Beth tied the reins of the buck wagon she had ridden into town, near the hitching post by the general store. Stepping onto the boardwalk, she walked briskly to the stage station which also served as a depot to send her telegram to Boston. Her mother would be anxiously awaiting her answer, and Beth was pleased to tell her she would be journeying to see her soon.

The door to the general store opened with a jingle, and little Sarah Wilkson darted through the opening, laughing, a fistful of candy clutched in her hand.

“Sarah Wilkson,” Beth scolded. “I hope you did not steal those candy corns.”

She thrust them behind her, having the decency to appear shamefaced. “I’m sorry Miss Galloway. Please don’t tell my pa.”

Beth came to a pause in front of one of her most promising students. She smiled at her gently. “What did I tell you about stealing?”

She worried at her bottom lip, her green eyes widening. “That it ain’t right.”

Beth dipped into her pocket and withdrew her purse and gave her a few coins. “Now go and pay Mr. Jenkins for his candies.”

“Ah shucks Miss Galloway, would you go for me?”

"No," Beth said firmly, ensuring she suppressed all trace of humor. "You must face the consequences of your actions. You will apologize to Mr. Jenkins as well."

With a heavy sigh, she returned. A few seconds later, she appeared rubbing her knuckles, a shine in her eyes. Evidently, her fingers had been rapped quite sharply.

"Now you take the candies to the schoolyard and hand them out."

“Miss Galloway, I paid for these!”

“I paid for them.” Beth walked over and ruffled her short mop of curly blonde hair. “You will only take one, Sarah Wilkson and give away the rest. I am trusting in your honesty that you will do as I ask.”

Her shoulders straightened, and her little chest puffed out. “You can sure right depend on me, Miss Galloway.”

“Now run along and—”

The rest of her words were smothered by a large gloved hand which clamped tightly over her mouth. Her scream of fright was muffled, and Beth’s heart surged wildly when a powerful arm banded across her waist and dragged her from the boardwalk.

Everything happened so fast she felt disoriented. They stumbled into the alley between the bank and the mercantile, her mind frantically searching for comprehension. An unattached woman of questionable background was too much temptation for some men to resist, and she’d had to defend her virtue a few times with her Winchester since her arrival in Blue Lagoon. But no one had ever accosted her in such an outrageous manner.

She was released, and she whirled around, the words of anger burning in her throat froze. What felt like minutes passed. Somewhere up the street, a door slammed, then a moment of silence followed. Though the noonday sun shone brightly, a bone-deep cold seeped through her body. “Abraham?”

“Ah, Mrs. Bethany Hardin. I have been looking for you.” Abraham Hardin’s face was harsh and menacing, his smile cruel.

Nausea clutched her stomach, and she wrenched herself from his embrace only to lose her footing. She managed to prevent herself from falling and with dignity, lifted her chin. “And why have you been searching for me?” she queried politely, determined not to show any fear or uncertainty.

This man was as vicious as his brother. Though he had never placed his hands on her, he had watched as his brother ‘disciplined’ her once. The very memory of the riding crop biting into her skin, and how she had crawled on the floor to escape filled her with shame and dread. Abraham had sat at the table, eating beans with cold roast beef, never interfering, simply watching her pain and humiliation with dead eyes. Beth was still unable to eat beans and beef.

Her gaze skipped from him to the men formed in a loose circle behind him. She counted fourteen men, all hardened, with eyes that held little kindness or emotions. Her husband was not among them, and a slow relief filled her. Opposite the stage station, was the sheriff's office and jail, but she didn’t think they would give her the chance to run over there. “I am no concern of yours, and you will excuse me.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes,” she said through gritted teeth.

“Well now, that depends on the answers to some of my questions.”

The smell of unwashed flesh from the men as they crowded her assailed her nostrils. A terrible dash of fear and anger clawed through her. “What questions?”

“Git on in the saloon boys, I can handle this little filly.”

After assessing her with disgusting leers, they melted away, too slowly for comfort. It was then she became aware of Sarah hovering close by, leaning on the side of the mercantile. She seemed frozen with indecision as if she was not sure what was happening.

“Go on, Sarah, head on to class now,” Beth urged, wanting her away from the situation, and hoping she would be savvy enough to alert someone.

Little Sarah swallowed nervously, seemingly aware for the first time that the situation was taut with danger. Good girl, now run to safety. Beth gently prodded her away, her stomach knotting into tight bands when Abraham placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, with enough strength where she winced.

“She stays.”

She met the gaze of a very properly dressed blonde woman leaving the mercantile. The woman looked away from the alley, with her nose turned into the air. Beth hoped she would turn to the sheriff and warn him, but she did not hold out much hope. Folks in Blue Lagoon were not apt to interfere in any business, not theirs. “I have nothing to say to you with a child present.”

“You’ve grown some claws,” he mused. “Curious.”

She went still. He held her stare, and Beth forced herself to hold his gaze, ignoring the sharp cramping inside her stomach. Why was he in Blue Lagoon? Had her husband somehow found her? Abraham released Sarah, and after the smallest of hesitation, the child darted away. Beth almost sagged with relief.

“Where is my brother?”

It was the last thing she expected him to ask. “Benjamin?”

“He’s the only one I have.”

Confusion rushed through her. “I have not seen him in about two years.”

“Curious, it’s about the same time I last saw him.”

She searched his face wildly. He was telling the truth. “The last time I saw your brother…” He had been facing down Joshua Kincaid. Dear God. “He was plotting with the Caitlin brothers to bust you from a jail down in El Paso. He left that night, and I never saw him again.” That had been her husband’s plan, and why she had so desperately needed to flee that night. His stint in El Paso would see him away from her for several days, giving her a head start she had needed to disappear from his life.

"Strange, that is the last I heard of him as well. He had plans to bust me out, the posse was ready and was to meet him at Bluff Point. Except he never showed in El Paso, and as I hear tell it, you left town the same night he disappeared.”

Her legs trembled, and she leaned against the side of the building. “I beg your pardon?”

His cold eyes assessed her keenly. “Why did you leave Liberty?”

She allowed her lips to curl in disgust. “Surely you are not that dumb.”

Surprise flared in his gaze, and she braced herself for his fist, determined to react should he dare hit her. She watched him, every minute detail, preparing for when she would need to defend her life. “Your brother was vile to me. So, I planned to leave him. I planned it for months, and when word reached Liberty that you were caught in El Paso for a bank robbery, I knew he would ride out to rescue you. So, I used that chance to escape him.”

He stepped in too close for comfort, leaning in, so he almost brushed her. “Then where is he?”

“I am not your brother’s keeper,” she said through gritted teeth.

Abraham rocked back on his heel, considering her. “My brother sent word to me that he was coming. He never showed, and I’ve been rotting in that hell hole ever since. I was only just liberated," he said with a sickening smile which hinted at the violence that must have been used to secure his release. "I was only liberated these last few weeks, and I have been searching for Ben. I knew your brother had a place yonder over these mountains. Imagine my surprise when I rode into town last evening and folks seem to know you but as a Miss Galloway. They didn’t seem to know my brother though.”

Beth had run to her room that night, changed out of her torn clothes, used a spoon and pried open the floorboard and took the money she had carefully hidden away. Then she had packed a saddle bag with food and essentials and had hurried down the stairs to the large kitchen and through the back, and then to the corrals. She hadn’t looked back, and she hadn’t waited on the man who had asked her to. She had ridden away hard, sold the horse and ridden the stage, and had run for days without rest until she had reached the Whispering Creek Ranch. She hadn’t thought to wonder what had happened to Benjamin Hardin. In fact, she hadn’t cared. She had gotten away from his unchecked brutality, and that was all that had mattered.

“I came here alone. I do not know where your brother is.” She attempted to walk away, and his hand darted like a striking rattlesnake to clamp on her forearm. There would surely be bruises on her arms later. She tried to pry his fingers loose, but they were like steel talons. After staggering to get her balance, she threw her head back and glared at him. “You will release me, Abraham Hardin! You asked your questions, and I answered.”

“I am taking you back to Liberty. The ranch needs minding, and you will tend to it while I look for—”

Beth laughed. She wasn’t sure who was more startled by her outburst. She sobered at the anger that narrowed his gaze. “I am not going anywhere with you,” she challenged. “You will have to drag me in the dirt to your horse, and I doubt the good folks of Blue Lagoon will stand for such mistreatment of their womenfolk.”

Except she bluffed. Sheridan had been accosted in front of some of the town’s finest a few weeks ago, and they had done nothing. Beth had no hope they would try and help her, but she had to try something.

A shrewd light appeared in his eyes, and her mouth went impossibly dry. Benjamin had often bragged Abraham had at one time advised General Lee on war matters. He’d always been different than Benjamin, less brass, more the thinking kind. And she could see the cogs turning behind his dispassionate eyes. Men like Abraham were smart and ruthless and could have easily chosen to be a part of the new fabric in the south after the war. But he chose west and Beth had been so foolish to not travel with her mother east. Thomas had already sailed to England, so she had accepted being courted by Benjamin Hardin, a man she had thought had honor and charm. God, how she had allowed herself to be deceived.

She would never be able to pinpoint what had alerted her. It was more of an awareness than a sound. It was as if she felt Joshua. She glanced at the mouth of the alley, overlooking the main street. The blood thundered in her ears, all the usual sounds of the town faded. The creaks of the boardwalk, the raucous laughter that spilled from the saloon and the rattle of the buckboard. Her chest suddenly felt tight, her skin sensitized, and everything inside of her was fixed on the man that rolled towards her with that natural sensual grace. His dark-blue shirt was tucked into black denim, with a blue bandana tied loosely around his neck, and his hat pulled low over his head. He wore guns strapped low on his slim hips with a casual ease that was not present in the other men.

“Have you ever heard of Joshua Kincaid?”

Abraham stiffened.

“I see that you have,” Beth snapped. “He is coming toward us now, and I suggest you release me.”

Abraham's eyes went sharp. “What business is it of his?”

Somehow, she knew Joshua would not take Abraham’s action lightly, and she wanted no bloodshed or a gun battle. “You will release me!”

“Funny, I heard Kincaid was in town at that time too, and he won a night in your bed. And now I find you and him in the same town. Did you run out on my brother with a drifter?” The question was asked with such smooth iciness, fear bit along her skin.

Still, he released her hand and stepped back.

“I do not know what happened to Benjamin, and I would appreciate you leaving me alone. Good day to you, Abraham,” she said, and walked from him.

Joshua was only a stone’s throw away, a curious stillness to his lean frame as he took in the scene in a sweeping glance. Trying to show a calm mien, she tilted her gaze and stared at him. “Good day, Mr. Kincaid.

He came forward, his expression inscrutable. “Bethany,” he said, tipping his hat.

For several moments she could not respond. How familiar he was as if he had seen her a few hours past and not almost two years. But then they had been as intimate as a man and woman could get. Her face heated, and his eyes sharpened.

“Mr. Kin…Joshua.” Beth swallowed. “I am surprised to see you in Blue Lagoon, but I am in a bit of a hurry to return home if you will excuse me.” She could not manage a confrontation with him now, not while Abraham Hardin looked on.

“Are you being troubled?”

Joshua’s tone was low, but there was something so deadly in it that Beth felt her scalp tighten.

“No…this gentleman was simply asking direction to the Tinsmith’s office.” She offered Abraham a tight smile and walked away. Beth didn’t look back, but she could feel both men’s stare burning into her shoulders. Her nerves were too shattered to continue to the stage station. Instead, she made her way to where she had hitched the buck wagon. She just wanted to return home and hold her son. And plan to flee from Blue Lagoon as fast as possible. She would ask Elijah for an escort until she reached east. Beth was confident he would send a few seasoned ranch hands with her.

Little Sarah was standing on the boardwalk by the restaurant, and Beth waved, and smiled, hoping she had reassured her all was well. Then she pointed toward the schoolroom on the next graveled street. Her message was clear for Sarah nodded, and moved toward the schoolyard.

A few seconds later, a footfall sounded behind her. She knew it was Joshua, and she suspected the only reason she heard him was that he wanted his presence known. She unhitched the wagon with hands that trembled, then hopped onto the seat, and collected the reins. Beth didn’t want to look at him, but he was right there. Swallowing down the nerves, she faced him. The smell of leather and tobacco filled her nostrils. Her world upended itself when she met the beautiful dark green of his eyes. They were steady on her.

“Is there something I need to kill that man for, brown eyes?” he asked in an even tone.

The question shocked and disturbed her equally. How easily he spoke of killing. “No! Of course not! The solution is not always the gun.”

She jerked the reins, and the horses rumbled away, taking her from the town, and a burning situation she hardly knew how to solve. Abraham knew Joshua had been in town, and he knew what had happened upstairs. Her entire face burned, and she had to push down the discomfort, very conscious of the man who had mounted his horse and rode beside her. He must know about Grayson, and she couldn’t fathom why he hadn’t asked her about her baby…their baby. The very knowledge she had been intimate with this stranger beside her, was slowly killing her inside. How very different it all felt to be in front of him once more. Did he remember how terribly unladylike she had been in her demands?

He rode on his big black Appaloosa silently, keeping the slow pace of the buck wagon. It was a nerve-wracking ride out of town. Several minutes went by and unable to bear the silence anymore, Beth slanted him a quick glance. “Is there a reason you are riding with me, Mr. Kincaid?”

He smiled. She was not sure if she could even call it that. It was a brief quirk of his lips that disappeared as soon as it formed. Her heart screeched to a shocking halt. Instead of anxiety slicing through her blood, desire roared inside her, slapping at her with its strength. She fought the blush burning her body. You are absurd, Bethany.

“Do you think I'd harm you?”

No…yes…I don’t know. His eyes commanded most of her attention, the green so sharp and piercing, and she stared at him helplessly. He was so very handsome, with the strong set of his chin, the hewn, savage lines of his jaw. She could feel his strength pouring off him, and the woman inside her responded to it, even as fear darted through her. He was too big…too powerful. One hit from his fist and he would break her jaw, one step from his feet and her ribs would shatter.

He must have seen the doubts in her eyes for he flinched. “I would never hurt you,” he said. "I am ensuring you get back to the ranch safely.”

Beth glanced away, trying to regain her composure, before looking at him once more. “Thank you.”

He tipped his hat to her but did not ride away, simply cantering beside her. Her hands tightened on the reins as the wagon jerked over the rough dirt path toward the ranch. The sun was hot. Dust lifted from the feet of the horses, and a trail of dust lingered in the air. The further they moved away from the Blue Lagoon, the more she relaxed. There was a strange comfort in having him beside her, unusual that, for she mistrusted men in general.

She snuck a glance at him. He gazed ahead, his eyes scanning the prairie.

“I am stopping by the river. Would you like to stop with me?”

They did need to talk, and she would prefer to do so without the prying eyes of Sheridan and Elijah.

“Yes, the horses could do with some water.”

They followed the path to the natural inlet where large boulders in the river slowed the current and created a little pool. The sweet scent of wildflowers came with the wind, and for a moment Beth stared across the rolling grassland, hoping she was making the right decision. She jumped from the wagon as he dismounted. She walked over to the small rocks, stooped as ladylike as possible, cupped her palms in the swift current, taking a long drink. After she’d had her fill she stood and watched him drink, then he unhitched the horses from the wagon rail and led them to the water. He took his time, ensuring they had their fill and then re-harnessed them.

It felt like it took forever for him to face her. They stood like that for long minutes, simply staring at each other. He was tall, lean, raw-boned, and so handsome, a dart of heat arrowed through her.

“I have a son,” he finally said.

“You cannot be sure.” The denial was swift and instinctive, for she did not understand what he wanted from her.

“Bethany,” he said with such soft possessiveness, her heart jolted. “I’m the only man that has had you. Grayson is mine.”

And for the first time, she admitted it aloud. “Yes.”

Joshua looked away across the rivers, and the land that spread for miles, land that belonged to his brother and Sheridan.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for his birth and those months leading up to it. And I’m sorry I haven’t been there since.”

Her mouth went dry. “You didn’t know.”

“Was it difficult?”

“No,” she said honestly. “Sheridan was very kind.”

“I would like to be in his life if you are comfortable with it.”

Her heart was a pounding mess. For some reason, she hadn’t expected this. “I’ve heard mention you are a drifter.”

"I am part owner in the Triple K ranch. I have wealth and a gold mine. I can provide for him."

She sucked in an audible breath. “I did not doubt that you could.” Inexplicably she felt like crying, and her throat burned. She had never imagined she would be required to have this conversation.

The man before her was her son’s father, and he looked like he was, hard, tough ...and lonely. And he had a target on his back. She took a deep breath. “That man in town just now…he’s Abraham Hardin.”

Joshua leaned back against the tree, and there was something in his slow perusal that had her pulse pounding. How distressing it was to be so painfully aware of him.

“He’s my husband’s brother. He’s in Blue Lagoon looking for him. The night I left Liberty my husband had planned to ride into El Paso with his band of outlaws to free his brother from jail. I knew he would be gone for a few weeks, and that it was my chance to escape. I…I…a part of me believed that Benjamin had carried out his plans, but according to Abraham he hasn’t seen his brother since he was jailed.”

Joshua’s response was a long silence. She studied his dark features, searching for some clue to his thoughts.

“I’ll let Abraham know where his brother is buried.”

Beth jerked as if he had punched her. She faltered into complete stillness. Those unfathomable eyes seemed to measure her every reaction. “Benjamin Hardin is dead?”

Joshua’s eyes spoke for him, they were flat and hard.

Her knees weakened, and her stomach flipped in a slick slide of dread. Abraham Hardin would not be pleased, but she was free. “Dear God, I am truly a widow?”

“Yes.”

A mix of emotions assaulted her senses—fear, relief, and joy. “That night…you killed him.”

“Yes.”

Beth closed her eyes, distantly aware of the shaking of her body. For so many nights she had dreaded he would find her. Once her brother had settled in the Cheyenne territory, he had written Benjamin of his location. That was how she had known to find the WC, and for so many nights her nightmares had evolved from the dark memories of the past to the fear of what he would do if he found her. So she had prepared and waited. And now to know he was never coming. An ache traveled up her throat and to the back of her eyes. Her mortal soul was in danger for she was glad a man was dead. Then a question burned through her. “How did it happen?”

“We fought…he lost. And I dragged him away and buried him behind the stables. I wanted no questions to follow you.”

Her stomach fluttered in response to those words. “You did it because he had hurt me.”

He made no reply.

“Why?”

The unspoken words were implicit in his penetrating stare. This man wanted her as his woman. Her legs trembled, and she leaned against the large oak tree. Beth stared helplessly at him. A faint breeze stirred, fresh and pleasant, the horses nickered, and the rushing of the stream seemed like a roar. Joshua moved closer and reached for her. Perplexingly she did not resist. Beth hadn’t been touched by another man since…well since that night. Her heart caught at the careful way he drew her against him.

A rush of fierce anticipation flowed through her veins. He lowered his head slowly, giving her enough time to pull back. His mouth claimed hers, hot and demanding, yet strangely gentle. Something deep within her belly quickened, sending powerful darts of longing through her. She froze, then moaned softly, rising on her toes to meet him, her arms encircling his neck. He kissed her lightly on the lips while he moved his hand from her ribs to her breast.

She pulled away breathing raggedly. “What are you doing?”

There was the slightest of pauses. “I reckon I’m courting you.”

“Courting me!”

His eyes held hers, relentless and piercing. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Because I have your son?”

“That and other reasons.”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth, that firm, sensual mouth that had shown her such pleasure. “That’s crazy,” she breathed softly, truly shocked. Courting implied marriage and so much more than she would ever give to another man.

“Not from where I’m standing.”

“It certainly is from where I’m standing.”

“Why? You’re a beautiful woman, and I’m drawn to you. I have been from the first moment I saw you in Liberty. I believe it was a mutual attraction.”

“Courting implies marriage.” And her staying in the west. Even if she had wanted to remain at the Whispering Creek, Abraham’s arrival had irrevocably smashed her contentment. Would he believe that she had nothing to do with his brother’s disappearance? Would he leave her alone? She doubted it.

“Yes.”

“You don’t love me.” Beth stilled, her heart slamming too violently. What was love, anyway? Why had she mentioned love? She’d already been a fool because of love once. Beth didn’t want to marry any man again, not even one as sinfully tempting as the one before her.

He smiled—a slow, dangerous smile that made her nerves leap.

“I reckon I eventually will love you.”

How would she even know if she could love this man? Or how would he know when he eventually loved her? Would it come after they’d known each other for a long time, or would it come quick and sharp, like the boom of thunder, and the flash of lightning?

“And you will eventually love me,” he mused.

There was only one word to describe that look in his eye, hungry. Her eyes widened, and panic clawed at the back of her throat. “I…” She shook her head sharply. “I am heading to Boston. That has been my plan for years, Joshua. I have a job waiting for me there, and my mother is waiting for me. I only just found out I am a widow,” she said hoarsely. “I’m not interested in marrying again.”

He feathered his thumb across her quivering bottom lip. “Give me a few weeks. I reckon if you don’t like my courting, I’ll simply accept it as it is.”

“Hog spittle, men like you don’t give up.”

He stilled, his eyes somber as he stared down at her. “With you, I see new mornings and new beginnings. I would like to explore that. But I would never force you in any way.”

A treacherous heat stole into her limbs. She closed her eyes, wildly afraid of him and of what he was making her feel. She would be twice the fool if she allowed herself to fall again under another man’s charm.

Except…Joshua Kincaid hadn’t even tried to be charming.