‘‘Something wake you up, too?’’ Jamie leaned on her door frame. ‘‘I was sound asleep and swear I heard a scream.’’
Win was glad it was dark. ‘‘I heard it, too.’’ A lie wouldn’t set easy on him.
Jamie shrugged. ‘‘I looked around but didn’t find anything amiss. I figure it must have been one of those wounded men. Doc’s got them pretty full of pain medicine. I checked on them, but they were both sleeping like babies by the time I got my buckskins on.’’
Win didn’t answer. He shifted, waiting for her to move out of his way.
‘‘Kora’s all right, isn’t she?’’ Jamie asked suddenly. ‘‘It’s not like her to let someone else wait on her.’’
‘‘I wanted to.’’ Win fought the knowledge that Kora wasn’t all right and it was his fault.
‘‘You’d better be good to her,’’ Jamie began.
‘‘I know!’’ Win snapped. ‘‘Or you’ll cut me up in little pieces.’’ He might as well buy her a good knife, because when Kora woke up in the morning, Jamie was bound to find out how cruel he’d been.
‘‘Well, getting her tea is a start in the right direction, cowboy.’’ Jamie disappeared in her room. ‘‘Night!’’ she yelled just as the door closed.
Win walked up the next flight of stairs and across to the bed. First he lit the lamp, then laced the tea with a good portion of brandy. Kora was silent now, but he guessed she wasn’t asleep.
‘‘Kora,’’ he whispered as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her, blankets and all, toward him.
He could feel her stiffen, but she didn’t answer.
‘‘Drink this, darling,’’ he whispered as he cradled her beneath his arm.
She had a death grip on the covers around her, so he touched the cup to her lips. Even in the shadowy light he could tell her lips were swollen slightly.
She made a face as she drank, but she swallowed half the cup of tea. The warm liquid seemed to help her body relax slightly. A thousand apologies came to Winter, but he didn’t know where to start.
Win lowered her head to the pillow and added another blanket over her.
‘‘Good night,’’ he whispered as he put out the light and walked out of the bedroom.
He spread out on the study couch and tried to sleep, but it was impossible. He thought of ways he could make it up to Kora, but all of them seemed shallow. In the beginning she’d wanted him, he was sure of it. At one point he knew she was loving his touch as much as he was enjoying touching her. But at some point it all changed. Thinking back, he remembered the glory of entering her. How wonderful she’d felt beneath him. Her breasts pressing against his chest. The silk of her legs as he parted them. She’d opened her mouth wider when he’d entered her. She’d raised her breasts against his chest.
Or had she? Had she been moving with him, or against him?
Winter fell asleep near dawn without an answer.
Win awoke with a sudden jerk as he almost tumbled off the couch. The smell of bacon frying and biscuits cooking was thick in the air. Every muscle seemed stiff and contrary, rebelling to his movements. He dressed as fast as he could and followed the voices to the kitchen. He might as well face whatever happened. There was nowhere to run and he’d offer no defense. He wasn’t even sure he’d bother to dodge if Jamie’s knives started flying.
Cheyenne and Jamie were sitting at the kitchen table arguing. Kora had her back to him as she stood at the stove. She had on a new dress, and he couldn’t help but notice the collar was higher than her other dresses. She also wore her hair down. Usually by now she’d combed it up for the day.
Her hair reminded him of how she’d looked on the blankets when he’d unbuttoned part of her nightgown. She’d been so beautiful. She’d taken his breath away.
‘‘You look like death crawled up from six feet under.’’ Jamie laughed as she spotted her brother-in-law.
Winter didn’t even glance at her. He couldn’t take his gaze from Kora as she turned around. She looked as though nothing had happened. He studied her face. Except for a slight swelling of her bottom lip nothing was amiss. The lady was as proper as always.
‘‘I said-’’
‘‘I heard you,’’ he answered Jamie without taking his gaze off Kora. ‘‘I had a little trouble sleeping last night.’’
‘‘So did I after I heard something.’’ Jamie started telling Cheyenne all about the scream she’d heard.
Winter crossed the room and stepped out on the porch. He dumped a pitcher of icy water over his head and shook hard like an animal. He grabbed the towel and dried off his hair as he walked to the edge of the porch, trying to get his mind awake enough so that he could deal with Kora in the daylight.
There, ten feet away from the corner of the porch, was the washtub filled with water. He saw a patch of a blanket, his shirt, and what might have been a white nightgown soaking in the tub.
For a moment he just looked at them. How like Kora to straighten everything up. She’d have them clean and hanging by full sunup. Too bad he couldn’t put the relationship they’d started back together as easily.
‘‘Coffee?’’ Kora whispered from just behind him.
Winter turned slowly, very much aware that their conversation could be overhead from the kitchen.
‘‘Thanks,’’ he said as he took the cup from her hand. Blue eyes stared up at him. They were the color of a clear evening sky, and he wondered why he hadn’t noticed them before. He couldn’t look away. She was almost close enough to touch, almost.
He didn’t know the words to say. Not even as he watched her beautiful eyes brim with tears. She was waiting for the right words, and he’d say them gladly if he could figure out what they were.
‘‘Be careful,’’ she finally said softly and looked away. ‘‘The coffee’s hot.’’
He took a swallow, not caring. Here she was standing in front of him as though nothing was wrong… as though nothing had happened.
‘‘Kora, I…’’
Kora touched his mouth with her fingertips. She glanced toward the open kitchen door. Raising to her tiptoes, she whispered close to his ear, ‘‘We’ll talk later.’’
Then, to Winter’s total shock, she kissed him on the cheek and hurried back to her cooking. For a while he forgot to breathe.
When he walked back in the kitchen a few minutes later, no one seemed to notice him. Jamie had told Cheyenne about the gambler’s shoulder, and Cheyenne was suggesting that maybe Wyatt had been shot dealing a crooked hand.
No one noticed Winter as he sat down and drank his coffee without taking his gaze from Kora, while she served breakfast. When she pulled her apron off to join them at the table, Winter did something he’d never done. He stood and pulled out her chair.
Cheyenne and Jamie continued arguing as Winter and Kora ate in silence. Winter didn’t even listen to the conversation until Kora touched his hand. ‘‘Win,’’ she whispered, ‘‘Wyatt was hurt the same day Cheyenne was shot.’’
The knowledge fell into a slot he hadn’t even thought existed.
‘‘And,’’ Kora continued while Jamie and Cheyenne talked to each other, ‘‘the man with the torch. I remember thinking it odd that he held the reins in his right hand and tossed the fire with his left. As he rode away the reins were still in his right hand. Wouldn’t a man hold a horse with his best grip, the same grip he’d use for throwing?’’
Winter glanced up at Kora and realized he’d had the same idea. ‘‘He would unless his right shoulder was hurt.’’
‘‘When Wyatt waved last night from the buggy, he lifted his left arm. I remember thinking how the movement looked familiar somehow.’’
‘‘You think he’s one of our men in black?’’ Win mumbled.
‘‘I don’t know.’’ Kora shook her head. ‘‘I like the man. I wouldn’t want to accuse him or anyone falsely.’’
Win leaned close to her. ‘‘I’ll do some checking and let you know what I find out.’’