She held her breath. Indeed, she could have done nothing else, for her lungs seemed to be paralyzed. She blinked at his silhouette, that straight-nosed, firmchinned image, his hair golden, falling almost to his shoulders.
Tears filled her eyes, not of sadness but of appreciation for this man. And more than that, she realized with a jolt. She loved him, with a depth of emotion she had never known before in any circumstance.
Not only because of his good looks or his kindness or the life he had offered her, but because of the spirit that dwelt within his magnificent frame. He represented all that was good and glorious in her life.
His touch contained magic, his hands bringing her pleasure untold. His eyes warmed her with their unspoken approval and his words multiplied that message as he whispered in the darkness of her beauty and womanly charms.
She was immersed in him, so closely drawn to his very being that surely he must sense the revelation she wallowed in. There were no words to describe it.
“There, see the men, just beyond that stand of trees?” Gar asked, pointing with the hand that held his reins.
Leah blinked at his words. So everyday, so mundane, so ordinary. She felt a smile move her lips, unbidden and unexpected, and then looked to where he directed. “Yes, I see them. Will we eat there with them?”
“Yah, but probably under the trees. The sun is hot today.” He glanced at her and his eyes narrowed, as if he caught sight of something that held his attention.
“What? What is it?” she asked, looking down at herself, caught by the tension in his gaze.
He shook his head. “Nothing is wrong with you, just something I caught a glimpse of…” His lashes lowered as he turned to look down at Karen. “Perhaps I will have Benny take Karen back to Ruth after we eat. This has been a long ride for her, and she will need a nap.”
“We won’t be going back right away?”
“No. I thought we would ride to the end of my property, and I would show you all we own. There is a nice little stream, and we…well, I’ll show you,” he said, his smile secretive as he flashed it in her direction.
The little stream was indeed nice but not as little as Leah had expected. It gurgled over a bed of smooth pebbles, then formed a pool beneath the overhanging trees, finally washing over a tiny waterfall to continue on its way southward.
She was enchanted by the sheer beauty of the place. “Why haven’t we come here before?” Her gaze took in the dappled sunlight on grass so lush and green it was almost too perfect to walk upon. The breeze carried the fragrance of wildflowers from the meadow beyond, and the rippling water offered a clean, fresh scent.
She bent to splash its cooling moisture against her face, her hands spread against her cheeks. On her knees, she glanced upward, where squirrels chattered in the limbs overhead.
“Listen to them.” Her laughter was soft lest she disturb the tranquillity of this place, and Gar thought he had never seen such a lovely sight in his life.
He’d brought her here on a whim, a sudden vision filling his mind as they rode toward the men’s workplace. She’d looked so gloriously alive in that moment, so concentrated on some wonderful thought that he’d wanted to be alone with her.
If he could only re-create that moment, surely she would tell him of her feelings. Certainly she would admit to him that he was important to her, that she yearned for him, at least a little.
“You are a beautiful woman.” He dropped down to sit beside her and her eyes danced with delight, her smile flirting with him.
“Beautiful? I have hair of all different colors and my chin is stubborn, and my bosom is too big for the rest of me.” Her eyes widened as she uttered the last of her denial, as if she had not meant to comment on the size of her figure.
“I think your bosom is just fine, my wife. The rest of your defects are bearable, even the feisty look you get when your chin pokes out at me.”
“I didn’t mean to say that,” she whispered, and a rosy hue covered her cheeks.
“I’m glad you did. Now I can investigate the problem and see if our opinions are as different as I think.”
“Investigate?”
“Yah. I brought the quilt along, Leah.” As if he asked permission for what he had planned, he waited, watching as realization of his purpose dawned in her eyes.
“Out here?” Her gaze flitted about the glade.
“There is no one to see.” His hand gestured at the pool, still and crystal clear, so that the sandy bottom seemed only inches away. “We could take off our clothes and swim a little.”
She looked stricken. “I can’t swim. I never learned.” Peering at the water, she leaned closer. “It doesn’t look deep enough to swim in, does it?”
“It’s deeper than you think. But plenty shallow at the edge,” he assured her quickly as she backed from the creek bank. He reached for her and drew her closer, his fingers moving to the buttons of her dress.
“I’ll just help you a little, all right?” The buttons slid from their moorings readily, the dress being an old one, and he drew it from her body quickly, its folds settling around her hips. Beneath it her chemise was of finer stuff, a dainty batiste. His wife liked nice things next to her skin. And he could not help but admire the lush curves the garment covered.
“Will we go in the water with nothing on?” she asked, and he met her gaze.
His nod brought confusion to her features and he bent to brush his mouth against hers. “There will be only the two of us. You can pretend we are in the Garden of Eden. Before the fig leaves.”
Her chuckle was contagious, and he laughed with her as she responded to his teasing. He eased her legs from beneath her and took her shoes and stockings off, his fingers deft but unhurried at their task. Not for the world would he put her off by rushing this thing.
She stood before him in moments, only her open chemise and her untied drawers covering her. Her fingers gripped the clothing that threatened to fall to the ground, and he allowed her their scant protection as he stripped quickly.
Beneath her round-eyed gaze, his manhood burgeoned, and lest he offend her, he turned, only to feel the touch of her hand on his arm.
“Don’t hide yourself from me, my husband.” She bathed him in her admiring gaze as he shifted his stance, and he felt his flesh respond as she moved her right hand, allowing her chemise to open wide. “I think you are wonderfully made, Mr. Lundstrom. Your body is a thing of beauty.”
It was too much, hearing her say such things to him, giving him such praise. He turned back to her and watched as the drawers she held as a shield dropped to the grass at her feet.
She shrugged her shoulders and the batiste garment fell from place, revealing the full curves of her breasts. Her arms were pale above the elbow, where she had rolled her sleeves while she worked in the garden. His gaze moved lower, skimming the rounding of her hips. Her hips…ah, such curving delights they promised. And beneath them, her legs beckoned, long and lithe, well muscled and rounded. And there, where they joined, honey-colored curls hid the treasure his body yearned to discover.
But it was not what he had planned. Not yet.
He took her hand and then watched as she stepped into the edge of the pool. She shivered and her smile was tentative. “It’s not as warm as I thought it would be.”
“It will seem warmer when you get into the water.” Leading her with care to where the water deepened, he kept her close beside him, and then as they stepped past the shallow rim, he caught her by the waist and held her against himself. The bottom was smooth here, brushed clear of stones, and his feet were sure as he swirled her through the water.
Clinging to him, her eyes lit with pleasure as the current they created washed her body in small waves. He lowered her, dipping her almost to her neck and then bringing her once more against his chest. Her legs floated and she kicked them, wrapping them around his hips to anchor herself.
It was almost his undoing as his manhood surged against her, nudging the spot he yearned to occup
y. “You will have me sooner than I had planned if you keep that up, sweetheart.”
She stilled in his hands, blinking the water from her eyes. “You’ve never called me that before,” she whispered.
“Haven’t I? I should have. I’ve never had a sweetheart like you, Leah. You make my life so full, with every day a new beginning.”
The words she had hoarded to herself over the past hour spilled from her lips, and her voice trembled as she spoke. “I love you, Gar. I didn’t even realize it until earlier today, when we were riding out to meet the men. I almost told you then, but I wanted to wait until I could hold you and kiss you and let you know what I feel.”
Tears moistened his eyes, and he was humbled by her admission. “You’re my sweetheart, my love,” he said, then managed to murmur the words he’d held inside, knowing he owed her this tribute. “You have become the woman of my heart, Leah.”
His mouth curved in an embarrassed smile as he confessed his inadequacies. “I don’t say these things well. Before this I’ve never told anyone that I love them. Not even the children. I always think they must know it. But for you, I must say the words aloud, so you know, so there will be no doubt in your mind that I love you.”
Her arms circled his neck as she lifted her face for his kiss, and their mouths met in a gentle, pristine caress, brushing softly together as if for the first time.
“It is good,” he whispered, “this being here, this telling of our love in this place.”
“Will we come back?”
“Yah, we can do that. But it will never be as wonderful as it is today, sweetheart. This time is different, when we take new vows, when our marriage really begins.”
“I think it needs to begin on the quilt, Gar, not in the water,” she said, tilting her head to one side.
He nodded. “Maybe you are right. For this time, we will play the game your way.”
“This time?”
“Yah, this time.” His arms tightened around her and he stepped from the water, his great strength coming into play as they emerged dripping and shivering in the breeze.
“Come, I will warm you.” The quilt was spread quickly and became a makeshift bed for their use.
She was more used to his love play now, and Gar felt her response as she moved against him, her arms eager, her legs twining with his. What he had planned was not to be, he soon discovered, for she nudged him to his back, and he acceded to her wishes, his curiosity piqued.
She rose over him, her breasts offered for his touch, and he accepted their bounty, his hands eager, his fingers agile. The warmth of her palms was against his sides, her eyes closing as she met his flesh with a firm grip. As if she measured him from armpits to thighs, she felt his muscles and the firm skin that covered them.
“You are so much a man,” she said, her eyes opening as she whispered her praise. “I love to touch you, Gar.”
Her body was slender atop him, her toes barely reaching his shinbones, and his hands were prisoners against her breasts as she lowered herself to kiss him. Lips damp and open, she captured him, tongue darting to meet his.
“Ah, Leah.” It was a groan that carried her name, a sound of satisfaction he could not have contained had he wanted to. She gave him such pleasure, such joy, this woman he had married.
His hands crept from their hiding place and she lifted to allow it, watching him closely. His fingers slid along the backs of her thighs and between them, widening them until her knees pressed the quilt on either side of his body.
The gasp of delight she could not withhold brought a smile to his lips, and he tilted his hips upward until his manhood was nudging her tender flesh. “Let me in, sweetheart,” he whispered, gritting his teeth against the pleasure of heat and the dampness of her desire.
She did as he asked, her movements eager, as if she were willing to learn all he might teach her. “I didn’t know…” Her whisper broke off as he accomplished his goal, and he watched as she became one with him, as the enchantment of their joining added fresh, new beauty to the face above him.
His hands caressed her with care, bringing her to fulfillment, even as his body shifted beneath hers, seeking his own. And yet, it was not enough.
They entered the pool once more, silent in their joy, only their eyes communicating the pleasure they had found together. He bathed her with loving, gentle care, and she returned the favor, still endearingly awkward as she explored his body.
The sun moved in the afternoon sky, and the trees above dappled them with its filtered glow. “Let me teach you to swim,” he told her, holding her on her stomach at the water’s surface. Leah agreed, nodding dubiously. She kicked her legs and moved her arms as he instructed, then sank like a rock when he released her to paddle on her own and came up gasping.
“You did that on purpose!”
His laughter rang out as he wiped the hair from her face, bending to kiss her open mouth, because it was more than he could resist. “No, I thought you would be able to stay afloat, but I see you need more practice, little tadpole.”
“You called me nicer names before,” she said, her legs wrapping around his waist, her mouth pouting as she offered him her uptilted chin.
“Ah, let me see if I can remember any of them.” His long legs carried them both toward the creek bank, and his muscles bunched and stretched as he carried her from the water.
“Now, if I put you here,” he said, placing her in the center of the quilt. “And if I look you over real good, I may be able to come up with something better to call you.”
His legs folded beneath him and he sat next to her, one long finger tracing the shape of her breast. “Let’s see…I could say some words you might not understand.” He grinned and nudged the crest of her breast, causing it to pucker even more.
“‘Lovely’ comes to mind, as does ‘pretty,’ my little dove.” He enclosed the fullness of her in his palm and his eyes closed. “You are pretty, you know. Every part of you.”
“I think you embarrass me.”
“I don’t want to do that, Leah. I just want to let you know all the things I think of when I look at you.” His gaze traveled her length, and his heart wrenched within him. “You are a bride to be proud of. I am only sorry I waited so long to tell you that.”
Her eyes caressed him, learning his body in another way. “I love you, Gar Lundstrom,” she whispered, blinking rapidly so as not to allow her tears to overflow. “I’m so happy you brought me here today.”
“You will be even happier by the time we leave,” he promised. “I told you we would make good memories here. Now we will make you feel even more beautiful than before. I think it is time to work on ‘wonderful.’”
It was as he had said it would be.
Wonderful.
Chapter Sixteen
“Sheriff Anderson says you’re to come to town, Miss Leah.” Lars Nielsen stood below the back porch and delivered his message through the screen door. “He waved me down and told me to let you know first thing when I got here.”
Leah’s mouth was dry as she responded to the broadshouldered young man. Her nod acknowledged his words and she smiled at him through the wire mesh. “Thank you, Lars.”
He eyed her soberly. “I’m sure things are going to work out just fine, ma’am. Sheriff didn’t look down in the dumps or anything.”
“Will you tell Gar to come to the house? He’s in the corral by the stable.” And probably already redolent with the scent of the three-year-olds. His first hour with them every morning was spent with a brush and currycomb, as he gained their affection.
“I’ll tell him.” Lars’s smile was strained as he turned away, leading his horse to the stable.
Leah returned to her ironing board. The shirt she’d half finished ironing would do for Gar to wear on the trip to town. Swapping irons, she tested the sole plate with a damp finger and bent over the board.
In less time than it took to smooth the wrinkles from the second sleeve and the right front side, Gar was stomping h
is feet on the porch. She ran the point of the iron around each button and turned to hang the shirt over a chair back, lifting her eyes to meet his gaze. He dwarfed the doorway, one hand holding his boots.
“I must have picked up a bushel of dirt in the corral, and most of it is on the porch,” he said with a grin.
“Better there than on the kitchen floor,” she told him, aware that he deliberately lightened the mood with his levity. “I’ll sweep the porch while you change your shirt and wash up.”
“Lars is harnessing the mare to the buggy for me.” Gar deposited his boots outside the open door. “I’ll only be a minute, if you’ll dip me some warm water in the basin.”
Leah looked down at her dress, freshly donned this morning. It was clean and unwrinkled, and would do for this occasion. Certainly she was not setting out to impress anyone with fancy clothing. “I’ll go as I am,” she told Gar, opening the reservoir on the side of the cookstove to dip water. Her saucepan brimming, she walked to the sink and filled the basin, then found a clean cloth for him to use.
In minutes, she had hidden the ironing board behind the pantry door and swept off the back porch. The broom set aside, she watched as Gar ran long fingers through his dampened hair. He rubbed quickly with the towel, over his arms and shoulders, then approached her.
“I just ironed your blue shirt.” She held it before her, almost as a shield, lest she cast it aside and claim him, holding his beautiful form against herself. “Turn around,” she said, unwilling to meet his gaze, for surely her need of him was there to be seen. He did as she bade him, and she lifted the garment over his shoulders as he slid his arms into place. Her fingers smoothed the yoke seam in the back, and he stilled, his muscles tensing beneath her touch.
“Leah.” Her name was soft on his lips as he turned to her, his arms enclosing her with a tenderness she had learned to anticipate. Her head leaned just above his heart and she closed her eyes. “I love you, my wife. All will be well.”
“I am afraid.” The words slipped out before she could swallow them and his arms tightened, as if he would take her fear and share it. She inhaled the fresh scent of his skin, and knew a moment’s peace. Ah, yes. This, the warmth of his caring, was what she needed for now.
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