Simply Heaven

by Patricia Hagan

  Joshua wished he did not have to talk about such things, but he had to answer Miss Lisbeth or be in big trouble. "I think 'cause it's her time. She sent somebody to fetch him, and just a while ago one of the women told me old Sadie, the midwife, had gone to the Leroux cabin."

  "Well, you get yourself over there right away and tell him I need him to lead the men's hunt today because Master Julius isn't well. Now go."

  He took off running, and Lisbeth forced herself to sit down and try to compose herself. If any guests meandered out to the veranda, it wouldn't do for them to find her distraught.

  After what seemed hours, Joshua came running back, out of breath, eyes wide with fear of her reaction when he relayed the message that Steve was not coming. "He said he was stayin' with Selena till the baby gets here, and he also said since she was havin' a hard time, it might take the better part of the day."

  Exasperated, Lisbeth got up and ran into the house, muttering under her breath that if it was the last thing she ever did, she would get even with Raven for all the grief she had caused.

  * * *

  Raven, wearing a simple lime-colored cotton dress, her hair swept back from her face and tied with a matching ribbon, stood outside the door to her room for a few seconds to make sure no one was about. It was early, with yet another hour before breakfast, and the men's hunt was scheduled to begin immediately afterward. She knew eventually she would have to face everyone, but first she wanted to talk privately to Julius in hopes of making peace. There just had to be a way for them to put aside what had happened.

  She'd not had much sleep and smiled to remember the reason. It had been nearly dawn when she and Steve had finally been able to tear themselves apart. Now she was counting the hours until she could be with him again.

  All seemed quiet, so she walked to Julius's quarters and knocked softly. When there was no response, she knocked louder, and that was when Lisbeth came upstairs and saw her.

  "He's not here. He's gone. And it's your fault." She opened Julius's door and shoved Raven, wide-eyed and stunned, into the room.

  "He says he can't stand to be around you another minute. Furthermore, he's so sore he can hardly move, so he couldn't have led the hunt today anyway. I hope you're satisfied. Now the whole day is ruined, because Steve can't lead it. He's busy."

  So much was hitting Raven that it was hard for her to grasp it all at once, but one thing puzzled her above all else. Steve had been looking forward to the hunt, so it had to be something serious to keep him away. One of the horses might be sick; she would go find out as soon as she managed to get Lisbeth calmed down. "I never meant to hurt Julius. You can't know how sorry I am. Where is he? I'll go talk to him."

  "He's on his way to Mobile. He's moved out."

  "Oh, no!"

  "Oh, yes! And he's not coming back, and I've got to think of a way to keep the men entertained now that the hunt has to be canceled. I can't just tell everyone to go home, I'd never live it down."

  "You don't have to. I'll take care of it."

  Lisbeth sneered. "And just what can you do? I should think you'd be ashamed to show your face."

  "Well, I'm not," Raven said. "Maybe I had to act like less than a lady last night, but that's because Julius was less than a gentleman. He knows that, but we'll straighten it out later. Right now, I'll see that everything goes according to schedule, so you can stop worrying."

  She started out the door, but Lisbeth blocked her. "Where do you think you're going?"

  "To change into riding clothes, of course."

  "Riding clothes?" Lisbeth echoed. It had not dawned on her what Raven had in mind.

  Raven smiled. "Of course. You don't expect me to lead the hunt dressed like this, do you?" Pushing by her, she hurried down the hall, leaving Lisbeth to stare after her.

  Madame Bonet had sent two riding habits, one in black and the other made of a dark blue cloth, which Raven chose to wear. The jacket was short, with a cambric collar that would be cooler. The sleeves were wide at the ends with turned-back cuffs. She liked the wide skirt, for no matter how shocking it would be she'd have to ride full saddle. She had yet to master balancing with both legs to one side and feared she would might fall when Starfire went into a gallop.

  Tucking her hair up into the matching felt hat, she pushed the annoying plume to one side, picked up her gloves, and hurried out to the stables.

  As she glanced about in search of Joshua, she saw that the men's horses were already saddled.

  Joshua came out of a stall. "Why, good morning, Miss Raven. What are you doing here?"

  "It looks as though I'm going to have to lead the hunt, since there isn't anybody else to do it. Which one of the horses is sick?"

  "Why, there ain't one that I know of. Who told you there was?"

  She didn't answer. "Then where is Steve?"

  Reluctantly, he repeated what he had told Miss Lisbeth and was surprised to see that Miss Raven seemed to get even more upset than Miss Lisbeth had to hear Selena was having her baby. "Is something wrong?"

  "No, just get Starfire ready." There were other things to think about for the moment, she told herself. There would be ample time later to wonder why Steve felt the need to be with Selena.

  A short while later, when the men going on the hunt had gathered, she tried not to notice their skeptical looks as she told them she would be leading them. "Don't worry, I won't get you lost. I've managed to learn my way around pretty well. And I assure you I can shoot with both gun and bow." She patted the rifle tied to one side of the saddle, her bow on the other.

  Everyone hung back to ride behind her except for Barley, who was pleased for her company and fell in beside her to make polite conversation. He asked enough questions to confirm that she really did know what she was doing and grinned to think what a shock the skeptics behind them were in for.

  He was right. When they reached the preserve, she brought down a deer with one silent shot of her bow, rather than scatter the rest of the herd with gunfire so the others would have a chance also to bring down trophies. She went on to do the same thing twice more. Consequently, by the time the hunt ended, she had earned the respect and admiration of each and every man.

  Further astonishing them, when they got back to the house, eager to hand over the carcasses to the slaves, Raven rolled up her sleeves to help.

  Everyone stared agape, and only Barley had the nerve to say. "Raven, we don't normally help with this part. We leave it to the butchers from the kitchen. They know what they're doing. It's not"—he swallowed self-consciously to have to remind her—"women's work."

  She continued carving the buck that hung from a rack above. "Maybe not, but when I was in the smokehouse the other day, I looked over the cuts of meat there and noticed how a lot is being wasted, because the butchers don't know how to get the most out of a carcass. I'm going to show them. It's a shame to waste food, especially when they're missing some of the tastiest parts."

  Barley turned away, not wanting to watch and knowing she was not to be dissuaded. Hurrying after the others to change for the barbecue, he met Lisbeth, perched sidesaddle on Belle. "I thought you'd be quilting with my mother and the other ladies."

  "I got bored, and Belle needed some exercise." Actually, she had wanted to escape because all anyone seemed to want to talk about was Raven. She wouldn't have minded had they wanted to sympathize over what a disgrace she was, but instead they praised her, using words like charming, refreshing, and lovely, and while Lisbeth had been mortified over Raven being so brazen as to go hunting with the men, they thought it was wonderful and envied her having the nerve to do so.

  She glanced about irritably. "Well, where is she now? What else has she done to embarrass me?"

  "She's back there." He nodded and kept on going, not wanting to be around when she saw what Raven was doing.

  Lisbeth trotted Belle around to the back yard where, seeing Raven hacking away at a deer carcass, she screamed in horror and dropped the reins.

  Everyone
turned toward the sound, including Raven, who saw quicker than anyone else that Belle had been frightened by Lisbeth's shrill scream. Consequently, with no restraint once Lisbeth let the reins go, the mare was out of control and took off running.

  Lisbeth screamed again, which only made Belle gallop faster. She tried to hold on to the saddle, but Raven could see she would not be able to do so, for there was no large grasping horn as the men's saddles provided.

  All around, the workers began to shout to one another. The horse was running away, but no one knew what to do about it.

  Only Raven had the presence of mind to act. Starfire was right where she'd left him, only a few yards away, so she dropped her knife and ran toward him. There was no time to mount properly, so she leaped up Indian fashion by reaching up to brace herself on his rump with her hands while hoisting herself up at the same time, legs spread wide to fall naturally across his back.

  "Go!" she yelled, digging her heels into his flanks, not taking time to settle her feet into the stirrups.

  Starfire did not have to be told twice and took off, his mane flying in the wind. In only a few minutes, he had overtaken the frightened mare and Raven could reach out to grab the harness and bring her to a stop.

  Lisbeth's hat, tied beneath her chin by a ribbon, had fallen forward onto her face. With her mouth open in screeching panic, the plume had dipped inside, and she spat it out at the same time as she yanked the ribbons free and threw it all to the ground in fury.

  "Are you all right?" Raven asked gingerly, noticing Lisbeth had lost a shoe somewhere on the brief but wild ride.

  If she expected gratitude, Lisbeth knew she was going to be greatly disappointed, because it was all Raven's fault. "How dare you?" she challenged when she could find her voice. "How dare you do such a thing? Maybe I did scream and set Belle off, but anyone else would do the same to witness such a spectacle. You are supposed to be learning how to act like a lady. Not a... a butcher," she said in disgust.

  Raven groaned to realize she had unintentionally made another blunder. Barley had tried to warn her, but she hadn't listened. Feebly, she attempted to justify what she had done. "I was just trying to show how a lot of good meat is being wasted, because they don't know how to cut up a deer in order to get the best parts. The Indians know how to make use of every bit, and—"

  "And nobody cares," Lisbeth said, eyes wide with wonder that she could be so stupid. "We aren't Indians. We don't have to grovel for our food like Indians."

  "But to waste—"

  "That's not important. Don't you see? We can afford to waste food, but be that as it may it is not your place to do such a thing. Can't you try to forget your barbarian ways and at least pretend to be a lady for as long as we have guests?"

  "If I've offended you or anyone else, I'm sorry, but I really don't see where I did anything so terribly wrong. Where is the harm in my teaching the butchers something new?"

  "Oh, forget it. Just forget it." Lisbeth snatched Belle's reins from her and turned the mare around. "All I want is to try and get through the next few hours and get these people out of here before you do something really horrid, though I can't imagine what it would be. You've certainly outdone yourself so far."

  Raven fell in beside her. She knew it was probably not the time but decided since Lisbeth was already upset she might as well make her suggestion. "Would you like me to teach you how to ride like I do? You would have better control over Belle if she ever tries to run away with you again. We could start tomorrow if you'd like."

  Lisbeth slowed to stare at her incredulously. "Wait a minute. Did I hear you right? Did I actually hear you offer to give me riding lessons?"

  "Yes, because—"

  "Because you think I want to ride like you do, spraddle-legged like a man?" Lisbeth gave a sniff of disgust. "I'd sooner never ride a horse again."

  "But you don't understand. I'd like for you to give me lessons too."

  Lisbeth was suddenly suspicious. "Why?"

  "Because I'd like to learn to ride sidesaddle. So we can learn something from each other. And I'd also like to teach you how to use a gun. A woman needs to be able to defend herself."

  Lisbeth was thankful they were almost to the house and people were running to meet them, because she was afraid she would scream again if Raven did not shut up. "You are beyond help," she said scathingly. "A woman doesn't need to defend herself, you little ninny. That's a man's job. And if she conducts herself like a lady, she won't need defending anyway. Now go away and leave me alone. You've embarrassed me enough for one day."

  "I'm not going away, Lisbeth."

  Something in Raven's tone made her slow. "What do you mean?"

  Raven decided the time had come to speak her piece. "It means that I'm here to stay, and even though I might embarrass you again and again till I learn your ways, I am not leaving. Halcyon is big enough for all of us to enjoy, and in a few days I'm going to Mobile and find Julius and try my best to make him see that. I know he has to work at the shipyard to earn his inheritance, but he can come home on weekends. It would be nice if you'd go with me," she added.

  Just then Barley ran up to help Lisbeth dismount. "Wasn't Raven wonderful?" he cried, loud enough for others to hear. "She saved your life!"

  Under her breath, Lisbeth growled, "Shut your mouth, Barley. Don't say another word. I mean it."

  He stared after her, bewildered, as she stalked toward the house, then doggedly followed.

  * * *

  Raven managed to get through the evening, but the atmosphere was tense. No one asked about Julius or dared mention the incident of the night before. Nor was anything said about Raven's hunting exploits or the fact that she had saved Lisbeth on a runaway horse.

  The ladies spoke of flowers and babies and new recipes. The men discussed the price of cotton and corn and politics. None of the bachelors hovered around her as they had at the reception, but everyone was pleasant.

  All Raven wanted was for the evening to end and everyone to leave, because she was counting the minutes till she could be in Steve's arms, where she knew she would find solace. But even as she longed for the hour of midnight, she could not help being plagued with wonder over why he had felt the need to be with Selena when she had her baby.

  At last it was time. She crept out of the house and ran to the stable. The ladder was in place, and she scrambled up to his waiting arms.

  "I thought you'd never get here," he said, before kissing her long and hard.

  When he let her go, she glanced around in the mellow glow of the lantern. It was sparse but clean, and suddenly she felt a bit self-conscious. She had never been in a man's bedroom before.

  He broke the awkward spell to commend her. "I haven't been back long, but Joshua was telling me how you led the hunt and brought back more deer than any of the men, and also how you saved Lisbeth when Belle ran away. You were wonderful, Raven. But I already knew that." He brushed his lips across her forehead.

  "I wish you could have been here." She was not about to ask him where he was, hoping he would offer to tell her.

  And he did.

  "I wanted to be. Especially after I heard Julius left like he did. But Selena needed me. She was in labor, and her father was drunk and raising hell. She sent for me because she was scared he might hurt her or the baby. When I got there, he was carrying on so bad I had to knock him out."

  Raven said thinly, "She must have had a difficult time, since you were with her so long."

  "Well, there was nobody else. Just me and Sadie, the mid-wife."

  "And was the baby all right?"

  He smiled. "A girl. Pretty as her mother. Strong, too. She even squeezed my finger while I was holding her. I've never held a baby before," he added, thinking how nice it had been.

  Raven told herself she had no right to be jealous, but it bothered her to think of Steve sharing such an intimate time with Selena.

  Steve turned to the moment at hand, twining his fingers in her hair and drawing her close. "I missed
you."

  She leaned into his kiss.

  He told himself to go slowly, to savor every second, but the intoxication of having her in his arms again drained him of all restraint. Her kisses were as eager as his own, making the fire in his loins burn even stronger, and it was all he could do to keep from ripping her clothes off then and there.

  He began to fumble with the buttons of her gown with anxious fingers as his tongue plunged into her mouth, probing, seeking, bringing her to meet his passion in kind. She helped him undress her, and when she was naked, he pulled her down with him on the bed.

  His touch was gentle as he felt of her all over, his lips finally closing about one nipple while his fingers gently squeezed the other. She arched against him as the heat in her belly spread to consume her body. She was still dazzled to realize how he could ignite desire the first instant he touched her, and suddenly she could not get close enough to him. She was shaking with want, and, as she felt his hardness against her bare flesh, she reached boldly to unleash him from his trousers.

  He sprang forth, and she caressed the length of him. He shuddered with pleasure. "I don't think I can wait," he groaned.

  "I don't think I want you to." She guided him into her.

  He entered quick and hard, but she did not care, for she was more than ready for him, eagerly meeting his every thrust till they crested together in rapture sublime.

  Afterward, they lay with arms and legs entwined and slept the peaceful slumber of contented lovers. It was only when the rooster crowed loudly just outside that Raven woke and knew it was time to leave.

  She dressed quickly, all the while gazing adoringly at him. His eyes were closed. He did not move, did not know when she brushed her lips across his before leaving.

  And neither did he hear her whisper, "I do love you so."

  * * *

  Steve reached for Raven but she was not there, and he woke and thought for a moment that maybe it had all been a dream, that the wonder and the splendor had not happened after all. But as the morning sun streamed across his face, the grogginess left him and he knew that it had been very real... and wonderful.