Angel Creek by Linda Howard
And she would never love any man as much as she loved this damn place, he thought savagely. He would rather have had Kyle Bellamy as a rival than Angel Creek, because he could fight Bellamy, but how could he fight the land? He remembered the look of dreamy ecstasy on her face the morning he had come to her in the dawn and found her out in the meadow, and sharp jealousy pierced him as he realized it had been for the land, for the wash of golden sunlight, for the crystal flow of water, and not for him.
The hell of it was, he loved the Double C just as fiercely. He couldn’t condemn her when they were so much alike. That was why he was so relaxed with her, because she matched him strength for strength. But damn it, it wasn’t like he’d be asking her to move to another country.
He stood up and held out his hand to her. “Let’s go inside,” he said abruptly. He needed her. God, how he needed her.
But she didn’t take his hand, just gave him another of those cat looks. “If you rode all the way over here just for that, you’ll have to be disappointed. I’m having my monthly.”
He was disappointed but felt no inclination to leave. Even if he couldn’t make love to her, he needed her in other ways. He kept his hand extended. “Then come sit on my lap and drive me crazy,” he said.
Her face brightened with interest, and she put her hand in his. She was always willing to drive him crazy.
But as it happened they spent more time talking than snuggling. He had been serious about her sitting on his lap, so that’s what she did, both of them in the big chair in front of the fire. He told her about his breeding plans for his herd, about his expansion ideas, how he planned to use the politicians in Denver to further his ambitions. The citizens of Colorado were supposed to vote to ratify the state constitution on the first of July, and it would then go to the federal government for a vote to admit them to the Union. He told her what statehood would mean, and she sat up to frown at him.
“I don’t know if I want crowds of people coming out to settle. I like it the way it is now.”
“It’s progress, honey. With more people we’ll get more businesses, and more railroads. Railroads are the key. Colorado can’t be completely civilized without them.”
“What difference does it make?”
“Money,” he said simply. “You can’t do anything without money.”
“But I don’t want things to change.” She nestled her head back on his shoulder and said pensively, “I don’t like change.”
“Everything changes.” He combed his fingers through her long hair and pressed a kiss to her temple. She turned her face into his throat, and he held her tighter, as if he could protect her from the changes that were inevitable for them both.
It had become customary for Olivia to go riding every Sunday afternoon. Sometimes she would return without seeing Luis, her disappointment carefully hidden behind her calm demeanor. But most of the time he would join her at some point. She seldom saw him at any other time, for his duties on the ranch kept him busy. The days between those stolen Sunday afternoons crept by at a snail’s pace, while the few hours she spent with him were gone almost before she knew it. She was so obsessed with seeing him that she even neglected to ride out to see Dee and felt guilty because she had so much to tell her.
She couldn’t seem to think of anything other than Luis. Her heart would begin hammering as soon as he appeared at her side, making her feel as if she would suffocate in the heat. She had already ceased wearing the fitted jacket of her riding habit, but convention insisted that she keep her blouse firmly buttoned all the way up to her throat and the sleeve cuffs fastened at her wrist. The unusually warm weather was uncomfortable, and her physical reaction to Luis made it seem even worse.
She would often look at the open throat of Luis’s shirt and envy men the freedom of their clothing, but it wasn’t long before the smooth brown skin visible in that open neckline would distract her from the details of clothing, and the heat would intensify.
Luis saw the way her gaze would linger on his open shirt and the flush that would soon climb to her cheeks. Though she didn’t realize it, she was becoming more accustomed to the physical desire between them, and as each Sunday passed without anything more than kisses she was becoming hungrier. She was innocent, but she was a woman, with a woman’s needs. The day would come, and soon, when her desire and curiosity would grow too strong, and she would reach out for him. He only hoped it would be soon, for the frustration was killing him. He had never waited so long for a woman before, but then no other woman had been Olivia.
As June progressed the heat became even more oppressive, and riding during the afternoon was almost unbearable for both riders and animals. On a Sunday afternoon toward the end of the month Luis found a spot of intense shade under a stand of big trees and reined in his horse, dismounting with the fluid, catlike grace she found so fascinating.
“Let the horses rest,” he said, reaching up for her. “We’ll start back when it cools down some.”
Olivia was more than glad to rest in the shade. She patted her face with her handkerchief and sat down under a tree while Luis gave the horses a little water, then tied them with long lines so they could graze. That done, he sat down beside her and placed his hat on the ground, then wiped his face with his sleeve.
“Do you want some water?” he asked.
She laughed, amused that he had taken care of the horses before offering any water to her. “Is there any left?”
“1 brought a full canteen.” He plucked a blade of grass and tickled her nose with it. “Always take care of your animals first. They’ll keep you alive.”
“Since we’re less than an hour from town, I think we’ll make it before we run out of water,” she said gravely, then she laughed again.
He looked up at the blue bowl overhead, and the searing white sun. “If it doesn’t rain soon, the water situation could really get desperate. The creeks on the Bar B are almost dry, and I imagine the other ranches are in the same shape.”
“I hadn’t realized things were that bad,” she said, ashamed that she hadn’t thought of it. “Are the wells going dry, too?”
“So far, no, but they could.”
All of the ranchers, big and small, kept their money in her father’s bank. If they went broke, then the merchants would lose money, too. She had always imagined the bank as permanent, but in a flash she saw that it depended on the solvency of the people who used it, which could never be guaranteed. Prosper itself had seemed invulnerable to the vagaries of boomtowns, as firmly rooted as any of the cities back East, yet could it survive if a drought destroyed the ranches? People couldn’t stay if there wasn’t any way to make a living. Shops and stores would close, neighbors would move away, and Prosper would die.
Everything people built was so fragile, at the mercy of weather or disease or just plain bad luck, and survival was no more than a matter of chance.
She looked up at the sun with both fear and worry in her eyes. Luis was sorry he had mentioned the growing dry spell, for there was nothing that could be done. He was a fatalist; life had taught him to accept what couldn’t be changed, and he had learned early that either you survived or you didn’t. If a drought destroyed Prosper, then he would roll up his bedroll and saddle his horse, and when he left he would take Olivia with him. Life was too short to fret over changes. He could be just as happy with her sitting at a campfire as he could in a house with a roof over his head.
But she was already fretting about the people she knew who would be hurt by a drought, and he wanted to pull her head down to his shoulder and protect her from those worries. Instead he stretched out on the ground and pillowed his head on her lap, nestling down on the softness of her thighs.
The pressure of his head made her lower body tighten in reaction to his nearness. Olivia held her breath, almost overcome by the sensation flooding her. Her breasts began to throb and swell, yet at the same time she felt oddly protective toward him. Tentatively she touched his damp black hair, then smoothed it away
His eyes were closed. “Umm, you smell good,” he murmured, turning his face toward her. With his head on her lap he could smell the warm, female scents of her body, and he was growing hard.
Olivia smiled, thinking of the perfume she had applied that morning, glad that he liked it. She had even dabbed a bit between her breasts, feeling wicked as she did so. She wondered what he would do if she leaned forward so that her breasts were closer to his face. Would he nuzzle against her in search of the elusive sweet scent?
But she didn’t dare, and regretfully she wished that ladies didn’t always have to be retiring and genteel, to let the men take the lead. For that matter, ladies weren’t even supposed to think of such things!
She looked down and saw that he was watching her and smiling, and she realized that she had heaved a sigh. “It’s so hot,” she said quickly, by way of explanation.
“Yes, it is. Why don’t you unbutton your collar and roll your cuffs back?”
If she did, her immaculate starched blouse would be decidedly rumpled when she returned home, but she was feeling stifled, and baring her arms would bring a small measure of relief. She ignored the first part of his suggestion and briskly unfastened her cuffs, turning them back several times so her forearms were bared.
“That’s good,” he said, then he lifted his hand to the buttons at her throat.
She stilled, her blue eyes darkening as his strong, lean hand slowly released each tiny button in turn. Her collar loosened, and fresh air seeped in to cool her heated skin. His hand moved down past her collarbone. “That’s enough,” she said, trying to sound casual.
“Is it?” He didn’t stop but unbuttoned the next one, then the next. And the next. The weight of his hand was lying between her breasts now, brushing them with every movement. His eyes held a hooded, sleepy sensuality. His mouth looked full, his lips slightly parted as if he waited for a delicious treat.
The beginning swells of her breasts were exposed, then the lacy edging of her shift. Slowly his fingers moved downward all the way to her waist, leaving her blouse gaping open in their wake. She sat very still, hardly even daring to breathe.
He shifted more onto his side, facing her. Slowly he pulled her blouse free of her waistband, then spread it open. Her lovely breasts were covered only by the thin cotton shift, her nipples clearly peaked beneath it. He traced both of them with a light fingertip, loving the delicacy of her, then moved closer and lifted his head just a bit to close his lips firmly around one of them.
Olivia bit her lip, her eyes closing at the feel of his mouth clamping down on her nipple. His mouth was hot and wet, and his tongue curled around the tip, stroking it through the damp cotton. Then he began to suck, and the rhythmic pulling started a fire that ran straight to her loins.
They were utterly silent. She heard the horses stamping nearby, the chomping of their big teeth on the grass. A small breeze rustled the leaves overhead, and insects droned lazily in the heat. He suckled her with a complete lack of urgency, not caressing her in any other way.
Until Luis, she hadn’t known that a man would ever want to put his mouth on her breasts. She had thought of suckling babies but never imagined that such a maternal act could, with a man, be so erotic. The strong mouth working at her breast couldn’t be mistaken for an infant’s sweetness, nor could the rasp of his beard-roughened cheek against her soft skin. The secret flesh between her legs was throbbing in rhythm with the pull of his mouth, and she leaned helplessly forward to give him better access.
He responded by taking her deeper into his mouth. Her shift was so wet now that it might as well not have been there, but suddenly it was maddening. Frantically she shrugged her shoulders, letting the straps fall down her arms.
“Be still,” he whispered around her nipple.
“No—wait. Here.” She whispered, too, lifting her hand to push the loosened shift down over one breast, baring it. She guided the nipple back to his mouth and whimpered softly at the exquisite pleasure of his lips on her nakedness. She cradled his head in her arms and held him to her, suffused with warmth and desire.
Her body delighted in the sensations it was feeling, both subtle and intense. When he finally sat up away from her she made a low sound of regret, but he hushed her with a finger on her lips. “You’ll like this, too.” And he pulled off his shirt, revealing a broad, muscled chest with a diamond of soft, curly black hair stretching from nipple to nipple.
Olivia reached out to circle her fingertips around the tiny points, marveling at how different they were from hers. They hardened instantly, and she looked up in surprise to see a taut expression of enjoyment on his face. “They aren’t so different after all,” she murmured, stroking them again.
He put his hands over hers and guided them over his chest. “No, not so different. I love it when you touch me. I want to feel your hands on my bare skin. It feels the same to me as it does to you when I touch you.”
His hands left hers, but she didn’t move them. She liked it too much, liked the feel of his muscled body under her fingers. She slid them along his rib cage and let them lie there for a minute, enjoying the way his chest expanded and contracted with each breath. His stomach muscles were hard and flat, but the skin on his belly was silky smooth, indicating his vulnerability. Back at his chest again she felt the strong, steady pounding of his heart. His shoulders were wide and sleek and hard, the skin gleaming like satin in the sunlight. He was beautiful. Without thinking Olivia touched her lips to the tender skin just beside the shoulder joint, her tongue lightly tasting the faint saltiness of perspiration. Luis shuddered, and his hands closed hard on her waist, drawing her against him.
Incredibly, she had forgotten that her blouse was open and one breast bare. The warm, hard pressure of his chest against her brought a sharp cry from her, and slowly he turned her from side to side, rubbing her breasts on his hard body.
“Luis. Luis!”
“What is it, love?” he asked softly. “Do you want more?”
She dug her fingernails into his upper arms, gasping with the delight of it. “Yes,” she said. “Please.”
He laughed a little at her impeccable manners even when they were both so aroused it was all he could do to keep from taking her completely. Only his acute instinct about women held him back, for though he could easily seduce her, she wouldn’t yet give herself to him out of love. And it was love he wanted from her, not the knowledge that he was skilled enough as a lover to make her body ready before her mind was. When she was truly ready she would let him know. Until then he was prepared to suffer excruciating torment in order for her to discover how much sheer enjoyment she could have with him.
He removed her blouse and let it drop to the ground, then slid the straps of her chemise all the way down and drew her arms free. The soft cotton draped around her waist, leaving her upper torso completely bare. She was blushing a little, her porcelain skin glowing. Shifting to his knees and drawing her up, too, he put his arms around her so that their bodies were together from shoulder to knee and began kissing her. He could feel her shiver with delight as her soft breasts flattened against the hard plains of his chest, feel the instinctive, startled recoil of her hips away from him as soon as she felt his arousal, but then shyly she returned. Her hips sought his, undulating gently as she instinctively searched for the most comfortable position, which was of course the most intimate. He groaned deep in his throat as she finally settled with her soft mound cradling his hardness, her legs parted slightly to make room for him. He thought that she might very well kill him with her own innocent brand of seduction.
“I want to lie naked with you,” he murmured. “Every night, love. When you marry me I’ll teach you everything a man and a woman can do together, and you’ll enjoy every minute of it.”
Olivia buried her face against his ch
Since meeting Luis she no longer had any doubts about the bond between Beatrice and Ezekiel Padgett. It was the sweet, hot bond of the flesh, the shared delights when they were together in bed. And would she, Olivia, ever settle for anything less now that she sensed what awaited her?
“I think I love you,” she said, lifting her face to his. “But I’m not certain. The thought of marrying you frightens me almost as much as the thought of not marrying you. Would we go away from here? Would I have to leave my family?”
“Almost certainly,” he replied, not lying to her. His heart was pounding as he realized how close he was to having what he wanted. Her lovely face was troubled as she thought of leaving the secure home she had known all her life. “We would have wonderful adventures together, making love beneath the stars, or taking a train wherever it might happen to go. And we would have babies, love, and a home where they could grow up safe and secure. Do you think your parents would like to keep their grandchildren occasionally while we take to the trail for a while?”
She laughed shakily, her mind whirling with the images he had described, but she couldn’t answer the question about her parents. They would be horrified at the thought of their beloved only offspring marrying a drifter. They both wanted so much for her and would be terribly hurt and disappointed. They loved her, and she didn’t think they would reject her no matter whom she married, but tears swam in her eyes at the thought of causing them pain. Still, she couldn’t go on forever as she had been these past weeks, and neither could Luis.