“You won’t.” He patted him on the back. “How did you know Tess was the one for you?”
“One day she was all grown up, and I knew.”
Tyler rubbed his wounded side. “Did it feel like a kick to the gut?”
“Only when Edward refused to let me marry her. It took nearly a year before he gave us permission.”
“I didn’t know that,” Tyler said. “What made him change his mind?”
“Miss Regina convinced him Tess needed a man.”
“Reggie always liked you.”
“She likes Tess,” he corrected. “That’s why I didn’t understand why she ran off. And why didn’t she tell me? I would have gone with her.”
“Reggie told me she made her leave,” Tyler explained. “You left in a hurry when you followed her trail, but I had a long talk with Reggie after Edward headed north after Tess. She was sorry for the way she did it, but one morning she woke to Tess playing with Adam, and it broke her heart. She said something snapped inside of her. She ordered Tess to pack a bag and drove her to the river. She put her on the next boat north. Tess only left because Reggie promised to tell you what happened.”
“Three days later,” Noah complained. “I’ve been following her trail ever since.”
“Does Adelaide have any idea where they are?”
“Miss Adelaide said Tess refused to leave Akron while I was in jail and couldn’t reach Glen Knolls with Edward snooping around. She’s been hiding in the church on the square. Miss Adelaide is working on a plan to bring them here.”
“No wonder she wanted Cory to invite the Reverend Davis to supper,” Tyler realized. “He must be a part of this.”
“Who was the other fellow? I saw him calling Sunday night.”
Tyler grunted. “Douglas Raymond. He’s courting Cory.”
Noah smacked a mosquito. “You’re worried about him as competition?”
He hung his head in despair. “I have nothing to offer. I told her about Grayson running off and Olivia being the madam of the Dunking Witch. I’m out of contention as a husband.”
“Now, why did you tell her all that?” Noah demanded. “They’re dead. Nobody cares anymore but you.”
Tyler disagreed. “Edward tipped her off when she was in town.”
“Is his nose still out of joint about who’s the better man?”
Tyler laughed. “Crooked as the day I broke it. But he hasn’t learned his lesson. The man won’t stop meddling in my life.”
“You’re lucky Miss Olivia didn’t marry Old Man Vandal, or he’d have every right to play big brother.”
Tyler met Noah’s gaze. “One big brother is enough.”
****
Tyler entered the kitchen through the unlocked door and crept up the stairs as quietly as possible. He cringed when one of the steps creaked beneath his weight, but no sound came from the occupied bedrooms. He was about to open the door to his room when Cory opened hers. She stepped into the hallway, illuminated by a candle in her hand.
“Is something wrong?” he asked when she didn’t speak.
A smothered sob escaped her lips.
He took a step closer. “Have you been crying?”
Cory swiped her cheek. “I have a cold.”
“In July?”
“It’s a summer cold.”
“Probably from running around in your nightie.” He noticed she wore no robe and her feet were bare. Her dark hair cascaded in a turbulent wave nearly to her waist. She swept it back behind her shoulders in a habitual gesture. Her breast jutted out against the thin white fabric. Tyler felt an instant hardness and cursed the woman. Why did she have such a strong effect on him? All he had to do was look at her, and he was aroused. Did she enjoy torturing him on purpose?
“Did you kiss her?”
Tyler wasn’t sure he had heard the question. “Kiss who? Whom,” he corrected.
Cory took a deep breath. “Beth Davis.”
The deep breath undid Tyler. His fascination feasted on her taut nipples, his fingertips yearning to caress them, his mouth watering in anticipation of devouring their pink loveliness. His answer was a casual dismissal. “Does it matter?”
“Oh, you did!” Cory’s words were a horrified shriek. Both glanced toward Adelaide’s room. The door remained closed.
Tyler was baffled. “I only met her tonight,” he excused. “Why would I kiss her?”
“You kissed me within hours of meeting,” she reminded him.
Tyler thought about it. Had it been so soon? “Do you think I go around kissing every woman I meet?”
“You cad!” She turned and slammed the door.
Tyler was astounded. Did she honestly think he could seduce a woman mere hours after introductions? Or that he would want to? All his carnal actions were prompted by Cory. He had kissed her because she had put her arms around him and whispered words to distract him from Noah hiding in the barn. He had taken full advantage of an innocent diversion and recalled her reaction and subsequent description. His kisses were anything but chaste.
He wanted her, but it would be a small conquest if she did not match his desire. Neither one of them was experienced, but discovery would be the sweetest adventure lovemaking could give them. Tyler turned the knob of the door and entered.
****
Tyler shed his clothes and quietly slipped into bed. The ropes creaked beneath his weight, and Cory stirred, turning toward him in her sleep. She nestled her warm body next to his without acknowledging his presence. His hand brushed against the smooth skin of her thigh, eager to explore uncharted territories. Fingertips danced down to the indent at the back of her knee and upward to the curve of her hip.
She moaned and turned to her other side. “Go to sleep, Juliet.”
“It is Romeo, not Juliet, who shares your bed,” Tyler whispered in her ear. He kissed her neck.
Her eyes flew open. He crushed her outcry with his lips and pinned her beneath his body. His rough grip softened as her tense body relaxed beneath his ministrations. He kissed her temple, forehead, nose, and returned to her lips, urging her to respond. When he knew she wouldn’t reject him, his fingertips danced from her shoulder to her collarbone and over the fullness below. The succulent fruit of her body ripened beneath his clever fingertips. Her breathing quickened to match his.
She tugged at the cotton barrier between them. “Help me take this off.”
He was impatient to see her nakedness and ripped the nightgown free with a violent split of the fabric.
She sat up. “My nightie!”
He tossed it over his shoulder onto the floor. “You’ll never wear a nightie again.”
The moonlight bathed her nakedness, and he stared at the twin peaks perfect in shape and form. Nothing was more beautiful than her body.
“Are you going to do something other than look?”
She was bossy. Another man would put her in her place, but he knew her frustration from lack of power. He wanted to give her control. He belonged to her. “What do you want to do to me?”
“I want on top.” She rolled him to his back and dangled twin fruits in full ripeness before his gaze. He reached, and she moved away. She was taunting him. He would not go hungry tonight. His mouth brushed against a pink nipple and teased the taut peak with his tongue. He latched on and feasted until her body rocked with orgasmic spasms.
He heard her moans and nearly went mad with wanting her. Even inexperienced, he knew he had to control his own need for satisfaction. Hers came first.
His fingers discovered the differences between them. It was a slow, sensual journey as he scoped the details of the landscape and gathered information on what pleased her.
Her hands sought an equal exploration. Fingertips danced all around until they played lightly along the smooth length of him. Her touch was torturous, but he steeled himself to remain still. But when her gentle fingers took ownership of his manhood, he groaned.
“Am I hurting you?”
“No.” It was barely a g
asp. He didn’t dare speak, move, or think. He was ready to explode, but he couldn’t take pleasure without giving in return. His hand stroked her flat belly and fumbled between her thighs for the hidden treasure. It was her hand that guided him into virgin territory.
His fingers trembled. He began a rhythmic beating. She moaned and arched against his hand. He moved within her, and she became stiff. Was he doing something wrong? Was he even in the right spot? Then suddenly, she cried out, arching her body to his dance. She grasped his hair. “Don’t stop, please, don’t stop,” she urged.
He covered her body and replaced his hand with a stronger tool. Slowly, carefully he pressed inward as he sought his way into this strange land. He felt her warm embrace as it drew him inward, deeper, and tighter. He advanced and retreated, her body matching his own in a battle both could win, building to a climax…
Tyler woke up in a sweat. He felt for Cory next to him, but he was alone in his bed. The dream had seemed so real. He swung his legs over to the edge and stood, his arousal evident. He pulled on his trousers and boots and grabbed the blanket from the bed. He carefully opened the bedroom door. Cory’s room next door was too close. He might be tempted to act on his thoughts in the middle of the night. Then Cory’s accusation would be true. He kept telling himself he was doing the right thing, but why did being noble seem so foolish?
Chapter Sixteen
The clock in the parlor tolled one in the morning. Tyler hesitated at the top of the stairs and looked over his shoulder at Cory’s door. He half expected her to open it and give him a come-hither look. Nothing. He reluctantly headed outside, stopped at the pump, and opened the barn door to the upper level. Noah was already settled on a bed of straw in the corner away from the smell of the animals below. Tyler threw down the blanket next to him and plopped on top of it.
Noah groaned. “Hey, I thought you were going to sleep in the house.”
“Change of plans.”
“Miss Courtney throw you out?”
“No.”
Noah rolled toward him. “So what happened?”
He ran his fingers through his damp hair. “I had a dream about her. It was so real.” His body reacted to the memory. “I don’t trust myself in the room next to hers.”
Noah studied him in the moonlight streaming through the glassless windows. “Why is your hair wet?”
“I stopped at the pump.”
“One of those dreams,” Noah mumbled.
It was impossible for Tyler to sleep. “What am I going to do?”
“What men have been doing since the beginning of time,” Noah said. “Pay a whore or take a wife.”
“Your advice is a little late. I already sold the Dunking Witch,” Tyler reminded him. “And no woman would marry me.”
“Not every woman is Miss Regina.” He sat up. “Besides, you don’t propose to a woman on her wedding day.”
“It would have been too late the day after,” Tyler defended.
“You weren’t in love with her.”
“She was making a mistake.”
“It was her mistake to make.” He sank into the straw bed.
Tyler considered his words as he struggled to get comfortable. “Why do women want to marry the wrong man?”
“Are we talking about Miss Regina or Miss Courtney?”
“She plans to marry Douglas, and she’s not in love with him. Doesn’t that sound like Reggie? She married Edward for his money.”
“You can tell yourself that if it makes you feel better, but I’ve seen them together in Vandalia while you were away at school. She loves him.”
“How? He’s Cyrus Vandal’s son.”
“And you’re Miss Olivia’s son. Do you want people to judge you by your parents? I spent a lot of time at the Silver Pheasant to be near Tess. I saw Edward struggle with harsh decisions. I don’t think he wants to be like his father, but Cyrus casts a long shadow. He’s a lot like his mother, too. She was always cold and aloof. Miss Regina brings out the best in him. He doesn’t like you because he’s afraid of losing her.”
Tyler was startled. “To me?”
“Miss Regina has always been fond of you, in a big brother way,” he amended. “And Edward likes to have a firm grasp on his possessions.”
“Are you talking about Reggie or Tess?”
Noah leaned forward, his head in his hands. “He’s here to claim his property. Control is an ugly thing when it feeds a man’s power over someone who is helpless. It results in beatings, rapes, and murders.”
“He’s not going to find them,” Tyler vowed.
“Only over my dead body.”
“I have a better way. Reggie signed papers for Tess and Adam. You can travel in the open with them.”
“Legal papers?”
He hesitated. “Only Edward and the Cassell brothers would know they’re fakes.”
“And I thought all the years you spent in school made you smart. We can’t use them.”
“I don’t care if I never practice law again.”
“I am not going to be the reason you stop being a lawyer. I never saw anyone prouder than Miss Olivia when you graduated from Harvard. Then you attended law school, and she reminded everyone you were her son. She died in peace believing you were successful and happy. Don’t you dare disappoint her now.”
“Disappoint her?” Tyler demanded. “How could I disappoint a whore?”
Noah raised his fist. “I ought to hit you for that. She loved the wrong man. Men,” he corrected. “But she didn’t let her mistakes define her. She may have had to sneak around at night to deliver food and medicine to the needy, but no one ever slammed the door in her face or turned down a gift from her. I thought you knew that when you saw all the people at her funeral.”
“I saw them. They loved her better than I did.”
“Edward wouldn’t have a crooked nose if you didn’t love her,” Noah reminded him. “She knew even if you never said the words.”
“She was so beautiful,” Tyler recalled. “She could have had any man.”
“True.” Noah relaxed on the straw. “She could have married for wealth, but she didn’t. She was always true to her feelings. Maybe you should be true to yours.”
“But how is any woman ever going to look beyond my past?”
“The past isn’t the problem.” Noah stabbed his finger in Tyler’s direction. “You need to stop being ashamed of the past and look toward the future. You’re a Harvard lawyer. Start acting like it.”
“Why do you think I’m here? I’m taking care of you.”
“By breaking the law? Burn the documents.”
Tyler wasn’t done arguing. “You might want to keep the one granting your freedom.”
“Another fake document.”
“It’s not like you have a birth certificate proving you weren’t born a slave.”
“I won’t need proof once I reach Canada.”
Tyler turned his back to him. “You were always free, Noah.”
“You and I know that, but a man isn’t free when the world thinks of him as a slave.”
“The world is changing.”
“But not fast enough. I don’t want my son to be a slave,” Noah confessed. “Promise me, you’ll guarantee Adam never wears shackles.”
Tyler didn’t hesitate. “I promise.”
****
Tyler was dreaming about Cory when someone started to shake him. It was dark, and he felt disorientated by his strange surroundings.
“Wake up!” Noah nudged him.
Tyler bolted upright. “What is it?”
“Someone is in the barn.”
Tyler heard a match struck and focused on a flash of light as someone lit a lantern.
“Why are you sleeping out here?” It was Adelaide.
“We had a lot of catching up to do.” Noah stood. “Is something wrong?”
“It’s nearly dawn, and I didn’t want you to hide in the woods before we talk about the plan to move your wife and son out of the chur
ch tower and here to the farm.” She stared at the two men who towered over her. “Edward and his chasers have been checking wagons and carriages passing through town.”
“How are you going to get them out?”
“A distraction.” Adelaide pointed to the big wagon in the middle of the barn. “Tyler will drive the wagon to Akron with enough hay on it to make it appear he’s hiding someone. I’ve arranged for Orva Miller to drive it back tomorrow with beer and supplies for the Fourth.”
“How is that going to help?” Tyler asked.
“We’re hoping Edward or a chaser follows you out of town. We’re hoping one of them follows Cory as well.”
Tyler shook his head. “I don’t want Cory in any danger.”
“She’ll be safe riding the train into Akron,” Adelaide said. “She’s going to run errands. Her grandfather is in town and can bring you back by boat.”
“There are three of them. What if one stays behind?”
“The Reverend Davis will take care of him,” Adelaide said.
“What do I do?” Noah asked.
“Stay hid. That flier about you is still circulating, and the Reverend said he saw a new one with Tess on it. I want to review some maps so you’ll know which route to take to Sandusky.”
“Sandusky?”
“Too many chasers in Cleveland. A boat will take you to an island where a fisherman will take you to Canada.”
“When will we leave?” Noah asked.
“Tonight if Tess is ready to travel,” Adelaide said. “Edward is too suspicious for you to remain here at the farm.”
Tyler glanced at Noah and back to Adelaide. “When do I leave for Akron?”
“You can milk the cows and eat breakfast first. Then you can hitch up the buggy for Cory and the draft horses for your trip.”
****
Breakfast was awkward. Cory wouldn’t even look in his direction. Tyler was worse. He couldn’t think of the right words to change her opinion about him. Douglas was a saint contrasted against the sordid picture he’d painted about Gaylord and Olivia. How was he going to convince her she should marry him instead?
If only he hadn’t talked about his parents. What did it matter if they had been less than stellar citizens? Noah was right. They were dead. She should judge him on his own merits. But what were those? He was an unemployed lawyer. And if anyone found out he had created and witnessed illegal documents, he wouldn’t even be a lawyer. But he hadn’t destroyed them. Noah might change his mind about needing them.
Impending Love and War Page 13