She thought the day would never end. She was too nervous to eat much. She spent the evening in the parlor with her parents, pretending to read a book, though none of the words made sense. All she could think of was seeing Chase again, hearing his voice, feeling the touch of his hands in her hair, on her skin. Her pulse raced as she imagined kissing him again, making love to him again…
“Elizabeth, are you all right?”
“What? Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”
“You look flushed, dear. You’re not coming down with something, are you?”
“I might be. I do feel rather warm.” It wasn’t a lie, she thought. Thinking of Chase always made her temperature rise.
Theda Johnson stood up and crossed the room. She frowned as she placed her hand on Beth’s brow. “You do feel a trifle warm, dear. Perhaps you should go up to bed.”
“Yes, I think I will. Good night, Father. Mother.”
“Good night, Elizabeth,” her father said. “Sleep well.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Call me if you need anything,” Theda Johnson said.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”
“Of course,” Theda said, smiling. “I’ll have Dottie bring you a cup of tea to help you relax.”
“Thank you, Mother. Good night.”
Trying to look properly fatigued, Beth left the room and slowly climbed the stairs. Undressing, she slipped into bed, wishing she could make the hours pass faster. She drank the tea that Dottie brought her, extinguished the light and slid under the covers.
At ten, she heard her parents climb the stairs. Her mother opened her bedroom door and peeked inside. Satisfied that all was well, she closed the door.
Five minutes later, Beth sat up, drumming her fingertips on the counterpane. How long would it take for her parents to go to sleep? How long before it would be safe to sneak out of the house? How long would Chase wait for her?
When she couldn’t wait any longer, she stepped out of her nightgown and into a dress made of navy-blue wool. She didn’t bother with underwear or shoes. Barefooted, she tiptoed down the stairs and out of the house. Then, picking up her skirts, she ran toward the river.
* * * * *
Chase paced along the shore, wondering if she would come. It had been all he could do to keep from grabbing her that morning in church. Only Ryder’s whispered reminder that such a thing would only lead to more trouble had kept him from grabbing her and running away.
Ryder and Jenny had both urged him to be patient in hopes that Beth’s parents would come around. Chase knew they would never approve of him, knew that Ryder advised patience because Jenny was hoping everything could be resolved in such a way that Beth and Chase could stay in the valley. He could not blame her for that. In the last few days, he had come to realize that his mother was a warm and caring woman, that the decisions she had made in the past had been made because she loved him, and because she loved Ryder Fallon.
Life on the ranch would have been pleasant but for Dusty. Chase couldn’t blame his brother for being distant, for being resentful of the fact that Chase was living in the house, that Jenny seemed to go out of her way to make Chase feel at home. She cooked his favorite meals, made sure there were always sugar cookies in the cookie jar because Chase liked them…
The soft sound of footsteps interrupted his reverie and he whirled around, all his senses alert.
“Chase, where are you?”
“Over here.” He walked toward the sound of her voice. A moment later, she was in his arms.
“I missed you,” she said, running her hands over his face, down his arms.
“And I missed you.” He held her close, his hands moving restlessly over her back, absorbing her warmth, her nearness. She was here, in his arms, at last.
“Kiss me,” she whispered. “Kiss me, kiss me.”
Only too willing to oblige, he slanted his mouth over hers, his tongue sliding over her lower lip, exploring the soft inner recesses of her mouth. She tasted warm and sweet and familiar.
His hands cupped her buttocks, pressing her against him, letting her feel the heat of his arousal. “I want you.”
She nodded, too breathless to speak.
A long, shuddering sigh rippled through him as he swung her into his arms and carried her toward a blanket he had spread beneath a tree.
“It’s been so long,” he said, lowering her gently to the blanket.
“Too long,” Beth said. Impatient, she slid her hands under his shirt, wanting to touch him.
His hands trembled as he reached behind her to unfasten her dress. He gasped with surprise when his hands encountered bare flesh instead of the layers of underwear she usually wore.
“I was in a hurry,” Beth said. She removed his shirt, then reached for the fastening of his trousers. “I’m glad you don’t wear anything underneath.”
He groaned as her fingertips grazed him. “Beth.”
“I know.” She reached for him, drawing him down on top of her. “I know. Me, too. Kiss me, Chase, kiss me and never stop.”
He gazed into her eyes for a long moment, and then crushed her close, his breathing becoming ragged and uneven as she guided him home.
Chapter Twenty
It wasn’t until much later, when they were lying wrapped in each other’s arms, that Beth told Chase about Lester Harbaugh.
“What are we going to do?” she asked, snuggling closer to Chase.
“You will not marry him,” Chase said, his tone sharper than he intended. “You are my woman. My wife.”
Beth sighed. “I know, but I’m afraid my father will never let us be together.”
“Then we will leave here.”
“I told you we should never have come back.”
“I had hoped we could live here,” Chase said quietly. He stroked her hair, thinking how soft it was. “I had hoped to get to know my mother better. And my brother. And the sister I have not yet met…”
“That’s not possible now, is it?” Beth remarked. She propped up on one elbow and ran one finger along his jaw. “It’s all my fault. I’m sorry, Chase.”
Cupping her face in his hands, Chase gazed into Beth’s eyes, his expression solemn. He could live without his mother, without his brother and sister, but he would not want to live without Beth. He could not live without his heart, his soul.
“You mean more to me than anyone, or anything else, Beth,” he said fervently. “Never doubt that.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to look back and blame me for ruining your life.”
“It will not happen.” He brushed his thumbs over her lips, then kissed her tenderly. “I love you, Beth. You will be my mother, and my father, my sister and my brother. So long as I have you, I will need no one else.”
“Oh, Chase…” she murmured.
He kissed her again, and yet again, each kiss longer and more intense, until kisses weren’t enough. He needed to be a part of her, his body sheathed deep within her, needed to feel their hearts beating with one song, one rhythm, as their bodies and souls merged into one heart, one mind, one flesh.
Beth ran her hands over his back and shoulders, along his thighs, reveling in the hard, muscular strength of him, in the tender way he held her, and loved her. Her heart ached for the loneliness he had known, and she vowed that, as long as she lived, as long as there was breath in her body, he would never be lonely again.
She sobbed his name as the tension within her built to a crescendo, her nails raking his back, her arms holding him tight as wave after wave of ecstasy swept through her.
She felt him shudder convulsively as his life poured into her, warm and sweet and satisfying.
He held her close for a long while, one hand stroking her hair, as their breathing returned to normal and the sweat cooled on their heated flesh.
“When?” she asked later. “When should we leave?”
He wanted to take her away now, this minute, but first he must find a way to earn
some money. He could not take Beth into the hills and expect her to live in a cave. He needed money to provide for her until he could find a way to earn a living. Life had been so much easier in the old days, he thought morosely, when they could have lived off the land, when the buffalo would have provided all of life’s necessities: meat for food, hides for robes and clothing. The paunch could be used as a cook pot, the hair from the tail for thread, utensils could be made from the horn, glue from the hooves. Hide, hair, meat and bones, nothing had gone to waste.
But those days were forever gone. And Beth was not an Indian, but a white woman. She had not complained about the time they spent in Rainbow Canyon. She had not complained about sleeping on the hard ground, or cooking over an open fire, or washing in the river’s cold water, but he could not expect her to be happy living in such a way indefinitely. She was accustomed to living in a town, in a house. And a woman, whether red or white, appreciated the company of other women.
“I will ask Ryder if I can work for him,” Chase said. “At the end of October, we will leave this place and look for another.”
She didn’t want to wait that long, didn’t want to have to sneak out to meet Chase as if what they felt for each other was something shameful.
“I think we should go now,” Beth urged. “Tonight.”
Chase shook his head. “We will need money to live on until we find a place to stay. I will not come to you as a beggar.”
“Oh, all right. Maybe I can find a way to earn some money, too.”
Chase took a deep breath. “Tell me,” he whispered. “Tell me again that you love me.”
“I love you, Chase the Wind,” she said ardently. “Never doubt it for a minute.”
“You will tell me every day?”
“Every day.”
“We should go back,” Chase said.
Beth nodded. He was right. She had to get back home before she was missed. But she hated to leave him. “Tomorrow night?” she asked anxiously. “I’ll see you tomorrow night?”
“And every night,” he promised.
Reluctant to part, they dressed slowly, pausing now and then for a quick kiss, a tender caress.
When he couldn’t put it off any longer, Chase lifted Beth onto the back of his horse, vaulted up behind her and rode to the edge of town.
“Until tomorrow,” he murmured. Lifting the heavy fall of her hair, he pressed soft kisses to the nape of her neck.
“Tomorrow,” Beth said. Twisting around in the saddle, she kissed him, then slid to the ground. “I’ll miss you until then.”
Chase nodded. He watched her until she was out of sight, then reined his horse around and headed for home.
* * * * *
Dusty was sitting on the front porch when Chase rode up. Dismounting, Chase stood at the bottom of the steps, idly slapping the reins against his palm. “You are up late,” he remarked.
“So are you. Where’ve you been?”
It did not occur to him to lie. “With Beth.”
“You had no right to take her,” Dusty said. Rising, he walked to the porch rail and stared down at his brother. “She was my girl. I asked her to marry me.”
Chase shook his head. “She never said yes.”
“She never said no.” Dusty placed his hands on the railing, his fingers curling over the edge. “If you’d get the hell out of town, she’d be mine again.”
“No. She is mine.”
“Dammit, why the hell did you have to come here?”
Chase took a deep breath. Dusty’s words cut into him like a knife, sharp and painful.
“You had no right to come here, causing trouble. Dammit, I wish you’d just stayed the hell away.”
“Dusty, what are you saying?” Jenny stepped onto the porch, her voice taut with anger. “Chase has as much right here as you do.”
“The hell he does.”
“Dusty, I won’t have you talking to your mother like that,” Ryder said. Walking up behind Jenny, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’ll apologize right now.”
“I’m sorry,” Dusty muttered.
Jenny placed her hand on Dusty’s arm. “We’re a family,” she said. “All of us together.”
“How can you stick up for him? You don’t even know him.”
“But I want to. He’s my son, Dusty, as much as you are.”
“Dammit, he’s ruined my life.”
“That’s nonsense, and you know it,” Jenny said.
“Your mother’s right. I don’t think Ralph Johnson would let Beth marry you anymore than he’s going to let her marry Chase.”
“You don’t know that,” Dusty said brusquely. He glanced at his mother and father, his expression hard. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” He took a deep breath, let it out in a heavy sigh. “I’ll be moving into town in the morning.”
“Dusty, no!”
He shook his head. “I’m not staying here, with him.” Shaking off his mother’s hand, he went into the house and slammed the door.
“He is right,” Chase said. “I never should have come here.”
“Don’t say that!” Jenny exclaimed. Hurrying down the stairs, she reached out to Chase, wanting to touch him, but afraid he would rebuff her. “I’m glad you’re here, Chase,” she said, lowering her hand to her side. “Please don’t think of leaving.”
“This is Dusty’s home, not mine.”
“You’re wrong. You have as much right to be here as Dusty does, maybe more. I have a lot to make up to you, Chase. Please let me try.”
Marshalling her courage, Jenny took one of his hands in hers. His hand was large and brown and calloused. “Please don’t go. I can’t bear the thought of losing you again.”
“Your mother’s right,” Ryder added. “Your place is here. Please stay.”
They wanted him. The knowledge filled his heart, expanding, making him feel weak inside. He swallowed the lump rising in his throat, blinked back the tears he considered a weakness.
“Please, Chase?” Jenny implored softly. “We have so many years to make up for.”
“I will stay.” His mother’s hand, still holding his, felt warm and oddly familiar.
She smiled up at him, her green eyes luminous in the moonlight, and Chase knew why three men had loved her, had fought for her.
Standing on tiptoe, Jenny kissed his cheek. “Thank you. Son.” The last word was a caress wrapped in a whisper.
Chase nodded, then looked up at Ryder. “I would like to work for you.”
“You’re family. You don’t need to earn your keep.”
“I need a job,” Chase said, “a way to earn money for the future.”
Ryder nodded his understanding. “All right. You can start tomorrow, and I’ll pay you the same wages as I pay the other hands. Just one thing. I don’t want you to even think of paying room and board. This is your home, not a hotel.”
“Thank you.”
“Glad to do it. I could use a hand with the horses.”
“Well, that’s settled, then,” Jenny said. “Are you coming in, Chase? It’s late.”
“Not yet.”
“Well, good night, then.”
“Good night,
“‘Night, Son. And don’t worry. Everything will work out.”
“Will it?” Jenny asked as she followed Ryder down the hall to their bedroom. “Work out, I mean?”
“I hope so, Jenny girl. Hey, cheer up, Dorinda will home in a couple of weeks.”
Jenny nodded. At least there was one good thing to look forward to.
* * * * *
The next morning, Dusty was gone. In spite of all that his mother and Ryder had said the night before, Chase couldn’t shake off the guilt that plagued him. He had never meant to cause trouble for his mother. He’d only wanted to learn why she had left him, nothing more. He had planned to confront her, and then leave. But that was before he met Jenny. Before he met Beth.
Jenny and Ryder had tr
ied to put him at ease during breakfast, assuring him that Dusty would be back.
“His pride’s hurt, that’s all,” Ryder had said. “It’s not easy to think the girl you love prefers another man.”
“Especially when that man is your brother,” Chase had muttered bitterly.
“Finish your coffee, cowboy,” Ryder had said, slapping him on the back. “We’ve got work to do.”
Sitting on top of a bucking bronc was exactly what he’d needed, Chase thought later that day. There was no time to think about Dusty or Beth or anything else, not when you were sitting on top of a thousand pounds of bucking horse whose only goal was to dislodge you from its back.
Once or twice, Ryder had stopped by to watch him, always with an encouraging word. At midday, Jenny had called them in for supper. She hummed softly as she filled their plates, smiled often. If she was upset about Dusty moving out, she didn’t say so.
He had worked the rough string until dusk, then cleaned up for dinner.
Now, sitting at the table, he found himself looking at the clock again and again, counting the hours and minutes until he could see Beth again.
After dinner, he followed Ryder and Jenny into the parlor. Jenny sat on the sofa, mending one of Ryder’s shirts. Ryder sat beside her, muttering under his breath as he went over the ranch accounts.
Too restless to sit, Chase stood up and paced the floor.
“Something wrong?” Jenny asked.
“No,” Chase said. “I am not used to being inside so much, I guess.”
“I imagine you’ll be going out for a ride later on,” Ryder remarked.
“Yes.”
Ryder met Chase’s gaze. “Be careful out there in the dark.”
“Of course he’ll be careful. For goodness sakes, Ryder, he’s a grown man…” Jenny’s voice trailed off. “You’re meeting Beth on the sly, aren’t you?” she asked.
Chase nodded.
“Do you think that’s wise?” Jenny asked.
Chase arched one brow in wry amusement. “What would you do?”
Chase the Wind (Apache Runaway Book 2) Page 19
