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He was staring at her with those damnably assessing eyes of his. She stared right back at him. It was best that they got this business about her height cleared up.
“I am merely less tall than some.”
“Less tall?”
If he wasn’t careful, he might actually smile. While the thought of the implacable Mr. Cade actually doing something as human as smiling wasn’t totally disagreeable, she didn’t want the smile to come at her expense.
“You’ll probably think it a matter of semantics, but I happen to detest the word short. Nor is it accurate in my case.”
“It isn’t?”
“Certainly not. Tempers grow short, young men’s pants are short, and so are fall days.”
“I stand corrected,” he said softly.
Unprepared for his surrender, Emma blinked. The lamp that hung in the carriage was turned to sufficient brightness for her to notice the subtle easing of the harsh lines marking his face. The shadow of an evening beard darkened his jaw.
“I have an entire list of things that are short,” she ventured, in case he wasn’t convinced.
“It won’t be necessary to go through it. Why are you so protective toward Miss Loutitia?”
“Her offer of employment gave me the opportunity to begin a new life in the West.” At the reminder that she was about to become unemployed, fear squeezed Emma’s stomach.
“How did that come about?”
The man was full of questions. Answering them lessened the silent tension. “There was an advertisement in the Phil’ adelphia Sentinel announcing teaching positions west of the Missouri.”
“What were you doing before you responded to the advertisement?”
“Teaching.” She saw no need to elaborate. The school where she’d previously taught was run by a small religious sect. Everyone had been kind, but she wasn’t of their faith and had felt an outsider.
“So you came to Denver to begin a new life?”
“Yes.”
“No doubt you were looking for excitement and adventure.”
If tonight was any indication, she’d certainly found it. “Everything I’d read about Denver suggested there would be more excitement here than in Philadelphia.”
“The thought of cattle rustlers, claim jumpers and train robbers didn’t alarm you?”
“Denver has its own band of protectors looking out for its citizenry.” One of the lures that made the western town so fascinating had been the legendary group of men who’d banded together to combat the area’s lawless element. The eastern newspapers had made much of their noble exploits.
He regarded her in open amusement. “You’re referring to the ‘Guardsmen,’ I assume.”
She bristled at his disparaging tone. “I am.”
“I’m surprised you put so much stock in what newspapers print. There’s no proof the Guardsmen actually exist.”
“Of course there is. Almost every time someone tries to rob a stagecoach, they’re caught and turned over to the authorities.”
“That’s not proof there’s an underground group of vigilantes at work.”
At his mention of the word vigilante, Emma realized they had strayed to a dangerous subject. She abhorred vigilante justice. No man or group of men had the right to take the law into their own hands and administer their justice, especially at the end of a rope. Rumors were rife that Gideon Cade was such a man, that he ran his freighting empire with an iron fist and anyone who challenged him wound up dead.
During their extraordinary encounter, she’d forgotten with whom she was dealing. Emma shivered. “The Guardsmen are different.”
“Not that I’m admitting the group exists, but why?”
“Because, they don’t perform their own…er…executions.” Uttering the last word was a bit like reminding the devil of his agenda for wreaking havoc.
“And, of course, that’s what the newspapers imply I’m guilty of.”
She hadn’t expected him to openly refer to the charges that had been made against him.
“Getting back to the Guardsmen,” she said, wanting to avoid an argument that was bound to put them on opposing sides. “You have to admit their methods are ingenious.”
“Some might say farcical.”
“They would be wrong,” Emma replied, warming to her defense of the anonymous group. “Remember last week, when they left those trussed-up cattle rustlers at the church in the middle of the night?”
“Who can forget?”
She didn’t appreciate his levity. “Along with a list of their misdeeds, the names of two wranglers who’d witnessed the crime were provided. Had the Guardsmen not appeared on the scene to save those witnesses, they would have been killed. Now they can testify.”
“And that wouldn’t have happened without your masked band of do-gooders?”
“Of course not.” Really, the man could be quite dense. “Even if the wranglers hadn’t been killed, they would have been too intimidated to testify in court. Part of the Guardsmen’s success is based on the protection they offer people. I’m sure Sheriff Beckman and his deputies are extremely grateful for the extra help they’ve been receiving.”
“You think so?”
She nodded. “Of course. After all, it must be extremely disheartening for an officer of the law to have so much crime going on under his nose. I imagine he wishes he knew their identities so he could thank them personally.”
“Interesting idea.”
“Well, there’s one thing for certain.”
“What’s that?”
“Whomever they are, I’ll wager they’re some of the brayest and most intelligent men our country boasts. They deserve to be recognized for their courage and selfless devotion.”
Instead of commenting, Mr. Cade stretched. Somehow, in the process, his arm lowered, and the back of her head became cradled against him. She was about to extricate herself when he spoke again.
“I suppose you agree with the editorials that condemn me for operating a toll road to the mines.”
“Now that you mention it, it does seem a tad…er…excessive to charge men to travel to and from their own gold claims.”
Even though it was her custom to employ tact when dealing with others, Emma resented being wishy-washy with this man.
“Are you aware there wasn’t a passable road until I had one surveyed, dynamited and laid through the mountains?”
“Well, no, but—”
“And that I happen to own the land through which the road passes?”
“No, but—”
“And prior to my freighting teams, complete with drivers and men riding shotgun, miners were unable to get their gold to Denver?”
“But—”
“And without the rail spurs that took two years to build, it would take more than a century to transport the ore from the mountains?”
“Still—”
“Unlike your Miss Loutitia, I know how to run a business.”
His rigid tone discouraged rebuttal.
“She isn’t my Loutitia,” Emma pointed out. “But she’s successfully run the school for the past few years, and has a reputation for kindness.”
“Being known for one’s kindness hardly qualifies someone to run a business,” came his scoffing rejoinder.
“That’s just what one would expect from a coldhearted businessman.”
The words slipped out despite Emma’s best intentions to avoid a quarrel. The disagreeably arrogant man had a knack for provoking her. If there had been a way to call back the barb, she would have done it.
“I assure you my heart is no colder than any other part of me.”
What exactly did that mean?
“I spoke out of turn.” She was amazed she didn’t choke on the apology. “I merely meant that as a…businessman, you’re inclined to look at the facts as they’re written on sheets of paper. The rest of the world tends to look at things differently.”
“As you’ve separated me from the rest of the human race, explain how so-called normal people will view Loutitia Hempshire’s business failure.”
The command was brusquely issued. Had her observation wounded him? Immediately she chastised herself for being so foolish as to think she could hurt Gideon Cade’s feelings.
“Instead of condemning her, most people will sympathize.”
“An utterly pointless exercise.”
The man specialized in cold pronouncements.
“What do you plan on doing when the academy closes, Miss Step?”
The last thing she wanted to discuss was her uncertain future.
“I’m looking into several possibilities,” she said vaguely.
If only the academy could have kept its doors open for another year. By then, she would have saved enough money to invest in the new institution Jayne Stoneworthy was beginning. Both Jayne and she had been recruited by Miss Loutitia to come to Denver. Jayne, however, had decided she had enough funds to establish the fledgling school.
“That’s what people say when they don’t know what they’re doing.”
She shivered at the accuracy of his observation, aware suddenly of her clammy clothes, the chill in the air and her throbbing toes.
“You’re cold.”
“I’m f-fine.”
It was ridiculous. She wasn’t any colder than she’d been a moment before. There was no reason for her teeth to start chattering.
“Sure you are.”
Before she knew what he intended, he had vanquished the infinitesimal distance between them and was drawing her into his embrace. Stunned by his sudden boldness, she let precious seconds flit by without protesting. The now familiar sensation of powerful arms closing around her rocked her equilibrium. When the dust settled, she was seated upon his lap.
“You should have worn a heavier cloak.”
“If I had one, I would have,” she snapped, for once not trying to conceal her impoverished state. Futilely she attempted to dislodge herself from on top of him.
“Settle down, I’m just warming you up.”
She continued to try to wrestle free. “Ha! You can’t fool me.”
“I can’t?”
His voice was a husky murmur that flowed directly into her ear and seemed in danger of thundering out of her palpitating heart
“You’re the kind of libertine who takes every opportunity to get his hands upon a woman.” Every squirming movement seemed to deliver her more tightly into his embrace.
“You have to admit, you’ve given me plenty of opportunities.”
The carriage took an unexpected turn. Had he not held her so firmly, she would have been tossed to the floor.
“I haven’t given you anything!” She looked up at him in frustration. “You’re just acting true to form.”
He pressed a wide palm to her back. “What form is that?”
Because of the close way he held her, she was forced to notice his warmth. She refused to enjoy it. “That of a robber baron, of course.”
“Of course,” he conceded lightly, sliding a hand around her waist and securing her sideways on his lap.
She was effectively captured, her resistance limited to the hand she’d wedged between their snugly pressed chests.
“Stop shivering as if you were a kitten left on the step in January.”
His words were more accurate than he knew.
“I’ll stop shivering when you release me!” That didn’t sound right.
