Before the Dawn (22 page)

As if cued, Ryder appeared on the verandah nearby.
“Nice night.”

“Yes, it is.”

For a few moments, silence reigned.

“I noticed my brother leaving. Did you two have a fight?”

Leah observed him, wondering what he was about now. “No. He's gone to meet a man interested in investing in his land project.”

“Ah.”

Then he asked, “How are you getting back to Eloise's?”

“I'm not sure,” she replied. She then asked him, “How'd you know I was staying there?”

“Sam. Few secrets with him around.”

Leah understood.

“I'll take you, of course.”

“I know, but I'd hoped for a less volatile escort.”

Ryder shook his head at her blunt reply. “What's your middle name?”

Leah thought that an odd question. “Jane.”

“Jane. It should be Frank.”

She smiled in spite of herself. “Well, it isn't. It's Jane.”

Ryder decided then and there that he didn't care how the Pinkerton investigation turned out; she was too tempting to ignore. All of his vows and stubborn attempts to deny his growing attraction had resulted in nothing but sleepless nights and inner turmoil. He was tired of fighting himself. “Surprised to learn you were still in town though.”

She decided he might as well know about Judge Raddock's interest in her case; after all he'd made a large financial contribution to it. So she told him. She finished by saying, “He seems to think the judgment is too old to enforce.”

“He may be right.”

“Will the court return your money, do you think?”

He shrugged. “Depends on whether they've already distributed the assets of the estate to Louis's creditors or not. If your Judge Raddock does manage to get the judgment reversed, it might be returned, but who knows. Every state has its own set of laws, it seems.”

“Well whatever the outcome, the judge wants me to stay here until he can sort it out.”

“How long?”

The darkness hid her shrug. “I've no idea, and I'm not real happy about it. I'm ready to go home.”

“Do you miss it?”

“I do. I have no family there anymore, but I do have a few friends. It would be wonderful to see the ocean again.” Thinking of home made Leah a bit melancholy. She decided she'd had enough excitement for one night. The Hyers were grand, but she was ready to return to Eloise's cabin. “Will you take me back?”

He nodded.

Leah knew that were she to be seen leaving Cordelia's home with Ryder, the gossips would be up all night spreading the word. To counter that, she didn't want to go back inside at all, but she had to retrieve her wrap. “I have to get my shawl.”

As if by magic it was in his hand. “I brought it out with me.”

Leah cocked her head. “You were pretty confident, weren't you?”

“Yes.”

Leah then thought of something she had to ask, “Your brother wasn't just sent on a wild-goose chase, was he? This investor does exist?”

With a perfectly straight face Ryder told her, “You'll have to ask Coyote.”

Leah's eyes widened, and then she shook her head. She
pulled the shawl out of his hand and said with a humor she couldn't hide, “Lightning is going to strike you one day. Mark my words.”

“My carriage is this way,” he said, gesturing toward the dark.

Still shaking her head, Leah led the way.

 

As they drove across the quiet countryside under the moonlight, Leah said, “That wasn't nice what you did to Seth.”

“He's done far worse to me, believe me, but it isn't as if I sent him over a cliff. He simply went back to town, there's no harm in that.”

“It was underhanded.”

“It was counting coup.”

Leah had never heard the expression before. “What's that mean?”

“It's a tribal expression. Scoring points on your enemy is the simplest way to explain it.”

“You consider Seth an enemy?”

“He's certainly not a friend.”

“He's your brother.”

“
Half
brother he'd say if he were here.”

Leah knew he was right; she'd heard Seth say exactly that. “The two of you need to end this feud.”

“Tell him that. Besides, we've grown up this way. Be hard to stop after all these years even if we wanted to.”

Leah didn't think that made a lick of sense but kept the opinion to herself.

The short conversation died after that, leaving them alone with their private thoughts, the surrounding night, and their awareness of each other's presence. It was an awareness Leah was fighting hard to ignore, but how could she ignore the man who'd been her first lover?

Ryder was wrestling with his own demons. More than
anything, he wanted to stop the carriage and take her in his arms. Back there on the Waynes' verandah he'd decided he didn't care who she was as long as he could make love to her. Finish what they'd started. Would doing so finally cure him of this rising need, thus enabling him to return to his well-ordered life? Or would it make him want her more? He put his hopes on the former. His attraction to her was as unexplainable as it was illogical. She'd been married to his murderous father, there was a Pinkerton investigating her past, but now, as they rode beneath the moonlight none of that seemed to matter. Tired of beating around the bush, he took the bull firmly by the horns, and asked, “Remember the morning I asked whether you wished to be courted or seduced?”

Leah found the question so unexpected and so filled with vivid memories it took her a moment to respond. “I do,” she replied a bit shakily.

“You said you wished for both, if I recall correctly.”

He looked her way. Leah bravely met his gaze even though she knew her bravery to be paper-thin. “Yes, I did, but why does that matter now?”

“Because I plan to court you.”

Her blood rushed. “Court me?”

“And then, seduce you…”

Leah struggled to keep from swooning and falling out of the carriage. “Is this so you can count coup on your brother again?”

“No, it's because I want you, and I believe you want me…”

Leah studied his face. He was right of course, but she hadn't planned to admit that truth aloud. The remembrances of their one night together continued to resonate strongly within her, but the aftermath had been very painful; she had no desire to be ambushed that way again. “I have very vivid memories of that night, Ryder, and it'll
be something I'll remember to the grave; but I can't set aside what came after just because I enjoyed being in your bed.”

He seized upon the words that pleased him most. “Did you?”

Leah couldn't lie. “I did.”

“You're a very passionate woman.”

“Well-raised women aren't supposed to be passionate.”

“You'd be surprised what a well-raised woman will do behind closed doors with the right man.”

Heat burned Leah's cheeks. His pointed words brought back to mind their fiery interlude with the spiced peaches. “Let's talk about something else.”

“Why, are you afraid your passionate nature will lead you astray?”

“Frankly, yes.”

He stopped the carriage in the middle of the moonlit road.

“Why are we stopping?”

“To see if I can give your nature some help…”

When he leaned over and kissed her, she knew she should have protested, but his lips were so warm and knowing, his cajoling so moving, she forgot all about it. Tender, tiny flicks of his tongue against the parted corners of her mouth made her arch closer so she could gift him with the same arousing play. They teased and tantalized each other for what seemed an eternity, but neither could bear to halt. He placed kisses on her lips, her nose, the small dark shells of her ears. As their ardor flared his hands slowly joined the fray, mapping her curves, caressing her jaw, her throat. His mouth meandered down the scented column of her neck. His hands explored her breasts possessively while his lips brushed heat across the soft, tempting skin above the neckline of her gown. He slid a bold hand inside, and the nipple
cried out a joyous welcome. Her dress was drawn down and under his ardent suckling the bud bloomed.

Leah had never envisioned being made love to in the middle of the road in the middle of the night, yet here she was, her head melted back against the seat, her gown rucked down, her breasts damp and hard.

Ryder thought she made quite an erotic sight bared for him under the moonlight. He wanted to slide the silk gown up her hips and see about baring a darker, more intimate portion of her, but found encouraging her passionate nature to be exciting as well. To that end he brushed his lips across her berried nipples. A pleasure-filled moan slid from her lips, sounding all the world like a musical note against the silence of the vast Colorado countryside. Enjoying her response, he repeated the gesture, this time pausing to dally with first one budded nipple and then the other before his hands began slowly to explore the warm flesh of her limbs beneath her dress.

Leah tingled in response to the strong hands moving her gown up her legs. All of the many reasons why being with him made no sense rose to the fore, but when his intimate touch found her through the thin cotton barrier of her drawers they were reduced to ash. She crooned and arched, then shamelessly widened the way so he could give her more.

Her uninhibited responses fired Ryder's desires. He was hard for her, achingly so. He wanted to touch her for a lifetime but doubted even that would be long enough to give her all the pleasure he wanted her to receive. Looking up, Ryder saw a pinpoint of light cresting the road about a mile away. A lantern. He leaned in and placed his lips softly against her own. “There's a wagon coming—about a mile off.”

His fingers hadn't stopped their wicked ministrations. “I'm going to bring you to pleasure and then we'll get you
home…okay?”

Leah was too busy rippling and pulsing under his tender assault to care about anything, but she whispered, “Okay…”

He let loose one of his rare smiles. Kissing her again, he brazenly slipped a hand inside her drawers. “No screaming allowed,
Morenita
…”

She was hot and swollen; already prepared by his earlier play. It didn't take long for her body to begin crying for release. He teased her for a few hot moments more though, malely enjoying the sensual way she arched and rose to the play of his hands, and how enticing her dark-nippled breasts looked bathed by the soft pale light of the moon. Kissing her deeply, he eased a bold finger into the core of her pleasure and gave her what she so desperately craved. The orgasm rocketed through her with such shattering force she screamed her joy into his shoulder.

Leah came back to herself slowly. The soft echoing throb purring in her body made her want to spend the rest of eternity right where she was. Turning her head on the seat, she looked over and found him watching her with night-shrouded eyes. Feigning irritation, she said, “This is exactly why I didn't want you to see me home.”

Ryder grinned. “Then fix your clothes so we can get there.”

“As if that's my fault.”

Ryder reached over and softly traced her cheek. He was hard as iron. If he didn't find release soon, he wouldn't be able to walk for a week, but he knew it wouldn't be here or now. He willed his body to calm down so he could pick up the reins. As she righted her gown, he looked on disappointedly.

“What's the matter?” Leah asked as she gave the gown one last adjustment.

“Nothing. Just prefer you the way you were.”

Leah smiled self-consciously. “You're too bold for me, I think.”

“Didn't notice you complaining a minute ago.”

He had her there, and she knew it. “Aren't you supposed to be driving me home?”

He gave her a grin and slapped down the reins.

They made it back to the cabin without any further delays. He parked the carriage out in front of the main house, then walked her to her door.

Leah could see the light on in Eloise's studio. “Eloise is still up, I see.”

It was an inane observation, but Leah suddenly felt awkward and unsure now that the time had come for them to part. “Where's this leading, Ryder?”

He answered truthfully, “I don't know.”

Leah remembered how incoherent she'd been on the carriage seat, then dashed the memory away. “I doubt this has any future.”

“But it isn't about the future, it's about now. Here.”

“It's about the past too, though—at least it is for you.”

Ryder stared off into the distance. He hadn't brought her home to do this.

Leah felt compelled to continue. “Deep down inside you don't trust me—haven't since we met. To you I'm some terrible woman who married the father you hate under questionable circumstances. You say you want me, but I can't help but wonder at your motives, too.”

Ryder met her eyes. Her penchant for truth was humbling. “So, what do you propose we do?”

“End this—now,” she replied softly, haltingly. “Otherwise, there'll always be questions, hurt feelings. I—”

“Suppose I can't.”

The power in those three words silenced her. Leah searched his unreadable features. What was he admitting? Was he telling her there was more to this relationship than
lust? Had his heart somehow gotten involved along the way? Leah found that hard to believe. She didn't know what to think or to say.

Ryder decided it was time for him to be truthful as well. “No, I don't trust you, and no, I wouldn't be surprised to find out your marriage to Louis was some type of sham. However—” His voice dropped to the softness of a caress. “I want you like I've never wanted a woman before. You could be wanted in six states, and I'd still dream about kissing that mouth, or making your body beg for my touch…”