Riding West (9 page)

One slim hand lifted, very briefly, to touch his cheek. “When I saw you there, my heart froze. It‘s harder than ever in public, John. Maybe we should stop this.”

He knew exactly what she meant, but he had no intention of stopping, not as long as he still breathed. He drew her close, his lips against her ear. “Maybe he won‘t come back this time.”

Dark hair moved against her back as she shook her head. He could feel her despair. “Maybe he will.”

“If he lifts his hand to you ever again, I swear I‘ll kill him. You can‘t ask less of me.”

“Shhh.” She lifted a finger and pressed it to his lips. “The only thing I have in this life is the fact I am at least a respectable woman. If you kill him, people will know. Besides, he is the father of my children. I can‘t wish him dead.”

John stared at her and she looked away. With one finger, he tilted her face back up so she was forced to meet his steady gaze. “What am I, then?”

Her eyes glittered with tears. “The only man I have ever loved. That has to be enough.”

By God, it wasn‘t, he thought as he slipped his arms around her and cradled her close.

It wasn‘t nearly enough.

———

She woke alone, which was a definite disappointment, but then again she wasn‘t surprised. The sun was fairly high and Parker undoubtedly rose early—a prosperous ranch didn‘t run itself.

It felt odd to look around and realize this room, so starkly masculine in its plain wooden walls and simple dresser, the only decoration a patterned Indian blanket on one wall, was now the private space she shared with her new husband.

Celia rolled over and sighed, pressing her face into the linens that still held the impression and scent from his rangy body. A curious feeling washed over her and in direct reaction to the familiar masculine smell, her breasts tightened. His absence caused a twinge of regret, for she could feel the weight of the blankets on her bare skin, the softness of the downy mattress, and a sudden acute desire to be near him.

It was startling to realize after resisting the notion of being in love with calm, practical,
boring
Parker West for so long, how deeply her emotions truly ran.

He was anything
but
boring, actually. No, he hadn‘t courted her with flowery words, nor was he audacious and bold in his pursuit, but what she had seen as being unassertive and a little dull was simply his normal quiet and easygoing personality.

She had been exhausted, both mentally and physically, the evening before and it was typical of Parker to let her sleep even if it was their wedding night. She hadn‘t intended for it to be that way. In fact, it was a little disappointing he hadn‘t wakened her.

What did he think, she pondered in exasperated chagrin over his consideration, that she went to bed stark naked every night? She had intended to be waiting for him, ready—and eager if she admitted the truth—to make love for the first time as husband and wife.

Now she would have to wait all day and after the sexual freedom of the privacy of the cabin, that was a frustration. After nearly a week of his constant companionship and ardent attention, she was a little spoiled.

She stretched and shook back her long hair, and finally slid out of the warm bed. The floor was cool and she quickly padded over to the basin on a small stand. The water in it was still slightly warm, which meant Parker must have brought hot water while she slept, and there was a clean towel. A trunk containing some of her clothes sat in the corner of the room. Apparently once her new husband had performed his outrageous abduction, her family had sent it over, the outcome of his wild plan not in question.

A quick wash felt marvelous, and she dressed in a plain rose-colored gown. Combing her hair and tying it back simply with a matching ribbon, she left the room and headed for the kitchen. Her mother-in-law was there stirring a pot on the cookstove, and she greeted her with the same beaming smile of welcome as the night before. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” For no reason whatsoever, Celia blushed. Or perhaps there was a reason, for she had slept naked next to Rita West‘s son last night. Her new status as a married woman meant everyone now knew she and Parker had sexual relations. It was perfectly natural and acceptable, but still, it was a little embarrassing.

No wonder brides blushed, Celia thought as she accepted a cup of hot coffee and sank down into a chair at the wide plank table.

Mrs. West was a slender woman with dark hair just beginning to show streaks of gray and the same sky blue eyes as her tall son. The older woman wiped her hands on her apron and, with a knowing smile at the pink color of Celia‘s cheeks, asked in open amusement, “I take it you slept well enough, dear.”

“Yes,” she admitted, taking a quick sip of the steaming beverage in her cup.

“Parker was up at dawn.” Rita put a biscuit on a plate with quick efficiency and ladled milk gravy over the top. “I must say he was in a right good mood for having to ride out to look at the damage the rustlers did to our fences while he was gone.”

Not certain how to reply to that comment, Celia hastily drank more coffee.

“It‘s good to see him smiling again. After you turned him down that first time, he was pretty subdued, let me tell you.” A slice of fried ham went on the plate and Parker‘s mother came over to slide it in front of her. “I worried a little you wouldn‘t come around and instead marry one of those wild cowboys always dangling after you. No matter he‘s a grown man, no mother wants to see her son‘s heart broken. He never said much, but there was simply no hiding the way he has always looked at you, my dear, so I am glad things have turned out as they have.”

“I‘m glad too,” Celia admitted. She said with just a shade of defensiveness, “I would have said yes the first time he proposed, but you should have heard it.”

Her mother-in-law sat down opposite and smiled ruefully. “That bad, was it? I‘m afraid men don‘t understand much about being romantic, and Parker has always been so practical and steady.”

“I‘ve noticed,” Celia muttered. “His new approach was entirely different.”

“But effective, apparently.” Rita gave her a shrewd look. “You accepted him this time.”

She certain had
accepted
him in a very earthy, carnal way, but that had nothing to do with his marriage proposal. Heat filled her cheeks again and she mumbled, “Yes.” Quickly she added, “Breakfast looks wonderful, thank you very much.”

“Go ahead and eat, child. I‘ll not put you on the spot any longer.”

The food did smell delicious and dismay filled her as she picked up her fork. On a working ranch, everyone contributed and she didn‘t have a lot to offer as a new daughter-in-law. At home, she had helped with the various odd jobs her mother gave her, but a lot of her time had been spent out of doors. She loved to ride, and her family had indulged her. In fact, as the youngest of five, with three overprotective brothers and Rose, who was a whiz at everything domestic, she hadn‘t had much responsibility. Celia cleared her throat and said apologetically, “I am not much of a cook, I‘m afraid.”

“Oh honey, I already know that. Your mother told me. Nor a seamstress either, I hear.” Rita looked serenely unperturbed. “That‘s perfectly fine, for if you make my son as happy as he was this morning, that‘s a wonderful contribution to the household. Of course,” her light blue eyes held a small twinkle, “I wouldn‘t mind grandchildren as soon as possible. If you wouldn‘t balk at working on it, I would appreciate it.”

She wouldn‘t balk at all, but it didn‘t seem ladylike to say so. For the third time, Celia blushed vividly.

———

Parker urged Diablo along, anger seeping through his veins, making his formerly buoyant mood slowly dissolve. The big stallion stepped daintily around the ripped-out posts and bits of curled wire. The day was fine, with blue skies and wispy high clouds. The smell of sage mingled with the tang of autumn.

Next to him, his father, John Evans and Gerald Evans rode in the same angry silence. The sheer audacity of the thieves was evident, as was the fact the substantial herd that grazed in the north pasture was severely depleted. What cattle hadn‘t been stolen had probably wandered off, for the section of missing fence was almost a quarter-mile long.

“This is worse than I thought,” he finally admitted, reining in. “What the hell? Don‘t they think we‘ll react to something this blatant? It‘s one thing to steal a calf here and there and brand it before we can get to it, but it‘s another entirely to drive so many of our stock any distance. For that you need a lot of hands. We have a lot of land to cover, but I‘ll hire more men to guard the fences before I lose another cow.”

“Where you goin‘ to get them?” John asked, his hat pulled low, shading his fine features. “Colter is behind this, Parker. Both Dad and I are convinced of it, and he owns a lot of men around here. You hire someone, and they could easily already be working for him. So they take your pay and help him steal our stock. The bigger he gets, the worse this thing will fester.”

“John thinks this recent upsurge in activity has a lot to do with Celia.” Astride a big rawboned roan, his father looked at Parker, his eyes a little shadowed. “After what Colter tried to pull yesterday, maybe it‘s true. He thinks he‘s above the law, that he owns it and can do as he pleases. Maybe
that‘s
even true. You need to watch your back, son, for you have the woman he‘s decided he wants.”

Parker felt a sort of helpless fury at the notion of having to guard his life—and his new wife—against the machinations of a man who was both a bully and coward. “I‘ll watch it,” he said curtly. “And I‘ll watch her.”

Gerald Evans looked at him. “You do that,” he said coolly. “While I am not sure I approve of your methods in persuading her to do so, you are now married to my daughter and I have to trust you to keep her safe.”

“When you try to bridle her, she‘ll not take the bit easy.” John gave him a quick grin that lightened the grim expression on his face. “Celia is hard to curb, but then I expect you know that. She likes to ride every afternoon, and to be able to do as she damned well pleases in general. Making her stick to the house is the best way to keep her from trouble, but she isn‘t likely to look kindly on it.”

Unfortunately, Parker was pretty sure he was right. “I‘ll reason with her.”

Both Gerald and John burst out laughing. Even his own father looked faintly amused.

“Well, hell,” Parker muttered. “I‘m glad this is so funny.”

“You‘re the one who was so hell-bent on marrying her,” John pointed out, relaxed and graceful in the saddle, his mouth curving. “Don‘t say I didn‘t warn you. And it isn‘t funny at all, except the way the two of you deal with each other. Sorry, Parker.”

Celia‘s older brother, had, upon occasion, pointed out her headstrong streak. Parker agreed slowly, “You warned me, all right. How we deal with each other is my problem, I‘ll own it, but that aside, let‘s face it—Colter is unbalanced. That makes him both ruthless and dangerous. I can‘t tell what he might try.”

Gerald Evans said gruffly, “If we stand together, we have a much better chance of catching his men at work, and maybe even get someone to talk and admit Colter is paying them and pocketing the proceeds from the stolen cattle. I think Russ and I should talk to some of the other folks who are losing stock, see if we can figure out how to stop this wholesale thieving and let us all get back to the business of honest ranching in this valley.”

Parker‘s father nodded in tacit agreement. “I‘m game.”

As he gazed at the wide area of ruin and saw the few grazing animals where there had once been a sizable herd, Parker also inclined his head in agreement.

He wasn‘t really concerned over the missing livestock, though he supposed he should be. His concern was more for his beautiful, passionate wife.

Celia had been hard won. There wasn‘t much doubt about it.

Hopefully she wouldn‘t be even harder to keep.

The slight crackle of the fire lent a subdued noise to the background, but Celia barely noticed. Up and down she moved, her hands braced on her husband‘s wide chest, his hard cock sliding in and out, going so deep inside her she could not believe the sheer joy of it.

It felt too good. Despite her resolve to not make a sound, a moan escaped. A loud one.

Beneath her on his back, Parker said in terse urging as his hands clasped her waist, “God, yes, Celia, don‘t hold back.”

“I don‘t want anyone to hear us.” She gasped, and her body continued the urgent motion, straddling his lean hips, her need so fierce that she couldn‘t have stopped if her life depended on it. The bedroom door was shut, of course, but she couldn‘t help but wonder if the slight rhythmic creaking of the bed was audible to anyone passing in the hallway.

“No one will hear us,” he promised, his good-looking face flushed with arousal and pleasure. “Ride me hard, sweetheart.”

She did, not able to stop her compliance to that gentle but insistent demand. Her movements grew faster, and her heart pounded as she felt the approach of her climax. “I‘m coming,” she said raggedly. “Oh, Parker.”

At the exact crucial moment, he thrust up hard, giving her what she wanted, the forceful penetration pushing her off the edge. She could feel her vaginal passage squeeze tight around his stiff shaft as acute pleasure washed through her, and suddenly all inhibitions were lost as she gave a low keening scream.

Parker‘s hands tightened on her hips and his eyes closed. The eruption of his orgasm was an unmistakable hot flood, his cock flexing erotically as he spilled deep inside her. Dazed a little, Celia slid forward on his damp chest and sprawled in abandon on top of him. He felt so good, she thought, drifting in complete physical contentment. So hard, so male, so utterly attractive. Since he‘d taught her the incredible pleasure men and women could give each other, she just couldn‘t keep her hands off him.

It was a little irritating because for so long, he‘d been the one trailing around after her. When had the tables turned? She had practically dragged him off to bed after helping clean up after the evening meal, barely able to wait for nightfall and his return from a last trip to the corrals. Hopefully her eagerness hadn‘t been apparent, but she had the embarrassing notion it had been.