Savage storm (45 page)

"That's just as well, I suppose." After a moment's pause, Jason became curious. "What would you have said about me had they not become so easily distracted?"

Gabrielle's perceptive glance swept her husband's deeply bronzed features fondly. The clear gray of his eyes was unusual, but combined with his dark complexion and black curls, they made him all the more handsome. It was difficult for her to formulate a coherent reply when his attractiveness stirred the memory of the deep pleasure they'd shared on their wedding night. However, knowing he would soon grow impatient with her silence, she forced herself to state the first thought that occurred to her. "I had no remarks prepared as I prefer to keep my opinions to myself in such personal matters."

Disappointed in her evasive response, Jason persisted.

"You'll not keep your opinion from me, I hope."

Gabrielle laid her right hand upon his sleeve. He was again dressed in buckskins and the softness of the suede was delightful to touch, almost as alive and warm as his own skin. "Are you simply fishing for compliments this morning, sir, or has my delight in becoming your bride escaped your notice?"

Patting her hand affectionately, Jason responded truthfully. "I enjoy hearing compliments as much as you do. That should come as no surprise."

"You wish me to continue?" Gabrielle queried playfully. "I shall have little time to help you with your house if I must spend the whole day flattering you."

"Our house," Jason corrected. "Compared to Clayton's it is quite primitive. I hope you'll not be too badly disappointed in it."

"Since it is your home, I shall not be disappointed," she reassured him emphatically.

When they reached the house his father had built she was amazed that his description had been so inadequate. Like Michael Jenkins' home it was constructed of logs, but it was more than twice the size of his. The front door opened upon a large living room with an enormous stone fireplace at one end, while the kitchen occupied the far corner. A wide loft ran the length of the room. It had obviously been built to provide ample space for the beds of the brothers and sisters Jason's parents had hoped he'd have, and Gabrielle was saddened to think that their other offspring had survived only briefly. Jason's father had built a separate master bedroom. It was spacious and had its own fireplace. A magnificent brass bed, an ornately carved wardrobe, and a handsome dresser served as furnishings.

Unable to believe Jason would not be proud of such a lovely house, Gabrielle asked him pointedly, "Why would anyone be disappointed in your home, Jason? I think it is an extremely nice one."

Jason shrugged noncommittally. "I grew up here. Perhaps

that's why it seems so ordinary to me."

"Well it is far from ordinary!" Cabrielle drew close to examine the decorative carving on the wardrobe. Fashioned from local pine, the piece was superb in both construction and style. "Did your father build furniture too? This piece is quite beautiful, better than anything I ever saw in Liberty."

"Yes. He made all the furniture in the house." Since Gabrielle's compliment was obviously sincere, he told her something about his father. "He and my mother were very young when they married. They had little money to pay for things they needed so he was forced to make everything himself. By the time we came to Oregon, he had become quite proficient."

"Then it is obviously from him that you inherited your artistic talent, for not only is his craftsmanship excellent, his designs are as well." She went over to look more closely at the dresser, marveling at the companion piece to the wardrobe before she turned to look at the bed. "He bought the bed though, didn't he?"

"I believe he traded something for it, but that was so long ago I've forgotten just exactly what the bargain entailed." As Jason focused his attention upon the bed, he suddenly recalled how comfortable it was and turned to his bride with a sly grin. "It is an exceptionally fine bed, but you needn't take my word for it. We can try it out right now if you'd like."

Gabrielle came close to slip her arms around his waist, intending to decline his invitation gracefully. "That would not be wise when we've left all our worldly goods and four tired and thirsty horses out in the front yard. Let's see to the chores to be done before we lose ourselves in each other."

"I had no idea you were so practical, Gabrielle, but this is a poor time for you to display that trait because since you are right I'll have to agree." He turned her around then and with a playful swat sent her toward the door. "I'll unload the wagon and see to the horses; then I'll help you clean up in here so we can put everything away."

"Whatever you wish, sir," Gabrielle repHed with a saucy smile, but she hurried out of his way.

"You know damn well what I wish, and I'll not let you escape me so easily later!" He laughed happily as he went out the front door, certain his bride was such a passionate creature she would not object to the amusement he had in mind for the first spare moment they found.

While Jason was busy unloading the wagon, Gabrielle strolled through the house once again, taking her time 'to admire the furnishings more closely. While every item the house contained was beautifully crafted, a thick layer of dust covered them all. She went to the door to call to her husband.

"Have you found the mop and broom?"

"Not yet." Jason kept sorting through their purchases until he found the implements she wanted. He carried them to the door and leaned down to give her a light kiss. "The house has been vacant for months. It's in a sorry state, so you can't expect to clean it thoroughly in one afternoon."

"Perhaps not, but I can try,*' Gabrielle vowed seriously, for she knew they both deserved to live in a tidy home. Suddenly puzzled by his remark, she inquired, "You haven't come out here at all, have you?"

"No," Jason admitted grudgingly. He looked away, his mood darkening at the realization that any man seriously contemplating marriage as he'd sworn he was would have taken the time to clean his house before he brought his bride home. "Another of my many oversights. I shouldn't have brought you here to do all this work. I should have had the house presentable before you arrived."

"Jason!" Gabrielle reached out to catch his arm as he turned away. "That wasn't what I meant! I know how busy you've been. I'm not overly concerned about a little dust. Since this is to be my home, I do not mind putting everything in order."

"It should have been my job, not yours." Jason scowled as he left the porch, unconvinced by her reassurance. He went back to the wagon to finish stacking their provisions by the

front door. When he*cl completed that chore, he led the team into the barn before unhitching them from the wagon. He then put Clayton's horses in the small corral behind the barn and gave them plenty of hay and water before turning his attention to Sunny's and Duke's needs. Duke would be content in the corral, but the red stallion had gazed so longingly at the open fields he hesitated to confine him to a stall in the barn. Certain the spirited horse would not leave his mistress, he turned him loose to graze. What they needed, he realized, was a fenced pasture of sufficient size to provide the handsome animal with room to exercise. However, knowing that project would have to wait until spring, he returned to the house, uncertain as to what sort of reception Gabrielle would give him after he'd been so rude to her. He didn't want her to lie and he knew he'd been most remiss in not seeing that his house was properly cleaned before her arrival, but he felt anger would have been a far more logical response than her calm determination to set everything right. She'd wanted to be a farmer's bride, and he'd supplied the farm as well as a somewhat reluctant farmer; but he could not really believe she would be content with either of them for very long.

When Gabrielle saw Jason at the door, she pointed to the three braided rugs she'd placed beside it. "Would you please take these rugs outside and shake them a bit?"

"Yes, ma'am," Jason drawled, and glad for the excuse to work elsewhere, he lugged the rugs outdoors and went to find the rug beater that he kept in the barn. Beating the rugs was a good outlet for his frustration but they'd not been on the farm more than an hour and he already felt as though he were suffocating. He had hated the endless chores that had filled his days as a boy. To have come back willingly to lead the farming existence he had once fled was an act to which he could still not quite reconcile himself. He'd wanted Gabrielle, and he'd been willing to pay the price, though being tied to the land again was an extremely high one. She'd asked if he intended to give up leading wagon trains, but he already knew the freedom that job

allowed was not worth the agony he'd suffer if he left her home alone for months at a time. Everything in Hfe has its price, he thought. But he did not need to remind himself that having Gabrielle as his wife was worth the sacrifice.

He slung the first rug over a rope stretched between two trees. Then he hit the defenseless carpet with a barrage of savage blows as if somehow the tightly braided woolen rug were to blame for his dilemma although he knew it was as innocent as Gabrielle. Finally, satisfied it was clean, he carried it back into the house before giving his attention to the other two. Once that job was finished he decided to wash the windows. They certainly needed cleaning, and doing so gave him a valid excuse to remain outside while Gabrielle struggled to restore neatness to the interior of their home.

By late afternoon, Gabrielle was yawning frequently for she^d had no time to stop and rest. When she heard Jason chopping wood by the back door, she went out on the porch to watch for a moment. He'd tossed his shirt aside, and while she'd meant to stay outdoors only briefly, she found herself so fascinated by the perfection of his powerful build that she could not turn away. The well-developed muscles of his arms and shoulders grew tense and then relaxed as he swung the ax with a slow, steady rhythm. His dark skin shone with a light coating of sweat, giving his body the gleaming appearance of a heroic figure cast in bronze. She stood quietly, watching him work, her gaze openly adoring, until he turned slightly and saw her observing him.

"Yes?" Jason responded, thinking he'd not heard her call to him. "Was there something you needed?" He held the ax loosely in his grip as he awaited her reply.

Gabrielle's cheeks filled with a bright blush as she answered, "I was just wishing that I knew how to draw as well as you do. You would make a very fine subject."

Jason lay the ax aside and walked toward his bride, wondering if she now understood why he'd enjoyed drawing the luscious curves of her figure in such fine detail. "If you'd

like to learn I will teach you. Since you needn't teach me how to read, we'll need some useful pursuit to keep us occupied this winter."

When he reached the porch upon which she stood, his eyes were level with hers and so full of mischief she could not help but smile. "I would enjoy lessons of any sort if you were my teacher/' she confided in a throaty whisper, her voice as seductive as his expression.

Jason rested his hand upon her shoulder, his thumb moving to cover the pulse which throbbed steadily in her throat as he drew her lips to his. He meant only to kiss her lightly, his gesture a promise of the pleasures yet to come, but she entered his arms with a grace which made any further delay in sampling her affection seem a deprivation. Blood began to rush through his ears with a fearful intensity, blocking out all awareness of the warm fall afternoon. Her mouth opened so eagerly to accept his deepening kiss it was plain that her hunger for love was as desperate as his own. The tension between them continued to mount until it was a tangible force which compelled Jason's immediate response. He swept Gabrielle up into his arms and carried her swiftly into the house, straight to the brass bed whose comfort he'd invited her to share. She offered no more than a lilting laugh in objection to his haste, so he began to peel away the layers of her clothing, tossing her garments carelessly over his shoulder until her superb figure was completely revealed to his view. His glance raked over her slowly, then returned to lock upon the blue of her eyes as he removed what remained of his own attire.

Gabrielle curled up gracefully, propping her elbow upon the feather pillows as she waited for her husband to join her. Her pretty mouth curved invitingly, her delight in him as obvious as a spoken compliment would have been. He hesitated a moment, knowing the advantage was his, but he dared not tease her when he longed to arouse the fire of her passions rather than the fury of her anger. He moved across the high bed and pulled her into his arms, dismissing all thought of

games, his desire insistent. There was a smudge of dirt upon her left cheek and he brushed it away with his fingertips before covering her face with a flurry of hungry kisses.

Gabrielle was in no mood for playful affection either. She wrapped her arms tightly around her husband's neck, holding him captive in her embrace as she moved slowly to lure him toward a far more exotic type of pleasure. She was thrilled to be his bride, to be sharing his home, and her joy was as infectious as her intoxicating kiss. She saw no reason to be coy or flirtatious when sincerity brought such delight to them both. She knew he enjoyed being with her even though he seldom admitted any fondness for her, and feeling shivers of anticipation course down his spine, she was pleased to know she was the cause. The muscular bands which crisscrossed his back flexed with dynamic rhythm as he tightened his embrace, but his touch, as always, remained gentle. His fingertips strayed lightly over the soft swells of her lovely figure, tracing the creamy smoothness of her skin with an adoring caress, and she ceased to let her mind interfere with the rapturous warmth which flooded her senses. She basked in Jason's delicious affection, and knew she'd never tire of being his bride.

Jason found his wife in so obliging a mood he hoped it would continue until dawn. Her light touch, her soft sighs of surrender, her graceful pose as she wound herself around him, all her charming ways inspired him to seek more novel ways to express the love which filled his heart. His mouth lingered at her breast, the full curves of her slender figure delighting him anew, but soon he wanted much more. While his lips strayed lower still, his fingertips moved slowly up the inside of her thigh until he could feel her skin tingle. Her whole being welcomed his caresses with a joy she made no effort to hide. Thinking her the loveliest of creatures, he moved swiftly to show her the depth of his appreciation for her beauty. Lost in his own pleasure, he hoped the tenderness of his kisses would make his feelings clear since he could never seem to express the poetry of his thoughts in words.