“I’m certain I’m capable enough,” Harrison interjected. “It can’t be all that difficult, and it sure as hell can’t require much intelligence.”
“Why do you say that?” Douglas asked.
Harrison smiled. “Cole does it, doesn’t he?”
It took a second or two for the insult to register. Harrison patiently waited. He expected Cole to either go for his gun or use his fist. He was prepared for either reaction.
Cole’s eyes widened. He took a step back, shook his head, and then burst into laughter.
Harrison was severely disappointed. He wanted to fight.
“You’re an easy man to like, Harrison,” Cole told him. “Honest to God, you are.”
“Next time you go through my things, I’ll shoot you.”
Cole looked surprised. “You heard me last night?”
“Damned right I did.”
“You’re getting sloppy, Cole.”
“I guess I am. I didn’t think I made a sound.”
“Exactly what were you looking for?” Harrison asked.
“Nothing really,” Cole replied. “I was just curious.”
Douglas rushed to explain. “You should understand his curiosity,” he said. “It was difficult for us to believe you couldn’t fend for yourself, as big as you are. Of course, once you mentioned you played the piano, I understood how it was.”
“Exactly how was it?”
“You know . . . with your father sick and all ... Cole, you shouldn’t have gone through his things. It wasn’t hospitable.”
“You told me to,” Cole reminded his brother.
Douglas couldn’t remember making such a suggestion. The two brothers got into a rather heated argument. One thing led to another, and before long they were arguing about something that had happened years ago. If Harrison had been standing close to a wall, he was certain he would have started slamming his head into it by now. The Clayborne men were making him crazy.
He decided to take control of the conversation. “I can fend for myself,” he snapped, forcing the two of them to leave their childhood grudges behind. “I do want to learn about ranching, but you two don’t have to waste your time teaching me how to fight or shoot. If you’ll step outside, I’ll be happy to prove it.”
Cole laughed. “How are you going to prove it? Shoot us?”
Harrison shook his head. “The idea does have merit,” he admitted. “However, I’ve decided I’ll just beat the hell out of the two of you.”
Douglas gave him a pitying look. “Not knowing how to defend yourself isn’t anything to be ashamed of, Harrison. We’ll teach you what you need to know. I’m happy to see you’ve got a temper though. You’ll have to be a little hotheaded if you want to get along with people.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe,” Cole agreed. “But it’s also the way it is around here. You want some respect or don’t you?”
Harrison gave up trying to reason with the mule-headed men. He knew he was responsible for planting the misconception in their heads that he was inept. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Mary Rose took weaklings in, and so he pretended to be just that.
It suddenly dawned on him that he was being as illogical as the brothers. He was getting exactly what he wanted. He should have been pleased.
He wasn’t though. And all because he didn’t want Mary Rose to think he was weak.
What in thunder was the matter with him? Harrison left the brothers and went to the house. He forced himself to concentrate on the real reason he had traveled all the way to Montana. Lady Victoria. He didn’t have any doubts left. Mary Rose had to be Lord Elliott’s long-lost daughter.
He wished he could just pick her up, toss her over MacHugh’s able back, and drag her back to England where she belonged. There were, however, several giant obstacles barring his path. First, he had to find the mastermind behind the kidnapping. Until the culprit or culprits were found, the Elliott family wasn’t safe.
The other obstacles standing in the way of reuniting the grieving father with his daughter were the Clayborne brothers.
Damn it all, he wished he didn’t like them. Even Cole was beginning to make him smile with his ridiculous notions about life. All the brothers’ obvious love for their little sister was something he had to admire. And respect. And so was their loyalty to one another.
None of them was going to let her go without putting up a fight. And just what the hell was he going to do about that?
Harrison didn’t believe Mary Rose would prove to be too much of a problem. She wouldn’t fight the inevitable; at least, he didn’t think she would. Granted, she wanted to stay in her valley for the rest of her life, but he knew her feelings would change when she found out she had a father waiting for her back in England. She was simply too kindhearted not to go and at least meet the man. Getting her to stay in London would be her father’s problem. Harrison’s work would be done.
He quit mulling the matter over in his mind, picked up his step, and was just about to turn the corner so he could go directly into the kitchen from the back door, when he spotted Mary Rose hurrying in the opposite direction. She was headed toward the smaller barn, and from the indirect path she was taking, it didn’t take him long to realize she didn’t want to be noticed by anyone. She carried a brown wicker basket with a rounded handle looped over her arm.
“Good morning, Harrison,” Travis said from behind.
Harrison turned around. “Morning,” he replied. “Where’s your sister going? She seems to be in quite a hurry.”
Travis smiled. “She’s sneaking off. I know where she’s headed though. I’m going to give her a couple of minutes, then follow her. Adam’s going to be angry when he finds out.”
“Finds out what?”
“Mary Rose is paying a call on Crazy Cornelia.”
“Is she the woman who survived the Indian attack?”
“You already heard about her?”
“Your sister mentioned her last night.”
“Corrie’s the one, all right. Word has it she’s crazy as a loon. Guess if you got scalped, you would be too. Even the Indians stay away from her now. They’re afraid of her. So are most of the people in Blue Belle. They’re talking about burning her out.”
“Burning her out of what?”
“Her cabin,” Travis explained. “A trapper thought the place was deserted. She almost blew his head off with her shotgun when he tried to get near the door. Corrie’s been holed up there since the attack, and that was over fifteen years ago. Anyway, now that Mary Rose knows about her, she’s determined to pay a visit. She thinks the woman could use a friend. Adam told her she couldn’t go. He said it was too dangerous. No telling what the woman will do. I knew Mary Rose wouldn’t listen though. She never does. There she goes now. Honest to God, Adam’s going to kill her.”
Travis took off at a trot. “Tell my brothers where I’m going, all right?” he called over his shoulder.
The brother was armed for trouble. Harrison was pleased to know that all the Clayborne men watched out for their little sister.
He heard Travis mutter something about being damned tired of being inconvenienced, and found himself smiling in reaction.
It was the last moment of joy he experienced for a long, long while.
Breaking in mustangs wasn’t difficult. It was impossible. Harrison didn’t get the knack of it for a full week, and during the days in between, he suffered one indignity after another. He was black and blue everywhere. His humiliation was just as painful for him. He spent more time on his backside and shoulders in the dirt than on his feet and, in general, provided a vast amount of entertainment for the Clayborne family.
Cole’s timing was superb. No matter what task he was involved in, he always happened to be near the corral whenever Harrison went flying off the saddle. The brother always reacted the same way. First he would give an exaggerated wince for Harrison’s benefit, then shake his head and say, “That’s going to hurt.” Lau
ghter inevitably followed.
Harrison wanted to kill Cole, of course. Going after him would have required strength, however, and he simply didn’t have any to spare.
He couldn’t make up his mind which time of day was worse. In the evenings, his entire body throbbed in agony, and in the mornings he felt as if rigor mortis had set in. He walked around like an old, bowlegged man. Honest to God, he even groaned like one.
Mary Rose came to the bunkhouse late one evening, but fortunately he still had his pants on. He’d gotten his torn shirt off, then collapsed onto the bed, facedown. He didn’t even lift his head up when she walked inside.
“Oh, Harrison, your back is a mess,” she whispered. She sat down on the side of the bed and gently patted him. “Adam sent some liniment to soothe your muscles. Would you like me to put some on your shoulders?”
He needed it on his backside, but he knew it wouldn’t be proper for him to ask.
“Thank you.”
“You’re all tuckered out, aren’t you?” she asked.
He didn’t answer her. Mary Rose opened the bottle and poured some of the cold liquid on his back. Then she started to massage the aches away. She wrinkled her nose in reaction to the scent and hoped Harrison wouldn’t notice.
“What in God’s name is that stench?”
He looked toward the open doorway, thinking the odor must have been coming from outside.
“It’s the liniment,” she explained.
“God, it’s foul.”
“The horses seem to like it.”
He lifted his head. “You use this stuff on your horses?”
She pushed his head back down on the pillow. “It’s all right to use on people too. The smell will fade in a minute. Try to relax. Let me work the liniment into your muscles. You’re going to feel better in no time at all.”
He didn’t believe her. His backside was still going to ache. “Leave the bottle,” he suggested. “If the liniment works, I’ll put some on my ... leg.”
“All right,” she promised. “Close your eyes and try to rest.”
Five minutes later, he thought he’d died. Her hands were magical against his skin. His muscles were soothed, but he wasn’t the least bit aroused by her closeness or her touch, and in his mind, that could only mean he was already dead.
He groaned with pleasure so she wouldn’t stop soothing him.
She thought he had fallen asleep. His face was turned toward the doorway. He looked peaceful to her, and ruggedly handsome. His hair had fallen down to cover his forehead. There was a day’s growth of a beard, a shadow really, and she was suddenly filled with curiosity to know what it felt like. She felt safe enough because he was sound asleep and wouldn’t know how brazen she was being. She touched his forehead first, then grew a little bolder. She noticed a bruise on the side of his temple and slowly circled it with the tips of her fingers. His skin was smooth and warm to her touch.
She grew bolder and traced the profile of his perfectly formed nose and cheekbone. She trailed her fingers down the side of his face to his neck. The bristles from his growth tickled her. She wanted to touch his mouth, gave into her urge almost immediately, and slowly explored it just as fleetingly with her fingertips.
There wasn’t anything about the man she didn’t like, she realized. He really was as beautiful to her on the outside as he was on the inside, where it mattered most. In his heart.
She leaned closer and kissed his forehead. She couldn’t believe how audacious she was being. She was usually very reserved, sometimes even shy around men, but tonight . . . with Harrison.
She let out a little sigh and kissed the side of his cheek. Then she straightened up and began to massage his shoulders once again. She didn’t want to stop touching him. What was the matter with her? She could feel herself physically reacting to Harrison, but because of her inexperience, she didn’t have the faintest idea what she should do about it.
Stop, she supposed. She didn’t stop though, because she liked the way his skin felt under her fingertips. He was warm and muscular. Her stomach tingled and quivered like she was filled with butterflies.
And when she thought about kissing him again . . .
“What are you doing in here with a half-naked man? Don’t you have any sense at all, Mary Rose?”
Cole made the criticism from the doorway and walked over to the side of the bed.
“Keep your voice down,” she whispered. “He’s asleep. I left the door open so it would be proper for me to be in here. Besides, he may be half naked, but he’s also harmless. I won’t take advantage of him. I promise.”
She didn’t think it was a good idea to mention she’d already taken advantage. Cole wouldn’t understand her curiosity. How could he when she couldn’t?
“Don’t talk like that. It isn’t ladylike. I never thought you’d take advantage of him. You wouldn’t know how.”
“I should though, shouldn’t I? Don’t you think it’s about time you explained a few facts to me?”
“Later, Mary Rose. We’ll talk about all that later.”
“You always say that,” she whispered. “Never mind. I’ve figured it all out on my own.”
Cole wanted to change the topic to a less delicate one. He squatted down next to Harrison so he could get a closer look at his face, then stood up again.
“I can’t tell if he’s breathing. Is he?”
“Of course he is.”
“He looks dead.”
“He isn’t,” she assured her brother. “At least not yet. When are you and Douglas going to let up on him?”
“We’re teaching him what he needs to know if he’s going to take up ranching.”
“You’re killing him.”
He smiled over how incensed she’d sounded. “No, we aren’t. Harrison’s tougher than he looks.”
She let out an inelegant snort. “No, he’s softer than he looks,” she corrected. “Has he gotten any better at breaking in the horses yet?”
Cole sighed. “Douglas keeps telling me he has. I can’t see any improvement though. Harrison’s a touch loco, Mary Rose.”
“Why do you think that?”
“He talks to the mustangs. Douglas says he lays it all out for them, then gets up in the saddle and expects them to understand and cooperate. He never raises his voice either, and the only time he curses is after he’s finished for the day. You better come on back to the house. It’s late.”
Cole started to leave, then changed his mind. “By the way, Catherine Morrison’s father told Douglas that Catherine wants him to ask Harrison if he would like to court her.”
Mary Rose was astonished. And furious. She hid her reaction from her brother and applied herself to the task of soothing Harrison’s muscles.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said. “The Morrisons don’t even know Harrison.”
“They’re going to invite him for Sunday supper,” Cole told her.
“He can’t go.”
“Why can’t he?”
“He’s going to be busy.”
“Travis sure isn’t going to like hearing about Harrison getting an invitation. Your brother’s kind of partial to Catherine.”
“I can’t imagine why. I don’t like her at all.”
“Why not?”
“She’s uppity and a flirt,” Mary Rose said. “She’s brazen too.”
“I never noticed.”
“You’re a man. Of course you never noticed. Men never notice such things. Besides, she never flirts with you. She’s afraid of you.”
Cole grinned. “It makes you kind of mad, doesn’t it?”
“What makes me mad?”
“Some other woman taking an interest in Harrison.”
“I am not angry.”
If Harrison hadn’t been pretending to be asleep, he would have disagreed. The gentle massage she’d been giving him had turned into a pounding. He didn’t know how much longer he was going to be able to put up with the beating.
“Someone has to look out for
Harrison. He’s very naive, you know.”
“You don’t say.”
“He’s overly trusting too.”
“Is that right?”
“I’m serious, Cole, so you can quit smiling like that. Harrison is a kind, gentle man. Surely you’ve noticed.”
“I can’t say I have,” Cole replied.
“All of us should be watching out for him. He’s our responsibility.”
“Exactly what is it you think Catherine’s going to do? Bite him?”
“I wouldn’t put it past her,” Mary Rose said. She knew she was being unreasonable. She didn’t care. “I realize I’m being uncharitable, but I do believe Catherine can turn into a viper. I think you should tell the Morrisons Harrison isn’t interested.”
Cole rolled his eyes heavenward. “Harrison and I are going to town tomorrow to pick up a couple of harnesses. He can tell the Morrisons yes or no about Sunday supper when he’s invited. The decision is his to make, Mary Rose.”
“I’m going to town with you.”
Harrison had taken all the pounding he was going to. He opened his eyes just as Cole turned around and walked out the door.
“You can stop beating on me now,” he said.
She jumped a foot when he spoke to her. “You’re awake.”
He didn’t think it was necessary to agree.
“Do your shoulders feel better?”
The sting in his muscles was actually worse because of her overly enthusiastic pounding.
“Yes, thank you.”
She recapped the bottle, put it on the floor next to her, and stood up.
“When did you wake up?” she asked, trying to sound only mildly curious. She was in a panic, wondering how much of the conversation he’d overheard. Dear Lord, what if he hadn’t been asleep at all? What if he’d only been resting? Did he know she’d kissed him?
“Just now,” he lied. “Why?”
She was blushing. Harrison wanted to laugh but he didn’t because he knew she’d become even more embarrassed. He rolled off the bed and stood up. His bare feet were cold against the wooden floor. He was standing entirely too close to her, knew he should move, but couldn’t seem to make himself.