West Texas 1886

     Approaching the stage that would take her to Abilene, Zoe Keeler felt as if she were going to the woodshed.  The very idea of having to ask her grandfather for anything irritated her so much that her entire body prickled with a heat that had nothing to do with the warm May morning. 

     The Whirlwind stagecoach waited in front of the stage stand between Pete Carter’s saloon and the livery he also owned.  She hung back as her younger brother, Zeke, clambered into the coach that would take them to the meeting that already had her stomach tied in knots.  The urge to grab her brother and go back home was nearly overwhelming. 

     Instead, she opened her reticule and pulled out the telegram concerning her sister that was worn from being read so many times.  Dinah’s tuition at the Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for the Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons was due in less than a month and it had been increased by fifty dollars. 

     It might as well be five thousand.  Zoe sighed.  She simply didn’t have the money.  Or the means to get it, she admitted.  Last year’s drought had brought hard times to everyone.  Many of her friends and acquaintances were having as hard a time as she was making ends meet.

     Palms clammy, she smoothed down the skirt of her navy serge traveling dress trimmed in white then adjusted her matching navy felt bowler hat.  Both had been a Christmas gift from Josie Holt, the seamstress who sometimes employed Zoe. 

     She didn’t know why she bothered trying to look smart.  Her mother had never measured up in Grandfather Upton’s eyes; there was no reason to think Zoe would either.  But knowing she wore her best clothes gave her a little bit of confidence.

     Even so, she’d be a bundle of nerves by the time she faced her mother’s father. 

     Zeke was settled.  Pete had stowed their one valise and was waiting in the high seat.  She moved around the back of the stage and toward the open door.  A wooden step had been placed there for assistance in boarding.

     As she slipped the telegram back into her reticule, a sun-darkened masculine hand appeared to help her inside. 

     “Thanks, Pete.”  She glanced over, her smile dying as her gaze collided with Quentin Prescott’s. 

     His hand tightened on hers as if he could tell she wanted to pull away, which she did.  He sat in the wheelchair he’d used for the last seven years, bronzed skin stretched taut over his sharp features.  His black hair and mustache were neatly trimmed, his dark eyes sparking with a light she hadn’t seen since his injury.

     Zoe couldn’t tear her gaze away.  The broad shoulders and muscular arms gave testament to how active he was despite being chair-bound.

     Neither of them went out of their way to avoid each other in the course of a day, but they kept their distance. 

     What was going on?  His gaze held hers, softened.  Lands!  The last time he had looked at her that way was before his legs had become paralyzed and he had pushed her away as though she was diseased.  

     The flash of uncertainty on his face said he expected her to pull away at any moment.  She tried again, but his hand tightened on hers.  Taken aback at finding him so close, at his touching her, she could only stare. 

     Her brother leaned out the open window.  “Hi, Quentin!”

     “Zeke.”  The man’s voice was deliciously low, causing a flutter in her stomach.

     Realizing that the driver was staring as hard as her brother, Zoe quickly climbed inside and released Quentin’s hand.

     “Thank you,” she murmured, arranging her skirts, cursing the heat crawling up her neck.  As fair as she was, there was no chance Quentin would miss that.  No one would.

     “Going to Abilene?” he asked.

     She nodded, her palms clammy now for a reason that had nothing to do with her grandfather. 

     He glanced at the driver.  “Pete, you armed?”

     The other man gave an indignant snort.

     “Good.”  At Zoe’s frown, Quentin said, “Matt Baldwin finally caught the rustlers who’ve been hitting this area.”

     “The Landis brothers?” she asked.

     “Yes.  They were all killed in a shoot-out yesterday except for one.  Bram Ross is on his trail.”

     “That would be Cosgrove,” Zoe said.  Pete had mentioned that the man formerly believed to be a ranch manager was actually the head of a gang of rustlers.

     She wondered if she should postpone her trip.

     Quentin seemed to read her mind.  “You should be safe.  Pete’s armed and if Cosgrove were anywhere nearby, Bram would’ve already caught him and hauled him back here.”

     The unmistakable look of concern in his eyes had resentment bubbling up.  Since when did Quentin bother himself over her welfare?

     She nodded.  She might as well get this visit over and done.  Biting her lip, she looked away from the man who could still put a flutter in her belly.  “Ready, Pete.”

     “Yes’m.”  The bow-legged man clucked to the team of four horses and snapped the reins. 

     The stage lurched into motion.  Just before it reached the edge of town, Zoe eased toward the window, enough to peek out.

     Quentin was still there in his wheelchair, watching. 

     He smiled, a slow warm smile that traveled right through her to the tips of her toes. 

     He lifted a hand in goodbye and she jerked her gaze away.  She didn’t know what he was up to, but she wasn’t dancing that dance again.  Seven years had passed since they had parted ways.  Since they had kissed. 

     The memory of those kisses still sent a ripple across her nerves like a pebble over water.  They were kisses she’d spent a lot of time trying to forget.  

     Hmph.  She didn’t care how sweetly he smiled or how his voice did things to her insides.  They were finished.  He’d made sure of that.

* * *

Four hours later, she and Zeke stood in Burl Upton’s grand library on the first floor of his mansion just east of Abilene.  The three-story stone house was fancy and modern.  Grandfather had employed an engineer to build advanced mechanical systems for gas  lighting, central heating and indoor plumbing with hot and cold running water.

     Because her mother had been estranged from her grandfather, Zoe had never set foot in this house.  She had learned all about it from the livery hand who had driven her and Zeke out here.

     They’d been allowed to wash up in a bathing room that rivaled the fancy ones in Whirlwind’s new hotel.  And she’d been shocked to see a tintype of her mother on one wall in the foyer.  Now, Zoe’s eyes were as big as Zeke’s as they stared around the spacious library with two walls of filled bookshelves, a massive oak desk and a hulking leather chair behind it. 

     Sunshine streamed in through a bank of windows along the opposite wall.  The dark wood floor was polished to a sheen, covered by a large rug done in muted reds and golds.  A gold-velvet-clothed settee and three matching chairs provided a separate area for sitting.  The entire Keeler house would fit in this library with room to spare. 

     Zoe didn’t care about that.  Surely Grandfather could see his way to giving her the inheritance left by her mother so Dinah could stay at school.  Once she began attending the special school, Zoe’s older sister had rapidly learned sign language.  She was now catching up on subjects she’d been forced to miss at regular school due to her deafness. 

     At the sound of heavy footsteps entering the room behind them, Zoe stiffened.  Zeke pressed his man-sized body closer to her.  A tall, very tall man walked behind the desk.

     Blue eyes, the same shade as Zoe’s and Zeke’s, fixed on them.  Apprehension skittered through her.  Burl Upton lowered himself into the big leather chair that had probably been special made for his size.  He gestured to the pair of chairs in front of his desk, saying in a harsh deep voice, “Have a seat.” 

     Zoe’s spine went to steel.  “We’d like to stand, please.”

     “Stubborn, just like your mama.”  Beneath his slightly graying red hair, the older man’s sharp gaze settled impassively on her face.  “You look just like her.”

     Well, that wouldn’t work in her favor.

     She hoped by explaining Dinah’s situation, the man’s heart would soften and he would just give Zoe the money or pay her sister’s tuition. 

     Squirming under the hard gaze of the imposing figure in front of her, she told him about the telegram she’d received a month ago, ending with, “There just isn’t enough work for me right now to earn the amount I need for her tuition.”

     “Work?  What kind of work?” he asked sharply. 

     “Sometimes I help a seamstress.  Other times, I fill in at Whirlwind’s general store.  I also have a steady part-time job at The Fontaine, our new hotel.”

     With each job she named, her grandfather’s jaw clenched tighter. 

     By the time she finished, a vein was throbbing in his temple.  “None of that is fit for a young lady.  You should be married, tending to youngsters of your own.” 

     Marriage and children were about as likely for her as flying to the moon.  She had only ever considered marrying one man and any chance of that had ended years ago. 

     Upton looked her up and down critically.  “You know the terms of your mother’s inheritance so that must mean you’re asking me for this money because you’re about to be married.”

     Zoe couldn’t bring herself to outright lie.  “I want to keep Dinah in her special school back East.”

     “So, who’s the lucky groom-to-be and when’s the ceremony?”

     Although she could later say the engagement hadn’t worked out, she was loathe to name anyone.  For one thing, most eligible men in Whirlwind were far too old or far too young for her.

     Her friend, Mitchell Orr, would probably marry her for a satisfactory amount of time without expecting anything of her, but he was sweet on a young widow over in Merkel.  Zoe knew he wouldn’t risk losing what he had with her.  If their roles were reversed, she wouldn’t either.

     “Well, girl,” the older man prodded.  “Who’s this man you fancy?”

     Zeke beamed at Grandfather.  “Zoe loves Quentin.”

     She went completely stock-still, nearly swallowing her teeth.   Had her brother really said that?

     “Quentin who?” Burl demanded.

     “Quentin Prescott,” Zeke replied.

     “Zeke,” Zoe began. 

     Her brother continued, “He has bees and they make honey.  He’s going to show me how to take care of them.” 

     The older man’s eyes narrowed.  “Is this true, girl?”

     “Yes.”  She knew what her grandfather was asking, but she preferred to answer his question about Quentin’s beekeeping. 

     She reached for Zeke’s large hand and squeezed, hoping he would understand not to volunteer any further information.  He looked at her, his smile fading as if he picked up on the tension in the room.

     “And the date of the wedding?” Upton asked.

     It was ridiculous that she had to marry in order to get the money her mother had left her.  “Um, we’re not exactly sure.  Soon.”

     The old man nodded, studying her through narrowed eyes.  For the first time, Zoe noticed he had the same blunt jawline as her brother.

     She held her breath.  He had to give her the money.  He just had to. 

     “I’ll transfer the funds into your account at the bank.”

     “You will?”  Her relief was so great her knees felt weak.  Now Dinah could stay in school.  “Thank you.  Thank you so much.”

     “When I return from your wedding.”

     “What?” she choked out, panic welling up inside her.

     He rose, his big shadow stretching across his desk.  “I have no intention of missing the wedding of my one grandchild who’s likely to marry.”

     “But–”

     “Is there some reason you don’t want me to attend?”  His gaze, challenging and smug, pinned her to the spot.

     Ooooh, the mean old geezer knew she was lying.  Well, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it.  “No.  Of course not.”

     “You and Zeke will stay here tonight,” he said.  “We’ll leave first thing in the morning on the stage.”

     “All right,” she said shakily.  Zoe felt sick at her stomach.  She’d let her sister down.

     Her mind raced for some other way to get the money, but she couldn’t come up with anything.  If she didn’t have a plan by tomorrow morning, she would have to completely humiliate herself and ask Quentin to marry her.

     Though she would rather tangle with a rattler, that wouldn’t even be the worst of it. 

     Quentin would say no and she’d be right back where she’d started.  No money for Dinah’s tuition.

*  *  *

Quentin was sure he’d seen interest in Zoe’s eyes.  Well, pretty sure.  The next day, impatience burned through him to find her, to determine if he was right.

            Had she returned from Abilene yet?  Why had she gone?  He knew she had family there.  A grandfather.  But Zoe had never set eyes on the man much less visited him.

     After seeing her yesterday, Quentin hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her.  About them.  He had been a prideful stubborn fool to push her away after being crippled.

     He had never stopped desiring her and last night he had admitted what he had been thinking for a while now – he wanted another chance with her.

            He glanced down the street and stilled.  There was Zoe at the far end of the street coming out of The Fontaine.  She wore exactly what she had yesterday.

            She stepped off The Fontaine’s wide sandstone porch, lifting a hand to shade her eyes from the mid-afternoon sun. 

     He steered his chair away from Dr. Fine's clinic, past Cal Doyle’s law office then Haskell’s General Store.  More than likely Zoe would cross to the other side of the street when she saw him coming, but so far she seemed unaware of him. 

     He noticed that her attention went to the newspaper office then to the mercantile.  Her gaze lit on him and she stopped cold.

     So did Quentin.  Her thick lustrous hair was again hidden beneath the navy bowler hat.  He was still too far away to see the expression on her face, but he had no trouble reading the rigid set of her shoulders.  She was tall with lush curves and though she walked gracefully, there was also purpose in her smooth gait. 

     “Quentin!”  Picking up her skirts, she crossed to his side of the street and hurried toward him. 

     She had called his name.  And ... she was coming toward him.  Trying to absorb these facts, he admired her clean-lined classic features.

     There was nothing fragile about the strong line of her jaw and pretty mouth.  Dark brows arched over sapphire blue eyes, enhanced by her pert nose and high cheekbones.

     Between the newspaper office and Haskell’s, she stopped inches from him, frowning.  As she spoke, she looked over her shoulder.  “May I speak with you?”

     “Of course.  I wanted to have a word with you, too.”  He doubted she wanted to talk about the same thing he did, but his pulse thudded hard anyway.

     When her attention returned to him, her eyes widened.  “You shaved your mustache!”

     Smiling, he touched the now smooth skin above his lip.  “This morning.”

     “It’s nice.”  She tore her gaze away and smoothed a hand down her skirts.  Courtesy of the hours she’d spent in the stage, her navy traveling dress was dusty and rumpled.  “I need your help.”

     “You do?”  That wasn’t what he’d expected.  “What’s wrong?”

     “Sister!” 

     Quentin peered around her to see Zeke.  The boy’s voice carried all the way from the porch of the hotel Zoe had just left.

     “Oh, no!”  She blanched.  Even in the bright sunlight, her skin looked waxy.

     Her brother hurried toward them.  Along with a tall older gentleman.

     “That’s my grandfather,” she explained urgently.  “There’s no time to explain.  Please just say yes.”

     Yes to what? 

     That was all Zoe could relay before the pair was upon them.  Quentin had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was had his former love desperate enough to come to him.

      Zeke halted beside his sister and smiled broadly.  “Hi, Quentin.”

     “Hi, Zeke.”  His gaze moved to the older man whose red hair was dulled by age and a slight graying at his temples. 

     “This is Grandfather Upton,” the boy said.

     Panic flashed through Zoe’s blue eyes.  Quentin noted a definite resemblance in the family’s blue eyes and red hair.

     The big man looked Quentin over, features growing dark as he stared disapprovingly at Quentin’s useless legs.

     He stiffened.

     “So, you’re the man who’s going to marry my granddaughter?” 

     Marriage!  By some stint of will, Quentin managed to keep his jaw from dropping.   

From the book: HAPPILY EVER AFTER IN THE WEST: Whirlwind Redemption
By: Debra Cowan
Imprint and Series: Harlequin Historical
Publication Date: May 2011
ISBN: 978-0-373-29639-2
Copyright 2011 by Debra S. Cowan
R and TM are trademarks of the publisher. The edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books, S.A. For more romance information, surf to: http://www.eHarlequin.com

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