Yes, he’d had things to do. But now that they were done, Alexander realized they could have waited.
This was the most important thing he had to do.
He wanted to kiss her again.
The problem was he wanted to kiss her again and not stop.
He tried to think about sleeping in the stables. He could sleep there and come back for her in the morning.
She’d be perfectly safe here.
But she was holding him so tightly.
Like she never wanted him to let her go.
He heard a group of rowdy young men pass by the open window on the sidewalk below.
This was the wild west. An untamed land with untamed men.
He realized in that moment that he couldn’t leave her here alone.
He couldn’t leave the love of his life in a room unguarded and alone.
It was bad enough that he’d left her with her father. Only to have a man like Briscoe come sniffing around.
But here, without him at her side, she wouldn’t even have the meager protection of her father and brother.
No, as much as he knew it was the proper and gentlemanly thing to do, it was at the same time a most ungentlemanly thing to do.
He was caught in a quandary. A quandary of his own making for dragging her out here. Her father was probably going out of his mind about now looking for her. Alexander certainly would if she were his daughter.
And he knew Jonathan Worthington. He loved his children more than life itself.
Alexander was responsible for keeping her safe. If something happened to her under his watch, Jonathan would have his hide. Rightly so.
He shifted away, taking his arms from around her, supporting her by the elbows.
“We’ll sleep in our clothes,” he said, his voice much gruffer than he’d intended.
“What?” she seemed stunned at his words or perhaps his gruff tone.
He made an intentional effort to soften his tone. “I can’t leave you here alone,” he said. “I don’t think it’s safe.”
She blew out a breath. “Very well then.”
She turned away so that he couldn’t see her reaction.
She walked to the window and looked out.
It would be dark soon.
He turned his attention to the bed. It wasn’t big enough for them to have much room between them.
“I’ll sleep in the floor,” he said.
She turned around, her chin held high. “Why would you do that?”
“It’s not prop—”
“Does it really matter?” she asked. “We’re here in a wild country and no one cares. Besides…”
She waited for his gaze to lock onto hers.
“I trust you,” she said.
Alexander swallowed thickly. She had no reason not to trust him.
Yet her innocent words tugged at his heart.
What if she’d unwittingly said those words to a man like Briscoe.
A man she shouldn’t trust.
“I’ll give you a few minutes to prepare for bed,” he said and turned abruptly, leaving the room.
He stood outside the door for a moment, getting his bearings.
He went downstairs. He’d give her ten or fifteen minutes, then come back to the room.
When he stepped onto the street, he knew he’d made the right decision.