Kaitlin's Silver Lining (25 page)

With a groan, he
lifted his head. Breathing hard, he rested his forehead against hers. She
pulled away and studied his languid features, his swollen lips, half-closed
eyelids, his cheeks warm with color. He wanted her, totally and completely.
Every gesture made, from the soft moan of delight to his sultry looks,
confirmed his desire for her.

His forehead touched
hers again, and he inhaled deeply. She wanted him. God help her, but she wanted
him in a way that stunned her to the very core of her being. What was it about
Bryce Stanton that made her forget her resolve, made her act like a wilted lily
needing water?

“Ask me,” he said, the
words a mere breath of sound.

“I can’t.” The denial
wormed itself from the very depths of her being. “This is wrong. I can’t just
let you take liberties without some sort of commitment.”

He let her go and ran
his fingers through his golden mane. “And commitment would totally foul up your
plans, wouldn’t it?” His voice was as dry as summer heat.

“False commitment
sure would.” A sudden burst of anger made her pulse beat stronger.

“False commitment?”

“The kind where you
promise me the moon, and I simper and preen and fall into your arms. The moon
eclipses over, and I’m left with nothing but words.”

He grabbed her
shoulders. “I’m not James Latham.”

“I...I can see that.”

“I’m not so sure you
can.”

Her hand flew to her
mouth to stifle an anguished gasp.

He closed his eyes
and sighed. “I’m sorry.” He let her go and rubbed his forehead. “I’m tired, and
if we continue, I’m liable to let my mouth chase my tail. Let’s call it a night
and finish this in the mornin’.”

She might never find another
time to say what was really in her heart. Her gaze followed his progress across
the room.

He picked up his coat
and had one arm in the sleeve before she found her voice. “Stop. I...I don’t
want you to go.”

“What are you
sayin’?”

“It’s too cold for
you to sleep in the barn.”

He let the coat slide
from his arm. “If I stay, I don’t aim to sleep on a palette.”

Her skin warmed.
“You...you won’t have to.”

“Katy, I don’t want
you to feel like I pressured you into somethin’ you’re not ready for. I really
don’t mind sleepin’ in the barn if it’ll make you feel more comfortable.”

“I’m not offering
anything but...but sleep, and it’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before.”
She clasped her hands in front of her and stared at his weary features. “You
look exhausted. I think I’d feel even more uncomfortable if I made you bed down
in the cold.”

“Then if it’s all
right by you, I’ll turn in now.”

She nodded, and he
headed for the only bedroom. He whipped off his belt and yanked out his
shirttails. With his shirt hanging loose, he sat down on the bed and tried to
pull off his boots, but they wouldn’t cooperate. Taking pity, she brought him
the boot puller from the corner of the room. “This will help.”

“Thank you.”

“No. I should thank
you for all you’ve done for me. I know I’ve been stubborn and hard to work
with, and you must think I’m ungrateful, but...”

He held up a hand.
“Katy, I haven’t always been the gentleman my father raised me to be, but I’ve
learned to respect your independence. Never apologize for bein’ yourself.”

She smiled. “Do you
need anything else?”

“Nope.” He stretched
out on her bed fully clothed, his hands clasped behind his head. “Don’t stay up
too late.” He closed his eyes.

Kaitlin allowed her
gaze to wander the length of him. At least he’d saved her room on the bed. She
smiled. All her jumbled emotions no longer bothered her as she realized how
much she’d come to care for this man. A sound caught her attention.
Incredulously, Kaitlin crept closer to the bed.

The man was snoring,
a soft, rumbling sound. Exhaustion had claimed him almost the minute his head
touched the pillow.

Oddly, the sound of
Bryce snoring in her bed, gave her a warm feeling of contentment. Quietly, she
put another log on the fire. After making sure the front room was secure for
the night, she readied herself for sleep.

Dressed in her
flannel nightgown, she approached the bed slowly. It wasn’t like they hadn’t
slept together before, she reasoned. She walked over to the other side of the
bed and carefully peeled the blankets down. Bryce had fallen asleep on top of
the covers, so she wasn’t able to pull them down as far as she’d liked. Gently,
she sat on the edge of the mattress. She extinguished the light from the
kerosene lantern on the bedside table. Careful not to awaken him, she climbed
under the covers.

Kaitlin smiled.
Another time, another place, and their proximity to each other in bed would
have been enough to ruin her reputation. She supposed this night still had the
power to cause her grief, but she was older, less malleable.

She tried to make
herself relax. Finding sleep impossible, she stared at the shadowed ceiling and
mulled over Bryce’s presence in her bed.

She knew exactly what
he’d wanted her to ask him. Knew intuitively they were headed on a collision
course, fated to become one. Bryce wanted a wife. He made no secret of this
desire. So the only question remaining was what she wanted from life.

He seemed to know her
better than she knew herself. He’d forced her to initiate their first kiss.
Unafraid to let a woman take the lead, he’d allowed her to set the pace,
control the moment. The notion both thrilled and frightened her. He offered the
same opportunity tonight. Masterfully, like a well-trained cutting horse, he
was allowing her to direct him toward the chute. Did she really want him there?

Not that she hadn’t
given the matter some thought. With Bryce by her side, she could build this
place into something worthy of Sarge’s approval, worthy of her own approval.
But Bryce was crafty. He wouldn’t settle for a foreman’s position, not when he
could have more.

Ask
me.
The gentle command tugged at her most hidden desires. She wanted
to, but fear kept her from voicing the one question that would take her on a
completely different life journey. She turned her head toward the one man who
might be able to take her safely across the craggy surface, low valleys, and
high peaks.

The man wanted
marriage. He’d wanted her to propose. The opportunity had presented itself, and
she’d balked like a skittish filly. Would he give her another chance? Or would
he take matters into his own hands and ask her?

Ask
me.

The words played over
and over, lulling her into a troubled sleep. The answer seemed as elusive as
the question.
Open your heart, Katy. The answer’s there.

Thirty
One

Something wonderful
stroked her back, sending waves of pleasure along her spine. She stretched
languidly, content to awaken slowly. The covers rustled, and her eyes flew
wide.

Bryce shared her bed.
How could she forget?

She turned, rolling
over to confront the man who stirred her blood. “Good morning.”

His lips curled in a
seductive smile. “Mornin’.”

He remained on top of
the covers fully clothed, while she cuddled beneath the bedspread.

Hiding.

She balked at the
errant thought, but knew it to be true. When they’d spent their first night
together, she’d asked for his attentions, and he’d turned her down, claiming a
chivalrous need to protect her emotions from further pain. Last night, she’d
run from her desires like a skittish horse. He hadn’t been far from the mark
when he’d accused her of running. But goodness, the man knew how to make her
emotions roil like a thundercloud over the desert.

And this morning? How
did she feel this morning?

She stared at his
full lips framed by the thick mustache and licked her own lips. The man’s gaze
held hers with such passion that she wanted to bury herself deep within his embrace.

An unexpected
resolved settled over her. He’d accused her many times of hiding, of running
from a haunting past. Today, she was done with hiding.

“Bryce?” The plea
left her mouth before she could formulate her thoughts.

“I love the way you
look in the mornin’, all tousled, like a wild mare after a mornin’s gallop.”

She peeled the covers
away and shivered when cold air touched her skin. If she asked, would he turn
her away again? He’d wanted her last night. She hoped he wanted her still.

He gave her a gentle
but knowing smile. “Ask me.”

He made no move to
touch her, to reassure her with kisses. Instead he waited for her to take the
lead. Her tongue darted over her lips, and she hesitated. She wanted this man
with an intensity that shook her very core.

“Please.”

“Tell me what you
really want, and I’ll move heaven and earth to oblige.”

Oh God, she didn’t
want to beg. Couldn’t he read her mind, her heart?

He reached out a
finger and stroked her cheek. She closed her eyes against the gentle touch.

“Kiss me.”

“One kiss won’t be
enough.”

She knew what he
wanted, what he desired. Wrapping arms around herself, she stared into his
eyes. “Make me warm, Bryce.”

After rolling from
the bed, he gathered two logs and bent to tend the fire. She propped herself on
her elbow to watch his graceful movements. The new wood hissed and cracked as
flames licked around them. He straightened and turned to look at her.

“Come back to bed,”
she said, surprising herself with her sudden confidence.

He reached for the
buttons of his shirt and worked them free. Her eyes widened when he shrugged
out of the flannel garment and exposed his red long johns. His fingers trailed
lower and unfastened his pants. Sliding them down narrow hips, he peeled them
from his body.

He paused, and she
knew he waited for reassurance. She nodded, her gaze riveted to his sculpted
muscles.

“Tell me again what
you want,” he said.

“You. I—I want you.”

The rest of his
clothing fell to a heap beside the bed, and he slid beneath the covers. A
sudden shyness overcame her. He’d allowed her to lead, but in this she had no
skill. What should she do next?

He seemed to
understand her dilemma, for he snuggled closer. “I think I’ve waited a lifetime
for this moment.” He pulled her head toward him and caught her lips with his
own, plundering her mouth with liquid heat.

The billowing
nightgown she wore felt cumbersome and restricting. She wanted to feel his
warmth next to hers. Tearing her lips from his, she pushed him away and shoved
the covers to her waist. He frowned but smiled when she tugged at the ties of
her garment. Nervous fingers knotted the fastenings, and he brushed her fingers
aside to finish. With each undone tie, he bent his head and pressed a kiss to
her exposed skin. Her heart raced with the anticipation of more.

“Lift your arms,
sweetheart,” he murmured and she complied.

Within minutes, her
body lay exposed to his gaze. Desire stoked the fire in his eyes, and intense
heat swept through her. He pulled her into his warmth and cradled her nakedness
against his own. The cold room no longer teased her flesh with goose bumps.

“Beautiful.” He
suckled a breast, kneading and squeezing until she thought she could take no
more.

He lifted his head.
“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that. You cover your generous curves
with plain clothin’, but I knew you hid the mother lode behind all the drab
colors. I must be the richest man alive to find such wealth.”

His compliment caused
another surge of sensation to flare. She parted her thighs, instinctively
knowing where he would touch her next. He settled between her legs. Feeling his
hardness brush against her, she throbbed with a need she didn’t understand. He
stroked her gently with his fingers, and she lifted her hips, seeking more. His
desire made her feel special, wanted, needed. She closed her eyes, letting the
heady sensations pour into her soul.

He planted kisses
along her neck and nibbled on her earlobe. She arched her back, pulling him
tighter to her breast. “Make me warmer, cowboy.”

A chuckled rumbled
between them. “I knew you’d approach this new experience with a willin’ heart.
Open for me, Katy.”

She clutched at his
firm buttocks and guided him. He entered her slowly, allowing her to adjust to
the fullness. The gesture wasn’t lost upon her but her passions were inflamed,
and she wanted him now. With driving need, she thrust her hips upward. A small
cry erupted from her lips at the sudden pain.

He stilled. “Catch
your breath. It won’t last long.”

The pain dimmed, to
be replaced with wave after wave of throbbing delight. Her eyes widened, and he
smiled. Slowly, he set a rhythmic pace, taking her on a journey she would never
forget.

~ *
~

They collapsed on the
bed, spent. Bryce stared at the ceiling, sated and content. Would she believe
him now if he declared his love? Or would his confession fluster her?

He turned on his side
and stroked her cheek. “Are you okay?”

She turned into his
touch and smiled. “Now I know why women get married.”

“Do you want to?”

“Do I what?” Her brows
furrowed.

He narrowed his eyes.
“Ask me, Katy. Let’s be done with all pretense between us.”

“Pretense? Do you
think what just happened was pretense?”

He rolled from the
bed and yanked on his long johns. The darn woman put words into his mouth. One
minute they shared the most spectacular bedding he’d ever experienced and the
next, she tossed accusations at his head.

Well, she could
pretend all she wanted, but she’d be his wife if he had to hogtie her and put a
gun to her back. The image made him chuckle and calmed his sudden flare of
temper. He turned back to her. “What we just shared was very real.”

She dragged the
covers to her chin, hiding her nudity. “You make me so confused. I’m a
different person when I’m with you.”

“Ah, Katy.” He leaned
over and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “You’re always so strong, so
independent. I promise. You don’t have to give up that part of yourself for
me.”

“You make me want
things I’ve fought hard to put aside.”

“Marriage? A family?”

She nodded.

“I want those things
too.”

“For Charley.” She
looked down at the wrinkled sheets.

He shook his head.
“For myself and for you.”

God, she was
magnificent. With her hair tousled from their lovemaking and her face etched
with uncertainty, she looked like a skittish mare. She would not come to the
bit easily, yet the gossips cut his time short. In his saddlebag, the two
newspaper articles hung heavy over his head and his heart.

He’d hoped she’d see
how good they were together and ask him to marry her. Every thinking cell he
owned told him she needed to do the proposing. If he showed her the column,
would she see reason and understand the need for haste or would she gallop
away? He could force the issue. Sarge would not stand by while his daughter’s
reputation unraveled one thread at a time.

On the other hand, if
she asked now and he accepted, would she think he manipulated her into a
proposal once she saw the paper?

All he wanted was to
love her, to protect her, to wake up every morning in her arms.

“I know what you want,
and I want more than anything to give it to you, but I need time to work past
all that’s happened. I don’t trust easy, Bryce, but of all the men I’ve known,
you’re the only one I feel comfortable with. I just can’t give you more right
now.”

He took a deep breath
and exhaled slowly. “There may not be time.” With that, he finished dressing
and padded barefoot to the other room to scrounge up some food. His mind was
unsettled as he contemplated his next visit with Sarge. With a heavy sigh, he
knew he’d keep the printed lies a secret until Katy could make up her mind
about marriage. Eventually, she’d come around. He was sure of it.