“What debts?”
He was removing his clothing, too, on the other side of the bed, and she explained about Mrs. Smother’s charging the girls.
“Trig’s not going to like hearing that,” he said before asking, “How do you know how much money that will take?”
“I don’t,” she admitted. “But I have to start somewhere.” She crossed the room. “When I saw Ilene, I realized that could have been me working at the mayor’s house. And when she told me about her sisters, I realized if not for you, who knows where I might have ended up. Ilene told me I was lucky, and I am, because of you.” She stopped in front of him. “Mad Dog started stealing girls because of me.”
He took her hands. “That wasn’t your fault, honey.”
“I know it wasn’t my fault,” she said, unsure how to explain the understanding that had blossomed inside her. “But since arriving in Seattle many of the people we’ve met reminded me of Mad Dog, all dressed up in fancy clothes, pretending to be Alan Ridge, whereas underneath he was as evil as ever, if not more so.”
“Clothes can’t change people, Maddie. Money doesn’t, either. If they were evil before they had it, they’re still evil afterward.”
“I know.” She squeezed his hands. “You made me understand that. You’re no different no matter how you dress or where you live. I want to be like that. I want to be me, no matter where I am. No matter how much money I have or don’t. I never want to pretend to be something I’m not.”
He folded his arms around her. “I don’t want you to be anyone but you, either. Ever.” Holding her close, he asked, “That’s what’s been bothering you the past few weeks, isn’t it?”
She nodded, then shook her head, and then nodded again.
He frowned.
“I didn’t fit in,” she said, “but I didn’t want to fit in, either.” Looking up at him, she admitted, “I didn’t realize that until tonight. But what bothered me was leaving you.”
“Leaving me?”
“Yes. I planned on setting a trap for Mad Dog. To see he was captured, but I didn’t want you to get hurt again. Once you left for New Orleans, I was going to go to Wyoming and ask that judge to help me catch Mad Dog.”
“You thought I’d just leave you?” he asked.
“No,” she said, all along knowing that would be the tricky part. “I was hoping to convince Trig to take you away.”
He laughed and then kissed her smack on the lips. “Everything I’ve been doing, from going to parties to showing you houses, was to set a trap for Mad Dog.”
“It was?”
“Yes, it was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
A devilish grin appeared on his face. “Because you don’t like being told what to do.”
She frowned, yet had to smile. “I don’t mind you telling me what to do sometimes. We’re partners.”
He twirled her around and started unfastening her dress. “Yes, we are, darling. Forever.” At that moment, Maddie had to admit she didn’t mind something else: how fashionable gowns fastened down the back.
He was taking his time with each button and his due diligence had her simmering like a pot to boil. “You said you don’t mind me telling you what to do, either,” she said, “in the carriage tonight.”
“Yes, I did,” he said, kissing the back of her neck. “And I don’t.”
Excitement flared inside her. “Will you hurry up, then?”
He laughed, but didn’t speed up his movement. Instead, he kissed the other side of her neck. “I bought the ring on your finger this afternoon, fully intending to ask you to marry me tonight.”
Her insides melted. She attempted to turn around, but he wouldn’t let her. “No,” he whispered against the back of her neck while pushing the gown off her shoulders. “I’m not done.”
“You did?” she asked, even while she wanted to insist he hurry.
“Yes, I did. I love you, Maddie, and will forever.”
When the dress pooled around her feet, he lifted her camisole over her head and then slid a fingertip all the way down her spine to the base of her back before sliding his hands inside her pantaloons and around her stomach to untie them. “But, darling, there’s something you should know.”
“What?” she asked, holding her breath, both because of the sensations erupting inside her and because she had no idea what he might say next.
“I’d never have left with Trig. Not without you.”
She giggled, even as her breath caught in her throat again when her pantaloons fell to the floor. “I don’t know about that. Trig is somewhat easily manipulated,” she finally managed. “Rescuing girls he didn’t know, paying their room and board.”
“Aw, yes,” Lucky said, keeping her stationed with her back to him while he kissed her shoulders. “But he’s also sly. He did convince both of us to take care of the other one.”
His hands roamed over her midriff and upward, toward her breasts, which had grown heavy and full. Maddie nodded in agreement. “I guess you’re right about that.”
Lucky fondled her endlessly, sweetly, until she was trembling with desire so great her legs wobbled.
“Remind me to thank him for that,” Lucky whispered. Then he picked her up and slowly, gracefully, swung around and laid her on the bed. His eyes were twinkling, full of stars brilliant enough to make wishes upon. There was love there, too, sparking brightly, and Maddie wondered how she’d never recognized it before now.
She lifted her arms, looping them around his neck. “I will, and I’ll thank him, too.” Kissing the center of Lucky’s chin, she added teasingly, “He drove a hard bargain with that fifty percent clause.”
“I’d have had to pay him a hundred percent if you didn’t return with me.”
Maddie was taken aback, and the glimmer in Lucky’s eyes didn’t tell her if he was teasing or not. He didn’t let her ask, either, not with the way he kissed her.
Lucky took his time then, loving her at his leisure. Kissing, caressing and pleasing her until her scalding release could wait no longer. She’d barely regained her senses when he began again. Just as slowly, just as patiently. Maddie dug her hands into the tangled bed covers and held on. He was so relentless she might float up into the heavens, into the vast dimension overhead filled with the stars like the ones in his gaze, and never return to earth.
He was unyielding in withholding his own satisfaction, even when another spasm tore through her, signaling she’d reached her limit yet again. When he finally disrobed and positioned himself over her, entered her, he continued to hold back, bringing her to yet another peak, encouraging her to tumble over the edge while he forged onward.
She was beyond reality, and at his complete mercy, no longer able to control a single muscle when he let out a husky groan and went stiff. Her body was there, too, driven to another pinnacle, fully glorifying in one more bright and astonishing union he’d perfectly orchestrated.
Astounded by her own stamina, she held on to him as her final release proved to be the most earth-shattering of them all.
When he relaxed, rested upon her briefly, he whispered, “I love you, Mrs. DuMont.”
Maddie was too spent, too exhausted to do much more than smile as her heart went rather wild. She vowed to tell him how much she loved him as soon as her strength renewed.
That didn’t happen until morning when she opened her eyes to a room already awash with light. Maddie reached for him, but her arm encountered an empty pillow. Spinning to the other side, she grinned, seeing him sitting in the chair.
“Good morning, Mrs. DuMont.”
“Good morning, Mr. DuMont,” she replied in return while scooting up in the bed.
“I was hoping you’d wake up soon.” He hoisted a tray off the table. “I had breakfast delivered, and it’s getting cold.”
“You and your three meals a day.” Pointing to the tray, she said, “You can leave that on the table, but you can join me.”
It was an hour before they ate a very cold breakfast, and after reading the newspaper, Maddie had to hurry through a bath in order to make her way downstairs to inform the manager that Homer—bird or not—would be celebrating Christmas in the hotel. She also ordered a rather lavish meal to be delivered to their suite at four o’clock and then told the man there would be several visitors coming that day and that he was to see them escorted up directly upon their arrival.
Trig, Robbie and the minister arrived first, and upon listening to her story, all three were set to hear her entire proposal to assist the girls that had been rescued from Mad Dog—and men like him.
Their involvement solidified her plan. When Ilene arrived and Maddie explained why she’d asked her to the hotel, Ilene cried. And again when Maddie assured Trig would speak with Mrs. Smother and that she would speak to the mayor if Ilene was uncomfortable turning in her resignation in order to start looking for her siblings immediately.
Ilene and the minister were invited to stay for the afternoon, and when Marshal Wyman arrived, he, too, agreed to assist, and pledged to inform the judge of how Maddie’s reward money was to be spent. The holiday celebration turned into the most joyous affair Maddie had ever attended. Then again, Homer had a knack for making affairs festive and entertained everyone by the mess he made of opening his Christmas gift—a bag of raisins.
It was late when everyone left, and Maddie sat down on one of the sofas.
“Tired?” Lucky asked.
“Happy,” she said, smiling up at him.
He sat down next to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. “So what are our plans after we travel to Colorado to buy headstones for Smitty and your father?”
She glanced his way, not quite believing he was leaving their plans up to her. “We’ll go to New Orleans, to see your family.”
“What then?” he asked.
“You won’t want to stay there?”
“Will you?”
Maddie frowned. “What about your grandmother, the rebuilding of DuMont Shipping?”
“My grandmother is a very independent woman.” Lucky withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket. “This arrived earlier. It’s a telegram from her, thanking me for the money, and telling us to visit when we can, but to never stop living our own lives.” He unfolded the note and read, “‘Because of you, DuMont Shipping will rise to its glory again and always be here, I’ll see to that. You keep seeking your adventures. It’s what you were born to do.’”
“I think I’m going to like your grandmother,” Maddie said.
“I know she’ll like you.” Lucky set the note aside. “So where do you want to go? Where do you want to build that big house?”
Nibbling on her bottom lip, Maddie lifted her hand and gazed at the solid gold band on her finger. Twirling the ring with her thumb and middle finger of the opposite hand, she said, “I do believe this is the final piece of gold I’ll ever need.” She glanced up to see if Lucky was watching her. He was, and a familiar zing rippled her insides. “And I’m not so sure I want to build a house just yet, but how do you feel about diamonds?”
“Diamonds?” He shrugged and kissed the end of her nose. “If you want diamonds, I’ll buy you diamonds.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want you to buy them.”
“How else does one obtain diamonds?”
Stretching, she lifted the newspaper off the table. With her other hand she pointed to an article she’d read that morning. “Mine them. A man in Arkansas discovered diamonds on his property last month.”
“Really?”
A definite thrill shot up her spine at the excitement in his tone. “Yes, really.”
Cole leaned his head against the back of the sofa and let out a roar of a laugh. A happier man couldn’t possibly exist. He caught Maddie’s chin and gazed into her eyes. He couldn’t believe he was this lucky. This profoundly lucky. But he was.
“Diamonds?” he asked. “In Arkansas?”
With her black hair glistening in the lamplight and her ocean-blue eyes sparking, his adorable wife nodded her head.
“It sounds like an adventure to me,” he said. “When do you want to leave?”
“Tonight?”
He laughed while rising to his feet and then he swept her into his arms. “Tomorrow. We’re busy tonight.”
“All right,” she agreed.
Maddie and Cole soon discovered there were diamonds in Arkansas, and finding them was more of an adventure than the gold in Alaska had been.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE RAKE TO REVEAL HER by Julia Justiss.
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Chapter One
Suffolk—spring 1816
His ears still ringing from the impact of the fall, Dominic Fitzallen Ransleigh levered himself to a sitting position in the muddy Suffolk lane. Air hissed in and out of his gritted teeth as he waited for the red wave of pain obscuring his vision to subside. Which it did, just in time for him to see that black devil, Diablo, trot around the corner and out of sight.
Headed back to the barn, probably, Dom thought. If horses could laugh, surely the bad-tempered varlet was laughing at him.
It was his own fault, always choosing the most difficult and high-spirited colts to train as hunters. Horses with the speed and heart to gallop across country, jumping with ease any obstacle in their paths, but needing two strong hands on the reins to control their headstrong, temperamental natures.
He looked down at his one remaining hand, still trembling from the strain of that wild ride. Flexing the wrist, he judged it sore but not broken. After years of tending himself from various injuries suffered during his service with the Sixteenth Dragoons, a gingerly bending of the arm informed him no bones were broken there, either.
His left shoulder still throbbed, but at least he hadn’t fallen on the stump of his right arm. Had he done that, he’d probably still be unconscious from the agony.
Resigning himself to sit in the mud until his muzzy head cleared, Dom gazed down the lane after the fleeing horse. Though the doctors had warned him, he’d resisted accepting what he’d just proved: he’d not be able to control Diablo, or any of the other horses in his stable full of hunters, with a single good hand.
Sighing, Dom struggled to his feet. He might as well face the inevitable. As he’d never be able to ride Diablo or the others again, there was no sense hanging on to them. The bitter taste of defeat in his mouth, he told himself he would look into selling them off at Tattersall’s while the horses were still in prime form and able to fetch a good price. Sell the four-horse carriages, too, since with one hand, he couldn’t handle more than a pair.
Thereby severing one more link between the man he’d been before Waterloo, and now.
Jilting a fiancée, leaving the army, and now this. Nothing like changing his world completely in the space of a week.
Could he give it all up? he wondered as he set off down the lane. Following in his hunt
ing-mad father’s footsteps had been his goal since he’d joined his first chase, schooling hunters a talent he worked to perfect. Before the army and between Oxford terms, he’d spent all his time studying horses, looking for that perfect combination of bone, stamina and spirit that made a good hunter. Buying them, training them, then hunting and steeplechasing with the like-minded friends who called themselves ‘Dom’s Daredevils’.
Stripped of that occupation, the future stretched before him as a frightening void.
Though he’d never previously had a taste for solitude, within days of his return, he’d felt compelled to leave London. The prospect of visiting his clubs, attending a ball, mixing with the old crowd at Tatt’s, inspecting the horses before a sale—all the activities in which he’d once delighted—now repelled him. Sending away even his cousin Will, who’d rescued him from the battlefield and tended him for months, he’d retreated to Bildenstone—the family estate he’d not seen in years, and hadn’t even been sure was still habitable.
He’d sent Elizabeth away, too. A wave of grief and remorse swept through him as her lovely face surfaced in his mind. How could he have asked her to wait for him to recover, when the man he was now no longer fit into the world of hunts and balls they’d meant to share?
Ruthlessly he extinguished her image, everything about her and the hopes they once cherished too painful to contemplate. Best to concentrate on taking the next small step down the road ahead, small steps being all he could manage towards a future cloaked in a shifting mist of uncertainty.
Fighting the despair threatening to suck him down, he reminded himself again why he’d left friends, fiancée, and all that was familiar.
To find himself...whatever was left to find.
Wearily he picked up his pace, his rattled brain still righting itself. He traversed the sharp corner around which his horse had disappeared to find himself almost face to face with a young woman leading a mare.
A Fortune for the Outlaw's Daughter Page 24