Savage storm (57 page)

"You are not still in love with Gabrielle?" Erica inquired softly.

"No, of course not. I barely knew her. She is pretty, but I always found her so distracted I was never truly comfortable with her."

Hoping she might construe that as a compliment. Erica persisted. "Are you saying that you are comfortable with me?"

"Well, I would like to be." Michael's expression grew stern, for he knew this was no way to propose. Still, while he felt Erica deserved better, he could only ask her in the blunt method he'd used.

Erica leaned forward, her lips slightly parted as she whispered, "Do you know how to kiss a woman like this?"

She hoped to experience only a tiny portion of the emotion she'd seen pass between Beau and Gabrielle, but Michael drew her into a ready embrace, proving that he did indeed know how to kiss a woman. When finally he released her she could not suppress her joy.

"I thought you were never going to kiss me."

"I did not even think you wanted me to," Michael replied with an astonished grin, for she had returned his kiss with a delight which had pleased him greatly.

"I have wanted you to kiss me for a very long time."

"While I mistakenly believed you really wanted Lewis," Michael mused sadly.

"And I was hopelessly confused about you," Erica replied with equal remorse. "What are we going to do now so we don't have such a dreadful misunderstanding again?" The lively sparkle in her pretty green eyes let him know she had a very

good idea.

Putting his arms around her once more, Michael drew her close. '*I would like very much for you to marry me. Will you at least consider it?"

"Kiss me again and then I will/' Erica promised, but after he'd kissed her she found it nearly impossible to consider anything except how pleasant his affection was and how quickly she'd come to love him. She'd once thought adventure was what she craved, but now she knew the thrill she felt in Michael's arms would be excitement enough.

Gabrielle hurriedly heated water, hoping to bathe and dress before Jason arrived. However, she was soon ready and had more than enough time to grow frantic with worry. She recalled the bread in the oven only when the aroma became so enticing she realized she was hungry. She was glad she'd not allowed the loaves to burn. Bread and butter were a poor substitute for her husband's company, however, and she took only a few bites before going out to pace anxiously upon the front porch. Unfortunately, it wasn't until sunset, long after she'd returned to the warmth of the house, that she heard Jason ride by. He went straight to the barn rather than stopping first to speak with her. Certain that gesture foretold his mood, she did not dare go out to meet him.

When Jason finally walked through the front door, he slammed it soundly and did not bother with the courtesy of a greeting. ''I have only two questions and I want honest answers," he said through clenched teeth. Without waiting for her to agree, he continued. "Clay said he asked you to come stay with him, that he told you I insisted you reside with him while I was away, but that you refused to move back into his house. Is that the truth?"

Gabrielle could not believe that after such a long absence Jason would wish to continue their argument right where they'd left off. However, not wanting to provoke him when he

was in so belligerent a mood, she replied calmly, "I told you Vd be fine here and I was.'*

"Just answer my question, Gabrielle! You knew what I wanted you to do and you just didn't bother to do it. That's the truth, isn't it?"

Gabrielle saw no point in responding to that taunt. "Perhaps you should ask your second question since you won't accept my answer to your first."

"I'll be glad to. I told you I didn't want Beau here, but I know he was here on at least one occasion. Did he just move in here for the whole time I was gone? Isn't that why you wouldn't stay at Clay's house, because then you couldn't see Beau!" Clay had told him he'd met the young man. His friend had tried to make the incident sound as innocent as possible, but Jason knew it certainly wasn't.

This was not at all the homecoming she'd wanted, but Gabrielle did her best to stifle her temper in the hope that Jason would soon regain control of his. "Since this is now my home as well as yours, I saw no reason not to invite the best friend I've ever had to come in when he came to call. He was here twice, no more."

"You did not consider the fact that your husband forbid it reason enough? What sort of a stupid fool do you think I am?" Jason snarled. "Why can't you simply be honest with me and say you want to end this marriage? I certainly do!"

"What?" Gabrielle was stunned by that revelation. Jason was angry with her, but he understood so little. She knew he was hurt when there was no cause. She could explain nothing, however, when he was in such a jealous rage.

"You heard me. This marriage was a mistake for both of us. Joe Meek, one of the men who lost a daughter in the massacre at the Whitman Mission, has left for Washington to present a demand to Congress that Oregon be made a territory of the United States. Then the Army will send troops here so a tragedy like the one we just avenged won't occur again. However, there's no way the Army can be effective until they

become familiar with the terrain. They'll need scouts, and I am a good one. Tm no farmer. It was stupid of me to think I could be. Since neither of us is happy, let's just end our marriage as swiftly as possible."

Gabrielle stared at her husband. Devastated by the cruelty of his remarks, she had no idea how to reply and said nothing until he began to remove his coat. Noting the great difficulty with which he moved, she cried, "Oh Jason, you've been hurt! Why didn't you tell me?" She rushed forward to help him, but he pushed her away with an emphatic shove.

"I don't need any help from the likes of you!" In truth, he was so dizzy he could scarcely stand. Dr. Patterson had insisted upon stitching up his arm, and the pain he'd inflicted with a needle and thread was nearly as great as the initial stab wound had been. He was still weak from the loss of blood and wanted only to lie down on his bed before he fainted.

"Michael should have told me you'd been hurt." Gabrielle didn't understand why he'd not bothered to give her such a vital piece of information. "I would have come into town to meet you. You shouldn't have ridden out here alone."

"Your devotion is a bit late, lady. If I meant anything at all to you, if my feelings merited even the slightest bit of consideration, I'd have found you at Clayton's house where I fully expected you to be!" Jason pushed by her and went into the bedroom. He sat down upon the edge of the bed and tried to remove his moccasins with one hand, but just leaning over made him so ill that he had to give up the effort. When Gabrielle knelt by his feet to do it, he tried to push her away again but found he lacked the strength to do it.

"Since I am the only one here, you will have to accept my help whether or not you want it." She removed his well-worn moccasins quickly, then rose to her feet. "Now, shall I help you with the rest of your clothes?"

Jason glared at her through eyes dulled with pain, his expression one of undisguised hatred. "I can do it alone."

Gabrielle put her hands on her hips, her exasperation clear

in her voice. "Of course, you pride yourself on being self-sufficient, don't you? But you want to punish me for exerting the same independence. That is totally unfair, Jason. I won't accept it, but we can have that argument another time. Now your problem is your clothing. You'll be able to rest much more comfortably if you remove it. You really have no choice about accepting my help, no matter how revolting you may find my touch." |

The problem was Jason did not find her touch revolting in the least. She was every bit as lovely as he'd remembered, her soft shiny hair providing a vibrant frame for her delicate features which expressed a solicitous concern he found impossible to accept as genuine. She could not really care for him when she disregarded every request he made. She was, for the moment, still his wife, however, and she was right about being the sole source of assistance available.

"I just want to go to sleep," he mumbled softly, and stretching out upon the quilt, he considered the matter closed.

''I know you're tired. You're obviously in pain too, and everything Clayton said paints a miserable portrait of my character; but please believe I'd never do anything which would destroy our marriage."

She was trying to understand his mood but that did not ease the hurt he'd inflicted on her by saying he had no desire to remain married to her. Unlacing his buckskin shirt, she worked quickly to remove it. When her fingertips brushed his chest, he opened his eyes to watch her as if he suspected some foul trick, but she forced herself to smile in response. He then pulled his arm out of the right sleeve, and she helped him to ease the left off carefully.

"How did this happen? Were you shot?" The doctor had bandaged the wound so she could not tell how severe it might be.

Jason sighed impatiently, disgusted with himself for having let it happen. "I was careless. A brave came up behind me with a knife."

"You mean you were stabbed?" Gabrielle felt her heart lurch. She'd assumed he'd been shot, perhaps only grazed by a stray bullet, but that he'd been stabbed horrified her. "Oh, Jason." Her glance filled with alarm for she could easily imagine how desperate his situation had been if an Indian had been that close when he'd attempted to kill him.

"It was my own fault," Jason admitted sheepishly. He pushed her hands away when she reached for his belt. "I can do that myself." He sat up slowly then and swung his legs off the bed to stand. When he swayed precariously, she came forward quickly to offer some support.

"How did you manage to make it home in such dreadful condition?" Gabrielle removed his pants with a swift tug and then helped him to get under the covers. "I'll have Michael's hide for this. He was here this afternoon, and from what he told me you were perfectly fine. I'll never believe another word he says!

Jason stared at his bride, not knowing which was the more astonishing, that she'd admit Michael had come to see her or that she'd pretend to care what had happened to him. "You mustn't blame Michael. I didn't feel nearly this bad until Dr. Patterson insisted upon cleaning out the wound in my arm and sewing it up. Now please just go away and leave me alone."

When he'd closed his eyes, Gabrielle remained beside the bed for some time, not wanting to leave him. He'd given her little hope she could ever regain his confidence, but she vowed she'd not give up on their marriage as easily as he had. She leaned down to kiss him lightly upon the cheek then tiptoed out of the room to let him sleep.

That Jason had returned home safely, even though wounded, was reason enough for Gabrielle to feel her prayers had been answered, but she knew his attitude would have to improve dramatically for them to reach any sort of accord. Since she could solve none of their problems by herself, she prepared aa light supper and then attempted to read for an hour. She chose poetry, knowing with so much on her mind

she'd be unable to follow the plot of a novel or play. When at last she grew sleepy, she knew the only place she would ever want to rest was beside her husband. She returned to their room then to prepare for bed, exercising great care to be quiet so as not to disturb him.

Jason appeared to be resting comfortably, and after donning her nightgown, she slipped into bed beside him. Snuggling up close, she laid an arm across his stomach and closed her eyes. Even if he did not know she was there, she enjoyed the comfort of his warmth. Elated with the hope for their future his presence brought, her night was filled with the sweetest of dreams.

^Aa/Ue^mPl/J

A hushed silence filled the house when Jason awakened the next morning. He yawned sleepily, trying to think of some compelling reason for getting out of bed. Then he recalled that he and Gabrielle hadn't settled a damned thing the previous night. He glanced over at her side of the bed and was surprised to see her nightgown laying where she'd left it that morning. He'd slept so soundly he'd not even realized she'd been lying next to him. That she had done so shocked him. There were other beds in the house, and he'd expected her to use one. As there was no sound coming from the rest of the house, he knew she must be outdoors. Feeling guilty because she'd had to do all the chores by herself, he sat up cautiously. His arm still hurt, but it was more of a dull ache now, not the racking pain he'd suffered the previous evening. "Looks like you'll live. Royal." He laughed to himself as he recalled Dr. Patterson's attempt at humor, but when the man had been stitching away on his arm it hadn't sounded a bit funny. He got up carefully, hoping he'd feel like his usual self. Although his legs were still a bit shaky, he was able to wash and shave on his own. By the time Gabrielle came back into the house with the milk and eggs, he was dressed and waiting for her.

"Why, Jason, I thought you'd probably sleep until past noon." She greeted him with a warm smile. "Would you like

me to fix you some breakfast?''

"I can make my own," Jason replied, **Had I known you planned to occupy that bed last night, I would have taken one of the others."

"Oh really?" Gabrielle scoffed at that idea. "You would never have made it up the ladder, Jason."

"Probably not, but I thought you could." There was not the slightest trace of a smile on Jason's face. He was handsome still, but his expression was more menacing than pleasant. His gray eyes were cold. They raked over Gabrielle with a taunting leer as if the mere sight of her disgusted him.

"Jason, you said you no longer wished to be my husband; I did not say I didn't want to be your wife." She approached him slowly, her heart aching with the loneliness his homecoming had done nothing to ease. "I had hoped, when you returned yesterday, that we could resolve our differences. If you're feeling well enough this morning, wouldn't you at least like to try?"

"Differences? Don't you think that's a rather ridiculous way to describe what's happening here? As I see it, I'll be away too often to have any need of a wife, and you're in love with another man. A divorce is the perfect solution for both of us. There's nothing more to discuss."