by Connie Mason
"Christl" Chase roared, shocked by the intimacy he had neither asked for nor wanted Somehow the thought of any woman but Maggie touching his body in that way sickened him
Belle fell back, stunned, as Chase leaped to his feet, yanking up his pants as he headed for the door "This oughta pay for your trouble," he said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a wad of bills "It took me a while to come to my senses, but I finally know what I want I only hope it's not too late "
A blast of arctic wind whipped around the comer of the house and Maggie shivered despite the blazing fire in the hearth and small stoves placed strategically for added warmth The homey aroma of cinnamon wafted from the kitchen where Bright Leaf baked and cooked in preparation for the Christmas celebration tomorrow Maggie prayed the weather wouldn't worsen and prevent Kate and Rusty from showing up Virgie was also invited, along with Scott and the few hands who had stayed on during the winter Scott had remained with Rusty for the winter, helping out where he could The chore of caring for the ranch without Chase's help put an extra burden on the older man and Scott's help was much appreciated
The last few times Scott visited, he had brought Virgie along It appeared that the petite brunette had transferred all her affections to the handsome Mountie in Chase's absence, and it irked Maggie to think Scott was now the object of Virgie's feminine wiles Surprisingly, Scott didn't seem to mind When Maggie questioned him, Scott only smiled and replied that he was man enough to handle the feisty little witch After that, Maggie let the subject drop.
though she couldn't help but worry that virgie would somehow take advantage of Scott's goodness
The wind rattled the windows, and Maggie shivered anew at the chilling sound of snow pelting against the panes It wasn't a fit night for man nor beast, she thought idly as she plucked Beth from Spotted Deer's arms and kissed her good night Soon both Spotted Deer and Bright Leaf would retire for the night to their separate quarters off the kitchen, and the house would grow silent with memories Though Maggie had intended to move to town long before now, the paper kept her too busy to look for a suitable residence for her and Beth—or so she told herself She assumed it unlikely that Chase would return before spring thaw, allowing plenty of time for her move
Christmas Eve, Maggie thought abstractedly No one should be without loved ones tonight, yet here she was, bereft of friends and without the man she loved Due to the uncertain weather, Kate and Rusty had decided not to come till morning, but from the looks of the storm raging outside, Maggie doubted they'd make it even then At least Sam and the hands would be here for dinner, and Maggie had Beth to remind her that she'd never be totally alone
Feeling disinclined to retire, Maggie picked up a book she'd bought in town the other day, turned the lamp up, and sat down to read After a while the cozy heat of the room and the steady pelting of snow against the windows caused her eyelids to droop drowsily The next thing she knew the door banged noisily against the wall and a blast of icy wind crept up her skirt, chilling her legs
Sheer black fright turned Maggie's limbs to water Her first coherent thought was that she had forgotten to latch the door, the second was that the hands out in the bunkhouse wouldn't hear her scream over the wind
The apparition filling the doorway looked like something out of her worst nightmare He stood over six feet tall, his shoulders touching the jamb on either side His clothes were heavily encrusted with ice and snow, and a woolen cap was jammed down firmly over ears and forehead His eyebrows and lashes were frosted white, as was the thick beard covering his chin and upper lip Mute with terror, Maggie could do nothing but stare at the bear-like man who slammed and latched the door behind him, advancing toward her in what she considered a threatening manner Maggie had never fainted in her life, but when he reached out for her, she slumped forward into his arms, unaware of the strangled cry that left his throat
Maggie came to slowly, floating back to earth on fluffy white clouds that enveloped her in softness A few agonizing moments elapsed before she realized that she was reclining on her own feather mattress The stove had been stoked recently and a warm glow softened the darkness Had she been dreaming1? Maggie wondered as she gazed around the room, noting that it was empty except for herself Suddenly the intruder loomed before her, poised in the doorway The breath froze in her lungs when she saw that he cradled a sleepy-eyed Beth in his arms
"Don't hurt her I" Maggie cried, leaping to her daughter's defense "I—I'm not alone," she bluffed
The man's head shot up sharply He stood in the shadows, and try as she might Maggie still couldn't make out his features "Where is he1?" The man's voice was hoarse and raspy from cold "I'd swear the house is deserted 'cept for you " Maggie went still, all her vitals alert That voice I The hair prickled at the back of her neck, and her
heart began pounding as her senses came alive Could it possibly be ? No, Chase had occupied her thoughts and dreams for so long that she fancied him even in the villainous creature holding Beth captive in his arms
"Don't hurt my baby," Maggie pleaded, searching the room for a weapon—anything with which to defend her child
Her words wrenched a cry of anguish from the man's lips She cringed as he strode forward into the room, noting that he had doffed his heavy outerwear while she had lain senseless But that's all Maggie registered, for she had eyes for no one but her babe, folded in the crook of the intruder's arms
"Do you think I'd harm my own child1?"
At first Maggie thought she hadn't heard correctly Then recognition came like a blow to her rnidsection His voice had lost some of his hoarseness and there was no mistaking Chase's distinctive tone Mutely she stared into Chase's face, now close enough to recognize The beard disguised much of his features, but his eyes were vivid blue pools that pierced straight to her soul The snow had melted from his hair, and it gleamed a deep copper in the dull light The craggy ruggedness of his features was as dearly familiar to her as her child's pale complexion, yet his expression was one she did not recognize
Beth began to fret in Chase's arms, angry at being deprived of her sleep Noting her obvious displeasure. Chase kissed her forehead and took her back to her own bed He returned within minutes, scowling fiercely as he approached Maggie, stopping just inches away, his legs spread apart, arms folded across his massive chest Immediately Maggie pushed herself to a sitting position and glared back at him He looked so huge and threatening that her temper flared, recalling how he had left her on
their wedding day, humiliating her before all their friends
"Where's Gordon1?" Chase asked, looking pointedly at the empty space beside her on the bed
Ignoring his crude suggestion, Maggie posed a question of her own "How did you get through on a stormy night like this1?"
"Dammit, woman, don't change the subject I'm here and that's all that matters "
"Did you think you could ignore me for weeks, then blow in with the fiercest storm of the winter1?" Maggie taunted "Did you expect a warm welcome1? If you did, you came to the wrong place "
"You know damn well why I left I'm gonna ask you one more time before I tear the house apart Where is Gordon1?"
"No need to destroy properly," Maggie replied sourly "I'm alone except for Beth "
For a brief moment, a look of pure joy suffused Chase's features, only to be replaced by a scowl "Did the bastard leave you again1?"
"What makes you think Scott is here1?"
"I'm not stupid, I saw the way you greeted him on our weddin' day I know you regained your memory the instant you saw him I also knew you'd realize I lied to you, that I rushed you into marriage before you regained your memory and discovered you didn't love me "
"You didn't wait around long enough to find out," Maggie accused him "I—I couldn't," Chase admitted sheepishly "Rejection hurts too much " "What makes you so damn certain I'd reject you1?"
"I've got eyes," came his surly reply "I saw you together And when you failed to show up in our room after I sent for you, your preference for the Mount
ie was obvious I naturally assumed Scott Gordon meant more to you than I do "
"You sent for me1?" Maggie asked, deeply puzzled
"I sent Virgie to ask you to meet me in our room I gave you half an hour to respond to my summons When you failed to show up, I knew exactly how you felt about our marriage "
"Virgie I" Maggie spat "You should have known better than to trust that jealous little chit I never received your message "
"I waited nearly an hour, Maggie," Chase said uncertainly "Just before I left, I saw you and Gordon embracing "
"Have you never embraced a woman friend1?" Maggie challenged "Why did you bother to come back if you thought I was with Scott1?"
Chase flushed "I—I—" he began helplessly "Damnation, Maggie girl, I had to find out for certain if you were with Gordon, and I wanted to see my daughter "
"How good of you to remember you had a daughter You conveniently forgot you had a wife " "Do I, darlin'? Do I still have a wife?"
"Chase McGarrett, you're an exasperating, addle-pated, mule-headed doltl" Maggie berated him disgustedly "What about the annulment I received in the mail1? You wouldn't have sent it had you truly wanted a wife I meant to leave the ranch long before you returned "
"Leave1? Where would you go1? Is Gordon waitin' someplace for you to join him1?"
"Dammit, Chase, will you forget about Scott1? We're friends, good friends, nothing more He's spending the winter with Rusty and Kate, helping with the chores that you should be doing "
Guilt brought a rush of color to Chase's neck "It took awhile, but I finally came to my senses That's why I couldn't let the storm stop me from comin' home It wasn't just Beth, or the fact that it was Christmas that brought me here tonight—it was you.
darlin' I had to know if you were still here, if—if you could ever forgive rne "
Maggie's heart thrilled to Chase's words, but she wasn't certain he deserved her forgiveness What if something sent him running off again1? This time she'd make damn sure before she'd be a wife to him, if that's what he had in mind
"Two months is a long time to think. Chase," Maggie said slowly "Sometimes I think it was wrong of me to come here in the beginning " "Why did you come, Maggie1?" Chase asked curiously He had asked himself that same question countless times these past months A long silence ensued while Maggie formed a reply At length she said, "I wanted Beth to know her father " "Then why in tarnation did you let me believe Beth belonged to Gordon1?" Chase yelled, his temper flaring
"Because I wanted you to love me for myself, not because of Beth or out of misplaced duty," Maggie shouted back "I had no idea how you felt about me after you left Seattle The only way I could find out was by coming to Montana Besides," she said reproachfully, "you should have realized Beth was your daughter without being told "
"My God, I loved you, Maggie girll I've always loved you "
"You had a funny way of showing it Did you marry me because of Beth'? I was so afraid you didn't love me as I loved you "
"Didn't you hear what I just said1? I was gonna ask you to many me before you lost your memory, but then the fire and your accident interferred Even though I still thought Beth belonged to Gordon at the time, I loved her like my own I was thrilled when Rusty told me I was her father but hurt that you lied to me "
"I wanted us to be a family "
"I could kill Virgie for the pain she caused us," Chase bit out tightly "The little witch won't go unpunished All these weeks of separation could have been avoided had she delivered my message Hove you so much the thought of seeing you with another man was more than I could bear "
"So you ran away," Maggie observed bitterly
"Forgive me, Maggie, I swear I'll make it up to you and Beth Would you believe I even tried to bed another woman but couldn't1?" he confessed
Chase was a sensual man, easily aroused, and Maggie couldn't imagine him not being able to perform with another woman, but the thought pleased her "What about the annulment?"
"We'll get married again, as many times as it takes to make you mine "
He dropped to his knees on the bed, gathering Maggie in his arms She tugged teasingly at his beard "This will have to go "
"Later," he drawled in a voice fraught with longing His blue eyes sizzled with sexual desire and a wolfish grin hung on one comer of his mouth "After I love you "
Chapter Twenty-Six
Maggie wanted Chase's love more than anything in the world, but not just for tonight, or a week, or a year She wanted it forever
"How do I know you won't be gone tomorrow1? Or the day after that1? Or sometime in the future1?" she charged "I can get along just fine without you if I have to " Lies, all lies I I have my work and my child and can support us without worrying and wondering when you'll disappear again "
Chase looked stricken Damnation, what had he done to her1? I reckon I deserve that You have my solemn promise I'll be around forever," he said with such sincerity that Maggie felt inclined to believe him I want to see Beth grow up as beautiful as her mother And I want a son, maybe more than one "
"I'll not give up my newspaper," Maggie said defensively
"I wouldn't ask it of you I bought it for you 'cause I wanted you to be happy Aw, darlin', the hell with
words, let me show you how much I love you I wanna be inside you so bad I'm gonna explode if I don't love you soon I wanna feel you tighten around me, hear your sweet moans when I take you to heaven I've missed you, Maggie girl Welcome me like only you can do "
Maggie cursed herself for three kinds of fool All Chase had to do was touch her and sweet-talk her and she was ready to throw herself at his feet It had always been thus, she recalled, from the day they first met She had fallen hopelessly in love with him despite his rough roguish ways and brash tongue Then her thoughts splintered in a thousand pieces as Chase kissed her, not waiting for her permission but brazenly taking what he so desperately craved
A wild and explosive heat seemed to uncoil within Maggie as Chase slowly and thoroughly explored her mouth with his tongue She felt his hands glide over her body, releasing her clothes, seeking her warmth His hands were strong, yet they fondled her with amazing gentleness His kisses were urgent, but tenderly stirring With fevered impatience he stripped away the layers of clothes that kept him from his heart's desire
Gently he caressed her thighs, her buttocks, dragging her upwards along the hard length of his body His lips found the sharp peak of her breast and claimed it, drawing it deeply into the moist recess of his mouth Chase drew in a tremulous breath, feeling himself drowning in the sweet fragrance of her flesh She swelled like a morning rain, fresh and clean and scented like wildflowers
Maggie felt the harsh rasp of clothes against her bare flesh and suddenly wanted Chase as naked as she was Impatiently she tugged at his shirt "Your clothes. Chase, take them off I want to feel your flesh against mine "
Her plea sent Chase's passion soaring as he hastily shed his winter garb, aided by Maggie's quick fingers When he settled down beside her, the feather mattress and the warmth generated by their bodies provided all the heat they needed Lovingly she ran her hands over the rippling muscles of his torso, thinking he'd changed little during their weeks apart There was something incredibly potent about the way he looked and how he was formed, with a virility few men possessed in such abundance His eyes spoke eloquently of forbidden pleasures and dark secrets
"That's it, darlin', touch me. Chase groaned urgently as he followed his own advice and began a slow, erotic exploration of her body
He gazed long moments at her breasts before taking the hardened peak into his mouth and lashing it wetly with the rough surface of his tongue, first one, then the other She cried out when he nipped playfully at the tender nub, then sighed contentedly when he suckled tenderly to make it feel better, all the while his hands teasing and stroking and probing with gentle insistence Maggie sighed, loving the way he made her feel, the way he toiled so lovingly, so leisurely on her body, wanting to bring her pleasure
> Her own hands and mouth were far from idle, testing the hills and planes of his masculine form, tasting wherever her lips could reach—the tiny nubs of his flat male breasts, his throat, the burnished top of his head The sounds she made were more animal than human—murmunngs and mewlings that only Chase could decipher
"Chase, please I"
In answer to her mindless plea. Chase abruptly reversed their positions, her legs falling on either side of his narrow hips "I'm all yours, baby, ride me any way you want Take me inside you "
Taking him into her hand, Maggie lovingly stroked the magnificent length of him, marveling at the thickness and strength rising from his hard body It was almost as if it had a mind of its own His strangled groan told her he was very close to the edge, that his passion matched her own in intensity
Raising her hips, she took him deep inside her, pushing herself until she had all of him and could feel her narrow passage stretching to accommodate the hugeness of his erection Immediately he began rotating, thrusting upwards in quick, hard strokes
"Not so fast, my lusty stallion," Maggie teased, deliberately cooling his ardor "We've got all night"
"I can't wait, baby," Chase panted Despite the coolness of the' room, beads of sweat dotted his brow and his teeth clenched from the effort of controlling his body's dictates "It's been too damn long, and I'm too blamed hot for you I'll try not to leave you behind "
There was no stopping him as he thrust wildly, the tension in him building Grasping her buttocks he controlled her movement, positioning her to receive all he had to offer Raising his head, he took her breast in his mouth, lashing it furiously with the mist heat of his tongue, bringing Maggie swiftly and violently to the brink of the abyss where he waited impatiently for her Then they were falling, spinning, head over tail over the edge into an ocean of unequaled rapture
