The driver eventually saw him and pulled up on the reins. “What’s up, Sheriff?”
“You got a woman on here? Miss Becky Davidson?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know her name, but there is a gal with us.” The driver spat over the side of the stagecoach. “Take a look.”
Mace jumped from his horse and strode to the stagecoach. He flung open the door and took his first full breath since Miss Nellie had stormed into his office earlier. Becky sat huddled in the corner, her eyes wide. He didn’t know whether to haul her out and kiss her or strangle her.
He fisted his hands on his hips and frowned. “Miss Becky Davidson. You are under arrest.”
* * *
Becky swallowed the lump in her throat and stared at Mace, whose body blocked the sun from the door. But even not able to see his face, she knew him. His voice, his stance, the way he pushed his hat back from his forehead with his thumb.
“What did you do?” The annoying man on the stagecoach glared at Becky and slid as far from her as he could.
Mace held out his hand. “Let’s go, Becky.”
She climbed over the annoying man and placed her cold hand in Mace’s warm one. Once she was out of the coach, she shook out her skirts and looked up at him. “Am I really under arrest?”
“You can go, now,” Mace shouted up to the driver then placed his hand on her lower back and led her to his horse. With one swift move, he grabbed her around the waist and tossed her up onto his horse and swung up behind her. “Yes, you are under arrest.”
She twisted to look at his face as the horse moved forward. “What for?”
He looked down at her, his stern expression causing her heartbeat to speed up. “Were you not ordered by Marshal Jones to either marry or wait on the circuit judge in Dodge City?”
She nodded.
“And did you not run out on your intended husband?”
Her lips quivered at his tone. He was actually going to arrest her and send her back to Dodge City. “Are you going to send me back to Dodge City?”
“No.” He stared straight ahead. “I’m bringing you back to the preacher to get married.”
Well, then.
It seemed there wasn’t anything left to say. She turned and faced forward, accepting her fate. She’d tried to marry the man she wanted, but he refused. She tried to escape from the man she didn’t want to marry and was hauled back.
The rhythm of the horse soothed her, even though her heart was shattering with every mile they passed. This would be the last time she would be this close to Mace, to feel his strong arm around her waist, to smell the familiar scent of leather, horse, and man. She tried as best she could to avoid it, but the tears slid down her cheeks.
Before she had time to pull herself together, they had arrived in Santa Fe and the church she’d run from only a few hours ago. She quickly wiped the tears from her face as Mace placed his hands around her waist and lifted her from the horse.
“You don’t have to walk me inside. I won’t try to escape again.”
He ignored her words as the two of them bypassed the church and headed for the pastor’s home next door. Mace rang the bell, and they waited until Mrs. Devon opened the door. “There you are! We’ve been expecting you.”
Mace removed his hat and placed it on the low table next to the door. “Is the reverend ready?”
“Yes, he is.” She smiled brightly at them both. They walked the short hall to the parlor. Reverend Devon stood as they entered, a huge smile on his face.
Becky looked around, puzzled. “Where is Mr. Stillwater?”
Mrs. Devon waved her hand in the air. “Oh, he left some time ago.”
Her puzzlement turned to downright confusion. “Then how am I going to get married?” Had Mace changed his mind and decided he would simply send her back to Dodge City since she’d run out on her wedding? If so, then why were they at the pastor’s home?
Mace placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her toward him, a slight smile on his handsome face. “I am going to marry you, Miss Davidson. That is, if you will have me.”
* * *
Despite her determination to marry him, Mace still held his breath, waiting for Becky to say something. Anything. Did she no longer want him for her husband? Had he been so heavy-handed that she now despised him?
Instead of speaking, she burst into tears, but before he could react, she wrapped her arms around his waist and cried into his shirt. “Yes, yes. I will have you.”
At least that was what he thought she’d said. It was hard to tell with her mumbling into his chest. He placed his knuckle under her chin and raised her head. “I don’t know what life holds for us, darlin’, but I promise I will do everything I possibly can to give you the life you deserve.”
“Let’s get this wedding done. I’ve been waiting all day.” Pastor Devon opened his book, and Mrs. Devon and their daughter, Miss Laura, stepped up to act as witnesses.
After the quick ceremony, Mrs. Devon insisted they stay for cake and a bottle of wine she’d been saving for a special occasion. Mace, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to hustle his new wife over to the hotel and make her truly his. When he’d left the grinning preacher earlier, Mace had asked him to arrange for a room and a bottle of wine for him and Becky at the hotel. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be too soused to enjoy their wedding night.
The room was the best the hotel had to offer, but in Mace’s eyes, nothing would be good enough for Becky’s wedding night. She deserved so much more than what he could ever give her, but if she were willing to marry him, he would do whatever it took to make her happy.
“I never did this before.” Becky stood in the middle of the room, eyeing the bed, twisting her fingers.
Mace tried to hold in his laughter. She looked so nervous. “Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
“Have you? I mean, have you ever done—” She waved at the bed.
He was overtaken by a fit of coughing. How the hell did a man answer that one? There was simply no right or wrong answer, so he decided on distraction. “I’m sure it will go fine, but I don’t want you to be nervous.” He walked toward her and took her in his arms. “We will take it slow and stop anytime you feel uncomfortable.”
She let out a deep sigh and laid her head on his chest. “Thank you.” She looked up at him, her eyes shining. “I love you.”
It took some effort, but he finally got it out. “I love you, too.” He pulled her to him, loving how well they fit together. He took her lips in a gentle, yet possessive kiss, pouring into it all the pent-up feelings he’d been denying ever since he’d laid eyes on Miss Becky Davidson.
Now Mrs. Becky Jensen. His wife.
* * *
Becky’s heart soared at Mace’s words. He loved her! She was still reeling from the abrupt switch at the preacher’s house. All the way back to Santa Fe, she had assumed—and eventually reconciled herself to the fact—that she would be marrying Mr. Stillwater.
But now she was married to the man she loved and who had just confessed that he loved her, too.
Mace cupped her face with his large hands and dipped his head to gently kiss her, teasing her mouth with his, nipping, sliding his tongue against her sealed lips until she opened. His tongue swept into her mouth, touching soft places, places that made her stomach tighten and the area between her legs to dampen.
“Sweetheart, let’s get you out of these clothes.”
Had it been anyone else except Mace, she would be appalled at the idea of disrobing in front of another person, but this was her husband, the man who promised to love and cherish her.
She helped him as he fumbled with buttons and her corset. They giggled together when he swore as the string on her corset knotted. Eventually, she stood before him, naked as the day she entered this earth. Instead of embarrassment, she felt a sense of power by the look in Mace’s eyes as he studied her from the very top of her head to her toes.
“Your turn.” She smiled at him and began to unbutton h
is shirt.
“Wait, darlin’. I have to get rid of the gun first, so we don’t kill ourselves.” His grin made her laugh as he undid his gun belt and laid it on the small table next to the bed. She shivered and ran her hands up and down her arms.
“It’s chilly in here. As much as I’d like to admire you while I undress, I suggest you climb under the blankets.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose “I will join you shortly.”
Becky tugged the blankets up and watched as Mace slowly uncovered parts of his body she’d been admiring since she’d met him. Powerful muscles rippled in his chest and arms as he removed his shirt, flinging it on a chair. He toed off his boots and pulled his socks off. When all that was left was his pants, he climbed onto the bed.
She placed her hand on his chest. “Oh, no. What about your pants?”
“I thought I’d leave them on for a bit. If you’ve never seen an aroused man, it could be awkward for a young woman.”
“Hah! I am not a young girl but a grown woman, and you are my husband.” She smiled softly. “Off with the pants, Sheriff.”
For a minute it looked as though he would argue with her, but after a few moments, he leaned in, kissed her briefly on her lips, and stood. His blue eyes darkened as she watched his fingers unfasten his pants and then slide them down over his long, muscular legs.
“Oh, my.” She breathed out the words.
* * *
Mace slowly eased himself next to her on the bed. Becky shifted away, her eyes wide.
“Come here.” When she didn’t move, he said, “Trust me.”
She slid over next to him, and he placed his arm around her shoulders and guided them down until they were lying face to face. He brushed the hair off her forehead and leaned to kiss her. Softly, gently, until her gasp caused him to pull her close and deepen the kiss.
He used his hands to glide over her softness, the curves of her body. “Your skin feels like the finest silk.” Not that he’d had a whole lot of experience with fine silk. This wife of his was soft, smooth, smelled of roses, even though she’d spent the best part of the day running away and being hauled back.
“I don’t know what to do.” The words breathed past her lips, her warm breath bathing his face.
“I will show you what to do. I want you to relax and let me love you.” The gentleness he had intended soon turned to something passionate, frantic, and intense, as Becky shyly began to touch him. He moaned his pleasure as her small hands roamed over his back, to his chest. When her slight touch on his nipple caused him to pull her closer, he felt her grin against his mouth.
This wife of his was a treasure. He’d bedded plenty of women in his day, some paid for, some not, but no other woman had touched his heart the way this one did. He wanted to make this introduction into the special part of the relationship between husband and wife wonderful for her. She deserved it.
He dipped his head and took her small, firm breast into his mouth and suckled. She hissed and let out a squeak that told him all he needed to know. She grew restless, moved her hands over his back to his buttocks, pulling him close to her. He pushed his hips forward. “Touch me, sweetheart.”
When she seemed confused, he took her hand and guided it to his cock, showing her how he wanted her to hold him. A fast learner, she picked up his lesson quickly as his fingers were busy trailing over her curves down to the soft, moist area between her legs. “Oh, yes. Oh, Mace, that feels so good.”
It didn’t take long for his innocent wife to become frantic in her need for him. She shifted, pressed herself against him, squeezed him so hard he had to pull back. “Sweetheart, this will be over all too soon if you don’t let go.”
“I thought you liked that.”
“I do, indeed. A bit too much, though.” He returned his attention to the pounding of Becky’s heart against his chest, her panting breaths, and slight moans that told him she was close to coming apart in his arms.
He gave her breast one more suckle, and she stiffened and moaned, her body jerking with her release. A soft smile graced her lips, and she opened her eyes to gaze at him with so much love in her eyes, that his chest swelled until he thought his heart would burst.
Unable to hold himself off any longer, as soon as she relaxed into the mattress, he pushed her legs apart with his knee and settled between her hips. “This will hurt for a minute, darlin’, but I will try my best not to hurt you too much.”
Still dreamy-eyed, she nodded, and he entered her, sliding in easily until he reached the slight blockage. It had been years since he’d lain with a virgin. Then, he’d been a randy lad of sixteen and, with no knowledge of women’s bodies, had hurt the girl, and brought their lovemaking to an end when she pushed him off.
He leaned in and took her mouth in a searing kiss, attempting to distract her as he surged forward. She stiffened, her eyes opened, and a small tear leaked from one corner. He sipped the tear from her eye. “That’s the worst of it, sweetheart. I’ll wait until you’re ready before I continue.”
“There’s more?”
He grinned and let out with a chuckle. “Oh, yes, my love. There is more. Much more.” He began to move in the rhythm of lovers, his heart swelling as he looked into the eyes of the woman who had captured his heart and who he would love and protect for the rest of his life.
Epilogue
Six years later
“I’m pregnant.” Becky glanced at Mace as she set a platter of scrambled eggs in the center of the breakfast table.
Mace’s hands stilled as he tied a bib around eleven-month-old Luke’s neck. “Again?”
“Afraid so.” Becky poured milk from the pitcher she’d just taken from the icebox into glasses in front of five-year-old Elizabeth, four-year-old David, and their two-year-old twins, John and Jeremy.
“Goddamn, I’m going to have to get us separate bedrooms.”
Becky nodded toward the table of noisy children. “Language.” She took her seat and then hopped back up to grab the coffeepot from the stove and pour coffee into her and Mace’s cups. “Besides which, we are already bursting from the seams here. If you want a separate bedroom, you’d better get a room at the hotel.” She pushed the curls covering her forehead back and sat down.
With Luke all settled, Mace walked around the table and bent down to kiss Becky on the neck. “How about I get a room at the hotel, and we both go there one night?” His voice lowered. “We can get Mrs. Millstone to babysit.”
Becky turned in her chair. “Are you crazy? You just finished suggesting separate bedrooms because of you-know-what.” She glanced at Elizabeth who was showing way too much interest in her parents’ conversation.
Mace took his seat and picked up a piece of toast and broke it into pieces and set it on Luke’s plate. The baby grabbed it and shoved it into his mouth, smiling with his two front teeth at his daddy. “Yeah, but now that you are—you know—we’re safe for another few months so we can.”
“Ach!” Becky jumped up as David’s glass of milk tipped over, a river of white liquid running down the center of the table, landing in Becky’s lap. “David, I told you to be careful with your milk.”
“I’m sorry, Mama. It was an accident.”
She mopped up the mess with a towel and patted him on the head. “Yes, I know, sweetheart.”
Once they had all settled down again, a knock at the front door of their tiny house had all seven heads turning. Mace wiped his mouth on a napkin and strode to the front door. Toby Gallagher, the young lad who worked at the mercantile where the telegraph office was located, handed him an envelope.
“This came for you yesterday, Sheriff. Sorry, it got shoved aside, and I just now found it.”
Mace took the envelope from the boy’s hand. “Thanks.”
“What is it?” Becky asked as she scraped half-eaten breakfasts from her children’s plates. She would feed it later to their two dogs who were already lying as close to the table as they could get, watching the children with every bite.
�
�Telegram.” Mace leaned against the sink and opened it. His eyes skimmed the missive, and he grinned. “Well, what do you know?”
“What?” Becky pushed back from the table and joined him. “You’re smiling, so it can’t be bad news.”
“Nope, Mrs. Jensen. It’s good news.”
He kept staring at the paper until she nudged him. “Well, what’s the good news?”
“It seems I am no longer the Sheriff of Santa Fe County.”
Becky’s heart plummeted to her stomach. “And you think that’s good news?”
“Yes, it certainly is.” He shoved the paper at her. “As of yesterday, I am the new United States Federal Marshal of Santa Fe County.”
Her eyes grew wide. “That’s wonderful. Did you know this might happen?”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and eyed the small, beautiful faces staring at them from the table. “Yes, darlin’, it is good news, and I had hoped this would come through. I’ve been promised it for a couple of years now.”
He grinned at her. “We can now afford a bigger house.” Leaning in close, turning his head away from curious eyes, he added, “Let’s get that hotel room tonight to celebrate.”
She grinned back. “I’ll go see Mrs. Millstone. Can you wait a few minutes before you head to the jailhouse?”
“Darlin’, I waited my whole life for you. I think I can wait a few minutes to guard the castle and supervise the urchins.” He kissed the tip of her nose then reached over and grabbed a fistful of scrambled eggs from John’s hand that he was about to throw at his twin brother. “But hurry, this new marshal has to get to work if you want that bigger house.”
Becky shook her head and went out the back door to the neighbor’s house. Her heart sang as she viewed her flower garden that was coming to life. She touched her stomach and smiled at the new Jensen baby she carried under her heart. And now they could buy a bigger house!
Prisoners of Love Boxed Set: Books 1-3 Page 31