The Prospect: The Malloy Family, Book 10 (25 page)

Jo’s throat tightened. She nodded and proceeded to dry herself off. Within a few minutes, she was dressed in one of Frankie’s dresses, which was too big up top and too short, but it was blessedly clean. To her delight, Frankie had already washed Jo’s only dress and hung it to dry near the fire. She slipped on her spectacles, which her sister had also cleaned. The lack of dirt and grime made her feel like a new person.

“I have tea for special occasions. I believe this would be such an occasion.” Frankie went to the shiny black cook stove and stirred the embers. “I left a hairbrush for you there on the chair.”

Jo sat down on the comfortable chair in front of the fire and set to the tedious task of getting the knots out of her hair. Frankie puttered around the kitchen and Jo tamed her unruly locks. The air in the house was peaceful and calm, exactly what she needed.

Until her older sister decided to speak.

“Do you love him?”

Jo stopped in mid-motion, her heart pinching at the question. “Why do you ask?”

“You are angry because he was not honest with you, but I see there is more to be said. Thoughts left unspoken.” Frankie brought two steaming mugs of tea and sat across from Jo in the matching chair. She set the mugs on the small table between them. “I am intimately familiar with not expressing how I feel. I almost lost John because of my failure to be honest.”

Her sister’s confession gave Jo pause. “I have told him I love him. He failed to be honest with me about staying together.”

“That is my message to you, sister. Give him one more chance. Perhaps he will surprise you. Do not give up.” Frankie took her hands and squeezed. “Love is not something to throw away when times are difficult.”

Jo knew her sister was right. She had to give Declan another opportunity to change his mind. She loved him enough to move past his actions and look forward to the future. It would be bleak if they parted ways for good.

“I will speak to him and tell him what I need and how I feel. I love him so very much.” She was hopeful, more so than she had been since Declan revealed his deception. Love could heal and forgive if she gave it a chance.

The front door of the house opened and John walked in, his expression hard and his clothes wrinkled. As he wrestled with his boots, his wife walked over to assist him.

“What has happened?” Frankie frowned at him. “These boots are wet.”

“Callahan jumped in the river and I had to yank him out.” He wasn’t one to grouse or complain, so Jo knew it had been a serious situation.

“Is he well?” She stared at the closed door waiting for Declan to appear, but knowing in her heart he would not.

“He’s fine. Stubborn and foolish, but fine. He headed for the barn to bunk down. I thought it best given the fact you ain’t really married.” John looked at his wife for approval and she smiled at him.

“
Oui
. You did the right thing. In the morning, they can speak of their troubles and resolve them.”

Jo wasn’t sure what would happen tomorrow but she knew she had to speak to Declan. Her future, and her heart, depended on it.

Declan stared up at the rafters of the barn, still shiny and new. The barn smelled good, which was unusual. In his experience, barns carried the scents of all the critters that had spent time within their walls. This building only had a few horses in stalls and was mostly wide open. The interior was incomplete, same as Declan.

If only he weren’t twisted up inside over Josephine and what to do. He might have let the river carry him away, but that was the coward’s way out. Declan owed her the courtesy of telling her the truth to her face. He wasn’t a coward and he was glad John had verbally punched him over his stupid dunk in the water.

The problem was he didn’t yet know how to tell her he was leaving.

A rustling in the barn and the restless whinny of one of the horses told him he wasn’t alone. He sat up and found the butt of the pistol lying beside him.

“Declan?”

At Jo’s soft voice, he released his grip on the pistol, but a different type of anxiety gripped him. She had come to have it out and he wasn’t ready. Declan closed his eyes and tried to think of a way to tell her he had to leave.

“Are you in here?”

“Aye.” He waited for her to follow his voice.

She stepped toward him looking like an angel come down from heaven, wearing a white voluminous nightdress, carrying a candle that set her aglow. Her unbound hair shimmered in the golden light while her spectacles heightened the lush brown eyes and impossibly long lashes behind them.

“Josephine.” He breathed her name on a sigh. “You are the most beautiful sight I’ve seen in my life.”

Her brows went up. “We both know that is not true. I am not beautiful nor will I ever be. Why do you feel the need to flatter me?”

He growled in his throat, angry she would think so little of herself. “Ye are beautiful, Jo. Don’t let any idiot convince ye otherwise.” He got to his feet and she stopped moving. “Aye, I wasn’t completely honest with ye, but only insofar as staying with you permanent-like. Everything else, everything, was the God’s honest truth.”

Declan couldn’t tell her he loved her again. No, those words mustn’t pass his lips. Yet as he drank in the sight of her, his body hardened to the point of near pain. She was incredible, this fake wife of his. The best person he had met in his life, and she loved him. It was a gift he didn’t deserve, but damned if he hadn’t taken a bite of it anyway.

“Wh-why should I believe you?” The candle wavered ever so slightly, and he smiled.

“I can smell ye, lass. Your body betrays what your mouth denies. Ye came here to do something and it wasn’t to talk.”

She sucked in a breath. “I do not know how to respond to such frank words.”

He got to his feet. “You don’t talk. You do.”

Madness. He was utterly, absolutely mad. Yet he stood and walked toward her, his chest bare and his heart raw. He could not resist Josephine. She stood stock still, the candle wavering in her hand. Declan leaned forward and blew out the flame lest they start a real fire in the barn.

He took the candle from her and set it by the stall door as he closed it, shutting out the rest of the world. It was wrong, so very wrong, to contemplate being with her again. He was leaving tomorrow for good. But here he was reaching for her, his body already hard as steel, needing, wanting, to have one more taste.

“Declan, I want to make love.” Her words were breathy and he could almost see the pulse at the base of her throat flutter. She knew there was no future between them, and she’d made her own choice.

“Aye, so do I.” It pained him to admit it, but there it was.

He pulled her close, the heat from her body brushing his. With a quick flick, he stripped her of the voluminous nightgown. She was naked, gloriously, deliciously naked. Although he was leaving her, he could give her pleasure, teach her what it meant to find paradise with a man who loved her. One day she could find the same experience with another man.

Declan smashed the idea of her with another man as fast as it came. There was no time to waste on idle thoughts. He had precious few minutes left with Jo, and he intended to make them count.

He dropped to his knees and kissed her belly. The skin was softer than the most delicate flower petals. Her muscles clenched as he pressed his lips against her. Soon she trembled as his mouth moved lower and lower.

“I read about this once. I believe the book was titled—”

“Shut up, Jo.”

He spread her nether lips and licked her from stem to stern. She gasped and made a kittenish moan low in her throat. That tiny sound went through him as her sweet essence coated his tongue. He used every technique he knew to make her feel good, to let her know without words how he felt.

He lapped, nibbled and licked her pussy, swallowing her arousal and hungry for more. She put her hands on his shoulders, digging her fingers into his flesh. It stung, but at the same time it was good. He wanted her out of control and on fire.

“Sweet heavens. I-I cannot comprehend…amazing…how do…oh my.” Her words were jumbled, nearly incomprehensible.

His cock throbbed and strained against his trousers, but he didn’t let it out. Not yet. He had to bring her to the pinnacle of pleasure first, to make her come and lose control. Jo had more passion than most women, it overflowed behind those spectacles.

She panted as he slid two fingers into her hot channel. So wet, so ready. He sucked on her clit as he added a third finger. Her pussy contracted, pulling him deeper and making his staff howl with need. A keening cry erupted from his sweet Jo, and she came with the force of rolling thunder. He sucked at her, reveling in the sweetness of her ultimate pleasure.

Jo’s legs trembled so much, she started to fall. Declan scooped her up and laid her down on his bedroll. She was soft and warm, smelling of her own unique scent. His body pulsed with the need to plunge into her, but he found some shred of self-control. Instead of plunging into her wet heat, he tucked her into his arms and closed his eyes.

Heat roared through him and his damn cock nudged her ass as though it had a mind of its own. He held the woman of his heart and counted the seconds until she would no longer be his. It would be the longest night of his life.

Jo woke to the sound of many horses stomping and whinnying. She cracked open her eyes to find herself alone in the hay. Motes of dust danced in the sunlight streaming through the cracks in the wood. Her nightdress lay in a neat pile along with the rest of her clothes. Her spectacles sat on top, gleaming in the morning light. How did her dress get in the barn? Perhaps Declan wanted to save her embarrassment and had fetched her clothes from the house.

Her heart hiccupped at the thoughtful gesture. Declan had shown her such passion, yet he hadn’t received any of his own. She had been so exhausted, she’d fallen asleep after her own peak. It was selfish, and she intended to remedy the situation as soon as possible.

She rose and dressed, doing her best to get the hay from her hair. It was no use without a brush or a looking glass. She wound it into a bun to hide its disarray and went in search of her lover. It was a better term than faux husband, and she found she liked it.

An entire herd of horses milled around outside, some in the corral, while others wandered around, curiously nosing at her as she passed. The scene was so familiar, she knew exactly who was delivering John’s stock.

She made her way through the equines until she reached the house. The horse wrangler, Sam, stood on the front porch talking with John and Frankie. Jo smiled and approached them.

“Good morning.”

Frankie’s brows went up after a quick glance, but she simply murmured, “Good morning.”

“Should I even ask what you were do—” John started to speak, but his wife elbowed him in the side. “Oof!”

“This is my sister, Miss Josephine Chastain.” Frankie always used impeccable manners.

Sam put her thumbs in the waistband of her trousers. “Your sister, eh? What was she doing gallivanting around with a man and no horse?”

Jo’s cheeks heated, but she kept her chin up.

“I did not realize you knew my brother-in-law, Miss Sam. I can now recompense you for your generosity previously.” She turned to John and Frankie. “We had lost our horse to the first wolf when we encountered Miss Sam. She kindly sold us Apollo for a smaller sum than he is worth.”

“I forgot about your wolf.” Sam frowned. “I saw a dead black bear that had been mauled to death about two miles from where I met you two. Then we saw a dead wolf about fifteen miles from here.”

Jo’s blood ran cold. The wolf had
killed
the bear that had been tracking them? She had been upset after shooting the wolf, but not now. The animal was out for vengeance, no matter what anyone said or thought. A shiver ran down her spine and she wrapped her arms around her middle.

“Holy shit.” John sent his wife an apologetic glance. “I knew you were telling the truth, Jo. Damn, I’m surprised you two made it alive.”

“So am I.” She wished Declan were there with his warm body beside her.

“That wolf must’ve had your scent. The bitch was a big one too. Hope you don’t mind that I skinned it. Pelts fetch a good price.” Sam rubbed one dirty finger on the bottom of her nose.

“No, I do not mind.” Jo tried not to imagine what was involved with skinning an animal. She had avoided books on the trapping industry intentionally. The brutish nature involved had always appalled her.

“You ready to finish business?” Sam looked at John. He nodded and gestured to the barn.

“We can bring them in and settle on the price.”

The two of them departed for the barn, leaving Frankie and Jo. The sisters glanced at each other and Jo felt her sister’s love from six feet away. The trip had been more than difficult but in the end, Jo had discovered where she belonged—beside Declan.

“Have you seen Declan this morning?” Jo couldn’t see much past all the horses, but perhaps Frankie had.

“I know he was in the barn early this morning with John grooming the bay. He did not approach the house for coffee or breakfast.” Frankie took her hand. “Please join me in breaking your fast. There is hot water for tea.”