Dan McCall's Bride
Page 13
“Are you nervous about this evening?” Kate asked. “Do I need to give you a motherly chat about what will happen tonight?”
Leila gave Kate a worried look. She knew what would happen, but not all the details. Some of it scared her a bit.
“Does it hurt?” Leila asked.
“Not too much, and it’s fleeting,” Kate said, still fussing with the folds of Leila’s dress.
“I know what’s involved, what goes where, and all, but what do I do? Should I just be silent and accommodating or…what? Do I talk during it, and—”
Kate chuckled a bit and took one of Leila’s hands in hers. “God made our bodies to know what to do. Just go with what you feel. If you feel the urge to talk, that’s fine, too.”
“I’m afraid I’ll disappoint Dan in that way.”
“You won’t, trust me.” Kate spun her around. “Now, let’s go to the church before Dan thinks you’ve stood him up.”
Kate and Jeremy had offered to provide a dinner for them after the wedding, but Dan had refused, saying he already had arrangements made.
Leila heard Dan give Jack some final instructions. She heard him say that when he returned, they’d take the cattle thieves to Leavenworth.
After Jack had left them, Dan helped her into a fancy buggy he’d rented, and she asked, “Are you going to leave me so soon after our wedding?”
“It’s my job, love. I plan to have you stay with Kate and Jeremy while I’m gone. Jack and I will take the train, so I’ll just be gone,” he shrugged, “three or four days at the most.”
Leila felt disappointed. She thought that once they'd been married, she’d have him beside her forever.
Dan took his place on the seat and picked up the reins. “Well, Mrs. McCall, our honeymoon starts now.” He urged the horses forward.
Dan knew Leila was disappointed and worried about his having to go to Leavenworth so soon after the wedding, but at least most of the duties of his job would be in Hays. Taking the prisoners to Leavenworth wasn't really his job, but until another federal marshal arrived to the area, he had to deliver any prisoners there were to Leavenworth.
It was dark when they finally reached the hotel in Victoria, Kansas. The building was relatively new, and it looked like a fine establishment. The settlement had once belonged to English aristocrats, but was now filled with ambitious Russian-Germans, so the hotel was luxurious, with a ballroom, restaurant, and crystal chandeliers hanging in the foyer.
A young man took their valises up the elegant staircase to their suite, and Dan and Leila followed. Once inside the room, Leila sat gingerly on a brocade sofa, while Dan slipped the boy a coin. When the boy had left, Dan sat beside his wife.
“Have I told you how gorgeous you look today?”
Leila nodded. “You didn’t need to. Your eyes lit up when you saw me walking down the aisle toward you which told me everything.” She smiled up at him. “You looked so happy and proud, and your eyes spoke volumes, putting any fears I had to rest.”
“I love you, Mrs. McCall,” he said, kissing her swiftly on the lips. “I apologize for having to leave you so soon, but I plan to spend so much time with you this week, you’ll be well sick of me by next week and glad to be rid of me.”
“So you’ll spend the whole week with me?” she asked.
“Yes, and we’re staying right here, in this hotel suite.” He winked. “I think we’ll find enough to do here, don’t you?”
Leila nodded. He could tell she was a bit tense.
“There’s something you should know, Dan,” she said carefully.
“I thought I knew everything about you, sweetheart.”
“No, I mean about tonight.”
“What?”
“A woman has one week out of the month that…that…she…um—”
“I get it!” Dan saved her from having to say it. “That’s fine. I can wait,” he said, kissing her again. “Um…how long? What I mean to say is: will this condition last long?”
“No, just today.” She hesitated. “I think.”
“I didn’t marry you just for that, Leila. It’s all right. I still get to sleep with you and hold you in my arms all night long, and I’m looking forward to it.”
“I am, too,” she said. “I’m glad you understand.”
“Completely.”
Just then, a knock sounded on the door and Dan sprung up to answer it. Two men came in, each of them carrying a tray laden with covered dishes. They set them down on the large table. Dan gave them each a coin, and when they’d gone he announced, “Dinner is ready, dear wife.”
After dinner, Leila went into the small dressing room to slip on her nightclothes while Dan dug out a nightshirt he’d bought just that morning. He climbed into bed, propped himself up on the pillows, and waited for his wife. Was he disappointed? Of course he was, but he’d never let her know that. He knew that women had that condition and husbands had to respect that time. He just hoped it wouldn’t last too long.
Leila stepped out of the alcove in the same, white, linen nightgown he remembered from the last time he saw her in it. It sure looked like the same one. He’d hoped for a sheer, lacy gown that he might peek through a bit. He sighed. Maybe she was saving that gown for tomorrow night.
Leila climbed into bed. He pulled her close and she rested her head on his chest. “Now this is wonderful,” he said. “Just you and me.”
“The dinner was delicious,” Leila said. “You had everything planned so perfectly.”
“Almost,” Dan grinned and gave her a squeeze. “But I’m a patient man.”
“I’m so tired,” Leila yawned.
Dan turned off the lamp. “Can we fall asleep in each other’s arms?”
“Maybe that’s not a good idea—with my condition. Can we just sleep tonight, Dan?”
“Certainly.” He kissed her forehead and said, “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Dan.”
Dan found it hard to sleep, knowing she was right beside him and he couldn’t…touch her the way that he yearned to. He kept telling himself he was a patient man, and he always had been—until then.
He’d almost fallen asleep when he felt an arm go around his waist. He couldn’t figure out where he was and who it might be for a few moments, but then it all came back to him. Leila. She must be asleep and reached over and embraced him accidentally in her sleep. He could feel her breath on his neck, then she moved her body against him and moved her hand from his waist to his chest, rubbing it softly until he thought he’d burst with need.
“Leila?” he whispered hoarsely.
“Hmm?”
“What are you doing?”
“Turn toward me so I can hear you,” she whispered.
Dan flipped over so he could see her face dimly in the darkness. She smiled and pressed her body against his, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Dan, make love to me,” she whispered passionately.
Dan prayed aloud, “Dear Lord, Leila, don’t joke about this. What about your condition?”
“I don’t…I mean it’s not—”
“You don’t have the curse?”
“No,” she murmured, clamping her lips to his.”
Dan returned her kiss with a moan. “Oh, Leila! You’d better not be joking because I can’t stop now!”
Afterward, as they lay side by side catching their breath, Dan asked, “Why did you tell me you had that…monthly thing?”
“I was nervous about the act and thought that if we could recreate the night I came to your room, it would be easier for me. I knew what to do on that night because my body had led me, and I wanted to be sure I’d feel that again.”
Dan rolled over and pulled her close. He whispered into her ear, “And did you?”
“Oh, you bet I did.”
After a week of absolute bliss, Dan and Leila returned to Hays. He wanted to stop and check in at the office, but he was reluctant to leave his wife after having spent every moment with her for a week, so he pulled her along w
ith him.
“Jack!” Dan greeted.
“Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. McCall,” Jack said.
“I’ll meet you here in the morning,” Dan said, “and we’ll get this trip to Leavenworth over and done with.”
“No need,” Jack said. “It’s been taken care of.”
“What?” Dan asked.
“A new federal agent came and took Leo, Boggs, and Joe Austin to Leavenworth.”
“Joe Austin?” Leila and Dan asked in unison.
“Yes, the federal agent—nice fellow named Harwell—got Boggs to talk by offering him a lighter sentence if he told him who all was involved. Well, he squealed like a pig. Harwell rode out and arrested Joe, and we returned all the cattle to their rightful owners.”
“You certainly were busy while I was gone,” Dan said
“I like to keep busy,” Jack said.
“You know you’re too good at this to be just a deputy,” Dan said.
“I know,” Jack said with a smirk, “but for now it’s what I want. I’ll learn all I can from you, and one day I’ll go off on my own and become a sheriff or marshal, too. I still have a lot to learn.”
“Well, good!” Dan slapped his back. “Because I trust and rely on you.”
Jack blushed and quickly changed the subject. “I expect you in tomorrow. A whole new stack of wanted posters came in, and Mrs. Johnson said someone’s been looking in her window at night, and Mr. Haskell said—”
“Whoa!” Dan exclaimed. “Tell me tomorrow—I’m still on my honeymoon.” He turned and took Leila’s arm. “Shall we go home, dear wife?”
She smiled up at him. “To Kate’s, you mean?”
“No, to our house,” he said, kissing her quickly. “It’s another surprise: I hired a few men and had the place fixed up. I can’t wait for us to see it together for the first time.”
Dan unlocked the front door bent to pick up his bride, and carried her inside. He set her down and saw the look of awe on her face.
“Oh, Dan! The sitting room is lovely. How did you know what colors I wanted?”
“A little mouse told me; her name was Kate.”
Leila walked into the kitchen and gasped. “It’s so lovely, Dan!”
He took her into his arms. “Let me lock the door. I want to show you the upstairs, and we might be up there for a while.” He winked.
THE END
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraGossBooks
http://www.barbaragossbooks.com
Sign up for my newsletter on my website above.
DO YOU ENJOY SWEET WESTERN ROMANCES?
Sweet Wild West Reads is a Facebook group and a wonderful place for sweet western romance authors and readers to discuss their favorite stories, thoughts, and authors. Join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1832790870336744/
Other books by Barbara Goss:
1. Forbidden Legacy
2. Captured Heart
3. Stolen Heritage
4. Dangerous Illusions
5. Silent Love
6. The Final Vow
7. The Kissing Bridge
8. Drawn from Darkness
9. Temptation by Moonlight
10. The Romantic Ruse
11. Shadow of Shame
12. Shadow of Deceit
13. Shadow of Regret
14. Shadow of Hope
15. Shadow of Love
16. Shadow of Faith
17. Shadow of Second Chances
18. Sunshine in the Rain
19. Yesterday’s Rain
20. Mail Order Mishap
21. Mail Order Vixen
22. Mail Order Ruse
23 Mail Order Calamity
24 Mail Order Compromise
25. The Guilty Proposal
26. The Reckless Proposal
27. The Shotgun Proposal
28. The Housekeeper's Proposal
29. Dan McCall's Bride-
All my books are also available in audiobook form on Audible.com, iTunes, and Amazon.