"See you tomorrow!" Josh shouted, swinging himself up into his saddle. "And don't fret none. I'll be as sober as you!"
Melanie grabbed for Shane's hand and wrapped her fingers around it. "Tomorrow, darling," she said softly. "Tomorrow."
Chapter Twenty-eight
The moon spiraled its light through Shane's bedroom window, silvering Shane's bare back as he lay above Melanie, gazing down at her, smiling softly. "You smell of many wonderful things," he whispered. "Like spring rain, like the sweetness of milk. The bath we shared after our long day of work is something that I would like to repeat, often. Once we are married, this is the way I would like to end every day. Sharing a bath with you, then licking your skin dry with my eager tongue."
"Shane, that's shameful," Melanie whispered, smoothing his damp hair back from his brow.
"What's shameful?"
"That you wish to lick my skin dry after our baths," she said, giggling.
"Are you saying that you did not enjoy it?"
"You know that I did," she murmured.
"That is all that matters," he said, watching her expression as he gently stroked her leg, behind her knees, and her calves, the sureness of his caress firing her desire.
Melanie bit her lower lip to stifle a cry of ecstasy when Shane's fingers teased a circle around her belly, up to her breasts, just missing the nipples, then made his way down her body again, until he reached her throbbing center.
As he began to stroke her hardening flesh, Melanie caught her breath, not daring to breathe. With quick, eager fingers he brought her almost over the edge into total ecstasy.
Then he braced himself with his arms, his hands catching Melanie's, holding them slightly above her. He kissed her eyes and nose, every place that he could reach. A white heat traveled through the sinews of his thighs and across his back, and he was unable to hold back any longer. He pressed his mouth to her parted lips and kissed her hotly as he plunged his hardness inside her and began his eager thrusts.
His loins were aflame. His heart was beating wildly.
Great surges of warmth flooded through Melanie. Her hands moved to Shane's buttocks. She splayed her fingers across his tight flesh and enjoyed the muscled feel of him as he stroked within her. Her hips responded, thrusting toward him. Each of his strokes promised more, assuring fulfillment. Tremors cascaded down her back. She shivered.
And then it felt as though she were filled with some great, warm light as a rush of ecstasy claimed her. Shane drew his lips away and burrowed his face between her breasts, groaning as his body spasmed and his own joy peaked.
Afterwards, they lay next to each other, pressing tightly together. Melanie caressed the long line of Shane's back and trailed her fingers over his buttocks, then encircled them around his velvet-textured shaft. It still pulsed, as though alive. She slowly caressed it, eliciting a moan of pleasure from Shane as he breathed hotly against her cheek.
"If only things were better between you and Josh," Melanie said, sighing. She looked at the deck of cards that lay on the floor beside the bed. "But I'm glad about one thing. I'm glad you are having a duel with cards instead of guns!"
Shane leaned away from Melanie and reached for his cards. He sat up and began shuffling them. "It's going to be interesting, Melanie," he said, chuckling. "My brother soon will learn that his smugness is misplaced."
"I doubt if he will ever change," Melanie said, shaking her head. "Since boyhood he's been impossible. I truly believe it will take more than a game of poker to make him change."
"Whether it does or not, at least one main decision will be reached," Shane said, stacking the cards. "Only one of us will own the farm. That seems to be the sole problem here. Josh does not want to share in the ownership, though I cannot understand why. It is a large farm. There is so much land, so many cattle! Sharing is in my blood.
I learned to share from the Chippewa. Did they not share with me after rescuing me from the forest? They shared their liveseverything!"
"Until Gray Falcon became chief?" Melanie asked, touching Shane gently on the arm as he lay down beside her again.
"Until Gray Falcon," Shane grumbled.
"If only we never had to leave this bedroom," Melanie whispered, melting inside as Shane moved his lips to her breast and nibbled at the nipple with his teeth. "There would be no problems and sorrow. Only wonderful joy, Shane. Wouldn't it be heavenly?"
"You're worrying about what your brother is thinking about you staying the night with me, aren't you?" Shane asked, leaning up on an elbow and looking down at her.
Melanie rose to a sitting position and drew a blanket up around her. With a forefinger, she began tracing the lines of the moonlight across the bear pelt beside her. "I don't worry too much about what Terrance says or thinks anymore," she said sadly. "Shane, since father's death, Terrance has changed. I hardly know him."
She swallowed hard. "I sometimes blame myself," she said, her voice strained. "Perhaps if I weren't so strong-minded, so bullheaded. Perhaps I should just step back and let him run things as he sees fit."
She looked at Shane. "But that could prove hazardous. The way he drinks . . ."
A strange sort of reddish-orange glow wavering along the ceiling drew Melanie's attention, causing
her words to die on her lips. She moved slowly to her knees, the blanket falling away from her. "Shane, do you see?"
Shane was already on his feet and drawing on his breeches. "Damn it," he growled. "Something outside is on fire."
Horses whinnying and longhorns bellowing drew Melanie's eyes quickly to the window. She jumped up from the pallet of furs and rushed to it. She gasped and placed her hands to her throat. "Shane, it's the stable!" she cried. "It's on fire! Flames are shooting from the sides!"
When there was no response from Shane, Melanie turned around in a jerk and discovered that he was gone. Her heart pounding, she rushed into her skirt and blouse, but didn't take the time to yank on her boots. She hurried from the room, down the stairs, and outside.
The sight of the fire in its full capacity momentarily rendered her numb. When she caught sight of Shane racing from the burning building, shooing horses from inside it, she broke into a mad run and joined him. Her feet stung as she stepped onto falling, burning debris. Her lungs ached from the smoke. Her eyes burned.
But still she worked earnestly alongside Shane, fighting the smoke and fire until all of the horses were rescued.
Afterwards, they stood disconsolately as they watched the fire rage out of control. Flames burst through the roof, then spiraled like orange streamers of satin against the dark velvet sky of night.
"If only the cowhands hadn't left," Melanie
said, her voice hoarse from the smoke. "The stable could have been saved."
"My new cowhands will build another," Shane said flatly.
"But it's so horrible!" Melanie cried.
"In my lifetime I have learned to accept many losses," Shane said, his voice drawn. "So shall I learn to accept many more. That is what life is all about, Melanie. Gains and losses."
He slipped an arm about her waist. He looked down at her through singed eyelashes. "My loss tonight is nothing in comparison with my recent gain," he said. "You are the most favored gain of all!"
Melanie leaned into his embrace and sighed languorously. "Darling, that is so sweet," she said, sighing. "I just wish that I could do something to help find the one responsible for all of your misfortune. But how?"
"You have already done enough in my behalf," Shane said, drawing away from her. "And I can never thank you enough for it."
"Never do you have to thank me for anything," Melanie said, looking devotedly up at him. "I do everything with love."
"I couldn't ask for anything more than that, now could I?" he said, gently cupping her chin in the palm of his hand. Then he looked past her, into the gloom of night.
"The horses have scattered," he said in a low growl. "I had best see to them."
He went to his horse and mo
unted, Melanie following along after him. "Melanie, it would be
best if you went on home," he said. "It's going to take a good portion of the night for me to round up the horses and get the longhorns settled down."
"I could help," Melanie said, firming her chin as she looked up at him.
"You've done enough," Shane said, circling his reins around his fingers. "Go home and clean up." He looked down at her bare feet. "Doctor your feet. I'm sure they got burned."
Melanie nodded; her feet were stinging. "I was foolish not to have taken time to put my boots on," she said, lifting one foot and slowly rubbing the sole. "But you needed me. Some horses may have died had I not helped you as quickly as I did."
"I'll see you bright and early in the morning," Shane said, wheeling his horse around. "Nothing is going to stand in the way of that poker game."
"No, nothing," Melanie said. She smiled and waved at Shane as he rode away from her. Then she climbed into her buggy that she had not yet taken time to separate from her horse before she and Shane had gotten carried away in their bath and lovemaking.
Shoeless, too bone-tired to go back inside Shane's house to get her boots, she directed her buggy around and drove away. She looked across the pasture, only barely able to make out Shane on his horse in the darkness. Her heart went out to him. Would his troubles ever end?
Her face smudged with black ash, her lashes singed, Melanie entered her house, limping. Her
feet stinging, she climbed the stairs slowly. When she got to the second floor landing, she stopped and looked at Terrance's door. It was closed. Was he already in bed? Somehow that didn't fit Terrance's personality these days. He had become a night owl, boozing it up, gambling and more than likely lifting many a woman's skirts way into the night.
Curiosity getting the best of her, Melanie opened Terrance's door. The splash of light pouring into his room from the wall sconces in the corridor revealed that her brother was in bed. She shrugged and started to leave, but stopped short when a faint aroma of smoke wafted across the room from where her brother lay.
Melanie sniffed, then felt blood rush to her face as rage filled her. She caught sight of a boot sticking out from beneath Terrance's blanket where the blanket had slipped away from the slick leather. She could even see a portion of his breeches leg! The scalawag was still dressed and very obviously feigning sleep! There could be only one explanation. Didn't the aroma of smoke in the room condemn him? He had not been caught at the scene of the crime, but he was no less guilty of it! Terrance was responsible for the fire at Shane's farm! He had more than likely returned home only shortly before Melanie. When he had heard her arrive, he had felt trapped and had fled to bed fully clothed just in case she stopped at his room to question him!
Melanie's gaze was drawn to another object that lay in the path of the candles' golden lightthe
barrel of one of Terrance's pistols as it lay on the table beside his bed!
Perfect! Melanie thought to herself, smiling devilishly as she began tiptoeing across the wooden floor. Absolutely perfect!
Her fingers did not tremble at all when she picked up the pistol. It was as steady as her heartbeat, for she was determined to get answers out of her brother, no matter what she had to do to achieve it. He would realize her absolute devotion to Shane when he discovered the pistol thrust into his back.
Never would he forget it, either!
Bending over Terrance, Melanie was aware of his forced, shallow breathing, absolute proof that he knew she was there, only pretending to be asleep for her benefit! He surely thought that she would take one look at him and leave. Never would he expect her to do otherwise!
As she bent down closer to him, an overpowering aroma of smoke rose up into her nostrils. The evidence was there, so strong, he could not deny it.
''Terrance, you aren't fooling anyone any longer, about anything," Melanie said, placing the barrel of the pistol square between his shoulder blades. When he jumped with alarm, she held her hand firm, not letting the pistol waver one inch away from him. "Now you're going to tell me everything. Do you hear? You can't wiggle your way out of this one, you snake! Lord, Terrance, you set the fire tonight. Admit it!"
"Melanie, damn it, what do you think you're doing?" Terrance asked, sweat pearling his brow.
"Move that gun away from me. You don't know enough about firearms. That fool thing'll go off before you know it."
"Perhaps that would be best," Melanie said, her voice finally quavering. "Terrance, all along you've been the one doing those terrible things to Shane. How could you? Don't you know that you could go to jail if he chose to bring charges against you?"
"Melanie, I don't know what you're talking about," Terrance said, giving her a glance over his shoulder. "You didn't see me tonight. You're mistaken. I've been here all night. You should be proud of me. I'm stone sober!"
"Terrance, tonight I would rather have caught you drunk than here in bed fully clothed, lying through your teeth," Melanie said, easing the pistol away from him. She lay it aside and sank down into a chair. "Terrance, the more you lie to me, the more disillusioned I get about you."
She raised her eyes and glared at him as he lit a kerosene lamp at his bedside.
"Terrance, can't you smell yourself?" Melanie snapped. "You reek of smoke. You know why. I know why. It's no use lying about it."
Terrance's eyes wavered. "All right, so I was there tonight," he finally admitted. "I did start the fire. I had to! I'm damn sick of waiting for Shane to get his fill and leave! God! You'd think he'd have given up long ago. But don't put the full blame on me. If Shane decides to press charges, I won't take the full rap alone. Someone else was in on it."
"Terrance, what are you saying?" Melanie gasped. "Who are you talking about? Don't tell me that you and Josh"
Terrance interrupted. "No," he said, fidgeting with his mustache. "It wasn't Josh. He didn't have the guts to help me." He cleared his throat nervously and gave Melanie a half glance. "It was Trapper Dan. The man Shane hates with a vengeance."
Melanie blanched, finding this all almost too hard to comprehend. Then she rose quickly to her feet and stood over Terrance, her hands on her hips. "How could you?" she stormed. "How could you be in cohoots with such a vile man? And why was he willing to help you? How on earth did you ever get acquainted with him?"
"I met him in a saloon."
"And?"
"We got to talking."
"And?"
"The trapper was eager to make some extra money. So I agreed to pay him if he'd help me rid the area of Shane Brennan."
"Did you tell him of Shane's acquaintance with him?"
"Yeah."
"So?"
"This made him more than eager to see Shane leave the area. Shane is also a threat to him!"
"Oh, Terrance," Melanie cried, clenching her hands into tight fists. "Shane is no threat to anyone! Why can't you see that?"
"He is a threat to everything I had planned for
my future," Terrance said. "To our future, Melanie. Everything has changed since his arrival. Everything."
"Things can't always go the way you want," Melanie said, looking down at Terrance, hearing in his voice the small boy she could remember from so long ago.
A part of her was softening toward him. Another part still almost wanted to kill him! "You can't control other people's lives, other people's destinies, as if you were God," she said. "You have to learn to bend, to share. If you weren't so blind, you'd see that you are the only reason for the confusion these past weeksnot Shane!"
"So what do you plan to do about all of this?" Terrance asked, raking his fingers through his hair again. "Are you going to tell Shane? Are you going to turn me in to the authorities?
"Nonot just yet, anyhow," Melanie said, sighing deeply.
"Then what?" Terrance asked.
"You're going to take me tonight and show me where the trapper lives," Melanie said, frowning down at Terrance. "Then I shall go and see what I can do about him mys
elfbut after tomorrow. I've something else planned for tomorrow."
"Oh? And what's so important about tomorrow?" Terrance asked. "But, of course, it has to do with Shane, doesn't it? Doesn't everything you do anymore?"
"Yes, it has to do with Shane," Melanie said.
"Anything you'd like to tell me about?"
"Shane and Josh are meeting for a duel."
"What?" Terrance gasped.
Melanie laughed. "Not with guns," she explained. "With cards. They are playing a game of poker. The winner will get everything. The farm. The house. The land. The cattle. Everything. That will settle their differences once and for all!"
"Well, I'll be damned," Terrance drawled.
"As for you, Terrance?" Melanie said, "you're going to show me where Trapper Dan lives. And then you're going to clear out. I'll talk to our lawyer soon and see how the inheritance can be divided up. You will get your share. But you won't live under the same roof with me any longer. I don't trust you. I'll hire someone to look after my interests."
Terrance bolted to his feet. "You can't do that!" he gasped.
"You just watch me," Melanie said, firming her chin.
"I won't let you."
"If you try to stop me I guess I'll have to go to the sheriff and tell him that my brother is guilty not only of burning his neighbor's stable, but also of stampeding his cattle." She paused and smiled smugly down at him. "Need I go on?"
"Melanie, I never thought you had it in you," Terrance said, shaking his head. "You'd do this to your own brother? What'd Pop think if he were alive?"
"If only he were," Melanie said, sighing. "None of this would ever have happened. He would have had his eye on you all along. He'd have known you were up to no good that very first night! I sus-
pected it. I should have acted on it as Pop would have done. But I wanted to think the best of you, Terrance. I was wrong to."
"What can I do to make you change your mind?" Terrance asked in almost a whine. "The farm is my life! I can't leave!"
"Your twisted love for power got you where you are today," Melanie said, walking toward the door. "As I see it, there's nothing you can do to make me change my mind."
When Passion Calls Page 26
