by Conn, Phoebe
Gabrielle could scarcely breathe. She could only feel the desire which flooded her loins with a stream of fire, and
wrapping her arms around Jason's narrow waist, she drew him down into an embrace that stilled all his apologies before he could speak them.
"Do you demand I say it still? Gin you not feel how desperately I want you?" she whispered seductively in his ear.
As his mouth again covered hers with an urgency she readily understood, she moved beneath him with a slow, easy grace, accepting each of his rhythmic thrusts as if they were engaged in an ageless dance whose steps she knew by heart. In his arms she had found a rapture so splendid she wanted only to share it. She felt a delectable excitement flow between them until its power surpassed even the longing for life itself, fusing their proud spirits in the flames ot a burning ecstasy that left them both trembling with the greatest of love's many exquisite joys. Their need for each other at last satisfied, they lay contentedly enjoying an embrace neither could bear to end until the last raindrop had rolled down the side of the tent and they were bathed in the warm glow of the returning sun.
For the first time in his life Jason was simply speechless, for he'd found in Gabrielle's arms so loving a response to his dream of affection that he was unable to put into words the newfound devotion which filled his heart. He brought a strand of her silken hair to his lips and kissed it tenderly, not wanting the wonderful intimacy they had shared to end as he knew it must. Stopping to kiss her flavorful lips frequently, he pulled on his trousers and moccasins. Then he brought his canteen from where it had been suspended on Duke's saddle so he could bathe away all traces of their ardor from her slender body, but his hands shook so badly Gabrielle took the damp handkerchief from him.
"For so tender a lover, why are you so clumsy now, my darling?" she asked in a voice still husky with desire. She pulled on her clothing with practiced ease despite the close confines of their quarters; then she knelt before him as she brushed his lips with hers. She had learned not only to trust
her own emotions, but to trust him as well, and her smile could not have been more lovely. She did not regret a moment of the pleasure they had shared, but she saw by the confusion in his glance that something was amiss. "Jason, what is wrong? Tell me quickly for surely we must hurry or the wagon train will overtake us and we will look very foolish sitting here in this tiny tent when the sun is shining so brightly."
Jason's gray eyes grew dark as he attempted to explain what was bothering him. "I did not even imagine—well, what I mean is it did not occur to me that I would be the first man to—
Gabrielle sat back, fear spreading up her spine like a cold chill. "What you mean is you thought I'd done this before and therefore would not mind doing it again with you, is that it?" she asked, her eyes rapidly filling with unshed tears.
"No!" Jason replied crossly. "But all you told me of Beau led me to believe that you and he had been lovers."
"I see," Gabrielle replied calmly, certain she had accurately guessed the cause of his remorse. He'd thought she'd been Beau's woman so she would be his without objection. It was as simple as that. She pushed by him and went to Sunny, brushing the last of the raindrops from his saddle before she leaped upon his back. When Jason rushed to her side to grab her stallion's reins, she turned upon him with a furious gaze. "Beau and I were lovers in the truest sense, for each of us was devoted to the other. You are not even fit to speak his name, and I swear I'll kill you if you ever dare touch me again!"
Stunned by that hate-filled threat, Jason could only leap aside as he watched her magnificent mount streak away. He screamed in frustration, devastated to think she had again misunderstood him so greatly but knowing the fault had been his. He should never have mentioned his mistaken belief about her relationship with Beau. The man's memory was sacred to her. Without realizing it, Jason had violated the trust she'd had in him only moments before. He loosed the lines which held
the tent and, rolling it up tightly, tied it behind his saddle. Then instead of returning to the wagon train he rode on to scout the river, for he did not trust himself to face anyone while fury filled his heart. He had won and lost Gabrielle's love in the space of a few brief hours, and the depth of his own folly was not something he would ever forgive.
"^/uz/i/ejo^J
While the memories of the night she'd joined Jason by the campfire had filled Gabrielle with a heavy burden of guilt, she had no trace of remorse over the romantic interlude they'd shared during the rainstorm. She felt not the least bit guilty for having made love to this man whose charm had previously caused her so much mental anguish. She had simply ceased to struggle against the attraction which had existed between them from the moment they'd met. When Beau had died she'd been so numbed by the pain of his death she'd thought that would be the way she'd always feel and she had closed her heart to desire, making it a shrine to his memory. Perhaps it was simply her youth, her inexperience with life itself, that had made her lose all hope for the future, but Jason had restored her faith in herself as well as in the richness of love's beauty. She still considered Jason Royal a scoundrel, a devil in the beguiling disguise of a handsome young man who knew how to manipulate a woman's emotions with remarkable ease. However, she had learned a valuable lesson in his arms and it was one she meant to remember. She again had the faith to trust in her own emotions, indeed, to allow herself to feel the very emotions she'd thought her heart no longer capable of holding. If Jason Royal had proved to be unworthy of her love, that did not diminish her joy in the-giving of it. Where as
before she had been blessed with a haunting loveliness, she now displayed a sparkHng beauty, but she gave her new friends no clue as to what had made such a difference in her life. When Jason stopped by their wagon as he frequently did, she left promptly on whatever errand needed her attention, knowing Iris would keep him so entranced with her flattery that he'd not miss her presence. She offered him not the slightest bit of encouragement, and should he be so foolish as to greet her personally she pretended not to hear. While she did not admit her growing interest, when they again viewed their future husbands' portraits she found several increasingly appealing. Their easy grins were a promise of the love she now knew she could again feel. She continued to include Joshua Taylor in her prayers as he was special to her and she hoped he would prove to be tall, fair, and the possessor of a ready wit since that was the kind of man she hoped to marry.
While Gabrielle had dealt fully with their brief romance and then had dismissed it from her mind, Jason could not. The incident had meant far too much to him. He could not forget it as easily as the fickle redhead seemed to have done. Taking care not to change his routine, he continued to invite the brides to go riding, but he could no longer concentrate on their conversation closely enough to make appropriate replies. He wanted desperately to relive the few hours he'd spent with Gabrielle. They were his most precious memory, and her brutal rejection caused him a pain only the sweetness of her embrace could ease. Whereas she seemed to bloom with the glow of health, he grew morose and thin, the strain of trying to maintain the optimistic disposition for which he was known was too much for him. Clayton grew so worried about the sudden change in his friend's appearance and behavior he finally felt compelled to risk Jason's anger by mentioning it.
They had just finished their supper, a meal Clayton had enjoyed greatly but which Jason had merely tasted. "I had hoped to lose a few pounds on this trek, but I have ample girth and you were lean to begin with, Jason. If you don't regain
your appetite soon, I fear you'll grow too weak to sit your horse and I could no more lead this wagon train to Oregon than I could fly there."
"What?" Jason looked up, only dimly aware that Clayton had spoken.
Losing his patience entirely then, Clayton responded crossly, "Damn it, man, wake up! You've lost weight and can't follow a conversation of more than two words! What the hell is bothering you so badly?"
Jason tossed the contents of his coffee cup upon the
ground and stood up to stretch. "There's not a damn thing bothering me. Just leave me be. " He walked off then, his stride far more confident than he felt. He had a mirror. He knew how ghastly he looked and the trip was nowhere near over. They still must count the journey in months, not weeks or days yet, but each step of the way was agony for it took him no closer to Gabrielle and she alone made the trip worthwhile.
As Jason strolled around the perimeter of the camp, Gabrielle sat with the girls from both of the other wagons. The twenty-one young women had had ample opportunity to become well acquainted, and while each was closest to the friends with whom she shared a wagon, they often formed other groups after supper to enjoy a greater variety of conversation. Since she loved to sing, Gabrielle had been delighted to find several others who shared her interest. Fortunately, a young woman named Rebecca had brought along a zither, and this evening they were attempting to learn the words of a song, which they sang in unison, while she played the accompaniment on the stringed instrument. While their voices were appealing, they could not seem to harmonize and remember the words at the same time. As a result they were convulsed by giggles when their fun was interrupted by an ear-piercing shriek. While her companions sat, paralyzed with fright, Gabrielle was on her feet in an instant. She ran down the line of wagons toward the screams which were rapidly growing to a blood-chilling intensity. Men were
running from all directions, rifles in their hands, as they came toward what they were certain must be no less than an attempted murder if not a massacre of terrifying proportions.
When they arrived to find no more than one man furiously slugging his wife, they turned away, unwilling to intrude upon someone else's domestic squabble. They seemed to think if a man chose to beat his wife that was his own business, but Gabrielle held an entirely different view. When she realized none of the men were going to come to the hapless woman's aid, she rushed into the midst of the fray. She recognized the couple, but didn't know them by name. The man had caught a fistful of his wife's hair in his left hand to hold her fast while he slapped her with the back of his right. Their three little children, terrified by their father's vicious fit of temper, had scrambled under the wagon to hide, but their high-pitched cries for help had drawn the crowd.
Since no one else was going to help the woman escape a brutal beating, Gabrielle grabbed the man's right arm. Distracted by the fiery redhead's grasp, the man released his wife in order to fling Gabrielle away, but she held on and screamed at the woman to run. Outraged by this interference, he turned the full fury of his anger upon Gabrielle, intending to knock her senseless and teach her to stay out of his affairs.
Jason broke through the circle of onlookers, and although he did not believe the sight which greeted him, he did not hesitate to grab the angry man's shoulder and spin him around. His fist connected smartly with the bully's chin. As the man went limp he released Gabrielle, so suddenly she sprawled in the dirt too and lay there, dazed, as Jason plucked the man from the ground by the scruff of the neck and planted another solid blow on his chin. This time Jason left him where he'd fallen. He then pulled a length of rope from his hip pocket, and as quickly as he would have hogtied a steer, he bound the man's hands firmly behind his back. Rolling him over to his wagon, he lashed the end of the rope to the nearest wheel.
"That ought to take care of you until morning, Sam Duffy,'* he said.
Then he bent down to pull the frightened little Duffy children from their hiding place; there was a boy of about eight and there were two younger girls. He sent them off with their mother to a sympathetic woman who had come forward to render assistance when she saw Sam was in no condition to object. Jason turned back to the crowd then, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.
"You've all got your own business to mind, now go see to it!"
When Jason looked at Gabrielle he found her sitting up and gazing at him with a look of undisguised admiration. He was so pleased that he could scarcely summon enough anger to reprimand her. He wanted only to pull her into his arms and kiss her soundly before the warm glow of respect left her pretty blue eyes. Instead, he reached down for her arm and jerked her to her feet.
"Well, Miss MacLaren, I am responsible for keeping the peace here and I do not recall making you my deputy!"
Before she could offer any argument he tightened his hold upon her arm and drew her along beside him as he made his way back to his tent. This was as good an excuse as any to talk with her, and he meant to lecture her in order to keep her with him for a while.
Startled by his hostile greeting, Gabrielle nonetheless did not struggle to get away but matched his long stride as best she could. "I know it is your job to see everyone behaves properly, but you weren't there and there was no one to help that poor woman unless I did it myself. I wasn't about to join that group of cowards who just stood there gaping as if that ghastly fight had been staged for their amusement!" She was not angry with Jason, far from it, but she was furious at the men who'd done nothing to help the woman she now knew as Mrs. Duffy.
When they reached his tent Jason called to Clayton to bring
Gabrielle a cup of tea to calm her. He then took her over to a thick patch of grass and, sitting down, pulled her down beside him.
"I should just turn you over my knee and give you the spanking you deserve, Gabrielle,'^ he threatened with what he hoped was convincing sincerity.
'*You wouldn't dare!" Gabrielle was ready to spring to her feet should he make a move in that direction, but he reached out to take her arm again so she could not get away.
Relieved to observe that none of Sam's wild blows had hit her, Jason attempted to make Gabrielle see the obvious folly in her action. "Why do you suppose those men you just referred to as cowards didn't do something to help Mrs. Duffy? Think about it for a moment; then give me your best guess." Although Jason's gaze was stern, his touch was gentle, a light caress upon her arm which he slowly slid down to her hand, letting his fingers rest tenderly upon hers. He had missed her so dreadfully that he could barely keep the emotion out of his voice as he spoke.
Without thinking, Gabrielle covered his hand with hers, her gesture made with the gracious ease of one confident of her lover's affection, and when Clayton brought her the cup of tea he nearly dropped it when he saw their intimate pose. Grateful for the soothing refreshment, Gabrielle lifted her hands from Jason's to accept the tin cup, unaware of how greatly she had shocked the older man.
'Thank you." She took a sip and then another before she answered Jason's question. "The obvious reason seems to be they would not interfere in another man's argument with his wife for fear he would then do the same in return."
Pleased that she was so perceptive, Jason began to smile. "Exactly, which is why they are all so content to let me handle the disputes here. Try to remember that."
While she saw his point, Gabrielle continued to explain her motivation. "I'd do it again, Jason, really I would. No man should treat his wife so badly. I don't care what they choose to
call me for interfering, Vd do it again to save another woman from such a brutal beating as that man was giving his wife."
Jason took a deep breath. "Gabrielle, I am paid to take the risks. If I get hurt, that's just part of my job. Til not allow you to risk being injured no matter how noble your purpose might be." Suddenly he thought of Beau, the young man who had lost his life to save two children. He knew Gabrielle regarded Beau as a hero, certainly not as a fool. Not wishing to give her the opportunity to think of Beau, he continued quickly. "Now should such an unfortunate situation happen again, and I am fairly certain it will as tempers always grow short with the passage of the miles, I want you to promise you'll come for me so I can take whatever action necessary. Will you promise me that, please?"
Gabrielle looked down at the cup of tea. "I don't know what might happen, Jason. If I am standing right there and—"
"Gabrielle, I want your word on this!" Jason demanded sharply.
"Or what? You'll tie me to a wagon wh
eel all night too?" she responded flippantly.
"No. I will just spank you right there in front of everyone, because if you behave like a child that will be what you deserve!" Jason vowed with an intensity he knew she would readily believe.
Ignoring his threat, Gabrielle asked calmly, "If you were not the wagon master, but merely one of the travelers, would you have stood by while Mrs. Duffy suffered that beating?" Even before she heard his reply, Gabrielle was certain what it would be.
Jason frowned slightly and then answered truthfully. "No. I would have done the very same thing that I did, but I am a man and strong enough to force my opinion on another man while you were foolish to make that attempt."
As Gabrielle looked deeper than Jason's hostile stare, she noticed the changes in his appearance were remarkable considering the brief span of time in which they'd occurred.
Pleased to think it had been his own integrity rather than merely his job which had led him to help Mrs. Duffy, she considered the subject closed and smiled as she inquired, "Have you been ill? You look as though you've lost weight." She could think of no more subtle way to remark upon how tired he looked, but he appeared not to have slept in weeks.