Teton Romance Trilogy Bundle: Includes Yellowstone Proposal (Short Story)

by Peggy L Henderson

  Paul’s threat rang loud and clear in her mind. If I can’t have you, no one else will have you, either.

  She raised her voice, staring up at him with wide eyes. “It’s my word against the man who framed me, Lucas. No one will believe me over him. His family has money, which gives him power.”

  “Who is he, and why did he frame you for murdering a man you might have married?” Lucas’ voice had dropped dangerously low, almost like the menacing growl of wolf ready to attack. He reached for Tori’s hand, and held it tightly in his. “If that’s the only reason you won’t marry me, because of some bastard who falsely accused you, it’s not a good enough reason.”

  Tori filled her lungs with air, then recited the story she’d told Sophie just yesterday. Lucas held her and listened quietly, his face growing darker when she revealed how Paul had threatened her, and how he’d come to her cell and told her he’d make the charges go away if she agreed to marry him.

  “That’s why you didn’t want to go up to the hayloft with me? It brought back bad memories?”

  She nodded. Thunder rumbled in the distance, the sound echoing off the mountain. The wind picked up, whipping her skirt around her legs and her hair around her face. She curled her toes in the soft earth outside the cabin.

  Lucas chuckled. “We might be in for some weather,” he said matter-of-factly, as if nothing she’d told him bothered him. He glanced up at the sky. “Just a quick mountain storm blowing through, I’d guess.”

  He walked to his mare, unsaddled her, and turned her loose in the small corral behind the cabin to graze. Pulling his rifle from the scabbard, he hoisted the saddle over his shoulder, and headed for the cabin. Slowly, he opened the door. The hinges creaked loudly, and he pointed the gun into the dark interior, then stepped inside. A moment later, he re-emerged.

  “Nothing took up home inside since the last time I was here,” he said and reached for her hand. His eyes beckoned to her.

  Despite the turmoil raging inside her, Tori followed him into the cabin. How could she make him understand? Her eyes widened while they adjusted to the darkness in the room. Her chest tightened momentarily. In some ways, this cabin was not much different than the one she’d shared with her pa. It was a simple dwelling, with a main room and an additional smaller room to the left. No doubt this place had become crowded with two rambunctious boys living in such close quarters.

  Lucas lit the dusty lantern on the table that stood in the center of the room.

  “Joseph and I shared a bunk over in that corner, but I moved it into the other room a few years ago.” Lucas pointed to the right of the room. Whatever bed had been there was long gone. The area was bare except for some furs tossed on the floor, and a few empty burlap sacks.

  “Over there, that was my folks’ bedroom.” He motioned with his chin to the door that led to the only other room.

  Tori turned on her heels to survey the rest of the cabin. The wood box by the hearth was empty. A strong gust of wind from outside made the windowpanes rattle, despite the wooden boards that had been nailed over them.

  “Real glass?” Surprised, Tori walked up to the window on her left. The glass was dirty and needed a good scrubbing for anyone to ever be able to see out. The homestead in the valley had glass windows, but she was completely surprised to see such an amenity here at this cabin.

  “My pa liked to spoil my mama. Hell, he still does.” Lucas moved up behind her, and slipped his hands around her waist, drawing her back up against him. His warm breath tickled her neck. “I should ask him for some lessons.”

  “Lessons?” Tori echoed his word, her breath shallow.

  “On how to properly spoil a woman,” he whispered. Slowly, he turned her in his arms.

  She inhaled a deep breath. Lucas was going to kiss her again. Her heart pumped fast in her chest. Her lips tingled in anticipation. His hand reached up to cup her cheek, and he tilted her head to meet his lips.

  Another strong gust of wind swirled her skirts around her legs, the dust it stirred tickling her bare feet. The cabin door slammed shut with a loud bang, instantly veiling the interior in darkness. Tori flinched at the unexpected sound.

  “Damn,” Lucas cursed under his breath. “Looks like that wind ain’t gonna let up. Good thing I told Sophie not to wait on us for supper. We might be here a while.”

  He pulled her closer when she tried to move away. Tori’s heart beat furiously in her chest, but he wasn’t the cause of it this time. Or perhaps she was simply more jumpy because she couldn’t control her feelings for him. Like the fierce wind outside, her insides churned and pelted with unrest.

  You love Lucas. Paul can’t get to you here. He can’t get to either one of us.

  “Let me get the lantern lit again, and I’ll get some wood for a fire,” Lucas whispered close to her ear. She could barely make out his features in the darkness. “Unless you’d rather stand here in the dark.” Tori didn’t have to see his face to know he wore that silly grin of his.

  “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you planned this,” she retorted. She had to get her jumbled insides under control. Why was it so different being around Lucas now than it had been a few days ago?

  He merely chuckled, then released her. Seconds later, the cabin door opened. A rush of wind stirred up more dust. Tori grabbed hold of her skirt, and followed Lucas out the door. She was not going to stay in that dark cabin.

  “The wind gets mighty strong here at times,” Lucas called over his shoulder. He headed around to the back of the cabin, where a small pile of wood was stacked against the wall. Tori glanced around, shielding her face from the strong gusts with one hand. Her hair whipped around her face, obstructing her view. Trees swayed and groaned ominously, the dense shrubs all around rustling fiercely. The waters on the lake, which had shimmered pristinely earlier, now churned with white caps. An unexpected chill raced down her spine, as if she expected something bad to happen. She couldn’t explain the feeling.

  Not a second after the premonition coursed through her, Lucas frantically called her name. In the same instant, a loud crack, followed quickly by a groan and the splintering sound of wood breaking, came from somewhere off to her side. Leaves rustled noisily, and Tori’s head snapped around. Rooted to the spot from surprise, her legs wouldn’t move even as every survival instinct in her body screamed for her to run. The trunk of a tall lodgepole descended on her.

  Chapter 22

  I’m going to die.

  Before the thought registered fully in her mind, a steely arm wrapped around her waist and snatched her away from the spot where, not a second later, the tree toppled to the ground, the impact vibrating the earth around her. Tori’s fall knocked the wind out of her, exacerbated by Lucas landing on top of her and crushing her beneath him.

  Tori gulped for air, both from Lucas’ weight and from the shock of what had almost happened. If not for Lucas’ quick reaction, the heavy trunk would have crushed her instantly.

  Lucas groaned, and lifted his upper body away from her. “Are you all right?” he rasped, his voice strained.

  “Yes,” she breathed, not sure if her word was even audible. Her heart pounded up her throat, and she tried to swallow past the dryness in her mouth.

  Lucas braced his arms on the ground on either side of her shoulders, and raised his weight off of her. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” He stared, his eyes flooded with concern. Tori shook her head. Her gaze fell to his chest. His shirt was ripped, and blood saturated the fabric.

  “Lucas,” she gasped. He rolled to the side, grimacing. Tori scrambled to her feet. Tree limbs and small branches snagged in her skirt. She stumbled, but caught herself before falling to her knees. Her skirt ripped at the hem when she pulled it free from one of the branches. Wide-eyed, she trembled in response to how close she’d come to getting killed. The strong wind had uprooted the tree, its trunk mere feet from them.

  Tori moved some branches aside, and knelt next to Lucas. “You’re hurt,” she cried. Lucas smiled u
p at her, but he couldn’t disguise the pain in his eyes.

  “Better me than you,” he grumbled. “Guess a branch got me, but it’s nothing. It just stings real bad right now.”

  “Let’s get to the cabin, and I’ll clean it.” Tori held out a trembling hand. Lucas eyed it, grinned, then closed his own hand over hers. Without using her for leverage, he lifted himself to stand.

  “That was close,” he called over the continued bellowing of the wind. “This old tree was bound to topple over soon, but it scared the hell out of me that it almost landed on you.” Lucas draped an arm around her waist, and together they climbed over the tree’s branches. He ushered her into the cabin, the door slamming behind them.

  “Light the lantern, Tori, and I’ll get a fire started.” Lucas pressed his hand to his chest, his voice slightly strained.

  “And then you’ll let me tend to your wound.” She glared at him in the dim light. “Where’s your canteen?”

  “Right there.” He pointed to the ground next to the door where he dropped his saddle earlier.

  Tori lit the lantern, then reached for the canteen still hooked over the saddle horn. Lucas built a fire in the hearth and stood. They turned at the same time, and Tori’s eyes met his.

  “Let me tend to your wound,” she repeated softly. “It’s the least I can do after you saved my life.” Her voice still quivered from her close brush with death. Her knees shook like a bowl of bread pudding.

  Lucas reached for her hand. He grabbed the lantern from the table and led her into the adjoining room. Setting the light onto the little table next to a bunk piled high with furs, he looked at her again, an encouraging smile on his face.

  “Guess you owe me twice now.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “But I’ll consider the debt paid if you agree to marry me.”

  “And what if I don’t?” she asked, her chin raised. To conceal the slight smile on her lips, she bent down, lifted her skirt to expose the petticoat she wore underneath, and tore a strip from the bottom. Apparently, he wasn’t going to drop the marriage discussion.

  “Sit down, Lucas. Let me clean your wound.”

  Tori pushed against his stomach with her hand, fully aware that she didn’t have the strength to make him budge if he chose not to move. Sure enough, his rock solid abdomen only tightened more, sending a jolt of desire through her.

  “Who’s the one issuing orders now?” Lucas whispered, his low and seductive voice sending another round of shivers up her spine.

  Slowly, he reached for the belt strapped around his waist, unbuckled it, and let it drop to the ground. Then he grabbed the ends of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. Tori swallowed the hard lump that had formed in her throat. She’d seen his nude upper body before, but standing so close, she’d never been more aware of him. His skin gave off a warm, masculine odor of sweat, leather, and smoke. She raised her eyes to several bloody slashes across his chest, trying to concentrate on the wounds rather than the rippling play of his muscles along his arms and torso.

  “Sit,” Tori ordered firmly, pointing to the bed behind him. Lucas grinned, but did as she said. She uncorked the canteen, and poured water over the strip of petticoat, then dabbed at the blood on his chest.

  “These cuts don’t look too deep. This one in the center might be the worst, but it should heal with just a bandage.”

  “Guess we’ll have matching scars now, won’t we?”

  Tori glanced up. Lucas was at eye level with her chest, and stared directly at her exposed cleavage. Heat crept up her neck, and she fought the impulse to pull the low neckline of her dress up to her neck. Why had she told him to sit down? She could have easily cleaned his wound with him standing in front of her.

  “Well, you’ll be happy to know that your scar will be bigger than mine,” she retorted drily.

  Finished wiping off the blood, Tori bent to tear off more of the petticoat to use as a bandage. Hopefully Sophie would understand why the garment had been ruined. There was nothing else to use to wrap Lucas’ wound.

  “Hold your arms out at your sides,” she ordered. She didn’t need to look at Lucas to know he continued to stare at her. Why was she so nervous all of a sudden? The more time passed, the more aware she became of him. Tingles and chills raced up her arms while she wrapped the bandage around his chest, his warm breath tickling her exposed neck each time she leaned forward in order to reach around his back. Beads of perspiration dampened her forehead.

  Her hands visibly trembled when she tied the ends of the bandage, and she expelled a relieved sigh when the task was complete. She was about to step away from the bed, when Lucas snaked his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to stand sandwiched between his thighs. His mouth pressed against her neck where her pulse throbbed, and Tori gasped.

  Without warning, he leaned back onto the furs, pulling her on top of him. One hand reached behind her head, and brought her face close to his.

  “Lucas,” she breathed just as his mouth covered hers. Tori moaned softly as heat raced from her extremities into her chest, and back down to pool in her abdomen.

  With one arm firmly wrapped around her waist, the other cradling the back of her head, Lucas rolled her onto her back. His weight on hers sent ripples of desire surging through her, and Tori sank into the furs. She raised her arms to entwine around his neck, and parted her lips to meet his kiss.

  A warm hand stroked along her waist, sliding up her ribcage and back down again, past her hips and along her thigh. Tori moved beneath him, craving his touch.

  Lucas slid his mouth over hers, then along her cheek, down her neck, until he kissed the top of her breast where the dress exposed her freshly healed wound. She clutched her hands to the back of his neck, drawing him closer, even as she battled with that part of her that told her to stop. They had to stop. She couldn’t allow herself to repeat the mistake she’d made with Timothy.

  “Lucas,” she weakly rasped his name. Her fingers raked through his hair even as her mind warred with her actions. “Lucas, I . . . we can’t . . .”

  It had been a long time since a man had touched her in such a loving way, and not even Timothy had left her burning and aching for more the way Lucas’ touch brought her body to life. The more he touched her, the more she wanted to feel his touch. She craved him like a flower needed the sunshine, yet she couldn’t give in to her feelings, at least not completely.

  Lucas lifted his body slightly without breaking contact with his mouth on the swell of her breast, bracing his weight on his arms at either side of her. She almost regretted her plea when a cold, empty feeling swept through her along her waist where his hand had been seconds ago. She eased her hands away from his neck, gripping his taut shoulder muscles instead.

  His mouth continued to work magic on the skin along her neck as if he hadn’t heard her. She let out another soft moan when Lucas covered her mouth again with his. He deepened the kiss, the pressure and play of his lips on hers sending her mind swirling out of control. She’d never been kissed like this. There was no urgency, only a languid, drawn-out claiming of her mouth. Tori lifted her chin to intensify the contact, ask him without words to continue his assault on her senses. Her fingers dug into his skin when his tongue brushed against her lips, and she arched her back, craving his weight on her again.

  Instead of obliging her, Lucas drew back, his breathing labored. His hands at either side of her head cradled her while his thumbs stoked her cheeks. Wide-eyed, she stared up into his smoldering gaze.

  “I’ve wanted to hold and kiss you like this for a long time,” he murmured deeply, his lips widening in a smug grin.

  With the contact broken, Tori’s befuddled mind cleared. “We can’t . . .” she repeated feebly.

  “I know we can’t,” he growled, frustration evident in his voice. The muscles along his jaw tightened. “But there’s nothing wrong with kissing, is there?” Lucas rolled to the side, and ran a hand over his face.

  Tori sat up, pulling the edges of her dress tha
t had shifted further down her chest back up into a more respectable position. The low cut still revealed more than she preferred, but there was nothing she could do about that now. Abruptly, she stood, and wiped some wayward strands of hair out of her face.

  “Kissing leads to other things.” She turned her back to him, hanging her head.

  This was how things had gotten out of control with Timothy, too, and he’d never kissed her the way Lucas could kiss. Shame washed over her. She didn’t want to remember the experience, didn’t want to compare the two men, but she couldn’t help it. There was nothing sloppy or awkward in the way Lucas touched her and claimed her lips, and just the thought of it sent renewed shivers of pleasure through her.

  Nothing could equal the untamed and passionate ways Lucas embraced life, or her. He would approach love in much the same manner. Her feelings for her former beau had been like a gentle breeze on a spring day, while the slow burning love inside her for Lucas was fast turning into a wildfire raging out of control.

  She stiffened when warm hands cupped her shoulders from behind.

  “Tori, I would never dishonor you,” Lucas whispered into her hair. “I hope you know that.”

  He applied pressure to make her turn around to face him. Tori glanced up at him, her heart beating wildly at the warmth, the love, shimmering in his eyes.

  “I . . . I’ve lain with Timothy. It was a mistake, and . . . and certainly not a pleasant experience for me.” She forced the words from her mouth. Lucas might as well know of her shame.

  For a split-second, his features hardened, and his hold on her upper arms tightened. He would be angry, and accuse her of being unclean and a fallen woman at any moment. Lucas’ eyes roamed over her face, and to her astonishment, his lips widened.

  “I’ll take that as a personal challenge, then.” He leaned down to claim her mouth again. Almost painfully, his hands clamped her arms at her side while pressing her up against him. His lips slanted across hers as if he meant to brand her. Abruptly, he pulled back.