Page 49 of Dark Side of the River

It felt good to be back in the saddle. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed it. While he’d been away from home for those two years, he’d gotten construction jobs that paid better than rounding up cows. But he’d missed this.

He breathed in the morning air. Overhead, puffy clouds dotted the vast blue of the Montana sky. Here the sky seemed so much larger, stretching from horizon to horizon unobstructed by any structures. He rode along the edge of the Powder River, the water moving slow among the rocks that stood up out of the dark sand that had given the river its name.

Tilly was waiting for him at the edge of the cottonwoods. She’d ground-tied her horse, which was munching the grass, and walked to the edge of the river where she now sat with her face turned up to the summer sun.

The sight of her made his heart pound. She had a classic beauty deeper than skin that humbled him, making him feel unworthy. She deserved better than him. Not to mention that anything between the two of them would be difficult at best. Did they really want to put themselves and their families through that?

Tilly looked up as he and his horse approached. He saw something in those green eyes that struck like an arrow in his chest. He knew then that he’d do whatever it took. He wanted Tilly in his life.

She rose from the rock, picked up her horse’s reins and swung up into the saddle with practiced ease. She looked good sitting there, as if perfectly at home. She cocked her head, amusement playing in her expression. Her lips turned up a little at the corners, her eyes bright.

“There something on your mind, cowboy?” she asked.

He looked away, swallowed. How easily she’d read him. He’d have to watch that, he thought. “No, I don’t want to discuss the kisses. Isn’t that the sort of thing you talk about with your girlfriends?”

She laughed. “You really don’t know much about women, do you?”

“Not really,” he agreed as he rode up beside her. “But I’m willing to learn,” he said, and leaned over to kiss her. “Let’s do this.”

They rode back through the parklike grass beneath the dark green canopy of cottonwood leaves. The breeze whispered through the branches over their heads. It felt intimate in here, just the two of them. The creak of their saddles, the jingle of the reins, the snort of a horse were the only sounds, as if Tilly was holding her breath and so was he.

“Sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Nope.”

She laughed. “How did I know that?”

He glanced over at her. “’Cuz you know me.”

“I do, Coop,” she agreed. “I’m willing to get to know you better, though.”

He chuckled at that as they broke out of the grove of cottonwoods, and he saw the dark gash of the ravine. “This could be dangerous.” He glanced over at her.

“Don’t even think about going back in there without me.”

TILLYHADN’TKNOWNwhat to expect when she saw Cooper this morning. She knew that she’d gotten under his skin. She could see that, feel it. He couldn’t deny it, not after their kisses last night, not after what he’d said about the first time they made love.

Not that she hadn’t expected him to shut down again and try denying what was happening between them. She’d told herself that he couldn’t keep pretending there wasn’t more than chemistry between them. But she knew that he might try.

Not because he didn’t feel it, but because he was scared. Because of Leann? Or because she was a Stafford?

Well, he could keep denying it to himself—but not to her. So she was glad this morning that he wasn’t even trying to pretend that last night hadn’t happened.

She had watched him out of the corner of her eye as they rode through the cottonwoods. It dawned on her that she wasn’t all that was bothering him. This morning Stuart had called her. He’d said he had just wanted to talk to a friend.

“We’re still friends, aren’t we?”

“Of course,” she’d said reflexively. Were they?

“Seen Cooper today?”

“Stuart—”

“Just asking. He was in my office earlier. He thinks he has proof that Leann was murdered.” This had surprised her. Cooper had proof?

“This is good news, isn’t it?” she’d said.

“He thinks so. He seems to think that she was running off with some man. He wants me to reopen the case. I think that’s pretty risky since the prosecutor is still convinced that Cooper is guilty.”

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