Harnessed Passions (36 page)

"I can't sleep," she told him, knowing he
could tell when she lied. Daniel chuckled and kissed the top of her
head.

"You're the only woman I know who can get
hit on the head one day and try seducing a man the next." Julia
held her hand still against his chest. She didn't know whether she
liked the sounds of that or not. She wasn't even certain whether
she was being insulted or just teased until she looked up and saw
the gleam of emotion in his beautiful blue eyes.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, a
strong sense of caution forcing the color to rise in her cheeks.
Daniel chuckled again hugging her tight and kissing her
forehead.

"If it was another time or under any other
circumstance, I'd say no. But you've had a very bad accident and
you need to rest. Close your eyes Princess and get some sleep.
We'll continue this when you're feeling stronger."

"Promise?" she teased, lightly, smiling at
the laughter he supplied her, pushing his hard erection against her
thigh so she understood exactly what she was doing to him.

"Just try and keep me away." Julia sighed
softly, realizing she really wasn't up to his taking her serious
and thankful he had called her bluff.

"Will you stay here the rest of the night?
Please?" Daniel pushed away from her to gaze into her clear green
eyes. He felt the burn of emerald flames and the touch of a child's
plea melting his resistance. She was still frightened and needed
someone to comfort her. Even if she changed her mind in the
morning, Daniel knew she wanted him now. With that thought still
ringing in his mind, he climbed off the bed pulling back the covers
and unfastened his jeans.

"I can't sleep in these things," he
whispered gently, seeing the color rise higher in her face. He
tossed his breeches to the foot of the bed and climbed in between
the sheets. He pulled Julia into his arms again, feeling the soft
material of her nightdress press gently against his bare flesh. He
remembered his silent vow never to rush her into something she
wasn't ready for, or to ever do anything again to cause her grief,
but right now he had to touch her, he had to hold her near him
regardless of the results.

"Do you still love me?" she asked, softly.
Daniel tipped her head up kissing her lips passionately; their
tongues playing against each other until she was panting, a soft
moan escaping her throat.

"More than anything else in this world," he
assured her, holding her gently against him as she drifted off to
sleep; a soft smile curling her lips.

Daniel sighed when he heard her steady
breathing and the strong rhythm of her heart next to his own. He
realized the price he was willing to pay for loving this incredibly
sensuous woman. Keeping his silent promise to himself to stay clear
of her until she was ready wasn't going to be as easy as he had
anticipated, but he knew it would be worth it. He knew of many ways
to make her eager, make her want him to please her and he was just
as eager to explore her to those dark depths of release. With a
yawn he slowly and thankfully began to drift into a soft slumber.
He had no idea how he was going to keep his distance from this
woman...his wife.

The week that followed Julia's recovery
proved to be restful and very informative. Daniel had resigned
himself to making friends with the woman he'd married, talking with
her about everything from her first word, to her last days in
Boston. He was determined to find out every ounce of information
about her, hopefully enough to discover why anyone would want her
dead.

Dourn remained a mystery; he would work hard
whenever he was at the stables and ride off to search the grounds
when Daniel was seen coming down from the mansion. Daniel and
Jeremy both had tried repeatedly to find him, but managed little
more than a glimpse as he rode out to the fields. Daniel felt
certain Dourn knew more about the night Julia was attacked than he
was willing to say.

Julia's injuries had nearly mended by the
week's end, although the nightmares continued. Every night was like
the one before. The dreams of cold, hateful revenge filled her
heart with terror; visions of Heather standing in a body of water
calling to her, pulling her under the current while her father
watched, Every dream would end the same way; her knight riding to
her rescue, disappearing before he could reach her. The horror was
so real she would wake up screaming.

Daniel was always there to comfort and hold
her against his warm chest, securing her in his strong embrace
until the dreams passed and she could fall asleep again. Night
after night Daniel would wake her, pulling her out of her torment
and anguish, only to wait for the next dream to invade. He couldn't
stand seeing Julia like this, hearing her screams of terror and her
pleas for someone to save her. He wanted to find out who had done
this to her and put an end to her nightmares once and for all.

Jeremy aided Daniel as much as possible
watching for Dourn's return, but like his brother-in-law, he always
seemed to miss him by a few minutes. After Julia's first attack in
the library and the discovery of the snake in her wash closet,
Jeremy had decided to take the last of his third semester off to
stay and help out at the ranch. Unfortunately his time was nearly
up and he found himself making plans for his return trip back to
school and his future bride sooner than he would have liked. As
much as he found himself missing both his studies and his fiancée,
he also found leaving Kentucky and the problems that were still
unfinished very difficult. He was as certain as Daniel the
accidents were much more than a coincidence and he wanted to have
an end to it before he left.

Friday morning arrived to find Julia feeling
strong enough to venture as far as the front porch. She sat in the
rocking chair her mother had brought out for her and gazed up at
the clear blue sky. Margie had been out to visit the day before and
they spent the better part of the afternoon talking and discussing
the new dressmaker in town. They decided to go shopping once
everything began to settle down and Daniel felt she was capable to
ride again.

Julia hadn't told her new friend she felt up
to making the trip now, though she was enjoying the added attention
her husband was giving her. She was happy Daniel was as doting as
he was, but she was certain if he continued at this rate, she'd
never be able to see the dressmaker again, much less the world
outside of their bedroom walls.

She sat on the front porch for over an hour
enjoying the warm breeze and the sunshine that seemed to burn off
the remnants of her latest nightmare. The ranch was relatively
quiet and she found herself content as she looked around the vast
span of her property. Mrs. Lester was issuing orders to the kitchen
staff regarding lunch while Thompson hummed his off-tune song in
the sitting room.

Life was simple here, calm and quiet and she
couldn’t resist the smile that caressed her lips; until she glanced
toward the stables and frowned. Near the entrance to the large
wooden structure were to figures. Julia wasn't certain how long
they had been there, but knew without a doubt they were. The tall
muscular man with blondish-brown hair hanging loosely about his
shoulders would stand out in a crowded room, but in a deserted yard
he was more than visible. It was who he was with that bothered
Julia. She narrowed her eyes trying to bring the scene in to a
closer perspective, but couldn’t make out what they were talking
about or looking at. Finally she decided to move inside to the
library; at least that part of the house had a better range of
view.

Julia stood at the west window watching the
couple who was so engrossed in their conversation they wouldn't
have noticed the second coming, let alone an observer. She felt
very uncomfortable spying on them, but after all it was her husband
out there. Didn't she have a right to know why he was talking so
intimately to their new neighbor?

"I didn't know you were in here, dear,"
Louise said, opening the door to find her daughter standing by the
window. Julia didn't turn around; instead she kept her back to her
mother as she replied.

"I came down for some fresh air. I'm getting
tired of just sitting in my room."

"Well, it's nice to see you up and about
again. Would you care to join me in a drink? Mrs. Lester just
finished making a pitcher of lemonade."

"Thank you," was all the younger woman said,
listening to her mother fill a glass with the sweetened liquid.
Louise stepped up behind Julia handing her the drink and frowning
at her intent gaze.

"What's so interesting out there, you can't
turn away?" she asked, glancing over her daughter's shoulder. She
sniffed her disapproval when she realized what had captured Julia's
attention.

"Why would
she
be here I wonder?"
Julia asked, more to herself than to her mother. Louise walked over
to her usual chair and sat down.

"She's been here nearly every day since your
accident. Daniel invited her."

"Daniel?" Julia turned and looked at her
mother with wide eyes. He never once mentioned any of this to her.
"Why would Daniel invite her here?"

"He's been helping her find some horses.
Would you believe the witch had the nerve to ask him to sell her
some of our horses to help work her land? The very idea."

"Did Daniel agree to help her?"

"Of course; he says it's not right to be
rude to your neighbors. I don't think it's very hard with that
one."

"How often does she visit?" Julia felt an
odd feeling grip down around her heart thinking of Daniel working
with that woman.

“
She’s been here nearly
every day since your accident. Daniel told her you weren’t up to
visitors so she asks about you when she visits, but I doubt she’s
here for you. All these men around; I’m more than certain she’s
smelled them a mile away. She’s like an old alley cat sniffing out
a meal.”

Julia knew the rumors about Sharon
Farnsworth. She knew how many men in town claimed to have shared
their beds with her. It really never made any difference in the
past since Julia didn’t care what the girl did in town, but now it
was her husband she was occupying time with. Sharon was messing
with the man Julia loved and wanted more than anything else in this
world, that made a big difference. Julia wanted to know more.

She wanted to know why they were together,
what they were discussing and what exactly why Daniel was standing
so close to the woman. What if he found Sharon attractive? What if
there was more going on between the two of them? Would she be able
to compete with a woman with so much experience when it came to
men? Would she be enough to hold Daniel if he chose to find another
woman’s bed more inviting?

Julia sighed; she couldn’t find fault in
Daniel, after all he was a very desirable man and since their
marriage was nothing if not celibate, he would need to find
affection somewhere. He no doubt had the same urges every man had
from time to time and she couldn’t help but wonder if Sharon
Farnsworth had made arrangements to pay him for his services in
another manner than money.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Louise
insisted, noting the look on the young woman's face. "Daniel's just
trying to help her out."

"Help with what I'd like to know."

"Julia Dennese! How can you think such
things? Daniel's very devoted to you, you should know that. He
shares your bed not hers."

"I wish he did," Julia whispered.

"Just exactly what is that supposed to
mean?" Louise asked with a deep frown. Julia turned back to the
window and watched Daniel walk with Sharon's arm tucked inside his,
heading toward her waiting trap. She didn't know how to answer her
mother's question and wasn't exactly certain how much she should
tell her.

"Julia?" the woman insisted. "Are the rumors
I've been hearing true? Have you and Daniel been sleeping in
separate rooms?" Julia's head dropped. She never considered the
gossip of the maids. Knowing they had occupied different beds must
have made her love life prime pickings.

"Julia?" the woman insisted, when she didn't
receive an answer. "Have you and Daniel been sleeping in separate
rooms? I want to know."

"Daniel shares my bed, now," she answered
softly. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. They had
slept together since her accident, though not in a sexual
manner.

"What do you mean
now?
Has he done something
you don't understand? Did he hurt you in some way? If I can help,
please tell me. Do you want me to speak with him?"

"No mother just please stay out of it.
Everything is fine, it was just a rocky start."

"It's not because you didn't know what to
expect is it? You knew it would be uncomfortable at first didn't
you?"

"Mother please, this isn't the sort of
subject I want to discuss, especially with you."

"Julia," Louise felt the sudden stab of
pain, as her daughter turned her back on her again. "I know I
should have discussed the facts of life with you, but there just
never seemed to be the right time. I suppose all that's too late
now. Daniel introduced you to the subject better than I could have
explained it."

"No he hasn't," Julia snapped, the
embarrassment of discussing her love life with her mother burned
inside her and she wasn't able to contain it any longer. "I haven't
had that discussion or the lessons alright? Daniel and I got
married in order for him to have father's land, that's all. We
haven't consummated the marriage and probably never will with that
woman in the way. If you really want to know who's been sharing
Daniel's bed, then why don't you ask him? Or better yet, ask his
new mistress."