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

by Peggy L Henderson

  Lucas nearly dropped her. He drew his head back further. Had he heard correctly? His lips slowly curved upward, even as his insides melted and burned at the same time. He raised an eyebrow, and chuckled.

  “You’re asking me to marry you?”

  She nodded vigorously. “If you still want to marry me, I’m ready. You said you’d bring the chaplain.”

  His smile turned into a wide grin. “I did. He’s standing right behind me.”

  Tori glanced up, darting a quick look over his shoulders. Her face sobered, as if she just now realized that seven eager soldiers surrounded them. Some had been making suggestive remarks and smirking the entire time she’d been in his arms.

  She squirmed in his embrace until he set her feet on the ground in front of him, but Lucas refused to let go of her. She kept her hands firmly on his shoulders.

  “Then let’s get married,” she said determinedly.

  Lucas’ eyes shot open wide in surprise. Another rush of exhilaration raced through him. Tori wanted to be his wife. “Right now?”

  Tori gave a short laugh. “I can’t think of a better time.” She reached a hand behind his neck, pulled his head down, and pressed her lips to his.

  “Did something happen at the homestead?” Lucas asked suspiciously. Why did she suddenly seem so eager?

  “No, your family’s been wonderful.” Tori dropped her gaze. “Although, Joseph might tan my hide for sneaking off last night.”

  “My brother won’t, but perhaps I should. Why did you do that, Tori?” Lucas scowled, his anger returning that she’d left the homestead. She could have been killed. “Where the hell did you think you were running off to?”

  “I wasn’t running. I wanted to find you.” She took a step back, fire blazing in her eyes. “I’ve missed you, and I kept thinking how I should have told you the day you left that I’d marry you.”

  “Marry her already,” one of the soldiers called. The others cheered loudly in agreement.

  Lucas cursed under his breath. There was so much he needed to tell her, but not in front of these men. Hell, it could wait. He’d surprise Tori with news of her mother later. Tori wanted to marry him!

  His anger at her foolishness for leaving the homestead vanished. He pulled her back into his embrace, and yanked her silly fur hat off her head. Her long, golden hair spilled down her back and over her shoulders, framing her face. A few of the men groaned, some cursed, and all stared wide-eyed at the beautiful woman in Lucas’ arms, the one they mistook for a male. And she was all his.

  Lucas clenched his jaw. There was one question he needed answered. He leaned forward, and whispered so no one could hear. “Tori, if you could go back to St. Louis, if there were no murder charges and you could live a normal life with your mother, what would you do?”

  Her forehead wrinkled, and she tilted her head to look up to him. “I’d still marry you, Lucas. I love you. These last few months without you have been pure hell. My life is here, with you, and I don’t want to spend another day as anyone but your wife.”

  She placed her hand against his cheek, an unmistakable look of love in her eyes. Warmth flowed through him, and if he loved her any more than he already did, his chest would explode. He turned on his heels to face David Matherson with a wide grin.

  “Care to perform a wedding, Lieutenant?”

  Matherson smiled brightly. “I thought you might have gotten cold feet, Walker. This looks like a perfect spot for a wedding.”

  Chapter 25

  “You are now man and wife.”

  Lieutenant Chaplain David Matherson smiled, and glanced from Tori to Lucas. Her heart raced out of control like a herd of wild horses. The chaplain’s mouth moved, but his words were mute in her ears. She was married! Had she actually asked Lucas to marry her?

  Caleb had inadvertently put the idea in her head that she could ride out and try and meet the expedition before they arrived in the valley. They had to be close. Lucas had been gone for more than three months, and Tori had been sure that she wouldn’t have any trouble finding a large group of people. She had a vague recollection of the pass she and her father had traversed to come to these mountains, and no doubt Lucas would have chosen the same route.

  There had been no doubt in her mind that he would be furious with her when she saddled his mare and left the valley, which had proven to be correct. At least he hadn’t stayed mad for long. She’d ridden away from the homestead after everyone was asleep, confident in her ability to find the expedition. Her rifle was loaded, and she knew how to use it if needed.

  The two soldiers who held her prisoner had completely surprised her when she snuck up to the camp they were setting up. Both elated that she had found what she’d been searching for, yet terrified at the same time about the possibility of someone discovering her true identity, she’d been careless and gotten caught. When she’d seen Lucas emerge from around the white canvas tent that was partially erected, she’d forgotten everything else.

  Two strong arms snaked around her waist, and firm lips descended on her mouth. “I love you, Mrs. Walker,” Lucas murmured, and kissed her fully. She melted against him, her arms wound tightly around his neck. Loud cheers erupted throughout the camp, followed by more suggestive comments that brought heat to Tori’s face.

  “Mr. Walker, you are hereby relieved of your duties for the next twenty-four hours. I expect you to check back with us by tomorrow evening.”

  Lucas broke the kiss, and eased his hold on her, but he didn’t completely let go. A satisfied grin formed on his face when he gazed down at her, then at the man standing next to the lieutenant. He’d introduced him as Captain William Raynolds, just before Chaplain Matherson spoke the words that would bind her to Lucas forever. The captain’s moustache twitched, and he held out his hand, which Lucas shook.

  “Thank you, sir,” Lucas answered. Then he turned to Tori. “Where’s your horse?”

  “I left her about a quarter mile away, so I could investigate this camp. I smelled the wood smoke, and didn’t know whether I was gonna run into an Injun camp.”

  “I still wish you had remained at the homestead, Tori. Something could have happened to you, and—”

  “Nothing happened.” She glared up at him. “And don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing, Lucas Walker.”

  “You just promised to obey me.” Lucas grinned lazily. “No more running off on your own. From now on, you do what I tell you.” He winked at her.

  “I see that nothing has changed to your way of thinking, now that we’re married.”

  His face sobered, and his blue eyes darkened. “Everything has changed, Tori,” he said in a sultry tone.

  Chaplain Matherson cleared his throat in front of them. “Well, then. I think we need to carry on with setting up this camp, now that the formalities are taken care of. I trust you won’t be spending this night in camp, Walker?” He shot Lucas a meaningful look.

  Lucas grazed his knuckles across Tori’s cheek. “Where would you like to go?” he asked quietly.

  Tori swallowed. She shot a hasty glance at the men standing near them. The soldiers had returned to setting up camp, and Captain Raynolds had walked away. The lieutenant had just turned to leave as well.

  “I . . . don’t know.” Her voice sounded unsteady. Blood rushed through her veins, and her heart began to pound faster.

  “I’d planned to take you to the cabin I showed you for our wedding night, but that’s not possible now.” Lucas’ tone was almost apologetic. “But we’ll figure something out. Unless you want to stay here in camp.” He flashed her a thoroughly devilish smile.

  Tori’s eyes narrowed. It would serve him right if that’s what she’d suggest.

  Sighing dramatically, she said, “I am rather tired. I rode most of the night and all day to get here. Perhaps we should just stay in this camp.”

  Lucas reached for her hand, and pulled her close. “I don’t think you want to stay here any more than I do,” he whispered against her ear. His w
arm breath sent a shiver of excitement up her spine.

  Tori glanced around at the men going about their work, then back at Lucas.

  “No, I don’t,” she replied, a slow smile on her face as heat crept up into her cheeks.

  Lucas laughed, and led her to where a saddle lay on the ground. Slinging it over his shoulder, he strode toward the string of nine horses that were picketed between several trees. ‘Lucas’ the gelding pricked his ears and nickered a greeting when they approached.

  “Looks like that old scrub missed you, too.” Lucas tossed his saddle onto the gelding’s back.

  After retrieving the horse Tori had left hidden a short distance away, Lucas led her from the army camp. The last rays of light quickly disappeared into the western horizon as they followed a shallow tributary of the Snake River heading east.

  Riding side by side, Lucas shot glances her way more often than he paid attention to where they were headed. She focused her gaze straight ahead, trying to ignore his constant perusal of her, but she couldn’t help stealing a glance at him during those few times he wasn’t looking. Each time his eyes were on her, her skin tingled as if he touched her. There was more written in his eyes than the heated looks she’d become accustomed to, as if he was pondering whether to say something. It wasn’t like Lucas not to speak his mind. Perhaps he was as nervous as she, although that seemed rather out of character for him.

  Butterflies churned in Tori’s stomach. She was married to Lucas. The thought still seemed inconceivable.

  “Why are we heading east? If we go west, we could camp somewhere in the valley.” Tori cleared the hitch in her voice.

  Lucas didn’t answer for what seemed like an eternity. Their eyes met before he spoke. “I have a surprise for you, and it’s located toward the east, but it’ll have to wait until morning.”

  Tori’s eyebrows furrowed. He hadn’t answered her question at all. And what surprise would he have for her? He shot her a fleeting glance that made the butterflies in her belly flap their wings wildly. What wasn’t he telling her?

  She swallowed her growing lump of nervous anticipation and rode in silence next to him. She hadn’t been edgy like this since the eve before her hanging. At least this time she wasn’t expecting her death.

  Lucas continued to follow the course of the creek, which flowed in the opposite direction they were traveling. Soon, the terrain sloped upward, and he left the cottonwood-lined creek bed to follow a narrow deer trail leading higher up into the mountains. The water streamed below them until it disappeared through a narrow canyon.

  Stars emerged in the midnight blue sky, and an almost full moon made it possible to see at least a little. The trail wasn’t wide enough to ride side by side, and Lucas hadn’t spoken for at least an hour. A slight breeze rushed through the tops of tall fir trees that grew up the slope of the mountain. The sound soon mingled with that of rushing water, which became increasingly louder by the minute. The trail suddenly flattened and became wider, and Lucas slowed his horse until Tori rode up next to him.

  “How about we camp here?” His voice reached her from out of the dark.

  Tori strained her eyes. A tall granite wall loomed a short distance in front of them. The moon rose into the night sky from just behind the veil of rock, illuminating a thin sheet of water in silvery white as it plunged in a vertical line from the tallest point, and ended in a splash in a shallow pool a short distance in front of where Lucas stopped his horse. To their left, pine trees of various heights grew in a dense cluster, shielding the area from wind.

  “Plenty of shelter, food for the horses, and water,” he added. Was he trying to convince her that this was a good place to spend the night, or ask her permission?

  “This looks like a nice camp,” she answered, just to say something. In truth, she couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful spot to spend her wedding night, except perhaps the cabin along the string of lakes.

  Lucas dismounted his horse, then stood at her mount’s side, and lifted her from the saddle before she had a chance to throw her leg over the animal’s back. A strong arm caught her around the waist, and he hooked his other arm behind her knees. Instinctively, she grabbed hold of his shoulders to maintain her balance. His warm breath tickled her neck, and her body heated in response. The heavy hides she wore seemed to tighten around her, constricting her airflow.

  “We’ll bed down over there, closest to the rock face by those trees. There’s a narrow outcropping that’ll give us shelter.” His lips grazed her cheek, and Tori held her breath. Unable to speak, she merely nodded.

  Lucas set her on her feet when he reached the spot he’d mentioned, and pulled her into his arms.

  He chuckled softly. “I can’t believe this is real, that you’re here. And you’re my wife. All these months away from you, I’ve lain awake every night, wishing I could hold you in my arms, and now, here you are.”

  “I’ve wished the same thing,” she whispered, and reached for his face. Her fingers traced the corners of his upturned lips, his cheeks rough and unshaven. She stood on her toes, leaned into him, and tugged his head down to meet her kiss. Lucas groaned, and took her mouth with an explosive hunger that weakened her legs, drew all the air from her lungs, and ignited her insides in an inferno to rival a forest blaze.

  He pulled her up against his solid strength, her bulky clothes preventing any kind of close contact. Tori silently cursed the heavy hide she wore. Craving Lucas’ touch, to feel his hands on her the way he had touched her that day at the cabin, she moved against him to find the closeness that brought such wonderful sensations to life in her.

  Lucas must have misread her struggles. He ended the kiss, brushing his lips along her jaw and panting against her cheek.

  “We need to set up camp, before it’s too late,” he rasped against her neck.

  Completely out of breath, Tori nodded weakly. She stepped out of his embrace, and swiped a trembling hand across her damp forehead. She followed him to the horses, and unsaddled her own mount. After she dropped her bedroll on the ground beside his, she spread them out next to each other, and her heart rate increased again.

  Tonight is your wedding night.

  It had come as a complete surprise, no doubt to Lucas as much as to herself, that they were now married. She hadn’t planned on throwing herself at him and asking him to marry her when she was brought into the soldier camp. The words had simply come out of her mouth. Everything else had just happened faster than she could have anticipated.

  Tori knelt on her blanket, and removed the heavy robe she wore. Her cotton shirt clung to her damp skin. She fumbled in one of her saddlebags for a strip of cloth, and headed for the pool at the base of the small waterfall. She sighed when the spray of the falls cooled her flushed cheeks. Squatting at the water’s edge, she dipped the cloth into the liquid, and held it to her neck and throat. Behind her, a fire crackled, and she turned her head. She nearly lost her balance when a tall shadow loomed over her.

  Lucas reached for her arm, and helped her to her feet. Wordlessly, he took the cloth from her hand, lifted her hair aside, and dabbed at her neck. Tori stood immobile, staring up at him, and forgetting to breathe. The skin on his bare arms and chest glistened in the faint light from the moon’s reflection in the pool.

  Lucas’ gaze was locked on her while his slow strokes with the cloth along the back of her neck sent shivers up her spine that had nothing to do with being cold. Without breaking eye contact, his fingers worked the first couple of buttons of her shirt. Slowly, his calloused palm moved smoothly under the fabric and against her skin, sliding the garment over her right shoulder. The soothing cloth followed, raising goose bumps in its wake.

  “I’ve wanted to do this ever since you were covered in mud the day you ran away from me,” he said hoarsely. He continued to work more buttons until they were all undone, and her shirt fell open.

  Tori swallowed, but didn’t move. She closed her eyes while Lucas continued to bathe her heated skin with the cloth, slidin
g it over her shoulders, down her arms, along her neck, and over her breasts, her senses honed completely to the strokes of his hand.

  The shirt fell to the ground, and Tori shivered with anticipation. Opening her eyes, she reached her palm up to his chest, and drew in a quick breath. His skin was smooth and warm beneath her touch, his muscles solid and strong. His stomach tightened when her fingers explored the contours of his torso, sliding over every tight ridge and plane. A low moan rumbled in his chest.

  Encouraged by his response, Tori eased the cloth out of his hand, knelt down to the water’s edge, and held it under the surface. She rose slowly to her feet, wringing the excess water from the material, and touched it to Lucas’ chest. He drew in a quick breath, and leaned into her touch.

  She smiled up at him, and continued to wash his upper body with the same languid strokes he had used on her. If he could play havoc with her senses, then she would do the same to him. Her heart drummed wildly in her ears, and she inhaled a slow breath to calm her nerves. Even while she teased him with her touch, her own body hummed in response to each of his sharp intakes of breath or slight flinching of muscles. When she worked the cloth down toward his stomach, Lucas gripped her wrists and stopped her from going any further when she neared the top of his britches. He leaned toward her, his cheek grazing against hers.

  “You smell so sweet,” he murmured, drawing in a deep breath. He nipped at her earlobe.

  “If you’re hungry, I brought you some of your mother’s molasses cookies. After all this time away, I figured you might enjoy some of her home cookin’,” Tori purred.

  Lucas froze. He lifted his head to stare down at her, a dumbstruck look on his face. Tori raised her brows expectantly, but couldn’t suppress a giggle at his reaction.

  In one swift move, he pulled her firmly against him. “I bet you’re tastier than any cookie.” He grinned smugly, as if an idea had come to him. “Unless you brought a jug of molasses. I can think of a few things to do with that.”