He’d started earlier, during breakfast, but the words stuck in his throat. He told himself he was worried about losing ground on finding Luke Colby, but now he knew he couldn’t go one more day without telling her.
He climbed down the ladder and crossed the yard. She tugged the stick from Jack’s mouth and straightened with a smile.
“I was thinking if the weather stays nice we can go to town tomorrow.”
“Why?” he asked, taken aback. They’d gone just three days ago.
“I want to get more of the sausage before winter sets in.”
“All the way to town for sausage?”
“I’m not likely to get it for a while.”
Pure fear shot through him. He’d heard of women having cravings when they were with child. She could be pregnant, something he hadn’t considered when he’d emptied his seed inside her again and again. He and Polly hadn’t had any children, so he hadn’t considered. But now…
Even if these weren’t those kinds of cravings, it didn’t mean she wasn’t pregnant. She wouldn’t know right away, would she? She might find out long after he was gone. He lifted his hand to his face and rubbed.
“We need to talk.”
She cocked her head and a slight frown marred the smooth skin of her forehead. “All right. I have another batch of clothes on the stove. As soon as I’m done with that, all right?”
He rocked back on his heels. He wanted her undivided attention, so, yes, he’d wait. He helped her pin the remaining laundry on the line, then she hurried into the house.
***
Maddy hauled the sheets out of the pot and into the sink. She’d let it drain a bit and put another load in. She wondered if Rhys had anything she needed to wash. She’d only seen him in two shirts. Surely he had more, and if he didn’t, maybe she could use the fabric she’d bought and make him one. She could use buttons from one of Edward’s old shirts. She’d just make a pattern out of one of Rhys’s shirts. While she waited for the laundry to cool off enough to handle, she picked up his bags. After just a moment of wondering if she might be overstepping her bounds, she reached inside.
Her fingers brushed something cold and round. She closed her fingers around it, her thumb brushing the surface. She knew what it was before she saw it laying in her palm.
A silver marshal’s star.
Chapter Five
Maddy could hardly catch all the thoughts racing through her head. Had he killed a marshal and taken his badge?
That her first thought painted him as an outlaw alarmed her. But the only other option was that he was a marshal and he’d lied to her. Her whole body ran cold at the thought. These past few nights in his arms—the way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her so reverently. Had anything this week been real?
She jolted when Jack started barking, sharp and alarmed. She almost dropped the badge, then tightened her fingers around it, rising to look out the window. Before she had a chance to do more than count two riders approaching, three steps reverberated on the porch and the door swung in.
Her whole body tensed when Rhys stopped, facing her, his eyes traveling from his bag at her feet to the star clutched in her hand. His jaw clenched, and when he met her gaze, real regret flashed in his eyes.
“Luke Colby is here.”
Luke. Her knees wobbled. That was why Rhys was here. Her suspicion was confirmed when he grabbed his six-shooter from its holster by the door. He lowered it to his thigh and stepped outside.
“Stay inside, away from the window.”
“Are you going to shoot him?” The shrillness of her voice startled them both.
His mouth formed a grim line as he reached for the door handle. “If it comes to that.” He closed the door behind him.
Rhys’s fingers flexed on the grip of his pistol as he stayed in the shadows of the porch. Of all the damn times for Luke to show up, for Maddy to be nosing around in his things. Christ. But he couldn’t let concern for
He climbed down the ladder and crossed the yard. She tugged the stick from Jack’s mouth and straightened with a smile.
“I was thinking if the weather stays nice we can go to town tomorrow.”
“Why?” he asked, taken aback. They’d gone just three days ago.
“I want to get more of the sausage before winter sets in.”
“All the way to town for sausage?”
“I’m not likely to get it for a while.”
Pure fear shot through him. He’d heard of women having cravings when they were with child. She could be pregnant, something he hadn’t considered when he’d emptied his seed inside her again and again. He and Polly hadn’t had any children, so he hadn’t considered. But now…
Even if these weren’t those kinds of cravings, it didn’t mean she wasn’t pregnant. She wouldn’t know right away, would she? She might find out long after he was gone. He lifted his hand to his face and rubbed.
“We need to talk.”
She cocked her head and a slight frown marred the smooth skin of her forehead. “All right. I have another batch of clothes on the stove. As soon as I’m done with that, all right?”
He rocked back on his heels. He wanted her undivided attention, so, yes, he’d wait. He helped her pin the remaining laundry on the line, then she hurried into the house.
***
Maddy hauled the sheets out of the pot and into the sink. She’d let it drain a bit and put another load in. She wondered if Rhys had anything she needed to wash. She’d only seen him in two shirts. Surely he had more, and if he didn’t, maybe she could use the fabric she’d bought and make him one. She could use buttons from one of Edward’s old shirts. She’d just make a pattern out of one of Rhys’s shirts. While she waited for the laundry to cool off enough to handle, she picked up his bags. After just a moment of wondering if she might be overstepping her bounds, she reached inside.
Her fingers brushed something cold and round. She closed her fingers around it, her thumb brushing the surface. She knew what it was before she saw it laying in her palm.
A silver marshal’s star.
Chapter Five
Maddy could hardly catch all the thoughts racing through her head. Had he killed a marshal and taken his badge?
That her first thought painted him as an outlaw alarmed her. But the only other option was that he was a marshal and he’d lied to her. Her whole body ran cold at the thought. These past few nights in his arms—the way he’d looked at her, the way he’d touched her so reverently. Had anything this week been real?
She jolted when Jack started barking, sharp and alarmed. She almost dropped the badge, then tightened her fingers around it, rising to look out the window. Before she had a chance to do more than count two riders approaching, three steps reverberated on the porch and the door swung in.
Her whole body tensed when Rhys stopped, facing her, his eyes traveling from his bag at her feet to the star clutched in her hand. His jaw clenched, and when he met her gaze, real regret flashed in his eyes.
“Luke Colby is here.”
Luke. Her knees wobbled. That was why Rhys was here. Her suspicion was confirmed when he grabbed his six-shooter from its holster by the door. He lowered it to his thigh and stepped outside.
“Stay inside, away from the window.”
“Are you going to shoot him?” The shrillness of her voice startled them both.
His mouth formed a grim line as he reached for the door handle. “If it comes to that.” He closed the door behind him.
Rhys’s fingers flexed on the grip of his pistol as he stayed in the shadows of the porch. Of all the damn times for Luke to show up, for Maddy to be nosing around in his things. Christ. But he couldn’t let concern for
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