Whispers on the Wind (12 page)

Finally, she stilled. Her
eyelids fluttered open and she leaned back to look at him. Tears
streamed down her cheeks and she appeared truly to be frightened.
The fear was plain in her eyes as she blinked at him, totally
confused.

“Shh. It was just a bad
dream, I’m here,” Carter soothed as Mary trembled in his arms.
“Everything will be all right.”

Mary cried harder, and
Carter cradled her face between his palms, forcing her to look at
him. “Look at me, Mary. Look at me. I promise I won’t let anyone
hurt you.”

She managed a small nod and
then threw her arms around him. He enfolded her in his arms,
soothing her as he shifted around until his back was against the
couch and Mary was pulled across his lap. He held her, rubbing his
hand over her back to calm her down. Every once in awhile, he
leaned down and brushed her cheek with his lips while he whispered,
“Hush. I don’t want you to cry.”

Sometime later she finally
calmed down, but she didn’t try to pull away from him and he didn’t
push her away. Mary Evidently had a lot of pain and fear that had
been penned up in her for a long time. Carter knew she’d be
exhausted after such a crying spell. He probably should leave her—
but he couldn’t. He was well aware of the intense hunger that
devoured him with every passing minute. But he swore he’d never let
her see the depths of his passion. Yes, he should probably leave
this room immediately.

But he didn’t

Mary waited for her
breathing to return to normal. She couldn’t remember ever crying
like that before, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself, either.
She couldn’t hold in the grief any longer, and being able to get it
all out was a relief. All the same, she was embarrassed that Carter
had to find her this way. She pulled back to apologize, but stopped
when she saw the expression in his eyes. He had tipped his chin
down to look at her, and what
Mary
saw took her breath away. It wasn’t a look of
impatience. He wore a tender expression on his face as if he felt
her pain.

She tightened her hand
around Carter’s neck and lifted her chin so that her mouth would
meet his lips. She wanted to forget her pain and experience
something, though she wasn’t sure what. She brushed his mouth
slightly, and he pulled her closer, kissing her softly at first
before becoming demanding. It took Mary by surprise. A sudden flood
of tenderness overwhelmed her. When his tongue touched her lips,
she gasped, and he took advantage of the opening.

She had been kissed a
couple of times in her life, but never like this. It was so
different from anything she’d ever known. She was lost in pure
sensation, and she forgot about Carter being the enemy. He was
flesh and blood like herself, and Mary sensed a need in him that
matched her own. She saw in his eyes a haunted expression. Could he
be looking for something he didn’t have, just as she
was?

This was the first sign
she’d seen that Carter possessed any kind of emotions at all. He’d
always seemed so cold, so in control. Mary might be naive but she
felt that he was experiencing something more than just lust for
her.

Carter was experiencing
something ...

He felt as though he’d been
slammed in the gut with a sledgehammer. For the last few years
Carter had visited the local whorehouse when his needs arose, a
process that had worked well for him. It had been a quick, simple
relief and there had been no emotions involved.

But once he pulled Mary
into his arms, he hadn’t been able to turn on that numbing feeling
that he had always been so good at He felt every inch of her. He
smelled her scent Her heart beat in a rhythm that matched his, and
somehow he was slipping rapidly under her spell. Even at the height
of passion Carter had never experienced the hot, intense longing
that he did now. What would it feel like to bury himself deep into
Mary until she was clinging to his shoulders, whispering his name
over and over again?

It was something he’d
probably never know.

Finally Carter realized he
had to put a stop to this. It was the right thing to do. For all he
knew, the girl could be married, and he still had two outlaws to
catch before he could even consider a future with her. Or
anyone.

“I’m sorry, Mary,” Carter
finally said, pulling back even though his body ached for more. He
could see her passion-filled eyes that turned his blood into liquid
fire. “I took advantage of you.”

It took a moment before
Mary could think straight Then Carter’s words sank in. She was
pretty sure she’d just been insulted. He was sorry for kissing her,
and that meant he felt nothing for her. So what else should she
expect? She didn’t deserve love.

“I’m
sorry, too,” Mary said in a low voice. “But I was so scared
...”

“I know,” Carter
acknowledged, pulling her closer. “We’ll just forget that it
happened.”

Carter said one thing but
did another, Mary noticed as he kept her snug within his arms. She
placed her head on his chest and her eyes drifted shut What would
it feel like to one day have someone who cared about
her?

Mary had always believed
that she would never find out. This brief moment might be all she’d
ever have.

Because she’d lose what
ground she gained as soon as Carter linked her to the
murder.

Chapter Seven

So now what?

Those were the words
screaming through Mary’s brain as she opened one bleary eye. All
right, so she’d had a moment of weakness last night, but what part
of last night was real and what part was a dream?

She sat up in bed and
brushed the hair out of her face. Touching her lips, she knew from
their tenderness that the kisses had been very real— sleeping with
Carter had been the dream. All night she had dreamed of the man and
his caresses.

She supposed there wasn’t
any harm in dreaming. As long as she didn’t act upon those dreams,
she’d be all right. Then she realized how stupid it was to let her
thoughts wander down that path when they would only bring her
nothing but trouble.

Someone needed to knock
some sense into her. How could she have even thought about sleeping
with the man? And how was she going to face him this morning?
Especially now that he knew she was mere putty in his
hands.

And why him?

She’d never desired any
man. She loved Billy, she always would, but now she realized what
she felt for him was different than what she felt for Carter, so
why did she have to pick a man with a badge?

Maybe she was going
crazy.

At least, when they both
had come to their senses—all right, so it was Carter who’d come to
his senses. She probably wouldn’t have.

He’d said it was a mistake,
and she had agreed. Well, what else could she have done? She had
believed that the kisses were enjoyable, but he apparently thought
it had been a mistake. It must have been a completely different
experience for him. He did promise that it would never happen
again. And now in the bright light of day, she knew she’d never
kiss him again. It was just plain foolishness.

However, Mary couldn’t help
wondering if he’d felt any pleasure. Was she a complete failure as
a woman?

She shook her head. Not
that it mattered. Maybe it was better that she didn’t know. What
would knowing do?

She swung out of bed
convinced that she really needed to get out of Windy Bend. She was
becoming much too comfortable at the ranch. But how could she get
away? She had no money or at least not with her. If she took a
horse, they could hang her for horse thieving, and she had enough
trouble without adding anything else on top of it

Maybe there would be some
way she could be alone and go to town. Then she could wire Brandy
and Thunder to send her some money.

She’d just have to be
patient for once in her life.

Mary shouldn’t have worried
about what Carter would say. When she saw him at breakfast, he
acted as if she didn’t exist. It sure wasn’t anything like he’d
acted last night

He didn’t even look at her.
In fact, as soon as she came in, he excused himself and left the
dining room.

Carter couldn’t get out of
the house fast enough this morning. How had he let that girl get to
him? Maybe he’d been too long without a woman and it would probably
have happened with any woman. That was it There. Now he felt much
better as he walked out onto the porch and the cold, damp air
cleared his head. Since it was raining, he slipped his slicker on
over his head, then settled his Stetson securely onto his head and
headed to the stables.

The rain would wash away
the last of the snow and show them all that spring was just around
the corner. Maybe when he could get out and do some physical labor,
he could expel some of this pent-up energy he’d built up over the
winter.

Rick had already ridden
into town. Now Carter was glad that he’d sent Rick ahead. It would
give him some time alone, and this morning he needed the time to
think. He just couldn’t shake off last night.

When he’d left Mary and
returned to his room, all he’d done was toss and turn because Mary
kept intruding on his sleep. But it wasn’t just the lack of sleep
that was bothering him today. Nothing seemed to bring him any
satisfaction. It was as if there were a restless animal within him.
He was tired of chasing bad guys and never being in one place
longer than a week or two at the most Coming home had made him take
a good look at his life ... and there wasn’t much to it, he
decided.

Maybe he could let Rick
take over the town and then he could go after Sammy Carson. He was
the one who’d snatched his sister. Once that score was settled,
then maybe he could rest easy.

And the girl
? his conscience asked.

All right, so he couldn’t
keep the girl completely out of his thoughts. Last night had been
a moment of weakness, but she had looked so—so damn innocent and
scared that the need to comfort her had overwhelmed him. She’d felt
too good in his arms. That he couldn’t deny.

Mary was a beautiful woman,
but it wasn’t just her beauty that drew him to her. There was
something different about her. That inner spark he’d glimpsed
lurking beneath the surface intrigued him.

What made Mary
tick?

He might never know, and
since he had just ridden onto Main Street, he didn’t have any more
time to think about Miss Mary Noname.

Carter guided his horse,
Blue, over to the livery to keep the animal out of the heavy
downpour. There wasn’t any need to make his horse miserable—one of
them was bad enough.

Carter kept his head down
against the driving rain as he made his way to the jailhouse,
letting the rain run off the brim of his hat and down his slicker.
He opened the door and sought out the promise of a dry
room.

“Sleep late?” Rick asked
with a grin.

Carter grimaced as he
slipped off his hat, hit it a couple of times against his chaps to
shake off the water, then hung it on a chair post. Next, he pulled
his slicker over his head and draped it over the other chair back.
They should dry quickly near the potbellied stove. “I’m not that
late,” he finally grumbled.

“I heard you up walking
last night Figured something must be on your mind, keeping you
awake,” Rick said as he reared back in his chair and popped a piece
of straw in his mouth.

Carter ignored Rick’s
needling and glanced at Hank. “I see you’re out of bed.”

“Darn tootin’,” Hank
O’Tool said with a weak grin. “Two weeks in bed is enough to drive
any man plumb loco. How about pouring you and me a cup of coffee?”
He held up his tin cup.

Carter took the cup then
grabbed another off the shelf before going over to the potbelly
stove where the silver coffee pot was percolating. He grabbed a rag
and picked up the pot to pour the coffee. A little spilled on the
stove with a loud hiss as the bubbles danced along the hot
surface.

Hank still looked a little
peaked, Carter thought but he guessed that was to be expected after
what the man had been through.

Hank still had the kind
face that Carter remembered from when he was growing up. Hank’s
heavy mustache was a little grayer to match the gray in the sides
of his hair, but he was still a tough lawman and held the respect
of the folks of Windy Bend. When Hank did decide to retire, he’d be
hard to replace.

Carter handed Hank a cup of
strong, black coffee, then took a seat in front of him. “You
probably should be careful not to overdo it today.”

“Now you sound like your
ma,” Hank grumbled, though his grin countered his gruff
voice.

Carter chuckled. “You
should know by now that she’s always right.”

“Kind of like her son,”
Hank said with a smile. “How is the old gal? Haven’t seen her in a
couple of weeks.”

“She’s pretty happy at the
moment” Carter looked at Rick and gave him a sly wink. “Wouldn’t
you say so?”