As he started to climb onto his buckboard, he glanced up and saw Susannah headed his way. He considered letting her pass, but the reminder of how close she’d come to Ollie’s fate changed his mind. Removing his hat, he stepped up onto the planked walk in front of her.
Her step faltered. Sunlight gilded her perfect magnolia skin, lit her eyes like endless pools of blue.
“Susannah,” he said quietly, suddenly uneasy. He had to force himself not to crush his hat.
She stopped and gave him a curt nod. “Mr. Holt.”
“Are you getting settled? Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine.” Her gaze was guarded. “Good.” He ran a hand over his jaw, wishing they hadn’t gotten off to such an awkward start.
She smiled brightly and he thought she was easily the nicest sight he’d witnessed all day. It was a shame she wasn’t cut out for life here.
“Will you be leaving soon?”
“Leaving?”
“For St. Louis.”
“Oh, I’m not leaving. I’m staying in Whirlwind.” His eyebrows shot up and he couldn’t stop the sudden quirk of his lips. “Really.”
“Yes, really. That amuses you?”
“Hardly. You don’t belong here.”
“Pardon me?” Her shoulders stiffened and her gaze turned downright frigid. “I wasn’t aware I was in Riley, Texas. Are you the mayor? The sheriff? Is this your town?”
“Life here is hard.” He flexed his hands on his hat to keep from shaking her. “This land is unforgiving, sometimes brutal.”
“Evidently some people are, too.” That made him feel lower than a whipped dog, but the possibility that he might someday find her pale and lifeless pushed him on. “I just mean it’s not easy here like it is in St. Louis.”
“You might be surprised to learn life isn’t that easy in St. Louis, either,” she said quietly, making him wonder at the shadows in her eyes.
He had no intention of telling her about Maddie, but he had to make her understand. “We have Indians—”
“We have outlaws.”
“We have snakes.”
“We have floods.” Her gaze stayed stubbornly locked on his.
“Things happen here that you’d have no idea how to handle. Things that could get you killed.”
“You think I’m stupid, is that it? Lacking in some way?”
“No, stop twisting my words around. I’m just trying to warn you.”
“And you have.” She smiled, a patently dismissive smile, and started forward. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Holt.”
Frowning at Susannah’s formality, he moved to the edge of the walk so she could pass. He knew it wouldn’t matter a damn if he pointed out that at least in St. Louis she had her father and her brother for protection. “If you need anything at all—”
“Don’t give it another thought.” She tossed the words over her shoulder. “Truly. I’ll be fine.”
She continued down the walk, heading toward the post office. No doubt she planned to wire her brother, just as he had.
Riley’s gaze locked on Susannah. The petite blond beauty’s hair caught the sun and glittered like a star. Dragging his gaze from the enticing sway of her skirts, he climbed into the wagon and picked up the reins, snapping them against Pru’s rump. Damn Adam, anyway.
Chapter Three
If you need anything at all, let me know.
How many times had Riley said that? She needed a husband, but she didn’t see him offering to help with that, Susannah thought indignantly as she walked away from him toward the telegraph office. She could feel him staring.
His gaze burned between her shoulder blades, causing her skin to prickle. She fought the urge to smooth her hair or turn around.
Her voice had come out more stiffly than she’d liked when talking to him, but seeing him reignited the embarrassment she’d felt in his barn. Adam had a lot to answer for.
Couldn’t Riley have married her just because she was told he wanted to … even if he didn’t make the promise himself? Evidently not. She wondered why he’d been so mean. Maybe he was merely concerned. His dire warnings sounded like something her brother might say. But Susannah was staying. She was glad she hadn’t told him about the baby, but what was she going to do now? She wasn’t going back to St. Louis.
Her entire family would be in even more disgrace. First the baby, then this. Paul hadn’t wanted her. It wouldn’t do to advertise that Riley didn’t, either.
Susannah tugged on her gloves and opened the door to the post office, which also served as the telegraph office. She needed a place to live, which she could secure using the money she’d received from the sale of some jewelry before she’d left home.
She sent a curt telegram to her brother, ordering him to respond immediately and tell her exactly what he’d said to Riley. She also asked that he not tell Riley about her “situation,” hoping her choice of words would keep eager-to-please Tony Santos from figuring out that she was expecting. She’d endured all the embarrassment she could for a while. A final plea for her brother to wire some money ended her telegram. It was the least he could do after sending her to Whirlwind under false pretenses.
After leaving the post office, she started back to the hotel, stopping at the Pearl for a dinner of stew and fresh bread. The rich, meaty meal wasn’t the roasted pork with pearlized onions Minnie the cook served every Friday night at the Phelps’s house, but the meal was good and very filling.
Susannah traced a square on the red-checked tablecloth, hit with a pang of homesickness as the aroma of fresh pie and bread drifted around her.
A shadow fell across her plate and Susannah looked up. A tall, lanky man with dark brown hair stood there. “Evenin’, ma’am.”
“Good evening.” Her gaze skipped over a handsome face, then dropped to his tin star. “Sheriff.”
The blue eyes beneath the dark slash of brows reminded her of another pair of blue eyes.
“You’d be Miz Susannah Phelps?”
For one heartbeat, she thought perhaps her parents had sent someone after her. “How did you know?”
“I’m Davis Lee Holt.” A broad smile split his face. “Riley’s my younger brother.”
“Riley’s brother.” Relieved that Davis Lee wasn’t here on behalf of her parents, she kept her smile in place, but her thoughts whirled. Had Riley sent his brother, the sheriff, to kick her out of town? “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Same here. My brother thinks a lot of yours. And you, too.”
She wasn’t so sure about that, but nodded, anyway. What had Riley told his brother about her? Whatever it was, the eldest Holt seemed too polite to say. Though he didn’t look much older than Riley, his features were sharper and just as compelling. But Davis Lee didn’t make her nervous the way Riley did.
“Riley says you’re here visiting.”
“Uh, yes.” She dabbed at her mouth, then returned her napkin to her lap. She hoped that was all Riley had said.
Davis Lee’s gaze searched her face and she recognized the probe beneath the question. Intelligence glittered in his eyes. She sensed the sheriff