The Lawman Claims His Bride (Love Inspired Historical) (12 page)

Chapter Twelve

B
y the time Logan guided the wagon onto Mitchell land, a shelf of patchy, orange-colored clouds peppered the early morning sky and the tension in his chest had finally eased.

Despite the dark circumstances behind this journey, Logan had felt God’s protection surrounding him and Megan all along. In fact, they’d made the trek out of Denver without a single incident. Not even a coyote had crossed their path.

Allowing himself a moment to enjoy the quiet solitude of dawn, Logan breathed in the familiar scent of pine and wild sage. Off to his left was a small lake that had once been his and Hunter’s favorite swimming hole.

They’d made a lot of happy memories here. A few bad ones as well, like the day Hunter had thrown a rock straight at their younger sister’s head. Callie, barely five at the time, had been rendered unconscious for several minutes.

At first Hunter had looked stunned, frightened even, but then he’d hardened his expression and had fixed the blame back on Callie. “I told her to move.”

Logan shook his head. It had always been that way with Hunter. A thoughtless act followed by pointing blame everywhere but where it belonged...on himself.

Logan released a slow expulsion of air and glanced down at Megan. She’d fallen asleep on his shoulder. His arm had gone numb, but she looked so peaceful he didn’t have the heart to move her just yet.

A rush of tenderness spread through him. Closing his eyes, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

Lord, I never knew I could love someone this much.

Without a doubt, he was deeply in love with his wife. When she’d finally declared her feelings he’d been unprepared for his intense reaction to the softly spoken words. Joy had coursed through him at first. But fear had quickly followed. Fear that he would somehow let her down. The conflicting emotions had rendered him speechless for a full minute.

Once he’d found his voice, though, it had been easy to tell her how much he loved her in return.

Shifting on the seat, Megan nuzzled his arm with her cheek. Instead of soothing him, a flash of desperation took hold. What if he’d allowed her to sleep too long? Shane had been explicit with his instructions, warning Logan of the dire consequences if he failed to wake her at measured intervals.

“Megan.” Suffocating panic rolled over him. “Time to wake up.”

She mumbled something incoherent and hugged his arm tighter. The strength of her grip didn’t fit with her petite frame.

Logan almost smiled. Almost. “No, Megan. No more sleep.”

“Unnnhuh.”

With his concern mounting, Logan stopped the wagon on the edge of a clearing near the lake and set the brake. One by one, he detached Megan’s fingers from his arm. “Come on, sweetheart. Wake up.”

Blinking slowly, she lifted her head off his shoulder and looked around. “Where are we?”

Relief shot through him. “About twenty minutes from the main house.”

“Oh.” She hid a delicate yawn behind her hand. “So close?”

He smiled at her husky, sleep-filled tone. “Let’s get down so you can stretch your legs.”

Without waiting for her reply, he jumped out of the wagon and opened his arms.

Still half-asleep, her eyes a little unfocused, she scooted across the seat and then set her palms on his shoulders.

Holding her gaze, Logan lifted her to the ground but didn’t release her right away. Immobile in his loose embrace, she didn’t appear in any hurry to let him go either.

For several intense seconds, they stood facing each other in the crisp dawn air.

Logan’s breath halted in his chest. In the pink glow of morning, Megan looked beautiful and delicate, a fairytale princess come to life.

An echo of a smile trembled across her lips and sliced through his self-control.

Logan clenched his jaw so hard he felt a muscle jump in his neck. He was only a man, after all, one who could stand temptation just so long.

What little hold he had on his restraint disappeared. He leaned forward, certain all the intense emotions he’d desperately tried to control since leaving Denver showed on his face.

Confirming his suspicion, Megan’s eyes widened. Then,
then,
she pressed against him and lifted up on her toes.

Logan lowered his head to meet hers, but stopped just shy of touching his lips to her mouth. This was to be their first real kiss as husband and wife. He wanted Megan to be sure this was what she wanted. So he waited, his lips a mere whisper from hers, giving her the chance to turn her cheek if she wasn’t prepared for anything more intimate.

She released a very female sigh and closed the distance between them herself.

Lost.
Logan was completely and utterly lost to this woman. To this moment. Fully aware of how well they fit together, he wrapped her tighter in his embrace and deepened their kiss.

Instead of shying away, Megan dug her fingers into the thick wool of his jacket. She felt soft and pliant in his arms, but also eager. Bold even.

Logan’s mood instantly shifted from tenderness to something more primitive. The intensity of the new emotion frightened him.

Matters were getting out of hand.

Logan tried to stop the kiss, but Megan gripped his shoulders harder.

No.
No.
She was still fragile, he reminded himself. The thought gave him enough strength to tear his mouth from hers.

Breathing hard, he stared into her eyes.

A deep shade of pink danced along her cheeks. She looked fresh, innocent, and thoroughly kissed. He lowered his head again, but stopped himself just in time. Focusing on the jagged knife cut on her throat helped.

This wasn’t the right moment for this. Their journey wasn’t complete. She was still in danger, still vulnerable.

Logan reluctantly took a full step away from his bride and ran a hand through his hair. He forced a light note in his voice. “Good morning, Mrs. Mitchell.”

A dazzling smile was her only response.

It took herculean strength to take yet another step away from her. “We’ll head out in ten minutes.”

She nodded, then caught sight of the lake and gasped with pleasure.

“Go explore,” he urged. “I’ll join you in a moment.”

She headed toward the water while Logan checked on the horse. Out of the corner of his eye, he kept a careful watch on Megan’s progress. She took cautious steps, favoring her sprained ankle. At last, she made it to the water’s edge.

Then she threw back her head and opened her arms wide, as if she were surrendering herself to her new life.

Logan’s heart flipped over in his chest. He wanted to go to his wife. He
needed
to go to her, needed to bask in her joy of the moment and forget all the trouble they’d faced in the last twenty-four hours.

Quickly unhitching the horse, Logan led the mare to the lake, then moved to Megan’s side, slipping his arm across her shoulder.

She leaned into him and sighed.

They stood that way for several minutes, enjoying the view. A companionable silence fell between them.

“It’s so beautiful.” She stared out over the lake. “Look how the colors of the dawn are reflected in the water.”

He heard the happiness in her voice. “I’m glad you like it here.”

She looked serene, at peace. Nothing like the frightened woman he’d found locked in a jail cell just yesterday.

Had it only been a day since their reunion?

So much had happened in that short time. Nevertheless, Logan was confident he’d been right to take Megan away from Denver. This moment erased any doubt. She was blossoming right before his eyes.

Soon her memory would return. And when it did, no matter what happened as a result, they would face the consequences together.

“Ready to go home?” he asked.

“Yes. But first, tell me a little about your family.” She swiveled her head to look him directly in the eyes. “Will they like me?”

“They’re going to love you.”

His words did nothing to ease the apprehension in her eyes and Logan realized he’d told her very little about his family through the years. Practically nothing, in fact, while his parents and siblings knew almost everything about her.

Recognizing his mistake, Logan wondered why he’d told Megan so little about his family. The answer came quickly. Hunter. Any talk of the Mitchells would inevitably lead to a discussion about the oldest son. And why he was no longer in any of their lives.

“Logan?” Megan asked cautiously. “Is there something I should know about your family before we arrive at the Flying M?”

Forcing a smile on his lips, he dragged a fingertip down her cheek. “There’s nothing unusual about us.” True, from a certain perspective. “The Mitchells are just like any other family.” Didn’t most have an estranged member or two somewhere in their midst?

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

Fair enough. He
had
been vague. “We work hard, play harder, laugh well and often. We turn to God in times of need and praise Him for our blessings. Life can be rough at times, but the Mitchells always work together and somehow everything seems easier because of that.” A flash of Hunter’s angry face filled his mind. “Or, at least, tolerable.”

“Your family sounds lovely.”

“They are, Megan.” He no longer had to force a smile. “Oh, they are.”

* * *

Something had changed, Megan realized. No, not some
thing
.
She
had changed—all because her husband had finally kissed her, as a husband kisses his wife.

Smiling, she pressed her fingertips to the exact spot Logan’s mouth had descended upon hers. His kiss had brought a feeling of rightness to their union that hadn’t been there before.

For the first time since walking into Mattie’s brothel, Megan felt at peace. Really at peace. The sapphire on her finger caught the morning light. Although she couldn’t see into the future, she trusted that God was directing her path, leading her to this new chapter in her life. With Logan. And his family, a family that sounded altogether wonderful.

“Look, Megan.” He pointed to the hill straight ahead. “The Flying M is just over the next rise.”

A shiver of anticipation had her leaning forward in the seat. The wagon seemed to chug along at an impossibly slow pace, but finally rolled to the top of the hill.

Megan’s breath caught in her throat. The Flying M was everything she’d dreamed a ranch would look like. The sloped roofs, the rows of windows along the first and second floors, the rocking chairs on the wraparound porch, all added up to a warm, welcoming feel. The corral off to her left, with its tidy wooden fence and large, healthy-looking horses reminded her that this was a working ranch. Even the makeshift swing hanging under a large shade tree was a happy surprise.

Blinking rapidly, breathing harder than usual, Megan darted her gaze in countless directions. Every sight, sound and smell was a delight to her senses. And for this one moment in time, she didn’t care that she’d lost a portion of her memory. She didn’t care that a killer might be after her. She was home.
Home
at last.

“Well?” Logan asked. “What you think?”

“It’s...it’s...” She couldn’t find the right words as her gaze bounced from the buildings to the lush tree line to the craggy mountains in the distance. “It’s...”

“Big?” A hint of amusement danced in his eyes.

“Well, yes. It
is
big. It’s also...” She paused, taking note of how the wall of snowcapped mountains created a perfect backdrop for the ranch. Her fingers itched to recreate the scene on paper.
“Breathtaking.”

“You like it, then?”

Hearing the relief in his voice, she dragged her gaze away from the ranch and focused on Logan’s face. “I think,” she said, covering his hand with hers, “I’m going to be very happy living here with you.”

“You will. I’ll make sure of it.” As if to punctuate his statement, a birdsong sweetened the air around them.

Suddenly the horse reared, nearly tossing Megan out of the seat.

She grabbed Logan as he struggled with the reins, trying to calm the horse with sheer brute strength.

Searching for the source of trouble, Megan swiveled her head to the left. She caught sight of a pair of large, black and white dogs barreling down the lane toward them. Both animals were barking madly.

Much as the horse had done, Megan instinctively reared back in her seat. She wasn’t usually frightened of dogs. In fact, she enjoyed most of the ones she came across. But the two snarling brutes heading for the wagon were big, bold and possibly rabid.

“Not to worry,” Logan said, still struggling to steady the horse. “That’s Sally and Jake, two of our best range dogs.”

“Range dogs?”

“That’s right. They were bred specifically to work the herds. Whoa, now.” He clicked his tongue at the horse. “My father bought the two at a field trial about seven years ago.”

Megan tried to smile, but Logan’s explanation did nothing to settle her nerves. “Oh.”

Setting the brake, Logan jumped to the ground and moved quickly to the spooked horse. He whispered soft words of comfort, running his hand along the mare’s sleek neck.

Once the horse was calm again, Logan moved into the direct path of the approaching dogs.

“Hello, you big, beautiful curs.”

They leaped into the air, nearly knocking him over with their exuberance.

Laughing, he wrestled both of them to the ground. They immediately jumped back to their feet, licked his face and the process started all over again. As he ruffled their thick fur, Logan talked to the pair as if they were his old friends. Once he had them somewhat under control—
somewhat
—he commanded them to “sit.”

Their bottoms instantly dropped to the ground. Their tails slapped the dirt with loud thuds as they watched Logan with expectant gazes.

“Stay.”

Neither animal budged.

Turning his back on them, Logan joined Megan again. “Come meet Shaky Jake and Sally Mae.” He helped her out of the wagon. “Some of the hardest working dogs you’ll ever come across.”

Eyeing the two closely and taking special note of their very pointy fangs, Megan allowed Logan to lead her to the animals. One of the dogs started shaking wildly, but he stayed obediently rooted to the spot.