Prince Charming

Taylor couldn’t let go of her worry. “Will the authorities here honor a claim made in England?”

“Not if we’ve secured our own claim,” he assured her.

“Don’t use Lewis,” she blurted out. “He doesn’t understand the law.”

“How did you figure that out so quickly?” he asked.

“I spoke to him about another legal matter this afternoon,” she explained.

Before he could ask her to be more specific, she turned his attention. “I want to thank you for your help, Lucas. I know I’ve turned your life upside down . . .”

He didn’t let her finish. “Don’t thank me yet, Taylor. You’re going to listen to what I have to say first. Then you can decide if you still want to thank me.”

She agreed with a nod. She was still feeling incredibly relieved because Lucas was going to help her fight her legal battles against Malcolm. She could barely keep from smiling. Her husband sounded serious. His voice had taken on a hard edge, but she wasn’t bothered by it.

“I’ll be happy to listen to you,” she said. And then I’ll thank you once again, she silently added.

“I want you to understand how things are going to be from now on,” he announced. “You could drive a man right out of his mind. You know that?”

She shook her head. He frowned. “You’ve driven me to distraction these past weeks. I’m still having trouble believing you actually dragged three children and a pregnant woman halfway across the country.”

She felt the immediate need to defend herself. “I didn’t drag Victoria. She wanted to come with me.”

“Do you always think you know what’s best for everyone else?”

He’d nailed her flaw right on the head. “I sometimes think I do,” she admitted. “But I try—”

“Don’t interrupt. me,” he snapped. “And listen carefully. You don’t know what’s best for me. Got that?”

She quickly nodded.

“Did you go and see Lewis about a divorce?”

She was astonished by the question. “No, of course not. Why would you think such a thing?”

“You said you went to see him about a legal matter. Damn it, Taylor, what else was I supposed to think?”

“I don’t want a divorce,” she whispered.

“You’re not getting one,” he snapped. “Answer another question for me. Did you decide to leave Cincinnati before or after you received the wire?”

“I was getting ready to leave before the wire came.”

She didn’t understand what was behind his motive in asking the question, but it was obviously terribly important to him.

Lucas’s heart was thundering inside his chest. He was trying desperately not to ask her the one question that had plagued him night and day on his journey to get to her. The longer he looked at her, the harder it became to keep the words locked inside. He was aching with his need.

He was so damned tired of standing on the outside of life. He wanted a home, a family, and most of all, he wanted Taylor. He didn’t want to live without her. She was everything he’d always believed he could never have and certainly didn’t deserve. Yet she was here, standing just a few feet away, and all he had to do was reach out for her and he knew he could have it all.

The reasons had to be right, however. He didn’t want a wife who was beholden to him. He didn’t need her appreciation. He needed her love.

“Why did you run away from me?”

Her gaze flew to his. She saw the vulnerability in his expression and was astonished by it. “Is that what you thought? That I was running away from you? These mountains are your home. I wanted to be as close to you as possible. I knew you wouldn’t bring me here. You told me it wasn’t a fit place for a lady. But this is where your heart is, where you belong. Oh, Lucas, don’t you understand. I was coming home.”

She couldn’t tell if she’d convinced him she was telling the truth or not. His expression became guarded. He wasn’t giving anything away now.

“I took so much away from you,” she admitted. Her voice shook over the guilt she was feeling. “You valued your independence and your freedom, and like a thief in the night, I stole both away from you. I ruined your life. I knew you wouldn’t leave me alone to raise the children. You’re too honorable. I didn’t want to take all your dreams away.”

“Do you honestly believe I would have allowed you to do anything I didn’t want you to do?”

“You weren’t given a choice,” she cried out. “A man should be able to follow his dreams.”

“So you came to my mountains?”

She nodded. “I thought we could live the way Daniel Boone and his wife lived. He left her for years at a time, and in all the stories I read, it was mentioned again and again that he would bring meat to her. I also read that she was very content.”

“You really expected us to live like that?” His voice was incredulous.

She suddenly felt like a fool. “It sounded perfectly reasonable to me for a while,” she admitted. “But I have had time to reevaluate. I, too, did a lot of thinking on the journey here. I hope I even grew up a little. I learned something interesting,” she continued. “You can’t always believe what you read in books. Just because it’s written down doesn’t mean it’s true.”

The smile caught Lucas by surprise. Taylor sounded as though she was telling him something that was going to stun him.

“Cats aren’t supposed to like water. I read they were afraid to get wet. The cat who tried to pounce on Victoria apparently didn’t know he was supposed to be afraid. And now I think that perhaps, if Mrs. Boone had truly loved her husband the way I love you, she wouldn’t have been content when he left her. She must have been miserable. I know I was when you left for Chicago. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Look at me,” he commanded. “Give me the words again.” And let me start living.

“I was miserable,” she cried out.

He thought those were the sweetest, most magical words he’d ever heard. His laughter echoed through the stillness. The sound was filled with joy. He suddenly was whole again and free.

She hadn’t expected Lucas to be amused. Hearing him laugh after confessing her misery devastated her. He reached for her then, but she backed away from him. He was much quicker than she was, however. He grabbed hold of her hand and held tight. She struggled to pull free, but he wouldn’t let go.

They stood at arm’s length now. She finally quit trying to peel his hand away from hers and frowned up at him.

“Listen,” he commanded. Then he slowly tugged her toward him. He took his sweet time, and he didn’t stop until she was pressed up nice and tight against his chest.

“I don’t hear anything,” she whispered. “What is it?”

She nervously looked to her left to see if she could see anything lurking in the brush. She couldn’t look to her right. Lucas’s chin was in the way.

He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist. He wasn’t going to explain. In his mind, he’d heard the sound loud and clear. That was all that mattered to him.

It was the gratifying sound of his wife being reeled in. She was miserable. He couldn’t be happier. He had her completely now, and he was never going to let go. He would make her happy, and he could certainly give her everything she needed or wanted. She didn’t ever have to know about his past. The future was all that mattered. His future with Taylor.

His hand moved to the back of her neck. He leaned down and brushed his mouth over hers. Her lips were so sweet and full and soft. She tasted like apples.

She reached up and caressed the side of his face. His whiskers tickled her lips and her fingertips. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted him to touch her until he started nibbling on her mouth and teasing her with gentle kisses.

Her past didn’t matter to him. He hadn’t been offended or disgusted. Taylor was surprised by the relief she felt. She hadn’t realized how important his reaction was to her.

Dear God, ho

w she loved him. “Lucas, take me to bed.”

The invitation intensified his hunger. They had been apart for long weeks, and all he’d thought about was holding her in his arms again. He became frantic to have it all once again, to feel her squeeze him tight inside her, to show her how much he loved her.

His mouth settled on top of hers. His tongue swept inside to duel with hers. He caressed her shoulders and her back and then lifted her up against his arousal.

The kiss turned ravenous, and when at last he tore his mouth away, they were both panting for breath. He knew he was fast losing control. He lifted her up into his arms with the intent of taking her back to camp. He would make love to her in the privacy of their wagon, and even if it killed him to wait, he would make certain she gained fulfillment before he did.

He felt smooth skin against his hand. He came to a dead stop. “Where are your underclothes?”

She was fervently kissing the side of his neck. “I’m not wearing any.”

He almost dropped her. His stride became long and purposeful, and when they reached the second wagon, it dawned on him that Victoria was inside.

Taylor wasn’t as rattled as he was. “She’s sleeping with the children tonight,” she whispered.

He helped her inside, then followed. Their bed was already made. A thick mat, wide enough for two, had been placed on the floor of the wagon. A sheet and blanket covered it.

When Lucas let the flap drop back down, the wagon was pitched into darkness.

He stripped out of his clothes before she’d taken all the pins out of her hair. She was kneeling on their bed. Lucas stretched out next to her, then rolled onto his side and slowly began to caress a path up the inside of her thigh to the junction of her legs. His fingers brushed across her sweet flesh and then he began to stroke her.

Taylor’s head dropped back. She closed her eyes and let out a low moan of surrender. The pleasure he was giving her was almost too much to bear. And when his fingers slowly penetrated her, her body instinctively reacted. Her hips slowly moved in the mating rhythm to gain more of the splendor.

He had to take her dress off. She couldn’t seem to remember how. She was frantic over their separation and tried to pull him into her arms. They were both kneeling now, facing each other. His mouth covered hers in another long, drugging, tongue-thrusting kiss. His hands stroked her breasts and then dropped to settle on the tilt of her hips.

Taylor’s hands were splayed against his chest. Her touch was feather-light, tantalizing. His breathing quickened when her caresses moved down his body and she grew bolder, and when at last her fingers closed over him, he let out a harsh groan of pleasure so intense, he felt consumed by it.

He very nearly lost his control then and there. His mouth never left hers as he pulled her hand away from him and then wrapped his arms around her and gently lowered her to the bed. He held her tight against him and rolled onto his back.

His hand cupped the back of her neck and his mouth captured hers again while he wedged one thigh between her legs. She rubbed against him, and his control completely scattered. His hand moved down low and into her warm, damp flesh. He tormented her with his fingers until she was writhing against him, and then he lifted her up and slowly penetrated her. She knelt on her knees now, straddling him, and with his gentle pressure pushing on her hips, she took him inside her. The warm knot of pleasure deep inside her seemed to explode into a thousand fragments. She couldn’t go slow now. She squeezed him tight inside her and then began to move.

The pleasure they gave each other soon became unbearable. Neither could hold back. He was the first to climax. He arched up against her and gave her his seed, and the force of his release triggered her own. She whimpered his name and collapsed on top of him.

It took both of them a long while to float back to reality. He stayed inside her for as long as he could and held her close until her breathing had calmed.

“I didn’t know we could . . .”

“Could what?” he asked.

“Like that,” she explained.

He could hear the blush in her voice. He laughed in response. “You were a hellcat a few minutes ago,” he reminded her.

She let out a sigh of contentment and closed her eyes. “I liked it,” she whispered.

“I know,” he replied. “I’ve got the marks from your nails to prove it.”

He sounded very arrogant and pleased with himself. Taylor was too tired to take issue with him.

Lucas was starting to like her, she thought. In time, if she really tried not to be so bossy and act as though she knew what everyone else should be doing and if she was able to prove that she could do just fine in the wilderness, maybe then liking would turn into loving. She’d told him she was miserable, and now all she wanted in the world was for her husband to be miserable, too.

She was just drifting off to sleep when Lucas rolled to the side and covered the two of them with the blanket. He pulled her back into his arms and closed his eyes.

“Taylor?”

“Yes?”

“We aren’t going to raise our son and our daughters the way you were raised. They’re never going to be afraid to tell us anything. They aren’t going to be ashamed or embarrassed by their bodies, and by God, if anyone ever tries to touch them, they’ll know how to scream.”

18

He that will have a cake out of wheat must tarry the grinding.

—William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida

Loving Lucas was easy. Getting along with the impossible man was another matter altogether. Taylor hadn’t realized how stubborn he could be until he refused to back down and listen to reason. The issue of where they were going to live was under discussion, though in truth she was the only one doing any discussing. Lucas had told her they were moving to a large city and refused to hear her argument against the plan. She was just as determined to stay where she was.

Time was on her side, however. Victoria was exhausted from their journey and needed to rest before she went anywhere. Her dear friend had just climbed out of the wagon when she heard Taylor tell Lucas she was ailing. She immediately jumped back inside and took to her bed.

Hunter was getting his things together with the intent of taking off for the mountains. As soon as he heard Victoria was sick, he came up with one reason after another why he couldn’t leave.

Rolly and three other men from town came marching into the clearing and inadvertently stopped the argument.

“We aren’t finished with this discussion,” Taylor whispered to her husband before turning to smile at the visitors.

“We aren’t having a discussion,” Lucas told her. “As soon as Victoria’s feeling better, we’re leaving.”

Georgie and Allie were both demanding his attention. He squatted down to find out what they wanted.

Hunter was putting out the fire he’d started to cook their breakfast. Daniel was helping him.

“Ross, Hunter,” Rolly called out, nodding after he shouted each name. He stopped in front of Taylor and bowed to her. “Morning, Mrs. Ross. Since you went and got yourself a house, me and the boys thought we’d go along and see to a few repairs. We’ll make sure the place is clear of critters, so you won’t have to worry about the youngsters stepping on something mean.”

Lucas had stood up during Rolly’s explanation. Allie hid behind his leg and stared up at the giant, but Georgie was bolder. She walked right up to Rolly and tugged on his pant leg until he looked down at her.

The child lost her balance staring up at Rolly and staggered backward. Then she put her arms up and waited.

Rolly looked at Taylor. “What’s she wanting?” he asked nervously.

Georgie answered before Taylor could. “Up,” she demanded.

Rolly looked thunderstruck. “I ain’t never held me a baby. Guess I could give it a try if you’re agreeable, Mrs. Ross.”

“Certainly, Mr. Rolly,” Taylor replied.

“It’s just Rolly,” he instructed her. He bent over and gen

tly lifted Georgie up. He held her up in the air at arm’s length. “She don’t weigh more than a feather.”

“Taylor, what’s Rolly talking about?” Lucas asked. He’d held onto his patience long enough. He wanted an immediate answer.

Rolly stepped forward. “She got herself a house. Can I put her down now? I don’t want to damage her none.”

Taylor reached up and took Georgie into her arms. The men smiled at the little girl, then followed their leader as Rolly turned and started back across the clearing.

“We’ll be ready to help you move in by early afternoon, Mrs. Ross,” Rolly called out.

Taylor put Georgie down and told her and her sister to go help Hunter. Then she turned to her husband. “I purchased a house yesterday. That’s why I went to see Lewis,” she said. Her words were hurried together when she added, “I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure it’s going to be fine. It has wood floors and glass windows.”

There was only one house in Redemption with glass windows. Lucas let out a loud expletive.

“Callaghan’s place,” he whispered. “Lewis sold you that crazy old mountain man’s house?”

He wasn’t shouting, but he was close to it. Taylor hurried to soothe him. “It isn’t his house. Even if we do leave soon, we still need somewhere to stay tonight.”

“No.”

“Lucas, be reasonable about this.”

He took a step closer to her. “I am being reasonable. He’s crazy, Taylor. You’ll wake up and find him sitting at the table wanting breakfast. His smell will knock you over backward. I don’t think he’s had a bath in twenty years. He won’t leave until he’s good and ready,” he added with a nod. “And then he’ll take half of what you’ve unpacked with him.”

Taylor hid her alarm. “Is he dangerous?” she asked.

Lucas wanted to lie, then decided on the truth. “No,” he admitted. “He won’t hurt you, but you’ll want to kill him after being in his company for ten minutes. It’s out of the question. We’re staying in the meadow.”