stiffened in surprise. Then his arms went around her, molding her against him, his lips desperately hungry, as if he’d waited his whole life to kiss her. Sarah responded with a whimper as need swept through her like a prairie fire. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him down to her, deepening the kiss, and the next one, and the next one.
The letter from the medical school lay on the table, forgotten for the moment as they opened the floodgates of all they’d been holding back—hands seeking to touch, to hold; lips searching, whispering wild words; hearts pumping the heat of desire through their eager young bodies.
Lost in each other, they failed to hear the opening of the front door and the creak of a footstep until it was too late. Suddenly aware, they broke apart to face Everett Hamilton, standing in the open doorway.
No explanation could have made a difference. Speechless for the moment, they simply looked at him.
Everett cleared his throat and spoke. “How could you be so foolish, Sarah, falling for this trail bum who’ll never be worth a dime? You could’ve had a great future with me—a home, a family, a successful husband. Now—”
“That’s enough, Everett.” Sarah stepped forward to confront him. “I’m going to have a great future without you. I’ll be going to medical school. I’m going to be a doctor. Feel free to look elsewhere for a wife. You should have no trouble finding one.”
Everett’s face was a rictus of self-restraint. “Good-bye, Sarah.” He turned and took a step out the door, then spun back, his fury fixed on Joe. “I warned you not to touch her, Dollarhide,” he said, spitting out the words. “Mark my words, you’re not going to get away with this. I intend to see that you pay.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
JOE LAY ON HIS BEDROLL, LISTENING TO THE STEADY TICK OF THE WALL clock that hung next to the door. By now it was well after midnight, but he couldn’t have slept even if he’d wanted to.
The dying coals glowed like red eyes through the mica panes in the stove’s firebox. Outside, the spring night was chilly, lit by a waning gibbous moon. Dressed in the clothes that Sarah had brought home, Joe listened in the darkness. Everett Hamilton’s parting words, he sensed, had been more than an empty threat. The man had pride and power. If he wanted to punish a rival, he had the means to do it—almost certainly without soiling his own hands.
Through the blanket, Joe felt the solid lump of the heavy .44 pistol that Clem had given him for the raid on the Calder herd. It was loaded, but Joe had never fired it. He could only hope he wouldn’t need to fire it tonight.
Turning onto his side, he felt the tenderness where his wound had closed. Yesterday he’d removed the dressing for good. The spot was still sore, but no longer a worry.
The door to Sarah’s bedroom stood ajar. Was it an invitation? But he couldn’t let himself think about that. The memory of holding her, kissing her, would have to be enough to last him for the rest of his life. He was a danger to her reputation and to her safety. It was time for him to leave.
Tension had hung between them after Everett had stalked out to his buggy and driven away. Joe had hugged her, assuring her that everything would be all right. “We’ll talk later, when we’ve both had a chance to calm down,” he’d told her. Then he’d left her to read her letter while he went out to finish his work on the back porch.
Over supper they’d made small talk about her plans for school, avoiding the reality that hung over them—the need for him to go. But Sarah was a perceptive woman. Joe had the feeling that she already knew. He had always meant to tell her the story of his own past and the truth about how he’d come to be wounded. But maybe it was for the best that the right time had never presented itself. Once he was gone it wouldn’t matter.
Sarah would be all right, Joe told himself. Her dream was within reach now. It was time for him to go and make good on his own dream.
The creak of the front gate jerked him to full alert. Someone was outside. As he closed his hand around the pistol and pushed to his feet, something struck the door with a rattling sound,