The Marshal Takes A Bride

by Sylvia McDaniel

“There it is,” he said, pointing. “Come on, I think we better make a mad dash for it or we’re going to get wet.”

  He grabbed her hand, encompassing her smaller one with his large fingers. He couldn’t remember holding her hand before and was awed at the protective sense that overcame him. Her fingers felt so right intertwined with his own.

  As the drops of rain began to pelt them, they ran across an open field to the shack Tucker had spotted.

  Tucker turned the knob, and they ran inside, laughing at how they had beaten the weather. The skies suddenly opened, pounding the earth with the storm’s fury. Thunder shook the shack as lightning struck nearby, and Sarah stayed next to Tucker as he gazed around the small building.

  A cot, a table and two chairs were all the furniture in the one-room building. Quickly he found a match and lit a lantern sitting on the floor.

  “So what do we do now?” she asked, peering out the door at the rain that fell in sheets from the sky.

  “We wait,” Tucker replied, setting the basket of food on the table. “We eat our lunch and we wait for the storm to blow over.”

  “I’m glad you remembered this shack. How could we ever walk in that?” she questioned, still watching the rain.

  Tucker glanced back over his shoulder as he turned up the lamp to brighten the room.

  Lightning hit a tree across the way, and Sarah jumped back from the door. “Oh my, did you see that?”

  “Come away from the door, Sarah. Let’s eat the food Mrs. Melbourne sent with us.”

  The wind whipped the rain in different directions, and a tree limb snapped off and fell to the ground. Lightning flashed, the sound crackling across the sky. The shack shook as thunder boomed, and Sarah flew into Tucker’s arms.

  He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her soft womanly body snuggled against his. He gazed down into her eyes. They had darkened with fear, the color reminding him of the turquoise rocks he had seen in New Mexico.

  “Are you afraid?” he asked.

  “No,” she said, belying her fear. “I’m just fine.”

  She smiled at him in such a way he knew it was bravado, and all the resistance he had been hanging on to these last few weeks suddenly melted away. Like a beaver dam washed downstream in a flash flood, the desire for Sarah he had tried to pretend didn’t exist overwhelmed him. He stared at her full, luscious lips so close, so tempting, and with the rain pounding outside, he gave up resisting her any longer.

  The tension had been building and building, until he thought it would near burst inside him if he didn’t kiss her. He lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that had been weeks in coming. A kiss he had wanted to give her when she had stepped off that stage.

  Softly he brushed his lips across hers and felt as if lightning had struck him, the bum searing all the way to his core.

  This was Sarah, the sweet, tempting woman who lingered in his thoughts way too much. He crushed her lips beneath his own in a kiss that released the pent-up desire he had been withstanding these last few weeks. This kiss showed him the error of his thinking that sweet Sarah had been only one night of passion, but was rather a lifetime of regret.

  At first her lips were stiff and unyielding, but then her arms wound their way around his neck. He felt the imprint of her body against his, the fullness of her breasts touching lids chest, her skirts swirling about his legs, the way she fit so snug against his body.

  Surrounded by the smell of lavender, his mouth plundered hers, tasting and teasing her lips with an urgency he had never felt before. He had waited so long to taste her, to feel her in his arms again. She was so soft, so pliant and he wanted her so badly.

  The rain pounded against the roof of the little building, a sweet smell of clean, cool air blowing through the open door as lightning flashed and thunder boomed around them. Their kiss was anything but gentle as he plied his lips against Sarah’s, his tongue tracing the outline of her mouth.

  His hands moved down to her breasts, caressing them through the material of her dress. Hunger the likes of which he had never experienced before had him sweeping aside the cotton cloth of her dress, pushing her chemise out of the way, until he found the sought-after kernel of her breast. He rolled the hardened pebble between his fingers before he released her in desperation.

  She moaned, the sound echoing in the little cabin, mingling with the sound of the rain.

  Bending down, he put his arm beneath her legs and lifted her, setting her on the table in the middle of the small room. There he put his lips to her breast and suckled gently, laving her breast with his mouth and tongue.

  He wanted her fiercely, knowing that at any moment they would both regain their senses and realize this was the act of a crazy man. Their friendship was at stake. The tenacious agreement they had could blow up in their faces if they followed through on their desires.

  But he didn’t want to release her. He wanted more. He wanted to seek that level of pleasure he had experienced in her arms before. He never wanted to let go of her, regardless of what he had told her previously. He wanted Sarah naked and vulnerable beneath him.

  She plied her fingers through his hair, holding his head as he lavished her nipple. Her head was thrown back, and she moved it from side to side, her eyes closed.

  “Tucker,” she moaned.

  His hand slid down her waist, farther down her thigh, until he lifted her dress and exposed her stockings. Slowly, he slid his hand up her leg, until he reached the junction between her thighs. His hand gently rubbed her through the slit in her drawers, the slick feel of her desire coating his fingers as she gasped and arched her back, leaving her neck vulnerable and exposed.

  But before Tucker could put his lips against her tempting throat, she sat up, pushing his hands away.

  “Stop! We can’t do this,” she said breathlessly. She shoved him out of her way, yanked down her skirt and jumped off of the table. Her chest was rising and falling from her labored breathing as she straightened her chemise. “I can’t do this again with you. I just can’t.”

  She glanced out the door of the cabin where water dripped from the doorsill. The ground was wet and sparkling with raindrops. The sun was starting to peek from behind the clouds, making the land glisten like crystals dazzling and new.

  Somehow the storm outside had passed while the one inside had just been getting started.

  “The storm’s over. I’ve got to get home to Lucas,” she said, her voice stilted as she looked about the room wildly. “I’m leaving.”

  Tucker stared in disbelief as she grabbed her medical bag and ran out of the cabin, leaving him alone.

  Chapter Ten

  Sarah wanted to run. She felt the urge to lift her skirts and run as fast as her legs would carry her away from the line shack and the feelings that Tucker had evoked in that small cabin. He would never commit himself to her, and somehow she had let down her guard and let him kiss her. That simple action had brought up all sorts of feelings that she had thought she had long ago buried. All sorts of emotions she had tried her darndest to hide.

  He had admitted all he thought about was sex. He was a man, she was a woman, and they had been trapped in that line shack, a storm raging around them. He had done nothing more than any other caged male would have done. It meant nothing to him, and she couldn’t let her overly romantic, female mind make more of that kiss than just a simple case of lust brought on by a rainstorm. Tucker Burnett didn’t want a future with her any more today than he had all those years ago. And if he did want her more today, it was only because he had been bored and she had been available.

  No. This meant nothing. She refused to take a step back in time to where he had dumped her heart that night in Tombstone. She refused to let her mind conjure up the images she had tortured herself with while she was pregnant. Images of them together as a family, in a little house where they lived as man and wife, where he held the son they had made together. She refused to let this man make a fool of her once again.

  Even thou
gh she longed to be in his arms, even though their kiss had felt like a homecoming, she must guard her heart against Tucker. He could not slip through her defenses again.

  The kiss meant nothing.

  A bird flew by, cackling in the cool, clean air. Sarah walked in the grass that grew between the now muddy wagon ruts, trying to keep her boots from caking with muck from the recent rains. They were miles from town, but she was determined not to wait another minute in that cabin.

  Ahead the storm clouds raced on, radiating glimpses of lightning, with an occasional rumble of thunder in the distance. She had to get away from Tucker, back to Lucas and her grandfather. Where her world was more grounded in reality, not the dreamlike quality of Tucker’s kisses.

  “Slow down, Sarah,” Tucker yelled.

  She couldn’t slow down. The urge to run was still strong within her, and she didn’t know if she would stop before she reached Fort Worth.

  At the sound of someone running behind her, she turned and glimpsed Tucker hurrying toward her. He ran up beside her and slowed to a walk. “What’s the all-fired hurry? What’s gotten into you?”

  The urge to laugh was strong. He knew why she had left so abruptly; he was just trying to ignore the obvious problem. Just like he always avoided any kind of responsibility or commitment. Or anything that could possibly tie him down or make him deal with an uncomfortable issue.

  “The storm was over. It was time to go.”

  “You could have waited for me.”

  She had to bite her tongue to keep from busting out at that statement. She felt like she had been waiting for him most of her life, and she was getting damned tired of his delays.

  “It was time to leave,” she said, her hands clenched as she strode down the road.

  He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to a halt. “You’re mad that I kissed you, aren’t you?”

  She stared into the brown of his eyes, the color reminding her of leaves in fall. “No, I’m not mad, but what’s the point? I’m not interested in just a quick tumble to ease the aching between your legs. You’re not interested in anything that might hint at forever. What we did back there was a total waste of time, and I have responsibilities waiting for me at home.”

  He grinned at her and started to laugh. Anger cascaded through her, and she jerked her arm free and started walking again, leaving him standing in the road.

  “Damn it, Sarah,” he called out, laughing. “You know how to ruin some great kissing. It was fun.”

  “Good, I’m glad you enjoyed it. But I must get home.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “And I certainly know where all that kissing leads. Heartache!”

  ***

  Several days later, Tucker sat trying to focus his attention on the paperwork that lay strewn on his desk.

  He couldn’t help but remember how Sarah had looked, her head thrown back in passion as he had explored her body years ago. The image of her naked, the moonlight shimmering on her skin like silk, returned, hitting him below the belt. He clenched his fists on top of the desk.

  A rapid knock caused him to jump as he jerked his gaze in the direction of the doorway. Federal Marshal McCoy stood staring at him.

  “Tucker, you awake, man?”

  Tucker shook his head. “Sorry, my mind was busy thinking about something else. When did you get back in town?”

  “Just today. I had to go to Dallas, so I made a special trip to come by and see you.”

  “Oh? Something I can do for you, Marshal?”

  “Yes. Can I come in?”

  “Sorry, come on in and sit down. How can I help you?”

  The marshal took a seat in a chair across from Tucker, crossed his ankle over his knee and laid his hat on top of his calf.

  He glanced up at Tucker. “Remember the last time I was here, I was telling you about one of my officers getting married?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Well, it’s official. His last day is a month from now. And I’ve got to find someone to replace him.” An impending sense of interest suddenly caused Tucker to pay closer attention.

  “I was kind of wondering if you’d be interested in taking his place. You’ve been here now for a couple of years. I know you’re good with a gun, and you don’t have a wife and children to tie you down.”

  Tucker smiled. “What’s the pay like?”

  The man shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not much more than you’re earning now, but you would be working on cases that are in your territory, not just in one city.”

  “So do you enjoy the job?”

  “Yes, I do. I get to travel, work on interesting cases and bring in men who need to be brought to justice.”

  “Sounds exciting,” Tucker said.

  He watched as the marshal picked up his broadband hat and beat it against his leg, then glanced back at Tucker. “It’s not a job for just any lawman, and it’s a real opportunity if you want it. You have to work long hours, and you’re often far from the people you know. I haven’t been home to see my sisters in over three years.”

  “There are always sacrifices.”

  “That’s right.” He stood. “I’ve got to go, but I wanted to stop by and offer you the job before I went back to Austin. Think about it, and in a couple of weeks I’ll be back. We can talk some more at that time.”

  Tucker stood up and walked around the desk. “Thanks! I appreciate you thinking of me. I already know my answer, but I’ll agree to think about it just like you said.”

  The man nodded and put his hat on his head. “I’ll be going now.” He shook Tucker’s hand and then walked out the door. “I’ll see you in a couple of weeks.”

  “Thanks again!” Tucker called as the man strode out of the Tarrant County jail. Calmly Tucker shut the door from the prying eyes of the deputies and then danced a jig across his office floor.

  Finally, after over two years of being home in Texas, he would be leaving Fort Worth. Once again he would be a roving man with few responsibilities.

  ***

  Across town, the bell tinkled above the door of Doc Wilson’s office, and Sarah looked up to see Eugenia Burnett stroll through the door. She wanted to groan, but resisted. Already she had felt the day was less than stellar with her continuous thoughts of Tucker, but now it was a total disaster.

  “Good morning, Sarah.”

  “Good morning, Mrs. Burnett,” she said politely.

  “I just wanted to come and check on you, after I heard about you and Tucker being stranded during that terrible storm several days ago.”

  Sarah did her best to control the irritation she felt for being reminded of that day as she gazed at the older woman. “Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Burnett, but as you can see, I’m just fine. We had to walk for quite a few miles, but that was no problem.”

  “Any progress to report with my son?” Eugenia asked, taking a seat across from Sarah.

  The question made the back of Sarah’s neck prickle like a thousand needles cascading down her spine. The woman had a lot of gall to sit there and ask her about Tucker, especially after their trip to the Melboumes’. Sarah was trying hard to put the memory of his kiss out of her mind. That simple kiss had stirred up more reflection, more feelings of heartache and regret, than Sarah cared to remember.

  “Yes, there has been some progress,” Sarah replied, her voice carefully controlled. “Which part would you like for me to tell you about? The man he introduced me to that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, or the one who was more interested in climbing the social ladder than the care of my son?”

  “Oh, my,” Eugenia said, frowning.

  “Yes, we made so much advancement on our little trip to visit the Melboumes’ that I walked away from the line shack where we were waiting out the storm and left him.”

  Sarah stood and began to pace.

  “But don’t you see, Sarah, he’s introducing you to men that are completely unsuitable because he wants you for himself,” the older woman said quietly.

  Ridiculous, Sa
rah thought. This whole conversation is simply ludicrous.

  “Have you changed your mind yet about us marrying?” Sarah asked.

  “No, Sarah, I haven’t. When Tucker falls, it will be hard and it’ll be everlasting. Don’t give up on him just yet.”

  “Mrs. Burnett, your son and I will never marry. You need to accept that fact. As I told Tucker the other day, we are wasting each other’s time. He doesn’t want to settle down, and I have a son who I must consider. He’s planning on leaving Fort Worth soon, and I won’t be here when he gets back. So your matchmaking isn’t going to work this time.”

  “But . . .”

  “Forget this foolish scheme and don’t come here talking to me anymore about marrying Tucker. The next time you come to visit me, I will expect that you are here for a medical reason, not one of the heart.”

  Eugenia stood and glanced across the room at Sarah. “I know it looks pretty hopeless to you right now; but I know my son, and you are the woman for him, whether the two of you are ready to accept that fact or not”

  “Mrs. Burnett, I have been polite to you while you have been pushing this outlandish notion of marriage to your son since I returned. I’m asking you kindly to leave before I completely lose my patience. Tucker and I will never marry.”

  ***

  Later that afternoon, Sarah decided she couldn’t stand her own company any longer. Patients had been few and far between today, and she found her mind drifting to Tucker way more than it should. The urge to spend time with Lucas and escape the images that had plagued her all day had her flipping the sign on the door to CLOSED. After locking the door, she quickly walked down the wooden sidewalk to the hotel several blocks away. Spring seemed to have finally appeared as the sun beat upon her, and she rushed to the hotel, anxious to spend time with her son.

  When she arrived at the hotel, she nodded to the desk clerk on her way up the stairs.

  “Mrs. James, I have a message for you from your grandfather,” he called.

  She halted from going up the stairs and came back to the desk. The man handed her a small envelope that had her grandfather’s handwriting on the outside. “Thank you.”