Hunter's Moon (Hunter Family Saga; Half-Moon Ranch 1) (19 page)

"Now, what's all this talk about a race?" Jack
repeated as he dished himself up a plate of
food.

Crystal proudly told him the story of her triumph
over Brent.

Jack looked at his son, his expression
condemning. "You lost a race to a mustang and you
can still show your face at this table?"

Brent ignored his insult. He turned their
conversation into a compliment for Crystal. "Crystal
had me fooled. She turned out to be a better
horsewoman than she said she was. With practice, one of these days she might be able to keep up with
Abby."

"You'll have to come visit us real regular, Crystal,
so you can get your riding in," Jack invited.

"I'd like that."

Brent was glad when Crystal finally finished
eating, so they could leave. The less time he spent
with his father in his present condition, the better.
He had the buckboard brought up to the house for
the trip back to town.

Abby and Jack walked Crystal outside. Crystal
thanked them and said good-bye. Brent helped her
into the buckboard, then climbed up next to her and
took up the reins.
----- - - --- ---

"I'll be back," he told them.

Crystal waved as they drove off. She knew each
passing mile brought her closer to the time when she
and Brent would have to part.

"Will you be back in town soon?" Crystal asked.

"I'll try to get in to see you as often as I can," he
promised.

"Good." She knew she would be counting the
days.

They reached Diablo far too quickly to suit
Crystal.

"I had a wonderful time, Brent. Thank you for
inviting me," she said when he reined in before the
boardinghouse.

"I did, too."

So much had happened that day, he could hardly believe it had just been that morning that they'd
attended church.

"Would you like to come in for a minute?"

"Sure." He wasn't ready to say good-bye to her
yet, and he did want to see her safely inside.

Brent followed Crystal indoors after tying up the
team.

"Anne?" Crystal called out as she walked into the
parlor. She saw a note on the table by the sofa and
went to read it.

Crystal

I have a meeting tonight for the Ladies'
Solidarity and will be gone until about ten.
Hope you had fun today.

Anne

"Is she here?" Brent asked, coming up behind her.

"No. She's at a meeting." Crystal turned and
looked up at him. She'd been hoping for the chance
to kiss him before he had to leave.

"

"Alone," she provided with a soft, alluring
smile. She was the only boarder in the house just
then.

"Good." Brent needed no further invitation to
gather Crystal to him and kiss her.

She linked her arms around his neck and held
him close, treasuring their last few minutes together.
Being with Brent was her joy. When she was with him, she could pretend that the world truly was a
wonderful place and that heroes really did exist. It
was a fantasy, but she didn't care. For a little while,
with Brent, it was real.

Brent knew he should kiss Crystal only once and
then leave. He knew what a temptation she was to
him. He knew it was dangerous to hold her this way,
to feel the softness of her against him. He'd learned
earlier that day just how exciting her embrace could
be, and he knew he should walk away from her while
he still could. Brent fought for control. He broke off
the kiss and looked down at her.

"I have to go," he told her, knowing that if he
spent another minute in her arms he wouldn't be
able to leave her.

Crystal gazed up at him and lifted one hand to
caress his cheek. "But I don't want you to leave. Stay
with me."

Brent was torn between doing the right thing and
losing himself in the glory of her love.

And then she kissed him.

Brent found he couldn't deny himself the
excitement of having Crystal in his arms. She was
warm and willing, and they were by themselves in
the privacy of the house.

He deepened the kiss.

Crystal responded instinctively, eagerly meeting
him in that rapturous exchange. Excitement
coursed through her. She wanted to be even closer
to him.

Any trace of restraint was lost to them. Their
passion was unleashed.

Brent brought Crystal fully against him. He began
to caress her, loving her and arousing her.

Crystal drew away for a moment to whisper, "My
room's upstairs."

He needed no further encouragement. He swept
her up in his arms and cradled her to him. She
wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her
up the staircase. She pointed out the room, and he
went in, kicking the door shut behind them.

Brent laid her upon the wide softness of the bed,
then went back to lock the door. He returned to the
bedside, gazing down at her as she lay before him,
her cheeks flushed and her eyes heavy-lidded with
passion.

Crystal looked up at Brent as he stood over her.
He looked so wonderful to her-so tall and broadshouldered and powerful. She wanted to touch him,
to be close to him, to love him-forever.

Brent was her hero.

Crystal lifted her arms to him in unspoken
invitation.

Brent went to her. He lay down beside her and
drew her to him, holding her close. Crystal
responded eagerly. When he began to caress her, she
gave free rein to her desire.

Their passion grew with each kiss and touch, until
finally they could stand no barrier between them.
With eager hands, Crystal worked at the buttons of his shirt and pushed the offending garment from
Brent's shoulders. Her hands explored him,
sculpting the hard muscles of his arms and chest.
Then she traced an arousing line across his stomach
at the waistline of his pants.

Brent shuddered at her intimate touch. He stood
and drew her up from the bed. They shared one
long, lingering kiss as he finished unfastening her
gown. They had to move apart for her to step out of
it, but it was worth the momentary separation. He
went to her as she stood before him, clad only in her
chemise, and kissed her softly.

Crystal felt shy and daring at the same time. She
loosened the ties on her chemise and slipped it from
her. She stood before him, her beauty fully bared to
him for the first time.

"You're beautiful," he told her in a love-husky
voice.

"So are you." Crystal reached for him.

They returned to the bed and came together in a
firestorm of excitement. The moment was rapturous
as they each sought to please the other with every
kiss and touch. Crystal had never known such
pleasure. The flame of their desire grew, searing
them both, until there could be no denying their
love.

Brent left Crystal only long enough to finish
undressing. Then he went back into her arms, and they
gave themselves over to the splendor of their need.
Crystal thrilled to his every caress. When he moved over her, she accepted him eagerly, wanting to know
the full glory of his love.

Caught up in the ecstasy of her embrace, Brent
wanted only to make her his in all ways. His
mouth sought hers in a passionate claim as he
moved to make them one. But when he breached
the proof of her innocence, he was jarred back to
reality.

Crystal was a virgin...

"Crystal..." He went still and drew back to gaze
down at her.

She looked up at him and smiled softly. The
momentary pain of his possession was quickly
forgotten in the glory of this moment.

They were one.

She kissed him.

He began to move again, not wanting to stop,
needing to know her completely. They sought the
heights of passion, giving and taking, each
wanting to please the other. In exquisite harmony
they crested. Rapture burst upon them. They
clung together in love's aftermath, aware only of
each other and the glory of what had just passed
between them.

Brent held Crystal close as the passion of the
moment quieted.

She had been a virgin.

As surprised as Brent was by the discovery, he was
also delighted. She played the part of seductress so
well, yet she had been an innocent.

And she had given her innocence-her greatest
gift-to him.

As the ecstasy of the moment faded, reality
returned. Brent didn't know why she hadn't told
him of her virginity, but he knew what he had to do.
He had to protect Crystal and do the right thing.

"Crystal," Brent began as he moved away from
her.

Caught up in the beauty and peace of the
moment, she looked up at him dreamily.

"You should have told me. I didn't realize..." He
hesitated, uncomfortably, trying to figure out what
to do. "I'm sorry."

His apology jarred her from her fantasy world.
Brent was sorry?

"We'll get married right away," Brent declared.

"Married?" Crystal repeated, still stunned by his
apology.

Oh, she wanted to marry Brent. She wanted it
with all her heart. Being Mrs. Brent Hunter would
be pure ecstasy for her-a dream come true. And
Brent was a true hero. His offering to marry her
proved that yet again.

But as much as she wanted to spend the rest of
her life loving him, Crystal knew it could never be.
Not in the real world. In the real world, she was
wanted for murder.

Her brother had almost caught up with her in San
Antonio, and the law might just be waiting for her
around the next comer. Her life was in turmoil- she could not accept his proposal. She couldn't do
that to him. She loved him too much.

"We can go to Reverend Crawford right now,
tonight," Brent said, taking charge as he always did,
and already planning how best to handle the
situation.

"Brent-no."

He went still. "What?"

"I can't marry you."

Brent had never proposed to anyone before. He
had never even thought seriously about marrying
until now, until Crystal.

And she had just turned him down.

Proud man that he was, Brent wasn't about to
take no for an answer.

"Crystal, we should get married. Now. Tonight.
You were an innocent and I-"

"Brent, you don't have to marry me just because
we made love. I wanted this to happen as much as
you did."

"But-"

"It's all right." She moved closer and kissed him
with great tenderness.

"No, it's not all right as far as I'm concerned."

"I know you're trying to do the right thing.
You're being my hero again," she said wistfully as she
gazed up into his eyes and gently touched his cheek.
"But I don't belong in your world."

"Crystal, for God's sake, what kind of world do
you think I live in? Do you think I'm some kind of knight in shining armor from some perfect
kingdom?" He gave a harsh laugh. "I'm a man whose
father just got out of prison after serving time for
murder-I'm not living a fairy-tale life. I live in the
real world, and sometimes the real world isn't a very
pretty place. You can't change the way things are,
but you can learn to live with reality."

It didn't matter to Brent that she worked in a
saloon. He knew how special she really was.

"You are so wonderful, Brent Hunter." Crystal
smiled gently at him. "We'll talk about this more
later, but right now it's getting late. You'd better
go.

She didn't want to risk the possibility that Anne
might return early and find them together.

Brent knew she was right. He had to leave while
he could. He got up from the bed and started to
dress.

"We're not done discussing this yet," he told her
in his most authoritative voice.

The tone he used with her was the one that always
commanded instant obedience from the hands on the
ranch and, most of the time, from Abby, but it didn't
intimidate Crystal at all. She just smiled at him.

When he'd finished dressing, Crystal wrapped the
sheet around herself and went to stand before him.
She kissed him once more, a tender, heartfelt
exchange.

You are a very special man."

"And you are a very special woman." He held Crystal close one last time, then put her from him.
He knew he had to go, and her tantalizing nearness
was too much of a temptation for him.

"I'll be back." It was a promise.

"I'll be waiting."

Darkness claimed the land as Brent made the trek
back to the Half-Moon. His mood was as dark as the
night. He kept trying to understand why Crystal had
turned down his proposal. Nothing made sense to
him. They had made love. He had taken her
virginity. There had been no reason for them not to
get married that very night.

Unless she didn't love him.

The thought surprised Brent, but as he thought
back over their time together, he realized neither one
of them had ever expressed their feelings.

Did he love her?

He wasn't sure. He'd never been in love before.
He cared about Crystal. She was beautiful and
gentle, and she had made him laugh more than he'd
laughed in years. But love her? He didn't know.

Brent made up his mind then and there that he
was going to find a way to spend as much time with
her as he could. What they shared was to be
treasured, and he couldn't risk letting it slip away.

As the house came into view, thoughts of his
father returned. He hadn't confronted Jack about
the liquor earlier that day, but now that Crystal was
gone, he was going to have it out with him.

A short time later, after taking care of the horses down at the stable, Brent went up to the house.

It wasn't very late, yet the place seemed awfully
quiet as he let himself in. Only one lamp was
burning, and he saw no sign of Abby. He hadn't
thought she'd go to bed this early. Then he turned
toward the study and stopped. There, seated at the
desk, was his father, and it was obvious from the way
he was sprawled in the chair that he had passed out.
On the desk before him was a nearly empty whiskey
bottle.