“Not sure.”
“I hope he doesn’t.”
“I agree. I’m not keen on having my publisher in town looking over my shoulder while I’m running the Gazette.”
“And I don’t want to have to be your wife all the time.”
The low laughter that followed her response made her ask, “What’s so funny?”
“Just you, sweetheart. Your determination is remarkable. You’re not planning on laying down your weapons anytime soon, are you?”
“No.” she said, chin raised.
“Then I’ll have to work on disarming you.”
“Thought you said you wouldn’t force me?”
He reached into the wagon bed and pulled out the covered basket containing the food. “Who said anything about force? You’ll come willingly.”
“In your dreams, Eli Grayson.”
“There, too, but I sense something’s brewing between us, Jewel.”
When she turned away, he smiled and grabbed the blanket out the bed. “Deny it if you want, but if I kissed you right now, you’d melt into your shoes.”
“You are way too full of yourself.”
“Maybe, but that doesn’t change what I just said.”
He was standing in front of her, close enough to make her aware of how inexperienced she was with this type of banter and with a man such as he, but she was determined to show him her best. “Let’s see your money.”
Reaching into the pocket of his trousers, he withdrew an eagle and held it up for her inspection.
“You sure you can afford to lose so much?”
“You’re stalling, sweetheart. What are you putting up?”
With his hushed voice resonating inside, she took her handbag from the seat and brought out an eagle, too. In hindsight it came to her that maybe she should have kept her mouth shut, but she had too much Crowley pride to call off the challenge now.
“You sure you can afford to lose so much?”
“Now who’s stalling?”
“Just giving you time to get ready.”
“I’m ready. Kiss me.”
The intensity that filled his eyes made her wish she’d kept her mouth shut yet again, but like before it was too late. His lips brushed hers ever so slightly, again, and then again, and it certainly wasn’t the quick press of lips she had been expecting; this was lulling and warm, the pressure sweet and mind numbing. His mouth held magic, and as he kissed her in earnest the spell spread through her like honey warmed on the stove, and she had to back away or melt into her shoes.
When she broke the kiss, Eli was admittedly disappointed, but the passion lidding her eyes told all. “Pay up.”
Without a word, she slapped her eagle onto his outstretched palm and stomped off toward the clearing. Standing there, he smiled, grabbed up the basket and blanket, and followed in her wake.
The stream that ran by the clearing added more beauty to the setting, so while she stood looking out over the water with her back to him, Eli spread the blanket, then set the basket on top. Out of the basket he withdrew a plate of still warm fried chicken, potato salad nestled in a pie tin of ice, collards, and biscuits. “Are you planning on eating?”
She didn’t move.
Ever patient, he waited, all the while filled with amusement at her reaction. “Nothing wrong with having enjoyed a kiss, Jewel Grayson, and if you lie and say you didn’t like it, lightning will strike you down.”
“I paid up, didn’t I?”
“That you did, so come and eat. I’m not going to tease you, if that’s what’s worrying you.”
Jewel had been worried, and now, had only her own embarrassment to shake off. The kiss was still vibrating inside her like the fading note from a harp and she was mad at herself for not being worldly enough to remain unmoved. Her nipples were hard beneath her white blouse and there was a quickening between her thighs she prayed would abate soon. Having worked all day, she was very hungry, though, and with the fragrant smells of the chicken wafting her way it wasn’t hard for her stomach to overrule her mind and send her over to the blanket where he sat waiting.
Without a word, he handed her a plate and let her fill hers first. Once she was done, he did his own.
“Thank you for the meal,” she offered grudgingly.
“My pleasure, but thank Mother. She did the cooking.”
They lapsed into silence. She avoided looking into his eyes, but Eli didn’t mind. He was still buoyed by her response to his kiss. He’d been right, she did have a passion inside that was volatile and lightning sweet. Her body against his had been soft as summer rain. It didn’t take a genius to know she wasn’t happy about the outcome, but he was enjoying the many-faceted Jewel Crowley Grayson just the same.
She broke the silence by saying, “Making lemonade is going to be harder than I thought.”
He held on to his smile. “Why’s that?”
“Because. I didn’t plan on any of this—this—”
“Kissing?” he voiced in an effort to be helpful.
“Yes.”
“It’s what men and women do.”
“I know that, but—”
He waited.
“I never thought it would involve me.”
“Why not?”
“Because,” she said in a tone that supposedly made further explanation unnecessary. “I’ve been the only girl in my family most of my life. No one’s ever explained these things to me.”
“That’s what husbands are for.”
She sent him a withering look.
“I’m fairly well versed, I promise.”
“I’ll bet you are.”
“Nothing wrong with having an experienced man.”
Maddie had said pretty much the same thing, but Jewel had no plans to tell him that. “I shouldn’t be this ignorant.”
“Your inexperience doesn’t matter sweetheart; besides, you did fine back there.”
She didn’t agree, after all she had lost the bet. “As I said, this is going to be harder than I thought.”
Amused and finding her more endearing with each new breath, he went back to his plate. In reality, Eli had no idea what he was going to do with a wife. Accustomed to enjoying a variety of beautiful women, he’d nonetheless vowed to cleave to only one—one intent upon divorcing him as soon as she could arrange it, he thought sarcastically. He still planned to be faithful to his vows, even in light of her outrageous offer that he could bed others as long as he was discreet. He’d never heard of such a thing, but leave it to Jewel. He knew, though, and would be willing to bet, that if she were to catch him with another woman she’d probably fill his backside with birdshot. Looking over at her now, he liked the pleasing lines of her face, the full lips, and the dark fringe of lashes accenting her eyes. She was a beauty and, for as long as he could keep her, his beauty. Once again he thought the two of them could have fun in this unconventional marriage if she’d give it half a chance, but trying to convince her was going to be like teaching caterpillars to read the Bible. “What can I do to make this easier on you?”
“No more kisses,” she answered bluntly.
“No?” he asked hoping his humor didn’t show.
It did.
“This isn’t funny.”
“Never said it was, but the only problem with that request is, how you’re going to feel having to eat crow?”
“And that means?”
“You’re a healthy, beautiful, and apparently passionate young woman, Jewel Grayson. I’m not so sure that the part of you that melted back there is going to go along with that request.”
“I know you’re accustomed to women dropping at your feet whenever you cross their paths, but I’m not one of them.”
“Did you or did you not just lose a bet?’
Her chin rose.
“That’s what I thought, so okay, I won’t kiss you again. If you want more you’ll have to ask for them.”
“Then I have nothing to worry about.”
His eyes were fill
ed with mirth. “Whatever you say.”
“Again, you’re way too full of yourself.”
“It’s well earned.”
Refusing to rise to his bait, Jewel concentrated on her meal and wondered what she was supposed to do with him. Up until her marriage, she’d considered herself highly accomplished in most aspects of her life. Having run a household and taken care of her brothers and father since adolescence had given her a confidence most women her age didn’t possess yet none of it had prepared her for a husband, especially one as complex as Eli. Who knew his kisses would make her come unglued. Who knew she’d want more of them. That unbidden thought shocked and appalled her.
Eli was watching her while he ate. “Penny for your thoughts.”
“I don’t have any.”
“Thinking about kissing me again, aren’t you?”
“No,” she lied and set her now empty plate aside. “You’re not the center of the world, Eli Grayson.”
He simply smiled. Done eating now, too, he set his plate atop hers. “What would you like to do now. Want to take a walk?”
Jewel didn’t trust herself to be around him for any length of time out of fear of succumbing again to his mind-melting kisses. “Since we’re done eating, I think I’m ready to head home.”
“Really?” he asked, eyes settling for a moment on the tempting curve of her mouth. “I wanted to lie back and look for shapes in the clouds.”
The stunned surprise on her face made him ask easily, “What?”
As he laid back and looked up at the sky, she shook her head and again wondered what she was going to do with him.
“I’ll bet you can’t tell me the last time you did this.”
“And you’d be correct.”
“Then lie back and let’s see what we can see.”
“I’m not lying down with you, Eli.”
The corners of his mouth lifted with bridled humor. “Why not?
“Because.”
“That’s very succinct.” He turned his vision her way. “Afraid?”
“Of you?”
“My kisses and their ability to make you melt into your shoes.”
“Thought you weren’t going to tease me?”
“Just asking a simple question.”
Sensing she wasn’t going to win this, she moved the plates and joined him on the blanket. “Happy?”
“Immensely.”
For the next hour they became children again, pointing out dragons, fish, hawks, and trees. Jewel even saw a cloud that looked like the Widow Moss, the Grove’s resident crone. “See the nose?” she asked him.
It took Eli a few moments to hone in on what she was seeing, and when he did, the sight of the Widow Moss in the clouds was so surprising, he laughed so hard he had to sit upright to keep from choking to death.
Still prone, Jewel grinned.
Above her, Eli took in her beautiful smiling face and felt the loose ties between them begin to bind. “Didn’t I promise you fun?”
“You did.” And she’d had fun. Drawn to him even though she was fighting against it, she couldn’t seem to turn away.
He slowly traced her full lips. “Promised you I wouldn’t kiss you again, so let’s get you home.”
Singed by the fleeting touch, Jewel couldn’t breathe or move, but knew that if she didn’t sit up all would be lost, so she ducked away and got to her feet.
“I’d like to stop by my place first so I can put this food away. I don’t want it to spoil.”
“That’s fine.”
They gathered up their plates and silver, packed away the remaining food, and made the short trek to the wagon.
On the ride back through the meadow, Jewel was silent. In spite of wishing otherwise, she was becoming more and more attuned to Eli. In the past, he’d been a man of her adolescent dreams, dreams filled with schoolgirl fantasies and expectations. Now he was her husband. The fourteen-year-old Jewel would have been floating on a cloud at the idea of being kissed, and the twenty-four-year-old Jewel wondered what it might have been like had she asked to be kissed again. The first one had left her breathless. Even now the memory made her nipples tighten and the tingling between her thighs return. Just don’t think about him, she chided herself but, lord knew, following that advice was difficult. He’d pledged not to do it again unless she asked so she considered herself safe, at least as far as she could see.
Eli’s cabin was built on Grayson land and was a few miles away from the house Jewel shared with her brothers. It was a small structure made of wood and brick. The countryside surrounding it was filled with trees and open fields. There was a buggy parked next to the house when he and Jewel pulled up.
“Looks like you have a visitor,” Jewel said.
“I don’t recognize the buggy. Do you?”
“No.” Most of the vehicles around the Grove were well known to the residents. This one was black, and far more stylish than anything owned by the locals.
“I wonder who it belongs to?”
It didn’t take long to find out. The elegantly attired woman who stepped out of his front door made Jewel stiffen. She was tall, beautiful, and not someone she knew.
“Eli,” the woman trilled. “Where have you been?’ she asked with a mock pout of her red painted lips. “I’ve been waiting forever.”
Walking out to meet him, and after giving Jewel a quick dismissive glance, she added, “I’ve missed you, darling.”
Eli cleared his throat, “Hello, Rona.”
Jewel told herself that the vise tightening her breathing was a figment of her imagination, but had a hard time swallowing that.
“And who might this be?”
Stone faced, Jewel moved to leave the buggy. “I’ll leave you two to visit,” and she hopped down.
“Jewel—“
“I’ll see you, Eli.” She started up the road.
“Jewel. Hold on for a moment.”
She didn’t slow, nor did she look back.
“Dammit, Jewel! Wait.”
But she didn’t break stride.
Watching her walk away, her back stiff as a board, Eli’s anger at himself was great.
Rona asked, “Who is she?”
“My wife.”
“You’re pulling my leg.”
But the only thing being pulled was Eli’s guilt. He’d forgotten all about his monthly visit from Rona Greer in the chaos of the last few days. He couldn’t fault her for showing up, after all they’d been meeting monthly for some time. The fault rested solely on his own head. He continued to watch Jewel stride away and was haunted by the hurt he’d seen in her eyes.
“And when did this all come about?” Rona asked impatiently, bringing him back to the matter at hand.
“Yesterday. Sorry I didn’t have time to wire you. Truthfully, I forgot.”
“You forgot!”
His vision was focused on the small woman moving into the distance. “Yes. I forgot.” Trysting with his mistresses had been the last thing on his mind. And now, the chances of his marriage with Jewel moving beyond this blunder were equal to him being able to walk on the moon. He cursed himself. “My apologies, but I can’t see you anymore.”
“You can’t be serious about tossing me over for that. Why, she looks like she just stepped out of a schoolroom.”
“She’s no child.”
Rona voiced bitterly, “Here I’ve been hoping to wrangle a marriage proposal out of you for months, and you up and marry, that.” Her anger was plain.
“I never promised you marriage. We both knew the parameters going in.”
“But, I thought—”
“You have my apologies.”
She seemed to sense there was no point in further debating the issue; his jaw was firm, his eyes cool. “Then I’ll leave you to your schoolgirl bride. Don’t come whimpering to me when she turns out to be not what you want. I won’t be available.”
“Again, my apologies.”
She stormed over to her buggy and drove off.
/> Eli wearily ran his hands over his eyes, then looked down the road for Jewel, but she was no longer in sight.
Jewel told herself she had no reason to be upset. Hadn’t she encouraged him to keep his mistress? Hadn’t she told him it was fine by her if he went to other women for his needs. But she was upset. Upset, embarrassed, and fit to be tied, truth be told. She also felt the burn of humiliation. The woman Rona appeared to be everything Jewel was not: sophisticated, worldly, confident with men. It was easy to see that she knew what she was about, and had apparently been in his bed long enough for the two to have an ongoing standing assignation. Jewel felt like a fool, but on the bright side the incident gave her a reason to resolidify the distance from Eli she’d been attempting to maintain. If the memory of her succumbing to his kiss ever plagued her again, all she needed to do was remember Rona.
By the time Jewel reached home, she had a handle on her emotions, but apparently they still showed on her face because the moment she entered the parlor where her brothers were gathered around the checkerboard, Abe asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she lied with as much false cheer as could be managed. “Who’s winning?” She moved closer to the board. Jeremiah and Zeke were playing each other. By the number of kings stacked up on Jere’s end of the board, Zeke’s demise was imminent.
“How’d the dinner fare?”
“Fine,” she lied again. “Eli’s mistress was waiting for him when we drove up to his cabin, so I came home.”
“What?” her brothers bellowed.
She shrugged. “Nothing to get upset about. I told him I wouldn’t mind if he sought other women.”
They stared her way as if she’d suddenly been turned into a six-point buck.
Jewel ignored that. “I’m going up to my room. I’ll see you all later.”
She left the parlor while her brothers gawked at each other in stunned amazement.
The next morning, Eli went in search of Jewel. Having found no one at the Crowley house, he headed to town. Her brothers were undoubtedly off to work, and because she’d mentioned putting in roses for Miss Edna, he planned to stop at the store. He expected a very chilly reception when he did find her, but he knew she was within her rights after yesterday’s embarrassing encounter with Rona.
As he rode down Main Street he saw G.W. and Vernon in Vernon’s wagon. Eli pulled his horse to a stop. “Morning, G.W., Vernon. Where you headed?”
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