Whispering Hills of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 3) (17 page)

“He poured out his jug a few miles back,” Boone confirmed.

“You did?” Kelly asked. Intense astonishment touched her soft pink face.

“And, I’m going to start being a better father to you. I’ve been a lousy one the last few years. I admit that, much to my shame. But it’s never too late to start loving someone again. If you’ll let me,”
he said, his voice a little unsteady.

“You are?” she said, surprised again by the changes in her father.

“I am,” he declared.

“And Sheriff Wyllie, I have something to say to you,” McGuffin said.

William stepped down from his stallion and approached McGuffin, unsure of what was coming.

McGuffin released Kelly’s hands and turned toward William, looking at him intently. “Sir, I am indebted to you and your brothers for going after my daughter and for her rescue. If you hadn’t pursued that evil man, well, let’s just say this could have ended much differently. I’m sorry my old horse couldn’t keep up, but I guess God had his reasons. I came terribly close to dying a horrible death in the hands of the Cherokee. Colonel Boone showed up just in time to save me. Nearly dying made me realize what a fool I’ve been—how much I had to live for. That’s when I decided I needed to beat the whiskey temptress and I intend to do just that.”

“I’m sorry to hear of your ordeal, but I am delighted to learn of your change of heart,” William said.

“I have more to say,” McGuffin said in a firm voice.

“Continue, Sir,” William replied deferentially.

“You seem to have some affection toward my daughter,” McGuffin said.

William was momentarily speechless in his surprise, but then managed to say, “I do not have affection for your daughter.”

He heard a soft gasp escape Kelly, before he could go on.

“I love your daughter with all that is within me.”

“Well then,” McGuffin said, “you have my permission to court Kelly.”

“But I don’t want to court Kelly,” William said.

“What?” Boone, McGuffin, and Kelly all said at once.

“I want to marry her,” William announced. “Do I have your permission to ask your daughter for her hand in marriage?”

Kelly’s beautiful eyes widened in astonishment as they awaited her father’s answer.

William took hold of her hand, but his gaze returned to her father.

“You most certainly do, son,” McGuffin said, his voice quavering.

William knelt to one knee and peered up into the face of his angel. “Kelly, you are everything I could ever want in a wife and I think I can be the kind of husband that will make you happy and keep you safe. Will you consent to marry me?”

Too stunned to speak, Kelly’s chest tightened with overwhelming emotions. Her eyes misted over and she swallowed the lump in her throat. She must be dreaming. Maybe the drugs were still affecting her, making her hear things. All she could do was stare at him, tongue-tied.

“Will you marry me right now?” he asked, his voice vibrant.

At his words, she took a sharp intake of breath, surprised again. He really was asking her to marry him, right here in front of her father and Daniel Boone. She froze, her mind and body
numb with shock.

“Kelly?” William asked, as he stood.

Still astounded, her mind became instantly alert. Her head filled with questions. “You want to marry me? Now? Here, in the middle of nowhere? How?”

“It’s not the middle of nowhere,” Boone proclaimed. “It’s the middle of the proud new state of Kentucky. May God bless her and keep her.”

“The Colonel can marry us. He’s a Justice of the Peace and can perform marriages,” William stated.

“It would be my privilege and my great honor to perform the rites of matrimony for you two,” Boone said.

She turned to William. “Truly, you want to get married right now, right here?”

“I do,” William replied without hesitating.

“You want to marry me?” She drew a step nearer to him. “Even though…but what about…” she asked faintly.

William interrupted before she could finish. “That doesn’t matter to me, it never did. What matters is that I love you.”

His tender words healed her soul as nothing else could have. It didn’t matter to him, she repeated to himself. She was so relieved she wanted to cry. She covered her mouth with a trembling hand. Her other palm pressed to her gladdened heart.

She still couldn’t believe this might be possible. No, it couldn’t be. She backed away a step. She struggled to speak, to find the right words. “I love you too, William, with all my heart. But I’m just a simple, ordinary, plain girl from the mountains of Virginia. You should have a wife more suitable to your station. You have a
bright future ahead of you. You need a wife who can help your status. I would only hold you back.”

“You are none of those things. You are extraordinary. Marry me and I will tell you all that you are, every night, for the rest of your life.” He peered at her intently. “Kelly, I don’t give a damn about station. And even if I did, you are in a class above all others. You make all those genteel girls back in New Hampshire look like coddled silly dimwits.”

She heard both the Colonel and her father chuckle.

“I want my future to be with you and no one else,” he said, reaching out for her. “I love you for all that you have been, all you are now, and all you are yet to be.”

His words made her suddenly breathless and her body light, weightless. Joyful tears filled her eyes. She stepped to him, her hands grasping for his. “Every night?” she teased, finally letting this miracle sink in to her heart.

Fervor lit William’s face, framed with sunny wavy locks of hair. His tanned skin was smooth across his cheekbones, except for a hint of whiskers that covered his strong jaw. His lips parted in a dazzling smile, displaying straight, white teeth. She saw hope in his kind eyes. He was so handsome a dizzying surge of desire flared within her.

“Kelly, will you do me this great honor?” he pressed, enjoyment in his crystal blue eyes.

In a choked voice she managed to say, “You’ve just made me happier than I ever thought possible. Yes, my dear William, yes!” Her heart quivered in her chest. Her stomach tumbled. Her feet wanted to dance a jig. Shaking with excitement, she spun in a circle, arms outstretched, looking up. She couldn’t believe she
could feel this blissfully happy. She clasped her hands to her chest.

She studied William’s eager smiling face, glanced at her expectant father and then Boone, and scanned around her, savoring the glorious beauty of the woods and the clean smell of the tall pines. A mockingbird sang in a nearby tree, its tune perfect for the happy moment. She wanted to keep this memory tucked away in her heart forever, and be able to remember every wonderful small detail. Smiling, she reveled briefly in the momentous moment and then turned to Boone.

“Colonel Boone, Sir, if you would be so kind as to marry William and me, right here in the middle of the great state of Kentucky,” Kelly said. Tears of joy filled her eyes and her chest and stomach felt like a thousand butterflies had just escaped their cocoons to fly, set free at last. She turned to William, nearly breathless, and said, “The honor is all mine.”

He reached out and pulled her to his side.

Tonight there would be no fear in her heart she promised herself.

CHAPTER 16

“A
re you ready to be married Sheriff Wyllie?” Boone asked.

William turned to Kelly. “Do you think we should wait for Sam and Bear?”

“Of course we should!” she answered.

“It would mean a lot to me to have them here,” William said, “especially since Stephen, Jane, and Catherine won’t be here. Jane will never forgive us, you know.”

“Do you want to wait until the whole family can be with us?” she asked.

“Absolutely not. I don’t want to wait another second, but I will agree to wait a few more minutes for Sam and Bear to arrive. Tonight, this very night, you will be my wife,” William declared with a broad smile.

“William, I must look a fright. Could you grab my bag off my mare?” Kelly asked. “I need a comb and a wash rag to dust off my clothing.”

“Indeed,” William answered, and reached for her bag.
“Although a bride of your beauty needn’t concern herself with primping.”

“You flatter me,” Kelly said, a blush creeping up her neck and into her cheeks.

“While we wait, let’s make some coffee and warm up some of my dried meat,” McGuffin suggested. “That is if you brought along any water Colonel.”

“Outstanding idea,” Boone said, “and yes, I have water and some corncakes too.”

“I have some water too and jerky. We nearly have a feast,” William said, happily.

While Boone and McGuffin busied themselves with starting a cook fire, Kelly sat on a nearby log and began combing through her long hair. William kept an eye on her, not wanting to let her out of his sights, and soon became completely entranced. Her large oval eyes glittered with happiness and excitement made her complexion glow. He saw both strength and intelligence on her proud face. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was.

Kelly raised her long lashes and found him watching her. Her rosy lips parted slightly and then the corners of her mouth curved into an impish smile.

She drew a rag from her bag. “William, could I have a bit of water?” she asked, breaking into his reverie.

“I wish I could bring you a gilded tub full of clear warm water,” he answered, “but this will have to do for now.” He poured a little water onto her rag from his white oak wood canteen. Then he leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I can hardly wait to see your beautiful naked body floating in the clear water of that stream by my cabin. I’ll be enchanted forever, you are so lovely.”

Kelly gaped up at him, eyes widened, her temptingly curved lips open. Color like a rising sunrise bloomed on her cheekbones. “William! Is that something a husband and wife do—see each other—completely unclothed?” She sounded shocked and slightly appalled.

William searched for a plausible explanation. Had he sliced open a recently healed wound? He could kick himself for his brashness. A warning voice chastised him in his head. He needed to remember that she was new to the idea of intimacy. “Well,” he swallowed, trying to manage an answer.

“I would love to see all of you,” she whispered, secretively, her voice full of longing. She licked her parted lips.

His eyes widened and overpowering desire flared through him with the speed of an unleashed arrow. William was glad he held the water bag in front of him. Entranced by her young innocence and unworldliness, he wanted nothing more than to see all of her beautiful body as well. His pulse quickened at the captivating speculation. He suspected she could see his swift desire flare in his eyes, but he couldn’t help himself. He cleared his throat and tried to regain control of his body.

“Kelly, I can’t wait to have you alone and in my arms. I promise you, I will be gentle and slow and teach you what you will need to know. Don’t worry about anything that will happen between us. Just take comfort in the wonderful things that await you.”

His words did give her comfort. She stood and tried to ignore the strange aching in her limbs and the tingle in her breasts. She moved toward him, compelled by a need to touch him. She wrapped her arms around his neck. A pleasant shiver ran through
her. His nearness made her heart hammer with pleasure. “William, you make me so happy my heart is smiling for the first time. I never realized what love was until now. I’m not worried. I trust you. There will be no fear.”

“Promise me that if ever you are afraid, you’ll let me know,” William said, running his fingers through the hair she had just straightened, and twisting the locks in both his hands.

“I promise.” Soon, it would be time to make another promise. She heard Sam and Bear galloping toward them.

“Here they come,” William said, looking up.

She turned and squealed in delight. Reluctantly, she released William’s neck, and quickly returned to her grooming, trying to comb the new tangles William just created, out of her hair. If only she had Catherine and Jane here to help make her look presentable. Catherine was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen the night she married Captain Sam. And red-headed Jane was stunning as well. Oh well. She was getting married. Nothing else mattered. She tucked her comb back into her canvas bag and ran the cloth over her face and hands one more time. At least she would look clean.