by Linda Bridey
Her breathing became erratic as Will worked his magic on her. Rachel was willingly caught up in their passionate embrace. All of her senses were alive as he kissed her. Will’s scent, that was his alone, reached her nostrils, enticing her even further. His nimble, skillful hands roamed over her possessively and the woman in her responded ardently.
Suddenly, Will broke their kiss and stood panting. “I don’t know how much more I can take, Rachel. I really don’t. I’m trying to do the right thing, but it’s so hard. I have to get back to work, honey, or I’m gonna have my way with you right here.”
She smiled. “Ok. I’m lucky to be marrying such a principled man. I love you, Will.”
“I love you, too.”
Rachel stayed in the storeroom for a few minutes after he left. She needed to gather her composure before going back to work. Tears of anger and relief gathered in her eyes. Rage at Brendon filled her chest. He could have ruined her relationship with Will. She wasn’t going to allow it.
If Will hadn’t been so understanding, she might no longer be engaged. She realized yet again how fortunate she was to have a man like Will. Not only had he protected her honor, he’d lied for her. She vowed to never put him in such a position again. Once her emotions were under control, she went back out to the store, ready to greet whatever customers came in the door.
Chapter Eighteen
That night, under a cold moon, Zoe and Raven sat out by the fire, as they often did. They were covered by two thick buffalo hides, their combined body heat keeping them warm. Each of them sat with their hand over the other’s heart, enjoying feeling the steady beats under their palms.
Raven kissed her cheek and said, “Did I tell you today how beautiful you are?”
She smiled up at him. “You might have mentioned it.”
“Might have? Well, then I’d better tell you again, so we make sure I did. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said, and kissed him. Then she sighed and looked down.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Well, I really want to go ice skating.”
Raven smiled. “I really want to see you ice skate again. It’s a magical thing. I couldn’t look away the whole time I watched you. The ice should be ready soon.”
She snuggled closer to him. “I know, but I’m not going to be able to do it.”
He looked down at her. “What? Why? I know you haven’t forgotten how.”
She looked up into his midnight eyes and smiled. “No, I haven’t forgotten. It’s just that all of our hard work has paid off.”
Raven frowned for a moment and then his eyes grew wider as her meaning sunk in. “You mean …?”
She nodded. “We’re going to have a baby, honey.”
Raven barely kept from letting out a whoop. Only the fact that it was so late and others were asleep kept him from doing it. Instead he squeezed her tight and rocked her back and forth a little. Inside, however, he was shouting for joy.
He turned her face to him and kissed her deeply yet tenderly. “I am so happy and so excited. When will it be born?”
“You’re really happy?” she asked.
He looked her in the eyes and grinned at her. “How could I not be? It’s what we’ve been working for, is it not?”
She adored the way his eyes sparkled with good humor as he gave her the lopsided smile she so loved. “Yes, it is. I just wanted to make sure. I’m due around April or May.”
He held her close and said, “A spring baby. A good sign. When our Mother the Earth is waking up again and the horses are losing their hair. I’m disappointed that I won’t get to see you skate, but having a baby is much better.”
“I agree. So I guess this means that we don’t have to do so much homework anymore,” she said.
“Oh, yes, we do. We have to keep in practice for the next baby,” Raven said with a smile.
Zoe put her head under the blankets to muffle the sound of her laughter. As she did so, her head hit Raven’s jaw, clicking his teeth together.
“Ow,” he said and then chuckled. He was used to this sort of thing. Zoe was as clumsy as she was beautiful, but he didn’t mind it.
“Sorry,” she said as she carefully raised her head again.
Suddenly, Raven lifted her up and stood with her, blankets and all.
“What are you doing?” she asked, as she clung to his broad shoulders.
“We should go inside. I won’t have the mother of my child catching a cold,” Raven said.
Zoe whispered, “But you always say that you don’t get sick from the cold, that you’ve never gotten sick from being outside in the cold or even bathing in the freezing cold water.”
“I’m not taking any chances. Besides, it’s late and you should get some rest,” Raven said as he entered their cabin with her.
“Raven I’m pregnant, not fragile. I hope you’re not going to be like this the whole time I’m pregnant,” she said.
He sighed at her irritated tone. “I’ll try not to be. Now I understand how other men feel when their wives are pregnant.”
Zoe let the buffalo hides fall away since it was toasty in their cabin. She began taking off her long buckskin dress. “I think you should think about other things.”
Raven recognized the look she gave him. He arched an eyebrow at her. “And just what would these things be?” he asked in Lakota. He knew how much she loved hearing him speak it.
Her dress joined the buffalo blankets on the floor and she was thrilled to see the hunger in her husband’s eyes. “Do you understand what these things are now, husband?” she responded in Lakota. Over the last several months, she’d mastered quite a bit of the language and she was learning more all the time.
“Yes, I do,” he said and picked her up again.
“Why must you carry me everywhere?” she asked, as he sat her down on their bed.
He began undressing. “Don’t worry about that right now. You should think of other things.”
“And just what would these things be?”
He smiled at her mimicry of his question. “No more talking. I’ll show you.”
“You are so bossy,” she said, right before he covered her lips with his own and they began a sensual journey together to a place where time and the outside world ceased to exist.
*****
Mike was having a good time showing Hope around Dawson. It was fun to see the place through the eyes of someone who’d never been there before. He also got a kick out of the way his family kept asking him if he was sure he had no feelings for her. Hope laughed about it as much as he did.
“I love you, Mike, but not like that,” she said.
“I feel the same way,” Mike responded as they were on their way to the Watering Hole. Mike knew she would enjoy seeing it and comparing it to the pub they went to back in Chicago.
“You’re a great guy, don’t get me wrong. Just not my type,” she said.
Mike smiled. “What is your type?”
She giggled. “I don’t think I have a certain type.”
“Then how do you know I’m not it?” Mike asked and nudged her with an elbow.
“Trust me, I know.”
“I know what you mean,” Mike said.
“Why won’t you tell me what this place is like?”
“I want you to form your own opinion of it. I don’t want you to like it or dislike it because of anything I’ve told you about it,” Mike said.
This only served to make her more curious. “Fine. Be mysterious.”
He laughed. “That’s the way us medicine men are. Mysterious.”
She let out a snort of laughter. “I still can’t believe you’re a medicine man, and I’m not allowed to say anything.”
“That’s right. Not until I come home for good. Then you can tell whoever you want,” Mike said.
She sighed. “You’re really lucky, you know. You have a wonderful family and a lot of friends. I mean real friends. I wish I had the
kind of relationship with my father that you have with yours.”
Mike pursed his lips. “I’m sorry about that, Hope. He’s an idiot for not seeing what a great daughter he has. As long as I live, I’ll never understand how you have a child and not love them.”
Hope sighed and said, “I agree, but I’m not going to think about it tonight. I intend to dance and have all kinds of fun.”
With a chuckle, Mike said, “It’s a good thing I’m along to chaperone you then.”
“I don’t need a chaperone, thank you very much. Besides, you said it was safe,” she said.
“It is, for the most part. My cousins and Caleb keep it as safe as possible.”
“A real Western saloon,” she said and laughed. “Wait until I tell our friends about it when we go back.”
“You’ll have a lot to tell, that’s for sure,” Mike said.
*****
Hope had been in pubs and saloons in Chicago, but the Watering Hole was like nothing she’d ever seen. When they walked in, Jake, half-owner of the place, was juggling shot glasses. This was something he usually did several times a night. Hope watched with a smile as the glasses went round and round. Then Jake put them on the bar, one by one, and filled them.
“Hey, Mike! I wondered when you were gonna get around to comin’ to see us,” Jake said. He looked at Hope with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “Is this your lady?”
Mike grinned. “Jake Henderson, meet Hope Carver, a friend of mine from Chicago.”
Jake held out a hand to her. “Nice to meet you, Miss Carver. Any friend of Mike’s is a friend of mine.”
“Thank you,” she said, with a smile at the handsome bartender.
Jake handed her a shot. “Have a good time.”
Hope took the shot as Mike ordered a sarsaparilla. Entering the main barroom, they picked out a table. “Why are there two pianos?” she asked, as she spied the beautiful baby grand and the beat-up upright on the other side of the stage.
“Jake’s wife, Rebecca, plays classical music while Ben, her brother, plays the other one with the band. Sometimes they play duets, which are fantastic,” Mike explained.
The place was cleaner than most other saloons that Hope had seen. The wooden floor, and walls gleamed and even the rafters were clean. Along the walls hung various paintings and one wall boasted a Lakota display. All around them men, and even a few women, played poker or simply sat talking.
As people came over to talk to Mike, he introduced her to them. More people I’m not going to remember, she thought. Suddenly, Mike was grabbed from behind by a woman with short, dark, curly hair and lively blue eyes.
“Guess who?” she asked putting her hands over his eyes.
Mike grinned. “Bertha?”
“No! Try again.”
“Hmm. Susie.”
“Nope.”
“It couldn’t be Abby, could it?”
“Yes!” she exclaimed and hugged him, while kissing the side of his head. Then she came around and sat on his lap. “You’re big enough that I can do this now.”
Mike laughed. “Yeah, I guess so. How are you? Are you working?”
“Yes.”
“Ah. That means you’re not in the family way. Abby here is only allowed to work as a waitress when she’s not with child,” Mike told Hope.
Abby laughed and held out a hand to Hope. “Hi. Elliot told me that Mike brought home a girl from school. Mike’s a great person, isn’t he? You’re very pretty. You and Mike make a nice looking couple. I mean, if you’re a couple, you look great together, but if you’re not, you still look good sitting together.”
Mike laughed at Hope’s startled expression. “Whoa, Abby. We’re just friends.”
“Oh, well, he’s a great friend and so cute!” she said as she squeezed his face. “I remember when I first came here. You were about thirteen or somewhere in there, I think. I can’t believe you’re all grown up now. And look at Raven! I remember he used to make you buy him candy in exchange for him helping you with your chores at home.”
Mike said, “Yeah. He convinces everyone to do whatever he wants, even Aunt Pricilla. I don’t know how he does it.”
“It’s those big dark eyes of his. He turns them on you and you just melt and give him whatever he asks for. I don’t know how Zoe says no to him about anything. Oh! Isn’t it wonderful that she’s going to have a baby?” Abby asked.
“Yeah, it is. I’m really happy for them,” Mike said.
“Me, too. Well, I should go do my job before Jake fires me. It’s so nice to meet you Hope.” Abby pinched Mike’s face and then trotted off.
Mike caught Hope’s eye and said, “Yes, she’s always like that.”
Hope laughed. “You sure know some interesting people.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Mike said, as he watched Joe walk up on stage with Seth and his cousin, Luke Samuels.
Luke was a big hulk of a man with soulful brown eyes and dark hair. He and Seth played fiddle while Joe and Luke’s wife, Jamie, sang. The redhead soon joined them and then Joe ran off the stage again. He quickly came back with Ben Walker, Marcus’ partner at the medical clinic.
“Hey, Raven!” Joe shouted. “Where’s your wife?”
Raven yelled back, “She’ll be here soon.”
Joe rolled his eyes and said, “Ok.”
Hope pointed at Joe and asked, “Is that the mayor?”
“Yep. You’ll get a kick out of him. They never start when he wants to. They’re all there now, except for Zoe, but pretty soon, someone will leave the stage. Then Joe will go get them, only to have to go after someone else.”
Sure enough, Luke sat his fiddle down and left the stage while Joe was talking to Jamie. Zoe came in and went up on stage. Joe was happy that she was there and then noticed that Luke had gone. He left the stage and came back with Luke, but Seth had come over to their table.
Seth smiled at Hope. “Get ready to have some fun, Hope.”
“I’m ready,” she said as Joe came over to Seth.
He said, “Get up here. We’re ready to start.”
“Oh, ok. See ya, kids,” Seth said as he followed Joe up on stage.
Once they were all warmed up, they started and Hope was surprised at how professional they sounded. Jake loved to dance and came over to the dance floor with Abby. It wasn’t long until they were joined by other couples. Jack’s wife, Sparrow, ran over to their table and took Mike’s hand.
“May I borrow him?” the pretty Lakota woman asked Hope. “Jack is not a very good dancer, but Mike is.”
Hope laughed. “I know. I’ve danced with him. Go ahead. Have fun.”
Sparrow nodded and pulled Mike out of his chair, making Hope laugh again. Mike spun Sparrow around then settled into the dance. Hope was surprised when a man suddenly sat down in Mike’s seat.
“Hi,” he said with a smile.
“Hi.”
“So are you and Mike together?” he asked.
“Well, we’re friends,” she said as she looked him over.
He was slightly taller than Mike and had what looked like black hair. His dark eyes held humor, but something else that she couldn’t define. His angular, chiseled features were very pleasing to the eye and his smile was infectious.
“I’m Hope.”
“Switch,” he said as he held out his hand.
Hope frowned. “Switch what?”
He laughed. “No, that’s my name. Well, my nickname, anyway. My given name is Justin Keller, but everyone except my parents calls me Switch.”
“Why?”
“You’ll see. Since you and Mike are just friends, would you like to dance? I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t stepping on his toes before I asked you.”
Hope hesitated.
“C’mon, I won’t bite. I promise. Besides, Mike would kick my rear if I did. I’m a good dancer, too,” Switch said. “I don’t normally beg, but I will if you want me to.” He got down on his knees in front of her.
Hope laughed. �
��Stop it! Ok, I’ll dance with you.”
Switch jumped up and gallantly held out his hand. Hope placed hers in his and let him lead her to the dance floor. Will and Rachel were dancing and Switch waited until they got close before he bumped Will, making him lose a step or two.
“Knock it off, Switch,” Will complained.
Switch laughed and said, “Don’t mind him, Hope. He has to count so he can dance without trampling Rachel’s feet.”
“I do not,” Will protested.
“Even now I can hear him thinking, ‘one, two, one, two’,” Switch said.
“Shut up, Switch!”
Switch introduced Hope to Will and Rachel and then moved with her into the line that was going around the floor. Hope had never done this particular dance, but Switch was a good teacher and she soon caught on to the steps.
“So Sadie said that you’re spending the holidays in Dawson,” Switch said. “How do you like it so far?”
Hope smiled as they maneuvered around another couple. “It’s been so much fun. I can’t believe how much family Mike has. He said he was from a big family, but I didn’t know it was that big.”
“Oh, yeah. There’s a lot of them,” Switch said. “So, how come Mike hasn’t snatched you up for his own?”
“We’re good friends, but we’d never last as anything more. He’s very driven with his studies, and I’d rather have a lot of fun whenever I can,” Hope said.
“Whenever you can?”
“My father is very controlling, and I’m not even allowed to be courted. But when he’s away on business, my mother lets me go out with my friends,” Hope said and then wondered why she’d said such a personal thing to Switch.
“Ah, I see. Yes, I know a thing or two about not so nice parents,” he said. “Mine don’t like it that I have a brain that doesn’t work quite right.”
He spun her and Hope waited until she was facing him again before asking, “Why doesn’t it work right?”
“That’s a very good question, and none of the doctors I’ve ever been to have any real idea what the problem is,” Switch said.
“No, I mean, what happens to you?” she asked.
