Pioneer Passion (37 page)

Miss Winthrop’s horse reared and pranced
about threatening to topple the rider, and for a moment Rusty
thought she would lose her balance but the lady proved to be an
excellent horsewoman and held her seat as the mare whinnied and
reared again, kicking its front hooves high in the air. Finally,
she reined the horse tightly, calming the beast with her soft
voice. Her fancy hat fell from her head and was crushed beneath the
horse’s hooves. When the animal quieted down, Cynthia Winthrop
patted the golden mane, cooing, “Easy, girl. What’s gotten into
you?”

Rusty moved closer, eyeing the other woman
suspiciously. It was clear Cynthia Winthrop was upset, for her face
paled. Although she didn’t like the violet-eyed lady, neither did
she want her to get hurt.

“Are you all right?” Rusty asked.

The woman appeared to be rattled and she
sucked in her breath sharply, panting. “Yes, I think so. I don’t
know what happened? Maybe my horse picked up a stone. Do you mind
checking, I feel a little shaky.”

Rusty obliged and dismounted. “Easy, girl,”
she picked up one leg to examine but found it free of any stones.
“This hoof seems to be okay.” She stood up to go around the animal
to check the other leg. Rusty felt a sharp pain in her skull and
collapsed to the hard ground before darkness engulfed her.

Cynthia sat on her horse gazing down on the
unconscious woman. Her eyes narrowed into hateful slits, and she
was surprised at how easily this had gone. When she had bumped into
Skye, she had made it her business to pump the girl for information
about Guy, hoping to hear all the misfortune she had paid Yates and
his men to create. Since that night when Guy told her he was no
longer interested in her, she had been livid, vowing revenge. It
was always Guy who had stirred her blood more than any of her other
suitors.

When he told her of his plans to be a wealthy
cattle baron, like Hal Strong, she knew she wanted him now more
than before. By marrying Guy, she would have it all: wealth, power,
and the man who ignited her passion. When Skye informed her their
family had received a wire stating that the rustlers were all dead
and his problem solved, Cynthia decided to take matters into her
own hands. She wouldn’t be happy unless she had both the cowboy and
his money. By getting rid of his wife, she would be able to console
the grieving widower, and then warm his bed once more.

Cynthia had bided her time, watching for the
right moment to rid herself of that tall bitch. It had to look like
an accident and her only advantage over the girl was to stay on her
horse. The problem she had faced was how to render Rusty
unconscious. It would have to appear as if she fell from her mount
and hit her head on a rock, no one would question it. Cynthia was
delighted that everything had gone so smoothly and she eased
herself from her mount in search of a large rock to finish the job.
Unable to find the right one, she decided the butt of her pistol
would do the job and she raised it high over Rusty’s head.
“Good-bye bitch,” she snickered, schooling features into an ungodly
scowl.

The weapon was poised high and making its
descent when a loud crack sounded in Cynthia’s eardrums; the gun
was painfully ripped from her fingers. Stunned momentarily and
startled, she looked bewildered at her empty hand. Because of the
ringing in her ears, she hadn’t heard the rider approaching until
the shot alerted her dulled senses. Dead set in her determination
to kill the other woman, she had no idea who was racing towards her
with his gun cocked until her was closer. Realizing that it was
Guy, she lost no time in leaping back on the horse and galloping
away at breakneck speed.

Guy jumped from Blizzard’s back before the
horse came to a complete halt. When he first stopped on the hill,
seeing two women riding towards the camp, he recognized his wife.
No one could miss her bright red hair reflecting the sun rays. The
identity of the other did not register until her horse reared and
her hat fell from her head. There was no mistaken that color hair
either; he knew only one lady with locks that pale. He couldn’t
understand why Cynthia was here with Rusty. The two women were too
busy to notice him approaching, and witnessing his wife falling, he
knew then why the blonde had come. But why would she want to harm
Rusty? When he saw Cynthia raise her hand and the gleam of the
silver gun handle caught his eye, his heart skipped several beats.
Fear triggered wild rage, causing his breath to freeze in his lungs
seeing her ready to finish Rusty.

He whipped his horse forward.

Guy’s terror turned into numbness after he
fired at the crazed woman He didn’t bother to give chase when
Cynthia rode off. He bent over his wife’s body and his heart
stopped seeing the ugly bruise and cut near her temple. The purple
mark was swollen and blood trickled into her hairline. He cradled
her closely, tears clouding his vision when Scott arrived. The
young man practically fell off his horse and stumbled forward,
falling to his knees.

“Is she dead?” he cried.

“No,” Guy whispered, “but her breathing is
very shallow. I’m afraid to move her.” He looked sadly into Scott’s
eyes, tears clouding his own.

“We must get her home.” Guy heard Scott choke
back a sob and he agreed with him. “I tried to reach her in time,
but I never would have made it. I thought I was seeing things when
you galloped here from the other direction.”

Guy saw pain the other man’s eyes that surely
mirrored his. He mounted Blizzard and he ordered the horse to go
down on his front legs. With a painful grunt, Scott placed his
sister into his lap. The short ride home felt like an eternity to
Guy. Rusty was placed in bed and Mattie cleaned the wound. He sent
a ranch hand for the doctor and ordered Scott to rest again and
Susan tended to the young man’s needs. By the time the doctor
arrived, both patients were sleeping peacefully.

“His shoulder and head are sore because he
exerted himself too much but he’ll be as good as new in a few
days,” Dr. Samuels informed Guy. “As far as your wife is concerned,
she doesn’t have a concussion. The blow that rendered her
unconscious looks worse than it is. I suggest you keep a watchful
eye on her and wake her every few hours, just in case. You know,
son, my coming out here lately has become a habit.” He shook Guy’s
hand. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. But I don’t want to see this
place again until the baby arrives. You take care of that pretty
little wife of yours.” He winked, trying to set Guy’s mind at ease.
“Get some rest yourself. You look like hell.”

Guy thanked the doctor and smiled. He was
just glad Rusty and the baby was all right. As for resting, well
that would have to wait. He intended to track down that cold
hearted bitch that had put his family in jeopardy. When he did, Guy
didn’t have to search very long; he found a fallen filly crying in
pain a short distance from Cynthia’s broken body. The poor animal
had red welt marks on her hide and her hair covered with sweat.
Apparently, the horse had broken its leg while being whipped to too
hazardous a speed. Un-holstering his gun for the second time that
day, Guy put the suffering creature out of its misery and carried
Cynthia’s limp body over his lap.

When Rusty’s eyes fluttered open later, she
found a very worried husband sitting by her side. She moaned and
reached to touch her sore head but Guy caught her hand. She
remembered being roused several times but she could have been
dreaming.

“You have a nasty bump and bruise on the side
of your head,” he told her. Rusty winced at the splitting headache
and closed her eyes again. She tried to recall what happened but it
hurt too much to think, so she asked, “What happened?” Her mouth
was dry and her tongue tasted bitter. She heard Guy clear his
throat.

“Cynthia tried to kill you, but...” he
squeezed her hands, “you’re safe now.”

Rusty opened her eyes and was full of
questions. Guy, anticipating what was on her mind, answered before
she asked. “I was coming home a little early when I spotted the two
of you down the hill. At first I sat there, trying to make out who
was with you. The whole thing happened so fast that I didn’t
comprehend what was taking place until I realized who she was and
that she was there to harm you. Cynthia was ready to crush your
skull with her gun. I fired, and she rode off. I found her later
with her neck broken. At the time you were hurt; I had to see to
your injuries before worrying about her.”

Rusty shuddered. “Why would she want me
dead?”

“It’s a long story, sweetheart, and one that
can wait until you’re up and around. Anyway it really doesn’t
matter; she’s gone and won’t be back to hurt you or our baby.”

Her husband’s words reminded her of the small
life growing inside and she protectively placed her hand over her
stomach. “The baby?!” she let out a small cry of alarm.

Guy placed a chaste kiss on her brow and
said, “The doctor was here and everything’s fine. You rest now and
we’ll talk later. I vow I’ll never let anyone or anything harm you
again.” He placed another kiss on her dry lips to seal the promise.
“I’ll send Mattie up with a hot bowl of bracing broth. She and
Susan have been fretting so. We all have.”

She sighed, dreamily, “Ah, my hero.”

Guy chuckled. “Aw, shucks, ma’am,” he
drawled. “Even a hero could use a little help.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The following day, Susan finished helping
Mattie bake a fresh berry pie when she decided to take a piece up
to Scott. Sleep had eluded her last night because she was worried
about him. It hadn’t been easy for her the past few weeks. She
walked to his room with the delicious smelling pie and remembered
the day she went to see him while he was healing from the snake
bite. This time when she tapped lightly on the door, she was
greeted with a cheerful, “Come in!” Her heart sang with happiness
since Scott had proclaimed his love for her. She scooted into the
room, almost dropping the pie. Steadying her trembling hands, not
wanting to drop her little treat, she slowed her steps.

Scott favored her with one of his dimpled
smiles as his eyes lit up with love. He jumped out of his chair and
greeted her by taking the tray from her hands and placed a big wet
kiss on her mouth. She let the tray go with a start, not expecting
to be greeted with such enthusiasm. With one hand holding the tray
and the other around her waist, Scott continued to place loving
kisses in the hollows near her blushing throat.

Susan’s emotions were so confused, she forgot
to breathe. This was something she didn’t expect. Though Scott had
stolen a few kisses from her before in the rare moments they found
themselves alone, never had he kissed her like this. Her heart rate
quickened and her knees weakened making her lose all control of her
senses. She leaned against the affectionate man’s hard chest. How
long could she stand there before her legs gave way? But he obliged
by dropping the sweet treat on the floor to gather her into his
embrace, taking her mouth hotly.

She squealed, slightly annoyed that he
thought so little of her gift to let it fall. But soon she was so
caught up into his loving spell that she returned his kisses with
so much eagerness that the pie was forgotten. Her tongue bravely
probed and searched his searing mouth, governed more by curiosity
than experience. Soft moans emitted from her throat and she was
filled with happiness. Before she realized it, Scott picked her up
and placed her on the bed. Although she was light, her slight
weight made him grunt in pain making her conscious of his labored
breathing.

“Scott!” she scolded meekly when he finally
pulled his lips from hers. “You shouldn’t carry me. You’ll never
heal if you keep taxing your shoulder.”

“Hmmm.” He nibbled on her earlobe, ignoring
her protest. “The hell with my shoulder, you are the only treat I
want. The pain in my shoulder is mild compared to the ache I fell
for you. Sweetheart, all I could think of while I was recuperating
was your beautiful body.” He pushed a lose hair off her forehead
and smiled making her heart beat at dangerous rate.

He wasn’t going to wait any longer to make
love to her, this she knew but she felt uneasy and very shy. To
overcome her uneasiness and to calm her trembling, Scott began
kissing her again, punishing her tender flesh with his hot mouth.
Her body relaxed somewhat and she didn’t object when he quickly,
before she had a chance to think about what they were doing,
unbuttoned the front of her cotton dress. She suck in a breath when
Scott and slipped his hands onto her breasts; his fingers burning
like fire on her flesh. Scott continued to play with a nub until it
hardened under his callused fingers, and he gave her a knowing
smile. She was enjoying this as much as he was. Never in her life
did she feel the sensation she was experiencing now. But, then she
had never been in love or felt the touch of a lover’s hand.

Opening her dress fully to reveal her twin
globes he took one of her pink buds into his mouth and with a flick
of his tongue caused her to tremble once again. She trembled inside
from fear and anticipation but, although, she wanted to make love
to Scott, she wasn’t sure she could please him. Just the thought of
her nudity, not to mention his, caused a pinprick of apprehension
to tingle across her body, making heat rush from her face to her
toes.

As Scott sucked on her breasts, Susan could
only moan with pure delight; something new and fascinating was
happening down between her legs. Her blood spread through her body
like hot lava. Never had she felt such sensations and she no longer
cared how embarrassing it was when he removed her clothing. Though
she kept her eyes shut, her skin felt as if it were on fire,
burning flesh touched burning flesh. God! The thrill of it was
unbelievable; no words could describe what she was experiencing.
But then who wanted to talk? She was having a difficult enough time
trying to breathe between delicious feelings. An involuntary
whimper emanated