“Tell me again, Gabriel, please.” She turned her face up to his, closing her eyes as if she received a benediction in the sound of his words.
It wasn’t nearly as difficult, he found, the second time. “I love you, Rosemary Tanner. I love the way you holler at me, and the way you snuggle with me, and mostly the way you love me back, I guess.”
She was more than he could resist. He bent, snatching her up in his arms, and headed for the cabin. The door shut with the pressure of his booted foot and he carried her to the bed in the corner, lowering her to the quilt. A quick trip back to the door, where he lowered the bar in place, assured privacy, and Tanner was halfway out of his shirt by the time he returned to where Rosemary waited.
“What are you doing?” she asked, peering up at him.
“What does it look like?” His pants were undone, and he sat on the edge of the narrow bed to tug his boots from place. His underwear was the last to go, and he’d probably broken all records he decided, as he stepped out of the last of his clothing.
She lay quietly, watching him, and he sat beside her. “I’m gonna take my good old time gettin’ you undressed,” he murmured. “I hope you’re not hungry, honey. It’s gonna be a long wait till supper.”
“I don’t need food, Gabe Tanner. I just need you,” she told him quietly. “I need to hear you say those words again, and then I need you to show me.”
A bubble of anticipation swelled within him, and he felt a surge of emotion that surpassed happiness by a long shot. She was all his, this small, feisty, loving woman he’d had the good sense to marry. His hands trembled as he loosed her buttons and spread wide the dress she wore. Beneath it a sheer, lace-edged vest covered the most lushly feminine curves he’d ever set eyes on, and he bent to place reverent caresses with his mouth and tongue on the exposed flesh.
She was nicely rounded, and her scent alone brought him to arousal. He nudged the fabric lower. “Will you be cold if I take this off?”
“If I am, I’m sure you’ll keep me warm.” She reached for him, her arms open, her lips parted, her eyes closing as if she invited his kiss.
It was all he needed, all he would ever want—that soft, alluring lilt in her voice as teasing words enticed him. It was his best dream come true as those generous lips opened to his, and the warmth of her embrace clasped him to her.
It was as it should be, as it would always be if Tanner had his choice.
Epilogue
Nate Pender was sentenced to jail for more years than he could hope to survive. The judge pronounced his decision and then turned to a more appetizing matter, that of adoption proceedings for Scat and Anna. Within minutes, their future was secured, a fact that was affirmed weeks later when the Reverend Mr. Worth performed a naming ceremony on a Sunday morning.
The words he spoke and the sight of Scat and Anna before the altar had the whole congregation in tears before the thing was done. And before many weeks had passed it was obvious to the eyes of the townsfolk that another ceremony, one of infant baptism, would soon be at hand, as Rosemary’s lush form revealed the unmistakable lines of pregnancy.
After a meeting of the town council, the Bachelor Tax was taken from the books, after less than a year of existence. Since the schoolhouse was built, and the town had realized sufficient funds to raise the teacher’s salary for the next five years, it was deemed unnecessary to continue the tax that had caused such an abundance of complaint among the bachelors in the community.
Spring arrived, bringing a record crop of colts and fillies to the corrals and pastures of the Tanner ranch, and by the time the meadow flowers were blooming, the livestock on the place were supplying new inhabitants for the barns in abundance.
Early in June, another birth proved imminent, as Rosemary was taken to her bed in childbirth. Anna held her hand throughout most of her labor, Mama Pearl presiding, with a new turban to mark the occasion.
Tanner was a constant presence, ever watchful, ever near. And when the waiting was almost over, and Anna was sent to stay with Cotton and her brother, Tanner held the woman he loved in his arms. His voice was what she needed, his arms around her endowing her with strength to bring this babe forth into the world.
He knew he had never loved her more as she strained to deliver his child, and it was with a deep sense of relief, mixed with a full measure of pride, that he heard the words of triumph from the foot of the bed.
“It’s a boy, a big strappin’ boy, sure ’nough,” Mama Pearl announced with glee, her face gleaming with perspiration as she held the child aloft. “Just you look at that young’un,” she chortled. “Come take ahold, Tanner, whilst I cut the cord.”
With a final touch of his lips to Rosemary’s forehead, Tanner placed her against the pillows and stepped quickly to claim his child. His hands were filled with a wiggling, squalling presence that took his breath in wonder. He eyed the babe, red-faced and dark-haired, a replica of himself, if he wasn’t mistaken.
“We sure got us a boy, Rosie,” he said, the urge to laugh aloud with pure joy impossible to contain. He watched as Mama Pearl cut the cord, then snatched up a square of flannel, wrapping it around the infant. Slate-blue eyes held him in an unfocused gaze, and Tanner was gripped with an emotion that only multiplied his joy, bringing quick tears to his eyes.
“Let me have him.” Rosemary held out her arms as Tanner approached. He bent to her, and watched as she gathered the newborn to her breast. Her hair was damp with sweat, her face still pale from the hours of labor, but there was about her a glow such as he’d never seen. A radiance that defied any standards of beauty.
“I want his name to be Adam,” she said. Her gaze lifted to his and he nodded. It was a strong name, fit for their child. For this day, all would be as she desired.
And for all time, she would be his. What more could a reformed bachelor ask of life?
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5924-2
THE BACHELOR TAX
Copyright © 2000 by Carolyn Davidson
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