Chapter 24

Once again, crime picked up and the sheriff’s staff was busy, which prevented Brock from going to see Daphne the next night. His frustration level rose as the evening wore on. There were a couple of domestic disturbances to break up, an armed robbery at one of the hardware stores, and a small house fire to help put out. By the time things quieted down, it was too late to go out to Sundance Ranch.

As he and Hunter were about to leave, Walt came in the door.

Hunter scowled at him. “What do you want?”

Walt’s eyebrows rose. “I’ve come to see if Ellie is all right. We were s’posed to have dinner, but when she didn’t show up, I figured that she got caught up in somethin’. Not that it’s any of yer business.”

Brock had never heard such a cold tone in Walt’s voice before or seen the slightly malevolent gleam in his eyes.

Hunter said, “It’s my business because Ellie is my coworker and friend. I don’t like you.”

Brock put a hand on Hunter’s shoulder. “Walt’s a good guy, Hunter. No reason not to like him.”

Glaring at Walt, Hunter shrugged off Brock’s hand. “He’s a snake in the grass, Brock. He’ll show his true colors someday and you’ll see that I was right. See you in the morning.”

With a last scathing look at Walt, he walked out the door.

Brock shook his head. “Sorry about that. Pay him no mind.”

Walt smiled, once again the affable attorney. “I won’t. Where is our fair Ellie?”

“She should be back any minute now. I’m heading home. See you later,” Brock answered.

“Right. Goodnight.”

Walt greeted Wheezer and sat down at Ellie’s desk. “Busy day, eh?”

“Yeah. We knew that it was too quiet for too long,” Wheezer agreed. “Now we’re being run ragged.”

Walt was about to respond when Ellie came in the door. He stood up. “There ya are.”

Ellie smiled at him, but fatigue was stamped on her pretty features. “I’m sorry I missed our dinner.”

“Think nothin’ of it,” Walt said. “Ya had more important things to do. Are ya hungry, though?”

“Not really.”

Walt hid his disappointment. “All right. Would ya like a ride home?”

“I have my horse.”

“Right. Shall I walk ya to yer horse?”

She knew that he was just being sweet, but his question sparked her temper. “I can walk to my horse by myself, Walt.”

He lifted an eyebrow at her sharp tone. “I didn’t mean that ya couldn’t. I’ll tell ya what. Let me take ya to breakfast tomorrow.”

Wheezer knew when a fight was brewing, and he didn’t want to be present. He got up and went out to the yard.

“Walt, I’d have to rush around in the morning to make it before my shift starts.”

He rubbed the back of his neck in agitation. “Ellie, I just want to spend some time with ya. I understand that yer tired tonight, but I have the feelin’ that even if I were to ask ya to dinner tomorrow night, ye’d refuse.”

Ellie sighed. “No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know!”

“What is it that ya don’t know about? Dinner or me? What are we doin’ here?”

Her forehead puckered. “What do you mean?”

“I’m talkin’ about us. Are we courtin’ or not? I’ve asked ya that several times and ya just change the subject. And right now, ya don’t seem to want anything to do with me, but in a couple of days or so, ye’ll want to have dinner or somethin’. Ya tease me, getting me aroused and then stop. Are ye waiting for marriage? I doubt it because we both know ye’re no virgin. Ya need to piss or get off the pot!” Walt’s words came out in a torrent of anger and frustration.

Fury surged through Ellie with dizzying intensity. Her fist shot out, catching him squarely on the jaw. The force of the blow made Walt stagger back a few steps. His foot hit the leg of her desk and he landed hard on his backside.

Ellie clapped a hand over her mouth, staring at Walt in shock. His hazel eyes blazed with anger as he got up and sat in her chair, needing a moment to clear his fuzzy brain.

“I’m so sorry, Walt. Are you all right?”

He glared at her. “I s’pose that’s my answer. I’ll be fine. I thank ya for not breakin’ my glasses at least.”

Remorse made her cheeks burn. “I’m so sorry.”

“Ya said that, but what exactly is it yer sorry about? Hittin’ me or that ya don’t want to see me anymore?”

Ellie said, “I didn’t say that I don’t.”

His fury grew white-hot and Walt pounded her desk. “But ya didn’t say ya do, either! Ya can’t have it both ways, Ellie! I can’t take it. Why did ya want to go out to dinner with me that first time if ya weren’t really interested in me? Was it a game? Is that what this has all been to ya?”

“I hit you because you basically called me a whore!”

He let out a short, sarcastic laugh. “See? Ya did it again. Ya can’t even answer my questions, which tells me even more than ya hittin’ me does. I guess ya got off the pot.”

“Walt—”

Walt moved so fast that she didn’t have time to react. He grabbed her around the waist and melded his mouth to hers in a rough kiss. She resisted, but he didn’t let her go until she’d just begun to respond. He ended the kiss as abruptly as he’d started it. Her eyes were huge as she stared into his.

“It’s such a shame we never made love. I know how to do things to a woman that will make her beg for mercy but leave her desperate for more.”

His gaze raked over her, and Ellie’s body reacted as though she stood naked before him. Then he strode out of the office, leaving her dazed and confused.

Walt climbed into his buggy and chuckled as he rubbed his jaw. Ellie was a woman of strong passions, and he’d figured that if he pushed her hard enough, she’d rise to the bait.

As he drove off, he laughed to himself, knowing that he hadn’t seen the last of her. Walt understood Ellie better than she understood herself. The simple fact was that she was afraid to fall in love. Every time she got close to letting herself, she became frightened and backed off again.

Walt wasn’t done with her by a long shot, and one way or another, he was going to claim Ellie for his own. And once he had, he’d make sure she’d never want to leave him.

Walking back and forth by her horse, which stood outside Silver’s Store, Daphne couldn’t decide if she should stop by the sheriff’s office to see Brock or not. It had been several days since she’d seen him after the fiasco at Benny’s and she missed him. However, as much as she wanted to see him, it wouldn’t be the right place to talk to him.

Letting out a frustrated breath, she stashed her purchases in her saddlebags and mounted up. As she turned her horse around, Daphne heard someone call her name. The voice sent a shiver of awareness down her spine even before she looked at its source. It seemed as though Fate had made her decision for her by bringing Brock around right at that moment. The sight of his broad shoulders and handsome face hit her like a strong wind and hunger for him made her stomach flutter.

An inner voice urged her to jump into his arms and drown in his embrace as he rode up to her. His intense blue eyes roamed over her, almost like a caress and she was glad that she sat on a horse instead of standing on her own two feet. She wasn’t sure that her legs would have held her for the desire that coursed through her veins.

“God, I’ve missed you.” Brock hadn’t meant for that to be the first thing he said to her, but it was out before he could stop it. “We have to talk, honey. I deserve a chance to explain.”

“Yes. We do need to talk.” Stop looking at his mouth!

“I’ll come out tonight after work, no matter what time it is. I can’t let this go on any longer,” he said.

Daphne raised her chin a little. “That’s fine.” She couldn’t let herself get carried away until she’d made sure of some things first.

Her slightly cool tone irked him, but the desire he saw in her eyes gave him hope. He couldn’t stop looking at her and it didn’t seem like she was in a hurry to go anywhere, either.

Finally, he made himself say, “Okay. I’ll see you then. I gotta go back to the office, but I’ll try to get done on time tonight.”

Daphne nodded, keeping a tight hold on her reins so she didn’t launch herself at him. “All right. I’ll see you when you get there.”

The wariness in her expression made him want to kick himself for his big mouth and kill Daniel for his. Tearing his gaze from her, he nodded and urged his horse into a trot. He barely resisted turning around to look at her.

All day long, his mind was only half on his work as he thought about how to convince Daphne of his sincerity and that his feelings regarding her heritage had changed. An idea came to him, and he thanked the heavens that nothing came up to prevent him from leaving at quitting time.

The situation with Daphne wasn’t the only reason he was glad to go. Ellie had been morose and withdrawn but didn’t want to talk about whatever was bothering her. Hunter had also been irritable, which was unusual for him. Cy had been the only one on dayshift in a good mood, which had prompted Brock to spend more time than usual out in the Dog House. They’d laughed about the strange twist that had made them prefer each other’s company instead of their coworkers’.

As soon as Brock mounted up that evening, he put his horse into a canter, in a hurry to put his plan into motion.

When Daniel answered the knock at their front door, he was startled to see Brock.

“What do you want?”

Brock ignored his rudeness. “I’ve come to make restitution.”

Daniel gave him a dubious look. “What? Are you drunk?”

“No. I’ve come to make restitution,” Brock repeated. “May I come in?”

Curiosity got the better of Daniel and he stepped back, noting that Brock carried a sack. “Sure. You better not be here to start trouble, or I’ll put your head through a wall.”

“Understood.”

Daniel shut the door and led the way into a large, well-appointed parlor. Brock felt like he’d just entered the lion’s den as he followed Daniel through the beautiful home. Several chairs and a long sofa were attractively arranged around a large fireplace.

Rich blue drapes hung over the windows and a huge woven rug in blue and gold covered most of the gleaming wooden floor. David and Bonnie rose from their chairs.

“Hello, David, Bonnie,” Brock said. “How are you?”

“Confused,” David shot back. “Did I hear you say something about making restitution?”