The Gambler (16 page)

She stood, glanced at the door and wondered
where he'd gone. Crossing to the door, she glanced down the
hallway. She could hear voices from downstairs. She glanced at his
room before ducking back into her own and closing the door.

Getting the deed had been her mission this
entire trip but now that it was within her grasp, a small voice in
the back of her mind whispered to let Tristan know. That he
wouldn't steal her gold. He was an honest man, from what she'd
seen. He wouldn't double-cross her. He liked her, cared about her
well-being, and would do right by her.

It wasn't enough. Her dreams existed because
of that land and one way or another, she'd get it back. She only
had to bide her time.

* * * *

Snow blanketed the ranch by the time the sun
set and was still falling. Emmaline had no idea what winters were
like in Montana and was almost afraid to ask. The way the wind
swirling the white fluffy flakes fell, she could only imagine.

Supper was uncomfortable. She'd met the rest
of Tristan's family and when the questions started, he'd seen her
unease and answered most of them. She smiled and tried to not look
as anxious as she felt but wasn't sure she'd pulled it off. The
chatter was still taking place in the parlor, a room Emmaline
couldn't bring herself to enter. Everyone inside that fancy room
seemed so relaxed. She was anything but.

She sighed while staring out the front window
by the door, watching the snow fall. The floorboards creaked behind
her and she glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see Tristan's
sister-in-law, Sarah, smiling at her.

"Is everything all right?"

Emmaline nodded and turned her attention back
to the scene outside the window. "I just feel a bit lost, is all.
It'll pass."

Sarah peeked out the window. "Colt says it
won't last. Should be gone by noon tomorrow." She turned and
smiled. "Tristan said you lived alone in Idaho. It must be a bit
overwhelming to be in a house full of people."

It was. Emmaline nodded her head and looked
back outside. "I'm not used to crowds."

Sarah's laughter was soft, a tinkling sound
that made Emmaline wonder how her own sounded to others. She
smiled, just to be polite. "You'll get used to it quickly around
here. It's chaos more often than not. With so many under one roof,
it's hard to ever find a bit of peace."

They talked for long minutes about nothing
really and when Sarah left to join the others in the parlor, her
invitation to join them refused, Emmaline knew she was purposely
avoiding getting to know this family. There wasn't a reason to get
attached to them. She wasn't staying. The moment she got her hands
on that land deed, she would be gone and leaving Tristan would be
hard enough without having lingering affection for everyone
else.

She never heard him approach but when Tristan
put his hands on her shoulders, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
Guilt reddened her face as her last thought was stealing back her
land deed and really, she should be ashamed of herself. Tristan had
been nothing but kind to her. He'd given her more in the few weeks'
she'd known him than anyone else in her life ever had. Yet, every
time she got a moment alone, her first thought was to steal him
blind. She sighed and leaned back against him.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, not trusting herself to
say anything. The thought of telling him about the gold mine was
there but that stubborn part of her brain refused to budge.

"Want to sneak off to my room and see what
sort of trouble we can find?"

Emmaline smiled and looked up at him. "You're
trouble enough standing in the hallway. I don't think we'd find
anything new in your room."

"Want to make a bet?"

The look in his eyes promised unimagined
trouble. If one wanted to call it that. Her pulse leaped just
thinking of crawling into his bed. Separate rooms or not, Emmaline
knew she'd find herself in Tristan's room more often than not and
she wasn't about to complain. Stealing from him may have caused
guilt to gnaw a hole in her gut but she'd make it up to him anyway
she could and seeing the desire in his eyes let her know of one
way. She'd just bed him until he forgot everything else and let his
guard down. She'd get her deed back. She just hoped she could live
with herself once she did.

* * * *

Found snooping would have caused her to be
mortified in normal circumstances but nothing about being in this
house was normal. Emmaline turned at the sound of Sarah's voice and
saw her standing in Tristan's doorway, staring at her.

The look on her face was pleasant enough but
something in her eyes said she was anything but. Emmaline smiled
and turned, dropping the bag she'd pulled out from under Tristan's
bed. "Hey. Did you need something?"

Sarah's gaze was hard but she smiled all the
same. "No. Not really. I was going to ride into town and visit with
Abigail. I thought you may want to get out of the house for a
while."

Leaving was the last thing on Emmaline's
mind. She'd spent the last week looking around corners, stealing
into his room every chance she got and even managed to find herself
waking in his bed on more than one morning but as of yet, she
hadn't found the land deed. She was beginning to wonder if Tristan
even still had it. She'd searched every nook and cranny in his room
and had come up empty handed every time. That little voice in the
back of her mind was still there, pulling at her from every
direction, urging her to ask him flat out where the deed was and to
just forget about it entirely. To live her life here with him and
forget about everything else. She almost agreed to do just that but
her dreams wouldn’t let her just give up.

She gave Sarah a smile before walking to the
door, hoping the woman didn't question her about snooping. Somehow,
she didn't think she would. Tristan's sister-in-law was a kindly
woman with an easy smile. Emmaline had never had a friend but
looking at Sarah, she wondered if the easy acceptance was how a
friendship started.

They walked together to the front door, Sarah
chatting happily about Morgan's wife, Abigail, and her impending
birth. Slipping on her coat, Emmaline wondered what Tristan would
think about her leaving the ranch. Since bringing her to his
family's home, he hadn't let her get out of his sight. Even when he
was helping his brother's, he managed to sneak into the house
several times during the day just to check on her. She'd die before
she admitted to him how nice it felt to be cared about.

A wagon was sitting in front of the house,
two sturdy horses hooked to the front. One of the hired hands held
their reins and Sarah talked with him briefly before the man helped
her into the front seat. Emmaline lifted her skirt, ignoring the
man standing there offering her a hand and stopped when she heard
her name being called. Tristan running from the barn alarmed her.
The look on his face caused her pulse to race. She let go of her
skirts and met him behind the wagon.

"Where are you off to?" His voice held a
peaceful tone but something in his eyes let her know he felt
anything but serene.

"Sarah asked me to come along with her to
visit Abigail."

He let out a breath and smiled. "She'll enjoy
the company, I'd imagine." He looked toward the wagon where Sarah
sat before locking eyes with her again. "You're not going to try
and leave me again are you?"

His smile looked teasing but she saw the
concern that she'd do just that glimmer in his eyes. "I don't have
money enough for another stagecoach ticket." She pulled the collar
of her coat up around her neck, blocking off the chill running down
her back. "Besides, I wouldn't make it to the next town over before
you came rushing out to get me."

He laughed and placed his hand at her waist.
"Damn straight I would." He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss
across her mouth, pulled back and did it again. "I'll see you when
you get back." Another quick kiss and he was gone, walking back to
the barn with that cocky gait of his. She watched him, her gaze
fixed on the tightness of the denim hugging his behind and thighs
before he disappeared from view.

She walked back to the wagon and climbed up,
settling next to Sarah and smiled to herself as they started to
move. Tristan may not have said how he felt about her but he didn't
really need to. She could see it on his face when he looked at her
and feel it in the many kisses he gave her. He cared about her and
she'd be a fool to not admit her own heart had softened where he
was concerned. She just wished it didn't make things more
complicated.

Getting her deed back and leaving weren't so
important when Tristan was around and she knew without much thought
that when she did leave, her heart would break. She'd spent hours
watching him sleep the night before trying to figure out what it
was about him that drew her to him. The reasons were too many to
list but as she stared at him, ran her fingers lightly over his
sleeping features, she knew why she was still there. She'd fallen
in love with him. He was why she hadn't tried harder to find her
deed. Why she hadn't taken the money she found in the black leather
pouch and run as far and as fast as she could go.

Falling in love with him was a disaster but
she'd been disappointed so many times in her life that she was used
to it by now. Hopefully when this was all over, losing and hurting
Tristan wouldn't destroy her. The thoughts of doing it hurt enough.
How could she leave the only man she'd ever loved? Was the gold
more important to her than Tristan was?

She was too confused to answer. If he didn't
love her back, she'd only get her heart broken. At least the gold
was a sure thing. Nothing could hurt her inside that mine. Nothing
but her own greed.

Chapter Ten

Tristan grabbed the pitchfork, digging into
the pile of hay and turning to toss it into the nearest stall when
Holden stepped into his path. His arms were crossed over his chest,
his mouth in a hard thin line.

He tossed the hay back down and leaned one
arm on the end of the pitchfork. "What?"

Holden stared at him for long moments before
thumbing up the front of his hat. "What's your intentions where
Emmaline are concerned?"

Tristan's heart thumped against his ribcage.
"She's mine, Holden. Don't get any ideas. I'm not twelve anymore. I
can take you now so stay away from her."

His brother laughed, his eyes shining with
mirth. "I'm sure you think you can take me, but I have no
intentions of courting your girl. I was just wondering if you were.
Are you going to let her live here forever without putting a ring
on her finger?"

He knew this question would come up
eventually. He'd asked it himself half a dozen times in the past
week. Bringing Emmaline home with him eased his conscience and gave
him peace of mind but having her so damn close was torture. He
tried avoiding her but every time he caught sight of her he crossed
the space between them just so he could touch her. To see her smile
up at him and see the happiness in her eyes.

"I know you've been sleeping with her."

Holden's voice invaded his thoughts and
Tristan turned, took the pitchfork back in hand and dug into the
hay again. "Sorry pa, didn't mean to wake you while I was sneaking
through the house at night."

"If I was your pa I'd have the hide stripped
off of you by now." Holden walked around him and leaned against the
wall. "What are you doing with her, Tristan?"

Hell if he knew. He sighed and leaned against
the pitchfork again. "I don't know."

Holden grinned. "Besides sneaking into her
room, you mean?

"Don't act as if you wouldn't."

His brother's laugh told him he would too,
but that didn't seem to appease Holden. He was still standing there
as if he waited for an answer. "What is it you want to know?"

"Are you going to marry her?"

The thought had crossed his mind so many
times he wondered why he hadn't asked her to do it yet. Fear she'd
turn him down was the main reason. He wasn't sure she liked him
enough to marry him. Sure she welcomed him into her bed but giving,
and receiving pleasure, from someone was a lot different from
saying vows. Those were forever and he wasn't sure he had that in
him. What if he wanted to cut out again, try his luck at the gaming
tables? He couldn't do that with a wife. She'd never let him
leave.

One of the first thoughts he had when he
found her in that cabin was to set her up here and find a husband
for her. Someone who would take care of her but now that he was
here, the thought caused anger to sweep through his body. Thinking
of handing her over to another man in town left him edgy and ready
to kill the first person to ask for her.

He shook his head and exhaled a deep breath.
"I don't know. Someone needs to but I don't know if I can let just
anybody have her."

"You don't want her for yourself?"

Yes. He did want her but he wasn't about to
admit it. He glanced over at Holden. "What would you do?"

Holden laughed. "I would have married her the
moment that stagecoach pulled into town."