Turner's Vision (12 page)

Micah eased himself out of her almost completely then thrust deep inside her. He let the sensations build as he watched her face with each thrust of his hips. Once again, her breathing increased into short pants, her hips reaching up to meet him. Their rhythm increased with each thrust, until he couldn’t control his body’s reaction any longer. He buried himself deep inside her one more time, shuddering his release just as he heard a small cry of Claudia’s own climax rend the night air.

Micah lifted himself onto his elbows. He stroked several wisps of sweat-dampened hair from Claudia’s face.

“Are you all right?” Micah’s voice held a note of concern as he searched her face for evidence of any damage he might have done.

Claudia opened her eyes to gaze up at him with the dark pools of her passionate soul. She smiled shyly, which he thought was humorous, considering what they had just shared, and smoothed the hair back from his face, mirroring his actions. “I believe that was the most miraculous adventure I have ever had. Can we do it again?”

Micah laughed and rolled onto his back, pulling her over with him to lie on his chest. “I think we can in a little while. I knew the thought of an adventure would bring out the imp in you. You liked it, didn’t you?”

“I’ve always wondered what went on between a man and a woman.” Claudia leaned her head against his chest, lightly stroking the hairs on his chest.

“And now you know.”

“Yes, and now I know. Does it always happen like that between two people?”

“I can’t speak for everyone, my dear, but I haven’t ever felt that good before.”

“You’ve been with lots of women, I suppose.” He heard the shyness in her question. With his finger on her chin, he forced her to look up at him.

“Claudia, I won’t say that I’ve never had other women before tonight. I have been alone for a long time. Up in the mountains where my home is, the winters can be quite lonesome, and in the spring I have relieved some of that loneliness down in the saloons in Denver. But I take the vows I exchanged with you very seriously. I don’t ever intend to have another woman but my wife from here on out.”

“Since I’m not the most beautiful woman in the world, I won’t hold you to those vows, Micah.” Claudia said. “If you should find other women more desirable, I’ll understand.”

“Hush.” He silenced her with a finger on her lips. “I knew from the moment I saw you a year ago, that there would never be any other woman in my life.”

“What do you mean, a year ago?” Claudia leaned up on her elbow to see him better in the lamp’s dim light. “We just met three days ago.”

“I didn’t say I knew you a year ago. I said I saw you a year ago,” Micah explained patiently, waiting for the questions to come.

“How did you see me a year ago?” She sounded suspicious.

“There is something I haven’t told many people about myself. In fact, except for my sister Patrice and my brother Hank, no one in my family knows what I’m going to tell you. Nathan knows, but I don’t know that he’s even told Laura.”

“What?” The suspicion was mixed with her usual impatience now.

“I have these feelings.”

“Feelings?”

“Kind of like knowing something good, or bad, or special is going to take place. Like back in the war, I would know that a company of Yankees would be up ahead to ambush us if we took a certain trail. Sometimes these feelings are accompanied by a vision.”

“You saw me in a vision?”

“Not just any vision, my dear. I saw you just the way you looked tonight. An angel in green, with warm-copper hair and deep, whiskey-brown eyes.”

“Tell me about it.”

He drew her closer. “Over the last year, there were several flashes of the future. They started out as small feelings, each growing in intensity over time. It began with the impression that something was wrong with my sister, Patrice. I was snowed in at my cabin in the mountains at the time, so I was unable to find out if there was a problem. About the same time I had another warning. This one was about Nathan. Somehow, I knew his life was going to take a large turn for the better.

“Not long after those two impressions occurred, I had a dream about a redheaded angel standing in a cloud of white. The same way I saw you this afternoon in your bedroom, when I woke you. Remember how you stood at the bedside when you found me in your bedroom?”

“I was very angry with you.”

“I could tell.” Micah laughed. “That was exactly how you appeared in that vision. Full of righteous indignation.”

“Just like that?” Her curiosity was winning over any temper the memory might have evoked. “Do you always see things that clearly?”

“No. In fact, I often just have a feeling and no vision. Other times I have a vision, but I can’t determine anything except the person involved.” He began stroking her hair as he explained. “In fact, the feeling about Nathan increased to one of danger and that was when I had a vision about him. He was in a cabin with a pleasant-looking woman. The woman had a definite aura of danger about her. Not knowing if she was the one in danger, or the one dangerous to Nathan, I packed up my things and headed back down to one of our old hunting cabins. That’s where I found Laura and Nathan.”

“That’s when Laura had the baby?”

“That’s right. And he is a strong little fella.”

“I wish I could see them both.”

“When this is all over, I promise you’ll be able to see them.” Micah lifted a strand of hair, using it to pull her up to kiss her tenderly.

“Micah.” Claudia broke the kiss off just as he was deepening it to something more. “You were telling me about your visions.”

“So I was.” He continued to hold on to her hair as he spoke. “I knew the minute I met Laura that she posed no more danger to Nathan than possibly stealing his heart. But I also knew she was in great danger. Nathan confirmed it with his story about how she was being followed by a killer from Washington. I decided to stay and help him protect her as best as I could. That’s when your letter arrived.”

“Which letter was that?”

“The one telling Laura how you and your family were investigating the murder all on your own. The minute I read what you were up to, the vision of you flashed through my head again. This time you were dressed in your green wedding dress. I knew at that instant you were the woman I had seen earlier. A sudden rage went right through me as I read the letter.”

“Rage? Why?”

“The visions told me you were something important in my life and I was unable to stop you from putting yourself in any further danger because of my obligation to Nathan and Laura.”

“So you wanted to protect me because I might be something important in your life?”

“Look at me.” Micah firmly, but gently tugged on the strand of hair he’d been holding. “You are my wife now. That makes you the most important person in my life. And I protect what’s mine.”

“I don’t belong to you Micah.” Claudia pushed herself up onto her knees to look down at him.

“Yes, you do, my dear. Just like I belong to you.”

“You belong to me?” The idea started the thought process behind those pools of liquid brown. “Does that mean I can tell you what to do, also?”

“You can ask me to do things, just like I’ll ask you. It also means that my body is yours to use whenever you might want to start an adventure of your own.” Micah smiled up at her as the light of his meaning lit her face.

“You mean we can do it again, now?”

“I believe I’m up to the task.”

Looking down his body, his meaning was quite clear. Claudia smiled back up at him as she softly reached out to touch his manhood. She stroked him, letting her other hand wander all over his well-muscled body.

When he could stand her ministrations no longer, Micah drew her up the length of him, turning her beneath him to bury himself in her warm body once more.

CHAPTER NINE

Micah answered the front door at precisely noon the next day, ushering Cain inside. “Right on time.”

“You know us military types. Punctual to a fault.” Cain shook Micah’s hand, removing his hat as he entered the house.

“Don’t recall you being too punctual back during the war.”

“Back then I had this captain who liked night raids into enemy territory.”

“Excuses. Seems to me a certain brash corporal spent most nights in various ladies’ beds and that’s why he couldn’t make it to reveille.”

“My mama didn’t raise a fool.” Cain laughed and clapped Micah on the shoulder. “Speaking of lazing about in bed with a beautiful woman, where is your charming bride?”

“Behave yourself, Cain. She’s making us coffee for our meeting. Have a seat and as soon as she and Simon are here, we’ll begin.”

“You really are planning to include her in on this? You know this could get very dangerous.” Cain grew serious as he sat in a wingback chair near the hearth still surrounded with flowers.

“Yes, he does, Mr. Duncan.” Claudia entered the parlor, carrying a tray laden with coffee cups, a serving pot and a plate of hearty-looking sandwiches. “But my husband trusts my instincts and wishes my aide in this matter.”

Both men rose to their feet at her entrance. Cain bowed to her, while Micah took the tray from her and set it on the table. Claudia blushed slightly at his assistance.

When he awoke, he’d reached out to pull her to him, only to find her side of the bed empty. Fearing she’d sneaked out in the early morning to do more investigating, despite his threats and promises, he’d been in a near panic as he dressed and hurried downstairs, only to find her happily flipping pancakes in the kitchen.

While he waited for his heart rate to return to normal, he’d watched her and realized that despite the feeling that marrying her was the most important thing he’d ever done, he knew little about his bride.

She was beautiful, especially when the sparkle of adventure or curiosity filled her amber eyes. All her disguises showed her natural acting ability. She loved her strays—Laura, Henderson, Adam and Joey. And she had spunk. Her childhood should’ve left her scarred and afraid of ever leaving her house, yet she’d trusted him enough to agree to marriage.

All morning, he’d been doing things for her, reminding her that she now had someone to depend on. At breakfast, he’d held her seat as a common courtesy and to show Adam and Joey how a lady should be treated. His reward was another of her charming blushes. After her morning bath, he’d insisted on buttoning up her dress just to watch her breath catch as he kissed his way along her shoulder and neck.

Now he watched as she chatted with Cain about the weather. She was not only an accomplished cook, but a charming hostess, too.

A knock on the door drew Micah out of his ruminations. As Claudia started to go answer it, he stopped her with a hand on her arm. The need to keep her safe, even in her own home, coursing through him once more.

“I’ll see who it is, my dear.”

Claudia watched Micah walk away, a small spark of anger beginning to form in her mind. Manners were one thing, but not allowing her to answer her own door was quite another.

“You really shouldn’t, you know.” Cain’s voice startled her.

It wasn’t so much the simple words the man uttered, but the change in his voice. In the limited contact she’d already had with Cain Duncan both today and last night, he sounded so flippant, his voice oozing with charm. Now it had a quiet, almost deadly calm to it.

“He’s very concerned about your safety. Until he’s established that your identity hasn’t been discovered, you’ll only make him angry by trying to thwart his attempts to protect you.”

“You know this from experience?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“I’ve known your husband almost as long as Nathan Cantrell, Mrs. Turner.” Cain leaned back to sip his coffee before continuing. “We served together during the war. On one particular scouting mission, just before Vicksberg, I decided to try to get some glory for myself.

“Micah asked for volunteers to scout out the farms two miles up the road for camouflage spots to make our stand until the main troops arrived. I went crazy trying to volunteer, but no matter what I did he wouldn’t call on me.”

“Needless to say,” he continued his story, staring at the fire as if he were back in the war, “I became more determined to show him. Just before the two men left, I spiked one of their canteens with a small root that caused the man to become violently ill. I stopped him before he could let Micah know he couldn’t complete his assignment, saying I’d be happy to do it for him. The man was so ill, he didn’t care who did it as long as it wasn’t him.”

“So, you got your way after all,” Claudia said. Why didn’t that surprise her?

“At the time I thought I was quite clever,” Cain smiled unabashedly. “I had just settled into some juniper and pine bushes bordering a side road to observe the activity on the farms, when I was jumped from behind by a renegade Yank who bayoneted me and left me to die. After they’d discovered I was missing, it took Micah and Nathan half a day to find me. I almost bled to death, and it took a month before I could join back up with them in Richmond.”

A quiet laugh escaped him. “It was some homecoming, I’ll tell you. Nathan met me with a hearty hug and handshake. But not your husband. The Captain knocked me flat on my ass, pardon my language, ma’am. He wailed the living tar out of me. Told me he’d known I was going to get hurt and possibly die if he sent me. That’s why he wouldn’t let me volunteer. When I asked him how he knew, his answer was simply that I was too young for something that important. But Nathan told me later about Micah’s premonitions. When he has them, he listens to their warning. I learned to watch your husband after that and heed his advice. He’s kept me alive at least a dozen times.”

Cain smiled up at her, that odious charm back in his face. “So let him have his way. He has his reasons and whatever they are, they’re justified.”

Claudia nodded back, realizing there were many things she didn’t know about Micah. He regarded this special gift with the utmost care. Apparently he respected it, and therefore, so should she. She wondered what else he’d seen about her. Had he seen her or his sister in some sort of terrible dream? Was that why he was so concerned with her safety?