He held a hand out to Emma. “Coming?”
Emma took his hand, grabbed her hat, and followed him out into the warm evening air. He didn’t speak as he led her toward the forest and Emma was content to allow the silence to hold. A birthday party. Months ago, her mother had suggested the McBrides throw a big party to celebrate her thirtieth. Unable to see any reason to celebrate the occasion, Emma had flatly refused.
Now, she was excited by the idea. She felt as giddy as little Genny, all because the notion had come from Dair. Bank robber, jewel thief and birthday party planner. She wondered if he bought her a present.
The sun hung just above the treetops as he led her into the forest. Despite the aging of the day, the heat remained brutal, the humidity so high one could almost drink the pine-scented air. During her travels she’d encountered all kinds of weather, but none quite so uncomfortable as summertime in Texas. Still, it was great to be home.
Somewhere above her hidden by the branches of a hickory, a dove cooed. Chattering squirrels scampered from loblolly to the shortleaf to longleaf pines, and off to her right, she caught sight of a white-tailed doe just before she sprang away.
A dozen different questions hovered on Emma’s tongue, but she decided to wait until Dair broke the silence between them. The man obviously had a lot on his mind, and judging by the set of his jaw, not all of it was pleasant.
They walked through the forest for at least five minutes before he spoke. “I was the first orphan the Reverend and Nellie took in, but within six months three other boys had come to stay. They were all a couple years younger than me, but despite the age difference, we bonded like brothers. We’d been here a year when Nellie announced a surprise pregnancy—she and the reverend had been married a dozen years—they thought she was barren. We spoiled Elton when he was small. All of us did. Then his daddy died when he was just a squirt and without a father around to guide him…well…that’s when things started going downhill. He was jealous of us. Me and my brothers. Hated us, in fact. Didn’t like it that the reverend and Nana Nellie had shared their love with mongrel whelps. He didn’t like it that we’d had his daddy’s love longer than he had. He especially didn’t like it that money was tight because his parents had continued to take in children. He hid his meanness from his mama, but the rest of us knew it.” He paused, reflected. “He made sure we knew it.”
“The children told me he inherited Sherwood House.”
“Yeah. Lying bastard. But I…um…kept a long-distance eye on things around here, and I made a deal with him. He sold the place to me at an inflated price with ridiculous terms.” He gave a pinecone lying on the path a violent kick. “Lot of good it did the kids, though. I damned near starved them to death.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Dair. They told me their caretakers robbed and deserted them. I am curious, though. Is this all on your shoulders? Is there no one else to help? What about these brothers of yours?” Had she not been watching him closely, she wouldn’t have seen the way he momentarily stiffened.
“They’re busy men. Important men. Holt Driscoll is a Texas Ranger. Cade Hollister is a former Pinkerton man who’s gone out on his own. He hunts missing children. Logan Grey is a range detective for Waggoner Land and Cattle Company. They’re busy men. Important men with important jobs. They’re damn fine men, Emma. I thought the Teasdales—the interim caretakers I hired—would be here until September, so I didn’t want to involve the others.” He let out a sigh. “Poor judgement on my part. I knew better than to hire sight unseen.”
“What’s happening in September?”
This time when he stiffened, he didn’t relax. “I need to talk to you about that, Emma.”
She waited expectantly, but he didn’t elaborate.
Moments later, she heard the burble of running water and the forest path broke onto the bank of a creek just where it widened to form a placid pool. Dair immediately began shucking his clothes. “It’s hot. Let’s go swimming. Johnny said he’d keep the kids away from here. I gave him a big bag of licorice to pass out.”
“They’ll all have stomachaches,” Emma said absently as she watched the dappled sunlight play across his muscular chest.
When he’d stripped naked, he turned to her. “Swim with me, Texas.”
“I thought we were going to talk.”
“We will. Later.” He tugged the ties on her bonnet. “Much later. We need to cool off first.”
“I certainly am…hot.”
Seeing that he had her cooperation, Dair stepped away from her and made a flat dive into the water. She watched him as she undressed, his strong strokes cutting through the water, swimming hard, as if some unseen predator chased him through the water nipping at his heels.
Emma didn’t really mind a few moments to herself. He’d given her a lot to think about. Stripping down to nothing but her chemise, she stepped into the cool, inviting water. As memories of frolicking at the “swim hole” with her sisters fluttered through her mind, she again experienced the lovely sensation of coming home. Emma smiled.
They swam until the fireflies appeared, twinkling in the deepening evening light. Dair exited the water first, then walked over to a large wooden trunk she hadn’t noticed before. There, he removed towels and big fluffy quilt which he spread beneath the spreading boughs of an old oak tree.
He used the towel, then sat on the quilt, his back against the tree trunk. He watched her with steady eyes that glittered in the night, a lean, sleek, strong animal. “Emma, come to me.”
Emma considered staying put to tease him, but no, the time for that was past. She rose from the water, stripping off her chemise and tossing it aside. Wet, naked and highly aroused, she approached him. Wordlessly, he tossed her a towel.
Emma dried herself, her movements slow, sensuous and provocative. Heat leapt in his eyes. She kept her gaze locked with his as raw need gleamed in those silver depths along with another emotion she could not put a name to.
“You need me,” she said as she straddled his legs.
“Oh, yeah.”
He meant physically, she knew, whereas she referred to emotions. He’s vulnerable. That’s what I see. He’s afraid to believe in miracles. He’s afraid to need me beyond the physical….
That tiny crack in Dair’s facade made Emma love him all the more. It felt so good to be needed in ways only a man could provide. So right. So overdue. For so long, Emma had believed that dream was lost to her.
“I still believe in dreams, Dair.”
“Me, too. You’re a dream. My dream.”
Emma couldn’t help but smile as Dair’s lips teased the sensitive skin beneath her ear. “I believe in dreams, in fate, and in fairy tales. Every woman does, deep down. Every woman wants a prince to come riding up on a white horse to save them.”
“That’s silly.”
“No, it’s not. It’s real for me, Dair. You’re my prince. You saved me, not from an evil queen or a dastardly villain, but simply from myself.”
“Ah, Emma. You didn’t need saving. You’re the strongest woman I know.”
She placed a finger on his lips. “You broke through the melancholy encasing my heart, and in doing so, gave me back life’s greatest joy. I can love again.”
He stared deeply into her eyes as he kissed her fingertip, and Emma knew that she could give herself to this man. She could give him not only her body, but her soul, her mind. Her heart. This was what dreams were made of.
Allowing the emotions to pull her into the moment, Emma pulled her hand away, then covered his lips with her own.
Dair murmured something appreciative against her mouth and cradled her face with his hands as they kissed for what seemed like an eternity. Breaking away, he grazed his lips over Emma’s flushed cheeks, chin and eyelids.
“I believe,” she whispered.
“In?” Dair kissed the tip of her nose.
“Dreams. Miracles. Us.”
He lifted his head and searched her face in the dull evening light. Emma saw the
uncertainty there, the brief shadow of vulnerability she found so incredibly endearing. She smiled at him, hoping to put him at ease. “Meeting you was like my own private miracle.” The confession choked her up a bit, and Emma blinked back the sudden sting. “I love you, Dair MacRae.”
Before she could say any more, he groaned and kissed her again, and again. And again. He took his time and Emma gloried in his passion.
Her body tingled while her soul danced. She could imagine doing this for the rest of her life, and the idea filled her with complete and utter joy. Absorbing the mingled sounds of their breathing blended with nature’s harmony, her heart pounded in tandem with Dair’s.
Something about tonight was different. Dair’s kisses were gentle, seeking, almost inspiring. Gentler than he’d ever been, he touched and stroked, caressed and worshipped. Blissful, Emma let her body melt against him as he whispered mindless praise and taunting promises of what was to come.
“You are perfect, you know.” He licked the whorl of her ear as his hands sought her naked breasts.
“You’re the one who’s perfect, MacRae.”
“I’m trying to go slow. Trying to make this good for you.”
“It’s always good.” Emma arched her back as his thumbs brushed across her nipples, slowly. He bent his head and kissed the top swell of her breast, then the side, pointedly ignoring the straining tip. He nibbled and nuzzled, teased and tempted. With the barest of movements, he drove Emma into a frenzy.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Hmm?” He tasted the heavy underside of one breast. “Did you say something, Texas?”
Her breathing quickened, then burst out in a sharp hiss when his lips finally closed over the tight crest.
He kept to his word and continued his loving slowly—much to Emma’s chagrin. He suckled her sweetly, and the absorbing sensation swirled a path to her toes. Heat pooled in her womb, and her legs shifted apart in anticipation.
Sitting back, Dair’s gleaming gaze met hers, and his smile went positively wicked. His eyes admired her nakedness as he fondled the aroused peaks of her breasts.
Her hips jerked. “Oh, please…please!”
“Not yet, my impatient beauty.”
His hands trailed a path down over her belly, seeking her center. Finding what he sought, Dair parted the wet folds with his thumbs and proceeded to drive her insane with erotic demands. His exploring fingers took full liberty, until her body quaked and shivered. Gripping his shoulders for purchase, Emma thought she’d surely die from the pleasure he gave her. When he lightly stroked the aching nub that strained for release, Emma was dying from anticipation. “Dair, I’m almost…”
“Take me, Emma.” His hands cupping her bottom, he positioned her quickly. With a groan, he thrust upward, hard and fast.
Gasping at the intimate contact, Emma exploded, her cries echoing through the evening air as he drove her higher into bliss. Without waiting for her to recover, Dair rocked her forward with an insistent push.
Keeping his thrusts easy and deep, he nudged her back into the sensual waves. Perfection, Emma thought mindlessly. Every tender movement touched her very core. Pleasure blazed from the depths of her body.
Gripping her hips tighter, Dair held her firmly. “Now you’ll come with me, Texas.”
“I can’t. Not again.”
“You will.” He tilted her hips while angling his body to drive even deeper inside her. He probed, stroked and pleasured her…wringing moan after moan from her throat.
Leaning forward, he suckled her breasts again with more urgency, latching on to one nipple until she caught his hair and dragged him upward to meet her kiss. He kissed her then, moving his tongue in and out to match the insistent movements of his body. Instinctively, Emma matched his ardor as she found her own rhythm.
Labored, he coaxed roughly, “Just let yourself go, Emma. Feel me. Feel yourself. Just a little further. Reach for it.”
He could have asked her anything, done anything, said anything, and Emma would have complied. She was clay in his hands, soft and boneless. Dair could shape her within his palms into anything he wanted. She belonged to him. Heart, soul and mind.
Throwing back her head, Emma rode him until she shattered a second time. Her body clenched around his shaft in agonizing contractions until she milked the hot rush from him. With a hoarse shout of completion, Dair followed her over the edge as his pleasure pumped through her.
IF HE DIED AT THIS VERY moment, Dair would face his judgment a content and happy man. He kissed Emma deeply, hoping that he could show her that they shared far more than a physical connection. Something he’d never had before, something he’d always wanted but never dared hope would happen. She was right, their love was a miracle. He didn’t deserve it, but he wanted it anyway. Needed it. Needed her. For as long as he had left.
“I can’t help myself,” he murmured against her lips in a brief moment of weakness mixed with bittersweet realization. “I just can’t help it.”
“What can’t you help, MacRae?” She broke away from his searching mouth and looked up at him, the gray twilight shadowing her expression. Her blue eyes glistened with love and hope against dark lashes, scorching Dair’s soul. Suddenly, it didn’t matter that it was a mistake. He needed to say the words. He needed for her to hear them.
Lost in her eyes, he bared his heart. “I love you, Emma.”
She stilled for a brief and shining moment. Then her slow, perfect smile had him smiling back. “I know.”
“You do?”
“Mmm-hmm.” She laid her head upon his shoulder and sighed with obvious happiness. “I’ve known you loved me for a while, now. You just had to come around to the idea yourself. Took you long enough.”
“How can you know me so well?” he asked, kissing her hair and closing his eyes against the pain welling within them.
“Loving you is the easy part,” she said with a laugh. “Knowing you is quite another story. Sometimes I think you’re hiding a deep, dark secret and the rest of the time I think I know you better than you know yourself. That’s all part of the great mystery of being in love, MacRae. You’ll have to promise to get used to it.”
“I promise that I’ll always love you.” At least that was a vow he could keep. He would love her until his last breath.
Too bad he couldn’t promise her the moon and the stars, promise to cherish, honor and protect her all the days of her life. Too bad they were going to be cheated out of happily ever after. But as Emma nibbled on his earlobe, Dair decided that he’d worry about lost love and broken promises in the morning.
Fighting the despair renting his chest, he rolled her beneath him and wrapped himself in the wonder of Emma. All he wanted was to lose himself further into her safekeeping and ignore the impending demons. They would claim their due in time. Talking could wait until tomorrow. For right now, for tonight, she was his.
And he was hers.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JUST AFTER DAWN ON THE morning of her thirtieth birthday, Emma awoke to the sound of a party horn blowing in her ear. Loudly.
“Get up, Miss Emma,” Genny shouted. “It’s your birthday and Annabelle and Johnny have made pancakes for breakfast and we need to eat fast so we can do our chores and you can give us the lessons you promised because Mr. Dair says the party can’t start until all the work is done but Annabelle says we can’t eat breakfast without you because that would be rude. Nana Nellie didn’t like us to be rude.”
Emma grabbed hold of the horn just before the little girl stuck it back in her mouth. “Thank you, Genny. Why don’t you run back downstairs and tell Annabelle I said not to wait on me. I’ll be right down.”
“All right. Hurry, Miss Emma.”
“I will, dear.”
Emma rolled from the bed and stretched her stiff muscles. She’d slept four to the bed last night—herself, two wiggle worms, and a lump of a log that wouldn’t move. Despite the lack of rest that resulted from sleeping with three girls, Emma hadn’t
minded. After weeks on the road in all sorts of conveyances, it was nice to sleep in a bed that didn’t move. Also, the children were so thrilled to have her around that they made her feel like a princess. Last night, a princess with three little peas in her bed. An impish smile stretched her lips as she mentally added, Instead of a prince. Or a prince disguised as an outlaw.
It was a surprisingly pleasant beginning to a day she’d long expected to be anything but, and when she made her way downstairs, she did so with a smile on her face. In the kitchen she found organized chaos that reminded her of home, though on a larger scale. The kitchen boasted two stoves, two iceboxes and two long tables each with chairs for fourteen. Annabelle flipped flapjacks at one stove while at the other, Dair fried bacon in a pair of cast iron skillets. “Think five pounds will be enough?” he asked a redheaded boy around eight years of age.
“Yes, sir.” Then, he grinned. “For me, anyway.”
One of the older girls spied Emma in the doorway and called, “Happy birthday, Miss Emma.”
The greeting led to a whole chorus of good mornings and happy birthdays. Dair glanced over her and winked. That, along with the memory of the previous evening’s lovemaking, brought a flush of warmth to her skin.
Upon finishing her meal, Emma rose to help with the dishes but a pair of bossy ten-year-olds shooed her outside instead. The sun was a bright yellow ball in a clear blue sky. Dew sparkled like diamonds on the grass and roses perfumed the air. Emma drew a deep breath and sighed on a smile. Turning thirty wasn’t so bad after all. Happy, she twirled around and laughed.
“Well, now. Isn’t that a right fine sight on a summer morning.”
Emma turned to see a stranger—actually three strangers—approach the house from the direction of the barn. She took an instinctive step back. They were big men, each of them standing well over six feet. They wore broad-brimmed, high-crowned straw hats, bandanas around their necks and gun belts around their hips. They all wore their trousers tucked into knee-high boots.
“I say ‘right fine’ doesn’t do her justice. She’s a real beauty, Lucky.” The man in the center whipped his hat off his head. “Mornin’, ma’am.”
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