by Connie Mason
It took Shannon several tries to swallow the lump in her throat. “I love Blade.”
“I don’t want to offer encouragement where none is due, but I’m certain Blade feels the same about you.”
Instead of cheering her, a bleak sadness settled over Shannon’s features. “He thinks he’s not good enough for me. I’m afraid I’ll never see him again and I don’t know if I can bear it. But that’s not why I’m here. It’s about Clive Bailey.”
“Clive Bailey? What about him?”
“I’m going to help you prove he’s the man selling guns to the Indians.”
“What!” Vance exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “You’ll do no such thing, young lady!”
“It’s too late. I’ve already renewed our friendship, if you could call it that. Fortunately he’s a confirmed womanizer.” She thought it best not to reveal that he had tried to molest her on more than one occasion. “He thinks I’m impressed with him. The man is a vain brute, and I know I can get him to boast about his exploits.”
“I won’t hear of it,” Vance pronounced with quiet authority.
“You can’t stop me. I want to do this—I have to do it, for Blade. I’ll keep you informed of my progress. And—and if you hear from Blade, please let me know.” She turned to leave, everything settled in her mind.
“You’re correct, Shannon, I can’t stop you,” Vance allowed, “but I can ask you to be careful. Come to me if you need help, or for any reason.”
Snow covered the ground in thick white clouds. It was a proper setting for the first ball of the Christmas season. The dance was well under way when Shannon walked into the clubhouse with the Greers. The main room was gaily decorated in keeping with the season and the dance floor already bursting with dancers. It was the first dance Shannon had attended since she had declined to attend the last one. She didn’t feel comfortable dancing while still mourning her friends killed in the Indian raid. Because Fort Laramie had never been attacked by Indians, it was known far and wide as a gay and spirited post, hosting many frivolous balls and parties.
Immediately Shannon was swamped by young men eager to fill her dance card. Actually, Shannon felt little like dancing. She worried about Blade and missed him dreadfully. But she agreed to accompany the Greers for a good reason. She hoped the festive atmosphere and her company would entice Clive Bailey into revealing more of his illegal activities.
To her surprise, Shannon found she was enjoying herself. She danced with Major Vance, Colonel Greer, Lieutenant Goodman, and most of the officers from the fort. When it was Clive Bailey’s turn to lead her onto the dance floor, he did so with a smug arrogance that set Shannon’s teeth on edge.
“Do you like to dance, Shannon?” he asked politely. His words said one thing while his eyes hinted at another.
“Oh yes. Before the war we had the grandest balls and fetes at Twin Willows,” Shannon said wistfully.
“Is Twin Willows your plantation?”
“Was our plantation. We lost it. Lost everything,” Shannon said bitterly. “A Yankee is living there now.”
“Would you like it back?”
“Like it back? I—I don’t understand?”
“I could buy it back for you. One more trip East and I’ll be rich enough to buy you anything you want. You don’t belong in this wilderness, teaching school to support yourself. I can dress you in pretty clothes, buy your home back if you like, give you jewels …”
“Clive, what are you suggesting?”
“We’ve become good friends these past weeks,” Clive hinted with an eagerness that stunned Shannon. “I think we could deal well with one another. I’m asking you to be my wife.”
Bailey had considered the possibility of marrying Shannon for some time now. It wasn’t such a bad idea when one thought about it. Once he left the Western frontier, he’d need respectability and Shannon was just the woman to give it to him. If she didn’t want to go back to Georgia, they could go to California. One more trip East and he’d be set for life.
Shannon was dismayed. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected a marriage proposal from Clive Bailey. He had come calling and she had forced herself to accept his friendship, pretending to enjoy his company, but that was as far as it had gone. He had chatted politely over tea while Shannon chafed impatiently for him to leave. Nothing else had transpired to even suggest he might want her for his wife.
“You want to marry me?”
“Is that so strange? You’re a beautiful woman. Any man would be proud to have you for his wife. I can give you everything your heart desires.”
Shannon’s mind worked furiously, casting about for an answer that would satisfy him and still not compromise herself. There must be some way to get out of this predicament and still expose Clive Bailey, she reasoned. “How do I know you’ll do all you say?” she challenged. “How do I know you’re not lying about your wealth? After the war we were poor as church mice. I won’t be poor again. The man I marry must be able to provide me with all I lost.”
They had stopped dancing several minutes ago and now paused before an open window. Shannon had become so flushed after Clive’s unexpected proposal that he had edged her toward the window when their dance was over.
“If I can prove to you I’m not lying about my wealth, will you consider my proposal?”
Before Shannon could form an answer, her next partner arrived to claim her. Later, Clive offered to walk her home and Shannon accepted. She was anxious to find out exactly how Clive Bailey intended to prove his worth.
“It’s a beautiful night,” Shannon said, wrapping herself more snugly in her coat. “See how brightly the moon reflects off the snow?”
“I’d rather look at you,” Clive said, devouring her with his greedy eyes.
Though the only thing new about the blue velvet dress Shannon wore was the ribbons, she did indeed look lovely tonight. The fitted bodice was cut low enough to entice, yet high enough to be considered modest. The deep blue velvet matched her eyes and complimented her pale skin and rich chestnut tresses, which she wore piled atop her head in a most becoming style. A new ribbon circled her miniscule waist, and she had sewn tiny bows over the full skirt. She looked fetching and seemed totally unaware of it.
“Clive, what did you mean you could prove you had wealth? Do you have money in the bank?”
Shannon’s blunt questions seemed to amuse Clive rather than annoy him. He thought her quite practical to want to know exactly what he could offer her.
“Better than that, my dear, I have gold—lots of it, all nice and safe where no one can find it.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” Shannon challenged.
“I told you I’d prove it, and I will. Just as soon as you agree to our marriage, I’ll show it to you.”
“I—I have to think about it,” Shannon hedged. They had reached her door now and she fumbled in her reticule for her key. Once the door was open, she said, “Goodnight, Clive. Thank you for walking me home.”
“You’ll think about what I said?”
“I—yes, of course.”
“May I kiss you goodnight?” he asked, moving to take her in his arms.
A shudder of revulsion passed through her body. If his mere touch repulsed her, what would his kiss do? Shannon wondered distractedly. Yet she had no alternative but to let him kiss her. It would seem odd if she refused to kiss a man whose proposal she was supposedly considering. Shyly she offered her mouth.
The kiss wasn’t as bad as Shannon thought it would be—it was worse. She wanted to gag, but didn’t dare. When Clive tried to pry her lips apart with his tongue, they remained staunchly closed. She broke it off as soon as she could, murmured a hasty good-night, and slipped through the door, closing it firmly behind her.
God, what was she getting herself into? she wondered shakily, leaning against the door to catch her breath. Tomorrow she’d see Major Vance and ask his advice. Perhaps she was getting in too deep. Why wasn’t Blade here when she needed him? Until
she met Blade, her life had been empty, as well as amazingly uncomplicated. Just looking at him brought her a special kind of happiness, something she never knew existed. Sighing bleakly, she realized that no amount of wishing would bring Blade back to her. She walked slowly through the darkened parlor to the bedroom; she had purposely left a fire burning in the stove so she wouldn’t come home to a cold house.
After being gone for hours, Shannon thought the room exceptionally warm, but she didn’t possess the energy to analyze that confusing fact. She was tired; it had been a long, exhausting night and she had much to think about. Shrugging out of her coat, she slowly began to undress. An oath escaped her lips as her fingers fumbled with the hooks at the back of her dress.
“Do you need help, Little Firebird?”
He stepped from the shadows—a tall, powerful man with bold, chiseled features. He was everything she remembered, and more. Thick, rippling muscles corded his arms and thighs, and his big hands were as gentle as she remembered as they brushed hers aside to unfasten the hooks she found difficult to manipulate.
“Blade, where did you come from?” Whirling, she ended up in his arms.
“From the looks of things, I didn’t arrive any too soon. What in the hell were you doing with Clive Bailey?”
Blade, forget Bailey. Just kiss me. I can’t believe you’re real.”
He bent his head to taste lightly, meaning only to prove he was flesh and blood. But his intent was burned away by the volatile flame that ignited within him the moment their lips met. The feel of his lips against her mouth was the most exquisite sensation Shannon had ever experienced. Fire shot through her, searing her senses. She sighed in abject surrender, her eyes closing. His tongue was slow and hot and gentle, sliding between her lips, touching her teeth, the roof of her mouth, the inside of her cheeks.
Blade had never wanted Shannon more; he needed to thrust his love deep inside this beautiful, headstrong, unpredictable woman. He needed her strength and strong spirit to make his life whole again. The Grandfather Spirit had ordained their fates even before their births. Suddenly the tenderness and care yielded to a hard, fierce passion and Blade drew a ragged breath, pulling away so he could continue unhooking her dress. There was an urgency about him that communicated itself to Shannon and she responded by tearing at his clothes.
A slow smile curved Blade’s sensuous lips. “Easy, love, we’ve got all night.”
“I can’t wait, Blade. I’ve dreamed of being with you like this, but I never thought it would happen again.”
Her clothes fell away like magic and she stepped out of them, watching Blade as he tossed aside his trousers. Then he pulled her into his arms, holding her against him, savoring the feel of her smooth flesh against his own hair-roughened skin. His kiss was like a shaft of hot steel that pierced deeply into her, throbbing and pulsing low in her belly. She gripped his shoulders tightly, afraid he’d disappear if she let him go. His mouth parted from hers, his eyes dark, burning ebony as he gazed deep into hers. He swept a tendril of hair from her face, his voice both tender and hoarse.
“You aren’t the only one who has dreamed of this moment, Little Firebird. I had to come back, if only for this brief time. I need you—you’re my life, my breath, my very existence. I’m going to make love to you and when I’m done we’re going to make love again—and again.”
His words drifted off as he acted upon them, his palm cupping the fullness of her breast. Instinctively her flesh responded to his touch, and the coral nipple hardened against the caress of his hand.
“You’re incredible,” he mouthed against her lips as his hand moved down in a trail of fire that left her gasping for breath.
Suddenly Shannon was swept off her feet as Blade carried her to the bed, stretching his lean length beside her.
His hand wandered boldly over her body, followed closely by his lips, tasting her skin with his tongue, drawing a damp trail from her mouth to a hardened nipple, sucking it into his mouth. His warm breath sent a delicious shiver through her as gentle hands explored her soft woman’s triangle, stroking and probing with bold insistence and tenderness.
Desiring to bring him the same joy he gave her, her hand moved down to close around him. A jolt passed through him at her touch and a low growl came from throat. His hand continued its exploration of the golden down at the top of her legs, his fingers slipping into the dark, moist cavern, and Shannon cried out at the intense pleasure his stroking fingers evoked. When he took his fingers away she knew an empty ache that only Blade could fill.
He whispered her name in a raw, shaky voice and slid his mouth downward along the delicious surface of her skin to that place between her legs where his hands worked so diligently. She cried out, jerking in spasms as his hands slid beneath her buttocks and he teased her with the first touch of his tongue. She writhed and twisted and arched against him as his tongue probed and parted, delving deeply, tasting. Her body surged against him and she moaned, tossing in wild abandon.
He allowed her no mercy, for he was determined to have all of her. He sought the tiny bud of greatest pleasure, his tongue a flame setting her afire. Then she burst and exploded, waves of absolute rapture erupting through her with shattering intensity. Suddenly he gripped her ankles, parted them wide, and settled his weight in the cradle formed by her thighs. Then she felt the huge hot shaft of him probing hard against her, and she was soaring. Moments later Blade joined her and they flew to towering mountain tops to touch the stars. It was several minutes before either could talk.
A tiny sigh slipped past Shannon’s lips. “I felt you in every part of me.”
His fingers tenderly brushed the chestnut curls away from her forehead. “Little Firebird, you are a part of me. What am I going to do without you?”
Alarmed, Shannon cried out, “What do you mean? You’re not leaving again, are you?”
“I must. Yellow Dog needs me. Those survivors from the village have no food, no shelter. They’ll starve to death this winter if I don’t return to help them.”
“You found your grandfather! Is he well?”
“As well as can be expected given his great age. Jumping Buffalo helped him escape the carnage, but it has been difficult for him. My mother’s death was a bitter blow.”
“What did you learn about the attack?”
“Little outside of what I already knew. Mad Wolf wasn’t in the village. They hadn’t seen him in weeks. Lieutenant Goodman refused to believe Yellow Dog and ordered the destruction you saw. The survivors have nothing—no food, no clothing, no shelter.”
“If what you say is true, then why did you return to Fort Laramie?”
“For one thing, I promised I’d let you know about Yellow Dog. And I came to buy blankets and food.”
“And that’s all?” Shannon asked with keen disappointment.
“No, Little Firebird, I came to see you. I had to see you again before …”
Though Blade longed to tell Shannon he loved her, he deliberately refrained from saying the words. Too many obstacles stood in their way, too many years of hatred between their people made marriage impossible. Marriage between them would make her an outcast among her own kind.
“Blade, do you love me?” Shannon asked bluntly. Though Blade had never given voice to the words, Shannon’s heart told her he did love her and she longed to hear him say it.
“What if I did?” Blade challenged, deliberately hardening his heart against the pain of knowing he could never have her. “What good would it do us? Would it make our good-bye any less painful?”
“You’re leaving for good?” Shannon asked in a small voice.
“Grandfather needs me. I’m going to live with the Sioux for as long as I’m able to help. I have nothing to offer you. Go to Idaho, Shannon. Your family is expecting you. Find a husband who can offer you more than his heart.”
“I don’t have to go to Idaho,” Shannon said stubbornly. “My family would understand. I have a job and can support myself for as long as need be. If
you loved me, if you wanted me, I’d wait forever.”
“I’m not that selfish, Little Firebird. I wouldn’t ask for that kind of sacrifice. Marriage between us is forbidden. I couldn’t bear to see you condemned by your people. My Indian blood makes me an object of scorn and hatred. I am a savage.”
“I don’t care what people say. You’re my savage. I’ll live my life as I see fit. I’d leave with you now if you’d let me.”
“My sweet, sweet love. I can’t ask such a sacrifice of you. Winters are harsh in Wyoming Territory and I’d be a fool to take you with me no matter how desperately I wanted you,” Blade confided in a hushed tone.
“Then I’ll wait,” Shannon vowed staunchly.
“Many things could happen to change your mind,” Blade predicted. “I’ll not ask you to wait for me, but if you’re still here when I return …” His words trailed off, ripe with hope yet asking nothing.
“Love me again, Blade. Love me for all the empty tomorrows.”
“I will, Little Firebird, but you’re not going to distract me so easily this time. First tell me what you were doing with Clive Bailey.”
A long sigh escaped Shannon’s lips. She had thought Blade sufficiently diverted and had forgotten all about Clive Bailey. But he was too astute for that.
“How much did you hear?”
“Enough to know you have some devious plan in mind. I know you detest the man, yet you deliberately led him to believe you’d marry him.”
“How do you know that?”
“I was listening at the window where you and Bailey conveniently stopped to talk,” Blade revealed. “I heard him bragging about his wealth, and I heard your probing questions. What in the hell are you trying to prove?”
“I only wanted to help,” Shannon said, growing animated. “I know I can get him to confess to selling guns to the Indians. He’s already offered to show me the gold he received from their sale. Major Vance isn’t too happy about what I’m doing, but…”
“Wade knows about your prying?” Blade roared, appalled. “I’ll have his hide when I see him tomorrow.”