He supposed it was her vulnerability that moved him to do what he did then, or maybe his own. Either way, the fact of it was that he bent and kissed her, just laid his mouth to hers, natural as breathing, gently at first, then with all the fervor of a lonely man.

He half-expected her to pull away, dreaded it in fact, but she didn’t. Her grasp tightened on the back of his coat, and when he teased her lips apart, she opened to him. The kiss was devastating to Scully, it was like stepping over the border into paradise and being told to high-tail it right back out. This was Big John’s woman, and Big John was the best friend he had in the world.

He thrust her back from him then. He was still holding her by the shoulders, and they were both breathing deep and hard. Scully might have sacrificed his own soul, he wanted her so badly, but he could not and would not sacrifice his friend’s trust. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

She looked aggrieved, and the high flush in her cheeks might have been either passion or indignation; Scully didn’t have the presence of mind, just yet, to hazard a guess. “Don’t say anything more about it, Scully,” she whispered. “Don’t say anything.” She smoothed her skirts, raised her hands to her hair to check the pins, as women did, causing her fine breasts to thrust outward. “We’ll just go on as if nothing happened.”

Scully looked away, aching in every part of his body and his soul, grateful as hell that he was still wearing his coat. She’d have seen the measure of his desire for her if it weren’t for that. Maybe she knew anyhow.

“I’ll go put the Appaloosa away,” he said, unmoving.

“I’d better get supper started,” she replied, but she stood stock still, too, and when he dared to look at her again, she was looking back. “What are we going to do, Scully?” she asked, in a small voice.

“Nothing,” he answered, after a gusty sigh.

“But—”

He wouldn’t let her finish, couldn’t take the chance that she’d say something to sway him. He was barely holding on to his integrity as it was, and his integrity was pretty much all he had that truly mattered. “I’ll stay here until Big John gets back. Then I’m cashing in my interest in this place and riding out.”

Her cheeks went pink, and she raised her chin. Her brown eyes flashed with temper and proud resolve. “And I’ll marry Mr. Keating,” she said, almost bitterly. “I’ll cook his food and wash his clothes and bear him as many babies as I can.”

Scully couldn’t bear hearing those things, simple and ordinary as they were. Things to be expected of a frontier wife. He turned and strode from the lean-to, crossed the main part of the cabin and shut the outer door hard behind him.

* * *