Summer Rose

by Bonnie K. Winn

  He closed the distance between them and grasped her now trembling body next to his. Cassie gulped, trying to swallow the impossibly large lump that surfaced in her throat. She felt the moisture from his chest dampen her cambric gown and sear her awakening breasts.

  Through her passion-clouded senses, Cassie felt his hands searching and arousing her with his touch. Dimly she felt his hands gently grasping the fastenings of her gown. Only the singular garment remained, and suddenly she couldn’t wait for it to be removed so that she could feel the hard length of Shane next to her, his drenched, naked skin upon hers. As though he’d read her mind, he eased off the gown.

  Cassie’s hands roamed over his hard, rippling muscles. Feeling the full length of him against her, she marveled at the instant heat that ignited between them. Boldly she caressed the firm flesh covering his wide shoulders and lean hips. It was as though she could never get enough of him.

  Gasping, she abandoned herself to the sensations his hands caused as they skimmed over her flesh. He trailed his fingers lightly up her inner thigh. He paused, for the barest instant. Then he moved to caress the other leg. The whisper of his fingertips made her body tremble, her legs suddenly weak, fluid. When his touch reached the tousled curls covering the center of her desire, she arched upward, eager for release.

  As he stroked the tender flesh, Cassie sighed aloud, burying her face in his neck. When he took his hands away, it was to put them on her hips and pull her closer. Fitting herself to Shane’s lean contours, Cassie wanted to scream with pleasure when he finally filled her. The long, slow strokes seemed to penetrate to her womb. Each was a slow torture of the finest kind.

  When he increased the thrust of his movements, she found her legs moving of their own accord to wrap themselves around his buttocks. She knew in that instant she never wanted to be separated from him. And with her body she conveyed the urgency of her message.

  In the aftermath, Cassie heard the words she’d longed to hear…dreamed of hearing…

  44

  “I love you.” His words drifted through the room, shimmered in the moisture that covered them, and danced in the breeze that skimmed over their bodies.

  Her eyes closed briefly, and a single tear cascaded from each violet pool, tracing a path over her ivory cheeks.

  “What? Tears?” Shane’s incredibly gentle touch wiped away each drop, and his kiss dissolved their tasty reminder.

  Cassie moved her head lightly to the side, unable to speak.

  “Regrets?” The disappointment in Shane’s voice wounded her to the core, and she turned toward him, drawing her hands lightly over the chiseled cheekbones and strong contours of his face.

  “Never.” Cassie’s eyes searched his. “Never,” she repeated softly. “I love you, Shane.”

  Whatever Shane could have imagined wouldn’t have prepared him for her response. A mental dam of reserve melted with her words. It was too late for regrets, and with Cassie curved in his arms, it was hard to remember there should be any. Now he could put the past where it belonged. Forever.

  Millicent walked slowly beneath the canopy of willow trees, content simply to rest her hand in Ringer’s, to gain comfort from his presence.

  “It seems like weeks have gone by since the flood, instead of hours,” Millicent murmured. “So much has happened.”

  Ringer was unusually quiet as they paused beneath the endless sky. “I don’t think I can go on this way anymore, Milly.”

  Her stomach plummeted to some distant region while her heart beat painfully against the sudden constriction of her rib cage. Could he mean…?

  She tried to swallow past the tears that clogged her throat, wishing she could turn back the clock, undo whatever she had done wrong.

  He moved her toward him, his clear blue eyes deep and troubled. Millicent started to turn away from the painful truth she was afraid she’d see there. Instead Ringer gently grasped her chin and turned her face toward his.

  “Meant what I said, Milly. Couldn’t stand another day like yesterday during the storm. Wondering, thinking the worst.” Abruptly he dropped her hand, turning away and shoving his hands deep in the pockets of his denims. “When my wife and young’un died, I thought I’d died, too. Maybe for the last ten years I have been more dead than alive.” Ringer dug his boot into the muddy sledge of the field and turned his face upward, as though seeking answers that lurked beyond his ken.

  Millicent felt her heart constrict even tighter than before. If he meant to say good-bye…The anguish spilled across the planes of her face.

  Suddenly Ringer turned to her and grasped both arms. “Until I met you, Milly. I wasn’t alive until I met you.”

  As he pulled her close in his embrace, Millicent felt a fragment of hope come alive in the aching regions of her heart.

  “When I couldn’t find you in the storm last night, I thought you’d drowned and I’d lost you. Can’t let you go back again, Milly. Give me your answer now.”

  She tilted her head back a bit. Had there been a question? Could it be—that question? She shook her head a bit, hoping to regain some of the sense that had taken wing and left her.

  “Well,” he demanded, “will you marry me?”

  Millicent couldn’t restrain the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes, blurring her vision, choking off her voice. She tried to bury her head in his strong shoulder to muffle the sniffling that threatened to overcome her. Instead he pulled back to see her face.

  “Oh, my God. Does marriage to me make you want to cry?” The consternation in Ringer’s voice was clear and very real. His need brought Millicent out of her own reverie.

  She laid her hand gently against the tanned skin of his cheek and slid it down over the beginnings of stubble on his chin. “Only for joy,” she managed to say between gulps, hoping her nose hadn’t turned bright red from crying.

  It took a moment for the words to sink in, and then Ringer whooped for joy, grabbing her and whirling her around the meadow. When he finally set her down, he was suddenly struck still with the fullness of the moment. Holding Millicent close in his arms, Ringer rested his face in the soft fullness of her hair, breathing in the scent that was only hers, thankful she was only his.

  45

  The ivory lace netting settled lightly over the long raven curls and then cascaded over Cassie’s shoulders and down the satin bodice. A matching veil, held on her brow with a garland of orange blossoms, hid her creamy face, but even the veil couldn’t hide her startling eyes.

  Clasping her bouquet of flowers close in her moist hands, she strained to hear the music. The large puffed sleeves of her gown tapered into close-fitting cuffs near her wrists. It was a good thing her silk gloves hid the evidence of her nerves: damp palms didn’t befit a bride, she mused.

  When a small hand tugged at the tulle train that trailed past her wide satin skirt, Cassie looked down and broke into a smile.

  Bending over, she spoke close to the little girl’s ear. “Sadie, aren’t you supposed to be sitting with your mother?”

  “Yes, Miz Dalton. But I gots to know sumpin’ first.”

  “What’s that, Sadie?”

  “Are you gonna be my schoolmarm for real?”

  “For real, Sadie.”

  “I mean in a real schoolhouse, Miz Dalton, during the day, when we get a whole hour for recess?”

  “As soon as the schoolhouse is built, Sadie. Until then, it’ll be a real school, only we’ll meet in the church house.”

  The child eyed her suspiciously for another moment. “You’re sure you’re not gonna go back to sheep ranchin’?”

  “I’m very sure, Sadie. When Andrew’s old enough, the ranch is for him. Right now it’ll be part of Mr. Lancer’s grazing land.”

  The child brightened then and gave Cassie a toothy grin. “I’m awful glad, Miz Dalton.”

  “I’m awful glad, too, Sadie.” Cassie glanced over at Millicent who was decked out in a beautiful silk gown of her own design with white gauze trimming. She wore a becoming hea
ddress fashioned of oyster satin, ribbons, and white lace. Millicent appeared serene and not a bit anxious. Cassie clutched her own bouquet with renewed nervousness.

  As the organist played the familiar wedding march, Cassie turned to Millicent and found to her surprise that a tear sparkled in her lashes. It was the end of an era. She and Millicent had shared so much, and now they were going their separate ways with the men they loved.

  As though sensing Cassie’s distress, Millicent winked at her and linked her arm through her friend’s. “This is it, Cass. Now don’t get all maudlin on me. You know I look just dreadful when I cry. My nose gets all red, my freckles stand out…”

  Cassie laughed in spite of herself. She shook her head a bit as she watched her friend. Millicent’s soft glow bespoke a natural beauty she had kept hidden for too long. Ringer was a very lucky man. She watched him nervously pull at the cravat that seemed to be choking him, however, the next moment he lifted his head, sought out Millicent, and the love brightened his face like sunshine after rain. Cassie’s smile softened. They would be happy together. As happy as she hoped to be with Shane.

  While the brides moved together down the aisle, Cassie sought out Shane’s chestnut head. His flawless attire was a stark statement of his striking handsomeness, and Cassie almost pinched herself to see if this was real. The man with the heart-stopping looks and the tender, loving heart was standing at the altar, ready to pledge his troth forever.

  As they glided forward, Cassie’s eyes sought out Shane’s. The love she saw blazing there propelled her forward.

  The minister’s words flowed over her like the silk on corn, fluttering, unobtrusive, but wonderfully real. When she finally uttered “I do,” she knew her heart was now whole, her life complete. Cassie’s eyes brimmed with tears a moment later when she heard her best friend pledge those same words to her new husband. Clasping Shane’s hand, Cassie watched as Millicent and Ringer reverently exchanged vows, their faces transfigured with love.

  The rest of the minister’s words—with the exception of “I now pronounce you man and wife”—flowed over her. The serenity she had been searching for settled in her heart. The reception was perfect, the people kind and welcoming, as they had been since she had agreed to abandon the land and become their full-time schoolteacher. It seemed she had gained their respect by blowing her own dam to save the boys. But it wouldn’t have mattered because she was encased in a bubble of happiness that wouldn’t burst.

  When Evan approached her, Cassie felt a moment of trepidation. Shane confided that he’d finally told Evan the truth, but instead of the hurt and anger Shane was afraid Evan would feel, Evan had accepted the truth and realized why Shane had acted as he had. Still Evan had managed to keep his distance all during the wedding preparations, and Cassie fretted that he was nursing bitter feelings. She wanted to be a family, a whole family.

  “Evan.” Her voice was soft, laced with worry.

  “You make a beautiful bride, Cassie.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. You made a handsome best man.”

  He returned her smile and then placed a perfectly proper kiss on her cheek. “If I couldn’t have you for my girl, I’m glad to have you for my cousin and sister.” He paused for a moment. “It’s all right, Cassie. Everything’s forgotten. This is a new start for all of us.”

  Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat, feeling a familiar prickling behind her eyelids.

  “Don’t go all emotional on me,” he groaned. “I’m counting on you to be the calm one.”

  Thinking of the past few weeks, Cassie laughed aloud. “Calm might be a tall order to fill.”

  “If anyone can fill it, it’s you.”

  She smiled again as Evan winked and moved away. It truly seemed that the alliance of the Lancers and Daltons would forever erase the blot on her uncle’s name. Cassie was overwhelmed by her good fortune. If she had thought she’d not deserved the poor treatment she had received in the past months, now she felt equally undeserving of so much happiness. But Shane held none of her reservations. A generation of hate had been buried, and he felt they deserved their ration of happiness and then some.

  When Cassie finally threw her bouquet into waiting, upraised arms, she laughed in relief. Her own home with the man she loved awaited her. As Shane flicked the reins of the buggy, Cassie glanced back once more, waving at Andrew and Evan. This was no dream; reality proved more incredible than any dream.

  The soft glow of oil lamps lit the corners of the huge master bedroom suite. The mahogany four-poster bed was laid with a fresh coverlet over a goosedown tick. Lace-edged pillowcases had been retrieved from Cassie’s hope chest and now covered the plump pillows that rested invitingly against the massive headboard.

  The flicker of a freshly lit fire in the fireplace cast an intimate aura over the room. Cassie paused at the cheval glass, seeing her own happiness reflected in the floor-length mirror. Shane stepped up behind her, his hands on her shoulders as he, too, looked at their images.

  “It’s really us,” she said softly.

  “I hope so.”

  She laughed quietly against his chest as she turned toward him.

  “Much as I like Millicent, I’m glad I went home with the right bride.”

  “I imagine Ringer’s glad you did too.”

  “There’s my girl. I was beginning to think getting married might have taken away your lovely vinegar.”

  But instead of laughing, Cassie merely buried her head deep in his shoulder.

  “What’s this? Cassie…”

  “I’m just so happy,” she finally muttered. “And I’m afraid it can’t be real.”

  Shane tipped her chin upward. “It is real, Cassie darlin’. And make no mistake, I’ll always feel for you what I do today. I’m not saying we won’t have our share of worries—but I’ll always love you.”

  A single tear escaped down Cassie’s cheek, and Shane wiped it away tenderly with a callused thumb. She closed her eyes briefly, her dark lashes hiding her tears. When she glanced up, her eyes were bright. “My love for you won’t ever change, Shane. Today, tomorrow, always.”

  With a groan he caught her close, and Cassie felt him shudder against her. Suddenly she felt a new fever, one that only he could cure. Shane lifted the veil away from her face, and soon the intricate satin and lace gown joined the veil on the thick rug carpeting the floor.

  Impatiently Shane shed his clothes and joined Cassie on the huge bed that had bred generations of Lancers. The blue ribbons entwined on the silk camisole slipped away under Shane’s strong hands. His breath caught when he recognized the satin garter with rose-colored ribbons and pearl beading that he had given Cassie at the barn dance so many months ago. Reverently he slipped it from her leg, kissing the back of her knee and the soft flesh of her inner thigh. She shuddered at the feelings he created as he slowly unrolled the delicate silk stockings with their embroidered clocking of ivy and roses.

  Remembered sensations collided with heart-stopping memories. When the stockings finally joined her camisole and gown, Shane lifted her ankle and kissed the sensitive instep. As he released her ankle, he slid his hands over her calves, up her thighs, teasing the raven hair at the juncture of her legs.

  Cassie wondered if she could die of ecstasy. She was suddenly impatient for him—all of him. Her hands roamed greedily over the silky hair on his chest, the muscles that rippled in his back, and the firm tautness of his buttocks. Feeling his response, she grew bolder and grasped the shaft of his manhood. At his groan of pleasure, she allowed her hands to continue their exploration. She gasped aloud when his hands joined her search and sought out her secrets.

  As Cassie writhed in pleasure on the fragrant sheets, she ached for the fullness of him. At that moment he rolled over and Cassie felt his full weight. One hand tenderly stroked her hair while his lips descended on hers. His tongue’s mastery was second only to the fire his body created when he joined her. Each thrust brought her closer to the brink she’d visited with him that firs
t special day.

  Just when she thought the pleasure would overwhelm her, Cassie heard Shane’s voice rasp in her ear, “I love you, Cassie darlin’.”

  Suddenly the world exploded once more. The dim light of the fire continued to flicker, outlining Shane’s heaving chest, reflecting in the sheen that coated their bodies. As his strong arm encircled her in a close embrace, Cassie felt her heart soar.

  She turned toward him, memorizing every detail of his face—each handsomely carved plane, each endearing crinkle around his eyes that told of smiles that had stayed with him. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering for a moment a lonely life before she found him, a regrettable past, and then opened her eyes wide. The alliance between the Lancers and the Daltons had forever altered those regrets. The light that now shone promised a new life, a new legacy.

  “Yep, I brought home the right bride, Cassie darlin’.”

  “Today, tomorrow…”

  “And always.”

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