Comanche Temptation

by Sara Orwig

  He turned to go downstairs and met Honor coming from the bathroom, where there was a big copper tub. Her hair was still damp, her skin flushed, the wrapper loosely belted around her and swinging open to reveal a flash of long legs.

  “Morning, Honor,” he said.

  “Good morning, Luke,” she answered coolly, hurrying into her room and closing the door. They had brief encounters, but she had stopped riding with him. Until the shooting, Honor had dogged his heels until she was a nuisance, except for the times he had line duty. Now he barely saw her. He knew she was keeping books for the H Bar R, but he didn’t know what she did all day. He saw her at supper occasionally, but often he was late, getting back after she and Jeddy had eaten. When they joined him, the meal was quiet, both of them answering his questions, Jeddy doing most of the talking. Honor was aloof, cool, withdrawn, as if the moments when she had cried in his arms or returned his kisses had never happened. He found life slightly easier, yet he was intensely aware of her, his nerves on edge when he was around her.

  He strode downstairs, passing the library and seeing Jeddy bent over a book. Fall had come, and Jeddy worked on lessons during the day that Honor checked at night. Horace Roth would have made his son put away the book and ride with the hands all day and do the lessons at night, but Luke suspected Jeddy Roth would never make the ranch his whole world. The ranch was Honor’s love, and when they had the marriage annulled, she could marry some man who was in the same business. At the thought of Honor marrying someone else, Luke felt a tightness inside. However that possibility was years away, and he shoved the thought out of mind.

  As September passed and October came, the days shortened and the nights grew cold. Honor was as aloof as she had been the first week after her father’s death. Luke hadn’t seen her shed any tears for the past two months and thought her grief was healing.

  One morning, following the enticing smells of hot coffee and biscuits baking, Luke entered the kitchen. “Morning, Dolorita,” he said as he glanced through the window. Beyond the fence a black buggy slowed and stopped. “We’ve got company, Dolorita,” he said, looking out the window.

  She leaned around to gaze out. “Uh—oh. It’s Mr. Roth and Miss Lavinia Roth.”

  “What the devil are they doing here? They never visit.”

  “No, sir. Señor Roth wouldn’t have his sister on the place. They didn’t get along.”

  Luke stepped outside, watching the two come through the gate. He had met Lavinia Roth at the funeral, and as she pulled her black cloak more closely around her scrawny frame, he felt a curl of distaste. All she had done when she was here before was complain and criticize Jeddy and Honor. And Stanton Roth reminded Luke of a fox. He had a sly look to his face with a pointed nose, thin mouth, and blond hair. The looks in the family had gone to the brothers, Luke thought as his gaze shifted to Stanton’s older sister. Beneath a black hat Lavinia’s mouse-colored hair was pulled into a bun behind her head. Her narrow blue eyes gazed at Luke with disapproval. Lavinia held her cloak tightly around herself as if to be careful to avoid any physical contact with him.

  “Good morning, Miss Roth, Mr. Roth,” Luke said, going to meet them and shaking Stanton Roth’s limp, cold hand.

  “We came to visit and see how our niece and nephew are faring without their father.”

  “They’re faring well enough. Come in and you can join me for breakfast.”

  “Ahh, Dolorita’s breakfasts!” Stanton Roth said with enthusiasm.

  “Dolorita’s indigestion,” Lavinia Roth huffed. “You always overeat when you have that woman’s cooking.”

  “It’s a feast.”

  Luke stepped back and held open the door. The Roths entered and greeted Dolorita, who had already placed more plates on the table.

  “I’ll tell Honor you’re here,” Luke said, leaving them and striding down the hall to enter her bedroom. She rolled over in bed, sitting up and pulling the sheet to her chin. Her black hair spilled over her shoulders so that she looked warm and disheveled and enticing except for the slight frown wrinkling her brow.

  “Don’t you ever knock?”

  “Not when we have your uncle in the house.”

  “No!”

  “Yes, he’s here, and he brought Lavinia with him.” Luke crossed the room. “I’m sure there’s a reason. As he came in, he said they wanted to see how you and Jeddy are getting along.” Luke sat on the side of her bed and took her hand. She pulled it away and narrowed her eyes.

  Luke gazed at her directly and reached for her hand again. “As long as your aunt and uncle are watching us, Honor, we’re going to have to act like happily married newlyweds. If your uncle learns the truth, he can have this marriage annulled and take the H Bar R.”

  She drew a deep breath, momentarily forgetting the sheet and letting it fall. Her knees were drawn up and she was wearing the nightshirt that was unbuttoned at the throat. Luke gazed at the tempting bit of flesh revealed below her collarbone, feeling an absurd urge to lean forward and kiss her there.

  “Honor, I don’t know what they want or how long they’ll stay, but you move some of your things to my room. They’ll have to think we’re sharing a room.”

  “Suppose they stay tonight?” she asked, her eyes going wide, and Luke stared at her.

  “You’ll have to stay in there. You can have the bed and I’ll sleep on the floor, but we have to make them think we’re truly married. And you’re going to have to allow me to touch you.”

  “Aunt Lavinia is a terrible snoop. She’ll try to go through everything.”

  “Do you have a nightgown other than that shirt you’re wearing?”

  “Yes,” she answered, blushing as she glanced down at her nightshirt and buttoned it to her throat.

  “Get your gown and toss it on my bed. Tell Jeddy you’ll be staying in my room. I’ll go back and join them. Decide which rooms you’ll put them in, because I think they’re here to see how things are between us. Your uncle is no fool.”

  “Uncle Stanton mustn’t get this place. It’s home,” she said, and Luke could hear the note of concern in her voice. She looked up at Luke, and for a moment he forgot Stanton and Lavinia as he stared at Honor. She was inches away and she wore only a nightshirt. Desire burned hotly in him as he stared at her, and she blinked. He stood up abruptly and strode out of the room, closing the door quietly and half-expecting to encounter Lavinia slinking in the hallway.

  Seven

  Glancing around her room, Honor climbed out of bed, rushing to pull on her wrapper. Worried that Lavinia would appear at any moment, Honor removed an armload of clothing from the wardrobe and took her two white cotton nightgowns from a drawer. She opened the door, glanced up and down the empty hallway, then hurried to Luke’s room. She stepped inside the big bedroom, closing the door behind her. The bed was rumpled, and a shirt was draped on the back of a chair. Otherwise, the room was little changed from the day when Honor had finished removing her father’s things. She tossed a white gown on the bed and hung her clothing next to Luke’s in the almost empty wardrobe.

  Two more trips back and forth, and she had most of her belongings moved to Luke’s room. She carried another armload, tossing them into a drawer to straighten later, wondering if Luke had left most of his possessions in the bunkhouse. There was almost nothing in the wardrobe or drawers.

  As soon as she had dressed and brushed and braided her hair, she went to Jeddy’s room, slipping inside and closing the door behind her. Crossing the room to the mahogany bed, Honor paused a moment to look around. A glass cage sat on a mahogany desk; the harmless black snake inside the cage was coiled around a branch of dried cedar. Two more glass cages held a lizard and turtles. If Lavinia tried to snoop through Jeddy’s room, she would get a shock. Looking down at her brother, Honor shook his thin shoulder.

  “Jeddy, wake up! Wake up!” His big brown eyes focused on her, and he rubbed them sleepily. “Aunt Lavinia and Uncle Stanton are here.”

  “Aww, no,” he grumbled, turning to
settle deeper into his pillow.

  “Jeddy, get up. Listen to me, they must think Luke and I are happily married and that we share the same bedroom, so I moved my things to Luke’s room.”

  “Does Luke know?”

  “Yes, of course. Anyway, you should get dressed and come greet them.”

  “All right, in a minute.”

  “Now don’t go back to sleep,” she said, moving away and stepping into the hall, closing Jeddy’s door. Feeling an unaccustomed nervousness, she headed toward the kitchen, inhaling the smells of coffee and hot bread. As she entered, everyone turned to look at her. Luke pushed back his chair and crossed the room to her, slipping his arm around her waist and kissing her lightly.

  “Morning, Honor,” he said quietly. He leaned closer, his breath fanning over her ear. “Smile,” he whispered.

  She smiled up at him, and he squeezed her waist. “Your aunt and uncle are here,” he said, turning toward the table. She glanced at Lavinia, who was watching her, and when Honor looked at Stanton, she felt a chill because he was studying her with narrowed eyes. She knew if he discovered the arrangement she had with Luke, he would end it at once and become her guardian.

  She leaned closer to Luke as she crossed the room, more aware of his physical contact than of their guests. “Good morning, Aunt Lavinia, Uncle Stanton. What brings you our way?”

  “I want to see for myself that you and Jeddy are happy and doing fine. It’s my duty as well as Lavinia’s,” Stanton said, his gaze shifting to Luke and back to Honor. “We thought we would stay a few days and make certain there’s nothing you need.”

  “Only to be with my bride,” Luke said quietly, smiling at her. She smiled up at him, wondering how convincing they appeared to Stanton. “Unfortunately,” he added, “I need to go to work, so I’ll tell you folks good-bye.”

  “Jeddy doesn’t ride with you? I understood Horace made him ride every day.”

  “No, not today. Some days he does, and some days he stays home to keep up with his lessons. He’s still young, and he has plenty of time to ride with us. I’ll see you folks at supper tonight.” Luke took Honor’s hand. “Come tell me good-bye, Honor.” He lifted his hat and his leather jacket off a peg and stepped out onto the porch, closing the kitchen door and pulling her into his arms.

  “Luke!” she gasped, pushing against his chest.

  “Honor they can see us through all the windows. Look up at me and think how much you want to keep the H Bar R.”

  She felt her breath catch in her throat as she gazed at him. His jade eyes darkened, he looked down at her and lowered his head, his mouth covering hers and his tongue thrusting between her lips, entering her mouth. Heat flashed through her body from the contact, more disturbing than when he had kissed her before, then thought spun away, her heart’s drumroll deafening as she slipped her arms beneath his jacket and returned his kiss.

  He raised his head, and it took a second for her to open her eyes. He was watching her with an intent look, his mouth red from their kisses. “Will you be all right with them? Do you need me to stay?” Feeling dazed by his kisses, she stared at him in silence, trying to think about his questions instead of his kisses. At her silence, he shook his head. “Why am I asking you that, Honor? You could run this ranch alone if Horace had willed it to you.” Luke’s chest expanded as he inhaled deeply and the look he continued to give her was unsettling because he seemed almost angry with her.

  He turned and strode across the porch, crossing the yard in long strides as he jammed his hat on his head and fastened his jacket. She didn’t want to go inside, for she knew her mouth was red. Luke had made certain there was no question about whether they kissed.

  Reluctantly, she entered the kitchen and crossed the room to pour a cup of coffee, something she seldom drank. Dolorita’s eyes were large as she watched in silence, her gaze flicking to Honor’s face and back to the coffee.

  “I better see about Jeddy,” Honor said suddenly, and fled the kitchen, embarrassed to sit down until her lips had returned to their normal color. She hurried to Luke’s room to look at the large pier glass mirror. “Luke McCloud!” she snapped. The skin around her mouth was red; she closed her eyes, remembering the delicious feelings that burned through her. Opening her eyes, her gaze went to his bed. She crossed to stare at it, flushing with embarrassment as she imagined Luke sprawled there.

  Why didn’t he want her for a wife? Why did he find her so unappealing? Did she look like a child to him? Or was it some taint of her Indian heritage? Or was it that he was in love with a woman in town? “Pa, why did you do this to us?” she whispered, rubbing her forehead. But she knew the reason he had done it was sitting in her kitchen like a vulture ready to swoop down on her.

  A scream shattered the stillness, and Honor turned to run toward the sound. More screams came, and she knew something had happened to Lavinia.

  “Stop your screaming!” Uncle Stanton yelled. The blast of a gun being fired in the house echoed through the rooms, the bang deafening in the confined quarters, and another scream joined Lavinia’s.

  “Dolorita,” Honor said, running faster, following the sound of the commotion. She entered the parlor, where Lavinia was wringing her hands and shivering. Dolorita stood behind her, Uncle Stanton beside her holding a revolver in his hand. All were staring at a coiled brown snake lying on the floor, and Honor closed her eyes feeling the urge to swear.

  “That’s Mister Jeddy’s toy snake,” Dolorita said, her voice changing. “You shot his toy,” she snapped, now sounding annoyed instead of alarmed. She looked at Honor as she turned back toward the kitchen. “Tell the child his snake has been killed. Grown man shooting a toy snake in the house,” she grumbled, shaking her head.

  “That’s a damned toy? Lavinia, you were screeching your head off over a toy snake?”

  “How was I to know? You should beat that child for having such a thing in the house.”

  “He certainly won’t beat Jeddy. It’s a harmless toy,” Honor said, brushing past them to pick up the snake that now had no head. “There’s a bullet hole in the floor.”

  “One of the men can fix it,” Stanton said. “Great grief, Lavinia! Look twice before you start screaming.”

  “You look twice before you start shooting,” she said, drawing herself up. “And that little monster should keep his toy snakes put away in his room.”

  “Jeddy isn’t a monster, Aunt Lavinia.”

  “All little boys are monsters,” she replied in haughty tones. “Men aren’t much better,” she snapped, giving Stanton an icy look. “Which room will be mine, Honor?”

  “You may have the guest room, and we’ll give Uncle Stanton my old room. Give Dolorita a chance to freshen the rooms for you.”

  “What was all the shooting about?” Jeddy stood in the doorway, his shirt tucked into black pants, his hair wet and parted in the middle and combed down.

  Honor held out the headless snake. “Uncle Stanton shot this.”

  “You shot a wooden snake?” Jeddy asked, and Stanton’s face turned red.

  “I didn’t take time to see that it was a toy. Your Aunt Lavinia was in hysterics over it”

  “Keep your toy snakes in your room, young man!”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Go greet your relatives,” Honor told him, and watched as Jeddy allowed Lavinia to kiss his cheek. Then he dutifully crossed the room to hold out his hand and shake with Stanton.

  “Everyone sit down, and I’ll have Dolorita serve us coffee. Then she can get your rooms ready.”

  “That’s quite all right. I want to go to mine now,” Lavinia insisted. “And I might as well take your room, Honor, and give Stanton the guest room.”

  She strode toward the hall and Honor followed her, directing her to the guest room. “You’ll be more comfortable here, Aunt Lavinia, because you’ll be farther away from Jeddy’s room. He keeps a live snake in his room.”

  “Good heavens! You can’t mean it.”

  “He has a liv
e snake and turtles and a lizard in cages in his room.” For the first time in her life, Honor was grateful for Jeddy’s menagerie.

  “Honor, now that you are married, you are the woman of this house. You are more a mother now than a sister, and you should take a firm hand with that young man. He should never be allowed to have such animals in the house!”

  “Pa thought it was nice that he was learning to appreciate other living creatures,” Honor said blandly. Lavinia stood in the center of the room, glancing around at the four-poster, the wardrobe and dresser and washstand.

  “Honor, I could not bear it if one of those creatures got out of its cage. Can you remove them to the barn while we are here?”

  “I’ll see about it, but the snake’s cage is rather large and cumbersome to carry.”

  Lavinia shuddered and closed her eyes, running her hand across her head. “I can’t live in this house,” she said quietly. She drew herself up. “But I suppose I must make some sacrifices. I have always been the one to make them. Your father was a free-spirited, strong-willed man. He is gone now, and you and Jeddy need a stabilizing influence. Your Uncle Stanton and I think it would be wise for me to stay here with you and Jeddy and your new husband. You’re young, and I have no doubt that you don’t have the least social graces or know what is required socially of a young wife. Your father ignored so many things he shouldn’t have. I’ll do what I can for you, but what a shame you’re married to a man who’s nothing but a cowhand.”

  “I’m married to the man I love, Aunt Lavinia,” Honor replied stiffly, feeling a strange tingle when she made the announcement aloud.

  Lavinia sniffed and peered down her nose at Honor. “You’re too young to have any idea about love. Both of you need so much. I can instruct you and tutor Jeddy, something else that I imagine is sadly lacking. Actually, Honor, you should not be out of the schoolroom yourself.”

  Honor listened in dismay and growing horror. “Aunt Lavinia, I’m married now. I don’t need you to chaperone me or teach me manners—”