Verrick's Vixen (Sunset Valley Book 2) Read online

  When her plump lips formed a little “oh” of realization, Verrick found himself noticing. He’d noticed plenty about this particular woman over the last few months, and while there was much he didn’t understand, he liked what he’d seen. She was tall and solid, and walked like a man who knew what he wanted from life. Verrick could appreciate that, the same way he could appreciate the softness of her brown hair or the allure of her lips.

  He was a man after all.

  A man who needed to be away from Sunset Valley. He nodded to Cora and turned back towards the stable, but her hand on his arm stopped him. Froze him in place actually.

  “Verrick, what was in the telegram?”

  I’m coming for you.

  It had been signed, “Baker,” and Verrick had no doubt of its authenticity. He’d paid the telegraph operator in Black Aces well to make sure he was alerted immediately about any telegram addressed to him.

  But he wasn’t going to tell Cora that. She didn’t need to worry, didn’t need to make Lucas or her sister worry. Protecting them was his job, and he would do that best by leaving them.

  Her fingers tighten on his sleeve. “Verrick.” She shifted to stand in front of him. “Verrick, you’re leaving us to protect us, aren’t you?”

  She was perceptive too, but he still wasn’t going to answer.

  Then she lifted her other hand and placed it on his cheek, like she had the day Lucas had found out the truth, the truth of who his real father was.

  Verrick.

  The shock of her touch burned him.

  Verrick surged back, beyond her touch, beyond her reach, stumbling slightly as his knees refused to support his body.

  When was the last time, before her, a person had touched him, skin-to-skin like that, without his consent? Without his preparation?

  His cheek tingled in the same way his razor had that morning as it scraped over his skin, and his heart hammered in his chest once more.

  Being caught unaware was even more concerning than having feelings.

  “I’m…” She was shocked, that much was obvious. “I’m sorry, Verrick. I didn’t mean to startle you. I wanted…” She shook her head slightly. “I’m sorry.”

  He needed to do something to end this conversation. He needed to leave before Baker arrived. “I’m not used to being touched.”

  It was the wrong thing to say, judging from the way her expression melted from surprise to sadness. “Then I’m even sorrier.”

  Sorrier for touching him? Or sorrier for apologizing in the first place?

  Emotions. He didn’t have time for this. He needed to be far from Sunset Valley, or Baker’s wrath would fall on these people.

  These people he’d come to care about.

  His family.

  “Goodbye, Cora.”

  That didn’t seem sufficient.

  What else could he say? Something truthful, but polite, so she wouldn’t be saddened by the last thing he said to her.

  Why did her feelings matter to him? Why did he care if she thought well of him, after he was gone?

  Focus.

  “I will remember your smiles.”

  There. That was true. Truer than most things. He would remember her smiles. Her smiles—and her lips, and the way her blue eyes crinkled at the corner when she laughed so freely—kept him awake at night. He’d spent hours thinking about them, and wondering why he was so affected by them.

  Wondering at this desire to make her smile.

  “I wish you’d tried my cake.”

  Not what he’d expected her to say. But then, he shouldn’t be surprised. This woman—and his reactions to her—had been confounding him since he’d met her. Better to leave now, to remove himself from Sunset Valley, before his confusion led to distraction, which led to danger.

  Detach. Focus. Calm.

  He nodded once more, then turned for the stable.

  She didn’t try to stop him this time.

  Chapter Two

  Cora’s back was to the door as she folded one of Lucas’s shirts on her bed and shoved it into a pair of saddlebags.

  She’d stood there in the yard in between the house and the stable and watched until Verrick’s horse disappeared over the horizon towards the west. And that’s when a sense of certainty had come over her: she would not let this be the last she’d see of him.

  So that’s why she was frantically packing her brother-in-law’s clothing to wear. That’s why her heart was beating with a combination of fear and excitement. She was done living here at Sunset Valley, hoping Verrick noticed her fascination, her feelings for him. She was done just being on his outskirts.

  Today was Sunday, and Sunday was the day he ate with her. Cake or no cake.

  “Do I need to ask what you’re doing?”

  Cora wheeled around when she heard her sister’s question. Shannon was standing in the doorway, leaning up against the jamb with her arms folded over her bulging belly. The expression on her face was part exasperation, part loving.

  Frowning, Cora grabbed Lucas’s second shirt and began folding it. “You probably don’t.” Shannon had the uncanny ability to be able to tell what Cora was thinking most times. “And don’t try to talk me out of it.”

  “Why is he so important?”

  “What?” Cora dropped the shirt and twisted to stare at her sister. “What? He’s your father-in-law. Of course he’s important!”

  Shannon’s lips lifted in a little smirk. “I know why he’s important to me, and I know why he’s important to Lucas, but why is Verrick important enough to you, that you’re going to go chasing off after him?”

  Cora’s heart hammered in her chest and she wondered if she had the words to explain to Shannon, or even to herself. Why did Verrick matter?

  She sunk down on the bed and pulled the shirt onto her lap, worrying the fabric between her hands. The blue flannel was soft between her fingers, but she cared more about the color than the texture. The color was the same as the Montana mountains in the distance. The same as the sky over the ranch. The color she’d come out here to find.

  But she’d found so much more.

  She took a deep breath. “He just is, alright?” she said softly, still not looking at her sister.

  The bed dipped under Shannon’s weight, but she didn’t say anything for a long moment. Finally, she took a breath and rested her hand on Cora’s back.

  “Remember that day in May when we arrived in Black Aces? And you teased me about getting married and having babies? I never imagined I could possibly find as much happiness as I have. I love my husband more than I can describe, and we’ve made a home and a life here at Sunset Valley.” She took another deep breath and began moving her hand in circles on Cora’s back. “But I’ve always known that wasn’t the life you were meant to live. I hadn’t expected you to stay this long—not that we want you to leave,” she was quick to reassure, “but because we thought you’d find another adventure and be off before the end of summer.”

  Cora stayed quiet. She had found another adventure, right here on the ranch. He had neat blonde hair and meticulous manners and didn’t seem to know what to think of her.

  Shannon gave a little huff of laughter. “But Lucas and I can both see what’s kept you here, and we think…” Her hand stilled. “You are a beautiful woman, so full of energy and love of life. You’re so free and wild sometimes, and while that’s different, it’s also something I envy.”

  What?

  At her sister’s admission, something Cora would’ve never expected, her head whipped around and she frowned at Shannon. “That’s not true,” she accused.

  But Shannon just nodded. “It most certainly is. I may not always understand your thinking or your action, but you do what you want when you want it, and that’s incredibly freeing. You enjoy life in a way so few other women do, and while I know it’s not always easy, it…” She shrugged and dropped her hand back into her lap. “Well, it’s admirable. I wish I could be more like you in some ways.”

 
Her blue eyes were sincere, and as Cora searched her sister’s face for some hint of teasing, she didn’t find it.

  Shannon really envied her? Envied Cora, who was the gangly, over-tall, over-loud, over-vulgar sister? Envied Cora, who’d traveled with men and knew the pleasures they could bring, who knew the joys of art and pleasure and gluttony, but who also knew what it meant to her reputation?

  Surely Shannon didn’t envy her?

  But the expression on her face told Cora it was true, and Shannon did envy her, at least a little bit.

  So Cora nodded and let go of Lucas’s shirt long enough to pat her sister’s hand. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

  Shannon smiled slightly. “No, but it’s remarkable. You’re remarkable. I want you to know that, and know Lucas agrees with me, because…”

  “Because?” Cora prompted.

  Shannon took another deep breath. “Because although we really don’t want you to get hurt—and we both agree there is a good possibility of you getting hurt—we think you could be good for Verrick.”

  Cora opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

  Good for Verrick? Shannon and Lucas had not only seen and understood her feelings for the man, but they’d approved? It was a heady feeling, knowing some people didn’t judge her for the life she’d chosen to lead.

  Still, it wouldn’t do to let on that she was touched by her sister’s compliment. So she snorted softly and went back to folding the shirt. “Good for him? Hell, I’d be great for him.”

  Shannon tutted softly as she stood, although Cora couldn’t tell if it was because of her language or her arrogance. Once upright, she shifted to face her sister again, her hands on her hips.

  “So it’s fairly obvious you’re going after Verrick, from the terrible packing job you’re doing, and the fact you’ve stolen my husband’s clothes.”

  Cora chose to address the latter unspoken accusation. “Well, his clothes are better suited to the hard riding I’m sure I’ll have to do.”

  “And is that what you want? Hard riding?”

  Cora resisted the urge to make a lewd joke about hard riding, knowing her sister wouldn’t appreciate it—and might not even understand it. Instead, she nodded. “He’s got a head start on me, but I think I can trail him. I’ve spent enough time in these hills in the last few months, painting and sketching, that even if I can’t find him” –like if he doesn’t want to be found!— “I’m confident I could get back here.”

  “And is that what you really want, Cora?” her sister asked quietly. “To spend your life riding after him, without your paints? We thought—hoped—he’d stay here, knowing Lucas was here, but apparently he—we weren’t enough.” Her tone was laced with a little bitterness. “He just ran away like—”

  “No.” Cora stood, a strength in her veins she hadn’t recognized, now that Verrick needed defending. “I don’t know what was in that telegram, but he left to protect us. He was here to protect us, and now he thinks we’d be better off without him.”

  “And you know him so well?” her sister asked skeptically.

  Cora didn’t answer. She didn’t have to answer, because how did Shannon not know Verrick that well? How did anyone who looked into his eyes not see the emotions the man tried to hide?

  Did Shannon really only see Verrick as the impassive, dangerous machine everyone else saw? Did Lucas as well?

  Was Cora the only person in the world who saw Verrick as a human? As someone worthy of love?

  Shannon sighed and moved towards the door again. “What’s your plan?” she asked, resigned.

  “I’m going after him,” Cora said firmly, shoving the shirt in the saddle bag beside the other one. “I’m going to make him realize he’s worth—” No. No, she couldn’t admit that out loud. “I’m going to make him see me.”

  There. That was a safe confession.

  “How are you going to do that?”

  By taking off all my clothes and dancing around, if that’s what it will take.

  But she couldn’t say that. So Cora shrugged as she packed the rest of the necessities she’d laid out. “By showing him we can be a team,” she said quietly.

  “And you’re willing to give up your paints for that? For him?”

  Cora straightened, her sketch pad in her hand, and looked—really looked—at her sister. There was something in Shannon’s blue eyes which suddenly made sense.

  “Oh, Shannon,” Cora breathed, then dropped her pad on the bed and crossed to the door, where she wrapped her sister in a hug. After a moment, Shannon’s small arms snaked around her middle and the two stood there quietly.

  Finally, Cora pulled away just enough to stare down into her sister’s eyes. “Leaving here isn’t about leaving my home, or my paints, or you. I’ll always have those things, and I know—I know—I can always come back, right?”

  Mutely, Shannon nodded.

  Cora squeezed her once more, then stepped back, taking her sister’s hands in hers, willing her to understand. “But I’m different than you. My dream isn’t a house and a home and a bunch of babies. I want adventure. I want to travel, to see the world, to paint.” She inhaled deeply, remembering the hundreds of places she’d already painted, and the thousands left. “I need to—to—to…”

  She didn’t know what she needed exactly, but knew Verrick could give it to her. And even if he could only give it to her for a short amount of time, even if all she could take on her adventure with him was a sketch pad and her pencils, she’d make sure she captured every beautiful moment, so when he was through with her, she could return to Sunset Valley and paint those memories.

  Because she knew this; the memories she’d make with Verrick would be glorious. He could show her parts of the world, a way of seeing the world, she’d never imagined.

  She’d be a fool to let that opportunity go. She’d be a fool to let him go, not when he was so intriguing.

  “I’m going after Verrick, and even if he breaks my heart, I’ll come back richer for the experience.”

  Shannon smiled sadly. “It’s the heart-breaking I’m worried about.”

  Shrugging, Cora dropped her sister’s hands. “I’ve had my heart broken before.”

  There’d been that wicked impressionist painter in Montmatre, in Paris, and the darling pianist in London. She’d loved them both, and more, and they’d all loved her. Their affairs might’ve lasted a short time, but she’d come out of them richer in talent and joys, and she’d learned new ways to see the world.

  But none of them had been anything like Verrick, and she desperately wanted to see the world with him, through his eyes.

  “And besides,” she said with a wink as she began to collect her pencils, “it’ll sure be fun. It’ll be an adventure.”

  “Yes,” Shannon sighed. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” She offered a watery smile. “I’ll go get some of Lucas’s denims, and I’ll fetch his spare coat.”

  Cora’s brows shot up. “Really?”

  “Really.” Shannon nodded to the saddlebags. “You can’t go adventuring all over with the West’s most notorious gunslinger-turned-father-in-law wearing those silly bloomers.” She glared pointedly at Cora’s severely out-of-fashion fashion. “And since I know you don’t care a whit about propriety, denims make the most sense.”

  Well, put like that, they really did. Cora grinned hugely, not just at Shannon’s offer, but at what it meant. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  Shannon nodded, and something special passed between them. An acceptance that, although they were very different people with different goals, they’d always be sisters.

  And as Shannon turned to leave, that knowledge filled Cora with a certain strength. Once she was done with Verrick, once she’d learned everything she could from him and she’d seen the world through his eyes, she could come back here to Shannon.

  And paint.

  Because no matter what feelings Verrick’s eyes evoked in her, no matter how much she enjoyed sharing her Sunday meals
with him, painting was what mattered.

  Right?

  The bastard hadn’t let up.

  All afternoon, Verrick had known he was being followed, and he’d left a trail a blind man could see. If it was Baker following him, then the gunslinger was doing exactly what Verrick wanted; leaving Sunset Valley and his family behind.

  Sometime in the last few months, Verrick had stopped thinking of Lucas Ryan as his employer, and started thinking of him as family. It had probably happened the moment he’d killed a man to protect the boy.

  And now he’d do anything to keep Lucas and Shannon. and their unborn child, safe, even if it meant leaving them. Because Two-Grins Baker was after him.

  But he was honest enough to admit to himself if this was Baker trailing him, there was a flicker of gratitude in his chest. If Baker was dumb enough to confront him now, then Verrick could kill him and get back to Sunset Valley. Back to Lucas.

  Back to Cora.

  And why the hell did that make him feel so…good?

  Leaving hadn’t been hard. He was good at leaving. He’d spent his whole life leaving—from Minnesota, from Sunset Valley back when it’d been owned by Thomas Ryan, from every other job he’d completed in the twenty years since then. And this time he’d been calm, focused, detached and done what had to be done to protect Lucas.

  So why the hell did it feel good to think about going back there?

  Another man might’ve growled in frustration, but not Verrick. That wouldn’t do any good, not when he could focus his attention elsewhere.

  He placed the last stick in the fire—sure to make plenty of smoke—and stood carefully, making sure he hadn’t gotten dust on his black trousers. They were dirtier than usual after an afternoon of riding, but he would survive. He nodded to himself, sure the stage was set, and glanced over at his horse, already contentedly munching the long grass beside the small stream, with the saddle beside the trees.

  To all appearances, this was the campsite of a man ready to relax and enjoy an evening alone. Exactly what he was hoping Baker would think.

  His hand on his big Colt Army revolver, Verrick slipped through the trees to the small rise he’d been following for the last hour and jogged as fast as he could afford, while still being completely aware of his surroundings, towards the ambush site he’d noted earlier.