A Land Called Deseret

by Janet Dailey

  "We can drive to Nevada in the morning and be married in Ely," Travis told her. "Unless you want to go tonight." LaRaine trembled with the passion he had deliberately aroused.

  Rubbing the roughness of his cheek against hers, he warned, "We won't have a honeymoon, Rainey. I can't spare the time away from the ranch."

  Her fingers lovingly traced the chiseled outline of his face, so powerful and strong. "Do you think I care?" she whispered, then smiled. "Mrs. Travis McCrea isn't going to be able to spare the time, either."

  When Travis lifted his head, her hand slid to his mouth to brush her fingertips over its hard, male shape. Before they could flutter away he caught them and kissed them individually. His eyes locked with hers.

  "Rainey McCrea. That name will never light any theater marquee. Are you sorry?" he asked.

  "Not a bit," she assured him. Personally she thought the name sounded magical. "I have something more wonderful than the make-believe world ever dreamed about. Why would I be sorry about that?"

  "I only want you to be very sure," said Travis.

  "Believe me, I am," LaRaine promised.

  Travis rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. His hands covered her ribs, then moved to hold themselves to her breasts. Her nightgown slid down a little farther and a muscled thigh impeded its downward progress. Tucking the sides of her hair behind her ears, LaRaine leaned own to kiss him.

  Eluding her for a moment, he asked, "Are you sure you want to turn this room into a study?"

  Deprived of his mouth, LaRaine settled for the slashing indentation near it. "Why? Don't you?"

  "It's a good idea," he agreed, a hand sliding around to the small of her back. "But I was thinking it would be nice if the child we conceive in this room could sleep here, too, until it's old enough to sleep alone upstairs."

  "Child?" A thread of panic ran through her voice.

  "Don't you want to have a family?" Travis kissed the lips he had been avoiding.

  "I don't know," she murmured. "Travis, I don't know if I can take care of a baby. I've never held one in my live. What if I dropped it?"

  "You won't," he chuckled. "What we'll have to do is experiment with the first one. Then depending on how quickly you learn, we can see about enlarging the family."

  He made it sound so simple and uncomplicated. He truly believed she could cope with anything. And because he believed it, LaRaine did, too. The idea of holding a dark-haired, dark-eyed baby didn't seem quite as frightening. In fact, she felt a faint curling of excitement at the thought.

  "Do you want a baby right away?" she asked.

  "Nature decrees that there be a certain waiting period." Travis gently mocked her lack of knowledge about babies and their care. "I don't know about you, but I'm not getting any younger. I'd rather not wait too long before starting a family."

  She touched the silver tufts that streaked the sides of his jet black hair. "You're just in your prime, Travis."

  "You think so?" A wicked light danced in his eyes as his mouth slanted.

  His strong arms held her as he shifted on the bed, turning them together until her shoulders were on the mattress and his crushing weight pressed her down. LaRaine only had a second to marvel at how easily her smaller frame fitted itself to the hard contours of his male length—the differences being one of the most glorious things. It was a passing discovery that was soon blotted out by the searing fire of his kiss. All her attention was devoted to learning the responses he wanted. When he had built her desire to a fever pitch of longing, she felt his weight ease.

  "Travis, no!" Her fingers dug into the muscled flesh of his shoulders. "You aren't going to do the gentlemanly thing and sleep in the shed, are you?" she protested in a voice that revealed her ache.

  "I told you once that I'm not a gentleman."

  A boot hit the floor with loud thud.

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