by Linda Bridey
Jack held her arms. “Sparrow, you can’t. If you do, they’ll kill you and I’m not gonna let that happen. You’re right where you’re meant to be, honey. Shh. It’ll be ok.” Jack pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her.
Sparrow took deep breaths and clung to Jack. His solid bulk comforted her and she was able to throw off a full-blown panic attack.
Jack felt her body begin to relax and asked, “Better?”
She nodded. “Yes. You are right about me being smart.”
“I know I’m right about that,” Jack said.
“But do you know why?” she asked.
“Why?”
She smiled and said, “Because I was smart enough to fall in love with you.”
Jack laughed. “Ok, that’s something you always say when you want something. What is it?”
“You, Jack. I want you,” she said and pressed her lips to his.
Jack ran a hand down over her back as their kiss deepened. The heavy material of the nightgown thwarted his ability to feel the contours of her body and he guessed that was a good thing. Sparrow was relearning his body as her hands traveled over him. Jack had always been well-muscled because of all the physical work he did, but he’d put on even more muscle and she loved the way he felt under her hands. There was a new contained power about her deputy that excited her.
Jack rolled her over and slid his fingers through her sleek hair as the embrace became heated. His body wasn’t the only one that had changed some it seemed. Sparrow felt more lush, more womanly now and Jack felt a passion for Sparrow that surpassed any he’d ever felt for her in the past. Her soft lips kissing his brought out an urgent desire and suddenly Jack didn’t know if he had enough control to stop.
With iron will, Jack pulled away from her and said, “Break time.”
Sparrow laughed and the sound was slightly husky with her own desire. “I haven’t heard that in so long,” she said as Jack rolled away from her.
It was a sensual game they used to play. They would drive each other crazy for as long as they could before one or the other would say “break time” so things could cool down.
His laughter joined hers. “I haven’t said it in a long time.”
“You always had to say it more than me,” she teased.
Jack cleared his throat and said, “As Uncle Marcus told me when he gave me the talk, ‘men tend to become aroused more quickly than women’.”
Both of them burst out laughing over his imitation of his uncle. “That’s exactly how he said it. I swear. I’ve never forgotten it. You know what else is funny? I always knew it wouldn’t be Pa that would talk to me about it. He’s as buttoned up as they come, except for when he’s away from the ranch. I found that out on the way down to Wyoming. Maybe I should have gone on a cattle drive with him and he’d have felt more comfortable talking about it.”
Sparrow laughed. “I still can’t imagine him talking about it.”
“You’re right. I actually thought it would be Uncle Seth. So it really surprised me the day Uncle Marcus called me into the barn and talked to me,” Jack said. He laughed again as he remembered how embarrassed he’d been. “I never saw that comin’. I had no idea what to say, so I didn’t say anything. I just nodded a lot.”
Sparrow snickered as she pictured the look on Jack’s face. “Poor Jack,” she said.
A yawn came out of him that threatened to crack his jaw. “Ouch,” he said when it passed.
“Stop it,” Sparrow said and yawned, too.
Jack chuckled and gathered her against him. “I hope they don’t want me to cook in the morning. We need to sleep.”
Sparrow nodded and mumbled against his side. She didn’t want to go to sleep because she was afraid he wouldn’t be there when she opened her eyes again.
Jack smiled and kissed her forehead. “Good night, my little bird.”
When there was no response, Jack knew she was already asleep. He closed his eyes and tumbled into slumber after her.
Chapter Ten
Sparrow had no idea what time it was when she opened her eyes the next day. She was disoriented by the strange place and it took a few moments for her to remember where she was. Jack wasn’t in the bed with her. The bunkhouse was cold and she burrowed under the covers to warm up. The door opened and Jack entered with an armload of wood. He didn’t know Sparrow was awake and he tried to close the door as quietly as possible.
Quickly he set about getting a fire going in the wood stove. Once he had it going, he took off his coat, boots, and pants and attempted to find Sparrow under the covers. She had them wrapped around her.
“Hey, Sparrow. Quit hoggin’ the covers, woman,” he said.
She laughed and wouldn’t give them up.
“C’mon, it’s freezin’ out here,” Jack said.
“No! You’re going to be cold when you get in,” she said.
“Not for long.”
“No!”
“Ok, I didn’t want to have to do this, but…”
Jack picked her up covers and all and flipped her over. She landed on the bed and bounced as he pulled the covers away. Sparrow laughed as she tried to keep ahold of them. The cold air hit her and her teeth started chattering together.
“Jack!” she protested.
“How’s it feel? Not too good, huh?” Jack said. “Now c’mon and get in here with me.”
They bundled up together and laughed as both of them tried to fight their chattering teeth.
“It won’t be long ‘til it warms up in here,” Jack told her. “That stove is a really good one.”
“Good. I hate being cold. I hate the cold. I hate snow, too,” Sparrow said.
“Except for when you get to throw snowballs at people,” Jack said.
She said, “That is different.”
“Of course it is.”
“What time is it?” she asked.
“A little after six.”
Sparrow groaned.
Jack asked, “What’s the matter.”
Sparrow didn’t want to go outside, but nature was calling. “I’ll be back.”
Now Jack groaned. “Hurry.”
She climbed over him and cried out when her bare feet hit the icy cold floor. Jack laughed as he watched her hop over to his boots and jam her feet into them. She put his coat on because it was longer and reached almost to her knees. When she opened the door, she let out a squeal of fright because Seth stood right outside the door.
“Not now! Move!” she said and pushed him to the side. She ran for the outhouse as quickly as she could.
Seth laughed as he watched her go. He went into the bunkhouse and closed the door.
Jack glared at him from the bed and said, “I’m not cookin’.”
“I ain’t askin’ ya to. I was just comin’ over to see if you two were alive or not,” Seth said.
“What do you mean?” Jack said.
“It’s almost eleven,” Seth said.
“No, it’s not. It’s…” Jack looked over at the clock on the dresser and swore when he saw that it had stopped.
Seth laughed and said, “I’m supposed to tell you to come over and eat. Your mama’s cookin’, so you don’t have to.”
Sparrow came back and her teeth chattered worse than before. Jack pulled the covers back and she kicked his boots off and got in coat and all. Seth smiled and said, “Don’t be too long, kids.”
He left them alone and made his way over to the cookhouse. When he went inside, Tessa asked, “Are they all right?”
“They’re fine. Freezing, but fine. Jack has the stove goin’ so they won’t be too long,” he said.
Mike burst through the door and said, “Mama! Guess what?”
It seemed to be the boy’s favorite question.
“I have no idea,” Tessa said. “What?”
“I know how to do algebra now!”
“You do? Since when?” Tessa asked.
“Since I read that book last night,” Mike said as he punched Seth i
n the arm.
“Michael! Stop that,” Tessa said.
Seth responded by giving Mike a dead leg. Mike laughed, limped over to a chair and sat down. Tessa gave Seth a withering look. He shrugged and said, “He started it.”
“And how old are you, Seth?” Tessa asked.
Seth stopped and had to think about it. “Oh, good Lord. Forty-five? I can’t be that old, can I?”
“I’m afraid so,” Tessa said. “And with a baby on the way, I might add.”
Seth got up and said, “Yep. Not too old to still do that.” He winked at Tessa and moved to leave the cookhouse.
“To do what, Uncle Seth?” Mike asked as he rubbed his leg.
“Oh, your Mama will tell you all about it,” Seth said and went out the door before Tessa threw something at him.
She was saved from having to explain anything to Mike because Jack and Sparrow came in. “Spring can’t come soon enough,” Jack said as he went over to the stove and held his hands out to it. “Good morning, Mama. Mikey. Sorry. Mike,” Jack said.
“Good morning, you two,” Tessa said. “Obviously you slept well.”
“Yes. Like a rock,” Sparrow said. Her stomach growled. She saw Mike rubbing his leg and asked, “What happened to your leg?”
“Uncle Seth,” Mike said.
Jack laughed. “Gave you a dead leg, huh? He’s the best at that. He knows just where to hit.”
Tessa shook her head. “I will never understand the male need to hurt each other and call it having fun.”
“Mama, what is it that Uncle Seth isn’t too old to do?” Mike said. He hated not knowing things, something he got from his mother.
Tessa could have cheerfully murdered Seth at that moment. “Nothing, Mike. Please don’t worry about it.”
“Is he really forty-five? He doesn’t look it,” Mike said.
“It’s hard to believe, but he is,” Tessa confirmed.
“Jeez,” Jack said. “I never think about anyone getting older. How old are you now, Mama?”
“Jackson Samuels, you know better than to ask a lady her age,” Tessa said in a testy voice.
Sparrow laughed. “I know how old you are.”
Tessa said, “Sparrow, you’re supposed to be on my side as another woman.”
“I’m twenty-three,” Sparrow said.
“Well, I am not anymore. I was almost your age when I came here,” Tessa said.
Jack laughed as he started cracking eggs into a pan. “So you’ve been here sixteen years. If you were around twenty-three then, that makes you—. Ow! Ow!”
Jack backed away from the stove and faced Tessa who was winding her towel again. His back hit the wall between the stove and sink and he was trapped.
“Mama, I’m sorry, I was just kiddin’, put the towel down, I won’t say anything, I promise,” Jack said. His words came out in a long stream as he sought to mollify her. Tessa’s towel snaps hurt worse than a bee sting and Jack had no desire to feel any more of them.
“Are you going to pursue that line of thinking?” she asked as she arched an eyebrow at him.
“Nope. No way. On my honor, I won’t say anything more about it,” Jack said as he shook his head.
Sparrow laughed at the sight of big, strong Jack’s fear of his mother.
“Yeah, you laugh, Sparrow, but you’ve never had her snap a towel at you. It hurts like hell!” Jack said.
Tessa chuckled and let him off the hook. “Very well. Finish cooking your eggs.”
Cautiously Jack went back to the stove and did as she directed. Sparrow watched him cook and smiled. Everything to do with cooking was second nature to him and his purposeful movements were fun to watch. Sparrow’s gaze settled on his hands and she longed to feel them caressing her again.
She averted her eyes before anyone saw what she was feeling. To distract herself she asked, “Jack, why did our tribe stay for the winter?”
Jack sighed. “The buffalo are getting scarce and when Black Fox sent scouts down south to try to find some herds, there weren’t many. There are more up here right now, so he felt that it was better for the tribe to stay this winter. Plus there are a lot of deer around this year so they can hunt them, too. If they need to, they’ll buy some steer from us. But I know Uncle Marcus will give them some of his steer. He always does if need be.”
“I see,” Sparrow said. “What do you think they will say about my escape?”
Jack gave her an encouraging smile as he put a plate of food in front of her. “I think they’re gonna be happy that your safe and be glad to see you. You know how fond they are of you.”
Sparrow smiled. “Yes. I know. I can’t wait to see them.”
Jack filled another plate and sat down. “Then let’s go to camp after we eat.”
“Yes. I would like that,” Sparrow said. She laughed when she saw the heap of food on Jack’s plate.
“What?” he said around a mouthful of home fries.
“For someone who didn’t want to cook you sure cooked a lot,” she teased him.
He swallowed and said, “I can’t help myself. I get in a kitchen and I just have to cook.”
Tessa said, “Yes. I know. When you come around at mealtime, I just sit down and let you take over because you always do.”
“Sorry, Mama,” Jack said.
“Oh, I’m not complaining. I don’t mind at all,” Tessa said. “Well, if you are all right, I’m going to go finish that chapter I’ve been working on.”
Tessa had published a book a few years earlier, which had met with great success. She was now working on her second book.
“Ok, Mama. Good luck,” Jack said.
“Thank you,” she said and left.
Mike moved down to sit by Sparrow. His leg was finally back to normal. “She never did tell me what Uncle Seth wasn’t too old to do.”
Jack chuckled. “I have a hunch, but I’m not going to say.”
Mike smiled and said, “Is it about sex?”
Sparrow looked at him with wide eyes.
Jack said, “That’s not appropriate to talk about in front of women, Mike.”
“Why?” Mike said. “Why is everyone so secretive about it? I mean, it’s described in the Bible and everything.”
“What?” Jack said with a confused look.
“Yeah. One guy was a couple hundred years old and his wife was ninety and they had a baby,” Mike said. “I don’t know how that’s possible since women tend to not be very fertile in their later years, but it’s in there.”
“You read the Bible?” Jack asked.
“Sure. Don’t you?” Mike said.
“No. I mean when I was younger I did some, but I haven’t read it in years.”
“You should. There’s some funny stuff in there,” Mike said. “Plus, there are romantic poems and stuff in the Psalms. I like them. Well, Pa asked me to clean stalls today so I better go do it. See you guys later.”
Jack stared after Mike and then looked at Sparrow who was trying not to laugh. “Well, how ‘bout that? I had no idea he read the Bible. I think there’re a lot of things I don’t know about him.”
“I would say you’re right,” Sparrow said.
Jack shook his head and finished his food.
Chapter Eleven
After their meal, they rode down to Jack’s house. There were no tracks in the snow, so Jack knew that no one had been there. It was a good sign. Jack showed Sparrow around the house. There were now two bedrooms, a study, washroom, parlor, and the kitchen had been enlarged. Sparrow thought the house was pretty and she could imagine living there.
She longed to begin her life with Jack and wanted to start planning their wedding as soon as possible. Looking out the window, she saw the barn out back that was big enough to hold three horses. There was also a shelter for the four steer that Jack kept. Marcus had been feeding them for Jack.
She smiled when she felt Jack’s arms come around her from behind. “What do you think? Will you like it here?”
Sparrow lean
ed back against him and said, “I will love it here. I would love it anywhere as long I was you. But, yes, it is a pretty little house. I like that there is already a room to use as a nursery. I want a baby, Jack.”
Jack tightened his arms a little. “Me, too. I want that so much. I have a delicate question, Sparrow.”
“It is ok. Go ahead. I’ll tell you anything,” Sparrow said.
“How is it that you didn’t get pregnant?”
Sparrow smiled. “There are secret things that women can do to help prevent pregnancy. It doesn’t always work, but it lowers the chance that she will conceive a child. I took it every day, sometimes twice a day even though you’re not supposed to. I was not going to give him a child.” She fought the tears that threatened. “I only want to have children with you.”
Jack heard the distress in her voice and turned her to face him. “You are so brave, Sparrow. And smart. I would have welcomed any child of yours, but I gotta confess that I’m happy you didn’t get pregnant by that ass. I want to be the one you have children with.”
Her full mouth drew his attention and he couldn’t resist kissing her. She sighed as their mouths met and she took her gloves off so she could feel the texture of his short hair against her fingers as she ran them through it. Jack undid her coat and caressed her back and sides. She felt so good and flames of desire began to burn bright within him.
Sparrow answered his growl with one of her own and the sound drove Jack wild. His hands left her body to get rid of his coat. Then he took her in his arms and held her tight against him. Sparrow’s pulse quickened as he kissed his way to her ear and lightly bit her earlobe. Her hands fisted in his shirt and she moaned.
Jack felt Sparrow score his neck hard with her teeth and lost control. He picked her up and took her into his room and backed her over to the bed. Desire smoldered in her dark eyes and Jack wanted her with a shocking intensity. Her eyes never left his as she undid the buttons of his shirt and pushed it off him. His chest was hard and nicely contoured. She kissed his warm skin and Jack shuddered.
Jack’s voice was rough with passion as he said, “This isn’t like when we were younger, is it? It’s so much stronger and I don’t trust myself, Sparrow.”