They walked back to the camp in silence. No longer holding hands but no longer using words to keep their emotions charged either. Every time his gaze turned her way, he caused her insides to wrench from shame. Brant was never a quiet man with his feelings. She wished he would share more than the anger with her. Yet she understood how his fear of losing Charlie and maybe her kept him quiet. She hoped over time he’d come to trust her again.
“He doesn’t appear to have problems fitting in,” she commented, seeing Charlie and Sully wrestling and laughing.
“Charlie.” Brant called him over. “You and I are going to the river while your mother bathes in a nearby pond.”
“Aren’t you going to be cold, Mama? You said it was too cold when I asked about going swimming back home.”
“That was Boston, in the spring, Charlie. The weather is different now that it’s summer. Though, I’m sure my memory is a bit hazy as to the water temperature.” She thought of how icy wet the chemise felt touching her skin.
“Come.” Brant gave a jerk of his head indicating Charlie should follow and then to Eden he said as he pointed, “Follow that path to the pond.”
“Can Sully go with us in the canoe?” Charlie asked.
“He has chores,” Brant answered.
Surprisingly, Charlie accepted the denial instead of arguing and insisting as Eden had seen him do on many occasions to get his own way. As father and son walked off, the smile dropped from Eden’s mouth. Brant’s manners were not as smooth or refined as they once were and it made her nervous. While she prayed Brant didn’t say anything to upset Charlie, she also worried how Brant might react should Charlie try to exert his independence by refusing to follow any of Brant’s instructions.
She took a deep breath when they were out of sight. It was hard to let her son go off and yet, in her heart she trusted Brant to know how to handle a little boy.
In the lodge, Eden went to the box Brant mentioned. The size of a large trunk, it appeared heavy. She tipped up the lid and leaned it against the wall. Like a treasure chest, it appeared to contain his prized possessions. She lifted out a canvas bundle and beneath saw an assortment of what appeared to be mementos from their past. Her favorite book, a hair ribbon and a handkerchief she had used to bandage his cut finger when they were twelve. The deeper she looked into the trunk, she found other items that belonged to her, things that she left behind when she went to Boston.
Tears dripped to her cheeks as she unwrapped the bundle in her lap. She picked up a soft doeskin dress and a pair of moccasins. The beaded detail around the neck of the garment was beautiful. She had always wanted a Pawnee dress but with a father who hated Indians, she didn’t dare bring anything home when Brant said he’d get her whatever she wanted.
Overwhelmed by her find, she held the dress to her face and cried. Brant had suffered heartache for five years and it was her fault.
Chapter Four
Brant jumped in the canoe as he pushed off from the muddy shore.
“It’s too bad Sully had chores to do.” Charlie looked over his shoulder at him. “Will you make me do chores too?”
“You will do your share.” Brant felt awkward with the boy.
“Mama always made me do chores at home. She’s strict that way. Sometimes I don’t think she likes me to have fun.” He dipped his hand in the water and splashed it.
“Maybe she has forgotten what it was like to be young and enjoy life.”
“I think she’s too sad to think about fun stuff.”
“Why would she be sad? Did someone do something to her?” Brant asked, wondering just how much a four year old could understand about such things.
He hated that he was never able to stop Eden’s father from hurting her. Whenever she had a bruise or a cut on her face, which was too often, she always had a ready story explaining it as clumsiness. When she confessed her father hit her, he swore he’d kill the man. She convinced him it would be wrong and that she didn’t want her father dead.
“She said it was because she missed someone very much,” Charlie answered.
“Her father?” Brant didn’t want to believe it was possible.
“I don’t know. But I heard her tell Uncles Charles her father wasn’t the kind of person anybody missed. I don’t think she liked him.” Charlie jumped up and pointed to shore. “Look, is that a bear?”
“Sit down!” Brant yelled.
Startled, Charlie toppled over the side of the canoe into the river. Brant tried to reach for him but the current moved swift and erratic. Charlie bobbed to the surface.
“Do not fight the water, Charlie, dig deep just as if you were a dog.” He paddled harder until he had the boat alongside the boy. Snatching him up by the collar of his shirt, he dragged Charlie out of the river.
Charlie flopped over on Brant’s lap, choking. Steering the boat to the bank, Brant carried him to dry ground.
“Cough it up, boy.” He held him over his forearm and rubbed his back. “Enough?”
Charlie nodded and Brant lifted him.
“I’m sorry, sir. I forgot—” He coughed. “I forgot you told me not to stand up in the boat.”
Brant pulled him forward and hugged him tight. “You will learn.”
“Please don’t tell Mama, sir. She won’t let me go again.”
Brant held Charlie at arm’s length. His first impulse was to tell his son his mother didn’t make the rules.
“We will not be able to keep this from her but I will take all the blame.”
“I never do anything right.”
“Just being here is right, Charlie.” He hugged him again. “Just being my son makes everything you do right.”
“Sir?”
“You do not have to call me sir all the time either.” He rose up and took Charlie’s hand. “My name is Brant.”
The village wasn’t far and they talked as they walked.
“We’re named almost the same,” Charlie commented. “When mama’s angry, she calls me all my names. Charles Brant Sullette. Then I know I’m in big trouble.”
Brant put an arm around Charlie’s shoulders, elated to learn that Eden had given their son his name. “I know what you mean. Your mother and I knew each other a long time ago and I got my fair share of her temper too.”
“That means she likes you.”
“Does it?”
“She says it’s not worth the energy to yell at someone of no cons…quence.”
“Consequence,” Brant corrected, ruffling the boy’s wet hair. “I reckon you will be the one to get yelled at, then. You are very important to her.”
“Hey, you said you’d take the blame.”
Brant laughed and felt a quick and irreversible bonding with his son.
“Won’t you feel funny if I don’t call you father or papa?”
“I would like whatever you decide.” He squeezed Charlie’s shoulders. “Now I promised your mother I would bring you to the pond. I think earlier than she expected would be best.”
“Do I have to?” He kicked his foot in the sand. “Sully wanted to show me his knifes.”
“You like knives?”
“I don’t know but it sounds neat. He said you got him all kinds and sizes.”
“A good knife is an invaluable tool to an Indian. We hunt with them. Defend ourselves with them and—” Brant stopped before saying kill with them. He had a strong urge to shield Charlie from anything harsh about the world. He’d been wrong to give Eden the impression he didn’t think she’d raised Charlie right.
“Shave,” Charlie added. “Sully says I should watch you shave with yours.”
Brant rubbed his jaw. He had shaved the day before in preparation of meeting Eden—another one of his attempts to impress her.
“Maybe tomorrow.” He put a hand on Charlie’s shoulder.
“Swell.”
“All right then, go to your grandmother for clothes and then you can go see my brother’s knives. Be careful, they are not for play.”
“
I promise. I’ll just look at them.”
Brant nodded and waved him to go. He watched Charlie run through the camp and dodge around everything in his way.
Putting a hand to the back of his head, Brant rubbed the tension knotted by the scare he had of Charlie nearly drowning. Nothing ever rattled him the way Charlie had when he fell in the river.
Brant walked to the pond. The sight of Eden beautifully naked in the water stopped him just shy of making his presence known. The lovely shape of her had always mesmerized him. She made him love her with his soul.
The emotions Brant thought Eden destroyed had resurfaced. He clenched his hands, angry that he feared she’d hurt him again.
* * * * *
Eden lifted her head when she heard the crunch of gravel.
“Brant Sullette!” She squatted back down in the water. “How dare you stand there watching me without…What are you doing?”
She put a hand up to shield her eyes from the sun to get a better look at Brant shucking off his clothes. Beauty had a form and it walked toward her. The sight of Brant’s lean, hard body stirred desire deeper into the pit of her belly. He waded into the water and stopped within inches of her. The surface of the pond came to his waist. She stared at his abdomen grooved with muscle.
“I want you, Eden.” His touch glided along her shoulder.
She shook her head. “I haven’t rested. You said I needed rest.”
“You look refreshed.” He moved his hand beneath her elbow and guided her up.
Rising from the concealment of water, she exposed herself to his gaze.
His large frame seemed to envelop her as he pulled her to him. His face neared and his lips swept across hers. She shivered from both the cold of the water and the intimacy of their embrace. When his mouth pressed against hers again, she parted her lips and allowed his tongue to enter.
She whimpered at the touches he placed on her back and over her bottom. The work-roughened palms stimulated her flesh with the kind of heat she craved.
“I want you,” he said it again as if she had forgotten his statement.
Eden hung on to him, giving her silent approval.
His kisses became more passionate and their bodies fit together tighter as if they’d never get close enough. He slid his hands over her shoulders, down her back and cupped her bottom, squeezing and massaging her right into the hardness nudging her belly. With a firm grip on her thighs, he hoisted her up to his waist and she locked her legs around him.
“Charlie told me you said you were sad because you missed someone very much,” he spoke close to her ear. “Who was it?”
“Do you really need to ask?”
He kissed her cheek, her temple and her forehead.
“I missed you,” he whispered in her ear so low she almost didn’t hear him.
“Oh, Brant.” She cried and hugged him, afraid in the next moment she’d wake from the perfect dream.
“My Eden,” he murmured, crushing her in his arms.
To understand her religion, Brant often had her read to him from her Bible. He loved hearing the book of Genesis. She thought it was because it sounded as if Eve was under Adam’s rule much the way the Indian squaws were under the rule of Indian braves. But she later learned it was because of the paradise where the lovers lived. As she was named Eden, Brant claimed she was his Eden because there was no better place he’d rather be than in her arms.
His kisses dried her tears and the enchantment washed away years of loneliness. He carried her to a patch of grass and eased her to the ground. The angry man who had wanted to take her son away had finally transformed into the caring one who had always treated her with tenderness and love.
For a time, they remained quiet, kissing and caressing. She moved her head, twisting to give him the access of her neck. His firm lips sucked and kissed against her pulse. He nibbled on her earlobe, and without missing an inch of skin, he kissed his way to the other side of her neck.
His kisses ventured to her breasts. Moving lower, his long black hair tickled her belly. A laugh erupted from her and for the first time, he looked at her with a genuine smile.
When it faded, his solemn expression worried her.
“I am sorry I frightened you at the ranch. I was angry with you,” he said.
“You had every right to be.” She stroked a hand over the back of his head.
“If you had come back after Charlie was born, I would never have let you stay with your father.” He pressed kisses lower, making her squirm anxiously.
“I didn’t know that. I believed you didn’t want me anymore.”
He lifted his head and stared at her. “I have wanted nothing more than you.”
The conversation ended and she lost sight of his face when he lowered. When the lightning-quick sensations made her squirm against the flicker of his tongue, Brant pressed his hands against the insides of her thighs, offering the restraint she needed. The aggressive moves of his mouth over her sex drove her mind further from thoughts of him and to the ardent pleasure. Clenching on the thrusts of his tongue, she rode the wave of exhilaration.
Before the climax, he rose over her, halting the fiery stimulation.
She pushed him back. Rising to pull her legs under herself, she got on her knees. She brushed his black hair back from his face and leaned in, kissing him. He sat still as she kissed his neck and shoulders and then his chest.
She scooted back, going lower, dragging her tongue down the center of his abdomen. He leaned back and propped himself on his arms. Fascinated and wanting to savor every aspect of his body, she leaned over and ran her tongue along the side of his erection. Brant let out a low rumble of a groan.
She took him into her mouth, enjoying his pleased sounds. Then Brant leaned toward her and pushed her back to the ground.
“You can practice fondling me another time,” he said hoarsely, positioning between her legs.
While he seemed rushed, breathing heavy, he eased down and nudged her dampened opening with his stiff maleness.
She clutched his sides and stared into his love-filled eyes.
He didn’t say anything more, prodding her sex and then penetrating her swiftly. He held still as if to let her grow accustomed to the way he filled her.
Eden waited for him to move. Her chest heaved and Brant’s gaze remained locked to hers. She pulled her bottom lip inward, worried the whimpering sounds she couldn’t control would make him lift off her.
His motions started slow. Gently drawing his hips back and shoving them forward, he moved in and out with a rhythm she eagerly followed.
Brant’s whispers were sounds of affection, not words and it didn’t matter how he expressed his adoration as long as she felt it.
She relaxed under him, reacquainting herself with the emotions she held in check. Crying out his name as one orgasm after another brought her the ecstasy of love.
She clung to his powerful shoulders.
In a lull, she raked her nails over the hard cheeks of his ass. “You’re more beautiful than I remember too.” She pulled at him.
His thrusts gained speed and she bucked with the eager thrill of finally feeling like his woman again.
Eden moaned as the sensations he created spiraled through her. His whispers turned to grunts and hers into pleas.
“Don’t let me go, Brant. Don’t ever let me go.”
“Never, my Eden.”
Her body climaxed and peaked when he jolted against her. Liquid warmth filled her.
“Will you take me as your husband?” His question surprised her.
Choked by overwhelming emotions, she strained to make words come out. “Yes, I’ll have you as my husband,” she answered, renewing her vows.
“I want more children.”
“With you coming to me many times in a day, I foresee us having a very large family.” She hugged him.
Brant kept his head down on her shoulder. “Eden, I…” His body shook and he made a strange, strangled sound.
�
�Shhh…” she hummed, understanding the intense feeling of completeness.
When he lifted his head, she caught just a glimpse of the tears floating in his brown eyes. His love was as real as hers. His mouth sought hers and in the fervor, he expressed to her a fierce possessiveness she embraced with her heart.
“Mama?” Charlie’s voice broke the spell.
Eden pushed Brant to get up. When he did, she scooted out from under him and hurried into the pond. Shivering until it felt as if her skin would fall off she stared at Brant watching her.
“Put your pants on,” she demanded. She would have liked it better if she had her clothes on but as long as Brant wasn’t standing there naked, Charlie wouldn’t be too shocked.
“Mama,” Charlie shouted again.
“Over here,” she answered.
Charlie rushed into the clearing.
“Brant, why is he alone? It’s not safe for him to come this far by himself.”
“You were to stay in the village,” Brant gently scolded Charlie and then he turned to Eden. “I will remind my mother and my brother that Charlie shouldn’t be left on his own until he understands the dangers.”
Eden had no argument. The Indians were used to letting small children run free and unattended in and around the village. They’d not know that Charlie wasn’t as careful or wary of his surroundings. She had to trust Brant would not overlook that detail again.
“Mama, did Papa tell you we saw a bear?”
“That’s nice, dear.” She forced a smile, trying not to focus on the fact that reinforced her concerns. “Now would you both turn around so I can get out?”
“Mama, did you hear me? I saw a bear and it was bigger than Papa. Then I fell out of the canoe and…”
“You fell into the river?” Eden hurried to get into the soft leather dress, overwhelmed by the added distressing event.
“Yeah, but I’m all right.”
“Are you sure?” She rushed to squat down in front of him as she held the ties of the doeskin against her shoulder.
“Sure, Mama.”
Brant took over fastening the dress while she ran a hand over Charlie’s forehead and pushed his hair back, searching for bruises.
Captive Eden Page 5
