FLAME SERIES #20 SO SWEET THE SMILE

CHAPTER 16

Betrayal

Calleigh had left early. Since Doc was staying with Gaith, the other half of Adams and O'Brian had to pick up all the patients. Cicely searched the pantry and cabinets for food. She wanted to make a special breakfast for Newly. Something to show off her culinary talents. Not that she enjoyed cooking but in the beginning, a girl had to do all kinds of things to rope a guy in.

She stood in the doorway of the pantry, her hands placed at her hips. What do these people eat? As she took one last look around another question surfaced. What would they cook it in?

Newly had taken his time dressing just to stall for time. He really didn't want the girl to come home with them but Calleigh insisted. She wanted Cicely to get a good night's sleep and that wouldn't happen if she were to sit at Gaith's bedside all night. As much as he wanted to tell his wife that it was an uncomfortable situation he really didn't have a legitimate reason why.

The deputy stared at the confused face in the mirror. "Look at you. You are imagining things. -That teenage girl is NOT interested in the likes of you." He turned away, wondering if Calleigh would think this was funny. "Of course she would." Newly mumbled. "She thinks everything is funny,"

He paused in the doorway to the kitchen when he saw Cicely staring into the empty pantry. It must look odd to an outsider that the only staples in that room were coffee and sugar. There was also fixins for pancakes because Calleigh frequently made them for the kids. Aside from that, it was mostly leftovers brought home from the Lady K or the Prairie Rose.

"We don't eat at home much." He confessed as he stepped into the room. "But we always have coffee."

Cicely whipped around, letting her long blonde hair flutter softly against her shoulders. "I can see that." Still she wore a puzzled expression. "When you said she couldn't cook, you weren't kidding."

Newly had retrieved a cup and was heading toward the stove when his step slowed to a stop. "I didn't tell you she couldn't cook." Calleigh was precious to him and he never talked about her to strangers. Even though it was a family joke, it was still private.

Cicely could tell he was upset. This was going to be difficult but those liquid brown eyes were worth whatever she had to do to get him. Batting a set of long silky lashes over eyes that shone like amethyst she feigned a touch of embarrassment. "I must have overheard some talk in town."

"Yeah. Probably." Newly put the coffee pot back without filling his cup. "Why don't you get your stuff together and we'll go into town for breakfast."

"I just poured a cup of coffee. Can I finish it first?" Getting time alone with this man was almost impossible. She flashed a sweet smile and brushed past him as she walked toward the counter. "Let me fix you a cup." She filled the cup he had abandoned and handed it to him. Against his better judgment, Newly accepted the coffee.

"Maybe she don't cook but she does make good coffee." Cicely made an attempt to get back on his good side. "With her medical practice and all, I'm not surprised she is too busy for mundane things like cooking. I do so admire her." Her voice had acquired a syrupy sweet flavor. "The way she always refers to you as "My Newly" as though you were her pet or something."

Newly was not comfortable with the direction this conversation was going. "I think we need to get going."

Cicely grabbed his arm when he reached in front of her to put his cup in the sink. "Please. I'm sorry – I just keep saying the wrong things when I'm with you. It's just that this whole ordeal has been so exhausting. First losing my family and now Gaith."

Newly quickly untangled himself from her grasp. "I still have faith that Gaith will recover."

"I hope so" Cicely's delicate features scrunched up in a grimace. "But…I just don't think we were meant for each other. I wish the best for him."

Newly was beginning to think being dumped by this woman might be the best thing for Gaith.

Cicely sat her cup down on the counter and stepped closer to Newly. It was time for another tactic. "The truth is…he's only a boy." She leaned closer pressing her body against him and whispered in a deep sultry voice. "What I need is a man." Cicely's lips were ready to close over his when Newly blocked her move. Rougher than he would ordinarily handle a woman he grabbed her by the arms and pushed her away.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Those liquid brown eyes narrowed into cold black slits. "Calleigh has been your friend and supporter. This is how you pay her back."

"This is not about Calleigh! This is about you and me!" Cicely braced herself for a fight. Even angry he was so sexy and so worth fighting for. "I'll make you happy. I can give you sons that you'll never have with her." A hand not brave enough to touch reached out. "She's not good enough for you. Can't you see that Newly?"

Newly flinched back, his body recoiled from the verbal blow of her vicious words. As the shock wore off, rage took its place. Those ugly words repeating over and over in his head. Never in his life had he raised a hand to a woman. Nor had he ever wanted to – until now. How dare she spew that hate and malign his Calleigh!

Cicely let her hands drop to her side, cloaking herself again in a voice lined with syrup. "I'm more of a woman – more of what you need."

Newly stepped back needing to put distance between him and this insane woman. "Are you crazy! There's not a woman on earth that can compare to my wife." Anger was not an emotion that Newly was familiar with but he was experiencing it full force at this moment. "For the record, I AM her Newly because she owns my heart and always will."

"Newly please, calm down. We can talk about this." The blonde predator came at him again, armed with a deceiving smile and greedy hands. But she was met with the same resistance.

He blocked her hands with his forearm and like before pushed her away. "Pack your stuff. I'll send one of the hands to take you into the Dodge House." He stopped just before taking that first step out the back door. "You stay from my wife. She doesn't need to waste her time with trash like you."

Cicely watched him stomp toward the barn and then emerge seconds later and ride away. She blew out a heavy breath and walked back to the counter. The outside of the cup was warm enough to tempt her to take a drink.

This plan was going to take some revision. Obviously, offering herself to Newly was not going to work. He wasn't as easily enticed as the men she was used to dealing with. That was exactly why he was worth the hassle. If she couldn't lure him away from Calleigh, she would just have to eliminate the irritating redhead.

0O0O0O0O

Wylie didn't understand why he was being sent on such a frivolous errand but Newly didn't seem to be in a mood to answer questions. Come to think of it, the young cowboy couldn't remember ever seeing the amiable deputy angry before.

He loaded up the young lady's baggage and headed for town. They had just come to the end of the road when she changed her mind and asked him to take her to the Lady K. Wylie paused, staring at the road that led to Dodge and then back to his passenger. Maybe Newly's bad mood had nothing to do with Cicely and where she went was of no importance to him. It seemed like such a simple request from a guest of the Dillon family that Wylie opted to honor her wishes.

Within minutes he was placing her bags in the foyer of the Lady K. Wylie was relieved when Calleigh greeted Cicely with her usual grin.

She glanced down at the bags. "Where are you going?"

Cicely was a master of feigning emotions. "I feel like such a burden to you and Newly. I was going to return to my own home."

"Oh Cicely. You aren't a burden at all. But we can talk about that later." She looped her arm around her guest and walked her toward the stairs. "Gaith woke up."

Cicely balked, jerking the little redhead to a sudden stop. "He…he woke…up?"

Calleigh offered a comforting smile. "You will have to be patient with him. He doesn't remember anything. Doc feels that with time, the memories will come back."

"Does he remember me?" The color was quickly returning to her cheeks.

"Of course." Calleigh grinned. "He wouldn't forget the one he loves." She led the grieving blonde into Gaith's room but he was sleeping once again. It wasn't like Cicely didn't have plenty of experience playing the distressed fiancée. She cried just enough and touched his hand and kissed his cheek. Finally, Calleigh suggested they go downstairs for a cup of coffee.

"Now, tell me why you want to leave Newly and me?" Calleigh poured a fresh cup and then joined her guest at the table. "I wanted you to feel at home with us."

"Oh and I did but…" Cicely sighed a helpless sounding breath. "Sooner or later I have to face up to what happened. I was hoping you would ride out there with me today. I need a friend to be with me when I go back inside."

Calleigh reached over giving the woman's forearm a gentle squeeze. "I don't know that you moving back there is the best thing for you but of course I'll go with you." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move in the door way. A closer look revealed her little brother. "Coop, what are doing? Come on in and say hello to Cicely."

Cooper walked up to his sister's chair and stood behind her. "Hello Miss Ragger."

"Hello. Where's that adorable sister of yours?"

Cooper was hesitant to answer but he knew Calleigh would not understand if he refused. "She's playing in her room."

Calleigh took the boys hand and pulled him around to her side. "Coop, are you all right? You seem upset. Is Hadley bothering your stuff again?"

"No. She's having a tea party with Bootsie." As much as he tried to ignore the other woman, his eyes continually gravitated back to her. Cooper leaned closer and whispered. "Is she moving back here?"

"No. As a matter of fact, Cicely is going back to her own home. I'm going to ride out there with her. Can you tell Poppy that I will be gone for a little while?"

The boy's eyes grew wide as he took a sudden step back, "Can't Uncle Festus take her? I think Poppy needs you." He was old enough to see that his questions were making their guest angry. She would hide it from Calleigh – but he could see it.

Calleigh rose from her seat and took her brother by the hand. "That wouldn't be very polite of me would it? You go on back and play with Hadley. I won't be gone long." She watched him stop just inside the threshold and look back at her. It was a strange pensive stare but then he turned and ran down the hall. She walked over to the stove and tested the enamel pot. "Yep, it's empty. Let me make a fresh pot before we go. I know Poppy will throw a fit if there isn't any."

"Take your time." Cicely was more than happy to wait. The distraction was just what she needed to slip those sleeping pills into the redhead's coffee. Calleigh had told her to take two the night she snuck out and met with Gaith. If two was enough to keep her asleep all night, then they should do the trick today.

Calleigh paid no heed to the actions of the woman at the table. Only once did she ever bother to glance back over her shoulder. When she finished with the chore, she wiped her hands on the towel and returned to the table.

"Why don't we finish our coffee? I'm not in that big a hurry."

0O0O0O0OO

Newly instructed Wylie to take Cicely into to town and rode off before any questions could be asked. Then he headed out to the farthest point of the Double O desperate to get away from everyone. For the first time in his life, Newly O'Brian feared his own rage.

When he couldn't ride any farther he stopped and climbed down from his horse. The feel of solid ground under his boot gave him a much needed sense of security. Newly leaned over bracing his hands on his thighs. As he drew himself upright, he pulled in a deep breath. Somehow, he had to protect Calleigh from this woman.

Even though his wife felt herself to be invincible, Newly knew otherwise. Without that gun she was just a petite young woman. Feisty as hell but still no match for a grown man. He could and would fight any man to keep her safe but he didn't know how to protect her from this.

Calleigh had taken Cicely under her wing and was blind to the woman's ulterior motives. Until this morning, Newly had only suspected her intentions. Now that he knew exactly what she was after, he wanted Cicely Ragger gone before Calleigh learned the truth.

He was stunned when she so brazenly threw herself at him but what enraged him was the comment about Calleigh being unable to give him a son. Was she just making jabs at his wife or had she heard gossip from one of the locals? Either way, this was definitely something Newly didn't want Calleigh to hear. Those words would pierce her heart.

Mother Nature did her best to calm down the irate cowboy gently caressing him with her cool summer breeze. She released the calming vanilla scent as he shuffled through the sweet vernal grass to soothe his anger. A dilemma as serious as this would usually take him to his best friend for advice. Unfortunately, his best friend and wife were one in the same.

Course he might be better talking to a man in this situation. Putting his anger aside for a moment, it was kind of embarrassing talking about a woman having designs on him. He loved Festus like a brother but women were not exactly his forte. There was only one man he trusted to confide in with this sensitive problem.

Newly hadn't been much more than a boy when he headed west with his Uncle Newton. The older man died just a few days after they had arrived in Dodge leaving his nephew broke and alone. Like Doc, Newton had been a country doctor and relied on his nephew from a young age to be his assistant. The older man had hopes that he would be joined in his profession but Newly didn't have the calling.

Guns held his fascination. Not shooting them, like his wife but building them. Matt Dillon had taken the boy under his wing and became his mentor. He had encouraged Newly to pursue his dream. It was this relationship that had the young man twisted up in knots when he fell for the marshal's daughter.

Newly climbed back up on his horse and headed for Dodge. Once again, he would rely on the advice of his father-in-law. He figured he could catch up to Matt at the jail.