by Prairie Heat
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jess demanded. “I thought I fired you.”
Guilford shrugged. “The mayor rehired me. Somebody had to look after things while you were gone.”
“I’m back. Get out.”
“Mr. McCord, I’m sorry about what happened to Molly, but it wasn’t my fault. She turned him loose, not me.”
“If you’d stayed in the office where you belonged, she’d still be alive.”
Robert Guilford nodded. It was true and he knew it. No matter how he tried to justify what had happened the night Molly Coulter died, he knew it was his fault. His steps were heavy as he turned and walked out of the office.
Jess spent the day at his desk, catching up on his paperwork, scanning the new wanted posters, cleaning out his desk drawers, oiling his gun, anything that would keep his mind off Mattie.
Noontime came and went, but he decided to skip lunch. He wasn’t hungry and he wasn’t in the mood to see Stella Coulter. Not now. Maybe tomorrow he’d go over to the restaurant and tell her that Molly’s death had been avenged. He doubted if the woman would take much comfort in knowing that Kane had been killed. He had felt a certain satisfaction in killing the man, but it hadn’t brought Kathleen back or restored life to his son. Revenge was a cold dish, and not very filling.
Propping his feet on the desktop, Jess settled back in his chair and closed his eyes. He thought of Mattie, of the too few days and nights they had shared. He remembered how pleasant it had been to lie in bed beside her, with her head pillowed on his shoulder while they talked about the day’s events, laughing over some silly thing that had happened, planning for the future.
And now she was gone. Maybe he should go after her. It would be easy enough to find out which train she’d taken. Slowly, he shook the idea away. What would be the point? She was a grown woman, old enough to know what she wanted, and it obviously wasn’t him.
At dinnertime, he went home, only to sit in the parlor staring out the window, thinking of Mattie, wondering where she’d gone.
Eventually, hunger drove him into the kitchen. He was rummaging around in the cupboards, looking for something to eat, when he heard the front door open.
Suddenly wary, he drew his Colt and walked into the parlor.
“Jess!” Mattie’s eyes were as wide and blue as the Pacific as she stared at him, unable to believe he was really there, alive and well.
“Mattie.” Her name sighed past his lips, fervent as a prayer.
She flew into his arms, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
Holstering his Colt, Jess held Mattie close, his face buried in the silky mass of her hair, drinking in the scent of her, letting himself get reacquainted with the way she felt in his arms.
“Jess, oh Jess,” Mattie murmured, her heart swelling at the sight of him.
“I thought you’d gone.”
“Gone? Where would I go?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. You weren’t here when I rode in last night. Your things were gone. I thought… I thought you’d left me. Not that I would have blamed you,” he muttered.
“I moved in with Mrs. Coulter. I couldn’t stay in this house without you. It was too lonely.” She gazed up at him, her eyes searching his. “Did you find Kane?”
“He’s dead.” Jess closed his eyes, his arms tightening around Mattie’s waist as he remembered facing Kane, afraid not of dying, but of not seeing her again. Opening his eyes, he let out a long sigh. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Jess, nothing at all.” Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her cheek against his, letting her body slide seductively against his, her hips thrusting forward, inviting, teasing. And then she smiled up at him, her eyes glowing with love and desire. “The bedroom’s in there, in case you’ve forgotten.”
Jess felt his heart expand with emotion as he lifted Mattie into his arms, wondering what madness had made him think killing Kane was more important than being here with the woman he loved.
He carried her swiftly into the bedroom and closed the door. Placing her on her feet, he began to undress her, his eyes never leaving her face. He loved the way her cheeks grew rosy as he removed her dress and shoes, her petticoat and chemise, her lacy pantalets. Last of all, he took the pins from her hair.
A tantalizing smile played over Mattie’s face as she shook her head, and Jess felt his breath catch in his throat as he gazed at her, standing beautifully unadorned, her long hair flowing over her shoulders like black silk, her eyes shining like sapphires.
“My turn,” Mattie said, and Jess felt his whole body tremble with desire as she began to unfasten his shirt.
He wore far fewer clothes than she did and in a matter of minutes he was standing naked before her, his heart pounding like a Mescalero war drum as Mattie’s gaze caressed him from head to foot.
She laughed softly as she saw the very visible evidence of his desire, frowned when she saw the jagged scab that ran from his left elbow to his wrist, the half-healed cuts on his chest. “You’re hurt!”
“I’m all right. Shhh.” He placed his fingertips over her lips, stifling the questions he read in her eyes. “Not now. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.”
“Jess.” She took his hand in hers and kissed it.
“It’s over, Mattie,” he whispered. “Don’t fret over what might have happened.”
“I won’t,” she promised, and laid her head on his shoulder as he swung her into his arms and carried her to bed.
A growl rumbled in his throat as he stretched out beside her, his mouth covering hers, his hands eagerly exploring the curve of her breast, the texture of her skin.
And Mattie reveled in his touch, her heart aching with tenderness as she boldly did a little exploring of her own, her questing fingertips marveling at the rock-hard strength in his arms, his flat belly ridged with muscle, the thick black pelt that covered his chest. She was fair, like the sun, and he was dark, like the earth, and she thought they complemented each other beautifully.
Jess buried himself in her sweetness, his heart overflowing with love. He was home, he thought, home at last. The realization filled him with a deep sense of peace and happiness and he held Mattie close, knowing he would never willingly leave her again.
Mattie sighed with pleasure as Jess murmured her name, telling her he loved her, would always love her. And as their hearts soared and their souls touched, she knew it wasn’t four walls and a roof that made a home, but the man who shared your hopes and your dreams.
And Mattie reached for the rainbow as Jess took her home.
Epilogue
Eleven years later
Mattie sat on the front porch, watching as her brood took turns riding the little spotted mare Jess had brought home the day before. She gazed at her children fondly. Four boys and two girls, all with hair as black as midnight.
Mattie smiled, remembering that day long ago when she had told Jess McCord she was a married woman with six children. It had been a bald-faced lie then, but it was true enough now.
Their oldest son, Jess Jr., was the image of his father. At nine, he was already tall and lean. His hair was black, his eyes gray. Looking at him, Mattie was hard-pressed to find anything of herself in the boy.
Trey, at seven, tried hard to imitate his older brother. The twins, Anna and Elizabeth, also thought the sun rose and set on Jess Jr., trailing at his heels like puppies, forever under his feet. Fortunately, he had the patience of a saint.
Mattie felt her heart swell as she watched Jess Jr. lift four-year-old Adam onto the back of the horse.
She was proud of her children, all of them. She laughed softly as she watched her two-year-old son, Paul, chase a butterfly, and thought how happy she was, how wonderfully her life had turned out.
Jess was a wonderful husband, thoughtful, kind, loving. He had given her everything she’d ever hoped for, everything she’d ever dreamed of, and more. He had built her a big white house on the outskirts of town and given her a
houseful of happy, healthy children.
The townspeople admired and respected him. He’d been the marshal for ten years now. She had worried about him constantly at first, afraid he might be killed in a gunfight or by some drunk in a saloon brawl. She had kissed him fervently every morning, just in case she never saw him again. But she never thought of asking him to quit. Jess loved his job and she knew that he wouldn’t have been happy doing anything else, that he was good at his job. He didn’t take unnecessary chances, and he had two deputies to help him. And as Jess McCord’s reputation as a good, tough, honest lawman spread, there was less and less trouble in town.
Mattie still worried about him, of course, but she knew, somehow, that he would be all right, that the Lord would watch over Jess and bring him safely home each night because they needed him, and because she couldn’t face life without him.
As the sun went down, Mattie called the children into the house and began to prepare the evening meal.
Trey looked after Adam and Paul while Anna and Elizabeth helped set the table, and Jess Jr. brought in a load of firewood.
She felt her heart skip a beat as she heard Paul holler, “Daddy! Daddy!” and then Jess was in the kitchen, Paul tucked under one arm, as he bent to kiss her cheek.
“Smells good,” Jess remarked, and then he was swallowed up by their other five children as they swarmed around him, all eager to share their day with their father.
After dinner, they gathered around the big stone fireplace in the parlor. Mattie sat on the sofa, with Jess’ arm around her shoulder and the baby in her lap, while Jess Jr. read a book to the other children.
As Jess Jr. finished the story, Anna tugged on her mother’s skirt. “Tell us how you met Daddy,” she urged.
“You’ve heard that story a hundred times,” Mattie replied, grinning.
“Tell it again,” Anna coaxed.
“Yes, Mama, tell it again,” Elizabeth said.
With a sigh, Mattie looked at Jess and smiled. “I was on my way to meet Josiah Thornton,” she began.
“The man you were supposed to marry,” Trey interjected.
“Yes, that’s right,” Mattie said. “The ride in the stagecoach was long and dusty. That was where I first saw your father. He was dressed all in black, and I thought he was an outlaw.”
“But he wasn’t,” Elizabeth said.
“No, he wasn’t.”
“And you thought he was handsome,” Anna chimed in.
“And brave,” Trey said solemnly.
“And strong,” added Jess Jr.
“Yes, he was all those things,” Mattie assured them. “Even when I thought he was an outlaw, I thought he was the most handsome man I’d ever seen.”
“And he rescued you from the bad guy,” Jess Jr. said, his gray eyes shining with pride.
Mattie nodded. “Yes. No matter where we were on that long journey, I knew I was safe as long as your father was with me.”
“And you got married,” Anna said dreamily. “And lived happily-ever-after.”
“You forgot the part about having six kids,” Jess said, grinning broadly. He winked at his children. “Your mother always wanted six kids, you know.”
A faint blush colored Mattie’s cheeks. “I hope you won’t be disappointed if we have seven.”
A sea of black-thatched heads turned in her direction.
“Seven?” Jess repeated, his eyes sweeping over her figure. “Are you sure?”
“Quite sure.”
There was a flurry of commotion as everyone began talking at once, asking Mattie if she felt okay, wondering if the new baby would be a boy or a girl.
“It has to be a girl,” Elizabeth announced. “There are enough boys already.”
Later, after the children were in bed, Jess and Mattie sat out on the front porch.
“You don’t mind, do you, Jess?”
“Of course not.” He placed his hand over her stomach, pleased to think of the child growing there. “Do you?”
Mattie shook her head as she placed her hand over his. Every child was a blessing, a benediction on their love. She knew without doubt that Jess McCord was the only man for her. She would never have been happy with Josiah Thornton or with anyone else. She needed Jess, a man who was a strong yet tender, self-reliant yet vulnerable, a man who wasn’t afraid to say he needed her, as she needed him. She could not have asked for a better husband, a better father for her children. He was firm but loving, strict but kind, and not above spoiling them rotten when her back was turned.
Rising, Jess pulled Mattie to her feet and they walked in the moonlight, hand in hand. He couldn’t stop looking at her. She was more beautiful than ever with the moon washing her hair in silver and the glow of impending motherhood in her eyes. He wondered why he hadn’t realized she was pregnant before.
Six times she had endured the pains of childbirth to bring one of his children into the world. He had been there for every single one, awed by the miracle of birth. He had felt a profound sense of awe and gratitude each time he had held a new baby in his arms. He had always thought of himself as strong and reasonably brave. He had been wounded a number of times, but surely nothing a man endured equaled the pain of bringing a new life into the world. And Mattie did it willingly, without complaint, because she loved him.
They paused under a tree and Jess gazed into the distance, wondering what his life would have been like if he had never met the woman standing serenely beside him. She had come into his life unexpectedly and quickly taken hold of his heart, refusing to be uprooted. She had taught him how to love again, had healed all the old hurts that had plagued him, had given him a home and a family, things he had yearned for his whole life, things he had thought never to have again after Kathleen died.
Standing there, with his arm draped over Mattie’s shoulder, he silently thanked God for the woman beside him. She had renewed his faith in people, in himself. She loved him without reservation, wholly, unashamedly, completely.
And perhaps that was the biggest miracle of all.
Drawing her into his arms, he kissed her gently, felt her quick response. It was always the same, that spark between them. He had thought it would fade in time, had expected it to fade, but he had only to touch her to want her, even now.
He whispered her name, telling her with his eyes and his touch that he loved her, would always love her.
They would grow old together, watching their children and their grandchildren. And on quiet nights, lying close in each other’s arms, they would remember how a dusty bounty hunter fell in love with a prim and proper mail-order bride, and they would smile into the darkness, secure in their love, and in the sure knowledge that nothing could ever part them.
Mattie smiled at Jess, the promise of forever shining in the depths of her eyes, as she took her husband by the hand and led him home.
The End
About Madeline Baker
Madeline Baker started writing simply for the fun of it. Now she is the award-winning author of more than thirty historical romances and one of the most popular writers of Native American romance. She lives in California, where she was born and raised.
Madeline welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Madeline Baker
Apache Flame
A Whisper in the Wind
Cheyenne Surrender
Dakota Dreams
Forbidden Fires
Hawk’s Woman
Heart of the Hunter
Lakota Love Song
Lacey’s Way
Love’s Serenade
Midnight Fire
Reckless 1: Reckless Heart
Reckless 2: Reckless Love
> Reckless 3: Reckless Desire
Reckless 4: Reckless Embrace
Renegade Heart
Shadows Through Time
The Spirit Path
Warrior’s Lady
Wolf Shadow
Under Apache Skies
Print books by Madeline Baker
Apache Flame
Dakota Dreams
Hawk’s Woman
Heart of the Hunter
Lakota Love Song
Reckless 1: Reckless Heart
Reckless 2: Reckless Love
Reckless 3: Reckless Desire
Shadows Through Time
Under Apache Skies
Wolf Shadow
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Prairie Heat
ISBN 9781419943034
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Prairie Heat Copyright © 1991, 2013 Madeline Baker
Cover design by Dar Albert
Cover photography by RomanceNovelCovers.com
Electronic book publication July 2013
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