Sagebrush Bride (35 page)

Elias
Bass was a tall, lanky man, with silver hair and blue eyes that crinkled
heavily at the corners. The laugh lines at his mouth were just as prominent,
though at the moment they were drawn into an uneasy smile.

Straining
upward, Katie snuggled her cheek against her grandfather’s silver-flecked
beard. She popped upright suddenly. “Oh, Granpapa!” she cooed happily, running
her little fingers through his beard. “My aunt Lizabeth is here with my uncle
Cutter! An’ ya know what?” she said soberly. “He climbed up the house! An’ ya
wanna know what else? She’s not even gonna spank him!”

Elias
Bass chuckled at his granddaughter’s incredulous expression and, with his free
hand, nudged her under the chin. “That so?” he asked jovially. He flipped
Cutter another quick glance through his lashes, and then, adjusting Katie in
his arms, he stepped into the room, proffering his hand to Cutter in welcome.

Cutter
moved away from the wall and came forward, around the end of the bed, squeezing
Elizabeth’s shoulder on the way. “Cutter McKenzie,” he offered formally,
leaning forward to grip the man’s hand.

Elias
grasped it, shaking it as firmly. Then, with an overburdened grunt, he set
Katie on her feet, never taking his eyes from Cutter. At once she returned to
the bed, hurling herself upon it. “Glad to see you made it,” Elias said,
releasing Cutter’s hand finally.

Cutter
returned a nod, and then pivoted, catching Elizabeth by the wrist, drawing her
forward. “My wife,” he stated, with so much pride that Elizabeth’s heart jolted
violently at the sound of it.

It
sounded so genuine.

Her
eyes met Cutter’s briefly, and then skittered guiltily to Elias’. She swallowed
nervously, but Cutter’s hand on the small of her back gave her courage. “I...
I... I-It’s good to meet you... er, finally,” she finished lamely, her legs
faltering.

Elias
smiled, nodding in agreement, and though he didn’t offer her a hug as Miss Mimi
had done, the look in his eyes was in that instant just as welcoming.

Still,
Elizabeth felt ill at ease in his presence, aware of the lie as though it were
a tangible being among them.

“It’s
been a rough trip for Liz,” Cutter explained, as though sensing her unease. He
rubbed her back soothingly, the gesture affectionate.

“Imagine
so,” Elias returned, scraping his beard with his long fingers. He coughed
abruptly, glancing quickly at Miss Mimi, and then cleared his throat, looking
directly at Elizabeth. “You folks take the train at all?”

Elizabeth
tried in vain to tamp down the panic she felt. His look penetrated so deeply
that she was certain he could see the lie. Her thoughts and voice fled. She
tried to speak, to tell him no... but her voice wouldn’t materialize. Good
night! She’d lose Katie for certain! It just wasn’t possible to fool Elias
Bass! She couldn’t! How had she ever considered it?

Cutter
gave her a gentle shove at her back, urging her without words to speak up. When
that didn’t work, his hand slipped down to cup her rear, squeezing softly.

“No!”
she gasped, leaping away, her hand going behind her to swat Cutter’s away.
Unobligingly, he didn’t release her, but when she would have leapt
inadvertently into Elias, his firm grip on her skirt kept her from it, and so
she let it pass without another word.

Elias
took a wary step backward. he coughed and cleared his throat, glancing with
raised brows at his housekeeper.

Miss
Mimi looked guiltily away, obviously having seen the gesture as well, and
Elizabeth felt flooded with shame for shocking the woman so.

“Well,”
Elias began with a slow-spreading grin, “I reckon you two are pretty tuckered.”
He and Cutter shared a knowing look, and Cutter returned his lopsided smile,
along with a nod.

Elizabeth
plainly understood what Elias hadn’t asked aloud. Need time alone? But before
she could utter a protest, he was ordering Katie off the bed and shooing her
out the door. “Out, Katie,” he said gently, and then, looking to Cutter, still
grinning, he added, “We’ll let you folks be for now. Reckon there’ll be plenty
of time to get acquainted later.”

Cutter
nodded once more. “Reckon so.”

“But
I wanna stay!” Katie objected with a single stamp of her foot.

“You
can come back later,” Elias promised. “Now, go on.”

Elizabeth
opened her mouth to say that there was no reason Katie shouldn’t remain with
them when Cutter’s hand slipped down to her bottom once more. She jolted at his
touch, spinning about to pierce him with venom in her eyes. Just you wait, she
promised silently. Just you wait. Turning again, she saw that Elias was already
shoving Miss Mimi along before him. And Katie was gone; her lithe little
running footsteps were fading down the hall. Her protest died in her throat.

Miss
Mimi shook her head. “That child never walks,” she complained. “One of these
days she’s going to kill herself on those steps!” She sighed wearily, and then
realizing what she’d said, and the reason for Elizabeth’s visit, she looked to
Elizabeth, her expression both a little sad and pleased. There was a moment of
profound understanding between the two as Miss Mimi handed over the reins to
Elizabeth, and then she smiled and turned away. “I’ll run the bath for you,”
she called out, trying to sound cheery.

“No,
you won’t, Mimi,” Elias rebutted, winking at her. “Can’t you see these two
young people need some time alone? It’s been a long trip for them—poor
woman’s as jumpy as a toad. Give ‘em time to breathe, for Pete’s sake. Don’t
worry about the bath, Mrs. McKenzie,” he called out from the hall. “We’ll warm
it when you’re ready. Take your time.” Their footsteps echoed on the wooden
floor, and then suddenly they halted abruptly.

Miss
Mimi shrieked. “Elias—stop it!”

Elias
wheezed, the sound part laughter, part rasp.

“Don’t
think I missed that cough in there!” Miss Mimi cried. “You’re not well! Didn’t
I tell you that ride to and from St. Louis would be too much in this heat!”

“I’m
fine,” Elias assured her.

Miss
Mimi snorted in disagreement, and then sighed in resignation. “Don’t you think
she looks the spitting image of Katherine?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Reckon
a little,” Elias conceded.

“Oh,
Elias,” Mimi chided, her voice becoming faint with distance. “You must not have
been looking at her face! I say she looks just like Katherine!”

Elias’
chuckle was barely audible, and then Miss Mimi squawked again, yielding a final
giggle.

When
they were gone at last, and there was no danger of anyone returning, Elizabeth
swung to face Cutter, her look indignant. “How could you? They saw you do that!”

His
movements as agile and muscular as a mountain cat, Cutter closed the door,
turning to lean his thick shoulders against it, his grin clearly predatorial.
“Saw what?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Don’t
pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, Mr. McKenzie! How could you do
such a thing?”

“What?”
he asked huskily. “Be so familiar with my wife?” He shrugged. “Reckon I
couldn’t think of a better way to get them the hell outta here. Chrissakes,
Liz, given another moment, you might have confessed every sin you ever
committed to the man. Couldn’t have that, now could we? Besides, I wouldn’t
worry about shocking those two,” he said with a twisted grin. “They could
probably teach us a thing or two.”

Elizabeth’s
expression was first appalled and then disbelieving. She asked, “Elias and Miss
Mimi?”

Cutter
shrugged noncommittally, raking a hand across his sweat-dampened bangs,
sweeping them out of his eyes.

“Oh—how
would you know?” Elizabeth snapped. Snatching up the rest of Cutter’s clothing
into a wadded bundle, she shoved it heedlessly into the open drawer. “She’s his
housekeeper, for mercy’s sake!”

Enjoying
her ire, Cutter grinned. “Just do,” he replied matter-of-factly. He rather
liked the way her eyes lit up in a pique.

Elizabeth
snorted. “You couldn’t possibly after only a few moments!” she countered,
tossing a lock of sun-bleached hair over her shoulder.

Weeks
on the trail had turned her dishwater blond hair a sun-kissed gold, with the
lightest strands framing her face. And her skin reminded him of peaches and
cream; despite the time they’d spent in the sun, it seemed only the slightest
bit darker. His lips curved roguishly. “Wanna bet?” he asked. His tone was
seductive in its silky softness.

Irritably
snatching up a pair of Cutter’s socks she’d missed from the bed, Elizabeth
threw them, too, into the open drawer, closing it discordantly, wishing that
she’d hurled them at Cutter instead. “No, I don’t want to bet!” she retorted,
grating her teeth. “And that...” She turned, wagging a finger at him, her eyes
narrowing. “That’s another thing! I can’t believe you left me standing outside
alone, screaming like a banshee up at an empty window! You don’t just climb
into someone’s window and stay, Mr. McKenzie! It just isn’t done!”

Cutter
raised a brow. “It isn’t?” he asked with obvious amusement.

“No!
It isn’t!”

“In
that case—” Cutter lifted his weight from the door abruptly “—I’ll
have to remember that next time I climb into someone’s window. Won’t I, Mrs.
McKenzie?” He grinned.

Elizabeth
took a step backward, but straightened her shoulders, looking as fierce as she
was able. “Don’t you dare call me that—and you can quit having your fun
at my expense! I know what you’re doing, Mr. McKenzie!”

“You
do?”

She
held a hand out to ward him away. “Stay back!”

Cutter’s
grin deepened.

Elizabeth
retreated another step, her back coming flush against the wardrobe. “Cutter,”
she warned. He placed one hand above her head, bracing himself. And then, after
an interminable moment, he touched her, his fingers gripping her by the
waist—so hot where they touched—and her knees went weak.

“Cutter,”
she breathed, her legs buckling.

His
arm snaked about her waist, catching her, drawing her to him, and her heart
skipped a beat. She went limp in his arms as he slowly savored the feel of her,
joining their bodies so close, they could have been one. “You’re beautiful,” he
said softly.

“Please,
don’t... don’t lie to me,” she begged. “I’m not... never have been.”

“Beautiful,”
Cutter stressed, cupping her face gently. “Don’t ever let me hear you say
otherwise.”

The
naked hunger in his ebony black eyes made her feel it was the truth he was
speaking. That he meant every word. And her heart soared. Her eyes closed.

“Cutter...”

His
fingers wound themselves into her hair, his eyes slitting. “Your hair,” he
whispered with so much intensity that it sent a quiver down her spine. Like
fire, his lips brushed lightly against her own, a whisper searing her clear to
her soul. Then again, the velvety heat of them robbing her will. “And your
mouth...” Again, his lips touched her, but this time he nipped her gently. Her
lips parted with a moan. “Especially your mouth.” He guided her backward,
tilting her head back. Bracing her against the wardrobe, he dipped to kiss the
pulsing hollow at the base of her throat, savoring it as though it were the
very thing he craved.

But
it wasn’t.

And
they both knew it.

Elizabeth
was burning, too. Impossible to bear. Her entire body ached; her breasts for
his touch, her lips for his kiss. His lips pressed against hers, then gently
covered her mouth, the slow, drugging kiss leaving her breathless. Without
warning, his tongue stabbed deeply, leaving her mouth burning with fire, and
her breath left her completely. Heat unfurled deep within her, seeping into
every part of her, making her tremble with longing.

Heaven
help her, she wanted to.

But
she couldn’t.

She
shook her head, denying him, denying herself, but couldn’t speak to say the
words. It was one thing out there, alone... but here?

The
pitter-patter of little feet broke into her consciousness, but before she could
recover herself, the door flew open. Shrieking with surprise, Elizabeth shoved
at Cutter’s chest, her face flushing guiltily.