Lips That Touch Mine (16 page)

"What was I supposed to do? She had nowhere
else to go."

He opened his mouth, then gave her an
understanding nod. "If he should show up, do not confront him."

"I have my gun."

"Which you do not know how to use." He placed
a finger across her lips to stop her argument. "Come get me. Don't
argue with him. Don't try to protect Anna. Slip out the back and
come get me immediately. Understand?"

She nodded.

"I mean it, Claire. If the man killed
someone, he could be deadly to you or Anna."

A rush of fear made her nauseous, and she
pressed her hand to her churning stomach.

"I'm right across the street. Just let me
know if you need me."

"Thank you," she said, suddenly wishing she
wouldn't have been so quick to decline his offer of taking a
room.

He cupped her jaw and studied her so
intently, a flush of weakness stole through her body. "Every time I
look at you, I want to kiss you."

Her stomach dipped. No wonder women swooned
at his feet.

He stood so close, looked so handsome,
smelled so good, she couldn't help being attracted to him. But it
was more than his handsome face and warm charm that drew her. She
was touched by his natural inclination to protect her and Anna. He
would protect anybody in danger. He couldn't help himself. The
honorable man in him wouldn't allow him to turn a blind eye, to
ignore a person in need. Why hadn't she seen that before?

Her heart begged her to forget that he owned
a saloon and was unsuitable for her. But she couldn't. No matter
what his heroic impulses, or how handsome and seductive he was, he
wasn't the man for her. No man was for her.

"Thank you for the sleigh ride and the visit
to the cemetery." She peeked at him from beneath her lashes. "It
meant a lot to me."

"I was glad to do it."

"It was kind of your mother to send the
basket of food. Please thank her for me. Anna and I will enjoy
every morsel, I'm sure."

"I'll tell her." He reached for the doorknob
to let himself out. "Lock your doors tonight."

"Boyd?"

He hesitated with his hand on the door
handle.

"The castle is magnificent," she blurted,
unable to let him leave without telling him how much the gift meant
to her.

A soft smile crept across his lips, "So are
you, Claire."

He stepped outside and pulled the door closed
behind him.

She locked up, then peered out the frosted
window, finding herself in a wonderful, harrowing new danger.

Boyd was the magnificent one, bringing her
the basket of holiday cheer, promising to defend her against the
dangers in her life. But he didn't realize that he was the biggest
danger of all. He was tempting her to take a risk with a
man...completely unsuitable for her.

The
basket Boyd left was filled with food. Claire and Anna wrapped the
turkey and dressing, and put them in the shed for the night. Then
they sat at the table drinking tea, eating plum pudding and
talking.

Claire told Anna about her temperance marches
and the good she was trying to accomplish in her new town.

Anna's eyes widened with respect. "Someday I
hope to be as brave as you."

"I'm not brave at all, Anna. I'm just trying
to survive, and help other women like us." She laid her fork on the
table. "Do you think Larry killed that man?" she asked, needing to
know what she was up against.

Anna's lashes lowered, but she gave a weary
nod. "I saw him do it. Larry was in a high stakes card game, but
another man won. Larry claimed the man cheated. They fought, and
Larry shot him. As soon as the sheriff took Larry to jail, I packed
my bag and left. I was too terrified to stay." She sighed and
looked at Claire, her brown eyes bleak. "You're lucky you're a
widow."

Claire sat in shocked silence.

"Oh!" Anna slapped her hand over her mouth as
horror filled her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean that the way
it sounded."

Of course she hadn't. Claire wouldn't have
wished Jack dead either, but she was glad to be free of him. Not
that she could ever confess that, or the truth about how he
died.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I just...I'm scared." Her
eyes misted and she averted her face. "Living with Larry was like
living with a volcano. I was always waiting and watching to see
when he was going to erupt." "

I know." Claire covered Anna's shaking hand
with her own. "I know." She'd existed in the same state of anxiety
while living with Jack.

"He'll kill me if he finds me. That's why I
can't go home to my family."

Claire understood. There was little Anna
could do about her situation. She could return to her husband and
endure the violence, Or she could hide.

"How did you meet Larry?" she asked.

"My hat blew off in town, and Larry retrieved
it for me. He wouldn't return it until I promised to take a drive
with him," Anna sighed. "I thought his teasing was romantic. I
didn't know it was laced with meanness. All I'd wanted was an
honorable man to love, a small home to keep, and lots of laughter,
That wasn't so much to ask, was it?" she asked, her eyes dark with
pain.

"No," Claire assured her. "It's far less than
I wanted." She smiled, hoping to lighten Anna's heart. "I wanted
the full fairy tale. I wanted the prince, the castle, and
everything that came with it."

"I wish you could have it all."

"You too, Anna."

"I don't even know what a good man is like,"
Anna said. "I honestly don't know anymore."

"I suppose integrity would be at the top of
the list," Claire said.

"And honor."

"He should be kind and show tenderness."

"Definitely," Anna said. "And he should have
a sense of humor."

"I'd stir in a good dose of
intelligence."

"And add a big helping of romance."

Claire smiled. "It wouldn't hurt if he was
handsome."

"And wealthy."

They both smiled for the first time all
evening.

Anna pressed her hand to her chest. "And he
absolutely must make you swoon in the bedroom."

Laughter slipped from Claire before she could
cover her mouth. Anna's outspokenness shocked her, but it was
honest and freeing. It was wonderful to have someone to talk with,
who understood how a simple, unguarded conversation could unshackle
a person.

Suddenly, Claire was glad that Anna was
sitting in her kitchen. "You're welcome to stay, Anna. We can run
my boardinghouse together. We'll close down the saloons, build up
our business, and live like two old women who have earned the right
to speak and live as they wish."

"What a lovely idea." Anna's smile brightened
the room. "Imagine the outrageous things we could get away
with."

"Life would be amusing, wouldn't it?"

The haunted look stole back into Anna's eyes.
"I couldn't imagine a life like that. To feel safe again, to have a
friend, and to speak without fear. It really would be a fairy
tale."

"It shouldn't be."

"I know." Her eyes misted. "You have no idea
how much your friendship means to me."

"Yes, I do," Claire said, for she'd been
without a friend for years.

o0o

They spent Christmas Day working on a quilt
Claire had just started. In the evening they made a small supper
from the basket of food Boyd had brought Christmas Eve. Then they
relaxed in the parlor, talking and dreaming about the life they
would lead if they were wealthy men. They pounded their delicate
fists on the coffee table and agreed that a woman was entitled to
more say in her marriage and in controlling her own life.

"We have a right to vote," Claire said, her
indignant voice ringing through the parlor.

"And a right to live without fear," Anna
added. "We are human beings. We should not be considered our
husbands' property."

They spouted their dissatisfactions all
Christmas evening and picked up again Friday morning, only stopping
their diatribe when two men came to Claire's door wanting to rent
her best two rooms. They were young businessmen who would need the
rooms until Tuesday.

Claire's spirits lifted knowing she would
have some income for the week. She and Anna went to the temperance
meeting, then marched to the saloons. The sound of one hundred
women singing hymns filled Claire with renewed purpose. But when
she marched into Boyd's saloon, and was greeted by his burly,
disgruntled bartender, his cold glare made Claire glad that they
would be adjourning their marches until Tuesday. As soon as Mrs.
Barker pleaded their case to the unresponsive wretch, they filed
out.

All Claire wanted was to get home to her warm
kitchen and drink a hot cup of tea, but Desmona caught her arm and
stopped her in the street. "Do introduce us to this lovely lady,"
she said, nodding toward Anna.

Claire made brief introductions between Anna
and Desmona's three daughters who were with her. "Where is
Elizabeth?" she asked, to shift the attention away from Anna.

Desmona humped her shoulders against the cold
wind. "She took to her bed last night saying every bone in her body
ached."

Claire exchanged a look with Anna and knew
they were both wondering if it was illness or a beating that had
driven Elizabeth to bed.

Guilt smote Claire for not doing more to help
Elizabeth. But other than taking Elizabeth into her home, which she
simply couldn't afford to do, what help could she offer? Elizabeth
would have to find the courage to ask her family for help.

o0o

On Saturday morning Boyd arrived to fill
Claire's wood bins. He came inside in a heavy barn jacket, a gray
wool cap, and work boots. Claire thought he'd never looked more
handsome.

"Please tell your mother how much we enjoyed
the food," she said. "I'm returning her basket with some tea cakes
I made last night. You're welcome to eat a few."

Boyd took the basket and peeked inside. "They
smell great. I'll eat a couple for lunch."

"Didn't you pack a sandwich?"

He shook his head, his cheeks flushed with
cold. "Never do. I'm usually too busy to eat. I'll wait until I get
home."

"You need to eat, especially when it's so
cold out. I'll fix a sandwich for you to take along."

"The tea cakes will be plenty."

She ignored him and began slicing bread. "I
have some of your mother's turkey left."

He leaned his shoulder against the door. "You
are stubborn, you know that?"

"'Determined' is the word I prefer. Will the
turkey be all right?"

He gave her a warm smile and watched her make
his sandwich. "I think you're beginning to care about me,
Claire."

"I'm returning your mother's kindness is all.
She fed me. I'm feeding you."

"Then you don't care about me?"

She closed his sandwich, wrapped it, and
handed it to him. "Of course I care about you. You're the man who
fills my wood bins. I'll feed you to make sure you keep your
strength."

He laughed and tucked the sandwich in the
basket. "I'm touched."

She smiled, and realized she was enjoying
their exchange. "We'll be eating the last of your mother's
leftovers tonight. You're welcome to come for supper if you
like."

"Thank you, but I have another engagement
this evening." His smile faded, and he glanced behind her. "Has
Anna heard from her husband?"

"No," she said, oddly disappointed that Boyd
had turned down her invitation. She hadn't meant to invite him to
supper, but now that she had, and he'd declined, the evening
stretched ahead of her with little appeal. "As far as we know,
Larry is still in jail."

He nodded and opened the door. "I would
suggest that Anna stay inside until Duke confirms that her husband
is locked up."

"If the sheriff can find out, it would be a
huge relief to both of us."

"I'll let you know as soon as he gets the
telegram."

"Thank you," she said. "And thanks for
filling my bins."

He lifted the basket and gave it a small
shake. "I think I got the best bargain, but you're welcome. Let me
know if you or Anna need anything."

She locked the door behind him, then watched
him cut through her snow-covered yard as he headed toward his
family sawmill. She secretly hoped he'd stop back, but he
didn't.

She prepared a hearty lunch for her male
guests, but scowled when they gulped it down then crossed the
street to Boyd's saloon. By Saturday evening she and Anna were
feeling imprisoned in the house.

"We need to get out for a while, Anna."

"Where can we go?"

"How about the cantata at Union Hall?" There
was so little left in Claire's money bag, it no longer mattered
what she spent it on.

Anna's face lit up. "It would be a lovely
diversion."

"Exactly. Let's get dressed so we can go
early." She turned toward the stairs, but Anna caught her hand.

"I can't go." Her face flushed. "I don't have
any money."

"I assumed that, Anna. I'll pay our
admission."

"No."

"You can pay me back when your situation
changes."

"It won't change."

"You can't know that." Claire hadn't believed
her situation would change either, but it had. She was still poor
and worried about money, but she had her freedom. "We need some
recreation and pleasure, Anna. Come on." She hooked her arm around
Anna's waist and drew the woman toward the stairs. "Let's pretend
we're rich, independent women going out for an evening. We'll go to
the cantata and forget about everything that makes us unhappy."

"That would be men." Anna smiled and started
up the stairs. "I suppose we are entitled to one night of
enjoyment, aren't we?"

"Absolutely. "

"All right, then. We'll go, but I intend to
return your kindness when I'm able to do so."