Yours Again (River City Series) (16 page)

Samantha
wriggled on his lap and trailed kisses along his temple. She brushed her hand
down his shirt front and slid her fingers between the buttons, popping them
open one by one. She seemed to know how she wanted this to go and wasn’t shy
about taking the lead. He was more than glad to hand her the reins and hang on
for the ride.

His
hands traveled up both her bare legs and under her robe. She moaned slightly
and leaned into him as his fingers rounded her hips. Taos lifted her with him
and laid her across the top of the desk.

A
shadow of light from the rising moon filled the room. Taos swiftly pulled the
robe and gown over Samantha’s head and tossed it aside. The breath caught in
his throat at the sight of her cream-colored skin in the moonlight. He would
never get enough of feasting his eyes on what he could only compare to a
sculpture of Venus: perfection, beauty, and passion all rolled into one. It was
as if he had to touch her to make sure she was real. The palm of his hand
traveled down her chest and across her quivering stomach.

Warmth
flowed through his hand from her body, calling to him. No stone sculpture could
cause a storm like the one she ignited within in him. He leaned down and
trailed feather light kisses down her stomach. Soft willowy fingers ran through
his hair as he tugged off his shirt. Taos’s lips burned their way across her
stomach and hips, slowly teasing, tempting as they went. Her legs instinctively
wrapped around his waist, and he swore a silent oath to himself. This would be
over in two seconds if she made him any hotter.

Even
though Samantha anticipated it, the feel of his mouth between her legs shocked
and amazed him at the same time. He teased and taunted until she clawed his
hair and moaned like a woman possessed. He stopped and she opened her eyes,
dazed and disappointed at the loss. His gaze met her eyes and trapped them as
his lips traveled up her body. She watched his tongue dart out and circle one
nipple. He drew the stiff peak into his mouth and pleasure washed over her. She
arched her back as his lips placed kisses across her chest until her other
nipple was captured.

Their
mouths entwined once again and Samantha’s need blossomed into heated
desperation. “Oh please, I want you now,” she whispered, her breath ragged. Taos
paused and quickly shed the rest of his clothes. As he met her lips once again,
Samantha gloried in the feel of his naked skin, running her fingernails gently
down his back. She welcomed the pressure as he entered her slowly, carefully. He
gathered her into his arms and she clung to him, her body closing around his,
grasping him with all she had. He kissed her gently and pleasure swirled into
the center of her body. She let out a sigh as the dance began.

He
set a steady rhythm, and she followed, giving and taking in perfect harmony. Their
bodies merged together in raw emotion, leaving doubt and inhibition far behind.
The whiskey bottle on the desk swayed as they strained to a fevered pitch. It
finally clattered to the floor and the noise competed with the music of sweet
release.

Taos
dropped his forehead onto her chest as he tried to force his breathing to slow
to a normal rate. He hesitated, then raised his head to peek at her. Her eyes
were still closed, but the smile on her face was nothing less than angelic. He
could go his entire life and never see anything so beautiful again.

Samantha’s
eyes fluttered open.

“I’m
hungry.” Taos said.

She
stretched like a lazy cat. “For food?”

Taos
grinned and stepped back to pull her to her feet. They both dressed in silence,
sharing the same smile, the same look, the same desire. Taos took her hand and
led her down the hall and toward the stairs.

She
started toward the kitchen, but he refused to release her hand.

“I’d
rather starve.” He saw the heat flare in her eyes as he pulled her to him.

“Me
too,” she whispered and followed him upstairs.

Chapter 17

The
wagon swayed a steady rhythm as they rolled toward town. Taos watched Samantha
breathe the morning air deep into her lungs. She was so beautiful. Her face
glowed, and her golden hair caught the morning light, holding it hostage. How
had he missed that this whole time?

When
he had lit the lamp in the parlor on that first night, he thought she looked
like Jimbo after a good roll in the creek. Even the next morning she was just
passable, kind of pretty maybe. Now the sun dimmed in comparison. He forced his
gaze back toward the road and insisted his attention follow though his thoughts
refused to budge.

What
was the matter with her? Women weren’t attracted to him as a general rule. Most
saw him as a hulking beast and scattered quickly out of the way when he came
near. Especially once they heard the rumors about him being a wife-beater.

Unless
they wanted something.

Somebody
should have warned her off, told her how bad he really was at making women
happy. She had loved him last night like there was no tomorrow. If he had died
in her arms before dawn, he would have gone a happy man.

The
semi-lie he told about the letter weighed heavy on his mind this morning. He
should have been honest with her, but still he held back. He needed to tell her
now, even though he was bound to get a tongue lashing. She would demand to know
why he hadn’t said something. He didn’t have a good reason, or any reason
really.

It
made him feel even worse that she was ready to take him as he was. Which, as
far as she knew, was simply a poor cowhand who worked sunup to sundown. The
least he could have done was be honest. Maybe the fact that he could provide
for her would help smooth things over.

His
eyes gravitated back to the new center of his universe. He had no idea what she
saw in him, but he hoped she kept seeing it. Samantha’s eyes closed again as
she enjoyed the wind on her face. Taos thought her expression nothing short of
heavenly.

How
did that Bible verse go? Some have entertained angels unawares? The thought
made him duck his head and glance toward the skies. The type of entertaining
they engaged in last night might get them both struck by lightning if they
didn’t do something about it, and fast.

Samantha
opened her eyes and looked over at him, the same dreamy expression on her face.

“What
are you thinking?” She cocked her head and studied him.

Thinking?
He had been thinking, but she jolted him right out of his thoughts. His mind
went blank. Taos looked at her expectant face. Nothing came to his vacant brain
as he struggled for something she might accept. Oh yeah, lightning. He had been
thinking something about lightning.

He
cleared his throat. “I was thinking that it looks like we might get some rain.”

Samantha
scanned the cloudless horizon and raised her eyebrows skeptically.

“Um,
later. I mean, a storm can blow up out here in no time.”

She
shrugged but didn’t look convinced.

He
wouldn’t have bought that one either, so why should she? He heaved a sigh as
his eyes flitted across the clear blue sky. The only storm that might be coming
was between his ears, provided he could figure out how to string two thoughts
together.

Taos
slumped down and kept his gaze on the road, mentally kicking himself. No use
trying to be smooth, it just came out like he was wearing two left boots, one
of which was firmly planted between his lips.

He
started to assemble a mental list of logical, practical reasons he could use to
convince her she needed to stay. Here. With them.
With him
. His eyes
darted her direction and were met by her slow smile, which made him want to
stop this wagon and hold her in his arms the rest of the day.
Okay that’s
one.
The wagon dipped into a deep rut and his attention snapped back to the
road. He didn’t seem able to look at her and do anything else at the same time.

How
would he phrase that argument anyway?
You’re beautiful and I can’t keep my
hands off you.
Who would be swayed by that? No, he needed a better reason. Something
concrete. Something practical, that a woman would want.

There
were the two ranches. Combining them would solve a number of problems. The
water rights would no longer be in question, which would be great for him. Samantha
would be taken care of and protected, which would work for her. He could
provide her a good life, and he would, too.

He
nodded to himself. It was logical, sensible, and offered a solution to a number
of problems for them both. He just might have her convinced by the time they
reached town. He sighed. Time to screw up his courage and just say it.

He
could feel her watching him out of the corner of her eye. He knew she had
something on her mind. Suddenly she frowned.

What
if she thought last night was a mistake? A cold shiver ran along his spine. It
was wonderful. How could she think it was a mistake now? He glanced over at her
again. She was staring at the road, but clearly not seeing any of the ruts they
bounced across. Taos looked back into the wagon bed where Tommy was sleeping. He
didn’t stir.

Samantha
took a deep breath and said, “I suppose we should talk.”

He
immediately felt the electric charge leap through the air between them. He
prepared himself for what could be bad news. Better to know what the problems were
than guess at them.

“About
last night?” Taos rubbed the reins with his thumb. Maybe she was thinking the
same thing he was. This was not the time to guess wrong.

“What
about last night?” She turned slightly and her knees banged into his thigh.

He
cleared his throat. “I wasn't completely honest with you last night.”

“About
what?”

“The
letter.”

Confusion
skipped across her face. “In what way?”

“I
sent one.” He watched her closely. “The one you read was the first draft.” His
voice trailed off as her eyes narrowed.

Her
shoulders sagged, “Why didn’t you tell me that last night?”

“I
didn’t want to start another argument.” He shrugged, “You told me last night to
send another one.”

“And
you said you hadn’t.”

“I
said I didn’t think it was necessary to send another,” he added quickly, “And I
don’t, now.” She swung an incredulous expression his direction, “Splitting
hairs aren’t we?”

“No.
I just don’t see why it matters. I just did what you suggested.”

Samantha
sighed and glanced at him. “I wouldn’t have been upset last night. And I’m not
mad, just disappointed.”

He
preferred mad. They rode in silence for a ways until he broke the stalemate. “What
did you want to talk about?”

“Why
have you been pretending like you don’t have money?”

He
inhaled sharply, pulling dust into his lungs. He coughed loudly.
She knew.
She knew last night. “What?”

“Didn’t
you see the ledger?” She asked

“What
ledger?”

She
huffed impatiently. “The one I put all the accounts in.”

“I’ve
been working. When was I supposed to look at some ledger?”

Silence
descended between them as Samantha gazed at the countryside and he stared at
the back of her head.

“So
what was last night?” he asked.

She
didn’t say a word.

Taos
reined the horses to a stop under a large tree and set the brake. He climbed
down and lifted her effortlessly off the seat. He checked on his son, who was still
sound asleep, and took her hand.

“Let’s
walk.” He motioned toward a stand of trees, which would be just out of hearing
distance if Tommy woke up. He could tell she had to almost run to keep up with
him, but he was tired of these stupid games. Just as they reached the trees, he
spun around.

“What
is going through that mind of yours?” He was as breathless as she was from
their short, angry march in the mountain sun.

“Why
are you so certain everyone wants something from you?”

He
met her stare, “Because they do, including you. You’ve been lying since you got
here.”

“Me?”
she spat. “Who lied about being a poor cowhand? Who lied about sending a letter,
not once but twice?”

“I
had my reasons.”

“And
I didn’t? How come if you lie and have a reason its fine, but if someone else
does the same thing they are trying to pull one over on you?”

 He
stepped toward her as she backed up. “Why can’t we just have one completely
honest conversation?”

Samantha’s
dress clung to her. It was distracting as hell.

She
swatted at an insect buzzing around her ear. “Fine,” she said.

Now
was his chance. He pinned her with a stare, “What was last night?”

She
pressed her lips together and looked away.

“Sammy?”
He put a hand on her arm, forcing her gaze to his.

She
hesitated, “It was about not having any regrets.”

“And?”

She
held his gaze, “And that’s it. I know this is coming to an end. You said
yourself you sent the letter telling Mattie there was no place for me here.”

He
sighed, “That was a while back.”

“And
now?”

There
was not going to be any time for smooth talk, which was probably a good thing
since he didn’t seem to be able to say the right thing.

He
stared intently at her. “Now I think that we need to get married.” The
statement hung there between them.

“Why?”

Was
she kidding?
It seemed obvious to him
that two people who spent a great deal of time rolling around in the sheets should
get married at some point, but she seemed confused. Taos didn’t immediately
answer simply because the obvious answers were apparently not flying with her
today.

“Thinking
again?”

“As
a matter of fact I was.” His voice rose as fast as the temperature.

“Surely
you’ve had time to come up with a reason to marry me.”

“Because
it’s the right thing to do,” he blurted out

Silence
descended between them.

Samantha’s
expression was unreadable. He shifted his weight, waiting on her to say
something. True, it was one of the reasons. Most of the others he hadn’t quite
sorted out yet.

“Wrong
answer.” She started back toward the wagon and he fell into step.

“Wrong
answer?” He easily matched her strides. “It happens to be the right answer, not
to mention a damn good reason for two people to get married.”

“No,
it’s not.”

He
put his hand on her shoulder and forced her to face him. “Yes, it is.” He
couldn’t think why she was being so stubborn.

“Not
for me it’s not,” The tremble in her voice was slight, but it still it caught
his attention. She was upset and it was deeper than this. Much deeper.

He
reached out and touched a strand of golden hair that had sprung loose from the
knot she’d fashioned it into, “Sammy, I just don’t know what you want me to
say.”

“I
don’t want you to say anything, Taos.” Unshed tears glistened. “When are you
going to understand I don’t want a ranch or anything you think you have to
offer me.”

“Then
what do you want from me?” This was the most confused he’d been since she’d
stepped into his life.

“Everything
else,” she whispered, and then stalked back to the wagon.

He
slapped his hat on his thigh.
What in the hell did she mean by that?

Taos
jammed the hat back on and climbed up into the wagon after her. He released the
brake and the wagon lurched forward again. As the horses clomped back onto the
road, the silence stretched between them. Something about that conversation
felt like the most honest chat they’d had since she got here, and if that were
true then he’d been wrong.
About a lot of things.
If she’d wanted to get
married, wanted the ranch, money, everything he had, he’d just offered it to
her on a silver platter. She’d flat refused. He had no idea what “everything
else” meant, but he came up clueless.

“When
did you send that letter?” She asked.

The
question startled him a little. “Uh, back before—”

“No.”
She cut him off. “What date?”

“About
three weeks ago, give or take.” He glanced over at her. He could see wheels in that
mind of hers spinning. “Why?”

“I
don’t think we should go into town.”

“Why
not?”

“If
John got that letter he could be here now.” She looked over at him and then
glanced back at Tommy.

His
first instinct was to push that idea aside. He’d thought she made the guy up
anyway, but something in her eyes, her voice, stopped him cold. He instantly
knew she hadn’t been lying. But even if the guy intercepted the letter, it
would be pushing it to think he could already be here.