Deke Ramey cocked his head. “Who?”
The girls scrambled down the ladder and Dessa leaned over. “The girls think you’re Saint Nicholas,” she whispered.
Deke snorted. “I sure ain’t him neither.”
Hannah heard and winked his way. “I know you’re just pretending so’s we don’t think you’re him. You’re magic, we know.”
“And ’cause you came down our chimney,” Leah added.
“He’s not dressed all in fur.” Odessa put her hands on her hips. Her girls could get some crazy notions.
“He probably only wears his special fur suit on Christmas,” Hannah reasoned.
Dessa shook her head and pointed first to her tallest child. “That’s Hannah; she’s the talker,” then she pointed at her little tow-headed girl, “and Leah, she’s more of a thinker. They’re seven and five.”
“I think, too.” Hannah jutted out her bottom lip, and Dessa couldn’t help but smile.
“And when is the baby due?” Deke shifted on the floor.
She pursed her lips tight. “Soon.” She stood, winded from the exertion, and walked to the cook stove. “I hope you like corn meal mush. That’s all I’ve got.”
“Hmmmm,” he replied. “My favorite.”
Hannah’s mouth pulled to one side. “He ain’t serious, is he?”
“Isn’t, Hannah, isn’t. Now you two go wash and get on your day dresses while I fix up some mush. As to whether it’s his favorite, you’ll have to discuss that with Deputy Ramey.”
“Hannah?” Deke called her daughter.
“Yes, sir?”
“My horse outside has a big bag tied to his saddle. You reckon you can fetch it?”
“Sure can, if Ma says it’s okay.”
“Yeah. Go on.” Dessa gave her approval. The horse was tall, but he was tied by the porch which sat a few feet off the ground. Hannah shouldn’t have a problem. At her words Hannah ran out the door, leaving it open only to run back and shut it.
“How old are you?” He asked as Dessa turned.
“Twenty-five.” She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five and a half.” Then, he grinned. It was that crooked little grin that did it. She giggled. When had she ever giggled? Her insides melted like butter. What was happening to her? She’d never felt like this. A rush of heat flooded her face.
“You sure have a pretty smile,” he commented, and she turned away.
She was about to give birth and being threatened by an outlaw. She couldn’t get feelings for this deputy. She had too much going on as it was.
As he stared up into her almond-shaped eyes, Deke couldn’t look away. It was as if she touched something deep in his soul. He loved the particular hue of green in her eyes and her rosy lips seemed to beckon his. He was drawn to her in a mighty way. So what if she was carrying, she was a widow. He could court her.
He was glad he’d fallen down that chimney. Wait—he wasn’t glad he’d gotten hurt. The widow was just playing havoc on his emotions. On one hand, his thigh hurt like the dickens, and his plan to hide was shot. On the other hand, he was in the house of a beautiful woman and had slept in her arms. Who could complain?
What would Jonah say? That was easy—Jonah would smack him on the back of the head and tell him to start thinking with the body part between his shoulders.
Dessa Courtland put her right hand to the small of her back reminding him once again the woman was ready to give birth anytime. Had he been sent to her? To help?
“You reckon you can get off of the floor?” she asked, and he nodded. “Good. I want you to go sit on my bed and we’ll prop your leg...”
“You’re not going to wait on me hand and foot while this heals. It’s barely a scratch.”
“It’s a little more than a scratch, but I agree, we won’t wait on you hand and foot.”
“Ma! Ma!” Hannah ran back inside with the sack of supplies in tow. She threw the sack onto the table. “Look.”
“Hannah Eliza Courtland, did you look through Mr. Ramey’s personal possessions.”
The little girl didn’t even blush. “Yeah, Ma, but he’s got food.”
“Really?”
The hopeful sound of the widow’s voice was adorable. Deke felt his heart warm at the light in her enchanting eyes.
“Yeah, I do.” He tilted his head. “And it’s for the three of you.” He took a stiff step toward Odessa who threw her arms around his neck nearly knocking him on his back. “Thank you, thank you.” Deke turned just enough to brush his lips in her hair. “You’re very welcome.” He held her close and felt her shudder. She was crying.
“Dessa?” He used her nickname as if he’d know her for years. He encircled her with his arms, comforting her, holding her as close as he could. “You okay?”
“Yes. It’s just so overwhelming.” She put her hands on either side of his face. He couldn’t help but admire her beauty and strength. She was such a lovely woman, and that watery smile made her even more so. He could smell the floral scent of her hair. When she closed her eyes and lifted her chin he took it as an invitation and kissed her waiting lips. It was a sweet kiss, chaste. The kiss you gave your best girl when her dad—or daughter was watching.
Dessa’s heart nearly stopped when his sweet lips closed on hers. Her pulse sped. Some strange emotion fluttered in her chest. More...she wanted more.
“Leah, Leah. The deputy just kissed Ma, and he brought us food.”
Dessa opened her eyes to meet his, so blue, so beautiful. She held his gaze for a long moment.
“See, he’s Saint Nicholas.” Leah added.
The magic of the moment was broken as Leah stared up at them with marked curiosity. It had to be a curious sight indeed. The girls had never, ever seen their father kiss her. He wasn’t interested in such frivolities. But Deke Ramey...
Dessa released him and drew a shaky breath. “Sorry,” she whispered.
“For what?”
She just stared blankly; was she really going to apologize for something she wasn’t sorry for? And she wasn’t sorry for kissing him.
“Odessa? You okay?”
“Yes,” she whispered and took a deep steely breath. “I’m going to fry us up some of this fatback and make some biscuits.”
“Can you make milk gravy?” Little Leah asked the question.
“I would if I had some milk.” Odessa raised her brows and cut her eyes at Hannah. The child gasped.
“I need to milk Suki.” Hannah covered her mouth.
“Yes, you do.”
Hannah had learned to milk the cow so when the baby came they would still have milk and the cow wouldn’t be in pain. It hurt to think about the poor cow not getting milked.
“My leg’s feeling a bit better. Maybe I can help you?” Deke’s eyes never left hers as he asked the silent question. Would it be okay for him to accompany her child to the barn? She once again nodded wordlessly.
“I need to see to Flapjack anyways.”
“I’m going, too!” Leah piped
“Deputy...Deke,” Dessa faltered but inclined her head toward the worn quilt wrapped about his waist. “You might want to put on some pants. It’s a might cold first thing in the morning.”
He let out a laugh. “That’s a good idea.”
“See, he’s jolly.” The loud whisper from Leah to Hannah made him laugh even harder.
“That I am, Miss Leah. That I am.”
****
How Odessa could keep a straight face at the antics of her children, he didn’t know, but he flexed his leg again as he sat on the milking stool. The fiery sensation seemed to have lessened a bit.
The barn was an interesting piece of architecture, like the house. He wondered if Orion Courtland had come up with this design all on his own. He appeared to have been an intelligent man. Lots of book sense it seemed, not much common. Deke could tell much about the man by his widow and children.
Dessa was starved for attention, not mourning,
which meant old Ori hadn’t been a tender husband. That left him an opening and a big one. She didn’t seem to know the magic of a kiss or the warmth of an embrace. She was so...What in the blue blazes was he thinking? An opening? Wooing the widow? He was here to do a job. Period.
Boy, get your head on straight. He channeled Jonah Beckett, his mentor.
A woman is like a fragile flower, if nurtured she will grow to a thing of beauty; treated harshly, she will wither and grow brittle. Dang his sweet-talking pa. The words of Ethan Elliot echoed in his brain. With an inward grown of frustration, he set his mind to the task at hand. Milking.
“Do you have a sleigh?” Hannah questioned. “If not, you can borrow ours.”
They did have a sleigh. And it was a fine one, too. Not much use for most of the year, but it would cut a pretty figure running over a snowy landscape.
“No, I don’t.”
Leah chuckled. “Yes, you do. And you have reindeers, too. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Dixon...”
“Vixen.” Hannah corrected.
“Dixon.” Leah argued back.
They sure were cute little things. Hannah must look more like her father. She was tall for her age and gangly. It looked like she’d had a recent growth spurt because the sleeves of her dresses showed about three inches of skinny wrist.
Neither little girl’s dress reached the floor, instead they stopped just shy of their high top shoes. Their dresses were similar in style and both wore a muslin pinafore that looked to be made of old feed sacks. His sister dressed her daughter much the same, dress and pinafore. If Mary dirtied up her pinafore, she put on another, yet she still had a clean dress underneath. The little girls’ short hair made him curious. Usually, a girl’s hair wasn’t cut unless there had been an illness. He wondered if that had been the case with them.
Maybe that was part of the reason for their thin little arms. He resolved to go kill a big buck and dress it out for them. These kids needed some meat other than fatback. Unfortunately it seemed they’d been a while without either.
Chapter Five
A day later Odessa still thought Deke Ramey was a Christmas miracle. “Lord, for this meal we are eternally grateful. Thank you for the bountiful food and the hands that provided it. Amen.” Odessa raised her head and let her gaze touch Deke’s. He was grinning from ear to ear.
Not only had the man brought a sack of vegetables, but he’d also killed and dressed a deer. Some of the meat he’d hung high up in a tree. It was so cold the meat would last days. The larger portions had been put in the smokehouse and now it cured in a rich hickory smoke, ensuring they would have meat in weeks to come. What in the world would she have done without this man?
The warm, rich smell of roasted venison surrounded with a wreath of sliced potatoes and onions was tempting as it reached her nose. Deke had already dug in, which was a good thing. He needed the meat. It would replace some of the blood he’d lost. Not that he appeared any worse for the wear today. He appeared vibrant, handsome. Handsome?
He was busy eating so Odessa took a moment to admire him. He needed a shave. Stubble shadowed clear down to his Adam’s apple, not that it made him less appealing. His hair wasn’t really brown, but it was too dark to be blond, and fell forward around his face not quite reaching his shoulders.
“Hmmm.” The appreciative sound came from Hannah.
Deke glanced over at her oldest child. There was his cute, crooked smile that revealed his even white teeth. He obviously thought it was humorous how Hannah sniffed her plate.
It was a habit Odessa was trying to discourage, and at first Odessa was mortified by her daughter’s ill manners. How many times had she told Hannah leaning over your food and sniffing it was inappropriate? Her rebuke froze in her throat. It wasn’t as if they’d had good food to smell lately. She couldn’t find the heart to scold.
And when Deke looked at her, they exchanged a secretive gaze, and she knew he understood as well.
“You sure outdid yourself, Ma,” Leah said.
“We must thank Deputy Ramey for this wonderful meal.”
“But you cooked it.” Hannah blurted. Then she smiled over at Deke with potatoes showing in her mouth. “Thank you.”
“Hannah,” this time Odessa did reprimand. “For heaven’s sake, chew with your mouth closed.”
“But I can’t talk if I do that.” Hannah speared another potato.
Odessa didn’t flinch.
“That’s the point. You don’t speak with your mouth full. We chew, we swallow, then we speak.”
Deke snickered, and she lifted her brows his way, yet was unable to stop the smile that sprang to her face.
Later, as Dessa stacked the four plates and cups on the shelf above the dry sink, she couldn’t help but sneak glances over her shoulder at Deke who’d been keeping the girls entertained with some tall tales. She walked to the front porch, tossed out the water, and dried her hands before sitting down by the fire in her rocker.
The dull ache in her back worried her a bit, but she’d been through labor twice and it was stronger than this. Besides, she had slept on the floor the previous night. What did she expect?
“Ma, will you say it?” Leah leaned onto her green tent dress and begged.
“Please, Ma?” Hannah tilted her head and steepled her hands in a prayerful position.
“Please?” Deke mirrored Hannah’s position and Dessa laughed. How had this man come into her home and in less than two short days turned her bleak future into one of hope? There was still Blake Henry...but none of that now, she would say the poem.
“’Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...” she began.
****
Deke waited, watching out the window of the bedroom as Dessa helped the girls prepare for bed in the main room. The three of them had disappeared behind a curtained nook, and he could hear the splashing water from the water basin and the squeals and protests of Hannah and Leah. He imagined they had a reason to squeal, that water was cold when he’d washed up earlier, but the girls were quiet now. They climbed to their loft, and Dessa blew out the kerosene lamp. The only light in the house now came from the glowing fire.
“What are you looking at?” Dessa’s soft voice startled him. He hadn’t heard her enter the bedroom. He’d let down his guard. Was he ever going to learn to be a good lawman? Sighing, Deke turned to see her place the water bowl and clean rags on the night stand.
“Just making sure there’s no one out there,” Deke answered. She had her head tilted up to him, and he swallowed hard as his throat dried. Tonight, she wore a worn wrapper over her muslin gown. The golden yellow accentuated her creamy skin and her wide green eyes. She had the bow tied high over her belly, and he’d never seen a more beautiful sight than Odessa Courtland.
“Sit down and let me check that wound.”
“It’s nothing to fuss over.” He shrugged off her concern. “It's barely a scratch.”
“That scratch made you pass out twice and bleed like a stuck pig.”
“It’s fine.”
“Just shut up, take your pants off, and let me check that leg.”
“You don’t need to...”
She put her hands on her hips. “Is it always so difficult to get you to take off your pants?”
He frowned. “Turn your back.”
She laughed. “I took them off you last night.”
“Maybe I’m shy.” He’d rather leave them on and let her wonder if he was attracted to her, rather than take them off and remove all doubt.
She laughed, held out her arms in surrender, and turned.
“Now, don’t you peek until I get under the quilt.”
She snickered and turned.
“You’re peeking!” He sat on her bed and pulled the quilt to his chin.
She walked toward him with the bandages and water. After placing the water on the side table, Dessa lit the half-melted candle in its tin holder. She perched on the edge of the bed, and he was struck again by her serene beauty
as she washed and inspected the red and swollen skin.
“It’s not looking infected.” Dessa set the water on the floor before she smeared a little unguent on the wound. “I’d say in a few days you’ll be fit as a fiddle.” Odessa wrapped the bandage around his thigh midway between groin and knee. With each round he was growing increasingly aware of the beautiful woman beside him. He wanted to reach out and touch that honey hair. He wanted to run his hand through its silky fullness. He wanted to untie that little bow and pull her onto the bed with him.
As if reading his thoughts, she lifted her gaze to meet his. Then she looked to his mouth, and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.
Never in her life had she wanted a man to notice her like she wanted Deke to notice her now. Was she making a fool of herself? He seemed interested. Maybe she was just some pitiful charity case on all counts.
He didn’t give her a chance to weigh all the options. His muscular arms snaked around her, and he pulled her closer to him. His lips nibbled at hers. “Open your mouth.”
“Wha...”
He forced her lips apart, and his tongue found hers. How could she think? She couldn’t. She just relaxed in his arms and molded to his form. His hungry mouth assaulted her senses in a way she’d never before experienced. Her breath grew shallow, a whimpering moan demanded more. He pulled her closer until she reclined in his arms.
Thousands of tiny prickles started at the back of her neck and traveled down her arms to stoke a growing heat deep inside her.
She needed to touch him and reached up to grasp his bicep, kneading his flesh under her hands. She moved from his arm to his chest. His muscles tensed and shuddered under her touch.
“Dessa.” His voice was choked.
She looked up to him.
“You’re driving me crazy.”
She whispered. “I’ve never been kissed like that in all my life.”
He pulled back and regarded her with a puzzled expression. “Like what?”
“With your tongue touching mine.”
“What?”
“It was beautiful.”
“You mean to tell me you’d never been properly kissed?” His voice was incredulous.
Down the Chimney Page 4
