River Lady (James River Trilogy 3)

He swam to the opposite side of the little pool and stuck his head up behind some hanging greenery. Leah came up struggling for breath and instantly Wes put his fingers to her lips.

With a sideways glance Leah saw the bear in the same place and she moved away from the animal, which happened to be nearer Wesley. His arms opened and he pulled her to him, her back against his front. She couldn’t struggle because the sound might carry to the bear.

Wesley caught her earlobe between his teeth and began to nibble on it.

She tried to move away.

He released her ear and nodded meaningfully toward the bear.

She tried to tell him with her eyes that she almost preferred the bear’s mauling, but Wes’s grip wouldn’t let her move.

He began to nuzzle her neck, his kisses trailing upward to her hairline.

The water was warm, heated all day by the sun, and it was relaxing Leah’s tired muscles. As Wes continued to explore her neck and the side of her face, Leah leaned back into him, turning her head to give him freer access.

“The bear’s gone,” he murmured.

“Mmm?” Leah said, her eyes closed.

Wesley ran his teeth down the sensitive cord in her neck and Leah turned a bit in his arms. Her body felt as soft and liquid as the water surrounding her.

“The bear’s gone,” Wes repeated as the tip of his tongue touched her earlobe. “Shall we finish this on land? Of course maybe we could continue in the water. I’m certainly willing.”

She whirled about, treading water. “How dare you—.”

“How dare I!” He laughed. “Why do you keep lying to yourself, Leah? All I have to do is touch you and you’re mine. Don’t leave. Let’s stay in the water. I’ve never—.”

Leah, who was trying her best to make a dignified exit to the shore, turned to face him, her eyes flashing fire. “If you are planning to inform me of your previous conquests, please restrain yourself. I have no interest in what you have or have not done. And for your information, I react to all men who touch me just as I react to you. It’s something all of us Simmons women are born with. I thought you knew that. After all, isn’t your interest in me due to my whorelike nature?”

“Damn you, Leah!” Wes seethed, moving near her. “Why do you keep saying those things about yourself? I saw you with Justin. I’ll wager he never touched you.”

“Then you’d lose your money.” Grabbing her skirt she left the pool to stand on the bank, wringing out the wetness.

Wesley stood beside her, his big body outlined by his wet buckskins. “You’ll give me what I want, Leah.”

When she didn’t look at him, he moved away. “We’ll camp over there,” he

said, nodding.

As soon as Wesley was gone, Leah’s shoulders drooped. With her wet skirt dragging behind her, she sat on a rock. She couldn’t give in to him. She could not allow herself to do that. How many times had she already lost him? They’d made love and he’d tossed a coin at her and walked away. They’d been married and he’d left her alone, bruised and pregnant. And when he’d returned from Kentucky he’d refused to look at her, he’d said he wanted Kimberly and had again rejected Leah.

Three times, Leah thought. He’d left her three times and now she was supposed to trust him? Did he find pleasure in toying with her, watching her fall for him, then leaving her? Did he need that to make him feel like a man? To him it meant nothing more than a night’s pleasure, but Wesley was something special to Leah. She’d loved him so deeply for so many years. When her father had beaten her she’d lain in pain and thought how someday Wesley Stanford would come to save her. When she’d lost their baby she’d cried, but she’d known there’d be other children—Wesley’s children. But now that she knew what he was like she feared that he’d discard her as soon as she was pregnant. After all, her usefulness would be past.

And what about when they left the forest to go to Wesley’s town of Sweetbriar? Wesley was willing to admit to a few close friends that Leah was his wife, but what if he wasn’t willing to announce the fact before a whole town? No, a Simmons must be hidden in the woods, kept secret, not allowed into polite society.

Of course Wesley was a man and, as he pointed out every few minutes, Leah was a lusty woman. So he’d take her to the woods, play a nasty little game with her where she had the choice of his bed or months in the forest, and when she gave in to him, then what? Why of course, he’d return to his clean little farm and all he had to do was announce that she’d tricked him into marriage and that she was a loose woman and any judge in the land would grant a decree of divorce. Wes would be free and Leah would be…

Leah stood, taking a deep breath. Leah would once again be left with a broken heart. And there were just so many times a woman’s heart could be torn apart and still heal. If she fell for Wesley again and he left her, she wondered if she’d be able to pull herself together for the fourth time. For her own sake, she had to resist him. She couldn’t let him discard her again.

Through the trees she saw the flicker of firelight and knew Wesley had set up camp. With a shiver she started toward the fire.

“Coffee?” Wes asked, extending a steaming mug to her.

She shook her head and reached for the skillet Wes held.

“No.” He pulled back. “You rest. I’ll cook supper.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped. “Men can’t cook.”