“Thank you.” She added, “Spring said to ask you about using your mother’s room because I need more space for all my things.”
“The windows and walls need repairing.”
“May I see it?”
“I can’t afford the repairs.”
“Understood, but may I see it?”
He sighed. “This way.”
He led her down a short hallway to a door that opened to another short hallway. She got the impression that this section was an addition to the original structure. At the end of the hall stood a door. He turned the knob and stepped aside so she could enter first. It was dark but a few fingers of light streamed in through the wood-covered spaces she assumed to be windows. The dimness made it difficult to judge the true size of the space. It was also a good distance from the lone washroom. “Maybe this won’t work. It isn’t close to the washroom.”
“It has its own.”
Surprised by that, she tried to make out where it might be. “May I remove the wood over a window so I might see better?”
“Hold on.”
He left her and returned with a crowbar, a hammer, and a lamp. Handing her the lamp, he used its brightness to make his way across the room. It took him a few minutes to work the wood free but once it was done, the fading evening light streamed in and she looked around. The space was much larger than she’d first imagined. There was an old bed and other furnishings, all covered with a thick coating of dust. “The washroom?”
He walked to a door and opened it. Carrying the lamp, Regan looked inside and smiled at the sight of the claw-foot tub, but not the thick mat of spiderwebs blanketing the tub’s interior. A few spiders skittered away from the light. “Are the pipes still connected to the boiler?”
“Yes.”
That sealed things. She loved baths but there wasn’t a tub in the shared washroom she’d been using. If she could have her own tub, she didn’t care how much it might cost her to restore the room. “I’ve seen enough. Thank you for letting me see it.”
She waited while he nailed up the window again, and followed him out.
“As I said, I don’t have the funds to fix it up for you.”
“But I do,” she said gently.
He stopped.
“Is there anyone in town who can do the work?” She wasn’t sure how this conversation might play out. He seemed to be a very prideful man. “My aunt and uncle built their hotel from nothing and we all pitched in. I may not know how to do many of the repairs but I can plaster, paint, sand floors.”
“And the windows?” he asked.
“Was there glass in them originally?”
“Yes.”
“Can we make arrangements to have a glazier replace them?”
“You’re serious.”
“I am. My sister and I have a substantial amount of wealth in our names, thanks to the generosity of my aunt and uncle. I can pay for whatever is needed.”
“And if I say no?”
“I’d ask why?” she replied honestly. When he didn’t respond, she assumed he didn’t have an answer, or at least not one he was willing to share.
“Let’s go outside so we don’t disturb Anna.”
They walked out to the back porch and once there, she decided the magnificent view of the mountains would always be the calm she’d seek out whenever obstacles challenged her new life. In their own way, they reminded her of home and she turned her mind away from the small pangs she continued to feel from being so far away from her loving family. “Stays light longer here than it does in Arizona.”
“Because we’re so far north.”
“Ah.”
“So, do you really have the funds you’d need?”
“I do. I’d also like to use some to spoil Anna a bit. With your approval of course.”
“In what way?”
“Fix up her room so it looks like it belongs to a little girl. New bed and bedding. Maybe paint her walls so they’re sunnier. Get her some dolls, take her shopping, and buy her new clothes that will make her smile.”
“Where’d she get the dress she wore to the wedding yesterday?”
“From Spring. Your sister said she saw it in a shop a few months ago and purchased it. She didn’t know if Anna would ever get to wear it, but you should’ve seen the way Anna’s eyes lit up when Spring took it out of the paper and told your daughter it was hers.”
“She looked mighty fine in it. I’ll have to thank Spring. So, all the clothes and things you want to buy means you want to raise her the way you were raised?”
“No. She’ll be raised the way her father and I want her raised, which I hope includes horses, being unafraid of getting dirty—fishing, books, chores, and whatever else she needs to help her grow into her own woman.” She looked his way. “What do you think?”
“I have no problems with that plan. I just want her to be happy and not so afraid of making mistakes all the time.”
“I want her to be happy, too.” She thought back on last night and compared that scandalous, almost playful man with the starchy distant doctor at her side. “And what makes you happy, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Order and peace.”
“I’m not well-known for that.”
“I’m finding that out.” His face was serious but there was something else in the gaze holding hers; a yearning almost. “I’ve been trying to get you out of my mind all day.”
“Hasn’t worked?”
He shook his head and said, “No, it hasn’t.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you aren’t.”
She was amused by that. “You’re right, I’m not. Every woman wants to be memorable, especially to her husband.” Love match or not.
“You are that.”
“Is that so terrible?”
“I’m still trying to decide,” he replied quietly. In his eyes were embers of last night’s passion. Waiting to see what he’d do next, she forced herself to stand still. He didn’t disappoint. He gently traced her mouth and she rippled in sweet response. Her lips parted and he kissed her slowly. Easing her closer, the kiss deepened. His lips traveled to her ear. “I shouldn’t be wanting you this much . . .”
But she was glad he did. That wanting connected them, burning away the control he seemed to value so highly. Kisses that began slow turned feverish. As if last night had not been enough their hands explored each other lazily. He undid her buttons with a heart-stopping slowness and punctuated each newly bared inch of skin with alternating kisses and tiny flicks of his tongue. His mouth on the hollow of her throat and the strong hands that pulled open her corset sent her spinning.
Colt wanted to slowly devour her; her with her perfect breasts and satin skin. Feeding lustily, he found her as sweet in his mouth as before. Her soft gasps of pleasure fed his senses like the lure of a siren and when he undid her denims, slid them down, and turned her to the now rising moon, the gasps rose higher. He took her breasts in his hands and brushed his lips up and down the edges of her trembling throat. “Feel what you do to me, Mrs. Lee.” And he pressed the hard proof of desire against the yielding softness of her bared hips. She responded with a series of slow sultry circles that closed his eyes. Savoring the feel of her moving over him so erotically, he undid the front of his own denims. Now, flesh to flesh, her heat against his made him growl and wonder if a man could die of pleasure.
Regan had never done this this way before but it didn’t matter. Her body knew what to do and it glorified in its power. Reaching back, she caressed his length. He sucked in a breath, freed himself from her hold, and entered her with one powerful thrust. She cried out in passionate response, and gripped the porch railing in front of her. At first, he teased her with strokes of varying depths, thrilling her when he filled her completely and making her body silently beg for more when he slowly and partially withdrew. Because of the sultry foreplay, she was already teetering on the verge of completion and when he increased his pace, she sensed he was on the edge, too. The
next series of thrusts sent an orgasm rushing through her like the powerful waves of a sea and she clapped her hand over her mouth to keep her screams from waking Anna and the countryside. He came a few strokes later, muffling his roar into her shoulder and she relished having caused his surrender.
In the aftermath, as she righted her clothing, she wasn’t sure what to do or to say. He seemed equally unsure, then said softly, “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night,” she whispered and left him to the night.
After her departure, a brooding Colton stared out into the darkness and was again left wanting more of Regan Carmichael Lee. She was everything a man could want in a woman: fearless, intelligent, sensual, beautiful, and his plans to keep her at arm’s length were not working out very well at all.
Chapter Eight
The following morning, Regan awakened alone in her bed, and smiled at the memory of last night. A knock on the door made her sit up and cover her nudity with the sheet. “Come in.”
Colt stood in the doorway and she sent him a smile. It wasn’t returned. “There’s oatmeal for breakfast. Anna needs to be dropped off at school before we head to town. If you still wish to go.”
“I do.”
From his distant manner, one would never know they’d done what they had under the stars on the porch last night. She knew he was fighting his desire for her and determined to throw up a wall between them after each intimate encounter, but not why. Was he still grieving for Adele? Did he consider their encounters so unseemly he was shamed by them in the light of day? Regan had no answers. Keeping her irritation from her face, she said, “I’ll join you shortly.”
He left without a further word.
Tight-lipped she left the bed to wash up and get dressed.
After Anna was dropped off, he headed the wagon towards town. Determined not to let him know how hurt and disappointed she was by his manner, she concentrated on visual landmarks along the route to help her remember her way into town. She spied a tall pine with a split top that looked as if it had been hit by lightning, and committed it and the lay of the land surrounding it to her memory. Farther ahead was a fast-running stream with an outcropping of rock on its left bank. An elk with an enormous rack was drinking there and glanced up to watch them roll by. A short while later, they passed a run-down abandoned cabin. She wanted to ask him about its history, but he’d been so silent, she kept the questions to herself.
When they reached town, he parked in front of his office. “I have patients to see this afternoon, so when you’re done at the store, I’ll drive you home then take care of them.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll come around and help you down.”
“Not necessary.” She got down without assistance. As she set out for the store, she felt his eyes on her back, but she didn’t slow.
The store’s interior was larger than she’d expected. There were dry goods, farming implements, and a penny candy display. She saw threads, yarn, a Singer sewing machine, and a stand holding local newspapers and back East published magazines like The Ladies Home Journal. There was a handful of customers milling about and they greeted her with nods and smiles. Many faces were familiar from the wedding. She didn’t remember their names but hoped to be able to do so soon.
The owner, Chauncey Miller, was behind the counter. She’d met him at the wedding, too. He was of average height, had blue eyes like his wife, Lacy, and wore thick, black-framed spectacles. Unlike his wife, he’d been a bit standoffish, but Regan assumed it was his nature and hadn’t taken it personally. “Good morning, Mr. Miller.”
“Mrs. Lee. How are you?”
His eyes widened for a second at her gun belt. “I’m well.”
“What can I help you with?”
“I need a bit of everything, I’m thinking.”
“Doc has a tab.”
“I’ll be paying for the items myself.”
He raised an eyebrow.
Seeing that, she paused, asking, “I am allowed, aren’t I?”
“Well, most of the wives here use their husband’s accounts. I’ll need Doc to say it’s okay.”
That a store owner would balk at taking her money wasn’t something she’d expected to encounter. “You’re pulling my leg.”
“No.”
By then every ear in the place was listening; some discreetly while others made no bones about eavesdropping overtly.
She tried again. “Mr. Miller, maybe you’re not understanding me. I’m going to pay for my purchases with my money. Mine.”
“I understand you, but I need to make sure Doc knows what you’re doing so you and he won’t be butting heads over what you’re spending.”
She wanted to throw up her hands. “So, shall I bring you a note with his signature?” she asked icily.
He offered her a tight yellow-toothed smile. “Have him stop by when he gets the chance.”
“But I’d like to shop now, Mr. Miller.”
“I understand that, but I need to talk to the doc first.”
Were Regan a cursing woman the air would’ve been hot with brimstone. Instead she turned on her heel, left the store, and angrily marched down the walk to her husband’s office.
When she stormed through the door, Colt and the sheriff paused in their discussion about yesterday’s shooting.
“What’s wrong?” Colt asked.
“I apparently need your permission to use my own money to purchase items from Mr. Miller’s store.”
Whit smiled but the hot glare she threw him quelled it immediately.
“Did Colton tell you Anna and I were shot at yesterday?” she asked him pointedly.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I assume you’re going to start an investigation today?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.”
Colt wondered if the rest of the women in her family exhibited the same fire. He thought about last night and turned his mind to calmer waters. “What’s Chauncey want from me?”
“For you to stop by at your convenience. He doesn’t want us butting heads over you not knowing how much I spend.”
Colt asked gently, “Would it help if I told you that most women here don’t have their own money, and so rely on their husbands?”
She didn’t reply, so he assumed it didn’t help.
Colt was certain Paradise’s male business owners had never met a woman with her own money, let alone one as wealthy as Regan claimed to be. And knowing her the way he did, Colt was pretty sure she was going to have the place in an uproar before long. To head off the current one, he got to his feet. “I’ll talk to Chauncey and be right back.”
“Thank you.”
Whit moved to the door as well and said to her, “I’m going to ride up and talk to Dun Bailey. I know he’s going to say he had nothing to do with yesterday’s shooting, but I want him to know he’s in my sights.”
Her thanks was brisk.
The two men stepped outside and an amused Colt asked, “Scared to be alone with her?”
“After the look she gave me? You bet. And, she’s wearing a gun belt. We both know how good a shot she is.”
“When are you going to see Dun?”
“Later this afternoon. I need to finish my report on the stagecoach shooting and send it to the company and Circuit Judge Jinks.”
“Mind if I go with you?” Colt wanted to be there when he questioned Dun just to gauge his responses.
“No, you’re welcome. Will you be here or at home?”
“Home.”
“I’ll stop by before heading out.”
“Thanks.”
Whit left to go finish his reports. Colt set out for the store.
When he entered, everyone inside stilled, making him wonder how many of them heard Chauncey’s conversation with Regan. By the interest in their faces, he assumed most.
“Doc,” Chauncey said by way of greeting. “Your little lady tell you what she and I talked about? She didn’t look h
appy when she left, but I didn’t want her running up a bill you couldn’t pay.”
Although Miller was smiling, Colt knew he was deliberately being offensive. Colt was a small-town country doctor. Many of his patients didn’t have the money to pay for his services, so in exchange, he might receive eggs or vegetables, a side of venison or in some cases just a teary thank-you. It was a wonder he could clothe and feed his child at all on the little bit of money he made, but he managed. Chauncey, on the other hand, owned the only general store in the area, which meant he was financially well-off by Paradise standards, and he enjoyed flaunting the status his business provided. The only reason he didn’t get punched in the face daily by any number of people was because his wife, Lacy, was so well-loved. “Can we talk in your office?” Colt asked.
“Sure thing.”
Once they were behind closed doors, Chauncey smiled and asked, “So, how do you want to handle this? I know being a doctor here doesn’t pay well, and as I said earlier, I’m simply trying to look out for you.”
“My wife is able to back up anything she purchases.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Got yourself a rich one, have you?” He gave him a knowing grin. “She going to pay your tab, too?”
“No, I’ll keep paying you monthly, the way I always have.”
“Oh.” He sounded and appeared confused.
“Do you need anything else from me?”
“No.” He was apparently still stuck on why Regan wouldn’t be paying Colt’s bills, too. “Has she been to the bank to talk to Arnold?” Miller asked.
Colt moved to the door and opened it. “No, but I’m sure she will at some point.” And Colt wanted to be a fly on the wall when that happened. Arnold Cale was also the town’s mayor and his sense of importance topped even Miller’s.
As he walked back out to the store, everyone stopped as if waiting for him to divulge the details of his talk with the store owner, but Colt simply nodded good-bye and went on his way.