Texas Mail Order Bride (19 page)

“Name's not important,” he said.

“How do you know me?” She took two more steps backward.

“I seen you around. I see ever'thing, even things nobody wants me to see.”

Great shuddering fear enveloped Delta. She gripped the scissors tighter. This was no time to be fainthearted. To survive, she'd fight with all the strength she had.

“Ain't nowhere to run, girlie,” he said quietly.

And then she saw what he held in his hand and froze.

The black-clothed stranger raised a long bowie knife.

Stark terror plunged Delta into a dark pit. The hope she had faded. Her scissors would be no match for that deadly blade. She didn't know what he planned to do, but it couldn't be good.

Thoughts of all the things she had envisioned for this town she loved and never would get a chance to implement filled her head. She'd only wanted to make a difference. To matter in someone's life.

“There's no way out,” he said.

Would anyone hear if she screamed?

She gripped the scissors and took two steps back when he came closer. “What do you want, mister?”

“You.”

“Why? What have I done? I don't even know you.”

“No more stalling, girlie. I got plans for you.”

Two more steps closer to the back door.

If she lunged for it, could she make it before he plunged the knife into her?

“Ain't nobody gonna come to save you.”

That certainly appeared true, she thought, as despair took hold. But as long as she had breath in her body, she had hope. Maybe someone walking past would look in the window, see this hideous stranger, and stop him before he snuffed out her life.

“I can help you if you'll just tell me what you need,” she bargained. “This store is full of anything you might want.”

“Except something to make a man whole. Ain't nothing can do that but one thing.”

“Did something bad happen to you?”

He stood so close, his putrid breath gagged her. “Ask Cooper Thorne.”

Cooper? Her heart pounded. He was in serious danger and she couldn't warn him. This man clearly meant to kill them both.

She grasped for a bit of reason amid the madness that had her in its clutches. “Since he's not here, I can't very well do that.”

“Don't matter. Doubt he'd tell you the truth.” He reached out to lift a strand of her hair between his dirty fingers. “You an' me got business now.”

The time had come to make her move. Just as she prepared to lunge with the scissors and blindly stab until she ended this man's miserable life, the back door flew open.

She gave a cry and whirled. Cooper's big frame filled the doorway. His cold gray eyes and chiseled jaw were enough to strike fear in anyone's heart. Her savior held a deadly Colt in each hand.

“Tolbert Early, you've reached the end. I'm going to make sure you stay dead this time.” Cooper bit out the hard, brittle words.

Delta realized she stood between the two men and Cooper couldn't fire. Before she could step out of the way, Tolbert Early ran to the front and launched himself through the glass window into the street.

Pushing past her, Cooper released a volley of gunfire as he gave chase.

Numb with disbelief, Delta hurried to the shattered window. The night had swallowed up both Cooper and his prey.

What if this Tolbert Early doubled back and returned?

She shivered, recalling the words that had struck such terror.
Ain't nobody gonna come to save you.

Only this time, Cooper had. He'd appeared when everything seemed lost, when her very life had hung in the balance. Of course, it couldn't mean anything. No. She refused to let hope back into her heart. It hurt too much when he tossed her back into the cold, swirling current with the hook still in her mouth.

Most likely Cooper took pity on her the way he did Bandit and Ben and Jenny. He probably considered her no different than one of his cows that got mired down in some thick mud and was in need of a hand.

But how had he known she was in trouble?

People began to gather to see what had caused the ruckus. Delta took comfort in having friends around her. Tolbert Early couldn't get her now.

In the midst of explaining what happened, John Abercrombie pushed through the crowd. “I came as soon as I heard. Are you hurt?”

“Just shaken up.”

John patted her shoulder. “With good cause, I'd say. From now on, I won't leave you to close up alone.”

Tears pricked behind her eyes, blurring his worried face. Thank goodness she had him and the many others in Battle Creek. She could lean on them for strength when she grew weary and disheartened.

Everyone pitched in to clean up the broken glass. Abercrombie and the men were nailing a piece of wood over the window when Cooper returned.

He drew Delta aside. “Did Early hurt you?”

Avoiding his gaze, she shook her head. “Frightened me, mostly. I didn't know what he wanted. Did you catch him?”

“No, he got away.” Cooper laid a hand on her arm and sent a current spiraling the length of her body. “I will find him, though, and when I do, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you ever again. I'm thankful I found you in time. Early is a rotten, venomous snake.”

“Why me?” She finally stared into his eyes and instantly knew her mistake. They were like twin magnets, luring her into their depths. “What did he hope to gain by harming me?”

His low growl sent sparks of heat to her belly.

“My guess is that he intended to use you to draw me out into the open.”

God, how she hated that he could turn her into a smoldering pile of embers with nothing but his low, rumbling voice. She struggled to keep her thoughts away from passion and desire and moonlit kisses. Time to stick to the straight and narrow.

“Thank you for rescuing me. I was certain no one would come. By the way, how did you know he was in the mercantile?”

“After looking all day, Brett and I finally picked up his trail leading into town about sundown. Caught sight of him near the saloon. Lost him, though, when he ducked into an alley. Luckily, I was passing by the back door and heard his voice.”

“This may be none of my business, but since it affected me, I kind of have a right to know… Why do you want to kill each other? He said I should ask you.”

Wearily, he ran a hand across his dark stubble. It had evidently been days since he shaved. “I don't… I can't talk about it. For now, let's just say that the world will be a safer place without the likes of him in it.”

“And you think it's your job to rid us of him, right? Not the sheriff or anyone. It has to be you. Only you.” Delta flung the words at him like so many stones.

“I set this in motion. It falls to me to finish it.”

“And nothing I can say will change it.”

Cooper looked away into the gloom. He was already miles away from her, on the trail of a madman. “Nope.”

“You needn't concern yourself with my welfare from now on. You just go your merry way and I'll go mine.” Seething with anger, she blindly whirled away. If only he would trust her. Fear that Cooper wouldn't win petrified her to the depths of her soul. Early could kill him and she would crawl into the grave with him if that happened.

“I wish…” he muttered softly before she got out of earshot.

That did it. The anguish in his tone buckled her knees. Delta almost turned around. She wanted to with every inch of her body.

Luckily, Granny Ketchum appeared from the throng of people and took her arm. “You look like you could use a nice cup of tea.”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you.”

Deputy Charlie Winters escorted them to Granny's rambling shack. “I'll wait for you, Miss Dandridge,” he said.

“You needn't do that,” she protested. “I'm sure that horrible man is miles away by now.”

“I have strict orders, ma'am.”

“All right, then.” Delta followed Granny inside. Insisting the old woman sit down, she set some water on to boil.

“You were awful upset after talking to Cooper,” Granny said, pulling her threadbare shawl closer around her. “That man can sure unravel a person.”

As if she were nothing but a shawl with a loose thread. The image made her smile. “For a fact. He makes me so angry I could chew nails sometimes and not even know that I was doing it.”

“Looked like he was mighty worried about you.”

“I wouldn't know anything about that. I tried not to look at him much. Every time I do, I get this crazy feeling inside like I'm drowning or something.”

“It's called love, my dear.” Granny smoothed back her hair. “He sure has nice eyes. Oughta be a law against havin' eyes like those.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Delta murmured. She wondered if she could talk the sheriff into throwing him in the calaboose.

“Had a feller come courtin' back when I was young and foolish. He had pretty eyes. One was green and the other was blue. If'n I'd have married him, we'd had children with blue-green eyes. I sure did fancy that man.”

“What happened to him?”

“My papa shook his rifle at him. Never saw hide nor hair of him again. Then Elmer Ketchum came blustering into my life and I forgot all about everyone else. Reckon it worked out the way it was supposed to. Elmer captured my heart just like Cooper has yours.”

Delta shook her finger. “That subject is closed. You're trying to get a confession out of me. I'm wise to your ways.”

Granny shrugged. “Guess you're the only one that doesn't know beans from squash.”

The teakettle whistled, saving Delta from thinking of a reply. In truth, she wasn't ready to discuss her relationship with Cooper Thorne with anyone yet. She poured water over the tea leaves and set the cups aside to steep. They talked about Jenny and the attack on the Long Odds, then moved on to various other subjects.

Granny peered at her over her spectacles. “Don't get your dander up too much at Cooper, dear. He's the perfect match for you, whether you know it or not. I made sure—”

When the old woman clapped her hand over her mouth to keep the rest of her sentence from springing forth, Delta had a sneaking suspicion she'd stumbled onto a secret. They'd never known who had signed Cooper's name to the letters Delta got. Could Granny Ketchum be the culprit?

“What were you going to say, Granny? What did you make sure of?”

“What were we talking about, dear?”

The blank stare over the rim of the cup puzzled Delta. She peered into the rheumy eyes of the woman she'd come to love. Could Granny's forgetfulness be an act, or was it real? “You were telling me Cooper is the perfect match for me and that you made sure of something.”

Tea sloshed out of the cup as Granny set it down. “The thought is gone now. I have no idea what I was gonna say. I swear the thoughts scurrying around inside my head are like a bunch of scared little mice running willy-nilly.”

Still, Delta had her doubts. She might as well get everything out in the open. “Did you write those letters to me pretending to be Cooper?”

“Now why on earth would I do a crazy thing like that?”

“Maybe because you think he'd be better off with a wife and needed a nudge in the right direction?”

“Well, he would, but I never wrote no letters,” Granny insisted. “I'm gettin' tired.”

“Then I'd best get over to the boardinghouse.” Delta rose and washed their cups. Then she kissed Granny's cheek. “It doesn't make any difference if you did write the letters. I still love you. Nothing will ever change that.”

She helped Granny into bed. As she left the room, she happened to spy the cigar box on the floor that Granny had taken great pains to protect when they'd cleaned her house. Important papers, Granny had said. If she had written the letters to Delta, her responses back would most likely be in that box. One peek inside would either confirm or dispel her suspicions. But she couldn't bring herself to do that. She had no right to pry.

Pulling the front door shut, Delta took Deputy Winters's arm and let him escort her home.

The night seemed thick and heavy. She couldn't help casting anxious glances into the shadows, expecting Tolbert Early to spring out. For once, she was grateful for the company.

Surely he wouldn't try anything else. All the same, she'd exercise plenty of caution.

At the door of the boardinghouse, Delta thanked the deputy for walking her home and went inside.

Up in her bedroom, she hurriedly pulled down the window shade and drew the curtains tight. Tonight there would be no gazing out over the town and telling it good night as was her custom.

She got into her gown, blew out the lamp, and burrowed deep into her bedcovers. But sleep refused to come. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Early's face. His gravelly voice echoed in her ears. He'd struck sheer terror into her heart. Never had she been that frightened of anyone.

The man's evilness still spread over her skin like a coating of kerosene—one spark and she'd go up in flames. Whatever lay between him and Cooper was something that could only end with the death of one.

Dear
God, please don't let it be Cooper.

Saying prayers didn't help. Neither did thoughts of Granny Ketchum and their odd conversation. She tossed and turned.

The only thing that brought comfort was remembering what a welcome sight Cooper was when he'd suddenly filled the back door of the mercantile. She wouldn't soon forget that.

Every hard muscle and tendon.

The rumble in his chest when he spoke.

The softening in his gray eyes when he looked at her.

And the tingles his touch elicited.

God in heaven, why did she have to love such a complicated, exasperating man?

Cooper pulled the collar of his jacket up around his ears and settled himself into the shadows of a huge oak tree across from the boardinghouse. He fastened his gaze on the corner bedroom that had gone dark. Delta must've climbed into bed.

It promised to be a long night. He might not be able to give Delta what she wanted, but he wouldn't leave her unprotected and vulnerable to Tolbert Early's perverted, evil ways.

He owed Delta Dandridge that much.

Fury had consumed him when he saw Early in that mercantile a few feet from her. If he'd gotten there a minute later, no telling what he'd have found.

Bloody images of her body lying on the floor all lifeless and still filled his head. He would not let that happen. No matter what. So help him God, she would not pay for what he'd done.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he recalled the warmth of her satiny skin, the fragrance of her hair, and the sweet kisses under the moonlight. Those were what made living worthwhile.

But the lady was a spitfire, no doubt about that. Flames had shot from her green eyes when he refused to tell her what had happened between him and Early.

You
needn't concern yourself with my welfare
, she'd said.

Cooper smiled at the memory and murmured low, “Better get used to it, darlin', because your welfare means everything to me.”

Staring at her window, Cooper noticed a light suddenly appear. Had she gotten up? Was she sick? Or had Early found a way to get inside? His heart pounded.

He checked the doors of the boardinghouse and found them locked; the same was true of the windows on the bottom floor.

A trellis on the side of the house almost reached her window. Maybe he could get close enough to peek inside. Being as quiet as he could, he scaled the trellis. When he got to the top, he noticed a narrow ledge going around to her window. He carefully managed to climb onto it.

Minutes later, he was at her window. She'd pulled the shade down but accidentally left a slight gap. He could see her sitting on the bed with a pile of letters in her lap. She read one letter, then frowned and put it down. Picking up another, she did the same thing. He thought it a bit strange that she'd read letters in the middle of the night. Still, Delta was an unusual woman. He'd calmed his fear that Early had her in his clutches. She was safe and sound.

In an effort to backtrack to the trellis, Cooper's boot slipped and he fought for purchase. He ended up hanging from the ledge by his fingertips. His efforts in avoiding a nasty spill to the ground below created a good bit of noise.

Delta spoke from the other side of the window. “Who's there? Speak up now.”

“It's me,” Cooper whispered. “Can you let me in?”

“Who's me?” she furiously whispered back.

“Cooper.”

Within seconds, she raised the window. “Oh my goodness!” Using all her strength, she hauled him inside.

Breathing hard, he chanced a glance at her. “Thank you.”

Her eyes narrowed to dark green slits. “You shouldn't be here. What were you doing at my window, pray tell?”

“I know how this looks. It's not appropriate and I apologize. But I can explain.” He moved back a few steps before she could haul off and kick the daylights out of him.

“That would be best.” She crossed her arms and beat out a nice tempo with her foot.

He wasn't about to point out the fact that her crossed arms had pulled the nightgown tight against her. She'd be mortified if she knew he could see the outline of her bosom and the puckering of her nipples through the thin fabric.

“If you dare.”

“Darlin', I dare a great many things,” he said softly.

“I'll just bet.” The tempo of her foot increased.

“Did anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are when you're angry?” He stood with both legs spread apart. Better to brace himself for when the blows came.

“Don't treat me as though I have no more sense than a…a rutabaga. You didn't appear at my window to tell me that.”

Cooper sighed and took off his hat. “I was across the street and noticed that you lit your lamp. I feared that Early might've gotten in here. Since the doors were locked, I climbed the trellis so I could look inside.” In hindsight, he could see how foolish he was. Though he wouldn't admit it to her, he'd deluded himself. He
wanted
to be in her room, see where she dreamed, spend a few quiet moments alone with her. That was the God's honest truth.

She sucked in a quick intake of breath. “You were spying on me?”

“Not exactly. Just keeping watch.” Because he wouldn't put anything past Tolbert Early. And no matter what she thought about him, he'd protect her with his life. His gaze swung to the letters spread out on the bed. “What was so intriguing that you'd climb from bed at this hour?”

Much to his dismay, she jerked up a wrapper and slipped it on, hiding those luscious breasts.

“Something Granny Ketchum said tonight got me thinking.” Delta told him about the partial sentence before Granny had caught herself. “So I took the letters out to reread them, hoping I'd find something in them that would point to the author.”

“Did you discover anything useful?”

“It's very clear that you didn't write them. For instance, you'd die before you used the words
dexterously
and
adroitly
in relation to working your cattle and managing your ranch. But Granny Ketchum wouldn't use those either. She's a mostly uneducated, simple woman.”

“So if she is guilty, she had help.”

“Exactly. But who?”

Watching her mind work was like viewing a breathtaking sunrise. Cooper never tired of either. “The only one who uses language like that in this town is Jacob Quigley at the newspaper.”

“Yes! Why didn't I think of that? It makes perfect sense. When I took out the advertisement for the women's club, he said that Granny had
reported
to him that I was settling in very well. At the time I didn't think anything about it. But he got red-faced when he realized what he said.”

Cooper unglued his tongue. “Quigley and Granny. An unlikely pair. I never would've guessed.”

“I think Granny talked him into putting the ad in the
Matrimonial
Harvest
catalog in addition to newspapers back East because she was concerned about your lack of marital ambition.” Delta chewed her lip. “I saw his ad and answered it. They must've done some investigation into my background and character and thought we'd make a good match, and from there the exchanging of letters began.”

“We would, you know,” he said quietly.

***

“Would what?” She gathered the stack of letters and put them away in a drawer.

“Have made a good match.” He took two steps and caressed her hair. “If only I'd met you in another lifetime…before I sold my soul to the devil.”

Too weary to resist, Delta rested her head against his broad chest. “Cooper, we can't keep doing this.”

The words were meant as admonishment. This back and forth stuff wasn't fair. It was time he either let her go for good or accepted what she yearned to give.

“What do you mean? Am I forcing you into anything?”

She felt him stiffen. Leaning back, she stared into his gray eyes. “No. But I can't take this hot and cold. You kiss the daylights out of me and touch me all over, then you push me away and pretend I don't exist. It makes a girl dizzy. How do you really feel about me?”

A smile flickered, lighting his eyes briefly, then vanished. “You're the best, most decent thing to ever come along in my life.”

“But?”

He laid his hat on the bed and dropped down beside it. “There are things you don't know about me. I've done things. Bad things.”

“Cooper, it's time I knew,” she said softly. “I'll never judge, and whatever you tell me will never leave this room. Besides, I have my secrets too.”

“Mine are…unforgivable.”

“Let me be the judge of that. All right? Just trust me. For once in your life, trust someone.”

“It's hard to do that. Some of this no one knows about, not even Rand and Brett. I've buried it so deep, I'm not sure I can get it out. I wouldn't even know where to start.”

“At the beginning.”

Delta's heart ached as Cooper told her what it was like growing up. It was easy to see the hurt little boy inside the man.

“My father would get drunk and disappear for weeks at a time. To buy food, my mother washed clothes on a rub board until her fingers bled. One night we were walking by the alley next to the saloon on our way home. A man grabbed my mother and pulled her into the alley. Kicking and clawing, I fought as hard as I could to get him off her. Somehow I managed to get his gun out of the holster. I killed the piece of filth. Shot him in the heart. I was Ben's age.”

The pure hatred in his voice chilled her. When he met her gaze, his cold gray stare frightened her.

“Is this what you wanted to know? Happy now?”

Tears trickled down Delta's face. She knelt and took his hands in hers. “You only did what anyone would've done. You were a little boy protecting his mother. You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Didn't you hear me? I'm a murderer. My father taught me to kill. He always told me that I have his blood in my veins. It's true. I watched him beat my mother to death a few months later. I'm just like him.”

“No, you're not. Don't ever say that. You're a kind, decent man. You care about people. What you've done for Jenny and Ben proves it. You didn't have to see to their needs. But you did. And there are countless others. That alone sets you apart from your father.”

“Didn't you just hear anything I said?”

“I heard every word. But I still don't see why you believe you have to stay single.”

“I'll not pass on these murdering tendencies to innocent children. It stops with me.”

“That's crazy.” Delta cupped his stubbled jaw. He had more to give than he knew. Cooper had more honor and more heart than anyone. If only she could find the words to convince him.

“It's what I know. That man I just told you about wasn't the only one I killed. It just got easier to pull the trigger after that.” He rubbed his eyes as though to rid them of images.

“Who else?” she whispered, afraid to hear the answer.

“Tolbert Early.”

“But he's not dead.”

“By all rights he should be. I meant for it. He just won't stay dead is the trouble.”

“What do you mean?”

“I've told you this much, so I might as well finish. Then you'll see what a real prize I am.” He rose and stood looking out the window into the blackness that he probably thought resembled his soul.

She listened to his tale about the escape from the orphan train, the bathhouse in Missouri, and how when he was fourteen he shot Early in cold blood for what he did to Brett. By the time Cooper finished, she hated Early every bit as much as he did. The man deserved fire and brimstone, for he was surely Satan.

Cooper turned to her. “Now do you understand why this…we…can never be? I'm sure you're counting yourself lucky that I didn't uphold the marriage agreement, even though I didn't make it.”

“I see a great many things. One is that you are not your father. No one could be more different. You have a caring, loving heart and a soft spot for abused women, little boys, and mistreated animals.” Delta moved to stand in front of him and laid her hand on his chest. “I wish I'd have known all this before now.”

“Then you agree that we dodged a bullet?”

“Never. I don't think marriage is out of the question for you. Maybe for me, though. You haven't heard the secret I carried all the way from Georgia, praying it wouldn't follow, so afraid people would find out.”

He shook his head. “Nothing can be worse than mine.”

Taking her arm, he urged her to take a seat on the bed. When she did, he sat next to her.

“I can't,” she whispered. “I just can't.”

“Nothing you can say would make me turn away in disgust.” He smoothed back her hair.

Delta was far from reassured. “Why is it our parents can hurt us the most? They're supposed to love and protect us.”

“Wish I had the answer.” His sensual mouth was so near as he drew little circles in the palm of her hand.

“My mother was never married,” she blurted out before she lost her nerve. “I'm a bastard child.”

From there, she spilled the story about the worthless father who refused to claim her, about how he came from a wealthy family, and about how he passed her on the street with not a flicker of recognition. “I might as well have been a stranger for all the notice he took of me.”

The muscles in Cooper's jaw bunched. “I can't imagine your pain. Few people have more courage and determination than you do.”

“I wish that were so. No one accepted me. The other children called me names—some don't bear repeating. The adults were no better. I've always stood outside, looking in. Each time the people in Cedartown threw a dance, I'd go and watch from the shadows, dreaming that one brave man would ask me to waltz with him. No one ever did. I began going out in the woods, twirling around, pretending to be in the arms of someone who loved me.”

Cooper lifted her hand and pressed a kiss on her palm. “They were fools.”

“My mother was never strong, though she did
try
to love me. I represented her fall from grace and the reason for all her problems. She died a broken, scarlet woman, and I'm still a bastard child. I belong to no one.”

When a tear slipped out and ran down her cheek, Cooper wiped it away with his thumb.

“In a desperate attempt to escape all that, I jumped at the chance to come West. I've heard that out here a woman can start over, become anyone she wants.”