Shannon clutched her husband’s arm in an effort to stay upright. She was nearly breathless from laughter, thanks to his quips about life in the small town of Black Aces. They were strolling along the boardwalk in front of the mercantile, and she almost pulled him to a stop so she could collapse on the benches placed out front.

“No! Shhhh!” He tugged on her hand in mock terror. “Don’t stop here, honey,” he whispered. “Mrs. Burch will see you and come out and insist on talking to you!”

She could tell from the twinkle in his eye he was still joking. “And would that be so horrible? I want to meet everyone in town, after all!”

“Better wait ‘til winter—Christmas at least—to meet this particular townswoman.” He tucked Shannon up against his side and hustled her along, their heads close enough together she didn’t mind his teasing one bit. “The stench is less then, you see.”

“Stench?” Shannon giggled. “She doesn’t bathe?”

“Oh, no, she bathes regularly.” Lucas finally deemed them out of danger and slowed his pace. Turning to her with a grin, he winked. “It’s the onions, see. She chews one every morning to ward off bad humors.”

Shannon dissolved into laughter once more. He’d kept her giggling throughout lunch at the town’s only restaurant as well, and she couldn’t recall enjoying herself this much in a very long time.

“But not in the winter?” she managed to ask, in between chuckles.

“Oh, she still does it in the winter.” Lucas’s expression was solemn when he nodded. “But then she chews a peppermint stick after, for seasonal variety.”

Shannon blinked at her husband, thinking he couldn’t possibly be serious, but he nodded and clarified. “She says peppermint and onion always remind her of Christmas.”

That did it.

“That’s disgusting!” Shannon began laughing so hard, she collapsed against Lucas, trusting him to support her. In fact, she was trusting him more and more, so it seemed.

They’d only been married three weeks, but she was happier here than when she’d been living with her brother Joshua and his wife back in Texas. Lucas Ryan made her feel cherished, which is more than she’d ever felt back home. Unlike her brothers’ families, he didn’t make her feel as if her appearance dictated her worth. He made her laugh and treated her like a goddess in bed. And after the conversation they’d had last week in the kitchen, when he’d told her about the dangers their neighbor Mr. Pierce posed, things were a lot more open between them.

She felt as if they were partners, now. For the last few dinners, the two of them and Cora had discussed ranch business, and she’d discovered her husband was an intelligent and educated man, with surprising insights into human nature. And he asked her opinion about all sorts of things, which made her feel valued in a way she never had before.

God help her, she was falling in love with her husband.

The thought was enough to sober her, and she straightened to tuck her hand in Lucas’s arm once more. Her smile remained, though, as he began to lead her towards the bank once more.

She was falling in love with her husband, and what should have been a joyous realization just made her stomach hurt. He was kind and funny, and generous and thoughtful and even polite to her eccentric sister. Falling in love with him was easy!

But there were still things he was keeping from her. Things he wasn’t telling her, and she suspected they had to do with some sort of danger at the ranch. Danger to him. Why would Mr. Pierce care about Lucas having an heir, unless he was threatening Lucas himself? But why wouldn’t her husband explain these things to her?

There was only one explanation: he didn’t trust her. He’d taken one look at her face, the face she’d lied about, and had decided if she could keep that sort of information from him, then he just wouldn’t share everything with her.

And at night, when she was cuddled against him, listening to his faint and satisfied snores, she had to admit she couldn’t blame him. How could he trust someone like her? Someone who’d manipulated a good, honest man into marriage by letting him think she was beautiful?

She was falling in love with her husband, but how could he ever love her in return?

Lucas didn’t seem to realize the change in her emotions, and kept up his teasing until they turned into the bank. Shannon kept her smile plastered on, even when it became clear that Lucas was planning on introducing her to the banker.

“…and this is my wife. Shannon, this is Mr. Daniel Pearson.”

“How do you do, sir?”

Perhaps Shannon’s greeting would’ve been more enthusiastic—and from Lucas’s glance, she knew that’s what he’d been hoping for—but she’d seen the way Mr. Pearson eyed her cheek. Like most strangers, upon meeting her, the older gentleman did his best to hide the pity which had flashed into his expression, but it didn’t matter. Shannon had seen it, and the way the banker couldn’t seem to stop staring at it.

Soon, Mr. Pearson—and the lovely people she’d met at the restaurant, and maybe even Mrs. Burch—would begin to talk to one another about her. They’d ask how a successful rancher like Lucas had married someone as ugly as she, and then Shannon would have the guilt of ruining her husband’s good name.

So she did her best to smile at Mr. Pearson, but knew her heart wasn’t in it.

Lucas watched her with worry in his eyes. “I’m here for my mother’s papers, Daniel.” Without tearing his gaze away from her, Lucas fished something out of his pocket and held it towards the older man. “I’m pretty certain this key was the one she’d mentioned went to her box here.”

“Looks like it.”

Lucas finally glanced at the older man. “Any objection to me taking whatever she had stored in there? That’s all legal, right?”

Shannon was relieved when the banker had turned his full attention to her husband, and began to breathe a little easier.

“Don’t see why not.” Mr. Pearson turned the key over in his hands. “She used to wear it on a chain around her neck, as I recall.”

Lucas nodded. “Along with a locket and her ring.” His free hand reached over to cover Shannon’s where it rested on his arm. “My wife is wearing that ring, now.”

She’d known he’d given her his mother’s wedding ring, but it felt odd now to have Mr. Pearson’s gaze drop to her hand, as if to verify. She was so used to people staring at her cheek, that having one staring at her finger felt…almost funny.

The other man swallowed tightly. “She was a good woman, Lucas, and would want your bride to wear her ring. We’re all going to miss her.”

“Me too.” Her husband sighed, and Shannon resisted the urge to pat his hand, not sure if he’d approve of her comfort in front of his friend. “And I think you’re right.” He sent a sad smile towards Shannon, and his fingers tightened briefly around hers. “She’d be pleased with my choice in a wife.”

The late Mrs. Ryan would’ve been pleased with any bride her son had chosen, Shannon thought. But one who’d hidden the truth about herself? It was hard to imagine any mother approving of that.

But then, Lucas’s mother had urged him to marry and produce an heir, which meant she had been aware of whatever threat faced Lucas and Sunset Valley. Shannon sighed and acknowledged she didn’t have her husband’s heart, nor his trust. It would be silly to bemoan the fact now, when Mr. Pearson was trying so hard to be solicitous.

So she smiled politely at his attempts at flattery, and gritted her teeth until he left with the key to fetch whatever Lucas’s mother had locked up here.

As soon as he was gone, Lucas turned to her, concern on his face. “Shannon, honey? Are you alright? Do you want to sit down?”

“Me?” Goodness, did her smile really look that fake? “You’re the one I should be asking that of.” She twined her fingers through his where they still rested in the crook of his other arm. “I’m so sorry I didn’t have a chance to meet your mother.”

His lovely golden-brown eyes flicked across her face, as if searching for the truth, and she forced a serene expression. He couldn’t know about the roil of emotions in her chest.

“I am too,” he whispered. “But you looked awfully sick there when you met Mr. Pearson. I tried…”

When he trailed off, Shannon almost bit her own lip. “Oh, I’m alright,” she forced herself to say breezily. “Just overly full from lunch, I suspect.” The meal really had been delicious, and such a nice treat.

“Oh.” He didn’t look convinced by her excuse, and Shannon wasn’t surprised. It hadn’t been a very convincing excuse, after all. “I just thought, maybe…?”

“Maybe what?”

He shrugged. “Well, we’re both hoping for a baby, after all, and you looked—”

“Here you go, Lucas!”

Mr. Pearson’s return caused her husband to straighten swiftly, pulling back as if he’d been caught in a compromising situation. He recovered well though, and began chatting with the banker about the bundle of papers the older man held.

Which was good, because Shannon suddenly couldn’t breathe very well.

Could she be pregnant?

She began to count in her head. Surely it was too soon to tell, wasn’t it? Her fingers clutched at her husband’s sleeve, and she tried to catalog her own body. Were her breasts more tender than usual? Her nose more sensitive to certain scents?

All those things were what Cora had described to her, when they’d discussed Shannon’s dream of becoming a mother.

No, surely it was too soon to tell.

But Shannon’s fingers crept across the cotton of her dress to press against her abdomen as she stared out the bank’s window. It was too soon to tell, but maybe…

Maybe someday soon, based on how often she and her husband made love, she’d be pregnant.

And then she could turn her love to her baby. That baby would love her, no matter how she looked. And that baby would trust her enough to tell her all of his secrets.

And she could never, ever lie to that baby the way she’d lied to his father.

Yeah, there was something wrong with Shannon, alright. Lucas had watched her go all pale when she’d been introduced to Daniel, but hadn’t been able to guess why. And then, the longer they’d stood there making small talk, the more her fingers had tightened on his sleeve, and he’d started to wonder.

Maybe it hadn’t been too polite of him to just come out and ask if she could be pregnant. The center of the bank’s lobby was hardly the place for it, after all. But instead of going all white again, Shannon had blushed and those pretty blue eyes had widened, and he’d seen genuine surprise in them when he’d hinted.

No, she wasn’t pregnant, but she wasn’t alright either, like she’d claimed.

They were back outside, walking towards the livery where he’d left the carriage. The June sun was beating down, and Lucas wracked his brain to try to come up with some way to broach the subject.

“It’s a nice day.” He winced, knowing his words were stilted. “You want to sit down and rest a little bit?”

Her eyes followed his pointing finger toward the benches set under the apple trees in front of the church, but then she looked away and shook her head. Was it his imagination, or had she looked a little wistful there before she’d glanced at the trio of ladies who were already sitting over there and chatting? Didn’t she say she wanted to meet other townspeople? Or had she just had enough of being social today?

Lucas didn’t understand his wife and wished she’d open up and explain things to him.

But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just sighed and headed toward the north end of town once more, with her holding his elbow mutely.

When did things get so awkward between them?

She was definitely holding something back from him. For one bright moment, there in the bank, he’d hoped that maybe it was news of her pregnancy, but her reaction convinced him otherwise.

Oh well.

They were passing the sheriff’s office, and only a few moments away from the rickety old schoolhouse, when Lucas tried one more time to come up with a way to get her to enjoy the town. Black Aces—which had been named for the winning hand in a poker game—had been a sweet little town up until a few years back, when Augustus King had moved in.

The man had been doing his best to take over the whole town, and had brought in a few thugs to enforce his rule. The sheriff was in his pocket, and already a few businesses had folded and left for greener pastures. But there were enough of the people Lucas knew left for him to feel comfortable showing Shannon around. Hopefully, she’d fall in love with the little town he’d grown up in, same as he had.

He nodded across the street to the dry goods store, which had a selection of ladies’ hats in the window.

“Shall we stop at—”

Shannon’s squeak of surprise slammed his attention back to their path, which was quite suddenly blocked. A man had stepped out from the alley between the sheriff’s office and the blacksmith’s shop, and now stood in front of them, uncomfortably close.

Uncomfortably, because this man was dangerous.

Lucas pulled his wife back a step, and uncharacteristically wished he was holding his rifle. He didn’t usually wear guns, but if this was the sort of rabble Black Aces was attracting these days, he could see the benefit.

Was this another one of King’s cronies? An employee of Pierce? A friend of Baker’s?

The stranger sure looked as if he knew the notorious gunslinger. The older man—forty or thereabouts—was dressed all in black, and not the fancy black either. Just plain black, with no trace of trail dust anywhere except the base of his black boots. His jaw was hard, without a trace of a beard, and his eyes reminded Lucas of a favorite childhood cat; a brown light enough to be called topaz or gold.

But what made the man look so dangerous was the gun belt slung low over his hips. Lucas had never seen anyone besides Baker who carried two guns like that, but this man did; a big Colt Army revolver on his right hip and what looked like one of those new double-action, self-cocking Colts on his left.

Lucas vowed that, should the man’s hands twitch toward either of those guns, he’d toss Shannon against the building and flatten himself in front of her to protect her. Surely Sheriff McNelis would notice any shooting and head out here before Shannon could be hurt.

But the man’s hands were nowhere near his guns. In fact, he had them clasped behind his back and stood loosely, those eerie eyes examining Lucas and his wife. He exuded danger, while not actually doing anything dangerous.

“Lucas.”

The stranger’s voice was low and quiet, and Lucas found himself nodding a greeting before he registered Shannon’s gasp of surprise. Once he did though, he frowned.

“How do you know my name?” And why would the man use his first name, rather than his last? “Do I know you?”

There hadn’t been a hint of a question in the stranger’s voice, as if he’d known exactly who he was talking to.

The golden eyes flickered over Shannon, then met Lucas’s once more, and the younger man wished he could read the stranger’s face.

“I am Verrick.”

The somber announcement might not have had the effect it usually did. Lucas let out his breath in a relieved whoosh.

“It’s about time.” He’d sent a telegram offering to hire the gunslinger a month ago.

But the man’s monotone didn’t waver when he made his excuse. “I’ve been busy. You didn’t need me yet.”

Well, he was right. Lucas hadn’t been threatened, during the last month. Other than the evidence of someone—Two-Grins Baker, surely—camping on his land and watching the ranch, there hadn’t been any danger. Still, it was galling to be told this by the man he’d planned on hiring for protection.

“Lucas?” Shannon’s voice was shaky. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to Mr. Verrick?”

Lucas didn’t bother hiding his wince. How did one introduce his wife to the west’s most notorious gunslinger? Verrick was said to have killed over fifty men in fair fights, and Lord knows how many others. But when Pierce had brought in Two-Grins Baker, Verrick was the only one Lucas could think to hire, and that was only because of his mother’s urging.

What would a wife think, having a man like that living at Sunset Valley?

So he swallowed, and forced a polite tone. “Honey, this is the bodyguard I hired to discourage Pierce.” And then, because he knew she’d expect it from him, he nodded to the gunslinger. “This is my wife, Shannon Ryan.”

To his surprise, Shannon gave an abbreviated curtsy, and after a moment of staring at her, Verrick nodded somberly.

“Shannon,” he acknowledged, and Lucas wondered again at the man’s familiarity. He should’ve referred to them as the Ryans, but instead used their first names without permission to do so.

“A bodyguard, Lucas?” Shannon’s fingers curled around his sleeve. “Mr. Verrick is here to protect you from Mr. Pierce’s offers to buy the land, is he?”

Damn.

His little wife had definitely realized he was keeping something from her. She was not only lovely and caring, but smart as well. All those things swelled his heart with pride, but frustrated him in regards to this particular issue as well.

“I think…” He swallowed, glancing between the woman he was coming to love, and the man who’d been hired to keep him alive. “I think we’d better head back to the ranch and talk things over.”

And maybe once they were there, he could figure out what was going on with Shannon. Only problem was, he was beginning to suspect he couldn’t just demand her trust; he’d have to show her he trusted her too.

Lucas snorted under his breath, as he steered Shannon around the eerie gunslinger and headed toward the livery. And here he’d thought marriage would solve his problems.