When Morgan woke, she had a feeling something was wrong. She opened her eyes, frowning. The sun was up and there was a long ray of sunlight seeping in under the curtains. It was later than usual. She was so used to her son’s waking her up and then climbing into her bed and going back to sleep that she had learned to sleep through the disturbance. She turned to Adam. He wasn’t there!
Disregarding her robe, she ran from her room. The door to Adam’s room was open, but he wasn’t in the room. Gordon’s door was closed. She was alarmed. He couldn’t disappear, not her little Adam. Tears blurred her eyes. She looked down the stairs. He could have fallen down them in his long nightshirt. She must calm herself. Maybe Roselle or Martin had taken him to the kitchen. She listened, but there were no sounds downstairs. Her hand flew to her mouth. Then she saw the bedroom door next to her own standing slightly open.
She pushed the door open, brushing away the tears in relief as she saw the little curly head just above the covers. She offered a silent prayer of thanks. She’d been so silly. She should have known that Seth’s presence would upset everyone’s life. She shut her eyes in exhaustion.
Seth opened his eyes to see Morgan standing near him. He might move his hand and clasp her waist, but he lay still. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply, her breasts thrusting forward under the thin gown. The gown fit her perfectly, hugging her body closely to the waist and then flaring out softly in a bell shape. It was a deep, rich blue with long, tight sleeves that curved out at the wrist. The neckline covered her collarbone and then plunged deeply, almost to the waist, edged by cream-colored lace. Her hair was rumpled and fell about her to the waist. Never had he seen her more desirable. He caught her hand in his and her eyes flew open.
“I—” she began.
“You don’t need an excuse to be here.” She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it easily, caressing the fingertips.
“I came to find my son. He usually comes to my room. When he didn’t, I was worried.”
Seth’s eyes were gentle. He pulled her hand to his mouth. He kissed the fingertips, raking the sensitive tips across his teeth. Her scalp tightened.
“Stop it!” His grasp on her hand was firm.
“I am limiting myself to only your fingertips. I like that blue thing, especially the lace.”
Her hand covered the lace which played hide-and-seek with the soft curve of her breasts. She looked straight at him, one eyebrow arched, challenging. “Theron bought me this gown. He bought me many beautiful things.”
“Theron,” Seth murmured. “Nice man. Not your type, though. Lovely house.” He was concentrating on his pleasant task. His teeth made little bites in the palm of her hand.
“Seth, will you stop that!”
“I don’t plan to. I may stay here all day and make love to your hand. You used to love it.”
“When did you meet Theron?” She had to think of something else or her whole body might start shivering.
“When I asked him where you were. You have the sweetest little veins in your wrist.” He nibbled at them.
“Seth! Theron told you where I was? Why would he do that?” She made one supreme effort and succeeded in jerking her hand from Seth’s grasp. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
Seth gave a disappointed sigh and sat up in the bed. The quilts fell away to his waist, exposing his massive chest. The movement caused Adam to stir. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.
“Morgan, sit down, please, and I’ll tell you about Theron.” He nodded toward Adam, quietly staring from one parent to the other.
She sat carefully on the edge of the bed.
“I told Theron what a fool I’d been. He agreed. But I told him how much I loved you and that I wanted a chance to win you back.”
“Oh, yes, you loved me—after you found out I was pure.”
Adam watched his mother. He didn’t like her tone of voice and he began to frown, her agitation scaring him.
“That’s not really true, love.” Seth’s voice was calm. “I admitted to myself a long time before I met Jessy that I loved you.” He continued before she could protest, “I would have come to you then, begged you to let me live with you. But I didn’t think you’d want me, poor as I was, not after the way you were accustomed to living, with Theron. Did I mention that I am a rich man now?”
Her look was steely. “Twenty-five thousand dollars should make you quite comfortable.”
Seth was puzzled. “Twenty-five…? Oh, the money you offered me to marry you. I told you that never meant anything to me.”
“How am I to know what to believe? Now you tell me you always loved me, but I remember some other things you said to me, such as accusing me of selling my body. You didn’t seem to love me then. Tell me this: When am I to believe you, and when am I not?”
Seth didn’t lose his slow, even smile. “I deserve your abuse. I deserve everything you have to say about me. I was a fool. I was hurt and jealous and I struck out at you.
“I want to make it up to you, Morgan. I love you and I plan to stay near you until you love me again, even if it takes years.”
“You seem confident that everything will work just as you plan. What if I told you that I loved someone else and that I couldn’t love you?” She looked toward the bedroom door.
Seth’s smile broadened. “I’ve seen Gordon kiss you, and I’ve kissed you. If you love him and hate me, then I prefer your hatred. It has more fire.”
“You—!” She struck him on the chest with her fist, but it was the same as striking an adobe wall, for all the damage it did.
Seth enclosed her fist in one of his, then encircled the other wrist with strong fingers. He pulled her to him, crushing her helpless arms between them. He entangled his hand in her hair, cradling the back of her head. He touched his lips to hers, sweetly, and then with a demanding eagerness. He forced her mouth open. Morgan responded fully, meeting his demands with more of her own.
Adam had never seen his mother kissed before, and he wasn’t sure her moans didn’t mean Seth was hurting her. He hit Seth’s shoulder with his fists. “Mama. Mama.”
Morgan heard her son and began to return to reality, forcing herself away from Seth.
Seth extended his now-empty arms to his son, to reassure him. “I don’t know whether he’s trying to protect you or me.”
“You?”
“A little fire goddess like his mother could easily destroy a mere mortal like me.”
She raised her hand to him again, but his teasing smile reminded her of what had just happened.
Angrily, she lifted Adam into her arms. “You’re going to have a long wait if you think I’ll ever fall in love with you. I’ve made all my mistakes already.”
She heard Seth’s laughter behind her.
At breakfast, Seth ignored Morgan. Although she had planned to ignore him also, she found it infuriating that he should act as if she weren’t even in the same room.
After Seth and Gordon left, Adam played in the courtyard with his wooden ranch set. Morgan needed to finish her ledgers and promised herself that she would not even think of Seth. But she looked up sharply each time someone passed the open study door.
At lunch, Adam proudly showed his mother his gingerbread monsters, explaining them in a mixture of gibberish and words. He went back outside for a while before his nap.
Morgan went upstairs to make sure the rooms had been cleaned properly. She hesitated at Seth’s room, but then entered. His things were always neat, more so than hers ever were. She opened a drawer. He had too few shirts, and some of them needed mending. Angrily, she slammed the drawer shut. What was she doing? He was not her responsibility any longer. Let him care for his own shirts!
She ran into Carol, an armload of clean linen nearly falling from her arms. “Is anything wrong, Mrs. Colter?”
“No!” She fairly shouted at the girl. Morgan regretted it immediately, but Carol had already scurried away.
“Now he’s making me yell at the servan
ts,” she mumbled as she hurried to her own room. Hastily, she donned her riding habit.
In the kitchen, she asked Roselle if she’d put Adam to bed for his nap, and she went outside to ride her horse. She started for her favorite place by the river, but she knew Seth went there, and she didn’t want to see him. She remembered a pond that Gordon had shown her on the first day they’d toured the ranch together. It was an especially hot day and the sun was merciless. She loosened the high neck of the habit. The mare felt the heat, too.
The pond was a wider place in the river, forming a little pool, surrounded by tall cottonwoods. Gordon had said there would be cattails later in the fall. She dismounted, leading the mare to the trees. It would be good to splash her face with water.
She was startled by the sound of several horses beyond her, near the pond. Always cautious in the untamed New Mexico wilderness, she tied her horse and went to investigate before blundering into trouble. As she rounded a tree, she saw Seth leading several mustangs to water. As the dusty horses drank, Seth dismounted and walked to the edge of the water, letting his own horse drink.
Could she go nowhere without seeing him? She stood very still, knowing that any movement would cause him to turn and see her.
Seth removed his hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. Then he looked around. Morgan held her breath. She was thankful she’d worn her dark green riding habit.
Seth did not really see the place where Morgan stood, half hidden in the dense underbrush. Quickly, he removed his clothes and stepped into the water. He splashed himself, enjoying the coolness. Morgan looked on in fascination at the magnificent body she had once known so well, the powerful arms and shoulders, the muscles that stood out in his thighs.
Seth was used to the dangers of New Mexico, where a second’s heedlessness could cause one’s death. Over the years he had developed a second sense concerning these hazards. He stood still. He knew someone was watching him. He pivoted on one foot and faced Morgan, who gasped. Their eyes locked and held.
“Care to join me?”
She didn’t answer, but whirled on her heel and returned to her waiting horse. She returned to her favorite spot and allowed the horse to drink before returning to the house. She tried not to think of Seth.
At dinner, the sight of Seth caused the blood to rush to her face. She refused even to glance his way during dinner. As they walked to the courtyard, Seth whispered, “Did you enjoy your bath as much as you enjoyed mine?” Blushes covered her body, and she was glad for the darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Two
IT had been a little over two weeks since Seth had come to the Three Crowns. Since the time Morgan had seen him in the pool, she had avoided him. She saw him even less now than she had when he’d lived in the bunkhouse. He took his responsibilities as foreman very seriously and often missed dinner to straighten out some problem on the ranch. Even when Morgan came down to breakfast, she found he had already been at work for hours. What free time he did manage, he spent with Adam Morgan sometimes felt Seth paid more attention to Roselle than he did to her. She was, of course, glad of that.
It was on one of the rare mornings when the three of them breakfasted together that Gordon made his announcement. “My letter finally came. I’ll be leaving for New York.”
“What?” She dropped her spoon.
“Morgan, I’ve told you about this trip for months, so don’t look so surprised.”
“Adam and I will go with you.”
“Sit down. You are not going with me. It will be a hurried trip and Adam is too young to have to travel for days on a stagecoach and then on a train. I won’t hear of it. It’s too dangerous.”
Seth turned to Gordon. “Is it ranch business that takes you to New York?”
“Morgan’s father once heard about some cattle bred in the Scottish Highlands. He thought they might adjust to New Mexico, so he started working on getting them here. After several years, they’ll soon arrive in this country. I figure if I’m not there to meet the ship when it docks, they’ll sell my cattle to someone else.”
“When are you leaving?” Morgan’s voice was soft.
“Right after breakfast.”
“Today! You’ll be leaving today?”
Gordon stared at her a moment. “Yes. The letter took a long time coming and now I’ll barely make it there in time for the ship. Martin is packing for me now.”
After breakfast, Morgan tried again to persuade him to let Adam and her go with him.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back shortly, and Dave is here to take care of Adam and you.”
“Adam, yes—but not me.”
Gordon looked weary. “If I didn’t trust Dave as much as I do, I wouldn’t leave him here alone with you. When you get over your hostility, you’ll trust him, too. I have to leave now or I’ll never make the stage. Kiss me goodbye?”
“Gladly.” She happily slid into Gordon’s arms and lifted her lips for his kiss. Gordon was the man she wanted to love.
With great effort, he resisted her lips and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Now, get Adam so I can say goodbye.”
Morgan held her son and they both waved to Gordon. When she turned back to the house, it seemed empty already. Adam squirmed out of her arms. He ran to the kitchen and she followed him. Tonight she would be alone with Seth. Without Gordon’s presence, he could talk to her about anything. She began planning the night’s meal, remembering Seth’s favorite dishes without realizing she was doing so.
She worked all day on the meal, glad to be too busy to think. Roselle put Adam to bed for his nap. Morgan rested for a while when the house was quiet. She worked again in the kitchen until it was time to bathe and dress for dinner. Roselle took charge of Adam.
From the back of the wardrobe, she took a dress that she had rarely ever worn before. It was simply cut, a deep golden yellow, embroidered with tiny sienna rose-buds around the neckline. The neckline was the reason she seldom wore the dress. It fell across her shoulders and the top of her breasts, stopping just above the rosy peaks. When she stood in front of the mirror, she remembered the last time she’d worn the dress. Charley Farrell had gaped at the enticing sight and she had been embarrassed at the open-mouthed stare he’d worn all evening.
She briefly asked herself why she was wearing this now when she and Seth were to be alone. She’d never worn it for Gordon. She told herself that she was wearing this only because she hadn’t worn it in such a long time. She dabbed perfume on her wrists, behind her ears, and in the deep shadow between her breasts.
Carol came to tidy the room. “You look especially lovely, Mrs. Colter,” the girl remarked shyly. “Mr. Blake will be very pleased.”
“Mr. Blake—!” She cut short her remark.
“Will there be anything else tonight, ma’am?”
“No, Carol. You may go home. Be sure and say hello to your parents for me, and take them some gingerbread.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” She turned to leave, but saw Seth in the open doorway. He put his finger to his lips, conspiratorily. Carol did like Mr. Blake so much. He was always teasing—like Adam, except grown up. She left and closed the door behind her.
Morgan, at the mirror, heard footsteps behind her. “I don’t need anything else—” She stopped when she felt his lips on the back of her neck, sending little shivers throughout her body. She closed her eyes, but opened them quickly when he moved away.
She whirled toward him. “What are you doing here?”
Seth smiled lazily at her and stretched out on her bed, his big, handsome figure nearly dwarfing the lacy, crochet-covered bed. “I live here, too, remember?”
“I just hope you remember that this is not your room. And may I remind you that this is my ranch, not yours.”
“Mi querida, stop fighting me. I am looking forward to dinner. Roselle says you spent all day cooking, that you prepared a very special meal.” His eyes were teasing.
“I did not! I like to cook and today I wanted to, so I just made a few th
ings.” She turned her face away, took a deep breath, and turned back. “Kindly get off my bed and out of my room.”
He moved his hips slightly, as if testing the bed. “Do you sleep well on it, or do you find it too large for one person?”
“Seth Colter! Get out of here!” She started toward him. Seth opened his arms to her and she backed away.
He sat up on the bed, feet over the side. “That another dress Theron bought for you?”
Morgan saw a slight frown crease his brow, and she felt momentarily triumphant. “Yes. Do you like it?” She bent over just slightly so her breasts swelled even more precariously over the top. “It’s strange that you are just now noticing this dress. Most men notice it immediately.”
The little imp is trying to make me jealous, Seth thought. He smiled at her. His eyes raked her body, devouring her. “When I look at you, my little wife, I see you as I always remember you—wearing nothing but your hair ribbon. So it takes me longer to notice your clothes.”
“You—”
“If you try to throw something, I will have to restrain you.” He held out his arm. “Let’s go to dinner.”
Seth sat across from Morgan. She refused to speak to him. They were into the second course, and Martin had left the room.
“Martin will know something is wrong if you keep your silence. He’ll think we’ve had a lovers’ quarrel.” He raised his voice. “Tell, me, Mrs. Colter, about your travels in San Francisco.”
She smiled up at him. “I met some very interesting people, some gentlemen.” She emphasized the title.
Seth was serious. “Do you remember a Charley Farrell?”
“That’s funny. I thought of Charley just tonight. Mr. Farrell is not a man one should think of too often. Theron and I did a lot of work for his wife. A pleasant woman, but the most atrocious taste imaginable.”
The Enchanted Land Page 34