by Micki Miller
“Yes, you told me.”
“Pearl’s been wonderful, but she raised two boys and I think sometimes she just wasn’t sure what to do with me. I think she wanted to talk to me, but we just never had the chance. You know how busy these past days have been.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Coleen, too. During the last two fittings for my dress, she tried to talk to me, you know, privately. But both times we were interrupted before, you know…um.”
He had a good idea what she was trying to say.
“What I mean is…”
“It’s all right Penny,” he said.
“Garrett, it’s just that, well, I’m not exactly sure how…how I’m supposed to go about things, you know, tonight.”
She was kneading her hands together, and as much as Garrett wanted to cross the room and take her in his arms, he worried such a move would only cause her further distress. Instead, he lifted his arms and held them open for her, waiting patiently until his new bride was ready to come to him.
Penny waited, too, trying to steady her breath and calm her pounding heart. When she finally did walk into the circle of his arms, Garrett kissed her slow and tender, as if they had the rest of their lives to stand there and share that kiss.
When after a long time he drew back, Garrett brushed her delicate jaw with the pad of his big thumb. “Don’t worry, Penny.” He smiled at her. “I know how to go about things.”
She returned his smile, relaxing a little in his arms. Then she said, “I don’t want you to be disappointed.
“You’ve made me feel many things in the time we’ve known each other, Penny. Disappointment was never one of them.”
When he kissed her next, he let his passion flow a little more. Soon after, hers matched his pace. When he moved to kiss her neck, she tilted her head back to give him access. She would deny him nothing. He was her husband, handsome and strong, heroic and sensual. Her hands clung to his broad shoulders. He took her lips again as both of his hands slid down her sides until they were just below her hips.
Gathering up handfuls of her nightgown, he said in a voice turned husky, “I want to see you, Penny. All of you.”
She may have moaned her answer, or maybe she was getting too lost in her own passion to have heard him. It didn’t matter. For when he lifted her nightgown, she did not object, until after he’d tugged the thin garment over her head.
Suddenly realizing she was completely naked, Penny gasped and grabbed the nightgown from his hand.
“I don’t have anything on,” she whispered, her voice frantic, as if telling an urgent secret.
Garrett tossed the garment across the room where it landed in a quiet heap. He took one of her hands to his lips and placed a gentle kiss to her palm before saying, “I know this is all strange to you, but you’ll get used to it. You’re so beautiful, Penny. Please, let me look at you.”
She raised her chin, and then, emboldened by his ardent plea, by the longing in his eyes, took a step back.
Garrett stood in awe of his perfect wife. Her breasts were larger than what he’d thought, creamy skin, rosy tips that both expressed and stirred desire. His palms grasped her narrow waist while his long fingers rested on the swell of her hips and his gaze strayed to her pale nest of curls at the apex of her long, lean legs. The sight of her like this enflamed his entire body with demanding desire.
Garrett bent his head, then, and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her breast. He had to taste her. He had to. He dragged his mouth until her sweet tip lay firm against his tongue. Her hands clung to his shoulders, slender fingers digging in as she arched up for more. He turned his attentions to her other breast for a long while, letting his hand rove from her hip to her bottom, lifting her against him in a motion that made them both senseless with desire. Garrett stood then and scooped her up into his arms.
Penny felt a chill brush over the dampness where his mouth had been. For a moment, the world tilted, and then she was on her bed. She watched as her beautiful husband removed his jacket and then unbuttoned his shirt. Bared from the waist up, Penny could now see up close what she’d only been able to admire from a distance that day at the creek. Course dark hairs over muscle narrowed at his belly and dipped into his trousers. The sight of him stole the breath from her lungs.
He bent to remove his boots and socks, and Penny watched the play of muscles across his shoulders. Such a powerful man, yet with a touch both gentle and loving. She wanted this, wanted him.
Garrett saw she was watching him with more appreciation than trepidation. Good. Her shyness was slipping away and the hungry manner in which she gazed at him now aroused him as much as any touch. He bent to kiss her, his intention to enjoy one more taste before removing the rest of his clothes. One taste of her sweet lips, however, led to another lingering taste of her breasts. Her breath caught. Her quiet mewling, an erotic cry for more, drove him the best kind of crazy.
Penny sailed upon the most wondrous waves of torment she’d ever experienced. Her entire body cried out with need of what he was giving, yet needing more, needing him to fulfill a longing she could not wholly comprehend. He brought his head up to take her mouth for another all-consuming kiss. His hand glided down her belly, leaving a fevered trail that set her skin afire. At his intimate touch, she jolted. The sensation so powerful it overwhelmed and she thought to make him stop. But she didn’t want him to stop. In fact, she opened herself to him further.
Her body tensed, and her breaths heaved hard and uneven. The sensation was exhilarating, yet frightening in its intensity. Her body spiraled, all the time reaching, reaching.
“Let it happen,” he whispered in her ear. And her body exploded into a million sparks.
The power of her climax plunged deep into Garrett’s very soul. Never before had he known such desire, such beautiful, beckoning desire. He could wait no longer. His entire body burned to be inside of her. He wanted this woman, his wife. He wanted her now.
He backed away just far enough and just long enough to remove the rest of his clothing. She was still breathing hard, eyes closed, lips damp and slightly parted. When he moved atop her, he used gentle insistence to nudge her knees up so she was fully open to him. Penny opened her eyes and they found his as he braced himself above her on his elbows. Then her hand lifted to touch his face, her own expression full of wonder.
“I love you, Garrett Kincaid.”
“I love you, too, Penny Kincaid.”
She smiled at that, and at the hint of freshly sprouting whiskers on his jaw, but then his hardness pressed against her and her trepidation returned.
“Give me your hand, Penny,” his words little more than a heavy breath he fought to control.
Once their fingers intertwined, Garrett slipped his other hand beneath her hips. He lowered himself, brushing his lips against hers. “Squeeze my hand,” he whispered into her mouth. The instant she did, he pushed through her barrier.
Penny gasped at the sharp thrust of pain. She froze, waiting to see if it would pass. Only moments later, it receded and the pleasure he’d already shown her returned.
Garrett held himself perfectly still. It was killing him, but he worried about hurting her more. He lifted up far enough to look at her face. She had her eyes closed, but no tears flowed. He bent his head again to place a kiss on each eyelid.
“Penny,” he said in a rough whisper. “Are you all right?”
A small moan escaped her slightly parted lips. She opened her eyes and at his worried frown said, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
She then squirmed beneath him, showing him with her body what she wanted. At first, his movements were slow; as he wanted to be sure she was ready for more. Soon she was moving with him. He helped her find their rhythm until they reached their wondrous peaks together.
Chapter 14
“You look good behind that desk,” Penny said from the open door of the sheriff’s office.
She walked in, a sheaf of papers clutched in her hand. Frank trotted in
side. After going behind the desk for his mandatory pat, the dog took a drink of fresh water from the bowl against the wall Garrett always left out for him.
“Frank and I were just putting these up around town,” she said, turning the papers so he could see they were for the women’s meeting she was organizing.
“I think you’ll have a good turnout,” Garrett said as he turned his smile from the dog back to his wife. And his heart swelled.
They’d only been married for eight days, yet Garrett had a gut feeling she was already carrying his child. Maybe it was just hopeful thinking. No one could know such a thing so soon. But after the frequency with which they’d enjoyed loving each other over the past week, it was certainly possible. The thought gave him a burst of excitement so strong he couldn’t hold himself still.
Garrett stood and circled the desk just as Penny set down her papers. He took in his lovely wife. Dressed all in lavender, she looked like a spring flower. They’d burned her boy’s clothes in the fireplace the day after the wedding. Penny said she’d had enough of those garments. Garrett was glad. While he would have made no effort to force her to rid the world of that awful getup, he was immensely happy she did.
He walked around to the front of his desk, and they were kissing before their arms had come fully around one another.
“Yes, I think being sheriff here will suit me just fine.”
He meant that, too. The trade-off weighed in his favor. He’d still ride off, occasionally, if an outlaw happened to be in his area. That would be enough excitement to suit him. After that day in the shack, frankly, he’d had enough danger to last him a lifetime. Yes, he was content to maintain the town of Mill’s Creek and its surroundings during the day and spend his nights in a warm bed beside his loving wife.
Penny glanced down at the papers sitting on his desk beside hers, the work he’d been doing when she’d walked in.
“Will they hang?” she asked.
“That’s for a judge to decide. First, a jury has to convict them, which, with all of the evidence, I’m sure they will. You’ll have to testify, Penny.”
“I know. If you’re worried about me, don’t be. I’ll do just fine.”
“I know you will,” he said, but he still hated to put her through that.
“You never did tell me, why did Sheriff McElroy leave?”
“He decided the law business was not for him after all. He moved back east to work in his father’s haberdashery.”
McElroy “decided” after Garrett suggested he would be taken to task for his ineptitude. If he chose to leave, however, he’d leave with his dignity. McElroy muttered something about being tired of small town life anyway. He was gone the next day.
“Hmm, funny, but you know I can actually picture him selling men’s clothing.” She then touched the sheriff’s badge pinned to the front of his shirt. “I’m glad you took the job.”
“It’s a good job,” he said, drawing her close for another kiss. His hand couldn’t resist cupping her breast.
“Garrett! Someone could walk in!”
“So what? You’re my wife now.”
With a giggle, she stepped away from him, slapping his hand in a playful manner. Penny leaned back against his desk. “You’re sure you’re not going to miss the traveling, the adventures?”
“Days of hard riding, nights sleeping on the cold, hard ground, alone, eating whatever grub I could find or had stuffed into my saddlebags? It was an adventure for a few years, but no, I won’t miss it at all. Now, being away from you for weeks at a time, well, that’s more missing than I’m equipped to handle.”
Penny’s smile broadened as she flung herself back to her husband’s arms and kissed him again.
“Good,” she said when their lips finally parted. “I was a little worried you’d get bored.”
He laughed out loud. “With you for my wife? I think I’ll be begging for bored.”
As if to concur, Frank barked once, and then he barked again. Both Garrett and Penny were smiling as their lips met in a kiss.
A word from the author…
I lived most of my life in the fun city of Las Vegas. For ten years my husband and I spent several months a year traveling the country in an RV and I was fortunate enough to see every state in this marvelous country. Then we moved to the beautiful state of Michigan, where I learned about layering clothes and that boats don’t have brakes.
Thank you for purchasing
this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.