Lips That Touch Mine (21 page)

Boyd dumped the wood into the kitchen bin,
but Claire was watching Duke, whose wide shoulders were shaking
with silent laughter.

She pursed her lips to hide her smile.

Murder filled Boyd's eyes when he stood to
face his brother. "Why are you standing in Claire's kitchen half
dressed?"

Duke shrugged. "Because I wanted a cup of
coffee?"

Boyd gritted his teeth and took a step
forward, but Sailor started barking like they were under
attack.

"It's all right," Duke said to the dog. He
glanced at Boyd and burst out laughing. "Calm down, hothead. I took
a room last night to make sure nothing happened."

Boyd glanced between them, his fists
clenched. "That doesn't explain why you're standing in her kitchen
in your damned drawers."

Anna rushed into the kitchen, her eyes
brimming with worry. "What the devil is—oh, my ..." Her eyes
widened as her gaze swept the perfect form of Sheriff Grayson.

Boyd's face grew as purple as Anna's house
robe, and he glared at his brother. "Get some clothes on and let's
take a walk."

Unperturbed by Anna's perusal and Boyd's ire,
Duke chuckled and left the room.

o0o

When his brother was dressed, Boyd followed
Duke out of Claire's house, wondering what in the hell was going on
between him and Claire.

"She's one gorgeous lady." Duke's smug grin
made Boyd want to rearrange his brother's teeth.

"You're doing a fine job of irritating me
this morning."

Duke threw his head back and laughed. "I knew
it." He chuckled again and ignored Boyd's scowl. "You've finally
met your downfall, little brother. Radford and Kyle are going to
love this."

"It's nothing more than my usual
romance."

"We'll see." Duke headed across the Common.
He chuckled three more times before Boyd elbowed him in the
side.

"I want you to deputize me."

"I have a deputy."

"I'm serious, Duke. Deputize me, and I'll
take a room at Claire's."

Duke halted in the middle of the Common. "Now
why would you want to do that?"

"To keep Claire from getting hurt."

"And to seduce the lovely widow into your bed
perhaps?"

Boyd clenched his jaw. "If we weren't in the
Common, I'd pound you for that."

"I have a duty to protect those women. I'm
not going to put a fox in the hen house to keep out a bear."

"All right, damn it. I care about her. For
some reason Claire feels a need to help Anna. She's fool-headed and
too stubborn to listen to reason."

"Claire seems like a smart lady. Maybe she
just doesn't agree with your reasoning."

Boyd jammed his cold hands into his coat
pockets. "She's gotten herself into a mess with this temperance
nonsense, and now she's refusing to send Anna home to her
family."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"My patrons are grumbling that they're tired
of the women nagging us each day. I'm afraid someone is going to
cause trouble. Deputize me, and I'll look out for Claire and Anna.
You and Levi have all you can handle without doing guard duty with
those crazy women."

"Bad idea." Duke resumed walking. Boyd kept
pace, his irritation rising to a dangerous level.

"Whoever nailed that note to Claire's door
two weeks ago sounds like they aren't toying with her. Those
stubborn, idiotic women need someone who can save them from their
own foolishness."

"You sound worried."

"I am." Boyd huffed out a frosty breath and
stomped through the snow. "Claire has a loaded gun in her closet
that she thinks will protect her, but she'll probably put a bullet
in herself before shooting anyone else. If I stay there, I can try
to talk sense into both of them. And if they won't listen, at least
I'll be there if anything happens."

Duke entered the building that housed his
office. "If you can convince Claire to let you take a room, I'll
deputize you."

"Deputize me, and I'll convince her."

Duke took a badge out of his desk drawer.
"I'm only doing this because I have to take Levens back to
Pittsburgh. I'll be back Friday. If I hear one complaint," he said,
"or find out you're taking advantage of Claire in any way, I'll
yank this badge off your chest so fast your head will spin."

"If you insult my integrity one more time you
won't have a head. I'll knock it off your damned shoulders."

Duke laughed and handed Boyd the badge. "Glad
we understand each other."

Boyd
picked up his valise and carried it downstairs to his crowded
saloon. "Come on, Sailor." The dog scurried out from under the
billiard table and trotted to Boyd's side.

On the way out of the saloon, Boyd nodded to
Pat, knowing his friend and former owner of the saloon was more
than capable of running it for a few nights. Karlton would be there
to help out too.

Boyd drew in a lungful of bracing winter air
as he crossed the street to Claire's house. He went around to the
back door and knocked.

"Who's there?" she asked without opening
up.

Sailor gave a shrill bark. Boyd rubbed the
dog's head.

"Thanks," he whispered.

When Claire opened the door, Sailor barreled
inside. She turned to scold the dog, and Boyd followed Sailor's
lead by stepping inside. He sat his valise on the oak floor and
nodded to Anna who was drying her hands on a red checkered apron
tied around her slim waist.

She nodded to Boyd, then leaned down to pet
Sailor. "Good evening, mister." She ruffled the dog's ears. "How
did you know we were missing you?"

Sailor wheezed then trotted to Claire. He
pushed against her legs until she smiled and stroked his head.
"What mischief are you up to this evening?"

"He came to rent a room," Boyd said, deciding
to dive in rather than test the water. He nudged his valise with
the toe of his boot. "I brought his bag."

Claire frowned at the valise.

Boyd pulled his deputy's badge from his
pocket. "My brother's out of town until Friday. He deputized me to
stay here and guard you lovely ladies."

Her frown deepened.

"That means I need to rent a room."

Claire glanced at Anna then returned her
scowling gaze to Boyd. "I see no humor in this." She opened the
door and nodded for him to leave.

"I've been dispatched here by the
sheriff."

"Bother that. He's your brother, and somehow
you've convinced him to give you a badge. There can only be one
reason you want a room in my boardinghouse when you have your own
apartment not fifty feet from here." He pushed the door closed and
braced his palm against it. "I have a badge that makes it official,
Claire."

She shook her head, but it wasn't fear
filling her eyes. It was something else—worry or discomfort, but
not exactly fear. "You can't stay here."

"I have to. My brother has entrusted me to
keep you ladies safe until he returns from Pittsburgh."

She lifted her chin. "Then you can sleep in
the shed."

God, he loved her spunk.

"Excuse us for a moment," Anna said. She
caught Claire's elbow and nudged her friend out of the kitchen.

Boyd heard the murmur of Anna's voice, then
Claire's voice raised in dispute, then Anna's soothing murmur
again. Then it was quiet. Deadly quiet.

Even Sailor stopped pacing and panting and
cocked his ears, listening to the sudden silence.

The sound of a defeated sigh made Boyd grin.
He knew that sigh. Claire did that just before she accepted the
inevitable.

The two women came back to the kitchen, Anna
looking a little nervous, Claire frowning. "It will cost you three
dollars a week," Claire said.

"Fine."

"I serve breakfast at five-thirty, lunch at
noon, and supper at six o'clock. If you're not present I'll assume
you're eating elsewhere."

"Fine."

"You're free to use the downstairs rooms and
the upstairs bath, but all other rooms except the one you're
sleeping in are private."

"Fine."

She gave a stiff nod. "Dry your boots, and
I'll show you to your room."

He removed his boots and picked up his
valise.

She glanced at his stocking-clad feet, and
her face flushed.

He followed her across the kitchen and up the
stairs, grinning to himself. If seeing him in stocking feet
flustered her, she was in for some jolting moments over the next
few days.

Her skirt swayed with each step she climbed,
making his hands itch to cup her hips and pull her against him.
Ignorant of his thoughts, she strode up the hall and opened the
door to a corner room. Two tall windows gave him a view of Main
Street—and his saloon.

Perfect. He could keep an eye on things there
too.

His attention lingered on the large sleigh
bed. He pictured Claire lying across the mattress, her hair
spilling around her shoulders, her mouth parted and her arms open
to receive him. Lust pushed through his groin and the ache nearly
made him groan.

She fluffed the bed pillows. "How long will
you need the room?"

"Until my brother and I think you and Anna
are safe without one of us here."

"I'm sure we'll be fine."

"I think Larry proved that it doesn't take
much for a man to punch through a window or break in a door."

Her face blanched and she turned away. "The
bath is your first door to the right," she said, stepping around
him to straighten the drapes on his window. "This is my best, and
warmest, room, but if you should need another quilt, I keep one on
the top closet shelf." She took a handkerchief from her pocket and
dusted the stand beside his bed. "I wasn't expecting a guest
tonight."

"Claire." He touched her hand and stopped her
nervous fidgeting. "Why are you afraid of me?"

"I'm not."

"You are," he said, knowing it was the truth.
It hurt that she still felt she couldn't trust him.

She tucked her handkerchief in her pocket and
moved toward the door. "If I were afraid of you, I wouldn't allow
you in my house."

"Then you must be afraid of yourself, because
you are intentionally avoiding me."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"You are, Claire. You're fidgeting like a
schoolgirl. Either you're afraid me, or you dislike me."

"I'm not afraid of you. And I don't dislike
you. I dislike your lifestyle and your obvious attempts at
seduction,"

"My attempts at seduction?" He laughed and
brushed his fingers across the soft underside of her jaw. "It is
you who are seducing me."

Her eyes widened, but she boldly met his
stare. "If I were seducing you, Boyd Grayson, you would know
it."

o0o

Downstairs, a few minutes later, Sailor met
Claire in the foyer, acting so pleased to see her that she released
an airy laugh.

"You are just like your master," she said,
brushing her fingers over his tilted ears. "Far too obvious in your
affections."

She went to the music room where Anna was
playing the piano. Anna glanced up, her cheek as purple as a grape
from Larry's brutal fist, but she seemed serene.

"It feels wonderful to play again," she
said.

Claire listened for a minute, but she was too
tense from her exchange with Boyd to relax. "It's a terrible idea
for him to stay here," she said, interrupting the song Anna was
playing.

"He's a paying boarder," the woman said
without missing a note.

"He's a reprobate, and I shouldn't have
allowed you to talk me into renting to him."

"Well, he's the one who's causing you to lose
business. It's only fair that he make restitution." Anna continued
playing, but switched to a soothing ballad.

Claire leaned against the piano and closed
her eyes, letting the music flow through her, striving for a calm
she couldn't quite manage. She loved Chopin.

"May I join you?"

The sound of Boyd's voice startled her and
sent her pulse racing.

"Of course." Anna started to leave the bench,
but Boyd stopped her with a light touch on her arm.

"Stay and play a duet with me," he said,
paging through the sheet music on the Piano. "Ah, here it is.
Claire's grandmother and I used to play this Bach piece
together."

After a slight hesitation, Anna sat beside
him on the bench. Boyd laid his long fingers on the keys and began
playing Aria from Suite in D.

"That's beautiful," Anna said with
admiration. She studied the sheet music and joined in playing the
duet.

Claire stewed. She'd given Anna refuge,
understood and supported the woman at her own detriment. She
couldn't bear to have Boyd win Anna's affections so easily. Or
worse yet, to have Anna win his.

When the song ended, he winked at Anna. "May
I?" he asked, gesturing to the piano.

"Of course." She slid off the bench and stood
beside Claire.

Boyd ran his fingers up the keys and back
down, then started a lively tune that made Anna tap her toe. Claire
was beginning to get caught up in the rhythm when he started to
sing.

I once had a lover with gorgeous blond hair, but the
lady was so ornery, I called her Cold Claire.

Anna's eyes widened, but Claire gasped. She
wasn't cold. She
wasn't
! Boyd grinned and kept
singing.

She taunted and teased, while I begged and pleased,
but the lady didn't dare, so I called her Cold Claire.

He ran his fingers up the keys, then back for
another verse.

She pouted so pretty and scowled so sweet, I would
have been honored to rub the lady's feet.

So smitten was I, that I knew I should die, if I
didn't get a kiss from her sweet lips.

Anna ducked her head, but Claire knew her
traitorous friend found Boyd's song humorous. She wanted to slam
the piano cover on Boyd's nimble fingers, but decided it would be
more satisfying to put the rascal in his place.