She turned slightly toward him. He was standing and she was sitting and her eyes were level with the blunt ridge that stood out starkly against the fly of his jeans. She stared for a moment before she reached out a finger and traced the length of his arousal. Down. And then up.
She heard him swallow.
“Princess…”
She dropped her hand and said, “Yes, I’d like a cup of coffee. Thanks…Cowboy.”
She turned back to the computer and began typing again. She could feel him standing there a moment longer, then heard his swift tread as he escaped the room and the sexual tension between them. Belinda couldn’t help smiling when Faron was gone, pleased with the success of her plan. At this rate he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.
She was surprised the next morning over the breakfast table when he said, “What would you think about having a party to meet the neighbors?”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” Maddy responded.
Belinda grimaced. She hadn’t seen much of her neighbors since the disastrous party nearly six years ago when Wayne had publicly accused her of being a cold woman in bed. It was shortly after he had begun taking the heart medicine that had made him impotent. He had been drunk and had taken out his anger and frustration on her in the most publicly humiliating way possible. She wasn’t sure she was ready to face any of those people ever again.
Maddy’s enthusiasm was hard to stop. “I’ll take care of the invitations,” she said. “It’s about time we had some music and laughter around here.”
“But Maddy—” Belinda protested. “We’re too busy to take time for a party.”
“Nonsense. Rue and I will take care of everything. All you’ll have to do is show up.” She turned and beamed a smile at Faron. “I’m looking forward to showing off my grandson.”
What could Belinda say to that?
Faron could see Belinda was less than enthusiastic about the party, but he didn’t know why. But he decided that if she didn’t want to confront her neighbors he wasn’t going to force her into it, no matter what Maddy wanted. “We don’t have to have a party, Princess. Just say the word and the plans will stop.”
Belinda met Faron’s concerned gaze, and if she hadn’t already been in love with him she would have fallen for him then. He could have no idea why she didn’t want to confront her neighbors. Yet he had been aware enough of her distress to respond to it, and in such a way that her needs and desires came before his own.
She smiled and reached out a hand to cover his where it lay on the table. “The party’s a good idea. It’s high time we said hello again to our neighbors.”
Faron’s hand turned under hers, and he lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. “Whatever you want, Princess.”
What Belinda wanted in that moment was to go upstairs to bed. She blushed furiously at the thought, causing Maddy to chuckle and Faron’s lids to droop lazily as he met the stark look of need in her eyes.
Abruptly he dropped her hand and stood. “Got work to do in the barn. See you later.”
A moment later Maddy and Belinda were alone at the table.
“I’ll be surprised if our neighbors accept an invitation to a party at King’s Castle,” Belinda said to Maddy. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Belinda kept her eyes lowered to hide her pain as she admitted, “I’m afraid to face people after the insulting things Wayne said in public about our personal life.”
“I don’t think anyone ever blamed you for the way Wayne acted the last years of his life. It was plain to see that he wasn’t well.”
“I hope you’re right,” Belinda muttered. But she looked forward to the coming party with a feeling of dread.
The days before the party passed with unbelievable speed. Too soon Belinda found herself dressing with care for a party she had no desire to attend. When Faron knocked on her bedroom door to ask if she was ready to go downstairs she opened the door and said, “I can’t go down there.”
Faron stepped inside Belinda’s bedroom and closed the door behind him. He took one look at the distress in her eyes and folded her into his arms. “What’s the matter, Princess? Don’t you know I’ll protect you from the dragons?”
Just having him offer his support made her feel better. But Belinda knew these were dragons—of the past—that she had to face on her own. Yet there was no reason why she couldn’t do so with Faron by her side. She stepped out of Faron’s embrace and said, “I’m all right. I’m ready to go downstairs now.”
But it suddenly dawned on both of them that they were alone in her bedroom with the door shut behind them. Faron grinned. “How about a kiss for luck?”
“Whose luck? Yours or mine?” Belinda quipped. Her apparent nonchalance was a sham. She felt breathless with excitement that was fed by the avid look in Faron’s gray-green eyes.
“Ours,” Faron replied. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”
“No.”
“You look absolutely breathtaking, Princess.” He reached out and waited until she placed her hand in his. Then he drew her toward him until they were standing only inches apart. He cupped her jaw with his hand and raised her face to his. She no longer kept her lids lowered to hide her feelings from him. Blazing in her eyes was a need more than equal to his own. He lowered his mouth to hers and sipped of the nectar he found there.
His chest was tight with unspoken feelings. “If you need me tonight, I won’t be far from your side.”
He reached past her and opened the door, then took her arm and put it in the crook of his. “It’s time to face your court, Princess. And if any of them dares to offer insult, it’ll be off with his head!”
That brought a smile to Belinda’s face that was still present when they reached the bottom of the circular staircase.
Most of their neighbors were already there, curious about Belinda and Faron and the reason for this party. Their looks were speculative as they eyed the widow and the roguish cowboy, but not unkind.
A young woman about Belinda’s age, with brown hair and brown eyes and a vivid scar across one cheek, was the first to approach Belinda.
“Do you remember me?” she asked.
“Of course I do,” Belinda replied. She remembered being appalled at the time that such a beautiful young woman should be so horribly scarred. She had been curious about what had happened, but had never gotten to know the woman well enough to ask. “Your name is Desiree.”
The woman smiled and Belinda realized that the scar wasn’t so visible after all. “That’s right. I can’t believe you remember it after all these years.”
“I remember it because you were so kind to me that night after…” Desiree Parrish had been the one who had finally stepped between Belinda and her husband.
“I only wish there had been more I could do to help,” Desiree said. “I’m so glad you had this party. I’ve been hoping we could be friends.”
This time it was Belinda who smiled. “I could use a friend or two.”
“Maybe you’d like to come over next week and visit.”
“Or you could come here,” Belinda offered.
Desiree shook her head. “It’s hard for me to find a babysitter. Would you mind?”
“Just name the day,” Belinda said. “I’ll be there.”
The two women parted company knowing they had planted the seeds for a growing friendship.
By the end of the evening it was plain that everyone was more than willing to leave the past in the past.
True to his word, Faron stayed close by throughout Belinda’s ordeal. She wasn’t even aware that she was judging him, comparing him to his father.
She watched to see if he talked too loud and drank too much.
He didn’t.
He nursed the same whiskey most of the evening, and while she occasionally heard his deep laughter, he was never boisterous.
She watched to see whether he told off-color jokes.
He didn’t.
Whether he flirted wi
th the ladies.
He did.
He had a way of making each woman feel special, while still making it clear that he intended their relationship to be strictly platonic.
Whether the neighbors respected him as a rancher and a businessman.
They did. Several times she caught him in discussions with the neighboring ranchers. He was as willing to take advice as he was to share his knowledge.
Whether he made snide or cruel remarks about their personal relationship.
He didn’t. While he was never very far from her, he did nothing to indicate their relationship consisted of anything more than the legal connection between them.
But Belinda was mistaken if she thought her neighbors didn’t see the attraction between the widow and the bastard son. What she would have discovered, if she had been watching, was that her neighbors were more than willing to accept such an alliance.
They already knew her to be a dedicated and caring rancher. Although Faron might be something of a rogue, he knew the ranching business. With a spread as large as King’s Castle, it was important to have someone in authority who knew how to conserve the land.
Toward the end of the evening, Faron approached Belinda with another woman beside him. “Belinda, I think you know Pearl Teasdale. She was just telling me about a problem I thought you might be able to solve.”
Pearl was a robust woman of forty-five, with gray hair she was proud of and calluses she had worked to earn. Her brown eyes were straightforward and her voice was slightly nasal from a deviated septum. “I was just telling Faron that Mrs. Webster had to resign as chairman of the Christmas pageant committee at the church when she found out she’s expecting her third, only it’s her third and fourth—twins, you see. So the doctor wants her to take it easy.
“Anyway, I was wondering if you might be willing to take the job as chairman and plan the pageant.”
Belinda had been in the pageant as a child, and knew how much it meant to the children who participated. As a young woman, she hadn’t been involved in the pageant, even though she had continued attending church.
“I—” She hesitated.
“Please say yes,” Pearl urged. “We could really use the help. And Faron told me how much you love children.”
“He did?” Belinda arched a brow. How could she argue with the truth? She would love spending time with the children. It was something Wayne had not allowed. “All right,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
The smile on Pearl’s face was blinding. “Wonderful!” She quickly called over several ladies, including Desiree, and they all began chattering about schedules and costumes.
Faron felt warm inside when he saw the way Belinda’s face glowed with pleasure. There was light and laughter in her eyes. He frowned when he realized that he wasn’t the only one admiring her. There was a bachelor or two among the assembled males, and Belinda was a beautiful, very eligible woman. He wanted to lay claim to her before some other man got ideas. However, he couldn’t lay his claim in public when he hadn’t made his intentions clear in private.
Faron was startled when he heard Maddy’s quiet voice beside him.
“So, are you going to give that girl a child of her own?”
Faron’s eyes hooded. His mouth flattened. “Don’t interfere, Maddy. Everything in its own good time.”
“Don’t wait too long,” Maddy warned.
Faron scowled. Maddy’s warning reminded him too vividly of his fear that Belinda might finally decide she couldn’t take a chance on marriage again. Maybe it was time to let Belinda Prescott know his true intentions. He stalked right over to her and easily maneuvered her away from the crowd of women.
“Excuse us, ladies. There’s something I need to discuss with Belinda.”
“What is it, Faron?”
He dragged her all the way into the kitchen before he stopped. He spied the pantry and hauled her inside the small room and closed the door behind them. The pantry was lit by a bare bulb, and they were surrounded by canned goods and preserves. He pressed her up against the closed door and kissed her with all the pent-up desire he had been saving for just such a moment.
“Faron, stop. What are you doing?”
“Kissing you. Loving you. It’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Belinda had been teasing him for weeks. It would be foolish to pretend she didn’t want him now. She did. She kissed him back with zest and passion. She felt the zipper coming down on her dress and a moment later she was naked to the waist.
“You’re not wearing a bra,” he said as his hands reverently cupped her breasts. Belinda stepped out of the dress and laid it across several jars of stewed tomatoes.
“You’re wearing a black garter belt,” he said with a blissful sigh. He sounded a little shocked but pleased when he informed her, “Princess, you’re not wearing any panties.”
Belinda couldn’t help the small giggle that escaped. “You sound like a teenage boy who just hit a home run with his girl,” she teased.
“I feel like a kid in a candy store,” he said. “I don’t know what to taste first.”
His mouth latched on to a nipple and he suckled strongly. Belinda arched toward him, but bit her lip to hold back the cry of ecstasy that sought voice. There was a very real danger of discovery here, which only heightened her excitement.
Faron dropped to his knees and his mouth began a foray across her belly and down into the nest of blond curls below. His fingers and tongue indulged in a sensual feast that left her quivering. She would have fallen down if she hadn’t been clutching his shoulders.
When he stood and kissed her again she could taste herself. The room smelled of sex and heat and desire. He didn’t bother to remove his trousers, just unzipped them and shoved them down enough to free his aroused shaft. He lifted her and with one thrust sank deep inside her.
She wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his shoulders and buried her mouth against his throat. Her teeth closed on flesh, but she was unaware of the marks she was leaving as she felt herself driving toward the peak of ecstasy. His fingers bit into her, holding her tight as he thrust within her.
Their mouths merged, tongues thrusting, but they couldn’t breathe and kiss at the same time. Belinda hid her face in Faron’s shoulder as their bodies climaxed. He pressed his mouth to her cheek to cut off his guttural cry of pleasure.
They stood there for scant moments panting, until Belinda’s legs dropped down to support her.
She heard Faron’s chuckle and smiled. “You’re a crazy man, Cowboy,” she said huskily.
“Then may I never be sane,” he answered in an equally throaty voice.
To their chagrin and amusement there was a quiet knock at the pantry door. “You might want to rejoin your guests to bid them good night,” Maddy said.
“We’ll be there in a minute, Maddy,” Faron answered her.
Belinda felt the door opening behind her. “Wait—”
A hand slipped inside bearing a damp towel. “I thought you might need this.”
The door closed, and they heard Maddy walking away.
They took one look at each other and burst out laughing. Belinda put a hand on Faron’s mouth. “Shh. We’ll be caught.”
He took the towel and put it to good use on her and himself. Belinda stepped into her dress and turned so he could zip her up. “Do you suppose they’ll know what we’ve been doing?”
Belinda’s hair had been left down tonight, but it looked considerably more windblown than when they had entered the pantry. Faron did his best to smooth it. Then he turned her around to face him, took one look at the sparkle in her eye and said, “They’d have to be blind not to know.”
Belinda caught a glimpse of the satisfied smile on Faron’s face and pursed her lips. “It might help if you wipe that grin off your face.”
He shook his head. “Uh uh. No can do. Feels too good.”
Belinda gave up and joined him. “I suppose it does.”
They returned to the party
at intervals as though they had long ago gone their separate ways to do errands that had only just been completed. If their neighbors suspected what Belinda and Faron had been doing while they were gone, they were too polite to say anything about it.
* * *
OVER THE WEEKS AND MONTHS THAT followed, Faron and Belinda were seen often in each other’s company. At church. At the feed store in Casper. Riding the borders of King’s Castle. At the Grange dances. Though no words had been spoken between them to declare it so, they were a couple.
Belinda radiated a new self-confidence. She worked with several ladies who had taken part in the Christmas pageant in the past to make sure that she didn’t forget anything. And she loved working with the children. They were delightful. Open and loving and honest. She felt an undeniable yearning—which she fought—for a child of her own.
She made love to Faron as often as she could and in as many ways and places as they could devise. She couldn’t help feeling that she was living on borrowed time. That the magical fairy tale they had created simply couldn’t last. She was too happy, and she couldn’t help feeling that there had to be a villain somewhere—every fairy tale had one—who would strip away her happiness.
As Christmas approached, she asked Faron to save some time to help her set up the tree. They decided to do it the third Saturday afternoon in December.
The boxes of Christmas decorations were kept in a room on the third floor of The Castle. Faron hadn’t been up there before, and he was amazed at the history he saw in the items stored there.
“A lot of families must have lived in this house over the years,” he said. He picked up a McGuffey’s Reader and paged through it. There was a handmade wooden wagon and a rocking horse that would have been about the right size for a child of four or five.
Belinda picked up a reticule, a purse once carried by a pioneer woman, and donned a silk bonnet. “What do you think? Am I ready for a trip into town?”
“You look ready for a kiss.” He lowered his mouth to hers and their lips met in the tenderest of kisses. “Belinda, don’t you want to be a part of this? To preserve King’s Castle for future generations?”
“I—I thought that’s what we were doing.”
Faron Page 11
