“Why would you bother with a man like that?”
“Adam’s worth the bother.” The old man poured a cup for himself and eased into a rough wooden chair beside the bunk. “He’s a good friend,” he stated simply.
“How long have you known him?” she asked as she sipped her coffee.
“Six, seven years.” He blew into his cup before he drank.
“That’s not very long.”
He gave her an appraising look before he said, “Long enough to take the measure of a man. And Adam Winter measures up better’n most.”
“I suppose you have to defend him. After all, you work for him.”
Zeb looked up in surprise. “You think Adam pays me?”
“Doesn’t he?”
He grinned, showing crooked teeth. “I don’t work for Adam, little lady boss.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “I’m just along for the ride.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Got nowhere else to be right now. So I offered to help Adam get started. But he knows that one day he’ll wake up to find me gone. That’s just the way I am. Can’t stand houses or walls or fences. And when I sleep, I like to sleep under the stars and breathe air that’s free. Don’t ever want to answer to anyone else.”
“And Adam Winter?” she asked as she drained her cup. “Is he like you?”
Zeb combed a hand through his beard. “Maybe. Can’t say that Adam’s like anyone else I ever knew. Been footloose a long time now. Tough for a man like that to settle down. And life’s hardened him. But if anyone deserves to find a piece of land that he can call home, it’s Adam.”
Diamond’s lids closed and her head bobbed, causing her to jerk upright. Seeing it, the old man drew a blanket around her shoulders and took the cup from her hand. He peered at the whip wrapped around her arm, then decided to leave it alone. “You sleep now, lady boss. You got some healing to do.”
She had no energy left to argue. She was asleep before the old man let himself out of the cabin.
Adam moved soundlessly around the room, filling the kettle with water from a bucket, putting another log on the fire. But his gaze kept straying to where sunlight spilled through the small window of the shack, bathing the sleeping figure in a pool of liquid gold.
Seeing Diamond asleep in his bed bothered him much more than he cared to admit. He felt restless this morning, ill at ease. Tense and edgy and grouchy as a wounded bear.
He swore and tore his gaze from the woman. He needed to be busy.
Soon the aroma of coffee filled the air and he snatched up a square of linen before heading toward the creek.
Diamond stirred. Disoriented, she lay very still, sorting out the strange new sounds and smells. This wasn’t her bed, nor was this her comfortable ranch house.
Realization dawned slowly. Adam Winter’s cabin. She touched a hand to her throat. Though it was still tender, the torn flesh had formed a crust that would soon heal over.
Adam was standing across the room. Since he hadn’t yet noticed that she was awake, she used the time to study him.
Dark pants rode low on his hips and molded his thighs. He was naked to the waist, and had evidently just finished bathing in the creek, since droplets of water still glistened in his dark hair. A straight razor made scraping sounds as he ran it across his cheeks and chin in smooth, easy motions. With each movement, the muscles of his back and shoulders bunched and tightened, causing a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach.
The shock of her injury must have made her fanciful. Though she had drifted in and out of consciousness during the ride here last night, she could recall the way she’d felt in his arms, warm and snug and...safe. And the way his heartbeat had kept time to hers, slow and steady and... reassuring. Those weren’t the kinds of feelings she’d expected to experience with a man like Adam Winter. She must have been more dazed than she’d thought.
She forced her gaze upward. And realized that he was looking at her in the mirror.
The jolt was as powerful as if she’d been thrown from a wild mustang. For the space of several moments she couldn’t breathe. Her heart forgot to beat.
He was frowning. But that was nothing new. He seemed to be always frowning around her. He didn’t bother to turn around. “’Morning, Miss Jewel. How’s your throat?”
Dry, at the moment. But she wouldn’t admit that. “A little sore. But it’s tolerable.”
“Zeb left you some ointment. It’s on the mantel. And I made coffee. It’s strong, but it’s hot. Help yourself.”
She swung her feet to the floor and waited for a brief moment of dizzyness to pass. Glancing up, she could see him still watching her in the mirror. His eyes seemed lighter, almost silver this morning, and she blamed it on the brilliant sunlight. She got to her feet and, straightening her spine, crossed the room.
She applied the ointment, then tied Adam’s bandanna around her neck. She cast a sideways glance at the man who was studying her in the mirror. She wasn’t accustomed to being watched. Especially by a man like Adam Winter. She felt suddenly shy and self-conscious. Like a filly at an auction. And slightly light-headed. Something she’d never experienced before.
She took a few moments to study her surroundings. This wasn’t at all what she’d expected. Though the cabin was small and sparsely furnished, it was neat and clean. Comfortable. That was the first word that came to mind. From the handmade quilt on the bed to the animal furs that softened the rough wooden floor and walls, from the child’s wooden top to the dog-eared Bible on the shelf, it had a cozy feeling about it.
Tools leaned against a bench just inside the door. A knife, a saw, a wood shaver. And beside them lay a half-finished rocking chair that would be the match to the one in front of the fire.
It was apparent that Adam Winter was not one to be idle.
She wrapped a linen square around her hand and lifted the blackened pot from the fire. As she poured, she called, “Care for some?”
“Yes. Thanks.” He wiped the last of the soap from his face and pulled on a clean shirt. As he was tucking it into his waistband, he turned. She found herself staring. Again she was forced to look away. But not before she’d had a glimpse of a hair-roughened chest and flat stomach that caused another uncomfortable feeling deep inside.
She handed him the steaming cup. As their fingers brushed she felt the warmth of heat all the way to her toes. She knew that her cheeks were probably flushed. That only made her blush all the more.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“A little.” She was relieved when he turned away. But she would have been distressed if she’d known just how much her presence was affecting him.
“There’s venison stew.” He ladled some from a pot that sat on a warming ledge over the fire. “And yesterday’s biscuits.”
Diamond took a seat at the table and watched as he sat across from her. “Who does the cooking, you or Zeb?”
“We take turns.” He enjoyed the sound of her voice. It was low, with a hint of breathlessness that whispered across his senses. He realized that all morning, while she’d slept, he’d been waiting to hear her speak.
“How about you, Miss Jewel? Are you a good cook?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve never tried, but I’m sure I’d be terrible.”
“Never cooked?” He set down his cup and fixed her with a look. “You mean you and your mother never spent any time together in the kitchen?”
“I don’t remember my ma. She died when I was just a baby. And Cookie has always been around to see that Pa and I had enough to eat.”
“What do you do when Cookie is out on the trail?”
“I’m usually out with him,” she admitted. Why was she telling him all this? She couldn’t imagine sitting and talking with any other man this way. But with Adam Winter, it seemed the most natural thing in the world. She was practically babbling, and couldn’t seem to stop herself. “We have a woman from town, Carmelita, who
helps out at the ranch. She sees to it that I don’t starve.”
“From the looks of you, I’d say you’re a long way from starving.”
The intimate way he studied her brought another flush to her cheeks. She looked down, fiddling with her spoon.
She forced herself to taste the stew and gave a sigh of pleasure. “Oh, this is good. Who made it?”
“I did. I prefer my cooking to Zeb’s. All he really likes is meat cooked like shoe leather, and biscuits that could pass for cannon shot.”
Despite her misgivings about being alone with Adam Winter, Diamond found herself chuckling.
Adam leaned back, sipping hot coffee. Her laughter was such a pleasing sound. He’d forgotten how musical a woman’s voice could be. He’d forgotten too much about a woman. The smell, the touch, the taste...
“Zeb told me he doesn’t work for you.”
“That’s right. He works with me. Although at times, I’d have to say he works against me.”
Again her laughter, warm and lilting.
“He seems... colorful. He told me he doesn’t like walls or fences.”
“Or rules,” Adam added. “Old Zeb says rules are for breaking.”
“How about you?” Feeling stronger now, more relaxed than she had in days, Diamond carried the empty dishes to a basin of water and began to wash them. “Do you like to break the rules, too?”
“I guess in my lifetime I’ve broken most of them.”
She was startled by the nearness of that deep, haunting voice. While her back was turned he’d walked up beside her and picked up a square of linen to dry the dishes. She felt a prickly feeling along her scalp, and scolded herself for her skittishness.
As she lifted another plate from the water, she was aware that her hand was trembling. She prayed that Adam wouldn’t notice.
“So, you break all the rules. What good would rules be if everyone felt like you?”
“I guess...” Very deliberately he took the plate from her hand and set it down, all the while holding her gaze with his. He reached up and caught a strand of her hair, allowing it to sift through his fingers. It was something he’d wanted to do since he’d first seen that hair, all long and loose, spilling down her back in a riot of fiery curls. And it had been worth waiting for. It was every bit as soft, as silky, as he’d expected. “They’d have to write new rules.”
At his look, his touch, Diamond’s throat went dry and her heart began a wild dance.
All her life she’d been around men. She worked with them, rode with them. Was comfortable with them. But she’d never known a man like Adam Winter. And she’d never had a man touch her like this. As though she were soft and feminine and...beautiful.
She saw the way his gaze moved over her mouth, and knew, in that moment, that he was going to kiss her. His hand suddenly fisted in her hair. She lifted wet soapy hands to his chest, as if to hold him at bay. But he took no notice as he lowered his mouth to hers.
It was the merest whisper of his lips on hers, a slow, languid brushing of mouth to mouth. But she reacted as though she’d been burned. She would have pushed away, except that his hands closed over her shoulders, holding her still. And then, as his lips moved on hers, she was lost in a jumble of strange new feelings.
His kiss was easy, practiced. He tasted of horses and leather, with a tang of tobacco. Dark, mysterious tastes that had her blood heating and her heartbeat racing. There was so much strength in the hands that held her. A strength made all the more fascinating because she could sense the control he exerted. As though she were a fragile flower that would be crushed unless he took great care. It was an intoxicating, dizzying feeling.
“Why, Miss Jewel. It looks like—” his mouth moved ever-so-slightly against her lips, forming the words “—you’re not accustomed to being kissed by a man.”
“How dare—!”
He cut off her protest by increasing the pressure against her lips.
Her kiss was awkward. Uncomfortable. She fairly trembled beneath his touch. Her lips quivered under his.
She tasted wild and sweet and clean. As untouched as the snow that capped the distant mountains. His first thought was that he’d like to go on kissing her like this all morning, until she lost her fear and learned to savor, to enjoy. Oh, the things he could teach her.
His hand tightened at her shoulder and he deepened the kiss.
At once he realized his mistake. What the hell had he been thinking of? She wasn’t just some sweet, unspoiled female. She was Onyx Jewel’s daughter. And all that innocence was...a trap.
Suddenly he found that he couldn’t think at all. The touch of her lips, so soft and cool, had crowded all thought from his mind. All he could do was feel.
Feelings long-buried came rushing back, and with them, the pain.
Oh, God, how could he have forgotten, even for a moment, the pain?
As abruptly as the kiss had started, it ended. Adam lifted his head and took a step back, breaking contact. His hands remained at her shoulders a moment longer as he struggled to compose himself.
There were so many things he’d forgotten. But it was just as well. It was dangerous remembering. Right now, he was remembering how desperately he could want.
Anger rose up, replacing all other feelings. Anger at himself for his carelessness. Anger at her, just for being.
Of all the women in the world, the last one he could ever desire was Diamond Jewel.
Chapter Six
Diamond took several deep breaths, grateful for Adam’s hands on her shoulders. Without his support, she would probably have staggered.
It seemed very important that she not let him see how deeply his kiss had affected her. As he stared down at her, she felt compelled to say something to cover her awkwardness. But she could not bring herself to mention what they had just shared. It was too intimate. Too deeply personal. And she was in a state of total confusion.
Instead, she blurted the first thing that came to mind. “I want you to know that I never had any intention of shooting you in the back.”
Adam regarded her in silence, though he had to dig deeply to bite back the smile that threatened. Did she have any idea how she looked, with her lips still moist and swollen from his kiss, her eyes too big for her face? Did she not understand how appealing she was? She was as open, as artless, as a child. And every one of those jumbled emotions she was experiencing was clearly visible in her eyes.
As he studied her, her face flamed and she lowered her gaze. “I was just going to let you know that I was following you...” She was babbling, she knew, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. It was better than standing here, feeling thoroughly confused and... thoroughly kissed. “By firing a warning shot.”
He reached a hand to the bandanna at her throat, fingering the knotted ends, and felt the slight tremble she couldn’t hide. It gave him a strange feeling to see his bandanna against her skin. Strange and... unsettling. “That would have been a mistake, Miss Jewel.”
Her head came up sharply. “Why?”
“Because I don’t take kindly to gunshots.”
“But you were on my property....”
“And I don’t take kindly to being followed. Oh, you were very good,” he continued smoothly. “Though I sensed you, I never spotted you.”
She felt a rush of warmth at his unexpected compliment. “Then how...?”
“You cocked your rifle. It’s a sound I’ve heard too many times to ignore. And it almost cost you your life. I have a habit of returning gunfire with gunfire. And I rarely miss.”
Suddenly the warmth of the kiss they’d just shared evaporated. Why had she wasted her time trying to explain herself to this infuriating man? He had managed to turn her words into another argument.
“I’d like to go home now.”
“With pleasure, ma’am.” He dropped his hand and took a step away. He was as eager to be rid of her as she was to leave. “I’ll hitch the team. Zeb will take you in the wagon.” And good riddance, he thought. br />
As he turned, he heard the sound of horses approaching, hard and fast. He caught up a rifle beside the door and said tersely, “Take cover.”
Though her heart beat a little faster when she remembered last night’s gunfight, she refused to heed his warning. Instead, she removed her pistol from the holster and joined him in the doorway.
Dust rose up in a cloud as dozens of horsemen thundered up to the little cabin. In the lead was Cal McCabe. His features were as dark as storm clouds.
When he spotted Diamond, he signaled to his men, who aimed their rifles at the man beside her.
“Drop your weapon and step aside, Winter,” Cal shouted.
Just then Zeb came around the corner of the cabin and leveled a rifle on the foreman.
“Drop it, old man,” Cal ordered. “You’re outnumbered.”
“Maybe,” Zeb said, “but I’d like to raise the odds just a little. If I have to die, I’ll take you and a few of your men with me.”
“Cover him,” Cal commanded his wranglers.
“I’ll remind you that you’re on my land,” Adam said in an ominously calm tone.
“You bastard.” Cal’s eyes narrowed with fury. “If you’ve hurt her...”
“It’s all right, Cal.” Diamond bolstered her gun. “We didn’t know it was you coming. We expected trouble.”
As she started out the door, Cal leaped from the saddle and covered the distance between them in a few hurried steps. He caught her by the arm, drawing her roughly behind him, protecting her with his own body.
“Cal, put the gun away. You don’t understand,” Diamond began, but her foreman was beyond hearing. Even as relief poured through him, his blood ran hot for revenge.
“Keep them both covered,” he ordered his men. “Throw down your gun now, Winter. I won’t give you another warning.” To Diamond he said, “I’ll send for the marshal. Adam Winter isn’t going to get away with anything a second time.”