“I prayed every day for your safe return, hoping against all odds and ignoring all those who said you were probably dead. Then suddenly there you were and I thought my heart would break just from pure happiness. It didn’t matter if you still wanted Lilly, just the fact that you were alive was enough for me,” she whispered, looking up into his eyes.
Morgan didn’t know what to say, taken aback by the honesty and sincerity in her words. “Callie Mae, sweetheart, I…”
“No, Morgan, wait. Let me finish,” she pleaded, placing her fingers over his lips. “I was a child back then and I couldn’t see past the attraction I felt for you. Now I know that we’re not suited and we would only bring each other misery.”
“Have I changed so much?”
Callie Mae laughed. “Yes, Morgan, you have or maybe I just didn’t know you as well as I thought I did. You were always a serious, no nonsense kind of man, quiet most of the time as though you had a lot on your mind. I went out of my way to tease you, trying to make you laugh or maybe to get any type of reaction out of you other than a scowl. I thought if I just had a chance, I could make you smile or lighten your heart in some way and we’d live happily ever after.”
“You do lighten my heart and make me smile.”
“Yes and I also make you mad. You scold me and holler at me and threaten to spank me all the time.”
“I do not holler at you,” Morgan insisted, struggling to keep his voice down.
“You’re nearly shouting now,” Callie Mae pointed out as she began to move through the cemetery. Stopping at his father’s grave, she dropped to her knees and began pulling weeds. “We can’t get along for five minutes.”
“Of course we can and I’m sorry if it seems like I’m always scolding you. If it wasn’t for that damn saloon…”
“The saloon’s not going away, Morgan,” Callie Mae said, shielding her eyes with her hand as she looked up at him. “It’s my livelihood, how I make my living.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” he said squatting down beside her. “Marry me, Callie Mae. Sell the saloon or if you don’t want to do that, get someone else to run it for you.”
“I’m not going to marry you, Morgan,” she sighed, standing and brushing the leaves from her dress, “and what you did in church today was wrong. Sitting beside me implies were a couple and were not.”
“Alright, I’ve listened to you, now you listen to me. I’ve always been attracted to you. I thought you were pretty and feisty and a whole handful of trouble,” he said, drawing on his conversation with Emma. “That’s why I stayed away from you and concentrated my attentions on Lilly. I wasn’t in love with her; I don’t think I was in love with anybody. She was suitable and manageable and not the kind of woman who would need a lot of looking after, like you. I thought I wanted a peaceful life.”
“Now I see things a little differently. Peaceful is sweet and nice and boring as hell. I want a woman who speaks her mind and isn’t afraid to stand up to me, and that woman is you, Callie Mae. Will we fight? You bet we will but we’ll also make up and make love. They’ll be times I’ll want to blister your bustle, and I’ll do it too if you cross the line, but there will also be times I listen to your opinion, and if you’re right, I’ll say so.”
“You make it all sound so simple and it’s not. Things have a way of getting very heated between us, Morgan,” Callie Mae sighed, resting her hand on his chest.
“There’s nothing wrong with a little heat, honey,” Morgan said, his voice raspy as he pulled her against him. “Promise me you’ll consider it. Please.”
It was difficult to think straight with his body so close to hers. When he lowered his head and brushed her lips with his it was all she could to not to pull him closer. She clamped her lips closed before her whispered ‘yes’ could escape and nodded once.
Morgan smiled and teased her lips once more as his big body shielded her from curious eyes. It wasn’t a yes, but it was something. He had a little less than three weeks.
Chapter Fourteen
They were all gathered around the table later when Morgan made his announcement.
“I’ve asked Callie Mae to marry me,” he said before taking a bite of peach cobbler.
“Oh,” Emma cried, her hands flying to her breast. “That’s wonderful news, son.”
“She’s a great little gal,” Matthew added happily, slapping his big brother on the back. “Wouldn’t it be somethin’ if we all got married this year? Mead and Lilly, now you and Callie Mae and if I could just get Miss Laurie to…”
“Callie Mae hasn’t said yes, yet,” Morgan interrupted him.
“Well, why not? She’s been sweet on you since she stopped wearing her hair in braids and I don’t know about marrying Lilly. The way she’s been carrying on lately, I’m having second thoughts,” Mead said darkly.
“What’s going on with Lilly?” Matt asked, shocked. “I thought it was all set.”
“So did I, but something changed. She’s not the girl I proposed to, that’s certain.”
“I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with me,” Morgan said. “I swear to you, Mead, I haven’t said or done anything to make her think I’m still interested.”
“I know that, Morg. Any fool can see that Callie Mae is the only thing on your mind. In fact, I think it was always Callie Mae with you, even though you tried you hardest to steer clear of her. She tried her damnedest to aggravate you and you tried to ignore her. Looking back, we all should have known there was something there,” Mead said with a laugh. “She’s still annoying you, brother.”
“That’s a fact,” Morgan replied shaking his head.
“Morgan, did Callie Mae refuse you?” Emma asked, slightly affronted that any woman would refuse one of her sons.
“At first, but then she agreed to think about it. As far as I’m concerned, she’s got two weeks,” he stated firmly.
“Why two weeks?”
“Because after two weeks I’m prepared to take matters into my own hands.”
“I don’t understand. Surely she’ll come around in time.”
“I don’t have much time. She’s got two weeks.”
“Son, is there something you haven’t told us? Are you ill?”
“No, Ma, I’m fine. It’s just that… well.” Looking at his mother’s worried face, he knew a simple explanation would not suffice this time to cover his slip. Carefully, he weighed what to tell the three people watching him. If he stayed, there would be many more slip-ups, but the thought of leaving them was too painful to contemplate. Lying didn’t sit easy with him, never had, but the truth would be worse. He would no longer be their ‘Morgan’, but a stranger brought to them by some bizarre means, or worse, a man who was completely off his rocker. Taking a deep breath, he decided to wing it and promised himself he would be more careful in the future.
“I know you all realize I’ve changed in some ways, and one of those ways is that I sense when something bad is going to happen. I have a strong feeling Callie Mae and the girls may be in danger, and soon. That’s why I have to get her to agree to marry me right away. I need to get them away from the saloon and close it down for a while. This probably doesn’t make much sense to you, but there it is,” he finished quietly, hoping they believed him.
“So you’re clairvoyant now?” Emma asked. “How is that possible?”
“It is Ma,” Matthew chimed in enthusiastically. “I once read an article about a man who was struck by lightning. After that he was able to tell things before they happened. Is it like that, Morgan?”
“Not quite, Matt,” Morgan replied gratefully. Bless you Matthew, he thought. “It’s more of a sixth sense and I’ve come to trust it. Something bad is going to happen at The Duchess and we may have to get the girls out of there quickly when the time comes.”
“When is that time?” Mead asked, his dark eyes focused on his brother.
“Three weeks, the 29th to be exact. Do you believe me?”
“As far as I know, you’ve neve
r lied to me, and I have no reason to believe you’d lie now. As strange as it sounds, I’m with you.”
“Matthew?”
“I’m with you, Morg,” Matthew replied solemnly. “What do you need me to do?”
“I don’t know. I guess if I can get Callie Mae to marry me, I can take her away on a little honeymoon.”
“What about the girls?” Emma asked.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable for them to come and stay here for a week, do you? Matthew can stay in town with Mead so it would all be acceptable. Maybe Annalise would want to go stay out at Ty’s Mama’s place. I really don’t know. All I know is none of them can be anywhere near The Duchess on the 29th.”
“Well,” Emma said, getting up to pour them all another cup of coffee. “I don’t understand it, but I trust you to do what’s right, all of you. I will say that this conversation should never go beyond the four of us. I won’t have town folks whispering about my family.”
“Agreed,” Morgan said thankfully.
“There is one thing that bothers me though. What if Callie Mae says no?”
Morgan smiled. “She won’t say no.”
“How can you be so sure?” Emma asked, narrowing her eyes at her oldest son.
“Because if worse comes to worse, I plan to compromise her.”
Emma nearly dropped the coffee pot as her mouth fell open. “I did not hear that, Morgan Whittaker. I did not hear my son, who I raised to be a man of honor, say such a wicked thing!”
“Yeah, I kind of think you did, Ma,” Matthew laughed.
“You hush your mouth, Matthew, and you better explain yourself, Morgan,” she insisted.
“Ma, I’m not going to hurt her, I’m just going to show her carefully and gently some of the benefits of married life,” Morgan replied, blushing wildly.
Mead’s shoulders where shaking with shock and laughter as he watched his older brother just about cut his own throat. It was the first time he’d seen Morgan on the receiving end of their mother’s wrath.
Emma sat with a plop and stirred her coffee rapidly as she absorbed this new side of Morgan’s plan.
“If I didn’t know how much that girl loves you, I swear I’d take a switch to you for even suggesting such a thing. But being I know how stubborn Callie Mae can be and seeing I want some grandbabies runnin’ round before I pass, I guess I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that. I will say this though, if you do what you’re planning and I don’t see the two of you standing in front of Reverend Simms, I’ll escort you both there myself with a shotgun poking you in the back every step of the way!”
“You won’t need a shotgun for me, Ma, but I can’t speak for Callie Mae,” Morgan assured her with a grin.
*
Early Monday morning, Morgan rode into town with a batch of his mother’s cinnamon rolls, a handful of fall flowers, and a determined attitude. Rapping once on the back door, he let himself into the kitchen, catching Callie Mae and the girls still in their nightclothes. At a nod from Callie Mae, Marilee quickly herded the others out of the room.
“What brings you here so early, Morgan?” Callie Mae asked, pulling her robe tighter around her.
“I wanted to see you and I brought these,” he said, thrusting the flowers into her hands and setting the wrapped rolls on the table. “Have you given any thought to my proposal?” Sweeping off his Stetson he took a step closer, as his eyes traveled over her. In her cotton gown, with her hair in a long single braid down her back, she looked very young and he reached out to stroke her soft cheek.
“You’ve hardly given me time and to tell you the truth, I found your proposal quite shocking,” Callie Mae replied. Turning, she went to the cupboard, ignoring Morgan’s snort of disbelief. Taking a jelly jar, she stuck the flowers into it and added some water.
“Am I to believe you thought my interest in your activities was purely based on friendship?”
“Yes,” she insisted. Glancing back to look at him, she realized he’d silently positioned himself close behind her.
“I see. Well let me clarify a few things for you, Callie Mae. I don’t kiss my friends,” he said softly as he moved his hand to the back of her neck, cupping the base of her head. Taking the jar from her hand he set it on the cupboard and wrapped his other arm around her waist, bringing her to her tiptoes as he moved closer still.
“I also don’t spank my friends,” he murmured, stooping to brush her lips with his before nibbling along the side of her jaw. “Although I may make an exception in your case if you give me too much grief and refuse me, honey.” Moving to her neck, he bit lightly under her ear before kissing away the pinch.
“Morgan,” Callie Mae gasped out, powerless to shove him away as her head fell back.
“Besides, much as I enjoyed feeling your beautiful bottom under my hand, there are so many more ways I want to touch you, Callie Mae,” he whispered, nudging her nightdress out of the way and trailing his lips down her collar bone. He could feel her trembling, but she made no move to stop him. Straightening, he released her for a fleeting moment and used his hands to untie the dainty ribbons on the front of her gown.
Rooted to the spot, Callie Mae found she couldn’t protest, despite what her mind was telling her to do. She felt weak, dizzy, and overheated. Her heart was racing like a run-away train and when he slipped one of his big hands inside her bodice and cupped her bare breast her knees stated to buckle.
“Hmm, it’s alright, I’ve got you, baby,” Morgan whispered.
His arm was back around her, offering support and also holding her bottom as he lowered his mouth to her breast. The first swipe of his rough tongue across her peak had her crying out and when his lips fastened on her and began to suck she thought she was going to faint with the pleasure. Once again she was leaking that strange fluid from between her legs.
“This isn’t a very comfortable position, is it?” he noted after releasing her nipple with a pop. Sweeping her into his arms he moved to the table, kicked out a chair, and sat, draping Callie Mae across his lap and supporting her just under her shoulders, causing her breasts to thrust forward.
Callie Mae made barely a squeak as his wicked mouth descended again, attending to her other nipple. His other hand held her securely on his lap and she could feel the hardness of him pressing against her bottom. Oh sweet Jesus, this was madness, she thought as her tummy tightened.
Morgan slid his hand up her leg, skimming her gown with it. She was so soft, so responsive he almost forgot what he was about. Lord, he wanted to undo his pants, turn her to face him and take her right here, but that would not do. When he reached her upper thigh and found the slick moisture, he nearly crowed with delight. The pretty little preacher’s daughter in his arms wanted him as much as he wanted her. A couple of inches higher and he could bring her off in a matter of minutes, he was sure of it. On the other hand, if she didn’t know what that magic little button was for, he certainly wasn’t going to show her. Hell, what would she need him for?
Women in his time made it well known they could satisfy their own needs. He’d be damned if he made himself obsolete.
Callie Mae almost cried when he stopped that wondrous sucking. Her nipples were red and pouty, aching with need. When Morgan pulled his hand from beneath her gown, he cupped her apex and gave it several pats, sending a jolt of pleasure through her that led her to believe there was more, much more to this whole coupling thing. Sitting her up, he closed her nightdress and kissed her deeply while rubbing her back. His tongue delved between her lips, claiming her mouth in an extremely intimate way that had her wiggling her bottom against his lap.
“Alright, Miss Walker, I think we’ve gone far enough this morning,” he said, kissing her forehead as he stood and set her on her feet. Turing her in the direction of the stairs, he gave her a light smack on her bottom. “Go and get dressed, I’m taking you to the Blue Bonnet for breakfast.”
“But I…”
“No buts, little lady,” he insisted with a smile, taking
her shoulders and moving her forward. “I’m the expert here and I say we need sustenance.”
Callie Mae took two stairs and stopped, turning around.
“You’re an expert?” she asked weakly, taking a firm hold on the banister.
“Yup,” he replied with a wink.
“Oh. How did you get to be an expert on this?” she asked, sweeping her hand toward the chair.
“Practice, lot and lots of practice,” he teased.
“Hmm, I don’t know if I even like the thought of that,” she said thoughtfully, wondering how many women it would take to make a man an expert.
“Don’t worry, honey, you will.”
*
Upstairs, Callie Mae took several deep breaths as she washed and dressed. As she tied her corset she couldn’t help noticing how full her breasts seemed, the delicate nipples poking through her chemise. Purposely she chose a modest high-necked shirtwaist and a dark blue skirt. She secured her hair in a severe high knot and plopped a straw hat with blue and white flowers on her head. Dabbing some Essence of Violet under each ear, she immediately thought better of it and scrubbed it off. That man was dangerous. If she wasn’t careful she’d find herself in front of Reverend Simms, saying ‘I do’ just to satisfy her curiosity.
What happened in the kitchen could not be repeated. Her face flamed just thinking about the liberties she’d allow Morgan, and all without a single protest. What if that was all there was to it? He seemed to enjoy it and she couldn’t deny she felt as weak as a kitten when he released her, but if coupling was all about aching for… she didn’t quite know what…she wasn’t sure she was interested. He’d said there was more; the question was, for whom? From what she’d been able to gather over the years, eavesdropping on the matrons in her father’s congregation as they gathered for quilting bees and such, it seemed pretty one-sided. It seemed marital relations were fun for the man and at best annoying for the woman.
Straightening her hat in the mirror, she pinched her cheeks by habit before quickly rubbing the blush away. If the opportunity ever presented itself, she would ask Laurie Dixon. They’d become friends and Laurie would tell her the truth, she was sure. Scowling at her reflection, she plastered a stern look on her face and went downstairs.
Callie Mae and the Marine Page 14
