Chase the Wind

by Cindy Holby - Wind 01 - Chase the Wind

  “Is it gone?” Jenny asked again, her head thrown back against the wall as she fought the pain. Grace filled a bowl with water and came back with a soft cloth. She laid the cold cloth on the burn, and Jenny tensed in pain.

  “I think it’s gone. Yes, I believe it is.” Grace sat back on her heels as Jenny began to laugh. Grace began to have serious doubts as to her sanity while Jenny laughed through the tears that were flowing down her cheeks.

  “We can start clean now,” Jenny tried to explain. “Don’t you see, it’s a clean slate.”

  Grace smiled and gave her a hug, while trying to avoid the burned flesh of her breast. Jenny grimaced in pain again when she put her arms up. “How long do you think it will take for this to heal?”

  “I believe it’s already started.” Grace pulled Jenny to her feet and settled her into a chair to put some salve on her burn, along with a thick padding. They had just changed her shirt and set the other to soaking when they heard rapid hoof beats outside.

  Chase kicked the door of the cabin open so hard that it bounced against the back wall before it slammed shut behind him. His face was a mixture of fear and anger as his eyes settled on Jenny, who was sitting sedately at the table with her hands folded, his knife lying in front of her. He snatched it up and returned it to its sheath before he placed his palms on the table and leaned over.

  “What is going on?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  Grace began to busy herself at the stove with the beginning of dinner.

  “Did you take my knife?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I needed it.”

  “For what?”

  “It’s personal.”

  “You could have asked.”

  “You would have said no.”

  “Why did you need it?”

  “Like I said, it’s personal.”

  Chase slammed his fist against the table in anger, which startled Grace, who let out a little gasp. He swung his head around and gave her a look that told her she would be better off leaving, but she just smiled at him and went back to her work. “Damn it, Jenny, what are you doing with my knife?”

  “It was my father’s knife before it was yours, and like I said, it’s personal.”

  “I need some answers,” he bellowed.

  “Be patient and you’ll get them!” she screamed back. Chase straightened up and looked down his nose at her, but she didn’t budge, just stared back with eyes that never wavered. Chase turned on his heel and left, muttering under his breath about Duncans, and stubborn Scots, and how the wrong person wound up with the red hair.

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Cat decided that planning a wedding was something she was born to do and took over all the preparations. Jenny and Chase wanted something small and simple, with just their friends, but by the time Cat was done, the whole town was invited. Chase agreed to a church wedding because it meant so much to Jenny, and Jenny let Cat have her way because she knew it was a gesture on Cat’s part to make up for all the misery she had caused. Finally, on a Sunday afternoon in late October, the time arrived.

  Jason was in the cabin making sure all was in readiness for the couple to start their life together after the ceremony in town and the reception at the main house afterwards. The comer cupboard was full of dishes from his own kitchen, and a small table sat in the opposite comer by the window. While the fireplace was good for warmth, it was a bit impractical for cooking, so they would continue to take their meals with the rest of the hands at Grace’s cabin until they could add on a room that would hold a stove and sink. In front of the fireplace were two mismatched wingback chairs that had been delegated to the attic when Cat’s mother had decorated the big house, along with an Oriental rug that had a hole burned in one corner. The other end of the cabin was filled with the big bed and wardrobe that had been Jenny’s when she first arrived at the ranch. The cabin was nearly twice the size of the room the bed had been taken from, but the bed it still seemed to overwhelm it, the fine mahogany finish of the wood at odds with the rough planks of the walls. The windows were covered with white curtains, the fire was ready to be lit, a bouquet of fall foliage brightened the table, and everything seemed to be in readiness for the happy couple’s wedding night. Jason shook his head at the big bed, but it had been Cat’s idea, and he couldn’t see a reason not to go along with it. It was covered with snowy white linens, a thick bedspread and a quilt folded at the bottom in case they got cold.

  “I don’t think they’ll have any need for this,” Jason said to himself as he ran his fingers over the quilt. Something about it tugged at his mind, and he flipped the fold over to see more of the pattern. His fingertips traced the blue of the interlocking rings, noticing the worn threads and the few stains that had not come out after Grace had washed it. Jason recognized it as the quilt they had brought Jenny out of the house in, the quilt that had belonged to her mother, but there was something else about it. He lifted a comer to turn to the backing, and was interrupted by the sound of boots on the stoop.

  “Something to keep their strength up,” Zane said as he placed a basket of food on the table. “Grace packed enough provisions to keep them holed up for a week.” He pulled some candles out of his pocket, along with some mismatched candlesticks. “This was my idea.” Jason laughed as he watched Zane arrange the candles on the mantel and one on the bedside table next to the carved angel box. “It’s not the hotel, but it will do.” He smiled in satisfaction.

  Caleb stuck his head in the door. “Do you think it would be all right if I left my present for Chase and Jenny here?”

  “I don’t think they would mind,” Jason said.

  Caleb laid a package tied with string on the table. “It’s a picture of the three of them,” he explained a bit self-consciously.

  “I’m sure they will love it.”

  “I put it in a frame, too.”

  Jason put a fatherly arm around Caleb as they went out of the cabin. Ty had already driven the women to church, and the men were waiting for Chase and Jamie to finish dressing. Chase was having trouble with his tie, and they had gotten tired of watchin him do it over and over again. They all applauded when he made his appearance in his black suit and white shirt, and couldn’t resist teasing him about second thoughts and last-minute nerves. They rode to the church in high spirits, Zane filling Chase’s head with his proven techniques on making a woman happy, and Jamie threatening him every few minutes if he messed up.

  “Here they come.” Cat was watching from the window of the schoolhouse next to the church. Jenny tried to look over her shoulder, but Cat pushed her back. “It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony.”

  “I think we’ve had more than our share of bad luck. It’s time for some good.” Jenny swished away from the window.

  “Don’t you worry, darling. You’ve got nothing but good in front of you,” Grace assured her. “Now let me fix your hair.”

  “I don’t think I have any hair left.” Jenny sighed as Grace pushed her down into a chair while Cat held her skirt up to keep her from wrinkling the fine fabric.

  Cat and Grace had fussed over her hair and dress all morning until Jenny felt as if she would scream, but she patiently bore it all, knowing that it gave them pleasure to do so. They had pulled her hair up on top of her head and left a few soft tendrils down that danced along the back of her neck where a soft blue ribbon was woven among the strands. Her dress was white, as they had insisted, with a high neck and long sleeves and a series of ruffles over a multitude of petticoats. She wore pearl earrings that Jason had given her, and carried a lace handkerchief that was a present from Grace. “Something old,” Grace had said when she pressed it into Jenny’s hand, explaining that it had belonged to her grandmother.

  A rap at the door announced Jamie’s presence, and Jenny rose from her chair as Cat let him in. The two women arranged Jenny’s skirts one last time and gave Jenny’s cheek a kiss for luck before they left,
leaving her alone for a minute with her brother.

  “Wow,” he said as he grinned at her. “You clean up pretty good.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” He was wearing a new brown suit, along with shiny new boots, and had a fresh haircut that did nothing to stop the mass from flopping down over his eyes. Jenny reached her hand up to smooth it back, and he took it in his own, bringing it to his lips. His eyes brimmed over as he softly kissed it.

  “You are so beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” Jenny looked down, her own eyes becoming moist. “I wish Dad and Momma could be here.”

  “They are, they’re watching.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Yes, I do, and I know they’re happy.”

  “I am. I love Chase so much.”

  “And he loves you.” Jamie placed her hand in the crook of his arm. “Let’s go get married.”

  Jamie led her out of the schoolhouse to where Grace and Cat were waiting to help carry her skirts, and soon they were on the steps of the church, waiting for the organ music to start the procession. The doors opened, Grace went down the aisle, followed by Cat, and Jenny took a deep breath as everyone stood. In the front of the church she saw Jason standing at the podium. As they stepped through the door, Jamie ducked his head under the frame, and then Jenny saw Chase step into the aisle, looking very civilized in his suit, but still savage with his long dark hair flowing down his back. She did not remember how she got to the front of the church. She just knew she was now standing next to him, her hand in his, and words were being spoken to which she answered. When she looked down, her mother’s carved silver wedding band was being slipped on her finger. She looked up at Chase in surprise and saw Jamie grinning at her over his shoulder.

  “I now pronounce you man and wife,” Jason said with a smile, and Chase bent to kiss her. The world stopped spinning as their lips touched.

  “Will you two settle down?” Jamie whispered as Jason loudly cleared his throat. The church broke into happy applause as Jenny and Chase looked around, blinking like owls. A moment later, they managed to find their way down the aisle and out the door.

  Chase handed Jenny up into the carriage that had been decorated with bows and ribbon, as had the horse. Ty was driving, and Cat was handed up next to him. Then they took off for the ranch, with their friends riding alongside, entertaining them along the way with words of advice for the coming night. A procession of carriages followed. A party was always welcome, and since the Lynches were one of the richest families around, everyone knew it would be a good one.

  They had smiled a hundred smiles and shaken a hundred hands of people that they did not know. Some offered enthusiastic good wishes, and others enjoyed the lavish spread while issuing phony smiles and talked with secret disgust of the half-breed who dared to soil a white girl. Chase was not oblivious to the gossip, he just chose to ignore it. He had what he wanted, and no one was going to spoil it for him, especially narrow-minded people who did not have a clue as to who or what he was. All that mattered was that Jenny loved him, and she reminded him of it every time she reached out to take his hand during the reception. She was radiant with happiness, her face glowing each time she turned to look for him when they became separated in the crowded room.

  They had been toasted and fussed over, and Chase had had enough. He caught Jenny’s eye and slightly inclined his head towards the door to the kitchen. She arched an eyebrow in return and began to make her way there, politely greeting the people who stood in her way. When she was at his side, he took her hand and with a final look to make sure no one was watching they slid through the door.

  Escape from the kitchen was easy, they were out the door in a flash and down the steps, where Jenny stopped to gather up her array of ruffles and crinolines for the dash down the hill. Their feet flew over grass that was silver with frost, and they laughed as they slipped and slid towards the cabin.

  “I can’t believe we made it,” Jenny laughed as they climbed the stoop. Chase pulled her to him and kissed her, then quickly scooped her into his arms, her skins billowing up over their heads. Jenny gave way to a fit of giggles as she pressed her skirts down and he kicked the door open and carried her through.

  Someone had been there ahead of them. The fire had been lit, along with an array of candles. Chase set Jenny on the floor in front of the fireplace, and his eyes began to glow with the reflection of the coals. Jenny reached her hand up and smoothed his dark, silky hair back behind his ear, and he turned his head to kiss her hand before she took it away. His arms slid around her waist, and she eagerly pressed herself against him as he bent to kiss her again. He finally raised his head with a soft sigh and found Jenny grinning mischievously at him.

  “Well?” she asked saucily. His eyebrows went up in a leer and she turned, presenting her back to him. “I think I may need some help with these.” She looked over her shoulder at him, and he groaned as he saw the number of tiny buttons that went down her back.

  “Who picked this dress out?”

  “Cat.”

  “Remind me to repay the favor.” He started on the buttons, his fingers amazingly nimble against her spine, and Jenny shivered in anticipation as he spread the back of the dress wide. He moved the curls aside that were dancing against her neck and planted a kiss. His hands moved the dress down as he caressed her shoulders, and soon it was bunched on the floor; her crinolines, which were tied at her waist with a ribbon, quickly followed. Jenny kicked free of the garments and turned to face Chase. She pulled his tie away as he tried to shrug off his coat, but his arms became hopelessly entangled when she pressed against him, her hands undoing the buttons of his shirt.

  Jenny laughed at his frustration as he jerked at the sleeves that kept his arms behind him. He needed desperately to have his hands on Jenny, who was teasing him with her hips as she plucked at the buttons. The coat finally gave way and sailed into a chair, just as his shirt was pulled from his pants. He ripped the shirt away, not caring that one last button flew off the shirt as he flung it to the floor. He wrapped his arms around Jenny, his mouth crushing against hers as he nudged her over to the bed. Her legs gave way when they met it, and they tumbled onto the mattress.

  “Jenny,” he groaned against her mouth and he felt her smile beneath his lips. She unbuckled his belt and attacked the buttons. He raised himself up to help, and she eased out from under him and sat up, her legs tucked under her. He knelt on one knee before her on the bed when he had removed the last of his clothes, and reached out to untie the ribbon of the silk camisole she still wore. It fell away in a whisper, and she leaned back against the pillows. Her pantalets fell to the floor in the space of a heartbeat, and he raised himself over her as she sighed.

  The movement of her breast when she sighed caught his eye, and he saw the raised skin that rippled over her heart. Chase reached for the candle that flickered on the nightstand and brought the light towards her. He looked at her face in confusion, then back at the new scar, his hand poised above it a second before he ran his fingers over the ridges of skin. Jenny raised her chin proudly, daring him to protest what she had done.

  “I love you,” he whispered as he set the candle down. Her arms went around his neck as he stretched out beside her.

  “Love me now, Chase. Love me now ... I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  Her legs wrapped around his hips as he rolled on top of her and eased himself in, praying the whole while that she would not panic, that her mind would not go back to what Mason had done. Her head was thrown back, her eyes squeezed shut, and he lowered his mouth to her neck. He felt her tense as he filled her and he stopped, his will fighting his body’s impulses.

  Chase placed his hands on either side of her face. “Open your eyes, Jenny. Look at me.” She obeyed, her sapphire blue melting into the silver of his in the darkness. “I love you.”

  “Chase,” she whispered, and he began to move against her, holding her head steady with his hands. Her hands moved down fro
m his shoulders to his hips, moving around to his stomach, tracing a line up to his chest. He threw his head back as her hands made the trail, then brought his mouth down to her neck, then up to her mouth again, where her lips were eagerly seeking his. He wrapped a hand in her hair, tangling the pins and ribbons that held it up as she picked up his rhythm beneath him. She began to meet him with each thrust, her hands burning across his chest. He couldn’t breathe, he laid his forehead against hers, and his hair fell around them, brushing her cheeks as she gasped beneath him.

  “Please, oh, Chase—” Her eyes widened as the sun exploded around her, and the impact of it carried Chase along with her, melting his spine as he went, until he could not tell where he ended and Jenny began.

  When he was able, he rolled them over so that they lay side by side, facing each other. His leg hit the quilt and he flipped it up with his foot, then opened it over their bodies so that it covered their hips and legs. Jenny’s face was buried in his neck. She was still trying to catch her breath, her body trembling against his.

  “Are you all right?” She had yet to say a word.

  “I didn’t know ... I didn’t know.”

  “Didn’t know what?”

  “That it was like this.” She raised her head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “And spoil all the fun?” He grinned. “Owwww! Do that again and the fun is over.” He trailed his hand down the side of her face, over her shoulder, down her arm and up under her breast. He cupped it with his hand, then bent his head to lay a gentle kiss over the scar. “I don’t know if I could have done that.”

  “Jamie survived it, so I knew I could, too.”

  They were interrupted by a barrage of rocks against the roof of the cabin. “Hey, Chase, no fair sneaking off like that.” Someone pounded on the window. “Hey, you need some help in there?”

  Chase pulled the quilt up over their heads as they buried their laughter in pile of pillows. They heard a crash, then a loud thud. “Damn it, Jamie, we were just teasing them. You don’t have to get so hostile about it.” The voices drifted off; then they heard a loud “Good night” thrown in their direction, followed by peals of laughter. The sound of a door slamming drifted across the valley, and then the peaceful night sounds took over.