“Jolie!” he shouted as he jumped down from the wagon. He set to work unhitching Old Brown.
But after he’d returned the horse to the corral, Jolie still hadn’t made an appearance. He called her name again as he crossed to the house.
There was no response, and she wasn’t inside either.
Hands on his hips, Cade looked around the property. Had she said anything earlier that might indicated where she’d gone? He thought back but came up empty. All he could remember were her endless, curious questions about where he was headed with the wagon.
Most likely, she’d taken her sketchbook and gone out in search of some plant or animal that had caught her fancy.
But it was growing closer to supper time. He would have expected her to return by now. Besides, she was so excited to see what he might be bringing back. She wouldn’t have wanted to miss his return.
What if something had happened to her? He swallowed the lump of fear that rose in his throat. He had to find her.
She couldn’t have gone far, but he’d cover ground faster on horseback.
“Sorry, fella,” he said to Old Brown as he saddled the horse. Old Brown deserved a rest after pulling that wagon, but rest would need to wait until after they’d found Jolie.
The horse seemed to understand, nickering and nudging his nose against Cade’s sleeve. Cade saddled him quickly and decided to head west, toward the creek first. It was the most likely place Jolie would have gone.
They hadn’t gotten very far when he spotted a cloud of dust rising off to the left, near where his property met the railroad tracks. Cade slowed, squinting into the sunlight. He could just barely make out a horse and rider, headed north toward Crest Stone.
He didn’t have time to stop and greet a neighbor. Nudging Old Brown forward, he made his way toward the trees that lined Silver Creek.
There was no sign of Jolie, although he looked all around as he rode.Please let her be by the creek. Please let her be all right. He repeated the words to himself in time with Old Brown’s trot.
The horse picked his way through the twigs and brush that lined the ground until they emerged into the dappled sunlight by the creek.
Clothing lay spread out here and there on rocks, and one of his shirts lay crumpled on the ground.
Alarmed, he slid to the ground, one hand on the pistol at his side. She’d come here to do the washing, and now she wasn’t—
“Cade!” Jolie’s relieved voice echoed from somewhere in the trees.
“Jolie?” His arms and legs went numb with relief when she emerged. She was here. She wasn’t hurt.
Without thinking, he ran to her and gathered her into his arms. “You’re here.” He pressed a hand to either side of her face, drinking in her perfect blue eyes and parted lips.
And then he did the one thing he’d been wanting to do for weeks.
He kissed her.
Chapter Fifteen
Jolie’seyeswentwidebefore some instinct told her to close them. Her startled gasp was lost when his lips claimed hers, and she immediately forgot everything as she fell into his kiss.
His hands were warm on her face, holding her there as if he couldn’t bear for her to move away from him. Not that she wanted to do any such thing. Instead, she reached for his arms, holding on to steady herself as her mind spun. She couldn’t think of anything except Cade—the warmth of his mouth, the leather and sunlight scent of him, the way his muscles flexed under her touch.
He began to move away, dragging in a breath, but she didn’t want to let him go. She didn’t want this to end. Her request came out as a whimper, and his mouth was on hers again immediately. It felt as if this was precisely what had been missing between them, and Jolie couldn’t get enough.
She held fast to his arms as her head went dizzy. Somewhere—it felt very far away—Old Brown nickered. Cade pulled back then.
“Jolie,” he said, her name barely a whisper. He dropped his hands to her shoulders. “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t be.” She still held onto him, this wonderful man who was her husband. “I’ve been waiting for that.”
He laughed, low and throaty, as his thumbs made circles on her shoulders. “I couldn’t find you, and I worried . . . But you’re here, and you’re all right.”
She nodded. “I meant to be back earlier, and I’m sorry I scared you. But there’s something I must tell you, Cade.”
