Last Promise Read online

  The cowboy didn’t like it, but he nodded and walked away. Luke took Mary Ann’s hand in his and pulled her close. She looked beautiful in her white dress, which was designed very much like the dresses his sisters-in-law were wearing. He couldn’t believe she would wear such a low-cut gown. It was much too provocative and he hadn’t realized she had such an abundance of curves. “You look beautiful tonight, but don’t you think your dress is too . . . revealing?” No wonder the cowboy she had been dancing with was all smiles.

  “Not compared to your date’s dress,” she countered coolly. She’d seen him when he walked through the crowd with Arina. Even though he had Arina on his arm, she thought he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Everyone in the town greeted him like he was the prodigal son. And she saw him take Arina in his arms for the first dance. She reminded herself Arina wasn’t the only woman on his list. She hadn’t forgotten he was upstairs in the saloon with a different woman. If he thought she was going to be on his long list of conquests, she had news for him.

  Uh-oh, he didn’t want the conversation to go in that direction. Still he didn’t want all the cowboys drooling over her. “Your hair looks really pretty down.” He remembered how her hair looked the night she was watching him from her bedroom window. It was draped over one creamy pale shoulder and he’d never seen such a lovely sight. He started to mention it until he realized she’d seen him talking with the gals from the saloon. Now that he knew where her bedroom window was located, he wondered what else she saw that night. It occurred to him that she had a bird’s-eye view of the second floor of the saloon.

  “Mr. McBride, do not waste your flowery words on me. I do not intend to be on the list of women vying for your attentions.” It wasn’t as if she couldn’t see why women flocked to him. Not only was he devastatingly handsome, those mischievous blue eyes of his twinkled brighter than the stars. Even she couldn’t deny he had charm to spare. And if that wasn’t enough for any woman to fall into his trap, he danced divinely. But he was still a scoundrel, she reminded herself, and she would do well not to forget that fact.

  “Miss Hardwicke, I was simply stating a fact, not trying to add you to a list.” He had to be the biggest kind of fool for cutting in on her dance. The way she was laughing with that cowboy he thought she might be in a more agreeable mood tonight. But she seemed heaven-bent on keeping him from making any headway with her. He didn’t know why he was wasting his time.

  Mary Ann felt a little bit guilty for her sharp tongue. “In that case, thank you.”

  Luke was tapped on the shoulder and he was forced to relinquish Mary Ann to another cowboy. Before he took two steps, Sally Detrick appeared and asked him to dance. He maneuvered Sally near Mary Ann and her partner. Considering the gown she was wearing, he thought he should keep an eye on her to make sure none of the men got out of line. The tall cowboy she was dancing with didn’t take his eyes off her, just like the last one. The dance with Sally ended, but before he could ask Mary Ann for another, Lucinda grabbed his hand. Another man had Mary Ann in his arms and he was holding her way too close. Luke stayed near, ignoring his respective partner to make sure the cowboy minded his manners. Two more women asked him to dance, but by the end of the next dance, he’d formed a plan. With some maneuvering, he managed to be right beside Mary Ann and her partner when the dance ended. He looked at the man and said, “Let’s change partners.” In the middle of his dance with Mary Ann, the first cowboy he’d tapped on the shoulder returned the favor. Luke said, “No.”

  “Hey cowboy, that’s not the way this works.”

  “That’s the way it’s working during this dance.” Luke was determined he was going to finish this dance.

  “I’m cutting in,” the man said more forcefully.

  Luke stopped dancing and glared at him. “You’ve had your dance, now find another partner.”

  The cowboy wasn’t going to back away easy. “If this ain’t your wife, I’m cutting in.”

  Luke pulled his arms from Mary Ann, and the cowboy smiled thinking he’d won this round, until he saw Luke’s eyes.

  Luke had the look of a man who wasn’t going to take any guff. “You want to walk out of here tonight, or be carried? Your choice.”

  The cowboy didn’t like what he saw and took a step back. “No sense getting in a huff over a dance.” He turned around and walked away.

  Luke was glaring at Mary Ann when he took her in his arms. “See, that darn dress is like fanning the flames of a fire.”

  Mary Ann couldn’t believe Luke was going to fight over a dance, even if she didn’t want to dance with anyone but him. And the way he acted about her dress confused her. He didn’t seem to mind Arina’s dresses. By comparison she could be nominated for sainthood. “You don’t like my dress?”

  “I like it too dang much. Along with every other cowboy here.” After a few moments he’d calmed down enough to say what he felt. “You’re the most beautiful woman here.” She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Period.

  She didn’t want to be susceptible to his charms like the other women in town. Still, when she looked up at him she was lost and she couldn’t force her eyes from his. Did he lure every woman into his web so easily?

  The music stopped, but Luke still held her in his arms as they stared at each other. In those few seconds, Luke knew something changed, and he knew she felt it too. He’d been ready to shoot a man over a dance and he knew why. He wanted her. Taking her by the hand, he led her through the throng of people and he didn’t stop until he reached the back of the church. Once he found the most secluded area called the sparkin’ corner, he took her in his arms.

  “You’re beautiful in the moonlight,” he whispered, cupping her face in his large hand.

  Mary Ann’s heart was thumping loudly, and she quickly forgot all of the reasons she wanted to stay away from him. His arms tightened around her, crushing her to his chest and she couldn’t think of anything other than how good it felt being so close to him.

  When he lowered his lips to hers she didn’t resist.

  Luke was lost in the kiss, he pulled her even closer to his body, not giving a thought that someone might see them. His kiss was long and she clung to him. He pulled his lips from hers so he could nibble his way down her neck, over her bare shoulders to the soft skin along the neckline of her dress. She smelled so good, tasted even better, and he wanted more. He wanted it all.

  Having never experienced anything like Luke’s kisses, Mary Ann was ill-prepared for her own raging desires. Everything about him enticed her; his smell, his powerful body, his warm skin, his very talented mouth. His lips seared her skin and it felt so wonderful she offered no resistance. She was on fire, and begging for more, weaving her fingers through his hair and holding him to her. It wasn’t until she felt him tug at her dress, trying to pull it lower, that sanity returned. Realizing what he was about to do, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away. “You must not.”

  Luke stopped, his breathing was labored as he stared at her trying to make sense of what just happened. He had to focus on reining in his insatiable desire. He’d been so caught up in his craving for her that in another moment he would have had her dress half off, not giving a thought to where they were or who might see them. He was ashamed he’d let his hunger for her get the best of him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone that far.” He fully expected her to berate him for his behavior, and it would have been well-deserved.

  “The fault is not yours alone,” she said. “I’m afraid I was as caught up in the moment as you.” She silently scolded herself for behaving as shamelessly as Arina.

  Her admission surprised him. Still, he was embarrassed that he’d allowed himself to go so far. But when he looked at her swollen pink lips, all he wanted to do was kiss her again. And he did.

  As before, she wrapped her arms around his neck meeting his passion with equal intensity.

  Reluctantly, he forced himself to pull away. Another moment and he wouldn’t be a
ble to walk away. “We should get back.”

  Mary Ann couldn’t speak. She longed for more of his kisses, but she knew they needed to stop before something disastrous happened. She straightened her hair and her dress before Luke took her by the elbow and walked back to the dance floor. He spotted his brothers standing like sentinels beside their wives and steered Mary Ann toward them. His sisters-in-law were thrilled to see Mary Ann and they immediately started discussing their dresses. Luke found it difficult to converse with his brothers, he was trying to process what just happened behind the church of all places. What was wrong with him? He knew what was wrong. He wanted to take Mary Ann to her room, lock the door, and not surface for a week.

  A man approached Mary Ann asking her to dance and she accepted. Luke noticed no one asked his sisters-in-law to dance. He wondered if these cowboys didn’t think he was as mean as his brothers when he got riled. Maybe he should just go out there on the floor and knock that cowboy’s bulging eyes back into their sockets and show him just how mean he could be.

  “What do you think, Luke?” Colt asked.

  Luke didn’t respond and Jake jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow.

  “Huh?”

  “What are you thinking about, little brother?” Colt asked, knowing full well where his mind was. All he had to do was follow his eyes.

  “Nothing.” He wasn’t about to tell them what he was thinking when he couldn’t even get it straight in his own mind. He needed to get his thoughts off Mary Ann before he went plumb loco. He glanced around the dance floor and saw Arina dancing with Detrick. He thought he’d be wise to take Arina up on her offer before contemplating getting involved with a woman like Mary Ann. She was a woman he’d have to wed.

  Suddenly, Sally Detrick was standing in front of him. “I haven’t seen enough of you tonight.”

  “Sorry.” Sally was another one who was offering herself up for the taking, and by the way she was dressed he was surprised her old man let her out of the house.

  “Well, it’s time you made good on your promise to dance all night.” Sally grabbed his hand and pulled him to the dance floor a second time.

  Mary Ann tried to keep from glancing at Luke as he danced with Sally, but it was as if her eyes had a mind of their own. She wondered if he was holding Sally as tightly as he’d held her. She wondered if he was telling her she looked beautiful. Would he take her behind the church and kiss her?

  The whole time Luke danced with Sally, he tried to remember how she looked that day on the lake where she was all but naked to see if he might work up some desire for her. Nothing. He saw his lips on Mary Ann’s delicate skin, smelled her fragrance, felt his fingers threading through her hair. Before the dance ended, a cowboy tapped him on the shoulder, cutting in. Luke started to walk back to where his brothers were standing, but instead made his way to the table to get a drink. He hoped someone spiked the punch. He needed a good stiff drink.

  “Would you pour me some punch?” Arina asked.

  Luke hadn’t even seen her approach. “I think it’s spiked.”

  “Good, that’ll make it better.”

  He handed her a full cup. “Are you having a good time?”

  “Yes, I am. Judd is a wonderful dancer and I haven’t been to a dance in a long time. It’s nice to put my troubles aside for a while.”

  Luke didn’t respond. His eyes were on Sally approaching and she looked to be in a snit. Thanks to Jake he didn’t have to stand around and listen to the sparring between the two women.

  “Luke, can you come with me a minute, I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Sure thing.” Luke took his drink with him and followed Jake away from the crowd.

  “I saw Sally walking your way and I figured you needed a way out of that squabble,” Jake told him.

  “I owe you.” Luke scanned the crowd for Mary Ann and he found her on the dance floor with yet another man.

  “I actually had another reason to find you. Joey, from the telegraph office, was looking for you to give you this.” Jake handed him a telegram.

  Opening the piece of paper, Luke scanned the contents. It was the news he’d dreaded, but suspected would come. He wished Sam would have contacted him if he had a problem, but Sam was a lot like his brother Colt. They were both men who thought they could handle anything without help. Luke figured that was one of the reasons he thought so highly of Sam. It saddened him to know that his friend died alone. He deserved better. “Sam’s dead.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “I can’t find Arina,” Luke told his brothers. He looked around the dance floor and he didn’t see Arina, but he spotted Mary Ann dancing with a different cowboy. The man looked like he’d died and gone to heaven by the way he was staring at her. He didn’t like her dress one little bit. He thought about going over and cutting in, but he needed to find Arina and tell her about the fate of her husband.

  “The last time I saw her she was dancing with Detrick,” Jake said.

  Luke saw Detrick in the crowd so he headed in his direction. “Have you seen Arina?”

  “I was dancing with her when some cowboy cut in.” Detrick looked among the dancing couples. “I don’t know who he was, but I don’t see them now.”

  Sally walked up and her father asked if she had seen Arina. “I saw her headed around the back of the church with some cowboy.”

  “Did you know him?” Luke asked.

  “I’ve never seen him before.”

  Luke and his brothers looked everywhere for Arina, but they couldn’t find her. He walked back to the hotel thinking whoever she was with may have escorted her back to her room. When he entered the hotel Eb was behind the desk but he said he hadn’t seen Arina. But Luke thought he would check her room anyway. Her door was locked and she didn’t answer, so he decided to go back to the dance to see if she had surfaced.

  On his way back he thought about Sam. He owed it to his friend to find out what happened to him. He decided he had to go to Arizona to get some answers. The way he saw it, that might be the best thing to do for many reasons. He needed to get away from Mary Ann anyway so he could get his head on straight. It was apparent tonight that she wasn’t as indifferent to him as he had thought. Her reaction surprised him, and he’d never been as close as he was tonight to taking advantage of a lady. She was fogging up his brain, and while he wanted her, he wasn’t ready to settle down. Arizona seemed like the answer to a lot of his problems.

  He reached the dance just as Mary Ann and her uncle were leaving. “Did you enjoy the dance?” Luke tried to keep his eyes off Mary Ann.

  “Very much,” George responded.

  Finally, he couldn’t resist and he looked at her. “Did you dance every dance?” He hoped he didn’t sound like a spurned lover.

  Mary Ann thought Luke sounded angry, which puzzled her considering he’d disappeared with Arina. Perhaps Arina refused his advances. “Almost.”

  “I think she did, I had to plead for one dance. After tonight she’s going to have her choice of beaus,” George added.

  In that dress, Luke didn’t doubt it for one moment, and that suited him just fine. Let other cowboys fight over her. “I’m glad you had a lovely evening. I’ll say good night.” He tipped his hat and turned toward the livery. He didn’t know why he was angry, he loved being a bachelor and chasing women. He liked having them chase after him, too. Let other men fight over Mary Ann. He didn’t care.

  Mary Ann didn’t know what to make of Luke’s attitude, especially considering what had passed between them tonight. What right did he have to be angry with her? She should have never allowed him to take such liberties. Not only had she allowed it, she enjoyed every moment. She didn’t know what she would have done had he not been the one to pull away. Yes she did. She would have been disgraced. He didn’t even ask to dance with her again. She hadn’t lacked for partners to be sure, but the whole time she was dancing with the other men, her mind had been on Luke and his kisses. When he disappeared she was confident he was
with Arina since she disappeared at the same time. Then Luke came back acting like nothing had happened between them. Those few moments with him had been life-changing, and now all she wanted to do was cry.

  * * *

  Before dawn the next morning, Mary Ann was on the staircase poised to step on the second-floor landing when she heard a door opening. She stopped when she realized that it was Arina’s room and she didn’t want to talk to the woman. She saw a tall, dark-haired man wearing a blue shirt backing out of Arina’s door with his holster hung over his shoulder. Luke had worn a blue shirt last night. The lanterns were turned low and the hallway was dim and all she saw was his back, but she knew it was Luke sneaking out at that hour of the morning. She heard Arina’s voice before the door closed. “Bye, handsome, come back soon.”

  Mary Ann was furious, not with Luke, but herself for being upset. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know he was a rake. He’d done nothing to hide his philandering ways. Why he wanted or needed additional conquests was beyond her. She’d yielded to his seduction willingly, and sadly she couldn’t blame him alone. Thank goodness their encounter had ended before she made a fool of herself. A tear streaked down her cheek and she swiped at it with the back of her hand. She’d been awake all night berating herself for allowing what had transpired between them. It was time she faced facts. Luke didn’t want any kind of relationship, he just wanted her like he wanted every other woman in town. She was nothing special to him, no matter how he flattered her. From now on she wouldn’t give Luke McBride another thought, or the time of day.

  * * *

  Luke was sitting in the kitchen having a cup of coffee with Colt at dawn while everyone else was still sleeping.

  “I didn’t find Arina last night,” Luke told him.

  “I wonder who she was with if it wasn’t Detrick.”

  “I don’t know, but one thing is certain, Arina would have no problem attracting a man.” He couldn’t deny he would be relieved if she found another man to flirt with other than him. He’d questioned if he would be attracted to her if she wasn’t Sam’s wife. If he met her in a saloon he might have spent some time with her, but she wasn’t the kind of woman a man would take home to meet his mother. It didn’t come as a great surprise that she’d left the dance with a stranger. He’d learned how aggressive she could be when it came to men and what she wanted.