“Let me go in and check on him.” Kate got up off the porch swing and went into the house. She marveled at how much her life had changed from the time Tate rescued her. Much had happened.
William Jacobs had been convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the kidnapping. The trial had frontpage coverage in the New York Times. However, all throughout the trial, nothing was ever mentioned about Lila Tyler; John Tyler had managed to keep her name out of the whole sordid affair. Lila and Susan had moved to Chicago, where Lila married a millionaire twice her age. Susan came to Pittsburgh occasionally to visit her father and to New York to see old friends.
Kate’s father was a doting grandfather to both Emily and John Amos. The baby had been named for both grandfathers, a fact in which John Tyler took great pride. He often called on the new telephone that had been installed at the ranch to see how his grandson was doing and to speak to Emily. He’d returned to the steelworks and worked hard to repair the damage William had done to the company’s reputation. Whenever they spoke, he sounded happy to be back at the mill in Pittsburgh.
Tate followed Kate into the house. “He’s either soaking wet or hungry,” he said as he picked up the crying child. He held him carefully against his shoulder and patted his back. “He must have wet a bucketful.”
“This is a joint venture, partner. I’ll feed him, and you change his diaper.”
“Fair enough, I’ll go first.”
After he had changed the wet diaper, he handed the child to Kate. Sometimes he had to pinch himself to be sure he was awake and not dreaming. All of this happiness had come unexpectedly.
While Kate was nursing the baby, she gazed lovingly at her husband. He and the children were her life, and she couldn’t imagine what it would be like without them. She kept her dream of being a nurse and worked part-time with Dr. Duval at his office in Muddy Creek, often giving medical advice when the doctor was at the hospital in Alpine. Kate had been accepted by the town’s population and was never thought of as an outsider. Living on the ranch with her family, Jorge, and YeIena was all she dreamed it would be.
Tate took the baby from Kate’s arms and returned him to the cradle. They both stood by and gazed at this child they had made together. “Isn’t he beautiful?” Kate said.
“Just like his mother.” Tate held her in a loving embrace. “Now it’s my time to be with you.”
“You’re spoiled, Tate Castle.”
“That I am, Mrs. Castle.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “I forgot to tell you I got another card from Eddy today! I picked it up at the post office. He said he’d found a girl and that she might be the one who will share his life. I’m glad for him, and I hope he will be happy.” Eddy had sent a card two or three times a year since he’d left for Mexico. They were all signed “E.”
“He redeemed himself in the end by saving our lives.”
Later that evening, after they had settled in for the night, Tate pulled her close to him. “Luke’s coming tomorrow. He doesn’t really like that school he’s going to, but he knows that he needs to get an education if he’s going to help his people. When he finishes school, he wants to have a horse ranch of his own. Maybe we can help him get a start.”
They shared a few kisses, and then Tate said, “You know, I’m beginning to hate Dr. Duval. You spend more time with him than you do with me.”
“That is not true and you know it.”
“I know it” —he chuckled—“but I’m jealous of every man who looks at you.”
“That’s just silly.”
“I love you.” He moved his face until it was only inches from hers. His nose brushed her cheek as she laid her head on his shoulder. She smelled a tangy odor and realized he had shaved before coming to bed.
Tate’s hand worked beneath her hair; his fingers stroked the nape of her neck. It felt so good that Kate almost purred.
“You’ve had a busy day.” The words were murmured as he crossed a leg over hers.
“No busier than other days.”
“I’d hoped to keep you so busy you wouldn’t have time to miss your life in New York.” He leaned over her.
“I haven’t missed it at all.”
He lowered his head and whispered in her ear. “I’m glad.” Tate took a deep breath. “I love you more every day. I’ll love you when you’re old and gray and without teeth.”
Kate giggled. “I’ll be a sight without teeth.”
“You’ll be beautiful.”
“When we’re alone like this in the dark, it reminds me of the nights that we spent on our way from the cabin to Muddy Creek. Then I felt like we were the only two people in the whole world. Even now, lying in our bed, I feel like we’re all there is.” She could feel the warmth of his breath against her neck and savored being close to him.
“For me too, sweetheart. With you, I feel like I have the world in my hand. I know you’re tired, but I want to love you.”
The sincerity in his voice touched her heart in a way his words did not. She remembered the pain in his eyes the day he thought she would leave with her father. She would not have guessed how much she would love the man with the gruff voice, wild hair, and silver-blue eyes.
She turned her face to his, angled her nose alongside his, and caressed his lips with her own. Nibbling, stroking with her tongue, deepening the kiss, and withdrawing. All the adoration in her heart was given to him now. She murmured his name as her lips glided over his straight brows, short thick lashes, and cheeks to his waiting mouth. Her hand slid over his chest and down over his flat stomach to the aroused length of him captured between their bellies.
“Ah, love. Don’t stop.” His voice came huskily, tickling her ear. His hands kneaded her rounded bottom and pressed her tightly to him. He pulled her leg up between his thighs. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“I’m glad.”
His legs glided off of hers, and his hand moved to spread her thighs. He lifted with strong hands at her waist, and when he settled her on him, she made a purring sound like that of a pleased kitten.
“Just be still, sweetheart. Just be still.” His hands glided up over her hips to the sides of her breasts, which were flattened against his chest. He grasped her head and turned it so his lips could reach her mouth. “We fit perfectly, my love. We’re perfect together,” he said, breathing deeply. His voice was a shivering whisper that touched her very soul.
Much later as she lay quietly beside him, he turned and buried his face in the curve of her neck. She held him, stroking his thick dark hair back from his forehead, loving him, wanting him to feel loved.
In spite of the hazards, the hardships, and the dangers, she would be forever thankful that she had taken the train from Marietta. Because of it, she had met the man who made her life complete.
About the Author
DOROTHY GARLOCK is one of America’s—and the world’s— favorite novelists. Her work has appeared on national bestseller lists, including the New York Times extended list, and there are over fifteen million copies of her books in print translated into eighteen languages. She has won more than twenty writing awards, including five Silver Pen Awards from Affaire de Coeur and three Silver Certificate Awards, and in 1998 she was selected a finalist for the National Writer’s Club Best Long Historical Book Award.
After retiring as a news reporter and bookkeeper in 1978, she began her career as a novelist with the publication of Love and Cherish. She lives in Clear Lake, Iowa. You can visit her Web site at www.dorothygarlock.com.
share
Train from Marietta Page 28