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“If you’ll excuse us,” Austin said, “we need to find our seats. Dee would never forgive us for missing the opening scene.”

Austin held out his arm. Loree grabbed onto it, afraid she’d sink to the floor if she didn’t have his support.

The crowd parted as they walked to the sweeping staircase.

She heard a mumbled “murderer,” and her heart tripped over itself.

She glanced at her husband, saw his clenched jaw, and realized people were murmuring about him. She angled her chin proudly.

“I’ve never watched a play before. I’ve always wanted to attend one.”

Austin glanced down at her.

She smiled with her heart in her eyes. “I’m very glad that you’re the one who’s taking me.”

“Sugar, I don’t think I would have made it up these stairs without you by my side.”

He took her hand at the top of the stairs. They walked along the landing, passing several curtained entrances before Austin swept back the drapery and led Loree into the darkness of a balcony.

“Thank you, Loree, for looking like you were proud to have me by your side,” he whispered.

“I was proud.”

She sensed a moment’s hesitation before he took her into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers.

She twined her arms around his neck, returning his kiss with a fervor that surprised her.

She had wanted to scratch out eyes and yank out hair.

She’d wanted to ask those two people how they could have betrayed her husband, the father of her child, the man she was coming to love.

Austin grunted and stumbled to the side, taking her with him. The curtain was drawn aside, and Dallas was silhouetted in the doorway.

“What are you doing?” Dallas demanded.

“Looking for our seats,” Austin said, his hand skimming over hers before latching securely onto it.

Then mayhem erupted as the family crowded inside the small balcony.

“Everyone take your seats,” Dee said excitedly. “They’ll be opening the curtains any minute.”

“Which chair is mine?” Maggie asked. “I wanna sit in the front.” “Ladies in the front,” Dallas said, “Men in the back.”

“Loree sits by me,” Austin said.

“Yeah, and I want to sit by Amelia,” Houston added.

“Fine,” Dallas ground out.

“We’ll put the children, Austin, and Loree in the back—” Dallas began.

“Then the children won’t be able to see,” Amelia pointed out.

“I don’t care if I can’t see,” Rawley said.

“But then you won’t see the sword fight,” Maggie told him. “You gotta see the sword fight.”

“I don’t mind sitting in the back—”

“Houston and I will sit in the back,” Amelia said.

“No, Dallas and I are taller. We’ll sit in the back,” Dee offered.

“No, Dee, this is your dream—”

“But I want you to see—”

Austin tugged on Loree’s hand. “Come on,” he whispered. “We’ll just sit in the back.”

He guided her toward the far side. As they sat, he kept his hand wrapped around hers. She heard his low chuckle. “Guess I started this by wanting to sit by you.”

“I’m grateful you did because I really didn’t want to sit by anyone else.”

He trailed his finger along her jaw. “I’m glad. Loree, I’m sorry it was so awkward down there, with people staring and whispering. They’re just not used to me being home yet.”

“My home could give us the things we need.”

“I want you to have things that you want not just things that you need.”

“That’s it!” Dallas roared. “Everyone has five seconds to plant their butts in a seat. Anyone left standing at the end of that time goes over the balcony.”

A mad scramble ensued.

“Come on, Rawley,” Maggie cried as she pulled him to a seat in front.

She plopped down in front of Austin. He tapped her shoulder. “Trade places with Rawley so your Aunt Loree can see.”

She and Rawley switched chairs. While the remaining adults discussed the seating arrangements, Maggie turned and looked at Austin. “Can me and Rawley spit over the side of the balcony?”

“Sure, especially if your Uncle Cameron is sitting down there.”

“He ain’t. They got balcony seats, too.” She pointed to the side. “They’re right there.”

Loree watched as Austin’s gaze followed the direction of Maggie’s finger. He stiffened. Cameron and Becky were sitting alone in the balcony next to theirs.

“You don’t like Uncle Cameron anymore, do you?” Maggie asked.

Austin jerked his head around and stared at her. Amelia put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Turn around, young lady.” She gave Austin an apologetic smile before taking her seat beside Maggie. Houston settled in beside her.

Dee sat beside Loree and laughed lightly. “I didn’t realize that was going to be such an ordeal.” She patted Dallas’s knee. “You handled the situation very well.”

“Next time, everybody gets their own balcony.”

A man walked onto the stage, and a hush fell over the audience.

“Ladies and gentlemen! The Royal Shakespearean Theater is honored to be in your lovely town. Tonight’s performance is Romeo and Juliet.”

He walked off the stage. The curtains slowly began to open, but Loree found she had no interest in the play.

She wondered what thoughts preyed on her husband’s mind.

His hand had tightened around hers when Maggie had asked her question.

His grip had yet to loosen. He stared straight ahead, but she didn’t think he was paying any more attention to the play than she was.

She leaned toward him. “I want to go outside.”

He jerked his head around, and even in the shadows, she saw the concern etched in his face. His hand closed more tightly around hers. “You all right?”

She nodded slightly. “I just need a breath of fresh air.”

He leaned low around her and whispered to Dallas, “We’re gonna step outside for a few minutes.”

Rawley twisted around in his chair. “Can I go?”

Dallas gave a quick nod and stood. Austin helped Loree to her feet and they worked their way between the chairs.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she stepped on Dee’s foot. But Dee didn’t seem to notice as she waved them past, her gaze riveted on the stage. They stepped between the curtains, and Loree took a deep breath.

“You sure you’re all right?” Austin asked.

“I just felt a little faint.”

“You wanna go sit in the buggy?”

“Could we take a walk?”

“Sure.” He wrapped his hand around hers, and they descended the stairs.

“Could you understand anything them actors was saying?” Rawley asked as he tromped along behind them.

“Not a word,” Austin said.

They walked through the foyer, and Austin swung open the front door. Loree walked through. Austin glanced over his shoulder. “You coming?”

Loree noticed Rawley’s hesitation. She peered back inside. At the far end, in the baby room, Faith had her nose pressed to the pane of glass.

“Reckon I’ll go be with Faith,” Rawley muttered.

“There’s women inside watching them,” Austin assured him. “She’s fine.”

“She don’t look fine. She looks downright miserable,” Rawley said. “I don’t like for my sister to be unhappy.”

He stalked toward the room. Austin chuckled. “I reckon Faith couldn’t have asked for a better brother.” He glanced at Loree. “I couldn’t have asked for a finer wife.”

Loree felt herself blush as she stepped onto the boardwalk. Austin followed her outside and took her hand. “Where do you want to walk?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“We’ll head for the far end of town, then.”

He’d taken four long strides before he adjusted the length of his walk to accommodate her.

“So why did you need a gun?” he asked quietly.

Her step faltered, and she glanced up at him. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that.”

“There’s not a lot I forget.”

She sighed heavily. “I was in a strange town, I didn’t know if you’d come back—”

He came to an abrupt halt and spun her around to face him, hurt evident in his eyes. “You thought I’d abandoned you?”

“No, not really. I was just … I was just scared.”

She felt him searching her face, searching for something she could never let him see.

“What is it exactly that you fear?”

“The past. I’m afraid it has a stronger hold on us than either of us realizes.”

“Because of Becky?”

“Because of a lot of things.”

“I can’t change my past.”

Unfortunately, she couldn’t change hers either. She could only hope that it would never lift its ugly head to touch Austin or their children. “Share something good with me.”

His blue eyes darkened, and his lips spread into a warm smile filled with impassioned promises. He placed his hands on either side of her waist and drew her against him. “What exactly did you have in mind?”

“A story. Tell me a good story from your past.”

Laughing, he released her waist, took her hand, and began walking. “I’m no good at telling stories.”

The night closed in around them. The lamps along the street threw ashen light over the abandoned boardwalk.

The town seemed almost deserted with most of the residents attending the play.

She saw pale lamplight spilling out from the saloon at the far end of town, along with boisterous laughter, and the echo of a tinny piano.

She stumbled when the heel of her shoe hit a loose plank in the boardwalk. Austin steadied her, then knelt and slapped his thigh. “Give me your foot.”

“What are you going to do?”

He glanced up at her and she saw the answer in his gaze.

“I’m dressed all fancy. I can’t go barefooted.”

He angled his head and lifted a brow. “Are we going back into the theater to watch the play?”

She remembered how tense he’d been inside the building, how his body and his hold on her had relaxed once they’d stepped outside. “No.”

“Then get your foot up here.”

Placing her hands on his shoulders, she planted her foot on his thigh and watched as he nimbly worked her buttons free and removed the shoe from her foot. “You have such nice fingers,” she said as he rolled her stocking off.

“You think so?”

“Mmm-uh.” She relished the feel of the boardwalk beneath her bare sole and placed her other foot on his thigh. “I wish you’d let me teach you to play your mother’s violin.”

His hands stilled.

“It takes time and patience, but I have both,” she assured him.

He worked her shoe free, grabbed the other shoe, and unfolded his body. “I can’t play the violin, Loree.”

“If you tried—”

“I can’t.”

His words were spoken with absolute finality.

“Can’t never could,” she muttered.

“What?”

She shook her head. “Just something my ma used to tell me.”

He shifted her shoes to one hand, wrapped his free hand around hers, and began walking.

“Dallas has his cattle, Houston has his horses. What do you have?”

“You.”

His smile was warm, and her heart fluttered.

“Before me, what did you have? What were your dreams?”

His steps slowed as though they followed his thinking, back to a time when he had dreams. “Dallas is a man of powerful influence.” He pierced her with his gaze. “I love and admire him, Loree. Don’t ever think that I don’t.”

“I wouldn’t.”

He gave a curt nod. “I wanted to go someplace where people had never heard of him. I wanted to make a name for myself, knowing I had earned the recognition because of me, not him. Does that make any sense?”

She nodded with complete understanding. “Where would you have gone?”

He shook his head slowly. “Never got that far in my thinking. Once I … Once I met Becky, the thought of leaving went straight out of my head.”

“She became your dream then.”

He stopped walking, leaned one shoulder against the side of the building, and brought her close. “No. No, she didn’t. She just made me stop thinking about it.” He trailed his long fingers along her jaw. “You made me start thinking about dreams again.”

He dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers. “You make me think about a lot of things. You have from the first moment I realized you weren’t a boy.”

He settled his mouth over hers, drawing her up onto her toes. Her feet crept over his boots, taking her higher. His arm came around her, holding her close while he cradled her cheek with his other hand and tilted her head back. He trailed his hot mouth along her throat.

“Sweet, sweet Loree. God, I need you,” he rasped.

Heat swirled through her, around her, over her. Her head dropped back. “Tell me … tell me what you would have done to make a name for yourself.”

“I woulda—”

He made a guttural sound and stumbled back. Loree went flying off him and landed hard on her backside.

“You goddamn murdering son of a bitch!” a man yelled as he slammed Austin into the brick building.

Austin grunted and slid in a heap to the ground.

“They shoulda hanged you!” The man kicked him in the side. Groaning, Austin curled into a ball.

“No!” Loree screamed as she crawled toward one of the shoes Austin had dropped. She threw it at the man, hitting him squarely on the side of the head.

The man jerked back. She heaved the other shoe at him, grateful to see him run into the shadows.

Loree scrambled across the boardwalk. “Austin?”

He moaned as she rolled him over and gently placed his head in her lap. She felt the warm, sticky wetness coating her hands and released a bloodcurdling scream.