Cassie flipped through the stack of overdue invoices and frowned. It was hopeless. She counted the money on the desk. Seventy-eight dollars and change. That was all the money she had in the world, and it was far from enough—although it was actually a lot more than she’d expected.
After Mattie and the girls left, she had counted the till and found an envelope with money in it. At first, she didn’t understand where it came from; then she checked the ledger. Luke had gotten Rudd and his brothers to pay part of their bills.
She bit her bottom lip. Sam had been honest enough to enter it in the ledger, unlike that rat, Taylor. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Between the damned heat and all the yelling this afternoon, her head felt like it was going to explode. Why couldn’t she have one peaceful day in this town?
This morning, she had hoped to have a nice tea party with the girls, but that had gone sour—fast. At first, she’d thought she could make Mattie understand about Sam, but Mattie didn’t want to listen.
Mattie said Sam was taking advantage of her, or if he wasn’t now, he would. She warned her that keeping Sam around would cause trouble, and she’d been right. Today, he’d alienated her from the whole town, and who would suffer? Her. Not him.
Maybe Mattie was right, but something deep down told her Sam was different. Maybe because of the way he kept hanging around and helping her out, no matter how mean she was to him. Or maybe it was the way he’d kissed her in the pantry and made her whole body shiver.
She pushed that memory aside. The last thing she wanted was to think about Sam. It was better for everyone if he left and never came back. Every time she got attached to someone, they always left her anyway. Her parents left; Annie left; Taylor left; everyone eventually left. If you never got attached, you never got hurt.
All afternoon, Mattie kept telling her that she’d done the right thing by kicking Sam out, but she wasn’t sure. Sam had seemed so hurt when she’d slapped him and told him to go defend Alice. She’d almost rushed after him. That had been hours ago. Where was Sam? She hadn’t gone to look for him, but where could he be? The town wasn’t big, and he didn’t have a horse.
She forced her attention back to the bills and sorted the pile of invoices. Three were stamped Sent to Collections, four more had Final Notice emblazoned on the top, and others read, Third Reminder. She had only enough money to pay half of one of them, and doing that would leave her flat broke.
How was she going to pay the bills? She didn’t dare ask the bank for another loan—the two she had were already past due. Money had been tight before, but it hadn’t been this bad.
After what Sam did today, it was doubtful she’d ever have another customer. Then again, maybe it didn’t matter. She couldn’t order any new supplies. The mail-order place had cut off her credit and four freight companies refused to deliver to her unless they received payment up front.
She closed the ledger and rubbed her temples. There was no sense worrying about all this now. She was tired, and it had been a troubling day. Fretting about starving to death over the coming winter was only going to make her head hurt worse.
The bell over the door jangled, and she turned. Sam came in and shut the door.
“What are you—?”
Sam held up a hand to silence her. “Before you start yelling, I’ve got something to say.” He paused. “I’ve been thinking, and you were right. I had no business telling Missus Harper to leave your store. I have no business staying where I’m not wanted.”
“Trying to make amends now won’t work. You—”
“I’m not. I’m leaving in the morning. We made a deal that if it didn’t work out with me staying on and helping you, I’d go. As soon as I find work, I’ll send you the money I owe you.”
She gasped. Sam was leaving? For good? No, it had to be a trick to make her feel sorry for him. She refused to give in. “Do you know what you did? Missus Harper is going to tell everyone in town to boycott the store. What will I do when I don’t have any customers?”
“I know I overstepped my bounds, but I didn’t do it on purpose. I was standing up for you, like a man should. I thought we had something between us.” Sam adjusted the satchel over his shoulder and headed for the kitchen door. “But I guess I was wrong.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. Sam wasn’t about to manipulate her. “What are you going to do? Go back to your beloved Alice? I’m sure she misses you. Or did you move on and forget her, too?”
Sam stopped and spun to face her. “Alice?” He furrowed his brows. “How do you know about Alice? Were you reading my letters?”
She rose and approached him. “When you had a fever, you were talking to her, calling for her, telling her how much you loved her, and—”
“And you’re jealous. Is that it? Don’t waste your time, Cassie. Alice is dead.”
Her mouth dropped open, and she felt like all the air had been sucked out of her chest. “What?”
Sam pursed his lips before he replied. “She died a year ago.”
Her stomach twisted into a knot. “Oh . . . I didn’t know. I thought—”
“The worst,” he snapped. “You thought the worst of me, but I’m not like him. I’m not gonna run out on you.”
“Oh, really? That’s exactly what you’re doing—”
“Is that so?” He let out a short laugh. “Then why am I standing here now? I could be long gone, but no, I came back to tell you good-bye proper and explain why I’m leaving. Not because I want to go but because you want me gone. No, that’s not right,” he said, shaking his head. “Your good friend Mattie wants me gone.”
She glanced down, not knowing what to say.
“Things were fine between us until Mattie came here. She hated me the second she saw me and made you think the worst of me. Did you ever wonder why? Maybe her profession puts her off of trusting men because all she sees is the bad side of them.”
Sam shook his head. “Never mind. When you have your next tea party, they’ll be happy to see I’m gone. I won’t make your life worse. I’ll go and you can run the store all by your lonesome,” he said as he headed into the kitchen.
Cassie walked to the desk on shaking knees and flopped into the chair. Sam was leaving her. She couldn’t blame him, not after the way she’d treated him, but maybe he was right. She had jumped to conclusions about him having a secret wife or sweetheart somewhere, and Alice was dead. Damn that Mattie. She had half a mind to ride over to the cathouse and smack her in the mouth for causing all this trouble.
She’d been happier in the last few weeks than she had been in the last two years. Sam was good to her. He’d helped run the store, he’d brought in a lot of money, and he defended her against Rudd and his brothers. His only crime was caring for her, and look how she repaid him. What would happen to her if he left?
Cassie stared at the invoices and blinked back tears. She didn’t want Sam to leave—but how could she convince him to stay?
Sam turned from the pie safe with a loaf of bread in his hand. Cassie stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching him. She wore a blue-and-white gingham dress and her hair was loose around her shoulders.
“Good morning, Sam.”
He sat at the table and cut off a slice of bread. “I’ll be outta here as soon as I have a cup of coffee and something to eat—if that’s not too much trouble.”
“No, no trouble,” Cassie said as she sat across from him.
He stirred sugar into his coffee. Had coming back been a mistake? Yesterday he’d gone to the stagecoach office and weighed his options. A few hours’ carriage ride from Baxter would connect him with trains headed everywhere. It wouldn’t take much effort to vanish. He’d also considered what Luke said about finding work in Baxter. He could settle in for a few weeks until he earned enough to pay Cassie back, then head west, or maybe south.
Up until yesterday, he never realized how much he missed living in a big town. There were opportunities there, and a whole world outside of Nebraska. What would be the point of staying in Holloway? Luke was right; in a year or two, Holloway would be a ghost town, a faded memory. If he left, eventually Cassie and all her troubles would fade from his memory, too.
Although it would be easy to leave, part of him wasn’t quite ready. He felt compelled to give Cassie one last chance to make amends or to say good-bye, at least. He owed her his life, and he didn’t want to run off like Taylor had.
He yawned and sipped his coffee. He’d been up all night, tossing and turning, thinking over the situation. He cared about Cassie, and he didn’t want to leave her—but he wasn’t going to stay here and be made a fool. For God’s sake, he’d been a sheriff, and now look at him—he was an unpaid store clerk who’d been slapped by a stubborn woman and humiliated by a pack of whores. He was entitled to better.
“I was awake half the night, thinking,” Cassie said, breaking the awkward silence between them.
“So?” He made his voice sound cold. After yesterday, he was tired of playing games.
“I want to talk to you about what happened.”
He stared Cassie dead in the eyes. “I believe you said enough yesterday. I’m nothing but trouble, and I make your life miserable. I don’t belong here, remember?”
“But, Sam, I thought about it and—”
“And nothing.” He buttered the slice of bread. Cassie wasn’t going to whine and cry and get into his heart. She said she wanted him gone; now she’d have to live with it.
“Are you really leaving?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I know better than to stay where I ain’t wanted, where I get hit trying to help you. You don’t want me around, and even if you did, Mattie cured you of that.”
“I’m sorry, Sam. I made a mess out of everything, like usual,” she blurted out. “I overreacted. I never should have listened to Mattie. Since you’ve been here, things have gotten better for me. You’ve helped me out, and I never appreciated it.”
He bit into his bread and waited. Now this was something different. Cassie sounded genuinely sorry.
“Mattie kept telling me I was making the same mistake again. She has a way of twisting things around and making me feel guilty for liking you. She said if you stayed I’d end up alone and miserable with my heart broken. I didn’t want to go through that again. When Annie died, I promised myself that no matter what, I’d . . .” She sniffled. “. . . be strong and not get attached to anyone.”
When Alice died, he’d promised himself the same thing.
“But then you came along, and I don’t know what happened.” Cassie wiped away her tears with her fingertips. “Every time I started to feel something for you, I made myself pull away. I didn’t want to get attached because when you left I’d be miserable again. And that night in the pantry . . . I don’t know what happened. I let myself go.”
She shrugged. “And that was all it took. Mattie said you had to go before I got myself in trouble, like last time. She said you’d bat those blue eyes at me and we’d be in bed in a flash.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Did you tell her about . . . the pantry?”
“God, no. If I had, she would have beat the hell out of me and come after you with shears.”
He chuckled. Cassie was probably right about that.
“But I did tell her you were asking for Alice. And she said you probably left her with six kids and took off. Then she said you’d do the same to me.”
Sam clenched his jaw and tossed the bread on his plate. “She had no right talking about Alice that way.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I ever mentioned her. Mattie made me feel so guilty, so stupid, so . . . dirty, without even knowing what we did.” Cassie bowed her head. “Mattie said it would be best for me to throw you out. Then you had that argument with Missus Harper. I took it out on you, and that wasn’t right.”
“Hell, I’ll say.” He sipped his coffee. “I care about you, and I’m not gonna let a dried-up old harpy waltz into your store and run her mouth about you. If she was a man, I would have knocked her teeth down her throat for what she said.”
“I appreciate you standing up for me, Sam. But I’ve heard their name-calling for so long I ignore it.” Cassie reached across the table and clasped his hand. “I wish we could start over from the minute you came into the store. I’d do it different, Sam, I swear. I wouldn’t be angry because you tried to help me. I’d appreciate you more. If I could have another chance . . .” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Don’t leave me, Sam. Please stay.”
He closed his eyes. Of all the things to say. Those were the last words Alice ever said to him—and he’d left her. He had never forgiven himself for that.
Guilt tugged at his heartstrings. Cassie sounded like a scared and lost little girl. Despite his resolve to stay strong, she had managed to crack his shell.
“All day yesterday I thought about this place, you . . . us.” He took a deep breath. “I can’t, no, I won’t stay here if things are gonna be like they were. If I stay, there need to be changes around here.”
“Like what?” Cassie asked, sniffling.
“First, if you ever hit me again I will walk out that door forever. You understand?”
She nodded. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry. I was upset and—”
“And two, you’re gonna start being nicer to Luke. He’s helped you out a lot, and I’m sick and tired of hearing you two arguing and snapping at each other. And third, if I stay, I want to have a say in what goes on around here.”
“What do you mean?”
“A man wants to be needed, and if you insist on doing everything yourself and won’t accept my help or advice, then you don’t need me, and there’s no point in me staying.”
Cassie squeezed his hand. “But I do need you, Sam. I do.”
“Then prove it. Let me take on responsibilities.” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. “I want to help you, but I can’t do that if you push me away. Let me take care of things around here my way, starting today.”
“Fine. What’s first?”
“How about a real breakfast? Eggs and bacon, then—”
A banging on the door interrupted him. He checked the clock on the shelf near the door. Nine o’clock. “That’s Luke,” he said as he got to his feet.
“How do you know?”
He headed out of the kitchen and into the store. “I told him to come by at nine and take me to Baxter.”
“Baxter? Why? What’s there?” Cassie asked, trailing after him.
“The stagecoach.” He unlocked the front door and opened it. Luke stood on the porch, yawning. “Morning, Luke.”
“You heading out or staying?”
Sam opened the door wider. “Why don’t you ask Cassie?”
Cassie slipped her arm around his waist. “He’s staying. We worked it all out. You want breakfast? I was about to make eggs.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “Sure. I brought the mail.” He handed Cassie a stack of envelopes. “And I need to talk to Sam outside alone.”
Sam scowled. Something in the tone of Luke’s voice troubled him. “Go start breakfast. I’ll be back in a minute.” He waited until Cassie was out of earshot, then inched closer to Luke. “What’s wrong?”
“You hear any noises last night?”
“No. Why?”
“Come out here.” He followed Luke onto the porch. “Look.” Luke pointed at the boards nailed over the windows.
Someone had scrawled WHORE on the boards in red paint.
“Shit.”
“I didn’t want her to see it and get all riled up,” Luke said. “Not that she needs a reason to.”
“You think it was Rudd?”
Luke scratched his chin. “Most likely, although someone probably had to teach him how to spell it.”
Sam hooked his thumbs into his belt loops. “You know, when Missus Harper was here yesterday, she threatened me.”
“How so?”
“She said she’d see to it that there would be more trouble for Cassie. And she wasn’t surprised that the store was shot up. In fact, she never asked about it at all. Seems to me, a woman like her would want to gloat over that, don’t you think?”
“What are you saying?” Luke asked. “You think she put Tim up to shooting the place and painting this? That’s ridiculous.”
“You said yourself that everyone in town does what she says, and she’s got money to spread around. How hard would it be for her to hire someone to make Cassie’s life hell?”
“Shit, Sam, I hope you’re wrong.”
“Me too. I don’t like this one bit. If there’s more trouble—”
“Don’t worry. If there is, we’ll deal with it.”
“Do you like the new shutters?” Sam asked.
Cassie turned from sweeping the floor and looked at the front windows. Before breakfast, Luke and Sam had taken down the boards covering the windows and rigged up a set of shutters. They were a welcome change and allowed in more light and fresh air.
“Yes, I do. Now the place isn’t so gloomy.” She gestured at the crowbar Sam was holding. “Off to do another project?”
“I’m gonna go downstairs and work on the storm cellar.”
“Fine. I’ll call you for dinner.” Cassie leaned the broom against the counter and flipped through the mail Luke had delivered. She sighed, then tossed the pile on the desk.
“Shouldn’t you open those?”
“Why? They’re just more bills. Luke should have let them blow off the wagon,” she grumbled.
“Don’t they need to get paid?”
“Sure. But I couldn’t pay them last month, so how am I going to pay them this month?”
“You should at least open them.” Sam set the crowbar on the counter and picked up the letter opener. He slit the piece of twine holding the mail together, and a brown envelope tumbled out of the stack. He handed it to Cassie. “Open this one. It looks important.”
Cassie tore open the envelope. The letter was from the bank and said all the usual things: her accounts were in arrears, she had accumulated numerous late fees, her credit was being cancelled, and—
“Uh-oh,” she muttered.
“What’s wrong?”
“The bank is sending someone out to look at the store.”
“Why?”
She read from the letter. “I’m an unprofitable business, a credit risk. They’ve sent my account to the collections department. A man named Peabody is coming to assess the situation within sixty days.”
“It sounds serious.”
“Not really.” She shrugged. “They all send letters threatening me with collections if I don’t pay.”
“Yeah, but has anyone ever sent an inspector out here? Maybe you could get a loan at a different bank or—”
“I’m already in hock to two banks, plus everyone else. Let them send someone. When he sees I have no money to pay—”
“They’re liable to shut you down and close the store,” Sam said.
Her skin prickled. “What do you mean, close the store? They can’t do that.”
“Sure they can. And if an inspector’s coming, we’d best get to work,” he said, picking up the crowbar. “While I’m downstairs, write up bills to everyone who owes you more than a dollar—”
“That’s practically the whole town.”
“It’s time they paid up. Tell them they need to pay half of what they owe by the first. We’ll have Luke deliver the invoices tomorrow. This way, you’ll have some money in your pocket when Peabody gets here. Tomorrow we’ll fix up the shelves so when the new stock comes in—”
She shot Sam a quizzical look. “What new stock? I haven’t placed an order in ages.”
“Why not?”
“My credit is cut off until I pay in full.” She gestured around the store. “This is all I’ve got.”
“Well, you’ve got me.” Sam kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you in an hour,” he said, then lifted the hatch and went downstairs.
Cassie opened the ledger. Sending out past-due notices was a good idea, except nobody would pay. They never did. Every so often, she got a few dollars here and there, but for the most part, they were ignored.
The note from the bank worried her more than she let on. She’d had a lot of threatening letters before, but the bank never sent anyone out to check on her. Up until now, she had always managed to send her creditors partial payments and keep the wolves at bay.
But now, she wasn’t sure what to do. What if this Peabody man tried to close her down? Would she go out of business for good? Thank God Sam was here to help her. He had a good business sense, and she was glad he’d agreed to stay. What would she do without him?
She grinned. Maybe tonight she would show Sam how happy she was to have him back. She’d cook a nice supper, bake a pie for dessert, and then give him a special surprise . . .
Sam sat at the kitchen table reading over the bank’s letter for the third time. From the way it sounded, Cassie would probably lose everything, unless a miracle happened. He pursed his lips and leaned back in the chair. The store meant the world to her, and he would help her try to keep it—if that’s what she wanted.
“Sam? You down there?” Cassie called out from upstairs.
“Yeah?”
“I need you to come up. There’s a nasty-looking spider in my room.”
“I’ll be right there.” He yawned and picked up the kerosene lantern. It had been a long day, and he was looking forward to getting a decent night’s sleep. If he could sleep, that is. Even at ten o’clock, it was as hot as blazes. He longed for a cool breeze or a thunderstorm to break up the relentless heat. They hadn’t seen a drop of rain in weeks.
He checked that the doors were locked and headed upstairs. Cassie’s bedroom door was open, and he entered the room. She stood next to the bed wearing her lavender dressing gown.
“Where’s the spider?”
“Over there.” She pointed to the corner near the nightstand.
He crouched down, looking for it. “You sure it’s here? They can be tricky.”
“Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“Turn around.”
He turned and gasped. “Whoa.”
Cassie had taken off her robe, revealing a light blue negligee that ended midthigh. He swallowed hard and drank in her long, lean legs, her trim waist, and glimpses of her breasts beneath the low-cut top.
“Oh my,” he said, setting the lantern on the dresser. “Where did you get that?”
“Do you like it?”
“Sure do. Who wouldn’t?”
“I wanted to do something special to make up for”—she bowed her head—“how I acted.”
He crossed the room and lifted her chin with his forefinger. “No need to, but I appreciate it. Now, let me kiss you.”
Sam gathered Cassie into his arms and kissed her deeply. As she responded, he slid his hands down her back, delighting in the silky feel of the fabric.
Cassie draped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, their lips moving in unison. He caressed her back and ribs through the negligee. Cassie was his, and he was in no rush. He wanted to make love to her properly, take his time with her, and love her the way she deserved. They had all night, and he was going to take advantage of every minute.
He broke the kiss, then trailed his finger along the straps holding up the negligee. “This is nice. I think you should have one in every color,” he said as he settled his hands on her hips and kissed her again. He ran his hands down the front of the negligee, cupping and squeezing her breasts. “Like that?”
“Yes, it feels good.”
“You feel good,” he said, then slid the right strap off her shoulder and eased the material away, exposing her right breast. He covered it with his hand, stroking Cassie’s tender skin. Her nipple hardened, and he gave her a pinch.
“Ooh.”
Sam bent his head and drew her breast into his mouth, gently sucking her perked nipple. Cassie moaned, and he teased her with his tongue while fondling her other breast with his hand. Her skin smelled like lavender.
After a minute, he straightened up and tucked her breast back into the negligee, then readjusted the strap.
“Shouldn’t I take it off and get into bed?” she asked.
“No. We’ve got a long way to go before that. Leave it on. I like seeing you in it,” he said, licking his lips. “But I think it’s time I got undressed. It’s awfully hot in here.” He was only half-teasing. Cassie’s bedroom was sweltering.
He took off his shirt, then placed Cassie’s hand at the center of his chest. He ached to feel her hands on him, touching and groping him everywhere. She stroked his muscles and trailed her fingers through his chest hair. Her light caresses made his skin tingle, and a wave of blood rushed to his cock. He closed his eyes and prayed she’d continue.
A second later, he felt Cassie’s warm lips against his chest. She kissed his shoulder where he’d been shot, then ran her hands down his ribs and across his stomach.
Cassie kissed him, her tongue entwining with his as she moved her hands to the front of his bulging trousers. She rubbed his hardness through his pants, making him moan.
He clutched her around the waist and slipped his hands under the negligee, stroking her bare buttocks. Cassie gasped and kissed him deeper. He cupped her ass in his hands and squeezed her tight, pressing their lower bodies together.
She broke the kiss, panting slightly. “Should we—?”
“Nope. Not yet. There’s no rush tonight, darling. I want to make this perfect.” He released her and stepped back. His erection made the front of his pants jut out. Cassie ran her hand over the bulge.
“That looks uncomfortable. Maybe you should take those off. I don’t want you to suffer.”
“Good idea. Close your eyes.”
Cassie closed her eyes, and he wasted no time shucking off his boots, socks, and pants. He glanced down at his rigid member. Hot and pulsing, it begged for relief. Part of him longed to hurry, but another part of him knew that prolonging their lovemaking would make it so much sweeter.
He moved behind Cassie and brushed her long hair to one side, then kissed her neck.
She groaned, and he wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her against him. The satiny negligee grazed his cock, sending a shower of sparks through him. Lord, that felt good.
He trailed kisses down Cassie’s neck, then sucked on the side of her throat. She arched back against him, grinding her buttocks against his erection.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered in her ear.
“I want you to touch me,” she said, her voice breathy.
He kissed her again, rubbing his erection against her buttocks. “Feel that?”
“Yeah, it’s so hard.” She rocked her hips back. “Just what I like.”
“You want it, don’t you?” He liked talking naughty; it added to his excitement.
“Yeah. I’ve wanted you for a while, Sam.”
That was interesting. Up until now, he wasn’t sure if their lust-filled encounter in the pantry had been a one-time-only tryst. But Cassie was eager for more—and he was ready to give it to her.
Sam nuzzled her neck and slipped his right hand under the front of the negligee. Cassie parted her legs, and he eased his hand between her thighs. She gasped as he stroked her.
“Ooh, that’s nice,” she purred.
He grinned as he toyed with her, running his fingers along her soft, slick folds. Cassie was more than aroused, but he wanted to wait, bring her to the brink, and have her quivering in his hands.
Sam rocked his hips against Cassie’s buttocks, sliding his penis along the negligee. “I like this. It feels good,” he said as he slipped a finger into her.
“Oh, God.” Cassie pressed back against him, gasping for breath as he fingered her.
“Talk to me. Tell me if you like it.” He wanted her to talk dirty to him, to hear how much she wanted him.
“Yeah, I like it. Do more.”
He smiled as he teased her from the inside. Tonight was all about making her feel special and loved—adored in a way she’d never known before.
Cassie rested her head on his shoulder as he swirled his thumb around her tender nub. She writhed against him, her hips bucking up and down. “Keep going. I’m close.”
He kissed her neck and withdrew his hand. “No, darling. Not like that. Not yet. Now it’s time for bed.”