“Hmph. Well, just so you know she’s under my protection now. I’ve an obligation to that girl I’ve ignored for ten years.” Elsa brought over a basket and the scent of fresh bread tickled his nose. “Here’s your dinner. You gonna be able to eat by yourself?”
Noah had a feeling Elsa would offer to feed him and he’d end up with more bruises than he started with. “Yes, ma’am. I believe I can manage it.”
“Good, ’cause I’m taking her with me, see if I can fix that hair. Jehoshaphat, that girl is a wild thing. Who put it in her head to cut her hair like that?”
Elsa set the basket down and he spotted some cold chicken, two biscuits and a jar of milk.
Noah’s stomach rumbled. “She just wants to fit in, to be accepted.”
“That’s what I figured.” Elsa lay a napkin on top of the food. “Foolish girl. Ain’t no one going to accept her if she dresses like a man.”
“What she needs to understand is that it doesn’t matter what they think.” Noah’s voice caught. “It’s what she thinks that matters.” It was a lesson he hadn’t learned until he was almost Rosalyn’s age.
Elsa looked into his eyes for a long moment before she nodded.
“You’re a wise man, Noah Calhoun. I expect life hasn’t been kind to you either. Just remember that she’s like a wounded bird, apt to fly away if you hold her too tightly.”
Noah didn’t respond. He couldn’t. What was he going to say, that he loved her? Elsa probably wouldn’t believe it and would try to keep them apart. He’d just be patient and keep his arms open, waiting for his blackbird to fly to him.
———
Over the next two days, Rosalyn snuck in to see him every chance she could. It was as if she couldn’t stop herself. After being away from him, instead of the feelings for Noah fading, they’d actually grown stronger. Elsa must’ve known what was going on, but she didn’t say anything.
It was three in the afternoon when Rosalyn made it over to the jail, a basket with peaches and biscuits in her hand. She stepped into the building and leaned against the door, sure she was loco. How else could she explain her constant urge to be with Noah?
Her instincts were telling her to protect herself, but her heart was singing a different song. He needed her and that made Rosalyn feel ten feet tall. It made her spirits soar and put a constant smile on her face. For the first time in her life, someone needed her.
As she walked up the stairs, she heard a thump and a crash.
“Dammit!”
Rosalyn dashed up the last steps and ran into the bedroom. Noah lay on the floor like a turtle that had flipped on his back and couldn’t get up. He turned his head when he spied her.
“I’m glad you’re here, but I’m embarrassed to be caught like this.” He gusted out a breath. “Can you help me, sweetheart?”
Rosalyn set down the basket and helped Noah back into the bed. He groaned when he leaned back against the pillows. She cupped his cheek as a surge of tenderness whipped through her.
“Did you think you were ready to run around the building?” she teased as her thumb rasped across his whiskers.
“No, just around the room.” He sighed. “I lost my balance when I turned, my head got all dizzy and then the floor decided it needed me.”
Rosalyn chuckled. “Did you hurt yourself?”
“Just my pride.” Noah turned his head and kissed her palm. “You smell good.”
Her heart beat so fast, she was afraid he’d be able to hear it. Confusion and need argued within her. Rosalyn decided the best thing to do was to listen to her instincts and follow her heart.
She leaned forward and kissed him gently. “You don’t.”
Noah barked a laugh then clutched the side of his head. “Ooh, that hurt. You make me feel better just by being here.”
Rosalyn smiled. “I can wash you up if you’d like.”
Noah’s eyes darkened with need and hunger. “I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to.”
“I never let anyone make me do anything.”
He licked his lips. “Where’s Elsa?”
“With her friends drinking coffee.” Rosalyn’s body thrummed with excitement. “Should I get the soap and water?”
Noah nodded with a jerk as his gaze slid to her nipples. Rosalyn knew they were hard so she didn’t bother to hide them. It was okay if he knew about it. After all, they’d already been with each other before.
This time, it would only be a bath, nothing else. Rosalyn wasn’t ready for more. Yet.
———
The moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room in silver. Sleep eluded Noah. As hard as he tried, he could not turn off his thoughts. They tumbled around like rocks in a can, banging off each other and his head. As he gazed out the window at the night sky, he wondered if he’d ever find the peace he craved. After Rosalyn washed him that afternoon, he simply could not get her out of his thoughts.
He didn’t hear the door open, but her scent washed over him just before her cool hands touched his bare shoulders. Noah closed his eyes as a shiver wormed its way down his skin.
“Rosalyn,” he whispered.
“I couldn’t sleep.” She kissed the center of his back. “I need you.” Noah smiled at his reflection in the glass. “I need you too, sweetheart.”
“I want to be with you again.” She put her hand on his chest. “I think you do too, but I ain’t gonna risk my heart on a man who pushes me away.”
He choked a laugh. “I don’t think I can push you away, Rosalyn. More than that, I don’t want to push you away. You are in my heart.”
Noah thought he saw her eyes glisten in the darkness, but she leaned forward and kissed him, her lithe tongue coming out to tease his lips.
“Are you sure? This is the last chance.”
“I’m sure. Never been more sure of anything in my life.” He put his fingers to her lips. “If you want to be with me, then I am all yours.”
Her warm lips trailed along his back from one shoulder to the other, leaving a line of goose bumps in their wake. When she cupped his behind, his cock jumped in the flimsy drawers he wore. Just a mere touch and his body stood at the ready for her. A low throb began in his balls as his pulse thrummed to her tune.
Two days after the beating, he was still sore as hell, but it wasn’t about to stop him this time. He needed to feel her, touch her, be with her minus her constant chaperones. Marina and Elsa seemed to feel the need to protect Rosalyn from him so she’d been sneaking in to see him, looking like a thief. He didn’t want that for her, for them.
Tonight, she was his. He whirled around and pulled her to him. Chest against chest, muscle against muscle. He’d gotten used to her short hair, and although he missed its silky texture on him, the cut accentuated the beautiful lines of her face.
He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly, licking and nibbling his way from one end of her lips to the other. She moaned deep in her throat and the sound was like a kick to his gut. The first time they’d made love, he wondered if she did it in gratitude without finding pleasure of her own.
This time, Noah’s body took over and he was determined to bring them both to a place where no one and nothing could touch them. He slid his tongue into her mouth, leisurely stroking and teasing her as he pressed his hardness into the welcoming softness of her belly.
When her hand cupped him, he started like a greenhorn in a whorehouse. She slid down his body, and a flash of panic lanced through him. Noah pulled her back up until they were chest to chest again, forcing away the bad thoughts that tried to intrude. She seemed to understand what he couldn’t or wouldn’t do.
“Touch me.” Rosalyn put his hand on her breast.
Noah wasn’t about to say no. He palmed the perfect orb, feeling its weight, its texture beneath the cotton chemise she wore. He reached down and pulled the hem up over her head, then she was deliciously nude. The heat of her skin almost singed his palm when he found her distended nipple. He pinche
d and teased the peak, feeling the answering shudders racing through her.
“Now touch me here.” She led his hand down to her pussy, and the soft wiry hair tickled his palm.
Wetness coated his fingers as he slid against her. She grunted when he put two fingers inside her, gliding in even as his palm continued to tease her clit. If he wasn’t careful, he’d make himself come simply by touching her.
Her small hands closed around him beneath his drawers. She seemed to have the knack for his pleasure spots because at once, she gripped the base and squeezed the tip—a double round of heaven that distracted him from pleasuring her.
Noah leaned down and captured one breast in his mouth. Sucking and licking, he timed his tongue’s laps with his fingers’ movement. She started moving with him, pushing against his hand and his mouth. He’d definitely distracted her because her hands on his cock loosened. It was enough for him to breathe and focus on her.
“Come on, sweetheart, come.” He nibbled at her nipple then with one last lick, switched sides.
When his lips closed around the second nipple, she trembled and Noah knew she was close. He put a third finger inside her and bit her, fucking her with his hand until she exploded against him.
Rosalyn cried out, a primitive female sound that echoed through his bones. After the tremors ceased, he scooped her up and nearly ran to the bed. He set her down with a fierce kiss, then pulled off his drawers so hard, he heard a seam pop.
She opened her arms and welcomed him to her body. A sigh escaped as they touched from top to bottom. She was so soft, like an angel beneath him. His heart couldn’t take much more waiting, not to mention the rest of him begging for release.
“Rosalyn, I—”
“Shhhh.” She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Love me.”
He pushed into her just an inch, then withdrew, his body screaming in protest. It had been so messy and so fast before, he wanted to savor every second with her. Another inch and she moaned against his ear.
Torturing himself with turtle-slow speed, he finally sank to the hilt into her body. The hot clench of her muscles around him stole his breath. He sucked on her neck, trying to grasp the edges of his self-control.
“You feel so good,” she whispered.
It was as if Noah’s tongue forgot how to form words. So he did the only thing he could do, he made love to her with his heart. His thrusts were meant to heighten their pleasure, long, then short, long, then short. He never forgot her breasts, her neck, her ears, her lips. She writhed beneath him, pushing up against him even as he kept his agonizing pace.
“Faster. Now.”
Rosalyn’s order and a pinch on his ass destroyed the wall of self-control he’d been hiding behind. His body took over and he slammed into her with as much feeling as he had in his heart. Over and over, she cried his name, meeting his fierceness with her own.
“Oh God, oh God.” She clawed at his back. “I’m almost there.”
So was he. So close he could taste the force of the orgasm about to hit him. He latched onto her lips as it struck. He breathed in her essence as her body accepted his. Stars danced behind his lids and he couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment. She groaned low and long in his ear as his heart beat a steady rhythm against hers.
“Noah.” A small whisper, full of awe and love.
Noah held her close as tremors wracked his body and tears threatened. It had been much more than making love. It had been the moment his life changed.
———
Dawn washed the room in its pink light, covering the two of them in its sweet kiss. Rosalyn lay awake, staring at Noah, wondering how she’d gotten to the point where a man was important to her.
More than important, almost required to live. The last three weeks had brought so many changes she could barely keep up with them. The only steady thing had been the man who lay beside her. She wasn’t certain what love was, but she had a feeling this was it.
Rosalyn thought about him all the time. Even when she was washing dishes or sweeping the kitchen. She even dreamt of him each night, until she couldn’t stand being away from him any longer. Elsa probably knew that Rosalyn had snuck out, but she didn’t care.
It had been worth it. Noah had brought her the moon and the stars and everything in between. He’d pleasured her, showed her what a beautiful thing two people could make together. If it wasn’t love, then it was definitely like.
She thought about waking him up to do it again, but knew that Elsa would already be cursing and looking for her. They started serving breakfast just after the sun rose, which meant she had about two minutes to get back to the restaurant.
Rosalyn rose quietly and slipped on her dress. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips as softly as a butterfly wing.
“I love you, Noah Calhoun.”
Chapter Nine
Decoration Day arrived with a lot of pomp and circumstance. Folks decorated the town in red, white and blue and built a stage for a celebration and dance. The Civil War had seemed far away to people in Wyoming, but the urge to celebrate those who had died ran strong. Many had settled there after the war, bringing with them the tales of the bloodiest times in American history.
Five years earlier, the mayor, Bertie Albertson, declared that Decoration Day would always have a celebration and dance. It was Mayor Dickinson’s first Decoration Day but he kept with the tradition and the celebration was planned.
Noah observed it all, waiting for the opportunity to connect Dickinson with Seeger and his dirty dealings. He knew he was being watched and because he was still recovering from his wounds, he dared not confront the cattle rancher yet.
Each night Rosalyn came to him and they made sweet love. Each morning she left before the sun rose. This morning had been different though. He’d been awake, already hard with need for her, but she’d scrambled out of bed before he could move. Working for Elsa gave her pride and he understood that all too well. Noah played possum and let her leave.
But not before she’d kissed his forehead and whispered that she loved him. Noah felt frozen, unable to utter a sound as she walked out of the bedroom.
She loved him?
When did that happen? She didn’t even know him, not the real him. Noah knew he needed to be completely honest with her, brutally honest, before Rosalyn stepped from the shadows of her own world into the burning darkness of his.
He trembled with the urge to go find her at Elsa’s. Instead, he helped with the preparations for the picnic and dance. His ribs still hurt, but he could carry cake and cookies to the dessert table and shoo away boys who hovered nearby hoping for a sweet treat.
Chancetown seemed normal for once. No anxiety or rancor peppered the air. Decoration Day brought people together like nothing else did. He knew it was an illusion, that beneath the surface the underbelly of avarice lurked.
Dinnertime brought everyone to socialize, eat and gossip. Noah walked amongst them greeting people, meeting those he hadn’t met before and keeping an eye on the happenings.
“Sheriff Calhoun, fancy meeting you here,” Mrs. Knudsen’s singsong rang out.
Noah cursed silently. He’d completely forgotten about Mrs. Knudsen’s matchmaking schemes. Pity on him for not being more alert. He turned to find her and her daughter wearing identical red, white and blue dresses with matching bonnets. All that was missing was the flag poles on their backs.
“Mrs. Knudsen, Josephine.” He tipped his hat. “You both look festive.”
“Well, we want to celebrate our soldiers just like everyone else.” Mrs. Knudsen tittered. “I had a feeling we’d run into you at the dance. You will save one for Josephine, right?”
How to say no without offending them? It wasn’t their fault Noah was obsessed with Rosalyn, that he couldn’t go five minutes without wondering where she was and what she was doing. It wasn’t fair to them to allow Mrs. Knudsen to think Noah was even remotely interested in her daughter.
He opened his mouth to tell her, but instead he sa
id, “I’m working tonight, ma’am. As I told you, it’s my job to make sure things are orderly.”
Noah murmured a polite goodbye and disappeared into the crowd. He felt their eyes on his back and cursed himself for not being honest with them. His gaze continued to search the crowd for one dark-haired woman.
“She’s not here yet.” Marina spoke from beside him.
Noah glanced down at his friend. “Who?”
She snorted. “I’m not stupid, you know. I see the way you look at Rosalyn and I’ve also seen the way she looks at you. Be careful.”
Unbelievably, he felt hurt by Marina’s warning. “I won’t hurt her. More than likely she’ll hurt me. She’s run away from me before, you know.” Realizing he sounded petulant, Noah shut his mouth before he sounded even more like an idiot.
Marina raised one dark brow. “So that’s the way of it, hmm? You’ll be good for each other.” She hooked her arm through his. “Escort me over to the table so I can get some cake and lemonade without any dirty looks.”
Noah chuckled. “Lady in distress?”
“Something like that.” A shadow passed over her face, but it was gone in a second.
“Your wish is my command.” He grinned, and for a short time was content to be with his friend and eat a sweet treat.
The sun set before he saw Rosalyn. Dressed in her blue dress with a matching blossom tucked into her black tresses, she was the stuff of dreams. Noah watched with hungry eyes, as did many other men around him. He’d known that bringing her from the streets would put her in danger from unscrupulous men. The lust clearly written on their faces confirmed that fear.
Rosalyn needed him.
He nodded politely to the men he’d been speaking to and sauntered over to Rosalyn just as four young bucks surrounded her.
“Why hello there, miss. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Wentworth Jones,” a blond one said, hat crushed to his chest.
Another one, this one with red hair, pushed his friend aside. “Why don’t be taken in by that fool, miss. I’m Elmer Boudreau. Pleased to meet you.”
“Boys!” Noah barked, startling the lot of them. “Miss Benedict is under my protection. Y’all need to be on your way.”
The Legacy Page 10
