The Lone Texan Read online

"I'm sorry” he said. "I didn't mean to be so rough with you back there. I only wanted you to look like you were hot with passion. If my brother had guessed the truth, he might not have shot you, but the man with him would have. He'd have probably killed us both."

  "So, you just kissed me for show." Bonnie felt like a fool for even thinking it had been passion.

  "The first time." He moved his hand along her arm. "And maybe the second, but the third kiss had nothing to do with the danger we were in."

  She laughed. "Thanks for that, I guess. You know, once I heard a woman say that she had a lover that moved over her like a warm summer storm. She said it only lasted a night, but the memory was burned into her thoughts forever. I never understood what she meant until you moved over me."

  He was silent for so long, she wished she could take her foolish words back. They weren't friends. They never would be. He had saved her life, back at the gambling house and again here, but in turn, she'd given him probably the only alibi this gang would have accepted.

  "You know, lady, I've never been anyone's storm before. That lover of your friend must have been mighty proud to know that just once he'd had such an effect on a woman."

  He moved his hand up her bare arm as if cherishing the feel of her. "I'll take you back when the rain stops."

  Rocking back in his chair, he crossed his leg over one knee to make room for her in his lap. "If you don't mind, I'd like to hold you for a while. I've never held anything so fine."

  "All right," she managed to say calmly as if the request were nothing out of the ordinary. Not once had her father touched her except to discipline her, and her mother saw any affection as weak. For a few minutes she could let him hold her. No one would ever know.

  "Tell me about your first kiss?" she asked.

  He brushed her arm gently as he laughed. "I met a gal when I was barely grown at a barn raising in Tennessee. Prettiest little thing you've ever seen. We were married that night. I kissed her for the first time when I brought her back to a place. I was farming. I was so big, more than a foot taller than her. I was afraid I'd hurt her, and in the end, I guess I killed her. She died less than a year later trying to deliver a stillborn baby. A few months later, I married her older sister. I didn't love her. Wasn't even attracted to her, but I was young and all alone, so I figured I needed a wife."

  "What was wrong with her?"

  "Nothing, really, except maybe she thought everything was wrong with me. I couldn't do anything right. She was taller than her sister and probably carried fifty or more pounds. I thought if I ever got up the nerve to get her pregnant, she'd be able to carry a child, and that was all that mattered to me.”

  "Her father said if he hadn't married her off to me, he'd be stuck with her for life:" Brad laughed. "Her moods could sour milk still in the cow. He lied about her not ever finding anyone, though. A few months after we married, she ran off with a railroad worker. Last I heard, they were living up North somewhere and had a dozen kids. After the sisters, I knew I wasn't meant for the married life, so I started drifting."

  Bonnie rose up and giggled. She wanted to tell him that she'd never talked with a man like this, all honest and natural. Only how do you tell someone who called you pretty that he's the only one in the world who sees you that way?

  "Lady." He looked into her eyes. "Mind if I kiss you again?"

  She sat very still. "No. I've no objection.”

  He moved his lips to her throat and began burning a trail to her mouth.

  Bonnie sighed and leaned her head back, loving the feel of him. Her mouth was open slightly when he finally reached her lips. The kiss took her breath away.

  Vaguely she was aware of him shifting her body in his lap so that her head rested in the crook of his arm. His kiss made her feel warm all over, and she was lost to all but feeling.

  When he finally left her lips, he didn't stop kissing her. His mouth moved back down her throat as his chin brushed her head back so that he could taste her skin. His hands moved over her leg, feeling her through the layers of cotton until he reached the hem of her petticoat and began his journey back up her leg without the hindrance of the cotton between them.

  "You taste so good.” he whispered against her ear. "Mind if I kiss you again and again?" When she laughed, he added, "And again?"

  She made one sound of invitation before his mouth closed over hers.

  He finished one long kiss before moving to her ear and whispering. "Do you like that, Pretty Lady?"

  She made a sigh, and his hand moved up to her thigh as he continued to kiss her.

  Now he was teaching her how he wanted to be kissed, guiding her mouth open. "More.” he mumbled against her lips. "Deeper. Draw me into your mouth."

  She followed his suggestions.

  "Mind if we do this a while longer?" he insisted when he filially took time to breathe. "I can't seem to get enough of you."

  "Please," she answered and arched her back so he could move down her throat. She was floating with pleasure and growing hungry for his mouth on hers.

  "Yes," she whispered against his lips when he finally returned.

  His kiss turned deep with longing, making her aware of nothing but him and the fire building inside her.

  His hand moved higher, where he gripped her soft flesh and pulled her legs apart slightly. "I need to touch you. You're so soft. I want to feel all of you."

  She felt his heavy breathing against her throat and knew he was waiting for her to say yes.

  A tiny part of her mind told her she wasn't young, she was an old maid. Foolish passion was for girls, not women of her age.

  His grip was so tight, she knew he'd already left a bruise, but she didn't care. He wasn't hurting her, he was wanting her.

  She straightened, pushing him a few inches away. He fought her action for a moment, then straightened back, giving her room. His eyes were on fire as he stared at her, but his hand moved back down her leg and slowly replaced the petticoat.

  Her breath came so fast, she couldn't speak. She'd never felt like this before, not for one minute. Not for one second.

  He closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the rocker. "If you're waiting for me to say I'm sorry," he finally said, "you'll wait a hell of a long time”

  "Open your eyes," she ordered.

  He did. She could still see the fire blended with a sorrow, a longing, a pain she knew well.

  Her hands trembled as she lifted them to the front of her camisole and began to unbutton the first button. "I've never been a selfish person," she said as she pulled the first button free. "I've always thought of myself as a woman of simple needs." The second button fell and then the third.

  He didn't move, but his eyes were no longer on hers.

  She smiled as she tugged the next button free and felt the camisole fall open so that all but the tips of her breasts showed. "Tonight, I'd like to ask you for something, and before you answer. I'll have you know that I'll not settle for less. I want my one time, my one memory. Then I want your word you'll take me back." She had her life planned, organized. This would be her one step off the sidewalk.

  His fingertips brushed the swell of one of her breasts. As he explored in slight movements, the fabric fell away, revealing her. He looked into her eyes so she could see his pleasure as his hand spread over her flesh.

  She saw what she'd longed for in his gaze. She saw herself as beautiful.

  "Name it," he whispered. His eyes didn't leave hers, but his hand closed around her. As he measured the width and weight of her in his palm, she drew in a quick breath at the shock of pleasure sparking through her body.

  "Name it, I said.” His voice was raw with need and demanding.

  She closed her eyes and answered, "Be my storm tonight. Be the one night I'll never forget. Be the memory I'll carry with me forever, and then promise at dawn we'll part”

  His hand tightened, and she swayed with the sensation. She never dreamed a touch could spark her body so.

  He du
g his free hand through her hair and pulled her mouth to his. Now his kiss was free and wild with need, and his fingers moved over her breasts, branding them forever with his caress.

  "Swear," she said when he let her breathe. "Swear that you'll keep your word. One night. One storm."

  He tugged her hair back, until she arched her body toward his, and sucked hard on one of her breasts. "I swear," he whispered. "But you'll be mine, all mine, tonight”

  "Yes," she sealed the bargain with one word.

  He picked her up and carried her to the bed, but he didn't lie on top of her as she thought he would. He stretched beside her so that he could kiss her while he undressed her completely. One hand circled in her hair so that she'd remain still while he finished his task. She knew without asking that he was a man learning tenderness for the first time.

  When she tried to reach for the blanket, she heard a low growl from him. "No," he ordered. "There'll be nothing between us. Not tonight”

  Then he kissed her so tenderly, she settled against him, letting him touch her wherever he liked. When he knew she'd calmed and grown used to his nearness, he pulled away long enough to undress. When he returned, he was above her, gently settling over her.

  She jerked at the feel of skin against skin.

  He took his time once again, allowing her to grow used to the feel of his body against hers. His rough hands moved over her as though he'd never touched anything so dear, and he wanted to savor the feel of her.

  When she relaxed once more, he explored, slowly examining, kissing, tasting every part of her. There was a hunger to his actions that left her skin sensitive and aching for him to return.

  "I'm going to go slow," he whispered when he returned to her mouth for a deep, open kiss. Then he added, "I don't want to hurt you."

  "You won't," she answered, hoping she spoke the truth.

  She felt his words as he kissed the corners of her mouth. His hand had spread over her below her belly button. While he tasted her throat, his fingers started back to her breasts, where she knew he'd take his time learning every inch of her.

  "I'm going to love you, Pretty Lady, and when we're finished, I'm going to start all over again."

  And that's exactly what he did.

  CHAPTER 15

  DEEP IN THE SHADOWS OF THE NIGHT. BONNIE SLEPT soundly in the arms of her stranger. Mixing with her dreams, she felt him tug her legs open and move above her.

  "No," she mumbled, remembering how it had hurt when he'd entered her. Everything about the loving had been so perfect except the moment he'd shoved into her. "No," she said, trying to push him away so she could return to sleep.

  "Hush, love," he whispered. His hands were moving over her most private places as if her body belonged to him. "You're ready for me now. Go back to sleep. I'm just going to take my pleasure one more time. You're mine tonight, remember.”

  She couldn't seem to pull fully awake. Hours without sleep and then hours of having her blood rushing through her body as he pleased her again and again had left her too weak to shake from dreams.

  He pulled her arms above her head and moved his warm hands down the length of her. He knew her body well by now and proved it. "Dream, love. Just dream while I take you, for I have to have you again.”

  Before she could answer, she felt him slide into her without pain, then he was moving above her, pushing harder and harder. The familiar fire she'd felt in her belly kindled, and she rocked with him, taking him deeper, loving the way her blood warmed and spread out into her limbs.

  His hands came up her sides and gripped her tender breasts as he cried out with pleasure just as she felt like she rolled off the end of the earth. He jerked and pushed into her one last time as she took flight.

  For a while she floated as his warm body blanketed her. She floated between heaven and earth, unable to move or speak.

  He didn't rise and wash her flesh as he had the first time. He simply rolled with her until she lay across him, too spent to move.

  He cupped her bottom with one hand and moved his chin against her cheek. "Go back to sleep” he ordered. "You're mine tonight. All mine. I plan to touch you while you sleep, if you've no objection.”

  She made a little sound, agreeing to his request, and he kissed her lips, now swollen from being kissed.

  "I like the feel of you," he said as he patted her bottom. "Thank you.” she whispered.

  "Did you feel the storm?" he asked.

  "Yes," she answered and felt his arms tighten. "And it was a thousand times more than I thought it would be.”

  She felt his laughter against her chest.

  "The night is not over yet.” His mouth explored her throat. "Sleep. I'll wake you again before dawn."

  She didn't answer; she was already asleep.

  CHAPTER 16

  SAGE WAS STARTING TO LOSE TRACK OF TIME. SHE thought it was the fourth day when they camped at the edge of a canyon, but it might have been five. The air felt dry here, and the wind whistled as if whining along canyon walls. As the outlaws had every night, they tied her to whatever they could find that would hold her secure.

  But tonight was different. She could hear the man building a fire, establishing a regular camp for the first time. She guessed they thought it safe.

  The man who brought her food was one who'd never spoken to her before. She thought he was one of the two men who'd been with them when they left Shelley's, then they'd disappeared for a day and rejoined the gang. The two newcomers kept their distance and usually brought up the tail, but tonight they'd decided to move in closer, probably because of the fire.

  He didn't seem as hard as the others, but his eyes were still cold and uncaring. There was a wildness about him, as if a thrill to him was worth any price. He untied her hands but left the rope around her waist holding her to a stump. The noose now hung permanently around her neck so any one of them could pull her along without having to get so close she might kick. The rough rope was loose enough for her to breathe but too tight for her to tug it off.

  "Thought you might want a real meal. Got rabbit and beans." She smelled whiskey on the man's breath, but that was better than the smell of Frog.

  She nodded, trying to see anything around her that would give her a hint of where she was.

  He handed her a tin bowl and a cup half-full of boiled coffee. "These men ain't going to hurt you none” the stranger said. "They told me so. They're just taking you to the leader, then you'll be let go, I figure." He didn't look like he believed his own words.

  She would argue with that statement, but it would do her no good. Every bone in her body hurt from riding all day tied in a saddle and then sleeping at night tied up. If she didn't walk fast enough when they stopped, the big man liked to jerk the rope hard enough to make her stumble. She doubted any one of the other men had noticed. For the most part, she wasn't their problem.

  When she finished eating, she thanked the man.

  He hesitated. "Anything else I can do?" he whispered, then looked like he was sorry he'd offered.

  "Could I have a comb before you tie my hands?" She needed one, but mainly she wanted to keep the man close enough to talk to.

  He moved a few feet away and pulled a comb from his gear and handed it to her. "It ain't very clean, but then neither is your hair."

  "Thank you," she managed.

  Sage worked through the rats in her hair. Finally, she parted it down the middle and braided it on either side.

  She handed him back the comb.

  "You look like an Indian," he said as he tied her hands. "Maybe I am," she whispered.

  He shook his head. "Charlie says you're a doctor." "Who is Charlie?"

  He moved his head slightly toward the redheaded giant she called Big Hands: the leader of the band, the cruel one.

  Sage fought down a smile. She had a name. "I am a doctor," she said to the only one of the men who'd spoken to her other than in orders. "Who are you?"

  He stood, realizing he'd stayed too long. "Nobody. I
'm nobody to you."

  She didn't want to lose the one contact she'd made. This man was hard, but he seemed at least human. "What is the leader going to do with me?" She wondered if they knew about her family. The McMurrays were not rich, but compared to most ranches, they must look it. Maybe these outlaws thought they could get a ransom.

  The stranger shrugged. "I don't know. I only hooked up with this lot for one piece of paper in that safe. Tomorrow morning they say they'll hand it over to me, and I'll be on my way. I'm not close enough to the gang to be allowed to enter the hideout they'll be heading to. Not sure I want to be. They say a man named Hanover rules the place like he was king."

  "What paper's worth your life?"

  The stranger shrugged. "The deed to my father's land. I'm not much for ranching, but my brother is. He'll make use of the land." He hesitated, just wanting to talk. "That gambler. Shelley Lander, said I was drunk and lost my land at poker, but I only took one drink that night, and I've never been a poker player. I went in the place seeing if he'd keep the deed in his safe until the title office opened. He kept it, all right.”

  Sage wasn't surprised that Shelley had swindled the man. He probably would have tried to claim anything she'd been fool enough to leave in his safe also. "If you're caught. Mr. Nobody, you'll hang with them just the same. Men were killed back there.”

  He grinned at what she'd called him and answered, "I know. There wasn't supposed to be any killing, just robbing. At dawn tomorrow I plan to wash my hands of this gang and never set eyes on them again. My brother says we can ranch, and I reckon I’m old enough to finally settle somewhere."

  "You'll be hunted down” Sage thought it was worth a try, so she said, "Your only chance might be to take me with you tomorrow. We could ride back to town. I'd tell the Rangers that you saved me. Then you'd have your freedom and your land."

  He shook his head. "These men would never give you to me. They say they're taking you to Hanover. They're pretty closemouthed about it, but I think their leader, a fellow who claims to be some kind of count from England, is hurt or sick. I think they need a doctor.”