“Oh, I forgot It’s the reason I knocked on your door in the first place. Here,” he handed her the package wrapped in brown paper tied with string. “I thought you might like a new dress and some underthings.”
Claire took the package to the bed and quickly untied the twine. She was amazed that he’d been so thoughtful when he’d acted like a grumpy bear most of the day.
There in the brown paper was a light blue dress. It was simple but very pretty with a touch of lace around the collar. She couldn’t believe it. Now she didn’t have to wear those dirty clothes again. She turned back to Billy and threw her arms around him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips, “I love you.”
She started to move away from him, but his arms tightened, preventing her from turning. “You came too close to the beast, sweetheart,” Billy said in a husky tone.
Claire gave him a slow, sassy smile. She kind of liked this flirting, and she knew that Ann would approve. “How do you know that I didn’t set a trap for the beast?” she said as her arms slid around his neck and the sheet came loose and puddled around her feet.
The touch of his lips on hers sent a shock wave through her entire body. She had turned into a shameful hussy, she thought as her arms slipped around his neck.
Then she remembered she wasn’t going to kiss him.
Well, maybe just once more, she reasoned as her lips brushed his gently. It didn’t take Billy long to respond and she returned his kiss with wild abandon.
His tongue moved inside her mouth, deepening the kiss, making her burn as her body rubbed against his.
Billy broke off the kiss. “If I’d known that I’d get this kind of reception, I would have brought you something a long time ago,” he said and held her away from him. ‘Now put on some clothes before I forget everything that needs to be done.”
Claire was a little disappointed as she moved away and snatched the sheet around her. Hadn’t she just said that she wasn’t going to kiss him anymore? Well, this time she meant it! No more! Maybe she should give up trying to seduce Billy. She Evidently was good at flirting, but lacking in everything else.
And evidently sex didn’t agree with him or he wouldn’t be so grumpy.
She slipped on her old chemise and then wrapped herself in the sheet so she’d be covered, while she laid out the new clothes. “What needs to be done?”
Water splashed behind her. She jerked around to see Billy’s head resting on the back of the tub.
“I see you decided to take me up on my offer,” Claire said with a smile.
“Yep, at least one of them,” he said. “I figured it would save time, and you’re right The warm water is great”
Claire shook out the dress and Billy’s shirt “I like your red shirt,” she said.
“I thought it would brighten my brown and black wardrobe,” he teased.
“I do notice that brown and black are very popular colors around town,” Claire commented. "This dress is lovely, thank you,” she said again. When he didn’t answer, she turned to look at him. He was lathering his arms, and looking sinfully delicious.
But she wasn’t going to kiss him.
“You’re welcome,” Billy said finally. “I thought it matched your eyes.”
At least he had noticed something, she thought with a wry grin as she watched him trying most unsuccessfully to lather his back.
“Here, let me help you,” Claire said as she approached the tub. She got down on her knees and took the sponge from him and lathered it with soap. Then she began to scrub his back. Her hands slid wantonly over the wet, bronzed skin. She loved his dark skin, his strong shoulders. She noticed a purplish-red spot on his right shoulder. “What’s this?”
“I was shot.”
“Shot Why?”
“Well, just like the trains, we have robbers who want to rob the stages. My job is to make sure that they don’t succeed, and sometimes I don’t see them coming quick enough to get out of the way.”
“But you could get killed,” Claire protested as she poured hot water over Billy’s back.
“Sweetheart, things are different out here. You can get killed crossing the street”
“But I don’t like the idea of you being shot,” she said.
Billy leaned back in the tub and watched her. When he didn’t say anything, Claire began washing his chest, letting her hands glide over his warm skin. Her own body was beginning to warm also.
Billy couldn’t believe the woman was kneeling by the tub, washing him. She showed none of the shyness that most women would. Yet he knew first hand, that she had been a virgin until last night. And that thought made his blood heat. He never wanted anybody else to touch Claire. Reaching out he took her arm and pulled her into the tub on top of him.
“What are you doing?” she squealed.
“Enjoying my bath,” he said as memories of last night returned and made him stir. Her body slid over his until she was lying on top of him. Her chemise clung to her breasts and appeared much too inviting. “This could be the most delightful bath I’ve ever had,” he said.
“I—I shouldn’t be doing this. We’re going to get water on the floor,” Claire protested.
“Shhh,” Billy whispered as his lips met her inviting throat He placed soft kisses on the pulsing hollow at the base of her throat as he whispered, “You’re so beautiful.”
He wanted more and pulled her up toward his mouth until he had a tempting wet breast to nibble upon, but the chemise was getting in his way. He tore it completely off then drew her nipple into his mouth and sucked hard until he heard her moan. “Hold yourself up for me.”
Claire’s blood pounded through her. But she did as he asked, placing her hands on each side of the tub to free Billy’s hands. She looked down and watched as he feasted on her breast sucking and pulling with just the right pressure to drive her wild. With his right hand he massaged the other wet breast until both her nipples were throbbing and her arms grew too weak to hold herself up.
She collapsed on him, sending water sloshing over the rim of the tub, but by now she was beyond caring. She wanted to kiss him and she didn’t wait for him to go first She placed wet kisses on his face before finding his lips and taking what she wanted. Her tongue moved inside his mouth while her hands roamed over his body, sliding along his wet skin. She arched against him wanting to feel all of him.
Billy’s quick intake of breath caught her attention before she felt his hands go around her waist, lifting her up and then pulling her down on his arousal.
She gasped as he entered her swiftly. Her eyes sought his, and he saw the blazing passion he was promising her.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, his voice husky. “You are still tight around me and it feels good, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
She shook her head. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted to move.
“Tell me, Claire. How does it feel?”
“Wonderful,” she breathed in a hushed whisper as she began to move.
“Sweetheart, you’re driving me crazy,” Billy said as he gripped her hips and began moving her up and down, faster and faster, until they exploded in an outpouring of fiery sensations.
She melted against him, once again wrapped in that warm glow.
The letter to her editor was all but forgotten. There would always be tomorrow, but for now Claire had what she wanted.
Chapter Seventeen
Claire was still basking in the glow of their afternoon bath when suppertime arrived.
They walked down to the local eatinghouse. There was a big sign with a rose painted on it and the lettering said “Rosa’s.” Billy told her that the place used to be called Sam’s.
The restaurant consisted of one large room with many tables scattered about it. The tables were covered with red and white gingham and there were gingham curtains over die front window as well. It appeared clean and homey, Claire thought, as they entered the place.
She had to smile when she thought of what her mother’s expression would hav
e been. However, Claire wasn’t as critical as her mother and the place looked good to her, much better than a campfire and a rabbit. Of course, she’d enjoyed her time with Billy, but tonight she was famished and wanted real food.
If the number of hungry diners was any indication, the food must be good. There was only one table left, so she followed Billy to it. Once she was seated, she leaned over and whispered to Billy, “Have you eaten here before?”
“Can’t say that I have,” Billy said as he looked over the menu, which was a one page handwritten sheet.
“But you used to live here.”
He lowered the menu and peered at Claire over the top. “It takes money to eat in here and that was something we didn’t have. Besides, we had a cook until she quit.”
“Oh,” Claire said, then looked back at the menu. She couldn’t imagine not having enough money to eat, and the way Billy was frowning at the menu, she hoped that wasn’t a worry now. “Well, I have money if you need it”
“Claire.” He said her name as if he were speaking to a bad-mannered child. “That was then. I can buy you dinner now.”
“Fine,” she said, wondering why he couldn’t see that she only wanted to help. Money seemed to be a very touchy subject, and she hadn’t meant to insult him.
A waitress approached their table. She was a young girl with long blonde hair. “What can I get you folks?”
Claire looked at Billy and asked, “What do you suggest?”
“I’m going to have steak and potatoes,” he told the waitress before looking at Claire. “What about you?”
“I’ll have the same,” Claire said and handed the menu to the waitress, who, Claire noticed, was smiling at Billy more than she should be.
“Our steaks are the best,” the waitress said to Billy. “I’ll have them fix yours extra special.”
Claire couldn’t blame the girl for flirting. Billy looked so dark and devilish tonight. His red shirt added even more color to his tanned face and made his eyes appear black and dangerous.
The front door opened and a fatherly-looking gentleman strode in. He was a good six feet tall and possessed the powerful build of a bull. His clothing was like most of the men’s; he wore brown homespun trousers with a gun strapped down to his leg. But there was something about him that suggested kindness.
“What has drawn your attention?” Billy asked when he noticed that her eyes were focused over his shoulder. When she didn’t answer him, he turned and looked toward the door. “Well, I’ll be damned,” Billy swore. He stood and started toward the man.
“Ward Singer,” Billy said as he reached the big, blond-haired man.
The larger man looked stunned for a minute before a flicker of recognition lit his eyes, “Are my eyes playing tricks on me?”
“Nope,” Billy said with a smile. He grabbed Ward’s hand. “Come on over and sit with us. We just ordered dinner.”
As they approached the table, Claire saw Billy smiling. It was different from any smile she’d seen before. This was a true smile that came from within, and it made Billy look so much younger. Evidently, this man was someone Billy knew and liked.
“Ward Singer, I’d like you to meet Claire Holladay.”
The waitress interrupted long enough to get Ward’s order. She flashed Billy another smile, then left.
“Ma’am,” Ward said with a nod. “I just knew you were going to say this pretty young thing is your wife.”
“Afraid not,” Billy said. “I’m not the marrying kind. I was hired by her uncle, Ben Holladay, to escort her to Denver.”
Claire felt Billy’s stinging remark and had to say something. “Billy is perfectly safe with me.”
Ward chuckled.
Billy glared.
Then Ward asked, “Denver, so that’s where you live now?”
“Yep.”
The conversation was going so fast that Claire was getting lost and feeling left out—but being the reporter that she was, she had to know everything. “Wait,” she said to gain their attention. “First, it is nice to meet you, Mr. Singer.”
“Ward,” he corrected.
“Ward.” She smiled. “How do you know, Billy? Are you from the parsonage, too?”
Billy laughed. “Not hardly. Ward is the wagon master that was in charge of our wagon train. He’s the one that took us out West, and Thunder Bradley was the guide for the wagon train. I’m sure our family was a challenge to Ward.”
“That was one wagon train I won’t forget,” Ward admitted. He paused as the waitress returned with three piping-hot steaks.
Claire’s mouth watered. She noticed that Billy was served with the biggest steak. The waitress was trying to please him.
“Tell the cook, thank you,” Billy said.
“A moment, please,” the waitress left and returned with a Mexican woman.
Billy stood and placed his napkin on the table. “I don’t believe it, Rosa! This must be your place.” “Senor Billy,” Rosa said with a smile. You’ve turned into a man since last I saw you.”
“A lot has happened since the last time you saw us at the parsonage, Rosa. But we are all doing fine and it appears that you have done well for yourself.”
“Si. I now work for myself. Tell me, did Brandy ever learn to cook?”
“Heavens no. Ellen and Mary took over the job or we would all have starved.”
Rosa laughed. “I will let you get back to your guest. Enjoy your dinner, it’s on me. Be sure to tell everyone hello for me.”
“I’ll do that, Rosa.” He sat down and picked up his fork. “She used to do the cooking at the parsonage for us,” he explained.
After Ward had taken his first bite of steak, he looked at Claire and said, “That group of kids didn’t know one dam thing about a wagon when they started on the trip. I gave them only three-to-one odds that they’d survive, but they proved me wrong.” “We didn’t have much of a choice,” Billy fired back. “We had Thunder, who pretty much made sure we did what was expected.”
“This steak is mighty good,” Ward said, placing another juicy slice in his mouth. “Probably be the last one I get for a while. I’ll be heading out day after tomorrow. It’s going to be my last trip.”
Billy smiled. “Can’t say that I’m sorry I won’t be on the train—it’s so slow. What are you going to do after you retire?”
Ward looked at Claire. “What I’ve been doing is looking for Brandy and Thunder.”
Claire wiped her mouth with the napkin. “You didn’t know where they were?” she asked.
Ward took a sip of sarsaparilla. “I left them at Ft. Laramie, but when I came back to check on them the next time through, they were gone.” Ward looked at Billy. “Now I want to know what happened.”
“It’s a real long story. The man who Brandy thought was her fiancé turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It seems Sam ran a hog farm.” Claire frowned. “He raised pigs?”
“No.” Billy laughed. “It’s the name of a house of ill-repute.”
Ward looked stunned for a moment, then said, “You’re kidding.”
“Oh my goodness,” Claire added.
Billy nodded as if he were remembering it all. “It was terrible, and we had no one to turn to.”
“I shouldn’t have left you kids before meeting the man,” Ward said.
“You had no way of knowing. ’Sides, you had a whole wagon train full of travelers who probably wouldn’t have liked the delay,” Billy said, then continued with his story. “It seems Sam wanted Brandy as one of his girls instead of his wife like he led her to believe.
“Ward, you’d have been proud of Brandy. She stood up to Sam and refused to be a part of his bevy of ladies. But Sam demanded payment of the money he’d sent to her, and he was furious that she had brought five children with her.”
“Sounds like Brandy is a spirited lady,” Claire commented, completely caught up in the story. Until this moment, she had never realized how simple her life had been.
Billy grinned. “Bra
ndy is determined, no matter what she does. Anyway, she agreed that we would work to pay off our debt by cleaning and taking care of the animals. And so we did. We lived in the wagon next to the barn.
“Have to admit it wasn’t bad. I’d hunt for food, and the girls cleaned the house. But one day Sam had been drinking and attacked Ellen.”
“Did he hurt her?” Claire was horrified. She placed her fork down on the table.
“Brandy arrived before Sam could ravish Ellen,” Billy said, glancing at Claire. “Then Sam turned on Brandy and she shot him. After that she was arrested and taken to Denver to stand trial for murder.”
Ward shook his head. “I had no idea.”
Claire realized that she was really glad to learn a lot about Billy as he spoke to Ward. These were things that Billy might never have told her, and now she was getting to see where he came from and what had made him the man he was. He definitely hadn’t had an easy life.
“Everything turned out all right,” Billy said with a smile as he leaned back with a cup of coffee. “Thunder showed us what a great lawyer he was by getting Brandy off with self defense.”
Ward leaned forward on the table. “Well, did they ever get married? Never seen two people who couldn’t live with or without each other. I couldn’t believe Thunder rode off and left her in the first place.”
“Yep. Thunder did the right thing by her. He bought a ranch for them. You’d never believe what happened next.”
“There’s more,” Ward said.
“Remember that heavy chest of Brandy’s that Thunder complained about being too heavy?”
Ward nodded. “Sure do. I still can’t believe he allowed her to take the trunk all the way with her.”
“Well, it was heavy for a reason.” Billy chuckled. “Seems the bottom was filled with gold bricks.”
“Damn,” Ward swore, then apologized to Claire. “You were rich all the time—-just didn’t know it.”
“Ironic, isn’t it?” Billy said with a frown. “There was a time when I thought our only home would be a covered wagon, and Brandy had been sitting on a fortune the whole time.”
Until September Page 21