Holding his gaze, she blinked twice against the bright sun and took a chance. “Go ahead.”
Her tangled hair swished as she turned her back, and the sight of her neck, pink and blistered by the sun, made Jake’s mouth go dry. The woman had been through hell and a man had to respect that. Clearing his throat, he remembered her too-sweet lips and tasted the urge to be truthful, and even kind.
“Well, Mr. Merritt, it all started when I heard an angel singing in the desert, and I have to say your daughter is the bravest, most levelheaded woman I’ve ever met.”
He relived finding the stagecoach, Charlotte’s blood in the sand, and the muddy gun aimed at his chest. He told William about the rain and the rattlesnake, lancing the wound, and finally the last few miles of the ride to Grand Junction. He deliberately left out kissing her, but William didn’t miss a thing.
“So how did you end up on your backside?” he asked.
Jake gave Alex a long, slow smile. Her lips came together in a frustrated line. “Let’s just say she’s not fond of my horse.”
William huffed, but Jake saw a twinkle in his eyes. They both knew it would take more than a bucking bronco to rile Alex, and a soul-deep kiss from a good-looking man qualified. Hooking his thumbs in his belt, the old man studied Alex’s straight back. His eyes narrowed to a hard squint, and Jake knew he’d have a helluva of time keeping secrets from this man.
Stopping in midstride, William wrapped his stubby fingers around Jake’s arm and squeezed. His grip was strong enough to crack nuts, and Jake found himself pinned to the spot by a white-haired giant. The look on the old man’s face chilled his bones and made him hot with anger, but he wouldn’t answer the question lurking beneath the white arch of his eyebrows. What had happened in the desert was between himself and Alex. She could tell her father any damn thing she pleased.
The old man studied him as if he were a bug on a pane of glass. Letting go of Jake’s arm, he grinned and scowled at the same time. “Well, son, for your sake I hope it was just a kiss.”
“You’ll have to ask your daughter.”
“Don’t worry. I will.”
They started walking again, and William continued as if nothing else had been said. “I can’t see any reason for you to rush off. I’ve got ten acres of peach trees, with plans to add more. There’s work here if you want it.”
Staying in Grand Junction with this crazy old man and his beautiful daughter was surefire trouble, but the bright sun was a torture to Jake’s bruised eyes. His head was pounding. He needed rest and supplies before he headed further west. “I could use a place to stay for a few days, but I’ve got business in California.”
“What takes you there?”
“Work.” It was a lie, but no one would ever know.
“You can stay here as long as you like.”
He had no intention of staying long enough to leave more than a few footprints in the dust. Staring straight ahead, he said, “I’m much obliged, but I’ll be moving on in a day or two.”
With Alex in the lead, the three of them walked down Colorado Avenue. The smell of dust and paint filled the air, and the old man pointed to a building so new Jake could smell the freshly milled pine.
William raised his voice a notch so it would carry to Alex. “Dr. Winters’s office is right there.”
She was three steps ahead of the men, but with two strides, Jake caught up with her and held the door. She thanked him with a nod, as if she had expected him to be there, and led the way into the office.
Lacquered chairs lined the wall, and the scent of lemon verbena made his skin feel sticky. A man in his early thirties with short sandy hair, spectacles and squeaky shoes came out of the back room. He smiled with recognition at Alex and shook William’s hand.
“Good morning, Mr. Merritt. It looks like you found your daughter.”
“Yes, I did, Doc.” William hooked his thumbs in his waistband.” “Alex, this is Dr. Richard Winters. He came to Grand Junction about a years ago. And Doc, this is my daughter, Alexandra.”
Winters flashed a smile. “It’s a pleasure, Miss Merritt.”
“We found a few others, too,” William continued. “This is Mr. Jake Malone, the man who saved my daughter’s life, and the little fellow is Charlie. The stage went down a day away from here. Check the baby first. Alex won’t rest until we know he’s okay.”
After acknowledging Jake with a curt nod, the doctor put on a toothy smile for Alex. Indicating the exam room, he said, “Miss Merritt? After you.”
Jake watched as she hurried through the door, holding the baby tight against her breast. For propriety’s sake, Winters left the door open, and Jake saw her bend slightly at the waist as she laid the baby on a high, narrow table.
Charlie whimpered like a kitten while the doctor washed his hands, but the wail turned to a howl as Winters poked and prodded. Jake was ready to jab the man in the ribs and ask how he liked being manhandled when Winters handed the baby to Alex.
“He’s hungry, but he seems to be in good shape. I’ve got milk in the kitchen.”
“I’m sure he’s starving,” Alex said, jiggling the baby to soothe him. She hummed to the child, and a few minutes later the doctor came back with a nursing bottle. Charlie must have smelled the milk, because his shriek got louder and he kicked Alex with all his might. His heel caught her bad arm and she winced.
Jake nearly shot out of his chair, but the doctor was already taking the baby from her.
“I’ve got him,” Winters said.
Slipping the nipple into Charlie’s mouth, he carried him to the waiting room. The silence was as welcome as rain in July.
“Now which of you gentlemen will take care of this little guy while I tend to Miss Merritt?” the doctor asked.
“Give him to the young fella,” William said with a pained expression. “I don’t think my heart can take it.”
Jake knew he was being set up, but for once he didn’t mind. “Fine by me,” he answered.
As Winters handed him the baby, the nipple popped out of Charlie’s mouth. Another shriek shook the room, but Jake slipped the tip back in place. The wailing stopped instantly as the baby’s mouth overflowed with warm milk. It dripped over Jake’s dirt-stained fingers, through the dark hairs on his wrist, and down to his pants where it made a wet circle on his thigh.
Propping his ankle on his knee, he nestled Charlie in his arms and settled in the chair. His shoulders relaxed inside the black duster. “This isn’t so tough,” he said.
Charlie looked at him as if he were heaven-sent. Jake clicked his tongue as the baby suckled, and with a stupid grin on his face, he looked up and saw Alex watching them from inside the exam room. A mother’s love, and something more, filled the space between them.
“Your turn,” said Winters, touching her arm. She looked away as the doctor guided her to a chair with a wide armrest.
The door stayed open, and the doctor’s chitchat drifted into the waiting area as he numbed her arm with ice. “This incision is placed perfectly,” he said casually. “Your young man did a fine job.”
Her face knotted with confusion. “Oh, you mean Jake. He’s not my young man.”
For some reason, the truth hurt just a little.
Winters nodded, but it was as plain as day he’d found out what he wanted to know. Jake’s stomach tightened. He didn’t want to listen, but he heard every word that passed between them. The doctor was flirting shamelessly now, and Alex was too naive to know it. The memory of being shoved