"I'm all right, angel," he said huskily. "What about you?" He held her away tenderly, searching her face, emotion bright and intense in his smoky eyes.
"I'm fine." Jess regarded Devlin anxiously in return. In the chill gray light of dawn, his face was lined with fatigue and grime, but he had never looked more handsome to her, never had been more beloved.
His thoughts must have been running along the same track, for he smiled tiredly, a slow, seductive curving of lips that made her heart race. "I remember being interrupted last night," he murmured before bending his head, covering her mouth urgently with his.
He kissed her long and hard, in plain sight of half the occupants of Silver Plume. It was a strangely poignant kiss—fervent triumph mingled with intense relief, a celebration of life and victory, of a hard-fought battle won. And delivered with enough passion to warm her all over, despite the frosty morning air. Jess's limbs were weak, her heart pounding, by the time Devlin finally allowed her up for air. And then he stole her breath away again with his murmured admission.
"I love you, you stubborn hellcat, but if you don't stop kissing me like that, I'll make you a fallen woman right here on the street."
"Would you say that again? Just so I'm sure I heard right?"
"I'll make you a fallen woman right here—"
"No, not that part! The part about you loving me."
"I love you, angel." He reached up and brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. "More than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone."
Jess's eyes absurdly filled with tears. "Are you sure, Garrett? You could have any woman you wanted. In fact, you've probably had any woman you wanted—"
"There've been others in my past, Jessica, I won't deny it. But you'll be the only one in my future."
She felt like crying, she was so happy—in spite of the devastation around her. "You aren't going to kiss that . . . Lena anymore?"
"I don't have any plans to, certainly. But if I should, you're going to listen to my side of the story before you jump to any conclusions, right?"
"Yes."
Devlin's arm tightened about her waist. "Actually, you had no reason to be jealous of Lena, especially not that day. She was congratulating me on my upcoming marriage when you saw us. I was on my way to propose to you."
Jess stared. "You really were going to propose to me?"
"I had the ring in my pocket."
"Oh, Garrett . . . I'm sorry."
"You should be."
He started to kiss her again, but just before their lips met, he saw a scowling Riley beckoning at them from across the way.
Draping a protective arm around her shoulders, Devlin led a dazed Jess through the crowd to her father's side. Riley gave them both a weary, stern-eyed glance, then held a finger to his lips and gestured toward a knot of men several yards away.
Jess had difficulty dragging her thoughts away from the passionate kiss Devlin had given her in order to focus on what was happening.
A group had gathered around Ashton Burke and appeared to be listening intently. How Burke managed to look so elegant and wealthy with his formal attire covered with soot, his face blackened, his tawny gold hair thoroughly disheveled, and one burned hand wrapped in a makeshift bandage, she would never know.
"Buildings can be rebuilt," he was saying emphatic-cally in his upperclass British accent.
"With what?" someone muttered. "We ain't got your kind of money. We ain't got nothin' left."
The dismay and defeat on the weary faces of the merchants and ho
useholders had turned to hostility. Jess understood their anger. The fire had leveled nearly half the town and most of east Main Street had been destroyed, and yet Burke was acting as if the devastation was merely a minor setback.
"I intend to make a donation to start rebuilding the town. A hundred thousand dollars for our city council-men to do with as they see fit."
A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd at Burke's announcement. Jess most of all could hardly believe her ears. Was this Ashton Burke making such a generous offer? The greedy, money-hungry, manipul-ative silver baron who had made Riley's life hell for the past twenty-odd years?
Just then Burke turned and searched the faces of the crowd. When he caught Jessica's astonished gaze, his blue eyes softened. The quizzical smile he gave her held uncertainty, almost as if he were seeking her approval.