The Devil's Daughter

by Laura Drewry

  When she finally looked at him, he offered her a small grin, too.

  “I reckon it means I’m the stupid one for not thinking before I go and open my big pie-hole.”

  Lucy lips twitched. “Now that’s something we can finally agree on, husband.”

  “Am I forgiven?”

  A look so odd crossed her face that Jed couldn’t even begin to guess what it meant or what she was thinking.

  “You want me to forgive you?”

  He shrugged again, grinning. “That’s normally how this works. Someone says they’re sorry and the other person forgives them.”

  “Hmm,” she mused. “Interesting. I’ve never forgiven anyone before.”

  The shock of that simple statement nearly yanked Jed’s jaw to the ground. But rather than upset her again, he forced a look that he could only hope was anything but surprised.

  If he didn’t know better, he’d swear Lucy had dropped clean out of the sky or something.

  He swallowed the rest of his coffee, tipped her a nod and pointed toward the tea.

  “Willing to try it again?” he asked. “I recommend you blow on it a little to cool it down first.”

  Lucy lifted the mug again, blew a few times and took another tentative sip. Then another. Wonder filled her face as her eyes began to light up again.

  “Mmmm,” she managed between sips. “It’s warming me up from the inside out!”

  Jed wanted to be the one warming her up. Hell, with what he wanted to do to her, they’d probably both burst into flames. He shook himself from that train of thought and cleared his throat.

  “I was thinking,” he said.

  “Oh no,” she moaned. “Every time you say that, I find myself knee deep in prickly pear and mesquite bushes.”

  “No,” he laughed. “Not this time.”

  She allowed him to refill her mug, then settled herself on the ground. Jed refilled his own mug, and sat next to her, fighting the urge to crawl inside that damned blanket with her.

  “What would you think about going into town today?” he asked.

  Lucy started so quickly, she nearly spilled her tea again.

  “Into town?” She wiped a drop of tea from her bottom lip, a simple movement that had Jed adjusting his position to find a comfortable spot again.

  “Yes,” he finally managed. “I need to pick up some supplies, and I figured while we were there, we could go find you a dress you won’t want to rip apart. Maybe a coat, too.”

  Lucy’s eyes widened with every word. “Really? A coat?”

  “Sure,” he laughed. “Unless you want to keep that blanket with you all the time.”

  “Uh, no,” she admitted. “But why would you waste more money on me?”

  “Waste?” Jed scratched his head and frowned. “If it makes you happy, Lucy, it’s not wasted.”

  She didn’t look impressed with his gallantry. Instead, she looked wary.

  “Are you sure you can you afford it? You don’t even have the herd yet.”

  Jed tapped her on the nose. “Yes, we can afford it. Don’t worry. And while we’re in town, I’ll go make the final arrangements with George to take over part of his herd.”

  Lucy carefully sipped her tea and nodded along with him, even as a frown crinkled her forehead. Of course she was worried – Deacon was staying in town somewhere. Maybe this was Jed’s chance to prove he could handle Deacon. Maybe Lucy would finally realize there was nothing to worry about from an ass like Deacon.

  “It’ll be fine, Lucy.”

  She looked up at him, but Jed would have sworn she didn’t actually see him. It was as though she were looking through him.

  In a rush of energy, she leapt up, dropping the blanket to her feet, but keeping her tea tight in hand. She filled a large pot with the remaining water from the bucket and set it atop the fire.

  “I can’t very well go to town looking like this,” she announced, then eyed him skeptically. “And neither can you.”

  Jed couldn’t help laughing. This was the Lucy he needed back. The Lucy who would rather die than let others see her looking anything but her best. The Lucy who’d deny it forever, but who had as much pride as Jed himself.

  “I’ll go clean up at the creek,” he said when he’d stopped laughing at her.

  “Ooh, the creek,” she mused. “A bath would be better.”

  Oh no. The mere thought of Lucy standing naked in his creek was more than Jed could stand. In fact, he couldn’t stand at all at the moment.

  He needed to keep her away from that creek – it was his sanctuary; the one place he could go to control his urges with the cold water. Granted, it didn’t control them completely, but at least it helped manage them a little.

  “I don’t know,” he croaked. “That water’s mighty cold. You sure you want to. . .expose. . .yourself to that?”

  Lucy didn’t seem to notice the strain in his voice or the way his teeth ground together with each word.

  “Maybe not.” She grinned, then focused back on the pot of water. “I’ll wash up here, you go to the creek, and we’ll get going as soon as possible.”

  She pulled the coffeepot from the rocks. “Are you done with this?”

  Before Jed could answer, she emptied the pot on the ground with one graceful swing of her arm. But she made sure her mug was filled before she sent the remaining tea in the same direction.

  “Guess I’m done now,” he muttered, struggling to his feet.

  The look of excitement on Lucy’s face doused any irritation he had over a stupid pot of coffee.

  “I’ll tend the horses, then go clean up,” he said. “Be ready in an hour?”

  “An hour?” Lucy shook her head. “Oh no, dear husband, we’ll be well on our way in an hour – so you best get going.”

  She pulled the mug from his fingers – the still half-full mug – and pushed him toward the barn. He reached back for his coffee but she’d already dumped it out.

  Damn. If she weren’t so adorable, he’d almost be angry. Almost.

  Instead, he trudged off to feed and water the horses, grinning stupidly the entire time. He took his time harnessing them to the wagon. After all, no woman could possibly have her chores done and be dressed within an hour. He had plenty of time to get ready and plenty of time to ponder this woman he’d married.

  If someone had told him two weeks ago that he’d be married to a woman like Lucy, he never would have believed them. And if they told him he’d be happy about it, he’d have thought them completely mad.

  Yet there he was, married to a woman so unlike himself it could hardly be believed.

  And he liked it.

  Actually, truth be told, he more than liked it. He couldn’t imagine being married to any of those other girls at the auction, and he offered a silent word of thanks for the odd turn of events that got him to where he was.

  If he’d followed his plan the way he’d set out to, would he be this happy? Somehow, he doubted it.

  The creek did little to wash Lucy out of his mind. In fact, he kept envisioning her standing knee-deep in the water, her eyes laughing back at him, her body dripping with –

  ”Stop it,” he muttered. “Just stop it.”

  He scrubbed his own body with the hard yellow soap, rinsed quickly, and dressed in his clean set of clothes. Dried soap flaked from his shirt as he buttoned it over his still-damp skin. Hopefully one day Lucy would learn how to rinse better before she hung the clothes to dry.

  But he wasn’t about to mention it to her. He’d just wear whatever was clean and be damned thankful he wasn’t the one who’d had to use that cursed scrub board.

  He buttoned his shirt as he walked, checking to make sure he had the buttons in their proper holes. Wouldn’t do to let anyone think he was distracted.

  What the. . .

  Jed stopped next to the huge hand-shaped cactus. The four yellow blooms were still as vibrant as ever, but now, the fourth ‘finger’ was pushing a bloom out as well. It was still small compared to the
others, but it stood out for no other reason than it wasn’t yellow like the others, but red.

  By the time he made it back to the house, Lucy was dressed and waiting at the barn door. Her green silk dress was slightly wrinkled, but she still looked beautiful in it. Her face glowed from its fresh scrubbing, and her glossy black hair fell loosely around her shoulders.

  It was the way he liked it best. Not very sensible to leave it down like that, but damn if it didn’t make him want to slide his hands through it silkiness and –

  He squeezed his eyes shut, swallowed back several curses, then forced himself to look back at her.

  “Decided against the blanket did ya?”

  “Yes,” she answered with a cheeky smile. “I save that particular look just for you, dear husband. Aren’t you lucky?”

  He deposited his dirty clothes just inside the door, then swept a soft kiss against her cheek.

  “Luckiest damn fool in the world.” He shot her a wink, then added, “Give me a second.”

  His knock on the cabin door was answered immediately.

  “Lucy and I have to go in to town,” he told Berta. “I don’t figure Maggie will want to come with us, but if there’s anything you think we need--”

  Berta murmured her answer, then closed the door. Jed hesitated a moment before returning to Lucy. He lifted her up into the wagon, then climbed up beside her, suddenly feeling like he was, truly, the luckiest man God ever saw fit to put on the earth. And yet, at the same time, the most pathetic man ever.

  He clicked to the horses and breathed in a deep lung full of fresh morning air. How could his life be so mixed up? On the one hand, he had a wife who’d begun to settle in to his heart, who’d finally made his parched piece of land begin to feel like home.

  On the other hand, he had a sister-in-law who was losing her senses, whose baby was due in a few weeks, and who refused to consider herself a widow. Once the baby was born, he’d have to talk to her about putting up a stone for Sam.

  In the meantime, he’d trust Maggie’s care to Berta and hope the baby was born healthy. He also needed to prove to his wife that he wasn’t the weakling she seemed to think he was; that he could – and would – protect both her and Maggie from anything that threatened to hurt them.

  Even if it meant protecting Lucy from her own family, and Maggie from herself.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Lucy arranged her skirts neatly around her, then rearranged them again. Anything to keep herself occupied. If only she could keep her mind occupied with something other than Jed.

  He was going to buy her a coat. And a new dress.

  He didn’t seem to have any personal reasons for giving her these things. Most humans were selfish by nature, and only did kind things if it meant they would reap some benefit themselves.

  That didn’t seem to be the case with Jed.

  It was as if he honestly wanted her to have these things just because it would make her happy.

  How odd.

  She felt his concern. He worried over her meeting Deacon while they were in town, and he didn’t want her to think he was weak. But she worried over neither of these things.

  She could no sooner control Deacon’s movements than she could the tide, so it was a waste of energy to think on it. And as for Jed being weak – it was a moot point. No human could withstand the powers Deacon wielded. She didn’t doubt her husband’s physical strength or ability, but this was a fight he had no hope of winning.

  He sat on the bench next to her, his elbows resting on his knees, the reins dangling loosely between his fingers. A new and unsettling fear settled over Lucy as she watched him. It was one thing for her to be working against Jed, but she shuddered at the thought of Deacon getting involved.

  As though he knew she was staring at him, Jed sat up and turned to face her. “You all right?” he asked, his deep voice carrying in the empty desert.

  “Yes,” she answered, perhaps a little too fast. After a brief hesitation, she smiled. “Just admiring the scenery.”

  Jed tipped his hat back slightly and glanced around them. “It sure is pretty, isn’t it?” He sighed contentedly. “No crowds, no noise. Just us.”

  And the tumbleweeds.

  Lucy frowned. “I wasn’t talking about the land, Jed.”

  He cocked his brow. “What else is there?”

  She slid across the bench until they sat side by side. She didn’t tease him as she’d done the first time they’d ridden together, though. Instead, she slipped her hand beneath his elbow and rested her head on his shoulder.

  “I was talking about you.”

  “Me?” Jed snorted. “I think that sun finally got the better of you. Knew you should’ve been wearing that bonnet.”

  “I’m fine.” Lucy swatted his arm. “But you can be sure I’d welcome sun-addled brains long before I’d agree to wear that horrible bonnet.”

  She memorized every inch of his face, from the sun-bronzed color to the tiny white scar beneath his right ear. His stubborn streak set itself in the firmness of his jaw, and his kindness bared itself through his coal-black eyes – the same eyes she’d once considered unreadable.

  “You’re a very handsome man, Jedidiah. Did you know that?”

  Color raced up his neck and face, disappearing at his scalp.

  “You are,” she insisted. “I’d say you’re probably the most handsome man I’ve ever seen.”

  “Then you obviously haven’t seen many men.” He laughed at himself, but Lucy wasn’t going to let him off so easily.

  “It wouldn’t matter how many I had or hadn’t seen. You are, in fact, a handsome man.” She sat forward a little so she could look directly into his face. “Do you really not know that?”

  “It’s not something I pay much mind to.”

  “I know.” She smiled at his embarrassment. “That’s what adds to it.”

  Jed licked his lips, blew out a long breath, then licked them again. “Could we talk about something else, please?”

  “Better yet,” she said, turning his face back to hers. “Let’s not talk at all.”

  She pulled him toward her until their lips touched, briefly, then again, slightly longer. He tasted like sunshine and fresh water, and before she knew it – and before he could stop her - she wiggled herself onto his lap.

  She kept his face between her hands and kissed him again, sliding her tongue over his mouth and pulling a low growl from him. His arms shifted beneath her, wrestling with the reins, until the wagon came to a stop.

  Lucy clung to Jed. She needed to kiss him. She couldn’t explain why, she just knew it was something she had to do. And, all the better, it was something she enjoyed doing.

  If he pushed her away, she’d be lost. How would she find her next breath?

  The air around them stood still for a very long, tortuous heartbeat. She eased back far enough to look into the darkness of his eyes and what she saw there nearly ripped her in two. Need as strong as her own shone back, consuming her with its heat.

  Jed’s hands cupped her bottom and shifted her slightly. The feel of him, hard against her backside, sent jolts of excitement racing through her veins and to places deep inside she’d never felt before.

  His gaze never wavered, not even so much as a blink. Lucy licked her lips, swiping her tongue across them slowly, in the hopes of finding his taste still there.

  Jed’s mouth found hers with a kiss so hungry, so demanding, Lucy’s entire being quaked. He slid his hands up her sides, brushing his thumbs against her straining breasts. Heat poured into her, ripping through her veins and sending shiver after shiver over her skin and up her spine.

  His hands were in her hair, caressing each lock, then holding her head still while he devoured her.

  A soft whimper came from Lucy’s throat.

  What is wrong with me? This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. For Jed, yes, but certainly not for her. She wasn’t meant to crave his touch or to want his kisses so much. It wasn’t right.

  But
if it wasn’t right, she was more than happy to be wrong; so very, very wrong.

  She squeezed closer to Jed, until his chest pressed against her, his heart pounding out a rhythm fast enough to cause any other mortal’s to explode. The mere thought made Lucy smile.

  Her mortal was so much better than the rest of them. Stronger, better looking, and completely irresistible. Oh yes, she’d chosen well with him.

  Jed moaned against her lips, then pulled back. Not far, just enough to rest his forehead against hers, the tips of their noses brushing each other.

  “You’re killin’ me,” he whispered, his voice harsh and raspy.

  “Funny,” Lucy whispered back. “You feel very much alive to me.”

  Jed let go a ragged laugh and settled her head against his shoulder.

  She wiggled closer and reached for the buttons on Jed’s shirt. His breath caught when the first one released. His Adam’s apple bobbed hard on the second. But when she started on the third, his hand covered hers and held it tight.

  “Not here,” he moaned. “Just the thought of it’s more than I can handle right now.”

  Lucy sighed softly, but didn’t object. How could she when he held her hand that way? If she’d ever wondered what feeling safe felt like, this would be it, sitting on Jed’s lap, with his arms wrapped around her and her hand tucked in his. There couldn’t be a safer place in all the world.

  “Should we go then?” She closed her eyes and held her breath. Please say no.

  “Give me a minute, will you?” Jed’s chuckle came out as more of a choke.

  They sat in silence for much longer than a minute. Lucy curled against his shoulder, while Jed traced circles across her back with his huge gentle fingers. She’d expected his desire to soften after a time, but it didn’t.

  Not even a little.

  “Would it be better if I got off your lap?” she asked softly.

  “Lord no,” he moaned. “I’m afraid of what’ll happen if you move.”

  Lucy tried to stifle her laughter against his neck, but it was no use.

  “I’m glad you’re finding this so amusing,” he said, and even though she couldn’t see his face, she knew he was smiling, too.