Whispering Hills of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 3) (16 page)

Kelly chuckled and the delightful sound of it warmed William’s heart.

Then she looked around. “Where is my father?” Kelly asked, as she settled into the saddle and gathered the reins in her hands. “Did he not come with you?”

William eyed his brothers for an answer.

“Yes, he was with us, but the last time we saw him, he was at least a half mile behind us,” Sam said. “Then we lost sight of him. His older horse was unable to keep up the pace William was setting trying to reach you.”

“Well, where is he now?” she asked, her voice heavy with concern. “He should have caught up to you by now.” She waited for an answer, her vexation evident. He couldn’t tell if she was mad at her father or at all of them for letting him go missing.

“She’s right,” William said. He gritted his teeth. One of them would have to go back for the useless man. It needed to be him. “Kelly and I will go back and check on him. Can you two stay and dig a grave for Harpes? And when you’re done, bring Harpes’ stallion and catch up to us as quick as you can in case there’s any other bands of Indians out there.”

Sam raised his chin and eyed him pointedly.

William was sure Sam thought they should wait for him and Bear in case of Indian trouble. But he wanted, no he needed, time alone with Kelly. And Sam and Bear wouldn’t be far behind in case they ran into trouble. He gave a slight negative shake to his head and Sam nodded his understanding.

“Aye,” Bear said, “we’ve both dug many a grave with just our knives. We can dig one more. But we’ll na be burying the
scoundrel very deep.”

After he retrieved Smoke, William and Kelly took off riding south, side by side, back toward Boonesborough. An undeniable and utterly sensuous aura passed between them for the first time. But as they glanced back and forth at one another, there was a definite significance to the visual exchange beyond their physical attraction for one another. Finally, they had set their feelings for each other free. He no longer had to worry about scaring Kelly if he showed her that he cared for her. And his love for her palpably leapt at the chance to be unfettered. And she no longer had to fear him. Or feel shame for what happened to her.

She had set herself free from her past.

At the same moment, they both grasped the significance of what had happened between them. Their eyes locked in understanding. Her smile broadened and her eyes sang with happiness.

His own freed feelings soared, higher than he ever dreamed possible. Just watching her brought so much joy to his heart. Even with her hair tousled and her gown dirty and wrinkled, she was stunning. When he’d first spotted her with Bear and Sam, his primary emotion had been relief. But now, his heart swelled with much more. As the bright rays of the morning sun lit up her hair, he could swear an angel rode beside him. He thanked the Lord for protecting this particular angel, because he loved her. Deeply.

Almost losing her made him realize that even more.

He made no attempt to hide the fact that he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. Totally entranced, his gaze traveled over her face and searched her eyes. She gazed back at him with soul rendering
tenderness. He could get lost in the loving way she regarded him. A knot rose in his throat. “Kelly, I came so close to losing you.”

“And I came so close to making the worst decision of my life,” she answered. “How could I have been so foolish?”

“Did Harpes threaten you? Force you to go with him?”

“Yes, he threatened to kill my father. But, I’m not talking about going with him. I had no choice really. Papa was passed out and couldn’t defend himself and Harpes would have slit his throat if I hadn’t agreed to go with him. What I was talking about was leaving Boonesborough to begin with—with Papa. Almost immediately, I knew I had made a terrible mistake. I missed you. During the night, I made myself stay awake because Papa had left us defenseless. I was afraid Indians might come or worse, a man like Harpes. I had Papa’s weapons in my lap, but Harpes snuck up behind me.”

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” William said. “I should have followed you immediately.”

“But it gave me time to consider things. I mulled over everything that happened to me yesterday—your ceremony, what you said to me at the cabin, losing my position, my father’s sudden reappearance. For several long hours, I did nothing but think about why I was fearful—why I seemed to be retreating inside myself. Why I felt I had to get away. Then, I realized I was afraid of you.”

“You never need to fear me,” William said, disappointment flooding him.

“I wasn’t really afraid of you. I was afraid of what loving you would mean. It meant being…well…doing that.” She looked down demurely. “It would mean yielding to the feelings that were
growing inside of me. Those feelings were at war with my feelings for men in general. Men like the two that attacked me. Then I realized the absolute absurdity of those fears. I have nothing to fear from you. You’re nothing like them. Being with you could never be frightening.”

“Your feelings weren’t absurd, Kelly. They were completely understandable. You experienced something extremely traumatic.”

“Your understanding that means a great deal to me. You told me that I could let fear make me stronger. It has, I promise. Now, I realize that I no longer need to fear your touch or the feelings growing inside of me. In fact…” she hesitated and then finished, “if I am not being too bold, your nearness brings me comfort. And I also feel a strange inner…I’m not sure how to describe it. Thrill might be a good word. But it’s more than that. ”

Her confession made him want to deliver his own passionate message. But not with words. His mouth throbbed with an overwhelming need to kiss her. Yielding to his intense craving for her lips, he dismounted, went to her, and reached up.

She nearly leapt into his waiting arms and he pulled her roughly to him.

“Oh Kelly, I love you so. I think I always have.” He lowered his lips to hers and, remembering that she might still be anxious, cautiously gave her a soft, tender kiss. The kiss sent spirals of pleasure and desire twirling through his body. Then, at her own eager response to the light touch of his lips, she shocked and thrilled him, when she deepened the kiss and held on to the muscles of his arms.

William wanted to keep kissing her, even make love to her, right here. He wanted to show her what it was supposed to be like
between a man and a woman. And he wanted them both to experience passion—the passion ignited by love—the only true passion.

“I love you too William,” she breathed. Her lips brushed against his cheek as she spoke. “I think I’ve loved you from the moment you burst through my cabin door.”

“I want to go on kissing you more than I want to breathe, but we need to find your father,” William managed to say as his lips brushed against her brow and then her forehead.

“Yes, I’m worried about him. There will be time for us. Time to share our love.” She caressed the length of his back with both of her hands and then released him. “But, for now, we must be on our way.”

He gave her one last kiss that quietly promised of more.

CHAPTER 15

K
elly’s lips still tingled from the thrilling kiss. And her insides jangled with excitement and something else she couldn’t quite understand. His kiss touched a part of her she didn’t recognize and his arms wrapped her in a pleasurable warmth she had never experienced before. It was almost as though his kiss wakened a long-slumbering part of her.

He loves me!

She still couldn’t believe William said he loved her. Up until now, he kept his feelings for her hidden. And she’d kept her feelings obscured beneath a veil of fear. A veil that grew heavier and darker with each passing day until it became impossible to see clearly. But now, with William’s help, she had lifted that veil.

Now she could see him clearly for what he was—utterly entrancing—handsome, smart, brave, kind. All the things she could ever hope for in a man. And he made her smile. She loved his quick wit and the gentle teasing tone he often used with her.

Despite his profession of love, a lingering doubt raised a question in her head, hurtling her back to reality. Did he love her enough to marry her? She was a simple, country girl, with no
sophistication. Even if he could disregard that, he could never overlook the fact that she was no longer a virgin. That was not something a man could just put out of mind.

It would break her heart if he didn’t want to marry her because she was no longer pure. She could think of no place she would rather be than in his arms. But not merely as his lover. She would rather never feel his touch again. Oh God, how could she possibly live without him?

Was she thinking clearly? Or letting fear trudge uninvited through her head once more? With sudden clarity, she realized how foolish and rash such notions were. She’d stepped into the mud of self-doubt and self-loathing yet again, and she needed to cleanse her mind of it once and for all.

William said he loved her. She let that thought wash over her.

And she loved him. She let that feeling bathe her soul.

Their love was pure, untainted, and strong. That was all that mattered. With her mind and heart cleansed of doubt, she realized they would love each other forever.

He was the only man she would ever want. She was certain no man could ever measure up to William. She could never love another. He must feel the same way.

She glanced over at him, and immediately felt better because she saw love looking back at her. Just the sight of him made her feel secure, made the world a safer place. When he was around, everything around them took on a pure brightness. Not only was the world a safer place, it was a prettier, happier place.

Her feelings for William wrapped around her like an invisible warm blanket, banishing all her cold disconcerting doubts.

But her feelings for her father remained cold. He had treated
her so cruelly, said such terrible things. And then he’d drunk whiskey to the point of intoxication. His intemperance with alcohol was a burden she no longer wanted to carry.

But she loved her father, despite all of it. He was the only family she had. He’d once been a loving father. Could he not be one again?

“You’re thinking about your father, aren’t you?” William asked.

“Yes, I need to send him home, alone,” she said. “I can’t bear to be around him anymore.”

“Then that’s what will happen. We should catch up to him soon. I’ll leave it to you to say what you will to him, but if you need me, just look in my direction and nod.”

The sound of William’s voice and his reassurance affected her deeply, cheering her again. “I’m so grateful to have your support, William. Saying goodbye to my father forever will be hard, even if he is a drunk.”

“Maybe it won’t be forever. People can change.”

“There he is,” William said, pointing far down the trail. “And that man with him looks like it might be Daniel Boone based on that abundant white hair.”

Kelly took off, running her mare at a fast gallop and William followed closely behind her.

“Papa,” she yelled, even before she reached him.

McGuffin tugged his horse to an abrupt halt and bounded off his mount faster than William thought the older man would be capable of moving. “Kelly, come here my daughter. I’m so relieved you are safe. What happened to you?” he asked, reaching out to
her.

Kelly grasped her father’s hands, but did not hug him, William noticed.

William tipped his hat to the Colonel and Kelly said hello before she turned her attention back to her father. “A man stole me away. He threatened to kill you if I didn’t go with him,” she explained.

“The devil is raging in wicked men,” Boone said, shaking his head in dismay.

“Later, he drugged me,” Kelly continued, “but William found and dispatched him to hell—where men like him deserve to go when they die.”

“You’re safe now. That’s what matters,” McGuffin said.

William noticed that Kelly’s father seemed more alert and less antagonistic, and he still gripped her hands in his.

“Kelly, I have some apologizing to do, girl. I never should have said those things to you last night. I’m ashamed of my hurtful words and for leaving you all alone in the dark when I succumbed to my whiskey. As Franklin said, ‘nothing is more like a fool than a drunken man,’ and I was a fool. I’m going to stop drinking. I promised that to Colonel Boone earlier and now I’m promising you.”