14

Thea frowned as she looked down at the sleeping baby. She ought to have started supper, but instead she was sitting in the parlor, watching a child who needed no watching, and thinking thoughts that were best forgotten. She had no business being fascinated by a man—any man. Hadn’t she learned her lesson with Daniel? Other women might be good judges of character, but Thea was not. She had believed that Daniel was the right man for her and that they’d have the kind of marriage Sarah and Clay did, but she’d been wrong.

She’d been fooled, and she’d paid the price with months of anguish when the scent of perfume—any perfume—made her cringe. And then there’d been the day the sheriff had brought Daniel’s body home and she’d realized that she would never know the truth about her husband. That was the day she’d vowed she would never, ever put herself in that position again. She would never again open her heart to a man. Yet, no matter how often she scolded herself, Thea couldn’t stop thinking about Jackson and all that he’d revealed on their ride.

Rangers had the reputation of being big, tough men. Jackson was big, at least compared to her, and she didn’t doubt that he could be tough, but there was a gentle side to him too. Few men would have volunteered to care for Stuart. And while he was only the second Ranger she’d met, Thea suspected few spent much time questioning whether they’d done the right thing, whether the killing was justified. It was simply part of the job. They did what they had to without a lot of introspection.

Jackson was different, and it wasn’t difficult to find the reason. Thea suspected that few other Rangers had had their brothers die in their arms as a result of their job. That was bound to change a man, just as Daniel and Aaron’s deaths had changed her.

“But you’re alive, Stuart.” She stroked the baby’s cheek and inhaled the sweet fragrance that was his alone.

“Of course he is. Were you worried?”

Thea spun around, realizing she’d been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard the door opening.

“No . . .” She paused, trying to decide how much to share with Aimee. “It’s just sometimes . . .”

Aimee nodded as if she understood. “You think about your husband and son. That’s only normal.”

There’d been more to it than that, but that was enough of an explanation for today. Aimee didn’t need to know how deeply Jackson’s story had touched her.

Aimee untied her bonnet strings and laid the hat on one of the tables. “How was your new patient?”

“Perfectly healthy.” The urgent call that had summoned Thea to the ranch had been a false alarm. “This is her first baby, and she’s nervous.”

The expectant father had been even more worried than her patient, a fact that had warmed Thea’s heart. Some men paid little attention to their wives’ condition, but this one had been refreshingly concerned and protective of his bride, telling Thea they’d been married less than six months and that he couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to her. Daniel had been solicitous when she’d told him she was expecting their child, but not to that extent.

“It turned out she had a case of indigestion and was afraid it would harm the child,” Thea said as she laid Stuart in the buggy. “It took me a while to reassure her and her husband, but once I convinced them that babies could survive much more than that, she seemed fine.”

A slightly mischievous smile crossed Aimee’s face as Thea settled into the chair across from her. “I heard Jackson went with you.”

Though Thea knew she shouldn’t have been surprised, she was, as much by the speed with which the story had spread as the gossip itself. “Lydia told me there are few secrets in this town, and it seems she’s right. Cimarron Creek has an efficient grapevine.” Thea raised an eyebrow. “Do you know who started it?”

Aimee nodded. “Patience. She saw you leaving the livery and couldn’t wait to report what she’d seen.” Her narrowed eyes said there was more to the story. “She’s been coming into the apothecary almost every day.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? Lydia mentioned that business declined for a few weeks after Warner’s parents died. I would imagine he’s glad to have additional customers.”

“It is good. Warner told me more women would come in if I were there, and that’s happening, but I don’t think I’m the reason Patience comes.” Aimee flashed a wry smile. “The truth is, I was going to encourage Patience to stop by, but I didn’t have to. She keeps coming without an invitation.”

Remembering the way the new schoolteacher had stolen looks at the pharmacist when they’d been playing charades, Thea wasn’t surprised. “To see Warner.” She made it a statement.

Aimee nodded. “I think so. Her face takes on a special glow when she talks to him. I never thought I’d be a matchmaker, but I can’t help hoping they see how right they are for each other. Patience gets Warner to laugh, and he talks more when she’s there, not like—”

“Like who?” Though Thea believed she knew the answer, she wanted Aimee to confirm her suspicions.

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”

Thea laid her hand on Aimee’s. “If it bothers you—and I can see that it does—it matters. I can’t force you to tell me, but I’d like to help you.”

Aimee bit her lip, and for a second Thea doubted she would reveal anything. “I’m so confused,” she said at last. “Do you know what a coup de foudre is?”

“Love at first sight.” As she pronounced the words, a lump settled in Thea’s throat. If there was one subject she did not want to discuss, it was that.

“Exactly.” Aimee’s enthusiastic response left no doubt that she did not share Thea’s distaste for the lightning bolts of love. “My mother claimed that’s what happened to her and my father. I didn’t think it was real, but it is.”

No, no, no! The lump grew, threatening Thea’s ability to swallow. Though she wished it weren’t so, it appeared that her friend was making the same mistake she had.

“You love Nate?”

As Aimee nodded, her mood changed. While her face glowed the way she said Patience’s had, she was not smiling. “It should be perfect. Maman said falling in love was the best time of her life, but that’s because Papa loved her. It’s not that way with Nate and me.”

Aimee let out a deep sigh that could have signaled frustration. “I feel wonderful when I’m around Nate, but he hardly seems to know I exist.”

Thea had not had that problem, for she and Daniel had both been smitten from the day they’d met. She had believed they’d shared true love—a deep love that would last forever—but she had been wrong.

Thea’s heart ached for her friend. As dangerous as her first love had proven to be, she knew that unrequited love was equally painful.

“What does Nate do?” Thea said a silent prayer for the words to comfort Aimee.

“It’s what he doesn’t do.” Aimee practically spat the words. “Every time he comes into the store, he greets me, but that’s all. It’s like the words freeze up inside him when he talks to me.” She shook her head in obvious frustration. “It doesn’t make any sense. He talks to everyone else. You’ve seen that—he talks to you. Why am I different?”

Thea made a show of checking Stuart while she gathered her thoughts. She didn’t want to encourage Aimee to make a mistake, but she also didn’t want to see her suffer. “There are a couple possibilities. He could be afraid of you.”

“Afraid? Why? I can’t imagine Nate’s frightened of anything, much less me.” Aimee shook her head, setting her blonde curls to bouncing. “That can’t be it. What’s the other possibility?”

Though it was one that worried Thea, she owed her friend an honest answer. “It could be that he’s attracted to you. I’ve seen men become tongue-tied when they’re near a woman they want to impress.”

Aimee’s eyes brightened as some of the tension that had gripped her began to dissipate. “Do you think that’s the case?”

“It could be.”

Today was going to be the day. Jackson clenched his fists and relaxed them, repeating the exercise that rarely failed to calm turbulent thoughts. He wouldn’t do that on the street, lest someone think he was belligerent, but there was no one here in Warner’s home to see him, and he definitely needed calming. As distressing as it might be, today was the day he would show Thea his sketch and discover what she knew about her husband’s involvement with the Gang.

Jackson flexed his fingers, annoyed that fisting his hands had failed to calm him. He knew Thea was seeing Mrs. Allen this morning. He’d talk to her when she returned home. Flex, flex, flex. Clench, relax, clench, relax. It did no good. He might as well give up and admit that he wouldn’t relax until he’d spoken to Thea.

Why wait? He could take Stuart out again, meet her at the Allens’, and walk home with her. The town had gotten used to him walking up and down the streets with Stuart most mornings. No one would comment on a second excursion.

It didn’t matter whether Jackson wheeled him in the baby buggy or placed him in the quilted carrier. The boy seemed to enjoy being outside as much as Jackson did. Jackson relished the activity, and Travis claimed it saved him and Edgar from having to do a morning inspection, because he knew Jackson would spot and report anything unusual.

“You don’t stop being a lawman just because you’re carrying a baby,” Travis had said. “I know you’re always looking for anomalies.”

“Guilty as charged.” Even though there’d been no sight of the Gang, Jackson was constantly vigilant. He tried to be circumspect about it, but he continued to worry about the Gang and its connection to Thea.

“We ought to put you on the town’s payroll,” Travis said.

He might be joking, but Jackson was taking no chances. “That’s not for me.” If he left the Rangers, it would be for something very different. But until he caught the Gang, there was no question of resigning. The fact that he needed to step up his search was the reason he needed to talk to Thea today.

There she was. Jackson lengthened his stride when he saw Thea emerging from the Allens’ front door, then paused. Something was wrong. Even the day he’d taken her to view the body of Stuart’s mother she hadn’t looked this discouraged. Today Thea’s shoulders drooped, and her step was slow.

“What’s wrong?” It wasn’t much of a greeting, but he couldn’t help it. Seeing Thea’s distress made Jackson forget the social niceties. He needed to learn what had happened so he could fix it.

Thea looked up, clearly surprised to see him. “Nothing.”

It was a lie. A bald-faced lie. If nothing was wrong, she wouldn’t look like this. Even more telling, she hadn’t peered into the buggy to check on Stuart.

“I’m not buying that,” Jackson said firmly. “You look like you lost your best friend.” Perhaps she was worried about her patient. “Is Mrs. Allen all right?”

“Yes.” Thea’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something else, but no words emerged. Finally, she spoke, her voice so soft that he had to take a step closer to hear her. “It’s silly. I know that, but I hate her perfume.”

If it had come from another woman, Jackson would have agreed that the declaration sounded silly, but Thea was not a silly woman. She must have a good reason why her patient’s scent had her on the verge of tears.

“What’s wrong with Mrs. Allen’s perfume?”

Thea shuddered and laid a hand on the top of the baby buggy, as if to steady herself. “Daniel used to travel. When he came home, his shirts smelled like that.”

Jackson felt the blood drain from his face. He had no difficulty believing that Daniel Michener was a robber and a member—perhaps the leader—of the Gang of Four, but the idea that he might have been unfaithful to Thea left him speechless.

How could any man look at another woman if Thea were his wife? It was unthinkable, truly unthinkable. And yet Thea was standing there, her shoulders shaking with emotion, more vulnerable than Jackson had ever seen her. He had to say something. But what?

“Did you ask him?”

She nodded. “He said it was nothing for me to worry about.”

Of course she worried. Anyone would have. “It might not have been what you’re thinking.” They were empty words. Jackson knew that, but he had to offer them.

“What else could it have been?”

“I don’t know.” As much as he tried, Jackson could not conjure an innocent reason why a man’s shirts would carry the scent of another woman’s perfume.