Wanton Desire

by Ruth D. Kerce

  She returned the smile. She liked being useful and feeling needed. Having something to do also kept her mind off her concerns.

  “I’m sorry about Slim,” he suddenly said, his expression sobering. “I know he was your kin.”

  She shrugged, unsure of how she felt about the man, given the circumstances. “Not much of kin. Not to me. Still, I wouldn’t have wished him dead.”

  “Me either. He done a lot of wrongs in his life and he could be a mean bastard—um, sorry for the language there—but he had a soft spot in him too. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for Cora. She turned his head.”

  Even before Cora, Slim was a mean bastard. And that kind of language didn’t bother her none, especially when it fit. But she figured that nasty whore had made him even worse. “She won’t be doing anyone else harm now.”

  A troubled expression crossed Montana’s face. “I didn’t actually mean to kill her.” He looked down at his hands.

  Willie covered his fingers with her own. They both looked up at each other. “It’s all right,” she said. “You did what you had to do to save us. She’d gone loco. No telling what she would have done, especially if she was willing to shoot Joe.”

  He nodded. “I suppose.” After a moment, he let out a heavy breath. “So, what happens now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “When Joe’s well enough, is he going to toss me in the jail?” He glanced toward the door. “Should I get out of here now, while I can?”

  The worry and sadness in his eyes touched Willie’s heart. “You’re in no condition to ride with that leg. You’ll stay right here, at least until Wade and Skylar come back. Then you can stay at the clinic. I’m sure Miss Emma will agree to that. I’ll tend you, even after Miss Emma is gone, if you still need tending. We’ll figure out a way.”

  “Gone?”

  “Yeah. She’s only in Elk Valley for a little bit. She’s selling the clinic and returning to Boston.” The thought saddened her. She liked Emma and didn’t want her to go. Her thoughts turned again to her brother and her heart went out to him. Joe would be heartbroken once Emma left. He loved her. She could see it in his eyes every time he looked at her. Loving and losing someone hurt more than about anything.

  “She’s not gonna be the doctor here? I thought she and Joe were, well, by the way Cora kept raving—”

  Willie patted his hand. “Don’t you go worrying none about what’s what. Everything is going to work out.” Somehow. She didn’t know what fate had in mind for all of them. But she’d trust that it would be what was best. “I promise Joe won’t put you in jail. I won’t let him do that to you. You saved us. You watched over us, even when Slim and Cora took us and we were stuck in that basement.”

  “About the basement… I’m sorry that I tied you up down there.”

  She’d almost forgotten. She should be mad as hell over what he’d done. But after all the times he’d helped her, she couldn’t bring herself to blame him for that minor lapse in judgment. “Anyone can make a mistake. Just don’t you let it happen again.” She shook a finger at him, then a slow smile spread across her face.

  Montana smiled in return. “Thanks, Willie.”

  * * * * *

  At the sound of the bullet clanging against the tin pan, Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She watched the small piece of lead sink to the bottom of the water.

  She cleaned and stitched the wound, then bandaged the whole area. Joe would be fine. He was still passed out, which was for the best. He needed rest to recuperate. She didn’t think he’d suffer any permanent damage from being shot. And since it happened on his left side, it shouldn’t even affect his fast draw.

  “You did good, Miss Emma,” Myrah said in a soft voice.

  She turned her head and smiled up at the woman. “I’m glad it’s over and that there didn’t seem to be any complications.” She wasn’t used to working in such primitive conditions and with limited medicine and equipment during surgery. Boston had spoiled her more than she’d realized. All of sudden she felt completely drained, as if she hadn’t slept in a week.

  Myrah left the room with the bloody cloths. She shut the door behind her and everything turned very still and quiet.

  Emma walked over to the dresser, her hands full. She washed and cleaned the instruments she’d used, then put them back into her bag. They needed to be sterilized thoroughly but that would have to wait until she returned to the clinic. She wanted to let them soak in boiling water, not just use drinking alcohol, and then treat them with a special solution she’d learned about in school.

  Though many doctors were still resistant to the practice of antisepsis, she believed it helped to save lives. Unfortunately, the ivory and wooden handles on the surgical instruments didn’t hold up well to the current chemical and heat treatments, so she hoped that more and better sterilization techniques would be developed in the near future.

  The sound of the medical tools and bottles in the bag clinking against each other seemed loud in the stillness of the room. Somehow she felt very alone right now.

  She glanced back at Joe as she closed the bag. He hadn’t moved. She was too worried to leave him alone tonight and doubted anyone would blame her for staying close by. Even if they did, she didn’t care. She didn’t intend to leave his side until he was able to care for himself again.

  She strolled over to the bed and sat beside him. She felt his forehead—slightly warm, but nothing concerning. She yawned and stretched out next to him, careful not to bounce the bed.

  For several minutes she simply stared at him, thinking about how close she had come to losing the man she loved, simply because he wouldn’t fire on Cora, because he hadn’t believed she would turn on him. She curled her fingers around his forearm, needing to feel her flesh against his. That connection between them was important and soothed her.

  Exhausted, she closed her eyes just to get a small moment of rest. At some point though she stopped fighting the weariness. She gave in to her body’s demands and totally relaxed. As soon as she did, she fell into a sound sleep.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Images from her life flashed through her mind. Swirls of color and a cacophony of sounds surrounded her. The overload to her senses made her dizzy and slightly sick to her stomach.

  But little by little, her vision cleared and the sounds faded. The assault on her senses eased and everything became calm.

  Before her lay a tranquil meadow scene. A pretty red blanket had been spread out in the shade under a large tree. She sat on the blanket, feeling completely at peace for the first time in a long while. She smelled the fresh scent of a pond nearby and recognized the area as a place where she and Joe used to picnic years ago.

  At the thought of him, Joe appeared out of nowhere and ambled over to sit beside her on the blanket. He wasn’t hurt and a smile lit his face. “Those ham sandwiches were delicious. And I especially loved the oatmeal cookies you baked,” he told her.

  “Thanks.” She loved to bake. But not as much as she loved Joe. He looked so handsome, so perfect. She felt the most content when by his side, more so than when she was with anyone else. She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.

  He turned his head and cupped her chin, bringing her mouth to his. Slowly he kissed her, parting her lips. His tongue touched hers and she melted against him. He tasted sweet and intoxicating at the same time.

  In the blur of a moment, they were both naked on the blanket and she wasn’t sure how it happened or where their clothes had gone. She lay on her back and Joe was kissing a trail down her body—along her throat, between her breasts, down her ribs, over her stomach, right to her pussy. She moaned at the incredible sensations. He spread her lips with his thumbs and continued the intimate exploration with his tongue. Slow, soft licks.

  “Oh!” A jolt of pleasure streaked through her body then faded slightly, only to once more expand into her every pore.

  When he closed his lips around her fleshy bud of nerves and sucked lightly, sh
e arched and gripped the blanket beneath her. Higher and higher he took her. A cool breeze wafted over her body, teasing her nipples. She climaxed. “Yes!” The feeling reached an apex, then began to ebb, but still lingered slightly in every limb, like a drug that hadn’t completely worn off. She wished the ecstasy would never end. “Oh Joe…”

  Before she knew his intentions, he turned her onto her stomach and pushed something soft—her bunched-up, discarded petticoat, she thought—beneath her hips. “Joe?”

  He didn’t say anything. He simply spread her ass cheeks. She wasn’t sure what was happening. She felt something smooth and wet glide along the crack. His tongue? She trembled at the moist contact. Then she felt the head of his cock pressing against her hole. She gasped, not knowing what to do. “What—”

  “Shh. It’s all right,” he assured her. “I won’t hurt you.”

  Slowly he penetrated her ass and she squirmed beneath him. He moved his hands tenderly up her body. His fingers circled her upper arms and he held her down against the blanket. Not that she was fighting him. She’d never fight him. She just didn’t know what to make of what was happening to her. As he moved his hips back and forth, she began to relax and enjoy the tight sensation, the feeling of being so completely filled by him.

  He leaned down and licked her ear, then chuckled lightly. “Do you like my cock in your ass?”

  “I-I…yes,” she answered in a low breathy tone, barely able to speak.

  “This is just the beginning of the things that I want to do to you.”

  “Oh, yes, please.” Anything he wanted. She trusted him completely with her body and with her heart. She wanted to be with him in every way possible and enjoy all the pleasures that a man and a woman could together.

  He moved his hips more aggressively. Short, fast strokes. He groaned and his body stiffened as he climaxed hard, spilling his come. “Ah yeah!” He reached beneath her and rubbed the tender bud of flesh within the folds of her pussy. “I need you to feel the same pleasure.”

  At his words and touch, she climaxed. Not as strongly as before but the sensations still made her sigh in utter fulfillment. After that everything jumbled before her eyes. Then she felt as if she were floating on clouds. She sensed Joe nearby but couldn’t see him anymore. His soothing voice penetrated her brain.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Her eyes fluttered open, and in that instant, her body once more exploded. She cried out as waves of ecstasy coursed through her. Only after the feeling began to wane did she realize that she was awake and Joe’s fingers were under her petticoats and inside her undergarments, lightly stroking her pussy.

  She gripped his arm and looked over at him. “What are you doing?” she asked in a mere whisper, still trying to recover her breath and figure out exactly what had happened. Part of it had been a dream, she figured, and part not. But how much?

  “Making you come. That was number three. Want to go for four?”

  She looked around and realized that quite a few hours had passed. She could tell from the shadows in the room. She brushed away his hand and sat up beside him. Every limb of her body was still trembling from the pleasure he’d given her. “You’re supposed to be resting,” she admonished, but was unable to pull off any real anger, given the climaxes she’d just had. “You’re shot, you know?” She examined his bandage. It still looked fine. No further bleeding.

  He scooted up beside her. “I am resting. I haven’t strained at all. The only thing I did was move my fingers inside you and watch you come.”

  “Is that really all you did?” She looked at him suspiciously.

  He chuckled. “Of course. I’m not up for much else. Not yet. Watching you climax was very soothing for me. And entertaining. What were you dreaming?”

  She couldn’t believe how he was making light of what had happened to him. “Joe! You could have been killed today.” Her voice rose a notch before she contained it.

  “But I wasn’t.” He moved his arm around just a bit as if testing how badly he’d been injured.

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Careful.”

  “It’s fine. Well, maybe not fine, but I’ll heal. Thanks for fixing me up.” He cupped her cheek and kissed her gently on the lips. “Hey, I don’t think it was really that bad. I’ve been shot a lot worse in my life. And more than once.” His eyes narrowed and he glanced around. “How long have I been out?”

  “A while. I didn’t expect you to wake up until morning. Are you in pain?”

  He shrugged. “A little. I must be getting soft. I don’t usually pass out from anything, not even when I’m shot.”

  “You’re far from soft. You lost a lot of blood and were probably in shock. I can give you something for the discomfort.” She had some powder in her bag.

  “No. It’s not that bad yet. Later maybe, so I can sleep more restfully.”

  She nodded. That was probably best. The less dependent he was on medication, the better.

  With his good arm, he reached up to scratch his head and winced.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I think I must have hit my head when I fell.” He fingered the side of his scalp. “There’s a bump.”

  Concern filled her. Maybe that’s why he’d passed out and not from the shot itself. “Let me see.” She examined the bump. It wasn’t large but definitely there. “Do you have a headache?”

  “No. I didn’t even know it was there until I touched it.”

  She’d missed it too, damn it! “If you get a headache or feel nauseous be sure to let me know.” Head injuries could be dangerous, especially if they caused someone to black out.

  “Yes ma’am.” He smiled, but then his expression changed and a serious look entered his eyes. “My memory is pretty spotty. I remember Cora being in the house. I guess she was the one who set off the dynamite as a distraction. What did she want?”

  “The money.”

  His brow furrowed. “Then she shot me?”

  “Yes. You were lucky that you weren’t standing any closer to her when she fired. She might have gotten you in the head.”

  “Yeah. It could have been a lot worse. I didn’t know she was such a good shot. What happened to her?”

  “Montana showed up and shot her before she could fire on anyone else.”

  “Montana?” His eyes narrowed. “Who’s that?”

  “Um, well, actually he—he’s a friend of Willie’s,” she finally said. She saw no point in telling Joe that Montana had been the one in cahoots with Slim and Cora. Maybe after Joe recovered she’d fill him in. She knew that Montana had a good heart and he deserved a chance to further prove himself before anyone condemned him.

  “Willie has a friend?”

  “Of course. You think she wouldn’t?”

  “I’ve just never seen her with anyone. Why couldn’t she have a female friend? They’re not drinking together, are they? Things can happen when someone’s drunk. She’s just a kid and could be taken advantage of. I want to talk to this Montana person.”

  He grew tense and Emma smoothed his brow with a light touch. “Relax. It’s fine. Nothing is going on between them. Even if there were, Willie’s young but she’s not a kid, Joe. She’s a young lady. You need to accept that. You can’t control what she does.”

  “She’s fourteen!”

  “She’s sixteen if she’s a day. You know that full well. And she might even be older.”

  He frowned. “You’re not making me feel better about this.”

  “Sorry. You know Willie is cautious and doesn’t let just anyone get close. Don’t get yourself all worked up over nothing.”

  Slowly, he leaned back against the pillow. “I suppose you’re right. But I still want to meet him.”

  “Soon. He’s across the hall. He got shot in the leg but he’ll be fine.” Before Joe could ask more questions, she scooted off the bed and headed toward a pitcher and a bowl of water. She needed to clean herself up and get decent. She grabbed a cloth and the bowl and disappeared behind a dressing screen.
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  “Did his shot kill Cora?” Joe asked.

  “Yes.” She listened for his response but he remained silent. “How do you feel about that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Disappointment filled her. She wished he’d have said that Cora had gotten what she’d deserved. That woman would have killed him, all of them, if she could have. Though she supposed it didn’t matter now. Cora was gone for good and couldn’t hurt them anymore. “I’ll head down in a minute and get you something to eat. You need to keep up your strength.”

  “Thanks. I could eat.”

  She smiled. A good sign. Apparently the shooting hadn’t been as serious as she’d thought. But she loved Joe and any injury to someone she loved was serious in her mind and one injury too many.

  She should have done a more thorough exam and found that bump on his head though. Her emotions had clouded her judgment. She’d been warned about that in school. In the future, she would heed the warning more closely and make certain nothing got by her. She would never be perfect but she aimed to try her best.

  Once decent, she left the room and closed the door behind her to make sure Joe wasn’t disturbed. She walked down to where Montana was staying and looked in on him. Willie sat by his side as he slept. She didn’t want to disturb him so she told Willie that she’d check on him later.

  As she walked down the stairs, she heard a commotion outside. “What now?” She pulled open the front door.

  Two wagons rolled through the gate and into the yard. Men rushed to greet them.

  Emma’s heart leapt. Yes! The family was home. She stepped outside to welcome them back.

  Wade jumped down from the first wagon and swung Colton to the ground. One of the hands helped Skylar down while others started unloading the wagons. Cal climbed down from the second wagon and he and the foreman helped Beth from the seat. She held Josie close to her heart.

  Emma waved. When Beth saw her, a huge smile crossed her face and she carefully handed off the baby to Cal. She ran forward and the two hugged.

  “It’s so good to see you,” Beth said.