Page 24 of River Wild

“I know you have a lot more questions,” she said, clearing her throat and extricating herself from his arms. “But not tonight.” Rising, she went into his kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She stood letting the cold air soothe her burning skin. It would be daylight in a few hours. “Do you want a beer?” she called.

“Sure,” he answered.

It would have been so easy to stay in Stuart’s arms, so easy to give in to the desire that had beset her for so long for this man. But she couldn’t, wouldn’t, not until she’d put her past behind her. That meant finding the man who’d attacked her, the man who’d killed Willow, and ending this nightmare.

She didn’t believe in happy endings, doubted she’d get one. But if they existed, she wanted that more than anything with Stuart.

CHAPTER NINE

HOLDENWOKETHINKINGabout what his ranch hand had told him yesterday. He swore as he went downstairs to find Elaine setting the table for breakfast.

“You’re not dressed for your morning ride,” she said, looking concerned. “Is everything all right?”

He hated that seeing Elaine, he was reminded of how Deacon had touched her hand in passing yesterday. He’d been surprised by the intimacy of it. He wondered how far their relationship had gone and, worse, what might happen if it got serious. He couldn’t bear losing Elaine, even to a good man like his ranch manager.

“Nothing is all right,” he said miserably, realizing how true it was.

She smiled and sat down, patting his spot at the table. “Have a seat and tell me about it.”

“I don’t even know where to begin,” Holden said truthfully.

“Why don’t you let me get you some breakfast, and you can tell me,” Elaine said even as he told her he wasn’t hungry. “I’ll be right back.”

He’d barely taken a seat before she returned with a carafe of hot coffee, slices of banana bread and a bowl of strawberries swimming in sweetened cream.

“I figured if you weren’t hungry then you definitely didn’t want eggs,” she said. She’d always had a calming effect on him—and the rest of the family, for that matter. Except for Treyton and Bailey. “Why don’t you start at the beginning. What are you doing up so early if not going for your usual ride?”

“Bailey,” he said, taking a bite of the banana bread. It was moist and sweet and delicious. “Did you know she’s been seeing the sheriff?”

“Seeing?”

He growled. “Whatever. All I know is that she came out of his house before sunrise. I passed her on the road.”

“What were you doing on the road?”

“I wanted to see the sheriff before he left for the office, find out if there was anything new on the murder,” Holden said, and shook his head. “Didn’t even talk about that, as it turns out. Bailey was leaving his house. We passed each other, her just as brazen as daylight.”

“Holden, she’s not a teenager anymore. She’s almost thirty. I’d expect her to have someone in her life. Or is the problem her seeing the sheriff?”

He growled under his breath. “Why Stuart? I mean, she has her pick of any rancher in the valley. Why the sheriff?”

Elaine shook her head at him. “You realize how you sound?”

“Is it wrong to want my daughter to marry well? She can marry a man with a ranch and land and a good future just as easily as a...a sheriff.”

Elaine’s eyes widened. “You sound exactly like your father, and look where that’s gotten you! I’d want my daughter to marry for love—not land or money—and I would think you, of all people, would know that marrying well doesn’t mean happiness.”

He felt as if she’d slapped him. His father had forced him to marry a woman he didn’t love for what she could bring to the marriage—several ranches his father wanted to add to his holdings. It was how he’d lost Lottie.

“You’re right, I’m a damned fool,” he said, avoiding her gaze. “If she loves Stuart then I’ll welcome him into the family.”

“That’s more like it, but it sounds as if your concerns are premature. Bailey hasn’t been involved with anyone for so long, who knows what this might be between the two of them? Whatever you do, Holden McKenna, you don’t say a word about this to your daughter. For the first time in your life, hold your tongue.”

He had to smile. “What would I ever do without you?”

“Good thing you’re never going to have to find out,” she said with a chuckle as she pulled the bowl of strawberries toward her and picked up a spoon. “If you aren’t going to eat these, then I am.” She grinned.

“It’s not just Bailey,” he said gruffly as he recalled what Pickett Hanson had told him. “It’s Holly Jo too.”

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