Tori swallowed. Every nerve in her body seemed to hone in on the sensations of his hands wrapped around her arms. Warm, strong, tender hands, to match the warm, strong, and tender emotions shining in his eyes. She scarcely dared to breathe.
She shook her head at her confused reactions to this man. In a matter of seconds, Lucas had completely transformed before her eyes. He appeared almost as vulnerable as she’d felt since the moment he stepped into the cabin. Deep down, she’d wanted him to acknowledge her as a woman in that dress while at the same time retain her independence. He was right. She had gotten her dander up for no reason and acted like a cornered cat.
“Lucas, I--”
He released her arm and held a finger to her lips before she had a chance to finish her thought. “Shhhh . . . I have more to say.”
He leaned toward her, his forehead wrinkled in an expectant look, as if waiting for permission to continue. She nodded hesitantly, and he removed his finger. The tip traced across her lip, and lingered against her cheek. The soft strokes of his thumb against the outline of her jaw sent renewed shivers up and down her spine.
“Tori, I felt a connection to you the moment I first saw . . . realized you were a girl. I can’t explain it. I’m drawn to you like I’ve never been drawn to anyone. You’re strong, courageous, and beautiful.” With each word, his expression turned more intense, more determined as if he willed her to understand what he was trying to tell her. He inhaled a deep breath. “Tori, I . . . I love you, and I’m sorry I didn’t say the words sooner.”
A sensation flowed through her of being submersed in warm water, and her limbs weakened. She blinked, and stared up at him, open-mouthed. Had she heard him correctly?
“You what?” she croaked.
He chuckled nervously again. He released her arm, his hand sliding downward to her wrist, and his fingers closed over hers. He brought her hand to his lips, and kissed it gently, his eyes never straying from hers.
“Tori, I don’t know how to be in love. I just know that I am. With you. There’s no other way to explain it or make sense of it. I’ve never been more incompetent than I am right now. I do or say things that get your back up without meaning to. I know my way around the mountains, but I don’t know how to express what it is I’m feeling for you. All I know is that I can’t make it stop. I don’t want to make it stop.”
He paused, and stroked his fingers across hers, then lightly squeezed her hand. “You and I, we’ve done good things together out in those mountains. You’ve covered my back more than once when I was in a bind, and I know we can be even better.”
A tear trickled down her cheek. She blinked, but it was no use. Warmth exploded within her. The expression on his face was the most serious she’d ever seen, and combined with the tone of his voice, there was no doubting his sincerity.
“Lucas Walker, for a man with nothing but straw between the ears, sometimes you sure have a way with words.”
“Seems like when it comes to you, I’ve been saying all the wrong things most of the time,” he rasped in a low tone.
His thumb lightly grazed her cheek, while his eyes continued to devour her face as if he’d been starved.
“You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” he breathed. His gaze traveled lower to her neck and further down along her dress. “You don’t need this fancy garb.” His chest rumbled in a low chuckle, and he shook his head slightly. “You sure as hell surprised me when I walked in earlier. This looks real nice on you, but you’re more breathtaking without the dress.”
Tori’s eyes narrowed, and she glared up at him in mock anger. She couldn’t be angry with this man, even at his inferences. He was trying to spill his soul to her, tripping over his words in the process. Love swelled in her chest for him. This was no doubt the most difficult thing he’d ever done in his life. He had lain open his heart to her.
Lucas grinned. “I meant, in your britches . . . you’re even more beautiful in your britches.” He ran a hand through his hair, then chuckled. “Hell, better yet, the way you looked by the lake the day you ran off on me, all covered in mud.”
“You’d better stop talking right now before your ramblings land you in hot water again.”
Tori’s eyes narrowed despite the smile she couldn’t suppress. She reached up to cup his rough face between her palms. She stood on her bare toes and leaned up to him, then pulled his head down closer to hers and stared into his midnight blue eyes. Lucas had just bared his soul and told her that he loved her. How could she not let him know that she returned his feelings?
“You are the most infuriating man I’ve ever met, Lucas Walker, but somehow you’ve wormed your way under my skin.”
Lucas grinned that devilish grin of his, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, lifting her off her feet. “I was hoping you’d say something like that,” he whispered in a low growl. His mouth closed over hers in a slow and languid kiss that melted her from the inside out.
Tori sighed and entwined her hands behind his neck. She leaned into him, giving herself over completely to the feel of his steely arms holding her off the ground. All the months of loneliness, the heartache, the need to depend solely on herself for survival melted away in Lucas’ embrace.
His rough whiskers scraped against her cheeks when he ended the kiss. Tori sensed he was holding back, that he wanted to deepen the kiss and perhaps prolong it. She couldn’t bring herself to ask for more, even though she yearned for the passionate kisses from yesterday before they reached the homestead. This tenderness was such a completely new side of him, stealing even more of her heart and chiseling away at the resolve that she needed to protect herself from the past, and leave.
There was nothing demanding in the way his lips grazed along her jaw and to the sensitive areas along her neck. All too soon, he set her slowly to her feet, but held her to him, his hands stroking softly up and down her back. His breathing was ragged when he eased away from her.
“I love you, Tori,” he whispered huskily, cradling her face between his warm palms.
Tori’s lips tingled, and she shuddered in the aftermath of his embrace.
Tell him you love him.
She swallowed her apprehension. He deserved to know. He needed to know that she loved him, but also that nothing could come of it.
“Lucas, I . . . there can’t be anything between us.” She shook her head slightly, fighting back the urge to throw herself at him. Her words left a bitter taste in her mouth. In his arms, she felt protected for the first time since her pa’s death, and so much more. If only her circumstances were different.
Lucas tilted her head upward, and she had no choice but to meet his gaze. “I know I’ve gone about this the wrong way, Tori. I’ve acted like the overbearing jackass you’ve accused me of. I’m sorry for strong-arming you into coming out of the mountains, but I couldn’t leave you up there. I knew it then that I loved you, even if I didn’t recognize it. If you need time, then I’ll give you time, but I’m not giving up now that I’ve finally realized what’s in my heart.”
He reached for one of her hands and placed it on his chest. His heart beat strong beneath her touch. Tori shook her head, and she closed her eyes.
Lucas’ mouth softly touched hers, and Tori flung her arms around his neck.
“I love you, Lucas,” she sobbed against his lips, and for just this moment, she shut the door on her past and on the rest of the world.
Chapter 20
“You were right, Sophie. Sure looks like the dress worked.”
The door creaked loudly behind them, and Lucas cursed under his breath at the sound of Joseph’s loud and amused voice. Tori pulled away from him. Before she could escape completely out of his embrace, Lucas tightened his hold around her waist. She’d just admitted that she loved him, and he’d be damned if he let go of her so quickly after that admission. A rush of intense emotions raced through him. How had he been so blind to his feelings for her all this time?
“You could
have knocked,” Lucas grumbled over his shoulder at his brother.
“Yeah, because you’ve never barged in on me at the most inopportune times before.” Joseph glared at him. “I was just making sure that you two hadn’t killed each other, yet. Glad to see that the opposite is true, little brother, but I do think Tori might be better off with a chaperone.”
“Chaperone, hell,” he grumbled.
Rather than take a swing at Joseph for spoiling the moment for him, Lucas scooped Tori up into his arms in one swift move, and turned toward the door. He smirked at his brother.
Tori threw her arms around his neck to steady herself. “What are you doing?” she gasped.
“Kidnapping you again. It’s getting a bit too crowded in here for my liking.” He winked at the befuddled look on her face, and leaned forward to brush his lips across hers. “Out of my way, Joseph,” he grumbled, and side-stepped past his brother, who wisely moved away from the exit to the cabin.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, little brother,” Joseph warned.
“Lucas,” Tori protested and squirmed in his arms, but his hold on her tightened. “Set me down.”
“You just told me you love me. I ain’t letting you run off again.”
Although his heart pounded with elation, something about what she’d said before her admission nagged at him. He’d meant to ask her about it, but Joseph had interrupted. There couldn’t be anything between them? Yet she said she loved him. What the hell was he missing this time? It had to have something to do with her trouble with the law, and it was high time some things were brought out in the open between them.
Lucas ignored the wide-eyed yet satisfied look on Sophie’s face when he strode past her in the yard.
“Lucas Walker, where are you taking me?” Tori hissed between gritted teeth. He grinned down at the daggers her eyes shot at him. His pulse quickened again. He wouldn’t have her any other way; feisty and full of passion, even when she was angry. Which - he’d wager his rifle on it - she wasn’t at the moment.
“Somewhere private, where it’s just you and me, and no interruptions,” he answered in a low tone. He elbowed the barn door open, and headed for the hayloft.
“Up there.” Lucas motioned with his chin. He set Tori down in front of the ladder that led up to the loft. It was the one place here at the homestead where he retreated for solitude. The instant her feet touched the ground, she whirled around and stared up at him, her eyes wide.
“I’m not going up there,” she said, adamantly shaking her head.
Lucas drew his eyebrows together. Why was there a slight note of panic in her voice? His hands reached for her waist, and he grinned lazily.
“It’s not what you think, Tori. I’m not bringing you here to have my way with you.” Although the idea was mighty enticing. “I figured we could talk in private for a while without my brother or Sophie barging in.”
He leaned toward her, his lips grazing hers. She stood stiffly, her muscles tense. Lucas backed up a step, his forehead wrinkled. How long would it take before he understood the female mind?
“I don’t like barns. Or haylofts,” she blurted, a pleading tone to her voice. Her eyes darted to the doors, looking for an escape.
“All right,” Lucas answered slowly. He let go of her waist, and reached for her hands, studying her face. She looked like a skittish filly ready to bolt. His brows furrowed even more while he assessed her. She’d never behaved like this before. She’d been upset plenty of times, but scared? Never had she acted downright afraid of something that he could recall.
“We can go somewhere else, then.”
“Good.” She skirted around him and tugged on his hand. He pulled her back.
“Why are you afraid of a hayloft, Tori?” Lucas looked down at her. The naked fear in her eyes disturbed him. A rush of protectiveness surged through him. What the hell had happened to her?
“Can we just leave, please? I’ll . . . I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but not in here.”
Her pleading eyes were more than he could stand. Lucas fought the urge to wrap her in his arms and take away whatever it was that put that haunted look on her face. He led her from the barn. The moment she stepped foot outside the door, her grip on his hand relaxed, and so did the rest of her.
“Wait here,” he said, releasing his hold on her. He was eager to have her alone and find out exactly what she hadn’t told him all these weeks.
The glare in her eyes was back. “You’re doing it again.”
Lucas grinned, his chest much lighter. This was the Tori he wanted to see, not a woman who was afraid of her own shadow. He stepped up to her, and cupped her cheek in his palm.
“Please, wait here,” he whispered against her ear, his words slow and deliberate. He pulled his head back. “I’m gonna have to work on my manners.”
“Yes, you will,” she answered softly. The corners of her lips twitched slightly. Her eyes sparkled in the morning light.
Lucas’ mouth curved in a smile, then he turned and headed for the corral before the overwhelming urge to kiss away all her fears became too great. There would be time for that later. He wasn’t going to make a fool of himself, or embarrass Tori, here in the yard between the barn and the cabin. He didn’t need to look to know that his brother and sister-in-law were watching his every move.
He pulled a bridle off the fencepost, and opened the gate. He couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear as he approached his trusted mountain pony. His chest and insides flooded with a constant flow of warmth, and peace enveloped him. Tori loved him back. The restlessness inside him, the urge to be out in the mountains, searching for his next challenge, seemed to be dormant at the moment.
He patted his mare’s neck before slipping the bridle over her head. She readily accepted the bit, probably eager to get out of the pen for a while. Leading her to the corral gate, he quickly tossed a saddle blanket followed by the saddle over her back, and tightened the cinch, then brought her out into the yard.
“I have an even better place where we can go other than the hayloft.” Lucas stopped in front of Tori.
“On horseback?” Tori raised her brows.
Lucas winked, and scooped Tori up into his arms to lift her onto the mare’s back.
“Lucas, I can’t go riding in this dress, and I’m not even wearing shoes,” she protested while she awkwardly threw her leg over the back of the saddle.
He grinned up at her. “No shoes makes it harder to run away from me.”
Her skirts hiked up around her ankles, revealing some white underclothes like the ones he’d seen hanging on the clothesline on washday. How Sophie had managed to get Tori into all those frilly women’s things was a mystery to him. Although she looked stunning in that dress, he preferred to see her in her tattered britches and oversized shirts.
She definitely wouldn’t be able to get around much in the mountains wearing female things. If she chose to wear dresses rather than britches from now on, he could hardly object, not that she’d want to. She was too comfortable in her britches to want to switch to wearing dresses.
Lucas led his mare up to the cabin door, dropped the reins, and stepped inside. He quickly retrieved his rifle from the kitchen table and hurried back out the door, ignoring Joseph’s stares. Sophie followed him back outside, but thankfully stopped under the door and didn’t say anything.
He’d almost expected Tori to have dismounted the horse while he was in the cabin, but to his great surprise, she still sat on the mare’s back.
“Don’t expect us home for supper,” Lucas called over his shoulder, and stuffed the rifle in the saddle scabbard. Tossing a lopsided grin up at Tori, he swung onto his mare’s back behind her. He wrapped his left arm around Tori’s waist, and picked up the reins in his right hand.
“Where are we going, Lucas?” Tori whispered under her breath. She darted a quick glance toward Sophie, who stood with her arms crossed and eyebrows raised in a curious gesture. The smug look on her face told Luca
s that she wasn’t about to stop him from riding off with Tori.
This was a much different ‘kidnapping’ than when he took her away from her cabin by force. Tori didn’t struggle in his arms this time, nor did she throw every vile curse word in her vocabulary at him, and threaten to kill him. Her back leaned against his chest, sending his heart slamming into his ribs. He pulled her closer up against him, inhaling the fragrant scent of her hair. Fire coursed through his veins, and he momentarily questioned his decision to take her away from the homestead to be alone with her. Perhaps Joseph was right, and she did need a chaperone.
You’ve been alone with her for weeks, and her virtue hasn’t been compromised yet.
No, but she hadn’t admitted that she loved him then, either. Was it really such a good idea to be alone with Tori now? Before he gave himself any more time to think about what he was doing, Lucas reined his mare away from the yard.
“Are you agreeable to this, Tori?” Sophie called.
Tori glanced over her shoulder at Lucas, then nodded to Sophie. “I think I’ll be all right.”
Sophie shot him a warning glance, but thankfully didn’t say anything. She shook her head and smiled indulgently before she turned back into the cabin.
Lucas nudged his horse into an easy lope, heading back toward the mountains, but in the opposite direction from where they’d come the day before. It would take a couple of hours to get where he planned to take Tori, and he was suddenly eager for her to see what he wanted to show her.
Tori turned her head slightly, her loose hair blowing in the wind, nearly obstructing his view.
“Mind telling me where you’re taking me?” she asked.
“Somewhere secluded where we can be alone.” Lucas leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I miss having you all to myself, especially now that you’re not wanting to fill my belly with lead anymore.”
He pressed his lips against her neck just below her ear, not an easy feat with his mare in motion, and tightened his grip around her waist. He inhaled deeply of the familiar scent of the soap Sophie used. It smelled so much more alluring on Tori. A primal possessiveness flooded him, sending renewed heat into his gut. Her sharp intake of breath and stiffened spine gave him a decidedly satisfied feeling. Apparently she was just as affected by him as he was by her.
Teton Romance Trilogy Bundle: Includes Yellowstone Proposal (Short Story) Page 66