Sins of Summer (45 page)

“I had to wait until Jeanmarie went to sleep.”

“Isn’t Odette with her?” Ben pulled her into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around him. “She’s out walking with James.”

“Walking? At this time of night?”

“It’s only been dark for about an hour.”

“Well, he’d better not… take any liberties—”

“Landsakes! They’re getting married tomorrow.”

“That’s got nothing to do with tonight,” he growled.

Dory laughed. “I pity Jeanmarie and her sisters. They’re going to have an overprotective father.”

“Damn right.” He nuzzled her neck with his lips. “You can’t be too careful nowadays. Young bucks have only one thing on their
minds.”

“The same thing you’ve got on your mind right now.”

“Yeah, but I’m an old buck and you’re my wife.” He nipped at her earlobe.

“Mrs. Benton Waller, the wife of
the
Benton Waller whose windows and doors are in houses all over the West. I like the sound of it.”

He took her hand in his and moved it up to his chest. She felt his heart leaping under it.

“I like the sound of something else better. But kiss me first… then tell me.” His words were husky and love-slurred.

His mouth took hers in a kiss that engaged her soul. She touched the tip of her tongue against his mouth and felt him tremble,
felt his body stir against her stomach. He cupped her buttocks and pressed them against him.

“If I tell you, what will you do?” she asked innocently, and worked her palm between his hard-muscled stomach and her soft
one. She felt his body jump when she touched him and laughed against his mouth.

“What I’ve been wanting to do all day—get my hands under your skirt.”

“Not while we were talking to Judge Kenton!” she exclaimed in a horrified whisper.

“Yup. Even when we went in to look at old Kraus shackled to that wagon wheel and when Jeanmarie vomited in the chamber pot,
I was thinking of this.” He moved her rhythmically against the part of him that had sprung to rigid hardness.

“My husband is… depraved! There’s only one way to cure him.” She placed her lips firmly against his and kissed him deeply.
“Did that help?”

“Lord, no! It’ll take a million of those.”

She answered the gentle thrust of his hips with pressure of her own. Her forehead rested against his, their eyelashes tangled.
She filled her hands with his wild black hair.

“I love you, my husband, my friend, my wonderful man.”

“I love you, too, my beautiful curly-haired wife.” His hands slid under her nightdress and cupped her bare buttocks. Holding
her tightly to him, he turned with her, bringing her on top of him. “I like this. I like feeling the weight of you on me.”
He lifted her gown up and over her head. “I like it better when there’s nothing between us.”

“Is that why your heart is beating so fast?”

“That’s not my heart; it’s yours.”

“I believe you’re right.” She leaned her chin on his and spoke against his mouth. “You’d better get to loving me, or I’ll
go get in bed with Jeanmarie.”

He started to say something, then groaned deep in his throat. With his arms and legs locked about her, he rolled her over
on her back. She gave herself up to his kiss and hunger leaped deep inside them. She felt the rough drag of his cheeks, the
caressing touch of his hair against her forehead. The strength of him and the taste of him filled her senses.

The hard, swift kisses were not enough. Only by blending together could they even begin to appease the hunger they had for
each other. He raised his hips; her hand urgently moved between them to guide him into her. She arched against him in sensual
pleasure.

“I’ll love and cherish you forever.” His cheek was pressed to hers, his words coming in an agonized whisper.

The whole world was this woman joined to him. His mouth and hers were one. Spasms of pleasure that followed were like a gorgeous
dance throughout his body. He was at home in her, moving gently, caressing, loving. She arched her hips in hungry welcome,
and he wildly took what she offered.

Dory wasn’t really aware of when it ended. When she returned to reality Ben was leaning over her, his weight on his forearms.
The sweet, familiar smell of him, the light touch of his lips brought a small cry from her. She tightened her arms around
him, holding him inside her warmth, and hungrily turned her mouth to his.

Later, lying side by side, they held each other while their bodies adjusted to the aftermath of passion. Her head rested on
his arm; her arm was curled about his chest.

“It’s going to take a while, sweetheart, for me to get used to having you where I can touch you and love you when I’m with
you.”

“I don’t want you to ever get used to loving me.”

“It won’t be soon. Maybe forty years.” He laughed against her cheek.

Dory stretched lazily, then moved her head to his shoulder.

“Ben, would it surprise you to know that hardly anything Judge Kenton said today shocked me? Oh, it shocked me to know that
James was only my half-brother. But now that I think about it, he didn’t resemble Papa in any way. Papa had light hair and
blue eyes. I never saw anything of Papa in Milo and Louis either. They were so different from us. I thought it was because
we’d had different mothers.”

“He said in the letter that their mother was strange. If he never married her, I wonder why the boys took his name.”

“And Steven said they knew that Papa wasn’t their father. It’s strange that they never said anything to me or James.”

“They may have thought they wouldn’t have had as much of a foothold here, honey. They wouldn’t even be step-sons.”

“I wish you could have known Papa. It’s like him to take another man’s son as his own.”

“I would have liked him if he was anything like his daughter.” His hand moved to her tumbled hair and fondled the back of
her neck.

“The most shocking of all was what Louis had done.”

“I’ll have to admit I was taken aback. I’d not have been surprised if it had been Milo.”

“I was never afraid that Louis would hurt me physically. He hurt me plenty the day you and Odette came. I thought I’d die
of shame.”

“You stood up to him. Held your head high. I admired you for that.” He kissed her forehead. “No one will ever talk to you
like that again,” he said with rock-hard certainty.

“What do you think Milo will do now?”

“I think he’ll take Steven’s money and leave the country. Lumberjacks are a rough bunch, but they have a code of honor where
good women are concerned. It’ll sweep the Bitterroot that he used his fists on you and hired men to kidnap and dishonor Odette.
He’ll find no welcome in any camp.”

She reached up and nipped his chin. “Oh, Ben, things have worked out so well. I don’t think James cared a bit that he was
Chip Malone’s son, just that it opened the door for him to marry Odette.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered after we learned Milo and Louis were no kin to him.” He kissed her. “I was about to give in anyway
and let them take the chance. I’m never going to tell Odette that I suspected one of those two might be her father. She’s
my daughter. When I see how smart and pretty she is, I know she’s mine.”

“Then what will you tell her is the reason you didn’t want her to marry James?”

“Because I was afraid he might turn out to be like his brothers.”

“But she might say that you married me when you thought I was related to them.”

“Then I will say she knew James better than I did, and I had been too protective, but everything has turned out all right
anyway.”

“Just all right?” Dory pouted.

“Just perfect, Mrs. Waller.”

Dory smiled. “That’s better. Now turn me loose and let me go see about Jeanmarie.”

“I’ll do it.” He got out of bed and put on his britches. “I want to see if Odette is back. It’s too late for a young girl
to be out with a hot young buck who has only—”

“—One thing on his mind.” Dory laughed. “For goodness sake, Ben. Look in on Jeanmarie and come back. I’ve got only one thing
on
my
mind.”

Shortly after the sun made its appearance on the eastern horizon, James was at McHenry’s store buying wedding gifts for his
bride. He bought a five-volume set of books by Longfellow, a porcelain mantel clock, a gold locket, a pair of fancy blue garters
and a lacy nightdress. He assured a horrified Mag McHenry that he would not give the last two items to Odette until after
they were married. He left the store with a white shirt and a black pinstripe suit. On his way to the barber shop for a haircut
and a bath, he invited everyone he met on the street to the wedding.

The McHenrys and their brood took up one pew at the church. Bessie, who had been up most of the night cooking for the wedding
feast, wore a large hat she had bought from Marge at the millinery. Marge was there to see the hat she had decorated for the
bride. The Idaho Palace was closed for the morning. Mel arrived with Clara on his arm. Clara had tucked a lace handkerchief
in the neck of her low-cut gown to make it acceptable to wear to the church.

Judge Kenton and Marshal Theiss delayed their return to Coeur d’Alene with their prisoner in order to witness the ceremony.
Wiley and his longtime friend sat in the front row alongside Dory and Jeanmarie. Steven had insisted he was well enough to
attend the wedding, but Mag had threatened to tie him to the bed. She hid his britches to make sure he would stay put.

A half hour before the ceremony, Chip Malone parked his buggy in front of the church and carried in baskets filled with wildflowers
and decorated with ribbons.

The petite bride was beautiful in a white lawn dress with mutton sleeves and decorated with ivory lace. A white satin ribbon
circled her waist and satin bows shone on her white kid shoes. Her large straw hat was covered with pink and white satin roses.

It was a wedding such as the town had not seen before and most likely would never see again. The bride’s stepmother as well
as her father had blackened eyes as well as bruises on their faces. Odette walked to the front of the church on her father’s
arm and met her husband-to-be in front of a bank of blossoms placed there by her future father-in-law. Ben stood beside the
preacher and repeated his words silently. The bride watched her father’s mouth, and when it came time for her to speak her
vows, they were loud and clear.

James kissed his bride long and hard when the ceremony making them man and wife was over, and he walked her to the door, where
they stood and accepted the congratulations from the guests as they filed out.

Chip was one of the last. He looked his tall son in the eye and offered his hand.

“Congratulations.”

James took his hand. “Thanks.”

“I’m going to kiss my new daughter-in-law whether you like it or not,” he said in a low tone.

“I don’t like it, but there’s not much I can do… now.”

Chip clasped Odette’s hand and kissed her cheek. “Pull in your horns. Bucko,” he said aside to James.

“If you call me Bucko one more time, I’ll flatten you out like a flapjack.”

Chip ignored him and touched his finger to Odette’s nose. “Keep a tight rein on this wild man.”

Odette wasn’t sure what he had said, but she knew he was teasing James.

“Thank you for the flowers. Mr. Malone. Dory told me,” she added.

“You’re very welcome. Where will you live, James?”

“In Steven’s cabin, for now.”

“I’ll ride over to see you.”

“Don’t hurry.”

Chip laughed as he left the church. Life had suddenly become a lot more interesting. He stood with the others and watched
his son and his new bride drive away.

By the middle of the afternoon the wagon was loaded and the two couples were ready to leave Spencer. Dory and Odette had changed
back into their more serviceable clothing. Pinned to Dory’s dress was the cameo Ben had given her for a wedding gift. In the
back of the wagon were several mysterious bundles McHenry had put in at the last minute after a whispered word with Ben.

All the McHenrys stood on the boardwalk in front of the store to say good-bye. Jeanmarie clutched a book Ben had bought for
her and waved to her friends.

James and Odette had said their good-byes and were standing at the end of the wagon when a handsome buggy decorated with flowers
and ribbons and pulled by a high-stepping mare came around the corner. Chip stepped down and handed the reins to Odette.

“Oh, no you don’t!” James protested. “I’m not taking—”

“Back off, Bu… James,” Chip said. “This is for my daughter-in-law.”

“We don’t need anything from you.”

“I’m sure you don’t, but I can give her a wedding gift if I want to. Now stop being an ass.”

Odette’s eyes went from one to the other. She accepted the reins and placed her hand on Chip’s arm.

“James and I thank you. Don’t we, James?”

“I guess so.” He lifted her up into the buggy and then got in beside her. “Let’s go. I’ve had about all of him I can take
for a good long while.” He slapped the reins against the back of the mare and she took off in a trot.

“It’s going to take James a while to… ah… get used to the idea that you’re… related,” Dory said, turning to Chip.

“I’ve got plenty of time.” Chip reached down and picked Jeanmarie up in his arms. “Bye, little red bird.”

“You’re a red bird,” she said and giggled.

“I’d like to come see her sometime.” Chip sat her down on the pile of hay Ben had placed there for Wiley’s comfort. He continued
to gaze at the child.

For a second Dory saw the same wistful look on his face that she had seen on Mick’s.

“We’ll be at the homestead… for a while, I think.” She glanced at Ben and he nodded.

“I’ll find you.” Chip stood back. “Bye, little red bird.”

“Bye, big red bird,” Jeanmarie called gaily.

Ben lifted Dory up over the wheel and onto the seat. “You settled, Wiley?” he called, before he climbed up beside her.

“Yup. It’s jist like ridin’ on a featherbed.”

“Bye, girls.” Dory waved. “Bye, Mag, and thanks for everything. We’ll be back to see Steven before he leaves.”