Her warmth enclosed him as she lowered herself onto his shaft. Ah, such bliss to be there, to be inside her again. She rode him. Each stride she took was tender torture to his inflamed shaft. It felt so real.
The dappled sunlight from the window fell across the soft skin of her breasts. Her neck arched back in ecstasy, black hair cascading over her naked shoulders and breasts. Her instinctive sensuality was undeniable. Her body was following a dance that came from deep within, a dance that could only be known through deep and unreserved sensuality. He’d known it would be this way with her from the moment he’d seen her at Oaklands. Images of those first days rushed through his mind and danced amongst this strange, dreamlike experience. Then he remembered her face the time he’d first pleasured her, and he knew he could die a happy man in that moment.
Somewhere a clock slowly chimed out the hour and he noticed the sheen on the skin between her breasts. She moved her hips from side to side and he moaned as the ecstasy of it became real to him.
“I always knew it would be this way,” he whispered. “From the moment I first saw you.”
She drew his fingertips to her lips and kissed them. “Yes.”
Her warm wet flesh throbbed around his rigid shaft. Everything was focused in that divine heat that held him so close. His balls tightened, the dam was about to burst. She gripped him tighter as she approached her peak. His hands wrestled her hips down onto him, his hips pushing up to drive himself deeper. She moaned, frantically, her breasts heaving. He felt the spasm of her climax.
It’s so real.
She ground down onto his hips in frenzied desperation.
Rivers clutched at her, saying her name, calling to her.
She came, waves of her heat dousing them both.
His loins contracted with need. He groaned and bucked his hips against her, giving himself to her in waves that pumped through her body.
“Oh yes,” she cried, her face rapt with pleasure.
He half sat, grabbing at her with hungry arms. He kissed her, held her, and rocked her against him. “My precious love. Is it a dream?”
“No, I’m here, my love, I’m with you.” She kissed him gently. “I love you, Rivers.”
“Yes,” he replied joyously, against her mouth. “I love you, too.”
Satisfaction roared inside him. He hauled her close, burying his head against her neck and holding her against him. He’d found her, he’d truly found her, and it was as he’d dreamed. They’d joined once more.
He’d found her, here.
He opened his eyes, saw the clock that had chimed. He recalled giving his men an hour. His head jerked up. “Eleanor, you are here?” His voice was loud. “This is a brothel. Dear god, what are you doing living in a place such as this?”
She’d gone too far this time, with her mad schemes. He sat up, putting her from him, his body growing rigid with outrage. He pulled his clothing into place, the belt slapping against her thigh as he buckled it over his hips. He stood from the low couch and stared at her, horror struck.
“Rivers! Bella took me in. I was sick, alone,” she implored, her hands reaching for him as he strode about, pulling his boots off the floor and clambering into them.
“This is a whorehouse.” Even as he said the words, he couldn’t quite take it in.
“You are here,” she retorted, upset by his accusations.
“I came here for the sake of my men, who are travel weary with hunting for you. I haven’t looked at another woman since the moment I met you.”
“I didn’t know.” Her pretty mouth turned down at the corners, her shoulders sinking.
“Christ, woman, why didn’t you get in touch with Frieda if you were in trouble? We could have helped.” He had his jacket in his hand.
“I didn’t think I was in…trouble.” She blushed.
“Well I don’t suppose you would, the high and mighty Miss Craven who needs nobody – missing for weeks and ends up here, in a whorehouse. You, a fine lady with responsibilities and family who have been worried sick…I haven’t slept in weeks. I feared you were dead.”
“I’m sorry Rivers, please forgive me, I didn’t know you’d been looking for me. Please let’s be glad we have found each other.”
Her expression was pleading, but this time it was his turn to be irrational. He couldn’t acknowledge her forlorn expression, her confused embarrassment, even though it was clear. In the fierce grip of outrage, he acknowledged only the current circumstances of the woman he’d thought of as his own.
“You are too strong willed, Eleanor, if you can’t drop your ridiculous sense of self-reliance even now, you are beyond being helped.” He picked up his hat. “You will have to tell Frieda your whereabouts. I couldn’t bring myself to inform her of such sorry news.”
He stormed out of the room, his heart full of thunder, ignoring the hand that clutched at his arm as he passed.
* * *
Her heart was about to break. Stunned at his reaction to her circumstances and shocked he’d been there, when she’d thought him far away. He’d been looking for her. She paced the room, her dress trailing from her hand, trying to decide what to do. She loved this man and couldn’t bear for them to come to this. She thought about their blissful night at New Year’s Eve, and how she called for him at her most desperate moments, how she dreamed of being in his arms when she’d been cold, tired and lonely.
The fact she wanted his understanding gave her the will to try to resolve the chaos. I love him, and I must do something about it.
When she was dressed she sought out Pearl and quizzed her. Pearl informed her the men had ridden from Fort Bridger where they had rooms in the saloon. Eleanor darted upstairs into the parlor and asked Bella for the loan of her horse and cart. Within minutes she was climbing up onto the rickety cart with Fern as her guide, and they set off toward Fort Bridger.
As the cart lurched along the rough track her mind swam with the things she intended to tell him. She wanted to be brief and succinct – no more arguments. It was time for some home truths, she told herself. Yes, she’d been headstrong and foolish. She was lucky to be alive and she was about to eat a big slice of humble pie.
“I won’t be long,” she said to Fern, as she stepped down in front of the saloon in the main street of the town. “Will you wait for me here?”
Fern nodded. Eleanor breathed deep and pushed open the doors.
The owner of the saloon didn’t blink an eyelid when she walked into the bar and begged for the whereabouts of the travelers, her hair flying down her back and her fingers knotting as she awaited his reply.
“Only one of ‘em about at the present time.”
It had to be him. She nodded.
He pointed up the stairs. “Third door on your left, Missy.”
She ran up the stairs. The door was ajar. She pushed it open.
The room was gloomy, with only chinks of light that crept in around the edge of the ill-fitting curtains. A bed stood on one side of the room and opposite it a large low armchair.
Rivers was sprawled in the chair, a bottle of whiskey at his side, a glass in his hand. His expression was grim.
The door slammed behind her.
She jumped. “Rivers-”
“Can’t a man drown his sorrows in peace?”
His tone was truly sarcastic and she swallowed hard
“Rivers, I implore you, hear me out.”
He shrugged and took a swig from the glass. His expression didn’t alter.
“I merely ask that you listen.” She glanced at the bed. There was nowhere else for her to sit. She walked over to it, feeling awkward. He followed her with his eyes his brooding expression didn’t alter. If anything it grew darker as she perched on the edge of the bed. They eyed each other, the silence heavy.
Despite her refusal, he stood and poured a draft of whisky into a glass and stood it on the bedside table near her, looking down at her with a frown as he did. His shirt buttons were all askew, his haste to leave her evident.
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Perhaps she shouldn’t have come.
She looked at the whiskey. Maybe it would give her courage. She sipped at the drink, clutching at it with both hands, her eyes closing as the burning liquid hit the back of her throat.
“I want to apologize for leaving New York without sending you word.” It was hard to know where to start, so she started at the beginning – there was a long way to go.
His mouth slid into a cynical lopsided smile but he didn’t reply and focused on the mid distance.
“You were right, it was a hard journey and I was foolish thinking myself safe. I was hot headed, yes, and I nearly had to give up and rejoin the railroad-”
“You do realize I’ll have to bribe my men to keep secret where you have been holed up for the past weeks?” he blurted.
“You may not approve, but those women took me in.”
He looked at the floor again, so she continued with her explanation.
“I met good and bad along the route, found friends and made enemies. I’m a stronger person for it and it had to be done.”
The whiskey warmed her stomach, easing the tense muscles there. She wondered how much of it he’d had. The bottle was half empty and she supposed he could have got through it in the time it had taken her to catch him up. Was he even hearing anything she said? She gave a deep sigh.
“I had no idea you would follow me, and I apologize for not taking that into account.”
His strong, handsome mouth was down-turned. He shifted in his seat, his head resting on one hand, a single finger tapping the side of his glass. Perhaps he was listening.
“I did get into some serious trouble, a few weeks ago now. I was injured and caught a fever-”
“You are ill?” His head had snapped up, concern flickering in his eyes.
“I’m well now,” she replied, calmly, a little flutter of relief rising in her stomach at the concern he’d shown. Perhaps all wasn’t lost. “Thanks to Bella…Bella and the women there took me in when all I had was my saddlebag. They kept me safe and nursed me back to health. Whatever you have to say on that matter is irrelevant to the great debt I owe them for their generous care and affection toward me.” Eleanor swallowed.
He didn’t remark. He was making this as hard as possible for her. Surely he couldn’t believe that she’d…that there had been other men?
She stood, eager to be done with this wretched confession.
He looked at her.
She’d caught his attention when she moved. Right, let me get the hardest part over with, she thought to herself. Her independent-self balked at the need to justify herself to him, but her heart demanded it be done.
“I assure you that despite my current abode my virtue is questionable only in respect of my relationship with you...”
His eyes flickered and met hers.
That proved it, some of what she’d said had gone in. “I love you, Rivers, and I’ve not thought of another man since I met you, in fact the strength of my feelings assures me that should you chose to disbelieve my words today... well.” My heart would break. She couldn’t say the words but the nature of her feelings stuck in her throat, jagged and cruel.
“I’ve said my piece, and I’ll leave you to consider my words. If you wish to speak to me again, in a more adult manner than what passed between us earlier today.” She fixed him with a steady gaze. “You know where to find me.” She turned on her heel and stepped quickly to the door.
“Eleanor.”
She turned back and looked at him when he whispered her name.
He was looking at her as if he wanted to tear her clothes off and devour her, but he remained in his chair staring at her from the other side of the room. “You are a strong, brave young woman, but you are far too trusting for this world.”
His voice was slurred and he laughed. It was a hollow, wretched sound. His eyes were darkly overcast and hooded, his stubbled chin and shaggy hair wild and unkempt. He drained his glass. The frown on his forehead didn’t lift. Would he ever forgive her for her circumstances?
She’d done all she could. She walked out of the room, quickly down the stairs and out of the saloon, silently blinking back the tears that threatened to undo her.
It was a quiet ride back to Clearwater Creek and Fern watched her friend with a curious expression.
“Thank you,” Eleanor said when they finally drew up at the back of Bell’s place. “I appreciate you coming, and what you did earlier.” Seeing the frown on Fern’s face, she decided to tell a little more. “He was looking for me, but didn’t expect to find me here.” She gestured at the house.
Fern broke into a grin, exposing her gleaming white teeth. “Ah, he must love you a great deal, to be so possessive.”
Eleanor supposed there was some truth in that and it lifted her spirits greatly, it would only be of value if he took to heart what she’d said. She went to her room and lay on her narrow bed, working through her thoughts.
So much had happened in the space of a few hours. She’d slowly mended during her time at Bella’s. Now the forces of destiny had led them to be reunited. However strange and upsetting the reunion with Rivers had been, it had drawn her back to her original path. She must move on, she must gather herself and go on to California.
When Bella called her name from downstairs, her heart filled with hope, but she glanced at the clock and realized that it was far too soon for Rivers to have pulled himself together. Bella probably wanted her help with some chores.
“Eleanor, can you come down, Sweetie?”
She stepped quickly to the top of the stairs and looked down into the hallway. Leo. Leo was standing there, looking up at her. He was painfully thin and his face bore unfamiliar shadows, but it was Leo.
She ran down the stairs and took him into her arms. It must have been over six weeks, for that was the time they’d sent Leo to work on the railroad. Six weeks. The shock resonated in her mind.
“It must be April, no…May,” she said, as she drew back to look at him.
He nodded and gave her a smile, a slight impostor of its predecessors. The scars in his heart were visible in his eyes.
“How did you find me?”
“They said, at the store.” He gestured to the front door.
Eleanor looked at Bella, who gave her a nod and glanced upstairs. She put her arm around his shoulders and led him to the parlor upstairs. She didn’t talk at all about what happened over the past weeks to either of them, nor did she mention Kevin. He held her hand and looked at her and they didn’t need to voice those things. They were there, a shared grief between the two of them.
“I’m glad you came,” she whispered, realizing somewhere deep inside that this was what she’d been waiting for, to be reunited with Leo again, for some sense of resolve in the unhappy lives that had been unfolded around her. “I’m going on to California soon.”
Questions about Rivers flitted across her mind, but whatever understanding they reached, she would move on again soon, she knew that. “Will you come with me, Leo, as we planned?”
His expression brightened instantly. “Can I? Are you sure?”
“Oh yes, and we might find you a home and work at my aunt’s house.” She felt sure Frieda would take to the lad as much as she had.
When Bella brought in some food and tea on a tray, Eleanor piled a plate and encouraged him to eat. Bella sat quietly with them while Eleanor chatted about Frieda’s estate in California. Eleanor focused entirely on Leo, telling him about the land in California, repeating the descriptions she’d heard and read many times. She only became aware of Bella’s focused attention after some time. She stood to one side, listening avidly, her eyes wide.
Eleanor realized Bella had finally learnt about her background, and how she’d come to be there, passing by Clearwater Creek. She smiled up at her. “My aunt in California is my only family since my father died, last year.”
As she said the words they finally registered in her mind and she breathed deeply. How good it would b
e to finally arrive, to have done the journey and to see Frieda again. All that remained to be resolved was whether Rivers would be by her side, or not.
Chapter Twenty
The Hunter Humbled
In less than twenty-four hours Rivers returned to Clearwater Creek. It seemed like forever to Eleanor. She stood against the screen the following day, pinned to her restless daydream. Over the course of a sleepless night her emotions, had grown weary with beleaguered hope for resolve between them.
The only thing that got her through the difficult time was the fact Leo had returned, giving her a positive focus. He’d gone to a neighbor’s home until they were ready to leave. It felt good to look after another soul, to try to care for someone and lead him to a better life. It felt like being at home, like caring for the servants and tenants back at Oaklands. She longed for a family, she realized, she longed for kin around her. Something hard and stubborn had lodged in her when her father died. Now, after all she’d come through – the affection she’d exchanged with Rivers, and the unreserved care from the people around her – it had begun to loosen. With it, her stubborn will to be alone and self-sufficient had begun to disintegrate. She wanted to share again, yes. She wanted to have those she loved around her.
A familiar voice drew her attention below.
Rivers was there in the hallway. He’d come back.
Hope quickly kindled inside her. She noticed again his suede jacket and riding breeches, clothing of the land. He looked as handsome and comfortable in them as he did in fine society attire or city garb. Pride blossomed in her heart. He was clean-shaven, his hair tidy and smoothed back. She smiled. He’d obviously slept off his dubious encounter with the whiskey bottle.
He looked about as he spoke with Bella, as if scouting the place. He looked up toward the screen where she stood and narrowed his eyes. She stepped back for a second and wondered if her shadow could be seen, even though she knew it was impossible to see anyone from downstairs.
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