Peter gave a stiff nod, his expression a mix of suspicion and pride. Elthia felt a stirring of hope. It would take time, but there was a chance now that Caleb could win his nephew over.
Caleb tossed the whistle to Josie, who’d been standing a little distance away. “Here you go, sweet pea. This one’s for you. Just make sure you don’t go blowing it in the house.”
Beneath his stern façade, he was so generous to the children. Did they truly understand what he was doing for them?
She stilled as a flash of inspiration struck.
Of course! She and the children could plan a celebration for Caleb’s birthday. It would give them a chance to give something back to him and him a chance to see how much they cared.
Caleb brushed the wood shavings off his leg as he stood.
Elthia, realizing she’d been staring at his hands, stood as well. “All right, children, time to get ready for bed.”
She turned at Caleb’s approach, anticipating the ritual kiss. Last night, when she kissed his cheek, he’d brushed her neck with his fingers, raising gooseflesh all the way down to her toes.
Would he do it again? Did she want him to?
When she met his gaze, there was a look in his eyes, an intensity that reminded her of a banked fire, one that could burst into flames at any moment. She faltered for just a second, then closed her eyes against that look, and raised her face.
But instead of the sandpapery texture of his cheek, her lips met something infinitely softer, infinitely more sensuous. Her eyes flew open as his arms snaked around her back. The embrace was far from confining. He held her tenderly, as if she were a precious treasure he needed to support but was afraid to crush.
His mouth teased hers, nibbling, caressing, tasting. Heaven help her, it was wonderful, exhilarating. Then she heard a little-boy snort and a disgustedly uttered grown-ups.
Pulling back from the kiss but not the embrace, she blinked and looked around. The kids were staring at them with looks ranging from Josie’s romantic mooning to the twins’ disgust.
She chanced a glance Caleb’s way, though she didn’t dare meet his gaze, and was gratified that he seemed as bemused as she felt. Stepping away, she stumbled and recovered all in a heartbeat, then flashed a bright smile. “Well, good night then.”
Turning quickly to the children, she made shooing motions. “Come along, inside with all of you.” Time to put distance between herself and her tempting, but very temporary, husband.
For the next several minutes, she helped the younger ones change clothes and wash their faces. Then she went from room to room, tucking them in and listening to prayers. But tonight her attention wasn’t entirely focused on the children. Her mind kept replaying that kiss and her unexpectedly heated response to it.
By the time she retired to her bedroom, she was ready to admit to herself that she hadn’t wanted it to end. If they’d been alone, how far would that kiss have taken them?
As Elthia stepped behind the screen, her thoughts circled back to the kiss. She’d never known a man’s touch could evoke such feelings. There’d been a promise in that kiss, a promise of richer and more wonderful sensations to come. And she wanted those sensations, those feelings.
As a married woman, she had a right to them.
Problem was, she wasn’t truly married, because she hadn’t made an honest, until-death-do-us-part commitment to him.
She brushed out her unruly mop of hair, wondering how she’d come to this point after little more than a week of knowing him. She hadn’t even liked him much for the first couple of days.
She set the brush down and started toward her bed. Then she froze in her tracks as the door opened and Caleb stepped inside.
Caleb felt an immediate, gut-clenching reaction to the sight of her. He’d expected to catch her still awake but not still up. The vision she presented, garbed in that virginal white gown, with her wonderful river of wavy hair tumbling over her shoulder, was unexpectedly arousing. She stood frozen, but he saw the pulse jump in her throat and felt his own mimic it.
That kiss they’d shared on the porch was still fresh in his mind. Teasing at that tempting lower lip of hers had been every bit as satisfying as he’d imagined it would. On the other hand, the fact that she’d been so responsive, so pliant in his arms, had been wholly unexpected. How would she feel about a repeat, here in the privacy of their bedroom?
Caleb clamped down on his control, trying to appear at ease. “Sorry if I startled you. I decided I’d turn in early tonight.”
She came out of her trance, pulling her shoulders back as if to face a firing squad. “Of course.” She turned, moving quickly to her alcove. “This is your room as well. I was just about to turn in myself.”
He drew a deep breath as she stepped behind the screen. Could he make her as aware of him as he was of her?
She turned her lamp down, but there was still the light from his. He removed his footwear and shirt, making as much noise as possible. He wanted her to picture in her mind exactly what he was doing.
Then, clad only in his pants, he moved to the desk, a spot that would give her a clear view of him if she cared to look. The sound of her quickly indrawn breath told him she had.
She didn’t say anything, though if the prickling sensation at his back was any indication, she stared at him for the full two minutes he stood there rummaging through his papers. Satisfied that he’d given her something to think about, perhaps even squirm over, he headed back to bed, whistling softly.
Fifteen minutes later he smiled as he heard her plump her pillow for the dozenth time. “Having trouble sleeping?”
There was a moment of utter silence and then a heavily breathed sigh. “Yes. Sorry if I’m keeping you awake.”
He grinned but kept his voice merely neighborly. “That’s all right. Hope there’s not something bothering you.”
“No, not really. Just having trouble settling down.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Then he had a wicked inspiration. “You know, I give a pretty good back rub if you think that’d help.”
“No, that’s all right, thank you.”
His grin broadened. He hadn’t really thought she’d take him up on it, but now she’d have something else to think about. “Suit yourself. Just thought I’d offer.” He sat up and threw his feet over the side, making sure she could hear him.
“What are you doing?”
Was that a hint of panic in her voice? “Thought I’d see if I could talk you into joining me for a slice of that apple pie from supper. It might cure your restlessness. What do you think?”
He held his breath, unsure of her response. What would it be like to have her want to stay with him, without coercion or tricks? The flash of longing for such a trusting, accepting relationship stabbed through him with an almost physical pain.
It had been so very long…
Hearing her feet hit the floor, he shook off his moment of weakness.
“All right,” she said. “Just give me a minute.”
A flash of velvet appeared from the other side of the screen and then withdrew. Caleb smiled. He’d wondered how long it would take her to realize the situation.
“Caleb?” she called hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“Do you… I mean, are you… well…”
He took pity and interrupted her stammering question. “I’ve put my shirt and pants back on, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
When she stepped out from behind the screen, she was primly covered, neck to toe, in a tightly belted pale blue robe. It contrasted nicely with the beet-red color of her cheeks.
He’d deliberately not buttoned his shirt. After her first startled glance, though, she apparently decided to ignore his highly informal manner of dress.
Smiling, he stepped to the door. As he opened it, he bent in a theatrical bow, his hand sweeping the air in front of him. “After you, milady.”
Taking her cue from him, she gave a regal nod, tilted her chin haughtily, and swept from the room wi
th a swish of her robe.
He took time to admire the sway of her hips as she passed. Then he joined her at the head of the stairs. Finger to his lips, he pointed to the kids’ rooms and offered her his arm.
Once in the kitchen, he lit a lamp while she served the pie.
Caleb took a seat next to her, and they ate in silence for a while. But there was nothing companionable about that silence. He was acutely aware of her presence, of her every move and every breath. He could tell she felt something too. It was there in the effort she made not to meet his gaze, in the control she exerted over her movements, and in the tension that stretched between them with such intensity he could almost touch it.
She gave in to the need to break the silence first. “I think you’re doing a very good thing with Peter.”
He paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. “What?”
She met his gaze now, giving him a soft caress of a smile. “The way you’re drawing him out. Like tonight, you didn’t really need his help figuring out the problem with that pipe, did you?”
Caleb shrugged and finished his bite before answering. She was more perceptive than he’d given her credit for. “Peter’s a good kid, and he’s got a lot of woodworking talent. I’d hate to see all that go to waste just because he’s mad at me about something.”
She pinned him with an I’m-not-gonna-let-you-off-the-hook-that-easy look. “It’s more than just tonight. The past few days I’ve heard you ask his opinion, with a convincing man-to-man tone I might add, on everything from the garden to the livestock.”
Caleb shifted in his seat. Looks like he hadn’t been as subtle as he’d hoped. “You’re reading more into things than are there.”
He shoved his now-empty plate away. He hadn’t brought her down here to discuss the kids. “That was just what I needed.”
She pushed her dish away as well, though she’d only eaten half her slice. “Me too. But I’m full now.” She rose and reached for his plate. “You go on back to bed. I’ll clean up.”
He stood as well. “I’m not the least bit tired. I’ll help with these, and then what do you say we sit on the porch a spell?”
She turned away, moving toward the sink. “I don’t know. Perhaps we shouldn’t—”
He stepped up behind her, so close his breath stirred the hair at her neck. “Shouldn’t what?”
She started, rattling the plates. Then she set them down and turned to face him. “Shouldn’t be together under the stars, when I want so much for you to kiss me again the way you did earlier.”
Startled by her directness, Caleb froze. Hang those glasses of hers. Just once he’d like to gaze directly into her eyes.
But as he studied her face, noting the mixture of fear and anticipation, vulnerability and courage, he forgot everything but the tiny seed of tenderness that was taking root in his heart.
He raised a hand to brush the hair back from her temple. “But we’re not under the stars right now.”
The gruffness of his voice sent little tingles of sensation shooting through Elthia’s chest. She looked into his eyes and saw the color deepen, saw his expression soften into something both warm and hungry. It was a hunger her soul echoed.
Surely, surely a kiss, no matter how passionate, would not compromise her ability to leave him when the time came. And she wanted it, needed it, so much.
“No, we’re not,” she agreed, placing a hand on his chest.
It was all the encouragement he seemed to need. This time when his lips met hers, there was nothing tentative or polite about it. Instead there was an urgency, a passionate exploration that excited her, that made her greedy for more.
Her hands slipped inside his shirt until the firm muscles of his back were beneath her fingers. Mercy, but he felt so good, so wonderfully masculine. Her hands could not keep still.
When his mouth urged hers to open for him, she didn’t hesitate. Deep inside her, a sweet, tender ache formed. It seemed to drive her deeper into his arms, as if only closer contact with him could satisfy it.
When his mouth left hers, she moaned a protest, but he was only switching the direction of his passionate assault. The kisses he rained on her neck, the nipping and nuzzling to her ear, were nearly as heady to her as his kisses had been.
Elthia wasn’t sure she could remain standing much longer. Her bones had suddenly turned to jelly. His kisses returned to her lips, and she leaned back, clutching his shirt for support.
Her fervor surprised even her. Sensations flooded through her in a flash that left her breathless. Never had she felt anything like it or even dreamed it possible. It rocked her back on her heels, and she bumped her back against the counter, jostling the plates she’d placed there.
They pulled apart and stood facing each other for an eternity of seconds, both breathing heavily. Finally she turned away, reaching for the dishes with unsteady hands. “I can take care of these. There’s no need for you to help.”
She heard him draw in a deep breath behind her. “If you’re sure, I think I’ll go outside for a spell.” She heard the wry smile in his voice when he continued. “Don’t wait up for me.”
After he left, Elthia leaned against the counter, trying to regain her balance. The kiss on the porch had been tame compared to this. What had he called it that day by the pool? A deep, passionate kiss that you feel all the way down to your toes. Yes, that described it. It had been all that and so much more.
She was very afraid she’d been wrong in her earlier thinking. What had happened tonight would most definitely complicate matters when it came time for her to leave.
A few minutes later Elthia would have sworn she heard the door to the bathhouse open.
Elthia stuck out her lower lip and blew a troublesome lock of hair from her forehead. Caleb’s birthday was tomorrow, and she still had to finish his shirt before the sun rose in the morning.
Helping the children, especially the younger ones, figure out what they could make Caleb for his birthday and then helping them get it done had put her behind on her own project. But that was all done now. Peter was mounting Zoe’s sampler and Josie’s drawing in frames he’d made, and then they could wrap everything up and hide it away until morning.
Elthia smiled as she heard a whoop of victory from outside. Keith and Kevin were keeping Caleb occupied with a game of horseshoes, and from the sounds of it, the boys had just scored.
Here in the kitchen, Josie and Poppy stood lookout at the door. Peter, Zoe, and Alex were debating whether Caleb would prefer ham or fried chicken for his birthday meal.
Planning the party had been good for the children, especially Peter. Elthia was pleased that his surliness had disappeared to be replaced by enthusiasm and youthful energy.
“Let that go!”
Elthia jumped at Peter’s command, then realized it was aimed at Poppy.
The dog was dragging one of the birthday banners across the kitchen floor. Josie made a dive for the animal and succeeded in grabbing ahold of him. “Bad doggie!” she exclaimed, pulling the corner of the feed sack from the dog’s mouth.
Zoe took it from her. “Oh no, it’s ruined!”
“Here, let me look.” Elthia took the maligned bit of cloth and spread it out on the table. Earlier, she had taken pictures and birthday greeting signs the children made and pinned them to feed sacks. They planned to hang these around the kitchen while Caleb was in his workshop tomorrow morning.
“It’s not so bad,” she said after a quick look. “There’s a hole in the corner, but it’s so small nobody’ll notice. And only one picture is torn. We can make another and fix it right up.”
She turned to Peter. “While I clean this section, would you go up to my room and get my box of art supplies. It’s in the trunk at the foot of my b—at the foot of the chaise.”
When Peter returned with the requested box, Elthia was still blotting the corner of the cloth dry. She offered him a quick smile of thanks and then turned back to her work.
“Who’d like to draw us a n
ew picture?” she asked without looking up. She was surprised when it was Zoe and not Peter who volunteered. He’d been her most enthusiastic artist this week.
She looked up as she heard the door open and saw Peter’s retreating back. Surely he wasn’t upset just because Zoe had beat him to the punch? No, he was probably just ready to get outside for a bit. They’d been in here ever since returning from church.
Elthia asked Zoe and Alex to finish the banner upstairs so they wouldn’t run the risk of discovery. Then she headed for the parlor. She pulled out the shirt she was making Caleb and held it up, studying her work with a critical eye.
Even given her interruptions, making this shirt was taking longer than expected. But she was taking extra care that the stitches were precise, the seams straight, the collars sharply pointed. It would be as perfect as she could possibly make it.
Actually, there wasn’t much left to do. She had to attach the cuffs and the sleeves, and it would be done.
She tried to picture it on him. With his broad shoulders he should fill it out quite well. The color, the crisp blue of the wide Texas skies, would look good on him. Would he appreciate her efforts? Would it lead to another of those delicious kisses?
This past week had been so wonderful. The Tanner family had touched her in so many little ways, had worked their way into the very center of her heart. It was getting harder and harder for her to think about leaving.
And not just because lately those good-night kisses had left her aching for something more. Even without the daydreams he figured so prominently in, she was coming to believe Caleb was the man who could make her happy, fulfilled.
How would he react if she told him she’d decided to stay? If he agreed, would it be because he wanted her or just someone to be a mother to the children?
It seemed she wanted it all now.
“Oh.”
Elthia looked up to see Peter in the parlor doorway. “Yes?”
“Sorry, didn’t know you were in here.”
Was something the matter? That glower was back and so was the negligent slump to his shoulders.
Elthia bundled her work and tucked it beneath some mending in the sewing basket. “Come on in. You’re not bothering me. I just wanted to take a look and see how much work I had left on this.”
The Unexpected Bride (The Unexpected Sinclares Book 1) Page 19