White Water Passion

by Dawn Luedecke

  “Garrett, you can send my sister home.”

  Garrett smiled at her brother’s playful tone. “She’s in too deep now. I’m afraid she’s stuck here until we save the Big Mountain Lumber Mill.”

  Simon slouched a little in his chair, and she knew his strength was weakening. “You know, if you get out of bed once in a while, you might be able to get better quicker.”

  “Yes, but then I wouldn’t get all this female attention.” He placed his hands on the arms of his chair and pushed to try to stand.

  Carrie rushed forward and helped him up, but he shirked away. Beth took up Carrie’s intended position, and Aunt June took the other side as Carrie threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin. What on earth had gotten into these two?

  Simon leaned heavily on her shoulder. “Now I’m afraid I’m a little taxed from all of this.” He held out his hand to his friend. “Garrett, thank you for everything.”

  Beth was equally grateful. If it hadn’t been for her foolish behavior, Simon wouldn’t have been in that position in the first place, but if it wasn’t for Garrett, Simon wouldn’t even be alive. Garrett and his good sense somehow balanced out her foolishness. What was she going to do when she no longer had him to pick up the pieces of her life?

  * * * *

  Garrett left the cook’s abode and crossed the tracks to see a pile of logs waiting to be loaded onto the cars. If they did this right, they could meet the contract and be down the river with a raft within a fortnight. Thank God. All the women piling up in his camp were about as easy to handle as a bear in spring.

  The Devil May Cares huddled near the base of a tree as it swayed. Garrett slid his gaze to the top where Wall worked to secure a pulley. Although Wall tested his friendship lately with his desire to court Beth, the man was excellent at his job and dedicated to the company.

  With a holler to the men below, Wall began to descend.

  “All set,” Wall said when he jumped the remaining foot to the ground.

  Garrett motioned with his head toward the railcar. “Let’s give it a go.”

  The rivermen ran to their designated positions, and Teddy maneuvered his team into place. Once the chains were all secured, he snapped the reins and shouted encouragement to the animals.

  The jingle of the horse tack as they pulled, and screech of the wood as it moved, sounded through the clearing. In no time at all, the first log thumped down onto the flat car, and the men cheered. Their enthusiasm whipped up by the small step at success, the men took their positions on the next log and repeated the process.

  Once all the logs were set, the train lurched forward, and the process began again.

  “I’m gonna go check on Simon,” he told Wall. With his men working hard, he took his leave. There was one thing he needed to do before the end of the day.

  Garrett hurried to the cook’s cabin, and knocked before entering. Beth sat in the corner next to a sleeping Simon. He motioned with his head for her to meet him outside. She nodded, and he stepped back and waited for the door to close, and then grabbed her hand to tow her behind the cabin. Finally getting the chance to be alone with her. However brief it was, and however secretive they had to be. He’d do it. He needed her gentle calm to focus his mind. “I need to talk to Jessip. Come with me?”

  “You could have asked me out there, I still would have agreed.”

  “Yes, but then Victoria would have heard.” He didn’t want his intended bride asking questions, and this way he could have some time alone with Beth.

  “I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll slip away and meet you on The Deck.”

  “Ten minutes.” That should give him enough time to stop and check on the train one last time before heading up the hill.

  Beth gave a nod and turned to disappear around the corner.

  Garrett patted his back pocket to ensure the contract Paul had sent on the train was still there. In less than two weeks, he could be down the river with the drive, and this would all remain as a memory. Hell, after so many accidents this spring and early summer, he didn’t think the big bugs would keep him on even if he wanted to stay.

  The train came into sight, and he checked the entire machine for signs of tampering. With any luck, they could get the logs loaded and down without incident. He rounded the front as Clint and Blue signaled the horse team. Behind them, deep in the forest, Simon’s timber beasts hacked away, working hard to fall as many trees as possible.

  Garrett waited for the log to drop down onto the car and then approached the Devil May Cares.

  “How’s Simon?”

  “Better. Sleeping,” Garrett answered. “He’ll be up and about by next week I should think. I need to check out the rest of the operation. I’ll be busy until supper.”

  “We’re going to keep loading until we run out of light,” Wall said. “I think we’ve got enough daylight left to send the train to the mill tonight. If not, then early tomorrow morning.”

  “Good. Tell the conductor to drop off the load and then turn around and come right back up. We’ll keep this up until the raft has enough logs to make the drive worth doing. I’m going to head up there and talk with the Bonner crew. Oh, and have you seen and fired Luther yet?”

  “I think he shucked out of here. I haven’t seen him since we found Beth.”

  “Keep an eye out. If you do see him, send him on the train home. I’d say fetch me so I could have a word, but talking to the man is pointless. I’d much rather beat him to death.”

  Wall gave a jaunty salute, and Garrett turned to hike the hill leading to The Deck and Grove.

  The familiar sounds of trees falling and men chopping filled the air as he walked to the center of The Deck and found The Bull. He nodded a greeting and waited for the man to finish giving an order.

  The Bull turned to him. “If we keep up this pace we should have a drive at the end of the week. Once you and your crew leave, we’ll combine the camps and keep working the logging train. Then when we get word from the big bugs, we’ll stop.”

  “I suppose once that happens, then Paul will come up here to evaluate and set your team up again with a new Deck and Grove.”

  “Better off, I suppose. We were about clear of this area anyway.”

  Beth’s head bobbed over the edge of the hill, and Garrett excused himself. He met her halfway and stopped. “I’ve sent Michael with a note for Jessip. He’s supposed to meet us at the spot we used before. Let’s head up that way.”

  On Beth’s nod, he led her up the gently climbing trail and through the dense vegetation to their meeting spot.

  In less than a minute, Jessip fought his way through the brush.

  “I’ve got your contract.” Garrett handed him a sealed letter.

  Jessip grabbed the paper and ripped it open. After taking a moment to read it, he nodded. “You’ve kept your deal, and I’ve kept mine. I can tell you, though, word’s got out about the thousand and there’s a bit of grumbling about all the work we’re doing up here.”

  An instant headache formed behind Garrett’s eyes. Good God, what else could go wrong?

  Jessip continued, “I’m working to keep the men at bay. This is a good company to work for, and I keep reminding the Bonner boys of that. Take care. I’ll keep an eye out on my end until the drive is over.”

  “I’ve got a few people watching the operation at my camp. If we’re lucky we will catch whoever is behind the prior attacks, and stop anyone else who’s thinking of taking that thousand.”

  Jessip gave a mumbled goodbye and turned to leave. “Oh yeah. I don’t know if it’s important, but I’ve noticed an old man comin’ and goin’ from the mountain several times a day. Don’t know what his business is up here, but I’ve never seen him before.”

  Garrett nodded. “Thanks.”

  Once Jessip left, he grabbed Beth’s hands to guide her back onto the trail. Instead of ta
king the fork that would bring them back to camp, he turned and headed up the mountain.

  “Where are we going?” Beth stepped up the pace to walk beside him.

  “To Mother Goose’s Cottage. I think Jessip was talking about my uncle. He’s another problem I need to take care of.” Who else would the Bonner crewman have been talking about? Uncle Marcus was the only person who fit that description, but why would he choose to stay in Mother Goose’s Cottage instead of the bed he’d been offered when he first arrived?

  Garrett’s head started to throb, and then Beth brushed past him as she sped up to take a steep incline. The warmth of her body where it touched his eased the tense muscles in his shoulders. He enjoyed watching the easy way she lived life—always happy, always with a free spirit and honest approach. How different she was from his gruff and calculating decisions. They could make quite the couple if the fates would allow, but alas they were not kind to a man of his disposition.

  Chapter 18

  Beth let Garrett take the lead as they crested the last hill to enter the meadow. Like before, dainty white flowers sprinkled the field and tall grass gave an instant sense of relaxation. The clean mountain air filled her lungs, and she smiled. Here, alone with Garrett, she was the woman she was meant to be.

  “Let’s check the cabin.” Garrett threw open the door, but to Beth’s surprise it was empty inside.

  Garrett shook his head. “Oh to be a free man on the cusp of liberty and destruction.”

  “I’ve never heard that poem before. Is it John Clare?”

  “No. Those are my thoughts. I wonder where he’s gone? I haven’t seen him in a few days.”

  “You think like a poet?”

  “On occasion.” Garrett turned until his body drew even with hers. He stared at her lips and the look in his eye showed a longing for things he couldn’t have. She felt the same.

  “We should get back to camp,” she said in a tone barely above a whisper.

  “Yes. We should.” But he didn’t move. “You tempt me.”

  “I’ve tried to keep my distance.” Not that she’d wanted to, but she had tried. Somewhat. “I don’t want to be in the way.”

  “You’re the one person who’s not.” He stepped closer, and kept his gaze on her mouth.

  She took a deep, shuttered breath. Her stomach ached to have his hand caress her cheek again, his lips to press against her mouth. “Victoria is nice—”

  “Sshh,” he whispered and placed a single finger on her lips. His skin was hot against her mouth as he caressed her lip with his finger, and something deep inside sighed with satisfaction. “Let it be just us up here.”

  She nodded and worked to keep her eyelids from falling shut as he touched her.

  “I’ve wanted to be alone with you ever since the night by the campfire. I need you, Beth.”

  “But you can’t have me.” She stated the one thing neither of them wanted to hear. Her heart dropped into a deep pit of despair at the words.

  “We could leave. Build a life somewhere else.” His eyes followed his hand as he caressed her cheek.

  “A man is only as good as his honor, and you are the noblest man I know. You could never sacrifice your honor that way, and I wouldn’t ask that of you.”

  “Ask it of me. I will do anything you wish. I’ll chop down all the trees in the forest, move this mountain, whatever you want I will give you. Just tell me you want me.”

  “I do want you,” she said. “But you are not mine.”

  He leaned down and slowly kissed her, his lips barely a whisper at first. He grasped the back of her head with both hands, tugged her head closer, and deepened the kiss.

  His finger traced her jaw. A tingle followed his path down the soft contours of her neck and dipped into the crevice of her collarbone to forge a path of hot fire down her chest and to the sides of her breasts. She tilted her head back and offered her neck. She could not deny him, for this was what she wanted, to feel the hot stroke of his hands down her body. She leaned back in his embrace, pliant and ready to let him do whatever he wished. She could no longer deny the need to be his, no longer wanted to.

  Her nipples hardened, and her breasts stung with heat and anticipation. He cupped one hand over her breast and weighed it in his palm.

  “Perfect,” he said and inhaled.

  Garrett reached around to grab her bottom and pull her closer. Her stomach twisted when he lowered his lips to hers in a violent crush of a kiss. What was she doing? Not only had she never experienced anything of such intimacy, but he was betrothed. She should walk down the mountain and straight to the railcar.

  As if he’d read her thoughts, Garrett stepped back and stared into her eyes. This one simple movement and passionate gaze spoke of love and belonging, and she knew they were meant to be. He kissed her lightly once more and, with gentle pressure from his hands, urged her to lie down in the flowered grass.

  “Tell me to stop.” Garrett covered her with his body as his hands roamed her sides. She could feel the love and desire with each stroke of his calloused hands against the exposed skin of her arms.

  “I can’t.” Beth arched her back and took in a much-needed breath. She lay dizzy, unable to move. He used the back of one finger to caress her neck and the top of her shoulder. She pressed her breasts into Garrett’s chest. He bent to taste the exposed area just above her collar, as he popped one single button open from her shirt. “You must.”

  “I can’t,” Beth said again, and bit her lip.

  “My God, how I love you,” he whispered.

  Any reserve she had melted. With one last doomed argument to herself to follow his request, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave a kiss meant to prove her love in return.

  * * * *

  Garrett couldn’t believe what had just happened. How had he confessed such a thing? He knew he’d been slowly losing his heart to her, but he hadn’t planned to say the words aloud. He knew they were true. Throughout the years, he’d fallen in love with Elizabeth Sanders, and not a love to be taken lightly. He now possessed a deep-seated need to have her next to him for the rest of his life. But fate was cruel, and he was doomed to a life of Victoria and despair.

  When he mentioned running away, he’d meant it, but in truth he wasn’t positive he could. Not if he didn’t have a job or means to support Beth and a family. Beth would make the most beautiful mother he’d ever seen. His breath hitched at the thought of her bouncing his child on her knee.

  He kissed her supple lips again. She needed to tell him to stop. No, he should back away and leave her be, but he couldn’t. He’d passed the point of no return.

  Beth moved beneath him, and his desire flared once more. God, she was beautiful, a sensual creature sent to him to taste, to have. He slid his fingers beneath the buttons of her shirt and kissed her. He tugged, and another button popped open with ease. Overjoyed, he continued with the rest and deepened the kiss. He wanted to make her see what she meant to him. Know that for this one moment in time, they were one. He wanted her to need him, just as he needed her.

  He traced her skin, down the line of her shirtfront while he worked the tiny buttons. Her stomach quivered and made him ache even more. When he reached her pants, the metal button pressed cold and firm against the denim. He reared his head back and looked deeply into her eyes.

  “I need you, Elizabeth,” he pleaded. “I love you.”

  Her chest heaved, and he could tell she struggled to breathe. Her eyes glazed, and she reached up and traced the buttons of his shirt.

  He watched her fingers pop his buttons loose, one by one.

  Garrett reached up and grabbed Beth’s wrists to stop her progression. “I don’t think you understand, love. If I take you now, there will be no going back. You will be mine forever, but I cannot keep you.”

  Beth nodded, and desire clouded her eyes. “I understand. I want no
other.”

  Her kiss proved her words as her tongue lined his lip, causing his breath to hitch. She ran her hands up his chest and back down. She reached the buttons to his pants and flicked her wrist to snap the button loose. He felt the gentle tug and the instant release of pressure around his waist. Honor be damned. He needed her.

  What little control Garrett had left snapped. With expert hands, he finished with Beth’s clothes. She was flawless. So perfect in form that his mind spun. She was stunning, her body seamless, unspoiled, and picturesque—so magnificent that it made his lungs burn with the need to breathe.

  He placed one of his legs between both of hers, and braced himself. His manhood strained against its confinement and he pushed further against her in an unspoken plea for release.

  Garrett grabbed her round, perfect bottom with one hand and braced on his elbow. He tangled his free hand in her hair—now grown out enough to frame her face in the most adorable way. A freckle on her neck drew his attention so he gently tugged her head back and kissed it. Working his way down to her breasts, he sucked in one beady nipple and caressed it with his tongue.

  Elizabeth gasped. He watched her bury her palms deep in the grass and arch toward him. Her stomach quivered, heaved as he released one breast and went to the other. He ran his hands up and down her body and imprinted her form in his mind. The desire to show her what could be between them became too much, and he tugged her beneath him and, with his knee, pulled her legs farther apart. Her eyes hazed with desire, and he stood to strip his own clothes and toss them aside. He silently dared her to look away, to stop him if she valued her virtue. His reason and restraint had evaporated the moment she’d confessed her desire.

  With no rejection from her, he once again lowered over her, this time positioning himself between her thighs.

  “You are mine,” he said against her temple, and then kissed it. He began to slide into her until he felt the gentle restraint against his manhood, and then took a deep breath and laid his forehead against hers. “Are you certain?”

  Her eyes spoke her response, and she arched into him the exact moment he pushed. She sucked in a breath, and a tear ran down her face.