Free Ruby's Song (Love in the Sierras Book 3) by Unknown Page A

shoulder muscles in the tight day coat he’d borrowed. He knew he couldn’t visit the Winthrop home looking like a plainsman, so he’d dressed appropriately, lest he earn a slammed door in the face.
    A withered butler opened the door and Dalton flashed a wide grin. “Good day. I wondered if I might have a word with Miss Marlena Beauregard.”
    “Do you have a card, Sir?” the butler asked without a smile.
    “I…” he hadn’t thought that part through. He patted the pockets of his coat. “I seem to be out, I’m afraid. I’ve just arrived in town and was anxious to visit….my cousin…as a surprise, you see. My name is Dalton. Marlena’s cousin, Dalton Cunningham.”
    “Very good, Sir,” the butler crooned before allowing Dalton into the entryway. He doffed his hat and followed the old man’s lead into the parlor. “Wait here, please.”
    Dalton nodded and surveyed the empty room. The furnishings were impeccable, with chairs and sofas that looked like they’d never been sat on. The hearth was carved with such exquisite detail he couldn’t believe they’d ever risk it with a fire. A white pine cornice jutted above delicately etched frieze work and he ran his fingertip over the carvings, admiring the craftsmanship in each curve and groove. The same care and attention was given to every detail of the room, from its blue-gray marble baseboards, up the plaster walls to its high ceilings, given an extra dimension by the raised floral rinceau. He shook his head. This was a long way from Virginia City.
    “Hello, Dalton,” he heard from behind in a smooth voice. He turned a wide smile onto Marlena as she emerged into the room, a vision in all white.
    Sun streaming through the windows covered her in warm light and mingled with the layers of lace draping down the sleeves and bodice of her morning dress until they shimmered. Her skin seemed to shine, and he couldn’t tell which part of her appeared more brilliant, her face or her hair as it hung down in large soft waves to the base of her spine. The top half was swept up and pinned in the back. For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, her beauty arrested him.
    His gaze fell on her lips as he remembered the taste of her tongue, the bold, hot exploratory probing she enacted. A hot flush covered his skin and he took a deep breath, clearing his throat. He could tell his wandering gaze made her uncomfortable as her eyes began to dance around the room and she reached up to pat her hair.
    “Forgive my state,” she said. “You caught me in the middle of readying for the day.”
    He glanced at the mantel clock and felt his mouth curve in a sideways grin. “It’s afternoon.”
    Her cheeks bloomed like cherry blossoms and she looked at the floor to hide her smile. “Yes, well, I’m afraid leaving my bed any earlier was…impossible.”
    A soft chuckle shook through his chest. “Aah, so you have a tumbleweed rolling around the inside of your head?”
    She laughed as her palms covered her cheeks and she sank onto the sofa. “That is exactly how it feels. Please sit.”
    He joined her on the other side of the sofa, leaning back to cross his ankle over a knee, and she studied him for a long moment before giggling into her palm.
    “What?” he asked.
    “Nothing,” she returned hastily. “It’s just…propriety dictates that you not sit with me on the sofa…or cross your legs like that.”
    “Oh,” he said, letting his leg drop. “Should I move to the chair?”
    She giggled again. “I don’t mind how or where you sit. It just reminds me of me when I first came here. Not knowing any of the rules and breaking them.”
    He leaned forward to raise a conspiratorial eyebrow. “And then learning all of the rules and still breaking them? Like yesterday?”
    The red in her cheeks deepened and he couldn’t hide his amusement. But she didn’t speak, so he broke the silence. “I need to apologize to you. I shouldn’t have pricked your temper last night, nor