She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips. The movement pushed him even further into her, something she thought couldn’t happen. “Yes,” she panted, fisting her hands in the blanket.
Jake moved slow, gently in and out of her.
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, finding her rhythm. As he pumped into her, she matched him thrust for thrust.
Suddenly he was slamming into her, and then he shouted and collapsed on her burying her face in her neck, kissing her. They lay there for a moment and she relished the weight of him on her. He rolled over, took her with him, tucked her into his side.
Though it was cold in the tent, their skin shone with sweat.
“That was amazing. I think I understand the whores at The Gem better. They probably like their job, if it’s anything like what we just did.”
“No. They don’t.” He rose over her until he was almost nose to nose with her. “Being with your husband, me, is nothing like what those women live through every day. Don’t ever compare what we have with what they do.”
Becky instinctively stroked his chest. “I’ll never mention it again. All right?”
“Good,” he grunted and squeezed her tight.
The next thing she knew he was snoring. She was ready to talk about the amazing thing they’d just done, the experience they’d shared and he went to sleep. She was tempted to pinch him and wake him up; instead she turned on her side, fitted her body next to his and fell asleep, his arm over her, holding her. Her last thought was, safe. She was finally safe.
CHAPTER 10
Jake was at his brother’s camp setting up to work on the ropes and mine the cliff face. The gold they got out of the river had to come from somewhere and they all figured the cliff was the most obvious location.
Becky hated when they worked on the ropes. Hanging down the side of the cliff with a pickaxe and a bucket, the only safety being the rope around your waist with a loop for your toe, held at the top by your brother. None of them could work that way very long. They filled a bucket with chipped rock, sent it up on the second rope and got another one sent down. The work went on this way for three to four buckets and then they went topside to rest and another of the brothers went down.
She wanted to take her turn on the ropes like they originally planned when deciding to mine the cliff. But Jake didn’t want her to. And now that they were married, somehow circumstance always played in his favor. To be honest she preferred working the river. She didn’t want to hang off the mountain, dangling by a rope. The thought of it scared her to death, but she would have overcome that fear in order to be rid of Billy. She didn’t have to do that now, thanks to Jake.
Since they were married, she could work either of the claims and she liked to pan the creek nearest the Anderson camp whenever Jake was on the cliff. She could at least watch him that way.
Hannah and David accepted Becky right away. They seemed to be glad to have someone other than their father and uncles to talk to, play with. Hannah was especially taken with Becky. She’d come with her doll and play by the riverside whenever Becky was working the bed.
“Becky,” said a sweet little voice.
“Yes, Hannah,” she answered while she sat and tugged on her waders.
“Are you my ant now? David says you are but I ain’t never had no ant before. ’Sides you don’t look like an ant!” She squeezed her dolly close to her chest and popped her thumb into her mouth.
Becky laughed, realizing Hannah was talking about the bug. “Come here, sweetie.” She patted her lap.
Hannah walked over to her and Becky pulled the child up onto her lap. She gently pulled Hannah’s thumb out of her mouth. “First, tell me what you’re not supposed to do that you just did?”
The little girl clutched her doll and looked down at her toes. “I not supposed to suck my thumb.”
“That’s right and do you know why?”
“’Cause Daddy says not to.”
Becky had to bite her tongue not to chuckle. “Well, that’s true, but your daddy doesn’t want you to suck your thumb because you are a big girl now, not a baby and big girls don’t suck their thumbs. Do you ever see me sucking my thumb?”
Hannah shook her head, her dark curls bouncing.
“That’s right ’cause I’m a big girl and now you are, too.”
“Was my mommy a big girl?” the child whispered.
Becky’s heart broke. Jake had told her all about Hannah’s mother. The little girl didn’t remember her. Hannah was barely three when her mother, Mary, died.
Jake said Liam and Mary were childhood sweethearts and married before the damn War of Northern Aggression because Liam had been called up. His various deployments meant they didn’t see each other for years and only their letters carried on their love affair. Finally when the war was over Liam came home and David was born nine months later. When no children followed for years, they thought David would be their only child but then Mary got pregnant with Hannah. Their miracle baby.
They thought their prayers had been answered and for three years they were the perfect military family. Liam, a colonel, was on track to become one of the youngest generals in history. Then influenza struck the post where they were stationed. Mary cared for the sick as she always did, until Hannah came down with the disease. Then Mary had allegedly spent all of her time with her daughter who, thankfully, was strong enough to recover from the sickness.
Mary, however, wore herself out, so much so that when the disease struck her, her body was too weak for the fight. Jake said his sister-in-law died within days of getting the infection.
Her death devastated Liam. He almost went insane, his grief was so deep. His children had saved him. She remembered Jake told her that if Liam hadn’t had the children, he might have taken his own life. He had no use for doctors or God since then. He’d left the army to spend more time with his children, taking a position with the Governor of Missouri as his personal liaison with the military. The job was perfect for him but there were too many memories of Mary. In the house, in the city, their favorite restaurant, the times they spent walking in the park. The memories assaulted him wherever he was until it was all too much and the only way to escape was to sell everything and move. So he did, to Deadwood. A new start for all of them.
She was grateful for his decision. If he hadn’t come to Deadwood and if his brothers hadn’t come with him, then she wouldn’t have met Jake and Billy would have sold her for drinking money. Sooner or later he’d of done it. God that hurt!
Becky put Hannah down and finished putting on her boots. “What are you going to do today?” she asked the little girl.
“Me and Dolly are going to be pirates and make mud pies.”
“You won’t go too near the water, right?” cautioned Becky wondering about the mud.
When she didn’t answer fast enough, Becky repeated, “Right? Hannah?”
“Yes, ma’am. Daddy says to stay away from the water. But how am I ’posed to make mud pies without just a ‘lil water?”
Becky surveyed the camp. “Bring me that bucket and I’ll get you some water for your pies.”
Hannah dutifully got the pail and gave it to Becky.
They walked down to the side of the river. The water was running fast, full from the heavy rains the previous night. Becky bent down and filled the bucket. When she turned around with the full bucket, her heart leapt to her throat. Hannah was standing on a flat stone at the edge of the rushing river. One false move and she’d be in the water. Becky was afraid to say anything for fear of startling the little girl and making her lose her balance.
How could this have happened, her mind screamed. I turned for just a second!
Hannah looked up, smiled and waved. When she waved her doll slipped from her hand into the rushing stream. Just like that Hannah grabbed for it and toppled into the swift water.
Becky screamed, as the water pulled the child away. As fast as she could, she got out of the river and ran down the shor
e keeping her eye on Hannah. There was no time to wait.
When she had run far enough ahead of Hannah, Becky plunged into the frigid water, swam to the child and hauled her ashore. Hannah wasn’t breathing. So small. So delicate. Becky sat on a large boulder, put Hannah over her knees and hit her sharply on the back several times. She knew from talking to Doc Cochran that the water needed to get out of the girl’s lungs. After several attempts, Hannah started coughing and water spewed from her mouth.
Liam, Zach and Jake raced up to Becky.
“We saw what happened on our way back from the cliff. You saved her,” said Jake when he reached Becky’s side.
“Thank you, thank you,” whispered Liam, taking Hannah and holding her tight to him.
“I’m so sorry,” apologized Becky. “I didn’t realize she was on the rocks. I should have kept a better eye on her.”
“Shh,” said Jake, wiping away tears she didn’t know she shed. “It’s not your fault. She’s been fascinated by the water since we told her not to go near it. It’s just good you were here. Come on now,” he gathered her into his arms. “Let’s get you dry. Zach, please build up that fire so our girls can get warm.”
Jake turned his attention back to Becky who was now shivering. “I’m going to go get you some dry clothes. I want you to stay here by the fire and keep warm.”
She draped her quaking body in a blanket David had produced and nodded, her teeth chattering so much, speech was impossible.
Liam stripped Hannah out of her wet clothes, her little body shook violently. Once he got Hannah in dry clothes, he swathed her back in the blanket and toweled off her hair. Then he gathered her in his arms, sat close to the fire, and murmured soothing words to the daughter he’d almost lost this day.
David stood beside his father, his face white with worry, tears streaming from his eyes. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I should have been watching her.”
“No, son.” Liam wrapped his arm around David and brought him into his embrace with Hannah. “If there is anyone at fault here it’s me. I’m the one who is responsible for Hannah, and you, too, for that matter. I should have listened to your uncles and let them work the cliff without me like they wanted to. None of this would have happened today if I had just listened.”
Becky watched the little family. She longed for what they had. True love for each other. She and Jake may be married but there wasn’t love, at least not on his part. Jake married her to save her from Winters and Billy’s machinations. But there was no love. She knew long ago she loved him. Love was the real reason why she agreed to the marriage. She loved him. Yes, it was the easiest and fastest way to prevent Edgar Winters from taking her, but she did have another option. She could have taken her gold and run. Rode Buster to Cheyenne, following the stage or the freight wagons for safety.
Once in Cheyenne, she could stay and find work or get a ticket on the train to San Francisco or Denver. Wherever she went, she’d get a job; she’d never had a problem finding work, and then live out her days as a spinster. She couldn’t imagine being with another man after Jake. Jake, the man who’d swept her off her feet and melted her heart with just a hand shake.
She still remembered that first day and the lightning traveling throughout her body when they’d touched the first time. The feeling was still like that for her. She didn’t know what he felt, if anything. He was polite and caring but the only time he showed any passion was when they made love. She refused to think of it as just sex. For her the act was making love with the man she’d given her heart to.
~*~
Jake ran back to his camp. Becky needed dry clothes and fast. She always amazed him. She was so strong, yet vulnerable. He saw the way she looked at Liam with Hannah. She longed for a family and if they kept going the way they were, it wouldn’t be long before they had one of their own. Was that a good thing though, with him being a wanted man? What if he got caught or had to run? What then? Becky would have to raise the child alone.
His brothers, well Liam anyway, would always be there to help her. Hopefully Zach would, too but after all, he did have a bounty on his head. He hoped none of them would ever have to find out because he planned on remaining a free man, by beautiful Becky’s side. Loving her amazing body for the rest of his natural and hopefully, long life.
Jake was almost to their tent when he saw the men. Two of them leaving his campsite and headed to Billy’s. He stopped and crouched close to the ground watching them without being seen. They walked easily, like there was nothing to fear. As they approached Billy’s campsite he saw Billy come out of the tent. He talked to the men, argued was more like it. One of the men pulled his gun and Billy put his hands up. They ‘talked’ some more and the man holstered his gun. Billy put his hands down. All three of them laughed, though Jake couldn’t hear what they laughed about and he couldn’t see anything funny in what had just occurred.
The three men sat down around the campfire and he saw one of the men pull something from his pocket. What had they found in his tent of interest to Billy? He watched the man unfold a piece of paper. Of course. Jake wanted to slap himself on the head. His and Becky’s marriage certificate. Without it there was no proof that they were married. Deadwood was a no man’s land, there was no copies filed with the state, just the one they had, although the good Reverend Mr. Smith would vouch for them. Billy was up to something, Jake just didn’t know what. Yet.
He crawled on his belly to his tent, so low he could taste the dirt in his mouth. Easing into the tent as quickly and quietly as possible, he stood up once he was inside. Even if he hadn’t seen them, he’d have known someone had been through his belongings. Clothes, books and papers were everywhere. The men hadn’t been the least bit methodical but had torn through everything looking for what they wanted. And he was right. The only thing he could find missing was the marriage certificate.
He checked under the pad on the floor where he and now Becky, too, slept. They had buried her gold there and it was undisturbed.
Becky was going to be upset, but they’d go to the Reverend tomorrow and see if they couldn’t get a duplicate made. They’d have to go to The Gem for Mr. Swearengen’s signature, but based on his original feelings about Billy and Edgar Winters, Jake didn’t think he’d mind signing again.
Jake didn’t have time for this. Becky needed warm, dry clothes, quickly. He gathered her spare pants, shirt, chemise and drawers, picked up her dry socks. That’s when he noticed how worn they were. How her pants were close to being threadbare at the knees and the shirt at the elbows. Her chemise was frayed at the neckline and the string on the drawers had broken and been re-tied to itself several times. The socks—there was no saving. The holes at the heel and big toe were beyond repair, even if he knew how to darn socks and obviously Becky didn’t know how to either. The first thing they were going to do tomorrow was go to Deadwood and buy Becky new clothes.
Why hadn’t he noticed until now? He gave a sad little laugh. Because he was always in too much of a hurry to have her underneath him and sink into her sweet body to notice what she wore. He needed to take more time with Becky. Make sure making love was fun for her, too. They needed to learn to play. From what she’d told Jake, she’d never played much as a child. Maybe now was a good time for her to learn to play…adult games.
He gathered the money from under the pallet. They’d be back to check for what they missed when they saw him leave. Dashing out of the tent opening, he knew exactly when Billy and his boys saw him. They were yelling at one another and then he heard a shot pass him by. Thank God, they couldn’t hit the side of a barn. He laughed, just as the second shot hit his shoulder.
The pain made him falter and he nearly fell, but managed to keep on running until he was around the bend and they could no longer see him. Then he slowed to a walk and caught his breath. Liam and Zach met him, guns drawn.
“What the hell is going on? We heard shots,” demanded Liam.
“You’re hit,” said Zach as he holstered his gun.
“The hell it’s not. You’re bleeding all over Becky’s clothes. Give me those.”
As Zach grabbed her shirt from him, Jake heard the thin cloth rip. “Well, hell,” said Zach. “Might as well use this, she’s not going to be wearing it.”
Zach shoved the threadbare shirt at Jake. “Hold that tight to the wound. We’re going to have to get that bullet out of there.”
“It’s in my back, how am I going to keep the shirt on the wound? I didn’t even know I was bleeding much.”
“That’s because it ran under your arm and you couldn’t see it. Here I’ll hold it there while we walk.”
Zach positioned himself under Jake’s good arm and pressed the shirt he’d ripped on the wound, stemming the flow of blood.
The three of them went back to camp. Jake leaned on Zach while Liam, with his gun out, brought up the rear.
Becky saw them, threw off her blanket and ran to Jake.
“What happened?” she asked.
Jake tried to smile. “Nothing. Just a couple of Billy’s new friends.”
Becky took over from Zach, positioning herself under Jake’s good arm and helping him to one of the camp stools.
“I’ll kill him,” she said as she unbuttoned Jake’s shirt. “Let me see.” She peeled his shirt off and examined the gaping wound. “The bullet’s still in there. There is no exit wound. It needs to come out.”
“I know, but I’m not looking forward to it.”
“Becky,” said Liam. “I’ve done this before and I’ll take care of this, but it’s not something I want my children to see. Please take them to my tent and stay with them there.”
“No.”
“What?” said Liam. Obviously accustomed to being obeyed, he was surprised when she said no.
Her green eyes met his, glittering like an emerald but as unyielding as stone. “I’m staying here. Zach can go sit with the kids or they can stay by themselves in the tent, but I’m staying here. Jake is my husband. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jake Page 10
