The only sore spot of the day was her morning conversation with Frank. She wondered how her son would react if she and Rob did end up getting married. Not that they were anywhere close to that, but things were moving in the right direction, that was for sure.
Hank had only been dead for eight months, and for her to consider a remarriage went against every custom of mourning. But she didn’t feel like following customs when she’d felt nothing but contempt for the man for so many years.
There were times that she’d considered running from him, but she’d known that she’d never get away with it. He would have found her, and he would have thrown her into the cellar for a week, if not longer.
She put away the last clean dish from lunch and decided that there was no time like the present to see how many jars of berries she could find downstairs. She opened the door and crept down, holding the lamp in front of her and praying that any mice that were down here would run from her.
She needed to talk to Rob about getting a cat. That would help control any pests that might want to take up residence here. He’d said the last housekeeper had kept a cat, but had taken it with her when she’d left.
Maybe that was another thing she would have him pick up when he was in town tomorrow morning.
She knew it wasn’t just the mice, though, that made her dread coming down into the cellar. It was the memories of Hank standing at the top of the stairs, telling her she could come out when he was good and ready. And then shutting her into darkness.
She didn’t have to worry about Rob doing that, she knew, but still, the thoughts were never far from the front of her mind.
Dawn held the lamp up next to the shelves and counted four jars of blueberries. If she were going to make a decent dessert, she would need more. Plus, she needed to make bread in the morning. The two loaves that she’d lost to the bear would hurt them greatly if she didn’t bake another batch tomorrow.
Or maybe she should just do it today. She gathered up a jar of yeast, and a few containers of flour in her arms and was just on her way up the stairs when the backdoor opened. Rob walked inside and ran to take the items from her.
“Making more bread?”
“Yes, since the bear got two loaves.” She returned his grin. “I’d like for you to get some more blueberries from your brother. There’s a few jars downstairs, but I’ll need more to make a cobbler for tomorrow. You should get some more flour and sugar while you’re there, too.”
“I can do that. Anything else you think we might need?”
“No, I think that will do it. I’m going to go downstairs and get the berries, then start on the bread. It might be too warm for it to rise properly, but I still think I might give it a try. If I wait until the morning, the kitchen might still be too hot when your brother gets here.”
“Why don’t you wait until after dinner to make the bread, then, when it’s starting to cool off?”
“That might work. But I’ll be up half the night.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got a terrific way to keep you company.” He moved closer to her and she felt her heart beat faster.
“What’s that?”
“A few good games of chess.”
He headed toward the door. “I’m going into town. If you think we need anything else speak now or forever hold your peace.”
She shook her head and he went outside. The board still nailed to the door reminded her of Frank breaking the window. She needed to remember to pay for it through her wages, if Rob would let her. Something told her that he would tell her not to worry about it, which wasn’t a good thing.
There had to be some way to make sure that Frank paid for it, and not her. He needed to know that there were consequences for his actions, and paying for the window was a big start.
* * *
It was after ten that evening by the time the boys left for the bunkhouse. Frank had opted to eat outside with the hands, and Dawn hadn’t pushed the issue. When Anthony and Mark were gone, she planned to ask Rob about making Frank pay for the window.
After it had started to cool off, she’d started baking bread. She was on her fourth loaf, and could probably get two more done tonight. That would hold them for a few days, and she would need to make more on Monday morning.
She’d just switched the pans, putting in the fifth loaf and taking the fourth one from the pan when Rob cleared his throat.
“Hurry up. I’m bored sitting over here.”
“Well, you could help.”
“I could. But the last time I made bread the men hated me for a week. It was truly awful. Kinda like eating rocks.”
Dawn laughed. “I’m not asking you to mix it. Once it’s cool enough I just have to wrap it up in some cloths so that it stays fresh. Can you do that?”
“I can. Leave it a little longer and let’s play another game. You came close to beating me the last time.”
“That’s true, I did. What do I get if I win?”
He leaned back in the chair and looked at her. “How about a kiss?”
Her belly started to flop and she felt like there were a million butterflies inside her. She cleared her throat.
“And if you win?”
“How about…” he thumped his forefinger on his lips and focused on the ceiling. When he turned his eyes back to hers they were dark with desire. “A kiss?”
“Goodness. You have kissing on the brain, Mr. MacAllister.” She turned back toward the counter, then decided the bread could wait and walked toward the table.
“What if I back out of the wager?”
“Then you get a spanking. But I think you already know that.”
“Very well, I accept your wager. Who gets to move first?”
“I do, since I won the last game.”
Their gazes locked and her stomach continued to rumble. She watched with amusement as he moved all his pieces except the king off the board.
Then, he reached across the table and moved her queen, king and rooks into position where his king was surrounded.
“Looks like checkmate to me. You win. Now, where’s my kiss?”
Chapter 6
Dawn stared at him, then she started to laugh. It was a full body laugh, something she hadn’t done in ages and it felt so very good. The laughter rolled through her body, making her limbs tingle and her heart soar.
“What’s so funny?” Rob said, his voice serious but his eyes light and merry.
“You are. You’ll get a kiss either way. I want to win fair and square.”
“But I don’t want to wait that long,” he replied. “I want my kiss now.”
She smiled at him, unsure of what to say next. But she didn’t have to worry, he did it for her. He stood and walked to her side of the table, holding out his hand and waiting patiently.
When she put her hand in his, hers felt small, until he closed his fingers around it. Then it felt as if it melted into his own, making her a part of him. He gently pulled her to her feet, their gazes locking.
Her breath came in short, shallow gasps and she felt as if her stomach would burst into flames. He gently caressed her cheeks with his thumbs, then he laid his lips on hers. Unlike the other kiss he’d given her, this one was soft, yet demanding and didn’t leave her feeling comforted. It made her hungry. Hungry for him.
It made her toes curl up and her fingers itch to touch him in places that she had no business thinking about. He broke the kiss, then immediately took her lips again. This time he parted his and she felt his tongue trace the seam where her lips met.
She shivered in delight, opening for him and nearly drowning in emotions when his tongue moved inside her mouth and flicked back and forth against her own. She heard a moan, and after a few minutes, she realized it had come from her own mouth.
When the kiss broke, they stood locked together, their arms wrapped around each other as if to support the other.
“Rob, I…”
“It’s all right, Dawn. I don’t expect anything else right now. I promise
. When you’re ready, you’ll let me know.”
“How has this happened? I swore…”
“Because, not all men will treat you as your husband did. Not all men are bad. And if I do say so myself, I happen to be one of the good ones.”
“Well, you’re nothing if not modest.”
“Oh, I’m much more than that. One of these days I’ll prove it to you.”
* * *
Dawn grabbed her apron and worried the edges. She recounted the number of plates sat at the dining room table to make sure she had a place for everyone to sit. Rob, the boys, Win and Vanessa. She frowned, then laughed. Of course, the extra plate was for her.
Win and Vanessa were scheduled to arrive at any time, and she was excited and nervous about entertaining Rob’s brother.
The meat she’d been preparing had spent all day in the oven. The potatoes were done perfectly in a hot salad mixture that the boys loved. She’d found several jars of green beans downstairs, and had spent the morning making blueberry cobbler that was now cooling in the windows.
The hands were already outside, eating their food and praising it enough so that Dawn could hear them through the window. She giggled. She’d been doing a lot of that lately and it felt so very good.
Even the boys had noticed the change in her attitude. Mark and Anthony had been confused, but happy that their mother wasn’t frowning. Frank, though, had been suspicious. She’d expected him to ask what had happened to make her so giddy, but he hadn’t.
She was a little worried about how he’d act in front of their guests. At breakfast that morning she’d mentioned to them all that they needed to be on their best behavior. She’d mentioned it again at lunch, just to be sure, and they’d all rolled their eyes and said, “We heard you, Ma.”
Rob was being so good to her. He now kissed her at every opportunity he had, and her body responded with gusto. She wanted him, she knew that. But fear still overcame the desire. What if she allowed it, and it turned out that the horrible feelings she’d always had with Hank were how it always was for women.
She somehow doubted it, because she’d never felt the way she did when Rob kissed her. Those feelings were fantastic. Part of her wanted to lie with him just to see if the feelings from the joining were as wonderful as the ones produced by the kissing.
The back door opened, and she hurried to the kitchen to find Rob standing just inside the door, his hair still wet from the bath he’d just taken.
“The boys…”
“All clean. Heck, Dawn, you make them bathe every other day. I don’t know what you’re so worried about.”
“I don’t like smells. Are the men…”
“Done with dinner? Yes. Relax. Cody and the hands are taking their dishes out to the wash house to do. They’ll use clean water and will return them later.”
“What about the food? Should I put it in dishes now, or should I wait? Oh, damn! I need to slice the bread. And make sure the cobbler set right. The batches I made for us may not have done right.” She could hear the anxiety in her own voice.
Rob laughed, then stepped in front of her, the heat from his body radiating into her own.
“Do I need to get out my spoon?”
“What? What have I done? I just…”
“You just need something to take your mind off this. Relax. It’s just dinner with my brother. A few swats will help you refocus, I think. You’ve been like a nervous hen all day.”
“No, no. You can’t be serious. You wouldn’t do this to me right now.”
“Oh, I think I might.” He pursed his lips and lifted his eyebrows. “Just a few. We can use the kitchen table. You can bend…”
“No! Not there.”
“Sweetheart, relax,” Rob said softly, caressing her cheek. “It’s not like I’ve never spanked you before. And I’m not talking about a hard spanking. I’m just talking about a few swats to calm you down. Give you something else to think about.”
“Not there. Please, not there.”
The look of concern that passed over his face warmed her heart. Still, it didn’t quiet the feelings of anxiety that had grown in her stomach.
“Tell me.”
“No. Please, Rob.”
He stared at her, as if willing her to share what was wrong, why the idea of bending over the table frightened her so much. Finally, he sighed.
“All right. But I’m expecting you to still take a few swats. And we need to do it now. Let’s go into my bedroom. It’s at the end of the house and there’s less chance of someone hearing us.”
Dawn swallowed. She hadn’t thought about that.
“We should wait until later,” she said, hurrying after him as he walked down the hallway.
“Nope. We’re doing it now.” He opened the door to his room and swept his hand in front of her. “After you.”
“Rob…”
“You keep wasting time and this might turn into a full-fledged spanking. And it might still be going on when Win gets here.”
She watched him after she entered his room, as he looked around, as if considering what to do next. His eyes lit up and he smiled at her.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He left the room and she wrung her hands together. Seconds later he was back with her hairbrush in his hand.
Her eyes widened. “You can’t…”
“Oh, yes, I can. This will string. I’m going to give you ten strokes. During dinner, I want you to relax. Every time you think about being nervous I want you to think about this. Because if I catch you getting anxious, you’re going to get spanked after dinner, too. When everybody’s gone home. Understood?”
“This is so unfair.”
“Hmm, maybe I should make it fifteen, cause it’s sure taken your mind off dinner.”
Dawn shook her head. He was right, it had. But that didn’t mean that it was right. For good measure, she stuck her tongue out at him. Then she put her hands in front of her mouth and giggled.
“I can’t believe you just did that.” There was humor in his voice and she laughed along with him.
He leaned down and kissed her. “That’s going to cost you. Later.”
Rob situated himself on the bed and gave her an expectant look.
Dawn knew what to do. She also knew that they were wasting time. The more time they spent in here, the less time she’d have to get everything done for supper. She quickly laid herself across his lap and sighed when he lifted her skirts and eased her bloomers down.
His hand gently rubbed her bottom, and then the first smack fell quickly.
The second one came and then the third. By the fourth one she’d forgotten all about dinner, or the fact that she probably should have fixed biscuits instead of serving them everyday bread.
The remaining six strokes fell in even time, landing on an opposite cheek from the previous one. When he was done, he rubbed her behind.
“Better?”
“No. It hurts.”
“Yes, but you’re not so nervous. That was the purpose of the spanking. Now, about that tongue…”
The brush came down, it wasn’t hard as the previous strokes had been. Instead it was just enough to sting, but not hard enough to hurt. She laughed and wiggled on his lap.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Stop that.”
He pushed her to her feet quickly and her bloomers fell to the floor with her skirts. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her.
“There are only two places I want to see that tongue. One is in your mouth. The other is in mine.”
Warmth spread down her back.
“Understand?” Without waiting for an answer, he kissed her, his lips demanding and his tongue probing for entrance.
She’d never put her tongue in his mouth before, and she was very, very nervous about doing so. When the kiss broke, he licked her lips, then kissed her again. She knew he was waiting for her to do what he’d just done, but she wasn’t sure how to go about it. She gently poked at him and they both laughed.
Then, she became bolder, pushing her tongue into his warmth and gasping when he sucked it gently into his mouth and moaned.
“Rob…”
“Yes, Dawn?”
“I…”
“It’s okay. Listen, why don’t we try sleeping together tonight? Just sleeping in the same bed. No strings attached.”
“But what about your, um, manly needs?”
His laughter brought her up short. “I can control them.”
“You can?”
When he nodded, she murmured, “That bastard.”
A noise from the kitchen kept him from answering. Win’s voice echoed down the hallway and Dawn blushed furiously.
“It’s all right,” Rob said. “I’ll go first. You come out a few minutes later.”
She watched him walk out of the room and wondered how she’d gotten so lucky. She wished that it had been Rob who’d asked her to marry him all those years ago, even though he was a few years younger than she was. She didn’t care. She would have waited for him.
Of course if that had happened, she wouldn’t have her boys. They were the only good thing to ever come out of Hank Richardson.
* * *
“This is the most delicious cobber I’ve ever eaten,” Vanessa said. “You must make sure I have the recipe.”
She smiled at Dawn and Rob fought back his own grin. When Dawn had come out from the back end of the house, his brother had turned to him and lifted his eyebrows, and Vanessa had given him a knowing grin.
They both knew that the young couple was falling in love, and they both loved it. He was thankful, though, that neither of them said anything to Dawn, who was calmer than she had been, but still nervous.
She and Vanessa had made small talk about cooking and food while he and Win had gone outside to discuss the ranch.
They’d talked about cattle prices and getting the beasts to market before Win had cleared his throat.
Heart and Home: The MacAllister Brothers Page 14