Except for a brief stop at a creek to bathe her wounds, they rode straight to Shale Basin. Not that he had asked her how she felt, but Nora was willing to admit, if only to herself, that she wasn't really in the mood to be counting cows. She would just as soon sit in one spot and count her bruises instead.
Every step Seth's horse took made her bones ache. She was miserable and tired and cranky as hell. Apparently, Seth felt the same way, since he hadn't said more than a few words to her during their two hour ride to where they would meet up with the rest of their party.
It was easy to see how Shale Basin had acquired its name. A hollow in the surrounding mountains, the valley had a floor that was blanketed with broken chips of shale. The rocks slid and scattered as the gelding picked its way carefully across the clearing. She shivered slightly at the too familiar sound of pebbles and rocks rattling against each other and told herself that at least there was no cliff looming to one side of them. Up ahead, was the inevitable tree line and Nora could hear the telltale rush of water in a nearby narrow slice of riverbed.
She noticed all of these things absently, as if looking at pictures in a travel book. Her senses were too keyed up for her to take any real interest in any of it.
Adrenaline still pumped through her system. But she couldn't really decide if it was caused by reaction from her death-defying roll down a ravine— or from the nearness of Seth's hard, warm body pressed so closely to hers.
The first raindrop hit her square on top of her head. She had lost her hat in her fall. Lifting her face to the sky, she watched black thunderheads scuttle in from the mountaintops. Armies of clouds rushed at them like something out of a Spielberg movie. She half-expected a Mother Ship to peek out, turn on a bright light, and beam her, Seth, and the horse straight up.
Sweeping across the wide blue sky, the clouds quickly blotted out the sun and crashed into each other like bumper cars at a cheap carnival. A brief flash of distant lightening illuminated the edges of the clouds and thunder rattled from somewhere far off.
"We'd better find some shelter," Seth said close to her ear. "Fast. As I recall, there's a sort of overhang on the far side. That should do. Hang on."
She did. Her fingers clutched the saddle horn as he kicked the gelding into a trot. They hadn't ridden more than a few feet though, when the overhead clouds tore open and a sea of rain poured out.
In seconds, they were drenched. Nora pushed her hair out of her eyes and shivered against the driving slash of rain.
Her only warmth was from Seth, and his chest bearing into her back, the strong circle of his arms around her as he guided the horse toward shelter.
She peered into the wall of water, trying to see what he saw when he released a sigh of relief. But there didn't seem to be anything there, except a rocky wall and the never-ending forests of pine and aspen and cottonwoods.
He urged the horse up a small incline and as he turned to the right, she saw it. Not exactly a cave, but close enough. A giant slab of shale jutted out from the mountainside. Its outside edge lay balanced on a boulder that looked as though God had dropped it there expressly for that purpose.
She wiped her eyes, staring as Seth stepped down and reached for her. The dry space provided by the natural tent yawned black and welcoming at the same time.
Nora slid and stumbled across the wet shale, only falling to her knees once as she hurried. Rain pounded at her back. The heavy drops hit the ground in front of her and bounced off the rocks, splashing at her legs. Behind her, she heard Seth gently speaking to the gelding as he tugged at the animal's reins.
Once under the overhang, she paused, took a breath, and listened to the wild staccato dance of the raindrops smashing into the rock. Seth stepped up into the shelter and walked right past her, leading the gelding deeper into the shadows. "How far back does this thing go?" she asked and heard the quaver in her voice. She really was beginning to shake from cold.
"Far enough to shelter all of us," he answered as he walked toward her. He took off his hat and wiped his soaked shirt sleeve across his face.
Nora shivered again. "Wouldn't it be better if we were back there and the horse up front?”
He shook his head. "We'll stay far enough back to get out of the wind, but I want to be near the face of the overhang. So I can keep watch.”
She nodded, although privately, she thought he didn't have a thing to be worried about. The only creatures liable to be stirring in a downpour like this were ducks and fish.
Thunder roared into the relative quiet. Closer this time.
"Wow," she muttered and dipped her head to look out from beneath the slab of shale. “This is some storm.”
"Prob'ly won't last long," he said. "Blow itself out pretty quick.”
She nodded, not really caring if he was right or not. At least she wasn't going to get any wetter.
"There's some dry wood stashed back there," he said and Nora turned to look at him. “Left behind by whoever camped here last. I’ll start a fire."
"I'll make coffee," she said with a half shrug. "There's plenty of fresh water.”
He snorted a laugh, then turned for the back of the cave. Nora plucked a long, limp strand of hair off her forehead with the tips of her fingers and tucked it behind her ear. Wincing at the clammy feel of her socks and chemise, she glanced down at herself and paused, smiling. She was still looking down when he came back and dropped an armful of firewood.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she answered, lifting her gaze to his. "I just noticed something, that's all."
He frowned at her, waiting.
Nora shook her head, threw back her shoulders, and pulled her shirt front down tight across her chest. The completely soaked, now sheer white material defined and outlined her breasts perfectly. Right down to her erect, dark nipples.
Seth sucked in a gulp of air. “What are you doing?”
She grinned helplessly. "Wishing there was a wet tee shirt contest to enter."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he muttered and dropped to his haunches to arrange the wood. "But then," he added, "that's nothing unusual."
“I'm talking about compensation," Nora said, still admiring the lush breasts she somehow hadn't noticed until this moment. "Silver linings in dark clouds. That sort of thing."
"What that's got to do with…" He waved one hand, but didn't look up at her.
"Because never once," she muttered, "not in any of the other eight lives, have I ever had breasts that were so… perky.”
"Eight lives?” he repeated.
“Must be all of the eating I've been doing," she murmured thoughtfully. "Who would have thought gaining weight could look so good?" Nora chuckled to herself and looked at him. He was still keeping his head down, focusing on the fire just beginning to lick at the tinder and kindling. "C'mon Seth," she teased, wanting his reaction. "Take a good look at 'em. Don't they look great?"
“I’ll get you a blanket," he said and stood up, keeping his head averted. "You can wrap up in it while your clothes dry.”
Nora shook her head and moved closer to the circle of fire. Flames danced and dipped as the slivers of wind whipped around the edge of the overhang. Dry wood crackled and spit, hissing viciously at the fire devouring it.
Was the man made of stone? She held out her hands, palms down toward the heat. Blast his control anyway. Where did he get off ignoring her? She'd seen his admiring glances before this. She'd tasted his hunger and recognized the flash of desire that continued to ripple through her.
Why was he making this so damned hard?
Because of her reputation? Well, she remembered this time zone well enough to know that, yes, a woman's reputation was important. But if she was old enough and rich enough, she could ride out the gossip.
Surely no one was going to care that much about what an old maid chose to do with her foreman.
Except, apparently, the foreman.
Seth marched out of the shadows toward her, holding an opened blanket out in fr
ont of him. His gaze locked on her face. She had the distinct impression that he wouldn't have glanced at her chest if it had meant his life. Stubborn.
He tossed the blanket at her.
She didn't even try to catch it and the material dropped to the stone floor and pooled around her feet.
"Damn it, Nora," he grumbled, bending down to snatch it up again.
"Why don't you admit it, cowboy?" she asked, planting both fists on her hips.
“Admit what?”
"That you want me as badly as I want you." There, she thought. Plainly said, out in the open. Ignore that.
"What good would that do?" he muttered, disgusted.
"It would be a start.”
"Toward what?" he demanded, throwing the blanket into a heap.
“Toward…”
"See?" he countered. "There's nothing to move toward, Nora."
"There's sex," she snapped.
He flinched and a muscle in his jaw jumped slightly. "Making love is not something that's going to happen between us, Nora.”
"Why the hell not?" Good Lord, she sounded like a hormone-driven teenage boy in the back of his parents' car trying to coax a cheerleader out of her sweater.
In a flash of movement, he was at her side. Both hands gripped her upper arms, his fingers biting into her flesh. She stared up into his pale blue eyes and felt his need and frustration wash over her.
"Stop doing this," he demanded, giving her a brief, hard shake. "Stop doing it to both of us."
“Why are you fighting me so hard?" she asked, locking her gaze with his, silently daring him to answer.
“I told you before," he said through gritted teeth. "I won't dishonor you by lying with you outside marriage. And I can't marry you."
Well, that was the second time he had turned down a proposal she hadn't made. Stiffening in his grasp, Nora felt a spark of anger leap into life inside her. She should be the one saying no to marriage. Not him.
Pulling free of him, she tossed her still wet hair behind her shoulder and glared at him. "All right, Seth. Let's settle this thing once and for all. You say you can’t marry me?"
"That's right."
"Fine." She jerked him a nod. “Leaving alone for the moment the fact that nobody asked you to, just why can't you?" One possible reason occurred to her suddenly and she heard herself blurt, "Are you married already?"
He reached up and pushed both hands through his hair. "No."
Whew. "Gay?" she asked, despite already knowing the answer to that one.
“Gay?” he repeated, clearly confused.
"You know…” she said. "You don't like girls?"
He snorted at her suggestion.
"Then why?" she wanted to know.
"I gave your pa my word, Nora. My promise to look out for you. But that doesn't include marrying you."
"What?" she asked. “You won't sleep with me because you promised my father that you'd take care of me?”
"I gave him my word.”
Unbelievable. Of course, she knew what a man's word had been worth in this time period. It was everything to him. Deals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars had been made on the strength of a man’s handshake and his reputation for keeping his word. At the same time, a man whose word meant nothing might as well have left the country. No one would trust him. Or do business with him.
But for heaven's sake, Nora thought. Let's keep a little perspective here!
"And just how does sleeping with me interfere with your promise to my father?”
He pulled his head back, released her abruptly, and stared at her. "I work for you, Nora. And before you, for Jake. When the old man was dying, he made me swear to look out for you. To take care of the ranch and see to it that no man took advantage of you.”
"So?”
"So," he shot back, "if we make love, then I'm the one taking advantage.”
She looked up at him for a long minute. Then, shaking her head, she asked, "How can that be? You're not pushing me. If anything, I'm taking advantage of you."
He snorted a laugh to let her know what he thought of that statement.
"It's true," she argued. "You work for me and I'm badgering you into having sex. Hell, in another hundred years, you could sue me for harassment."
"What?" He squinted at her.
"Never mind." She took a step closer to him and noted that his gaze dropped briefly to the outline of her breasts beneath the wet white shirt. Nora smiled inwardly, but didn't celebrate his surrender yet. This was one hardheaded man.
"The point is, you can't take advantage of me if I'm the one doing the pursuing."
“It's not right, Nora." His argument was weakening.
"It's more than right. It's perfect." She moved in closer still, reaching up to touch his soaked blue cotton shirt. "We're alone here. No one for miles."
"I work for you."
"I know."
"This kind of thing just ain't done."
"Not yet."
"You're a virgin."
“Don't remind me."
He inhaled sharply, let his head fall back on his neck, and stared at the rock ceiling.
Her fingertips smoothed across his chest and beneath the fabric of his shirt, she felt the rapid, thudding beat of his heart. Her mouth dry, her body humming with the force of a desire so all-encompassing she could scarcely breathe, she waited for him to speak.
"God help me," Seth whispered finally. "It's not only my promise to your pa keeping me from you.”
"What then?" Nora congratulated herself on squeezing the words past her throat.
He lifted his head, looked deeply into her eyes, and said softly, “It's what I feel for you."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
There. It was out. Good God, what had he done? Was confessing to a woman that he cared for her really a good way to try and get rid of her? Particularly this woman? He stared into those soft brown eyes of hers and watched the quick shift of emotions there. Surprise, pleasure— and a bit of worry.
"What exactly do you feel for me?" she asked in a quiet, hesitant voice.
Seth took one step back and wished he could grab those words he'd just uttered and swallow them down. Pretend he hadn't said anything. But it was too late and he knew it. "I can't explain it," he finally said.
A tiny curl of pleasure unwound in the pit of Nora's stomach and slowly strangled the knot of anxiety nestled there. Ridiculous, she thought. Why was she pleased that Seth shared the same sense of connection that she felt toward him? Shouldn't she be worried? This is the man who had been snuffing out her life for centuries.
But before, she reminded herself, they had always been engaged. In love. This was different. No one had said anything about love. And she was determined that no one would, either. Even if her feelings for him had deepened. Even if she spent far too much of her time remembering his kisses. Nora wasn't willing to label these emotions love. She wanted him, he wanted her. Why did it have to be more complicated than that?
"I know what you mean," she said.
"Do you?"
"Yes, I can't really explain what I feel for you, either." Can't or won't.
"What is this between us, Nora?" he asked, shaking his head slowly.
“A gift, Seth.”
His features tightened slightly. “A gift? From who? At what price?"
She almost smiled, in spite of the fact that his question set off a warning bell in her system. Mentally, she deliberately shut it down. “I'm not sure where it came from." A small lie. She knew damn well the Resettlement Committee had plunked her down directly in his path. "I do know that it's bad manners to ask how much a gift costs."
"It is, huh?" His pale blue eyes watched her. Nora felt the heat of that stare all the way to her soul. His voice dropped to a low, husky pitch. “What do I do with this gift, then?"
Nora swallowed and closed the small space separating them. She reached for his hands, lifting them to her shirt front. Guiding his fingers to the line of buttons, she said softl
y, "Unwrap it."
"Nora…" He sucked in a long, shuddering breath.
"Don't think, Seth," she told him, already lifting her arms to encircle his neck. "Don't worry about tomorrow or the next day. Just this once, pretend that now is all we have."
He lifted one hand to cup her cheek. The pad of his thumb stroked her flesh and Nora's insides lit up like Times Square on New Year's Eve.
“Nora," he whispered and bent his head to claim her mouth. Gently at first, his lips gradually became more insistent. More demanding. He parted her mouth with the tip of his tongue and quickly claimed her for his, stroking, caressing the damp warmth of her.
Nora leaned into him, erotically brushing her hardened nipples across his chest, feeling the drag and pull of her cotton shirt over tender flesh.
His left hand dropped to her bottom, pulling her tight against his hardened body. His obvious arousal sent her own body's needs into hyperdrive. Everything within her cried out for his touch. She groaned quietly and moved her hips against his.
He gasped, breaking their kiss. Lifting his head, he stared down into her eyes. Nora saw the raging flames of desire flickering in the pale blue depths that devoured her silently. Afraid to break the spell hovering over them, she stood perfectly still as he moved to unbutton her shirt.
Slowly, tauntingly, he freed first one ivory button and then the next. Damp, cold air brushed her skin an inch at a time, but she was warmed by the building fire in his eyes.
The callused pads of his fingers explored the widening vee of flesh as her shirt opened. Tiny, electrical jolts of awareness skittered along her spine as if each one of her nerve endings suddenly had been sizzled by lightening. As he pushed her shirt off her shoulders, Nora took a long, deep breath and waited for the moment she had been yearning for.
"What's this?" he whispered and she felt him lift the gold chain and ring from the valley between her breasts.
She glanced down. The ring lay cupped in his palm, glittering in the firelight like a thousand golden candles.
"Another gift," she said softly.
His thumb brushed across the fragile-looking golden leaves. He lifted his gaze to her face and she met the pale blue stare evenly.
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