Lynna's Rogue (11 page)

             
Joshua clasped her small hand in his larger one. “You just try keeping me away, Tiny.” Shaking Samuel's hand
,
Joshua asked, “Could I impose on you now and then for advice? I fear I may be a bit rusty on plantation affairs.”

             
“Call on me anytime.” Samuel intended to walk with him outside, but after a meaningful nod from his
sister
, Samuel bid Joshua good night at the door and escorted an exasperated Beth back inside.

             
“Samuel, Joshua is tuckered out and would most likely prefer not to be bothered by your sister's simpering ways tonight.”

             
“Joshua is a big boy, honey. If he doesn’t care to be bothered,
I am
sure he
will not
hesitate to say as much to my sister.”

             
Turning to bid
Suzanne good night, Joshua found her draping a lacy shawl over her shoulders. “
I am
going for a stroll in the fresh air.
It is
such a pleasant evening.”

             
“Enjoy your walk, Suzanne.
I am
exhausted and headed for home.” A cool night wind blew across the land as he started toward his horse, but
he
was stopped by a small hand on his arm.

             
“
What’s
your hurry? If I remember correctly
,
you and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”

             
A few more hours without sleep
would not
kill him
,
he surmised, and she might prove a pleasant diversion when he
couldn’t
make the trip into Charleston. “At your service,” he chuckled, and reached to draw her into his arms.

             
“You
cannot
be serious, Joshua! I do have a reputation to uphold, and unless I miss my guess
,
Samuel and Beth are peering through the curtains this very minute
like some peeping Toms
. At times, I think Beth is just searching for a reason to send me packing. No,
I am
afraid we
wi
ll have to show some discretion.”

             
“I can be very discreet.” I
gnori
ng her weak protests he pulled
her against him right there on the front lawn. His kiss affected her so that it was several minutes before she could summon a reply.

             
“Shall… we meet later…
tonight?”

             
“
Name the time and
place.” Then, his lips again descended on hers, succeeding in drawing the breath from her body.

             
“Meet me at midnight… down by the pond,” she gasped before turning to bolt into the house.

             
Joshua smiled as the door slammed shut behind her. She had certainly turned nervous and jittery upon finding him a willing subject. He
had
first learned the trick from Sam Bogan, only then the ruse had failed miserably. Joshua would keep their rendezvous at the pond tonight. Although he doubted Suzanne would show
,
after having witnessed her hasty flight just now. H
e knew her kind well.

             
After a heartfelt welcome home from his mother and sister complete with hugs, kisses and tears of joy, Joshua quietly and with great trepidation
,
climbed the winding stairs. He dreaded entering the room that reminded him so
much of death with that sickly
sweet smell of infection that had assaulted him upon his first visit. During his stay at Christmas
,
he had ordered the servants to
remove every floral arrangement,
hoping, unsuccessfully, to rid the house of the smell.

             
Joshua
both
dreaded and anticipated this reunion with his father.
He was s
orely afraid
he would
be hard pressed t
o control his emotions and might
allow pity to slip into his voice
,
a
n emotion he knew his father would deplore. Taking a
deep breath, he opened the door
and was left standing with his mouth gaping open. Was that really his father propped up against the headboard of the bed
,
going through a neat stack of papers? From the waist up he resembled t
he man Joshua remembered
.

             
“
You are
looking well, Father.” He
could not
keep his amazement at his father's rapid recovery hidden. What could have brought about such a drastic change, when on his last visit
he had
appeared within an inch of slamming death’s door behind him?

             
Jeremiah, engrossed in his work
,
hadn’t heard him enter. He looked up, a broad smile playing across his still handsome face at the sight of his son. “Good to have you home, son! Good to have you home!” His deep voice echoed through the house. “Your mother said you were home at Christmas, but
,
unfortunately, I
cannot
say that I remember.”

             
“Yes, Father, I was home. A
nd I must confes
s I am left truly amazed
by your recovery from then until now.”

             
“It goes without saying
that
I feel much better, son. I guess anyone can see that. The truth is
,
I moped and pouted and just plain felt sorry for myself for months on end, and where did it get me? Nowhere. Then the strangest thing happen
ed. I had a dream one night, the
most vivid dream. That dream opened my eyes, son, and I awoke the next morning and realized my life was far from over.” Jeremiah gazed out the window at the fluffy white fields of cotton
stretching
as far as the eye could see. “Yes,
I have
had ample time to think about how
I am
going to live the remainder of my life.”

             
“And did you come to
a conclusion
?”

             
Jeremiah laid his papers on the bed and clasped his son’s hand. “The Good Lord saw fit to take away my legs. I
do not
question his logic, nor do I ask why, for in exchange
,
he gave me a double dose of willpower to continue living. He gave Jake the knowledge to build that fine chair with wheels and a wooden ramp leading outside
,
so even your mother or sister have no difficulty pushing me outside to feel the warmth of the morning sun.” He smiled a completely serene smile. “God has His master plan already laid out,
it is
our choice whether to accept it or waste precious time fighting it. I chose to accept it.”

             
“So all my worry was
for naught?” Joshua moved to examine the sturdy wooden chair with wheels. “I should have known. Nothing can keep a Jordan down for very long.”

             
“Truer words were never spoken.” Jeremiah laughed heartily, motioning Joshua to a chair. “Sit a spell, son. You look tired. By the way, Jake Almond, the man you hired
,
is a fine overseer, just
fine.” He handed Joshua a handful
of papers. “
I have
been over his record
-
keeping
with a fine tooth comb, and having talked with the man at length, I have no complaints. Although,
I would confess a desire to see the fields for myself. Not that I
do not
trust him completely
,
mind you, I do, but seeing is believing
,
and I
’
d like to see the fields and talk to the hands myself.”

             
“First thing tomorrow morning
I’
ll
hitch up the buckboard and we
will
tour the fields.” Joshua was eager to speed his father along the road to recovery. “Are you up for that?”

             
“Fine
,
son, that will be fine,” Jeremiah answered drowsily as he tried to keep his heavy eyelids open and failed.
“I look forward to it.”

             
Joshua quietly rose from his seat and left the room in a much better humor. He heard his father's soft snores as he closed the door and chuckled to himself. He knew from years of living under his father’s roof that in a short while
,
the man’s snores would rattle the windows.

             
Shortly before midnight, revived after a few hours
’
sleep, Joshua silently crept from the house
,
heedful not to wake his mother. He would hate to lie to her about his destination. Some things were better left unsaid.

             
The night was bright under the full moon, causing a wicked smile to play across his finely chiseled features. Good. He liked to see what he was getting. He laughed out loud in the peaceful night, startling the nocturnal inhabitants of the still woods and causing a rabbit to scamper
across the road in front of him
,
as he recalled
some of the females
he had
undressed and damn we
ll wished it had been dark. C
huckl
ing to himself, he
wiped his hand across his forehead as if he could wipe such unpleasant memories from his mind.

             
Much to his surprise, Suzann
e was in attendance as promised, and
floating near the water
’
s edge with a smile of dreamy anticipation on her face. He could just make out her slim, naked figure under the rippling waves
created by
her kicking feet. She
could not
be called voluptuous, lacking the curving slopes he found so irresistible. But she had one advantage over every other woman in Charleston tonight. She was here.

             
“Come join me. The water is heavenly,” she purred, after watching him
watch her for several minutes.

             
“I wasn’t sure you
would
come.” Joshua removed his clothes and waded in to join her.

             
She darted just out of his grasp and swam to the other side of the pond.
Please
.
Spare me your coquettish games.
He was tired from a long day and had no patience for her pretenses of being the coy, innocent virgin
,
when they both knew the complete opposite to be true. He remained
,
calmly treading water, beckoning her with those sensuous green eyes that the majority of women, including the one in the water, were powerless to resist.

             
She swam back to him, stopping an arm
’
s length away. Their eyes locked, with his having the power to melt her like candle wax beneath a flame. Slithering into his embrace
,
she moved her arms around his slippery neck, searching for his mouth with eager lips.

             
When their nude bodies molded together
,
Suzanne trembled from the sheer force of the contact as his hands on her buttocks pulled her closer against him. His tongue explored every crevice of her mouth before leaving a searing trail down her neck to her small breasts. Her head fell back and she moaned as his teeth nibbled and gently tugged at the rigid peaks
until she thought she might expire
if he
did
no
t
release her from the sensuous torture. “Take me now, Joshua! Please!”

             
Never one to refuse an eager female
,
Joshua pressed her yearning body against his hard flesh, entering her slowly. He had
no
t
expected a virgin
,
and he
did not
find one. Instead, he found a woman well versed in the art of lovemaking. Caught up in the moment
,
they both sl
ipped under
water and came up
,
gasping for air. Lifting her easily
,
he carried her to the pond
’
s edge and laid her down on a soft, green carpet of moss. “A person could drown out there if they were
no
t careful,” he whispered lazily against her hair.