Free Twilight in Texas by Jodi Thomas

almost shouted with relief. “We’ve been looking for you.”
    “What is it?” Wolf automatically lifted the child to his arm.
    “You’d better come see for yourself.” Josh whispered now that everyone in the place was staring at him.
    Wolf followed Josh to Molly’s, but when she saw the open door, Molly bolted past them and ran inside.
    Powders and medicines, creams and crystals were scattered everywhere. All the shelves had been emptied to the floor in a multicolored pile, then Molly’s book of handwritten formulas had been carefully cut into tiny pieces and ground into the mixture.
    “They must have done this during the funeral,” Josh guessed. “Miller said he thought he saw someone moving around in here when he returned, but by the time we got here, they’d gone out the back door. Who would do this kind of thing, Captain, and on this day of all days?”
    If Wolf expected Molly to cry, he would have been disappointed. She picked up a piece of her formula book and gripped it in a fist.
    “I’ve had enough.” She said the words like an oath.
    “You going back home?” He wouldn’t blame her if she did.
    Molly looked up at him with almost a smile on her face. “No, Captain, I’ve decided to fight.”
    If he’d ever thought he loved this woman, he’d been mistaken. Compared to the intensity of his love for her now, all else had been a slight infatuation.
    She tossed the scrap of book down and said calmly, “Captain Hayward, may I have a few words with you in private?”
    Wolf handed Callie Ann over to Josh, who held her away from his body as if she were poisonous.
    Molly stepped onto the porch. The rain closed out the rest of the world, making Wolf feel they were alone even though they were in the middle of town.
    “Did you mean it when you said you’d help?”
    “I did.” He wondered how many men she wanted killed.
    “We are friends and must remain friends, no matter what I now ask, or how you answer.”
    “Agreed.” He studied her closely. He could almost see her logical mind plotting what must be done.
    “You said this morning you’d never marry because all you’d have to offer was a name. Well, Captain, I’m asking for that name. There is no one to protect me while I rebuild my business. Being a ranger’s wife might offer me that protection long enough for me to become prepared. I’ll ask nothing more of you except your name for a while.”
    Wolf was wrong. She wasn’t like her father, the general. She was ten times tougher. Any other woman he knew would be crying and running, but Molly was only looking for a shelter until she had time to regroup. She wasn’t deserting, she was merely retreating to prepare to fight another day.
    He leaned his head out into the sheet of rain coming off the porch roof. When he finally pulled back, his hair was plastered to his head. Her offer still rolled around in his brain. “Are you sure you want to ask me to marry you, Molly Donivan?”
    “I am,” she said as if she’d just been sworn in during a trial. “I offer no great bargain in exchange for the use of your name. You can store your gear here when you’re gone, and on the few days you make it into town, we’ll have dinner together. I’ll redo Ephraim’s room and have a bed built that will fit your size, so you’ll have somewhere comfortable to sleep.”
    Wolf watched her pace the porch, talking more to herself than him. “Oh, I’ll never dishonor your name. Should you die in the line of your duty, I’ll see that you’re buried properly.”
    Wolf wiped his face with the dry sleeve of his shirt. “And how long do you plan to be needing my name, Miss Donivan?”
    “A few months—six at the most—but if you agree to the marriage you can set the date for it to end.”
    “All right. I agree to the marriage on those terms. I set the date for it to end.”
    She hesitated for the first time. “I’ll change clothes while you get the preacher, if it’s agreeable. I’ll not be married