He couldn’t remember specifically what drove him from her bed five years ago, only that he found himself becoming obsessed with her. It had stood in the way of his dream to be a miner, to find his fortune and make a place for himself in the world. He had to leave or lose that dream. At twenty-one, he wanted nothing but to conquer and own the spoils of his efforts.
Instead his mining expeditions failed miserably for four years. He didn’t give up until his belly scratched at his backbone and his shoes were so full of holes he was walking on dirt most of the time. Pride was a bitter pill to swallow, worst taste he ever had to get through. After taking odd jobs for half a year, he landed in Arizona Territory and met a man who offered him a job as a U.S. Marshal.
Now he found himself full circle, back with Lucy and ensnared in her arms again. This time he was older and wiser, perhaps even smart enough not to make another mistake when it came to the woman at his side. The question ripping through his mind was, what did this interlude mean to her?
He wasn’t ready to think too hard about it, but he couldn’t help the niggling idea he had to. Sean thought waiting for Lucy to mention it was the safest course. They both obviously enjoyed themselves, an understatement if he’d ever stumbled across one, and he wouldn’t turn down the chance to do it again either.
What he had to remember was that he was there to do a job as a U.S. Marshal and not just to bed Lucy. His responsibilities would affect whatever happened between them. He was being paid to be there—she chose to come to him and start this whatever it was.
“Sean?”
He tensed up, readying himself for the romantic notions. “Hm?”
“If you’re done recovering, can we take a gander at where the cattle disappeared from before the sun goes down? When it gets dark out here, you don’t want to be without shelter or a fire. It’s cold and darker than hell.” She pushed against his chest and sat up. Her perfect breasts so close he could see the puckering around the rose colored nipple. He had no chance to taste them, lick them, suck them, bite them. His stupid cock twitched.
“Cattle, yes. Let’s get dressed then.” He forced himself to look away, as his dick howled in protest, eager for more of the sweet honey.
Lucy dressed quickly, her clothes folded in a neat pile next to the chaos that had become his after he’d shed them. She seemed a little too business-like to be the girl he remembered. Of course, she wasn’t a girl any longer. Lucy was at least twenty-three and a widow. God only knew what she’d experienced in the last five years. Her responsiveness to his touch told him she was still full of passion and fire, but it was a cool flame and not the out of control inferno she had been. He wanted to ask her about her late husband, but the timing wasn’t quite right, being that he’d just fucked her until they both collapsed. Later on though, he would find out the story of Patrick Quinn.
He yanked his mind out of his britches, buttoning them up to hide the creature who had taken hold of him. As he pulled on his boots, she stood patiently waiting, a pack on her shoulder and the breeze playing with the strands of her hair peeking from the brim of her ugly hat. Standing there, she looked like a shapeless lump, but beneath the hideous clothes, she was exquisitely formed. It was a wonder he managed not to fall on his head when he let go of his boot and started to reach for her again.
Some kind of madness had taken hold of him and its origin was with Lucy Quinn. He didn’t know the whole story of the “curse” or why they called her the black widow, and he damn sure wished he’d asked more questions of the other marshals. Now he’d have to find out on his own without alienating the prickly widow or compromising his job. A sticky situation indeed.
She squinted up at the sky. “It’s about six o’clock and the sun is going to set within the hour. We should get moving. I’ll show you where they graze or where they used to graze.” With that she pivoted on her heel and started walking down the ravine.
Since he had no idea where she was going and he hadn’t come prepared as she did, Sean followed her, with a little reluctance. The young woman he’d known who would have followed him anywhere, was now leading him. The man in him complained, the marshal in him accepted it and kept moving.
Lucille itched all over. It was a ghost feeling, a phantom of her confused state. Seeing Sean again had sent her into a tailspin. He was everything she’d ever wanted five years ago and now she wasn’t sure what she wanted. Staying on this land her grandpappy had found was for sure but beyond that, surviving wasn’t going to be enough anymore. The marshal had awakened a part of her that had been sleeping for years.
She kept her eye on the sun, knowing they had limited time that day to look for the cattle but she needed to keep their conversations to business right now. Her brain was waging a war with her body and her heart over this situation with Sean. Focusing on the cattle would help.
They reached the end of the ravine and she climbed up the side onto the grazing grounds. Sean mumbled something as he climbed up behind her. He was doing quite a lot of that and it annoyed her.
She scowled at him as he got to his feet. “Why do you keep mumbling?”
He looked surprised. “I’m mumbling?”
“Yes you are and don’t bother to deny it. It’s not polite and it’s getting on my nerves. We got business to do here so let’s keep it polite and get it done.”
His expression grew shuttered. “Yes, ma’am. Business it is.”
She didn’t know whether to be pleased or hurt by the way he readily agreed to keep it business. Not thirty minutes earlier, his cock had been buried inside her and even now she ached to have him there again. He had found pleasure but maybe Lucy wasn’t skilled enough to entice him to repeat the experience. A pinch of pain traveled through her straight to her heart. There was no reason to be hurt but that didn’t stop that traitorous organ from reacting to the thought.
Lucille walked across the grassy field, now a foot high since the cattle were no longer there to graze. It was a beautiful spot, with sweet rich soil just right for raising beeves. Now it lay waiting, same as its owner. She waited each day for something good to happen. Time marched on and yet nothing magical ever occurred.
Until now.
She stopped in her tracks so suddenly Sean ran straight into her. His hard body felt like a tree against her, knocking her forward. He cursed and grabbed her to stop them both from falling face first.
“What the hell are you doing, Lucy?”
Lucille turned to look at him, realization hitting her like a mule kick. All this time, the very thing she needed, the person she needed, was the man standing in front of her. God had decided to throw him in her path again. Perhaps this was the one chance she had to not be dirty poor and alone. She wouldn’t mind being dirt poor if she had a man like Sean to wake up to each morning.
“I, um, sorry, just woolgathering.” She managed not to sound like a complete idiot but her face was hot as though she was blushing. Embarrassing if it was true. Lucy didn’t remember the last time she blushed and found it made her feel younger. For too long she’d felt old and crotchety, like the crazy widow people accused her of being.
“The cattle grazed here?” He glanced around and his gaze narrowed. “Beautiful spot.”
That made Lucille smile. “My grandpappy found this place and made it his own.”
Sean looked surprised. “This is your land, not your husband’s?”
“Patrick didn’t have the sense to do anything but he did know cattle. I had lived with grandpappy for a year after we, uh, after I arrived here from Missouri. Patrick was a cowhand he’d hired.” She shrugged, wondering now why she had taken the easy way out when her grandfather died. “We rubbed along good so we got married.”
“And?”
“And Patrick liked whiskey more than he liked being married. Hell, he died with a whiskey bottle in his hand, face down and drunk. He drowned in a creek not more than a foot deep.” She shook her head at the memory of burying him. No one in town would help so she did it herself.
Sean took her hand. “How long have you been alone?”
Lucille contemplated what to say, how to tell him just how she felt. It had been so long since she’d had anyone she could trust and love. Too long.
“All my life,” was what popped out of her mouth.
He took her into his arms, his warmth and strength surrounding her. She pressed her face into his neck, breathing in his familiar scent. Sean might have made mistakes but so had she. He was a good man and she would be right proud to make him hers. Tears pricked her eyes but she didn’t let any fall. Lucille wasn’t weak, but she was lonely and Sean was just about the most perfect man she’d ever met in her life. A mate she could fall in love with.
“I’m sorry, Lucy.”
“It ain’t your fault. My daddy was never around and my mama, well she did the best she could. I didn’t even meet my grandpappy until I left Missouri. Mama gave me a letter he’d written years earlier telling her to come out to the Arizona territory.” Lucille had never taken a chance until she met Sean and doing so changed the course of her life. Now here she was five years later with the same man.
He let her go and she felt the loss of his arms keenly. Lucille hadn’t realized just how achingly alone she had been. Patrick had been a warm body, someone to talk to, even if he’d been a lousy husband. Other than Mabel and an occasional trip to town, she hadn’t even spoken to anyone in a year.
“Tell me about the cattle.” His expression shifted closed and he turned away. “When was the last time the entire herd was here? Were you counting them regular?”
Lucille sighed, wishing for the closeness back. Perhaps later, when they went back to the house, she might just ask him to stay.
“The herd was here until about six months ago. They started disappearing in groups, maybe ten to twelve at a time.” She squinted at the horizon, the memory making her gut clench. There was no one around to help or even ask for help so she did it alone and failed. It was only after the last of them were gone that she walked the twenty miles to town and sent a wire to the U.S. Marshal’s office. Three months later, the blisters on her feet from the pitiful excuse for boots were finally almost healed.
He pointed to the east. “What’s over that ridge?”
She shrugged. “Another ranch. I never talked to them but Patrick did a couple times. Said it was an old man and his three sons and no women. He warned me not to go over there on account of them being desperate for females.”
Lucille was no fool. She understood what lonely men could do in a situation like that. She heeded Patrick’s warning and never paid them a visit.
“It’ll be sundown soon. I’ll wait until morning then I’ll head over there.” He pointed to a narrow pass between the ridgelines. “There is a way for the cattle to get from here to there whether they wandered or were herded there.”
Lucille’s blood went cold. “You think they rustled my beeves?”
He shook his head. “No, I ain’t saying that. Maybe there is more to this. Let’s not make any judgments until I talk to whoever lives over yonder.” His gaze turned to Lucille’s. “I will do my best to find them but I think you should consider hiring a hand to help you. Six dozen beeves are hard for a single person to manage. Some folks up in Wyoming have started putting up fences to keep them contained. You ain’t got that here so those animals will wander.”
She didn’t know much about taking care of animals except a milk cow and chickens. She’d relied on Patrick to make the decisions about them and teach her what she needed to know. One thing she could do was help when they were sick or hurt but taking care of them every day wasn’t something she learned. To her regret, she should have learned it and perhaps the cattle wouldn’t be gone. Embarrassment prevented her from confessing her lack of skills to Sean.
“We should get back before the sun sets.” She turned and walked back toward home, such as it was. It wasn’t much but it was hers. If she’d lost the cattle for good, Lucille would have to find another way to make enough money to get her through year to year. She didn’t have much in the way of skills and the possibility she’d starve or worse, made her bones shake.
The walk back to her home was quiet, punctuated only by the sound of their boots on the ground and pebbles that littered the ravine. Her mind was spinning with thoughts about Sean, about her future, about the cattle, and about what she could and should do. She had no idea asking for help would bring her to an even worse place she’d been in before Sean arrived. She’d been ignorant of just how bad things were and now, she knew better.
As they reached the door to the cabin, Sean stood back and didn’t follow her in. She turned around and looked at him. The setting sun cast shadows on his whiskered face but instead of being intimidating, it made her heart thump. He was the right man for her but he had to accept her for who and what she was.
“I ain’t gonna stand here with the door open all night. The bugs will think it’s an invite for a feast.” She raised her brows. “You joining me in here or not?”
A small grin played at the corners of his mouth. “Are you inviting me in, Lucy?”
She pursed her lips. “I’m telling you it’s gonna be witch tit cold out there tonight with nothing but coyotes and snakes for company. In here you got a warm woman, a place to lay your head and a night of pleasuring.”
Lucille should have been embarrassed at the blatant way she spoke but she wasn’t. Life had taught her to just say what she thought and not wait for someone else to understand. That’s how she lost Sean the first time. She wanted him to stay around.
A bit of surprise flitted across his face. “I can’t stay here permanently Lucy.”
Sadness floated through her. “I know you can’t stay here for good but maybe for a while. We rub along pretty good, Sean, even if you’re slower than molasses when it comes to getting things done.”
He laughed. “When did you get to be such a brassy wench?”
She turned and walked into the small shack. “As soon as I realized only the brassy wenches get the men they want.”
Sean debated with himself for at least ten seconds before he followed her. She was right to offer him exactly what she could and not take it another step further. Their lives had taken completely different paths and he didn’t want to ruin what they’d found by being foolish enough to play the “what if” game with her. There could be no regrets.
She was taking off her clothes in the dim candlelight, revealing the beautiful body he had been thinking about since the falls. He stood and watched as each inch of skin was exposed. His dick grew hard in an instant, pressing against his trousers, insisting to be let out.
If he wasn’t careful, Sean could become obsessed with the black widow quite easily. Even now his brain was being pushed aside by his body and his heart, although he wouldn’t admit it to her. Lucy was all fire and sass, the kind of woman he could be with permanently and know that every day would be different from the last. It was a frightening possibility for a man with no responsibilities other than keeping the law in the territory.
“Ah, aren’t we going to have supper?” He had to think of something to get his mind working again.
She walked toward him, her breasts bobbing gently with each step. His hands itched to cup them, his mouth watered in anticipation of tasting them.
“Are you hungry, marshal?”
She reached for his shirt and he was powerless to stop her. After making quick work of it, she moved to his trousers. His dick pulsed with need as she slowly pulled each button free. He couldn’t help the moan that rose up his throat.
“I like that sound.” She reached into his drawers and stroked his staff. Her hands were nimble and soft, squeezing and pulling. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head. His trousers hit the dirt floor and he stepped forward until all he wore was his boots. She knelt down to unlace them and her tongue snaked out to lap at his dick, kittenish licks that drove him mad.
Sean snapped himself back to attention and realized he was letting
Lucy lead their encounter again. This time he wanted more than to just touch her. He wanted to taste her.
He pulled her to her feet, much to his cock’s dismay, and smiled down at her. “Let me lead this dance, honey”
She looked at him questioningly but didn’t make a move to touch him. He breathed a sigh of relief, her skilled hands distracted him completely. Sean picked her up and she spread her legs, wrapping them around his waist. Her pussy was inches from his hungry dick but he didn’t give into temptation and let her slide down.
“Are you teasing me?”
He chuckled and walked toward the bed. “Teasing me is more like it.”
When they reached the rickety bed, he eyed it dubiously but laid her down on her back, then shucked his boots in a hurry. He knelt beside the bed and finally took one of her rosebud nipples into his mouth. She sucked in a breath. His hand crept to the left breast to tweak it to its peak and he closed his teeth around the one in his mouth.
“Oooooh Lord.” She gripped the side of the bed. “That surely feels like heaven.”
He sucked and nibbled one breast then the other, enjoying the way her skin grew warm and glowed in the dim light. She wiggled on the bed, her knees coming up and her legs falling open and closed. Sean understood the need, the arousal that had its grip on him as well.
“Not quite heaven but close.” He moved to the end of the bed and crawled up until he was positioned between her thighs. When he had been with Lucy before, he’d never put his mouth on her, tasted her essence. This time was different. He couldn’t have stopped himself if a dozen horses had been yanking on his body.
“What are you doing?” She peered at him with a frown.
“Tasting you.”
“Tasting me down there? My cunny?” She didn’t look scared just confused.
Lucille's Lawman Page 3