Authors: Blanche Marriott
Rand stuck to the card
tables most of the night and kept a watchful eye on Tyler when he wasn’t
looking at Callie. She stirred a powerful storm within him, the likes of which
he’d never felt.
Almost from the moment
they’d met, he knew Callie would not pass quietly through his life. She was
lively, happy, trusting. She filled a room when she entered it. Her laughter
was as light as the wind. And she cared for him the man, not who he was.
Somewhere inside him, a great big knot had loosened.
As midnight rolled
around, the crowded saloon began to thin out with only the heartiest of the
diehards left. Even Tyler had stumbled out of the swinging doors looking tired
and drunk, leaving Rand to sigh with relief.
But the relief was
quickly replaced by exhaustion. It had been a long day and he had to get an
early start in the morning. Too many things to do and such a short time in
which to do them.
He intercepted Callie on
one of her trips back to the bar. “Can I see you for a minute? Outside.”
She looked around.
Everyone had what they needed and the other girls stood by. Even the piano
player had taken a break.
“Okay.” They stepped out
onto the almost deserted boardwalk. The eerie glow from the street lamps
combined with a tumbleweed-blowing breeze to paint a ghost town picture. A lamp
at the corner fizzled with the last of its oil.
Rand
took Callie’s hand and tugged her to a dark
corner of the walk. Before he’d even stopped, he whirled around and caught her
in his arms. Hungrily, his lips sought hers while he embraced her with the
desperation of a man going off to war.
She gasped for air as
their lips finally separated. “My! Have you been saving that up all evening?”
“You know I have.” He
let his fingers trail down from her temple to her jaw, cupping the softness of
her face in his comparatively oversized hand. Though the night hung dark around
them, her eyes lit a path straight to his heart. The heart that had been in
darkness for too, too long.
“Well,” Callie smiled,
“I guess that’ll make you come back all that much faster, right?”
He knew she was trying
to make light of the situation, but he heard the quiver in her voice and the
uncertainty of her words. If only he could reassure her with promises of a
future. But he couldn’t. She knew nothing of his life as a business tycoon, and
her distaste for his western lifestyle cut to the heart of his roots in this
town. He had to find a way to tell her everything without chasing her away.
“Callie, today was the
happiest day of my life. Nothing even comes close, except for yesterday and the
day before.”
She lowered her lashes
then looked up sheepishly. “My, my, Maverick, you know how to make a girl
blush. But don’t look so melancholy or I’m liable not to believe you.”
“Believe me. Up to this
point, I’ve felt as though I was living in a house without windows. No
sunlight, no air. Everything inside was stale. Occasionally I left, but when I
returned it was still my old life.”
He drew her close, his
arms curled around her as naturally as a vine around a post. “Ah, Callie, you
changed all that with your special brand of sunshine and fresh air. The moment
I saw that golden head of hair among all the others at the way station, I knew
my life was about to change.”
Callie was frighteningly
still in his arms. He pulled away from her to look into her eyes. They were
moist and large with apprehension. She sniffed once then jutted her chin
upwards.
“But, when you return to
your old life, won’t things be just the same? I mean nothing has changed on the
outside. It’s only changed here in Way Out West.”
She made her point: she
wouldn’t be a part of his life.
He cleared his throat.
“Is it possible you could ever think of Way Out West as more than just a
temporary job?”
Callie rapidly blinked
away the moisture in her eyes. She cocked her head questioningly.
“Make it a permanent
job, or come back as a visitor?”
“Either way. Is there a
chance you could make it a part of your life rather than just a short detour?”
He knew he was walking
on shaky ground but he had to know how she felt about the town. Her gaze held
his for a very long time and his fingers stiffened around her shoulders as he
held his breath and waited for her answer.
Finally, her lips turned
with a faint smile. “Let’s just wait and see. I have a month-long duty to
fulfill and I
will
do it. I’m not going to be a quitter again.”
His fingers finally
relaxed. “When I get back, you and I are going to have a long talk—“
She pressed two fingers
to his lips. They tasted sweet with the whiskey she’d been serving. She
whispered, “Don’t. If you don’t promise something, you can’t disappoint the
other person when you don’t keep it.”
Despite her sunny
disposition, he knew she’d repressed many disappointments in her life. He
wouldn’t be another one.
“I’ll be back. That you
can count on.” He touched his lips to her waiting mouth, delighting in the
warmth he found there. His arms folded her into the curve of his embrace.
“And you can count on
my being here.”
* * *
After the last of the
customers left and every table was cleared and readied for the next day, Callie
followed the other girls upstairs. Exhausted to the bone, she nearly fell into
bed, grateful for the inviting feather mattress and pillow.
But her mind wasn’t as
tired as her body. Minutes ticked by and her thoughts would not rest. She could
only think of Rand and how incomplete she felt without him. She chuckled to
herself.
Funny how a little change of scenery and the right person can
change everything you believed.
With Keith she’d been
convenient, for his research and secretarial needs. Spider had wanted her for a
trophy: the cute blonde on the back of his Harley. But Rand thought only of
her. He was the one man who saw her as something other than an appendage. His
beliefs in manners and courtship softened her heart till it was pliable in his
hands.
Yes, whether he knew it
or not, he had her heart. What bothered her most was not knowing what he would
do with it.
She turned over,
snuggling deeper into the covers for comfort. Tomorrow was fast approaching and
it promised to be a long day without Rand.
* * *
Callie squinted her eyes
as morning light poked her in the face. She wished someone would pull the shade
or close the curtains. She was too cozy to get up and do it herself. No sooner
had she thought it than she realized there was someone else in the room.
She smiled as the scent
of Rand met her nostrils when she turned her head and looked into his dark
eyes. Struggling against her heavy lids, Callie smiled.
“What are you doing
here?”
“Shhhhh. If Miss Becky
catches me here she’ll ride me out of town.” They both laughed. Rand crouched down so they were face to face. “I just wanted to say good-bye.”
Their lips met as though
they’d never parted. She moaned as he deepened his kiss. When he finally lifted
his head, his eyes opened slowly and he dragged a lazy thumb across her bottom
lip.
“Callie, whatever fate
brought us together will surely see us reunited. Promise me you’ll be careful
and you’ll steer clear of Tyler.”
“I promise. And you’ll
be back tonight, right?”
“Without a doubt. Sooner
if all goes well.”
He branded her with
another kiss then rose abruptly. Setting his hat on his head he winked as he
backed out of the door. As soon as she heard the lock click, her heart swelled
with longing.
* * *
Rand
paced the stallion down the bumpy road. As much
as he was in a hurry to get to the way station, he needed the time to clear his
head. His visit with Callie had filled it with so many dreams, he needed to put
everything into perspective.
His first task would be
to tighten security against a possible infiltration by Kyle Thornton. The man
was a whiz at a keyboard and every airtight system translated into a challenge
for him. If Thornton had traced him to Way Out West, no telling what else he
knew and how far he would go. With security alerted, they could watch Kyle’s
every move while Rand returned to Way Out West. Once there, he’d find out what
Tyler Thornton was up to and deal with him himself.
His next problem was
what to do about Callie. So much had passed between them. They’d shared laughter,
adventure, excitement, and quiet. It was all he could’ve hoped for in a
relationship. But was it enough for Callie? She deserved more than quiet walks
and stolen kisses in the dark. Rand wanted to show her real love, not the
taking relationships she’d known with Spider and Keith. He wanted to show her he
could love her as no one else had.
Trouble was, he’d never
known real love either. Way Out West had become the love of his life. Could he replace
it with Callie? Could he give it up altogether if she wanted nothing to do with
it?
The answer to both was
yes. But could he live with the bitter decision long after the sweetness of its
reward?
As the way station came
into view, he purposefully shook himself of all thoughts of Callie and focused
on the task of securing his business. Leaving his horse at the stable, he
quickly entered the way station and proceeded to the front desk. A startled
clerk, alone in the deserted station, looked up.
“Mr. Randall! Good
morning, sir. What a surprise.” The man tried to recover some poise. “What can
I do for you, sir?”
“Get me Jackson, head of security. Have him report here immediately. Then call everyone who is not
on vacation or visiting their sick mother and have them report to their job at
once. No excuses.”
“Yes, sir. Mr. Lawrence
said you’d temporarily suspended communications with the town. May I ask what’s
wrong?”
Rand
glared at the skinny lad, amazed at how young he
was. Yet, Rand had been just as young when he inscribed his name in the tome of
who’s who in electronics. Summoning his reserve, Rand forced himself to smile
while the young man looked as though he regretted asking the question.
“Way Out West is in
danger of a major security breach.”
Complete understanding
silenced the young man and launched him into action. Assured that his orders
would be carried out, Rand went through the back door to the operations center.
He crossed to the far wall and stopped at the door with his name on it.
Punching his code on the keypad above the doorknob, he entered his plush office
and went immediately to his terminal to prepare for the counter attack.
“Okay, Kyle Thornton.
Today is your unlucky day.”
* * *
Unable to fall back to
sleep after Rand’s early morning visit, Callie couldn’t ignore the call of
nature. Reluctantly, she slipped on her boots, threw her robe over her long
nightgown, and headed for the outhouse—the one thing she truly hated about this
town.
Her boots clunked loudly
on the boardwalk behind the saloon that led to the row of outhouses. She
thought she heard another sound, but dismissed it as her own echo. As she
always did, she took a deep breath, went in and quickly finished her business.
But the moment she
stepped out, a hand snuck around to muffle her mouth while another stilled her
with a gun in her side. Then she heard the nastiest snarl in her left ear and
knew that sickening, sour breath could only come from Tyler.
“Well, looks like your
boyfriend left you unattended. I saw him sneaking out of the alley earlier and
headed out of town. What’s the matter? Couldn’t you keep him satisfied?”
She struggled to free
herself but was no match for his vise grip. He poked his gun deeper as a
reminder. “I think you and me are gonna take a little ride. Now when I release
my hand, you walk over to the alley real quiet like, otherwise I’ll just have
to silence you.” He wiggled the gun playfully. “Oh, yeah, this one’s real.”
He lifted his hand and
gave her a shove forward. “Keep going or it’s the last thing you’ll ever do.”
Callie rubbed her mouth
to get the awful taste of Tyler’s filthy hands off her lips. She thought about
screaming to get someone’s attention in the sleepy saloon but she didn’t doubt
for a minute that Tyler would carry out his threat.
As they walked further
away from the building, she wondered what Rand would do. Would he gamble with
her life? Should she? She’d promised him she’d steer clear of Tyler and here
she was, already in the thick of trouble. If Tyler killed her, Rand would certainly go after him. She didn’t want to be the reason Rand ruined his life rotting
in a jail cell.
When they reached the
end of the alley, Tyler turned her to face his devious smile. “Now where’d he
go?”
“I...I don’t know. He
said he had business to attend to.”
“What business?”
“He didn’t tell me. He
said it was better I didn’t know.”