Sagebrush Bride

by Tanya Anne Crosby

  Elizabeth plainly understood what Elias hadn’t asked aloud. Need time alone? But before she could utter a protest, he was ordering Katie off the bed and shooing her out the door. “Out, Katie,” he said gently, and then, looking to Cutter, still grinning, he added, “We’ll let you folks be for now. Reckon there’ll be plenty of time to get acquainted later.”

  Cutter nodded once more. “Reckon so.”

  “But I wanna stay!” Katie objected with a single stamp of her foot.

  “You can come back later,” Elias promised. “Now, go on.”

  Elizabeth opened her mouth to say that there was no reason Katie shouldn’t remain with them when Cutter’s hand slipped down to her bottom once more. She jolted at his touch, spinning about to pierce him with venom in her eyes. Just you wait, she promised silently. Just you wait. Turning again, she saw that Elias was already shoving Miss Mimi along before him. And Katie was gone; her lithe little running footsteps were fading down the hall. Her protest died in her throat.

  Miss Mimi shook her head. “That child never walks,” she complained. “One of these days she’s going to kill herself on those steps!” She sighed wearily, and then realizing what she’d said, and the reason for Elizabeth’s visit, she looked to Elizabeth, her expression both a little sad and pleased. There was a moment of profound understanding between the two as Miss Mimi handed over the reins to Elizabeth, and then she smiled and turned away. “I’ll run the bath for you,” she called out, trying to sound cheery.

  “No, you won’t, Mimi,” Elias rebutted, winking at her. “Can’t you see these two young people need some time alone? It’s been a long trip for them—poor woman’s as jumpy as a toad. Give ‘em time to breathe, for Pete’s sake. Don’t worry about the bath, Mrs. McKenzie,” he called out from the hall. “We’ll warm it when you’re ready. Take your time.” Their footsteps echoed on the wooden floor, and then suddenly they halted abruptly.

  Miss Mimi shrieked. “Elias—stop it!”

  Elias wheezed, the sound part laughter, part rasp.

  “Don’t think I missed that cough in there!” Miss Mimi cried. “You’re not well! Didn’t I tell you that ride to and from St. Louis would be too much in this heat!”

  “I’m fine,” Elias assured her.

  Miss Mimi snorted in disagreement, and then sighed in resignation. “Don’t you think she looks the spitting image of Katherine?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Reckon a little,” Elias conceded.

  “Oh, Elias,” Mimi chided, her voice becoming faint with distance. “You must not have been looking at her face! I say she looks just like Katherine!”

  Elias’ chuckle was barely audible, and then Miss Mimi squawked again, yielding a final giggle.

  When they were gone at last, and there was no danger of anyone returning, Elizabeth swung to face Cutter, her look indignant. “How could you? They saw you do that!”

  His movements as agile and muscular as a mountain cat, Cutter closed the door, turning to lean his thick shoulders against it, his grin clearly predatorial. “Saw what?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about, Mr. McKenzie! How could you do such a thing?”

  “What?” he asked huskily. “Be so familiar with my wife?” He shrugged. “Reckon I couldn’t think of a better way to get them the hell outta here. Chrissakes, Liz, given another moment, you might have confessed every sin you ever committed to the man. Couldn’t have that, now could we? Besides, I wouldn’t worry about shocking those two,” he said with a twisted grin. “They could probably teach us a thing or two.”

  Elizabeth’s expression was first appalled and then disbelieving. She asked, “Elias and Miss Mimi?”

  Cutter shrugged noncommittally, raking a hand across his sweat-dampened bangs, sweeping them out of his eyes.

  “Oh—how would you know?” Elizabeth snapped. Snatching up the rest of Cutter’s clothing into a wadded bundle, she shoved it heedlessly into the open drawer. “She’s his housekeeper, for mercy’s sake!”

  Enjoying her ire, Cutter grinned. “Just do,” he replied matter-of-factly. He rather liked the way her eyes lit up in a pique.

  Elizabeth snorted. “You couldn’t possibly after only a few moments!” she countered, tossing a lock of sun-bleached hair over her shoulder.

  Weeks on the trail had turned her dishwater blond hair a sun-kissed gold, with the lightest strands framing her face. And her skin reminded him of peaches and cream; despite the time they’d spent in the sun, it seemed only the slightest bit darker. His lips curved roguishly. “Wanna bet?” he asked. His tone was seductive in its silky softness.

  Irritably snatching up a pair of Cutter’s socks she’d missed from the bed, Elizabeth threw them, too, into the open drawer, closing it discordantly, wishing that she’d hurled them at Cutter instead. “No, I don’t want to bet!” she retorted, grating her teeth. “And that…” She turned, wagging a finger at him, her eyes narrowing. “That’s another thing! I can’t believe you left me standing outside alone, screaming like a banshee up at an empty window! You don’t just climb into someone’s window and stay, Mr. McKenzie! It just isn’t done!”

  Cutter raised a brow. “It isn’t?” he asked with obvious amusement.

  “No! It isn’t!”

  “In that case—” Cutter lifted his weight from the door abruptly “—I’ll have to remember that next time I climb into someone’s window. Won’t I, Mrs. McKenzie?” He grinned.

  Elizabeth took a step backward, but straightened her shoulders, looking as fierce as she was able. “Don’t you dare call me that—and you can quit having your fun at my expense! I know what you’re doing, Mr. McKenzie!”

  “You do?”

  She held a hand out to ward him away. “Stay back!”

  Cutter’s grin deepened.

  Elizabeth retreated another step, her back coming flush against the wardrobe. “Cutter,” she warned. He placed one hand above her head, bracing himself. And then, after an interminable moment, he touched her, his fingers gripping her by the waist—so hot where they touched—and her knees went weak.

  “Cutter,” she breathed, her legs buckling.

  His arm snaked about her waist, catching her, drawing her to him, and her heart skipped a beat. She went limp in his arms as he slowly savored the feel of her, joining their bodies so close, they could have been one. “You’re beautiful,” he said softly.

  “Please, don’t… don’t lie to me,” she begged. “I’m not… never have been.”

  “Beautiful,” Cutter stressed, cupping her face gently. “Don’t ever let me hear you say otherwise.”

  The naked hunger in his ebony black eyes made her feel it was the truth he was speaking. That he meant every word. And her heart soared. Her eyes closed.

  “Cutter…”

  His fingers wound themselves into her hair, his eyes slitting. “Your hair,” he whispered with so much intensity that it sent a quiver down her spine. Like fire, his lips brushed lightly against her own, a whisper searing her clear to her soul. Then again, the velvety heat of them robbing her will. “And your mouth…” Again, his lips touched her, but this time he nipped her gently. Her lips parted with a moan. “Especially your mouth.” He guided her backward, tilting her head back. Bracing her against the wardrobe, he dipped to kiss the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat, savoring it as though it were the very thing he craved.

  But it wasn’t.

  And they both knew it.

  Elizabeth was burning, too. Impossible to bear. Her entire body ached; her breasts for his touch, her lips for his kiss. His lips pressed against hers, then gently covered her mouth, the slow, drugging kiss leaving her breathless. Without warning, his tongue stabbed deeply, leaving her mouth burning with fire, and her breath left her completely. Heat unfurled deep within her, seeping into every part of her, making her tremble with longing.

  Heaven help her, she wanted to.

  But she couldn’t.r />
  She shook her head, denying him, denying herself, but couldn’t speak to say the words. It was one thing out there, alone… but here?

  The pitter-patter of little feet broke into her consciousness, but before she could recover herself, the door flew open. Shrieking with surprise, Elizabeth shoved at Cutter’s chest, her face flushing guiltily.

  “Katie?” Elizabeth gasped, her hand flying through her hair, smoothing it nervously away from her face.

  Katie smiled. “I jus’ wanned to show you somethin’,” she whispered loudly, her eyes big and round, as though to emphasize the secrecy of her visit. She came forward slowly. And with her eyes fixed on Elizabeth, she offered her hand, palm-up.

  In it, to Elizabeth’s shock, was a small locket she immediately recognized. She fingered it reverently, sinking to her knees to put herself at Katie’s eye level. She lifted it from Katie’s small hand, swallowing the knot that appeared in her throat, and gazed at it dumbly for a long moment. Slowly she opened it to find two small portraits encased within. Katherine… and herself. As she gazed at it, bittersweet memories assailed her. Tearing her gaze away from the locket, she found Katie staring at her expectantly.

  “Where did you…” Elizabeth choked on her words. “Oh, Katie… ”

  “For you,” Katie whispered, delighted with her gift, as well as the tender expression she’d gleaned from her new aunt. “My granmommy gave it to my mommy, and then my mommy gave it to me when God tol’ her she was gonna go to heaven.” She lifted her chin, winking one eye so sweetly that Elizabeth’s heart ached for the loss she was accepting so bravely.

  “Oh, Katie, are you certain? This is so special. Maybe your mommy meant for you to have it.”

  “Well… if you take me home,” she suggested in a sweet whisper, “then we could share.” She lifted her hands as though to say, you see how easy it could be?

  “Of course,” Elizabeth replied, her heart breaking with every gesture Katie made, every word she uttered. “And we will.” Moisture shimmered in her eyes. “We surely will.”

  “Cause my grandpapa says he’s too tired anymore,” Katie revealed matter-of-factly, and Elizabeth’s heart twisted again. “Right?”

  Elizabeth swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes, and thank you, Katie.” She held up the locket. “I’ll treasure it always.” She searched in vain for the right thing to say, but nothing else came to her. From downstairs, Miss Mimi’s voice called out, and Katie’s eyes grew instantly wide.

  “Don’ tell!” she urged in an anxious whisper. “Granpapa says you was tired an’ that you was gonna sleep… and he tol’ me not to bother.” She lifted a hand up and shook it daintily. “But I didn’t bother… so don’ tell… all right?” She looked so unsure of herself that Elizabeth had to smile.

  “All right,” Elizabeth agreed, closing her fist against the cool silver of the locket. “I won’t tell.”

  Katie’s dark eyes sparkled, and with an enormous grin, she suddenly turned and scampered from the room, forgetting to close the door in her haste.

  Slowly, cherishing the moment, Elizabeth turned to find Cutter watching her intently. He was leaning casually, one shoulder on the wardrobe, his stance easy. But he said nothing, and his narrow-eyed look sent a tingle down her spine. What must he think of her? As he continued to scrutinize her, she felt a deep sense of shame for the predicament they’d been caught in. By Katie nonetheless!

  Not for the first time, she wondered what was wrong with her that she forgot everything, including to breathe, in his presence? What had happened to all the caution and good sense her father had instilled in her? Cutter made her so weak with only a look, and she shuddered inwardly at the thought of his lips on her own. And then her gaze was drawn to the bed, the only bed in the room, and she nibbled nervously at her bottom lip.

  “That certainly was close,” she said abruptly. Cutter didn’t reply beyond lifting a dark brow, and her embarrassment turned quickly to annoyance. “About tonight, Cutter… I don’t think we should… we should…” Lord help her, but she couldn’t say it. She watched as Cutter’s jaw set, and felt a quivering run the length of her.

  She tried again. “I wouldn’t expect—well, that because I’m a woman, I should have the bed…” Her gaze was drawn to the wooden chair, and she winced, thinking of how uncomfortable it would be to sleep there. But then, the only other recourse… would be pure heaven, she admitted, if only to herself. Still, it wasn’t right, and she wouldn’t shame herself, or her sister’s family, by sleeping with a man she wasn’t wed to. “I’ll sleep on the chair,” she concluded, nibbling gently at her lip. “You can have the bed.”

  With a curt nod, Cutter lifted himself off the wardrobe. “I see,” he said, his eyes smoldering as he came forward. “It’s all right to share the half-breed’s roll, but not his bed?” Shaking his head in disgust, Cutter stalked past her, giving her a narrow-eyed glance as he passed by. He jerked open the door and stopped. Without turning back to her, he said, “Don’t bother with the chair. You’re welcome to the bed!” He wanted to add that he wouldn’t be back, but the words wouldn’t come. And in his frustration he realized that that was the crux of it all; he knew he would return. He slammed the door as he walked out, leaving her standing in stunned silence behind him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  There wasn’t a muscle in his body that wasn’t tightly coiled with fury as Cutter leaned forward upon the fence, clutching it wrathfully, yet he hoped he managed to look casual as he gazed out into the endless fields. Wheat, he thought. Acres and acres of it. He squeezed the wood until it made raw imprints in his palm. The sun was just beginning to set, and the grasses swayed gently with the breeze, the golden-brown tips blending against the golden light of the sky… The scene was as quietly seductive as she was.

  Hell, he should have seen it coming.

  So why hadn’t he? He shook his head in self-disgust.

  “Get yourself in trouble with the little missus?”

  Hearing Elias’ voice, Cutter stiffened abruptly, the tiny hairs upon the back of his neck standing on end. Willing the tension out of his body, he straightened and turned his back to the fence to find Elias Bass sauntering toward him, grinning knowingly. He leaned back and crossed his ankles, assuming a negligent stance, glancing briefly at the house, then back. “You might say that,” he conceded ruefully.

  Elias chuckled and halted before him, crossing his arms.

  Again Cutter broke eye contact—long enough to tuck his volcanic emotions away—and then returned it. He couldn’t afford for Elias to see his anger—Elizabeth couldn’t afford it, he corrected himself. Since when had he taken a personal stake in this? “I believe she’s afraid we made a poor first impression,” he said.

  “And you?” Elias prompted.

  Cutter shrugged. “I think she’s already half in love with your granddaughter,” he said bluntly. “And she’s scared to death you’re gonna change your mind—that you’re gonna disapprove of us for some odd reason.” He watched Elias’ expression meticulously, taking in the guilty color that immediately suffused the man’s face, and swore silently.

  Elias nodded. “You’re real direct, McKenzie, aren’t ya?” He glanced down at his boots abruptly and kicked the ground, then again met Cutter’s gaze. “Well, I like that,” he announced.

  Cutter only nodded. Sure he did… He liked it—but! Damn, he could almost feel the word as though it were suspended between them. A tangible thing. He braced himself for the sound of it.

  “About that odd reason, McKenzie… I’m glad you came down.” Elias turned his back to the fence and dragged himself atop it, settling down upon the top slat next to Cutter and hooking the heel of his boots over the bottom rung. He sighed heavily, looking weary. “There’s something we need to talk about.”

  Once again the hair at the back of Cutter’s neck bristled. At his right side, his hand curled into a fist. There it was—he could sense it coming. It was all in the tone of Elias’ voice, and he swore again;
at himself for believing it could be otherwise, at Elias Bass for proving Elizabeth right—and at Elizabeth for walking into his damned life to begin with! His gaze shifted abruptly to Elias, his eyes narrowing, his heart hammering, his gut twisting violently. Elias was watching him studiously. Checking himself, Cutter took a moment to shut away his emotions, and then asked quietly, “You got a problem with that reason, Bass?”

  Again there was silence as both men stared, measuring each other.

  “No,” Elias replied after a somber moment. His brows rose in question. “Have you got a problem with it, McKenzie? Now, hold on a moment before you go off half-cocked!” he added when Cutter’s brows collided fiercely. He held a hand out between them. “I believe I’ve got a right to that answer! Katie’s my only granddaughter! Honest to God, McKenzie, I ain’t got no argument with you—don’t care what you are!”

  Cutter straightened abruptly to his full height. “What I am-”

  “Just allow me to finish! What you are does affect my granddaughter, and we both know it. I care too much about her not to take this up with you! Seems to me you’re a decent man. I ain’t blind—I know what I saw between you and Elizabeth upstairs, and that’s good. It says a lot! But I just need to know that you ain’t got a chip on your shoulder—that you know what you’re getting yourselves into—what you’re getting my granddaughter into!”

  Just needed to know? No buts? Shutting out the tiny jolt of elation he felt at what he wasn’t hearing, Cutter forced himself to settle back against the fence and cross his arms. He could hear the plea in the old man’s voice. Never releasing Elias’ gaze, his jaw remaining taut, he was afraid that he was mistaking Elias’ meaning.

  Elias shook his head gravely, choosing his words cautiously. “I gotta know she’s gonna be all right, McKenzie—that you’re gonna take care of her… that you ain’t gonna let them get to her.”

  There was no need to clarify who them was. Both knew. Still Cutter didn’t reply. A muscle ticked at his jaw, though he wasn’t certain it wasn’t out of simple giddy relief. No buts.