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

  She burst into laughter, and he watched her put the plate down beside the tin mug. “Mated?”

  It had been pleasant enough, as he remembered, but it hadn’t meant what he’d thought it would. He’d thought Laura was special…the way he thought about Cora.

  He found he couldn’t look at her at that moment, but the meat needed tending anyhow. “She came to me right after I turned eighteen, and explained that her husband—my boss—was unable to conceive children. Because of the arrangement Thomas Ryan had with his neighbor, in which they would each inherit the other’s property were one to die, she felt it was vital for her to have a child and Ryan a legal heir.”

  “That was Lucas’s reasoning too, as I recall,” Cora said softly.

  “In Laura’s case, it worked,” Verrick said a little wryly as he pulled the second batch of meat out of the pan. “Ryan was desperate for a child, and since his efforts had proved unsuccessful, Laura approached me.”

  Beside him, Cora exhaled softly. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking, and didn’t like that it mattered to him. He leaned back again, settling on the ground and reaching for one of the cooled pieces of rabbit. He chewed and waited for her judgment.

  Finally, she said, “Well, you were young, and strong, and had all the best qualities a woman would want her son to have.”

  What? Verrick jerked at her words. A compliment?

  She laid her hand on his bare arm, and when he faced her—careful to keep his thoughts off his face—she smiled slightly.

  “You’re athletic, graceful, a brilliant shot, intelligent, and competent. If Laura had to choose someone to father her child, you were a good choice.”

  He felt his lips pulling down. “You approve?”

  “She betrayed her marriage vows with a boy, Verrick. Of course I don’t approve.”

  His eyebrow twitched. “Are you certain you’re not jealous?”

  This time her laughter didn’t feel mocking. “I’m jealous as hell.” She wrapped her arm through his and snuggled up beside him. “She shouldn’t have done what she did, but I guess I can’t blame her. And if she hadn’t, you wouldn’t have Lucas.”

  I wouldn’t have Lucas.

  Whatever came out of his eventual confrontation with Baker, Verrick had to remember the best part of this year; he’d been allowed to reconnect with his son…and was proud of the man he’d become.

  Verrick breathed deeply, a long-repressed memory surfacing. “The last time I saw him, he’d just learned to sit up. Laura would put him on a blanket out on the porch while he played, and I found an excuse to work near the house. He was so tiny.”

  She tightened her hold on him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. “I saw the letter you wrote her after you left. You said you loved him.”

  “I did,” he admitted quietly.

  Her fingers wrapped through his, and he liked the way it felt to hold her hand. “And you still do.”

  It hadn’t been a question, so he didn’t answer it. He cared for Lucas, certainly, and had been terrified when his son was in danger. But love? The last two decades had taught him that emotions had no place in his life.

  Instead, he continued his story. “After the birth, Laura became worried her husband would discover the truth, and warned me away from both of them.”

  He remembered wishing he’d had the chance to hold the baby, but she’d made it clear Lucas would be Thomas Ryan’s son. And the fact Verrick had been surprised by such an announcement just spoke to his naïveté. He’d been hurt by her rejection, and had vowed it would be the last time he’d allow himself to be wounded.

  “Is that why you left?” she asked quietly.

  He nodded. “After a few months, I knew I had no future there with them. And I’d come to the realization cattle ranching wasn’t for me. I had a good eye and sharp reflexes, and I’d developed a reputation with a gun.”

  When he’d left Black Aces, he’d been a boy with potential. In the last twenty-plus years, he’d honed that into a rare skill, and now was a man to be feared.

  And that’s what his future would hold too.

  Once the danger Baker posed was eliminated, Verrick would be free to return to Sunset Valley if he wanted. There must be other men out there who bore a grudge against him, but Baker was the most dangerous; the one Verrick most wanted to keep his family from.

  He remembered the way Lucas had looked as a baby; all chubby rolls and toothless grins. Would Shannon’s baby look that way? Verrick swallowed, thinking about his son fathering a child. Would he be able to see—to hold—that baby?

  “You know,” she said softly, “Even though you wander, Lucas would never turn you away from Sunset Valley.”

  His gaze snapped to hers, impressed she’d been able to divine the direction of his thoughts. Her fingers tightened around his, and she smiled softly.

  “That is, if you wanted to see us again…sometime.”

  She sounded hesitant, almost, which didn’t seem right. She was usually so sure of herself, so certain of what she wanted. She was his vixen.

  Instead of answering, he dragged her into his lap again and wrapped his free arm around her. She made a little noise of appreciation and tucked her head against his shoulder under his chin, and he felt…

  Verrick resisted the urge to growl. He felt, and that was wrong.

  That contentment he’d named earlier, the contentment he was feeling now, it was wrong. He needed to remind himself of that often, apparently. But as her hand flattened against his bare chest and began tracing little circles on his skin, he shuddered.

  How could he be expected to remember the benefits of detachment when she was reminding him every breath he took of the joy which could be his? This confusion was entirely her fault, and it was dangerous.

  Very dangerous.

  She was changing him, minute by minute, and if Baker were to walk into their campsite, Verrick knew his reaction time would be insufficient. The attachment and lack of focus she was causing were dulling his instincts, and it could spell disaster.

  But the problem was, Verrick couldn’t make himself release her. Couldn’t force her hand away from his skin, couldn’t stop breathing in the scent of her. Couldn’t stop the way his blood was pooling in an inconsiderate part of his body, and damn well couldn’t stop the feeling of contentment—of rightness—which came from holding her.

  He wasn’t the same man he was a few days ago. Cora had changed him. It was a dangerous game he was playing, and he wasn’t sure if it was worth it.

  Chapter Seven

  “Have you seen any signs of Baker following us?” Cora asked as she pulled her boots on.

  Verrick might’ve rolled his eyes, had he been that sort of man. Instead, he concentrated on tightening the flank cinch around his horse. “Do you think I would’ve let down my guard so thoroughly last night, were that the case?”

  From her place by the now-cold fire, she snorted. “You’re saying I distracted you?”

  He straightened and turned, piercing her with a stare. “Yes,” he said simply.

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Was it? He wasn’t sure anymore. Obviously she was distracting, and he’d allowed himself to be distracted, but was it a wise move? He needed to remember they were in danger from Baker. Being with her was not only a distraction, it was stealing his basic instincts from him.

  I’m not focused.

  His lips tugged down thoughtfully. Why did she have this power over him? Why was he giving her this power?

  She rolled to her feet holding her jacket, and he couldn’t help but remember how good it felt to hold her in his lap just an hour ago. They’d fed one another leftovers, and he’d felt right.

  “So are you sure he’s following us?”

  Her question jerked him out of the memory. “What?”

  She shrugged and crossed to him. “You left Sunset Valley so suddenly on Sunday, surely you couldn’t even be certain Baker followed you. That telegram said he would, right?�
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  “The telegram was from him, yes. He said he was coming for me.”

  “So you left the ranch to force him to come after you?” She didn’t wait for his confirmation. “But he could’ve been held up some place. Maybe he didn’t even make it to Black Aces, much less the ranch. Or maybe…”

  Verrick’s breathing had sped up while he listened to her conjectures, and now he forced himself to take a deep breath.

  Calm. Detach. Focus.

  “Maybe what?”

  Her lips twitched as she smiled up at him. “I don’t know. Maybe it was just a ruse.”

  A ruse.

  Maybe it was just a ruse.

  Verrick’s jaw tightened as he ran through the evidence. He had left the ranch as soon as he’d had word, knowing Baker would come after him. But would Baker know that about him? Could the gunslinger have used that information to manipulate Verrick?

  If that was the case, it would explain why there’d been no evidence of Baker shadowing them, even though Verrick had been traveling at a leisurely pace as he looped around, leaving an easy trail.

  Well, hell.

  He closed his eyes on the conclusion staring him in the face. Baker wasn’t trailing them. He’d guessed Verrick’s plan and had used that information. Which meant…

  “We need to get back to the ranch.”

  He’d known being with Cora had shot his instincts all to hell, but this was intolerable. This was life-or-death, and he’d failed.

  When he opened his eyes, she was staring at him with an expression which looked part concerned, part amused.

  “Everything’s going to be okay, Verrick,” she said.

  She was wrong.

  “Load up,” he said curtly.

  “Did you take the time to tell Lucas that Baker was on his way?”

  No, he hadn’t. He hadn’t, because he was used to not trusting anyone, not sharing his thoughts with anyone, not having to care about anyone. The last few days with Cora had shown him how nice it could be to do all those things, but look where it had gotten him.

  She snorted softly. “I thought not. If you’d shared that information with him, he could at least be on the lookout for danger.”

  Verrick hadn’t, because he’d been certain he could handle Baker himself. But now? Now, the ranch was unprotected, and Lucas didn’t even know about the danger headed his way.

  “We have to go.”

  “Hey,” she said softly, reaching up and touching his cheek as he turned to go. When he froze, she dragged her fingers across his skin towards the nape of his neck, and twisted them through the neatly trimmed hair. He tamped down his shudder as she tugged him down towards her.

  When their lips were close enough he could feel her breath across his skin, and he knew he was about to lose himself—lose what little semblance of control and instinct he’d managed to retain—in her kiss, he stepped back, avoiding her lips.

  “No,” he said firmly as he reached up to pull her hand away from his neck. “Load up,” he repeated. He turned away, refusing to acknowledge her hurt expression. “Black Aces isn’t quite a day’s ride, but if we push the horses—”

  “What do you mean?”

  From behind him, he could hear her scrambling to climb on her horse, and he was glad he’d taken the time to saddle the beast for her.

  Glad?

  No. No. No more emotions. Look where that’d gotten him.

  “Verrick?” She was breathless. “I know we’ve been looping around, but we’re really that close to Sunset Valley again?”

  He kicked his horse into motion, heading out of the little copse of trees in which they’d sheltered for the night; in which they’d camped and made love and she’d sat on his lap and made him feel content. Where he’d lost part of himself in her arms, and now he regretted it.

  Right before they reached the tree line, he paused in the shadows and scanned for danger. Nothing. No one, no signs of being followed.

  Baker wasn’t after them. He’d outsmarted Verrick.

  Cora pulled her horse to a stop beside him, and he resisted the urge to glance at her when he told her the truth.

  “Yes, we’re that close. I’d planned on dropping you off in town if Baker didn’t show himself.”

  “You what?” She sounded outraged. “You were just going to—to—leave me? Like a piece of inconvenient baggage?”

  “You don’t belong out here. You don’t belong with me.” Finally, he turned, making sure to keep his expression blank. “You’ll be safer in town.”

  And as he kicked his horse into a gallop, he did his best to ignore the way her expression showed her heartbreak.

  Cora couldn’t believe it. This entire time he’d planned on sending her back to Sunset Valley, like a puppy with its tail between its legs? Had he not heard what she’d said to him about where she belonged? Had he not understood when she’d told him she belonged with him, that she wanted to experience life as he did?

  The last few days had been some of the best in Cora’s memory; the air was fresher, the colors were brighter, and the water sweeter. And it wasn’t just because she was riding out on the range; she’d done that plenty of times since she’d arrived in Montana. No, the reason life had seemed so wonderful was because of Verrick.

  Being out here with him was…was right. She felt as if she was right where she belonged, learning from him, teasing him, watching him open up. And last night—

  Her heart clenched at the memory, as did another more intimate part of her.

  Last night, Verrick had loved her. The way he’d made her feel, with his hands and his tongue and his body, was like nothing she’d ever experienced. For a man who appeared as cold and stony as Verrick, he certainly knew how to bring a woman pleasure.

  And this morning, curled up in his lap… He’d held her again, and it had felt real. It had felt as if they were both where they were supposed to be, where they belonged.

  She’d started on this adventure knowing it wasn’t a forever, knowing she would eventually make her way back to Sunset Valley and her sister. But it was supposed to be on her terms, after she’d had enough of Verrick.

  To discover he’d planned on dumping her back home when he’d had enough of her, especially after the way they’d made love last night, was heartbreaking.

  Of course, she reflected as she trailed his galloping horse, saying something was “heartbreaking” indicated her heart was involved in the first place. And she had to admit; her heart had been involved for a long time. She’d known Verrick might never understand how she felt about him, much less return those feelings, but it was the truth.

  She’d fallen in love with Verrick, and now she would have to deal with the heartbreak of losing him.

  It hurt worse than she’d expected, honestly.

  Swallowing down a sob, she clamped her hat down, lowered her head, and urged her horse faster. The only thing to do was to try to keep up with Verrick now, trailing after him like a lovesick fool.

  Whatever she’d said to him that morning as they were getting ready to leave had triggered something inside him. He was obviously hell-bent on getting back to the ranch, and she was afraid she knew what that concern was. If Baker wasn’t following them, then he could be at the ranch already. They’d been gone days now—there was no telling what might’ve happened in their absence.

  And as brokenhearted as she was over the realization Verrick was only acting the way he’d always acted, despite what they’d shared, Cora was equally terrified for her sister and Lucas. If Verrick was this worried about his son, then Cora knew Shannon was also in danger.

  So she rode.

  They only stopped to rest the horses, and they didn’t speak during those brief rests. She could tell Verrick was impatient, although the man never did anything as crass as pacing or huffing in irritation, and she just couldn’t manage to find any words. Instead, she sprawled out on the ground in whatever shade was available, and wished she didn’t ache quite so much. Of course, she ached for a d
elicious reason, so she supposed what she was actually wishing for was that she didn’t have to spend the day after such an athletic night riding hell-for-leather across Montana.

  Lunch was the jerky she’d brought, and that wasn’t much. Verrick didn’t eat at all, she noticed. Perhaps he really was worried, or perhaps their meal late last night and the meat this morning had been enough for him.

  Perhaps she should quit noticing so much about him and start hardening her heart.

  Easier said than done.

  By mid-afternoon, they were heading straight towards the sun in the west, and Cora was glad for the hat she’d borrowed from Blake earlier that summer. Verrick showed no interest in slowing, so she had to assume they pointed towards Black Aces.

  But when they came to the rutted road and turned north, Cora recognized her surroundings. They’d skipped Black Aces completely and intersected the road out to the ranch. Verrick must want to get to Sunset Valley first to assess the danger.

  As an added bonus, he’d be able to leave her there too.

  Stop it. You knew this was the likely outcome. It’s not like you expected a forever with the man. Just a little fun, an adventure. Well, you’ve had it. So stop moping.

  Remarkably, her little pep talk didn’t work.

  Suddenly, Verrick yanked hard on his reins, causing his horse to skip a little with the unexpected stop. He didn’t seem to notice his animal’s distress, only peering ahead along the road, his hand dropping to the Winchester in the scabbard alongside his saddle. She slowed her horse, raising herself in the stirrups to see what held Verrick’s attention, but no luck.

  He muttered something under his breath and kicked his animal into motion once more, lifting his hand away from the rifle. So whatever was ahead wasn’t a threat?

  She only had to wait a minute to find out; that’s how long it took them to close the distance between them and the single rider, hunched over his horse’s neck.

  As soon as she saw the blood dripping down the animal’s withers, saw the man holding his stomach and groaning, Cora yanked her horse to a stop and jumped down. When the man lifted his head with a groan, she saw it was Matthias Blake, Lucas’s foreman, and her stomach dropped down to her ankles.