was lazy enough to enjoy wallowing in filth. At least a hog had only a simple brain to excuse its lack of hygiene.

Her belly rumbled again as that smile made her lips hurt because the tender skin was dry. Thirst made her mouth feel like cotton as she rubbed her fingers against each other trying to warm them. She couldn’t feel her toes hidden inside her shoes and her entire body shook as her knickers failed to keep the winter morning chill away.

At least the night was past. She focused her attention on the increasing light, trying to force her mind to think. The sun was rising and the temperature would increase now. She clung to that idea, actually fantasizing about the sun as it cleared the horizon, spreading its rays out to warm the air.

The bar across the front door splintered and flew to pieces. The door pushed back into the cabin with enough force to rip the top leather hinge out of the frame. The snoring ended as Joseph and his kin grumbled while trying to regain their wits. They didn’t do it fast enough. The cabin was already full of black dusters. Polished rifles gleamed in the early morning light as they were pointed at the disoriented inhabitants.

Sloan’s voice was deadly. Too calm and controlled, but it was the sweetest music she had ever heard. Lifting her hands from where she’d tucked them between her thighs the chains attached to her shackles rattled loudly. The cussing from Joseph and his family stopped instantly as the metal sound filled the cabin. Joseph pushed back away from the rifle in front of his chest, while his face turned pasty white. The shackles damned him instantly.

Sloan’s eyes darkened as his gaze traced the chains. He turned his attention to the man standing in the doorway. “That enough proof for you, Sheriff?” The tone of his voice was even lower now and it sent a shiver through her. Sloan wasn’t in the mood to be told no.

“Sure is.” The lawman raised his rifle, aiming it at Joseph’s father. “You went too far this time, Jonah. This here is illegal and I’m going to have to haul you and your boys into town.”

“I’ll tell you what’s against the law. Breaking in a man’s door. That’s what’s illegal!” Jonah raised his fist, but didn’t move towards any of the muzzles aimed his way. “Besides, the boy done it. Stupid fool is in love. He’s the one you need to take in.”

“Pa!” Joseph’s voice cracked as he whimpered for his father to protect him from his own transgressions. But the lack of moral fiber that ran through him clearly came from his father, because his sire and brothers all turned to point at him.

Sloan wasn’t interested in the sniveling that filled the cabin. His finger itched to pull the trigger. He clamped down on the impulse as he aimed his attention at Joseph. The man trembled with fear. Sweat popped out on his forehead in spite of the cold.

“The key.”

Joseph frowned. It was an ugly expression filled with hate. He spat on the

floor as he pulled a brass key out of his vest pocket. Sloan stared right back with an equal amount of hatred. They stood facing off over her as Brianna felt her jaw drop open. Never once had she ever thought that she could inspire any man to fight for her. This morning it was a beautiful sight that sent a surge of excitement through her.

Sloan never took his eyes off Joseph. “Toss it to her and don’t miss.” Joseph hesitated, his fingers turning white because he pressed so hard on the key. One dark eyebrow rose on Sloan’s face before he lowered his head to look down the sights of his weapon.

“Do it, man.” The sheriff wasn’t in any better mood as he aimed his gun at Joseph. “I can’t believe you left her chained up in this chill. You’ll be lucky if the judge doesn’t hang you for it.”

The key clattered on the floor next to her feet. Joseph whimpered like a child, muttering words that didn’t make any sense. She stared at the key for a long moment, held mesmerized by the fact that freedom was in reach. Her fingers reached for it just like the child in her dream had done looking for sweetbread. Her belly rumbled again as she tried to make her fingers work. The key clattered back to the floor, but she grabbed it and fit the end into one shackle. The heavy iron fell towards the wall as the chain rattled.

Just one short day she’d been locked in the iron bands, but the sweetest relief moved through her as she fit that key into the remaining shackle and turned it. Metal ground against metal and the rusty lock groaned before opening. She stumbled as she tried to stand, her legs too cold to work without wobbling. She fell against the wall and dug her fingers into the packed mud as she tried to summon enough willpower to make it out of the cabin.

Her face suddenly flamed as she realized she stood there in her knickers. Her temper flared and she cheerfully let it burn because it gave her the strength to stomp over to the pile of her ruined dress. Gathering it up, she hugged it against her open bodice.

“Move behind me, Brianna.”

An insane impulse taunted her to lay a solid slap cross Joseph’s face while she had the chance, but the cold fury in Sloan’s voice held her hand. Her feet were already moving towards the cabin door when Joseph made a lunge for her. His fingers caught her tangled hair, gripping the delicate strands. He yanked on it and her body jerked towards his. Pain ripped through her body making her temper explode. The need to retaliate was too great. Lifting her foot she smashed it into Joseph’s crotch. She stumbled right past him as he yelped and rolled onto his bunk. A hard hand gripped her arm and pulled her right off the floor as if she were a child.

“God damn it, Jonah. Why didn’t you teach your boys any better?” Sheriff Kindle moved forward with his rifle still pointed at the Corners men. “This is turning into one hell of a mess. You are all going to have to sit in jail until the circuit judge comes ’round. I’ve seen too much to ignore.”

She missed the remainder of the lawman’s lecture because Sloan didn’t let her go until she was outside the cabin. He blocked the doorway with his body, his shoulders filling it. But he kept his eyes on the sheriff as she heard the distinct sound of iron cuffs being locked into place. A shudder worked its way over her skin as she realized that she was going to hear that iron grating sound in her dreams for the rest of her life.

Brianna shook off the chill as she wrapped her ruined petticoat around her shoulders like a cape. Her body quivered as she tried to keep her legs straight. Every muscle felt as limp as taffy. But she was determined to walk away from her jailers. No Spencer child was going to collapse because of a little chill and hunger. No sir!

As she lifted her face, a startled gasp left her lips. She found another pair of black eyes watching her. This pair belonged to an Indian. His hair was coal black and brushed his shoulders. Whatever he might be thinking, he masked it expertly. His gaze lingered on her for a long moment before he nodded with approval.

“You do not shriek. That is good.”

She clutched her makeshift cape closer against the wind and scoffed at his comment. “Yelling sure isn’t a lot of help to anyone.”

“No, but keeping a rifle at hand is.”

A chill raced down her back that had nothing to do with the snow. Jerking her head back towards the cabin, she stared into Sloan’s eyes. Fury danced in his dark gaze, but she was still too glad to see him to truly worry about anything beyond the fact he was real. His temper didn’t stand up to her stare. Emotion flickered in his gaze before he shook his head and surveyed her from tousled hair to frozen toes. A dangerous look invaded his expression as he reached out to trace the side of her face. Even the gentle touch hurt. The bruises she knew would show up were right on time.

“It’s nothing.”

His gaze slid over the torn mess of her dress. Ripped edges of calico and muslin from her petticoat whipped around in the wind. She huddled under it, but her knickers and legs were in plain sight.

It was the most undignified position she’d ever experienced, but she was still so glad to see her rescuers that a grin decorated her abused lips.

“It sure as hell is something to me.” Sloan smoothed a finger along her jaw.

The sheriff led Jonah out of his cabin by the chains attached to his wrists. Sloan’s hand tightened on his rifle as she watched him fight off the urge to point the muzzle back at Jonah.

“She done said she loved my boy!”

The sheriff secured the chain to the back of his horse before the men waiting outside the cabin came forward to claim Joseph and his brothers.

“Save it, Corners. I saw the girl in shackles with my own eyes. That’s about as far from love as it gets. It’s a good thing the judge don’t come ’round for another two weeks, cause I think you need the time to sort out your thoughts. You tell that crap to Ambrose and he just might consider giving you a taste of hard labor.”

It was such a simple ending. Brianna watched the deputies pull Joseph and his brothers towards town. They walked their horses, forcing their prisoners to follow or be dragged. Joseph cussed as his younger brother whimpered. Fatigue suddenly rose up and slashed right into her. Her eyelids were so heavy, it hurt to keep them open. Every muscle she owned began to shake. Her legs felt like butter, too soft to support her weight.

Sloan moved before her brain grasped that he was in motion. A hard arm snaked around her waist as he clasped her to his larger frame. He handed off his rifle to the Indian before hooking her knees and lifting her up. Her body shook harder as her fingers dug into the harsh fabric of his black duster. She caught a hint of his scent and it drew a long sigh from her lips. It was a tiny sound that only reached his ears, but she saw the corners of his lips twitch slightly in response. Maybe she was only seeing what she wanted to, but for the moment it was perfection.

Her belly refused to let her sleep very long. It rumbled and hurt as it cramped up. Rolling over, Brianna gasped as pain twisted through her middle making her eyes sting with unshed tears. Her nose caught the full aroma of cooking food and another cramp twisted her gut. Staring across the room to her little stove, she blinked at the sight of Sloan tending to whatever was cooking in her iron pot. His black duster was missing, but his rifle leaned against the wall within easy reach. He was wearing only a shirt today, no overvest to complicate his appearance by making the man look too formal. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, displaying his forearms. Coupled with the fact that the door was firmly closed and she was still in her corset and knickers, the moment was far too intimate.

Sitting up, Brianna felt her mouth water just because they were talking about food. “No.”

Sloan picked up a plate and began spooning up whatever he’d cooked. She didn’t care what it was, as long as it was food. Mule meat would have found favor at the moment. Steam rose from the pile of beans. She detected the scent of bacon mixed in, too. A westerner’s staple, the beans absorbed the salt and fat from the bacon. The local Indians called it “chili” and often put other vegetables or different meats into the mix.

Brianna held out her hands for the food. The spoon resting on the side of the tin plate rattled because her body shook. The tremor running down her limbs made her mad. “Joseph thought he could starve me into a wedding.”

She placed a spoonful of the meal into her mouth to avoid mentioning any details beyond Joseph’s main goal. The memory of his bare cock made her thighs squeeze tight as she took another bite.

Sloan’s eyes caught the defensive motion. His lips pressed into a hard line as he watched her clean the plate. She was too hungry to care how ungraceful it was to shovel the steaming food into her mouth like a miner. Her brain urged her to eat as fast as possible in spite of the fact that she understood the ordeal was over. She scraped the last bit of food off the plate and swallowed it with a satisfied sigh.

“What did he want in exchange for some warmth?”

She choked. Her eyes rounded as her memory offered up a perfect recollection of just what Joseph wanted to demand from her. Her temper ignited as she felt a spike of terror go through her. Joseph Corners certainly wasn’t worth her fear!

“It doesn’t matter, because he’ll never get it from me.” She stood and moved across the floor to place the empty plate on the sideboard where her sink was. A tin of water was standing in her sink and she plunged her hands into it. She suddenly felt filthy.

“I need a bath.” She didn’t care if her voice sounded desperate or not. Her skin felt like it was crawling with vermin.

“I figured you’d say that.”

Her large pot was steaming on the back burner of the stove. The white vapor looked like heaven to her. The bedroom door was open and her tub shimmered like an oasis.

She didn’t give Sloan another thought. Ripping at her few remaining garments, she didn’t even wait for him to add the hot water. The need to scrub her skin didn’t care if the water was one degree above freezing. She stepped into the cold water and sat down as he poured the steaming water in.

“Slow down, honey.” His voice was low, but so sweet she felt tears sting her eyes. Her emotions teetered dangerously as she tried to cling to her composure. It seemed a poor ending to dissolve into a weeping puddle now that she was back under her own roof, but her fickle feelings wanted to take center ring. Cupping her hands under the water, she drenched her face to avoid letting Sloan see the tears glistening in her eyes.

Her soap bar appeared in his hand as he held it up for her. Grabbing it, she attacked her legs and body with a zeal that left her skin pink. His hand invaded her bath as it captured her wrist. He pulled the soap from her grasp, while his opposite hand pushed her shoulders gently forward.