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lifted to see over his shoulder. Where s Des?
Hopefully not realizing I sent him in the wrong direction,
Connor said. He s gonna be pissed.
I am pissed. Desmond reeled into the clearing and fell back
against a small tree. He pressed his hand over his chest and twisted
his face toward his brother. Care to explain how I ended up going
260 Amber Carlton
east? Damn& I think I m having a heart attack. Connor rolled his
eyes and Desmond narrowed his.
Now, Des, Connor said, I tried to
Save the martyr bit and stop worrying about me all the time.
Des slid down the trunk and landed on his ass. I figured it out pretty
quick. I backtracked and followed you.
Connor shrugged. Then no harm done.
Livvie wiggled in Connor s arms and he released her. She crawled
across the distance between them and curled into Desmond s lap.
When I heard that first shot& Desmond stared over her toward
the burning embers of the campfire. He glanced at her and gave her a
weak smile. I see you didn t need us.
I always need you, Livvie said.
Desmond cupped her face and his mouth covered hers in a sweet
kiss. That s for taking care of Lucas Price.
She smiled under his lips. I went for the kill instead of the body
shot. I wanted to get it right the first time.
He kissed her again, one that held every feeling he d ever had and
made her body press against him hard, wanting to feel the heat, the
fire. When he reluctantly peeled his mouth from hers, he murmured,
I missed you, Liv. That was for me.
I could tell, she whispered.
He smiled then flipped her over on his lap and swatted her ass.
Ouch!
That s for ruining what was otherwise a perfect night. She
shrieked and wiggled until he released her. She scrambled backwards,
laughing. He stared at his hand. Great. I m not dirty enough? Now I
have mud all over my hand.
She leapt to her feet and twisted around. I have mud on my ass?
Oh, someone is going to pay for that. I love this outfit.
Buckskins and Brocade 261
Chapter 26
They plodded into Fort Cloud, hungry, filthy, and tired, but Livvie
had never felt better in her life. They had a name, a location, and a
date for the rendezvous Lucas Price had planned with his contact in
Idaho. Once the sheriff arrived and the telegraph had been repaired,
Livvie knew they d see the end of the mission and the return of the
boys to their respective towns to be adopted.
When they arrived at the school, Livvie gratefully slid off the
horse. She had one moment of peace before Anna came to the door
and let the students converge on her. Soon the yard filled with the
citizens of Fort Cloud, eager to hear about their adventure and
success.
After Tad Wilkins carted their captive off to the livery, women
began to arrive with food. The new tables the townsmen had crafted
in their absence filled to the brim with an array of meats and
vegetables, desserts and cheese. The owner of the Prairie Schooner
brought some jugs of whiskey and cider and slapped them down on
the table, realizing he d have no patrons that day. A few of the men
gathered fiddles and pipes and played throughout the afternoon. The
smaller children joined them with harmonicas and drums from the
school. Her young heroes Wes, David and James sat in a cluster of
the older children, telling and re-telling their story. Alice and Miranda
hung on every word. Buster slept on Alice s lap.
As people filled plates and cups and settled down for a picnic, a
lone horse raced down the dust of Main Street. Livvie shielded her
eyes against the sun as the shadow approached. When she saw the
rider s shock of unruly dark curls she shrieked, jumping up and down,
262 Amber Carlton
and rushed into the street. Martin leapt from the horse before it
stopped and gathered her into his arms.
Oh God, Liv, I am so glad to see you alive.
He hugged her so tight she could barely squeeze in a breath. She
laughed and finally managed to extricate herself from Martin s arms.
What are you doing here? Didn t you get my letter?
He ran his hands through his hair. I don t know. I spoke with
Caroline a few days after you left. A man was killed here, Liv. They
didn t tell you that and I
Livvie nodded. Yes, I know. But that
I came to take you home. They will never forgive me if
something happens to you. We need to go now. Someone can send
your things. I ve arranged for tickets to the next town. We ll wait
there for a train back to Cincinnati. His gaze suddenly lifted and
scanned the crowd behind her. What s going on here?
Livvie reached up and cupped his face. She forced him to look at
her. We re celebrating. The mission is over. We ve been successful
and everything is okay. I m fine.
Martin blinked. What?
She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug.
My Galahad. I love you so much, Marty. She pulled away and took
his hand. If you want to hear about our adventure, I know three boys
that would love to tell it one more time.
I d love to hear it, because I ve moved beyond worried into
confusion.
If you were worried, why didn t you just send me a telegram,
Marty?
He smiled. Because I knew you d ignore it. I figured I might
have to carry you away from here kicking and screaming.
Who s your friend, Olivia?
Livvie turned at the sound of Anna s voice. Anna s brown eyes
rose from hers to the man behind her. A soft smile lingered on her
lips.
Buckskins and Brocade 263
Anna Glaser, meet my brother& er, my uncle, Martin Travers.
Anna laughed. That sounds fairly suspicious, Olivia. Which is it
exactly?
Martin held out his hand and smiled. I m her uncle actually, but
in our family it s incredibly hard to keep track of things like that.
Anna took his hand. You must have an interesting, her gaze
caressed Martin s face, and beautiful family, Olivia. I assume
everything is okay at home?
Yes, Anna. Martin just& just wanted to see Kansas for himself.
Anna tucked Martin s hand into her arm. I know you re
exhausted after the last few days, Olivia, so I d be more than happy to
show your uncle around our little town. Mr. Travers, let me introduce
you to some of the greatest cooking this side of the Mississippi and
some of the nicest people. Hopefully we can convince you to stay
awhile.
That shouldn t be too hard, Anna. Martin took a backwards
glance at Livvie and laughed. Nice outfit, Liv, but did you know you
have mud on your ass?
She made a face at him and headed for the shade of the tree. She
leaned back against it, enjoying the sounds of happy chatter and
laughter and the music that filled the yard. She closed her eyes until
two darker shadows fell over her. She opened one lid then patted the
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