by Dee Burks
“I remember that part. He used to surprise her with all kinds of little gifts, and me too.”
“You look just like her you know.” He reached up and ran his thumb along her chin.
Samantha curled shaking fingers around his wrist and leaned her cheek into his palm. Her heart pounded as the blood rushed through her ears with a deafening roar.
“Do you miss her?” His voice was a soft whisper.
“Do you miss yours?” She stared up into his eyes, then her gaze slid to his lips. The feeling that welled within her was so intense she could hardly breathe. She felt so close to him, she didn’t want it to end. She wanted to be closer, much closer. He leaned toward her and kissed her warmly, tenderly.
Her lips fairly sizzled. The heat radiated trough her body sending tremors all the way to her toes. His arms closed around her and urged her closer. She needed no encouragement. Her body craved the warmth of his and drifted toward him like a boat on a powerful tide. Taos groaned and deepened his kiss as his hands slid down her back to her waist and back up to her hair. Samantha was beyond thinking about tomorrow or any of the what ifs. She clung to this man and willed time to stop.
After a few minutes Taos pulled away and smiled at her, allowing her to catch her breath.
Samantha was more than a little dazed. Wow! She turned and leaned her back against his chest. He hesitated, then circled her with his arms, his breath hovering above her right ear. Affection seemed such an easy thing for most people to give, yet so difficult for him. It made her crave it all the more.
Samantha gazed at roses. “Tommy told me you planted this garden when he was little.”
She felt his nod.
“Most of it I planted before he was born. I have added a few things since then, though.”
An unmistakable coldness crept into his tone. Something unpleasant happened here, but what? Curiosity urged her on. “Why did you plant it at all?”
He paused, his voice quiet. “When I married, things weren’t perfect, but I thought . . .” He shrugged. “I don’t know what I thought, but I tried to make things better.”
Samantha stared at the little angel.
“I planted this garden because my wife complained about being out on a dusty ranch with nothing beautiful around.”
“Did she like it?”
He grunted and shook his head. “She liked things that cost a lot of money. It was me she didn’t care for. She never set foot out here.”
“What a waste.” On both counts. Samantha sighed. Secretly she was glad. The thought of Taos sharing this place with his wife was extremely distasteful. This was probably the only place on the ranch that was untouched by the shadow of Sharisse’s memory. How could a woman cause so much damage? “Charlie told me she wasn’t very nice.”
“I’ll bet.” Taos laughed. “Sharisse and Charlie did not hit it off at all.”
“Everyone likes Charlie.”
“Not her. I think he was the only one who could see her for what she was, and she knew it.” Taos paused. “He tried to tell me. They all tried to tell me. But I just wouldn’t listen.”
“Does Tommy ever ask you about her?”
“No. Why, has he said something to you?”
“No. Not yet.”
He was silent, as if deep in thought.
“He’ll want to know some day,” Samantha said.
“Yeah, I just don’t know what I’m going to tell him.”
“How about the truth?”
Taos shook his head. “You mean that she hardly ever touched him? Flat out refused to get up and tend him when he cried at night? Or how about that the day she left? She never even looked at him, let alone held him or said goodbye.”
“Surely it wasn’t that bad, Taos.”
He squeezed her arms slightly. “It was.”
The white roses with red stripes bloomed vigorously. “What kind of roses are these?” She hoped he’d volunteer information on the little statue underneath so she wouldn’t feel as if she were prying.
He looked up. “These are special. They’re a type of wild rose.”
“Why are they special?”
“It’s an apothecary rose, first cultivated by the Persians and Egyptians for their perfume and medicinal value.” He smiled. “There’s a legend that goes with them.”
“What is it?” she asked and glanced back at him. Taos’s eyes sparkled as he talked, and she felt his mood lift.
“Once upon a time,” he used his best storyteller voice, “an ancient warrior fell in love with a beautiful young maid. While he was away fighting an important battle, she fell ill and died.” “Oh, how sad.”
“The warrior returned and was heartbroken, afraid that she would be forgotten. So he decided to build a garden as a memorial to her. He spent years traveling the world in search of a flower that was as beautiful as she had been.”
The sound of his voice held her spell bound. A vision floated through her mind of him sitting on the edge of a bed a few years from now, telling this same story to a little blonde-haired girl.
He paused as if checking that she was listening.
“And?” she said impatiently.
“He eventually found it: a pure white rose with a yellow center that had an incredible fragrance. He brought the rose home and grew a large garden filled with them.”
“So why do they have red stripes on the petals?”
“I was just getting to that part.” He purposely teased her curiosity. “Each year the roses bloomed for only a few weeks, and the warrior spent the entire time stroking the petals and remembering his lost love. The thorns pricked his fingers but he never stopped. Every year, each and every petal became striped with red from his blood. When the man died, the roses continued to bloom with the red stripes along the white petals.” He whispered in her ear, “It is said that any woman who wears the fragrance of these roses will never be forgotten.”
“They smell wonderful.” Samantha reached out to pick one, but his hand immediately shot out and grasped her wrist.
“These belong here, don’t touch them.” He cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed at his emotion.
Samantha’s hand dropped to her side. She had to know. “Why is the angel here?”
He paused a moment, “I suppose you heard rumors of what happened with Sharisse from the people in town.”
“Yes, but I think there’s more to it than what I heard.” She twisted around to face him.
“I’m sure it gets worse with every telling.” Bitterness edged his words. “We had an argument. I don’t even remember what it was about now. She got hysterical and ran up the stairs. She tripped and fell. By the time the doctor got here, it was too late. She lost the baby she was carrying.”
His face turned to stone and the vein on his forehead bulged. “Sharisse blamed me and spread the word all over town that I had beat her and killed the baby.”
She touched his arm. “Not everyone believes that.”
He gave her a grateful smile and kissed her cheek. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” He stretched out his arm and gently touched the angel. “She wanted to pretend the child never existed. Didn’t even want to have a marker as a reminder. It is a terrible thing to not have even a marker to acknowledge your existence.”
A tear slid down Samantha’s face as he continued.
“It was a little girl. I buried her here.”
Several moments passed as she tried to regain her voice. “What was her name?”
His expression hinted at a deep and unhealed wound. “Sharisse didn’t name her.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“But I did.”
He twisted the angel and the statue separated from the base. Leaning over, she could just make out the inscription on the tiny stone underneath:
Beloved daughter
Samantha Rose Williams
1880
Chapter 14
Samantha sat on the edge of her bed in the dark listening to Taos move around his r
oom. She waited, watching the light that peeked from under the bottom of the door. Taos had become a complete enigma to her this evening. The man she’d met in the rose garden hardly bore any resemblance to the hard, unyielding persona he’s been to this point. She was touched to the core that he’d named his daughter after her, but what did it mean? Did he still see her as that young gangly girl that was nothing but trouble? Or did he see her as she was, a woman ready to be loved?
The jumble of emotions she had toward him were rushing forward and she had no idea how to slow them down. This man had angered her, frustrated her, and excited her more than she believed possible! But most of all he’d made her feel alive. She’d had lots of opportunity to find someone to love in Boston, but hadn’t even come close. It finally dawned on her why. She was already in love with Taos—or at least the idea of him. She’d carried him around as her ideal for so many years, no one could ever compare, and she knew that even if she returned to Boston without really experiencing all this situation had to offer, that would still be the case. Maybe she just wasn’t meant to find the kind of love her mother knew with a man who loved her back, but she wasn’t gone yet.
This might be one of the last nights she would be this close to him, or have the chance to find out what it was like for him to really love her. Even if it was only physical for Taos, she didn’t care anymore. She wanted to feel his muscles ripple and heart pound as he loved her and held her in his arms. She would rather go back to Boston with that one experience—no matter how short lived—than settle for a lifetime of regret.
The light in Taos’s room finally disappeared. She waited for a few minutes until all was quiet. It was time. Now or never. Samantha took a deep breath and slipped through the door. Carefully she tiptoed to the bedside—she could tell he was still awake. She quickly unbuttoned the shirt and let it drop to the floor.
“Hey, what are yo-”
Samantha clamped a hand over his mouth and flipped back the blanket. She climbed on top of him and straddled his hips, one knee on each side.
He didn’t move. Well most of him didn’t. She felt his erection spring to life. For a moment she sat there feeling strangely powerful. She leaned forward, allowing her hair to fall across his face, then slowly removed her hand, replacing it with her lips.
She trailed kisses down his cheek to his neck and felt his body tense. Slowly his hands slid up over her backside and around to her breasts. He tweaked and massaged gently. She arched her back and moaned, rocking her hips against his. Taos pulled her close to his chest, kissing her long and hard. The power of his embrace thrilled Samantha. This is what she’d dreamed of, what she wanted. Damn the consequences. She slid a hand down his chest and into his underwear clasping his throbbing erection just as Cinnamon had instructed. She felt a jolt ripple through his abdomen and reveled in the confidence this knowledge now gave her.
He lifted her slightly and slid a finger into her warmth, massaging with a gentle rhythm. Samantha’s thighs tightened and she gave in to the sensation. She focused as much as possible, trying to match his strokes with her hand. He leaned her forward and danced his tongue across her nipple, creating an electric pulse that burned all the way down her body to her very core. She moved on his hand wanting more. She whispered, “Harder, deeper.”
With a guttural growl he flipped her over, shedding his underwear, and settled between her legs. Her body felt as if it had been waiting an eternity for this and she urged him into her. He was larger than she thought he would be and she felt a slight burning sensation, which quickly dissolved into pleasure.
Slowly, then with more urgency, they rocked together in unison as he drove into her, their bodies covered with a slick sheen as they strained for ultimate release. Faster and faster, toward the edge of some unknown cliff. Samantha’s groin pulsed in spasm as the tingling spread down her limbs, firing into the tips of her fingers. Taos gave one last stroke and released, collapsing onto her.
She smiled to herself, reveling in the weight of his body as he caught his breath. After a few minutes he rolled to her side, bringing her with him. She slid a palm across his chest and he covered her hand with his. She felt his heart pound just as it had in her dreams. This was wonderful. He was wonderful, and even if this was their only night together she wasn’t going to waste it.
Samantha rubbed a hand across his chest, feeling it tighten at her touch. He almost growled and hugged her to him again, kissing her deeply. The fuse between them lit once again and Samantha was carried away again by his touch. They kissed, touched and loved the night away in each other’s arms, and Samantha knew she would never regret this night as long as she lived.
Taos lay awake long after Samantha had finally drifted off to sleep. What in the hell was that? She hadn’t said a word after they made love, or before, and the few words during were more direction, not discussion. He heard her sneak into his room and thought about telling her to get back in her own bed until that shirt of his hit the floor. The moonlight on her naked body was irresistible, and there was no way he could have told her no at that point even if he wanted to. Which he didn’t.
He enjoyed every single second of loving her tonight, but now he wasn’t all that sure he wanted to deal with the outcome. He’d done everything in his power to stay away from her since that first night, and truth be told he had about reached his limit in the rose garden. It was all he could do to hold her without taking advantage, and he swore if she crawled into his bed again he wasn’t holding back. And he didn’t. Not the first time, or second or third. He’d have never guessed she would be such a natural at loving, and now that he knew there was no way he was keeping his hands off her. But why now? Why tonight?
Samantha hadn’t been herself all day, and most of her anger seemed to be directed at him, until the lights went out. He had told her more than he’d ever told anyone about Sharisse. Did she just feel sorry for him? Her hair spilled across his chest and Taos pulled the blanket a little higher to cover her bare shoulder. Samantha snuggled into his chest perfectly as if she belonged there, and it felt like she did.
He’d wondered what it would be like to make love to her since he’d tied her up and held her close on the ride home in the rain, but his imagination didn’t hold a candle to reality. It had been a very long time since he’d felt any kind of emotion attached to sex and it was powerful. Maybe too powerful.
He hadn’t made her any promises and she hadn’t acted like she expected any. The idea that she was tricking him into marriage or whatever seemed ridiculous now. She’d wanted this, he could tell, and she’d given herself body and soul tonight. No demands, no expectations. He loved every second, but it worried him. Was she really saying goodbye?
The only thing he could do now was follow her lead. She could come to him at any time, and he hoped this wouldn’t be the last time, but if it was he’d have to be happy with that.
Taos sighed. Morning would come soon enough. For now he wasn’t missing a minute of her in his arms.
Chapter 15
The next week passed in relative calm. Samantha and Taos hadn’t talked about that night, though she could tell he wanted some kind of explanation. She wasn’t about to tell him she didn’t have one, even though it was the truth.
Sometimes he would pass her in the hall and every hair on her body would lean toward him. He was so close, yet stayed just out of reach. He seemed to go out of his way not to touch her, and it was sending her into fevered wanting she’d never experienced. She went to sleep each night thinking of the events of the day, then dreaming of his soft lips and warm touch. She thought that night would get him out of her system and allow her to look forward to going home. But just the opposite had happened. She wanted to stay here with him so badly it ached.
She’d awakened this morning and sat in her bed for almost an hour before the sun came up. She wondered what he thought of that night. He hadn’t avoided her, in fact quite the opposite; he seemed to be around the house quite a bit more. He didn’t say much, bu
t he listened to her talk about Tommy or his brothers or even the weather. Maybe he was waiting on her to give him some kind of signal.
The letter crossed her mind for the thousandth time as she dressed. The nagging doubt refused to fade, and not knowing for sure left her in limbo expecting John Lawson to jump out of the shadows any minute. The time had come to clear the air.
She paced the parlor most of the day and now sat in a large leather chair. Every possible scenario played through her mind. She practiced her speech until she knew she had the perfect words. Not overly confrontational, just questioning. He might be able to offer a good explanation. It was a glimmer of hope and she clung to it. If the conversation went well, who knew what would happen? Maybe this would break down whatever barrier still stood between them.
Footsteps thundered through the house, jolting her upright. Samantha’s heart froze in mid-flip as Taos appeared in the doorway. In two strides, a giant tower of anger was within a foot of her. Her thoughts had focused on him most of the afternoon, but she never pictured their meeting starting like this. Air blew from his nostrils like steam and the vein on his forehead vibrated a warning. He gritted his teeth; his lips curled into a snarl.
“I just want to know why.” Eyes of blue ice glittered.
She tried to gather her wits, but they insisted on behaving like naughty children playing hide and seek. The practiced speech fled, leaving her mind grasping for a thought, any thought. A little tremor tickled up her back as she searched for a reason that might explain his anger. Did he know she had found the letter? Had he finally seen the ledger? Did he know she was aware of his deception? Her only option appeared to be to play stupid and hope she could regain some clarity of thought while he explained.
“Why what?” She stepped back.
“You knew what they meant, and you just had to destroy them.” He tore his gaze from hers in disgust and stared at the wall, his cheek twitching. “I want you out.” He pointed a finger at her. “I want you out now.” He turned and took the stairs three at a time.
