He tried to resurrect the anger her words suppressed. He was far more comfortable being angry than talking about love. But for the moment, the tenderness in her words and her gaze snuffed the flames of his rage like rain on fire.
“Everyone needs love, Sam, just as surely as we need to breathe. A life without love is just as suffocating as lungs without air. We both know that.” She stepped closer to him.
“My life is suitable for only one thing—the one thing I’m good at—fighting.”
“Then fight for a new life—for both of us. Fight for a chance to live Sam. Please give us a chance.”
He studied the blazing determination in her eyes for a long time. He did see love there. How he yearned to lay his armor down—to not feel the unceasing weight of it on his shoulders. And on his heart. Perhaps she was right. Her courage inspired him. Maybe there was a chance her love could make him whole again. Something deep inside flared, then spread, blazing through the fortress around his heart.
He clenched his jaw to stop the sob in his throat. “In the ‘Land of Tomorrow’?” he asked, his breath ragged, as he struggled for both air and love.
“No, in the land of today, starting now.” She spoke with quiet firmness and the sense of conviction that was part of her strong character. She stared with longing at him. The implication sent a wave of excitement surging through him.
The fire rising in his loins did make him want her now.
His gaze dropped from her eyes to her long neck to her breasts. His jaw was near cracking with the effort to control his growing desire. When he looked up, a rush of pink stained her lovely face. Her closeness was euphoric, drawing him in until he was helpless to resist. She smelled like falls fresh water and he drank in the scent like a man dying of thirst. And like water rushing over a falls, his blood surged from his head to his toes and places between.
He quickly gave her the reins to his horse and started saddling hers. When he finished, he took both reins and led the horses behind them while they walked a short distance from camp. Then he stopped abruptly and pulled her against his chest.
Clutching the reins against her back, he kissed her, roughly and hard, like the man he was. Then he kissed her again, softly and tenderly, like the man he wanted to be.
In an instant, her embrace changed something within him as a spark of hope kindled his heart.
He felt her tremble in his arms and her heart race wildly against his own heart.
He struggled to pull himself away from her luscious full lips. He wanted to cover her in kisses, head to toe, and back again. He wanted to love again. He wanted to love her.
He realized his life was floundering. He came to Kentucky looking for a new beginning. But maybe that new beginning wasn’t just a place. Maybe it was this woman. When he arrived here, he attributed his new sense of hope to the place—to the tranquil river, the verdant meadows, and rolling hills. But it wasn’t Kentucky that had reached his soul.
It was Catherine.
He handed her the reins to her horse. “Mount up. Let’s go somewhere where we can talk in private,” he said huskily and then helped her into her saddle.
Maybe I can fight for love, he decided. He stepped into the stirrup and threw his leg over Alex’s big back.
In that glorious moment, the moment between the past and the future, Sam felt braver than he ever had before.
Chapter 26
“I’ll not try another friendly pat on the back, but I’d be honored to shake yer hand,” Bear told Jonathan as the man prepared to leave.
“And me knees are thankin’ you for that,” Jonathan replied with a broad smile.
After Bear and the others thanked Jonathan, Judge Webb told the Irishman that he was free to leave and thanked him for his testimony. He assured the two brothers that Foley would never know who the witness was and that he would promptly turn the traitor over to the military for further investigation and hopefully prosecution as well.
“Wait,” Stephen called after the O’Reilly brothers as they turned their mounts toward town. He grabbed a jug of whiskey and hurried back to the two waiting on their horses. “A small token of our gratitude.”
“A jug of whiskey is never a small thing. May the Lord bless ye and may the roads ye travel all lead to happiness,” a smiling Jonathan said and then he waved goodbye.
“I’ll wait here for a short while if you don’t mind, I don’t want anyone to see me with the O’Reillys,” Judge Webb said.
Stephen handed the Judge a cup of coffee. “What’s your decision?” Stephen asked, wasting no time getting to the point.
Judge Webb inhaled the fragrant aroma, took a sip, and then explained why it was imperative to get not only O’Reilly’s testimony, but another witness as well. “Treason under the constitution consists of either levying war against the United States or siding with her enemies. It requires two witnesses to the act of treason for conviction. I will personally deliver O’Reilly’s affirmation of Foley’s identity to the military at Logan’s Fort. Foley is clearly a traitor and probably a murderer and rapist as well. I just need more proof of his crimes. Consider the charges against you and Sam dismissed, of course. By the way, where is the Captain?”
“He left a few minutes ago,” Bear said without further explanation. He realized Sam was suffering. The Captain was not a man easily hurt, but Bear had just seen angry waves of remembered heartache roll across Sam’s rugged face before he had turned away from the others. He was pleased when he saw Catherine follow Sam.
He had already accepted that she belonged with Sam, not him. The two needed each other. Bear hoped Catherine could ease the Captain’s old heartache. Only a woman could cure that kind of wound. He just didn’t know if Sam would let her. A pain that deep was slow to ebb away. The Captain’s hurt had turned to scars that were long, deep, and ugly. And maybe permanent. He hoped Catherine could see past the scars. He had a good feeling that she would.
Bear refilled the Judge’s coffee and then poured himself a cup, shaking his head in empathy for Sam.
“I’ll take some of that too,” William said holding out his cup, “although I could use something stronger. We do have reason to celebrate. I’ve won my first case.”
“I do na feel much like celebratin’,” Bear said sharply.
They all looked puzzled as Bear sipped the lukewarm brew. Suddenly, the coffee tasted bitter and he threw the rest into the fire. “I’ll explain on the way to town,” he said, his voice matching the angry hissing of his coffee hitting the hot rocks circling the cook fire.
They left and took their time getting to town, passing stands of loblolly and Virginia pines so thick it would be difficult to ride a horse through. The humid air seemed even heavier with the thick scent of pine. Bear kept one eye on the gloomy woods as they rode their horses side by side. He explained that the young woman who died so tragically in the supply store fire had been Sam’s first and only love, and that Sam had never stopped loving her.
He also made clear the significance of the big knife and its handsome deer horn handle. He told them that he had just seen Sam about to leave looking mad enough to kill, but somehow Catherine managed to stop him.
“I can understand how all this has dredged up the past for Sam. And that traitor in the jail deserves to die every bit as much as the one Sam hunted,” Stephen hissed, “even if he wasn’t the same man.”
“Don’t worry, my guess is the turncoat doesn’t have much time left on this earth,” Judge Webb assured him.
“If Sam gets anywhere near the man, he’ll have even less time,” Stephen said heatedly. “I’m amazed Catherine was able to stop him.”
Bear wasn’t surprised but didn’t say so. He realized how much Sam meant to Catherine, and how much she could mean to him if the Captain would just let her release his broken heart.
“What little time Foley has should be spent facing his crimes,” William said. “We owe that to all the innocent people Foley has harmed or killed. Justice requires that. Only the
law can rightly take a man’s life from him in punishment.”
“True enough,” Judge Webb agreed, “but sometimes, especially on the frontier, the Almighty uses men to dispense His own form of justice. Justice is not limited to the confines of a courtroom.”
Bear agreed wholeheartedly with the Judge.
As they reached the edge of town, Constable Mitchell ran up to them, his pimpled complexion covered in sweat. The look of panic on his face told them everything they needed to know before the nervous constable blurted it out. “He’s gone. He’s gone. Bud took my pistol. Said he’d shoot me through the gut and skin me like a buffalo if I didn’t let his brother loose.”
The Judge spat. “I should have known better than to leave that Satan’s bastard with one as green as you.”
Bear saw Mitchell bite his lip and look down at the splatter in the dust and suspected the young man felt about that low. He sympathized with the young man. Constable Mitchell was lucky he was na killed. The Judge should be disgusted as much with himself as the constable. Handlin’ a prisoner like Foley was beyond this boy’s ability.
“How long ago?” William asked the constable.
“Thirty minutes, maybe longer. I’ve been looking for you Judge, to find out what to do.”
“Which direction did they ride?” the Judge asked impatiently.
Mitchell quickly pointed northwest, in the direction of the river.
The men turned their horses, back toward the campsite, leaving a thick cloud of dust behind them to settle on the constable.
“If Foley has harmed a member of my family, I will kill him,” Stephen shouted to the Judge as they rode. “I don’t give a damn what justice requires.”
“If he has, you have my permission,” Judge Webb yelled back, “if I don’t shoot Foley first myself.”
Chapter 27
Catherine couldn’t believe the passion and then tenderness she had felt in Sam’s kisses. She expected that he would be stunningly virile, and awaken her as a woman, but the startling sensations he created within her were even more powerful than she had ever imagined. Now she understood for a certainty that an essential part had been missing from her first marriage.
A strange inner elation filled her. Her heart had leapt at his touch. His embrace, filled with longing and possessiveness, left her glowing inside with joy and desire. She recalled the ecstasy she felt as he held her tightly against his hard body. She wanted to feel more of that. Much more.
As she rode, her fingers ached to reach over and touch him. She guessed she was not the only one with that particular longing as she became aware of his unabashed assessment of her body. His broad shoulders and chest were almost heaving as he appraised her.
With a giddy sense of amusement, she let her happiness show. She wanted him to find her desirable. As desirable as she found him.
Just as they left, his keen, probing eyes had searched hers, looking for love. Looking for hope. At long last, she had succeeded in steering him away from his desire for vengeance, to a desire for her. At least for the moment. She had no illusions. His anger still simmered, just below the surface. He carefully controlled his wrath for now. But for how long? A man like the Captain didn’t just forget and walk away. And she couldn’t blame him. Traitors were murderers.
How many men, women, and children fell to the British because of traitors like Frazier and Foley? She wanted to run a blade from heart to groin through Foley herself. The despicable man deserved nothing less.
And she couldn’t expect Sam to love her until he could leave his old love behind. And she now understood that doing so was plainly linked to him finding justice for the young woman’s death.
But the price of exacting vengeance would be high. Sam could not kill Foley without becoming a murderer himself. He might even lose his own life. The other buffalo hunters would come after Sam. Dread filled her heart.
The thought of losing him in a battle with those buffalo hunters suddenly turned her hot blood icy. Her pulse quickened at the terrifying thought and she tried to suppress the knot hardening in her belly. She looked over at Sam to reassure herself. He was a magnificent warrior. He had fought many battles and survived them all. He had more courage than any man she had ever known. There was no water in his blood.
And he was smart and shrewd. He wouldn’t do anything foolish. And his brothers and Bear would all stand by him.
That loathsome man and his cohorts didn’t stand a chance.
She studied Sam’s tanned rugged features, as he looked ahead now. It felt good riding beside him in the summer sun, miles and miles of waving grass ahead of them. Yet, a silent sadness lingered on his face. No, he definitely had not abandoned the idea of revenge. She saw it there again, warring with the feelings she was trying to help him feel. She could almost see the skirmish in his mind as his jaw muscles quivered and his lips tightened on his face.
He could face any foe, but could he face love?
She also sensed his vulnerability. He wanted to believe her, but he needed to trust her first. Only then could he set his heart free.
He was so close. She could see it in the way he looked at her.
More importantly, she saw how hard he was looking at himself. Sam had come out here hoping a new place would heal him, make him forget his torturous memories. But instead, the wilderness was a mirror, forcing him to look inside himself, at the most unflattering parts.
At first, he was reluctant to leave with Catherine, but he realized he needed to calm his rage. He’d always considered himself a smart man, and smart men didn’t allow their anger to cause them to make mistakes.
If a second witness could not be found, he might have to go after Foley himself, but he would form a plan first.
For now, he had to come to terms with how he truly felt about Catherine. About the love she offered.
He wasn’t entirely sure he was doing the right thing. In fact, he was quite certain he wasn’t. He was taking them both into dangerous territory. Once he started kissing her again, there would be no going back. He had held his emotions and his body at bay far too long. He could almost feel love fighting its way out of his gristly heart.
He found it hard to believe, but she wanted him. His mind burned with the hot memory of their kiss, a tantalizing taste of the passion that could erupt between them. But it came with a price tag—marriage. He wasn’t going to take advantage of her. He was a man of honor and she was a lady. He would not disrespect her by yielding to their mutual lust. If he took her now, it would be for life. He had to stay in control.
He studied Catherine as they rode. She held her gelding with confidence and appeared remarkably elegant even on the back of a horse. Her dagger added to her striking appearance, giving her a look of quiet courage and strong mettle. She also looked extraordinarily sensuous. Her stays, which kept her back perfectly straight, had the added benefit of pushing her full bosom up to display soft mounds at the top of her gown. Her waist seemed impossibly small and her legs nearly as long as his. And her lovely face held a smile so dazzling it competed with the afternoon sun. He admired the perfection of her striking high cheekbones and strong jawline, but it was the strength of her character that impressed him most of all.
“You’re staring Sam,” Catherine said.
He nodded, managing a smile, but not trusting himself to speak. He turned his eyes to the path ahead.
How could she possibly love him? She was too fine, too beautiful, and too perfect. And he was anything but those things. He was rough, worn, and far from perfect. He had spent most of his life out in the open and it showed. Although his parents raised him to be a gentleman, he never looked the part. Nor did he want to. That just wasn’t him.
But, she said she loved him.
Since the Revolution, his entire life had been a denial of love. It had been about deep-seated hatred and revenge. Could he let his feelings for her float to the top?
“What are you thinking?” she asked, inclining her head and peering over at him.
Sam hesitated, not wanting to reveal his thoughts just yet. He was still sorting them out.
“You think this is too big a risk, don’t you? You’re not convinced that I really could love you.” There was a gentle and compassionate tone in her voice.
“That’s part of it,” he admitted.
“What’s the rest of it?”
He remained silent.
“Sam, tell me. Don’t you find me desirable?” Catherine asked, sounding close to tears now.
Sam could have laughed, but didn’t. He had been fighting to keep his desire from showing since they’d left camp. His lips longed for hers as he had never longed for anything else. He wanted to savor the taste of her mouth and let her essence swirl through him.
A large majestic oak stood proudly in the center of the meadow. He motioned Catherine to follow and loped over to it, then dismounted and quickly tied Alex to a heavy branch that drooped nearly to the ground. Each of the tree’s four old branches pointed in different directions. It was an Indian Trail tree. Natives tied the branches with stakes forcing them to grow in each of the four directions as an aide in finding their way in the wilderness when darkness or clouds obscured the sun. Maybe the sacred tree would point his life in the right direction.
As he helped Catherine down from her horse, her waist felt firm and stiff under her stays, and it flamed his growing desire even more. He felt as if his insides were on fire and his head was going to blow off his shoulders. How could he think clearly feeling like this? Heaven help him, he couldn’t.
After tying her horse to another one of the oak’s branches, he took her face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers. Her kiss, hot as his blood, caused a shockwave that made his entire body shudder. It went far beyond the impact of their first kiss. Now, not only did his body experience it—his soul did as well—as though she kissed more than just his mouth. Her passion seemed to touch every part of him.
He gathered her against his trembling body.
Romancing the Wilderness: American Wilderness Series Boxed Bundle Books 1 - 3 Page 49