Love's Sweet Revenge (30 page)

Jake grinned and shook his head, heading out with Randy. He noticed Evie hurrying toward him.

“Daddy, is it true? You can come home with us?”

Jake kept Randy in one arm and embraced Evie with the other. “What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be back at the hotel.”

“I couldn't leave, Daddy! I just couldn't. I made Brian let me wait outside on the steps.”

Jake hugged her close, kissing her hair. “You shouldn't have done what you did, angel. It wasn't necessary. I didn't want you to go through that.”

“But it
was
necessary,” she argued. Tall like her brother, she didn't have to stand on tiptoes to hug Jake. “I think God wanted me to speak up, Daddy. He's the one who gave me the courage and put the words in my mouth. I'm okay. Really.”

Jake glanced at Brian. “I'm damn sorry, Brian. I didn't want her to do this.”

Brian touched her shoulder. “I tried to get her to the hotel, but far be it for me to be able to stop her when she makes up her mind. We both know where she gets that from.”

“My daughter is a brave, strong, determined young woman!”

“Yeah, well, I've never been able to say no to her since the day I met her.” Brian gently pried her away from Jake. “Come on, honey, come back to the hotel with me.”

They were outside on the steps by then, and Jake whistled for a cab. “I want Evie and Katie and Lloyd to go back in a buggy. All three of them should get some rest and
stay
in bed the rest of the night.” He grasped Randy's arm. “Do you want to go back with them?”

“No, I want to stay right here with you. And the kids can all walk with us.”

Brian climbed into the enclosed cab with the two women and Lloyd. The buggy pulled away, and people continued to mingle around Jake and Randy.

“Grampa has his guns now!” Little Jake bragged. “Nobody can take him away now!”

People laughed, and Jake picked the boy up again. Randy walked ahead of him with her arms around Ben and Stephen. Pepper and Cole walked on either side, keeping a lookout for anyone who might decide to make a name for themselves, namely one Brad Buckley.

Jeff walked briskly behind all of them.
No jail time for Jake Harkner!
he wrote. He considered what just the right headline should be. He would wire the news to every newspaper he could right away. “Jake, I'll meet up with you and the family tomorrow morning,” he told Jake. “All of you need some time alone.”

“You be sure to come out to the J&L as soon as your wife can travel,” Jake answered. “And if you and the wife need help in any way sometime, you let me know, and I'll damn well come to Chicago.”

“It's the same for me, Jake. You know that, but I'm not so sure you should come to a big city again,” Jeff joked.

“Yeah, well, you don't fit the J&L any more than I fit into a city!” Jake shot back.

Jeff laughed. “After riding with you for all those weeks in Oklahoma? Hell, I'm a real cowboy now. I'll come out to the ranch, and you can teach me how to wrangle down a calf for branding.”

Jake laughed harder. “Please do! That is something the boys would definitely want to watch!”

“Then by God, I'll come out and do just that!” He shook Jake's hand again, sobering. “You're the best friend a man could have, Jake. I've never met anybody quite like you. I meant what I told the judge.”

Jake squeezed his hand. “You're a damn good friend yourself.”

Jeff nodded and let go. “I'd better get this news on the wire. You're good for my career, Jake.”

Jake grinned. “Nice to know I'm good for
something
.” He turned to join the rest of the family in their walk back to the hotel. He answered questions and joked with others the whole way, finally setting Little Jake down. The boy ran to catch up with his grandmother while Jake lit a cigarette and took a deep drag on the smoke, secretly thanking God for his freedom.
I don't know why You keep getting me out of trouble
, he prayed.
I'm sure you did it for Evie.

He watched Randy walking ahead of him, loved the yellow dress she wore and the gentle sway to her hips. He'd never loved her more than at this moment, for all she'd gone through to give him this beautiful family he didn't deserve.

There was a time when he didn't have a clue what love was about. Little Jake ran back to him, and it hit Jake that the boy seemed the epitome of the love he'd never known at that age. He drew on the cigarette again, shaking off ugly memories as he picked Little Jake up while keeping the cigarette between his lips.

“Can I smoke, Grampa?”

“Hell no!”

“
You
smoke.”

Jake scowled at him. “Little Jake, you and I need to have a good talk. I absolutely do not want you trying to be like your grampa in all the wrong ways.”

“Mommy says I should be proud you're my grampa.”

“Yeah, well, your mommy sees a lot of things through rose-colored glasses.”

Little Jake frowned. “Mommy doesn't wear glasses.”

“I'm talking about Mommy thinking everybody is good.”

“Aren't
you
good?”

Jake shifted him to one arm and took another drag on the cigarette before taking it from his lips. “I'm good to grandsons who mind me. That means you can't smoke, and you can't say bad words in front of your mother. She is a very special woman with a big heart and a special faith, and she doesn't like hearing bad words.”

“Sometimes you say sonofabitch in front of her.”

“Yeah, well, I try real hard to watch what I say around your mother, but I grew up hearing bad words, and nobody taught me not to say them, so now they come out of my mouth sometimes when I don't want them to. You are young enough to start teaching yourself right now to watch what you say in front of nice people.”

Little Jake scowled. “Did you really kill your daddy like that man said in the courthouse?”

Jake set him on his feet and crouched in front of him, tossing his cigarette aside. “Little Jake, that's a long story, and it's not something we can talk about right now, okay? I promise to explain another time.”

Little Jake touched his face. “Was he real mean like Ben's daddy was?”

Jake struggled with memories that once would have taken him into hell's darkness. “He was a thousand times worse, Little Jake. Some people don't know anything about love.” He kissed the boy's cheek. “Not like I love you and your daddy and mommy and Lloyd and this whole family. We all know about love, don't we?”

Little Jake nodded, throwing his arms around his grandfather's neck again. “I'm sorry he was mean to you, Grampa.”

Jake rose and tucked the boy under one arm as they walked, causing Little Jake to squeal with glee at hanging off his grandpa's side like a sack of potatoes. Jake couldn't help wondering what it might have been like to have a father who'd loved him.

He took a deep breath and forced back the black memories, noticing Randy was surrounded by women asking questions. He set Little Jake down and told him to go walk with Stephen and Ben and not let go of their hands. He hurried closer to Randy, putting an arm around her. “Ladies, my wife is done answering questions. Thank you for your concern.”

“Thank you,” Randy told him, putting an arm around his back. “Jake, I can't believe we walked out of that courthouse together.”

He leaned down and kissed her lightly. “I'm sure it's due mostly to the power of our daughter's prayers.” He decided not to mention Little Jake's question about Jake's father. He was determined not to think about that now. This was a time for happiness. He swept Randy up into his arms. “Let's get to our room, woman. We have a private celebration ahead of us!”

* * *

At the railroad station, Brad Buckley, holding a hastily packed carpetbag, watched a young man run through the crowd.

“Did you hear?” the boy shouted. “That judge let Jake Harkner off and told him to go home!”

Several people in the crowd whistled and cheered. Brad watched from the steps to the passenger car he was boarding.

“Goddamn lucky sonofabitch!” he grumbled through gritted teeth. He climbed the steps and went inside, taking a seat.
I'll still find a way to make you pay for killing my father, Jake Harkner! I'll do it right under your nose, and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it, because if they find me dead, you'll hang!

Katie helped Lloyd undress, pulling off his shirt. She ached at the bandages still wrapped around his chest. She hated the thought that there would be a scar, yet he was still so magnificent in every other way and getting stronger every day. “I hope this is our last night in this hotel room,” she told him.

Lloyd sat down. “You aren't the only one.”

Katie removed his boots and socks. “Stand back up, and I'll help you get these pants off,” Katie told him.

Lloyd rose and unbuckled his belt. “I hate needing help.”

“Of course you do. Men like you are used to doing for yourselves.” Katie pulled off his denim pants, and he stepped out of them.

Suddenly, Katie couldn't get back up. It hit her then that she'd almost lost him. She could easily be a widow now instead of having her husband standing here in front of her, walking and talking and breathing. The trying day caught up with her, and she covered her face and wept.

“Baby, don't,” Lloyd told her. He reached down and helped her to her feet, then pulled her into his arms and pressed her close.

“I'm afraid I'll hurt you!” she wept.

“You won't hurt me.” He led her to the bed. “Lie down beside me, Katie. I want to start sleeping with you again. I miss you beside me at night.”

“We can't—”

“Yes we can.” He scooted onto the bed and kept an arm around her middle, wrapping her into his arms. “Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and see you sleeping on that damn cot all alone, and it drives me crazy,” he told her.

Katie couldn't stop the tears. “Oh, Lloyd, when I saw you go down that night…” She curled against him. “I thought my life was over! I've tried to be strong through all of this, but it's so hard.”

“You've been wonderful. God, Katie, we've hardly talked, and you've been through so much. I was so afraid you'd lose the baby.”

“For those first few days, I thought the baby would be all I had left of you.”

“Well, I'm here now, and it won't be long before I can show you I'm back in every way.” He met her mouth in a long, deep kiss, then moved his lips to her eyes again, licking at her tears. “Don't cry, Katie. Everything will be all right now. We'll go home to the J&L and our baby girl and our own bed, and we'll pick up where we left off the last time we made love in that bed.” He moved his lips down to kiss at the lovely mounds where her breasts peeked above the bodice of her dress.

Someone tapped at the door. “You two need anything tonight?”

It was Jake.

“Hell no!” Lloyd answered. Katie laughed again, and he pulled her closer, moving one leg over her. “Go away!” Lloyd added. “I've been looking at your ugly mug every day for over three weeks, Pa. I'm looking at someone prettier right now, and if you come in here, I'll fire you from the J&L!”

He heard his father laugh as Katie pushed at him and chided him for the remark.

“You couldn't run that place without me,” Jake answered.

Lloyd rocked Katie in his arms. “Watch me try!” He and Katie both broke into more laughter, and Lloyd quickly yanked part of the covers over them. “All you have to do is come through that door, and you'll have to find a new place to live!”

Jake laughed again. “You two had better be able to get up in the morning because we're leaving for the J&L. I'm not staying in this damn dirty city one more day. I'm ready for some fresh air.”

“Hell, I'll leave tonight if you want to,” Lloyd answered. “Fine with me.”

“Get some rest,” Jake ordered. “
Both
of you! Don't overdo anything.”

“Just go pay some attention to my poor mother!” Lloyd teased. “And if I were you, I'd kiss her the way you kissed Gretta MacBain earlier, or
she
might kick you out. Mom needs your attention way more than I do.”

Outside the door, Jake smiled and breathed a deep sigh of relief. “You're damn right there,” he muttered. He turned, a lump in his throat at the fact that his son was alive and back to his jabbing remarks, which meant he was definitely getting better. He went to his own room, going inside to see Randy removing her hat.

“Our son is healing fast.” He closed the door.

Randy walked over and helped him take off his suit jacket.

“Jake, ever since we got back here and all through dinner, you didn't tell me what it did to you to have that prosecutor practically scream out that you killed your own father. Are you all right?”

“I'm fine.” He finished unbuttoning the shirt himself. “I'm glad Ben and Stephen already knew, so they weren't shocked. When we were walking back, Little Jake asked me if it was true. I told him I'd talk to him about it another time but that some people just don't know how to love. I think he's okay with it for now, but I definitely need to explain more to him. Right now, he just thinks my father was a really mean man like Ben's father was.” He pulled off his shirt. “Ben's father was a saint compared to mine,” he added with obvious venom. He looked Randy over. “My God, you're beautiful. Have I told you that yet today?” He walked up to her and moved one finger down into her cleavage. “I love this spot.” He leaned down and kissed her there.

“Jake, you are deliberately changing the subject.”

He walked her backward toward the bed. “The way this dress fits every beautiful curve of your body drove me crazy all day today. I kept wondering if I'd ever get to take it off you.”

“Jake Harkner, if you need to talk about things that were said today, then talk about it. I know what it must have done to you when Little Jake asked about your father.”

“I
don't
need to talk about it.” He pulled her full onto the bed. “I just want to celebrate the way that hearing went and enjoy the fact that I am free to be with my wife tonight in our own bed in our own hotel room—and that we're free to go home.”

Randy stroked his hair away from his face. “Are you sure you're all right?”

“I'm sure.” He leaned down and covered her mouth with his in a searching kiss, grasping her hair at the back in a strong, commanding grip. He moved his lips to behind her ear. “I've wanted to kiss you like this all day.”

“Oh?” She playfully pushed him away. “That was a pretty good kiss you planted on Gretta MacBain's lips earlier.”

Jake grinned, grasping her shoulders and turning her over to unbutton her dress. “For your information, she wanted me to kiss her in the back room of that clothing store, but I refused. Then I figured after the way she stood up for me today, she deserved that kiss. Call it compensation for her services.”

“Compensation? Are your kisses worth money now?”

Jake laughed. “I don't know. You tell me.” He continued releasing button after button.

“Well, I can think of a lot of women who would gladly pay for the chance to kiss the notorious Jake Harkner. They are all curious to know what it's like.”

He got off the bed. “Stay right where you are.”

She lay facedown as he yanked the dress down over her shoulders. “And what do
you
say those kisses are worth?” He jerked the dress down over her hips and threw it over a chair, then pulled off her slips.

“Well, I always get those kisses for free, so I wouldn't know how to put a price on them,” Randy quipped.

Jake pulled off her shoes, then pulled down her stockings. “Free?” He yanked off her underwear, down over her feet, then kissed the back of her legs. Randy shivered when his kisses trailed up to her backside. “My God, you still have the prettiest bottom,” he said softly. More kisses. “It's perfectly round and small, and it drives me crazy.” He rolled her over and began unlacing her camisole. “Baby, you don't get my kisses for free. You pay for them every time with this beautiful body.”

“Well, whatever they cost, I'll gladly pay for it—for
your
services.”

He kissed her hard and deep, stroking her legs, her bottom, between her legs, over her belly, up to her breasts as her camisole spilled open. He pulled her to a sitting position and tossed the camisole to the floor.

“Are you saying you're paying for
stud
services?”

Randy reached up and began pulling pins from her hair as he got off the bed to finish undressing. “Something like that. Right now, just touching you and knowing you're here and free is thrilling enough in itself. I'm so happy, Jake! I just want to be sure you don't go into that dark place over things that were said today.”

“I am very much in the light, Mrs. Harkner. And right now all I want is to be inside you. Just give me a minute to get the rest of these clothes off.”

Randy shook out her hair. “Oh, I am enjoying the show, Mr. Harkner.” She scooted farther back on the bed and wrapped her arms over her breasts. “Are you sure you don't mind that these breasts aren't so perky anymore?”

“Baby, your breasts are beautiful and full, and the best part is they belong just to me.” He shed the rest of his clothes and climbed back onto the bed, pulling her down underneath him and reaching under her hips. “So does this sweet bottom.”

Randy breathed deeply. It seemed everything about her husband was still big and hard, yet he could be so gentle it seemed to defy his size and the ruthlessness he could sometimes show others. He was all over her then, hands and lips touching and caressing and tasting, rolling her over to again kiss her bottom. He massaged her back to work out the tenseness of the day, then turned her back over, sending desire through her blood as he kissed at her neck, her breasts, her belly, down to secret places. She became totally lost in the need to please this man she had no right falling in love with all those years ago. This man she couldn't even begin to imagine living without.

She cried out his name in an almost painful climax and grasped his hair as he worked his lips back over her belly to her breasts and finally her mouth.

“Do you know how much I love you?” he asked between kisses.

“It had better be a lot for me to let you do such disrespectful things to me.”

Jake grinned. “I love your wicked side.” He searched her mouth, trailed his lips to her throat, then began kissing her everywhere again—her eyes, her ears, her neck, between her breasts, her nipples, her belly, back down to press his tongue against her swollen, aching privates to refresh her climax, teasing her in a way that made her mad with the want of him.

“You didn't get enough of this last night?” she teased in a groaning whisper as he kissed his way back to her throat.

“That was desperate, terrified lovemaking, and I wasn't gentle with you,” he answered. “I'm sorry,
mi esposa
.”

“Right now I don't
want
you to be gentle.” She leaned up and kissed his chest. “And if you don't get inside of me right this minute, I'm going to die of frustration. You are deliberately making me crazy.”

Jake kissed her again as he entered her, grasping her bottom and shoving deep. He groaned from the most intense love and satisfaction he'd felt in a long time.

“Jake, you're really here!” Randy couldn't help the tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck and cried out with the agony and the ecstasy of having him inside of her, filling her deep and hard. Always there was the terror inside her that she might lose him. He grasped her hair and moved in a gentle rhythm until finally he groaned with his own climax, wondering how a man could make love to the same woman for so many years and still find it so satisfying.

He knew the answer, and it wasn't just because she was so beautiful on the outside. It was because she was so beautiful on the inside…because she'd loved the unlovable…because she'd forgiven the unforgivable…because she'd waded through hell with him and never once complained…because she'd taught him about this glorious thing called love.

He held her close. “I've decided not to wait another day,” he told her. “Let's head home tomorrow. Lloyd is well enough to at least ride in the buggy or in the covered wagon, and Brian can take care of changing his bandages and keeping an eye on that wound. Besides, the best medicine for him is what's probably going on in that room next door right now. Going back to the J&L will heal him even faster.”

“Oh, yes, let's go home: to our beautiful little granddaughters who must wonder if we're ever coming back, to the valleys and the mountains and the horses and the cattle and that big log home and our own bed.” Randy ran her hands over his firm biceps and into his hair, drawing him down to meet her mouth in another delicious kiss. She smiled when the kiss ended. “I guess I
would
pay for these kisses if I had to.”

“Oh, you'll pay, all right.” Jake moved inside her again. “Get set for a wild ride, baby,” he told her, “and I don't mean tomorrow on a horse.”