by Linda Bridey
“Ok,” Zoe said and got a little off balance.
Joe caught her arm and laughed. “You ok?”
“Yeah. I’m not drunk or anything. I’m just clumsy. Ask Seth; he’ll tell you,” she said with a laugh.
“You don’t hear many people admit to that,” Joe said as they went inside.
“I like to warn people right away, so they know what to expect,” Zoe said.
Joe got a kick out of that. “I appreciate you letting me know. Sit with Lacey a minute. I’ll be right with you.”
“Ok.” Zoe carefully made her way to Lacey’s table and sat down. “Hi. Your husband is great.”
Lacey laughed. “Thanks. I’m pretty fond of him myself. What makes you say that?”
“Well, he’s a marvelous singer, and he’s fun, and he offered me a job!” she said.
Lacey put a hand on her arm and said, “I’m not surprised. Joe’s taught me a lot about music and I can hear how good you play. He’d be an idiot to not hire you.”
“Thank you. I’m so excited. I hope Will is happy about it,” she said.
Lacey saw a shadow pass over Zoe’s face. “Is everything ok?”
“Yes.” Zoe frowned a little though. She decided to take a chance. “I know we’ve only just met, but I don’t have anyone else to ask. It’s a little bit of a personal question.”
Lacey leaned forward and said, “That’s ok. Go ahead.”
“When you first met Joe and he kissed you for the first time, what was it like?” she asked.
Lacey grinned. “That’s an easy answer. It was sweet, and exciting, and I couldn’t believe that he kissed me. I mean, he’s so handsome and I didn’t think I was beautiful or anything.”
“But you are!” Zoe insisted. “And I can see how much he loves you.”
“We’ve had some rough spots, but I love him more every day and we have two kids who are so wonderful. Sometimes, I just can’t believe it,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
“Please don’t tell anyone, but I don’t think Will likes kissing me.”
Lacey just blinked a little. “He doesn’t? Did he say that?”
“No. We’ve only kissed twice, but it—what are you supposed to feel when someone kisses you? No one before Will has ever kissed me.”
Lacey leaned even closer to her and said, “It can be different for everyone, but when Joe first kissed me, my heart started speeding up, and I got all fluttery inside. It’s still like that.”
Zoe’s shoulders slumped a little. “It doesn’t feel like that when Will kisses me. I think I’m doing something wrong.”
Lacey said, “I’m sure you’re not doing anything wrong at all. You’re probably just nervous, that’s all.”
Zoe smiled. “You’re right. That’s probably what it is.”
Neither woman had noticed Raven walking behind them while they had talked. Joe called to Zoe then, and she went back up onstage for the second set.
*****
The second set went just as successfully as the first and Joe was further impressed with Zoe. When the evening was over, Zoe found that she had many admirers and had a great time meeting people. Seth had taken her under his wing and introduced her to them.
“All right, Zoe. Let’s get you home. Aunt Pricilla will be waiting up for you. Don’t mind her if she’s a little cranky with you about the late hour. Just humor her and go on to bed,” Seth said.
“Oh, but I came with Raven,” she said.
“He’s not gonna be leavin’ for quite a while yet. It’s best to get you on home,” Seth told her.
Zoe didn’t want to leave, but she also didn’t want to offend Seth and he was right; she really should get home. “Ok. Just let me go say goodbye.”
“Ok.”
Raven wasn’t hard to find since he was so tall. “Raven! Thank you so much for bringing me tonight.”
He smiled at her. “I liked hearing you play. Did Joe try to hire you?”
She laughed. “Yes! I can’t believe how much he and Jake are going to pay me to play. I just wanted to tell you goodbye. Seth is taking me home.”
Raven shot a look across the bar to Seth who stood at the bar talking to Jake. “Oh. Ok.”
“I don’t want Pricilla to get mad because I’m out too late,” Zoe said. “She’s been very kind to me.”
Raven smiled. “I know.” He bent down and whispered, “Wait out on the porch for me again about the same time as last night.”
She drew back from him a little with a confused expression on her face, but his smile made her smile back. “Ok. See ya.” She patted his arm and went back to Seth without looking at Raven again.
Reckless had seen her pat Raven’s arm in a gesture that she might have given anyone, and he thought maybe he’d been mistaken about the situation. He shrugged to himself and went back to work.
Chapter Eight
“There you are,” John said when Zoe came in the door. “Have a good time?”
“Oh, yes. The best. You didn’t have to wait up for me, Mr. Samuels.”
“Well, I just wanted to make sure you got home all right,” he said.
“Seth brought me home after we were done playing,” she told him. “Joe hired me to play with the band a few nights a week.”
John chuckled. “I’m not surprised. So that means there’s gonna be more late nights.”
“Yes, sir. I hope you don’t mind,” Zoe said anxiously.
“Nope. That just means I don’t have to wait up for you. Seth and Luke will take good care of you,” he said. “Well, get some sleep, Zoe.”
“You, too,” she said.
She followed John upstairs and dressed for bed. Not wanting to fall asleep and miss Raven, Zoe sat on her bed and wrote Camille a letter while she kept an eye on the time. She wondered what Raven wanted and thought about what Lacey had said to her about Will. Then she put it out of her mind and went back to writing her letter.
At the appropriate time, Zoe crept down the stairs and slipped out the front door. Raven already sat on the swing. He smiled as she sat down beside him.
“I thought maybe you’d fallen asleep,” he said.
“No. I wasn’t sure what time you’d be along.”
He nodded. “Come with me.”
She didn’t resist when he took her hand and led her down the steps and around the side of the house. At one point, she tripped in the dark, but he easily righted her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He took her to where there were some trees grouped together a ways from Pricilla’s house. “Right here. Sit down with me.”
“On the ground?”
“No. On a blanket,” Raven said with a smile. “I wouldn’t ask you to sit on the ground. You are not used to it.”
She sat down and he put another blanket across her lap.
“Why are we out here?” she asked.
“It’s better than getting stuck in a swing.”
“Shut up. Answer me. Why did you ask me to meet you?” she asked.
Raven thought about what he wanted to say for a few moments. “I have a couple of questions for you. Will you be truthful in answering them?”
“Yes, of course.”
He nodded. “Has Will asked to court you?”
His question caught her by surprise. “What?”
“Has Will asked to court you?”
“No, but we’ve just met. Why?”
Raven was pleased by her answer. “Has he kissed you?”
“Raven! That’s none of your business!”
“In a way, it is. Answer me. Has he?”
“Yes,” she blurted. “Why?”
“Did you like it?”
“I… well … it was … I’ve never … shame on you!” she said.
“What kind of answer is that?”
“What kind of question is that?” she countered.
“An honest one. How about an honest answer?”
She heard the laughter in his voice and she giggled. Why am I out
here with an Indian brave having a wildly inappropriate conversation with him? Because it’s fun!
He poked her leg playfully. “So?”
“Sort of.”
“You ‘sort of’ liked it?”
“Yes. Why?”
“There should be no ‘sort of’ about liking it if someone kisses you,” Raven said. “You either do or you don’t.”
“I still don’t understand why this concerns you so much.”
“This is why.”
Much as Will had done, Raven drew her to him and she saw that he was going to kiss her. The difference was that Raven gave her the distinct impression that he really wanted to kiss her. His fingers combed through her hair until his hand cupped the back of her head and while he was gentle, there was no hesitation as he pressed his lips to hers.
Zoe didn’t know what to do at first. She felt her heart begin to speed up and her breathing got a little erratic as Raven kept kissing her. He took her hand and placed it on his chest over his heart and held it there. She became a little bolder and kissed him back. Shifting closer to him, she would have moved her hand, but he held it where it was.
His other hand left the nape of her neck to trail down over her coat and press against the small of her back. Raven deepened the kiss and Zoe felt her toes curl. She ran her free hand under his open coat and felt the hard muscles of his shoulders under her palm. Under the hand that he had trapped, she felt his heart beating strongly. Zoe had never felt anything like the sensations he evoked in her. Raven’s mouth was soft, warm, and insistent. Her free hand found the underside of his long hair and she let her fingers sift through it. She felt Raven shiver a little and suddenly she found herself lying down on the blanket.
Zoe protested, but Raven did nothing more than kiss her and hold her hand over his heart. Raven slowly ended the kiss and smiled at her.
“What do you feel?” he asked, tapping her hand.
She noticed that his breathing was a little heavy. “Your heartbeat.”
“What about it?”
“It’s fast.”
“Yes. It is. Is yours?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. That’s how you know if someone likes kissing you or not. Did that happen with Will?” he asked.
“No. It didn’t,” she admitted. “But I’d never been kissed before and I don’t think I did it right.”
Raven brought her hand back to his chest. “This says that you did it right. I need to get you back inside before you are missed.”
“No! Not yet,” she said. “I don’t understand what this means. Why are you doing this?”
Her eyes searched his face, her gaze moving over the high forehead, black eyebrows that reminded her of the wings of the bird for which he was named. His nose was straight and proud and his mouth full and sensual. Zoe remembered how his body had looked in the sunlight; bronze and gold depending on how the sunlight had hit him. Heaven help her, she wanted to see him like that again.
Raven looked away from her a moment and then swung his gaze back to meet hers. “Will is a good friend and I will not come between you unless you wish it. You came here to possibly marry him, but he has not claimed you, and you have not given yourself to him, either. I am saying you have a choice. You have already kissed him and found that you ‘sort of’ liked it. Now you have kissed me. Did you like it?”
She answered by taking his face in her hands and raising up to kiss him. Zoe now understood what Lacey had told her. Raven’s arms wrapped around her as they lay on the blanket and Zoe loved the strength in which he enfolded her. He was warm to her touch and his kisses set her on fire.
Raven undid the buttons on her coat and slipped his hands inside and around her back. She felt incredible and he wanted her fiercely. Her lips were soft and warm, and he could have kissed her all night. Then he remembered that she was Will’s first and that he had only wanted her to know she had a choice. It was not his place to claim her—yet. It remained to be seen if that should come to pass.
He found that when he tried to pull away from her, she didn’t want to let go. It was difficult to extract himself from her arms because he didn’t really want to quit holding her, but they had to stop.
“Zoe, you need to go back inside. I don’t want you to, but you have to,” Raven said and finally succeeded in putting some space between them.
Both of them panted with passion and Zoe laughed. “Did that answer your question?”
His laugh rumbled in his chest as she pressed her hand over his heart. It beat very fast and strong beneath her palm. Raven gave her a brief kiss and then pulled her off the ground with him. “Come. I don’t want you to get in trouble with Auntie.”
Zoe felt a little wobbly on her feet. His kisses and caresses had left her feeling shaky and very warm. She didn’t want him to leave, but she knew he had to. Before they went around the front of the house, Raven stopped her and said, “Unless you tell me you don’t want me to, I’ll come to you every night and meet you in those trees. Do you wish it?”
“Yes, but what about Will?” she asked.
He cupped her face and said, “That must be your decision, but you don’t need to decide anything right this minute. Go now, before you’re missed.”
Zoe gave him a last look before hurrying around the house and up the stairs to the porch. She went inside and once she was in her room, Zoe lay down and stared at the ceiling as she absorbed what had just occurred. The intensity with which she wanted Raven both thrilled and scared her. She didn’t know what to do about Will. He was a wonderful man and she enjoyed his company very much. However, he didn’t incite any passion within her.
Being honest with herself, Zoe knew that had Raven not stopped, she would have given herself to him and not been sorry. Guilt and shame crashed down on her and tears stung her eyes. Then she remembered what Raven had asked her; had Will asked to court her? No, Will had not asked. Of course, neither had Raven, but she sensed he was holding back because Will had “found” her first.
Where would a romance with Raven lead? Was he looking for a wife or just some fun? If he was looking for a wife, where would they live? She didn’t know if she could live in a tipi or not. Why was she even considering this? Because I’ve never met anyone like him and he is exciting and fun. She told her rational mind to be quiet and went back to her other thoughts.
If she truly fell in love with him, Zoe felt she would live anywhere to be with him. She might even like living in a tipi. There was one way to find out. She would talk to Sadie in the morning about possibly sleeping in Dean’s tipi to see what it was like. Excitement filled her and kept her awake for a long time.
*****
Raven rode home under the moonlight, knowing that he had some decisions to make. There was no way that he could start anything serious with Zoe without some kind of plan in mind. He hadn’t been thinking about possibly finding a wife, but he would not lead on Zoe. That wouldn’t be fair to her or himself.
Also, she was an innocent and he would not sleep with her unless they were married, no matter how much he wanted her. He looked up at the sky and prayed to Wakan Tanka for guidance. Uncle Owl had to make the same sort of decision. I do not want to live in a house, but he got used to it. Would I? Would she live in a tipi? Why am I so drawn to her? I don’t want to get married, do I? I wasn’t looking for a wife, but there’s something about her that makes me want to be with her.
She’s supposed to be Will’s, though. Shouldn’t he know by now if he wants her? I don’t understand that. I already know that I would have her for mine, and I’ve only known her as long as Will has. If he weren’t standing in the way, I would have claimed her and made sure that everyone knew she was mine. I don’t want to create bad feelings with Will, either. He’s a good friend and I would hate to lose his friendship.
Raven sighed as he got home. Both of the houses on the ranch were dark, as they should be by that time of night, or morning, as it were. He put his horse in the paddock and went to his ti
pi. He didn’t bother with a fire. After undressing, he slipped underneath his sleeping robes, and fell asleep to dream about a redhead with gray eyes and glasses.
*****
Zoe didn’t see Will the next day since he had to work and go to a council meeting that evening. In the morning, she went with Sadie to get permission for her to sleep in Dean’s tipi.
He teased her about it. “So you want to stay in my tipi, huh? I never thought I’d like to sleep in one, but I enjoy it.”
Zoe grinned. “I’ve never slept out of doors before. I never had the opportunity to, and I’ve very curious about what it’s like.”
Dean led her to the tipi. “It’s actually very relaxing, especially if it’s raining. I like the sound of it on the tipi. You wouldn’t think it, but the sleeping pallets are very comfortable. Not quite as comfortable as a bed, but comfortable enough. Do you want company? The kids always like sleeping outside.”
She shook her head. “I think I’d like to experience it alone at first.”
Dean and Sadie laughed. He said, “You’re adventurous. I’ll give you that. Well, if you get scared or need anything, just come to the house. I’ll build a fire for you around nine and that’ll keep you warm and give you some light for a while. I’ll show you how to put more wood on if you wanna keep it going longer, ok?”
“Yes,” Zoe said nodding her head.
Sadie said, “You should rent it out, Pa.”
“Yeah. We should build some more of them and let people come stay in them,” Dean said. “Wouldn’t that be a hoot?”
A loud hoot owl call sounded behind him and Dean jumped. He turned to face Owl, who grinned at him. “Damn it, Owl. I’m getting older. You shouldn’t scare me like that.”
“You’re not much older than me. I think your heart is just fine,” Owl said. “What are we doing?”
Zoe grabbed his arm and said, “I’m going to sleep in the tipi tonight!”
Owl laughed and said, “You seem very excited about that.”
“I am. I’ve been having so much fun since I came here. It’s been wonderful meeting everyone and playing at the Watering Hole last night, and now I’m going to sleep in a tipi. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun.”