Jade. Ruth Langan
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lathered his face and ran the straight razor across his cheeks and chin in smooth, even strokes. Then he stripped and strode into the frigid waters of Poison Creek. After soaping himself, he began to swim. With strong, powerful strokes he swam the width of the creek and back. Pushing himself to the limit, he continued to swim back and forth until his muscles protested.
Breathing hard from the effort, he clambered up the slope and tossed back his wet hair, sending a spray of water dancing in the sunlight. With his skin still damp, he had to struggle into his pants. As he reached for his shirt, he caught a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye. He whirled.
Jade was there, seated in her carriage.
How long had she been here? From the strained expression on her face, long enough to have seen more than she’d bargained for, he thought. Her eyes were wide, her mouth slightly open in surprise. But to her credit she wasn’t blushing. And in the blink of an eye she composed herself.
“You shouldn’t sneak up without warning. If I’d been another kind of man I might have fired off a shot before I even knew who you were.” Wade grabbed up his shirt and shrugged into it, tucking it into his waistband and buttoning it as he walked toward her.
Seeing the tight line of her mouth, he softened his tone. “Sorry, Miss Jewel. I didn’t mean to be so abrupt. But you startled me.”
“You startled me, as well.” She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze from his strong fingers working the buttons. When she finally did, she found herself mesmerized by the width of his shoulders, the muscles visible beneath the fabric of his shirt. She couldn’t put aside what she’d just seen. He had the body of a rancher, or a cowboy. Hardly what was expected of a preacher. “I—wasn’t prepared to see you… to see anyone here.”
His stern features relaxed into a mocking grin. “Obviously I didn’t expect to see you, either, or I would have been better prepared. Or at least better dressed.” He nodded toward the campfire. “Will you join me for a cup of coffee?”
“No. Forgive me for intruding.” She lifted the reins, prepared to flee.
He reached a hand to stop her. “Please, Miss Jewel. Don’t run away. I’m afraid I reacted badly. I apologize. I really would enjoy your company.”
As his hand covered hers she felt the jolt. And struggled not to show it.
Her reaction to this man puzzled her. He had already made it clear that he intended to oppose her. What had her honorable father always said about an enemy? Better to face his angry words now than his gun later. Perhaps she should try to befriend her opponent. Or at least soften his arguments with a few of her own.
“I suppose I have time for a cup of coffee.” She stepped down from the carriage and crossed to a fallen log. “Do you often sleep in the woods?”
“Not often.”
“I thought you rented a room at Millie Potter’s.”
“Usually.” He poured two cups and handed one to her before taking a seat in the grass. “But sometimes I just need to be alone.”
“Ah.” She stared into her coffee. “I can understand that. I often find myself wishing for time alone.”
“I suppose it must seem overwhelming sometimes, facing the prospect of a new business, while also having to adjust to three new sisters.”
She nodded. “I haven’t decided which is more difficult. The business, or the strangers who are my sisters.”
Wade leaned his back against his saddle and studied her. One dainty foot was crossed over the other. Her gown of amber silk clung to her curves in a very beguiling way. She appeared tiny. Delicate. But he knew that her appearance was deceiving. There was nothing weak or fragile about Jade Jewel. Right now she was frowning, and he knew that he was the cause of that frown. Ordinarily he would have done whatever he could to ease her tension. But today there was a devil inside him. One that he was tired of fighting.
“What brings you to the banks of Poison Creek at this hour of the day, Miss Jewel? I don’t think it’s privacy you’re seeking. Or a bath.” Though the thought of seeing her bathing caused a pleasant heat low in his stomach.
“I was eager to see what the workmen had accomplished since my visit yesterday.” The truth was, it had taken all Jade’s courage to leave the safety of her ranch. But she couldn’t permit a gang of villains to rob her of her freedom. And so, despite her fears, she had forced herself to venture forth. “I…thought I’d take a different route to town.”
Wade heard the slight hesitation in her voice. “Is something wrong?”
“Of course not. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?”
He wrapped his hands around his cup and gave a negligent shrug of his shoulders. “I just wondered why you came in this direction, when it’s so far out of your way.” His gaze was arrested by the jewel-handled knife tucked into the sash at her waist. “And why you’re wearing that for protection.”
Seeing the direction of his gaze, she touched a hand to the hilt. “I carry this always, though I usually keep it hidden from view. It was my mother’s. And her mother’s before her. When my mother came here from China, she carried this to ward off evil spirits.”
His lips curved. “Did it work?”
She gave a mysterious smile. “I don’t know about evil spirits. But it saved her many times from men with evil intentions.”
Wade grew thoughtful as he stared into his cup. “The world is full of men with evil intentions.”
“I suppose you see a great deal of them in your work.” She sipped her coffee.
“And what about your work, Miss Jewel?” He looked up, pinning her with those fiery eyes. “Don’t you think you’ll have to deal with evil men in the Golden Dragon?”
She felt the heat stain her cheeks. “That will be my problem. And I’ll be the one to deal with it.”
“It won’t be just your problem. The presence of such men will become a problem for the entire town.”
She gave a sigh. “I knew you would find a way to twist this conversation until it got back to my business and why I should forsake my plans.”
“You’ll find many in town who oppose you, Miss Jewel. What you’re planning is offensive to them. It will attract the sort of people to Hanging Tree that often bring trouble. I hope you have good friends to stand by you.”
Again she heard that thread of righteous anger. “It’s what everyone hopes for. A friend to stand by us in our time of need.” She paused, thinking about her experience at the hands of the gunmen. Without thinking of the consequences she blurted, “I discovered such a friend yesterday.”
He watched her in silence over the rim of his cup.
“On my way home from Hanging Tree I was attacked by a group of armed men.”
His eyes narrowed. “Did you recognize them?”
She shook her head. “They called their leader Ned. Their faces were covered by bandannas. But I know that they intended…harm.” She saw the hardness that crept into his features. And the little muscle that began working in his jaw. Even a man of peace would know what armed, ruthless men did to helpless women. “All I had for defense was my knife. But I was prepared to use it.” She lowered her voice. “Or die trying.”
“You look very much alive to me, Miss Jewel.”
She drained her cup, then set it aside. “The gunmen were driven away by the sound of gunshots. But when they rode off, I found myself alone. Whoever fired those shots didn’t wish to be seen. But I keep asking myself, why? Why would someone go to the trouble of saving my life, and then leave before I could offer my thanks?”
“Perhaps you imagined the gunshots.”
“Did