Groom For Hire (Pioneer Series #3)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Face hot, Joe cleared his throat and continued on his way to his bedroll. He shouldn’t be surprised. Most of the camp—if not everyone—probably assumed he and Michelle had been using the lookouts as an excuse to make love.

  When he reached his bedroll, he knelt by his leather sack and pulled out the pot and tin cup. He was ready to get the supplies to start a fire when Michelle came up to him and sat on her bedroll.

  “You’re not going to have Matthew take my place tonight, are you?” she asked.

  He should have known she’d get right to the point. In the time he’d known her, she wasn’t one to hold back from voicing her thoughts.

  “No, I’m not going to have Matthew take your place,” he assured her.

  She visibly relaxed. “Good. I didn’t want you thinking that just because I did Brandon’s job all day that I can’t handle the lookout.”

  “I know you can handle Brandon’s job and the lookout,” he replied. “You have no need to worry about that.”

  A wide smile crossed her face. “I’m glad you finally came to your senses. I told you I could do everything a man can.”

  Since she was watching him expectantly, he decided to relent. “Yes, you were right.”

  There. Maybe now that he’d said it she would be satisfied and not mention this ever again. He didn’t exactly enjoy being proven wrong…even when he was.

  She shrieked and gave him a big hug.

  Startled, he dropped the items in his hands.

  “I’m sorry,” she said and quickly let go of him.

  He helped her as she collected the things he’d dropped. “Don’t worry about it,” he told her. “I can get them myself.”

  She handed him the fire starter and small lantern after he set the coffee pot and cup next to his sack.

  After a moment, he asked, “Did Alice talk to you today?”

  “No. She didn’t come near me. None of the other women came near me, either, except for Henrietta and her mother. That’s alright, though. No matter what happens, I decided I don’t care what Alice and those women think. The only thing I care about is that you’re willing to let me help you.”

  He studied her. There was no denying she was having a lot of fun. He hadn’t thought anyone else could enjoy doing this job. Sure, everyone started out full of energy and excitement, but usually by now, the long days of endless travel started catching up to them. It was why something like Michelle teaching some of the women to shoot might be a good way to help pass the time.

  Men already hunted, and this took the edge off some of the long days. But what activities did the women have beyond caring for the children or the older people in the camp? So maybe Michelle had seen an opportunity and had used it. Besides sitting around a campfire in the evening to share stories and talk, there was not much else for any of them to do.

  “You want to keep watch first, or would you like me to do it?” Michelle asked.

  Remembering the objects he was still holding, he set them aside. “I’m not tired. Do you think you could sleep right now?”

  “If I close my eyes and recall one of the stories I read, I always drift off to sleep.” She smiled at him as she unrolled her bed. “It’s an old trick I learned a while back.”

  “Well, at least tonight you won’t be crying.”

  “Were you at a loss when I was crying? You seemed uncomfortable.”

  He put all of the items he wanted for the night by the spot he planned to make a small fire. “Of course, I was uncomfortable.” Then, unable to resist the joke, he added, “What man wants to calm a hysterical woman?”

  “Hysterical?”

  As he expected, she’d taken offense at the term. He glanced her way, noting her indignant expression. “You were so upset that you got into my bedroll and insisted I hold you.” Not that he hadn’t enjoyed it. But why tell her that?

  As he expected, she had a comeback ready on her lips. “By the way you say that, one would assume I held a gun to your head.”

  “You might as well have. You wouldn’t stop crying in my bedroll. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t comfort you?”

  Her jaw dropped, but then she finally figured out he was teasing her and said, “If I recall right, you were the one who took off his hat and boots and joined me.”

  “Only so no one would overhear you sobbing and think I was being mean to you.”

  “Nice try, Joe, but we both know from this distance no one can hear us. I would have had to be screaming at the top of my lungs to get their attention.”

  “I don’t know. Men’s ears are sensitive when it comes to a woman’s cries.”

  She shook her head in amusement. “You have to be the most stubborn man I’ve ever met.”

  “Considering how stubborn you are, I have no choice. If it was up to you, you’d be in charge of this entire wagon train.”

  “I could do the job.”

  “Not without help.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he went over to her and put his hand over it. “Don’t argue this one. It’s true. Whether you want to admit it or not, there are some things a man can do that you can’t. Take lifting a heavy trunk as an example. Or getting an ox or horse out of the mud. The truth is, there are some things I’m better equipped at than you are, and no force on earth is going to change that.”

  He lowered his hand and waited to see if she would try to pose an argument, but she only smiled at him. “I can’t help but notice you found a way to get to my bedroll, and I didn’t shed a single tear this time.”

  He lowered his gaze and realized he was partially on it. He thought about coming up with some clever retort, but she closed the distance between them and closed her eyes. She wanted him to kiss her.

  If he was smart, he would turn his head or get away from her instead of accepting her invitation. He might even warn her that her father wouldn’t want this. And he almost did. Then it occurred to him that she not only wanted to help lead wagon trains, but she also wanted to be with him. She wasn’t going to settle for him like Amanda had almost done. He was her first choice.

  He leaned forward and lowered his mouth to hers. He had expected the kiss to be a short one, but as soon as their lips met, he found himself wanting more. And she didn’t protest. In fact, she sighed in contentment and pressed her body right up against his. Accepting the silent invitation, he wasted no time in intimately exploring her.

  Even as he told himself he should slow down, another part of him refused to listen to logic. He pulled away from her long enough to pull back the top of her bedroll. After tossing aside their hats and boots, they settled into the bedroll together where he brought her back into his arms so he could resume kissing her.

  If he hadn’t been so aroused, he might have questioned where all of this latent passion was coming from. Up until today, they hadn’t shared more than a brief, pristine kiss in front of the judge. Yes, he had experienced a surge of desire to be with her last night, but he had managed to resist it. There was no resisting it now. Not when his entire body felt as if it was on fire.

  His hand traced the curve of her back and went down to her behind, which he squeezed. To his surprise, she wrapped her leg around his waist. She couldn’t have known how exciting it was for him that she’d done that. It was suggestive of the activity they were about to do and it only served to harden his erection. Groaning in pleasure, he adjusted his hips so that he could slide against her. The contact felt wonderful. More so than he ever would have imagined.

  With a low moan, she ended their kiss, and he watched in fascination as she unbuttoned her shirtwaist and lifted her chemise so he could see her breasts. Her breasts were larger than he’d thought, something he didn’t mind one bit. He cupped one of them in his hand and teased the pink nipple with his thumb. She rewarded him with another moan before she brought her mouth back to his. Never did he imagine a woman could be so open to making love—and right out in the field of all places.

  Recalling the wagon train, he ended the kiss and shifted s
o that he could make sure no one was outside the circle that the wagons formed. When he was sure they had their privacy, he resumed their kissing, this time in more earnest.

  Short of a fire raging across the prairie, he wasn’t about to stop what they’d started. The need to be with her was much too urgent. And by the way she started rocking her hips so that the intimate part of her was moving right up against his, he knew she needed this as much as he did.

  He encouraged her to remove her riding skirt and bloomers, and once they had tossed those aside, he brought his hand between her legs, eager to further his exploration. Her warm flesh was wet, making it easy to slide two fingers into her. She let out a gasp, and he studied her face to make sure he hadn’t hurt her.

  Her gaze met his. “Why did you stop?” she whispered.

  He was ready to respond when she moved so that his fingers were deeper in her core. She closed her eyes and groaned. Then she moved her hips again, letting him know she was getting pleasure out of what he was doing.

  Excited, he rolled her over so he could bring his fingers all the way inside her, and in doing so, he also got a perfect view of those lovely breasts. He brought his mouth to her nipple and teased it, hoping to heighten her pleasure as he went back to stroking her core.

  His technique was paying off since she had given herself completely to the moment and was rocking against him without any inhibitions. He liked this. He liked knowing she could give herself completely to him anywhere and that he didn’t have to confine lovemaking to a bedroom.

  She let out a soft cry and grew still as her core clenched and unclenched around his fingers. Her body jerked against him. Her fingernails dug into his arms. And he knew without a doubt she’d reached her peak. He lifted his head so he could see what she looked like when she was caught up in her state of bliss, and truly, he’d never seen such a beautiful sight.

  When she relaxed, he pulled his fingers out of her then hurried to remove his trousers and undergarments. Perhaps if he’d done this before, he would have been better equipped to show some restraint, but being in the moment was far more exciting than he’d thought it’d be. He returned to her arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, inviting him to enter her. In his enthusiasm, he pressed through the barrier that marked her a virgin without thinking of how it might cause her discomfort. It wasn’t until she stiffened that he realized he should have gone slower.

  Fighting back the urge to move inside her, he focused on her expression, which didn’t indicate he’d hurt her. “Are you alright?” he whispered.

  “I’m fine,” she replied. “You can keep going.”

  He should have expected this kind of reaction from her. Besides the incident with Alice, she’d always shown more bravado than any other woman he’d come across. But even so, he knew he should proceed with care. He slid partially out of her and then slowly went back in, mindful of her body’s cues as he did so.

  He continued with the movement, sliding almost all the way out of her before sliding back in. Soon, she relaxed completely against him, and it was at this point he knew he didn’t have to be so cautious, which was good because it’d taken all of his self-control to manage such purposeful thrusting.

  With a groan, he made love to her in earnest. He knew he wouldn’t last long once he finally gave into lovemaking, and sure enough, he soon grew still and filled her with his seed. In all of his life, he’d never experienced anything as wonderful as this. If it was up to him, the climax would last forever, but all too soon, the waves of pleasure had given way to a contented feeling that was just as satisfying in its own way.

  Out of breath, he rolled off of her and brought her into his arms. She settled against him, her head resting on his chest and her arm around his waist.

  As his mind cleared, his mind went back to his agreement with her father that he would deliver her to California. He wanted to regret being with her. Really he did. Because then he wouldn’t feel like he’d betrayed her father.

  But the truth of the matter was, he didn’t regret it. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He was glad they’d sealed their future together just now so that nothing would come between them. She was one of the few people he’d come across who had actually enjoyed being outside, day after day, on the wagon trail. None of it had diminished her spirit. If anything, it had only strengthened it.

  Michelle was the type of person who didn’t let anyone stop her from doing what she wanted, and that was what made her so appealing. She didn’t do something just because others told her not to. He couldn’t help but admire someone like that.

  His horse neighed from nearby, and he glanced over at the steed. The animal glanced back at him, as if to ask him why he wasn’t keeping the lookout.

  With a sigh, Joe turned his attention back to Michelle and kissed the top of her head. “Even though I’d like to, I can’t stay in this bedroll all night.” He retrieved his underclothes and pants and started putting them back on.

  “I know.” She shot him a playful smile. “Is this going to become our routine before we start future lookouts?”

  She knew full well that he had enjoyed himself enough to do more of this in the future, so he opted not to answer her question. Instead, he finished buttoning his pants and then gave her a kiss. “If I don’t get some coffee going, I won’t be able to stay up for the next five hours. Get some sleep. You’ll need your energy.” Then, because she didn’t seem pleased that he had avoided the question, he added, “I want you awake and ready for me tomorrow evening.”

  As he hoped, she perked right back up. “At least now you’ll stop talking about dropping me off in California then heading on out to lead other wagon trains. I fully intend to join you on every single one.”

  “What if the day comes when people are no longer heading out west by wagon train?” he asked.

  “Then we’ll just have to find some other job to do where we can ride horses and sleep outdoors.” She curled up on her side and closed her eyes. “Wake me up when you’re ready for me to take over the watch.”

  She couldn’t have known the depth to which he appreciated her willingness to join him instead of insisting he stay in California where he’d have to endure a boring job indoors.

  He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered in a voice so low she didn’t hear him. Then he got up and made a pot of coffee.

  Chapter 17

  The next morning, Michelle was washing her face in the small stream when she heard a noise behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Henrietta.

  “Good morning,” Michelle called out.

  Henrietta returned the greeting then knelt beside her and started filling her canteen with water. “I had a rough time sleeping last night. I couldn’t get comfortable no matter how hard I tried. The ground can be lumpy and uncomfortable.”

  “Is it? I hadn’t noticed.”

  “You’re really enjoying all this traveling, aren’t you?” Henrietta asked.

  “I am. You never know what each day will bring.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you do. We wake up, eat, walk, take a break, walk, take a break, walk…and on and on it goes until we go to sleep. Then the next day, everything repeats itself.”

  “Oh, I know those things stay the same, but no two days are exactly alike. You never know what the weather will be like, and you don’t know what people will need help with. I, for one, thought Alice was going to come up to me yesterday with a group of women and order me to get down from Brandon’s horse. But they didn’t, and that was a big surprise.”

  “I saw Joe talking to her yesterday during one of the breaks.”

  “You did?”

  Henrietta grinned as she put the cap on her canteen. “I didn’t hear exactly what he said, but I heard him mention something about you. I think he ordered Alice to leave you alone. I think he wants to stay married to you even if he hasn’t come out and said it. I mean, he picked you to take over for Brandon. A few weeks ago, h
e never would have done that.”

  Heat rose up in Michelle’s face as she decided how much to tell her friend. If it’d been anyone else, she would never even consider saying anything. But this was Henrietta, and Henrietta had been rooting for her and Joe since the very beginning.

  “I have something to tell you.” Michelle cleared her throat. “Joe came to his senses last night and realized he wants to stay married to me.” There. That was saying enough without saying too much.

  To her surprise, Henrietta gave her a hug. “That’s wonderful! You two finally consummated your marriage.”

  Face growing warmer, Michelle admitted, “Yes. But more importantly, when I mentioned going on future wagon trains with him, he didn’t argue with me.”

  “Well, I should hope not since he made you his wife for real.” She paused for a moment and studied her. “You don’t look any different.”

  “Why would I? I’m the same person I used to be.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean that you don’t look like you’re no longer a virgin. I always thought women had a certain look about them when they crossed that threshold.”

  “Well, I’m glad you can’t tell. I wouldn’t want everyone looking at me and knowing it happened. That’d be embarrassing.”

  “Oh, I don’t think anyone would think anything of it with you. We all know you and Joe have been keeping the lookout together every night. Some of them already figured the reason he has you with him is so you two could be alone.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “The men especially think that.”

  Michelle was sure her face was bright red at this point. “Why didn’t you tell me they were saying this?”

  “Why would I? I knew it wasn’t true, and besides, even if it was, you wouldn’t be doing anything wrong. Joe’s your husband. It would only be worth mentioning if you two weren’t married.”

  “Yes, I suppose so.”

  “I also didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable in the camp. You’ve been taking over more, and even if Alice and a couple of the women don’t like it, most of the people respect you.”