The Lady Who Lived Again (22 page)

“He did,” Amelia said with a nod. “The marriage has not yet been announced, but in the meanwhile, Matthew will do all he can to ensure he’s not pushed aside for someone else. And as much as I hate to say it, I don’t see that he’ll have any real competition. Young men aren’t exactly turning cartwheels for Dolly’s attention,” Amelia added. “That’s why I found his interest in Dolly so sweet, at first. His willingness to look past Dolly’s appearance seemed a commendable trait.”

“And now?”

“I know it sounds strange, but I now sense his interest is born of the opposite impulse. It’s as though he sees nothing past her birthmark. As though he wants her because of it, not despite it. As though the mark will guarantee she will always be his.”

Maddie considered Amelia’s disturbing observation. “How does Dolly feel about him?”

Amelia shrugged. “I can’t imagine anyone bothers to ask.”

Maddie frowned.

“Matthew barely speaks to her—I’ve yet to see them engaged in actual conversation. But he set his sights on her and hasn’t looked away since.” She shook her head. “I don’t know how the poor girl tolerates it. He follows on her heels like a hungry puppy.”

A wolf seemed a more appropriate description, but Maddie kept that thought to herself as she turned away from the window in disgust.

“He hasn’t bothered you, has he?” Amelia asked.

“No. Why do you ask?”

Amelia lowered her eyes and fluffed at her skirts. “No reason.”

Considering Matthew’s close ties with the pastor and the many ugly looks he’d sent Maddie’s way in the last few weeks, Maddie could easily deduce the reason for Amelia’s question. Maddie could only imagine how the two so-called “men of faith” spoke of her behind closed doors.

Amelia gave a toss of her red curls and took a deep breath. “Let’s not discuss Matthew Webster any longer. Let’s talk about me.” She smiled.

Maddie smiled, too. “Because we so rarely do that.”

Amelia snickered and continued. “I almost forgot to tell you,” she said. “We’ve decided on Niagara Falls for the honeymoon.”

“That’s very romantic. I hear the falls are spectacular.”

Amelia shook her head. “I could not care less about seeing the sights.” Her blue eyes twinkled with mischief, reminding Maddie once again of their days as girls. “But Lester has rented us a suite in the quaintest little inn.” She cupped a hand to her mouth, more for dramatics than privacy. “We may never step out the door.” Amelia waggled her brows, and Maddie laughed hard.

Amelia and Lester would have a wonderful life together as husband and wife. A beautiful future. Despite her happiness for her friend, in that moment, in the barren scope of her own expectations, Maddie had never envied anyone more.

* * * *

The following evening Jace drove Maddie home from the office. A sudden heat wave had settled over the area, and the temperatures continued to climb. Even the gentle breeze on her face as the buggy rolled along held the warm remnants of the day’s blazing sun.

Maddie glanced up at the full moon and the stars, the unlimited wonders of the world, feeling so lost. Were there others like her out there? Others possessing her ability? Surely she couldn’t be the only person in all existence who could heal as she could. The chasm between her and the rest of the world widened as she reflected that she would likely never know.

With only one day remaining until the wedding weekend, Maddie found herself increasingly on edge. She abhorred the thought of spending an entire weekend in the presence of people who detested her. Then there were the people like Mrs. Yates, who didn’t seem to hate her as much as they felt fear and dread in her company.

Though a part of her wished time would stop, leaving her here in this moment with Jace, she also longed to have the ordeal behind her. Amelia’s wedding should be a joyous event, but to Maddie, it would be more bitter than sweet. The end of the weekend would bring about the end to her sham engagement and her time with Jace.

Pushing the depressing thought from her head, she focused on the here and now. Jace sat beside her, and she was determined to make the most of their dwindling time together.

Just as she was formulating a few seductive words to whisper in his ear, something snapped loudly beneath them, and the buggy plunged abruptly to one side. Fear trapped her breath in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and was falling, hurling through the dark memories in her mind. She grasped Jace, clinging tight.

“Whoa!” Jace pulled on the reins to keep the horse from dragging the disabled buggy any farther. “Are you all right?”

Maddie opened her eyes, trembling. Releasing her fierce grip on his arm, she nodded, trying to calm down.

“The wheel must have broken,” Jace said. He stood, balancing on the buggy’s slanted floor. “Come on down,” he said as he helped her to the road. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

“I’m fine,” she said, feeling a fool for her exaggerated reaction to a simple broken wheel. “I was startled, that’s all.”

Jace nodded. Turning his attention to the buggy, he knelt to check the undercarriage to assess the damage. He got down on all fours for a closer look. Maddie watched, the beat of her pulse ebbing as she enjoyed the view. The memory of his naked body pumping into hers sent a flush of warmth to her cheeks, and her pulse leaped once again.

“We’ll have to ride the horse to your house,” he said over his shoulder.

She blinked, gathering her wits.

“I’ll arrange to have the buggy repaired tomorrow. I think I can manage to get it into the trees so no one disturbs it until then.”

Maddie turned toward a sound in the distance. “Someone’s coming.”

Jace crawled out, then gazed down the road. A wagon appeared around the bend, trudging toward them. “Perfect timing,” he said, wiping the dust from his knees.

The wagon approached and slowed to a stop. With a grateful wave at the driver, Jace strode toward the wagon.

Matthew Webster frowned back.

Maddie was dismayed at the thought of being rescued by Matthew, but the fear of having to board his wagon was far worse. Her heart thundered. She stared at the tall vehicle, the spacious double seats and spoke wheels. Swallowing hard, she froze amid terrific visions of the accident that felt vividly real.

She needn’t have worried.

To her utter shock, Matthew snapped the reins and the wagon lurched, sending Jace scuffling backward to avoid being hit. Matthew sped past them down the road, leaving Jace and Maddie in the dust.

“What the hell…?”

Breathing deeply to maintain her calm, she said, “Oh, never mind him. It’s a beautiful night. We’ll do without his assistance.”

Jace nodded, watching Matthew barrel down the road. “I’ll take care of the buggy, then get the horse ready.”

Maddie waited. Her annoyance with Matthew for leaving them deserted was superseded by her subsiding panic about boarding a wagon. She glanced at Jace as he prepared the horse, relieved to be spared from her cowardice.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

He lifted her to the horse, and she arranged her light work skirt around her straddling legs. Jace hopped up behind her. The heat of him radiated on her back and her bottom, and she clenched her legs tight. Positioning himself more comfortably, he edged closer, his thighs flanking hers. With a kick of his heels, he spurred the horse to move.

They rode under the moonlight, through the sound of chirping crickets. The horse walked at an even pace in rhythmic footfalls on the deserted road. Straddling the bareback horse with Jace behind her, she found the motion of their bodies as the horse moved beneath them undisputedly arousing.

Maddie leaned into Jace, just a tad. The warm breath he released fanned her neck, sending tingles through her veins. He straightened behind her, and she smiled, knowing he felt something, too.

He held the reins with one hand, and the other rested on his knee. She dropped her hand to his and guided it to her thigh. The soft pressure of his touch felt exquisite as his fingers kneaded and squeezed.

Their bodies moved with the horse as they engaged in a tango of sensual caresses that had her burning for more. Jace’s lips touched her neck. She released a long sigh, arching her spine. Raising an arm, she coiled it around his neck, fingers raking his hair, urging him on.

Cupping her breast, he nipped at her ear, trailing hot kisses down the length of her neck. His hand dropped to her knee and then rose to her thigh, dragging a fistful of skirt up with it. Slipping beneath the fabric, he skimmed over her stocking to her bare thigh.

“Ooh,” she moaned, arching against him. His fingers reached inside her bloomers, and she dizzied with tremors of excitement. He touched her there, and she flinched, afraid she might fall.

“You’re safe with me, Maddie,” Jace whispered. The tenderness in his voice, the wisp of warm breath in her ear, lured her back into the dream. “Just sit back and enjoy it. I won’t let you tumble.”

Caressing her softly, he whispered some more. “You’re so wet. So damn sweet.” He strummed her softly, his fingers circling over her burning flesh as she reclined against his chest. Breathing hard, she closed her eyes, pelvis grinding into his hand. He curled his fingers inside her, and she moaned in the sweet torture of it all.

Spreading her legs farther, she opened to the magic of his hand, the friction of the horse beneath her, Jace’s fingers, sliding in and out of her. She writhed against his chest, panting. He pressed his hot mouth to her ear. “Come for me, Maddie.”

The four words pushed her over the edge, and she climaxed, gasping into the night air.

Jace pulled her bottom roughly against him, his hardness evident. The thought of pleasing him as fully as he’d pleased her, stoked her desire before it could cool. By the time they reached the house, she was afire with need. “Bring the horse to the carriage house and you can water it before you head back,” she said.

Jace hopped from the horse and helped her dismount. She slid down into his arms and into a kiss that left her knees trembling. He led the horse to the barrel of water as she opened the carriage house doors.

As he saw to the horse, she stepped inside. Through the flood of moonlight behind her, she assessed her surroundings. She smiled at a stack of hay bales in the corner. Spurred by excitement, she worked quickly. She arranged the bales, then pulled a blanket from the pile on a nearby stool. She tossed the blanket over the hay bales, then sat, leaning back on her arms.

Jace stepped inside, spotting her on the makeshift bed.

“Grandfather’s been asleep for hours,” she said. “He’ll be none the wiser.”

Jace walked toward her, removing his coat. After pulling her to her feet, he kissed her. Hard. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his kiss softened. His tongue traced her lips before dipping slowly into her mouth to swirl against hers.

They dropped onto the bed of hay, and he climbed over her. The crisp scent of him—his skin and hair—was still new to her senses, while the nostalgic smell of hay welcomed her home. The combination of exotic and familiar was exhilarating. Titillating.

Jace made love to her slowly this time. With every searing touch to her flesh, every lingering kiss, she dissolved. Each twitch of pleasure in his face, each unrepressed groan brought her closer. Her body was no longer her own.

They were one being with two heartbeats, a melding of limbs and lips flying toward one destination, one goal. One perfect moment of shared honesty.

She shuddered with the blissful thought, with the peaking ecstasy consuming her body. Crying out, she clung to Jace’s damp neck, clutching fistfuls of his hair. Her pleasure drove his, and with one final thrust, he pulled from her body and reached his own wild release.

The carriage house seemed deathly quiet as they lay there atop the bed of hay. Jace’s heart pounded against hers for several moments before he finally moved. Rising to sit, he reached for his trousers and began to dress.

“I’ve never before been so eager to attend a wedding.” He chuckled, his eyes filling with wicked humor. Maddie smiled back at him with equal anticipation for the weekend ahead. Then she started to gather her own clothes. She sensed Jace was watching her movements, and tossing a glance over her shoulder, she confirmed his fixed stare. She smiled again, this time to herself, deliberately slowing her progress so that he could take his fill.

Slipping into each garment, Maddie dressed in the moonlight and enjoyed the budding discovery that she liked him watching her. She felt bold and lovely in his simmering gaze. A few more moments passed before she fluffed at her skirt and patted her hair into place.

After folding the blanket, she returned it to the stool by Grandfather’s wagon. She stopped, staring at the vehicle. Jace came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You’ll overcome that as well,” he murmured against her hair. “I’m certain of it.”

During their lovemaking, in the heat of passion, he’d uttered spontaneous sentiments, but she’d taken none of them to heart. But his words now, the way he held her, were not products of erupting pleasure. What they were, she was not sure, but she’d savor every one of them.

His reference to her fear proved how poorly she’d hidden her panic earlier on the road. “Someday, perhaps.” She sighed. “If only I could understand…” She paused, stopping herself from saying more. She turned into his arms and looked into his face. The warmth in his eyes melted her heart. Her resolve.

Oh, how she yearned to tell him her secret. She had trusted him with her body, opened to him with honest abandon. Naked and vulnerable, she’d exposed and offered him her entire physical self. Could she not open her soul and reveal who she was as well?

“Do you believe in miracles?” she asked carefully.

“You were lucky, Maddie. You survived because of the circumstances, because of certain factors that lessened the severity of your injuries.”

She stiffened in protest, ready to admit everything. But when she opened her mouth, the words would not come. She tried a different tack.

“Surely you agree that there are some things we cannot explain?”

“No,” he replied gently. “There’s a logical explanation for everything.”