by B. J. McMinn
Stop this she scolded herself. A ‘marriage of convenience’ he said. She would hold herself to the bargain he insisted on.
But what of yesterday? Had he been about to kiss her? She had waited for his head to come closer. Then just as her eyes started to close and her lips parted to welcome the warmth of his mouth, he turned away, leaving her to deal with the coil of fire writhing its way through her body. It took hours before the tension gripping her woman’s core eased. It still hovered below the surface, ready to ignite at any given moment.
Taking control of her wayward senses, Jade marched into the room. She quickly made the bed, picked up his dirty clothes, and fled back out the door. Now, that wasn’t so bad. She laughed at herself for being so ridiculous.
Mesmerized by the clothes she held in her hand, she brought the shirt to her face. Jason’s manly scent clung to his garments. The smoldering embers banked inside her burst into an open flame. Infuriated with herself, she threw the clothes in the corner with the rest of the washing and went about her daily chores.
With Jason still rounding up cattle, Jade ate the noon meal alone. Emma began fussing right after she ate. Jade despaired of ever getting her to sleep. Finally, she had given her a small wet cloth to chew on. Jade would be glad when her teeth popped through her gums and didn’t hurt her so much. Tired, Jade took the baby to bed with her for a nap.
“Miss Jade, are ya in thar,” Cookie hollered from the doorway. “Hey, Miss Jade, can ya hear me.”
Jade, carrying Emma on her hip stepped to the door with a smile. Cookie held a pot in both hands containing steaming hot stew.
“I brung ya some stew fer supper. I know ya been feelin’ kinda poorly,” Cookie offered.
With a nod of her head and a wide smile, she opened the door, and stood back so he could enter. She had him place the iron pot on the stove to keep supper warm until Jason returned.
“You and the little’un go ahead and eat. Jason won’t be back ‘til late ta’night,” Cookie informed her.
Her smile faded, and she could tell by the irritation that crossed his homely face that he realized Jason hadn’t said anything to her about not being home for supper.
“It’s plum shameful the way that boy treats such a pretty little thing like you. He should’a told ya hisself he’d be late ‘cause they had’ta track a mountain lion what killed a young calf.
“Don’t ya give that boy a second thought? You just eat and go on to bed. Jason’ll be back as soon as he’s tended to business.” Cookie left, without taking a breath during the whole of his tirade. He was still mumbling as he crossed the yard to the bunkhouse.
~~~
After scouring the land for stray cattle, Jason and Pete had come across a calf mutilated by a mountain lion. With the cattle safe in the lower pasture, and plans to leave for town the next day, he decided to hunt down the animal. He sent Willie back to the ranch to tend to chores and tell Cookie they’d return late.
Pete picked up the lions trail soon after they found the kill. The tracks led to its lair: a cave inside a rock formation on the south end of the ranch. Unaware the lion had circled back on them, Jason looked up to see it lunge for Pete. Raising his rifle, he pulled the trigger. The dead mountain lion fell a few feet from where Pete stood.
Eyes round, Pete gasped, “Thanks, boss.” He rubbed his forearm across his brow.
Jason gave a hearty chuckle. “I didn’t think your old meatless bones looked good enough to eat. But I guess to a starving lion anything looks good.”
“Well, he’s not the only one hungry, I’m starved.”
“Mount up and we’ll go. It’s going to be dark before we get home.”
Pete eyed the carcass at his feet. “Why don’t I take this thing back and tan the hide?” His voice still held a little touch of shock at his close call. “It would give me pleasure to tack this mountain lions hide to the barn wall after the scare it gave me.”
“Sure. I think there’s a barrel of salt in the barn you can use. If not, Jade and I are going to town tomorrow, we’ll pick up a barrel then,” Jason said.
He helped Pete throw the hundred-and-forty pound carcass over the back of his skittish horse. Glad this chore hadn’t taken longer they mounted and rode toward home.
Jason unsaddled his horse and turned him loose in the corral. The sun had slipped over the horizon an hour ago, and he and Pete had finished the trip home in the dark. Careful not to let the door slam, he stepped inside the kitchen. Hungry, he searched and found a pan of stew on the stove, still warm. He ate and put the dishes in a pan of water to soak.
Silently, he entered Jade’s room. She began to moan and toss in her sleep. Jason stripped, gently pulled back the covers, and slid in next to her warm body. He curled around her spoon fashion and softly crooned her into a peaceful sleep.
He made sure he was gone before she woke the next morning.
CHAPTER 20
Thrilled, Jade got out of bed earlier than usual. Today they were going to town. She would see Margaret and her family, again. After she dressed Emma and made breakfast, they could get an early start. She headed for the kitchen smiling with ill-concealed excitement.
Jason stood at the sink, naked from the waist up. Jade sucked in her breath. The slight sound alerted him to her presence, and he whirled around to face her. He had been in the process of rinsing lather from his freshly-shaven face.
Water dripped from his chin to land on his well-muscled chest. Her gaze riveted on the drop liquid, she watched it trickle down to catch his hard male nipple. It suspended there for the longest length of time before it continued its spiraling journey downward. Jade couldn’t take her eyes from the path the rivulet of water traveled. It landed on the plane of his flat stomach, detouring around corded muscles. The droplet changed directions with each harsh breath he took as it descended. It grazed his navel, followed the light sprinkle of dark hair, and was gradually absorbed by the waistline of his trousers. With the top button unfastened, his pants hung open nearly exposing…what? Jade wasn’t quite sure, but it moved.
Her shocked gaze flew to Jason’s. Heat burned her face, and she turned and nearly ran to pick up Emma who was trying to climb out of her bed.
Dammit, Jason grumbled to himself. So much for trying to keep her ignorant of the rampant lust he had for her. When he’d turned to see her standing there he’d forgot all about being half-naked, his pants unbuttoned. As her green eyes traveled down his body, his heart thudded in his chest, his breath became labored, and his arousal stood stiff and strong.
Surely, she knew enough about a man’s body that what she saw didn’t shock her. She couldn’t be as innocent as her expression suggested. He splashed water against his cheeks and dried his face. Finished with his ablutions he went to his room to change clothes. When he’d climbed out of her bed, a while ago, he hoped to be shaved and dressed before she woke.
Now she’d be leery of him. Unsure if she could trust him. He shrugged his arms into the sleeve of his shirt and buttoned it. She would just have to learn he was a man of his word. That no matter how great the temptation, he’d not force himself on her.
Now, if she wanted to change the terms of their ‘marriage of convenience’ that was a different matter.
Jade busied herself by feeding Emma the oatmeal she’d made for a quick breakfast. She couldn’t look at Jason without the thoughts of all that bare, male flesh appearing in her mind’s eye. During her visual replay, she would turn all red again and the familiar coil of desire would gnaw at her insides.
Thankfully, Jason didn’t appear to detect her nervousness. This ‘marriage of convenience’ worked just fine for him, Jade chided herself. Her presence didn’t bother him at all, or plagued him with the same attraction it did her. Yet, when he thought she wasn’t looking, she’d caught him staring at her with an intensity she didn’t understand. Not the warm, loving affection John and Margaret shared but something more intense. It was hot, piercing, going straight to her woman’s core. It kindled an
inferno that blazed hotter than a prairie fire. Jade worried what her rampant emotions suggested about the type of woman she was that she could be so easily aroused by the glance of a man so potently male.
“I’ll bring the wagon around and we can head for town,” Jason said as he walked out the door.
She wrapped a blanket around Emma and waited on the porch, seated in one of the two chairs. Jason drove up in the wagon. He jumped down to help her and Emma into the seat, then took his place. Picking up the lines, he set the team in motion.
Jason couldn’t remember the ride into town being this uncomfortable. Maybe it was the fact the seat was smaller than it was when he brought Margaret to the ranch. With each jolt or sway of the wagon, Jade’s hip bounced against his, until finally, she scooted over close enough to brace herself against his side. Maybe he should rethink this ‘marriage of convenience’. Surely, there wasn’t any reason for them not to have a real marriage.
Against his better judgment, he found himself caring more for her each day. It wasn’t just a physical attraction. He wanted to protect her from her nightmares. Spend his evenings doing nothing but looking at her. Even in her silence, her presence was exciting, yet relaxing.
“Jade ,what do you think of, ah…?” Jason stammered.
When he spoke, Jade turned her head toward him. She sat so close her movement brought her lips in close proximity to his. Oh Lord, he had to make her understand what she did to each of his vital organs with her nearness. They jumped and quivered each time she rubbed against him, each time she looked at him. Her green eyes incited erotic visions of endless nights of lovemaking. He didn’t know if it was desire or innocence, he saw in her green orbs.
“Maybe we could…ah…,” he began again. He looked from her fascinating eyes, wide with curiosity, to her lips and back to her eyes.
“Never mind,” Jason faltered.
How could he promise her one thing, then want to renegotiate the terms of their agreement: terms to suit him, terms to suit his lust. He was a man of his word, or at least he always thought he was. Until now. Now, he wanted to hold her. Wanted to kiss each lid that covered her jade green eyes. Wanted to lie beside her in the night to keep her nightmares at bay.
Hell, he just wanted her. Bad.
They were at the trail near the woods where he had found her. Jade’s face turned pale. Jason could feel the tension in her body where she touched him. He reached over and placed his hand on her fists clenched in her lap. She relaxed and turned her hand over to hold his.
“This is where we found you. Do you remember how you got here?” Jason inquired. He pulled the team to a stop and watched her.
If it were possible, she paled further. Her eyes stared into the woods. Soft, red, hair swayed as she shook her head. Jason stayed a moment longer then snapped the lines to move on.
“It’s okay. We’ll be in town before you know it,” he assured her, never letting go of her hand.
Sensing the tension, Emma chose that moment to wake up demanding food. Jason reached under the seat and pulled out a basket Cookie had packed for them that morning. Jade took a johnnycake for herself, gave Emma one, and passed him a couple of the cornbread pancakes. They each took a drink from the fruit jar of water.
Emma sat on Jade’s lap and made clucking noises to the horses, imitating him. He and Jade laughed and the moment of closeness had him aching for more.
Two hours later the town of White Oak came into view. Not a large town by any means, but not a small one either. It hosted two livery stables, a bank, John and Margaret’s mercantile store, two saloons, and one brothel. Other smaller businesses lined the main street. Mrs. Allen’s confectionary, along with the widow Appleton’s dress shop, was among a few. His sister’s mercantile lay in the middle of town.
Tyler was on the front boardwalk playing with friends when he saw them. The boy ran into the store. Margaret emerged, holding Janey. John stood behind her, his arm draped across her shoulders. Jason tugged the lines, and the horses halted in front of the store. John stepped forward to take Emma from Jade while Jason helped her down.
“Why didn’t you say you would be coming to town so soon,” Margaret chastised.
“My, my, Sis, the way you act a person might think you weren’t glad to see us,” Jason teased. “And here we thought you might put us up for the night.”
“You know that’s not so. We’d love to have you,” she said, giving Jade a hug and Jason a peck on the cheek.
“Why don’t I give you a hand with the team while Margaret gets Jade and Emma settled,” John said clasping Jason’s hand.
They led the team behind the store to the barn where John kept their own livestock and wagon. Unhitching the horses Jason put them in the corral with John’s team. John hooked the toe of his boot on the fence, placed his arms on the top rail, and waited for Jason to latch the gate.
“How’s this ‘marriage of convenience’ going?” John remarked a quirky grin plastered on his mouth.
Jason eyed him suspiciously, “Fine. What makes you ask?”
Jason had an idea John was amused at his expense. John probably thought their marriage wasn’t going too well, if he and Jade were already making a trip into town.
“Well, married less than a week, I know where I’d still be,” John laughed. “And it wouldn’t be going to see my sister.”
He stiffened at John’s comment. John put his arm around Jason’s shoulders, which took some of the sting from his words.
“Come on, let’s get these animals settled, and see what the women are up to.”
~~~
Jade stepped inside the store and was amazed at the variety of goods on display: food stores, farming equipment, material and ready-made clothes. Everything they needed could be found right here.
Margaret stood with her hand extended.
“If you have a list, give it to me, and I’ll include whatever else you’ll need. I’ve spent several winters on the ranch and know how isolated you’ll be until spring. Sometime spring rains can keep you from coming to town for supplies with a wagon, so you want to get plenty.”
Jade stood by, amazed at the quantity of merchandise Margaret placed in a corner to be loaded into Jason’s wagon the next morning before they left. She agreed she’d need flour, sugar, salt, and all the other staples for cooking, but when Margaret added lengths of material, Jade protested.
Ignoring her objections, Margaret placed several ready-made dresses and nightgowns–very flimsy nightgowns–along with underclothes onto the growing pile. Jade shook her head, appalled at the scanty nightwear. She picked up the nightgowns and replaced them on the shelf, only to have Margaret put them right back on the growing pile of what she called ‘necessities.’
She looked up and saw help coming through the door, only Margaret enlisted Jason’s approval before Jade could express her indignation over the personal items.
“Jason, tell Jade she’ll need these items during the winter. She’s worried I’m over extending your credit.”
“Let’s see what we have here. Sugar, flour, salt all looks in order to me,” Jason said. He turned to Jade. “What seems to be the problem?”
Agitated, Jade snatched Jason’s hand and literally dragged him to the personal items Margaret had laid out. She picked up a dress and handed it to him.
“Margaret’s right, you’ll need warmer dresses for winter. These are fine, don’t worry,” He said kindly.
Jason saw the frustration on Jade’s face and found it amusing. She looked like she wanted to stomp her foot in an adult imitation of Janey. She grabbed the dress to put it back on the pile. Picking up a piece of cloth so thin you could see through it, she held it out for his inspection. When he just looked at her in confusion, she shook it out. Color flooded her face. It was the sheerest nightgown Jason had ever seen. Now, he understood Jade’s dismay. A vivid picture of the garment wafting around Jade’s delectable body seared into his mind.
Giving Margaret a steady glare over Jade’s hea
d, he said in a firm voice. “If my sister believes you need these then it is best to let her have her way. She’s very stubborn on some things.” He was satisfied to see a guilty blush steal over Margaret’s face.
What was his family trying to do to him? John with all his questions about his ‘marriage of convenience’, his sister dressing Jade in nightgowns made for lovers, were they trying to render him senseless? Torture him until he lost his mind, or just wanting him to die a slow lustful death.
~~~
John grimaced at his wife’s interference. Jade threw her hands up and stomped off. Margaret, getting her way, flashed Jason a smug smile. Jason’s face took on the expression of a man about to face a firing squad at dawn. He wondered why those two couldn’t see Jade was half in love with Jason already. If Jason would just take her to his bed and Margaret would stop trying to get her there, everything would work out fine.
After supper, Margaret put the kids to bed against Tyler’s protests. Last minute visits to the outdoors, one final drink, a story and all was quiet.
He and Jason decided to teach the women how to play poker. They weren’t bad for beginners. Margaret had more toothpicks than what she started with, including a few of his. Jade was a different story. She didn’t have much of a poker face, much to the amusement of the others. She couldn’t keep from smiling each time she got a winning hand, so, everyone would throw in when she started grinning. Needless to say, John chuckled to himself, she didn’t win much.
They were all laughing and having a good time until Margaret mentioned it was late and time for bed.
“Jason, you and Jade can have the room you usually use when you’re here. I put Emma down with Janey,” Margaret informed them.
Jason reared back and stiffened his shoulders. Jade’s green eyes gave the impression she had just taken Jason’s place in front of the firing squad.