Lords of Ireland II

by Le Veque, Kathryn

  Mrs. Delworth took one and put it into her basket. “Since it didn’t go as far as I feared, you don’t need this one. This other one is for your nerves. To help calm you. Some St. John’s wort and lavender tonic. I put some in your tea.”

  They talked for hours about other matters. Mrs. Delworth told her about Virginia Collins being the object of the latest gossip, being seen leaving the sheriff’s house late one night.

  As the afternoon came to an end, Mrs. Delworth stood and hugged Charlie. “Get dressed now and see about making some supper for your husband. From what I saw, the man’s been eating beans and chunks of burnt meat.”

  Supper was solemn, but comfortable. Both Jerrick and Joe joined them for stew and fresh bread. She’d not had time to make a fancy meal, but they exclaimed it to be the best food they’d eaten in a long time. She smiled knowing they’d had mostly burned food as none of them were prone to cook well.

  After the two men left, Patrick helped her clean the kitchen. From the corner of her eye, she caught him stealing concerned glances at her. “Patrick. Can we sit outside for a bit? I’d like some fresh air.”

  Once she settled into one of the rockers, he lowered to the one next to hers and looked straight out into the horizon. It was then she noticed new lines etched between his brow and shadows under his eyes. His lip and eye were healing, but yellowish bruising remained.

  Yet he remained so handsome, so striking, just looking at him made her want to cry that God would grant her not just another good husband, but one she desired with all her mind, body, and soul.

  His body was magnificent, his hair glossy and soft. She let out a sigh and he looked at her. “Are you all right? Do you need a blanket?”

  “No,” she held her hand out. “Just need you to hold my hand right now.”

  She braced herself expecting to draw back at his touch, but instead warmth filled her when his hand wrapped around hers.

  “We’ll take as long as you need, Charlie. Don’t feel as if you have to rush into intimacy on my account. I know it’s going to take time.”

  She let out a long breath and nodded. “Thank you for saying that. I will need time. But I also want my husband in my bed at night. I need you there. I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  When his lips curved and he winked at her, she blushed. “It’s hard to resist me, isn’t it? Ensure you keep your hands to yourself.”

  Laughter exploded from her, the sound of it surprising her as much as him. “You are so humble.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Winfrow’s still in jail,” Joe told them over supper a week later. “Seems the judge is taking his sweet time making a decision.”

  “They won’t keep him for long, probably let him go after a few weeks.” Jerrick mopped up gravy with his biscuit. “I bet he won’t bother you anymore though.” He gave Charlie a wide grin. “Especially since the McKade’s ran all his men off. Only a couple of the ranch hands remained behind. The hired guns are gone and the rest have either gone to work for the McKades or back to their own place.

  “I’m not as sure as you are,” Patrick replied between bites. “As long as he’s around, he’ll be up to no good.”

  “Something else,” Joe said eyeing Charlie. “Seems a mail order bride came into town. Said she was to marry Winfrow. His mama sent the poor girl away. Prosper’s gone off to try and find her.”

  “Why would he send for a bride when he was so obsessed with Charlie?” Jerrick asked. “Makes no sense.”

  “I reckon his ma did the writin’ and then sent her away not wanting to explain he was in jail.”

  “What a mess,” Charlie said shaking her head. “I hope he keeps to himself when he gets out. And I hope Prosper gets to the poor girl in time.”

  “We hired four men to help with the calving. All the new farm hands have been told to shoot Winfrow on sight,” Patrick told them. “One foot on our property and it’s our right to do so. I’ve got a couple men who’ll be taking turns guarding the house as soon as he’s released.” He looked to her, his gaze intent. “No one is ever harming you again.”

  Charlie felt the warmth and protection of the three men in the room and for the first time in a long time her world seemed almost complete. “I miss Mary Ellen. With the new stable hands, we’ll have to hire a cook.”

  Jerrick’s eyes fell to the table and he didn’t say anything.

  “I put the word out in town,” Joe informed them. “Mrs. Delworth said a family just arrived with a wagon train, have two daughters looking to work.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll see about that in the next couple days. Will you go with me, Patrick?”

  He nodded and lifted his cup. “Always by your side.”

  Patrick bathed in the kitchen. It had been a long day; he’d left after supper to help with the herding of the cattle. The herd was smaller now as the buyer had taken more than half, but it was branding time and half the heifers were pregnant and ornery.

  He’d purchased six horses and some pigs, which created new chores that would keep the new ranch hands busy for days.

  Joe had settled into handling the stables and Jerrick prepared to purchase a small ranch from a widower. He planned to move in a week and start his new life, which Patrick was glad about. His friend had been reserved since Mary Ellen’s departure, but once he’d started the planning for his new place, his old personality came back. They spent many hours discussing what needed to be done which took his mind away from what happened with Charlie.

  It was harder than he’d expected to sleep beside her and not have her body. Not claim her again as his wife. Sometimes in slumber she’d reached for him and snuggled tightly against him immediately bringing his body to full alert. Demanding he take her, his reaction to her had caused sleepless nights. But he’d do as promised and wait for her to be ready. It would be her who would come to him, who would initiate any lovemaking.

  The lantern was lit when he entered the bedroom. Charlie lay on her side and watched him as he removed the towel wrapped about his hips and reached for some drawers. He’d started wearing them since the incident and hated it, but it helped him resist, to have that extra layer between them.

  “Don’t.” Charlie’s voice was soft, but he heard it loud and clear. “Come to bed just as you are.”

  Not quite knowing what to expect, he went to the bed and slipped under the blanket and lay next to her. He lay on his back and looked at the ceiling. “Jerrick plans to leave next week. He’s all set.”

  Instead of a reply her hand rested on his chest for a moment and she slid it down to his stomach and back up.

  Patrick cleared his throat. “Says he wants to buy a dozen cattle and two pigs from us.”

  Her soft plump breast brushed against his arm when she moved closer and pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

  “You think we should give him some chickens?”

  Her hand wrapped around his hardened member and she nibbled his ear.

  His mind went blank. How did he proceed? He told his hands to reach for her and his body to turn but when she slid her fingers down his shaft, all he could do was let out a gruff moan.

  “I want you so much, it hurts,” Charlie whispered into his ear. “Let me love you, Patrick.”

  He understood what she asked. It was her who would take from him, not the other way around. “Yes.” He said, not moving to kiss her although he wanted nothing more than to ravage her sweet lips.

  She slid against him, her leg over his, the delicious body almost more than he could bear.

  When she climbed over him and straddled his midsection he grabbed at the bedding and fisted the fabric to keep from wrapping his hand around her waist.

  Charlie leaned forward and pressed kisses from his jawline to his throat and across his chest. All the while she moved over him in a sensual dance that made him weak as a kitten.

  “I can’t wait.” Her darkened eyes met his and she lowered her mouth to his, her long hair curtaining them. She kissed him with a delicious mixtu
re of innocence and hunger. Patrick kissed her back, but kept his tongue to himself, letting her do all the work.

  She lifted her hips and guided him to her entrance then lowered taking him in. Patrick called out her name fighting with all his will power not to move, but give her all the power over his body.

  Charlie took him, drove him crazy with her sweet body. Every movement brought him closer to the brink, but he held on waiting for her, instinctively knowing this was more about her, about giving her dominance and control. His wife needed to know she was in charge at the moment, that he would not do more than she asked of him.

  And to his shock and amazement, it was the most erotic moment of his life. Surrendering to the beautiful woman gave him a different kind of strength. The inner kind that burned through him. A new way to let her know the depth of his love for her.

  Her hoarse cry signaling her culmination sent him to his and Patrick joined her in the eruption of sensations as she clung to him, shaking with her release.

  The town was bustling with activity as they arrived late the next morning. Patrick brought their buggy to a stand in front of the mercantile and climbed down. He helped Charlie down, the entire time scanning the surroundings.

  “Relax, everything is fine.” Charlie tapped his shoulder, her eyes meeting his. “Let’s enjoy the day.”

  At the post office, Charlie mailed a letter to Mary Ellen announcing their marriage and not mentioning the episode with Winfrow. They went past the apothecary to the mercantile, as Charlie had plans for tea with Mrs. Delworth later.

  A blond woman Patrick remembered from an earlier visit walked out of a shop and rushed to Charlie. “Oh honey, how are you. Heard what happened. About the attack and all.” She eyed Patrick from head to foot. “So glad you were able to rescue her.”

  Charlie pushed at the woman’s hands. “Virginia. See you’re not worse for the wear.”

  The woman put a hand on her chest. Although attractive, she had an air of a kind he’d seen many a time. Wore too much rouge and her hat with a feather on it reminded Patrick of the women who frequented saloons. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Oh nothing,” Charlie shrugged. “Did you hear about what happened from Dane McKade?”

  Virginia’s eyes widened. “No. I mean, it’s all over town, you know with the McKades running off Winfrow’s men and all.”

  “I see.” Charlie’s cool gaze made the woman fidget.

  “Well, I better see about getting some supper started.” The woman walked away.

  “Kind of early to be cookin’ supper, isn’t it?” Patrick asked Charlie who shook her head at the woman’s retreating back.

  “Depends on what she’s cooking.”

  Men rushed past them towards the jail and Patrick pulled Charlie close. When a young boy came near, Patrick stopped him. “What’s going on?”

  The boy’s eyes darted to them and then in the direction the others had gone. “A lynchin’. They’re hanging Winfrow for murderin’ someone.” The boy darted away, one hand on his hat to keep it from flying off his head.

  Charlie gasped and he guided her back to Mrs. Delworth’s. The jingle over the doorway sounding too cheerful at the moment. The woman looked up and smiled only to somber at their expressions. She looked to the window.

  “Oh goodness.” She came to them and scowled out the door. “Heard about the hanging then. Seems several of Winfrow’s men felt free to tell the sheriff and the judge about a couple murders on the ranch. They went out there and found four bodies buried around the property. The saddest thing.”

  “My bet is Winfrow had them killed and didn’t do it himself,” Charlie said with a sad shake to her head.

  “Who knows,” Mrs. Delworth said with a sigh. “But with so many witnesses, the man’s fate is sealed.”

  “Can’t say I feel sorry for him,” Charlie pronounced in a strong voice. “Many of us suspected he did bad things, but no one ever had the courage to speak up.”

  “Seems now they did. Not just a few either.”

  Patrick was glad to leave Charlie in Mrs. Delworth’s shop as he wanted to witness the execution. Know once and for all, the man would never bother his wife or any other innocent in Colter Valley again.

  There weren’t many people gathered at the gallows built beside the jailhouse. Mostly men and a couple women stood waiting Winfrow’s fate. Patrick didn’t recognize most of them. A couple of the men he did, they’d ridden with Winfrow on the first day he’d met him.

  Three men stood on the platform. One who he assumed was the judge, pronounced Winfrow’s sentence just as the man was brought out by Sheriff McKade and another. Winfrow struggled against them, his eyes bulging. “I didn’t kill anybody. They did it! The cowardly bastards did it and are now coming together to put the blame on me.”

  They ignored him and dragged him kicking and screaming onto the platform. A preacher stood before them and said a prayer, which they couldn’t hear over Winfrow’s screeches.

  His feet were bound and they placed a black hood over the now blubbering man’s head. Then the noose was placed and tightened around his neck.

  The execution was fast and without preamble. A lever pulled, the man fell through the flooring and only struggled a few moments before stilling.

  Patrick stared at the now still figure and considered how Winfrow had wasted his life. He’d gotten so far, accumulated wealth and land after humble beginnings, yet he’d never stopped thirsting for more. It was sad to see how the man’s life ended after throwing away all his potential in his greed for power over others.

  As he made his way down the sidewalk back to the apothecary, the train’s whistle sounded. It headed for Colter Valley, the tracks cutting through the edge of town. With it more people and new families. As one life ended, new ones replaced it.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “You’re quiet tonight,” Charlie told Patrick and pressed a kiss to his temple and settled into the rocker next to his. They sat on the porch with a cup of coffee. It was too early for supper yet, the new cook Louisa pronounced it wouldn’t be ready in an hour or so and banished them from the kitchen.

  Charlie was pleased; the young woman was delightful and a great cook. Her family had just arrived from Arkansas and she was eager to work and help as much as she could, as they had little to nothing in the way of money or such. Her father had promptly found employ at the town’s mill and her other sister at the seamstress shop. The family had moved in with her mother’s sister and husband, but planned to build soon on the same land.

  Patrick took her hand and she noticed a faraway look on his face. It would be some time before she could read all his expressions and guess what he thought. But at the moment, it was as if something bothered him.

  “Is something wrong?”

  He looked to his boots for a moment in thought. “I’m worried about Jerrick all alone out there in his small ranch. Not sure he’s happy.”

  Her heart swelled with love for him. Such a caring man under the gruff exterior. “Maybe we should visit. I’ll talk to him about planning a gathering at his house.”

  “A gathering?” His brows lowered in confusion. “To celebrate what?”

  “We don’t need a reason for a celebration. It’s been a long time since there’s been cause to do so around here.” Charlie told him with a wide smile. “His ranch is close enough to town, people can come and go back in the same day.”

  Her husband seemed to consider it. “You think they’ll come?”

  “Of course.” She bit her lip. Although she’d never planned one, she’d attended a few when married to Daniel and a few since he passed. With Mrs. Delworth and Mrs. Evington’s help, she was sure it would work out fine. She studied her husband again. “Something else on your mind?”

  His chest lifted in fell and she braced herself for what he’d say. Surely he wasn’t unhappy with her. “We haven’t made love since you initiated. I’m trying to be patient, but not sure I can do so much longer.”

  Charl
ie felt her face heat with mortification. “I’m actually not sure what to say. Ever since our last night together, I am embarrassed at the way I acted. I…I am not sure how you felt.”

  His lips curved. “Is that what you think? Charlie, that was the most amazing moment for me. I enjoyed every second of it.”

  Her eyes rounded. “Really?”

  Her husband leaned over and kissed her ear before whispering in it. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

  “Thank God,” Charlie exclaimed her body tightening with expectation.

  His gaze was warm. “My heart, body, and soul are all yours, Charlie.”

  “I miss you so much, Patrick. Your touch. I wish we could go to bed now.”

  Patrick laughed. “Once supper is done, I am dragging you to our bed.”

  Charlie let out a sigh and looked at him. “I love you so much, Patrick.”

  “Don’t look at me like that. We won’t make supper and the others will know what we’re up to.” He leaned over and nuzzled her neck just as someone cleared their throat.

  Joe attempted a stern expression, but the twinkle in his eyes told otherwise. “Supper is ready and I’m not in the mood to be waitin’ on you two.”

  Charlie snuggled against a sleeping Patrick. The outline of the moon was bright through the thin bedroom curtains. Sated from making love with her husband, she was surprised that sleep evaded. It was as if she couldn’t get enough of him, her eyes devoured the sight of her husband, memorizing every aspect of his face.

  As softly as possible she cupped his jaw and pressed a kiss to his pursed lips. Patrick smacked his lips in sleep and let out a long sigh. She smiled at how deeply he slumbered.

  She thought of Daniel and how often she’d wondered if she’d ever fall in love with him. Never did she expect a feeling so immense like what she felt for Patrick.

  He was her one and only and soon she hoped they’d have children. She’d not gotten pregnant with Daniel. Hopefully it was because their lovemaking was sporadic at best. She’d feigned sleep or not feeling well most nights, not looking forward to the uncomfortable union with him. But with Patrick, it was different, she was eager, hungry for him. She had no doubt, they’d have a child next year.