Harris Channing

by In Sarah's Shadow

  He must have sensed her complete and utter abandon, for he moaned and his breathing grew fast. She ran her hands down the length of his shirt. Finding the hem, she pulled it up, her fingers urgently seeking the warmth of his flesh and the strength of his muscles.

  Pulling back he grinned before rising just enough to unfasten the buttons of her gown. His fingers trembled and he grumbled. "I'm like a school boy, all thumbs and ardor."

  She released her hold and gently pushed his hands away. "Let me." Without thought of modesty, she unfastened the buttons and freed herself from the confines of her bodice. Her nipples grew tight as the cool air licked them, her chemise no match for winter's kiss. But winter's kiss no match for David's.

  He tugged at the light fabric until it slipped away and uncovered the treasure beneath. Her breasts rose and fell as she gasped for breath. Cupping each mound, he lazily moved from nipple to nipple. Sucking gently, he had her squirming. Yes, it felt good. Yes, it sent ripples a need flooding through her. But it wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted him. All of him. Dear Lord but she had to have him!

  She arched her back and unfastening her skirt, he pushed it and her petticoats down, leaving her in nothing by her chemise and…

  He ceased his seduction and let out a laugh that seemed to come from his toes. "What on earth are you wearing?"

  Scooting back, she pulled the blanket across her naked breasts and stared down at her britches. Ugly as they were, she was proud of them. They kept her warm and added another layer of protection against the weather's wicked tongue. "My quilted britches," she announced. "I told you I was making myself a pair and if you don't mind, I may just wear them without a skirt next time."

  He offered an impish grin, one completely charming and beguiling. Curling his fingers, he gathered the cuffs of each pant leg in a firm grip and laughed again. This time it was a deep, wicked laugh that had her feigning worry.

  "They're the most wonderful thing I own!"

  "Is that a fact?" He tugged hard and pulled the pants off, nearly yanking her from the bed. He held them up and again he laughed. "Dear Bobbie, you belong is silk and satin…not this!" Tossing them aside, he crawled atop her, and secured her in place with his body. "But I'd want you no matter what."

  Her joviality flared and reaching up, she began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt. "Well, Mr. Henderson, you are hardly one to speak of fashion. Why this shirt wouldn't even be welcome at the Olsen's barn raising." She pushed it off his shoulders, her fingers gliding past the mat of dark hair the sprinkled his toned chest.

  "That happens to be one of my favorite shirts," he grumbled. "I wore it when I found my first nugget of silver."

  "And your belt." She clucked her tongue. "It's old and cracked and in need of either some rigorous oiling or the trash bin." She unbuckled the brass buckle and slid the leather from his trousers loops.

  "I will not argue that point," he said. "Nor any other recommendation you have at my improvement." His eyes had grown serious and his expression alive with his emotion. "You have saved me, Roberta. Not only from the shadows of despair, but from the guilt of my past deeds. You have made my life something to cherish."

  She dropped the belt and reached from him. "As you have for me, my sweet, sweet man."

  He fell into her embrace and the passion of his kiss had her forgetting everything except him. "Now, make love to me," she mumbled against his lips. "For that will only improve us both."

  ***

  Damnation, what was the matter with him? He had taken her just this morning and now he was like a virgin on her wedding night. Nervous and unsure. Maybe it was because he had told her the truth about his feelings. Or maybe it was because it wasn't simply fulfilling a need, but a joining of more than just their bodies.

  He pressed his lips hard against hers and his uncertainty lessened. Kissing her felt right, natural. And the way she responded to him, the soft moan and fingers that clasped him to her, eased his troubled thoughts. She gave herself to him fully, her yearning every bit as strong as his.

  He parted her legs and nestled his hips between them. With a coquettish smile, she curled her back, tilting her pelvis upward. When her sex pressed against him, his cock pulsed, the head throbbing painfully. Oh, how he wanted push into her and feel the release that he knew would follow. But he tempered his own need, understanding that her satisfaction was just as important as his. For didn't he want to ensure that his lovemaking ruined her for all others? To make certain that when he slid his wedding band on her finger, she'd never be tempted to find solace in the arms of another.

  His need to possess her flared to life and he pressed his tongue between her teeth. The sweet taste of her mouth and gentle nudges from her tongue had him grinding against her. Her chilled fingers raked up and down his back, massaging the sinews and sending waves of longing pounding through him.

  Gasping for breath he pulled away. "Never leave me, Bobbie."

  "I won't," she said, her voice catching.

  Perspiration gathered on his forehead as he stared down at her. Her full lips parted as she dragged in short gasps of air and her large gray eyes sparkled beneath hooded lids. She said nothing, but he could read her expression like lines from his favorite book. She wanted him, loved him and the remnants of his icy past melted away.

  Freeing his cock from his trousers he angled it slowly toward her entrance. With his gaze never wavering from her face, he watched her as he slid himself into her taut sheath.

  At her sharp intake of breath and the small smile that touched her lips, he savored the pleasure she so obviously took from him. Leaning in close, he slowly, purposefully, began to move inside her. She curled her back yet again to allow him an even deeper entrance. The simple motion had him fighting the pressure of release.

  Finally, he closed his eyes, allowing the sweet sensation of her flesh tightening around him to erase any thought but the feel of her. Pushing in and pulling back, he thrust into her, the resistance her sheath offered nothing short of amazing. She rocked beneath him, her hips pivoting in a rhythm that heightened the experience.

  His heart thundered, his muscles sparked, every inch of him aware of the bond he now shared only with his Roberta. He rose up on his knees, and with her feet flat on the mattress, she did not miss a single thrust. In fact, she met him over and over, her moans and clutching hands adding to the immensity of their carnal act.

  Damnation but he couldn't control himself much longer. Still, he would not stop until he was certain she was satiated. Her skin had brightened to a pale pink and her glorious breasts bounced as he pounded his flesh into hers.

  Her eyes remained closed. Dropping her hands to her sides, she clutched the sheet with desperate fingers. Low, feral moans echoed in his ears and perspiration glistened on her cheeks.

  She cried out his name as ripples of her climax pressed against his sensitive shaft. He too moaned at the first shudder of his fulfillment. But like a wave crashing upon the shore, the surge of his pent up desire coursed through him and spilling his seed had him groaning in complete satisfaction.

  Damnation, he meant to ruin her for other men…but he was the one that was ruined. She was but a novice, yet her body fit his with a perfection that no other woman had ever possessed.

  "You amaze me," he declared, his voice raspy.

  Coming to rest atop her, he covered her face in soft kisses before setting his head upon her shoulder. Her breathing was rapid and the feel of her racing heart upon his cheek soothed and calmed him. Home. Wherever Roberta was, he was home.

  Rolling off her, he pulled the covers up over them before lying back upon the cool sheets. He perused her face, memorizing each and every feature. Her soft brown curls, her pert nose, the small mole beside her right eye. "You save a man's life and then you save a man's soul."

  "I did all of that?" she said, her grin a reward he gladly accepted.

  "Yes, ma'am. Just where did you learn to shoot like that? Damnation woman, you shot a moving target in the dark!
"

  Bobbie laughed. "You're impressed?"

  He snuggled close and pressed his face in the crook of her neck, nibbling the sensitive flesh. "Indeed I am."

  "Well." She giggled. "If you want to hear the full story, you're going to have to stop distracting me." She set her hand upon his shoulder and despite her protests, she tugged him closer.

  "You mean like this?" He drew her earlobe between his teeth and stroked it with his tongue. She squirmed and moaned and the pressure of her touch increased.

  "Yes," she said in a low, seductive whisper. "That is a distraction."

  "Far be it from me to stop a well told story." He pulled back, but slid a possessive hand around her trim waist, the skin smooth beneath his touch.

  She set her fingers upon his hand and drew lazy circles across his knuckles. "My father, Robert Shallcross wanted a son. But Ma wasn't well, so he was certain I was going to be his only child." A sad sort of expression spread across her features. A melancholy that he understood well enough. "So, while Ma did the best she could to teach me how to be a woman, Pa did what he could with me when she was too tired to do anything." Tears sparkled in her eyes. "He didn't know what to do with a girl, so he treated me like his son. Took me hunting, fishing, and I know all there is about farming." She turned her head, her lower lip trembling. "That ended when I turned thirteen. He said I was too wild and no man was every going to want me."

  "He was wrong about that, Bobbie. I want you. In every way."

  She offered him a smile that reached her eyes and stopped her tears. "Every way?"

  "Yes," he said, rolling over and pinning her to the bed, the feel of her beneath him once again igniting his lust. "Marry me, Bobbie." His words came out on a rush and his heart thundered. He was fairly confident of her answer, but women were mysterious creatures. "Offer me a vow right now, between you, me and God."

  "Marry you?" Again the tears filled her eyes and yet she let out a laugh. "Of course I'll marry you. I was getting worried that you wouldn't ask."

  He kissed her, the sweet taste of her lips and her even sweeter acceptance filling his heart with the warmest love he'd ever experienced. "From this moment on," he said as he pulled away. "You are my wife and I am your husband."

  "Yes." She nodded.

  "And when we leave the mountain, the first town we come to, we'll make it legal. But as far as I'm concerned, we are man and wife."

  Chapter 21

  Soft light filtered through the window. Heat from the fire warmed the room. The aroma of fresh coffee filled the air. Bobbie slowly opened her eyes as memories of last night's love making sent passion-filled currents through her body. Rolling over, she reached for David but his pillow was cold.

  Pulling open her eyes, wrapped the blanket around her naked body and searched the cabin for him. With a sigh, she set her feet on the cold floorboards noting that his coat no longer hung on the hook, and his clothes and boots were gone.

  "Really David? You would leave me again without so much as a goodbye?"

  Disappointment stirred in the pit of her stomach as she crept toward the window. She blinked against the bright sun reflecting off the brilliant white snow and gazed out into the expanse of the wide Colorado sky. Blue fringed with white framed the distant mountain peaks but closer to home, there was no sign of David. This time, however she didn't fear that his leaving was because of their lovemaking, for her heart hummed in the knowledge that he loved her. That he considered her his wife!

  "I want to see your face upon my daughters, and feel your spirit within my sons." She set her hand to her abdomen, wondering if the seed he planted last night would sprout to life. The thought of starting a new family brought her a sense of peace she'd not known since leaving Illinois.

  Even though she was giddy with the promise of her future, the fact that he had gone without so much as a goodbye had her turning her back to the window and reaching for her clothes. The idea of her parents and dog still lost in the wilderness something that she couldn't bear to think about. She had learned her lesson yesterday. That inaction was worse than overreaction. She would not spend another day wringing her hands in worry when there was something she could do.

  As she bent to guide her foot into her britches, she noticed a small envelope propped up on the mantle. With a smile, she raced over to it, very nearly tripping.

  "Clumsy oaf," she mumbled and with eager fingers, grabbed hold of the envelope. To her delight it weighed heavier than she expected. Gingerly, she lifted the flap and poured the contents into her hand. The small gold band sparkled in the early morning light. She with a grin, she curled her fingers over the offering and pulled out the accompanying note.

  Situating herself on the rocking chair, she unfolded the paper. Bold, impressive handwriting met her eyes. The flow of the quill was fluid and steady and most assuredly that of a schooled man.

  My darling wife,

  I am sorry to have left without saying goodbye. But the truth be told, I am a coward. I knew you would wish to accompany me on this trek and the way I feel about you would have me allowing it despite my better judgment.

  Please, dear Roberta, stay safe in the cabin. I foolishly left you unarmed yesterday, a mistake that could have been fatal had you not had your own weapon.

  With that said, there is a loaded derringer in the pantry if the need arises and the rifle above the fireplace is also at the ready.

  Until I return, please accept this ring as a token of my love and wear it as a symbol of the vows we shared last night.

  Forever yours,

  David.

  She set the note down, too enthralled with the sentiment to be too angry over his leaving her behind. With a happy heart, she slipped the band on her finger. It fit, a snug fit as if it were meant to be. Holding it up to the light, she noted the gentle engraving of a single rose entwined with delicate ivy.

  Her heart stammered to a halt and her stomach ached with recognition.

  Her grandmother's wedding band. A ring that her mother had worn the day she wed, a ring that was intended for her.

  "This is to be yours, Roberta, when you marry," Ma said as she pulled open the small jewelry box and lifted out the ring. "It was my mother's and she was right proud of it. She asked me to see that my daughter received it on her wedding day." She placed a warm kiss on her forehead. "Perhaps your daughter can wear it proudly, too."

  Tears of sorrow sprang to her eyes. David had brought her a symbol of her family…but where did he get it? Confusion addled her thoughts and sent any residual joy scattering to the four winds.

  Reg said all the belongings were lost in the snow, buried deep in a ravine. He had looked her in the face and reported that the accident claimed everyone and everything. So, how was it a small gold band had found its way to her finger?

  She gnawed on her lower lip as her brain connected events. David must have gotten the gold band at the trading post. Her hands curled into fists.

  "How did it get there?" she wondered aloud and with her suspicion rising, she knew. Reg, the coldhearted bastard, had taken her family's things to the trading post. He was a kidnapper, liar and thief! He had used her family's remains as leverage and their leavings as income. If she hated him before, it was nothing like the revulsion she felt now.

  Her hands trembled with sorrowful rage and without thought of David's request to wait for him, she sprang to her feet. She had to get to David, to tell him about the ring. If Reg was capable of all these lies, what else was the man capable of?

  Besides, the villain knew where her family was. He could have the family Bible, Pa's saddle, Ma's lace…Robert's slingshot. Rage boiled in the pit of her stomach and she knew she had to get to the bottom of this and she'd go crazy with waiting. Absolutely insane!

  With her heart slamming, she paced the room. Where to go? What was she to do? But deep in the pit of her stomach, she knew. The first place David would go was Reg's cabin.

  Leaving her skirts in a pile, she was relieved with the ease of mot
ion her britches allowed. As she tucked the derringer into her coat pocket and checked Reg's pistol for bullets, she hurried along the path and toward the barn. Wind whipped and howled as it burned her skin. But she barely felt it, her need for satisfaction stronger than any discomfort that the weather offered.

  Once inside the stable, she tugged tack from the tack room and set to work saddling the buckskin. As if sensing Bobbie's ire, the mare danced about the stall, her brown eyes wide, her breathing coming out in grain scented gusts.

  Bobbie pulled a deep breath into her lungs. Patience. She needed to exercise patience or she was going to be trampled long before she left the barn. "There, there," she muttered, reaching out and touching the mares cheek. "Be a good girl and let me saddle you."

  Calming the mare had the same effect on her. She needed to slow down and think things through. Was it wise to rush up on Reg's property? Of course not. Stealth and calm. Yes, those were two things she needed…but mostly she needed to find David.

  She set the saddle blanket on the buckskins back and the mare stilled. "That's a girl. We'll see this through and be home by supper."

  ***

  With no sign of Reg at his home, David returned to where the sledge tracks veered off the path and down the sloping mountainside. It wasn't a dangerous curve nor was there a narrowing of the trail. No telltale signs that the horse had been spooked or that Reg had accidentally slipped down the slope. There was nothing to indicate anything but a smooth, purposeful turn. But why? What was down there that couldn't wait for better weather and an easier trek? And more importantly, why bring Bobbie's family here? There were too many unanswered questions, and that made him uneasy, so uneasy that he checked his belt for his pistol.

  David dismounted and tied Ned to a sapling that hugged the edge of the path, the wind whipping at his shaven cheeks. He pulled his scarf up over his face and stepping near the brink, looked down. Squinting, his gaze followed the trail into a lonely stand of pines.

  "What the devil are you up to, Crocker," he mumbled, taking his first step toward the ridge below. Snow crunched beneath his feet as he rounded the copse in an attempt to make as furtive an appearance as possible.