Tame a Wild Bride, a Western Romance (14 page)

“It’s beautiful.”

“I thought you might like it.
 
This is one of our summer pastures.
 
We’ll be bringing the cows up here for the summer and take them down to the railhead for shipping to Kansas City in September.

“Come on.
 
I’ve got the perfect place for our picnic.”
 
He rode forward slowly, walking his horse, not only in deference to her lack of riding skills but because the path was a bit steep.

Riding into the meadow at the bottom of the hill, Tom nudged his horse into a canter, a much easier gait for the rider than a trot.
 
Rosie’s horse followed suit and though she was a little scared, she held on to the saddle horn and remembered to move with the horse.

Laughing she pulled alongside Tom and then overtook him, her horse in a full gallop.
 
She rode to the creek.

“Whoa,” she pulled back on the reins and stopped, waiting for Tom to catch up.
 
“That was exhilarating.”

Tom dismounted in one graceful move and came to her side.
 
He reached up for her.
 
She leaned down, put her hands on his shoulders and fell into his arms.
 
He let her slowly slide down his body to the ground.

He was so strong, holding her like she was no heavier than Suzie.
 
His member was hard and she knew he wanted her.

Her eyes locked with his and he held her close.
 
Firm lips claimed hers as he crushed her body to him.

Suddenly he broke away and rested his forehead against hers.
 
“Rosie, I want you.”
 
His chest rose and fell with each breath.

“I want you, too.”

“But I don’t want you here, in the woods like some floozy.
 
Your first time should not be on a blanket in the dirt.”

“I don’t care.”

“Well, I do.
 
I want it to be special, something you’ll remember always.
 
Now grab that blanket and I’ll get the saddle bags before I change my mind.
 
We’ll leave the horses here and walk a ways downstream.
 
It’s not far.”

They walked about one hundred yards downstream to an opening in the trees.
 
Flat and grass covered it was right next to the stream.
 
The water looked inviting and about a foot deep.
 
Rosie couldn’t wait.
 

“Oh, how wonderful.
  
And that stream is so clear I can see the rocks at the bottom.”

She shook out the blanket, spread it on the ground and then took the food from the saddlebags.
 

“Will you open this for me, please?”
 
She handed him the bottle of wine.

“Where in the world did you get a bottle of wine?”

“It was in the pantry.
 
Were you saving it for something?”

“No.
 
I didn’t know it was there.
 
Sarah, must have put it there.
 
I knew she was drinking my whiskey, I didn’t know she’d started buying wine.
 
I didn’t keep a close watch on the household accounts then.
 
She was my wife.
 
I trusted her.”

The reference stung, but Rosie wasn’t going to let anything mar this day.
 
“Why don’t you open the wine.
 
We can let it breathe while we wade for a little while.”

“Good idea.”
 
He uncorked the wine and set it between two good sized rocks so it wouldn’t fall over and spill.
 

Rosie sat on a large boulder at the bank of the creek and took off her boots.
 
She rolled her pants legs to about mid-calf, she didn’t plan on going out too far.
 
When she was done she walked to the stream and waded in.

“Oh.
 
Good Lord, it’s freezing.”
 
She turned quickly to get out of the water.
 
“Eeee!
 
Tom!”
 
On her backside in the freezing water, she hollered, “help me.”

She tried to get up on her own and fell back into the water, drenching herself from head to toe.
 
Tom ran to her and pulled her up into his arms and waded back out of the water.

“We’ve got to get you out of those wet clothes.
 
I’ll start a fire.
 
It’ll help them and you dry out.”
 
He set her down on the blanket.
 
“Strip while I get some wood.”

“What am I supposed to put on instead?
 
I didn’t bring any extra clothes.”

“Wrap yourself in the blanket until your underwear dries, it’ll be faster than the rest of your clothes.”

Rosie peeled her wet pants off first, followed by her blouse.
 
Tom was supposed to gather wood but couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
 
Her nipples were hard little peaks from the cold water and slight breeze.
 
What had felt wonderful five minutes ago, was now giving her shivers.
 
Looking at her nipples, his body ached.
 
Releasing a breath he didn’t know he held, he turned away and picked up a piece of wood.
 
Without looking back he found another twig then another and another until his arms were full.
 

When he returned to Rosie she had the blanket wrapped around under her arms and was sitting on a fallen log beside the ring of rocks used for a fire pit.
 
She couldn’t have been more beautiful wearing the fanciest ball gown.
 
She’d taken down her wet hair and was combing her fingers through it, shaking it a little to make it dry faster.
 
His fingers itched to be running through her beautiful hair.
 
He was afraid if he got that close he wouldn’t stop with just her hair.

“How long do you think it will take to dry my clothes?”

“Too long,” he muttered.

“What?”

“Not long.
 
Once I get the fire going I’ll lay them on the bushes around here and put your under clothes on the rocks closest to the fire.”

“I’m sorry.
 
I had this all worked out and this isn’t what I’d planned at all.”

“Don’t worry about it.
 
Everything will work out all right.
 
How about we go ahead with this picnic.
 
Looks like you made some nice food for us.
 
Want a sandwich?”

She pouted for a moment, “Yes, please.”

He smiled.
 
She was adorable, even pouting.
 
He handed her a sandwich.
 
“What are we supposed to drink the wine out of?”

“I packed two cups.
 
They should still be in the saddlebags.”

He rummaged around in the bottom of the bags until he found the cups.
 
“Looks like you brought us cookies, too,” he said bringing them up and out.

“I always have to have a cookie after dinner.
 
Didn’t you know that?”

He shook his head.
 
“No, there are lots of things I don’t know about you.
 
Why don’t you tell me something about yourself and then I share something about me?”

“All right.
 
My birthday is September 23rd and I’ll be twenty-seven.”

“My birthday is May 30th and I was thirty-five.”

“You don’t look a day over thirty-four.”

His bark of laughter made her smile.
 
“You have a good sense of humor.”

“I try.
 
Working for you I need one.”

That sobered him.
 
“I’m sorry I’ve been such an ass.
 
I never should have treated you that way and I have no excuse.”

Rosie smiled at him and his spirits rose.
 
“We got off on the wrong foot.
 
You were hurt and betrayed by a woman you loved—”

“No, I never loved her.”

She looked up at him with those beautiful brandy colored eyes of hers.
 
“You didn’t?”

“No.
 
I know that now.
 
I was angry that she left, but I was never hurt that she didn’t love me.
 
I didn’t care about that.
 
The kids, Ben, loved her.
 
And he still misses her.
 
I’m angrier about that than anything.
 
How could she hurt the kids like that?
 
How could any mother?”

“I don’t know, but they’re lucky.
 
You’re a good father.”

“Thanks.
 
They are my world.
 
I don’t know what I’d do without them.”

“I don’t either.
 
Now that I know them, I love them so much.
 
You must know that.
 
I think they are amazing and you’re the reason for that.”

“I think you’re amazing.”
 
He moved closer on the log to her.

She looked down to where her feet were hidden under the blanket and she blushed.
 
Now he knew she blushed all over.
 
Her neck and chest were as red as her face under his praise.

He raised her chin with his finger.
 
“Look at me, Rosie.”

She raised her eyes to lock with his.
 
“Tom,”

He kissed her.
 
Claimed her lips with a passion he was not sure of.
 
She brought feelings from him he’d never felt before.
 

She wrapped her arms around his neck.
 
Her blanket fell to her waist, baring her amazing breasts to him.
 
He couldn’t resist any longer.
 
He broke away from her lips and took one of her turgid peaks into his mouth and sucked.
 
Rosie’s head fell back and she braced herself with locked arms on the log.
 
The stance brought her nipple more firmly into his mouth.

He smiled at his responsive little bride.
 
When he finally made love to her, she was going to amaze him.
 
He already knew it.
 
She responded more than any woman he’d been with before.
 
She liked what he did to her.
 
There was no way to disguise her responses.

He let go of her nipple and moved his lips back to hers.
 
Kissing her completely.
 
“I think your underclothes are dry now.”

“Hmm?”

“Your chemise and bloomers.
 
I think they are dry now.”

Her eyes flew open.
 
“Oh.
 
Yes, of course.”
 
She reddened and turned away.

“Rosie.”

She looked up at him.

“I mean to finish this soon.”

She swallowed and nodded.

“Real soon.”

*****

Agatha was here and could handle things for a couple of days.
 
Tom was going to take Rosie to town.
 
They’d spend two nights at Mary’s.
 
He’d fill her with good food then make love to her all day.
 
Maybe he didn’t deserve it, but he hoped she’d forgive him.