Liam (18 page)

She couldn’t move. Didn’t want to. She’d never felt so languid or satiated in her life. And she loved the feel of Liam’s weight upon her while he recovered his strength.

“I could get used to that,” she quipped. “If I was sure I’d survive.”

Liam laughed and rolled off of her. “I knew you’d be magnificent. You’re so passionate and you have a sense of humor. That’s a wonderful thing.”

He pulled her to him and held her against his chest, then covered them both with the sheet and blankets.

“Liam.”

She heard his even breathing and thought he’d fallen asleep.

“Yes, my sweet.”

“Will we do that often?”

She felt rather than heard his laughter.

“Oh, yes. We will do that as often as I’m able and you’re willing.”

Cuddling into his side, she said, “Good.”

~*~

The next morning, Eleanor was up before Liam and put on coffee and started breakfast.

As the bacon cooked, she sat at the table and wondered at the lot God had given her. She had a family; a husband who cared for her; children she adored and if she was very lucky, there would be more children to love. So why did she feel ungrateful? Why did she want a husband who loved her as much as she loved him? She was an ungrateful wretch that was why. She should be happy. Thrilled that her dreams were coming true. And she was happy, but she wanted more.

She got up and went to the stove to turn the bacon.

“Hi there, beautiful.”

Liam came up behind her and pulled her back against him.

It appeared he was ready to make love again. She wasn’t sure she was, only because she was in some pain. She was tender. Her body was not used to what they’d done last night and would need some time to recover.

“How are you feeling this morning,” he asked.

“Sore,” she said honestly. She didn’t want to give him any ideas about doing that again for a while.

“I’m sorry.” He kissed the side of her neck. “Of course, you are. How would you like a bath? Then we can go for a walk.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good. You start the water and I’ll bring in the tub.

After they finished breakfast, she had a good soak in the hot water while Liam went to check in at the mine. The hot water eased her aches and tenderness and made her feel much better.

She dressed with care in her dark blue skirt and a white blouse with lace at the neckline. Having brushed her hair ’til it shone, she was just putting it up into her regular bun when Liam returned.

“How are things at the mine?” she asked, wrapping her hair in a long twist.

Liam came up behind her and stilled her hands. “They’re fine. Running smoothly. Leave your hair down. At least when it’s just the two of us, leave it down. I like it loose.”

She looked up at him and smiled. “All right.” She let go of the twist and ran her fingers through the length, freeing the waves. “I’m ready.”

“Good. Put on your coat, it could be a little chilly.”

For all the time that Eleanor had been in Deadwood, she’d never once gone outside the camp to explore the countryside. Now that she was going to be living on the river, near the mine, Liam wanted to show her the area.

They left the house, went out into the bright sunshine, then walked along the river. Liam held her hand so she wouldn’t fall into the fast moving water. She couldn’t see them, but the scent of lilacs was on the breeze that wafted through her hair.

“Here is where the brothers and I were first prospecting. We found enough nuggets and flake to see to our needs but not much more than that. Then we decided to explore the ridge. That’s where the real gold was—the quartz rock that we’re crushing in the mining operations. We run twenty-four hours a day and have twenty men working for us.”

“That’s amazing. I’m so glad it has worked out for you.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “You do know the find benefits you, too.”

She stopped and shook her head. “Of course, I do, but that’s not the reason I married you and you know it.”

He laughed and pulled her to him. “Yes, I know. You didn’t even know me three months ago.” Leaning down he gave her a kiss.

“This is also the place where Hannah fell into the river. I’ve never been so glad that Becky was part of my family as I was then.”

“Oh, my God. Was the water running as swiftly then?”

“Faster.”

“Thank the Lord for Becky.”

“The Lord had nothing to do with it. Thank Jake for Becky.”

She let it go. Now was not the time to argue faith with him.

“Now come with me. Through the forest and just over the hill,” he pointed to the property on the other side of the house, “is a little meadow. If we’re very lucky we’ll be able to see some deer. There are a couple of new spring fawns.”

They walked up the little rise of land, rocks jutting out all over. She had to be careful not to trip as she wasn’t known to be the surest footed creature. About twenty yards from the house, the forest began. It was a forest where Ponderosa Pine, Blue Spruce, juniper and even some cedar trees abounded. The scent of the trees was amazing. So clean. She decided she would try to have some pine boughs over the fireplace to scent the house. When they got dry, she could throw them in the fire and get new ones. Or she’d find that lilac bush and bring some of those sweet smelling branches in the house.

They walked for about fifteen minutes into the forest. She was glad she’d worn her coat. The temperature in the forest was much cooler because the trees kept out the sunshine.

Liam stopped in front of her.

“Shh,” he whispered, his finger to his lips. With his other hand he pointed between the trees to a clearing down the slope from them. It was wild with colorful flowers and tall grass. She recognized some of the flowers from her time in Colorado. There were Indian paintbrushes and some columbines, honeysuckle and blue bells. Too bad she couldn’t smell them, but the pine overwhelmed all other scents.

Eleanor slowly eased forward until she had a clear view of the little field. She saw several deer. Three of them didn’t have antlers. The female deer was called a doe. The buck had a magnificent rack of antlers. She’d heard her father talk with his parishioners about hunting them and knew what they were named. She couldn’t imagine anyone hunting these beautiful, graceful creatures, yet she was well served by the meat they provided.

She saw movement by a doe. A very small spotted fawn rose from the grass. He found his mother and began to nurse. Each doe probably had a fawn or sometimes two, but she saw only the one.

Suddenly, the buck raised its head and sniffed the wind. What kind of signal he gave to his females she didn’t see, but quick as that, they were running for the trees, away from Liam and Eleanor. The buck followed last, herding his family out of danger.

“What happened? Why did they leave?” asked Eleanor. “We were being so quiet.”

“He could have smelled us on the wind. We are upwind from them. I’m surprised we got as close as we did for as long as we did,” said Liam. “Shall we go back now?”

“Yes,” she stopped and looked up at him. “Thank you for bringing me here today.”

Standing on her tip toes she leaned up and gave him a kiss square on the lips. It was the first that she’d initiated.

He took advantage of her boldness and returned her kiss, holding her face gently between his palms.

“You’re welcome.”

CHAPTER 15

“You failed,” said Richard Jordan, his voice soft, cold, deadly yet he didn’t think the man in front of him realized just what kind of trouble he was in.

“He came in after her. I barely escaped with my life.”

The man stood in front of Jordan, wearing a dirty brown coat, holding what had once been a very nice Stetson hat in front of him.

“Who said you did?” said Richard.

Jordan palmed his knife, stepped forward and slashed the knife across the would-be kidnapper’s throat. The man fell to the ground holding his neck, blood spurting between his fingers. Jordan stepped back, away from the spray of blood.

He looked at the man’s cohort. “Now, let’s see if you can do better, Bobby. Bring me the woman. And take this,” he kicked the dead man with the toe of his boot, “and dispose of it.”

The small, filthy man called Bobby, visibly shook. Jordan liked that. He liked it when people feared him.

“They got married yesterday, boss. He’s taken her to his house on the river.”

“You’re lucky. I planned for this contingency. There is an old prospector’s cabin up near Lead that was recently vacated. Here’s the map to the place. Get her, I don’t care how, and take her there. I have special plans for the new Mrs. Anderson.”

~*~

Eleanor and Liam sat and talked at the breakfast table on the Monday morning after their wedding on Saturday. It seemed like the most normal thing in the world. You’d have thought they’d been married for years rather than a couple of days. She fell into her role as caregiver naturally, having taken care of her father for years. Not that living with Liam was the same, it most certainly was not. Yet the comfort was similar. Would they change when the children came home?

“I have to go to the mine,” said Liam. He set down the fork he’d been using to eat the fried eggs, bacon and toasted bread she’d made them for breakfast. “I know we just got married, but it’s my day to go. I won’t always have to. When we get enough people hired, none of us will have to go to the mine.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, for you to stop going to the mine, I mean,” she said, and then took a sip coffee. “What will you do with yourself if you don’t work?”

“To be honest, I have no idea, but I’m going to have to find something to do. I can’t just sit and twiddle my thumbs. Even going a just a couple of times a week is difficult. I’d like to go every day, but there is not that much work for each of us to do. Zach and Jake need work, too.”

She got up, came around behind him and started to rub his shoulders like she used to do for her father when something troubled him. “Why don’t you and your brothers open a bank? You’ve got the biggest claim and the most money to back it. It would give all of you something to do when the mine has a full contingent of employees.”

He stretched his shoulders, taking advantage of her ministrations, making her smile. She liked touching him, and this was so much different than rubbing her father’s shoulders.

“It’s a good idea, but I don’t know the first thing about opening a bank,” he admitted.

“Go to Cheyenne and talk to some bankers. I’m sure you can find out everything you need to know.”

She used her thumbs to work into the area at the top of his shoulder and was rewarded with a groan.

“That’s a wonderful idea. I’ll go over it with Jake and Zach later today.” He took her hand lifted it and brought it to his lips. “Thank you.” Then he stood up and readied himself to leave. “I’m going to send John Ellsworth back from the mine. You know him. He and his family are some of your father’s
faithful
.”

She blanched at his tone on the word
faithful.

He didn’t seem to notice, “He’ll take you to camp for school, stay with you during the day and then bring you and the children home this afternoon.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?” She took his coat from the peg behind the door where she’d finally hung it up yesterday after he’d flung it on the floor on Saturday, in too much of a hurry to hang it up. She blushed at the memory of his eagerness.

“Hell, yes.” He crushed his hat in his hand. “Have you forgotten so soon what happened and why we ended up married so early?”

“No, of course I haven’t forgotten.” That was untrue. She had forgotten just about everything except making love. Now reality reared its ugly head and she needed to face it like an adult.

“Then let me make the arrangements for your safety that I need to make. Don’t open this door to anyone but Ellsworth.”

She nodded. “Alright, no one but Ellsworth.”

Liam gave her a quick kiss. When she started to turn away he grabbed her arm and swung her back to him.

“Oh,” she said, as she collided with his chest.

“I need more than a peck,” he growled just before his lips claimed hers. His tongue pierced her open mouth and tangled with hers.

The more she kissed him, the more she learned how to kiss him. Liam was a patient teacher and nudged her with his tongue or teased her bottom lip with his thumb, to remind her to part them for his entry.

She wrapped her arms around his neck while his arms wrapped around her back and crushed her to him.

Then to her surprise he started walking her backwards toward their bedroom.

He broke the kiss and grinned at her. “I think I’ll be late today.”

~*~

Bobby Jenkins waited by the side of the road. His quarry would be coming this way in order to make it to camp and teach school. He spit tobacco juice out of his mouth and narrowly missed his boot.

Damn! He needed to pay more attention. If the boss wouldn’t hunt him down and kill him, he might just hightail it out of here, but he’d seen what the boss did to people who pissed him off. It wasn’t a pretty sight.