Forever Angels

by Simmons, Trana Mae

  Where in the world did he find room for his fingers in those pockets?

  Cute tush. Tess's lips curved as she remembered how she and a couple of her girlfriends would turn the tables on the construction workers when they walked down the streets. In answer to a bawdy whistle or comment, they would pause and point out to each other the best attributes on the various males in the crews. More often than not, the men would end up blushing and becoming totally engrossed in their work.

  There was that one guy who handled that jackhammer... but even he hadn't been half as well-built as Stone.

  "Quit staring at me!"

  "Hum?" Tess murmured. "Are you growing eyes in the back of your head?"

  Stone grunted something Tess couldn't understand, and reached for the reins of his horse, which Lonesome had herded near. After a brief pat on its muzzle, he moved around and untied his bedroll. He tossed it behind him in Tess's direction, resolutely refusing to turn and see if it fell close enough for her to reach.

  "You can sit on that while I get the fire going."

  "O.K."

  Stone stiffened when Tess's voice came from right beside him.

  "But first I'm going to get some clothes from my backpack," she said as she walked past him toward the gray gelding. "Then I can hang these by the fire to dry."

  "There's nowhere for you to change down here!" Stone snarled. "If that's what you want to do, the least you can do is ride back up to where we camped last night!"

  "Oh, for pity sakes." Tess pulled her backpack from behind the saddle and set it on the ground. "You can turn your back, you know. I'm sure the horses won't get all hot and bothered if they watch me change clothes."

  Stone groaned and laid his head against his horse's broad rump. The horse turned its head and looked at him for a second, then dropped its muzzle to resume grazing, as Stone fumbled with the ties holding his saddlebags.

  "Damned thing's in a knot," he grumbled.

  "Can I help?"

  "No! You stay over there!"

  Finally wrenching the saddlebags free, Stone slung them down beside his bedroll and began gathering up pieces of dry wood. A deadfall that would furnish at least a cord of wood lay just on the other side of Tess — but the problem was, it was on the other side of Tess. He grimly set his lips and broke one of the larger pieces of wood over his knee.

  Without thinking, Stone turned to carry the wood back closer to the saddlebags. He froze, and the wood tumbled from his suddenly nerveless arms.

  The gray gelding stood sideways, and it had six legs. The two shapely legs in the middle lifted one after another, while the hand tugged at first one, then the other wet denim cuff and pulled the jeans free. The hand tossed the jeans over the horse's saddle, on top of the pale blue shirt. Then a tiny scrap of rose-colored material shimmied down the legs, pooling around the ankles for a second until the feet stepped out of it. A pink-tipped toe caught the scrap and flicked it upward. The hand draped it on the saddlehorn.

  "Move, horse," Stone growled. But when the horse seemed to obey and stepped forward, its extra legs moved with it.

  Tousled, damp auburn curls appeared on the other side of the saddle, followed by Tess's face and a scant half-inch of bare shoulders. She grabbed the towel lying on top of her dry clothes on the gelding's rump and closed her eyes as she scrubbed it over her hair, then patted it over her body. The towel joined the wet denims and she picked up her white, bikini underpants, lying on top of her dry jeans and shirt. Bending, she slipped them over her feet, tugging and swiveling her hips when the bikinis dragged on her still damp skin.

  The tight jeans gave her even more problem than the bikinis, but Tess finally managed to pull them over her hips. Sucking in her stomach and promising herself faithfully that she wouldn't eat any of Flower's desserts after the young girl returned, she yanked the zipper up and reached for her shirt.

  The gelding spied an especially succulent tuft of grass just beyond its reach at the same second Tess looked up to see where Stone was. She gave a squeak of dismay when the gelding moved away, switching its tail and swiping the shirt from her ineffective grasp.

  Time nearly stopped as hour-long seconds passed. Her knees threatened to give way and her breasts grew heavy with desire as Tess stood wrapped in the cocoon of Stone's desire-laden gaze. Her eyes — the only thing that seemed capable of movement — slowly left his face and crawled down his chest. They tried desperately to stay focused on that first button below the open vee of his shirt, but gave up and fixed on the lower one. Sliding on past, they bypassed the last button above his belt buckle — and the buckle.

  How in the world did he fit all that masculinity behind those straining snaps? Surely it must be hurting him. She took a step forward, and noticed those smooth thigh muscles flex as he began walking toward her.

  "Michael?" Angela turned around and tugged on Michael's sleeve to get his attention. "Michael, I think it's time for another drive."

  Michael glanced over his shoulder. "Is Tess dressed yet? You said you'd let me know when she was, so I could turn back around."

  "Uh...well, she's partly dressed. But I don't think she's going to stay that way."

  Michael quirked an eyebrow. "You mean...?" Michael glanced down and saw Stone unrolling the bedroll and Tess almost floating across the ground as she walked toward him.

  "Well, it's about time," he said with a chuckle. He placed his fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle. The little red car appeared from behind a nearby cloud and zoomed over beside him, skidding to a stop.

  Michael opened the passenger door and bowed to Angela, then gallantly held out his hand. "Your chariot awaits," he said.

  "Oh, no you don't," Angela said with a smirk. "I'm driving this time."

  "Look, Angie," Michael grumbled. "The man usually does the driving when he's got a lady with him."

  "What? And let all those lessons you've been giving me go to waste? You're such a marvelous teacher, Michael. Surely you don't want the skills you taught me to get rusty from lack of practice."

  Angela snapped her fingers and her new driving coat appeared in her hand. She quirked an eyebrow, and Michael reluctantly walked around the car to take the coat from her. He held it so she could slip her arms in, and one of her wing tips brushed his nose as she folded them against her back.

  "AAH...AAH...Angie, I'm gonna...AACH...."

  Angie whipped around and clapped a hand over his nose and mouth. "Don't you dare, Michael!" She kept a firm grip on him until Michael nodded his head and reached for her hand. Watching her pudgy partner's face closely, she released her hold.

  "Are you sure you're not going to sneeze?" she asked.

  "Aachoo." Michael ducked his head to avoid Angela's hand and danced away from her.

  "Just teasing," he said with a chortle of glee. "Just teasing."

  "Oh, you!" Angela grabbed the net scarf that matched her coat from out of the air and draped it around her blond hair. Turning to the car, she opened the door and slipped into the driver's seat, then cast Michael a questioning look.

  "Coming?" she called sweetly.

  ***

  Chapter 27

  Stone nuzzled Tess's ear and whispered, "Why didn't you tell me?"

  "What?" She stretched and slid her leg up and down his thigh. "That I'd never made love to a man before? That I was saving myself for that one special man, like Granny warned me to do? She was right, you know. Every minute of the wait was worth it."

  "God, I hope so," Stone said with a groan. "I hope it was half a wonderful for you as it was for me. I never realized what a difference being in love with the woman I was with would make."

  Tess leaned back and frowned at him. "And just how many...?"

  "Shhhh." Stone gently laid a finger on her lips. "As far as I'm concerned, this is the first time I've ever made love, too. This time, it was really making love."

  "I love you," Tess whispered. "With everything in me and then some. I love you so much I ache with it and it scares me to de
ath. Nothing could ever mean as much to me as my loving you does, unless it's knowing you feel the same way about me."

  "I love you," Stone replied. "You've captured a part of me I didn't even know existed until I saw you. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

  "Ummmm." Tess brushed her breast tips against his chest. "Then it's just my body you love, not my mind, huh?"

  Stone propped his head on his hand and ran his eyes over her nude body. "Well, I might have to think about that for a minute." He feathered a finger over her eyelashes. "I love those green eyes that remind me of new leaves on the trees after a spring rain. But they wouldn't be half as beautiful if they weren't in your face."

  He skimmed his finger down her nose and caressed her lips. "I love those wine-tasting lips, but I love them more because of the way they kiss me."

  His fingertip ran down her neck and traced her collar bone. "Your skin's so soft — I can't believe it doesn't melt on my tongue, like pink cotton candy at the fair."

  "S...Stone," Tess said with a muffled groan.

  "I'm not done thinking yet," he murmured. "I love this." He gently lapped one breast. "And this one, too." He sipped her other nipple into his mouth, then released it.

  Running his hand over her flat stomach, he continued, "But none of those would mean a thing if they weren't all part of the essence of you. Of Tess, the woman I love. And every time I hear you say you love me, too, I just can't believe how lucky I am."

  "I love you, Stone, my darling."

  Another hour passed before they fell into an exhausted slumber, even their minds too tired to continue the delightful game of I-love-you-more-no-I-love-you-more. Stone woke first, frowning at the sun climbing up the sky and the pink tinge on Tess's skin. He gently shook her shoulder.

  "Tess, darlin', you better get some clothes on. You're getting sunburned."

  "Hum?" Tess lazily opened her eyes to find him lying on his stomach beside her. She glanced down his back and giggled. "You are, too."

  "I don't burn," Stone denied.

  Tess ran a fingernail over his hip and Stone flinched.

  "You probably don't usually lay out in the sun with that part of you bare, either," she said. "You've usually got it covered up with your pants. But it's awful pink right now."

  Stone craned his neck to glance at his rear, then flopped over onto his back. "Maybe I better bake this side for a while to even things out, then."

  "I don't know," Tess mused. "You don't really want to get a sunburn down there, do you? I know I'd rather you didn't."

  Stone let out a roar of laughter and surged to his feet. Reaching down, he pulled Tess up into his arms. "What have I unleashed?" he asked around his laughter. "An insatiable wench who's not going to be able to keep her hands off me?"

  "You wish," Tess said, standing on tiptoe to flick her tongue over his bottom lip. "Remember, I've got a lot of years to make up for."

  "Nope," Stone said with a shake of his head. "You can't ever make up for opportunities lost. You just have to make the new ones count that much more."

  "And when will another one of those new opportunities come around?"

  "Maybe after we get a bath," Stone said with a growl. "And that cold water will stop this sunburn from getting any worse."

  "O.K.," Tess agreed, wriggling out of his arms. "I've got some lotion for sunburn, too." She walked over to her backpack and bent over to dig in it. Suddenly realizing the picture she must make, she glanced back over her shoulder to see Stone standing with his hands on his hips, his eyes glued to her rear end, which was sticking up in the breeze. After what they had just shared, she ought to be beyond embarrassment, but a flush crawled up her face and she grabbed another towel out of her pack instead of the lotion.

  "Uh...." She wrapped the towel around her. "I'll get the lotion after we bathe."

  "I'll help you put the lotion on, if you'll put it on the places I can't reach," Stone said with a leer.

  "You've got a deal." Tess turned and started for the creek.

  The next morning, long after sunrise, Tess stood at the log gate, her arms resting beneath her chin as she watched the mares and colts. They stayed well down the canyon, shying even further away when they caught sight of Tess.

  Except for that black mare. She pricked her ears and took a half dozen steps toward Tess, a faint, inquiring nicker sounding on the morning air.

  "It can't be," Tess muttered. "There's no way."

  Unable to resist the temptation, Tess held her hand out and snapped her fingers. "Here, Sateen," she called. "Come on, girl."

  The mare cantered up to the fence and nudged Tess's hand. Tess instinctively rubbed the mare's muzzle, then scratched that spot under the chin that Sateen always enjoyed her paying attention to. The mare tossed her head briefly before she stretched her neck to allow Tess access again to the scratching spot.

  "What's going on here?" Stone asked as he led his saddled horse up to the gate. "Did you already tame one of those mares?"

  Tess turned green eyes sparkling with excitement up to his face. "Stone, I think this is Sateen. It has to be! Somehow she came through that time warp, too, and now she's here with me!"

  "Tess, darlin', calm down. This mare might look like yours, but she probably belonged to some rancher, who had already trained her. She couldn't possibly be your mare."

  "I know my horse!" Tess stamped her foot. "And I didn't see a brand on either one of her hips when she came up to the fence. If I could travel through time, why couldn't my horse come, too?" Without waiting for Stone to answer, Tess continued, "You just watch this!"

  Before Stone could stop her, Tess slipped through the gate. The black mare stood quietly, and Tess wrapped her arms around its neck, rubbing her cheek against the soft muzzle.

  "It is you, Sateen," she whispered. "I just know it is."

  Tess stepped back and raised her hand. The mare reared, pawing at the air.

  "Get the hell out of there, Tess!"

  "Oh, shut up."

  Tess dropped her hand, and the mare fell back to earth, then lowered her head and arched her neck, pawing at the ground with one hoof.

  As Stone watched in amazement, Tess lifted her hand three times in succession, and the mare's front hoof pawed the ground in time to her movements. When Tess stopped moving her hand, the mare stopped pawing the ground.

  "Now watch this." Tess tossed him a smirk before she looked back at the mare. "Sateen, how much is two plus two?"

  Tess lifted her hand four times in succession, and the mare pawed out the answer.

  "See?" Tess said in a delighted voice. "It is her." She threw her arms around that sleek, satin neck and buried her face in the mare's mane.

  "I'll be damned," Stone breathed.

  "Let her out, Stone," Tess said after she raised her head. "She'll stay with me — we won't have to tie her."

  "All right. She'll be company for you and the dog while I'm gone."

  Stone opened the gate and Tess walked through, with the mare following, her nose near Tess's shoulder. After swinging the gate back and looping the rawhide thong over the post, Stone turned to Tess.

  "I wish I didn't have to leave you here alone, but I think this is the best way. You sure you aren't afraid to stay here by yourself?"

  "Of course not. Someone has to make sure that stallion doesn't come back and steal our mares while you're gone. And I've already promised you that I'd scare him off with the rifle if he's dumb enough to come back."

  "That horse isn't dumb, Tess. You remember that. I didn't have any idea we'd be able to get this many horses away from that stud, or I'd have made other arrangements. The best thing for me to do now is ride into the Cherokee camp and hire some men to deliver them to Fort Sill for me. Silver Eagle will pick out men I can trust — and they'll get a cut of the money for the horses they deliver."

  "And we'll be free to go visit the kids, instead of having to spend a week taking these horses half-way across the state."

  "Oh, yes," Stone sa
id, "we'll visit the Cherokee camp."

  Tess was much too busy making over Sateen to see the look on Stone's face or notice that the cadence of his words didn't match her light tone.

  "Well, you better get going," Tess said with a final pat on Sateen's nose.

  Stone swung into the saddle. "Where's the rifle?"

  "Right here." Tess walked over and picked up the rifle leaning against a gate rail. "And I'll keep it with me all day, I promise."

  "I'll be back by nightfall. Soon as the Indian men get going with the herd in the morning, we'll ride out for the camp."

  Tess stood on tiptoe and offered Stone her mouth. Stone leaned down and brushed her lips, then grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up for a harder kiss. Setting her back on the ground, he frowned down at her.

  "You be here when I get back, you hear?"

  "I hear you, darling. And you be careful. I love you."

  "Love you, too."

  After Stone rode out, Tess puttered around the camp site for a while, washing their breakfast dishes and rolling up her sleeping bag and Stone's bedroll, which they had spread out and shared the previous night. When the camp was tidy, she saddled Sateen with the tack she had used on the gray gelding and rode her around the valley for a while, keeping a sharp lookout for the white stallion.

  The stallion never appeared, and Tess finally turned Sateen loose to graze, sure the mare wouldn't go too far from her side. As the sun rose higher and hotter, she changed into the bikini in her backpack and slathered sunscreen on her skin. Grabbing the new novel from her pack, she spread out a towel and settled down to work on her tan and read, with the rifle lying by her side.

  Tess gave up after a few chapters and started to throw the book aside. She couldn't enjoy those romances any longer. They only reminded her of the threat of separation she and Stone had to contend with. But she grabbed the book up again, and thumbed to the last chapter.

  Well, that didn't help her a darned bit, Tess fumed after fifteen minutes of reading. The time trip for the heroine in that book had all been a dream. She reached down and gave her leg a vicious pinch. Ouch! Surely she wasn't dreaming!