Wolf Shadow

by Madeline Baker

  She opened the gate and started up the walk to Cynthia’s house. Pausing, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure the carriage was gone, then hurried back down the walk to where Chance was holding the gate open for her.

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Hello.”

  “Hello, yourself,” he murmured and pulled her into his arms.

  For a moment, she surrendered to his kiss; then, mindful of being out in the open, she drew away. “Not here.”

  “Where, then?”

  “I don’t know.” She bit down on her lower lip, her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “I have to go explain to Cynthia. She’s waiting for me. I’ll be right back.”

  Chance watched her hurry up the steps to the front door, noting the gentle sway of her hips. She wore a pale blue dress that he guessed probably cost more than his cowhands made in a year, and a small white hat with blue feathers.

  A butler answered the door and Teressa disappeared inside the house. The man stared at Chance with disdain, then closed the door.

  Chance glanced up and down the street. The houses were all large and well-kept, the grounds impeccable, a sharp contrast to the seedier side of the city he had visited earlier, where harlots waited in shadowed alleyways and men sought forgetfulness in smoke-filled opium dens.

  He glanced up at the house, wondering what was taking Teressa so long.

  * * * * *

  Cynthia Witherspoon swept into the front parlor in a brown and yellow striped dress dripping lace at the collar and cuffs. She was a tall girl, with light brown hair, hazel eyes, and a determined chin. A dimple winked in her cheek when she smiled at her guest.

  “Tess! You’re right on time. Come in and sit down. Helga made the most divine tea cakes. I can’t wait for you to try one.”

  “Not now, Cyn. I know we were supposed to spend the day together, but something’s come up.”

  “Is anything wrong?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Teressa took Cynthia’s hands in hers. “He’s here, Cyn. Wolf Shadow is in San Francisco.”

  “He is! When can I meet him?”

  “He’s waiting for me outside.”

  “He’s here, now?” Cynthia hurried to the window in the front parlor, and pulled back the edge of the curtain. “Oh! Is that him? The man standing by the horse?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s very handsome, isn’t he?”

  “I told you he was. Anyway, I want to spend the day with him.”

  “Of course you do. Where are the two of you going?”

  “I don’t know. Someplace where we can be alone.”

  Cynthia’s eyes lit up. “That’s so romantic! But do be careful. I can’t imagine what your mother would say.”

  “I can, but it doesn’t matter. Oh, Cyn, I love him so much.”

  Cynthia hugged her. “I was the one who always wanted to go and have adventures, remember? You were the one who always wanted to stay at home. Life just isn’t fair,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “You’d better not keep him waiting any longer. What time will you be back?”

  “Sometime before dinner.”

  “All right.” Cynthia’s expression sobered. “Do be careful, Tess.”

  “I will.” Teressa hugged her friend, then hurried out of the house and down the steps.

  “Ready?” Chance asked.

  “Yes.”

  He lifted her up on Smoke’s back, then vaulted up behind her. Taking up the reins, he clucked to the mare.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “I found a place on the outskirts of town where we can be alone.”

  “What kind of place?”

  His lips brushed her hair. “You’ll see.”

  Content to go wherever he wanted, she leaned against him, happier than she had been in weeks.

  He took her to the backside of a park located near the outskirts of the city. Dismounting, he lifted her from Smoke’s back, unsaddled and hobbled the horse, and then took Tessa in his arms.

  She hugged him tight. “I missed you so much! I didn’t think you were coming.”

  He gazed burned into hers. “How could you think that?”

  “I was afraid,” she admitted. “Afraid you didn’t love me the way I love you.”

  “Don’t ever be afraid again,” he admonished, his voice husky.

  She cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”

  “Maybe this will convince you,” he said, and claimed her lips with his own.

  A slow fire spread through her, engulfing her, warming the cold empty places his absence had left deep inside her.

  His tongue slid over her lower lip, dipped inside to engage in a sensual mating dance with her own.

  She moaned softly, her fingers digging into his back to draw him closer, closer. She gasped, “I love you,” when he lifted his head, and then he was kissing her again, harder, deeper, his hands gliding over her body until she was shivering with desire, aching with need.

  Chance swore softly as they parted, both out of breath.

  Teressa looked up at him. “Wolf…”

  “I know, sweetheart.” He glanced around. He couldn’t make love to her here. This was a public place and even though it was deserted now, that didn’t mean it would stay that way.

  “How do you feel about going to a hotel?”

  “Together?” Her eyes widened. “In broad daylight?” Though she had only been back home for a few weeks, her mother had already made certain Tessa understood how important it was to comport herself in a ladylike manner at all times. An unmarried woman’s reputation must be above reproach.

  He shrugged. “Not a very good idea, I guess.”

  “I don’t care! I want you so bad. Let’s go somewhere. Anywhere! Hurry!”

  Minutes later, Smoke was saddled and they were riding back toward the city.

  Chance drew rein in front of the first hotel they came to. Dismounting, he tossed the reins over the hitching post, then lifted Teressa from the saddle. Taking her hand, he led the way into the hotel.

  It was small and clean. Chance asked for a room, signed the register, and picked up the key.

  Teressa’s heart was pounding as they made their way up the staircase and down the hall to their room.

  Chance opened the door; then, swinging her into his arms, he carried her across the threshold, and closed the door with his foot.

  Teressa glanced at their surroundings. It was a pretty room, done in dusty rose and white. But it was the bed that caught her eye. A big brass bed with a cherry-colored spread. The sight of it, and what they would be doing in it, made her heart pound with anticipation.

  Chance followed her gaze. “We don’t have to make love if you’d rather not,” he said. “We can just talk.”

  A faint blush pinked her cheeks. “I haven’t changed my mind.”

  He kissed her as he lowered her feet to the floor. Removing his hat, he tossed it on a chair, then drew Tessa into his arms. His body reacted immediately to the feel of her body pressing against his. “You’re sure?”

  She wrapped her arms around his waist. “Very,” she replied, and then looked up at him, her eyes narrowed. “You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

  He put his hands over her buttocks and drew her hips closer, letting her feel his arousal. “No, ma’am.”

  Chance took a few steps backward, drawing her with him, and then fell back on the bed.

  “Wolf, my hat! You’ll crush it.”

  “Sorry, sweetheart.”

  She quickly removed the pin that held her hat in place and set it on the table beside the bed, then, laughing softly, she bent down to drop butterfly kisses on his cheeks, his nose, his jaw.

  When he reached for her, she batted his hands away. Sitting up, she straddled his hips and then began to unbutton his shirt. He lifted up a little so she could slide it off his shoulders. She dropped his shirt on the floor, paused a moment to admire the width of his shoulders, the broad expanse of
his chest, his hard flat stomach, then reached for the buckle of his gunbelt. He obligingly lifted his hips so she could remove it, sucked in a breath when she unfastened his belt buckle, unbuttoned his fly.

  “Hold on a minute,” he said. “It’s my turn.”

  Holding her gaze with his own, he unfastened the long row of tiny cloth-covered buttons that fastened her gown down the front. He drew the bodice slowly over her shoulders and down her arms, slipped the straps of her chemise down, baring her breasts to his gaze.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured. “So beautiful.”

  Gathering her skirts in his hands, he lifted her dress and petticoats over her head and tossed them aside, leaving her clad in only her shoes, stockings, and drawers.

  She ran her hands over his chest.

  He caressed her breasts.

  She pulled off his boots and his socks.

  He removed her shoes, slid his hands over the smooth curve of her thighs before removing her stockings.

  She dragged his trousers over his lean hips and down his legs and tossed them on the floor in a heap.

  He peeled off her drawers, plucked the pins from her hair until it fell like a dark brown waterfall over her shoulders, and then tugged her down beside him, crushing her breasts against his chest while his hands drifted lazily over the smooth skin of her back.

  “How soon do you have to be home?” he asked.

  “Not for hours.”

  A slow smile spread over his face. “Hours to make love to you.”

  She smiled back at him, her fingertips playing in the hair on his chest, sliding over his belly, teasing the inside of his thigh.

  “Keep that up and it won’t take hours,” he drawled.

  Happy laughter rose in her throat as she locked her arms around his neck. “I’m sure we’ll be able to find a way to fill the time.”

  “Got any ideas?”

  “We could do this.” She nibbled on his ear lobe. “Or this.” Her tongue slid across his lower lip.

  “Or this,” he said, and deftly tucking her beneath him, he kissed her, his tongue plundering the warm depths of her mouth, his hands playing over her body. He was the bow and she was the violin, and his touch was the touch of the master’s hand, playing notes only he would ever hear.

  She quivered beneath him as his body merged with hers, giving him everything she had to give, reveling in every kiss, every caress, until her body arched with pleasure, her hands clutching at his shoulders as ripples of pleasure spread through her.

  He cried her name as her body convulsed around him. With one last thrust, he followed her over the edge.

  He rolled onto his side, drawing her with him, their bodies still joined, while the sweat cooled on their skin and their breathing returned to normal.

  Her eyes were closed, and his gaze moved over her face, noting the sweep of her lashes on her cheeks, the satisfied smile on her face, the curve of her cheek, still faintly flushed with passion.

  Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss across her lips.

  She moaned softly and opened her eyes, her smile widening. “I love you.”

  Her words sank deep into his soul, wrapped around his heart like fine silken threads, forever binding his heart to hers.

  “Teressa, sweetheart.”

  “Tell me,” she whispered.

  “I love you,” he said, his voice rough with emotion, yet the words seemed inadequate to convey the depth of his love, to express the way she made him feel, the things she made him want. For the first time since his mother died, he wanted more than revenge. He wanted a real home, a wife, a family.

  She gazed into his eyes, hers glowing with love.

  “Marry me, Tessa.”

  “All right.”

  “Just like that?” he asked, chuckling.

  “Just like that.”

  “Are you sure? Your folks won’t like it. They might even disown you.”

  She threw her arms around his neck. “I don’t care.”

  “Brave girl. I always said you had the heart of a warrior.”

  “When?” she asked, dropping kisses on his cheeks, his brow, the tip of his chin.

  “That’s up to you.”

  “I’ll have to tell my parents.”

  Chance nodded. “Do you want me to be there?”

  She nodded, grateful that he had offered. She would need his strength because her mother and father were going to be furious when they found out. But she didn’t want to think about that now. Now, all she wanted was to be in Wolf’s arms.

  It was what he wanted to, and he spent the rest of their time together telling her and showing her in every way he could think of how much he loved her.

  * * * * *

  Teressa sighed. “I wish we could stay here forever.”

  They were lying on the bed, facing each other, arms and legs entwined. Chance gave her shoulder a squeeze. “We could stay and live on room service.”

  She grinned and then grew sober. “My parents will never approve of our marriage. Maybe we should just run away.”

  “Is that what you want to do? If it is, just say so.”

  “I don’t know.” Her finger made lazy circles on his chest. “They really have been good to me since we got here. I know they love me. I don’t want to hurt them.”

  His hand caressed her cheek. “Just tell me what you want to do, sweetheart.”

  “Maybe we should tell them and see what happens. We can always run away if they put up a big fuss.”

  “All right, that’s what we’ll do.” He glanced out the window. “We’d better go. It’s getting late.”

  Rising, they filled the basin on the highboy with water from the pitcher and took turns washing each other and then drying each other off.

  When they were dressed, Chance drew Teressa into his arms for one more hug, one more kiss, and then reluctantly released her. “When do you want to talk to your folks?”

  “Tomorrow’s Sunday. Papa will be home all day. Can you come by after lunch, say about one-thirty?”

  Chance plucked his hat from the chair and settled it on his head. “I’ll be there.”

  Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek, then took his hand and they left the hotel.

  Chance paused on the boardwalk, his glance sweeping up one side of the street and down the other.

  “Is something wrong?” Teressa asked.

  “I don’t know. I have a feeling we’re being watched.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Teressa glanced up and down the street. The boardwalk was crowded as usual. Well-dressed women could be seen browsing in shop windows or standing in the shade, visiting. Several young boys were rolling hoops down the alley across the street, there were a number of men hurrying to and fro. A man in a straw hat was unloading crates from a large wagon.

  “I don’t see any one who seems to be watching us,” she said, alarmed by Wolf’s tone. “Do you?”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s just a feeling.” A feeling that had saved his life on more than one occasion. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

  He lifted her onto Smoke’s back, took up the reins, and swung up behind her. Clucking to the mare, he rode away from the hotel, a furious itching between his shoulder blades.

  They made good time back to the Witherspoon house. Dismounting, Chance lifted Teressa from the saddle. He glanced up and down the street; seeing no one, he drew her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss. “I love you, sweetheart.”

  “I love you more.”

  “Impossible.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promised.

  She nodded. Lifting the hem of her skirt, she turned and hurried up the path to the house.

  Cynthia was waiting for her in the front parlor. “Well,” she said, putting aside the book she had been reading. “I don’t have to ask if you had a good time.”

  Teressa felt her cheeks grow hot. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean it’s written all over your face.
You’re practically glowing.” Cynthia patted the seat beside her. “Come here and tell me everything.”

  Teressa sat down beside her friend and folded her hands in her lap.

  “So, tell me,” Cynthia urged, “what did you do? Where did you go?”

  “We spent the whole day in a hotel room.”

  “A hotel!” Cynthia exclaimed, looking mortified. “What were you thinking? What if your parents find out?”

  Teressa shrugged as if it didn’t matter, although the very thought filled her with dread. “I don’t care. I love him, Cyn. I love him so much it hurts.”

  “What was it like? Weren’t you embarrassed? Was he gentle? Did you see him without…well, you know…naked?”

  “Cynthia!” Teressa stared at her friend in shock.

  “He’s very handsome.” Cynthia tugged on Teressa’s sleeve. “Come on, ‘fess up, Tessa. What was it like? I’ve always heard it’s painful the first time. Was it?”

  “It wasn’t the first time, and it was wonderful, Cyn. You can’t imagine.”

  Cynthia stared at her wide-eyed. “You’ve done it before? With him?”

  “Of course with him!” Teressa closed her eyes a moment, then smiled at her friend. “He asked me to marry him.”

  “Marry him!” Cynthia squealed. “But he’s…”

  She broke off as Teressa’s eyes narrowed ominously. “He’s what?”

  “He’s gorgeous, Tess, but he is part Indian. And it doesn’t look like he has much money. And you said he lives on a ranch.” She said the last with an aggrieved expression. “A ranch, Tess. Is that what you want?”

  “I’d live in a mud hut with him if he asked me to.”

  Cynthia blinked at her. “I think you mean that.”

  “I do.”

  Cynthia stared at her in disbelief. “But Tess, have you thought about what you’d be giving up? And what about your parents? You know they’ll never approve.”

  “I know. We’re going to talk to them tomorrow after church. If they won’t give us their blessing…” She shrugged. “We’re going to run away.”

  “On, Tessa, that would be so romantic, but are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  “I’m sure. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”