An Agent for Darcy Read online

  Adam laughed as he sat down.

  Offering his arm to Darcy, Porter was pleased when she accepted it. They walked out the door, but she dropped her hand as soon as the door closed behind them. The rest of the walk back to their cottage she looked everywhere but at him. He would have given all that he had to get her to acknowledge him.

  When they arrived at their door, he held it open and stood aside as she walked into the dark cottage. He stepped through, closing the door behind him. Darcy went over to the lantern in the kitchen, and he followed closely behind her.

  As soon as the lantern was lit, Porter grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tight against him.

  It would have been proper of her to resist being in Porter’s arms, but Darcy didn’t feel like being proper. His warm embrace made her feel safe and protected, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She laid her head against his chest and could feel his heartbeat through his layers of clothing.

  She closed her eyes as she relished this moment. Her ruggedly handsome husband was not truly hers, and this intimate position was entirely inappropriate. But why did it feel so right?

  After a long moment, Porter leaned back, but he didn’t release her from his arms. “I thought you had left.”

  “Left where?”

  He sighed. “I don’t know. I came home to a darkened cottage, and I just,” he hesitated, “I got scared.”

  Unsure of his meaning, she asked, “Scared about what?”

  He dropped his arms from around her waist and brought them up to cup her face. “I thought you left me, and it petrified me.”

  “Oh, Porter,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye.”

  Frown lines appeared next to his lips. “You have thought about leaving?”

  She gave him a perplexed look. “Of course, I have. We are not truly married. After this case, we will get an annulment and go our separate ways.”

  Scoffing, Porter dropped his hands and stepped back. “How silly of me. You are correct.” His words were devoid of emotion.

  “Isn’t that what you want?”

  Porter shifted his gaze over her shoulder. “At the beginning, yes. But now…” His words stilled as his eyes roamed her face. “I have spoken out of turn. This is not the time to discuss such things.”

  She pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. “I agree. We are in the middle of a case.”

  “No, you are in the process of trying to get yourself killed with your outlandish actions,” Porter growled.

  Her expression turned determined. “No man has the right to control me,” she paused, “and that includes you.”

  Porter reached for a chair and yanked it back. “I am your trainer. My job is to ensure you don’t get yourself killed.”

  “That stunt back in the valley was not you trying to train me,” Darcy informed him. “That was you trying to control me.”

  Leaning his forearms on the table, Porter declared, “There is a murderer loose in those hills and you were just traipsing…”

  She let out an exasperated sigh. “I was not traipsing. I thought to myself that a cave would be a fantastic place to hide a body, and I went in search of any opening.”

  “You are going to be the death of me, Darcy Shaw,” Porter stated. “Where do you think a murderer would hide? Out in the open?” He shook his head. “No, he would hide in a cave.”

  Even though she was secretly pleased that he called her Darcy Shaw, she could not let him get the upper hand. “Adam was with me, and I was carrying a derringer.”

  “Forgive me,” Porter drawled, “I was mistaken. You obviously were not being lax about your safety.”

  Darcy frowned. “Has anyone ever told you that you are infuriatingly annoying?”

  “No. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

  “Who told you that? Your mother?” Darcy quipped.

  “You are awful at insults.” A hint of a smile played on his lips before it disappeared. “Regardless, you should have waited for me to accompany you in your search of the caves.”

  “Why?” she asked defiantly.

  He furrowed his brows. “I believe I already explained…”

  “Admit it. You don’t think I will ever be as good of an agent as you are,” Darcy declared, rising.

  Leaning back in his seat, Porter pressed his lips together. “Women and men have different strengths…”

  Darcy spoke over him, “Don’t patronize me with your rationalization.”

  She turned to walk out of the room, but Porter reached out and grabbed her hand. “You must understand that women think with their emotions, and that is a dangerous way to solve a case.”

  “Good night, Porter,” she said, yanking back her hand.

  “Wait,” Porter responded, rising. “At least tell me what you discovered in the mountains.”

  Darcy reluctantly sat back down in her seat. As she shared her discovery, she grew excited. “We found an opening with a boulder positioned in front of it, and someone had taken the time to wipe away their tracks.”

  “That’s odd,” he murmured. “How did you know that someone had wiped their tracks?”

  She pursed her lips. “Is it so unbelievable that a woman can be good at tracking?”

  “No,” he replied. “I am just… impressed.”

  Ignoring his backhanded comment, she revealed, “I also went to the bunkhouse tonight with a specific purpose.” Porter opened his mouth, most likely to say something insulting, so she pressed forward. “The cowhands are adamant that someone is attempting to force Adam from the valley.”

  Porter gave her a look that was a mixture of frustration and sympathy. “We already knew that.”

  “True, but Tom thinks it’s because there’s gold in those mountains.” She smiled victoriously.

  “Gold?” He frowned. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Perfectly. Why else would someone go to such great lengths to remove Adam from the valley?”

  Porter put his hands up in front of him. “It is a picturesque valley. I am sure there are countless other reasons someone would want to lay claim to the land.”

  Darcy placed her hands on her hips. “At least I have a lead.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but gold in the mountains is not a lead. It is a wild goose chase,” he huffed.

  “You’re impossible!” she exclaimed. “I’m going to bed. I just hope you aren’t such a blockhead when I wake up.”

  “Name calling?” He removed his hat and went to place it on a hook. “I didn’t think you would resort to such childishness.”

  Darcy refused to dignify his comment with a response. She walked down the hall and entered her room. To emphasize how mad she was at Porter, she slammed the door shut.

  No matter what she did, Porter would never take her seriously as an agent. How could she get him to change his mind?

  Tears came to her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. She had learned a long time ago that crying resolved nothing. It was just a sign of weakness, and she refused to cry over Porter Shaw.

  Chapter 8

  Porter stood outside Darcy’s door. It had been hours since she’d stormed off and slammed it behind her. He had tried to fall asleep on his pad on the ground near the fireplace, but he couldn’t get the look of Darcy’s wounded expression out of his mind. He hadn’t meant to hurt her when he explained why women agents could never be as good as their male counterparts. There were exceptions, of course, most notably, Mrs. Kate Warne.

  The more he dwelt on it, the more he realized that the gold angle might be the break in the case that they needed. It did make sense, because gold lust could make any sane man go crazy. Besides, men have killed for a lot less in the Wild West.

  Now he was standing outside of Darcy’s door, debating whether he should knock. She was probably asleep. He should go lay back down. However, he doubted that he would be able to sleep tonight if he didn’t apologize to her first.

  Lifting his hand, he rapped his k
nuckles against the door. “Come in,” Darcy responded immediately.

  He placed his hand on the handle and opened the door. “It isn’t locked,” he stated in surprise.

  “No. I have no reason to fear you.” She sat up in her bed and rested her back against the wall.

  Her admission secretly pleased him. Porter leaned his shoulder against the door frame. “I came to apologize for my behavior earlier.”

  “That’s kind of you,” Darcy said, her fingers toying with the high neck of her nightgown. “I would also like to apologize for my behavior.”

  “You did nothing wrong.”

  Her eyes snapped up to his. “We both know that’s not true.”

  With a smirk on his lips, he replied, “I will accept your apology only because you wounded me with your vulgar talk.”

  “Vulgar talk?”

  “When you called me a,” he paused, lowering his voice, “ ‘blockhead’.”

  She let out a small laugh. “There is something about you that just irks me sometimes.”

  “Is it because I am so incredibly handsome?”

  “No, that’s not it,” she said, but her response seemed forced.

  “Charming?”

  Darcy rolled her eyes. “You clearly do not lack in the humility department.”

  He brought his hand up to his chest, feigning hurt. “Why are you so cruel to me?”

  She laughed, and it warmed his heart. “I don’t know how you always manage to cheer me up,” she remarked.

  Porter grinned. “That is the job of a good husband.” Her countenance dimmed at his words, and he felt like kicking himself for the insensitive comment. “I’m sorry… I wasn’t thinking…”

  She lowered her eyes to the quilt. “You have no reason to apologize. What you said was accurate.”

  “You mentioned before that Josh died in a shoot-out, but what were the circumstances around his death?” he asked, hoping he hadn’t overstepped his bounds.

  Her eyes met his, and he saw a deep sorrow lurking behind them. “It’s painful to speak about,” she murmured.

  Porter stepped further into the room and sat down on a chair next to the bed. “I have all night.”

  Darcy started fidgeting with the lace at the end of her sleeves, and it was a long moment before she began her story. “During the day, it was common for Josh to be called out to someone’s home for an emergency. He always insisted I stayed behind to run the clinic, and to see to the needs of his other patients. He would be gone for hours, sometimes even all night.” She pressed her lips tightly together. “I was aware that he would stop at the saloon for drinks, but I had no idea that he was a regular at a brothel in the red district.”

  Porter lifted his brow. He hadn’t expected that. “A brothel?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “From what I gathered after his death, he went to the brothel almost daily and spent the majority of his time with a girl named Sadie.” Her tone grew hollow. “Josh had proposed to Sadie, and she had accepted. The only issue was that he was still married to me.”

  Afraid of where this was going, Porter just stayed quiet, unsure of what words could even provide her comfort.

  “Uh… together, they hatched a plan to kill me and were days away from committing the murder,” she revealed reluctantly.

  His mouth gaped open. “What happened?”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. “One of the other girls overheard the plot and informed the sheriff. When he went to question Josh and Sadie, Josh pulled his pistol and shot the sheriff right in front of the patrons at the brothel. Fortunately, he didn’t kill the sheriff, and a shoot-out occurred.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she blinked them back vigorously. “Ten people were killed in the brothel that day, including Josh and Sadie.”

  Porter moved to sit on the bed. “That must have been horrible for you.”

  Frown lines appeared between her eyebrows. “When I heard the shooting, I grabbed my bag and I ran over to the brothel to provide medical care to the victims. I had no idea that my husband was responsible…” Her voice cracked with emotion. “How could he do such a thing… to the town… to me?”

  Unable to resist, he reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I am so sorry that happened to you.”

  Darcy molded against him and brought her arms around his waist. “To make it worse, the moment Josh’s body was buried, I started receiving marriage proposals.”

  He rested his chin on the top of her head. “That’s odd.”

  “Where I lived, a single woman was a rare commodity, and men came from all over to offer for me.”

  “How many offers did you receive?” he asked curiously.

  “Over a hundred.”

  He huffed. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Sadly, I am,” she confirmed. “In addition to being a woman, I am also a part owner of a successful cattle ranch.”

  “And a nurse.”

  He felt her shake her head. “That meant little to some of the men.”

  “I am so sorry your husband was such a despicable cad, and the men in your town were so insensitive…” His words stilled as his anger built inside of him at the pain that Josh and the menfolk caused her. “I promise that no one will ever hurt you again,” he vowed, knowing he would risk his own life to protect this woman.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, “but right now, will you just hold me?”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Anything for you, darling.”

  As he continued to hold her in his arms, Porter recognized that he had never felt this way about a woman before. Darcy held a familiarity that he could not seem to explain. It was as if they belonged together. And he was becoming fairly certain that they did belong together.

  Darcy did not trust easily. He would need to proceed with caution and start courting her slowly.

  As Darcy swept the kitchen floor in Adam’s house, her mind kept wandering to Porter. He was an anomaly. Every time she saw him, her heart would practically leap from her chest, as if recognizing that it had found a safe haven with him. Which was preposterous.

  Porter was her partner, and husband in name only. So why did the thought of getting an annulment cause her stomach to ache? Josh had never been as kind and loving as Porter, but he had started off as a decent human being. She had been fooled by his handsome face and charisma. And what had it got her? Embarrassment and shame. Never again, she told herself.

  She sighed as she stopped sweeping. Porter had left a kind note on her pillow this morning and even made her a bowl of oatmeal before he left for his shift. Earlier, he had stopped by the kitchen as she was peeling potatoes and brought her flowers. He even spent his lunch break helping her with the potatoes.

  What did he hope to achieve with all those flowery words and acts of kindness? Men rarely did something just to be kind. Although, that was not a fair statement. Her brother and father were good men, as were a decent amount of men in her town. She just didn’t want to risk being deceived again. She was scared.

  “That is one serious look,” Adam said, removing his hat and placing it on the hook by the door.

  Darcy blinked over at him in surprise. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  “I reckoned that was the case,” he replied. “Is everything all right?”

  “Perfectly.”

  He let out an amused huff. “For being a Pinkerton agent, you are not very good at lying.”

  Ignoring his comment, she returned the broom to the corner and asked, “Are you hungry? Supper is almost ready.”

  “I sure am.” Adam walked over and sat down at the table. “I must admit, I’ll be sad once you and Porter solve this case.”

  “Is that so?” she asked, lifting the pot and stirring the contents.

  “It’s been nice to have someone to talk to again.”

  Darcy looked over at him in surprise. “You have a brother and more than twenty cowhands working here.”

  He gave her a wistful smile. “It is not the same as a
wife.”

  Wiping her hands off on her apron, she gave him an understanding nod. “It is especially hard for the first few months, but I must warn you that the grieving period never stops. Although, one day you will wake up, and it will hurt a little less.”

  Adam watched her intently. “You seem to speak from experience.”

  “My dad died a little over a year ago and,” she hesitated, attempting to find the strength, “I was married before Porter.”

  “I am sorry for both of your losses.”

  Uncomfortable with his sympathy, she dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand. “My father and Josh both died unexpectedly.”

  “Much like Amanda,” he murmured.

  “No, nothing like Amanda,” she admitted. “My father died while out on a cattle run and as for Josh…” She looked up at the ceiling. “He was not a good man.”

  “Did he hurt you?” Adam asked in a concerned voice.

  She brought her gaze down to meet his. “Let’s just say that I am not sad that he is gone.”

  “It is a good thing you found Porter then.”

  A twinge of guilt came over her. It was a good thing she found Porter, but he was not hers to keep. Even though he was teaching her how a man should treat his wife, with love and acts of kindness, he would go away after they got an annulment. Realizing that Adam was still waiting for a reply, she mumbled, “Very lucky.”

  Adam let out a deep, heartfelt sigh. “I have been so lost these past few weeks without Amanda. How do I find the strength to move on?”

  Darcy sat down next to him. “You pick up the pieces of your shattered heart, one by one, until it is strong enough for you to start over.”

  Tears came to his eyes. “I don’t think I can. I still smell Amanda’s scent on her pillow and the pain becomes overwhelming.”

  When a tear leaked out of his eyes, she reached over and placed her hand on his sleeve. “That is because you loved her dearly, without any restraints. She was lucky to have you.”

  His lips pressed firmly together before admitting, “She wasn’t happy here, you know. She didn’t enjoy being a rancher’s wife.”

  “It can be quite lonely for a woman to live on a cattle ranch,” Darcy expressed. “You’re far from town and surrounded by men.”