Rosalinda smiled warmly and handed Jenna a bouquet of flowers. The arrangement was filled with all of Jenna’s favorites and decorating the center was one large white magnolia. Jenna’s face beamed with joy as she clung to the fragrant bouquet. “Oh, these are beautiful.”
“They match the beauty in your eyes, Jenna. You go and be happy with your man.” He heard her whisper, “You make lots of babies.”
Jenna’s face flushed with rosy color and a little nervous chuckle escaped.
Making babies with Jenna. He couldn’t wait. The sooner they got onto the wagon, the sooner they’d get to Goose Creek to make it all legal. And then came the baby-making time. His body had been tested to its limits lately. And the thought of finally claiming Jenna as his put notions in his head that weren’t fit for a morning ride.
Ben strode over to him, handing him an envelope. He stared at it, wondering what Ben had in mind.
“For the weddin’,” Ben said. “This is money left over from the seeder. Rosalinda and me, we thought a nice dinner and a stay in one of them fine hotels for the night would make a nice gift.”
He hesitated, his pride getting in the way. He had no money of his own, not a dime to his name. He’d wanted to do something special for Jenna. This was her wedding day. She deserved so much more than he could give her. He’d planned on selling his long coat to make do in Goose Creek, but Ben had hinted that he’d need that coat. Winters in Goodwill could be brutal. He couldn’t argue with that and now Ben faced him, his gray eyes filled with encouragement.
“Take it, for Jenna.” Ben passed him a look only another male would understand. He spoke quietly, “She deserves a nice weddin’.”
He accepted the offered envelope then, shaking Ben’s hand briskly, thanking him. Jenna did deserve a nice wedding and he’d see to her happiness from now on. He’d provide for her and take the burden of running the farm out of her hands. As soon as he learned about farming, that is.
He glanced at Ben once again, vowing that he’d make it up to him, too…to all of them. They’d been good friends.
Shortly after, they took off, leaving Twin Oaks in the dust. He sat back in the seat of the wagon, listening to Jenna’s enthusiasm. Once she’d accepted his proposal, she’d begun making all kinds of plans for the farm. How much more acreage they could plant now. And with him working alongside of the others, their profits would go up. She wanted to enlarge the henhouse so they could buy more chickens. She wanted to breed the hogs and maybe one day raise some sheep. She had all sorts of new things stirring around in her head.
He liked listening to her. He liked seeing her happy. She was a woman a man could stay with forever. For the first time since he’d been bleeding out by that pond and left for dead, he thought that somehow his luck had changed.
He was a man with no past. But now, thanks to Jenna, he had a future. He liked that about her, too.
“You enjoying the meal, Mrs. Montgomery?” he asked, watching Jenna push food around in her plate. They’d gotten to Goose Creek two hours ago, met with Reverend Archer and in the space of one hour were married. It was a quiet, simple ceremony and that suited him just fine. He was a married man now, sitting across from his new bride in the Honey Belle Hotel, eating dinner in the dining room.
He kept glancing at Jenna’s face. She sure seemed happy. She’d been talkative on the way into town, but now she sat quietly, forking her food slowly and smiling shyly, relishing the meal and taking it all in. She deserved to be waited on, he thought earnestly, deserved the best in life. If he could, he’d try to give her that.
But for now, he couldn’t wait for the meal to be over. She’d ordered steak and hot mashed potatoes with some fancy gravy and more vegetables piled on a plate than he’d seen growing on some farms. She had a ways to go on the food. But their hotel room was not fifty paces away, up the stairs, then a turn to the left, the hotel clerk had said.
It was all he could think about.
Getting naked with Jenna. Making love to her. Making her his in the eyes of the law and of the Lord.
Hell, he just wanted to get to it.
“It’s going take getting used to,” she said, stopping the fork from going into her mouth.
“Huh?”
“Being Mrs. Montgomery. Of course it’s all I’ve really wanted for years now. But still, it sounds sorta funny hearing you say it.”
She took the bite that had been on her fork and he let go the breath that he’d been holding.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m having a time getting used to being Mr. Montgomery. And that’s been my name since birth.”
“It’ll come, Blue. One day, you’ll remember.”
“I’m not planning on it happening soon. Seems it would’ve happened by now. Why, I’d bet the last of the money in my pocket that I don’t get my memory back at all this year.”
Jenna froze, her face going white as snow.
“What? What’d I say?”
“You wouldn’t, would you, Blue? You wouldn’t gamble away your last dollar? You wouldn’t gamble at all, would you?”
Where had that come from? Blue didn’t even know why he’d said it, but he should’ve been more considerate of Jenna’s feelings, knowing how she hated gamblers. Knowing why she hated gamblers. He called himself every sort of fool for speaking without thinking first. Fact is, he wasn’t thinking about anything other than getting his beautiful new bride upstairs. He took her hand. “No, it’s just a saying, is all. I wouldn’t bet on anything and I’m sorry to have put that look on your face.”
They’d promised each other that they’d never speak of Bobby Joe and what he’d done to her again. It was over and done with and he admonished himself for not realizing how his offhand remark would affect her.
She smiled and began eating again. “Oh, I’m sorry for taking offense, Blue. It’s silly of me. I know you hate gamblers as much as I do. You said so…in your letters. They are useless men who don’t know how to earn an honest living, that’s what you said.”
“Mmmm,” he replied, not really hearing Jenna. He found the loosened lace that secured her bodice more interesting. One pull and the whole darn thing would come down.
“I’m through,” she said finally, pushing her plate away. “I just couldn’t eat another bite.”
Relief swamped him. Now they could get to the baby-making part of the wedding night. He grinned and called the waiter over, ready to pay up.
“Sir, would you and the missus care for dessert? We have a wide array of fine pastries, cherry cobbler, blueberry cream tarts and puddings in several flavors?”
“No,” he said firmly.
“Yes,” she said at the same time.
The ache in his groin intensified. He ran a hand down his face.
The waiter offered cordially, “Shall I bring in the dessert tray, madam?”
“Yes, yes. That would be lovely,” Jenna said. “Blue, don’t you care for dessert?”
Blue gritted his teeth and shook his head. She was all he planned on having for dessert. “I’m fine, Jenna. You go on and have whatever you like.”
She smiled as the waiter returned with the tray filled with delectables. “Oh, they all look so delicious. It may take a while for me to decide.”
After she finished dessert and coffee, Jenna gazed up at her husband. He had those hungry eyes again, which frightened her a bit, but at the same time thrilled her. She wanted to know him in all ways and tonight she knew she would. He stood quietly, took her hand and led her up the stairs to their hotel room. With a click of the latch, she found herself alone with her new husband in a room Jenna might have only dreamed about. She moved about the room, taking it all in. Frilly curtains of lemon yellow covered the windows and flowery wallpaper decorated the walls. To one side, a curtained partition hid a large porcelain bathtub and on the other side, centered on an oblong mahogany table, a cut-crystal vase held cheerful yellow daisies. When she braved a glance at the rather large sleigh bed all fluffy with quilts an
d pillows, she took a hard swallow. “It’s lovely,” she managed, turning to him.
“The best room in the hotel, Jenna. You deserve the best.”
“Oh, Blue.”
He came to her then, taking her hands, then drawing her into his arms. His steadfast embrace soothed her nerves. He whispered softly, “I’m your husband now, Jenna. You’re my wife. Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
Jenna gazed up into his eyes and witnessed his sincerity. She knew then she could do what he asked. She could set aside her fears for Blue. Jenna Duncan Montgomery finally felt at peace. She cast her new husband a smile.
He kissed her then, a long, drawn-out, sweet kiss that spoke of trust and caring. Jenna relaxed. This was what she’d dreamed of, what she’d wanted for so long. “I love you, Blue.”
He smiled, a crooked cocky lifting of his lips that melted her bones. He kissed her again and again, this time with passion, and she returned his kisses heartily. On a deep guttural groan, he pulled her against him, his hands roaming freely, touching and caressing everywhere. She felt the pull of ribbon and her dress parted down her shoulders. He helped ride the sleeves down and then brought his mouth to her breasts.
She moaned from pleasure and joy and denied him nothing. Within minutes, she was standing in a pool of her clothes, petticoats and dress discarded easily. He lifted her then and carried her to the bed. Gently, he lay her down and removed the last of her protection. Her chemise met with the rest of her garments on the floor.
Those hungry blue eyes were on her again, studying her with an expression of delight.
“Beautiful, Jenna.” He stroked a hand through her hair, releasing pins and arranging the locks against the pillow. “Remember when I told you what I wanted to do with you once we were married?”
She nodded. How could she forget such erotic things? They’d swirled around in her mind for days on end, making her lose precious sleep at times. She’d wondered about what he’d said, what he’d actually meant. She’d thought and thought, trying to figure out just how it would all work. And tonight, she would find out. She would give herself completely to Blue, placing her heart in his hands, her trust in him entirely.
“Let me?”
She gulped down. Tonight, she’d find out what she’d always wondered. Tonight, Blue would claim her as his wife. She would be his, and he would be hers for all of their days. Her dream was coming true. “Yes,” she whispered.
He kissed her again and brought his hand down past her belly, finding her soft woman’s center. He stroked her lightly and she moaned from the delicious sensations that slight touch evoked. “Oh, my.”
His touch elevated her senses. She felt everything threefold, and these new feelings were much more startling than Jenna had ever imagined. Blue stroked her body with careful finesse, a bold yet tender caressing that left Jenna positively breathless. He played her body like a fine instrument, gliding, tracing, strumming her until her breaths became ragged and her heart thumped nearly out of her chest. He touched her everywhere, his eyes dark with appreciation and desire. He spoke softly, gentle whispers belying the wildfire he was surely creating. His lips found her breasts, his hands, her hair and when he groaned, the deep rich sound made every nerve in her body tingle.
Blue rose from the bed and undressed before her. His gaze latched onto hers, beckoning her and daring her to watch. Boldly she stared as her new husband peeled away his clothes and the reality struck her like a bolt of lightning. Blue was hers, all bronzed skin and solid strength. His magnificence should have frightened her, but how could it? She’d never witnessed such beauty in anyone before. She’d never known a man could be so rough and hard in one way and so impossibly beautiful in another.
He came to her then, pressing himself down onto the bed. He kissed her until her lips bruised sweetly, and then he was above her, his hungry eyes on her with heat and desire. And as they joined, flames burst forth, first with slight pain, then with something far more staggering in its wonder. Blue was careful with her, coaxing her, caressing her, holding back his own passion so that she might find her way. And Blue seemed to know the exact moment when she had. Together, as one, they climbed to the highest peak, stunning Jenna with its intensity. Both cried out, two souls joining, the blazing fire blasting one last time before simmering to a slow sizzle of heat.
Blue took her in his arms and held her. No words were necessary now. Nothing they could say would match what they’d both experienced. Jenna closed her eyes, content and sated, with Blue Montgomery by her side.
Just like she’d always dreamed.
He left her lazy and rumpled in their bed and went downstairs to order bathwater for her later on. With the bit of money left in his pockets, he decided to buy Jenna a wedding gift. Something real nice, something fancy that she’d never think of buying for herself.
Jenna deserved the best.
She’d probably sleep for another hour at least. After the night they’d spent making love, she’d probably like to sleep all day. He would have loved that as well. Waking up with Jenna in his arms had been nothing short of wonderful. He’d been awed by Jenna’s beauty, taken by the gift of her body, the way she’d placed her faith in him. He’d been gentle with her, as gentle as his hungered body would allow. He’d promised not to hurt her and he hadn’t. For that, he was grateful. He’d held back for as long as he could, making sure she’d been properly readied.
But he hadn’t expected her passion to run as deep as his. He hadn’t expected her responses to shatter him the way that they had. She’d been more than he’d hoped and now they were bonded together forever. They’d have their days together, and then their nights. He had a whole lot planned for those nights. A wide grin split his face thinking, memory or not, today he was about the luckiest man alive.
He strode down the street, heading for the mercantile. Voices from the alley between the barber-shop and the telegraph office caught his attention. He glanced down the narrow path. Three men had a young man pinned up against the wall. They were beating him senseless.
He shot a quick look up and down the street, noting the sheriff’s office was too far away. The man would be dead before he raced back with the law. Instinct had him heading down that alley. “Hey!” he shouted, hoping a witness would be enough to scare the men off. That had been his first mistake. All three men turned, casting him hard jaded looks. These men weren’t about to be scared off.
“Mind your business. Get out!” One man shouted. He appeared to be the leader, brawny in build and evil to look at.
Blue glanced at the young man’s swollen face, bloodied and bruised. Whatever their argument, three against one just wasn’t fair odds. Without thought, he bounced into the fray, pulling one man off the victim and knocking a fist into another.
The men couldn’t help notice him now.
He found himself reaching for his gun, a holster that wasn’t there. He had no time to think on that, on what that meant. The young man, no longer pinned up against the wall, got into it as well, making the odds much better. Two against three was a bit more justified, even if the young victim hadn’t much spirit left in him.
He noticed the brawny man who’d shouted at him reaching for his gun. On sheer gut instinct, Blue quickly hoisted a gun out of another assailant’s holster. Taking aim, and realizing the other man wasn’t about to hesitate, he fired a shot, winging the man in the shoulder. The gun the man held flipped out of his hand.
“Damn, you shot me,” he cried, his good hand coming up to the wound. Blood oozed out through his fingers.
Blue held the gun steady on all three, as bits and pieces of memory returned quickly like lightning flashes. Images burst through in waves, until his head spun. The gun, the shooting. He saw himself in another situation, standing in a saloon. It had been three against one then, too. And that time he had been the one. He’d shot a man and he knew that man was dead.
“Hey, I know you!” One of the three offenders shouted. “We all thought you
was dead.”
“What?” he asked.
“You, why you’re—”
He didn’t let the man get the words out. He didn’t have to. He knew who he was. Suddenly. He knew what he was. Memories poured in, fast, like darting animals across a field, but he had no time for them now. He spoke his own name as dread seeped into his gut. “Cash Callahan.”
“That’s right! We heard you was beaten and robbed, you and another man, yanked right off that stagecoach. Left for dead.”
Cash recalled some of that now. The images were blackened and faded, but starting to come through. And the realization hit him hard, the implications far too confusing for him to sort through at this time.
“Thanks, Mr. Callahan.” The young beaten man came up to him, holding his jaw, but not looking too worse for wear. He’d be all right in a few days.
Cash couldn’t see past the images fogging his mind, but he knew he had to. This situation wasn’t resolved yet. He held three men at gunpoint, one of whom was bleeding.
“I didn’t like the odds,” he said to the young victim. And suddenly he knew why that was so important to him. Suddenly, he knew that playing the odds had been his life.
“What happened here?” He pointed the gun at the three men looking for answers. It dawned on him how easily he held the gun, how right it felt in his hand.
“Willy cheated us at cards last night. We came to get our money.”
“Did not,” Willy denied. “I won that money fair and square. You folks were drinking too much to know a king-high straight from a pair of deuces.”
The four men began arguing, raising voices, making accusations.
“Hold it!” he shouted above their ranting. “We’re gonna let the sheriff decide.” With the tip of the gun, he nudged them out of the alley.
“Ahh, do we have to?” One of the assailants whined.
“Sure do. I don’t trust you all to settle this on your own, and we got a man here bleeding. He needs to see a doctor.”
Two hours later, after giving a statement to the sheriff, Cash waited by the wagon for Jenna, still reeling from his revelation. His insides churned, the bitter reminder of who he was couldn’t be ignored. Though Cash found it hard facing the truth about himself, about the life he had led, he knew he had no choice but to open his mind and allow all those memories to flow in. And they did flow, hundreds of images coming to mind, and each one reminding him that he wasn’t the man Jenna wanted. He wasn’t Blue Montgomery, farmer. He wasn’t the man who Jenna had admired, who’d struggled hard on a family farm, until soft words and hope-filled pages in those letters, had him venturing to a new life with a sweet, loving woman.
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