The Tracker (8 page)

Releasing the curl, Nick groaned and lay back on the pillow. Why in God’s name did he keep touching this woman’s hair?

What he needed were a couple of hours in the sack with a woman—any woman—and then this preoccupation with Ellie would be gone. However, the idea of bedding a woman other than Ellie suddenly had no appeal.

He propped his head on his hand. His gaze dropped to her breasts. As she lay in bed, the loose fabric of her bodice had twisted, tightening over the delicate mounds that rose and fell in a way that had him hardening.

He realized then that she hid behind the yards of calico, the aprons and the severe hairstyles. She didn’t want to be feminine. She didn’t want to be noticed. That also explained why she always kept moving. Except to feed the baby, she rarely sat in one place for more than a few minutes.

Life in the brothel had done that to her. It had robbed her of her femininity. It had instilled such fear that she never allowed herself to rest.

“And why the devil do you care?” he muttered, rolling on his back.

He was losing his focus and drive, both of which had served him so well. They’d taken him through the ranks of the army. They’d gotten him past his wife’s death and then the discovery of her betrayal. They had given him the strength to bury a dear friend and finish this final hunt.

Reaching inside his pocket, he pulled out a small key and unlocked his cuff. Carefully he scooted away from Ellie and rose from the bed.

Lighting a lantern, he picked up his book and, without thinking, walked to the cradle. He glanced down at the sleeping child.

Rose. A flower born among thorns. Just like Ellie.

The child deserved better.

Ellie deserved better.

He eased his still sore body into a chair and opened his book.

Focus and drive.

As long as he kept his mind on his goal, and off Ellie and Rose, he’d be just fine.

E
LLIE WOKE TO LIGHT
streaming into her room. Never could she remember feeling so very warm and comfortable. Her body felt like it was floating. She stretched her arms over her head.

She smelled fresh coffee and bacon. She must still be sleeping, because never in her life had she woken up to the smells of breakfast. She had always been the one who stoked the fires and warmed the cold kitchen.

Purposeful footsteps sounded in the cabin, shattering her bliss. She wasn’t alone. She bolted upright.

Pushing a lock of hair off her face, she struggled to gather her thoughts. For several tense seconds she wasn’t sure where she was. Slowly her mind cleared. Annie’s cabin.
Rose.
Her gaze darted to the side of the bed where the baby slept in the cradle. Her fear eased a fraction.

Nick.
They’d spent the night in the same bed handcuffed together! She glanced down at her wrist, expecting to see handcuffs. They were gone.

Rubbing her naked wrist, she tried to clear her fogged mind. When had she fallen asleep? She’d done her best to stay awake, but the warmth of his body had lulled her into a deep sleep. Normally she never slept more than three hours at a stretch, but last night she’d slept harder than she ever remembered. And by the looks of the sun, it was well past eight o’clock.

She stood. Where was Nick? He had been the person she’d heard moving around, hadn’t he?

Still dressed in the oversize homespun dress she wore all the time, she walked to the front door and spotted Nick on the porch, staring out at the horizon. He held a cup of coffee.

A flash of unreasonable relief sparked in her as she stared at his broad shoulders. He hadn’t left. The fact that she cared one way or the other about him irritated her. What the devil was wrong with her? Depending on any man was plain foolish.

Her movement had him turning. “Good morning,” he said.

“I thought you’d left.”

He grinned. “I’m a bad penny, Ellie.” The smile softened his hard features and made him look devilishly handsome. “I always turn up where I’m least wanted.”

“So I’ve noticed.” His coloring was better and he looked too healthy to be a man shot only a week ago.

“Buck up, Ellie. The lure of that gold will have Frank here sooner rather than later and I’ll be gone before you know it.”

Relief mingled with unexpected sadness. She’d never felt more confused about anyone in her life.

The baby wailed, letting Ellie know she was awake. She moved back inside to her room. Rose kicked and squirmed contentedly until she caught sight of Ellie and then she started to cry. “I bet you’re a hungry one.”

The baby howled louder.

“Don’t believe her,” Nick said. He’d stepped into the cabin. “I fed her only an hour ago.”

Ellie picked up Rose and didn’t try to hide her shock. “You fed her?”

“Don’t look so surprised.”

“I just can’t picture it, that’s all.”

“I wasn’t always a bounty hunter. I had another life once.”

She thought of the wedding picture in his saddlebag. The picture had been taken long ago, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a wife waiting for him. Perhaps he had a few babies back home. Odd, but she’d never thought of him as
married
. So foolish.

He answered her unspoken question. “I was the oldest of three. My younger sister was fourteen years younger than me. I cared for her from time to time.”

But what about Crystal? Not meeting his gaze, Ellie retrieved a fresh diaper, laid the baby on the bed and stripped her wet gown off. The baby flailed her arms and kicked.

Nick moved closer, seemingly interested in the baby. Ellie found the simple task infinitely more difficult. Her fingers fumbled with the small buttons and diaper pins. “I can’t picture you with family.”

“You’ve got a very narrow view of me.”

“Maybe because you don’t look like you could have ever been a child. I wouldn’t have been surprised if you said Lucifer had molded you out of clay and put you on the earth to create trouble.”

He laughed. “You mean for you.”

“You’re the one who stepped into my life and turned it upside down. I was doing fine until you showed up.”

“Fine?” He shook his head. “You’re holed up in a coach stop struggling to make ends meet. I’ll bet every night you jump when you hear a sound outside or see a shadow move, waiting for Frank or Adeline to show up.”

She lifted her chin, unwilling to admit he’d hit the nail on the head.

“Neither has found me yet.”

“But you worry nonetheless.”

She did. She worried about it each day.

“And what would you have done if Frank had showed up on your doorstep, demanding that gold map? Or if Adeline wanted to take you back to the Silver Slipper?”

“I’d have figured out something.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

Quickly, Ellie finished changing the baby and lifted her on her shoulder. “I’ve to go to the barn and milk the cow. The old girl has got to be bursting.”

Nick nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

“I doubt I could run far with a baby and empty pockets.”

He lifted a brow, as if shocked by her retort. “I thought that I could help.”

Her gaze traveled up and down his body, hardened by years in the saddle. “You, milk a cow?”

His gray eyes held hers. “I can hold the baby while you do. And I’d like to check on my horse.”

The idea of giving him Rose didn’t sit well. He’d fed her once and that was enough contact, as far as she was concerned. The less contact between them, the better. “Rose and I have a little routine when we milk the cow.” With the baby propped on her shoulder, she started out the door.

Her skirts swirled around her feet and her uncombed hair teased the sides of her face. She wished she’d had time to brush her hair and rub tooth pow
der on her teeth, feeling more conscious of her appearance than usual. But she was already hours behind on her chores.

The wind had picked up.

“We’re in for weather,” Nick said. Despite his bad leg, he matched her pace easily.

The pale blue sky showed no signs of storms. “How can you tell?”

“Can feel it in my bones.”

Some men had a knack for calling the weather and she didn’t doubt Nick was one of them. “Annie said the valley had seen more than its share of storms this summer.”

“Today’s is going to be a big one.”

“I’d best hurry, then. The cow is skittish and it doesn’t take much to dry her milk up.” Ellie moved into the barn, slowing her pace as her gaze adjusted to the dimmer light. Hay lay in a large pile by the front door. The low-ceilinged room had eight stalls, four on each side of the barn. The room smelled musty, earthy. Mice scrambled overhead in the loft. “Your horse is in the last stall. She’s a temperamental one.”

Nick strode to the stall. The horse came to him immediately, nudging his hand with her nose. “Aurora and I have ridden thousands of miles together. She’s never let me down.”

Ellie felt a stab of jealousy. “I’ve never been able to say the same about a horse or person.”

Sadness sharpened his gaze. “You’re cynical for one so young.”

Balancing Rose on her shoulder, Ellie picked up her bucket and went into the first stall, where the cow stood. “No, just practical.”

She set her bucket down and pulled down the blanket draped over the side of the stall. She rigged a sling between the sides of the stall and laid Rose in the center.

“I offered to hold the baby,” he said, striding toward the stall.

“No need. Rose is happy to watch me milk.”

He leaned against the entrance to the stall and tickled the baby’s toes. She kicked and smiled.

His hair was brushed back off his face and she realized that he’d shaved. Her skin tingled as her gaze skimmed his full lips.

“You’re an independent one, aren’t you?”

She sighed. She didn’t feel independent most times. She felt frightened and alone. “It’s the only way to be.”

“It’s been my experience that women don’t want independence, but marriage,” he said.

She glanced up at him. She thought of the lovely Crystal. “I’ve seen too many women throw all their
hopes in with a man and then see them crushed. Men just are not suited for marriage.”

“Not all men leave their women,” he said. His voice now held an edge.

“Then why aren’t you with your wife?” she challenged. There, she’d asked the question that had plagued her since the moment she’d found the photo. But the instant she asked it, she felt foolish.

His eyes narrowed.

“I searched your saddlebag that first night. I was curious. I saw the picture.”

For a moment she didn’t think he was going to answer her. “She died ten years ago.”

“Oh.” Embarrassed, she started to milk the cow, but Crystal’s story continued to swirl in her mind. “What happened?”

Silent, he stared down at Rose. “She died giving birth.”

Her mind immediately returned to the night Jade had given birth to Rose. She’d not known Jade well, but the sadness had been so great. At least Rose had survived. “What of the child?”

“Died with his mother.” His flat tone hinted of deeper emotions.

“I’m sorry.” She did her best to lose herself in the rhythm of the milking. But Nick’s presence invaded her senses. His scent, his presence, even the rhythm
of his breathing, filled up her brain so that she couldn’t think of anything else but him.

Rose started to yell, clamoring for attention.

Nick picked the baby up.

A surge of panic exploded in Ellie as he took Rose. Her body tensed, ready to fight.

“Relax,” he said. “I won’t drop her.”

This time she didn’t argue. He’d lost a wife and son. If holding Rose gave him a bit of comfort, then so be it.

“She doesn’t weigh more than a boot.” He tucked the baby into the crook of his arm.

“She’s been a small one since day one.” Ellie finished the milking and stood with the full pail. The milk sloshed over her hands.

“I’ll carry the pail,” he offered, grabbing the handle.

“No, you could rip a stitch. Just carry Rose. I’ll manage the milk.”

He held on to the bucket. “Lead the way. I think that bacon should be ready soon, and I’m hungry.”

She walked beside him, careful not to move far away in case he stumbled or lost his hold on Rose.

He followed her up the front steps and into the house. He set the milk on the table and then laid Rose in her bed by the hearth. She started to cry, so he jiggled her cradle as Ellie moved a fry pan to the stove
top and cracked several eggs into it. She glanced at the bacon. “You cooked.”

“I was hungry and bacon’s about all I can cook.”

“You didn’t burn it.” The eggs sizzled as the whites hardened. She flipped them over with a spatula.

Nick picked up Rose and held her in his arms, talking softly into her ear. The child’s eyes widened with interest.

If anyone were to ride up to the cabin, they’d have thought the threesome a normal family.

Normal.

Ellie almost laughed at the thought. Nothing about her life had been normal, including this current situation.

“I’ll protect you from Frank. And when he’s captured, I’ll leave you in peace.”

A bitter taste settled in her mouth. “Don’t make me any promises, Nick. They don’t mean much to me. I’ve seen too many broken.”

“I never break my promises.”

She snorted.

He stared at her for what seemed an eternity. “I guess I’m just going to have to prove myself to you.”

B
Y THE TIME
they’d cleared the breakfast dishes, dark clouds had covered the blue sky and the wind had increased.

Nick set the freshly dried dishes on the counter by the washbasin. “The horses are in the barn. I’d best get them outside so they don’t hurt themselves.”

“Aren’t they better off inside? They won’t like the rain.”

“Rain won’t hurt them. But if they get spooked by the thunder while they are confined in their stalls, they could injure themselves.”

Nick moved to the door and opened it. The breeze flapped the folds of his shirt. He reached for his duster, which now hung on the peg by the door.

Wiping her hands on her apron, Ellie glanced down at the sleeping infant and then hurried to the door. The whinnies of the horses drifted with the wind. The brewing storm had the animals’ nerves dancing.

She didn’t like dealing with horses. Their size intimidated her and she simply didn’t understand them. Annie had said they all had their own personalities, but Ellie had decided if that were true, they were all stuck up and they didn’t like her. None ever seemed to do what she wanted.

“I will get the horses,” she said. “You could easily injure yourself.”

“I’ve been around horses all my life.”

“You’ve a gunshot wound in your leg that’s only just started to heal. It won’t take much to tear it open.”

“I’ll manage.” He held out his duster. “But you take my coat. The skies are about to open up.”

She hesitated. She considered arguing, then dismissed the idea. The man was stubborn, and worry over the horses and the storm drained the fight from her.

Ellie slid her arms into his coat. It smelled of him—earthy and masculine—and it engulfed her. “Nick, I will trip and fall if I wear this coat.”

“Let me help. The coat will keep you dry.” Efficiently he rolled up the sleeves.

He towered over her and the warmth from his body pulled her closer. She wanted to lean into him, to tell him to wrap his arms around her. Instead she held her breath, staring up at him.

As if sensing her gaze on him, he looked down. For a moment they stood there, unable to move.

A crack of thunder exploded outside. Seconds later, lightning sliced across the sky. Ellie jumped.

“Let’s get the horses outside,” he said.

Hugging her arms around her chest, she followed Nick toward the corral. Her skirts whipped around her ankles and her hair quickly escaped its topknot. Fat droplets of rain started to fall. Thunder cracked again in the distance.

Nick strode to the barn. It wouldn’t take much to rip the stitches that weren’t due to come out for an
other two days. Yet he didn’t seem to care as he went inside the barn.