Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco Book 1) (22 page)

“No, I really hadn’t thought about them.”

“You do. They are not too small or too big. Absolutely perfect…for me.” He leaned down and took one into his mouth.

Nellie gasped and felt herself become moist, wanting and ready for him to fill her. She ran her fingers through his hair and coaxed him up to her for a kiss.

They broke apart and Blake said, “Ah, Nell, what you do to me. An hour, a minute, doesn’t go by that I don’t think of you or dream of this, of loving you and you loving me.”

“When we are together, you make me feel special and wanted.” It killed her not to say loved, but she wasn’t ready to admit aloud that she loved him. What if he rejected her love? Rejected her? She wasn’t prepared for that.

“You are both of those things. Very special and most definitely wanted.”

“Blake,” her breath caught in her throat. “Fill me now, don’t make me wait.”

“Your request is my command.”

He filled her to overflowing, loved her as only he could. When they were done, both of them replete, they lay back on the pillows, still touching, still holding hands, and breathing hard from their exertion.

“You’re magnificent, Nellie.” He rolled her into his arms, cocooned her. “I love you.” The words were barely a whisper as they brushed across her temple.

He fell asleep almost immediately so Nellie wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. She wanted to shake him awake and make him repeat it, but she didn’t. For now she’d let him sleep while she wallowed in the knowledge.

Nellie cuddled into him and thought about the declaration he’d made. He loved her. Did she imagine it? Should she tell him back? What if she did imagine his profession, because she wanted it so much? What if she admitted she loved him and he didn’t say it back?

CHAPTER 15

Four days later, Nellie had Otis take her around to all the ladies homes. They picked up bundle after bundle and crate after crate of clothing and food for the widows and orphans. They picked up so much Nellie ended up riding with Otis on the top of the carriage.

Once they got home she sent Otis to go rent a wagon to take all the items to the shanty town the next day.

Thursday blossomed into a lovely day. Otis and James loaded the freight wagon with all the crates and bundles, including those from Nellie. She rode with Otis on the wagon, much to Blake’s consternation. He wanted to hire someone to drive the freight wagon and she’d take the carriage because it offered more protection. She insisted that it would be fine, she was with Otis.

They pulled up in front of the shanty town church, and the reverend came out to greet them.

“Mrs. Malone, I hadn’t expected to see you so soon, and with such bounty.”

Otis set the brake, climbed down, and came around to help Nellie down from the wagon’s seat.

“Well,” she said, dusting off her dress. “Reverend…er, what is your name? I can’t just keep calling you reverend.”

“Schossow. My name is Lyle Schossow.”

“Well, Reverend Schossow, I enlisted the aid of some of the city’s matrons and we’ve decided the widows and orphans here need our help. We’re donating the clothing and food, but we’re also making plans to raise money and build an orphanage. We thought we could have some raffles and a ball and beg, if we had to, in order to get it done.”

“Mrs. Malone,” the reverend as he dabbed at the corner of his eye. “That is so kind of you. So much more than I ever could have expected.”

“Well, if this isn’t just the sweetest sight I seen today.”

Nellie gasped and swung around to face the woman attached to the deep, throaty voice.

“Maddie Singer. What are you doing here?” Nellie took in the somber black dress that Maddie wore. It definitely wasn’t her usual attire.

“Madeline?” said the reverend. “Do you know Mrs. Malone?”

“You might say that, Reverend, but we’re going to get to know each other even better.” She pulled a gun from the pocket of her skirt and pointed it at Nellie. “Come with me now, and no one else will get hurt.”

“Madeline, put that gun away,” instructed the reverend.

“Not likely, Reverend. I haven’t been coming around to the church this past week for my health. I’ve been waiting for her.” Maddie nodded in Nellie’s direction.

“Are you going to kill me this time Maddie?” Nellie looked around for a means of escape and found none.

“You realized the last time, the shove into the street, was me, did you? Well, that was a weak effort on my part. My timing was off, and you have the luck of the Irish.” She sneered. “Those horses should have trampled you.”

Nellie saw Otis move his hand toward his belt where his gun was.

Her heart pounded in her chest.

Maddie saw him, too. “Don’t do it, Mister Driver Man. I’d just as soon not shoot her now, but I will. If you don’t want that to happen, then you just throw that gun over there behind you into the mud. It won’t be of much use then, even if you get it back.”

After a glance and a shrug toward Nellie, Otis threw the gun as he was told to.

“Now back off to the other side of the wagon. I don’t want you anywhere near us.”

Again, he did as he was told.

Nellie couldn’t blame him, he was only trying to keep Maddie happy and Nellie alive.

The reverend in the mean-time stood stock still, his mouth agape.

“Now Reverend, you go and open the door to the church. Open it wide, and then get out.”

The reverend went up the steps to the door on the old wooden building. He opened it as wide as it would go, and then walked back out and down the steps.

Mattie stood to the side of the stairs with the church building at her back.

“Now you go stand next to the driver around the back side of that wagon. That’s right, don’t try and be heroic, you’ll just end up dead.”

“Don’t hurt them. It’s not them you want it’s me,” pleaded Nellie, clutching the folds of her skirt.

“You stupid bitch, it’s not you I want, I want Blake. He should be getting my message about now. As soon as I saw you drive up, I sent one of the kids here to The Nugget with a note. You see, I’ve been coming here every day for the past week, waiting for you to return. Trixie told me you’d come here with your donations. She told me how you were getting the other muckity-mucks wives involved.” Maddie didn’t move and kept her gun trained on Nellie.

“Trixie? She’s your friend. We know she lied to protect you when your husband was killed in New Orleans.” Nellie was shaking and hoped it didn’t come through in her voice.

“Well, poor Trixie didn’t want to die like Sam did.” Her voice rose with each new accusation. “Sam should have agreed with me, he should have let me sell the business and come here like I wanted to. I wanted us both to, but he wouldn’t listen, and so he had to die.”

“So will you kill Blake now, after you kill me?” She hoped her false bravado would buy her some time.

“No! Blake is mine,” she yelled. “He loves me or at least he will after you’re gone. And when he sees you beg for your life, sees how weak you really are, he’ll come to me. He needs someone strong, someone who is his equal. That’s me. I’m the one who helps run the business. I’m the one who arranged to get a mail-order bride. I’m the one he told all his secret longings to. Until you came. Then everything changed, but it will all be better when you’re dead.”

“That’s not going to happen Maddie. Blake loves me.”
I pray that’s true.
“He’ll care for my children when I’m gone. He’ll not marry their mother’s murderer.”

“No,” she screeched. “You’re wrong. He will love me. He’ll take me back. You’ll see.” She let out a high pitched laugh. Nellie watched as Maddie lost what was left of her sanity. “Actually, you won’t see because you’ll be dead. Now get up those stairs into the church.”

“No. I won’t go inside where you can kill me and might get away with it.” Nellie squared her shoulders. “If you want to shoot me, do it here, do it now.”
God, I wished I’d hugged my children just one more time.

“You think I won’t? I shot Sam and got away with it.”

“There were no witnesses in New Orleans,” said Nellie as she waved her hand at the immediate area. “Are you going to shoot, the reverend and Otis as well as me? Who are you going to shoot first?”

“Or maybe you’d like to start with me?”

With a gasp, Nellie swung around and saw Blake striding toward her.

“Stop!” screamed Maddie, waving the gun between Nellie and Blake. “You’re not supposed to be here yet.”

“Trixie told me what you had planned. Apparently, she doesn’t want to be your accomplice any longer,” said Blake coming abreast of Nellie. “It’s over Maddie, the police are just behind me. You won’t get away from here alive if you don’t give me that gun now.”

“No,” said Maddie as she backed up the steps and into the church, her eyes wide. “This isn’t the way it’s supposed to happen. She’s supposed to die. Don’t you understand? She’s got to die.”

Maddie pointed the gun at Nellie and fired.

Blake pushed Nellie to the ground and covered her with his body.

Moments later, Otis called out, “I’ve got ’er gun Mr. Malone. You can come up now.”

Blake helped Nellie up.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt? I’m so sorry,” Blake said while he checked her all over with his hands.

“Blake, I’m fine, but you’re bleeding.” She pointed at his upper arm, her eyes widened.

He looked and saw blood seeping from his jacket. “It’s nothing. A graze. Are you sure you’re not hurt? What about the baby?” He touched her stomach.

She put her hand over the top of his. “We’re fine.”

“Let’s go home. I have the carriage around the corner.” He put his arm around her shoulders and they walked together to the carriage.

James was sitting atop the carriage with a gun at the ready.

Blake helped her into the coach. “Home, James,” he said and then climbed in beside her.

“Yes, sir.”

“Nellie, are you sure you’re alright? I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.” He rubbed at her hands.

“I know,” she said, sadly. “Because of the baby.”

He stilled and shot her a sharp look. “Is that what you really believe? That I only care for you because of the baby?”

Biting her lip, she looked out the window. “I did believe that, until a few nights ago,” she said the words softly. “But then I thought…I thought I heard you say ‘I love you’, just before you went to sleep and I haven’t known what to think. I’m so confused.”

“Come here.” He gathered her close. “Nellie, look at me.”

She turned her face up, knowing her eyes were full of tears and that with a blink of her lashes they would fall.

“Yes?”

“Nellie, I love you.” He cupped her face in his hands. “When Trixie told me what Maddie had been doing and planning, my blood turned to ice. I’ve never in my life been as afraid as I was that I might lose you.”

“Because of the baby.”

“No, because of
you.
I love
you
.” He squeezed her shoulders. “The baby is a bonus, just as Henry and Violet are bonuses. But I love you.”

Warmth infused her chest and she sniffled as the tears rolled down her face. “I love you, too. I have for so long, but I was afraid to tell you. Afraid you would reject me.”

“I’m sorry I made you believe that. I thought if you knew how much I love you, that you would be more vulnerable. I needed for you to stay strong.”

He took her face between his palms and kissed her, wiped away her tears with his thumbs and kissed her again. “I love you, Nellie Malone. Since the first day I saw you, I couldn’t wait to make you mine. When you agreed to marry me and come live with me, I thought myself the luckiest man alive.”

“Oh, Blake. I felt the same way. I knew that it was the right thing to marry you. I don’t know why, but I felt it in my heart.” She nestled next to him.

He kissed her, again, deeply, and she returned his ardor. She wrapped her arms around his neck, brought him close, and held him there with her lips. He finally broke the kiss and moved his lips down her neck. He unbuttoned her dress, opened it and exposed the corset she wore. Then he bent and kissed the tops of her breasts, ran his fingers along the top of the corset and delved in to tweak her nipples.

“Oh, God, Blake.” She threw her head back, heat radiating through her to her core.

She held on to his shoulders, while he ravaged her, but there wasn’t enough time and soon the carriage was slowing its pace.

He helped her button up, and she smoothed his hair where she’d run her fingers through it.

“Let’s continue this upstairs, shall we?”

Gripping her hand, he helped her down from the carriage.

“Oh, yes, we shall.”

Cook came running down the steps. “Mrs. Malone, Mrs. Malone. Are you alright? Did you get hurt? Your beautiful dress is a mess, and you’re covered with mud.”

Nellie looked down at her dress, and then she looked at Blake. They were both covered with mud. She began to laugh. They were so involved with each other, neither one noticed the others dirty clothing.