Sweetwater (Birdsong Series) Page 9

  “Oh, how you do go on, old man. I’m just kind of particular about the kind of food I serve my guests, that’s all. Do come, all of you,” Dora pleaded. And it soon appeared that the whole town had accepted her kind invitation as they followed the happy twosome back to the hotel for weddin’ day vittles.

  “Whew! I’m exhausted,” Emily sighed. “This has been some day.”

  Blake winked, “I could rub your feet for you, if you’d like.”

  Emily swatted his arm. “You hush. You’ll be giving people something to talk about if you’re not careful. But it does sound good,” she whispered so softly he could barely hear her.

  He grinned. “Anytime, sweetheart. Anytime.”

  After the reception and after a million hugs and kisses, Whiskey and Dora packed up their buggy and headed out for Arizona. Whiskey had folks living there, and he swore it was the prettiest country he’d ever seen. It was filled with the colors of the sunset. Rocks were as red as the blazing sky. Some were striped with vivid yellows and some were painted black. Strange birds and critters called it home. “They got a bird that would rather run than fly,” he said.

  “The best thing about Arizona is—we’ll be on our own. Just you and me, Dora. I can’t wait to get you alone and make you squeal with happiness. I truly love you, darlin’.” Whiskey spoke softly to his new wife as they pulled away from the hotel.

  “God bless them,” Patty sighed, as she and the rest of the women, at the Birdsong Hotel, watched the happy couple disappear over the ridge. “Well, ladies, we’d better get to work. It looks like there was quite a shindig here, and we’ve got to get things back in order before the train arrives.” Looking up at the three very handsome men standing beside them on the porch, she said, “You fellows can pitch in, if you have a mind to.”

  Eve came forward holding little Carol. “I’m sorry, but Ty has to get back to the ranch by tomorrow morning. They’re driving the last of the steer to the stockyards in Dodge City. I’m afraid we have to leave right away.”

  “No,” they all cried, disappointed to see Eve and the baby return with Ty.

  “It’s been such a short visit.” Cassie complained.

  “It’s been longer than we had planned. As it is, we’ll have to travel most of the night. Please say you’ll all come and spend some time with us. It’s a pretty ranch, and I’d like to show it to you. Unfortunately, Ty isn’t going to let me travel back here until after the baby comes. I’m six months along and growing larger every day. I miss you all terribly.”

  The women exchanged hugs and kisses and many good wishes.

  Ty laid his hand on Emily’s shoulder to get her attention and whispered, “If you need a place to go, you just get word to Eve. I’ll come and get you, myself. We’ll keep you safe.” He meant every word, and all its implications.

  She nodded gratefully. “I’ll keep that in mind, Ty. Thank you.”

  The little family loaded up their wagon, and after making certain the baby was tucked in all cozy and warm, they waved their final goodbyes and departed Hays City, going in the opposite direction of Whiskey and Dora.

  “I suddenly feel very lonely,” Cassie lamented. “The hotel is going to feel so empty. Who did you say was going to do the cooking?” She frowned, and looked up at Patty.

  “Why you, of course.” Patty giggled.

  “What?” the girl shrieked, disbelievingly.

  “Hey darlin’. Is this lovely lady teasing you? How about a walk before cooking up that big dinner of yours?” Adam grinned, showing his beautiful white teeth and sexy dimples.

  “Oh, Adam. I can’t cook a lick. I just can’t. A walk isn’t going to make a miracle. What’ll I do?”

  “Never you mind, Cassie,” Emily said, trying not to laugh at the young woman’s distress. “Mrs. Tompkins is going to do the cooking, but we’ll have to help her with the preparations. I think we can handle that, don’t you? Why don’t you go ahead and take that walk with Adam? It will do you good. Are you going to stay for dinner, Corporal?”

  “Sorry, ma’am, but we have to ride out at first light. There’s some trouble brewin’ just west of here. We’ll be gone for a week or so.”

  “Hope to see you when you return. The invitation still stands.”

  Looking down at Cassie’s beautiful smile, he said, “Yes, ma’am. I’ll come straight here.”

  “It certainly is quiet this evening,” Emily sighed, as she sat on the sofa, next to Blake. “I didn’t realize how much this hotel relies on Dora and Whiskey. We agree that she’s the best cook in the state, but I also believe she’s the beating heart of the Birdsong.”

  Cassie sat across from Emily and the doctor, in the big rocker—Whiskey’s favorite. “I miss Adam,” she declared, glumly, her chin resting in her hand.

  Dr. Donovan snickered a bit and then asked, “Just how serious are the two of you, missy? You know you are too young to be thinking about matters of the heart.”

  “I am not. I think about matters of the heart, all the time. Adam’s heart.” She turned quite pink at the thought of him. “I know I’ve been foolish and petuish in the past.”

  Patty grinned. “I think you mean to say you have been impetuous in the past, dear.”

  Cassie gritted her teeth. “Thank you for always correcting me, Patty. Did it ever occur to you that other folks might not realize I’ve made a small mistake with my grammar, if you didn’t always correct me? Not everyone went to school in Italy, you know.”

  “France, my dear. I studied in France, but you are partially correct, as I lived in Italy for six months after having lived in Germany for three months. Besides, if I didn’t correct you now, you would be making the same mistakes throughout your entire life. You wouldn’t want to make a faux pas in front of strangers, would you?” Patty giggled.

  “Huh?” Cassie was puzzled. “Well, I guess not . . . whatever you said. But I do get embarrassed.”

  Patty kissed Cassie’s pink cheek. “I’m truly sorry for that, Cassie. Sometimes my humor is misunderstood, but I do mean to help. You are so very lovely that I can see you being swept off your feet by a very important man, someday. A man that may require a woman with not only beauty, but with a certain degree of refinement, as well. I just want you to be all that you are capable of being. I truly love you like a sister, and I want only the best for you.”

  “Adam likes me just the way I am and I like him. He doesn’t notice that I may not always use the right fork or say the correct thing. He says I’m adorable, and that he is willing to wait for me.” The young girl looked down at her folded hands. She had never admitted her love of the corporal to anyone.

  A masculine voice interrupted her thoughts. “You say he is willing to wait for your majority?”

  She nodded.

  Blake stood up and nodded his head several times before speaking again. “I like the young man and as long as you act properly and he honors the rules of this hotel, I approve of your seeing Corporal Adam Breyer. Now ladies, I’m going to turn in. It’s been a good day, but a tiring one. See you all in the morning. Good night.”

  The ladies sat in silence until they could no longer hear the man’s heavy boots walking overhead, on his way to his room. Hearing the door close, they smiled, and all started to talk at once.

  “Cassie, has he asked for your hand?” Emily inquired.

  “Emily, are you and the young doctor serious about each other?” Patty asked.

  “I don’t want an important man, Patty. I want Adam,” Cassie said seriously. This brought on gales of laughter from the other two women.

  “You two are loco. I’m going upstairs to dream,” Cassie said, as she jumped off the chair and flounced up the stairs, her curls bouncing and her petticoats rustling.

  “We know who she’ll be dreaming about, too,” laughed Emily. “I, on the other hand, dream about a little piece of land with a lake filled with the sweetest tasting water in all the state.”

  “Do you never dream about the handsome doc?”

>   “Nope. Only my farm,” she insisted.

  “You’re fooling yourself, Emily,” Patty announced. “If that man had paid me half the attention he so willingly gave to you, I’d be dreaming of him and of the life we would share together. He’s quite a catch, Em, and I find it infuriating that you do not seem to appreciate him. In case you haven’t noticed, the man’s head over heels in love with you.”

  Emily grew suddenly serious. “I know he loves me. I know we could have a good life together. How can I explain it? Ever since I was a small child, I’ve dreamed of having my own farm. Everything I’ve done in my life, I’ve done in preparation of obtaining that farm. There was never any room for love and romance. Until now.” She let out a long sigh. “I do think of Blake that way. Oh, Patty, his kisses are divine. When he touches me . . . I simply can’t breathe or even think straight. At night, I imagine his hands on me. Is that bad? Am I just a wanton harlot?” Her eyes were pleading for the truth.

  Patty smiled, thoughtfully. “Darling, you’re certainly not a wanton harlot. If anything, you’re as innocent as our dear Cassie. It’s perfectly natural for a woman to have those feelings for the man she loves. And I do believe he returns your affections. Do not shut him out of your life, for I have no doubt that you will obtain your farm, someday, and you’ll need two strong arms to hold you at the end of that day. You’ll need a good man to father the children that you’ll want to raise on your beloved farm. I think Dr. Donovan is that man. Listen to your heart, Em. Don’t walk away from happiness.”

  Emily noticed a tear run down Patty’s soft cheek. She recognized a profound sadness hidden deep within her green eyes. “Patty, you never speak of your past. Did you say no to your heart?”

  “Something like that, dear. It’s too late for me, but I can’t sit back and watch you throw every good thing in your life away with both hands. My story is over, but yours has just begun. Let him love you.”

  Having said that, Patty stood up and stretched her petite frame. Smiling down at the still seated Emily, she looked closer in age to Cassie than to her own thirty years. “Off to the comfort of my boudoir. These old bones need sleep,” she giggled. “Good night. Lock up, dear.”

  “Good night, Patty, and thank you for your advice. I plan to make some changes in my life,” Emily said, smilingly.

  Emily stood up and closed up the hotel for the night. She turned down all the lamps and banked the fires. She quietly went and secured the door locks. It was necessary, these days, to lock up at night. How sad, she thought, as she threw the last bolt, that people must be locked in at night for protection from their fellow citizens. It didn’t used to be that way. That was just another reason for her to buy her farm and move on out of town.

  The kitchen was dark when Emily entered to lock and secure the rear door. As the key turned in the lock, she heard a noise coming from the porch. Spinning around, she spied a large shadow running from the hotel and across the yard, knocking the bucket off the pump as it fled. Whoever it was, her locking the door had surprised them. For a moment, Emily felt her throat close with fear. Her blood ran cold. As she returned to the lobby, self-consciously rubbing her arms, she knew the prowler had been up to no good. The unexpected encounter with the trespasser left the hair on her arms standing on end, and she was frightened.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Emily had intended to retire to her own room, when she saw the faintest glow of light coming out from under Blake’s door. After her fright downstairs, she needed the comfort that only he could provide. Standing before his door, she stiffened her spine, and her resolve, and turned the handle.

  “Blake?” she whispered.

  He was sitting at the small table in front of the window with legal papers spread out in front of him. Looking up, he smiled and quickly stuffed the papers in his saddlebag.

  “You surprise me, Emmie. What are you doing here? Can’t you sleep?”

  “I’ve just this moment come upstairs.” She paused. “I was frightened and I needed to be with you for a little while. Is that all right?”

  “Of course, but what frightened you?”

  Emily looked around the room for another chair. Not being able to locate one, she was forced to sit on the side of the bed. “It was probably nothing, but as I was locking the kitchen door, I heard a noise outside on the porch. As I approached the door, a large man stood up and ran across the yard. I didn’t see his face. Maybe he was simply sleeping or perhaps he was drunk. In any event, he left.”

  Before she was finished telling her story, Blake was on his feet and pulling her into his arms. “Oh darling. You’ve had a hard day. Let me make it better. I’ll help you forget all the bad things.” His voice was deep and soft, and so reassuring. He practically purred in her ear.

  “Kiss me, Blake,” she begged. “Make me forget.”

  Being a man, he was certainly not averse to kissing a beautiful woman. His lips lightly grazed her ear. He kissed and nibbled his way down her neck and back up again. Emily moaned with the pleasure he gave her, but she longed for something more.

  “Darling, open your mouth to me,” he whispered. Closing the slight distance between them, he settled his mouth over hers and stole her breath away. He entered her hot moist mouth and tasted the sweetness of her. Their tongues dueled for possession, causing their temperatures to rise.

  “More, I want more,” she sighed, when he ended the kiss. Emily fought an absurd desire to touch him, to feel his strength and his muscles undulating beneath his shirt. It would be terribly wicked to feel his hardness, but she licked her lips and smiled at the thought of it.

  “I need you, Blake. I want to know what it’s like to be loved.” She was desperate for something more.

  Slowly, Blake untied the bow at her neck and slipped her blouse down over her shoulders, exposing her camisole. It was delicate, with lace edging and satin ribbons tying it up. “It’s beautiful, Emmie, as are you.”

  He let his hands roam down to her tiny waist and pulled her tightly against him. He cupped her bottom, gently squeezing the delectable roundness. She could feel his growing erection press hard against her belly.

  Blake stepped back and turned down the lamp, and then made absolutely certain the shade was pulled completely. When he returned to the lovely lady, he noticed his hands were shaking.

  “Do you want me to go on, Emmie?”

  She nodded, unable to respond with mere words. Her eyes told him all that he needed to know. They burned with unspent passion.

  “Emmie, I have dreamed of his moment for so long. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want you. You consume my every thought. My hands are trembling with the anticipation of touching you. If you have any doubts, please, tell me now. If you wait, I may not be able to stop myself.” Blake struggled to control his emotions.

  She smiled. Emily reached forward and brought Blake closer. “I need you to fill me. I desire your touch, your love. You’re the only man for me, Blake. I want to give myself to you. Will you let me?”

  He groaned with pleasure. “Sweetheart, you humble me.” He wrapped his arms around her slender body and felt her feminine charms beneath his fingers. He breathed in the seductive scent that was hers alone. “You’re a temptress and I’m helpless under your spell.”

  Emily felt the blood coursing through her veins, every nerve ending tingling for his touch. Her heart was beating like a drum. “Blake,” she muttered. Primal instincts took over as she reached for his open shirt. She fumbled with the last few remaining buttons and forced the garment back off his chest, revealing the soft curls and the small copper nipples hidden there. Her lips grew moist.

  Blake allowed her to look her fill. “Do you like what you see?”

  “Mmmm,” she sighed, as her tongue licked over the nub of one nipple. She then pulled it into her mouth and sucked deeply, bringing Blake practically to his knees. Her firm breasts pillowed against his chest.

  “Emmie! For God’s sake, darling, slow down.”

  She looked up a
t him with her big blue eyes questioning. “Don’t you like that? I like tasting and nibbling on you. Do I have to quit?”

  Blake groaned. “I like it too much, sweetie. That’s the problem. I want this evening to last for a good long time, seeing as how I’ve waited so long, but if you do that any longer, I’ll finish much too soon. Understand?”

  “No, not really. Can I do something else?” she asked innocently. “Can I touch you here?” She slid her long fingers down over his stomach, dangerously close to crossing that line.

  Blake groaned, his body painfully hard, throbbing with heat and need. His Emily was magnificent. Instinctively she knew how to arouse a man, to bring him to the edge of insanity, and that was just the problem. He grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.

  “Darling, let me bring pleasure to you.” With a flick of his hand, buttons flew across the room and her skirt dropped to the floor in a lofty pool of fabric, immediately followed by mountains of petticoats and finally revealing an extremely desirable woman.

  There, Emily stood, not embarrassed in the least, but more alluring than he could have ever imagined. The sight of her glorious sexuality sent his senses reeling. He drew in a shaky breath as he stared at her glorious body. She was perfect. She had long sculpted legs with a feminine bottom just asking for his touch. Her waist was incredibly small, while her breasts were firm, magnificent mounds, of just the right size. She stood there proudly, willing him to take possession of her.

  Blake wanted to be inside her more than he needed air, but now was the time when he needed to retain some measure of control over his urges. He had to think of her, first. He must go slowly with her.

  “Lie down, sweetheart. I want to taste you.” His voice was part growl—part groan. It was exquisite torture to want her this much and knowing he would not take her—not tonight.

  Overcome by her erotic scent, he feasted upon her body until she could no longer think clearly, only feel the bliss of his caress. She had never known such immense pleasure. It was paradise, she thought, until her body reached that ultimate plateau of desire, of which she was totally unfamiliar.