“You just cannot help it,” he told her. “And... neither can I.”
He couldn’t fight it anymore, and as he brushed his lips over hers, she melted against him, confirming that she’d been anticipating this almost as much as he had. He tightened his arms around her, proceeding with the kiss. Her hands wandered up to his chest, and she hooked her arms around his neck, which fit her body even closer against his.
He kept the kiss gentle and unrushed. He figured she wasn’t used to kissing a man, especially since Albert Greenwood had disgusted her. But she seemed to participate without hesitation.
Denton tilted his head and deepened the kiss. A throaty sigh escaped her – the most wonderful sound he’d ever heard. And heaven help him, it nearly drove him over the brink of madness. His heart soared higher than it had ever done before, and he thanked God that his chest kept it from flying out of his body.
It felt wonderful to kiss a woman passionately, but his mind tried to argue that kissingthisparticular woman might cause heartache in time. If his heart got involved, he’d be in big trouble. Yet, he still wanted to take her to Helena with him so that he could make sure nobody caught her and took her to the sheriff. The newspaper article about her had mentioned a reward. Apparently, Albert’s children were going to pin this on Courtney, no matter if she was innocent or not. He couldn’t allow that to happen. Arresting the wrong person for Albert Greenwood’s murder wasnotjustice.
Denton broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. Nothing was said as they held each other, and their deep breaths were in sync.
“Maybe,” he said finally, “we shouldn’t have done that.”
She grinned and straightened. “Or perhaps it was meant to be?”
He didn’t want to think ofthat. For now, he was going to take one day at a time and see what happened.
“I’ll talk to Clark and see if he can put us up for the night. First thing in the morning, we’ll head to Helena.”
“I’ll need a wig.”
“True. Maybe I’ll make a quick stop into town and find you one before we leave tomorrow.”
She exhaled a deep breath. “I truly cannot wait until this is over, and the murderer is found and locked away.”
“I agree. But you must keep in mind that people will still look at you as if you have committed a crime. They don’t forget so easily, especially when an important figure in the community has been killed.”
A frown claimed her face. “What will I do, then?”
He caressed her cheek. “We’ll deal with that matter when it happens. So, until then, let’s find us a killer.”
EIGHT
COURTNEY SCRATCHEDunderneath her dark brunette wig. Again. She’d lost count on their journey to Helena how many times the blasted wig had made her head itch. She couldn’t wait to lock herself inside a hotel room and take off her disguise. Not only was she wearing a dark wig, but she had stuffed a pillow in her blouse and skirt to look pregnant. That wasn't easy since most of her clothes fit her snugly around the middle.
They’d taken her buggy with Denton’s horse tied to the back, and as they rode through the main street in Helena, Courtney pulled back in the seat and stopped fidgeting. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself.
