Audrey and the Maverick (18 page)

“Bertie’s changed. She’s quit that life. She needed a job, boss. She needed a way to make a change. I already laid it out clear to the boys she ain’t here to amuse them.”

Franklin’s defensiveness about the girl was an interesting matter Julian would have to give some thought to. But not now. They turned as one and hurried to the house, hoping to mitigate Audrey’s reaction to having a former whore as a housekeeper. They went straight for the back door and hurried into the kitchen. Audrey and Bertie stood at the back hallway that led to the service rooms.

“Julian, what’s wrong?” Audrey asked.

“Uh—” He looked from her to Bertie and back.

“Have you met Bertie?” Audrey asked.

Julian felt his face grow warm. How the hell should he answer that? By the grace of God, he hadn’t used Bertie’s services. But to say he hadn’t met her would be a lie. He kept still. Audrey didn’t look upset. The woman was endlessly confounding.

“Bertie.” He nodded toward the girl.

“Julian, you really are acting oddly.” Audrey frowned at him. “Is everything all right? It is okay, isn’t it, that Bertie take the housekeeping job? Jim mentioned it to her and Franklin hired her. You must know anyone Jim and Franklin recommend will be dependable.”

Julian looked at Franklin, whose eyes were wide and innocent. He cleared his throat. “Well, since Jim sent her out, I guess we can give her a try.” That didn’t sound quite right. “I mean—yes. It’s fine. You could use the help.”

“Thank you, Mr. McCaid,” Bertie spoke up. “I’ll work hard, you’ll see.”

Julian slowly released the breath he’d been holding. “Franklin, let’s go take a look at those sheep you’ve quarantined.”

“Yessir!” The two men exchanged a look.

Audrey laughed after they were gone. “Men!”

Bertie gave her a worried look. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Miss Sheridan?”

“Call me ‘Audrey,’ please. Of course it’s fine. I could certainly use the help. I’ve never had a house this size to take care of before. And I’m glad you could get away from Sam’s.”

The kids had been given the afternoon off from their studies so that they could unpack and make their beds. When those simple chores were finished, they were allowed to go exploring. Not five minutes after they left the house they hurried back to get Audrey.

“Audrey! You gotta come with us. Mr. McCaid’s got a shower!”

The boys dragged her outside and around to the back of the outhouse. She hadn’t seen the bathing rooms since they were being constructed and was surprised at the finished product. Julian had had two roofless rooms built against the wide back wall of the three-seater outhouse. The first room was a changing area with hooks for clothes and shelves that would provide a convenient place to put a wash station so that men could clean up before coming to the house for meals. The second room was the actual shower alcove. Both rooms were open to the sky and were screened on three sides by high wooden walls. One set of swinging doors provided privacy for the changing area and another set enclosed the shower bay.

Bricks paved the floors of the two rooms, helping with drainage from the bathing area. A small windmill pumped water up to a tank on top of the outhouse roof, where the blazing summer sun could heat it through the day. Wash water from the shower was channeled away from the small enclosure to a lawn area at the back of the house. Every feature had been carefully considered.

Audrey was surprised at the extravagant details Julian had put into the construction of his house, even down to the service rooms behind the kitchen. He’d had a room built specifically for doing laundry and bathing. It was a large space with its own stove so hot water would not have to be carried from the kitchen. And the laundry tubs boasted a wringer so that the washing was a little less of a chore.

“Can we take showers here?” Kurt wanted to know.

“Maybe we wouldn’t hate getting clean as much. It looks like fun!” Luc added.

“If Mr. McCaid says you may, then I have no problem with it.” She smiled at the two boys. “It would certainly be nice having the two of you clean more often.”

Audrey was upstairs putting linens away two afternoons later when she heard Bertie scream. There was fear in that scream. Terrible scenarios ran through her mind, varying from rattlesnakes in a cupboard to hatchet-bearing Sioux invading their house. Quickly she scooped up Amy and ran downstairs to the kitchen.

Audrey slammed into the kitchen and stopped just inside the hall door. A man she had never seen before was standing at the stove. Bertie stood a couple of feet in front of Audrey, the business end of a broom held in her white-knuckled grip. The stranger was tall and whipcord lean. His worn hat was caught by a leather thong about his throat and hung off his back. Just above the leather was a scar that ran across his Adam’s apple and looked like a rope burn. It made her wonder how many times the stranger had cheated death and how many more times he would try.

He was dressed in tan homespun. His hair was a sun-bleached brown. His hands and face were tanned except for a faint half-moon shape at the top half of his forehead, where his hat had shielded his skin from the sun. He wore a scarf about his throat that might once have been blue, but was so faded and dusty it looked dark beige. Even his vest was a dusty shade of dirt. He wore a double bandolier crossed over his chest. A gun belt with twin holsters hung low about his hips with a long, wicked-looking knife sheathed just to one side of its buckle. The only color about the man was in his crystalline-blue eyes.

As she watched, his left hand slowly lowered a lid on one of the pots Bertie had cooking for supper while the other hand, palm out, slowly, slowly moved upward in a classic gesture of peace. “I didn’t mean to scare you ladies.” His voice was quiet and raspy, his words spoken carefully. “I was looking for McCaid, but my stomach got the better of me. Sure smells fine, what you’re cookin’ here.”

“I stepped in the hallway for just a minute and when I came back, there he was,” Bertie complained. “Quiet as you please he sneaked in.”

“Who are you?” Audrey asked. The kids piled in behind her. She tried unsuccessfully to shoo them back through the door, but Luc and Kurt stepped into the room and stood next to her, making that a futile effort.

“Name’s Jace Gage.”

“He’s the Avenger!” Kurt said, staring at the gunfighter.

Audrey looked at the two older boys. “What Avenger?”

“He’s come to deal with the sheriff. That’s what he does. He runs bad guys out of good towns,” Luc provided.

“He looks just like they described him in them stories, don’t he Luc?” Kurt said in a hushed whisper to Luc.

“Are you this ‘Avenger’?” Audrey asked.

The man frowned, his hands still in the air, palms forward. “I do have business with the sheriff, ma’am, but that’s between me and him.”

“Boys, go find Mr. McCaid.” Audrey took hold of the situation. “Bertie, put the broom down.” She handed Amy to Colleen, telling her to take the others back to the library to finish their studies. “You will be staying for supper, won’t you, Mr. Gage?” Audrey asked, wondering how Julian would react to this man.

Strong, white teeth flashed in his tanned face. “I would be obliged, ma’am. A man can grow mighty tired of his own trail cookin’.”

“Good.” Audrey nodded. “Then you’ll kindly remove your guns. I don’t like weapons in this house.” She held out her hand to him, expecting instant compliance.

His eyes cooled from warm blue to steely resolve. “With all due respect, I can’t do that, ma’am.”

“You have no enemies here, sir.”

“I have enemies everywhere.”

“Then perhaps I don’t want you in my house.” Audrey held her ground, becoming more frightened by this man the longer they spoke.

“I won’t stay long, once I’ve seen McCaid and, hopefully”—his gaze drifted to the stove—“have a bite to eat.”

Audrey felt her lips thin in irritation. She set her hands on her hips and was about to explain how things worked in her home when the back door banged open, admitting Julian and the boys.

“Jace!” Julian laughed and came forward, hand extended. “The boys said you were in here scaring the women.” The two men smiled at each other. “I see you’ve met Audrey and Bertie, our housekeeper. These boys are Kurt and Luc, two of the eight orphans Audrey’s taken in.” Julian sent her a strange look, as if he’d just discovered something about her. She watched the blood rise in his face.

“Julian—are you feeling well?” she asked, suddenly worried.

His nostrils flared. “I’m fine. Really, really fine.” He flashed her a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He clapped a hand on Jace’s back and started propelling him from the room. “Jace looks like a chewed-up sidewinder, and well, he is. But he’s also civil enough to know how to behave in a lady’s home. I’ll just show him where he can lock up his weapons. Then he can clean up. Call us when dinner’s ready!”

The boys started to follow the men until Audrey stopped them. “Go finish your schoolwork. Give the men time to visit.”

“Aw, Audrey—”

She folded her arms and arched a brow. They made a face and went off to the library, leaving her alone with Bertie. The two women shared a look. Bertie’s grin broke the tension.

“If my customers had ever, even once, looked like him, well, I wouldn’t now be standin’ here at your stove.”

“Bertie!” Audrey felt a heat slowly move up her skin, warming her neck and chin.

“And did you catch that look Mr. McCaid sent you? I better feed the kids in here tonight. You and the men should eat in the dining room.”

“That’s not necessary.”

Bertie gave Audrey an admonishing glance. “Honey, if there’s one thing I do know, it’s men. Yours won’t be able to keep his hands off you when he sees his friend making eyes at you.”

The heat in Audrey’s skin deepened. She opened her mouth to argue, but no words came out. She’d be a liar if she denied that’s what she wanted. Ever since Maddie suggested she accept Julian’s offer, she’d had a hard time thinking of anything else.

“You go make yourself pretty. I’ll have the girls set both tables.” Bertie pushed Audrey toward the door. “And whatever else you do tonight, make sure you give that Jace Gage a few of your smiles.”

Audrey watched the burgundy liquid swirl about her wineglass as Julian refilled it. She felt strangely adult tonight, eating here in the dining room with these two men, away from the children. She wore her blue gingham dress tonight and had taken care with her hair, fashioning it in twin braids she wound around the crown of her head. She didn’t have a special dress for the evening; Julian had seen every piece of clothing she owned. Still, he seemed pleased by her appearance. She learned, as she listened to the men, a bit about their time together during the war. McCaid had been Sager and Jace’s lieutenant. An unholy threesome, if ever there was one, Audrey thought. The bushwhackers they fought at the Kansas-Missouri border never stood a chance.

Audrey sipped her wine, enjoying the way its taste complemented the flavor of the roast Bertie had prepared. She was not used to drinking spirits and felt a little fuzzy-headed. Her gaze drifted back to Julian, admiring the way his long fingers held his fork, watching as his mouth closed on a new bite of meat. He caught her looking at him and, for a moment, quit chewing as something darkened in his face. Audrey didn’t look away. She couldn’t. The room had grown dim during the course of their meal. Perhaps it was just a trick of the failing light, but Julian’s eyes did look smoky. The wine must be stealing her better judgment, she thought. Ordinarily she wouldn’t let her gaze linger so openly. She forced herself to focus on her meal.

Jace broke off a piece of bread and buttered it. “Tell me, Audrey, how many kids do you have here?”

Audrey glanced at him. She had not yet summoned the courage to smile at him. It was a difficult thing to do with Julian’s dark eyes absorbing her every move. “I have eight children now.”

“Eight.” He shook his head. “And you’re still a kid. Are you even out of adolescence yourself?” His eyes held hers as a smile slowly warmed his face.

Audrey met his honeyed gaze, feeling feminine and attractive being the center of so much male attention. He’d bathed and shaved and wore one of Julian’s white cotton shirts. His voice was a strange sultry whisper, like a man unused to speaking. She wondered how he had been hurt. Had it happened during the war?

“How does a woman mark the end of her adolescence?” he asked with a frown as he tilted his head in consideration.

That question took Audrey by surprise—she had to give it a bit of thought. “Why, I suppose we get longer dresses,” she laughed, testing Bertie’s advice as she smiled into his eyes. “How does a man mark the end of his adolescence, for that matter?”

Julian choked. “Christ. Can we talk about something else?”

As if on cue, the children spilled into the room. The girls, in their nightclothes, came to stand between Jace and Julian. “Good night, Avenger,” Mabel said, her eyes wide as she touched Jace’s shoulder.

He looked a bit unsure of himself, but he gave the girls a bolstering smile. “Look, kids, I’m not the Avenger.”

Colleen frowned. “The marshal in Cheyenne didn’t send you to save Defiance?”

“What about Malcolm and Leah and Maddie and Mr. and Mrs. Kessler? What will happen to them? You gotta save the town. You just gotta, Avenger!” Mabel said earnestly.

Jace looked from Mabel to Colleen, to each of the children’s faces. “I can’t promise anything, you understand, but I will do what I can. I’m no Avenger, though. You can call me Jace.”

“All right, Jace. We will. Good night.” Mabel and Colleen gave him a kiss on the cheek. Dulcie stood back. She did meet his eyes in an assessing gaze that Audrey knew took courage to do. Amy had no such qualms. She lifted her arms to be picked up. She kissed him, then hugged him tightly. Audrey watched Jace’s strong arms engulf the littlest of her children as his eyes squeezed shut. When the girls bid Julian good night, the boys crowded Jace, each getting a turn to shake his hand.

Audrey stood up, and so did the men. “I’ll put the kids in bed. Bertie will bring coffee out to the front porch. I’ll join you when I’m finished.”

Julian and Jace made their way out front after a short detour to the den to fetch a decanter of brandy and a couple of glasses. Julian filled the glasses and handed one to Jace, then settled against the porch railing.

“It’s good to see you’re settling down, McCaid. Audrey’s a nice girl.”

Julian sipped his brandy. He didn’t answer Jace, didn’t want to answer him.

“When are you getting married?” Jace asked.

Julian silently groaned. Jace was like a dog with a bone. Best nip it in the bud. “Audrey and I are not getting married. I will be offering for a young lady back East when I return home.”

Jace met his look, his eyes narrowing as he came to his feet. “So Audrey’s not taken?”

He knew Jace was just fishing, but he took the bait anyway. “She’s taken.”

“You can’t keep two women.”

“You stay the hell away from her.” They stood now, face-to-face. Julian was taller than Jace, but didn’t particularly feel his height gave him an edge.

Jace shook his head. “You’re an idiot. I saw how the two of you looked at each other. You’re as crazy about her as she is for you. Any fool with eyes can see that. That’s love, Julian. You leave her, she’ll shatter. I know. I loved like that once, and you saw me after it ended.

“Half the men alive never know a love like that even once in their lives. It sure as hell never comes twice. You throw it away, McCaid, you’ll never see it again.” He finished off his brandy, then spun on his heel and yanked open the door.

“Where are you going?” Julian called after him.

“To get my guns,” he answered without looking back. “I got some hell to raise.”

Audrey joined Julian on the porch a short while later. “Where’s Jace?” she asked.

“Heading to Defiance.” Julian refilled his glass. His mood rode him hard. She smiled at him, and his anger deepened. It was lust. That’s all he felt for her. Hell, one time, one fucking time between her legs, he would be over her. She would be, then, like any other woman he had bedded.

And his children wouldn’t be in jeopardy.

He glared at her as his spirit warred with itself. The good part of his soul wanted to warn her, tell her to run, but the dark side owned him tonight. He held his hand out to her. She took it without hesitation. He drew her across the distance separating them, close to him, close enough that he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her slim fingers. He touched his other hand to her cheek, feeling the fine bones there, like a china doll beneath his hand.

Fragile.

He pulled her in for a kiss, his hand at the back of her head. “You are mine,” he growled against her mouth.

She shook her head. “No, McCaid.” He could feel her breath on his lips. “I am no more yours than you are mine.”

He kissed her then, wanting to stop the words, stop his mind from thinking, stop his heart from feeling. She was soft beneath his onslaught, but he didn’t let up. He took her face in both of his hands, his thumbs at the hinges of her jaw, opening her for the thrust of his tongue. She met his invasion, greeting his tongue with the sweet touch of hers as she caressed one side of it, then the other. A shiver rippled down his spine.

Her arms circled his neck, breaking his hold briefly. He moved his hands back to her face, in a fever to touch her soft skin. He broke from the kiss to taste her chin, the soft places of her throat. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up against his chest, tight against his heart.

“Tell me ‘no.’”
Please, God.
“Tell me ‘no,’ Audrey.”

She shook her head. He felt her lips graze his chin as they traveled to his ear. “I’m not saying no, McCaid.” Her whispered words poured like liquid torture through his soul.

He pressed his face against her hair and held still. Very, very still. In the kitchen, before dinner, all the puzzle pieces he hadn’t been able to assemble about her had fallen into place. She hadn’t corrected his orphan count; Amy was not her natural daughter but another of her foster children.

Audrey had never been with a man before. “I can’t do this to you.” But, God help him, he wanted to. He set her down and pulled away from her. Her lips were still moist from his kisses. As he watched, she licked them, clearing them of his essence. He shivered again, his body suffering withdrawal from her touch.

Grabbing the neck of the brandy bottle, he walked down the front steps. He tilted the bottle and took a long draw from it as he slammed through the front gate and moved toward the main part of camp.