"Not if it makes you happy. Besides, I like Frances." He pulled Abby to him and pushed the robe off her shoulders. "But she must learn to keep the food warm when I want you in my bed."
She laughed and leaped into his arms. "If you are able to handle Frances, you are better than I am."
"Not me," he said. "She scares the hell out of me." He was tantalized by the rosy nipple that drew his attention. "I should have known the day you took that dog home with you that you attracted strays. It seems everyone wants to be where you are. Sergeant MacDougall indicated he would like to join us here when his stint is over." He covered her breast with his hand and smiled. "Can you imagine what MacDougall and Frances will do to our lives?"
"I'm more interested in what you are going to do to me right now." "Sweet Abby, am I one of your strays, too?" "No." Her green gaze mesmerized him. "You are my love."
He eased down onto the bed with her in his lap and kissed her. They both sank backward into the softness of the mattress.
Fort Fannin
The sun was just going down when Jonah made his way across the compound to his quarters. His footsteps were hurried because he could not wait to get home to Abby. His life was so full and happy he sometimes wondered how he had survived before he met her.
Abby had the kind of personality that drew people to her, and the ladies at the fort had readily taken her into their group, not altogether because she was the commander's wife, but because they liked to be with her. The children seemed to flock to her. They knew that if they found themselves at her door, they were likely to get a sweet treat and a hug. She often played games with them, and they jealously vied for a place at her side. He wanted the laughter of children in their home. He could not wait to become a father.
He was welcomed home by the soft glow of lamplight and delicious smells coming from the kitchen.
When Jonah appeared at the kitchen door, Abby was just taking a loaf of bread out of the oven. She wore a green gingham gown with her hair drawn back in a matching ribbon. She came readily into his arms, nestling her cheek against his shoulder.
Abby still could not believe that this wonderful man loved her. He had changed her life in so many ways. With him she felt alive and happy; there were no longer any dark clouds hanging over her-he had swept them all away.
She pulled back and looked at him. That afternoon the fort had been visited by dignitaries from Fort Worth, and Jonah was still dressed in his formal regalia, and looked so handsome.
His arms tightened about her and he rested his chin against her forehead. "Something smells good." He laughed softly, cupping her face in his hands. "A wife who is beautiful, delightful, and can cook as well-I'm a most fortunate husband."
"Frances was determined that if I ever did get married-which she doubted-I would know how to cook. It's lucky she taught me, since she insisted on remaining at Moon Racer Ranch. Someone has to feed you."
He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Can the meal wait?"
She sensed the urgency in him. Moving out of his arms, she set the bubbling pot on the back of the stove, then took the hand he offered.
She laughed when he lifted her into his arms and carried her toward their bedroom. Once inside, he slid her down the length of his body, his mouth covering hers in a kiss that made her insides melt.
She suddenly pulled away from him, her eyes gleaming, her dark hair swirling about her face. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she became the perfect seductress. He watched, fascinated, as she unbuckled his gun belt and placed it carefully on a chair. He was spellbound when she removed his saber, then stood back and tapped the point against his brass buttons.
"Take it off," she said.
He stared into the eyes of a temptress, arched his brow, and unbuttoned his jacket to let it slide to the floor.
"The shirt as well."
His shirt soon lay at his feet.
She tapped the saber against his boots. "Remove them."
He did as she said, a slight smile curving his lips.
Next she pointed the saber at his trousers. "Take them off."
He readily obeyed and soon stood before her in all his masculine glory.
She laid the saber across her bent arm, offering it in surrender.
He ignored her gesture. Grabbing her to him, he allowed the saber to clatter to the floor. He lifted her in his arms, need tearing at him. "Abby, Abby, do you know what you do to me?"
"I think so-if it's anything like what you do to me." Her fingers laced through his thick black hair. "I know I love you so much it hurts."
His gaze softened. "I can hardly get through a day without wanting to be with you. I never knew love could be like this."
He slowly removed her garments, kissing her as he went and setting her heart on fire.
As Jonah gathered her close, the cooling meal was all but forgotten. They made love, slowly and lingeringly, and then fast and hungrily.
Abby threw her head back and bit her lip as he filled her with his velvet hardness.
His blue gaze captured and held hers while he murmured words of love-the emotion he had once denied existed.
As she lay with her head against his shoulder and his fingertips slowly caressing her skin, she trembled with a powerful need.
Later, she would tell him that she was going to have his baby.
Diablo
Edmund Montgomery stood just inside the door of Sam Larkin's office, impatiently watching the lawyer finish his business with Spindle, the owner of the general store.
"It's always good to get these unpleasant transactions over with," Larkin said, standing and shak ing Spindle's hand. "I'll have your will drawn up so you can sign it next week. Just come by anytime."
Montgomery ground his teeth together but managed to smile at Spindle as he nodded and walked out the door. He waited until the storekeeper had disappeared down the street before he spoke.
"I told you I wanted to see you earlier, and that means you come to me-I shouldn't have to wait around while you do mundane tasks like Ed Spindle's will."
The lawyer stared at Edmund with a funny expression. "I hadn't noticed before, but there is something different about your face since you got back from your trip. Where did you go, anyway?"
"I'm not here to talk about my face, and where I was is of no importance to you."
"I know what it is," Larkin continued doggedly. "Your nose is different, wider at the bridge. Has it been broken?"
Edmund glared at the rail-thin lawyer, realizing he was going to have to come up with some kind of story, because everyone was commenting on his nose. His anger toward Jonah Tremain was limitless. But he would have to wait for another day to exact his revenge.
"It's nothing. Just a simple carriage accident." He eased himself down in a chair because his ribs were still bothering him. "Now can we get down to business?"
Sam Larkin had not missed the edge to Montgomeiy's voice. He was more afraid of the banker than of any man he had ever known. Edmund was always in control and controlled everyone. If the people of this town knew just how much they had been manipulated by him, they would be shocked and more than angry.
Larkin sat down at his desk, his hands nervously drumming the surface. "I heard Abby Hunter, er ... I guess I should say, Abby Tremain, is living at Fort Fannin with her husband."
Fury had control of Edmund, and he grabbed the lawyer's hands to still them by slamming them down on the desk. "Stop that thumping, and don't ever, as long as you live, mention Abby to me again!"
-Larkin's usually florid complexion paled, and he ran his hand through his thinning brown hair. He had never seen Edmund in such a state-his eyes were hard and frightening. "I... what did you want to speak to me about?"
Edmund closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind of Abby. "I was wondering if you have heard anything from my stepdaughter, Juliana?"
"Not lately."
Edmund smiled. "So it doesn't look like she will be returning to Texas. Not surprising, since sh
e has no family here and nothing to come back to. She never liked me, so she won't be coming back to see me."
"I hope she never comes back."
Edmund laughed, and it wasn't a pretty sound. "I just bet you do. I don't like her any more than she likes me, but she's smart. If she comes back, you may be in for real trouble."
The lawyer stood and started pacing. "You have to help me here, Edmund. I invested her trust fund-that's all."
"You spent it. And you lost it."
"She'll probably look at it that way," he said bitterly.
"When the news gets out, so will everyone else."
"I don't know what I'm going to do."
Edmund cast him a hostile glare. "Will you sit down and stop pacing?" he gritted through his teeth. "Your fidgeting is getting on my nerves."
Larkin did as he was told and clamped his hands in his lap so Edmund couldn't see them trembling. He wished he had a drink-he had a bottle in his drawer, but he couldn't take it out until Edmund left. "I'm scared, Edmund."
"You should be. But I may be able to help you."
"You would help me?"
"For a price."
I... A price?"
"I need legal work done from time to time. It's no secret to you that I want to get my hands on the Half-Moon Ranch, and I may need your help to do it. I know you will be discreet, since you don't want anyone to find out you are a thief." Edmund leaned in closer, his gaze fixed on the sweating lawyer. "You keep my secrets, and I keep yours."
Larkin knew he was making a deal with the devil, but what choice did he have? "I can do that."
"Good."
"If you hear from your stepdaughter that she's coming back, will you let me know?"
Edmund stood and straightened his coat, his cordial smile sliding into place. "If Juliana does come back, I'll be the last person to know."
"You have to keep her away."
"I don't need her here stirring things up any more than you do. I need a clear mind for what I'm about to do." His eyes flashed and he swiveled to face the lawyer. "If it's the last thing I ever do, I will bring down every one of those Hunters!"
Constance is a native Texan who makes her home in San Antonio with her husband, Jim, and their son, Jason. Her books range from historical to contemporary and include several novellas. Many of her books have been published in trade paperback. Her books have been published in Canada, England, Australia, Africa, Spain, China, Germany, Italy, Russia and France. Among her many awards, she is the recipient of the 1996 Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. There are eight million copies of her books in print.
"I have always loved history, and I loved storytelling-it was only natural that I would one day put them both together. I must have lived in another life and time, because when I write, I can almost feel I was there. My favorite part of writing is the research. Whenever possible, I will go to the place I am writing about to walk the land and smell the air."
Readers can e-mail Constance at &texas.net. obanyon
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