Fire Eyes

by Pierson, Cheryl

  "You was young like him once, Trav. Remember?" Tom meant to remind Travis that his "younger days" weren't that long ago, to lighten his moodiness.

  But Travis made no reply as he spurred his horse to follow the others into the approaching night.

  Tom shook his head and rode after him.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "This little piggy went to market." Kaed touched Lexi's big toe and she giggled. They were lying on a pallet beside the creek bank, shaded by the tall cottonwoods and black oaks.

  Jessica scrubbed at the collar of one of her blouses in the creek a few feet away. The day was warm for late September, and she was relieved. The weather could be fickle in the early fall. The way the wind had gotten up meant the night would be much cooler than the afternoon. She needed to chop some more firewood before the weather turned cold with autumn upon them. She smiled at Lexi's laughter. Kaed, true to his word, was good with babies. In the space of a few days, he had fallen in love with Lexi, as she had with him.

  Jessica turned to witness Kaed bending to kiss the top of Lexi's downy head, and the look of mutual adoration that passed between the two of them.

  She sighed, satisfied with life at this very moment. She had never been this happy. Remembering the past nights of passionate lovemaking they'd shared made her heart pound with a heady rush of anticipation for the coming darkness.

  In the next instant, a feeling of uneasiness washed over her, as if she didn't deserve this unexpected turn of events. Don't get too content, she warned herself. A frown puckered her brow, and she banished her dark thoughts.

  She glanced back at Kaed and Lexi, and Kaed grinned at her. Her heart stopped, then lurched forward at breakneck speed. His heated gaze became smug, and Jessica returned his look with an answering one. Kaed raised a dark brow.

  "Is that a challenge or an invitation I see in your eyes, Mrs. Turner?"

  A hint of a smile played at her lips. "Which one do you feel up to?"

  He lifted his broken arm, giving her an innocent look. "Well, if it's a challenge, Jessi, I guess you're just going to have to take advantage of me. I'm not fully recovered just yet."

  Jessica sauntered over to him slowly, hips swaying. The negligent expression in his eyes was instantly replaced by a searing heat. She knelt beside him, the baby between them.

  "The day I'd be able to take advantage of you, Kaed Turner, would be a day to remember, indeed. I can't imagine that it would ever come to that."

  Kaed gave her a slow grin. "I suppose I better consider it an invitation, then."

  She kissed her fingertip and touched it to his cheek, her hand lingering there a moment. "I think that's exactly what it was, Marshal." She winked at him and picked Lexi up. "For later tonight, of course."

  He gave a frustrated sigh. "Later. Of course."

  * * * * *

  "Here." Travis bent to Frank to hand him a bowl of beans. "Harv ain't the best cook around, but that ain't what he gets paid for. And he does a passable job on beans." He offered the bowl once more. "Take 'em."

  Hayes looked up at him, his fair features expressionless. "Why?"

  "Cause we all gotta eat, Hayes. An' we've all had as much jerky and hard tack as we can take. These beans'll be a treat."

  From across the campsite, Jenkins, Eaton, and Sellers sat drinking coffee and finishing their meal. Sellers watched Morgan and Hayes.

  "Looks like something's turned Morgan around a little," Jenkins said.

  Sellers shook his head. "I don't know which is worse. The way Trav treats Hayes, or the way Hayes treats himself."

  "I blame Lem for the way the boy behaves," Eaton said. "An' I blame us for not noticing it sooner and letting Frank ride along with one of us. He's kinda shy. Don't say much. Probably never woulda asked to ride with someone else. We shoulda been more careful."

  "Well, you're right about that, Jack. You sure are." Jenkins rose slowly and crossed to the fire to pour another cup of coffee.

  "Maybe they'll patch it up," Sellers said, his eyes straying to Morgan and Hayes again. "This ride's been a damn sight more prickly than I care for."

  Eaton grinned. "Gonna get a helluva lot worse if we find Kaed in a bad way, Tom, patchin' up or no."

  Sellers nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, I know. An' I'm thinkin'—" He shook his head, unwilling to continue his thought aloud.

  Eaton nodded. "Been a long spell since we've made tracks on Fallon's bunch. Haven't seen any on Kaed or Beckley, either." He leaned closer to Sellers. "I don't think Kaed got to him in time, Tom."

  Sellers looked up from his enameled coffee cup and stared into Eaton's eyes for a moment. He finally looked away. "No," he said slowly. "I don't think he did, either."

  Jenkins rejoined them, and sat down beside his half-eaten bowl of beans. "If he didn't, then we've got some worries."

  "Yeah," Sellers said. "If he didn't get to Beckley first, that means Beckley's dead, for sure." He took a drink of coffee. "There's no helpin' it, an' nothin' we coulda done. It's on Mitch, what he done. But Kaed—"

  "Kaed might have gone in after him," Eaton said.

  "No, he wouldn't've done that," Sellers said with certainty. "I trained him. He wouldn't've gone in after Beckley. He'd have known that Beckley did what he did without authorization. Without back-up. And he's too smart to let Fallon's bunch catch him. What worries me is, how we ain't seen nothin' of him."

  "You thinkin' maybe he's hurt? Holed up somewhere?" Jenkins asked.

  Sellers sighed. "Don't know what to think. But, yeah, I guess that's been in the back of my mind. Maybe he's hurt so bad he's…dyin'." He glanced over at Morgan and Hayes. Hayes had taken the beans and was eating them hungrily. "In which case, Jack, you are certainly right about there bein' hell to pay. Hayes may be lookin' for employment elsewhere, if Trav don't kill him first."

  "Ah, hell, Tom," Eaton said. "Anything could happen. You know how Kaed can be sometimes. The way he likes bein' a loner. I think a lot of that's 'cause of what happened to him, when he was young. Bein' raised by the Choctaws and all that."

  "An' bein' taken by the 'Paches to begin with. Seein' his parents murdered, and him and his brother and sister all divvied up amongst them red bastards," Jenkins added.

  Tom glanced at Harv, knowing Harv was thinking of his own family, and what had happened to them. It was in the past, but Tom knew that for Harv, it was still a fresh hurt. Harv's wife and two boys had been taken fifteen years ago by the Apache, and he had devoted the next three years to tracking them and finding them. When he arranged to barter them back, his wife had refused.

  "Like I said, anything could happen," Jack said. "Why, right now, Kaed may be sleepin' off a drunk with a pretty woman in his bed."

  "Jack," Tom said, "I've never seen Kaed Turner drunk."

  "Well," Eaton blustered, "forget the drunk part! I'll bet he's got him a high lookin' woman, wherever he is."

  Harv smiled around his coffee cup. "I'll bet he does, too."

  "I hope he does," Tom murmured. "I'd rather be pissed off that he was shacked up with some whore instead of dead."

  "I'll stand first watch tonight." Travis stood up from beside the campfire and drew his pistol, automatically breaking it open to check the rounds.

  "You're pushin' awful hard, Trav," Tom said quietly. "It's gonna be a short night, anyway."

  Travis scowled. "He trained me, Tom. If I was alone, I wouldn't've even stopped for beans. I'd've kept on with the jerky and hard tack. Kept riding." He blew out a harsh breath and looked away. "Every minute counts," he murmured. "Something else Kaed taught me."

  Tom stretched out beside the fire, propped on his elbow. "Won't do you no good if you kill yourself, Trav. A man's gotta eat. Gotta sleep. Even if it is only for a few hours."

  "We're just as anxious to find him as you are, Trav," Jack said. He cut a small plug of tobacco, and put it in his mouth. "Kaed's a good man. He's hauled every one of our asses out of the fire at one time or another. We all owe him one, at least. But I'd be willing to bet
if you were to lie down, you'd sleep a solid twenty-four hours from the looks of you."

  Travis shook his head slowly and turned away, his face drawn and tight. "You just don't understand." He walked toward a towering old black oak tree and disappeared into the enveloping darkness of the woods.

  Tom watched as Frank stared after Travis, even as the black night swallowed him. Travis had said no one else understood, but Tom knew one person did—Frank Hayes.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kaed lay on the bed watching Jessica rock Lexi to sleep. She'd moved the rocking chair in front of the small fire he had built. The late afternoon had turned surprisingly chilly, after the earlier warmth of the day, and Kaed had laid the fire while Jessica had finished the laundry. He'd been in the process of trying to light it left-handed when she'd come in with the laundry pail.

  "Kaed, let me do it."

  "No. You've got enough on your plate. Let me do what I can to help you."

  She looked at the pile of firewood beside the hearth. "Did you carry in all that wood?"

  He glanced up and grinned. "No. Lexi did it. I just told her where to stack it." He turned his attention back to the fireplace as the kindling took flame and began to burn steadily.

  "You're going to re-injure your arm." Her voice was quiet.

  "I'm all right, Jess." He met her eyes once more. "Really."

  "Just be careful."

  He stood up slowly, reaching to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I always am."

  The love he'd seen in her expression as she turned away to prepare the evening meal had surprised him. He didn't know why. It was just hard to accept—this feeling of loving again…and being loved. He'd thought that would never happen again, yet, it had come so quickly with Jessica he hadn't had a chance to fight it.

  Always a light sleeper, he awoke often in the night, each time to a feeling of peace at the light pressure of Jessica's head pillowed on his chest, her dark hair fanning across his bandaging and bare skin like a piece of silk. He'd lie awake a few minutes, listening to her steady breathing, to Lexi's soft sighing, to the sounds of the night outside. The feeling of well-being, and of belonging, finally belonging, engulfed him each time, and he'd drift to sleep again, always with the realization that moments like these were what kept him from dreaming those other dreams. Dreams of death and violence and destruction. Of unspeakable loss and sadness.

  And the cause of those dreams made him burn inside to recover quickly. He didn't care if he could barely sit a saddle. All he wanted was to be able to stay there long enough to ride out after Fallon and what remained of his gang of cutthroats. He could never fully embrace the peace he needed until two little girls and a U.S. Deputy Marshal had been avenged.

  Now, he watched as Jessica rose and carried another little girl toward her crib. "Bring her here," he whispered.

  He reached to touch the downy hair, as Jessica held her to him, then he kissed the baby's forehead gently. "Sleep well, little angel."

  * * * * *

  Lexi's own father hadn't looked at her with that kind of love, Jessica thought. Not even when he'd left her for the last time, turning his back and walking away, headed for the gold fields of California.

  In the early darkness, Jessica felt a rush of heat ripple through her body. Kaed smiled at her, slow and easy. She swallowed hard and took a step back. After a faltering moment, she walked to Lexi's crib to lay her down.

  That smile had done a lot of things to Jessica. Her hands trembled slightly as she covered the baby for the night. The beating of her heart seemed to have no rhythm, skipping and pounding alternately until she felt there was no breath left in her body.

  She shook her head. That was because they shared the same breath, and she was too far from the bed. She grinned at the fanciful thought, giving Lexi one final pat. She turned to see Kaed's steady perusal.

  His gaze left little doubt as to what he was thinking. "About that invitation, Jessi." He relaxed back into the softness of the bed, a smile playing at his mouth. "I'm ready to take you up on it."

  Jessica drew a long breath and blew it back out in an effort to steady her nerves. The way he looked at her made her shiver in anticipation. She came toward the bed with a deliberate stride, and he half-rose as she began to unbutton the row of buttons, beginning at her neck.

  Good. As coolly calm as he always appeared, it took a lot to make him sit up and take notice. And he was taking notice, she thought, unfastening her skirt in the back.

  She worried her lower lip between even white teeth, and let the skirt fall to the floor, followed by the blouse as she shrugged out of it. Her chemise molded itself to the curves of her body, and desire flared in Kaed's dark eyes.

  She lowered her gaze to hide the answering response she knew he would see. It surprised her every time it happened, this—whatever it was, between them. She'd never felt this way with Billy, never knew such feeling even existed, until Kaed Turner had come into her life.

  Wordlessly, Kaed held out his hand, and she closed the distance between them, taking it. She brushed her lips across the rough skin of his bruised knuckles as she knelt beside him.

  "Jessi." His voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

  She raised her dark eyes to his, and for a moment, she couldn't speak. All the love in her heart was mirrored in his expression. Finally, he gave her a slow smile.

  "Give me a hand with these buttons? You seem to have mastered the art of undressing." The teasing smile faded. "I'm not so good at it, one-handed."

  She opened the first button, and Kaed closed his eyes. Her fingers trembled slightly at the second one, and Kaed's lips curved into a mischievous grin.

  "Nervous?"

  Jessi's gaze flew to Kaed's face, but he kept his eyes shut, a smile on his lips. She opened the third button, and bit her lip. The soft material of his shirt was warm against her hand, and as she touched his chest, the heat of his clean bronze skin beneath her fingers drove all thoughts from her head. He cracked an eye open. She remained silent.

  "Jess? It's not like we've never done this before."

  She opened the fourth button, just above his belt buckle. Hesitantly, she raised her eyes to his.

  "I want you too much, Kaedon Turner," she said quietly. "More than I ever wanted Billy Monroe. More than I've ever wanted anything else."

  The fire sizzled and popped in the silence.

  "I'm scared too, Jessica." Kaed squeezed her hand gently as she started to speak.

  She shook her head. "You're not afraid. Not of anything." She rested her head on his side where the warm shirt fell away from his heated skin, her cheek atop the faded bruising across his ribs.

  His fingers threaded absently through her hair. "If you believe that, we've got some talking to do, sweetheart. A whole lot of talking to do."

  She pulled away after a moment and began to unbuckle his belt and the front placket of his jeans. He sucked in his breath, flinching as her fingers brushed the sensitive tip of him. She met his measuring look, but neither of them spoke, and he lifted his hips as she pushed the hampering clothing down, dropping the pants on the floor. After a moment, he sat up and shrugged out of the soft chambray shirt. Jessica laid the garments across the back of the chair, then pulled the chemise over her head and removed her pantalettes.

  Kaed reached out to her, and she took his hand, carefully climbing over him and onto the bed. She lay beside him in the early darkness, careful of his side.

  "Come closer," he murmured. Then, "Hell, never mind." Impatiently, he rolled across Jessica, and she gasped. "I want you like this tonight. I think I've gotten my strength up enough."

  "Kaed, you'll hurt your arm."

  "Let's just try it and see." He grinned down at her and Jessica's lips curved upward in answer.

  "It's only been a little over a week."

  "I know. But I've got a pretty high tolerance for pain, in case you hadn't noticed." He kissed her gently. "And I'm sure the pleasure will be well worth it." He bit her neck li
ghtly.

  "Ummm." She ran a hand over his back, along his side and down to his buttocks, caressing him. "That's a bit of pressure you're putting on me, isn't it, Marshal?"

  "Not really." He gave a low chuckle. "I'm the one who should worry about performing."

  She gripped his throbbing shaft, and his breath left him in a rush. "I'm sure you'll rise to the occasion."

  He laughed. "Already there." He bent to kiss her nipple, running his tongue around the peak, and she sucked her breath in. Her hips rose of their own volition, straining upward, seeking him. He slowly licked his way across to Jessica's other breast, and she whimpered.

  "Kaed."

  "Tell me what you want." His lips and tongue teased and tantalized the hard nipple, and he let her feel the edge of his teeth as he suckled her.

  "You." Her voice was a breathless sigh.

  He lifted his head briefly. "You've got me."

  "Inside me, Kaed."

  He moved up to kiss her mouth, and she tasted the fire of need on his lips. She arched up to him again, and as he went into her in one sure, swift stroke, she whispered his name on a sigh.

  In that moment, she didn't care that she wanted this man more than anything else, more than the land she labored to keep, more than the breath she drew. Somehow, the fear of trusting her heart to him melted away, leaving only the ache of wanting, of needing, and the knowledge that she would trade everything for the love of Kaedon Turner. She had no pride left, only dreams of a life with him. A man she barely knew in some ways, yet, in others, she knew as well as she knew herself.

  His heart pounded against her own. Their ragged breathing matched in a harsh cadence. He increased the tempo of his thrusts, the lazy, slow insolence gone from his demeanor. Now, the need was as great in him as it was in her. It would be so, she thought, for a lifetime.

  "Jessi."

  She opened herself to him completely, at the raw need in his voice, and he wrapped his fingers in her hair at the final second, his face twisting as he slammed into her.

  She pulled him to her and his mouth came down hot and urgent on hers.