As soon as the initial clamor had settled, Tanya and Adam went indoors and climbed partway up the open staircase. A cluster of hopeful, eager maidens gathered below as Tanya turned her back and flipped her bouquet over her shoulder. The shrieks and giggles were earsplitting, as everyone clamored to see who had caught the coveted prize. Knowing Melissa’s wedding was scheduled for the following week, it was expected she might catch it, since tradition said the girl who caught it would be the next to wed. To everyone’s surprise, it was Julie who stood staring at the roses in her hands, a strange expression on her pretty face.
A short, playful scuffle ensued as Adam wrested the coveted garter from his bride’s thigh amidst cheerful calls of encouragement from the waiting bachelors below, and blushes and giggles from the girls.
Holding it high above his head and laughing, he called out, “What am I bid for this blue beribboned treasure?”
Hoots of laughter filled the room below.
“A dollar!” one enthusiastic young man offered.
His friend standing next to him elbowed him sharply in the ribs. “One measly dollar?” he jeered. “I’ll give you two!”
“Three!”
Blushing and laughing at the same time, Tanya made a wild grab for the garter and missed.
“Tsk, tsk, my dear,” Adam grinned, whisking it out of her reach. “You are infringing on my rights as bridegroom.”
“You are supposed to throwit, not auction it off,” she instructed, faying to sound offended.
“Too common,” he decided authoritatively. “We need to spice up the game a bit.” Turning to his avid audience, he instructed, “Let the bidding continue! I have three dollars!”
“Four!”
“Five!”
“You keep the garter and I’ll take the bride!” one brave fool joked.
Adam laughed and shook his head. “Not on your life, Harry! I’ve more than five dollars invested in her already!”
The bidding went to twelve dollars. “I have twelve dollars. Do I hear more?” Adam called, twirling the garter on his finger. “Twelve once; twelve twice …”
At the last moment, Roberto stepped forward. “I’ll top that,” he claimed. With a flip of his wrist, he tossed a gold coin into the air in Adam’s direction. As Adam reached out to catch it, Roberto bounded up the stairs and snatched the garter from him.
Adam chuckled as he palmed the coin. “Sold! To the man with the twenty-dollar goldpiece!” Everyone guffawed as Adam slapped Roberto on the back and said, “Wear it in good health, cousin!”
Roberto colored to the roots of his hair. He gave Adam a silly grin, but said nothing.
Glancing down, Tanya caught sight of her sister and wondered why Julie looked so awfully pale.
A short while later, as she and Adam were mingling with the guests and preparing to sit down to the luncheon, Judge Kerr motioned them to his side. “I need to talk to you in my study,” he advised them, leading the way.
He ushered them into his study, where a red-faced Roberto and a very pale Julie stood waiting. Rachel was pacing the floor.
“What is going on?” Adam inquired.
Judge Kerr cleared his throat. “Julie and Roberto have asked me to marry them.”
Tanya’s face lit up. “That is fantastic!” she exclaimed. “When? Do Mother and Papa know?”
Julie raised pleading eyes in her direction, her chin trembling. “Oh, Tanya!” she wailed. “I don’t know how to tell them!”
Tanya frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m beginning to,” Adam said. “Let me guess. You want to get married now, the sooner the better. Right?”
“Yes,” Roberto admitted, his chin jutting out defensively.
Tanya’s mouth made a round O.
“Yes, oh!”Rachel commented as she watched. “I’m so mad I could hop! What do I say to your parents? They placed Julie in my care, and thissnake,” she gestured angrily toward Roberto, “was supposed to protect her. He certainly guarded her more closely than any of us considered, and he protected all but her virtue, which he promptly relieved her of!”
Julie was in tears by now, and Roberto stood stiffly at her side, his hands clenched into tight fists.
“Oh, Julie!” Tanya laughed softly, crossing swiftly to enfold the embarrassed girl in her arms. “It’s not the end of the world! You are not the first couple to consummate the marriage before the ceremony, and you surely won’t be the last!”
“I’m sorry!” Julie blubbered. “I’ve ruined your wedding day!”
“Hardly!” Tanya said. “Now, let’s see what we can figure out. You are only seventeen, so our parents will have to consent, but under the circumstances, I think they’ll agree.”
Her gaze took in the entire group. “The judge is here, the flowers are fresh, the photographer is waiting, and we are all in our finery. The guests and champagne await. All we have to do is break the news to Mother and Papa.”
“You certainly have cut the problem down to size,” Adam commented dryly, chuckling at Roberto’s stunned expression.
“Oh! We couldn’t impose on your special day!” Julie complained. “Besides, how would we explain such a sudden decision to all these people?”
Tanya snorted. “You’ll raise eyebrows whether you marry today or four days from now. At least this way we can say we suddenly decided to have a double ceremony, especially since Adam and I would probably not be able to return from Europe for some time, and I would not want to miss my only sister’s wedding. It will save Mother a lot of time and trouble, and Papa the expense of a second wedding. Besides, lots of sisters do it. Years from now we’ll all celebrate our anniversaries together.”
“That is very generous of you, Tanya, to offer to share your day with us,” Roberto ventured. “I only hope Adam shares your sentiments.” He eyed his cousin speculatively.
Adam spread his palms wide and shrugged. “If Tanya is willing, so am I.”
“Just one thing.” The seriousness of Tanya’s tone brought them all to attention. “Is this what both of you truly want? Do you love one another? Will you be happy together?”
“Oh, yes!” Julie swore.
Roberto was more articulate. “I have loved your sister since we first met. I will do everything in my power to make her happy.”
“Judge,” Tanya announced. “You’d better find our parents.”
When the judge left, Tanya drew Julie aside, handing her a hankie to wipe her eyes. “How did all this come about? I thought you weren’t sure of your feelings for Roberto.”
Julie sniffed and looked abashed. “That is not entirely true. It is just that Roberto makes me so mad sometimes, and I didn’t know how much I cared for him under all my anger. Then, when Jeffrey said all those terrible things, it completely shattered my image of him and made me realize how lucky I was to find someone who loved me as much as Roberto does.”
“Jeffrey was so horrid, and it scared me so badly; and Roberto was so kind and gentle. He was only holding me and comforting me, and the next thing we knew things …got out of hand.”
“It’s all right,” Tanya assured her, “but how much of this do you want Mother and Papa to know?”
Julie cringed. “As little as possible,” she whispered.
“Then you’d better dry your eyes and look a good deal happier,” Tanya suggested.
Tanya took charge. Calmly, sensibly, she presented the case to their bewildered parents, avoiding any comment that would cause them to suspect the actual reason behind their impulsive decision. Tanya saw no sense in causing them grief or getting them upset if it could be avoided.
Adam explained to Judge Kerr privately while Tanya and Julie were talking to their parents. It took a lot of convincing, but the girls’ pleadings and Roberto’s heartfelt declaration of undying love combined with the confusion of the day finally won them over.
A short fifteen minutes later, the guests were reconvened in the garden, and Judge Kerr gave the agreed-upon explanation. Carryi
ng her sister’s bouquet, with Julie’s ruby birthstone ring in lieu of an actual wedding band, the two lovers were duly married.
Finally, after much delay, the luncheon was served. Several toasts to the happy couples later, no one cared that the same bouquet had been thrown twice or that the chicken was a little tough from being held over so long. The photographer was slightly harried at all the delay, as were the hired musicians, but they would be paid extra for their trouble.
After leading the first dance, Tanya and Adam sneaked away to change into their riding attire. Their sons were to stay in town with the Martins and Tanya had sent clothes ahead to the ranch, so they were ready and eager to be on their way.
“I wonder if we’ll be expected to share our honeymoon with Julie and Roberto, too?” Adam mused in mock dismay.
“Well, we spent our first one with Melissa in the same tipi,” Tanya pointed out. “At least they won’t be in the same bedroom with us.”
“They’ll sleep in the barn first!” Adam promised. “I intend to have you all to myself for the next few days.”
“This room seems strangely familiar,” Tanya joked on their wedding night as they lay in Adam’s bed.
“So does the lady in my bed,” Adam countered. Tanya gazed at him in mock indignation. “I should certainly hope so, Adam Savage!”
Adam chuckled. “Well, it would help if you would stop changing identities on me. Do you realize that to date I’ve made love to you as my slave, my squaw, as Miss Tanya Martin, as my fiancee, and now finally as Mrs. Adam Savage?”
Tanya grinned. “Mrs. Adam Savage. Tanya Savage.” She rolled the words off her tongue, then nodded. “Yes, I like that. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely,” Adam agreed. “And speaking of rings, you haven’t said how you like your wedding band.”
Tanya’s face glowed as she gazed at the gold band on her finger. “Oh, Adam! It’s gorgeous! I never expected anything so absolutely unique!” Inlaid into the surface of the solid gold were bands of copper and silver, criss-crossing in an Indian pattern.
“I wanted something that would symbolize both ways of life. It was designed especially for you.”
Tanya leaned to kiss him. “Thank you. I love it. I love you!”
That kiss of thanks escalated into a night of love-making both torrid and tender. Adam alternated easily from white rancher to Cheyenne chief, and Tanya followed his lead. Today he had taken her for his bride in a traditional ceremony, making her lawfully his in the eyes of all the world; but in their hearts and minds they had been man and wife since that Cheyenne wedding nearly three years ago.
Tonight Adam was both husband and bridegroom, white and Indian, gentle and demanding by turns. Tanya matched his moods, glad that she was not the trembling virgin she should have been on this, her wedding night. Her hands sought his body readily, knowledgeably, and she revelled in his ardent love-making.
It was a time of renewal for them, renewing honored vows and repledging their lives and love to one another. In the privacy of their dimly lit room, Tanya surrendered anew to his dominance, and to the masterful savage she had come to associate with his role as Panther.
Knowing their privacy would be respected, they let themselves relax into old familiar patterns. Once more Tanya thrilled to the sound of his resonant voice whispering Cheyenne love words in her ear. She slipped as easily back into her role as Wildcat as Adam resumed the identity of Panther. He led and she followed, he commanded and she joyfully submitted, anticipating the wondrous rewards her obedience would reap.
Throughout the night they explored that wonderland of ecstasy reserved for lovers. Adam’s hands and lips unerringly found each sensitive spot on her body, and Tanya responded sensuously to his erotic touch, returning the pleasure with an intensive foray of her own, her fingertips gliding over his heated skin; seeking, stroking. For each whimper of delight he brought forth from her, she elicited a deep groan of pleasure from him.
When Tanya lay weak and trembling in his embrace, his strong arms gathered her close to his pounding heart. When she cried out at the height of her passion, his voice blended with hers. Together they scaled the heights of ecstasy, coming out of the clouds into a land of sunlight and air so pure it was almost painful to breathe. Then, spellbound by the rapture they had shared, they lay clinging to one another; breath mingling, limbs entwined, hearts forever welded in an inseparable bond.
For two days, they secluded themselves from the rest of the world.
Julie and Roberto did, indeed, show up at the ranch, but they made themselves as scarce as did Adam and Tanya. Rachel would have had more company with ghosts in the house. She barely knew they were around. Meals were taken behind locked doors, and the dirty dishes left in the hall to be taken back to the kitchen.
After Rachel’s initial annoyance with Roberto had cooled, and since everything had worked out so well, she could not stay angry at him. She even agreed to help him explain his sudden marriage to his parents in Santa Fe.
The little time Tanya and Adam did not spend making love, sleeping or eating, they used to make plans for their return trip to the Cheyenne village. They compiled lists of supplies and food they would need, and decided what needed to be done before they left.
It was then Adam presented Tanya with her wedding gift. Tanya gasped in delight as he unrolled a blanket to reveal a beautifully worked and decorated doeskin dress. Her golden eyes were huge and sparkling with tears as she reverently stroked the soft material. “Oh, Panther,” she sighed.
Pulling out a pair of moccasins to complete the outfit, he smiled at her near-speechless delight. “Shy Deer and Walks-Like-A-Duck made these for your return. They insisted that what little you might have salvaged from our tipi would be in tatters by now, and they were sure you would not wish to return to the village in a white woman’s clothing.”
Clutching the dress to her, and rubbing her cheek against the soft hide, she nodded. “They are right, but I never expected this. With all the travail of rebuilding the village and staving off starvation, I am amazed that they would take what little time and energy they could spare to make garments for me. Their thoughtfulness moves me to tears.”
“You are their sister,” he said simply.
“I also have something for you,” she told him, rummaging through the small bag she had packed. “I had forgotten it until now.”
She handed him a slim box about a foot long. Inside, he found a gleaming new hunting knife. His dark eyes lit up as he lifted it from the box and inspected the fine craftsmanship. The blade was of the finest tempered steel, honed to a razor-sharp edge. The handle was solid oak, elaborately carved and buffed to a sheen that bespoke long hours of work and pride. It lay perfectly balanced on his fingertips, and when he wrapped his fingers about the handle, the grip fit his hand exactly.
The look on his face was reward enough for Tanya, his words of thanks but a bonus. “Thank you, Little Wildcat,” he murmured, his eyes shining into hers. “It is a fine knife.” In those few words, he voiced his immense pride that his woman had bestowed on him such a special gift.
Late in the afternoon of the third day, Tanya and Adam finally emerged from their honeymoon seclusion and set about making final preparations for their journey. They planned to leave immediately following Melissa and Justin’s wedding. Ostensibly, they would be heading back to the ranch to pick up their heavier trunks and baggage and go on from there. In reality, they would go only a few miles out of town, then veer off in the direction of the Cheyenne village.
Before daybreak, July Fourth, they all left the ranch in order to reach Pueblo by noon. Tanya cared little about the town celebration, but she was eager to see her sons, and to spend these last few days with her family.
She felt a twinge of guilt when her parents greeted her after her brief absence as if she’d been gone for months. They also greeted Julie in like manner, however, and Tanya was doubly glad that Julie and Roberto would be staying in Pueblo for a while.
The house was once more in a flurry over wedding plans, this time Melissa’s.
“I just can’t believe both my babies are married,” Sarah bemoaned. Casting a sorrowful glance at Tanya, she continued. “And I don’t see why Adam has to carry you away from us so soon. Why, we’ve just begun to know our grandsons, and now that you are going, they probably won’t even remember us by the time we get to see them again.”
Tanya sighed. “Now, Mother, we’ll be back periodically for visits. We’ve told you that.”
“Yes, but it’s not the same as having you near, and you know it. It makes especially little sense when you consider that Adam has a ranch a few hours from town that he could content himself with instead.”
“You’ll have Julie,” Tanya pointed out.
Sarah pouted. “For how long, I wonder, before Roberto decides to go home to Santa Fe, taking her with him?”
Tanya shrugged. “At least Melissa and Justin will be close, and you have Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle George and Jeremy. And if that is not enough, maybe you and Papa will decide to move to Santa Fe to be closer to Julie. After all, Santa Fe is not that far away.”
“Oh, I guess it’s not,” Sarah conceded with a grumble, “but I still wish you and Adam would settle here soon.”
“We will eventually, I’m sure. It’s just a matter of time,” Tanya fibbed.
By shortly after noon, the entire town was a madhouse. The Martins, Savages, and Justin watched the parade from the Martins’ front porch. Afterward, they joined the crowds in the streets, viewing the different displays that had been erected, and tasting the various foods along the way. While Sarah and Elizabeth gravitated toward the quilts and pickles, the younger couples sought other entertainment. In their wanderings, they found an artist making charcoal portraits. On impulse, Adam suggested that he, Tanya and their sons each sit for a separate sketch. “Someday we will have our portraits done in oils, to hang in the library at the ranch with my mother’s,” he promised. “But for now, let’s get these done and let Mother frame them.” The sketches turned out beautifully, and Julie, Roberto, Melissa, and Justin all decided to have one done of themselves.
Silken Savage Page 37
