by Paty Jager
His hands untied the string of her drawers and gently pushed them to the ground at her feet. She stepped out and stood completely naked before him.
“You’re so beautiful.” Gil took her in his arms. His head lowered. His soft lips captured hers. Tremors of need shook her as she pressed against him.
He pulled his duster around her, drawing her body into his cocoon of security. His hands stayed on the outside of the coat holding her close as his lips trailed down her neck.
Darcy tipped her head back, allowing him to continue his downward ascent. She knocked his hat to the ground when it hit her in the forehead. Hooking her arms around his neck, she pulled her body up to wrap her legs around his waist.
“When I first laid eyes on you, I’d have never guessed you were a girl.” He nipped at her breast. “But now I don’t know how I missed it.” He grinned and walked to the water’s edge.
“What’re you doing?” She asked, looking behind her at the crystal clear water.
“I brought you here for a bath.”
Darcy looked at his dark eyes and saw mischief brewing, sure as coffee. “You wouldn’t?”
He cocked an eyebrow and threw her out into the cold lake.
She came up sputtering and spewing as the cold water bit at her skin like bee stings.
“I’ll get you for that!” she screamed, flopping onto her back and kicking vigorously to keep the blood circulating. She remembered Pa telling her one time when they were snowshoeing by a stream that if she fell in to kick off the shoes and keep kicking her legs to keep her blood moving so she didn’t freeze before he could pull her out.
Guilt batted the thoughts out of her head. She swam bare naked in a lake while a man stood on shore watching. Her father and mother would be mortified. And what of the night she and Gil shared? Guilt vanished, remembering the long kisses and body heating interludes. Something that good couldn’t be wrong.
She cast a glance to the bank. Gil wasn’t there. She stopped splashing with her legs, letting them drift to the bottom of the lake and scanned the area.
Her teeth clanked together as they chattered from the body numbing cold. Where could he have gone? The saddlebags were on the sand where he’d dropped them. He must have gone looking for something for them to eat while she got cleaned up. Darcy scrubbed at the soot on her face and worked her fingers through her hair, untangling twigs.
Her legs became tired from staying afloat. She worked her way back to the shore. Just as the muddy bottom squished between her toes something caught her around the waist dragging her back into the lake.
Darcy tried to scream, but the arm around her waist pushed all the air out of her lungs.
“Don’t fight me.” Gil’s voice was soft and seductive.
“You nearly scared me to death,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Sorry, I had to make sure no one was around before I took off my gun.” He spun her in his arms. The look of adoration in his eyes whisked her irritation away like a leaf in an autumn breeze. He made a path over her face and down her neck with the tips of his fingers. His touch sent delicious shivers through her, culminating at her tingling nipples. Looking down, she found the dark circles peaked.
Gil placed his hands under her arms and raised her out of the water, capturing a nipple with his mouth. He suckled. The warmth of his mouth and nibbling on her sensitive peaks sparked her body to life. She gripped his hair, moving his hungry mouth from one breast to the next. The sensations of the warm and cold drew sighs of wonder from her.
He lowered her, dropping wet open-mouthed kisses up her neck to her mouth. She clung to his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. In doing so, she rubbed his hardness. The feel of him against her center aroused her even more.
Darcy wasn’t cold anymore. The water lapped around her, caressing and cooling as Gil’s touch fanned a fire deep within her. She moaned in pleasure when his hands massaged her bottom and his fingers found her hot center. She wiggled and squirmed as his skilled fingers rubbed the spot that sent waves of sensations scorching through her body.
She opened her eyes when he raised her up and slowly lowered her onto his engorged member. This coupling and his touch brought her happiness. Something this right couldn’t be wrong. She starred into Gil’s eyes as he thrust, deeper and deeper until a burst of white light and spasms of heat rocked her body.
He growled her name and grasped her head in his hands, kissing her with reverence. Her weary legs shook as she clung to him, savoring the sweet kisses and love making.
Her legs were spent from running and treading the water. When she started slipping from his hold, Gil carried her from the lake. The water ran down their bodies as the evening air brought goose flesh to their skin. She pressed against him, using his body warmth to stave off the cool breeze.
He carried her to the saddlebags and his pile of clothes. Kneeling, he settled her on his duster he had thoughtfully spread out before he joined her in the lake.
The grin he bestowed upon her, before sprawling on the coat beside her, was one tooth short of lecherous, but it made her heart hum.
“Jeremy’s going to wonder where we are,” she said, trailing a finger down his chest and toying with the hair at the base of his enlarging manhood.
“He’ll make camp and wait. He knows you’re in good hands.” A smile that looked like he’d won a large poker pot lit up his face.
“I’ll say.” She took him in her hands and massaged.
Gil groaned and studied her, his lips quivered between a smile and not trying to smile. “You could barely hang on in the lake and now you want more?”
“I don’t have to hang on here.” She moved her hands over his stomach, up his smooth chest, and stopped when she ran her hands through the hair on his head. Clutching his curls, she gently drew his head to her breasts.
Gil smiled mischievously and nipped her rosebud colored areola. Darcy squirmed as the sensations swept through her once more. He suckled until she arched her hips, begging him to enter.
He tipped her onto her back. Darcy welcomed him with spread legs and a smile. His work worn fingers ran through the thatch of hair where her legs joined, touching the spot that sent vibrations humming through her body. She squirmed and arched, wanting him.
Gil knelt between her legs, lifting her hips up to meet him.
“Please,” she whispered, seeing in his eyes he wanted to give her as much as she gave him.
Their gazes locked as he entered. His fullness and uncensored emotions filled Darcy with sentiments she’d long ago thought were lost to her.
She shuddered and arched as rivers of warmth and light surged through her body. Peering into the eyes of the man she loved, she knew no matter what happened after today, she would never love another.
When she thought she couldn’t withstand any more sensations he plunged, sending his seed deep. His dazed look and sweaty brow made her smile. She reached up, pushing the hair from his eyes.
He was so beautiful. She’d never thought of a man as being beautiful until now. A sheen of sweat accented his muscles and dotted his upper lip. She rose up to him and licked the sweat from his lip before kissing him with all the fervor of her emotions.
Pulling back, she peered into his eyes. They drooped from weariness, but held—was that a spark of love?
“Come here.” He ran his fingers through her hair and drew her lips to his. The kiss was long and sweet. Reluctantly, he pulled away.
“When we get done chasing Craven, and I bring Pete back to the ranch, will you come with me?”
Darcy stared at him as the meaning of his words sunk in. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked into his sincere face. There was one thing wrong with his request. He hadn’t said what she desperately needed to hear.
Chapter 16
“What about Jeremy?”
“What about him? He can come with us.” Gil rolled Darcy onto her back and straddled her body. He held her hands above her head and looked down into her earnest
gray eyes. She had to say ‘yes’. He’d never met another woman he couldn’t get enough of.
“I don’t know what you do. How would we live?”
His gaze trailed over her face, drinking in the small nose, frown wrinkles on her forehead and back down to the straight line of her mouth. He’d thought her to be too impetuous for her own good, but now as she contemplated the future with him, she took her time rolling the ideas over. Maybe if he gave her a little more about his past, she’d come around to his way of thinking.
“I’m a cow hand. I’ve been working a ranch out of Baker City for a little over a year. The owner told me if I brought Pete back to the ranch, I’d have the foreman’s job.” A brief flicker of apprehension flashed in her eyes.
He hurried to add. “I’m sure the boss wouldn’t mind if I brought you and your brother. Jeremy could work the cows with me. You could cook for the hands.” Darcy glared at him and struggled to free her hands. He could tell by her contorted face he’d said something wrong.
“Who says I want to be a cook for a bunch of ranch hands? Maybe I want to work with the cows, too.”
He looked into her furious face and pressed his lips together. If she even saw him smile, his chances of getting her to come along were over. He couldn’t see her dogging a calf twice her size. It just wasn’t possible.
“Okay, you don’t want to cook. I’m sure the boss could find other work for you. There are lots of things that need done on a big place.” He leaned down, kissing her set jaw and working his way up her temple and down the center of her face. His lips touched hers and all sense of place and time fell away. He reveled in her delicate, sweet taste, clean scent, and silky skin. Releasing her hands, he slid his fingers through her hair and held her small head in his hands like a cherished object. He would never get enough of her.
He knew when her anger melted. Her arms wound around his neck, and her breasts pushed against his chest as she rose up to mold her hot body to his. He moaned and pulled away from the kiss.
He wanted her. The hardened length of his manhood ached. He looked into her eyes. They gleamed with knowledge of his excited state.
“We need to talk, not—” He groaned as she took him in her hands. As much as he enjoyed her hands on him, he wasn’t going to get side tracked again, like the night Darcy was kidnapped. Just thinking about what could have happened to her at the hands of Craven and the outlaws dampened his ardor.
He grasped her hands, holding them to his lips.
“We really need to talk,” he said, looking at her over their entwined fingers. She sighed, and her body relaxed. He pulled her onto his lap and held her.
“Would you and Jeremy go with me to the ranch?”
“What about your brothers?” She turned in his arms and stared into his eyes.
“What about them? They’ve been out of my life for a long time.”
“Where do they live? And when can I meet them?”
What was her interest in his family? “Why do you want to meet them? You’ll be living with me not them.” He didn’t like speaking about his family or even thinking of them. It was a wound he didn’t believe could ever be healed.
“They’re your family. And if we are married…” Her eyebrow arched.
Gil looked at her. Did she think he meant marriage when he said he wanted her with him? Of course. What an idiot! A girl like Darcy would not stay with him unless it was binding in the eyes of God and the law. He ran a hand over his face.
He wanted her. Was what he felt for her enough to marry her? And he supposed she’d insist his brothers be at the wedding. She believed too much in family. He wasn’t even sure where they all were. Two to three could still be working the old mine his pa started.
She pulled away, but he held on hugging her tight. “Where are you going?” he asked, turning her face to look into her eyes. He saw hurt and sadness in the gray orbs.
“You weren’t talking about marriage a minute ago were you?” Her mouth twitched. “You thought I was the type of girl to follow you anywhere and slip into your bed when you asked.”
“No! You aren’t that kind of woman. I know that. I just hadn’t thought as far as marriage.” He kissed the salty tears sliding down her cheeks. “There are lots of things we need to talk about.”
“You can’t drag Jeremy and me around with you if you don’t get the foreman job. I don’t want to travel anymore. I want to stay in one place.” She looked at him, disappointment in her eyes. “I can’t marry you if you’re uncertain where you’ll be. Jeremy needs a secure place to grow up.” She looked into his eyes. “I need a secure place.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m tired of always looking for a meal and a place to sleep.”
A knot lodged in his gut. She’d been torn out of a loving family and had to battle with her wits to keep she and her brother fed and safe. He knew she was tired of always being strong and dependable. It was time she had someone take care of her.
“Even if I don’t get the foreman’s job, I could stay on as a hand and still work toward that position.” He leaned down and kissed her nose. “I just wasn’t ready to take root anywhere, till now.”
She smiled and turned her head to wipe her tears on her arm.
“You’re sure they’d welcome Jeremy and me?”
“They would welcome my wife.” He hugged her tight and kissed her, trying to push away all her insecurities.
Darcy pulled out of the kiss. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of ranch hands being married. Don’t you all sleep in one building?” She didn’t like the idea of spending their evenings under the watchful eyes of the other men and her brother.
“I’ll worry about that if I don’t get Pete back home.” He took her head in his hands and captured her lips.
Darcy poured all her longing for the man and her need for security into the kiss. Her doubts, her fears, and her love for the man holding her, all whirled around inside of her. Could he give up the rambling life? Was it something she wanted to risk their happiness on?
His soft lips moved to her cheeks, dropping wet kisses across her face. She melted into his arms, willing her niggling thoughts aside.
“Where do your brothers live?” He stiffened then relaxed.
“Why are you so set on knowing all about my brothers?”
“They are a part of you. If I’m to marry you, I want to know all about your past. They are a part of that.” He flinched at the mention of his past. She knew he harbored guilt over the deaths of his parents. She knew it was unfounded and most likely so did his brothers. The only way to prove it to him was to get him and his brothers together.
“I don’t know for sure where they are. Some could still be working my pa’s mine. It’s near Sumpter.” He lifted her chin. “We’re not that far away. If it means that much to you, we could swing by there on our way to Baker City.”
Her stomach fluttered with excitement. He was taking her to see his brothers. It was a start. He cared enough to make her happy and sacrifice his own unease.
“Hey! What!” Jeremy walked out of the bushes to their left.
Gil rolled covering Darcy with the duster and grabbing his gun.
“I’ve been waiting for you, and you’re out here messing with my sister.” Her brother stood several feet away his hands fisted at his sides.
“I told you to set up camp,” Gil said through clenched teeth.
“I did. Then you two didn’t come. I thought Craven may have you again, so I backtracked and followed your trail.” He looked at Darcy. Her heart sunk when she saw the look of disgust on his face.
“Jeremy, it ain’t what you think. Gil asked me to marry him.” Her gaze faltered as she muttered, “sort of.” Her brother looked at her like she was vile.
“You think that would matter to Pa, if he’d found you like this?”
“I’ve done nothing wrong. I love Gil, and we’ll marry. Maybe not fast enough for you or Pa, but it will happen.” She stood, pulling the duster around her. “You’re not my keepe
r. I’m a grown woman, and I’ll do what I want when I want.” She stepped toward him, and he backed up.
“Turn around and I’ll get dressed. We’ll go back to camp with you.”
He reluctantly turned then spun back around.
“What about him?” Jeremy pointed to Gil who sat naked on the ground watching them.
Darcy motioned for Gil to turn around. He rolled his eyes, but did as she asked. Darcy tugged on her drawers and opened the saddlebags. She pulled out a pair of Levis and a big shirt which hung to her knees. Tucking the shirt into the Levis helped hold them up. When she was sufficiently covered, she tossed Gil his clothes and smiled.
He smiled back and dressed quickly.
“Let’s go.” Darcy looked at the charred dress lying on the bank of the lake. Remembering her bath in Olive Lake would always bring good memories. Why she needed a bath made her shudder.
Jeremy scowled at them when Gil flung his saddlebags over his shoulder and took her hand. She indicated for Jeremy to head out.
They walked along in silence. Jeremy in the front, his shoulders slumped and footsteps decidedly heavy. Darcy was sorry he found her and Gil like that, but he had no business bringing up Pa. She’d taken care of the two of them for a long time. What she did was her business and no one else’s.
Gil squeezed her hand and raised it to his lips. The familiar tingle started at the point of his kiss and traveled through her body. How could anything that made her feel so alive be wrong? Surely, Pa would understand.
Is this what her parents had felt for one another? She thought hard about the two. What she could remember gave her a warm feeling. They had cared for one another and through their love for one another and made her and Jeremy feel loved. That was what she wanted for her children. She looked at the man holding her hand.
He looked straight ahead, his dark eyes watching Jeremy’s back. The hat covering his dark hair rode low on his brow, hiding his eyes from most. Because of her height, she could look under the brim and see the emotions creasing his face. Just looking at him made her heart beat faster. Was this the man she should give her life to? The thought of waking up every morning in his arms made her feet step lighter.
