Come Spring

by Jill Marie Landis

  But his hands and lips were not still for long. Soon he was nuzzling her neck, scattering kisses along her jaw, tracing his tongue around the outer edge of her ear.

  Annika moaned and lost herself in the pleasure that invaded her senses.

  Buck captured her lips again and kissed her long and hard, his hands roving over her back, along her sides, and then up to cup her breasts. He thumbed her nipples until they were taut and straining against the thin fabric of her chemise. She clung to him, wordlessly begging for more.

  He slipped his hands beneath the sheer fabric, careful not to tear the only underclothing she owned, and worked the material up and over her head. He put it aside and then bent to suckle at her nipples, one and then the other, until she was crying out with need.

  Smiling, he rose, pulled down the blankets and pelts, and gently laid her back on the bed. He shucked off his underwear and joined her, noticing the way she turned away from the sight of his nudity.

  “There’s nothing wrong with being naked, Annika.”

  She buried her face against his shoulder.

  “You ever seen a naked man before me?” He had to know, wanted to learn all about her before she left him. He would have the memories to keep.

  “No.” Her answer was muffled; she shook her head against his shoulder.

  “Good. Tell me about this fiancé of yours.” He put his lips against her breast again, gently teethed the nipple, and made her moan. “The one that never made you feel this way.”

  Annika shook her head, barely able to get the words out. “Now? I can’t... talk about Richard... now!”

  He traced his tongue from one nipple to the other. “I hope you never talk to him again without thinking of this minute.”

  She grabbed his face between her palms and forced him to look at her. “No one, do you hear me, no one will ever make me feel the way you do.”

  He shook his head. “You say that now. You’ll get back to Boston and your easy life and someone will come along.”

  Frightened by his words she pulled him close. His big body was heavy, the bed ropes creaked as he covered her. “Don’t say that, Buck. Don’t talk like this. Please, don’t talk at all.”

  He obliged her, kissed her as his hands played over her body, explored the silky length of her. His hand brushed the nest of curls between her legs and she surged upward, pressing herself against his palm. He slipped his fingers into her moist warmth and groaned against her lips. She was ready for him.

  His engorged member throbbed against her thigh. Buck knew he couldn’t wait to enter her, but knew, too, the bittersweet truth; if he took her to Cheyenne tomorrow, this would be the last time they would make love.

  He wanted to pleasure her all night long.

  Annika thought she would explode with pleasure when his fingers slipped inside her. She held him tight and tilted her hips to heighten her own pleasure, moving slowly, sensuously against his hand. He stroked her until she could not hold back any longer, until it was all she could do to cling to his shoulders, arch her back, and cry out as wave after wave of ecstasy swept over her.

  Buck parted her legs with his thighs and knelt between then. Hot and aching, he rubbed the tip of his swollen staff against her, teasing her, bringing her awareness back, stoking her need once again.

  He entered her slowly, easing his way into her inner recesses, pulling back when she threatened to move and drive him to the point of no return. When he slipped his hands beneath her hips and lifted her so that she could accept the full length of him, she whimpered and traced her tongue along his collarbone. Unable to hold back any longer, Buck thrust into her, sheathing himself fully. She clamped her legs about his hips and arched her back to take in more of him.

  Buck held still, afraid to move lest he explode and end the sweet torture. Annika sensed his intense concentration, held herself as still as she could, barely breathing as she memorized the wonder of their joining. He was inside her, lying full and heavy against her womb. She contracted her inner muscles and heard him gasp. She did it again and he began to plunge and thrust against her.

  Their sweat-glistened bodies glimmered, alive with light and shadow from the fireplace. The bed creaked and groaned in protest as they writhed together, seeking solace in each other as they tried to stop time and the coming of spring. Buck drove inside her until he knew he could not hold back any longer, then slipped his hand between them and touched the tiny bud that would give her release. He thrust his shaft full-length once more, stroked her until she screamed his name, and then, knowing he had given her the ultimate pleasure, cried out hoarsely and exploded inside her.

  IT was still dark outside when Buck awoke and for a while he was content to lie staring at the ceiling with Annika’s satin skin pressed against the length of his side. She had fallen asleep with her leg thrown over his, her flesh touching his from shoulder to toe. He brushed aside the stray curls that fell across her cheek and kissed the top of her head.

  As they lay locked in the intimate embrace, he knew that he couldn’t bear to give her up yet. His mind began to lay plans. If he wasn’t there to take her down the mountain, she would be forced to wait until he did, or until her brother came to get her. He wondered if she would try to go on her own. He stroked her arm, knowing she would never leave without telling him good-bye. She had assured him of that yesterday.

  If her brother did find them first, Buck hoped that Kase Storm was a reasonable man. He didn’t relish the thought of being killed outright.

  Time was on his side, and maybe with a little more time and a lot more loving he would be able to convince Annika that she had to stay with him. After last night, he was ready to promise her almost anything.

  He thought of his savings buried in the can beneath the table and of the things he would buy to keep her. It wasn’t unreasonable to think that he could get a stove up the mountain—surely they came apart. He could haul one in a wagon as far as possible, then lash it onto mules and carry it up in pieces. If she wanted real furniture, she could have that, too. Now that spring was here, he could take advantage of the weather and build another room. Two rooms if he worked fast.

  They could take trips to Cheyenne twice a year. He’d buy clothes for her and Baby, and hell, he’d buy her all the gee-gaws he could afford.

  If she’d only stay.

  His mind was running too fast for him to go back to sleep. If he wanted to keep her here so that he could take time to convince her not to leave, then he didn’t want her to wake up and ask about going down the mountain. Buck gently nudged Annika until she rolled away from him and he could slip out of bed. Carefully, he drew the covers up and tucked them around her, then pulled on his clothes. Trying to be as silent as possible, he made coffee and stoked up the fire so the place would be warm when she and Baby Buttons woke up. He poured himself a cup and drank it slowly, content to watch the two of them sleep. With a shake of his head, he looked at the newly renamed Buttons and couldn’t help but smile. Annika already made a wonderful mother.

  Feeling more alive than he had in years, Buck took his gun down off the pegs over the mantel, set it on the table, and shrugged into his coat. He pulled up the hood and stepped outside, anxious to saddle up and ride up the mountain to hunt. There was a cat out there somewhere and he intended to bring it down. The pelt would bring a good price. A man with a family had to provide for them, and that’s just what he intended to do. Her new life might not be what Annika was accustomed to, but he planned to give her anything it was in his power to provide.

  It scared him to think that she had nearly pushed him into admitting his old dream. She almost had him talking about how badly he had wanted to be a doctor when he was growing up. He thought again about her crazy suggestion. Plumb loco, that’s what it was, what with the money it would take to see him through school and Baby to care for. No, doctoring was out of the question.

  The sun was just turning the inky night sky to gray when he saddled up his horse. Tonight when he got home he’d
go down on one knee and propose properly—no more demands, no more ultimatums. He would promise to give Annika the best life he could here in the valley, to care for her and protect her for as long as they both lived.

  He could wait until tonight to try to convince her again.

  This time he’d use words as well as his body.

  ANNIKA hummed as she scrubbed the surface of the table with a brush she had found in a box beneath the kitchen bench. Soap suds covered the tabletop, dripped over the edge, and plopped onto the dirt below. She wondered if she was not making a bigger mess, but it was a relief to throw herself to a new task, especially after it had been so frustrating to wake up and find Buck gone.

  Last night had been indescribable, a trip to heaven and back. But nothing was settled between them, especially after last night—and now, just like a man, he had snuck out to avoid another confrontation. His escape had reminded her of the way Kase had left Boston after an argument with their parents, and as she ground the brush against the worn surface of the table Annika promised herself she would get her brother to tell her once and for all the cause of the rift as soon as she saw him again.

  But she wouldn’t see Kase until she went to Cheyenne. The idea of leaving Buck tore her in two.

  She tried humming as she worked. Would it be possible to adapt to life here in the isolated valley where no one ever came to the door? Would she miss her old life, or would her love for Buck make up for the other loss?

  She thought of the tenderness he expressed as he held her in his arms last night and saw their lovemaking as a form of communion, a silent waltz that had carried her to the stars and beyond. He had told her once that he didn’t know any songs, but she knew better than that. The songs were in his heart—songs with notes that struck chords upon her own.

  Baby Buttons was on her bed noisily shaking the button tin. Even the incessant clatter didn’t bother Annika today. Nothing bothered her. How could it when she felt light enough to float? She bent over her work and put aside thoughts of everything that was missing from her life here at Blue Creek and focused on all she had. She was independent now, more so than she had ever been in Boston where her parents coddled her and society placed well-defined restrictions on unmarried women her age. Up here she had become an adult and was treated as such, on equal footing with Buck. In the short time she had been with him she had taken on more responsibility and coped with more than she ever had to in all her twenty years. If she did go back to Boston, she was determined to make sure Richard knew there was no hope for a reconciliation, for there was no way she could play the innocent bride.

  She straightened and stretched with her hands at the small of her back. It felt good to be useful, especially when there was so much for Buck to see to by himself. She wondered how he had done it all before she arrived. Not only did he hunt and prepare the skins, but also he shoveled snow, carried water, made repairs about the place, cleaned, cooked, and took care of the horses and mules. Not to mention raising Baby Buttons. It gave her satisfaction to know she could help out even a little. Her cooking was nothing to speak of yet, but then, it was more than she’d ever attempted before with a cook in residence at the mansion.

  Satisfied with the results of her scrubbing, Annika picked up the bucket and walked through the open door to heave the water out. She paused outside, squinted into the bright sunlight, and then wiped her brow with the back of her arm. Hefting the bucket, she tossed out the soapy water, and then paused long enough to dry her hands on the dish towel she had tied around her waist.

  At the sound of a rider approaching, she glanced up the mountainside and smiled. So, she thought, he couldn’t stay away all day after all. With quick movements, she smoothed back her hair and felt to see that her braid was still tightly woven. When she noticed the front of her blouse was water stained, she pulled the long queue over her shoulder so that it hung down across her breast, unsuccessfully hiding the wet spot.

  “Buck’s coming home,” she called to Baby Buttons, who soon tumbled out over the doorstep.

  She bent over to pick up the child and brush her off when something in the sound of the approaching horse made her wary. The thick trees on the side of the mountain hid the rider from view, and now that the sound had intensified Annika was certain that what she was hearing were the hoof-beats of more than one horse. When three riders came into view, she quickly turned with Baby in her arms and headed for the safety of the cabin.

  Too late she remembered there was no lock on the door. Buck obviously never expected any real trouble, but then, he wasn’t an unarmed woman. Annika stood just inside, waiting for a glimpse of the riders. She tried to calm her racing heart by telling herself it might be Kase and his men, or perhaps Old Ted had made it through the pass.

  Before she knew it, three riders broke through the cover of the pines, their horses eating up the ground beneath them as they closed the distance between the tree line and the cabin. The horses thundered forward, churning up earth and rocks, splashing across the creek bed, and finally pulling up into the yard itself. None of them was Old Ted.

  None of them looked reputable.

  The oldest man rode in the lead, he was dressed in brown—dingy brown pants and jacket, a brown hat. He smiled down at her when they stopped, and dismounted first as the other two men exchanged glances. The man smiled a near-toothless smile, and tipped his hat in her direction. What little hair he had left was stuck to his head.

  The other two, one lean and lanky, and the other rotund and sour looking, stayed on their mounts and kept glancing back the way they had come.

  Baby Buttons jammed her thumb into her mouth at the sight of the three strangers. Annika stood firm in the open doorway. She glanced up the hill and then down the valley for some sign of Buck, but there was none.

  “Can I help you gentlemen?” She used the term loosely.

  The big, gap-toothed man walked toward the door. “I hope so, ma’am. Is this here Buck Scott’s place?”

  “What do you want with him?”

  The man smiled. He had even fewer teeth than she thought. “Well, it ain’t exactly him we need. Be you Annika Storm?”

  He pronounced her name An-eeka and she smoothly corrected him when she said, “I’m Annika Storm. And that’s Aah-neckah.” She wondered how he knew her name and how he’d gotten into the valley when Buck contended they couldn’t get out.

  “Hear that, boys? It’s her.” With a smug, self-satisfied grin, he turned to the others.

  “What do you want with me?”

  “You can pack up now, little lady,” Toothless said, “’cause me an’ my friends here have come to rescue you.”

  He was watching her, alternately staring between her and Baby. The child sensed his curiosity and with her thumb still in her mouth, laid her head on Annika’s shoulder.

  Annika laid a hand protectively on Baby’s curly head. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you see, I don’t need to be rescued. I’m not going anywhere.” Not with you, anyway.

  When he opened his jacket, she took a step back in alarm.

  “Hold on, child. This ain’t no gun, it’s a poster.” He held it out to her. “Take a look at that.”

  She quickly scanned the worn, dirty page. Annika Storm. Ten thousand dollar reward. Suspected abductor, Buck Scott, notify Kase Storm or the Cheyenne police.

  “This is all a mistake,” she said, carefully handing him back the page. “I’m not a captive. As a matter of fact, Buck is taking me to Cheyenne this week. I take it the pass is open?”

  “We barely made it through today, and we want to skedaddle back in case we get a late snow. Hell, Denton’s horse almost got swallowed up in a drift.” He nodded to the heavy man who looked none too happy about the fact that he had almost been buried alive by snow. “But we’re the first here and we ain’t leavin’ without you so’s we can get the reward. Best you pack your things.”

  “But I can’t leave the baby here alone.”

  He frowned, for the first time
carefully studying Baby as he compared her to Annika. “The reward don’t say nothing about no kid. Is she yours?”

  Thinking they would hesitate to take on hauling her and the child down the hill, Annika nodded. “Yes. She’s mine.”

  The tall thin man who was still astride his horse didn’t look about to dismount. He called out, “The poster don’t say nothin’ about no kid, Virge.”

  Toothless Virge turned and snapped over his shoulder, “I told her that. Kid’s hers though.”

  The fat man, Denton, whined, “Now what are we gonna do?”

  Annika watched as Virge stomped over to the men who sat staring down at him. As they mumbled together, one after the other took turns staring at her. She stepped back over the threshold, moving slowly, hoping to barricade herself in the cabin while they were engaged in their hushed discussion.

  Before she was all the way inside, Denton looked her way and pointed, “She’s sneakin’ inside.”

  Virge crossed the yard before she could slam the door closed. He shoved it open with a booted foot and pushed his way inside. “We’re takin’ you and the kid, and we’ll take you with the clothes you got on your backs unless you pack up now.”

  Annika wanted to laugh in his face and tell him that nearly all they had was the clothes on their backs, but instead she set Baby Buttons on the bed and pulled out her satchel, hoping to stall for time. Slowly, meticulously, she began folding her nightgown and Buck’s flannel nightshirt. It was part of him that had become hers, she would not leave it behind.

  “I have to leave a note,” she said, opening her journal as she prepared to rip a blank page out of the back.

  Virge stared at the girl, trying to figure out why she didn’t want to leave when he thought she’d be damn thankful to be rescued, and then wondered why she’d want to go so far as leave her kidnapper a note. He squinted at her as he tried to reason it out. Denton and Cliff were still talking outside; he could hear them arguing. The two were the biggest mealy-mouthed cowards he could have ever hooked up with and right now he wished he’d never laid eyes on them. He was damned sick and tired of Denton, who’d been riding him since they left Cheyenne. If he had the chance he’d leave them both behind—they were nothing but a nuisance—but they were in on the plan and there was nothing he could do about it.