Wild At Heart (18 page)

Mariah licked a droplet off her lip and took another sip of water. It was odd how being stranded without water for such a short time had made her crave the refreshing liquid now. She drank half of it.

Anna and Leyna had peppered her with questions while helping her undress and filling the washtub. Leyna seemed stunned by an ambush right here on Rocking M property, but Anna acted as if she was disappointed to have missed out on the action.

A horse nickered, and she looked up. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of four men riding into the yard. She set the glass down, thankful she’d had time to bathe and rest while Adam was gone. She wanted to look nice for him, and they
had
to talk. Nothing was going to stop her this time from telling Adam she was Drew Dixon. Picking up her skirts, she rushed out the front door and down the steps.

Adam’s lips tilted in a tired smile as he turned Chief toward her. Her steps faltered at his fatigue, and she wondered if maybe she should wait until he’d rested, too.

He dropped from the saddle and looped one arm around her neck, pulling her against his chest. She clutched him, thankful the frightening event was over, but at the same time, she couldn’t help wondering if Quinn and the ranch hands were watching. She pulled away, hoping to rein in her emotions and avoid a public display of their affections.

After he learned her secret, Adam might no longer want to hold her.

He took her hand. “Walk with me to the barn. I want to give Chief a good rubdown.”

Thankful that nobody was watching them, Mariah took his warm, callused hand. His wasn’t what one expected in an artist’s hand, but rather a laborer’s. His fingernails were chipped and even had dirt under them, and yet his hands were gifted—able to re-create God’s creation in amazing lifelike drawings.

Since returning to the house, she’d also spent a little time reading the Bible. Some things encouraged her, but others were confusing. She couldn’t wait to ask Adam about them.

The light dimmed in the barn, and the scent of hay, horse, and leather wafted, along with dust motes, in the air. Adam unsaddled Chief and brushed him down while the other men finished tending their own mounts. Mariah grabbed a comb and worked on Chief’s silvery mane. One by one, the men drifted outside, leaving only Adam and her.

He gave his horse a bucket of feed then closed the stall gate. He put the brush and comb away in the small tack room. Mariah wondered what he was thinking. He hadn’t said a word but smiled and even winked at her a time or two. Anxiety over their needed conversation battled with her growing love. How was it possible to have such feelings for someone you’d only known a few weeks?

Adam took off his hat and dipped his hands in the fresh bucket of water that Quinn had fetched earlier. He scrubbed his face and hands. He shook his head like a wild stallion, flinging water, but a few droplets clung to his tanned jawline, darkened with whiskers. Mariah stepped forward, gently wiping each droplet with her finger. Adam closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

Her heart ached with love for this man. But would he still care for her once he learned she’d not been fully honest with him?

Suddenly Adam’s eyes opened. They sparked like blue fire, and he grabbed her hand, tugging her back in the barn.

In the privacy of the shadows, Adam pulled Mariah into his arms. He pressed his face against her sweet-smelling hair and clung to her. He’d come so close to losing her today.

There was something on her mind; he knew that. He’d sensed something was bothering her for a while but figured she’d tell him when she was ready.

All the way to town and back, he’d struggled with what to say to her. How to tell her how he felt. Why couldn’t words come as easy as sketching did?

He took her gently by the shoulders and pushed her back so he could look into her face. She was lovely but not perfect. Her skin had browned, and tiny freckles dotted her pert nose. Her big brown eyes stared back with curiosity and affection. He swallowed hard. He’d never been in love before—and he was finding it wonderful—and a bit scary. Mariah licked her lips and brushed a tress of hair off her cheek.

He was nervous, too, but leaned forward, closing his eyes. His lips met hers, and he tried to show her how he felt—the depth of his love. After a few moments of pure joy, he pulled back, his breath ragged. “You have to know how I care for you. Love you.”

Tears glinted in her eyes, and she nodded.

“Don’t leave, Mariah. Stay with me. Marry me.”

Surprise widened her eyes, and an
O
formed on her lips. Then her thin brows dipped, making his heart stumble. Tears filled her eyes—tears that didn’t look like happy tears. He prepared to slam and lock the door of his heart—fearing her rejection.

Had he just imagined she felt the same way he did?

Hadn’t she just kissed him and clung to him like a woman in love?

“Adam, I care for you, too. Deeply. But I’ve been trying to tell you something. Something that may change the way
you
feel.”

She fiddled with the edge of her sleeve, and the faint aroma of soap tickled his senses. She’d bathed and changed while he was gone and looked pretty in the blue and white dress that swished when she moved.

“Too much happened when we first met—when you got shot.” She gazed at him, an apology written on her pretty features. “I thought I wouldn’t be here long enough to bother telling you, and then when Anna invited me to stay, I decided to wait until you were better.”

She turned away from him, his concern growing by the second. “Whatever it is, just say it.”

“All right.” She pivoted around, her skirts swinging. “I’m not who you think I am.”

“You’ve told me that before. So, who are you?”

Chief nickered as a horse galloped into the yard. Adam glanced outside the double doors. He hated the intrusion but wondered why someone was riding up to the house so fast. It usually meant a crisis somewhere. A tall, thin stranger wearing a suit and derby hat struggled to stop his mount. Adam glanced back at Mariah. She looked over her shoulder and scowled at the disturbance.

“Hell–o–o? Anyone there?” the stranger called.

Mariah gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Silas?”

She gazed up at Adam, sorrow and confusion in her eyes. Just who was this Silas guy?

“Good day to you.” Quinn approached the stranger from the house. Silas dismounted and turned away from the barn, evidently not seeing Mariah in the shadows. She searched for a place to hide but knew there was no getting away. How in the world had Silas found her way out in North Dakota? And why had he bothered?

“Who is Silas?” Adam hissed in her ear.

She jumped, almost forgetting him at the shock of seeing her ex-fiancé. A shadow darkened the barn before Quinn and Silas entered. Mariah hoped her expression conveyed her apology to Adam. Why did Silas have to show up at that moment?

“Mariah,” Quinn called, looking not as congenial as he’d been the past few weeks. “There’s a man here to see you.” His concerned gaze darted to Adam.

Silas, tall and skinny as ever, stepped into view. His eyes sparked when he saw her. “Mariah, darling. I thought I’d never find you.”

Mariah stepped back, closer to Adam, but to her disbelief, Adam moved away. Silas grabbed her up in a hug, pinning her arms to her side. His thin form was so slight in comparison to Adam’s muscular build. She struggled to get away, but he held her tight.

She cast a plea for help over her shoulder to Adam, but he stood there with arms crossed, glaring. It cut her to the core to know that Silas’s unwanted display had hurt Adam.

Finally, Silas released her after holding her far longer than was proper. Quinn now stood next to Adam, as if forming a unified front. Mariah’s heart sank. Adam would never trust her after this.

Silas turned to the two brothers and held out his hand. “I’m terribly sorry to disturb your day. I’m sure you have cows to herd or other menial work to be done.” He waved his pale hand in the air.

Both Quinn and Adam glared at him, but Adam also cast confused glances her way.

“My name is Silas Wellington, and I’m Mariah’s fiancé.”

A bullet to the chest wouldn’t have hurt Adam worse than those words. His eyes fired daggers at Mariah. She looked stunned, and for a moment, his hurt and anger dimmed.

“No!” Mariah held up her palm. “That isn’t true. Silas is my ex-fiancé. There is nothing between us now.”

Her pleading gaze beseeched Adam to believe her, and for a moment, he wavered. Was that what she was trying to tell him? That she was engaged to be married?

How could he believe anything she said now? He was such a fool.

Silas took hold of Mariah’s hand, but she yanked it away. “Now, Mariah, darling, I know we had a disagreement, but I never consented to dissolve our engagement. I thought you just needed time to get over your little snit.”

Mariah gasped. “Well, you’re wrong, and you wasted your time coming all this way. I have no intention of ever marrying you.” She hiked her chin at the man.

He leaned closer to her. “We should discuss this when we don’t have an audience.” He rubbed his thin mustache with his index finger and darted a glance at Adam and Quinn.

In spite of his roiling emotions, Adam couldn’t help feeling things weren’t totally on the up-and-up. Something wasn’t right here.

The question was, who was right? Had Mariah simply run away from her fiancé after an argument? Was the engagement actually absolved, or was the not-so-happy couple still planning to be married?

He clenched his jaw. Had Mariah been trying to tell him that she planned to marry another man?

He never should have let his emotions get involved. He’d done a good job over the past years since his father’s death of keeping them locked away. But a hatpin-wielding imp had pried open the lid.

Silas turned back to Mariah. Adam wanted to step between them—to protect her still, even though he no longer knew if she wanted his protection. But he didn’t. Whatever was wrong, Silas and Mariah needed to hash it out, so she would be free to move on—to him.

If she truly wanted to be married to him. She’d never actually said she loved him.

“There’s something else I need to tell you, darling. Your grandmother had a fainting spell and fell down the steps in her house.”

“Oh no.” Mariah laid her hand against her chest. “Is she—is she all right?”

“She’s alive, but it doesn’t look good. She broke her hip, and I’m sorry, dear, but the doctor doesn’t think she’ll live much longer.” Silas pressed his thin lips together.

“There’s a train heading east in the morning. If you get packed quickly, we can return to town tonight and catch that one. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait several more days.”

The pain in Mariah’s eyes mirrored that in Adam’s heart. He ached for her and wanted to comfort her but didn’t know where things stood with this—fiancé.

She turned to him. “I’m so sorry, Adam, but I’ve got to go. Grandmother raised me and is very precious to me. I have to see her before she—”

A
squeak
, like an animal in fierce pain, erupted from Mariah’s mouth. Picking up her skirts, she rushed out of the barn. Adam wanted to follow—to tell her everything would be all right, but his feet felt as if they were trapped in quicksand.

“Come into the house, and I’ll get you some refreshment. You’ve had a long journey and have even farther to go.” Quinn ushered Silas away, casting Adam a concerned glance.

He sank down onto a nearby bench. How could things change so fast?

Mariah had whirled into his world like a cyclone, stirring up things, making him want things he’d never desired before. Now she was leaving behind a shattered heart. A path of debris that Adam wasn’t sure he’d ever recover from.

Had she loved him at all? Did she still?

With his arms on his knees, he hung his head.
What do I do, Lord?

Should I go after her?

Did she lie to me?