by Laura Drewry
Jed would not live here without Lucy, and if it meant giving up everything to be with her, then so be it. Deacon coiled again, his face contorted with an angry sneer. A deafening rumble crashed through the air, shaking the ground beneath them and sending branches flying from the tree.
Maggie and Berta screamed above Reverend Conroy’s booming prayers, but the rumble continued, growing in strength and intensity.
With his left hand wrapped around Lucy’s arm, Deacon raised his right hand above his head and swung it down again, pointing his fingers directly at Jed’s heart.
“No!” Lucy ripped free of Deacon’s grip and threw herself at Jed, her body the only thing standing between the two men. Jed’s arms folded around her just as Deacon’s strike hit, slamming her in the back, and sending both her and Jed tumbling to the ground.
She gasped hard, a sound echoed by Deacon, and then silence.
“Lucy.” Jed pushed her off, staring down at her tear-stained face, searching for. . .what? Whatever pain Deacon had meant for Jed, it hit Lucy square in the back. He moved his hands over every inch of her arms, neck, head and back, but could find nothing.
Nothing. She was alive, she was breathing, and she was. . .smiling.
Her green eyes sparkled behind her dark lashes.
“Are you. . .?”
“I’m fine,” she smiled back at him. “I’m. . .Deacon!”
They spun around to see Deacon collapse to the ground in a grunting heap.
“L-Lucille,” he sputtered. “How. . .?”
“What happened?” She scrambled over to him, followed closely by Jed. There wasn’t a hope in hell of him letting her go anywhere near Deacon by herself. Not after that – whatever that was.
“I think. . .” Deacon said, his voice shallow and pained. “Why did you. . .? You blocked it.”
“I couldn’t let you hurt him,” Lucy choked on a sob. “I love him.”
Deacon tried to sit up, but the effort was too much. All he could manage was to roll onto his back, pulling his hat toward him.
“But l-love makes you weak.”
“No,” Lucy snuffled. “It makes you strong.”
The weasly little ferret poked its head out of Deacon’s pocket, sniffed the air, then darted out across the dirt, and disappeared in a gopher hole.
Deacon grimaced. “But no one’s ever. . .it c-can’t be possible.I--” With a sharp intake of breath, Deacon gave up and fell silent. The anger, the hatred and the fear disappeared from his face, replaced with a look of disbelief, confusion and intense pain. “But he said. . .I never thought. . .”
Lucy stood and took Jed’s hand. “He lied.”
Jed couldn’t stop staring at her; that long black glossy hair, those brilliant green eyes, and those lips. God, but he loved the taste of those lips.
“I’m sorry.” Lucy cupped his face in her hands and looked deep into his eyes. “I’m so very sorry.”
He hesitated a second, then dipped his head closer to hers. She might be sorry, but he wasn’t. His mouth hovered a breath above hers, his fingers wound their way through her hair, and she leaned into him, ready for his kiss.
Berta’s sharp gasp stopped them cold.
“What?”
They all looked to where she was pointing. Deacon was gone. The impression of where he’d fallen remained in the dirt, but there was no sign of him.
“He just. . .disappeared,” Berta gasped. “Just like that.”
Jed watched a cloud float across Lucy’s face, wishing he could ease the frown from her brow. Deacon had gone back empty handed, and there was no telling what would happen to him.
“He doesn’t deserve your love, Lucy.” Jed wrapped his arms around her and breathed through her hair.
She shrugged. “He’s family.”
A chuckle rumbled up through Jed’s chest. “God help us.”
“J-Jedidiah?” Maggie watched him with wide, questioning eyes. But for the first time in weeks, those eyes were also clear and sane.
“Maggie.” Jed and Lucy spoke her name at the same time, then hurried to her side.
“We need to get you to the doctor,” Jed said. He squatted down beside her and brushed the hair back from her face. “I’m sorry, Maggie.”
She shrugged slowly. “You couldn’t have known.”
He pulled the edge of the cloth back and peered down at his niece. “She’s beautiful,” he grinned. “Just like her mama.”
Maggie started to smile, but then her lip trembled, and her whole body was wracked with sobs.
“Shh,” he murmured, wrapping his arms around her. “It’ll be okay.”
“S-Sam. . .”
“I know.” He eased the baby into his own arms, then passed her carefully to Berta. “Come on.”
With steady movements, he lifted Maggie into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to sob against his shirt.
Moving as one, the entire group turned and began the walk into town. Reverend Conroy led the way, his Bible clutched against his chest. Berta walked next, the baby snuggled tight in her arms, and Lucy walked beside Jed.
And that was just where he wanted her.
o0o
Doc Billings set Maggie up in one of his exam rooms, where he planned to keep her for a few days. No one dared tell him what had gone on that afternoon, not even Reverend Conroy. He’d simply blessed them all, laid his hand on Lucy’s head, and left.
Staring down at the soft downy head of his perfect niece, and the calm hands of her mother, it hit Jed all at once: they were safe, the baby was beautiful and healthy, and Sam could finally be laid to rest.
He’d never felt such intense joy and sorrow at the same time. All he could do was stare at the baby in absolute wonder.
Who’d have thought they would ever see this day?
Lucy moved beside him, offered a sad smile, and rubbed her thumbs under his eyes to dry the sudden moistness that appeared. He sandwiched her hands between his and tucked them against his chest.
He just wanted to take his wife home and try to forget everything that had happened. But when the baby cried out, Jed knew they’d never forget. She was the miracle that would remind them every day. Berta bustled around, tucking in Maggie’s blankets and making sure the pillows were positioned properly. “There now,” Berta nodded. “Let’s be on our way. Mama and baby need their rest.”
“She’ll be fine,” Doc Billings assured them as he ushered them out the door. “I’ll be here all night and you’re welcome to come back tomorrow.”
Jed and Berta both kissed Maggie and the baby goodbye, then followed Lucy outside. They stood on the walk, staring out at the passersby, for a full five minutes. No one spoke, and no one moved. It was almost as though they were all afraid to disturb the peace they’d finally found.
“Well,” Berta finally said. “I’m going to take myself home.” She smiled brightly at Lucy, her tears held in check, and squeezed her hand. “I knew you could do it.”
They hugged each other tight, then stepped back.
“Take her home,” Berta said to Jed. “I’d wager you could both use some rest.”
“We’ll see you tomorrow?” Jed asked, surprised at how he suddenly wanted all of them to be together.
Berta smiled, nodded, and began to walk toward her tiny house at the edge of town. Lucy slipped her hand in Jed’s and they both headed for the livery.
It was a quiet ride home. Jed grappled to accept all they’d been through in the last few hours and how they’d move on from here. But then Lucy slid along the bench seat and pressed next to him. With her hand resting on his thigh, and her head resting on his shoulder, he knew exactly how they’d move on. Side by side, day by day, they’d build a life on the love they shared. There wasn’t anything they couldn’t face, wasn’t any fight they couldn’t win.
He reined the horses to a stop near the corral and set the brake.
“Come on.” He took her hand, and together they moved to the edge of the bench. Without rel
easing her, he hopped down, then reached for her.
They stood in the stillness of the yard for a long minute, Lucy’s back pressed against his chest, his arms wrapped around her middle.
Lucy’s voice, a feather-soft whisper, caught on a sob. “You love me.”
“Yeah.” He brushed a kiss against the top of her head, and held her tighter. “I do.”
“But no one’s ever. . .” She stopped, then swallowed. “Do you have any idea what could have happened?”
“Yes,” he choked over his forced laugh. “I could have gone the rest of my life without drinking another cup of that swill you call coffee.”
Lucy didn’t laugh. “Weren’t you scared?”
“Of Deacon?” Tell the truth, Caine. “No. Of losing you?” He pressed his face against her hair and inhaled a long slow breath. “Scared the hell out of me.”
She turned in his arms, pressed her face against his chest and shuddered. “Me, too.”
She snuggled closer, clinging to him as though afraid he’d let her go. That would never happen. Damn but he loved this woman. How or when that happened, he couldn’t be sure, but he’d wager it started at the auction, the second her hands touched his. Those hands were the first truth he knew about Lucy. He lifted them to his lips and pressed a kiss against each callous.
Lucy watched him with her wide green eyes. “I can’t believe how it’s all changed.”
“What’s changed?” he asked between kisses.
Her smile was a mixture of shame and laughter. “It was only a few weeks ago that you didn’t want to touch me, no matter no matter what I did.”
“Oh no,” Jed groaned through his laughter. “I wanted to. Sweet Jesus, Lucy, I wanted to.”
She eased her fingers from his and set to work on the first button of his shirt. A coy smile lifted her lips. “Do you still want to?”
Hard already, Jed forced a sigh over his grin. “I’m actually a little tired.”
“Okay. Maybe later.” Lucy laughed wickedly, spun on her heel and made for the house. “There’s plenty of work needs doing.”
“The hell with that.” In one fluid motion, Jed lifted her in his arms and made a direct line for the barn. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed against his skin.
“I do love it when you hold me like this.”
“Good,” he growled as he kicked open the barn door. “Because it’s going to happen a lot.”
Lucy giggled softly. “Does that mean we’re about to get lusty and impassioned, husband?”
“I’m already there, sweetheart.”
EPILOGUE
1884
“I made coffee.” Lucy turned from the stove as Jed strode through the kitchen door. “Hot and strong, just the way you like it.”
She watched the familiar grimace flicker across his face, then disappear behind his smile. Three years and that smile still melted her heart.
First things first, Jed pulled her into his arms for a long, hungry kiss. Didn’t matter what she was doing or where he’d just come from, every time he walked through that door, he kissed her.
“I missed you,” he murmured against her lips.
Lucy laughed. “You’ve been gone an hour, Jed.”
He shrugged and kissed her again. “Still missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” she admitted happily, “but you need to get cleaned up. Maggie’s waiting.”
Jed frowned.
“Supper,” Lucy reminded him. “For Samantha’s birthday.”
In the months following Samantha’s birth, Lucy had tried to avoid Maggie whenever possible. To this day, the guilt of what happened hung over her like a dead weight, despite the fact Maggie had forgiven her for everything, and welcomed her into the Caine family with the first supper in her new house. Gradually, the two had formed a deep bond, and Lucy loved Samantha with a deep fierceness she couldn’t explain.
“Right.” An odd little grin spread over Jed’s face. “Supper.”
“What?” Staying in his embrace, Lucy pulled back a bit to study his expression. “What’s going on?”
He shrugged.
“Jed.”
“It’s supposed to be a surprise.”
This time she did pull out of his arms. He grabbed for her, but she stepped out of his reach. “Tell me.”
Excitement danced in Jed’s eyes, making him look more like a child on Christmas morning than a grown man. “Well, it’s about George.”
Almost two years ago, George had given up his position at the bank and had come to work the ranch with Jed. He’d helped them finish Maggie’s house, and then worked side-by-side with Jed and Lucy to build theirs then took over the dingy little lean-to as his own. His share of the herd grazed alongside Jed’s. It had shocked them all, George included, to discover he was such a natural around the animals. And with his knowledge of numbers, he’d become a necessary and welcome part of the ranch.
More than that, he had become like family.
“What’s he up to?” Lucy asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Jed teased.
Lucy sidled up to him until they were chest to chest. With a slight nudge, she backed him up into the big oak table, just where she needed him. She traced her finger down his jaw and across his bottom lip.
“Tell me.”
He leaned in for a kiss, but she was too quick. All he found was her cheek. “Lucy,” he pleaded, leaning in again.
“Tell me.”
She curled her hands around his neck, letting her fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. He moaned softly, but held his tongue.
Lucy leaned closer. She slid her hands down, over his shoulders, across his chest, and lower until they found the closure of his trousers.
“Oh Lord.” The words ripped from his throat on a low growl.
“Tell me.” She breathed soft kisses against his Adam’s apple while her fingers undid the buttons of his waistband.
He swallowed hard against her lips, but didn’t speak. Very slowly, she slipped her hand inside his waistband while she continued to feather-kiss his neck and chin. Her fingers grazed over his hip, then inched toward his abdomen, pulling a harsh gasp from Jed.
“Oh, fine— he’s going to propose!” he rasped, staggered, then scooped her into his arms and strode towards the bedroom. “Are you happy now?”
“That’s so romantic,” Lucy sighed. “Don’t you think?”
Jed set her on their big feather bed and ripped his shirt open, sending buttons flying in every direction. Over the last few years, Lucy had become quite adept at sewing them back on.
“The only thing I’m thinking about right now,” he said, waggling his brow at her, “is how I can get you to stop thinking about George and start thinking about me.”
“It’s always about you, isn’t it?” She grinned.
“It should be, yeah.” He lifted her right foot, pulled off her boot, then slid his fingers up her leg to the top of her stocking. “But right now,” he murmured as he pressed soft kisses to the inside of her knee, “it’s all about you.”
“Oooh, good,” she murmured on a sigh. “I love it when it’s all about me.”
“So do I.” Jed waggled his brow at her again, and set to work on the other stocking. “So do I.”
-o0o-
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Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
EPILOGUE