My Heart Will Find Yours (16 page)

She walked to the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m tired. I’m going to bed.” She let the screen door close behind her, stopped, and added. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d tell me where my jeans and tennis shoes are so I can run in the morning. I’m used to jogging at least three days a week, and I don’t want to get out of shape.”

Then she was gone.

Royce dropped his head into his hands. Jogging? Just one more thing to confuse him. He didn’t know what to believe. Her stories sounded convincing. Lord, he was going crazy with wanting her. What if he discovered she was telling the truth, would he love her any less? Love? He groaned. Did he love this woman already, regardless of who she was? Yes, dammit, he did. And if she was telling the truth, she’d want to return to her own time.

It hurt to have her near and not be able to touch her, to... Ah shit! He stood and went inside. It didn’t matter. She was leaving again anyway. He needed to put her from his mind.

He lit the kerosene lamp sitting on the kitchen table. Texanna’s footsteps and drawers opening and closing could be heard from upstairs. He took his bottle of whiskey from the cabinet and slammed it down on the table. The movement upstairs stopped. Good. He hoped to hell he’d disturbed her. He took a hefty slug, enjoying the heat as it rolled down his throat and pooled warm in his belly. The sensation reminded him of the past.

When his search for Pearl ended, he’d spent an entire week drunk, wallowing in his grief. Pete stood in for him at work while he was gone. Pete liked being marshal. What could another week hurt? He’d considered letting Pete have the job permanently—until Matthew and Jason showed up at his door. His brothers spent an entire weekend abusing him—they bathed him, forced food down his throat, and then sat him in front of the portrait of Garrett and closed the door. His child smiled at him from the canvas. He’d sobbed and raged until he dropped from exhaustion. When he woke, he was on the floor below the painting.

The next day Molly rode up with Garrett. The boy clutched Royce’s neck, and Royce couldn’t put him down—he sensed the boys need, and he recognized his love for his son would sustain him.

Royce took another drink, corked the bottle, and put it away. The lamp lit the way as he walked upstairs. He undressed, stretched out on the bed, and opened the history book.

****

When Texanna heard Royce’s steps on the stairs she held her breath and swallowed her sobs. She listened as he removed his boots and clothes and heard the give of the springs as he got into bed. And she ached—for what she desired above all things but couldn’t have and would never experience—the touch of the man who could be her life mate. A man not of her time. If only she could stay.

****

Her jeans and tennis shoes were on the foot of the bed the next morning when she woke. Texanna put on an old shirt of Royce’s, rolled up the sleeves, and tied it in a knot at her waist. Then she hurried outside and started her warm-up routine. The slam of the back door announced Royce’s arrival. Texanna tried to avoid his eyes as she stretched her muscles. Her heart was in her throat, the strain between them palpable.

He handed her the Colt .45. “I want you to wear this. If you need me, fire two shots into the air.”

It was probably not the most comfortable thing to wear while jogging, but she’d manage. Texanna strapped it on and noticed he’d punched more holes in the gun belt so it would fit around her hips. His thoughtfulness touched her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Be careful.”

She nodded. “I’ll be back in forty-five minutes or an hour at the most.”

The sun was just peeking over the horizon. By the time she reached the turn, she had a steady rhythm going. She turned in the opposite direction from town. Hopefully, she wouldn’t meet anyone and embarrass Royce.

****

She’d said no more than forty-five minutes, and it was getting close to an hour. Royce couldn’t stand to wait any longer. He whistled for Samson. The horse nickered and trotted to the gate. Before he opened the gate, he looked back one more time. And saw Texanna’s small figure running up the road.

He breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed Samson’s ears, and patted his neck. “Sorry to disappoint you fella’, but I jumped the gun. You know I love her, don’t you?” Samson butted him in the chest and proceeded to nibble on Royce’s ears. His hat fell, and he caught it before it hit the ground. “Yeah, I love you too.” Royce walked away from the fence.

Texanna stopped in front of the water pump, dropped her hands to her knees, and drew in gulps of air. She straightened, removed the holster, and handed it to him. Royce watched her stretch her legs, one at a time, out behind her and raise and lower her heel. He shook his head. Why would anyone want to run up and down the road? She took the ladle from the hook and drank two cups full, then poured one over her head dousing her shirt—his shirt.

He turned back to the fire he was building to wash clothes. It would take a while longer for the water to be hot enough. The scrub board sat on a low table so Texanna wouldn’t have to bend too much to use it. Today he’d help her with the laundry so she’d know the routine.

“Come inside. The coffee’s hot, and I saved you some breakfast.”

Still breathing hard, she gasped. “Okay, be there in a minute.”

Royce watched from the kitchen window as she drank more water and poured another dipper full over her head. Her red curls hung straight and were plastered to her head. She was a mystery, no two ways about it. He took the warm plate from the range and set it on the table with silverware and a cup of coffee.

Texanna left her shoes on the screened-in porch and walked to the sink to wash her hands. His shirt was plastered to her body, giving him a nice view of her graceful back. His eyes traveled lower to the roundness of her butt and almost groaned when he remembered how her bare cheek had felt in his hand. The memory made him shift his weight in the chair. He picked up his coffee cup and took a drink. She dried her hands and turned to sit down. At the sight of her breasts beneath the wet shirt, he inhaled coffee and choked, gasping for breath.

She rushed around the table and pounded him on the back until he managed to say, as he wheezed, “Stop...I’m fine.” From the opposite side of the table, she watched him with concern for a few minutes.

“Eat before it gets cold. I’m all right.” Now that the shock was over, he looked his fill. The front of her shirt was wet, almost transparent, and molded to her breasts, defining their shape and size. They were beautiful.

“Thank you for the breakfast. You didn’t have to cook for me.” A lock of hair fell forward and brushed her cheek. She shoved it behind her ear drawing his eyes to the white column of her neck. He’d like to kiss her neck, right under that ear.

“It’s just as easy to cook for two as it is for one.” He tried to keep his eyes on her face but the damn things kept dropping to the breasts staring him in the face. “How far did you run?”

She finished chewing and took a sip of coffee. “Down to that partially burned house.”

Flabbergasted, his mouth fell open, and he sputtered. “That’s over two miles.” How could she run that far and then back? Sure, she looked pretty tired when she got back, but...

“Why? Why would you want to run up and down the road?”

“It’s good exercise, keeps my heart healthy, my muscles toned. I just run three times a week. A person can overdo it, especially women if they lose too much body fat.” For some reason she looked down, noticed how exposed she was, and yanked the shirt away from her body.

Royce covered his eyes, rubbed his forehead, and pretended he hadn’t noticed. He could feel her glare and peeked through his fingers. If she could shoot fire with those blue eyes, he’d be ashes about now. He struggled not to laugh out loud.

“You have a headache?” The glower he received didn’t express the sympathy her voice carried.

“Yeah, didn’t get much sleep last night.” At least that was the truth.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well either.” She dropped her fork onto her plate and propped her crossed arms on the table. “Look, I need my bra back. It’s not good to run without one.”

His eyebrow twitched as he studied her to see where this was going. “Why not?”

“Well, would you just think about it? It keeps things from jiggling around.”

His face heated. “Oh. Does it hurt?”

“No, it doesn’t hurt.” She averted her eyes. “I guess it could at a certain time of the month.”

“Then why? If it doesn’t hurt, you don’t need it.”

She spoke through gritted teeth. “I don’t want the tissues to break down and my boobs to hang down to my waist by the time I’m forty.”

“Boobs?”

“You know what I’m talking about—knockers, hooters, tits, breasts.” Her face was almost purple.

He coughed into his hand to hide his grin. “Oh, I see.” He sobered. Hell, he didn’t want them to hang to her waist either. “Sounds like you shouldn’t be running if that’s the case.”

She screeched. “You’re the most unbending person I’ve ever met.” Grabbing her dishes, she shoved her chair back and stood. The activity set her breasts in motion, more so when she kicked the chair under the table.

Oh, boy. What a beautiful sight. He wished her shirt were still wet. It would be a shame for them to get saggy. Unaware she watched him, he grinned. A wet dishcloth hit him and wrapped around his face.

“Ohooooo! You pervert!” She folded her arms across her breasts. “Fine then. I’ll just run like this and entertain all those men who saw me running this morning. They got an especially good view when I raised my arm and waved.”

She ran in place and held her arm over her head pulling the shirt tight across her right breast. “Yoo-hoo. How’re you this fine morning?” She lowered her arm and kept running. “Then I’ll run in place, and we’ll chat for a while.”

Okay, by God, that did it. She looked at his face and froze. He shoved his chair back and before he could get around the table, she lunged toward the door. He grabbed a handful of her shirt and pulled her back against him, his arms locked around her waist. His heart thundered, and he felt every breath she took. Her scent mixed with the sweat from her run teased his senses. He dropped his head to her hair, and his hand moved from her waist to cup a breast. It fit his hand perfectly. A groan rose from deep within his chest. He ran his thumb down the firm flesh to the nipple. She jerked in his arms and cried out. His hand returned to her waist.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.” Hell, he was torturing himself. He wanted things settled between them so he could love her half the night and then get her dander up every morning. “I was only teasing you. You can have your bra back.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.” He dropped his chin to the top of her head. “I read that section you marked in the history book last night.

She turned in his arms. “I’m sorry. It must have been hard.”

Hard, hell, he’d felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. Garrett growing up to be a train robber and then dying was inconceivable. Whether the book was real or not, he’d do his best to see Garrett lived a long, happy life.

“Yes, it hurt like hell.”

She put her arms around his waist and her cheek against his heart. “I’m so sorry, but you had to know.”

One hand on her head, the other on her back, he held her for just a minute. Then he stepped back. “We better get busy, or we’ll be doing the wash during the heat of the day.”

****

Texanna rubbed the clothes back and forth across the scrub board. This was not fun. She washed. Royce rinsed, wrung them out, and tossed them in a tub. They’d both hung them on the line. The wash and rinse water had to be changed twice. Her back and shoulders ached before they started hanging them. By the time they were finished, she was too tired to fix lunch. It was all she could do to drag her body into the house. She stood in the kitchen in a stupor.

“You want me to rub your shoulders?”

Too tired to speak, she nodded.

“Sit down at the table, fold your arms and lay your head on them.”

His hands were strong, and he knew how to use them. As he kneaded her sore muscles, groans and moans escaped her. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you.”

“It would feel a lot better if you’d take that shirt off.” From his hands she could feel his body shaking with laughter.

She snorted. “You wish.”

“Yes, ma’am, I do.” He hit a particularly sore spot and she yelped. “Sorry. What you need is a warm bath.” He patted her shoulder and went to the screened in porch for the bathtub. He stopped and turned back. “By the way, what’s a pervert?”

She giggled. “A...lecher, you know, a seducer...a dirty old man.”

He threw back his head and laughed. Texanna’s heart tripped at the delightful sound and the amusement on his handsome face. The man was too damned handsome for his own good.

A horse and rider galloped into the yard. “Royce! Royce!” Royce rushed out the back door.

“You gotta come quick. Miz Molly’s havin’ her baby.”

Texanna went to the door and watched Royce stride to the man on horseback. “How long has she been in labor, Jim?”

The old man’s face was etched with concern. “‘Bout three hours, and she’s in terrible pain. Matthew is beside himself with worry.”

Royce patted the older man’s arm. “She’ll be fine, Jim. You run on to town and get Jason and Doc.” Jim turned the horse and kicked it into a full run. Royce hurried to the barn and emerged with his saddle in one arm and tack in the other.

Oh, God, no. Texanna’s heart dropped as she remembered the words from Jason’s journal about Molly having twins. He’d said one of them would die.

She raced to catch up with Royce. “I’m coming. Don’t leave me.” Inside the barn she grabbed her tack and dragged her saddle out the door. Royce had Josie standing beside Samson. He was saddled and ready to go. Royce reached for her saddle and lifted it as if it were light as air, then waited for Texanna to smooth the blanket on Josie’s back before setting it in place. Mounted on Samson, he looked down at her.

She studied his face. He didn’t look like he thought Molly would be fine. His mouth was pinched and white—his eyes filled with concern. His large hand cupped her cheek.