Bittner, Rosanne (67 page)

"I do not know all there is to know," she answered, nearly whimpering with excitement. "Show me, Tyler Fontaine. I want to be your woman."

He moved his lips downward, licking, tasting, feeling like a crazy man with the want of her. He found the magical spot where Jenny had taught him a woman liked to be touched. He licked at her, heard her groan with delight. Suddenly she cried out his name, grasping his hair tightly and pressing her thighs against his neck.

He moved back up to meet her mouth, and he quickly shoved himself into her, deep and hard. She cried out with pain, and he could tell by how difficult it was to get all the way inside her that this was indeed her first time. There was no stopping it now. He moved in quick rhythm, his life
soon
spilling into her out of an agonizing need to relieve himself.

He relaxed for a moment, raising himself up on his elbows and studying her beautiful face. "Did I hurt you?"

"It was necessary. It is the way."

He felt lost in her. "I don't know what anybody else will think of this," he told her, "either Nathan or my pa, or..." He decided not to mention Alice. It was too late to think of her now. "I just know that I love you, Ramona. I want to stay here with you all afternoon."

She smiled. "Then we will stay. By Indian law, you are now my husband."

He grinned, his eager fullness returning so that while still inside of her he began mating with her again in sweet rhythm. Right or wrong, he had made his choice.

CHAPTER 33

Luke grasped his future son-in-law's hand, afraid to squeeze too hard for fear he'd break it. It was soft and slender, not rough and strong like the ranchers and workers to whom he was accustomed. The young man was handsome, but, Luke thought, too clean and perfect. He wore round spectacles, and every hair was in place. This was not the kind of man he would have expected any of his daughters to marry, after being raised on a ranch; but then Pearl had never been ordinary. She beamed with joy. This Lawrence Bansen apparently made her very happy.

Pearl literally screamed with delight at seeing them again after two years apart. There came a flurry of hugs and kisses between themselves, Robbie, and Pearl, their voices echoing in the high entrance hall of the ornate Bansen mansion. The house, if it could be called that, was a castlelike structure north of Chicago. The top of the entrance hall was capped with a dome of stained glass, and from it were spread wings on either side, each wing two stories high.

Robbie acted like a typical boy awed by something spectacular, staring, carrying on about what a place it was. He babbled to his sister about being on his way to the University of Michigan, for which Lawrence praised him highly, telling him what a noble profession he had chosen. Conversation turned to Chicago itself, and Robbie raved about all the tall buildings, all the people, the bricked streets, and the streetcars. He had never imagined it would be as big and exciting as it was, and he had never seen anything like Lake Michigan. "Boy, Pa, I'll bet you'd like a lake that big out in Montana!" he exclaimed. "You'd never have to worry about enough water!"

"If we had a lake that big in Montana, it would take up half the state and there wouldn't be enough
land
left for the cattle," Luke replied.

After the laughter had died down, Pearl immediately took them on a quick tour. One wing of the house was bedrooms and apartments for students. The other wing was living quarters for the Bansens, two kitchens, an immense dining hall, library, smoking room, parlor, and family bedrooms. The table at the dining hall was so long that Luke joked he could not see the other end of it, and priceless paintings hung on the walls on either side. Elegant silver candelabras were strategically placed on the table, fine china sitting ready at each chair as though always prepared for a grand banquet.

At the far end of the living quarters was a two-story-high ballroom, with an entrance from the outside that invited guests could use without having to go through the main house. Pearl carried on about how the Bansens entertained important dignitaries in the great dining hall and the ballroom nearly every weekend. Even President Pierce had visited once when he was in Chicago.

Luke watched Lettie, thinking how well she fit here in spite of years of living on a Montana ranch. She had brought her best dresses, as well as two new dresses Gino Galardo had made just for the concert and for the wedding. Never in his wildest dreams, when he and Lettie first settled in that crude cabin in Montana, would he have imagined one of his daughters marrying into this kind of money, playing piano with an orchestra. Life's ironies continued to amaze him.

"Please, do come into the parlor and have something to drink," Lawrence told them. The young man was as nervous as a bobcat, hardly able to take his eyes off Luke. "My, you're everything I pictured," he told him.

Luke towered over him, thinking how easy it would be to pick him up and throw him several feet. He grinned, deciding he might as well get used to this man Pearl loved. He had no choice. "And what did you picture?" he asked, following Pearl and Lettie into the parlor, while Robbie continued to explore the house.

"Oh, a big and powerful man, since Pearl told me you were certainly that. I have often imagined how exciting it must be to live in a place like Montana. I have never even learned to ride a horse."

Lettie cast Luke a quick, warning look, knowing there were any number of remarks he could make in reply, well aware what he must think of the man Pearl wanted to marry. So far, neither Katie nor Pearl had married the kind of man Luke had hoped, but he had grown to like Brad very much. Maybe he could learn to like Lawrence, too. At least they wouldn't have to be around them as much, since Pearl and Lawrence would stay here in Chicago. She smiled at the scowl on Luke's face.

"I never knew a man who didn't know how to ride a horse," he answered. "But then I've never played a piano or conducted an orchestra," he added with a grin.

Lawrence laughed as he tugged a bellpull to signal the servants in the kitchen. "I'll have Oscar bring us some drinks," he said.

"Oscar is one of the butlers," Pearl explained. "Have you ever seen such a house, Father?"

Luke looked at Lettie again. She knew he hated this place. If he had a million dollars he could never live like this. "No, I sure haven't," he answered, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Lawrence's parents are gone right now," Pearl explained. "We had no idea just exactly when you would arrive. You must both be so tired after several days on a train."

"We rented a private car," Luke told her. "We were pretty comfortable."

"It seemed so strange to come back East," Lettie put in.

"After twenty-two years, here we are, both not so far from where we started out. Whoever would have thought back then that we could come back by train in just a few days, after that trip to Montana by wagon?"

"Oh, we want to hear the whole story!" Lawrence told them. "But wait until my parents arrive. We have never talked to true pioneers, people who went west on a wagon train! We want to hear it all, Mr. Fontaine, what happened in the beginning and all. Pearl tells me you have scars from a grizzly bear attack!"

Luke felt embarrassed, as though he were a side show. "I didn't do anything more than any of the other early settlers—nothing so special."

"Oh, Father, you're being modest!" Pearl walked over to Lawrence and took his arm. "Father fought a grizzly, fought Indians, outlaws, rustlers. He even rode once with vigilantes. Now he's on the territorial legislature." She smiled at Luke. "You can't imagine what a thrill I got reading about it in the Chicago papers!" she added. "My own father, way out in Montana, making the Chicago papers!"

Luke studied her lovingly. At eighteen, she was a most beautiful creature, looking like a woman now. Where had the years gone?

He watched Lettie, knew by the looks she gave him that she was thinking the same thing. They never could have predicted such events when they first left her parents in Nebraska to go off on their own. The things they had been through made him love her all the more, and he was glad to be able to bring her here. Pearl chattered about a couple of plays she wanted to take them to, as well as a fancy restaurant downtown, and, of course, the concert. They were being married in the biggest Lutheran church in Chicago, she explained. "Everybody who is anybody will be there, and they are all anxious to meet you and Father. They are so impressed with him being one of the biggest landowners in Montana, and a politician now on top of it." She looked at Luke. "I hope you don't get tired of all the questions, Father, because I know you'll be inundated with them." She turned back to Lettie. "Wait until Lawrence's parents and their friends meet you, Mother! You're just as lovely and elegant as any of them. And I can't wait until you come to the theater and hear the symphony. It will be so thrilling for you and Father!"

Luke only wanted to get the hell out, back to the quiet peace of the Double L, back into his denim pants and soft shirts. He hated wearing a suit every day, and the uncomfortable shoes Lettie had insisted he wear. His old leather boots would do just fine. He couldn't hear the rest of Lettie's and Pearl's conversation, as Lawrence was back to asking him questions while the butler brought in a tray that held several long-stemmed glasses and a bottle of wine. Robbie followed, joining them in the parlor.

"Have you actually killed men?" Lawrence asked.

"Sure he has!" Robbie answered before Luke could. "He shot seven men once who tried to take his land away when he first settled in Montana. They're still buried on our property! And when he was a vigilante, he
hanged
two men!"

Luke cast him a frown. "That's not exactly the way to tell it, Robbie. It's not as though I enjoyed it." He looked at Lawrence. "A man never enjoys killing another man. Robbie hasn't explained the details."

The butler handed out a glass of red wine, and Luke took it, thanking the man.

"Oh, you don't have to thank Oscar. It's his job," Lawrence explained.

Luke sipped a little of the wine, holding his temper. "Where I come from, you thank people for things, even the people who work for you," he answered, obvious irritation in his voice.

Lawrence seemed to wither a little. "Oh! I'm sorry. I guess it's just the difference in our customs."

"I guess," Luke said, his blue eyes drilling into the young man. "We have another custom out West. Anybody who abuses a man's daughter answers to her father. And any man who wants to
marry
a man's daughter, asks the father's permission first."

Lawrence reddened deeply, and the butler stood aside, silently amused. He liked this big man from Montana.

Lettie and Pearl stopped talking, having heard the remark. Pearl rose, walking over beside Lawrence. "Father, I... I never thought you would disapprove! Lawrence and I are so happy, and we have so much in common—"

"I didn't say I disapproved, Pearl. I just think asking the father is the right thing to do. If Lawrence were the king of England, I would still expect him to ask for your hand."

Lawrence swallowed, straightening his shoulders. In all his travels and of all the important people he had met, he had never been more awed than he was by Luke Fontaine, nor more afraid of someone; but Pearl had warned him to be forthright and bold in front of the man. She had told him about Luke's reaction to her sister Katie wanting to marry a sheep man. If not for Brad Tillis's straightforwardness, Luke might have kicked him out of the house.

He moved an arm around Pearl. "All right, Mr. Fontaine. I think Pearl is the most beautiful woman God ever created, and her talent is astounding. We share a love of music and feel we would be very happy together. I love her beyond measure, and it would be impossible for me to harm a hair on her head. I can give her a life of wealth and luxury, but more than that, I can give her love, forever. My parents also love her. We are not stiff, unfeeling people who think we are better than others, if that is what you think. We simply love music, and music is what has brought my father this far. This is a happy household, albeit quite ostentatious, but happy, nonetheless. My own parents were married in Germany thirty years ago, and they were both poor in their beginnings. They have worked hard to get where they are. I love your daughter, Mr. Fontaine, and I respectfully ask your permission to marry her."

Luke set his wineglass on a small table beside the leather chair in which he sat. He rose, dwarfing Lawrence. Robbie watched wide-eyed, and Lettie waited nervously, hoping Luke wouldn't say something to spoil this happy moment for Pearl. Luke put out his hand, and Lawrence took it, wincing a little at the firm grip. "All right," Luke told him. "You can marry her, but you take damn good care of her, and not just in material things. There is a sweetness and goodness to my daughter that I never want to see destroyed."

"Why would I destroy the very things that I love about her?" Lawrence answered.

Luke finally grinned. "My only other requirement is that you come and visit the Double L once in a while so Pearl can see her sister and her brothers and nieces and nephews."

Lawrence grinned with relief, but sweat beaded his brow. "Yes, sir. I truly look forward to it. Perhaps you or one of your sons can teach me to ride."

"We might be able to find a gentle old nag for you," Luke joked.

They all laughed then, and Lawrence asked Pearl to play something for them to show her parents how she had progressed over the last two years. Lettie walked over to squeeze Luke's hand. "Thank you, Luke. I wasn't sure what you were going to say."

He studied Lawrence a moment. He had walked to the grand piano with Pearl and was looking at some sheet music with her. "It takes all kinds, I guess. If he makes Pearl happy, then so be it." He picked up his wineglass and moved to a love seat with her so they could sit together while Pearl played. Almost from the first moment her fingers touched the keys, they were both astounded. Lettie felt a chill move up her spine at the magnificent playing, and she knew that sending Pearl there had been the right thing to do. She entertained them for nearly an hour until Lawrence's parents arrived. Professor Bansen was a big, heavy-set, bearded man with a deep voice, his wife tiny and gray haired. She was elegantly dressed, surprisingly natural and friendly for her apparently high station in society. She and Lettie liked each other right away, but both Luke and Lettie had to concentrate to understand everything the Bansens said because of their strong German accents.