Here Comes McBride (Journey's End Book 1)

by Victoria Phelps

  Glen filled plates with chicken, dumplings, carrots and cornbread. “You plan on joining up with your brother?” he inquired.

  “Yes, sir, we do. We had to go our own way for a while, but we’re aiming to catch up with them.” Lars guided a fork to his mouth. “We plan to buy some land and settle down.”

  “Family should stick together,” Mary declared.

  Conversation flowed this way and that like a lazy river on a Sunday afternoon.

  “Thank you for this fine dinner, Mary.” Lars wiped his mouth with his napkin. “That was the best chicken and dumplings I have ever eaten.” He leaned back and rubbed his stomach.

  “You look plumb tuckered out,” Mary said. “You go on up and settle in. Glen and I will be up shortly.”

  “Are you sure I can’t help with the dishes?” Ellie asked.

  “No, there’s only a few. You go on up.”

  Lars and Ellie took their time visiting the outhouse, cleaning their faces and teeth, and getting undressed. When she slid between the clean sheets, Ellie groaned and wriggled into the deep comfort.

  “Climb on in here, Lars,” Ellie instructed. “This bed is a slice of heaven.”

  Her husband joined her and pulled her close to his side. They lay in silence until Ellie felt Lars’ hand drift toward the top of her thighs.

  “Don’t get started, Lars. We can’t make love tonight,” Ellie protested.

  Lars leaned up on one elbow and gazed down with eyebrows drawn close together. “Why not?”

  “Mary and Glen’s room is just on the other side of this wall. They’ll hear us,” Ellie explained.

  Lars considered this concern before shaking his head. “We’ll be quiet.” A large hand settled over her breast and a thumb wandered over her nipple.

  Ellie removed the hand from her aroused mound and gave her husband’s chest a playful slap. “We’re never quiet, Lars.”

  Lars captured her hand and brought it to his lips. “I guess you’re right. You’ll be bothered if they hear us?”

  “Yes, I’d be worried. I don’t think I could enjoy it,” Ellie said.

  Moonlight streamed into the room and afforded her a hazy view of her husband’s face scrunched into a scowl. His mouth pouted with displeasure. “All right. I want our lovemaking to be pleasure.” He fell onto his back with a disgusted sigh.

  Ellie stared at the ceiling very much aware of the dissatisfied husband at her side. When he gave a final sigh and draped an arm over her waist, she snuggled close.

  “Thank you, Lars,” she whispered.

  He pulled her to his side so their bodies were pressed together shoulder to pelvis. “I still get my good-night kiss.” He sealed his lips over hers and Ellie surrendered to the wonder and joy of kissing this man. She loved every darn thing about it right down to the rub of whiskers against her skin and the smell of horse, sweat and man that was Lars.

  He ended the kiss with a hug and a sharp spank to her bottom. “We best stop. I still can’t believe I slept by you all those weeks and held myself in check. But now that I know the feel of you, the smell and taste of you, it’s hard to resist. Goodnight, Ellie,” he whispered into the shell of her ear.

  “Goodnight, Lars,” she returned the sweet sentiment and pulled the quilt to her chin.

  They lay awake in the dark and stared at the ceiling with such intensity you’d have thought the meaning of life was buried in those exposed rafters. The stairs creaked as Mary and Glen climbed them. The door to the room next to theirs closed with a click.

  Ellie took Lars’ hand into her own, and they listened to the silence.

  Mary’s voice drifted, muffled, through the dividing wall. “Now, Glen. You keep your hands to yourself. We have company.”

  “No, ma’am, I don’t think I will,” Glen replied. “Those children know what happens in a marriage bed. Now get over here and obey your husband.” A very distinct spank echoed through the wall followed by another and another.

  When the bed in the other room began to beat a regular rhythm on the wall, Lars whooped. “Come on, Ellie. We can’t be any nosier than they are. Arms up,” he commanded as he pulled Ellie’s nightgown over her head and dropped it over the side of the bed.

  His mouth fell to her breast, sucking, licking, biting. His long fingers probed her femininity, and when a single finger entered her secret garden, Ellie moaned.

  “You’re wet for me, Ellie girl,” Lars whispered. “Turn on over.”

  When her body was arranged for his pleasure, he drove deep in a single thrust and gave her bottom a spank. This was a rhythm she loved, and soon she writhed with each thrust and spank her husband delivered.

  Their bed joined in the thumping on the wall and echoes of bottoms spanked in love reverberated through the house. When they’d shuddered to completion, Lars fell forward and covered her body with his own. He rolled to the side and pulled her with him.

  “Thank you, Glen,” Lars called.

  “You’re welcome, son,” a deep voice replied.

  Ellie buried her face deep into Lars’ chest and shook in her laughter. “Lord knows I should be embarrassed, but I’m not. I love you, and I love loving you.”

  When morning dawned all pink and promising, they joined their hosts for breakfast. The men looked mighty pleased with themselves and the ladies blushed the color of the sunrise.

  Lars saddled their horses and brought them around.

  “Here’s food for your lunch.” Mary handed a cloth sack to Ellie.

  “Thank you for everything.” Ellie hugged her new friend. “Please come visit. I’ll write you when we’ve settled in one spot. Say you will,” she pleaded.

  “We will. I got to see my little Mary and Micah again. They feel like my own grandchildren.” Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

  “Until we meet again.” Ellie kissed her friend’s cheek, and they shared another long hug.

  Glen tucked his wife under his arm. “Let those young folks get on their way,” he admonished.

  After a few more shouted farewells, promises to write, and assurances they would meet again, Lars and Ellie turned their horses north.

  Ellie held her face up to the sun and let it bathe her in warmth. Her life was perfect or nearly so. She was married to a man she loved, and Simon was a menace from the past. If she knew where her brother, Mitch, was, she would be totally content.

  Be happy with what you’ve got, she gave herself a shake. You’re one lucky girl.

  Yes, sir, one lucky girl.

  Chapter 14

  “It’s a long climb up these hills. When we reach the top, we’ll head down into a big valley. A river runs through it, and Sven and I thought it looked like the perfect place to settle. Sven and his family might be there. If they aren’t here, they headed inland toward Willamette, but we both liked the looks of this area on the map.” Sven twisted in his saddle to gain a better look at his wife. “Are you all right, Ellie girl?” he asked. Her skin was a little yellow and a little green. He liked her on the pink side.

  Ellie clung to the pommel of her saddle with a white knuckled grip. “I’ve felt better,” she admitted. “Can we stop a little early tonight?”

  Lars hoped to make it over this last big hump and into the valley in three days. If they stopped early too often, that hope was gone. He turned again and swallowed hard. Ellie looked like she’d been run hard and put up wet. Damn.

  “Yes, we can stop.” He waited until her horse was abreast his. “Do you know what ails you?”

  “No, but I think a good night’s rest will set me right.” She wiped a sheen of perspiration from her forehead.

  “We’ll camp yonder by that stream. Maybe I can catch a fish for supper.” He pointed to the right. When Ellie didn’t respond, he took the reins from her hands and led Missy off the trail.

  He helped his wife off her horse and laid his lips to her forehead. She didn’t seem feverish and that was cause for thanks. He didn’t want to bathe her in an icy creek again. Once had been more
than enough for that. That night had taken ten years off his life if it took a day.

  Lars gathered branches and made a cushion on the ground before unfurling the bedroll. “Lay down and rest. I’ll go see about that fish.” He waited until his wife lay on her side with her hands tucked under her head, eyes closed, before pulling a blanket over her shoulders. He patted her hip. “I’m just going to the river. You call if you need me. I’ll come running.”

  Lars returned with two fish cleaned and ready to cook. Ellie always admired his catch and gave him that big smile he loved. He looked forward to her pleasure, but when he reached camp, Ellie still slept. He went about the routine of setting camp, starting a fire, getting the horses settled for the night and putting the fish over the fire.

  He moved quick and quiet around the camp and watched Ellie sleep. Best thing for a body feeling poorly was sleep. That was what Ma always said. But he missed her chatter and her company. How she would touch his shoulder as she walked by. Or how she melted into him when he pulled her close for a kiss. Now they were married, he didn’t limit himself to one. No, sir, he took as many as he could get. Truth be told, they’d travel faster if he didn’t stop so often to sidle up next to her horse and lean over to touch his lips to hers. More than once that little kiss led to him guiding their horses off the trail and into a private place. His manhood quickened at the thought. Why, just yesterday he’d lifted her off the ground and set her with her back against a tree. ‘Wrap your legs around me,’ he’d said. Well, his Ellie girl was always ready and willing to try something new. She’d done as he asked, and he’d taken her standing against that tree with the afternoon sun shining warm on his back.

  Lars ate his share of the fish sitting across the fire from his sleeping wife. He kept his eyes on her, waiting and watching. But she didn’t seem flushed or feverish. Just tired. He cleaned up his dishes and stored the remainder of the fish for morning before sliding in behind her. Wiggling in close, he positioned her into the cradle of his legs, and draped his arm over her body taking a breast into his hand. He felt his rising expectations but gave himself a serious talking to. No way would he wake his exhausted wife to satisfy himself. He would not.

  Before he opened his eyes in the morning, he reached for his wife and came out of their bed like his tail was afire. She was gone.

  “Ellie?” he called.

  “I’m here.” Her voice was a quiet shadow of usual.

  “Do you feel better?” Lars asked as he unwrapped the fish from the previous night and prepared to heat it on his rekindled fire.

  “Yes, a little shaky is all.” Ellie emerged from behind a tree. “Just taking care of business.”

  Lars laughed. Relief swept his body like a cool breeze. He held the fish out for her inspection. “Look, here, Ellie. We can finish this fish for breakfast.”

  One look at that cold fish, and Ellie threw a hand over her mouth and dropped to her knees on the ground. “That smell. Lars, take it away,” she begged.

  He lowered his head and gave the fish a little sniff. “Smells all right to me, Ellie,” he began.

  But Ellie was bent double with her arm curled around her stomach. She retched and vomited and retched again.

  Lars dropped the fish and rushed to her side. He scooped her hair into his hand and patted her back with the other. “It’s all right, Ellie. I’m here.”

  When she finished, he carried her exhausted body back to the bed and laid her down. “Here, rinse your mouth.” He offered her a cup of cool, clear water. She sipped and spit and sipped and spit until she managed to let a bit slide down her throat.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Lars kicked dirt over the evidence of her illness until both the sight and the smell disappeared.

  “What’s the matter, Ellie girl?” Lars asked. His stomach twisted with fear. He loved this girl more than the breath in his body. If she was taken from him, he didn’t have a single idea how he would move on—not one.

  “I must be pregnant,” she stated. “Those years living at the hotel I saw many young women, maids and waitresses, fall pregnant. Exhaustion, vomiting, sore breasts.” Her hand covered her breast in a gentle show of protection.

  It took a minute or two before the meaning of the words crept into his brain and changed his life.

  “Pregnant?’ His pale blue eyes blazed. “Ellie, that’s wonderful, but we’ve only been married…”

  “A month,” she interrupted. “I must have gotten pregnant on our honeymoon. You’re the one who always told me it only took one time.”

  Lars sat still as stone. “Yes, that’s true.” He sat down beside her and pulled her into his lap. “One time—that’s all it takes for a Nielson.” He hugged her close and laughed, low and deep.

  Ellie gave his chest a playful slap. “Don’t be so proud of yourself,” she scoffed. “I can’t face that fish. Do we have any crackers left?”

  Setting her on the ground, he went to the saddlebags and dug around. “Here.” He handed her the bag with their remaining crackers.

  While she munched, Lars finished the fish. He cleaned the plate, saddled the horses, packed the saddlebags and threw dirt on the fire. “Ready?” He extended his hand. She nodded, but she was unsteady on her feet. Lars ran a hand through his hair and down his face.

  “You can’t sit a horse,” he declared. “Tiny can carry us both. If you feel better later, you can give Missy a try.”

  He saw disagreement rising behind her eyes and in the stubborn set of her mouth.

  “I can…” she began.

  “Ellie,” Lars’ stern voice reverberated in the still morning air, “do as you’re told. I aim to take care of you, and you’re going to let me. Just so you don’t get any big ideas that I can’t spank you, Sven told me a pregnant woman can be spanked with a wooden spoon. It’s less jarring to the body but effective all the same.”

  “Sven told you that?” she queried.

  “Yup. Just thinking ahead, I guess. Sven’s always tried to smooth my path and tell me what I needed to know. For years, I wouldn’t listen to him. I was a stubborn hot-head, but I listen now.”

  He tied a rope to Missy, so she would follow along. Then he lifted Ellie into the saddle and swung up behind her. When he was satisfied she was comfortable and snug between his thighs, he gave Tiny a nudge with his boot.

  Traveling was slow. Ellie rode on his lap in the morning and on her own for a while in the afternoon. Lars made camp early, and Ellie fell into a deep sleep after a supper of crackers and, if he could talk her into it, a bite or two of rabbit or soup. He wished she’d eat more, but he didn’t want to nag especially since she started each day expelling whatever small amount her stomach held. After seven days, they descended into the valley and entered the town of Oakville.

  Lars held Ellie’s hand as they entered the Mercantile. They picked up a loaf of fresh bread, some eggs, a pound of bacon and a large sack of crackers.

  After he’d paid, Lars asked the question that pressed heavy and hard on his mind. “Have you seen a big, blond man traveling with his wife, a small boy and a new baby?”

  The storekeeper scrunched his forehead and scratched the top of his head. “Yes, sir, I did. They passed through here a while back. Let me think.” The minutes dragged like hours, but Lars waited with patience. Lord, how he’d changed. His younger self would have dragged that man across the counter by his frayed collar and demanded an answer. “He wanted to look at land across the river. If you travel up this road about a mile, there’s a safe place to ford. On the other side is a town name of Ford.” He laughed. “Named that because that’s what folks do there. Anyway, that’s where the fella was headed.”

  “Thank you,” Lars pulled Ellie from the store. “I think we’re close, Ellie girl, I think we’re close.”

  He watched the river as they continued north. The Rogue River was its name, and it tumbled and turned with rapids and rocks. The water was white from churning force more often than it was blue. When they reache
d the spot of calm, Lars pulled Ellie from Missy’s back and onto his lap. “Don’t want to take any chances. If you fell or Missy stumbled, that’s a right nasty stretch of water downstream.”

  Hope strummed through Lars’ veins like good whisky. They were close.

  He entered Ford Mercantile, the center of all information and every type of gossip in a small town. He posed the question and waited, keeping his impatience limited to the tapping of the toe of his boot.

  “That would be the Nielson family,” the man said. “You related?”

  “He’s my brother,” Lars replied.

  “I thought so. You being big and blond just like him. Well, they bought the old Johansson place. Follow the road out of town until you get to a fork in the road. Take the branch to the left another mile or two and you’ll come to a glen and a cabin.”

  “Thank you,” Ellie called over her shoulder as Lars hustled them out the door.

  Lars had Ellie perched on his lap in minutes. When they came to the fork, Lars stayed left. So far, the instructions were good and true.

  They broke out of the forest and stepped into a glen so green it liked to break his heart. He pulled Ellie close to his body and breathed a lovely word into her ear. “Home.”

  “Hello the house,” Lars shouted as he crossed the sea of green.

  Sven appeared with Micah, a carbon copy of his father standing with feet spread and hands resting on hips. Caroline followed with a little bundle in her arms. Well, that would be Mary. Loki ambled out, tail thumping, and set down next to the little boy.

  Approaching the horse, Sven held his hands up for Ellie. “Can I help you?” he asked.

  Ellie slid from the horse, and Lars joined her on the ground. The brothers embraced like two bears after hibernation.