by Joyce Armor
“Keep this with you in case of trouble.”
She put it in her pocket. “Thank you.”
“It’s for your protection, and if you need me for some emergency, not just to scratch your back, fire a shot into the air. Outside the tent.”
She gave him a look that said, “Do I look like a dummy?”
He ignored it. “If I’m not too far to hear it, I’ll hightail it back.”
She smiled. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“And Per, if you feel the least little twinge in that leg, any discomfort or pain, you stop what you’re doing and lie down. Do not risk becoming a cripple just because you’re bored.”
That hurt a little. “I’m not a child, Gus. So please don’t treat me like one.”
He set his own coffee cup down on the bureau. “You’re not a child; you’re a patient. And a cantankerous one.”
That comment could have gone either way. A moment passed and then she burst out laughing. “You could be right about that, I suppose. Arggh. I hate this. I’ll be careful. I promise.”
He leaned over and kissed her goodbye. Except the kiss became something more, as his tongue found its way into her mouth and hers returned the favor. And then their hands roved each other’s bodies, some clothes fell to the wayside and somehow he was seated in the chair and entering her as her good leg wrapped around the chair and her knitting leg rested on the ground. It was a little bit awkward and a whole lot exciting. Gus held her waist and propelled her up and down until he moved a hand and felt her core, rubbing it until she splintered in ecstasy, screaming his name. Just that had him falling over the precipice in what had to be one of the great orgasms of all time.
It took them a few minutes to get their breathing levels back to normal. Then he carefully extricated himself, gently placing her in the chair as he stood and pulled up his trousers. He had to look around to find his shirt, which was across the tent on his pallet. In the meantime, she was awkwardly pulling her dress back up over her shoulders. That somehow was when he recognized she was wearing a dress. It was the first time since she had stepped off the stage in Vale. Had that really been only eight days ago?
He turned around and looked at her. She was brushing her hair, which had gotten all tangled up in their rather frantic coupling. He walked over to her, taking the brush from her hand.
“Let me.”
And he proceeded to brush her ebony locks, gently unsnarling the tangles. It was the most romantic, the sexiest, most intimate thing he had ever done, to her way of thinking. He was thinking she had to have the softest, waviest, most glorious hair he had ever seen. And he was starting to feel like the luckiest man on earth. Suddenly the tent started closing in on him and his collar became too tight. He couldn’t do this. He dropped the brush on the bureau, turned and walked out, saying, “I’ll see you later” as he left.
Per took a minute to try to figure out what just happened. She was certain Gus felt the intimacy between them as he stroked her hair. Of course, that’s the very thing that upset him. Intimacy, not the consummating kind but the sort that you feel right down to your core. Per smiled. She didn’t care how long it took; she would find a way through his protective wall and love him the way he deserved to be loved.
* * *
The traps had snared a beaver and two rabbits. Gus placed his catches in his burlap bag and reset the traps as he went along. The trek of several miles gave him plenty of time to think, He knew rationally Per was nothing like the society heiress who had humiliated him, yet the thought of the deception and betrayal of five years ago still brought bile to his mouth. He just could not put himself into so vulnerable a position again. He had to find a way to distance himself from his wife emotionally while still being a decent partner and enjoying their physical relationship. They could be friends, couldn’t they? That was it; he would find a way to enhance their friendship while limiting their intimacy to bedding. Sure, keep thinking that.
Per’s injury had set back his timetable for building the cabin and barn. There was no help for it, though, so he would just have to buckle down and do what he could. He’d hoped his letter to his brother Karl would get a response. If he could entice his sibling to leave Baltimore and join him, he knew they could get the cabin built at least, since that was the priority. But Karl had not responded, at least as of eight days ago when he checked the mail in Vale. The whole family might be angry with him at the way he’d left. He’d written them several times over the five years he’d been gone, but he had moved around so much, he could easily have missed their responses. And then again, perhaps they never responded. It was a sobering thought.
And if he was permanently estranged from his family, he could lay that at the feet of Adelina Spencer. If he were being completely honest, of course, he held at least half of the blame for his utter stupidity. The whole affair had a rippling effect, like a stone thrown into a creek, creating ever-widening circles of destruction. Gus took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair, which was getting a little unruly. He had just made it back to his horse when his stomach growled. He had packed a medley of vegetables and beef jerky and pulled it out, trying to clear his mind of family and women. Just then he heard rustling behind him. Quickly drawing his gun, he pivoted, ready to do battle, and chuckled when he saw Buddy scampering up. That was some mighty fine tracking the canine had done. Maybe he would make a good hunting dog after all.
“Hey, Bud.” He ruffled the dog’s ears, picking up the food he had dropped before the dog could get it. “I’m happy to see you, but Per is probably frantic by now.”
He knew his stubborn wife. She would try to find a way to search for the dog. He sighed as the critter sniffed at the bag containing his trapped animals. “Not for you. Sorry, Buddy.”
He quickly consumed his meal, tied the burlap bag to his saddlebag and mounted, starting off toward the cabin at a canter. He looked behind him, and sure enough, the dog was trotting along. He slowed a little to make sure he didn’t tire out the little dog too much. Christ, he was used to doing whatever he wanted to do whenever he wanted to do it, and now he was operating at the mercy of a wife and a tan mutt.
They got back to the campsite in time to see Per leaning on her crutch in the corral, trying to saddle her horse.
“What the hell, Per?”
She was caught dead to rights. No sense trying to defend herself. “I’m sorry, Gus. I was just so worried about Buddy. I didn’t want him to get eaten by a bear or attacked by a wolf or some other horrible thing…”
Her voice kind of floated off at the end, and he couldn’t help but notice her shoulders slumping.
“As you can see, he’s fine. Dogs are curious, Per, they wander and sniff. He must have caught my scent.”
She carefully made her way toward the gate. He dismounted and opened it for her.
“I think Buddy wants to go hunting with me. Are you all right with that?”
She propelled herself through the gate. “Yes. As long as I know where he is.”
Gus wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her but resisted the urge. He turned and untied the game bag from his horse and thrust it toward her. “Can you dress these?”
For a moment she thought he wanted her to put little outfits on whatever was in the bag. Then she looked inside and saw the dead rabbits and the beaver.
She had watched him prepare the rabbit for cooking. “Uh…I think I could probably prepare the rabbits, but the beaver?”
“Leave that for me. That one’s tricky.”
“Do we eat beaver?”
She had a slightly horrified look on her face.
He smiled. “No. I can sell the pelt, though.”
He went into the barn and grabbed another burlap sack, then remounted. “C’mon, Buddy. See you later.”
* * *
For the next few weeks, Mr. and Mrs. Gustavus Burgen fell into a rhythm that saw them sharing many midday and most evening meals together, as well as their pallet, which was the
best part of the relationship for both of them. With minimal help from Per, Gus had relocated the tent to the other side of the garden and constructed a two-foot-high stone foundation for the log cabin, which she really thought of as a house now, as he had laid out two bedrooms, a parlor, a kitchen and a dining area. He also planned to add a loft for an additional sleeping area. His intent was to build the structure so that it could be added onto in the future. He also laid out the foundation for the barn on the other side of the shed, still a good distance from the creek. It would have six stalls, a tack room and an office. And he began digging the privy on the other side of the garden.
She could tell he was discouraged that he had not accomplished more. She thought he expected too much of himself and wondered if he blamed her for delaying his work or in not being able to help him as much as they both would like. He was never unkind, yet he could be brusque and closed off. Per was relatively sure he had made a conscious decision to distant himself from her, and she was finding it increasingly disappointing as well as annoying. She was biding her time, though, until she got the damn splints off her leg for good. Then she would show him she could help him build the cabin and do whatever else he wanted.
She stewed a great deal over what could make him keep her at a distance emotionally and began wondering if he loved someone else. That thought disturbed her more than she believed it should. It wasn’t like she loved him. Was it?
Gus was out hunting with Buddy and Per was weeding in the garden when she heard a wagon approaching. She panicked. Gus told you to keep the gun on you. Idiot! She got up quickly, albeit awkwardly, grabbed the crutch and hobbled toward the tent. She had left the gun in her top bureau drawer and hurriedly retrieved it. She wanted to hide in the tent, as if that would provide her with any protection. Instead, she put the gun in her breeches pocket, blew out a breath and shuffled out of the tent to meet her fate.
The man pulling up in the wagon didn’t look like a dandy her mother would have hired. In fact, he resembled Gus, although he looked a little older and his hair was a bit darker. He had the same strong jaw, though, the same straight nose and the same chocolate brown eyes. For a moment the man stared at her, just as she was gaping at him.
“So he did it,” he said, pulling the brake and jumping down from the wagon.
She involuntarily took an awkward step back and almost fell. He grabbed her elbow, steadying her.
“I’m sorry. I should introduce myself. I’m Gus’s brother, Karl Burgen.”
Per smiled, and Karl could not believe how it transformed the woman from attractive to beautiful. “I’m sorry, we’ve never had a visitor before. I’m Per—Priscilla—but my friends call me Per.”
“Per it is then.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “You are, um…”
She raised her eyebrows and then realized what he was asking. “His wife? Yes!” She saw he was peering at her hands. “Um, we don’t have rings yet.” She looked down at her male outfit. “And dresses aren’t too practical out here.”
He smiled. “Where’s Gus?”
“He’s out hunting. Oh, where are my manners? Would you like something to eat? Or coffee or water?”
“I am a bit famished,” he said sheepishly.
“I’ll heat up some biscuits and bacon left over from breakfast.”
She started to propel herself off.
“Can I do anything to help? I can see you’re a little incapacitated.”
She waved a hand. “I’m used to it. The splints are coming off today. As a matter of fact, you can help. Gus tied these things so tight, I can’t get them off. I think he did it on purpose.’
He laughed. “I brought some supplies. I’ll unload them.”
Over her shoulder, Per said, “We have a dog, so don’t leave any food out at dog level for very long.”
She made her way into the tent and a few minutes later came back out with the biscuits and bacon, as well as a tomato to slice. She had only taken about three steps on her good leg when she stopped and stared.
Among food staples, including flour, sugar, salt, honey and molasses, was also a stack of linen—towels, bed sheets, blankets and several lengths of material. And beside that was a large copper tub for bathing.
“I think I married the wrong brother,” Per said as she gaped at the tub.
Karl grinned. Thirty minutes later, they were drinking coffee and swapping stories about Gus. Per found she liked his brother a great deal. He was open and friendly and didn’t seem to be judgmental at all. He looked at all Gus had accomplished with satisfaction and pride. He had brought tools to help.
“After the debacle with Adelina, we wondered if we would ever see him again.”
Her mind had been wandering, thinking about the wonderful new supplies. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Karl must have just realized he had said too much. “I…uh…is there more coffee?”
“Karl, who is Adelina? What happened with her?”
He set his coffee cup down and poured himself another cup. Then he looked at her. Was that pity in his eyes? “He didn’t tell you.”
“But you will.”
“I…I can’t, Per. It’s Gus’s tale to tell. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. He’s probably going to kill me.”
She thought about that and sighed, setting down her coffee cup. “Well, since he’s going to kill you anyway, you can help me get this splint off.”
He got up and started to back away, “Oh, now, I don’t want to get in the middle of anything.”
“Don’t be such a worm. The splints were supposed to come off last week, but Gus decided we needed to give it another week, just in case. The week is up today. I swear, if you don’t help me get this off, I’m going to saw off my leg. And then I might saw off yours.”
He smiled. “All right, if he gets mad, I’ll just tell him you threatened me.”
* * *
Gus felt good. He had not bagged a deer, as he had hoped, but Half-Mile Creek had provided six nice fat trout. He had already cleaned them, wrapping them in a clean cloth and packing them in his saddlebag. He could almost taste supper. On hunting days he found himself looking forward to showing his catches to Per, who always acted appreciative. It’s funny how you don’t know you were missing something until you have it. He didn’t remember feeling lonely. As a trapper, he had spent many days alone, something he needed after…well, just something he needed. Now, though, he knew he would miss Per if she were gone.
As he neared the campsite, he spied a strange wagon. Who was it? If anyone had harmed Per… He pulled his pistol and walked his horse into the clearing. Buddy scampered up, sniffing the ground all around the fire pit. That’s when Gus saw his brother walking up from the creek.
“Karl!” He dismounted and approached his sibling.
“I thought you could use some help.”
Gus was nearly overwhelmed and had to rein in his emotions before he made a fool of himself. “You know it,” he said, shaking his brother’s hand. Karl pulled him in for a man hug.
“How long can you stay?”
“Ma told me I couldn’t come home until your ranch house and barn are built.”
Gus grinned. “We wouldn’t want to disappoint Ma.” He looked around. “Where’s Per?”
Karl gave him a kind of suspicious grin. “Oh, I think you’ll find her in the tent. I’ll just be down by the creek.” He turned and walked off.
Puzzled, Gus strode toward the tent. He pulled the flap back and entered, his jaw dropping. He was absolutely frozen at the sight that awaited him. In a large copper tub, with steam rising, his wife lay back as she languidly washed a leg. Her hair was piled haphazardly on her head, and she was humming. He took a step and she turned.
“Gus, look what Karl brought. I’m in heaven.”
He was in heaven too, just looking at her. Then he realized her splints had been removed. He knew he had tied the cloths too tightly for her to remove them, so Karl must have helped her. He felt somehow disappointed
that he was not the one to free her on this momentous occasion. His disappointment, however, was tempered with lust.
“I just have to wash my hair, and then I’ll get supper started. We can have ham and potatoes, with some vegetables.”
Her could see her breasts, the nipples tightening as she looked at him. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. It took him a moment to react to what she had said. “I…I brought fish.”
She smiled. “Even better. I love fresh fish.”
She let her hair down and sunk under the water. When she came up, she started rubbing the soap in her hair.
“I’ll do it,” he said, and took the soap from her. Kneeling behind her, he began sensuously rubbing the soap in and massaging her head at the same time. It was like when he brushed her hair but felt even better.
“When…when you’re done, there’s a pitcher of warm water for rinsing.” As she pointed to the pitcher, his eyes never left her. He washed her hair twice, with her dunking under the water to rinse it both times. Then he slowly poured the warm water over her, and it was nearly as sexy as him washing her hair.
She stood in the tub, and he grabbed a green towel that he didn’t recognize and wrapped her in it as she gingerly stepped out.
“How’s the leg?”
“It feels rather good, although I won’t be running any races soon.”
There was no chance she would be dressing. It was only moments before they were both naked and lying on the pallet, doing what they did best with great enthusiasm. As he’d reeled in his emotions over the weeks, he kept waiting for the physical aspect of their relationship to cool. It sure hadn’t cooled yet. If anything, it had heated up.
They were recovering from the strenuous activity when Per said, “I like your brother.”
“Karl’s a good guy. And he’s experienced in construction. Things should go faster now.”
“And now I can help.”
She looked so damned happy at that pronouncement, he couldn’t make himself warn her to take it easy. She was not a child, as she had pointed out to him more than once. When he started to get up, she put a hand on his arm.
