Chase Wheeler's Woman (8 page)

He made it to town in less than an hour. Except for the boisterous noise from the saloon, the main street of town was quiet. Chase rode along, his gaze darting from one building to another. He was past the middle of town when he spotted Letty Sue’s horse. Starlight was tethered to a hitching post outside the diner.

Chase dismounted quickly and strode to the diner’s front window. Pressing his face to the glass, he was able to see into the dark dining area. The chairs were upended onto the tables and the whole place appeared deserted.

Now that didn’t make sense.

Where was Letty Sue? And who was she with?

But then a flicker of light caught his eye. He heard laughter, female laughter. He pressed his face close again, noting shadows casting images against the back room wall.

Faintly, he peered in, and what he saw twisted something in his gut. Two shapes in the shadows—one male, one female—were standing close, intimately close.

“Letty Sue,” he whispered. Damn woman. What was she up to? And didn’t she know not to go meeting men in dark, deserted places in the dead of night?

He’d warned her before.

Hell, they’d had a truce.

He had a mind to turn around, mount his horse and leave her there. Let her get out of this one on her own, he thought. Again he heard her laugh, the sweet sound grating in his ears.

Hell. That’s just what he’d do. Turn around and head home. If she wanted to be treated like an adult, well, he’d oblige. “You’re on your own, darlin’.” He spun around quickly, ready to hit the road.

Then he heard her shriek.

The sound jolted him into action.

He threw his weight against the door. It opened
easily, since it wasn’t bolted, and he found himself off balance, halfway into the dining room. He righted himself, drew his gun and entered the back room.

“Hold it right there,” he announced with authority.

Both the guilty parties stopped what they were doing and froze. Stunned expressions greeted him.

But no one was more startled than he was.

Letty Sue stood over a pot of stew, with ladle in midair. A boy, no older than fifteen and wearing an apron, stopped cutting up vegetables.

“What the—” Chase lowered his gun. A hundred muddied notions entered his head, but then one clear thought filtered through. The clandestine meeting he’d imagined in his mind had come to pass. Chase had caught them in the act, all right.

He’d caught them, with guilt-ridden faces…cooking!

Chapter Six

L
etty Sue’s mouth dropped open. Astonished, she gazed into the equally astonished, confounded face of Chase Wheeler. He stood there, eyes blinking rapidly, taking in the whole scene.

With his gun drawn and those silver eyes narrowed, he’d looked like a man ready to pull the trigger, a man who’d likely down his opponent, a man who wouldn’t miss his target.

But now, as he holstered his gun with a befuddled expression, he simply looked…foolish.

Letty Sue set down her ladle. A full measure of anger swelled within her, matching the heat of the beef and vegetable stew bubbling over the flames.

“Chase, what are you doing here?”

His dark brows lifted. “A better question is what are you doing here?” He regained his composure quickly. Chase wasn’t one to let down his guard too long.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“No,” he said stubbornly, “it isn’t obvious.” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her.

“Petey is giving me a cooking lesson.”

Chase glanced at the boy, then returned his gaze to her. Out of respect to Petey, who’d been so obliging this evening, and to the Mayfields in general, Letty Sue offered introductions.

“Petey Mayfield, I’d like you to meet Chase Wheeler, temporary foreman at the Double J.”

Petey hesitated, setting aside a batch of carrots he’d been ready to dice up, then came forward and offered Chase his hand. Chase blew out a breath, then shook it.

“Nice meetin’ ya,” Petey murmured.

Chase nodded. “Same here.” He turned to her. “I heard a scream.”

“Chase, were you spying on us?”

Letty Sue’s initial anger dissolved when she noticed Chase shift his stance, clearly uncomfortable. Was that color rising on his cheeks?

He
had
been spying on them. The fact not only amused her, but also gave her the upper hand for once.

“Listen up, Letty Sue. You know darn well we had a truce. You didn’t tell a soul on the ranch where you were heading or who you planned on meeting.” His gaze rested on Petey, obviously sizing him up.

“I didn’t want anyone knowing,” she said simply. The truth was, she didn’t want
him
knowing she’d ruined yet another meal. She didn’t want him to find out how inept she was at cooking, a task most women
took to easily. For the first time in her life, Letty Sue felt inadequate as a female.

And it was all Chase Wheeler’s doing.

“I know my way to town, Chase. Besides, a woman’s got a right to a little privacy.”

“Privacy?” Chase’s voice rose. “You want…privacy?” He looked fit to be tied. “Damn it, woman, I’m responsible for you.”

“You keep saying that. But I
can
take care of myself.”

“Is that so? So why’d you scream? And don’t deny it, because I heard it plain as day.”

“You mean, when you were spying?”

“Letty Sue,” he began and there was enough warning in his tone that she rushed to answer.

“All right, it was the stew. I screamed when I tasted it.”

Chase’s mouth twisted, hiding what she knew to be a smug grin. “That bad?”

“That good!” Her joy wiped that all-knowing expression off his face. “I couldn’t believe it. It tastes just like Mama’s, even better. And I cooked it myself. Petey watched, but I did all the cooking. Isn’t that right, Petey?”

Petey nodded. “She’s done real good for her first lesson, Mr. Wheeler.”

Letty Sue smiled, feeling great pride at her first real accomplishment. Coming to the diner had been a smart notion. At first she’d thought she’d just pay for a good meal and be done with it, but on the ride to town she’d realized nothing would get settled that
way. Asking Emma Mayfield or one of the other ladies working at the diner would have been humiliating, but then she noticed Petey in the back, cooking, and the idea struck. She’d waited until all the patrons left the diner and then approached him. Petey had been more than happy to help. “And not even seeing you here tonight is going to spoil my good mood, Chase.”

“Well, then, your stew’s a success.” Chase scratched his head and angled his chin toward the door. “Now it’s time to head back.”

“Oh, no you don’t, Chase. You’re not going to order me home, not now. Petey and I are going to dine on this delicious meal. And even though you’re most disagreeable, I’m happy to ask you to join us.”

Chase glanced at her, then at the pot of stew simmering, lending off the most deliciously fragrant aroma. He shot Petey one quick look, then answered, “No, thank you kindly though. You two enjoy your meal. I’ll be waiting out front.”

“But Chase, you don’t have to wait for me. Petey said he’d be glad to escort me home.”

Chase turned and headed out the door. “Like I said, Letty Sue, I’ll be waiting out front.”

Privacy? The woman wanted privacy and all else be damned. Just like a woman. Just like Letty Sue. Nothing they’d agreed upon had sunk in. She’d deliberately taken off without telling him where she was going. She’d gone out at night, mindless of her own safety. She’d made him chase after her, nearly humiliate
himself in that kitchen, and
she’d
gotten angry with
him!

It was clear now she planned on obeying the rules of the truce only when it was convenient for her.

Only more reason for Chase to keep his eye on her.

Chase let a solid oak post of the diner’s porch hold his weight as he leaned back and puffed on a cheroot. The night air was crisp, a gentle breeze blowing away the dust of the warm dry day.

His mind still on Letty Sue, he found a smile surfacing. She was something, if not a handful of trouble. But her happiness tonight over cooking that simple meal took most of the starch out of his fight. He simply didn’t have the heart to argue much over her leaving the ranch, not when she positively beamed with joy over bits of browned meat mingling with a batch of vegetables. Hell, even he could conjure up son-of-a-gun stew.

And he had to admit a wave of relief had swept over him when he’d barged into that kitchen, expecting the worst only to find Letty Sue innocent of any wrongdoing. There’d been no clandestine meeting, no private affair, no planned rendezvous.

Still, he’d eyed the boy closely. Petey was clearly smitten with Letty Sue. There was no mistaking that puppy-dog look of longing in the boy’s clear brown eyes. Letty Sue had that affect on most men, young ones included. It made Chase itchy, nervous because it was completely out of his control. He liked to be in control. He hadn’t bent to temptation often, but
when he had, back in Abilene, he’d been burned, badly.

Giggles, soft and feminine, had him turning his head. Letty Sue and the boy sat at one of the tables in the far corner of the diner. One candle flickered over their meal and paraded over the walls, allowing him to view them sharing the meal.

A knot of remorse niggled at him.

He could be dining with her.

Enjoying her company.

Listening to her bursts of joyous laughter.

Chase puffed on his cheroot one last time, dropped it to the ground and stomped it out.

It was a hell of a good thing he’d refused her offer.

Yep, hell of a good thing.

Ten minutes later, they were headed back to the Double J. “How the devil do you ride wearing a dress?” he asked.

Letty Sue turned to view him sitting tall in the saddle. The slight light of the moon and stars above painted his face in shadows. Handsome, nearly savagely so, she thought, studying his profile.

“Easy, I don’t wear any petticoats when I ride.”

His head snapped around and his gaze flowed over her with so much apparent heat she’d have sworn she felt the warmth of it melting her bones. There was something sinful in that smoky gaze, like she was a ripe peach and he was a starving man.

Lordy, Letty Sue.

He cleared his throat noisily. “I didn’t know you could ride.”

“I grew up on a ranch,” she said, her chin lifting defiantly. Did he believe she possessed no skills whatsoever? “I’ve been riding since I was a tot. That’s one thing Mama did manage to teach me.”

“You do it well, even with wearing those clothes.”

“Or rather, lack of them,” she said, then realized how entirely wicked that sounded. Chase didn’t appear shocked, but a deep, low groan emerged from his chest. “Thank you,” she hurried to add before he could say more. That was the first genuine compliment she’d ever received from Chase Wheeler.

They rode in silence for a time, then Chase said quietly, “You know, you didn’t give a thought about the truce we’d made. I suppose white folks only pretend to honor their word, to get their way.”

“Chase, I had good reason.”

“There is no good reason to break your word.”

Letty Sue’s long sigh filled the silent night. Chase wasn’t arguing or lecturing, but rather speaking conversationally. It surprised her. She’d had enough of his overbearing ways, but when he spoke to her like this, on equal terms, she felt more willing to open up. “I just couldn’t face another ruined meal.”

She wouldn’t add that he’d been the cause of it tonight. He’d been a distraction since the moment they’d met, but this evening, watching him best his opponent in the wood-cutting contest, well, Letty Sue hadn’t a mind for anything but him.

“What’d you ruin this time?”

“Fried chicken.”

“My favorite,” he said, then smiled. Her heart flipped at that rare, quick smile. “Maybe you’ll try that one on your next lesson.”

That he allowed there would be another lesson caused Letty Sue to feel a moment of sheer joy. “Maybe I will,” she said softly.

“Long as you tell me where you’re headed, and don’t go out at night.”

“I think I can do that.”

“See that you do,” he said.

A short while later they reached the Double J and led their mounts toward the barn. Chase dismounted just outside, holding tight to the reins. Tornado snorted, sidestepped, then reared his head. Chase soothed his stallion with soft, murmured words.

“What’s wrong with him?” Letty Sue asked.

“Your mare’s got him excited. Best you dismount now, before Tornado gets too close.”

Chase turned to her and raised his arms. She dismounted quickly, his hands finding her waist, helping lower her to the ground. She felt his strength, his heat as his splayed fingers grazed the soft underside of her breasts. She sucked in air, but thankfully her gasp was silent. “Maybe Starlight wouldn’t mind his attentions,” she said gently.

“Maybe,” he replied, his gaze moving over her face, resting finally on her lips. “When the time is right.”

“And when will that be?” She lifted her eyes to meet his.

“Not…now,” he answered cautiously.

The ranch was quiet except for an occasional owl hoot and the muted snorting and rustling of horses in the corral. All the ranch hands had most likely bedded down for the night. Letty Sue’s heart pounded in her chest and she wondered if Chase felt the turmoil he was creating with his hands still on her.

Tornado snorted loudly once again, bumping Chase with his flank. It brought Chase up against Letty Sue and he wound his arms about her protectively. “You okay?”

“Mmm…fine,” she answered, still wrapped in his arms.

He released her quickly. “I’d best put Tornado in the stall tonight. With the mood he’s in, no telling what might happen.”

Letty Sue stared into his silvery eyes, hoping to read his thoughts.

He stared back, but then Tornado let out one more agitated, impatient snort and stomped his front hoof. Chase backed away and took his stallion’s reins. “I’ll be back to put Starlight in the corral. It’d be wise to keep him away from her.”