“How?” he demanded.
“You take what you want regardless of who you hurt.”
Anger sparked in his eyes. “What have I ever done to you?”
You’re trying to take my son! “I don’t trust you.”
“Why?”
The conversation had taken a dangerous path. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.” Cole’s arm shot out with lightning speed. He manacled his fingers around her wrist. “What have I done to you? You owe me that much.”
“Let go of me.”
His grip was unbreakable. “Is it because I’m a saloon rat who worked in your father’s mines? Is my past so disgusting to you?”
She almost laughed. If only it were that simple. “No.”
“Liar. You’ve been itching for me to leave since the second I rode into White Stone.”
“You’re here to stir up trouble!”
“I came to find my son. Now, all I want is to know something—anything—about him. Is it too much to ask the color of his hair? To know if he ever cried.”
“Stop asking me questions. I don’t have the answers.”
“Lady, you’re holding all the cards. And for reasons I may not ever understand, you won’t trust me.”
Guilt gnawed at her. I must protect Mac. “You’re not looking for your son. You’re looking for a dream, a fresh start.”
He released her and stepped back as if her honesty hit a nerve. “Don’t pretend to know me.”
“You’ve got this idea of what being a father is about. Yes, being a parent can be wonderful but it is not always fun or easy and sometimes it’s just plain hard work.”
“I know that,” he returned.
“Do you? What are you gonna do when you hit your first hard patch? Leave?” She waved him away, refusing to see any good in him. “Go before you cause any harm to Dusty or hurt him more than he’s already been.”
He loomed over her. “I traveled over a thousand miles to find my son. He may be lost to me, but how dare you tell me I won’t stick with Dusty when things get tough.”
His hot breath warmed her cheeks. His face was so close the heat of his body beckoned her.
For Mac’s sake she wished she could believe him, but she knew if she allowed Cole to work his way into their lives, then left, it could be devastating. “A thousand miles is nothing compared to a lifetime of responsibility.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“You will.”
He cupped her face in his rough hands and stared into her eyes. The contact was jolting. Time slowed to a maddening crawl and the world melted away. There was only the two of them.
She should hate him, but she didn’t. All she felt was worry, guilt and longing. The icy loneliness that had encased her heart for so long began to melt. And then suddenly, she knew. She wasn’t just protecting Mac and Dusty’s heart, but her own as well.
A beat or two more passed, and then he kissed her. The kiss wasn’t gentle, but insistent, as if born of a torrent of conflicting emotions. She felt branded.
It had been so long since she’d felt a man’s touch and her body, with a will of its own, craved more.
Rebecca splayed her fingers against his chest. His racing heartbeat exploded under her palms. The dangers momentarily forgotten, she gave reign to all the pent-up emotions locked inside her since her disastrous wedding night with Curtis.
Perilous, yet intoxicating, his touch stirred her womanhood. Lord, but it felt good to be desired and wanted. There’d been so many times in the last few years, that she’d imagined herself growing old before her time, unfulfilled and alone. A soft mew escaped her lips.
Cole tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she willingly received him, savoring his taste.
Now she knew why women whispered and giggled about making love, and why books and sonnets were written about it.
Madness! Insanity! Both thoughts flashed in her mind even as she gathered bunches of Cole’s shirt in her hands. His coarse chest hair brushed her knuckles. For the first time in years, she felt desirable and alluring. Wonderfully alive!
Cole’s hand slid up her side and cupped her breast. He coaxed her nipple to a soft peak with his thumb as his other hand pressed into the small of her back and pushed her against his hardness. God help her, but she longed to have him inside her!
The sound of approaching footsteps set the first alarm bell off in her head. At first, she denied anything in the outside world encroached. She didn’t want this moment to end.
But Cole pulled away. He shoved his hand through his black hair and cursed.
Separate now, the mists in Rebecca’s mind cleared. She pressed the back of her hand to her swollen lips. She felt cold, emotionally naked and very foolish.
“Mama! Mama!” Mac’s voice echoed in the hallway as he stormed down the hallway.
Rebecca whirled away from the door, needing a moment to collect her jumbled thoughts. What had come over her? She was ready to give herself to Cole like a soiled dove with no thoughts to the consequences.
She sensed Cole standing behind her—could feel the tension in his body. She wished he would just leave White Stone. Only then could life return to the way it was.
She pulled in two cleansing breaths, forced a smile, and then turned in time to greet her son as he hurried into the kitchen. Bess followed behind him.
Bess paused at the door and stopped. Her knowing eyes settled on Rebecca, taking in her flushed cheeks and mussed hair. Her gaze flickered to Cole who stood stock straight, his hands thrust in his pockets. “Don’t mean to interrupt.”
Rebecca kept her tone light. “Don’t be silly. We were just cleaning up after Dusty’s bath.”
“Is Dusty that half-naked boy asking for clothes?”
“Yes. He’s going to be staying here for a while.”
Bess shrugged. “He’s that boy that’s been running around town?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I’d best make a bed for him.”
Mac grinned. His blond hair was freshly combed off his face and he wore overalls and a red shirt. “Boy!”
“I expect you to be nice to Dusty,” Rebecca said kneeling in front of Mac. She knew Cole watched her every move. “He doesn’t have a family and he’s going to be staying with us for a while.”
The boy laid his hand on his mother’s shoulder. Small fingers warmed her skin. Mac’s innocent touch calmed her nerves. She laid her hand over her son’s and smiled at him.
Her priorities came crashing back into place. Curtis’s betrayal had taught her that a man’s touch might be intoxicating but ultimately it was unsatisfying, destructive and certainly not worth risking her well-ordered life for.
Mac was her life, not Cole.
Mac touched her cheek with his palm. “Mama, where’s the boy sleeping?”
Rebecca smiled. “We’ll give him a room of his own for now.”
Cole cleared his throat. He pulled three silver dollars out of his pocket and laid them on the side table. “Consider this a down payment on the boy’s room and board.”
Rebecca rose. “I told you, you don’t have to pay.”
Fire blazed in his eyes. “I take care of what’s mine and from this day forward, Dusty’s mine.”
“Dusty’s not yours. He’s got a father who can come and claim him any time he chooses.”
“Judd’s a poor excuse for a father and I’ll be damned if he ever lays a hand on Dusty again.”
“He’s got the law on his side.”
Cole smacked the table. “I don’t give a damn about the law.”
He scooped up his hat and s
trode out of the room, his spurs jangling in time with the thud of his boots. The front door opened and closed with a bang.
Bess planted her hands on her hips. “Now what’s got his feathers in a dander?”
“I don’t know,” she lied.
“I’ll just bet you don’t.” Bess took Rebecca’s chin in her hands and turned her face from side to side. “His beard scuffed you up pretty well.”
Rebecca pressed her palms to her face, her skin still prickling from his touch. “Bess, don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Oh, I got plenty of ideas and I don’t think any of them are wrong.” She shook her head. “Missy, you’re playing with fire and you are going to get burned.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“You don’t even have a clue.”
* * *
Fifteen minutes later Cole strode toward the mercantile, his temper still simmering from Rebecca’s words.
What are you gonna do when you hit your first hard patch? Leave?
He had half a mind to stake a claim right here in White Stone just to prove he had changed—that he could stick it out through tough times.
The smell of her scent—roses and cinnamon—clung to his skin even as he tried to shake off the remnants of their kiss. He couldn’t manage the task nor could he rid himself of the lingering notion that one taste of her would never be enough.
Cole muttered an oath. He’d never deny that he wanted her. Hell, his fervent response had been proof enough. But wanting and trusting were two different matters and as much as his body ached for her, he didn’t trust her.
The bells on the front door of the mercantile jingled softly when Cole opened and closed it. The smell of tobacco and cider greeted him along with a half-dozen sets of prying eyes. He glanced around the room. The hum of conversation stopped and an unnatural silence descended.
A mother and her towheaded daughter, clad in matching calico, stood by an array of fabric bolts that all looked remarkably similar. Hot color warmed the woman’s long narrow face before she grabbed her daughter and hurried out the store.
Gladys Applegate stood by the front counter lined with an assortment of glass jars filled with spices and candies. She was as sour-faced as he remembered and still pulled her hair back so tightly, her eyes slanted. She had gained a fair amount of weight in the last three years but she held her nose as high as a princess who’d just gotten a whiff of a bad smell.