Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Mama, why did Ance kiss you?" Penelope asked the moment Ance disappeared over the rise.

Audrey rested her fingertips against her tingling lips and cursed Ance for the coward that he was for leaving her to come up with some explanation by herself. "Sometimes adults kiss," Audrey replied, hoping that simple answer would satisfy the girl.

No such luck.

"Because you're in love?"

Audrey choked on air as she stared down at the innocent happiness on her daughter's freckled face. "What?" she gasped.

Penelope tilted her head. "Do you love Ance?"

"No," Audrey answered much too quickly.

Penelope's face fell. "You don't?"

Audrey hated that they were having this discussion. She hated that her answer had caused her daughter pain. She hated even more that she wasn't at all sure she had told the girl the truth. "Penelope, sometimes with adults relationships can be complicated."

"Complicated?" Penelope's forehead wrinkled up in confused.

Audrey sighed. "Yeah. It's not as easy as simply yes or no."

"Why?" Penelope inquired, seeming to grow more confused by the moment.

Audrey flopped her back against a tree. "It just is."

"So you kissed him but you don't love him because it's comp... copli..com.."

"Complicated," Audrey filled in. "And, yes, that's right."

"But Ance loves me, right?"

"Yes," Audrey assured her. "He loves you very much."

"And he's coming home to live on the ranch with us when he gets done beating the bad guys?"

Audrey had no idea how to answer that question and was immensely grateful and relieved when several does and fawns came into view in the distance.

"Look!" she whispered excitedly as she pointed toward them.

Penelope saw them and her brown eyes widened as their conversation was forgotten and every bit of her attention became riveted on the deer. Audrey breathed out a sigh of relief and vowed to slap Ance hard when she saw him again for leaving her to deal with those questions alone.

And of course those questions had only served to confuse her. Did she love Ance? Nibbling on her lip, Audrey realized that she couldn't answer that question with a no.. did that mean the answer was yes? What would Ance have to say about that? Audrey could only imagine him running away just as quickly as his legs could carry him and never once looking back.

She forced her mind to turn away from such thoughts and focused instead on the deer and her daughter's fascination with them. Audrey lost herself in such a daze that she didn't realize anyone was approaching until a twig snapped only a few feet to her right.

Audrey spun quickly, reaching for her gun as she did so and then let out a curse when she realized it was only Ance. He chuckled as he raised his hands in mock surrender. "Please, don't shoot."

Audrey snorted as she took her hand off her gun. "I probably should."

Ance chuckled at her surly tone which did nothing to improve her mood. "And why's that?" he inquired as he stuck his cigar in his mouth and slid a match box from his pocket.

"For kissing me like you did in front of Penelope and leaving me to answer all her questions," Audrey hissed, happy that Penelope was still distracted by the grazing deer.

"What kind of questions?" Ance asked with narrowed eyes.

"Questions about love and a future, Ance," Audrey snapped. "Questions that I'm sure would have sent you running if you hadn't run already."

Something flashed in Ance's eyes and Audrey was fairly certain that it was uncertainty and maybe a bit of hurt before he squared his shoulders, took a long draw off his cigar. "Well come on then ladies. It's time to go."

***

"Well, well! Aren't you a pretty sight. I was wondering what Ance was doing traveling with a couple of tagalongs since he ain't known to be real sociable, but the sight of you tells me all I need to know."

Audrey managed a weak smile as the one-eyed man grinned a toothless grin that accentuated the dirt crusted wrinkles on his face. She cast a sideways glance toward Ance and heard him grumble.

"Alright, old man, give the woman some breathing room," he muttered, shoving Old Man Thompson back several feet.

Audrey breathed out a sigh. Clearly this man was odd just as Ance had warned and he knew nothing about personal space--either that, or he simply did not care one bit about such pleasantries.

"Are you jealous, Ance? Afraid the woman might meet a real man and tell you goodbye?" Old Man Thompson asked as he waggled his bushy brows.

Audrey simply stood there with no idea what to say. She had never met a man more outrageous and yet she couldn't quite decide if it was offence that she felt toward his outlandishness or amusement.

"Don't test my patience," Ance warned.

"You never had much patience to start with," Old Man Thompson replied, cradling his long rifle in his arms. "And it seems love has made you testy." Old Man Thompson's lips twitched just before he broke down into a fit of laughter.

Before Audrey or Ance could say a word, Penelope shook her head. "They don't love each other," she stated. And then she frowned. "It's comp..complit..complicated."

Audrey couldn't help but notice the sadness that replaced the craziness in Old Man Thompson's eyes as he looked down at Penelope.

"You told her we don't love each other?" Ance growled into Audrey's ear while their companions were distracted.

"What was I supposed to say?" Audrey hissed back.

Instead of responding, Ance stepped forward. "Alright, let's get these women settled in so I can be off. I got things to take care of."

"By things he means people," Old Man Thompson grinned, tearing his eyes off of Penelope. "Now let's show you around my lavish estate. There's the cabin, it's only got one bed in the loft but I'm sure you ladies won't mind sharing with an old man." Audrey glanced toward the primitive and dilapidated cabin that appeared barely big enough for one person and couldn't understand where the man had come up with the word lavish.... And she was certain that she shivered outwardly at the thought of sharing a bed with him.

"They get the bed and you can have the porch," Ance warned.

Old Man Thompson shook his head. "You done asked me to give up my solitude! Now you want me to give up my bed too?"

Ance nodded. "I think you're being compensated enough to live without your bed for a while."

Audrey saw Old Man Thompson's eyes glimmer and she wondered just what compensation Ance was talking about. Was the man paying for their safety and keep while he went out chasing Barnaby? Ance grumbled and waved his hand. "Well let's get them settled in. I got places to go, you old fool."

***

"Audrey, I want to talk to you," Ance grumbled before leaving the tiny cabin and stepping out into the darkness.

Audrey cast a glance at her daughter, sitting in the floor playing with a deck of cards with a doll that Old Man Thompson had given her sitting in her lap. "She'll be okay, ma'am," Old Man Thompson promised from the rickety rocking chair where he sat sewing a patch onto a worn pair of trousers.

"Yeah, mama, I'll be okay. Me and Annabelle are playing poker the way Ance taught me. I really like Annebelle," Penelope caressed the red yarn atop the dolls head. "Thank you for giving her to me, Old Man Thompson."

Audrey's gaze went to the old man and she saw his throat bobble. He might be odd, a bit rude and quite eccentric but Audrey had a feeling that deep down inside, his heart was made of pure gold. "Don't mention it, Penelope. My little daughter, God rest her soul, would have liked knowing her favorite doll had gone to such a good mother."

"Audrey?" Ance called from the door.

Audrey rolled her eyes. Would it kill the man to say please? She laughed inwardly. It probably would.

She rose from the tattered chair she'd been sitting in and stooped down to kiss Penelope's hair. "I'm going to go speak with Ance a moment. You be good for Old Man Thompson."

"I will, mama." Penelope promised with a smile.

"Take your time, ma'am," Old Man Thompson laughed and sent her a knowing wink. "These things are best when not rushed... then again rushing is sometimes a bit of fun to, isn't it?" he cackled.

With a blush so deep red, Audrey could feel it down in her toes, she dashed out the door and abruptly ran into Ance's broad back. He whirled around and steadied her before she had a chance to fall and Audrey took a moment to collect herself, enjoying the way his strong arms felt wrapped around her.

"Slow down, woman. You came barreling out of there like a team of horses," Ance scolded, even as his thumbs gently caressed her arms.

Audrey smiled up at him in the lantern light on the tiny porch. "You're more than likely more accustomed to folks running away from you as if they were a team of horses instead of running toward you in such a manner." She batted her lashes and Ance chuckled.

He pulled away from her and held out his arm. "Walk with me?"

Audrey didn't like the sadness in his blue eyes. She had a suspicion they were only taking this walk to give him a chance to say goodbye before he ran off into a situation that could very likely end with him dead. She hooked her arm though his and allowed him to lead her out into the night. She was a bit nervous after hearing about all the traps Old Man Thompson had around his property to keep intruders out, but Ance managed to steer clear of them all and he led her a safe distance from the cabin with the glow of the distance lantern light barely flickering through the trees.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Audrey whispered, pulling her arm away from him and wrapping both her arms around herself.

Ance sighed and rubbed his neck. "Yeah. I have to go and take care of those people before something happens to Penelope..." he placed a calloused hand gently upon her cheek. "Or to you."

Audrey leaned into his touch. "You'd better come back to us, Ance. Don't go get yourself killed."

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon," Ance assured her. He dropped his hand to his side when his gaze fell to her lips and he realized she was chewing on the bottom one. "What's wrong? Whenever you chew that damned lip it means you're either thinking hard about something or something is wrong."

Audrey scoffed. "Are you a mind reader now?"

"No." Ance stooped low and dropped a feather-light kiss to her lips. "I'm a lip reader." He stood straight and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Now what's wrong?"

Audrey wanted to scream and cry and yell. She wanted to shout about the unfairness of life. Rant and rave over the fact that she had finally found a man who made her want a future with a man and there was a very good chance that man was going to die before they ever even had a chance at that future!

Instead of doing any of that, however, Audrey simply smiled a sad little smile and tilted her head as she gazed up into his deep blue eyes. "It's complicated," she whispered.

Ance nodded in agreement. "Real complicated."

"Are you going to say goodbye to Penelope?" Audrey questioned.

"No.. I can't."

"You have to," Audrey scolded. "I won't cover for you on this one. You have to tell the girl you're leaving for a while. She'll want to hug you goodbye."

"I don't like goodbyes," Ance grumbled.

"Then you can have an, 'I'll see you later', but you're going to let Penelope know you're leaving. If she realizes you've left without telling her it will break her heart."

"Fine," Ance muttered. His eyes flashed with want. "But first, I'm gonna give you a proper, 'I'll see you later.'"

Audrey swallowed hard and barely had time to catch her breath before Ance descended on her in a rush of passion and heat.

***

Ance climbed into the saddle of his mare and glanced up onto the porch and both the teary-eyed ladies he was leaving behind. Penelope's cheeks were red and blotchy from her weeping and while Audrey had managed not to break down quite as badly, her eyes were red and swollen from the tears she'd been trying to hide from him.

Damnation, this was ripping his heart out!

Ance hadn't realized just how completely his heart was invested in Audrey--sure he'd known just how attached he was to Penelope but this realization of what Audrey meant to him only served to strengthen his resolve that he had to leave.

Barnaby had to be dealt with as did Rodger York. Until both men were dead and buried, he could never know just what kind of future he could have with Audrey and Penelope. Hell, maybe Ance could be a family man.... After all, he'd always been good at riding away from anything and everything. He'd never lost a damn thing that he'd missed, but as he tipped his hat to the ladies and started away, he realized that those days were over.....

He wasn't just riding away unfazed and happy to have his freedom and the open sky.. No, he was riding away with a broken heart, a heavy soul and leaving a fairly good chunk of himself behind him.