Ruthless Heart Read online

  He walked around until he found her on her knees, fiddling with her bag of books again. Beside her on a flat rock lay her journal, and a quill pen dipped into an inkwell. Judging by the amount of ink on the page, she’d been at it since she’d left him by the fire.

  “What are you doing?”

  She looked at him and smiled as she pushed the glasses up on her nose. The smile lit up her entire face, reminding him of just how pretty she was beneath all the layers of learning. “I needed to work with my hands a bit. It helps me, ah, relax. So, I’m developing a pulley system to allow me to raise and lower the travel bags from Cab’s saddle without straining myself.”

  He grunted. “You ain’t the only one straining yourself. I’ve been hauling that bag up and down, too.”

  “Well, then it will assist you as well.” She stood up and showed him a series of ropes, loops and two metal rings all hooked to the saddle horn and the bag.

  “Where did you get all that stuff?” He knew she hadn’t had it in her bag and he sure as hell hadn’t either.

  “I found it in the alley behind Ana’s restaurant near the outhouse. She told me it was trash, and I could take whatever I wanted.” She smiled. “I can’t imagine throwing away such things. These are all completely useable pieces of equipment. A veritable treasure trove.”

  He didn’t want to know what she’d been doing—he wanted them to be on their way as soon as possible. They were close to catching up to Angeline Brown, and he didn’t want to lose the scent.

  “We’ve got to eat and get going, Liz. Just pack up your things so we can eat.”

  She looked down at the ground. “I’ve been told many times to stop my inventions.” With determination in her eyes he recognized, she shook her head. “I’m going to finish this and verify it functions correctly.”

  He frowned at her. “What?”

  “I said I am going to spend an additional ten minutes to finish this. My notes are incomplete.” She knelt back down on the ground and started fiddling with the bits and pieces again.

  He’d seen her in many different moods, including scared, angry, exhausted, and happy. Even after they’d been intimate, she had kept a piece of herself tucked away. This was the piece. Obviously, her passion knew no bounds when it came to her inventions.

  Grady ran his hand down Bullseye’s withers as he watched her work. He’d been about to leave her to whatever she was trying to do, but Eliza’s enthusiasm, coupled with his own curiosity about what made her tick, made him stop.

  “How does it work?” He leaned against the horse and watched her.

  She grinned again and went back to work. “I’ll be able to show you shortly.” After writing something else in the journal, she made a few more adjustments to the parts.

  “I believe it’s ready to be tested.” She placed one bag on either side of her horse on the ground, then looped it all together. “Ready?”

  Her eyes shone in the early afternoon light. He felt the corners of his mouth tug as if he actually might smile at her. “Go ahead, Liz.”

  With a flourish, she took the two metal rings in her hands, and with a whoosh, the bags moved up to the top of the saddle. He was so astonished his mouth fell open. She whooped with delight and secured the rings to the bags.

  “It worked.” He walked over and examined what she’d done. Grady was no smart person like her by any means, but it seemed like she had invented something folks would pay good money for.

  “Yes, it worked! Grady, I’m so excited to have done this. No more straining either of our backs with my books. We can simply use the pulleys to raise the bags up and down.” She strutted around like a tiny peacock, her voice full of wonder and joy.

  It was almost too painful to watch. He touched the rings, avoiding looking at her for too long. Eliza was meant for better things than a man like Grady Wolfe. She deserved better, that was for damn sure. His dreams to keep her by his side were nothing more than smoke in the wind.

  “You know, you should sell your inventions.”

  She stopped walking in circles. “What do you mean?”

  “There’s companies in big cities like New York or Chicago that would pay you money for your inventions. Likely, you could make a good living on your own.” She didn’t need a man to support her that way, although he didn’t condone it, it sure was possible.

  “Truly?” She put her hands on her cheeks. “I never thought, well, I never considered it anyway. That’s a wonderful idea, Grady. I must look into that possibility in the very next town we stop in.”

  Oh yes, that was a wonderful idea. He wanted to snatch it out of the air and stuff it back down his lousy throat. What did he care though? She wasn’t his responsibility. Hell, she wasn’t even his wife, although they’d told everyone they’d met she was. Eliza could and should ride to the nearest train depot and leave his sorry ass behind.

  If she wanted to leave, Grady wouldn’t ask her not to go. He swallowed the lie and turned to walk away from her.

  Eliza was tired and dirty enough to beg for hot water to wash. Yet she was also deliriously happy. Although he hadn’t said the words “I love you”, she knew Grady had finally accepted her love. And to make the day even more perfect, her invention had worked. The first time she’d been able to create something useful for herself and use it openly. The jangling of the rings would be a constant reminder of her triumph. She was so glad Grady had been there to share it with her.

  Even with two days of dirt and grit, they could only wash up using the meager water in the canteens. They feasted on the food Eliza had managed to meter out over the last two days. The stale biscuits and apples were more delicious than she thought possible. Grady even kissed her as he put her back up on Cab.

  She knew Bowson must be close, and they could hopefully get a real bath in town to truly get clean. Eliza swore she could even taste dirt in her teeth.

  As they rode, she was more than happy to be beside him again. He didn’t look as happy as she felt, but that was all right. He’d accepted her arrival back in his life as if she were meant to be beside him. Her joy at that development knew no bounds.

  There wasn’t much that could break the bond between them now. Except of course, finding Angeline. From what Eliza had learned from Tim Hansen, Grady was very close to finding her sister. In fact, she might even be in Bowson.

  Eliza didn’t know if she wanted to get there faster or not. If they arrived to find Angeline there, it would be a quick knife into the center of their relationship. Too soon after they had developed the fragile bond between them.

  However, if they arrived and Angeline had already gone, they could ride together past Bowson, which would give her ample opportunity to solidify the connection between the two of them.

  She was torn with the knowledge her happiness could cost her sister much, and vice versa. Things were quite complicated in Eliza’s world, much more so than they had ever been. Yet she wouldn’t trade her situation for anything in the world.

  Eliza hadn’t realized how much love would change her, how she would feel simply looking at him riding beside her. He wasn’t classically handsome with the harsh planes of his face or the sharp chin, yet put together, he was simply perfect.

  Grady turned to look at her and raised one brow. “Something you want to say, Liz?”

  She’d never considered herself as a Liz, but when she was with him, she became Liz, a woman who’d been born on the trail beside him.

  “Just thinking that although you’re not handsome, you’re perfect.” She hadn’t intended on blurting that out, but it was too late to retrieve it.

  His mouth almost curved into a grin. “And you Liz are not beautiful, but you’re perfect, too.”

  Absurdly enough, Eliza felt her heart thump at the compliment, simply because he sounded sincere and because Grady didn’t say nice things about anyone.

  “Thank you, Grady.” She smiled broadly at him, and he turned away.

  “If we want to make Bowson by nightfall, we’ll n
eed to ride a bit harder.” He slid her a sidelong glance. “Are you ready?”

  She couldn’t stop the grin from spreading wider. “No, but let’s go!”

  Eliza spurred Cab into a faster gait, and unbelievably, he managed to not only to keep up with Grady’s bay, but did so with seeming ease. It appeared this adventure, this life-changing two weeks, had been enough to reinvigorate her old horse into new life as well.

  They rode for miles, sometimes side by side, sometimes single file, toward the mountains. Bowson was nestled in the valley at the foot of the largest mountain ahead. The air had cooled enough that the extra speed made her cheeks sting a bit. She didn’t care, of course, because she felt alive and happy.

  The happiness would be put to the test, as would her love for Grady, when they found Angeline. However, she was as confident as she could be that their relationship would survive.

  As the sun began to set, the peaks of buildings came into view, and she knew they’d arrived in Bowson. Grady’s jaw tightened with each step they drew closer to the town. Eliza’s bubble of happiness popped as she realized the time had actually arrived. It was time to test their love.

  The town was a bit smaller than Montgomery, but large enough to have a hotel with a restaurant, a jail, and a blacksmith. There were numerous houses, well kept and clean, and some with flowers in the yards.

  Bowson seemed ideal, a haven for someone looking to hide where danger didn’t lurk around every corner. If Angeline had come there, she would feel safe, Eliza was sure of that. If they were lucky, they would find her sister there and put an end to the furious tension that existed between her and Grady.

  He stopped at the hotel and helped her down off Cab. As her feet hit the ground, her body brushed against his, loosening dirt and some gravel. She almost laughed, but his expression was far from amused.

  His eyes glittered with that dark intensity she’d come to expect from him. He touched her cheek with two fingers.

  “What are you doing here with me?”

  She swallowed, unsure of how to answer him. “Being with the man I love.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment and pressed his forehead into hers. “Somebody has a twisted sense of humor because I can’t even think of a good answer to that.”

  She kissed his hand. “You know the answer.”

  “Damn, woman.” He shook his head. “You don’t play fair.”

  “When it comes to us, I have discovered playing fair gets me left behind alone. I refuse to go through that again.” She kissed him quickly.

  “For some damn reason I don’t want to go through that again either.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s go eat.”

  “I need to wash up before I sit down for a meal.” She glanced down at the dirt caked on her shirt. “In fact, I may have to burn this.”

  He snorted. “Hm, I think we could probably both create a new wallow for the local pig.” He peered down the street in the twilight. “I see a bathing house down the street. Let’s go.”

  He grabbed his saddlebags and her smaller bag, and they walked down to the bathing house. Eliza had never used a public facility like it before, and didn’t know exactly what to expect. Grady obviously had because he marched in as if he knew exactly what to do.

  It was a bit larger than the other buildings. When she stepped in, she realized it was much longer than she’d thought. There were three long wooden tubs with a green curtain in the center. Beyond that, there must have been more tubs, perhaps for women.

  A middle-aged woman with frizzy curls was sitting on a stool in the corner with a small table beside her. She had an apron with large pockets covering her not so small girth.

  “Ma’am,” Grady nodded in greeting. “You have a private room?”

  She looked between them. “That your wife?”

  Grady squeezed her arm. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You got money to pay for a private room?” She narrowed her gaze at them. “Judging by the look of you, you ain’t got no money.”

  Grady managed a small grin. “We’ve got money.” He reached into his pocket. “How much for a private room with fresh water.”

  The proprietor made a face as if she was mentally calculating the price, or perhaps determining how much she could charge them to get what she could from them. “Five dollars.”

  Eliza gasped. “We are willing to pay for a hot bath but not for the entire town.”

  Grady made a choking sound that might have been a laugh.

  “Okay then, three dollars for the private room and fresh water.” The woman got up from the stool, which creaked in protest. “You pay me up front or you ain’t getting nowhere near the tub.”

  Grady handed her the money. “Fresh water.” His tone told her in no uncertain terms he expected her to follow through on that particular requirement.

  “Sonny! C’mere and empty the tub in the private room.” A lumbering giant of a man, perhaps her son or husband, appeared from behind the green curtain. He had dark curly hair and a low forehead. Eliza ascertained he was one of those people who did not have the average intelligence most people did. Sonny smiled at Eliza, so she smiled back.

  “My son is an idiot, but he’s big so he works for his food.”

  Eliza frowned at the woman. “He cannot help how his brain was formed, ma’am. If anyone is to blame, it might even be you.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Never mind.” Grady took Eliza’s arm and herded her toward the green curtain. “Sometimes, you just need to shut up, Liz.”

  “But she was being cruel, and to her own son!” She had to make Grady understand. “Your parents should be the ones who take care of you, not push you down like that.”

  Grady shook his head. “I ain’t saying I don’t think you’re right, just that nothing you say will change his life or his mother’s mind.”

  Eliza didn’t want to accept that, although it had the ring of truth to it. She looked around the room and realized it was clean and surprisingly cozy. Sonny reappeared with the large wooden tub in his arms then set it in the center of the room. He smiled again at Eliza before he left the room.

  “You gonna make him fall in love with you, too?”

  Eliza turned to him, her mouth open in complete surprise. His face was a mask of confusion and pain.

  “Too?” Did that mean he loved her?

  “You have no idea what you’ve done, do you?”

  “Tell me, Grady. Please.”

  As they waited for the hot water, he paced the room with Eliza watching his progress. “You think a parent should take care of a child, right? So do I, but it don’t always happen that way, does it? My father used to own a store, did you know that? I used to love coming in there to sit beside him while he helped people.” He looked far away as though he’d left there temporarily.

  “No, I didn’t know that. Where did you live?”

  “Missouri, south of Kansas City. The store was everything to him, and he kept it neat and stocked for his customers.” Grady shook his head. “There wasn’t a person who came in his store that didn’t leave with what they needed, even if they couldn’t pay for it. He must have had many people who owed him money because we barely scraped by ourselves, but he managed to do it. Even at the age of five, I knew there was satisfaction in doing something you loved.”

  Sonny came in with two huge buckets of steaming water and poured them in the tub. Then with another smile at Eliza, he disappeared again.

  “What happened to your father?” Eliza had a feeling Grady’s father was a very important part of what had made him who and what he was.

  “He let the wrong person get what they needed.”

  “I don’t understand.” Eliza touched his arm, and he flinched. “What happened?”

  “He didn’t open the store on Sundays, even in the afternoons, because it was family time. One Sunday when he was cleaning the store, somebody banged on the door.” He paused and Eliza could have shaken him.

  However, Sonny appeared for a th
ird time with more hot water. Only a few more buckets of hot, and they’d be ready for the cold. This time when he smiled, Grady growled at him, and the man-boy stumbled out the room with his buckets smacking against his legs.

  Although she wanted to scold Grady, Eliza simply waited for him to continue. She needed to know what had happened.

  “A man said he needed something, I never knew what, and my father, being the shopkeeper he was, let the man in. I was behind the counter playing, and I heard them talking.” He swallowed audibly then met Eliza’s gaze. “Ten minutes later, I came around the counter to look for my father, and I found him lying in his own blood.”

  She gasped at the image. No five-year-old boy should see his own father murdered. What a horrible thing to have happened to him. “I’m so sorry.” She tried to take his hand, but again, he flinched.

  “It was my mother’s lover.”

  Eliza could hardly believe her ears. Before she could even absorb that information, Sonny came in with the last two buckets of hot water and dumped them in the tub. He kept a wary gaze on a tense Grady and moved much more quickly this time. After the young man left, the wisps of steam rose from the half-full tub.

  “Grady, I can’t tell you how so—”

  “You know why he killed my father? Because she told him my father had raped her.” His dark gaze was nearly feral with hate and fury.

  Eliza realized it wasn’t his father who had shaped him, but his mother. “I don’t understand.”

  “My mother was a fucking slut, a widow who had me years after her first husband died. Then she had her lover murder her second husband, the man who had become my father.” His hands were clenched so tightly, she heard his knuckles pop.

  This time when Sonny came back in, Eliza was glad of it. He was a distraction they both needed. She had to have time to absorb the information she’d learned about Grady. There were of course bad people in the world, doing bad things every moment, but to think a woman would deliberately kill her husband was unthinkable.