“I think I saw her in town. She’s blonde, very young and pretty?”
A horrible combination for a woman. Elizabeth struggled to keep the disgust out of her voice. “She is.”
“Word is Hennessy’s a mean son of a gun.”
“He is.”
Clint tipped his hat back on his head. “Might have to take me a wander up the mountain one of these days.”
Elizabeth glared at him. Typical man. One whisper that a young, unhappy woman might be ripe for the plucking, and they couldn’t wait to go check it out. “You leave Jenna Hennessy alone or you’ll be looking for another job!”
His gaze, when it met hers, was cold, sending a chill down her spine. For all his lazy nonchalance, Elizabeth realized that Mr. Just-Clint was a very dangerous man. “Pardon me, ma’am, but what I do with my free time is my business.”
She bit her lip on the argument that leapt to her tongue. Jenna’s face came to her mind. Too thin, full of pride, struggling to cover the misery of her circumstances with flashing smiles and a belief that all would be well. “Please, Mr. Clint. Leave her alone. She doesn’t need any more trouble.”
“As I said, ma’am, what I do with my free time is my business.”
He was right. She made a mental note to warn Jenna. “We’ve lost the topic of our conversation.”
“Gotta admit, I was kind of hoping it would stay lost.”
“No doubt as you’ve been assigned the role of spy.”
“I’ll allow it might seem that way to you.”
“There’s no other way to see it.”
“I’ll be letting you take that up with your husband, ma’am. If I’m not mistaken, that’s him heading our way.”
She looked where he pointed and, sure enough, Shameless crested the hill at a canter, Asa on his back, in a seamless silhouette of grace and power. He looked like a man capable of ruling the world. And he was her husband. A little trill of what could only be pride went through her.
Clint dropped back as Asa pulled up beside her. “Anything wrong?” Asa asked.
She shook her head, another thrill chased through her at the concern in his voice. It was unusual having someone care about her. “I brought you lunch.”
His face creased into a smile. “That’s a nice surprise.” He turned toward Clint. “Thanks for escorting her up here.”
“No problem.”
“Did you have any trouble?”
“None. You want me to head over and see how the boys are coming with rounding the strays out of the back canyon?”
Shameless sidled alongside Willoughby as Asa answered, “No doubt they’d appreciate the help.”
“Then I’ll be getting over there.” Clint tipped his hat to Elizabeth. “Ma’am.”
She nodded back. “Mr. Clint.”
She felt a disturbance at her side. She looked down. Asa was rummaging through the food basket. She smiled. “If you don’t get your hand out of there, you’re going to mess up lunch.”
“Just thought I’d see what you brought.”
“You weren’t looking forward to hard tack and cheese?”
“I’d get by on it, but it can’t hold a candle to…” He sniffed. “Apple pie?”
“You can smell that over horse and leather?”
His hand settled on her thigh. It was warm and heavy through her skirt. Comforting. His smile was lazy. She couldn’t see his eyes as they were shadowed by the brim of his hat.
He shrugged. “Would I go down in your estimation if I also confess to smelling bread and fried chicken?” She laughed and his hand squeezed her thigh. “Were you planning on keeping me company?”
She couldn’t tell from the tone of his voice whether the question was resentful or hopeful. “I could head back if you’d rather be alone.”
“What man in his right mind would pass up the opportunity to dine with a beautiful woman?”
She felt the blush rise to her cheeks. Sometimes, she actually felt like he thought her beautiful and wasn’t just playing with words.
“I passed a little meadow on the way here,” he continued, obviously taking her blush for acceptance. “It sits down a bit, so we’d be protected from the wind.”
He removed his hand from her thigh. She missed the contact immediately. Lord! The man was the most touching person she’d ever met and, what was worse, she was getting used to it.
She motioned with her hand. “Lead on.”
He caught her hand midway. Shameless hugged Willoughby’s side tightly as they rode, Asa’s leg continually brushed hers. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, bringing to mind the previous time they’d fluttered. In the barn. She needed to break the tension before she did something embarrassing.
“Why do you have Clint spying on me?”
If she wasn’t mistaken, the hand on hers tightened briefly before he answered. “He’s not spying on you. He’s taking care of you.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself for many years now.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss across the back. The butterflies in her stomach took flight. She couldn’t suppress a gasp. She dared a look at him. He pushed his hat back. The smile on his lips left her in no doubt that he’d heard. “I take care of my own, Elizabeth.”