Free Daniel by Starla Kaye Page A

men have been talking about it. They saw her call you down in the street, heard you yell back at her. Then you walked off and left her standing there. They said you didn't even glance in her direction was you rode past her with the posse."
    "Don't you think I've been wishing I'd done different?" he barked, causing his mare to side-step. He'd been mentally kicking himself from the moment they'd left town about how he'd treated her. "I may not have glanced at her, but I knew she was there. If I'd looked at her, I'm not sure I could have left. And I had to, dammit. This is my job."
    Ben didn't say anything else and Daniel was glad. He was tired of talking about all this. He was just praying he'd get to town and find a way to make peace with his wife. Or send her back to Boston so you don't have to go through this again. No! He didn't want to think about that.

    * * *

    The sun was high in the sky the next morning by the time Daniel pulled away from the posse to stop at his ranch. He hadn't slept a wink last night. Something was wrong. His gut had been knotted ever since his talk with Ben. He needed to see Jennie, needed to hold her tight.
    He dismounted and wrapped the reins around the hitching post in front of the house. Drawing in a steadying breath, he hurried inside. Silence met him. The main room was empty.
    He strode to the bedroom, calling out, "Jennie! Jennie, you in there?"
    Silence. He felt sick as he glanced around the small room. Every damn nail that had held her clothes was empty. Her trunks were missing.
    Jennie was gone. She'd left him just like Adam had said she would.
    Shit!
     

Chapter Five

    Jennie sat on the edge of her bed and wondered, not for the first time, what she was doing here. Never in her wildest dreams would she have ever expected to be staying in a room above a saloon. Her parents would... Well, they would probably die from mortification if they knew. Unusual circumstances had brought her here and she was grateful that Angelica had taken her in. She was thankful that her new friends had stopped her from leaving town, at least for now. She still didn't know what she wanted to do about Daniel and their marriage.
    She yawned and stretched. She hadn't slept much in over a week, not since Daniel had left with the posse. The first night she'd tossed and turned, uncomfortable from the switching and the ride to and from town on horseback. She'd pouted and cried most of the night. He'd been so heartless leaving her the way he had. She still hadn't forgiven him, even if she understood that he had a job to do.
    With a quick glance out the nearby window, she realized she'd slept late. She noted that the sun was already high in the sky so it was probably already almost noon. Noon. She'd never slept so late in her life. Living temporarily above a saloon that stayed lively until well after midnight didn't make for easy sleeping. But she couldn't bring herself to go back to the ranch. It had been lonely without Daniel...and then Adam...
    She blew out a deep breath. Frustrated didn't even come close to describing how she felt with each and every one of the Braddock brothers. Maybe her father had been right, that she should have stayed clear of all of them. Still, her heart pinched at the thought of Daniel. She loved him, but she wasn't sure love was enough. Maybe she'd made a mistake coming all the way here. Maybe she should have stayed in Boston.
    Climbing off the bed, she took a plain white blouse and a simple green skirt from where they were draped on top of one of her trunks. She hadn't unpacked anything since Caleb had reluctantly toted them up here. He sure hadn't wanted to do it, but Angelica could be very persuasive.
    She pulled a petticoat over her drawers and smiled at the thought of Angelica and Caleb. What a pair they made, Daniel's preacher brother and the pretty saloon owner. Not that they were interested in each other, but they bickered like brother and sister. Angelica was Ben's woman. Everyone in