Banking on Temperance (25 page)

It was time to face facts. In order to get to her goal, she had to perform the test Jake had laid out for her. She’d railed against him when he came up with the plan, since no man asking for passage had to comply with a test, while she, as a mere woman, had to perform heroic feats in order to gain access. But Jake stood firm. Only if she crossed the Meramec with her wagon and her mules could she become part of the train. The swirling, swift-moving water did not let up in its turmoil, and she swallowed hard. She had never learned to swim, and the water frightened her. Was Oregon worth it?

The following afternoon, Basil was surprised again, as Martha Jones, her body heavy with child, lumbered into the bank, accompanied by Ginger and baby Samuel. Martha took short, shallow breaths, her hand on her swollen belly.

“What are you doing out and about, Mrs. Jones?” He quickly rose from behind his desk and offered her his arm to lean on, and cast a quick glance at his sister. He had a bad feeling about their sudden appearance.

“I know it’s unseemly for a woman in my condition to be seen in public, and especially in your fine bank, but I desperately need to talk to you, and Ginger was nice enough to bring me to town in her carriage.”

“Well, certainly we can talk. Here, let’s go into the private room, and you can speak freely.”

He helped her into a chair, and made certain Ginger and Samuel were seated, then went to the other side of the small desk in the room. “May I get you some water, Mrs. Jones?”

Ginger’s gaze rose to meet his. “This isn’t a social call, Basil.”

Martha Jones wrung her hands and leveled a hard stare at Basil. “You must stop my daughter’s foolishness, and you must do so quickly.”

Basil hung his head. “She’s told me, and shown me, many times in these last few months, that she doesn’t want anything to do with me. But tell me, what is she doing that has you so upset?”

“She has stubbornly kept her father’s dream alive of getting all of us to Oregon, and has taken it upon herself to do whatever she has to do in order to fulfill that goal. Even marrying the wrong man, if need be.”

Basil shifted in his chair. “You consider Jake to be the wrong man?”

Martha raised her chin and leveled her gaze on him. “You know he is. She never confided in me what went wrong between the two of you. I only know she lost her sparkle months ago, when she stopped working here. For two people who love each other so desperately, you’re both putting your pride before your feelings.”

“She did confide a bit in me,” Ginger added. “And I concur with Martha. Put your pride away, Basil, and go save the woman you love.”

Martha leaned across the desk and took Basil’s hand. “My daughter is about to put her life in danger to prove to Jake she’s capable of moving us from St. Louis.”

“What do you mean?”

Martha raised her head. “Oh, Mr. Fitzpatrick, he’s putting my girl into a terrible spot, forcing her to cross a river on her own. She can’t swim, but yet she’s determined to do this, in order to claim a spot on his wagon train.”

“Where are they?”

“She took the wagon early this afternoon and said she had to prove her point. She’s meeting Jake at the Meramec in about thirty minutes. You must stop her.”

Basil’s stomach dropped and his bowels clenched. He reached across the desk and took one of Martha’s hands. “I’ll try to stop her. But her feelings for Jake may be so strong that whatever I say to her won’t be enough.”

“Not if you tell her what’s truly in your heart. You love my girl, and I know she loves you. Please, Mr. Fitzpatrick, I implore you. Tell my daughter what she wants to hear, and she’ll get off that river and stay in town with the rest of us. I have a bad feeling about this whole escapade.”

He helped Martha Jones to her feet. “I want you to head back home, and I’ll get to the river as fast as I can. I won’t let you down.”

• • •

Leaving Herbert Walker in charge of the bank was among the least of his worries at the moment. He tore upstairs and changed out of his banker’s suit and into more hardy clothing. He yanked on his boots and ran a hand through his hair. His headstrong Temperance was in danger! His mind wouldn’t let him think of anything beyond his need to save her. He ran to the livery and saddled his horse in minutes and was on his way to the river. Once he got to open roads, he urged the horse to a gallop. As the horse’s steady gait ate up the miles, all he could think about was Temperance drowning before he had time to tell her he loved her.

The rush of the river reached his ears before he arrived at its bank, and it was running strong. He slowed the horse as he came in sight of the swirling water and his heart lurched at the sight he beheld. The wagon with the two mules, who were only slightly less skinny than last summer, and Temperance were about a quarter of the way across the swiftly flowing river. Jake sat calmly on his horse on the opposite bank, watching her intently. Rain, which had been threatening all morning, began to fall in earnest as Basil pulled up on the side of the river and flung himself out of the saddle and onto the ground.

One of the wagon’s wheels had become wedged behind a large boulder in the river, and Temperance was struggling to escape from the impediment, flicking the reins over the backs of the mules in an attempt to get them to reverse their forward motion.

Basil waded out into the river, fighting the current, until he stood beside the wagon. He held onto a wheel spoke to keep himself upright and close to the wagon as he gazed up at her. Rain fell into his eyes. His mind was filled with the small, strong woman at the helm of the wagon.

“Temperance, stop,” he yelled over the roaring water. “You don’t need to do this.”

Tears of frustration were streaming down her face, mixing with the rain. “Yes, I do, Basil. I must.” She slapped the reins again.

He placed one foot on the hub of the wheel and raised himself out of the water. He placed a hand over hers to still the reins. “No, you don’t. You don’t need to, and you can’t. You can’t leave.”

She stared into his eyes. “Why not?”

“Because I will die without you.”

They stared at each other for a long moment before Temperance took a deep breath. “What do you mean?”

“There’s no way you can love Jake as deeply as you love me. And, I know for a fact, he can’t possibly love you as much as I do. There’s not a man alive who loves his woman as profoundly as I love you. I’ve been lost without you these last four months. I miss you and I never want to be far from your side again.”

Her tears began to abate. Of course, she wasn’t the kind of woman who would get teary-eyed at a proposal. She sat quietly in the river, waiting.

Waiting for him to finish. And he was finally able to do so.

“Please, Temperance, come down from this wagon and marry me. I’m not a whole man without you, and I think you’re not complete without me. I’ve been an ass about us, trying to deny what was in front of me all this time. Let me take you from this dangerous river and keep you safe from now on. What do you say?”

“You know I must care for my family.”

“I know. That’s only one of the things I love about you. You love your family as I love mine. Please, sweetheart, this water is very cold. You’re going to kill these mules if they stay in much longer. And you’ll kill me if you don’t give me an answer soon.”

Temperance pulled her gaze from Basil and glanced across the river to where Jake was sitting on his horse. She brought her eyes back to Basil, and opened her arms to him. He pulled her from the wagon seat and into his protective embrace. She raised her face to him and they shared a long kiss, knowing neither of them could deny their fate any longer. Basil carried her to the bank of the river and set her on her feet. Then he went back into the cold water, and unhooked the mules from the wagon, leading them safely to shore. He wrapped an arm around Temperance’s shoulders as the wagon finally broke free from the boulder, and floated down the river, taking Temperance’s old life with it.

From the opposite bank, Jake tipped his hat to Basil, turned his horse, and rode away.

With their arms around each other at long last, Basil and Temperance observed the wagon floating away, and Jake slowly fading from view. Basil lifted her onto his horse and handed her the mules’ reins. Then he hoisted himself up behind, encircling her in his arms. He laid his cheek against her wet hair and inhaled her sweet scent as they rode back into town. Never had he been so content. He kissed the side of her neck as she burrowed into his chest. They were both drenched and cold, and he wanted to get Temperance to warmth quickly.

They stopped in town at his living quarters for a change of clothing before they began the ride out to the hunter’s cabin. He gave her one of his shirts, and left her to change in private while he delivered the mules and his horse to the livery. The animals were now munching on oats and reveling in the ministrations of one of the stable boys, whom Basil had paid handsomely to take care of them. He wasted no time in getting back to Temperance.

He opened the door to his apartment slowly and his breath caught in his throat. Temperance was sitting in front of the wood stove, drying her hair. She was a picture of innocence, humming to herself as she performed this extremely feminine task, but his Thoughts were far from pure. He had been so frightened at the river — afraid for her safety, fearful she would turn aside his declaration of love and that she had actually fallen in love with Jake. His heart rate calmed somewhat while he took care of the animals and walked across the street.

As soon as he spied her again, though, Basil’s heart rate speeded up. This time it was not fear, but rather lust that fueled him. His shaft swelled as he stood, transfixed.

She sensed his presence, finally, and moved her gaze up from the stove. Her smile was his undoing.

He rushed to her, picked her up from her seat, and wrapped her in his arms. He kissed her with all the pent-up need of the past months. His mouth possessed hers and a soft moan escaped from her lips. He slid his fingers through her tangled, damp hair and was lost. He tilted his head, sliding his lips over hers, his tongue seeking entry into her perfect mouth. She melted against him, and he cradled her in his arms. Never once breaking from the kiss, Basil walked, with certainty, to the bedroom.

With his arms still around her, he lowered them to the bed. She was in the exact position she had been last September, when he caught her resting for a moment. She had been turned towards the wall, where he now lay, beside her. She opened her eyes and gazed up at him as he broke from the kiss to caress her face.

“I don’t know if I can pull back this time, Temptress.”

“Then don’t. I wanted you to do this the night I stayed here last October. If you turn from me again, even if it’s only until we can be legally bound, I won’t be able to bear it.”

“I wanted you, too, that night. In fact, there were several times that evening when I nearly lost control and ravaged you.”

She lifted her hand to his hair and drew him in for another long kiss. “Well, now you can.”

Basil undid the first few buttons of the large shirt she had donned after removing her soaked dress. To his surprise, she had also removed her wet chemise, and had nothing on underneath the shirt. His ardor rose as his hand lowered to her breast. As he caught the tip of it between two fingers, her sudden intake of breath excited him. His tongue was becoming familiar with every recess in her mouth, and though he was loath to leave it, he wanted to hear her cry of joy when his mouth covered her nipple. He pulled away from her tempting lips, and she whimpered in dismay.

Which quickly became a moan of desire as his mouth scorched a path down her neck and to her bosom. His mouth covered her breast and she cried out, raising herself involuntarily off the bed and into him. He moved his hand underneath the bottom of the shirt and slowly inched up her leg, luxuriating in the feel of the petal-soft skin on the inside of her thighs. When he reached her apex, he covered her curls with his hand and she cried out again, arching toward him. Lord, she was already damp with desire! His head began to swim as his own ardor pooled directly into his ready shaft.

He pulled back for a moment to peel off his wet clothes. Temperance never took her eyes from him. Instead, she feasted her gaze upon him with a steady expression on her face. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

“Ooh, Lordy,” she sighed. “You are one beautiful man.”

He laughed as he stretched out next to her. “And you, my love, are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. We will make gorgeous babies together.”

“Well, I’ve seen animals do it, but I’m very curious about how men and women go about it.”

Basil reached down and pulled the shirt from her petite body. “Allow me to instruct you, then. It’ll be my pleasure.”

He pulled her back into his embrace and proceeded to show her how men and women pleased each other. He took her to the brink of her first orgasm time and again before finally letting her slide over the edge as he entered her body for the first time. He was home.

• • •

Basil lifted Temperance to the horse and positioned her in front of him as he sat astride. Her dress was still damp, but the couple of hours they shared in bed had dried their clothing somewhat. He wrapped his arms around her as the horse walked slowly out of town. Although her hair was still a bit wet, he nuzzled his nose into it, absorbing her scent of a spring meadow. For the first time in months, he was himself.

He lifted his head from hers, and with one hand moved her hair from the back of her neck. Then he traced her spine with kisses from the back of her head down to where her dress neckline began. She shivered under his touch.

Basil whispered into her ear. “Why on earth were we so stubborn? We denied ourselves months of pleasure by being stupid. I don’t ever want you out of my sight again.”

Temperance turned in the saddle so she could look at him. “We were stubborn? It was you who was the stubborn one, not me! From the day we pulled into town, I was in love with you.”