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With one rapid-fire movement, he sent her bag and everything in it crashing to the floor. She stumbled back. She’d never seen him truly angry and wondered if she’d pushed him too far.

He dropped onto the bed, planted his elbows on his thighs, leaned forward, and buried his face in his hands. She heard his harsh breathing, saw the tenseness in his shoulders. He held out a hand. “Come here.”

But her feet remained rooted to the spot. She knew nothing about how he acted in anger. If he gave as much of himself to anger as he did to passion …

He looked up, the torment in his eyes deepening as he met her gaze. “Come here, Loree. Please.”

The anguish in his voice had her walking toward him, seeking to comfort him for the painful memories her constant badgering brought him. As she neared, he reached out, clamped his hand on her waist, and brought her to stand between his thighs.

He took a deep shuddering breath, staring at a button on her bodice. “Yes, she was my Becky.” He tilted his head back, his deep blue gaze capturing hers. “But she’s not anymore, and she never will be again.”

He pressed a kiss to her slightly rounded stomach, to the place where their child grew. “I need you, Loree,” he rasped.

She wrapped her arms around him, pressing his head against her belly.

How could the woman have not waited for Austin?

With demons haunting her and no family, the past five years had been an eternity, but at least she’d had the stars at night, the sunrise at dawn, and the freedom to walk wherever she wanted.

“I hate her because she hurt you,” she said, her voice seething.

“She doesn’t deserve your hate.”

“She doesn’t deserve your loyalty or your love.”

He tipped his head back, meeting her gaze. “Five years is a long time.”

“I would have waited,” she said, surprised by the conviction in her voice, more surprised to realize the words were true. If she were fortunate enough to possess his love, she’d wait forever.

A corner of his mouth quirked up and he brushed the stray strands of her hair behind her ear. “You know, I do believe you would have.”

“I hate that she hurt you.”

“And I hate that I’ve hurt you.”

“You didn’t hurt me on purpose. I know that.”

“But I don’t imagine it lessened the pain.”

No, the pain had been sharp, agonizing but she was tired of letting the wound fester. She needed to lance it, clean it, and let it heal.

“She’s very pretty,” she admitted reluctantly.

He smiled broadly. “She is that.”

He tugged her down until she sat on his lap. He cradled her cheek. “But then so are you.”

She shoved his hand away and averted her gaze, the heat flaming her face. “No, I’m not. I’m uglier than the back end of a mule.”

When he didn’t jump to her defense, she dared to peer at him. Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized her features. “Don’t go staring at me.”

“How else am I gonna find the ugly?”

“It’s there for the whole world to see.”

“Where?”

She pursed her lips. “My nose for one thing. The end tips up like a broken twig.”

“And here I thought it looked like a petal unfurling.”

His eyes grew warm, a touch of humor twinkling in the centers.

“And my lips. I don’t hardly have a top lip and my bottom lip looks swollen like a bee stung it.”

“It reminds me of a plump, ripe strawberry just waiting to be tasted.”

She felt the heat suffuse her face as his eyes darkened.

“My hair,” she said in a rush, desperate to convince him of her flaws. “It’s got no color.”

He took her braid and carried the end to his lips. “I always thought it looked like it had been woven from moonbeams. Reckon that’s why I stole some of it.”

She furrowed her brow. “What?”

He leaned back slightly, dug his hand into his pocket, and brought out several locks of her hair, tied together with a dainty ribbon.

“When did you do that?”

“That first night I slept with you, after you’d fallen asleep.”

Tears stung her eyes as she pressed her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Austin. You must like me some to carry my hair around.”

“I like you more than some, Loree. I wouldn’t have married you otherwise.”

She knew she shouldn’t ask, knew she risked angering him again, but she had to know. “What about the locks of Becky’s hair that you carried around?”

“I know words can’t undo actions, but I’m hoping actions can undo the harm caused by a careless word.” She watched his Adam’s apply slowly slide up and down as he swallowed. “I burned them … the day we burned the barn.”

She studied him, trying to understand the significance of his actions. “Why? You didn’t have to punish yourself—”

“I wasn’t punishing myself. Burning the barn was a way for you to put the past behind you. Thought it was time for me to put the past to rest, too.”

“But you still love her.”

His thumb stroked her cheek. “I love the memory of her.”

The difference sounded slight to her, if it existed at all.

She was no longer competing against a woman—only a memory.

Perhaps if she’d loved someone before Austin came into her life, she could better understand how difficult it was to let go.

As it was, all she knew was that she wished there’d been no one before her.

“Last night, I was afraid you weren’t going to come back,” she confessed quietly.

His lips spread into a smile that had warmth swirling through her, from her head to her toes.

“Missed me, did you?” he asked, and she heard the slight teasing in his voice.

“Where did you go?” she asked, not ready to admit how very much she’d missed him.

“Riding.” He sighed deeply. “I just needed to ride.”

“All night?”

“All night.”

She realized then how tired he looked. Shadows rested beneath his eyes. His face remained unshaven. “I’ll finish packing if you want to get a little sleep before we leave,” she offered.

“What I want is a little kiss.” He brought her face closer to his. “I know it’s hard, but trust me, Loree.”

She nodded hesitantly. “I’m trying.”

He joined his lips to hers and rolled back onto the bed, holding her close, bringing her down with him, his mouth never leaving hers. He cradled her head, holding her in place as he plunged his tongue into her mouth.

Awkwardly, she straddled his thighs as his lips worked their magic. The warmth grew through her, and she hoped he’d kiss her forever.

He moaned low in his throat and shifted his mouth from hers. “So sweet,” he murmured.

He pressed her face into the crook of his shoulder. She heard his soft even breathing. She lifted her head slightly to gaze at him. He’d fallen asleep.

She eased off him. He tightened his hold, turning onto his side and bringing his legs onto the bed, forming a cocoon around her. “Don’t leave yet,” he mumbled.

“I won’t,” she whispered, snuggling against him. She was determined to stop feeling jealousy over the beautiful woman who worked in the general store. She was part of Austin’s past. Loree was his future.

Trepidation sliced through Loree as they neared Dallas’s house.

She saw Austin’s brother standing by the corral, a young boy standing by his side.

As Austin brought the wagon to a halt in front of the house, they both turned and headed toward them.

Loree knew beyond a doubt that the boy was Dallas’s son. He had his father’s walk.

“Expected you to show up sooner,” Dallas said, an authoritative ring to his voice that made Loree think the man always got what he expected.

“I fell asleep,” Austin said as he helped Loree climb down from the wagon.

“During the day?” Dallas asked.

“Yep, not everyone works from dawn till midnight building empires,” Austin said, giving her a wink.

“Nothing wrong with building empires,” Dallas informed him.

“Didn’t say there was,” Austin said. “Only pointing out that not everybody does it.”

Once she was firmly on the ground, Loree glanced around, feeling like a bush surrounded by mighty oak trees. Even Dallas’s son stood inches above her.

Dallas swept his hat from his head. “Think I forgot to welcome you to the family yesterday.”

Before she knew what he was about, he’d taken her hand, leaned forward, and kissed her cheek.

“It’s a pleasure to have you here,” he said as he released her hand. “This is my son, Rawley.”

The boy swept off his hat in much the same manner as his father had. “We’re right pleased to have you here, Aunt Loree.”

He cast a furtive glance at his father who gave him a nod of approval, and she wondered how many times they’d practiced his greeting. Two-bits chose that moment to make his presence known. He leapt up, placed his paws on the side of the wagon, and began barking.

A broad smile split Rawley’s face as he rushed to the wagon. “You got a dog?”

“Yep. Why don’t you take him out?” Austin suggested. “He’s probably ready to do some running around.”

Rawley lifted Two-bits into his arms. The dog squirmed, snaking out his tongue to get a taste of Rawley’s nose. Rawley set Two-bits on the ground and dropped to his knees to rub the dog’s stomach as he rolled onto his back.

“What’s his name?” Rawley asked.

“Two-bits,” Loree told him, an ache in her heart. The boy very much reminded her of her brother. She judged him to be near her brother’s age before he died.

Rawley glanced over his shoulder, his face skewed up. “Who named him that?”

“I did,” Austin said. “Why don’t you take him around to the back? We’ll probably need to tie him up for the night so he won’t run off,” Austin said.

“He can stay in my room,” Rawley suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Dallas said.

Rawley’s face fell even as he gave his father a brusque nod. “Come on, Two-bits,” he called out as he began running. The dog chased after him like he’d found a new friend.

“Rawley!” Dallas yelled.

The boy stumbled to a stop and spun around.

“Yes, sir?”

“It’s warm enough, you can bed down on the back porch tonight if you’ve a mind to.”

Rawley smiled brightly. “Thanks, Mr. D!”

Loree turned her attention back to Dallas in time to catch a glimpse of a grimace before he wiped it from his face.

“Still can’t get him to call you ‘Pa’?” Austin asked.

Dallas shook his head. “Nope, but it doesn’t matter. He’s my son. I’ll find Dee. She’s bound to have an empty room or two that you can put your belongings in,” Dallas said.

Loree waited until Dallas disappeared into the house before asking, “Why doesn’t Rawley call him ‘Pa’?”

“Dallas and Dee adopted him. He wasn’t treated too kindly before they took him under their wing. Think he still finds it difficult to trust men.”

“Did someone beat him?”

“Among other things.” As though signaling an end to the conversation, Austin took her hand. “Come on. I’ll show you around the house.”

Had he not told her, Loree still would have known which bedroom had belonged to Austin. Smiling, she picked his rumpled shirt and britches off the floor.

“Guess Dee hasn’t been in here since I left,” he said as he set her suitcase on the bed.

She didn’t think anyone had been in the room. It carried his lingering scent, faint because of his absences, but ingrained because of the years he had slept here.

He jerked the blankets on the bed up to cover his pillows and grinned sheepishly. “Never saw much point in making a bed in the morning just to unmake it at night.”

He wiped his hands on his backside. “Let me talk to Dee about some clean sheets.”

He headed out the door, and Loree wandered around the room. She imagined it to be a reflection of the man he’d been before prison. It was sparsely furnished as though he’d never planned to stay: a bed, a bureau, a dresser.

No portraits adorned the walls. Nothing hinted at permanence, but it was his room and on the dresser rested a violin. Reverently, Loree trailed her finger over the dull varnish. A chip here, a scratch there did not diminish the beauty of the instrument. Still, it looked forlorn and lonely.

“Dee thought the maid had cleaned in here,” Austin said as he came back into the room. “She said she’ll send Maria in to take care of it for us.”

“I can change the bed—”

“Enjoy the luxury of being waited on because you’ll only get it while you’re here.”

“Your brother is very wealthy, isn’t he?”

“Yep, but 1 don’t envy him that. He worked hard for every penny.”

She turned her attention back to his dresser. “Is this the violin your mother played for you?”

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he slowly approached her. “Yeah, it is.”

“My father played the violin. He thought music was important. He’d take me into Austin once a week so I could have a piano lesson. I had no natural talent, but I tried to learn. I could teach you what I know. You could play your mother’s violin.”

“No.”

“But it would be a tribute to your mother, a way—”

“No. I can’t play and you can’t teach me.”

“But how do you know if you don’t try?”

“Trust me. I know.”

Baffled, she watched him turn for the door. She didn’t want the moment to end with disappointment. “Austin?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m just going to get the rest of our things.”

She gave him a hesitant smile. “Do you think you could draw me a map of the house so I don’t get lost when I wander through it?”

He grinned. “It’s god-awful big, isn’t it? Dallas doesn’t do anything in small measures.”

“I guess they’re planning to have a large family,” she offered.

His grin eased away. “They were planning on it, but Dee had an accident a few years ago. She won’t be giving Dallas any more children.”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m so sorry. Will my being here and having a baby upset her?”

Austin shook his head. “One thing about the Leigh men, they tend to marry generous women.”

He disappeared through the door. Loree crossed the room, opened a double set of doors, and stepped onto the balcony. She was glad they’d left the town. It had stirred up memories that had kept her from sleeping the night before.

She hoped that tonight Austin’s presence would hold the nightmares at bay.