Bachelor Father (15 page)

No doubt about it, he was in love with her.

* * *

L
EAVING
HER
FIRST
THREE
loads of wood by the door, Katherine carried the fourth stack into the cabin and set it on the hearth. She was enjoying herself, she realized with some regret. She liked building fires and walking in the woods and sitting on the porch gazing up at the night sky.

She took off Zeke’s gloves and stuffed them in the pocket of his coat before hanging it up. Then she glanced over at Zeke. “Firewood’s in.”

He watched her, a soft expression on his face. “Thanks.”

The warmth in his eyes beckoned her, and she had the biggest urge to walk over there and into his arms. Instead she turned, knelt by the hearth and began stacking kindling and pinecones to start a fire. As the kindling began to crackle she reached for a piece of the wood she’d brought in. With great satisfaction she put the wood on the fire. They would be warm tonight because of her.

She placed the fire screen in front of the blaze and stood. “Now for some lunch. How’s your ankle?”

“I think the swelling’s gone down some. It’s probably time to wrap it with an elastic bandage. Then we’ll redo yours.”

Katherine glanced down at her wrist. “Do you have more of these?”

“Several. Sprains are common in the woods.”

“No kidding.” Walking over to the bed, she crouched down to peer into the bucket. “I think I could wrap your ankle for you. Let me get the first-aid kit and a towel to dry you off.” She started toward the bathroom.

“And after you wrap my ankle, I’ll change the bandage on your wrist.”

She laughed. “This is beginning to sound like an episode from
General Hospital.
” When she returned, she handed him the kit while she knelt down to take his foot from the bucket and dry it. His toes were starting to wrinkle, but the swelling didn’t look nearly as bad around his ankle.

“We really are quite a pair of cripples, Zeke.”

“Yeah, but put us together and we’re awesome.”

She thought about that as she dried his foot, being careful to get between his toes. They were awesome together. Where one of them had a weakness, mental or physical, the other one seemed to fill the gap. With parents like that, a kid could have it made. But she wasn’t sure Zeke would be able to do his share of filling in gaps when he lived clear out in Wyoming. She wondered if telephone calls would help. Probably not much.

“I think my foot’s dry,” Zeke said gently.

She realized she’d been continuing to rub his foot as she considered the problem. “Oh.” She glanced up at him. “Sorry.”

“It felt sort of good.”

“Oh,” she said again, aware of a light in his dark eyes. She glanced away, afraid to hold his gaze for long. “We’d better get your ankle horizontal again and wrap it.”

“Right.” Laying the first-aid kit behind him, he took the blanket from around his shoulders and tossed it across the end of the bed.

His chest muscles flexed as he did so, and Katherine suddenly became aware that he wore nothing but his briefs and the sock she’d recently put on him. The sight of his bronzed body was potent medicine. She needed to get this first-aid business taken care of, and fast.

Before she could reach down to lift his feet, he swung them up to the bed and laid his ankle on the pillow. Then he reached into the first-aid kit, took out the rolled bandage and tossed it to her. “Wrap away.”

She caught the bandage and frowned at him. “You need to take it easy lifting that ankle.”

“I don’t like feeling like a damned invalid.”

“As if I didn’t know.” She unfastened the clip from the bandage and sat down on the bed near his feet. “If I remember right, I wrap your instep and then wind this up around your ankle.”

“That’ll work. Make sure it’s tight enough.” He leaned back against the headboard and crossed his arms over his chest.

And did he ever look yummy posed like that, she thought. Time to get busy and then get the heck off the bed. “I’m going to prop your foot on my knee. Let me know if anything I do hurts too much.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll bet you won’t. You’re such a macho type.” She worked gingerly to wrap the end of the bandage around his instep.

“I wasn’t exactly the macho type last night with that nightmare.”

She stopped wrapping and glanced up at him. It was the first reference he’d made to it today. “That dream took you right back to being three years old. Not many little boys of three are macho.”

He gazed at her, his dark eyes gentle. “I appreciate the fact that you didn’t bring up the subject again. Some people might have pestered me for more details.”

“I figure it’s up to you when you want to talk about it.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She dared not look into his eyes any longer. She leaned over her work again. His skin was still cool from soaking in the water, although she could feel warmth when she lightly touched the swollen part of his ankle.

As she unrolled the bandage around the puffy part she had to cradle the weight of his calf in her other hand. Man, did he have muscles. And a sexy kneecap. He didn’t have a lot of body hair, which was probably due to his Sioux heritage. Touching the back of his leg reminded her of the delicious texture of his bronzed skin...everywhere. She’d explored it thoroughly in the lantern light the night before. She didn’t have a lot of experience with men, but she knew instinctively that making love to Zeke was an exotic experience by anybody’s standards.

“That might be just a
little
too tight.”

A quick look told her he was clenching his jaw against the pain, and when she inspected her wrapping job, she quickly started undoing it again. “I am so sorry.” In her agitated state while daydreaming about Zeke’s body, she must have pulled the bandage tighter and tighter. She winced when she thought of how that must have hurt him. “That was stupid of me.”

“It’s okay, Katherine.”

“It’s not okay.” She started rewrapping, not looking at him. “You wouldn’t be in this fix if I hadn’t come into your life in the first place. Now you have all these problems like what to do about Amanda, and on top of that you sprain your ankle, and I can’t even take care of it properly for you.”

“I’m not sorry you came into my life.”

“Yeah, well, being not sorry is a long way from being glad, and I don’t blame you. Your life was going fine until—”

“I’m glad you did, then.”

That brought her head up. “You are?”

“Yes.”

“That’s...nice.” Oh, God. Whenever he looked at her like that she began to tremble. She swallowed and went back to her work. Her fingers shook as she attached the metal clip to the end of the bandage.

“There. You’re done.” She eased his foot off her knee and onto the pillow. Then she stood up and tossed the covers over him, more to get his body out of sight than to keep him warm. The fire was heating the room up nicely. At least she told herself it was the fire that was causing her skin to feel so toasty. “Ready for some coffee?”

“After we do something about that bandage of yours.”

“Oh.” She glanced down at the damp, grungy-looking elastic and had to admit it felt icky. But she wasn’t sure it was wise for her to be close to him at the moment. “Later.”

“If you wait, then Amanda will wake up, and I’ll bet you’d like a clean bandage before you deal with her again.”

He was right about that. And there was no way she could wrap it properly by herself.

Zeke patted the mattress next to him. “Come on. Let’s take care of this so you can forget about it for a while.”

“Let me put another log on the fire first.” She walked over to the fireplace and spent a fair amount of time tending to the blaze, hoping in the process her reaction to Zeke would lessen. It didn’t.

“Hey,” Zeke called. “The fire’s perfect. Come on over here and get your wrist taken care of.”

“Now who’s the bossy one?” But she went over and sat on the bed.

He cradled her hand gently and started unwinding the bandage. “If you wouldn’t try to act like Superwoman, I wouldn’t have to boss you around.”

“Ha, ha.” She tried to be nonchalant as she sat with her hand in his, but she was having a lot of trouble. His body heat seemed to reach out to her, drawing her closer. She deliberately held herself away from him.

“How does your wrist feel?” His breathing was slow and steady as he unwrapped the elastic. Apparently he wasn’t bothered by being so close to her.

“It’s a little sore. Not bad.” She didn’t know how anyone could keep from reacting to his gentle touch. All he was doing was taking a bandage from her wrist, yet it felt like a caress.

“There. It’s off. Looks pretty good. Not much swelling.”

“No.” She gazed at her wrist. “Sort of wrinkly and white.”

“That’s because you left the wet bandage on so long.” He held her wrist loosely and examined it. “Looks better.”

“I’m sure I’ll live.” But his touch was driving her insane, reminding her of how it felt to have his hands all over her body. If he placed his fingers over the pulse in her wrist, he’d know what he was doing to her.

He took a new bandage from the first-aid kit and with calm precision started wrapping it around her wrist. “Amanda’s sure sleeping soundly.”

“Yes, she is.” She wondered if he heard the quiver in her voice. She felt almost feverish. The minute he finished wrapping her wrist, she would get up and start lunch. There were lots of reasons why making love was a bad idea, starting with his injured ankle and ending with the possibility of two broken hearts.

But he seemed to be taking forever. She remembered what he’d said about scent being a part of the mating process. He must be right, because as she sat breathing in the sheer maleness of him, she grew damp and aroused.

She decided to try talking to dispel the tension growing within her. “So, what do you want for lunch?” She’d meant the question to sound bright and cheerful. Instead, a husky note had betrayed her. The question sounded downright suggestive.

He glanced up from his wrapping job, his gaze unreadable. “What are you hungry for?”

His expression gave no indication that he’d meant anything sexual by that remark. Yet heat burned in her cheeks as she thought of the answer she wanted to give. “I guess we should make it something easy.”

“Good idea,” he said softly, and broke eye contact so he could return to wrapping her wrist.

She wanted him so much she was afraid she might start drooling. Time for a little joke. “If there was such a thing as a wrist-wrapping contest, you’d get the prize for technique, but you’d never win in the time trials.”

He finished the last couple of turns with deliberate care and reached for the clip to hold the end in place. “Got an appointment?”

“Yeah. I’m supposed to have lunch with this ranger I know.”

“Sounds important.” He closed the lid on the first-aid kit, but he didn’t release her hand. Then he caught her gaze with his as he brought her hand up and placed a soft kiss in her palm.

As she stared into his dark and mysterious eyes, she almost forgot to breathe. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. “He’d hate it if I...stood him up,” she whispered.

“Then don’t.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Z
EKE
KNEW
MAKING
LOVE
to Katherine again wasn’t a good idea. It would probably make his ankle hurt now and his heart hurt later. But he couldn’t seem to help himself.

He slipped his hand up through her hair and cupped the back of her head. When his mouth touched hers, her lips were already parted, inviting him to kiss her the way she loved to be kissed. She clutched his shoulders and he thrust deep with his tongue. Her moan of delight aroused him as nothing else could. As nothing else ever would.

And so he would make love to her now because he had no choice, and he was no longer willing to give her one, either. They might part, they might live in different worlds for the rest of their lives, but she was his mate, and they were born to be joined together in a basic, primitive way. To deny it would be like trying to stop the orbit of the earth.

He couldn’t seem to get enough of her mouth, but he wanted so much more. The buttons on her shirt slipped from their holes as if nothing would stand in his way now. When the shirt was open he reached for her breast. The weight of it in his hand felt so good he couldn’t help the growl of satisfaction that rose in his throat.

He hadn’t realized his connection to her would intensify now that she’d borne his child, now that she nursed that child with the breasts that he loved to caress. The emotion he’d experienced after their first night together had been strong, but it paled in comparison to what he felt for her now. She’d become completely, gloriously female, which made him feel more a man than ever before in his life.

He eased his thumb across her nipple, bringing forth moisture. He was the man who had made her pregnant, he thought triumphantly, the one who had caused her breasts to fill and her body to grow ripe with their daughter. He’d created a place for himself in her life no one could ever take away. He was the only man who could have given her Amanda.

Stroking his thumb across her nipple, he drew back a fraction from the sweetness of her lips. “I need you,” he murmured.

“What about...your ankle?”

“We’ll work around it.”

“I shouldn’t let you...” She sighed gently and arched her back in pleasure as he continued to stroke her breast. The lapels of the shirt fell away, revealing the dusky rose contrast of her nipples against her milk-white skin. “This is selfish of me.”

His breath caught at her beauty. “No. I want you to give me memories. I’ll need them.”

Her eyes fluttered open. She gazed at him, her lips parted, her breathing shallow and quick. “So will I,” she whispered.

His body tightened in anticipation, yet when she pulled away from him and stood, he thought perhaps he’d lost her. But when she walked to his dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer, he knew he’d won...everything.

She placed the condoms on the bedside table and stepped back. Then she slowly took off her shirt and let it drop to the floor.

He was dazzled. He’d never been able to see her like this, standing before him in the full light of day. The gray light coming through the window outlined her body, making her seem to glow.

She untied the string holding the waist of the sweatpants. Instead of pushing them down, she allowed them to slide sensuously to her feet while she kept her attention focused on him.

His erection began to throb as he realized she was being deliberately provocative. “Am I getting...a show?”

Her voice was shy but her actions were not. “I think you deserve one.” She stepped gracefully out of the sweats.

“Thank you,” he said, his huskiness revealing just how grateful he was. She was no longer hesitant about revealing her body to him, stretch marks and all. He considered that a gift.

As she stood before him wearing only natural light, he allowed himself the pleasure of a long, leisurely visual trip back up that magnificent body as he anticipated running his hands over her again. He moved over to make room for her, oblivious to any pain in his ankle.

“Be careful, Zeke.”

“I don’t feel a thing. Come here.”

Her gaze was hot, but she moved slowly as she knelt on the bed beside him. “You need to let me be in charge,” she said.

His heart beat faster. “Is that right?”

“Yes. You’re injured.”

“According to you, injured people need to take their clothes off.”

“That’s right.” Her smile tantalized him. Then she glanced down at his cotton briefs, which barely contained him. “And that’s what I intend to do.”

He’d never had an experience like it. As she peeled his briefs down, she showered him with light, yet intimate, kisses. Her hair swung forward and tickled his heated flesh, and he thought he might go crazy from the feathery sensations created by her hair and her lips.

When she had him so worked up he thought he might explode, she paused in order to work the briefs down over his ankles. In the process her nipples brushed against his knees, and his pulse skyrocketed again. He had to fist his hands to keep from grabbing her and pushing her down to the mattress, no matter how much his ankle screamed in protest.

“I’m so afraid I’ll hurt you,” she murmured.

His voice was strained. “Trust me. I wouldn’t care.”

“Then you’re having a good time?” She tossed the briefs aside and glanced at him.

He gave her a lopsided grin. “As if you couldn’t tell.”

Still moving carefully, she eased back up the bed and wrapped her warm fingers around his erection. “I can tell. I just like to hear you say it.”

He groaned. “I’m having the time of my life. I—” He groaned again as she took him into her mouth. Pleasure this intense should be illegal, he thought, until she took away all thought and replaced it with a white-hot surge of pure feeling. He’d never trusted a woman enough to abandon himself to her. He’d always kept some measure of control.

But this time, all the barriers came down, leaving him open and vulnerable, hers to mold.

She brought him to the very edge of the precipice. Had she decided to hurl him over it, he couldn’t have stopped her. But as he balanced there, she rose to her knees and kissed his mouth.

He closed his eyes and held on tight, tasting the passion on her tongue, growing dizzy from wanting her. Mindlessly he grasped her hips, urging her toward him.

“Wait,” she murmured against his lips.

When she moved out of his arms he remembered they had one more step to follow. He’d been so crazed from passion that it hadn’t even crossed his mind. He held out his hand for the packet. “Here. I’ll—”

“No, I will.” She was breathing hard, her breasts quivering, her hands shaking as she straddled his thighs and ripped open the foil.

He tried to help her, but he was trembling as much as she was. Their breathless laughter turned into moans of frustration, but they finally managed to get the condom on. The moment it was secure he cradled her hips and guided her over him. As she settled slowly down, he gasped and clenched his jaw against the urge to pour himself into her.

She clutched his shoulders, closed her eyes and tilted her head back. “Oh, Zeke.”

That gesture of surrender nearly did him in. “Don’t move yet,” he said, his voice raspy.

“I have to.” She lifted her hips.

He fought the pressure rising within him as she began a seductive rhythm. When she whimpered and quickened the pace, he lost the fight with a moan of pure ecstasy. Her cry of release echoed his as she shuddered and sagged against him.

Feeling more complete than ever in his life, he gathered her close.
I love you.
His lips silently formed the words as he pressed his cheek against her hair.

* * *

K
ATHERINE
HEATED
TOMATO
SOUP
over the fire for their very late lunch. Amanda continued to sleep as she brought a tray of soup and crackers to bed. “
Bon appétit,
ranger man.”

He surveyed her and the tray. “Shouldn’t there be a flower or something on there?”

“You want a flower?” Setting the tray down, she walked over to the door.

“Hey, I was kidding.”

“You want a flower, I’ll get you a flower.” She was feeling wonderfully reckless as she stepped outside wearing nothing at all. At least she wouldn’t get her clothes wet!

“Katherine, forget the flower.”

She flashed him a grin over her shoulder and closed the door behind her. But damn, it was cold, and raining like crazy. She glanced around and saw a drenched and rain-flattened daisy near the edge of the clearing and not too far from the porch. If she stepped just right, she’d be able to jump from one tuft of grass to another and not get her feet muddy.

She braced herself for the deluge of rain as she went down the steps. Leaving the shelter of the porch felt exactly like stepping under the shower, except, of course, that she was outside. And naked.

She stood there for a second adjusting to the idea that Katherine Seymour was standing outside a Wyoming cabin in the rain in her birthday suit. Then she began to laugh as the downpour soaked her hair and cascaded over her body. Finally she let out a whoop, threw her hands in the air and lifted her face to the rain, opening her mouth to swallow the drops as they pelted down.

But as exhilarating as the experience was, the air was pretty damn cold. She located the daisy again and hopped from one grassy spot to another until she could lean down and pluck it. “A flower for m’lord’s lunch tray,” she said, straightening.

That was when she saw the bull moose.

The breath seemed to leave her body as she stared at him and he stared back. He was huge, bigger than the biggest draft horse she’d ever seen in a New York City parade. He stood less than twenty feet from her under the shelter of the trees, his magnificently curved antlers dripping with rain, his coat dark and wet. Even his muzzle dripped.

Fully clothed, Katherine might have felt more secure about meeting a moose in the woods. Naked, she was a little less confident. She backed up one slow step at a time. The ooze slid between her toes as she made her gradual retreat without taking her eyes off the moose.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw that she was almost on the porch. The moose hadn’t budged. He was probably as startled to see a naked woman running around in the yard as she was to see a bull moose in the midst of her flower-gathering trip.

When the back of her heel bumped the bottom step, she turned, hurried up the steps and across the porch. Yanking open the door, she stepped inside and closed it quickly behind her. Adrenaline poured through her system. She felt wildly primitive, but also half-frozen.

She crossed to the bed and climbed in, wet hair, muddy feet and all. “I’m f-freezing to d-death.”

“Can’t have that. Although I could say I told you so.” Zeke gathered her close.

“B-but you won’t.”

“No.” His tone was amused. “I won’t.”

“Good.” After a while his warmth calmed her and her teeth stopped chattering enough for her to talk. “You’ll never believe what happened. While I was in the midst of picking flowers, I looked up, and I was practically nose to nose with a big ol’ moose.”

He began to chuckle.

“Easy for you to laugh. You weren’t standing there stark naked twenty feet away from him.”

“That’s Elmer. He probably wanted the daisy you picked.”

“Oh. The daisy. Wonder what I did with it.”

Zeke peered over the edge of the bed. Reaching down, he scooped something up and held it in front of her face.

The daisy was pretty well mangled. She glanced up at him. “Sorry.”

He smiled. “It’s the thought that counts.”

“But I messed up the sheets and the pillowcase.”

He gave her a long, slow kiss before leaning back and surveying her appreciatively. “I have other sheets. Don’t let being muddy stop you from climbing into my bed.”

“You know what? I liked it. I liked running around naked in the rain, and even coming face-to-face with Elmer.”

He looked into her eyes. “That’s a good sign.”

“If this keeps up, you’re going to turn me into an exhibitionist.”

He grinned. “As long as the exhibit’s only open when I’m around.”

She realized they were both talking as if they had a future, when in fact they had none. Sobering, she gazed at him. “I guess there isn’t much chance I’ll turn into an exhibitionist, is there?”

Quietly Katherine disentangled herself, and the exuberance that had lightened her heart turned to despair. She reheated the soup and they sat together on the bed, their backs propped against the headboard while they ate, but they remained silent throughout the meal. Katherine knew she was negotiating her way around the tricky subject of their relationship and figured he was, too. Then they spoke at the same time.

“You first,” Katherine said.

“No, you.”

She set down her empty bowl on the tray between them and took a deep breath. “Have you ever heard of a movie called
Same Time, Next Year?
”

“No. It must not have played the Isis, and since then I haven’t seen many movies.”

Katherine picked up a cracker and broke it in two. “The man and woman in it each have different lives, even different partners, but they meet once a year, make love and get reacquainted. Then they separate and agree to meet again the next year, and so on.”

He put his bowl on the tray and looked at her, his face devoid of expression.

“I hate it when you look like that. Inscrutable. I suppose you’re going to say that’s your Sioux blood coming out in you.”

“No.” His voice was very quiet. “It’s the orphan coming out in me.”

“Oh, Zeke!” She dropped the cracker and reached for him, nearly overturning the tray. Her throat tightened as she cradled his face in both hands. “Zeke, I—” She paused.
I love you. I’ll always love you.
And once she said those words, what else would she say? That she would give up everything for that love?

He turned toward her and laid his hands gently on her shoulders. The mask fell away as he looked into her eyes. “I know what you’re trying to do, Katherine,” he said softly. “I’ve thought about this, too. You’re hoping we can work out some sort of compromise where we can both have what we want, what we need, and yet still...” He massaged her shoulders and his voice grew husky. “Still stay connected to each other.”