A Moment in Time

by Deb Stover

  She'd never felt so full, so complete. Jackie grew hotter, her muscles constricted, her body craved more yet could take no more. Cole's movements became more urgent, almost punishing, and she was a glutton for his method of punishment.

  A kaleidoscope of colors burst before her eyes with yet another wondrous explosion. After Cole Morrison, she would be ruined for any other man.

  But she would never want another man.

  He tensed and exploded within her. His blistering heat filled her, claimed her.

  And, God help her, she knew she would never be the same.

  Chapter 14

  Cole held her in his arms for what seemed an eternity, the sun beating down on his backside and burning skin unaccustomed to the light of day. A smile tugged at his lips and he inhaled the scent of woman beneath him.

  He kissed the top of her head and rolled to his side, noticing the stripe where her hair parted. "Your hair is really brown," he whispered.

  She nodded against his shoulder. "Very dark. Are you just now noticing that?"

  "I was, uh, too busy to, uh..."

  Giggling, she pushed onto her elbow and lay on her side, facing him. Her expression sobered and she reached up to shove a stray curl off his forehead. "You're a beautiful man, Cole Morrison."

  "I'm not sure beautiful is the right word." He flashed her a grin.

  "Handsome on the outside," she said with a sigh, "and beautiful in here." She rested her hand over his heart. "Where it matters."

  His gut clenched and he cupped her cheek in his hand. Was now the time to tell her his plans? "Jackie, what are you doing to me?" he asked instead, kissing her softly. "You make me think about poetry and the fairy tales my mother read to me as a child." He glanced down at her bare bosom. "And you make me want you. Constantly."

  She arched a brow and a wicked smile curved her kiss-swollen lips. "Constantly?"

  "Constantly." He hardened against her thigh. "See for yourself."

  She laughed and kissed him soundly. "So what's wrong with that?"

  "A man's gotta work once in a while." He chuckled, enjoying the way she combined play with the far more serious matters of the flesh. "Not to mention eat and raise children."

  Her laughter died and the sparkle in her eyes dimmed. "Todd says you're going to Oregon."

  "I thought a lot about what you said last night about dreams." He stroked her bare shoulder, struggling against the burning hunger growing within him all over again. Now they needed to talk and the other would have to wait. His body flinched in disagreement and he glanced downward. Yes, you can wait.

  "I'm glad you're going to Oregon," she said, though sadness tinged her voice, and her eyes glittered dangerously. "Really."

  "So am I." He cupped her rosy cheek again, brushing his thumb along her temple. "And we want you to come with us."

  Genuine shock flared in her eyes. "What?" She pulled from his embrace and leapt to her feet, standing over him in all her naked splendor. "I'm imagining things. I couldn't possibly have heard you right."

  He rose slowly and faced her. "I'm serious, Jackie," he said, stroking her upper arms. "We both want you to come with us to Oregon. Is that too horrible for you to even consider?"

  She turned her back on him and he saw a tremor race through her slender body. He ached to gather her in his arms, but common sense commanded him to give her a few moments to consider his offer. "Jackie?"

  "What?"

  Her voice sounded thick, oddly muffled.

  "Are you crying?" He hadn't meant to make her cry. She was a strong woman and he doubted that tears came easily to her. "Please, don't–"

  "Please, don't say anything." She spun around to face him, her eyes moist, her face stained with tears. "Just...don't."

  He stood there helplessly, his arms hanging limply at his sides when all he wanted was to gather her against him and beg her to go with them. "We have to talk about this. It's important."

  An odd gleam entered her gray eyes and she tilted her chin a notch. "More important than your gold? More important than Lolita Belle's opening night?"

  "Yes, more important than both." His voice fell to a ragged whisper. He needed answers, and she was the only person who had them. "Who are you? Really?"

  She sniffled and shoved her hair back from her face. "You mean, you don't think I'm Lolita Belle anymore?"

  He shook his head slowly. "Who are you?"

  "I told you." She started toward the falls. "My real name is Jackie Clarke."

  He followed her into the water, allowing the frigid stream to purge his mind and quiet the fire in his body. Unfortunately, it did nothing to ease the riot in his heart and soul. After a few minutes, she shook herself and stepped out, taking a seat on the smooth stones a few feet from the water's edge.

  Cole watched her for several moments. She looked like one of those wood nymphs she'd mentioned earlier. He remembered illustrations from one of his mother's books. There'd been a beautiful, slender female being with wings. With a start, he realized how very much Jackie resembled that being.

  "Jackie," he whispered, taking a seat at her side. He glanced at her and saw her shiver. "You're freezing." Immediately, he slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "Maybe we should get dressed now and head back to–"

  "No." She turned and faced him. "I want–need–to have all this settled in my mind today." With a tremulous smile, she touched his cheek. "And...I want to make love with you one last time."

  "Jackie..." What did she mean by "one last time?"

  "You told me you need the gold Merriweather promised you in order to go to Oregon," she said matter-of-factly, pinning him with a no-nonsense look. "Do you or don't you, Cole? Which is it?"

  He released a deep sigh and combed his fingers through his hair. "Well, the only new homesteads I've heard of recently are down in Oklahoma Territory, but that's not Oregon. I'm afraid all the homesteads in Oregon are gone. I'll have to buy land."

  "No, Oklahoma is a far cry from Oregon." She chuckled quietly. "I can't picture you and Todd as Okies."

  "Okies?"

  "Never mind." She tilted her head to one side, her expression unreadable. "So you do need the gold."

  He clenched his teeth, afraid to answer. "We have enough to get to Oregon."

  "And...?" She waited a few seconds, then added, "But not enough to buy a ranch. Right?"

  "We'll be all right. I'll get work and start saving, then–"

  "So you do need the gold to have your dream." She held her hand up to silence him when he started to speak. "Admit it, Cole. The money Merriweather promised you is enough to really have that dream. Isn't it?"

  He shrugged, but she narrowed her eyes. "Sure, it would be enough, but there are some things that are more important than gold."

  "But not more important than dreams, Cole." Her eyes grew misty again. "Don't let go of your dreams. I did that once."

  "I'm not letting go. Not ever." He kissed her forehead. "I'm holding onto you. Get used to it."

  "Cole, your dreams..."

  "Shh." He wished she would look at him so he could see her eyes. "Tell me about your dreams, Jackie." He pulled her closer, wanting to comfort her, to keep her safe. "Share them with me."

  "Waste of breath."

  He cupped her chin, tilted her face up to meet his gaze, then covered her mouth with his. "Tell me," he murmured against her lips. "Tell me."

  "A home. A family." Her face crumpled and he watched her fight the tears. "Don't make me...talk about this. It hurts too much."

  She'd already said enough to help him begin to understand. He rose, pulling her up to stand before him. "We want you to come with us to Oregon, Jackie." He buried his fingers in her tangled hair, lowering his face so close to hers he could taste the warmth of her breath. "Share our dream."

  Before she could answer, he pulled her against him and kissed her, seeking answers from her response. She melded against him, trembling and warming in his embrace.

  And he knew.
/>   * * *

  Jackie fished the bar of mystery soap out of the basket and gave Cole a shampoo massage, then they played in the falls some more, made love again. And again.

  Exhausted and sated, they ate their picnic and Cole realized it was already late afternoon. "We'd better head back before Todd and Chief Byron beat us home." True regret sounded in his voice. "Though...I'd like to keep you naked indefinitely." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  Jackie laughed. "You're insatiable." She wrapped herself around him and kissed him. "I like that."

  "The kiss or the insatiable part?" He grabbed her when she tried to pull away. "You promise to think about going to Oregon with us?"

  "Don't spoil this." She freed herself and shook out her chemise, then pulled it over her head. "Ouch, I got sunburned."

  "There?" His eyes glittered with a feral light.

  She glanced downward, noticing his erection immediately. It was impossible to miss. "I wonder if you got sunburned...there." That's right. Keep changing the subject, Clarke.

  He glanced down, then shot her a wicked grin that made her bones melt. "Hmm. Maybe we ought to test it and make sure."

  "Like I said, you're insatiable." She pulled on her undies and tied them at the waist, then donned her dress. "And it's one of the things I like best about you, of course."

  Keep 'em laughing, Clarke. She knew what she had to do, and no matter how much it hurt, she couldn't let him talk her out of it.

  Sure, he'd asked her to go with him to Oregon, but it was what he hadn't said that hurt. Why did he want her to go? In what capacity? As Todd's teacher and Cole's mistress?

  Or as his wife?

  Did he love her as she loved him?

  No, men like Cole Morrison didn't marry women like Lolita Belle, and for all intents and purposes, that was who and what she was in 1891. She paused while tying her boots. At least, until the real Lolita showed up. If she showed up...

  Cole dressed and packed the picnic basket, then shook out and folded their quilt. "I'm glad you talked me out of going to the mine today," he said, flashing her another killer smile.

  "Yeah, it was real tough, too." She laughed when he tossed the blanket aside and spun her in a circle. He lowered his mouth to claim hers and she clung to him, cherishing this last day.

  That thought made her throat clog with unshed tears, but she resolutely banished any visible tears. The burning and tightening persisted, but she wouldn't cry. Not yet anyway. She had to stay tough and do the right thing.

  Jackie didn't belong here. Some freak accident had thrown her back in time, and she had to get her butt back to the right century ASAP. Enough of screwing up Cole's life and hers. Life had to go on, as they said.

  Yeah, right. She cradled his cheek in her palm as they separated, memorizing the way he practically made love to her with his eyes. No man had ever looked at her the way he did, and no man had ever made her completely lose control the way he had.

  She would miss that. She would miss him.

  Her heart squeezed and she drew a deep breath, reminding herself of Aunt Pearl's insistence that she never show her feelings. Big girls don't cry, Jacqueline Marie.

  "You are going with us," Cole said, his voice gruff, his body hard and compelling against hers. "Don't deny it, Jackie. I know you want to."

  It would be so easy to say yes. What if she stayed in Devil's Gulch waiting for the miracle that would return her to her own time and it never came? What if she was stuck here in the nineteenth century for the rest of her life?

  Shouldn't she be with the man she loved? Would the last few pages of that script have told her what would happen next? Right now, she'd pay any amount of money to have that script in front of her. Or a crystal ball...

  "I...I'm confused," she said, and that was no lie. "I need some time to think about it." She sighed and met his gaze, dying to tell him she loved him, and to hear him utter those same words in turn. But he wouldn't. She was a notorious saloon singer. Unfit for the roles of wife and mother.

  And since when did Jackie Clarke give a damn about propriety?

  She smiled to herself. Since she'd found someone else she cared more about than herself. Two someones. Her reputation had never mattered to her, except in business, of course. But if she went to Oregon with Cole and Todd, there would always be that ugly Lolita thing between them. Right or wrong...

  "Take time, then," he said. "Think about it." A furrow creased his brow. "I'll need more time to raise the money anyway."

  Time, time, time. Suddenly realizing what he'd said, she leaned away from him and watched his fluctuating expression. "What is it, Cole?"

  He shrugged and tried to turn away, but she held him fast.

  "Cole Morrison, if you expect me to consider your offer, then you have to be honest with me." And tell me in what capacity you want me to go with you to Oregon while you're at it.

  He shoved his hand through his hair and sighed. "Well, it's just that..."

  "Cole?" She placed her hand on his arm, felt his muscles bunch beneath her touch. Something was really bothering him. "What is it?"

  "I'm in a quandary."

  "You and me both." She smiled, but his brow remained furrowed, his eyes worried. "What is it, Cole?"

  He held his hands out to his sides in a gesture of helplessness. "I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't."

  Ditto. "Why?"

  "Don't take this wrong," he said, "but I never should've gotten involved in this kidnapping business."

  Had he changed his mind about wanting her to go with him to Oregon already? "Of course not."

  "The only good thing about it was finding you." His expression softened, his blue eyes devouring her again.

  Jackie's knees grew weak, but she drew a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "And the gold."

  He winced.

  "Color me confused," she said, rubbing his arm. "Enlighten me."

  "Don't you see, Jackie?" He gripped her upper arms and held her gaze with his. "I have to return the gold Merriweather already paid me."

  "The hell you do."

  "It would be dishonest for me to keep it," he persisted. "I didn't finish the job."

  "Whoa, hold on." With a nervous laugh, Jackie turned to look at the waterfall, then faced him again. He wasn't touching her now. Maybe she could think straight for a change. "Let me digest this. You think you have to return the money to Merriweather for the first part of your, uh, mission?"

  "Of course." He shrugged and gave her a sheepish and endearing grin. "I'm keeping you."

  His words warmed her, but she filed the good feeling aside for later. She was sure she'd need it by the time this mess was finished. "But you delivered me once, as ordered, and he paid you for that part of the job. If you don't deliver me for my opening night, you don't get the extra gold he promised."

  "Well..." His brow furrowed again. "I guess that's one way to look at it, but it still feels dishonest to me."

  She knew in that moment that "straight arrow" Cole Morrison wouldn't agree to Goodfellow's counter offer in a million years. Of course not. Why hadn't she realized that when Smith had first pitched it to her?

  Goodfellow will double Merriweather's offer. I'll be back in two days for your answer.

  Two days. That meant Smith would be back tomorrow. She either had to turn herself over to Goodfellow, or go public–so to speak–with her true identity before then.

  Oh, boy.

  She could play the martyr in a really big way and deliver herself to Goodfellow, then send the gold to Cole, but she knew he wouldn't accept it. Sighing, she tried to concentrate, to think logically. What a joke. Logic and Jackie Clarke!

  She had to think, and she was running out of time. Time. There it was again–the joke of two centuries.

  But she wasn't laughing.

  "Tell me something, Cole," she said, her mind mulling over all the gory details. She placed her hand on his arm again and faced him.

  "What?"

  "If you give
Merriweather back his precious gold, will you forgive yourself for ever getting involved in his schemes?"

  Cole's jaw flinched several times, then he gave a quick nod. "I haven't spent any of it, so I reckon. Why do you ask?"

  "Because I want you to forgive yourself, Cole. It's important to me." She paced, rubbing her chin and chewing her lower lip, then stopped to meet his curious gaze again. "I forgive you."

  His Adam's apple traveled the length of his throat and back. "You do?"

  She nodded and stepped toward him. "I...I care about you and Todd." God, how she wanted to tell him she loved him. "I want you to forgive yourself, and if giving back the money will do that, then do it."

  He gave a quick nod. "Done."

  She rested her cheek on his shoulder and slid her arms around his waist, then leaned back to gaze up into his beautiful blue eyes. She had to make sure he followed through with his dreams, no matter what happened to her. "I want you to promise me something else, Cole."

  "What?" He rubbed her back and waist with his strong hands. "What do you want me to promise you, Jackie?"

  "That you'll go to Oregon."

  "But–"

  "No buts." She drew a shaky breath. "No matter what it takes, live your dream, Cole. Yours and Elizabeth's."

  His eyes darkened and she watched his internal struggle play across his features. Finally, he drew a deep breath. "You're a good woman, Jackie Clarke."

  She smiled, though her heart was breaking.

  "Elizabeth's dead, and it's high time I got on with the rest of our lives."

  "A part of Elizabeth lives on in you and Todd." A strange peace settled over Jackie's heart as she spoke, then she realized why with a start.

  Her mother lived on through Jackie.

  By letting Aunt Pearl's vindictive nature destroy Jackie's spirit, she'd betrayed her mother. But no more. Regardless of how this adventure ended, she'd never let Aunt Pearl–or anyone–destroy that again. She straightened and met Cole's smoldering gaze with another smile–a real one this time.

  "The people we love always live in our hearts, Cole." True conviction entered her voice and her heart.

  "That's so." He pulled her against him and held her in silence.