Stronger Than the Rest Read online

  “As long as you want, Aunt Alicia.”

  “And me?” The soft voice came from behind him.

  He closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Even though she visited his dreams and thoughts, he hadn’t planned to see her again unless he could walk. He wasn’t what she needed, not in his current state. Drew turned the chair towards her. She was even more beautiful then he remembered.

  “Hello, Tess.” His eyes moved over her features. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into a twist. Soft, caramel-brown eyes settled on him. He could just see the sprinkling of freckles across her nose. She’d told him once that more appeared each year and she’d just accepted it. He’d laughed and told her he liked them—and he did.

  “Hello, Drew.” She walked forward to stand a few feet away. “I hope it’s all right that I’ve come.” Her voice was unsteady, her nervousness apparent.

  No, it’s not all right. “Of course. I’m glad to see you.” You look beautiful. He cleared his throat. “Did you have a safe trip?”

  “Oh, yes, it was wonderful—so majestic and breathtaking. Sometimes we forget how beautiful some things are when we haven’t seen them in a while.”

  Drew drank in the sight of her. “Yes we do, Tess. We certainly do.”

  He tore his gaze from Tess and look up at his aunt. “You’ve found rooms? Unpacked?”

  “Yes, we’re all set. Mr. Jericho was wonderful when we arrived. He handled the surprise quite well,” Alicia glanced at the tall, brawny man who now stood a few feet to the side. He returned her smile.

  “Good. I’ve made reservations at six o’clock for supper at The Regency, if that’s agreeable. I think you’ll both like it.”

  Alicia wondered at the sudden change in Drew. His words were stilted, almost formal. “We can do that, but I’ve made your favorite supper.”

  Drew wanted the protection of a large restaurant, not the intimacy the family dinner offered, but he loved his aunt and would do whatever she wanted. “Of course. Mr. Jericho, please send word to The Regency that we’re cancelling tonight?”

  Jericho nodded before walking outside.

  “Does that mean he must ride to the restaurant?” Tess asked.

  “On most nights there are one or two boys milling around this area. He can usually find one he can pay to run an errand. If not, he’ll go himself. It’s not far.” He didn’t look at Tess, but rolled his chair toward the kitchen.

  Louis Dunnigan had made several modifications. Work tables were lowered as were the counters. Open shelves replaced cupboards below the counters and a sink had been placed at the perfect height for Drew’s use. Another was at a standard height as Jericho often did the cooking. Dunnigan had told Drew everything would be changed back when he was able to walk again.

  “It smells wonderful.” Drew inhaled and smiled at the memories. Alicia had made stew at least once every week when he was growing up. It had always been his favorite. That and her pies. He looked toward the counter and, sure enough, one sat cooling not three feet away. “How did you manage a pie? Did I keep you waiting that long?”

  “Not at all,” Alicia replied as she took down plates and found utensils. “Eleanor packed a bag of items she thought I’d need. That woman is a marvel.”

  ******

  Drew sat in bed, reading, trying to focus. The food had been excellent. Catching up on the family had been the highlight. Will and Amanda’s wedding and the birth of Jamie and Torie’s second son, Caleb. But Drew hung his head as other parts of the supper conversation played through his mind.

  Tess had taken over many of Amanda’s responsibilities at the Big G. She was learning and growing, preparing for the day she’d run the horse breeding program at the ranch. She admitted she had a long way to go, but her enthusiasm showed in her face, her smile, her eyes. She was excelling, doing what she loved, and he was languishing, stuck in his damn chair.

  He threw the book he’d been reading across the room. Why had she come? He didn’t need or want her here. Aunt Alicia, yes, but not Tess. He needed to concentrate on his recovery, walking again. He couldn’t do that with her consuming his thoughts, her image flashing through his mind. She couldn’t stay.

  First he’d make arrangements for her return to Cold Creek, then he’d tell her.

  ******

  The following morning Drew arrived in the kitchen to find his aunt and Jericho laughing, working together to prepare breakfast. He rarely saw Jericho relaxed, joking like he was now.

  “Good morning, Drew.” Tess came up behind him and placed a hand on his arm, feeling a slight tensing of his muscles. “Looks like those two are enjoying themselves.”

  Drew saw her eyes sparkle as she watched them. He’d felt the jolt the instant Tess had touched him. Her soft voice flowed over him as he glanced up to see her amused face taking in the scene in the kitchen.

  Jericho wore an apron similar to Alicia’s, with slim straps that went over his shoulders. Jericho’s ties hung loose—his girth just too much for the shorter ties. Alicia made another comment which caused Jericho to laugh again. It was a deep, rolling sound.

  “May we join you?” Tess asked.

  Alicia glanced over her shoulder. “Of course. We’ve just finished. Hope you’re both hungry.”

  Drew backed up the chair and spun the wheels as much as they’d allow, then headed toward the large dining room. “Starving. Come on, Tess. We’ll get settled at the table while the cooks finish up.”

  Tess looked around. The house was quite large for just Drew and Jericho. “It’s such a nice place, Drew. Mr. Dunnigan set it up so well.”

  “He’s been more than generous. This is what I found when I came back to Denver. I’m guessing he had Terrance select all the furnishings as they’re more east coast than Colorado, but that’s fine. I didn’t have to figure anything out. It was already finished and ready for me, including appointments with the best doctor in the area.”

  “I guess it makes the accommodations in Cold Creek seem rather pale.”

  Drew looked up at Tess. “I don’t understand?”

  “Well, you have this wonderful home all setup for you, Mr. Jericho to see to your every need here, Terrance to make sure you have what you require at the office, a job you love, and Miss Dunnigan is obviously quite fond of you. I suppose nothing in Arizona or Colorado would seem sufficient after this.”

  Drew studied her for a long moment. He had every intention of leaving Denver, going back to Fire Mountain, and working with his brothers. Even if he never walked again he knew there would always be a place for him at home. But he would walk again, and when he did, he would ask Tess to marry him, not Patricia Dunnigan.

  “None of this is what I want, Tess. I’m grateful for it, but it’s not what I dream about.”

  “What do you dream about?”

  “Ok, here you go,” Jericho said as he placed heaping plates in front of Drew and Tess. “I made the eggs. I checked the flapjacks, and must admit that your Aunt Alicia does a darn fine job, Drew.”

  The moment broken, Drew tore his gaze away from Tess. “Yes, Mr. Jericho, she does.”

  ******

  Two days had passed since she and Aunt Alicia had arrived in Denver.

  Tess pulled the brush through her long hair and separated it into three strands. It had been the same routine every night since she’d first met him and every night after he’d left Cold Creek. Braid her hair, crawl under the covers, and think of Drew. She’d hoped her constant thoughts of him would diminish once they’d seen each other again. Perhaps her memories were flawed, her attraction to him temporary. But it had only gotten worse. Now his image haunted her every minute of every day.

  He’d barely had time for her since she and Alicia had arrived. They ate meals together, made small talk, but after that first morning, the easy banter they’d shared before was gone. He had closed up as if he’d erected a wall around himself. She mourned the loss. Drew had become important to her in the brief time he’d been at the ranch. Although he’
d never expressed it, she’d thought he had feelings for her also, but apparently she’d been wrong. The words her sister, Amanda, had said the day of her wedding to Will MacLaren flashed through her mind.

  “You go as a friend, not as someone expecting anything from him. His focus is on walking and I’ll bet he could use a friend, someone he knows wants nothing from him but to help. That’s you, Tess, not Louis Dunnigan and not Patricia. Go to Denver, be his friend. You’ll never know what could be until you take the chance.”

  But she hadn’t gone right away. Alicia’s decision to visit her nephew had provided Tess with the push she needed to see Drew again. Now she was in Denver, in his house, three doors from his room, and she’d yet to make a move that would express what she felt. Well, that was about to change. She’d find a way to get him alone, talk with him like they used to, and start to be the friend she had been in Cold Creek.

  Chapter Five

  Cold Creek, Colorado

  Grant and Clint walked into the sheriff’s office as Frank was pouring a cup of coffee. “Would you gentlemen like some?” He nodded at the cup in his hand. Both men declined. “Looks like you had some trouble, Clint. Have a seat and tell me what brings you here.” Frank studied the man’s battered face and waited.

  “Clint, why don’t you tell Frank what happened last night,” Grant said.

  Frank sat and listened without interrupting, but his mind worked double-time as some pieces started to come together. When Clint was finished, Frank set down his cup and stood. “Come with me.” He grabbed his hat and opened the door for the two men.

  “Where we headed?” Grant asked as they made their way down the dusty boardwalk. The winds had started, stirring up sand. Clint watched as a tumbleweed made its way down the street, bouncing from one spot to the next.

  “Through here.” Frank opened the back door to the doctor’s office, then led them to another locked room. He pulled a key from a wall cabinet, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. The room smelled of death. Inside were two tables. One appeared to contain a body, covered by a course sheet. Frank walked up and pulled the sheet down. He looked at Clint. “Recognize him?”

  Clint looked at the corpse then quickly pulled back. “Yes. It’s Dave Dawson. He worked for Mrs. Bierdan. What happened?”

  “Don’t know. A cowhand found his body a couple of miles from town. Two bullet holes in him.”

  “Murdered,” Grant said.

  “Appears so.” Frank turned to Clint. “Could be the same men that attacked you last night may have been involved in this. Let’s go back to the office. You can tell me everything you know about Luther, Vern, and the men who rode with them.”

  ******

  Denver, Colorado

  “What’s it say?” Louis Dunnigan asked after Drew had read the latest message from Frank Alts.

  “One of Mrs. Bierdan’s ranch hands was murdered and another threatened and beaten. Seems someone wants the Bierdan ranch enough to kill for it.” Drew passed the paper across the desk.

  Dunnigan read through it once, then set it down and sat back in his chair. He’d hoped to have more time to pull some things together, but the news from Alts meant a change in plans. “It’s time, Drew.”

  “You want me to go to Cold Creek, speak to Eloise Bierdan and Warren Langdon?”

  Dunnigan nodded.

  “How far do I go?”

  “We’ll pay top dollar for the land, cattle, and horses for either place. The foreman at the Bierdan ranch can stay and some of the men. We’ll buy her a house in town or wherever she wants to resettle, within reason.” He stood and shoved one hand into a pocket as he walked around the desk and leaned back against it. “My guess is Langdon won’t take long to accept the offer—unless he’s already been approached. If that’s the case, let me know who made the offer and the price.” Louis thought for another moment. “May be different for the widow. If she insists on keeping the ranch, offer her a partnership where Dunnigan Enterprises receives timber rights on her land plus any access rights we’d need to move the timber. We would insist on first right of refusal if she decides to sell, but regardless, the timber rights must be written to survive any change of ownership.”

  “Any other help with the ranch operations if she decides to stay?”

  “No.” Dunnigan replied and pushed away from his desk. “Be ready to leave in two days. I’ll have Terrance make the arrangements. Mr. Jericho will accompany you.”

  “And my aunt and Miss Taylor?”

  “That’s up to you.”

  ******

  It had been a long two days. After the first morning Drew had rarely been at home—there was too much to do in preparation for his trip to Cold Creek. Dunnigan commissioned a second wheelchair for the trip. Terrence worked non-stop to pull together the travel arrangements. Jericho packed what he and Drew would need for the trip. Drew worked with Henry Thompson to transition his responsibilities. The young man was new at Dunnigan, but had worked for a firm in Philadelphia before traveling west. Drew was comfortable that he’d do well with the additional workload.

  It would be a full day’s journey by train and carriage to Cold Creek. Drew had given his aunt and Tess the choice of waiting for him in Denver or going back. Both had made the decision to leave. Tess had mentioned something about the train ride giving them a chance to catch up.

  Tess. His thoughts had rarely strayed from her since she’d arrived in Denver. His decision to send her home had fallen aside with the plans for the three of them to travel to Cold Creek together. It was a blessing. He didn’t want to hurt her. She’d been the one to stay by his side those first few days after the shooting, when his brothers, Will and Jamie, had been focused on finding the man who’d shot him and returning the stolen cattle to the Big G. He and Tess had spent hours together. He liked her. Hell, he more than liked her, but she deserved better than a man with useless legs. Her goal was to breed and raise the finest horse stock in Colorado. It was a dream he shared, but now might never realize. She needed someone who would pull his weight, not lean on her for support.

  “Mr. Jericho has the carriage ready. Mrs. MacLaren and Miss Taylor are waiting for you outside,” Terrance announced as he entered Drew’s office. “The train just arrived and they’re attaching the Dunnigan cars. You should arrive in Cold Creek late tonight. Are you certain you don’t wish me to come along, sir?”

  “Thank you, Terrence, but I’ll be fine. I know the town and several people, including the sheriff. As long as I have a carriage and Mr. Jericho, I’ll get around without a problem.”

  An hour later Aunt Alicia, Tess, and Drew settled in one of the opulent private cars, and headed west through the middle of Colorado. It was some of the most spectacular scenery he’d ever seen. No matter how many times he saw it, he never tired of the view. Tall peaks rose on both sides of the train during much of the journey. A wild, fast-moving river partnered with the moving machinery for much of the trip. He sat back, closed his eyes, and thought about the last few days.

  He spent time thinking about Dunnigan’s daughter and her desire to marry. Even though a relationship with Tess was out of the question, a union with Patricia wasn’t what he wanted. He’d scheduled a meeting with Patricia before leaving Denver to tell her of his decision.

  She’d been devastated by the news that he’d decided not to pursue an engagement. She’d thought they fit very well, while he thought two people couldn’t be less suited for marriage.

  Patricia smoothed her custom fitted dress then clasped her hands in her lap. “I know I met Tessa only once, in Cold Creek, but she simply does not seem to be the type of woman who would interest you. She’s a ranch woman with little understanding of city life. You have an education and are sophisticated. How could you possibly choose someone like her?”

  Drew looked away. Patricia was correct but in a different way than what she meant. While she was glamorous in her curls and stylish gowns, he found her to be stilted, detached, with little understanding of those out
side her circle. Tess was genuine with a deep caring of those around her. Her lovely but plain clothes fit well and highlighted her soft curves. The image of that softness brought heat to his face and a desire that grew with each thought of her.

  He’d sat with Patricia for hours, talking of her dreams, which were few, and what each wanted from a marriage. If possible, he planned to have several children and raise them at the MacLaren ranch in Fire Mountain, Arizona territory. He’d teach them to ride, raise cattle, breed horses, and shoot. Although Patricia listened politely to everything he said, it was the last that got her full attention.

  “But, Drew, how can you even think of teaching children how to shoot after what happened to you? Guns are dangerous and have no place in a civilized house.”

  “Guns are a necessary fact of life on a ranch, as essential as food and water. It would be foolish not to teach my children how to use a gun and handle a rifle.”

  “Well, I don’t understand it. There will be no guns in my house,” she stated in a firm tone.

  “And that’s the major reason why we don’t suit. Our lives don’t match, not in any way.”

  After a while, Patricia calmed down and her protests ceased. Drew knew the moment she accepted his decision that they weren’t meant to marry. She was stubborn but also smart. The woman knew how to back off graciously. He admired her for it but he wouldn’t miss her demanding nature or selfish ways. What a contrast she was to Tess.

  Tess loved horses, reading, and her family. It was hard for her to open up and trust people, but she had a big heart, a gentle touch, and beautiful smile. How he cherished that smile. She and his aunt had been quiet during the trip, each enjoying the scenery, reading, or keeping to their own thoughts. That was fine. He’d needed the time alone to gather his thoughts.