Echoes of the Heart (23 page)

           
The urgency in his groin never left
him.
 
Maybe he would go seek Angie.
 
His thoughts drifted to his life as a
loner.
 
Didn’t he really like it that
way?
 
Only trouble came from getting too
close to women.
 
No, he must have
Raeden.
 
Damn it,
I am such an ass.

           
Cash
paced Rabbit making good progress back to town.
 
He grew tenser the closer he became.
 
Snow fell just as he reached the outskirts, swirling in a white vortex
adhering to everything in its path.
 
He
jumped off his horse and walked in to the office to check in with John.
 
He entered to find no one inside.

While he poured
coffee, procrastinating the inevitable meeting with Raeden, John walked in
brushing snow from his heavy leather duster.
 
He stomped snow from his boots.
 
“Well, I guess you have finally decided to come back to work.”

           
Cash
glared up from his coffee and said nothing.
 
John voice became animated.

“Rae is really
something.”
 
His statement drew Cash’s
undivided attention.
 
“You know the
little orphan girl, Janice or Jenny…well you know who I’m talking about, the
neglected one staying with the Simpson’s?”

           
Agitation
sounded in Cash’s voice.
 
“Yeah, I know
who you mean.
 
Is there a point to this
story?”

           
“Well,
Rae made some dresses, cleaned her up, fixed her hair then brought her to
church on Sunday and guess what?

           
“Why
don’t you tell me?”

           
Admiration
glowed in John’s eyes.
 
“The Anderson’s
decided to take her home permanently.
 
What do you think?”

           
Cash’s
tone became almost a question.
 
“Yes,
she’s really something.”

           
He
grabbed a soft cloth and wiped down the rifle he carried, replaced it in the
cabinet.
 
Ignoring the mail on his desk,
he put on his own long leather duster and rode to see Raeden.
 
Could he swallow his pride?
 
Maybe, maybe not.
 
Hell.

           
Going
inside, he did not see Raeden.
 
Could be
she is at the hotel?
 
“Hi, Diane, where
is Rae?
 
I see she is not sewing as
usual.”
 
A cold sweat formed on his
brow.
 
He could almost taste the crow he
would be eating.
 
He suddenly felt sick.

           
Diane
looked at him strangely.
 
“Are you okay,
Cash?
 
You look like you don’t feel
well.”

           
Cash
lied.
 
“I feel fine.”

           
“Rae’s
not here.
 
She’s been home for a few
days.
 
She’ll return tomorrow.
 
Can I help you with something?”

           
“No,
I just wanted to ask her a question.
 
It
can wait.”
 
No, it could not, in his
state he would not live until tomorrow.

           
Snow
swirled from dark heavens, frozen dust devils covering the streets with a
winter white blanket.
 
Though still a bit
early for such severe weather, it happened some years.

           
Sadie
met him at the door, appearing frantic.
 
Something has happened to Raeden.
 
Had she taken ill?
 
He had after
all, dragged her in the night air and disrobed her in the cold stall.

           
He
tried to keep his panic from showing on his face.
 
He wasn’t sure he succeeded.
 
“Sadie, what’s wrong?”

           
“Cash,
it’s Rae.”
 
He placed a hand on her
shoulder looking her straight in the eyes.
 
“Nick said she went riding.
 
She’s
not back yet.
 
He’s going out now to find
her.”
 
She started sobbing.
 
“She might die out there.”

           
“Don’t
worry, Sadie, I’ll find her.”
 
He knew he
would find her.
 
Would he make it in time?

           
With
no time to lose, he rode to the barn to find Nick saddling his horse.
 
“Hey, Nick, do you know which way she
headed?”

           
Nick
looked surprised when he turned to face him.
 
“Cash, I’m sure glad you’re here.
 
She rode out this morning headed north toward the Black Hills.
 
I called out but she couldn’t hear me.”
 
He continued to tighten the cinch strap.
 
“I figured she would just make it a short
ride and come back before the weather broke.
 
I’m going out now to search.”
           
Cash spoke with
authority.
 
“Nick, I’ll go find her, you
go tell Diane and Mike.
 
I’ll bring her
back and you all can give her the scolding she deserves, after me of
course.”
 
Not allowing emotion to
distract him, he mounted, ready to ride.

           
“Wait,
Cash, Sadie packed some food for me.
 
Take
this with you.”
 
Cash grasped the pouch
and rode into the storm.

***

Arte forged ahead
through the blizzard until they reached the old farmhouse, a welcome sight in
the midst of the flurry.
 
Hope surged
through Raeden.
 
They had made it.
 
She slid down and sank to her knees in the
snow.
 
With great effort, she struggled
to the barn and began shoving snow away from the door.
 
Her hands felt frozen and awkward.
 
She continued the task while a feeling of
doom washed over her.

           
The
decrepit door hanging on loose hinges would not swing open.
 
She felt so cold and sleepy.
 
Grabbing lower for better advantage she
yanked harder, fighting, it did not budge.
 
Once more, will it move?
 
Gripping
harder and using her knees for leverage, her hands slipped and flew off the
ice-covered boards.
 
She fell to the
ground making a deep hole where she landed.
 

Maybe I can get Arte inside the house
.
 
She attempted to stand and her knees
buckled.
 
She just needed to rest.
 
I will
just lay here a moment.
 
Arte nuzzled
her face, nickered softly while her brain got hazy and visions of her childhood
ran through her mind’s eye.

***

Raeden felt the
sensation of floating, a vision of Cash staring down into her face his brows
drawn together, and the warmth of his breath forming white gusts each time he
exhaled.
 
I must be dreaming.
 
Her
gloved hand reached to his face and brushed his cheek.

           
Warmth,
blessed warmth.
 
Her skin burned while
Cash briskly rubbed her limbs through her clothing.
 
He walked to a pile of wood and buffalo chips
left in the corner.
 
Soon flames roared
in the fireplace then he reappeared at Raeden’s side.

           
“Cash,
how did you get here?”

           
A
sly grin creased the corners of his mouth.
  
“On my horse.”
 
Moving closer he
pulled her onto his lap and enfolded her in his arms letting her draw in his
heat.
 
Soon warmth from the fire began to
penetrate, knifing through the arctic air.
 
Cash laid her gently aside and stood.
 
“I’ll be right back, Rae.
 
I have
to see to the horses.”

           
Braving
the relentless storm, he trudged through the heavy snow to the barn, kicking
snow aside to force the door open.
 
He
led the horses inside then searched for anything useful, knowing they would be
here a while.
 
He grabbed an old wooden
bucket and filled it with snow on his way back to the shack to melt by the
fire.

           
He
entered to find Raeden shivering out of control, teeth chattering and body
quaking.
 
He hurriedly stripped off her
clothing then his own and climbed under the blanket, pulled the length of her body
along his and rubbed her down.
 
“Rae, you
need to stay awake, sweetheart.
 
Can you
hear me?”
 

           
Her
voice came out as a whisper.
 
“I am so
c..c..cold Cash and so sleepy.”

           
“I
know, just stay awake a while and let me warm you.”

           
He
finally relaxed when she stopped shaking and her body heat climbed.
 
Relief went through him.
 
He’d found her in time but her actions
perturbed him.
Damn greenhorns come out
here without a lick of sense, not knowing what they are getting into.

Keeping her close,
he felt she belonged there, safe and warm in his arms.
 
Her soft curls draped over his chest.
 
A hint of roses drifted up from her hair as
she snuggled closer pulling her knee up over his thigh while he attempted to
maintain control.
 

Twenty-nine

           
The
fire dwindled and Cash slipped from beneath Raeden’s warm body.
 
Only flickering embers provided light,
casting long glowing shadows across the small room.
 
He added fuel to the fire and climbed under
the blanket next to Raeden in their makeshift bed of saddle blankets tossed on
the dirt floor.

           
This
time no attempts to refocus his thoughts helped as his mind drifted to how it
felt inside her, wet, hot, inviting.

           
She
stirred in his arms.
 
As her arm lifted
and draped across his chest, he pressed her closer.
 
He reached for her hand and pressed her
fingertips to his lips.
 
Sleepy eyes
opened and she sighed and peered into his gaze.

           
The
now blazing fire emitted adequate light to see her green misty pools roving
over his face as if trying to memorize each line.
 
When their eyes met once more, the hunger to
have her made him rock hard.
 
Her hand
drifted slowly down his chest tracing through the dark hair with a finger then
across the muscles of his stomach.
 
She
moved them around and down his back then over the roundness of his
buttocks.
 
He thought he would
burst.
 

           
When
she stroked the inside of his thigh, the pressure mounted to an unbearable
state. His grasp tightened around her as he sucked in a breath.
 
Drawn close to the edge, he grasped her hand
rolling her onto her back and admired her lithe figure while running his hands
along her side and over her tiny waist.

She had to be the
most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
 
The smooth pink skin felt like silk under his touch and her hair fell in
thick masses, shining in the firelight like burnished bronze.
 
Her green eyes seemed to pull him, drowning
in their depths.

           
His
hands smoothed all over her body while he kissed her, deep and desperate.
 
His tongue roamed her mouth until she could
hardly breathe.

           
Raeden
felt desire flood to her core.
 
She
wanted him so badly and now at least for this moment, she knew he needed her as
well.
 
She spread her thighs, inviting
his entry.
 
When he moved in close, her
eyes widened at his size.
 
When the tip
of his member touched her, she tensed.

           
“It
won’t hurt, Rae.
 
That’s how much I need
you.”

           
He
held back, sliding a finger then two, stroking and stretching while his thumb
played with the small bud, bringing her just short of her peak while she
writhed under his touch, panting in short gasps.

Wet and pliant,
she arched her back then pushed into his hand moaning.
 
Removing his hand, he took hold of himself,
sliding the tip of his manhood slowly around, dipping and teasing, driving her
mad.

           
“Please
Cash, I can’t stand it.”