Levi (Prairie Grooms, Book Five) (4 page)

“You don’t understand, do you?”

“What is there to understand? Go ahead, carry me across.”

“There’s a difference between being married, and being a husband and wife,” he said, his eyes fixed on her own.

She gave him a quizzical look. “I’m afraid you’re right. I don’t understand.”

He set her down. “I didn’t think you did.” He turned and walked into the house, leaving her on the front porch to stare after him. Fina stood there in shock, but before she could even so much as comment, he poked his head around the doorframe, and said, “The score is now three to two, in my favor.” With that, he went inside.

Four

Levi stood on the other side of the door, and had to fight the urge to shut it. Why he was being so pig-headed, he didn’t know. What he did know, was that he wanted to find out if his bride was at least amenable to the fact that she’d married him. Getting a mail-order bride was one thing, winning her after you were married was another thing entirely. He hated to admit it, but she was right. They should get to know one another better, before …

“Can I come in now?” she asked.

He turned to the door. “It’s your home, too, you know. Of course you can come in.”

She stepped over the threshold as if it were a snake waiting to bite her. “Where is my room?”

“
Our
room is upstairs, first door on the left.”

“Thank you,” she said and, chin up, marched past him to the staircase and stomped up the stairs. He listened as the door to his room opened then shut.

Levi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I wasn’t expecting that,” he muttered and turned to the staircase. “It’s a good thing you didn’t see the look on my face, Fella, or I’d have lost a point.” With that, he followed her.

He took the stairs two at a time, careful not to make much noise, or she might misinterpret his actions. But he wanted to settle this, get them back on track (if they ever were to begin with) and move forward. He reached the top, and stood in front of the door. “Fella?”

Silence.

“May I come in?”

“No,” came her muffled reply.

Levi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and started to count to ten.

“And don’t call me ‘Fella’!”

He snorted, cutting off his own laughter. “You said it was okay, so long as you could give me a nick name,” he reminded her.

Silence again.

“You
do
, remember, don’t you?” he said to the barrier between them. If she still refused to let him in, he’d not only gain another point, but he’d go in anyway.

The door opened, and she popped her head out. “I’m still thinking.” She ducked inside and slammed the door shut.

That did it. Levi barged into the room. “Now see here, woman. You will
not
shut the door in my face like that!”

She stood where she was, her chin up in defiance like before, and glared at him. Yet, as he studied her stance, he noticed her bottom lip trembled. Had he frightened her? He’d deduct points off his own score if he had. “Fina …”

“Don’t call me that.”

“I
called
you by your given name …”

“I know but, truth be told, I don’t very much care for it.”

“Then what’s wrong with me calling you ‘Fella’?” he asked, his voice dropping to a soft timbre. He took a slow step toward her.

She swallowed hard, and his eyes were drawn to the creamy skin of her throat. “It’s too close to Fina,” she told him, her voice shaky.

He took another step. “What would you rather I call you?”

She watched him, like a frightened filly unsure if he would harm her. It made him want to scream. “I ... I don’t know.”

“Will you let me know when you’ve decided on something?”

She shook herself. “What?”

He took a few more steps. They were no more than a foot apart. He looked down at her with as much understanding as he could muster. Unable to help himself, he reached up and cupped her face. She stiffened, but he ignored it. “If left up to me, I think I’d call you ‘beautiful’.”

She drew in a breath, but didn’t move.

“You are, you know.”

She lowered her eyes. “No one … no one has ever told me that.”

“That you’re beautiful? Didn’t men call on you back in England?”

She gazed up at him as he closed the distance between them. “No.”

He froze. What kind of life had she led before coming to America? “Pity; the men in your country didn’t know what they had.” He put an arm around her, and didn’t care if she didn’t like it. He couldn’t stand this close and
not
hold her. “But I’m beginning to see what
I
have.”

She shuddered as he pulled her against his chest. “Mr. Stone …” her voice cracked.

He smiled. She was nervous as a cat. He could feel her body tremble against him. “Levi,” he corrected. “Husband, if it suits you. Tell me, does it?”

“What?” she said, her voice bordering on a moan.

Levi’s smile broadened. Was that desire in her eyes? “Husband. Are you comfortable calling me that?”

“As a nickname?” she asked, as if it took great effort to speak.

“Yes,” he said, lowering his face to hers.

“Why would I … call you that? You … have a perfectly good name.”

His hand went under her chin, and he tilted her face up to meet his. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Say …
it
?”

“Call me your husband,” he whispered against her ear. Her body shuddered in response. It rocked him to the core. He’d have to stop soon, or risk losing control.

She froze in his arms and stared at him. “But you are,” she breathed.

“Say it, beautiful. Call me by name, and tell me what I am to you.”

She studied him a moment. “What is it you want?”

He captured her eyes with his, and held her tighter. “Don’t you understand? Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for a wife?”

She shook her head, her eyes telling him she still didn’t comprehend what he was saying. But how could she? She had no idea how he’d burned for a wife these last two years, or that he came out west to carve a new life for himself with a woman at his side. One who was beautiful, intelligent, and full of life. And here he stood, holding her in his arms.

* * *

Fina felt her knees weaken, tried to lock them, and failed. Down she went. “Fella!” Levi cried, alarmed. He picked her up before she slid past his chest. He carried her to the bed, and set her down. “Are you all right?”

No, she wasn’t all right! Wasn’t it obvious? But wait, did she almost faint? Maybe she wasn’t in as good shape as she thought. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe you’d better lie down. I’ll finish unloading the wagon, and unhitch the horses.”

His voice was gentle; his face inches from hers, and full of concern.

She stared back. “I’m afraid I don’t know what happened.”

“You’ve had a hard day. One you … weren’t ready for.”

She didn’t speak, only nodded. “One point,” she whispered.

He gazed at her, and brushed some hair from her face. “Whose?”

She felt something pool in her belly at his touch. “Yours.”

He raised his brows at that. “You’re giving me a point?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I’m afraid so. You’re quite right. I wasn’t as ready to get married as I thought. Now that I think on it, I wasn’t ready for a lot of this.”

He sat up and sighed. “What does that make the score?”

His question threw her. She expected him to get angry. She sucked in her breath and stared at him. “Well?” he asked, his voice gentle.

“I do believe that makes it four to two, your favor.”

“Confound it, you’re getting behind. I was hoping we’d stay even; just to make it fair, of course.”

He looked so serious when he said it, yet his voice was tender. It made her smile. “I’m sure I’ll endeavor to catch up.”

He studied her, and she wished she knew what he was thinking. All she did know was that he was not the man she’d first thought he was. Levi Stone the tease was also Levi Stone the man, and an interesting man he was. She likened learning about him to studying a painting she admired, examining every line, every brushstroke, in order to get to know something of the artist himself. So far she was able to tell he was very passionate, and not afraid to show his emotions. She wished she was the same, but it was hard to go against twenty-two years of upbringing and express herself to him all at once, no matter how he infuriated her.
Or impassioned …

“I think I’d better go unhitch the horses, or risk finding out what would happen if I kissed you.”

His words hit her, and pulled her out of her musings. “What?”

“Kissed you. Tell you what, if I’m right, I’ll give you the points.”

“Right about what?”

“What you’ll do if I …”

“Kiss me?” she finished for him, her voice raising in pitch.

Levi grinned down at her, and leaned in her direction. “Yes. Shall I see if I’m right, and help even the score?”

She swallowed hard. “You’d better go unhitch the horses.”

“Surely you’re not afraid. We are married, after all,” he said as his face drew closer.

“I … you … unhitch the horses …”

“You’re blushing, Fella. It gives you away.”

“I’m doing no such thing …”

His lips descended on hers, cutting her off. Her hands pressed against his chest as if to push him away but, instead, found his shirt, and gripped it as his tongue delved between her lips and invaded her mouth. Before she knew it, his weight pressed against her, holding her down as one of his hands went behind her head to anchor her in place.

He deepened the kiss.

Much to her dismay, and Levi’s pleasure, she moaned.

He broke the kiss and brushed his nose against hers in a playful gesture. “You know what, Fella?” he whispered as he gazed into her eyes.

“Wha…” Good grief! He’d rendered her speechless!

“The score is now four to four.”

* * *

He left. Again.

It was bad enough the first time he’d done it and abandoned her on the porch. But this time, as he lifted his warm body from the bed (not to mention her) a strange emptiness took hold, and it was all Fina could do not to reach out and pull him back down alongside her again.

Fina sat up as Levi closed the door and went to unhitch the horses. At least she assumed that's what he was doing. Why else would he have left? She stood up, smoothed the skirt of her dress as best she could, and headed for the door. She stopped as she passed the window, and looked outside. She saw Levi remove things from the back of the wagon, then disappear from sight as he brought them into the house. After a moment, she heard the front door close and knew he'd gone back outside. Sure enough, he reappeared and started to unhitch the horses. “A score of four to four. Hmmm, now how am I going to get ahead?” She continued to watch her new husband do his work, until he disappeared into the barn, and then decided she'd best go downstairs. At least she’d been given a moment to calm down. If he kissed her like that again, she didn't know what would happen. Would she faint? And what if he anticipated that very thing? The blackguard would win another point and that would never do.

Once downstairs, she saw that Levi had brought in a couple of baskets that she’d forgotten about. She recalled Mrs. Dunnigan shoving them into his hands, before he had a chance to climb up beside her on the wagon seat. Curious, she removed the folded cloth- covering from one of the baskets and peeked inside. “Oh, my,” she whispered. “Mrs. Dunnigan, you angel! You've just spared me the task of cooking.” Fina reached into the basket and pulled out a bowl of fried chicken, a bag of cookies, and two loaves of bread. She went to the second basket to see what treasures lay inside. She wasn't disappointed. Two pies, a dozen boiled eggs, a bag of apples, and some jerky. Fina looked to the ceiling, closed her eyes, and said a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord above for the likes of Mrs. Dunnigan.

She covered the baskets back up, then began to look around the kitchen to see where she might store some of the wonderful food they'd been given. She found a bowl to put the eggs in, a place for the apples and jerky, and had just set the pies and chicken on the table when Levi walked in. “What's all this?” he asked.

“
This
is what was in those two baskets Mrs. Dunnigan handed you,” she told him as she reached into one and pulled out the loaves of bread.

“That was mighty kind of the woman to fix us all this food,” he said as he picked up a pie and examined it. He held it under his nose and inhaled deeply. “Mmm, nobody makes pies like Mrs. Dunnigan.”

“So I've heard,” said Fina, hoping her own pie-baking skills wouldn’t be put to the test.

As if reading her thoughts, Levi set the pie on the table and closed the distance between them. “I'm sure you'll be making pies just like Mrs. Dunnigan’s in no time.”

“Ha! That's what you think.”

He raised both eyebrows at her remark. “You know the old saying, practice makes perfect.”

“Then I can guarantee you that I’ll be getting in lots of practice.”

“I’m counting on it.”

“Counting on it? What do you mean, counting on it?”

He grinned. “You said yourself you'll need lots of practice, and I knew you would.”