Page 40 of That Fateful Ride

“Really? The guy you were with last night mean anything?”

Was he jealous? Someone else approached and her heart raced. She swayed and before she knew it, she was in his arms again.

“Are you okay?” His deep voice was full of concern and made her want nothing more than to snuggle up to his large chest. Perhaps he would hold her tighter and kiss her.

“Rebecca!” Her mom rushed over. “What happened?”

“Nothing, Mama, I’m fine.” She struggled to get up both grateful and saddened when he released her. Catching his gaze, she silently pleaded with him not to say anything. “Thank you, sir.”

Mama didn’t seem concerned and she spoke to Cy. “Did you get the information you needed?”

Cy never took his gaze from her. “Yes, ma’am and I’ll be back tomorrow. Good day, ma’am.”

He tipped his hat and left. Not without sending her one final look. He meant it, he’d be back. She had to talk to him away from here, out from under her mother’s watchful eye.

Early afternoon, her mama approached her. “I need you to go pick some things up from the general store.”

She blinked in surprise. “Now?”

Lips flattened. “Yes.”

“All right.”

She finished folding the item in her hand and headed for town with the list in her pocket. It didn’t take too long and she had the items paid for and in her basket. Moving between two buildings, someone grabbed her. A hand stifled her scream, the basket fell to the ground, and she spun into the wall of one of the buildings. Amazing dark hazel eyes snared her.

“Cy?”

He kissed her. Hungry. Totally enveloping and dominating. She pressed closer and gripped his upper arms, returning the fevered kiss. Her burgeoning desire exploded and she opened wider, wanting more.

“Don’t leave me like that again, Rebecca,” he growled. He continued to hold her close, as if she meant so much to him.

“Why are you here?”

He drew back and frowned before tilting his head to the side. “I came for you.”

Her heart skipped a few beats at those four determined words.

Cy watchedthe woman between him and the wall. He shifted his weight to block those walking by from seeing whom he had with him.

“Me?” It was a squeak.

“I went to Robert a week after he returned and told him I knew.” He shrugged and reached out to trail two knuckles down her cheek, unable or was that unwilling to keep from touching her. It had been so long. “Then I had to wait for them to send a replacement station manager.” He stared in her eyes and opened up about something he’d once snapped at her about. “I got smashed beneath a falling horse going down a steep ravine during a battle with the Indians. Our medic was a drunk and set my crushed leg wrong. By the time I got to a real one it was too late. My bones had healed awkwardly. All the way here, I cursed this injury that kept me from riding as fast as I wanted, otherwise I would have been here sooner.”

Her hands—small and strong—slid over his chest. He swelled with pride and desire at the possessive touch.

“You came to say what?”

“You’re joking, right?” He glanced over his shoulders and focused back on her once he was sure they were still safe.

“No.” She lowered her hands and wrung them together.

“After all the…”

He took a deep breath suddenly realizing he could lose her. He refused to accept that. There was one person for everyone in the world and this woman, here, before him, was his. He didn’t care one bit about others’ stance on skin color or what some deemed proper order. Rebecca Freeman washis. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with her. Fall asleep with her at night. Make love and watch her belly swell with their child.

He shook his head and tried again. “After all the times we made love over these past months and your statement of love, did you honestly think I would let it go?”

She worried her lower lip and his heart slowed, breathing became difficult.

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