CHAPTER THREE

 

Case pulled the wagon to a halt with one thought on his mind. But then he felt a slight tremor run through the voluptuous form on his lap, and suddenly the form became a young woman, and the young woman became Eliza -- the person he was supposed to be protecting.

“Are you all right?” he asked guiltily. Realizing his arms were still wound tightly around her, he released her.

“I think so.” Eliza scooted off his lap and moved to the far end of the bench, keeping her gaze averted.

“I’d better have a look at the wheels.” Case jumped down, glad for an excuse to move. It’d be a long time before he forgot the feel of her bottom against his privates.

 

The shock of finding herself on Case’s lap wasn’t nearly as great as the one of feeling his arms around her. At first Eliza supposed he was only intending to keep her from flying off the bench when the second wheel hit the hole, but when she suddenly felt something swelling beneath her, pressing upward against her derriere, she revised her opinion. The rake!

Wouldn’t Auntie Vi be appalled? Eliza figured she should be appalled, too, yet deep inside, a part of her was also – Stimulated? Invigorated? Curious? She’d seen animals in heat many times during her childhood, but she’d never seen a man, or rather felt a man, when he was aroused. To think she had caused it!

What would he look like?

Shocked by her wayward thoughts, Eliza fanned her flushed face. She couldn’t imagine what had gotten into her.

 

After inspecting the wheels and making sure the horses were fine, Case climbed into the back to check his supplies. “As long as I’m here, do you want some food?”

“Yes, please. I’d appreciate it.”

He pulled out the jerky, cheese and bread, his water canteen and two tin cups. When he jumped down, he saw that Eliza had trampled through the tall brush some distance away from the wagon.

“Where are you going?” he called.

“I’m looking for a picnic spot. Here’s a nice, dry place.” She stopped in a small, grassy clearing and looked back at him. “Bring a tablecloth.”

Case stared at her in amazement. A tablecloth? A picnic? She was treating this mission like a Sunday outing.

He could hear her singing as he rooted among his things. He found an extra horse blanket, decided it would do, then strode through the weeds to where she was waiting. Trying to ignore the fact that she’d removed her hat and was running her fingers through her curls, he spread the blanket.

“This is the only tablecloth I have.”

“It’ll do,” she said amiably, kneeling on the coarse wool.

He set out the food, settled down cross-legged, and handed her the bread. “You shouldn’t go charging willy-nilly into the woods; you don’t know what might be out there.”

“Yes, I do. I grew up surrounded by woods.”

“Then you should be aware of the dangers.”

“Why do you think I was singing? Wild animals don’t like surprises. I was giving them fair warning.”

Case watched in grudging admiration as she nibbled the cheese. Eliza seemed to take everything in her stride. She wasn’t even complaining about the tough jerky.

“So you lived in the woods?” he asked, swallowing a bite of jerky.

She giggled. “Not in the woods. There were woods surrounding the town.”

“I’ll bet you had a lot of beaus back in Indiana.”

Eliza gave him a coquettish glance. “What makes you think so?”

“You seem very comfortable around men.”

Her mouth curved up impishly. “Perhaps I’m just comfortable around you.”

“And you know how to flirt.”

“That’s just my gregarious nature.”

Gregarious, hell. She had to be aware of what she did to a man when she batted those baby blues.

“If I were really comfortable around you,” she explained, “I would take off my shoes and stockings.”

Instantly, an image of Eliza with bared ankles and calves flashed into Case’s mind, bringing rise to all sorts of delicious thoughts. Before his imagination could arouse him further, he reached for his cup of water and drank it all down, though he would have preferred to douse himself with it.

When Eliza finished eating she lay back on the blanket, folded her arms beneath her head, closed her eyes and sighed contentedly, as if she’d just feasted at a banquet. The kittenish smile on her face was so beguiling that Case was hard pressed not to lean over and sample that luscious mouth.

Maybe it wasn’t the animals in the woods she ought to fear.

“We’d better get moving. I want to reach the river by sundown.”

“I think I’ll walk alongside the wagon for awhile,” she said as she pinned her hat in place. “I’m too stiff to sit any longer.”

“Let me see your shoes.”

Eliza turned on her side in a pose not unlike the one he had imagined on the pink sofa. Holding out one foot, she raised her skirt, revealing not only her leather slippers, but also a well-turned ankle. Remembering those earlier images, Case fought to keep his gaze from roaming further.

He examined the slipper and leaned back on his elbows. “You won’t walk far in those.”

“I’d only intended to go as far as the wagon to retrieve my walking boots.” She stood and shook out her skirts. “Ready?”

Muttering under his breath about how much easier it was to travel alone, Case gathered up the food in the blanket and followed her.

But he did enjoy the way her hips swayed when she walked.

 

Eliza walked for exactly two hours. She made herself do it, though her heels blistered in her hot walking boots. She wasn’t about to complain and have Case think she was a mollycoddled crybaby. As she had told him earlier, if she’d known him a little better, she wouldn’t have worn anything on her feet. She preferred being barefooted.

After surreptitiously checking her watch for the sixth time, she said, “Well, that’s enough exercise for awhile,” and climbed onboard the wagon.

“How are your feet?”

“Oh, they’re fine.” She couldn’t wait to take off her boots, but she didn’t dare in front of Case. She decided she needed to get her mind off them instead. “Would you mind if I sing now?”

“Tell me about your friend Eileen.”

Case was actually asking her to talk! What a relief to do something besides stare at trees, trees and more trees.

“Eileen Neeley and Emeline Sullivan were my best friends growing up. Everyone called us The Three Es, but we preferred --”

“You said before that Eileen’s father is well to do.”

Eliza let his rude interruption pass. “Yes. He has a lot of fertile farmland. But the poor man has been in ill health; he’s not expected to live out the year.”

“Will your friend inherit everything?”

“Yes. She’s his only child.”

“And Caroni knows that, doesn’t he?”

“I would imagine he does.”

“I guarantee he does. It’s the way he operates.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s very simple. For the past three years, Frank Caroni has made his living by marrying wealthy young women and taking their inheritances. In all instances, the young women were the sole beneficiaries, and their fathers were on their death beds.”

“But Francis told us he’d never married.”

“He’s `never married’ four times, to be exact, and has yet to be divorced. Before that, he ran a bogus railroad bond scheme, targeting widows’ life savings.”

Eliza shook her head. “You must have someone else in mind. Francis grew up in California and has only been in our part of the country for a year. Before that he panned for gold in Colorado.”

“The gold rush has been over for quite some time, Miss Lowe. I imagine his search for a fortune took him no further than some young lady’s rich daddy.”

“You can imagine whatever you wish, but I still say you’re wrong.”

“Medium height, stocky build, curly brown hair, neatly trimmed moustache --”

“That could be anyone.”

“One blue eye, one green.”

Eliza’s mouth dropped open. That couldn’t be anyone but Francis. “How do you know so much about him?”

A muscle in Case’s jaw twitched, and his gaze grew cold. “He’s been wanted for ten years.”

“But ten years ago he would have been fifteen years old.”

“Nineteen.”

Eliza scratched her nose. His description matched Francis exactly, yet his facts were in complete opposition. “All I know is that Francis and Eileen love each other dearly. He’s a charming man; he simply wouldn’t take advantage of her.”

“You told me Eileen only knew him for five days before they ran off together. Five days, Miss Lowe. Hardly long enough to really get to know someone, not to mention fall in love with them.”

A horrible thought occurred to her. “You’re not looking for Francis, are you?”

Case was silent.

A cold knot of alarm began to form in Eliza’s stomach. “You were hired to help me. You can’t be after him. That would be unethical.”

Still he said nothing, but she saw a muscle twitch in his jaw.

“Eileen loves Francis, Mr. Brogan, and she’s carrying their child. I promised her I’d help them; I can’t break my promise. If you have any intentions of trying to stop me, I’ll find a way to go on without you.”

“What if everything I told you about him were true?”

“But it’s not.”

“What if it were?”

“If it were true, I wouldn’t give him the money. I’d help Eileen leave him instead.”

That seemed to satisfy him. But was he after Francis or not? She turned his question back on him. “What if everything I told you about Francis were true?”

“It’s not.”

“What if it were?” she insisted.

He fixed her with a piercing look. “I don’t make mistakes like that.”

Eliza folded her fan and tapped it against her palm. She had to convince Case of Francis’s innocence before the two men came face to face. She’d given her word to Eileen that she’d help them, and she meant to keep it.

 

Regardless of her sore feet, by dusk Eliza’s backside hurt so much that she was ready to hop down and walk again. Luckily, at that moment Case decided to guide the horses off the road to a clearing among the trees.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“If my map is accurate, the Green River should be just ahead. We’ll set up camp nearby.”

“Thank goodness! I’m famished.”

While Case unhitched the horses and led them down to the water, Eliza spread the blanket, sat down and removed her boots.

“Just what I feared,” she muttered, examining her bleeding heels. She tucked her feet underneath her as Case approached carrying a shotgun.

“I’m going to find a rabbit.”

“Oh, not a rabbit!” she cried, jumping up. “They’re so helpless.”

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?”

“Not that hungry.”

“All right, a squirrel.”

“Not a squirrel either. Nothing with a cute face.”

Shaking his head in disbelief he headed for the forest. “I’ll look for a homely deer.”

“Mr. Brogan!”

Case swung around.

She gave him an imploring smile. “We have bread, cheese and jerky.”

“Will that be enough food for you?”

“Maybe I can find some berries in the woods.”

“Maybe you’ll run into a friendly bear, too. You can ask him where to look for berries.”

Eliza crossed her arms and gave him a disgruntled look.

Case shook his head resignedly and strode back toward her. “There’s canned beans in the wagon. Why don’t you see about fixing them while I start a fire?”

While he gathered wood, Eliza rummaged through the wagon and found beans and a dented tin pan. She opened the can, sniffed the contents, decided they smelled pretty darn delicious, and dumped them into the pan.

Never had beans, bread and cheese tasted so good. To her delight, Case even ground coffee beans and brewed coffee. Bitter and hot, it was the perfect accompaniment to their meal.

“I’m going to roll out your bedroll in the back of the wagon,” he told her, as they washed their plates in the river.

“I’m not sleeping in that stuffy wagon. I’ll sleep outside by the fire. You may have the wagon.”

“And have some bear carry you off for his next meal? Not on your life,” he said, as they tramped back.

“He won’t come near the fire.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“He could just as easily crawl into that wagon,” she reasoned, “especially if he smells food.”

Case scowled as he contemplated the situation. “We’ll both sleep by the fire,” he finally said. “I’ll have my shotgun right beside me.”

“Fine. I’m going to wash first.” Eliza climbed into the wagon, removed a towel and bar of soap from her trunk and headed for the river.

Striding after her, Case grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “You’re not going in the water now. It’s almost dark.”

“I won’t be able to sleep with all this dust and grime on me.”

“You’ll survive.”

“When I can’t fall asleep, I sing.” She gave him a beguiling smile.

Case glared at her, realizing he’d lost the argument. “The only way you’re going near that river is if I’m there to watch over you.”

For a moment she glared back, then a wily look came into her eyes. “All right, watch if you must. I’m sure Auntie Vi will be most interested to know about it.”

Case counted slowly to eleven, adding the last number for good measure. “We’ll compromise. You sing while you’re bathing so I know you’re safe. If you stop singing, I’ll come running.”

“It’s a deal.”

Case walked Eliza down to the sloping riverbank and looked around while she removed her shoes. The river was narrow and, from what he could tell, fairly shallow. Still, who knew what lurked beneath that dark surface? Eliza could be singing one moment and gone the next. He swung around to tell her he’d changed his mind, but she’d disappeared.

“Miss Lowe!” he shouted.

He heard the rustle of leaves, then saw her skirt come up over the top of a bush. Instantly, a picture of Eliza unclothed darted through his mind.

“I’m ready,” she called. “You can leave now.”

“Start singing.”

He strode away as she trilled out a song in Italian. Despite his best efforts to keep his thoughts off her, in his mind’s eye he could see Eliza standing in chest high water, the peaks of her breasts gleaming in the shafts of moonlight that spilled across the black surface, her pearly arms lifted, dripping with water droplets as she lathered her hair.

That provocative image brought on the familiar tightening in his groin. Damn it! He hated being aroused when there was no outlet for it.

He’d only gone half way back when he realized she’d stopped singing.

With his heart pounding like a kettle drum, Case ran down the slope, scanning the water for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Yanking off his shoes, he plunged into the cool water.

At that moment, Eliza emerged from the depths like a goddess rising from the moonlit sea, her long black hair cascading over ivory shoulders, water streaming down her curvaceous body. Alerted by the sound of heavy splashing, she quickly scrubbed the water from her eyes, took one look at Case charging toward her, and gasped.

Without hesitation, Case swept her into his arms, swung around and waded back.

“What are you doing?” she cried indignantly, trying to cover herself.

“You were in danger.”

“I was not!”

“You stopped singing.”

“I had to rinse my hair. Put me down! Oh, no, don’t put me down. You’ll see more than you already have.”

Case tried to keep his gaze from roaming downward while he figured out what to do with her. He knew what he wanted to do, and, despite the chill of the water, he was more than ready to do it. But he was supposed to protect her, damn it!

“Take me to my towel,” she said, pointing behind him.

Case swung around, his own clothing now plastered to his body. He bent his knees and lowered her, trying to keep his balance as she stretched out a hand.

“A little lower,” she directed, “and close your eyes.”

“Just stretch your hand out farther.”

“I can’t and keep my modesty. You’re not closing your eyes!”

Little did she know she had more to worry about than keeping her modesty. With his eyes shut, Case could feel one of her hardened nipples pressing against his sodden shirt, tantalizing him beyond human endurance.

He gritted his teeth, willing himself to ignore the lust sweeping through him. “Now can you reach it?”

“I – think – so. Just a little closer -- oh!” she cried, as they toppled over. Case landed right on top of her, one arm still around her back.

For a stunned, breathless moment, they simply gazed at each other. Slowly Eliza became aware of the weight and heat of his body in contrast with the coldness of his shirt and pants against her naked flesh. One knee rested between her legs, sending electrifying tingles from her breasts to the very heart of her womanhood. She lay unclothed and helpless, pinned beneath his strong torso, and for some reason that thought aroused her enormously.

As though his awareness grew with hers, Case’s eyes darkened and his heart hammered against her chest. He lifted his head to let his gaze sweep down over her breasts, bringing a delicious throbbing between her legs. Then his head dipped lower, his lips dangerously close to hers.

She was positive he was going to kiss her.