Brazos Bride

by Caroline Clemmons

  Sheriff Ryan wore a frown as he approached them.

  Micah swore under his breath. “Not more trouble from him. Haven’t we solved all his problems for him?”

  Hope elbowed her husband. “Sh-h-h, do not make him angry tonight. We are the hosts and will make everyone welcome.”

  “Howdy, folks. ‘Fraid I have some unusual news.” He took off his Stetson and cleared his throat. “My deputy found Miss Chavez in her cell this morning. She’d made a rope from her petticoats and hung herself.”

  “No! Poor Ramona.” Tears pooled in Hope’s eyes and overflowed. Sadness swept through her. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, but more replaced them.

  “What do you mean, poor Ramona?” Micah put his arm around her. “That woman killed your parents and would have killed us all.”

  She let Micah fold her into his arms while she sobbed for what might have been, for what she had lost. She gulped and pulled away. She must not make a scene with all these people watching. “I remember the times we shared as children. Ramona could be kind and make me laugh. What made her turn so evil? I do not understand.”

  Hope sniffed and faced the sheriff. “I will arrange her funeral. Does her abuela know?”

  He fumbled with his hat’s brim. “Had to tell her. She’s the next of kind. Old lady took the news hard. Wouldn’t be surprised if she goes soon.”

  Hope doubted he was correct. “She is stronger than you think, sheriff. I have known her all my life. But I will look after her.”

  Micah huffed. “How? She won’t even speak to you.”

  “But the girl who looks after her does. Bonita will let me know what Annunciata needs and I will supply it.”

  “This is a fiesta and no place for this talk.” Lizzie took the sheriff’s hat from him and set it on a nearby table, then she tugged the sheriff toward the dance floor.

  Sheriff Ryan’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped. “I-I don’t know how to dance, ma’am...M-Ma’am?”

  “Time you learned then.” Lizzie giggled as she grabbed his hand and they set off among the other dancers.

  Micah laughed and plopped onto a nearby bench. “The look on his face was worth a new pair of boots.”

  “Sí.” Tio Jorge joined with a deep belly laugh. Though his guffaw sounded rusty, the noise was more pleasant to her than the Mariachis music on the little stage across the terrace. Hope must have heard her uncle laugh at some time in her life, but she could not recall doing so.

  Aunt Sofia leaned near and whispered, “Jorge enjoys himself tonight, and so do I. Always you have been good for us, Hope. And to us. I miss your mama, but we can look forward to pleasant days now that you are well. You have married a good man, I think. Eduardo is content he will now be helping on the ranch as he should.”

  Guilt overwhelmed Hope. Her aunt and uncle must never know she had suspected them of poisoning her. She could say nothing. While she hated lies, this omission preserved her aunt and uncle’s acceptance and peace of mind.

  But how could she conceal that Micah wed her only to protect her? When he left...she hated thinking of that time. There would be explanations for so many people. And she would never see his family again. No, she refused to dwell on his departure on such a festive night. Thank heavens, he distracted her worry with a question.

  “Who’s that Slim’s dancing with?” Micah asked and tugged her to sit beside him.

  She smoothed the skirts of her red dress. “Meredith Hawkins is a widow. She lives in Radford Springs near the Hendersons.” She nudged Micah. “Look, shy Bert is dancing with Tomasina.”

  Micah chuckled. “So he is. Bet the lady had to ask him. He gets tongue-tied around strangers, especially women.”

  “Never can I imagine Tomasina brave enough to ask a man to dance, but perhaps you are correct. She has blossomed around the aunts.”

  Theresa and John Henderson waved as they glided by. Hmm, she thought, maybe glided was not a good word for the way John danced. Pumped and hopped described his movements more correctly.

  “Even the Judge and Mrs. Henderson are dancing.” Maggie said. “Darned if I’m not going to get me a partner.” She approached Chip Wooster, and he escorted her among the dancers.

  They watched their party for a long while, waving or calling a greeting to their guests.

  “Your brothers have dutifully danced with all the women not invited out by other men. We have no, um, what do you call the women who sit against the wall?”

  “Wallflowers. Mama taught us a woman hates to stand or sit and have no one ask her to dance.”

  “She sounds like a kind person.”

  “That she was, but so are you. Nice of you to let Consuela, Maria, and Tomasina have the night off.”

  “They also helped save me, did they not? Besides, everyone deserves time to have a nice evening.”

  Contentment replaced her taut nerves. Her fight had ended, and she had won. Not alone, but now her life held no fear.

  “Reckon most people in the county turned out. Recognize some as cowboys who helped fight the barn fire. Others are people who wouldn’t even speak to me a few weeks ago.”

  “But now they know you are a hero and not a killer.” She waved at Mrs. Henderson. “Our fandango, it is good, is it not?”

  “Best one I’ve ever been to.” Micah exhaled and leaned against the wall behind the bench. He tilted his head upward. “Like to broke my neck hanging those colored lanterns. With this full moon, we probably didn’t need them. Look nice, though, don’t they?”

  “People are beginning to leave. Oh, Micah, look at all the food we have left.”

  “My aunts and Tomasina will make sure none goes to waste. Don’t forget the folks who brought wagons to camp overnight by the creek. And the Hendersons will be with us until after breakfast.”

  Finally, the last guest had left, the food put away, and the women hired to serve had left for their own homes. Judge and Mrs. Henderson had already gone up to sleep in the room that had been Ramona’s.

  Teresa said, “I shouldn’t have danced each dance. My feet and legs are complaining.”

  John whispered something that made her blush, then the couple bid them goodnight.

  Hope and Micah thanked their family for their help, and then they climbed the stairs. Micah walked her toward her bedroom. She knew he wanted her to sleep with him. At his door, he tugged her toward his bed.

  She panicked. Desire so powerful she couldn’t resist numbed her resistance and she followed him.

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Hope let Micah pull her toward the bed. She sat on the side, watching his every move. He lit the lamp, then shucked out of his shirt and boots. Carefully, he lined up his boots beside a chair then hung his shirt on the same wingback. He walked toward her and started to unfasten his trousers. When he’d undone the top button, she reached out to touch his bare chest.

  Staring at his muscled torso, she flattened her hand against his heart. Trailing the fingers of her other hand slowly down to the unfastened top button on his trousers, her lack of restraint shocked her. What had come over her?

  With a gasp, she let her hand drop to her lap. “Forgive me. I do not know what made me act so unseemly.”

  “It’s your right, Hope. Wives can touch their husbands.”

  She raised her gaze to his and her knees almost buckled. His beautiful blue-gray eyes blazed with passion in the light from the lamp. He leaned toward her and cupped her face in his hands to brush a gentle kiss across her mouth. Only a touch, really, but it further ignited the passion smoldering within her. It must have affected him in the same way.

  Drawn into his spell, she stood and moved into his arms. He smiled before his mouth possessed hers, his tongue probed and darted within. No longer was his kiss soft or hesitant. He tasted of the punch consumed earlier in the evening at the fandango. She melded her taste with his.

  He broke the kiss and gripped her shoulders. His chest heaved with ragged breaths and passion darkened his tawny eyes. “You know w
hat you’re doing?”

  Shyly, she nodded. He tipped her face up with his finger.

  “Are you sure? I want what we shared once before. I won’t be able to hold you and not ask for more.”

  “I want more, too.” She extinguished the lamp and slid her arms around his waist.

  “I’ve needed you more than you can imagine. I can’t rein in my desire much longer.” He wrapped her in his embrace.

  “Whatever control I had, it is gone.” Hope pressed her face against his bare chest.

  He moaned and reclaimed her lips, his kisses insistent and persuading. Unable to resist the lure of his muscular shoulders, she moved her hands across them and pulled him toward her as if she could absorb him. He broke away to unfasten the buttons of her dress. She let the red silk slide down her arms until it dropped to the floor. When the ties to her petticoats were released, it, too, pooled at her feet. Her corset and chemise followed, then her drawers. While he rolled down her stockings, she pulled the combs from her hair and dropped them on the bedside table.

  Never had she dreamed a man would see her naked, yet she had been bare with him once before. The touch of cool air on her skin did nothing to chill her ardor. Standing exposed in front of him, she wondered at his thoughts. Was she still too thin? Did he find her beautiful? She crossed her hands modestly over her breasts.

  “There is no need to hide yourself from me, Hope. Not ever.”

  He swung her into his arms and laid her gently on the sheets, then crossed to the windows and opened the curtains wider. Light from the full moon slanted across the bed and further illuminated the room.

  He said, “I want to see your wonderful body.”

  When he returned to her, he claimed his place beside her but propped himself on one elbow.

  “You don’t know how I’ve longed for you,” he said as he spread her unbound locks across the pillow. “Your hair is like the dress you wore tonight.” He raised several curls and let them slide through his fingers. “Strands of silk against my hand.”

  He trailed kisses softly across her shoulder. “Soft,” he murmured before pressing his lips to hers. His hand cupped her breast and his thumb moved across her nipple.

  Pleasure spiraled through her. She wanted more of him, wanted to reclaim the wondrous bliss she’d experienced before. Moving her hands to his trousers, she worked to undo the rest of the buttons.

  Though she hadn’t planned her surrender, she knew tomorrow he might leave and return to his ranch. His mission was completed. She might never have another opportunity to know his intimate touch.

  “I have yearned for you too.” She would not spend forever wishing she had seized this one more chance for passion.

  He rolled off the bed and shucked his trousers and drawers, then rejoined her. Starting a trail of kisses across her eyes, he moved along her cheek to the corner of her mouth, and down her throat. His lips, teeth and tongue worked magic with her breast when he claimed a nipple with his mouth. His hands caressed her, cherished her, worshiped her.

  Was this what Judge Henderson meant when he railed at her refusal of the usual vows? She understood now. To honor and cherish. To love and to hold. They meant more, she knew, but now this man holding her, cherishing her sent filled senses.

  Knowledge she was a woman adored and desired filled her heart. This man drove her mad with his touch. How could she resist this chance to experience all he could offer?

  He moved his mouth to her other breast and his hand sought the juncture of her thighs. He parted her legs and slipped his finger inside her. She felt moisture gather as his finger slid in and out.

  Clinging to him, she begged, “More, Micah. I need you.”

  He poised over her and pressed his manhood against her entry. Her entire being cried out for him to sate this overpowering urgency within her.

  She marveled again that his manhood fit so well inside her. This joining still mystified her. Her arms and legs circled him, pushing her body up to meet his.

  He kissed her. “Are you ready for me?”

  “Yes. Please hurry.”

  His mouth claimed hers and she lost herself in his kiss. He thrust into her feminine folds. Pleasure radiated from her core.

  “You’re doing fine,” he coaxed. “Stay with me.”

  Lost in his spell, she climbed to the heavens, rising with each fevered movement. His thrusts grew more rapid, his breathing more labored. When she thought she would explode from ecstasy, she felt the burst of his release as her own erupted. Together they floated back to earth.

  She clung to him and he rolled off her, cuddling her to his side. He kissed her hair, her face, her eyes, then nuzzled her neck. Never had she felt so treasured.

  “That was even more wonderful than before,” he said. He held her and she heard his breathing slowing to normal as drowsiness claimed him and he drifted off to sleep.

  She touched her stomach and heat spread in a flush across her face with the knowledge of the risks she had run. What if they planted a babe and Micah left? She had disregarded that possibility.

  Dear Lord in heaven, what had she been thinking?

  Nothing, that’s what. Actions based on emotion and the burning need within caused her to act without a care for consequences.

  But that did not worry her. Could she not raise a child alone? Many women did.

  She slid from bed and pulled on her chemise and drawers. Empowered by Micah’s lovemaking, she padded to the balcony’s double doors. As silently as possible, she opened the doors and stepped outside. The lanterns no longer gave light, but bright moonlight flooded the terrace and gardens.

  After fighting hard, she won the right to run her life and her estate as she wished. But what were her wishes?

  Chapter Thirty-two

  After their late night, an assembly of groggy people ringed the breakfast table and resulted in a quiet breakfast. Only Teresa still chattered when Judge and Mrs. Henderson shooed her and John toward the buggy.

  John climbed in beside his wife, but leaned his head out to call, “This will be the lead story in the paper’s next edition. It’ll be a great follow for the capture.”

  Hope and Micah watched the buggy disappear down the drive. She was grateful John did not mention Ramona’s suicide. He would include it in his paper, of course, because reporting the news was his job. She vowed not to read about it. Betrayal’s pain was still too fresh.

  Maybe it always would be. Treachery carried a heavy and long-lasting burden.

  Micah guided her back inside and they drifted toward the dining room.

  With a big sigh, Maggie gazed at Hope. “Guess you and Micah won’t need us here any longer.”

  Not need their smiles and laughter? “Oh, please stay as long as you wish. I have become so fond of you.” There was that word again.

  Fond, fond, fond.

  Why couldn’t she convey her true feelings? Struggling against a lifetime of suppressing emotion, she admitted, “I have come to l-love you as if you were my own flesh and blood aunts.” She faced her two brothers-in-law. “You, too, are now my family. Mi casa es su casa por siempre. That means my home is your home forevermore.”

  Joel said, “Thanks, little sister, but now that you’re safe, Zach and I plan to round up the robbers that stole our family’s money.”

  “Won’t bring our parents back,” Zach’s eyes filled with sorrow. “But we figure we can protect a lot of other folks from having their lives destroyed.”

  “If you don’t mind, we’ll get our gear together and head out after the Kirby gang. Sooner we leave, sooner we can get them in jail.”

  Zach said, “With any luck, one of them will still have Papa’s watch and ring. Those should have gone to Joel.” He nudged his older brother. “Then he can give me that fine pocket watch he’s carrying now.

  The aunts looked at one another, then Maggie addressed Hope. “We’ll stay a few more days. Tomasina is almost ready to take over as your cook.”

  Lizzie nodded. “She’s a
treasure, Tomasina is. Devoted to you, and such a quick learner.”

  The aunts hurried off toward the kitchen.

  Once they were alone, Micah stared at her. His eyes held adoration. How had she ever thought she could send him away?

  “Does that offer of a home apply to me?”

  “Most of all you, mi amor. For the first time in my life I have learned to say the words, you see? I love you, Micah Stone.”

  He swung her into his arms and twirled. “That’s the best news in the world, because I love you, Mrs. Stone.” When he set her down, he held her gently from him and searched her eyes. “And will you be sleeping in your bedroom or mine?”

  She knew what he asked. “Mama’s bedroom would make a lovely nursery when the time comes, would it not?”

  “Perfect!” His dimpled grin beamed happiness. “The perfect use for it. As you are the perfect bride for me.”

  “All because of your need for Brazos River water and my need for protection.”

  “Which makes you my Brazos bride.” He kissed her. “Also because I have adored you since I first saw you. I will love your forever.”

  “Forever.” She melted into his embrace. “Por siempre.”

  About Author Caroline Clemmons

  As long as I can remember, I've made up adventures. Okay, I admit the early creative stories featured me riding the range with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and saving the West. What a disappointment to learn that Roy was exclusively committed to Dale! Eventually, my best friend from across the street and I decided to become better detectives than Nancy Drew. We drove our parents and neighbors crazy sticking our pert little noses where they didn't belong. About that time I started writing down my adventures, but mostly I was a reader. Not until I read Nora Roberts' early novels did I decide to create my own romance manuscripts. My road to publishing was a lot slower than Nora's was. No surprise there! I still read Nora's books—as well as those of countless other authors—but now I write full time. Unless life interferes, that is.