Wayward Wind, page 27
“I aim to do jist that. I’m athinkin’ ya’ve met yore match, missy.”
Volney’s eyes clung to Lorna’s white face. This slip of a girl meant the world to him. He let his breath out slowly and he seemed to sink deeper down onto the bunk. He’d not worry about her now. Parnell had a fondness for her—a great fondness. He had seen it right from the start. The mountain’s not the place for her any more, he thought sadly. Times had changed. What Lorna needed was a man to stand between her and the varmints that would ruin her—just as Maggie had needed Light. Parnell wouldn’t let her have ever’thing her own way, either. He’d not go to Light’s Mountain and walk in another man’s tracks. He’d make his own. Volney heaved a sigh of relief and closed his eyes.
Chapter
Eighteen
She’d made a fine mess of things, Lorna thought as she stomped out of the bunkhouse ahead of Cooper. The instant she stepped through the door his hand clamped onto her upper arm. She stopped, turned, and glared up at him.
“Stop treating me as if I’d come to steal something. I’ve seen what I came to see. I’m going now.”
His hold tightened immediately. “Not yet.”
She didn’t argue with him, nor did she struggle. She refused to pit her strength against his; but she remained half-turned away, passively waiting for him to release her. They stood thus in an awkward silence, the night wind running chill fingers over her flushed face. Cooper reached out and laid his hand against her cheek and gently turned her face up to him. When she didn’t resist, he drew her to him.
“No,” she said, and turned out of his encircling arms.
“All right.” The hand on her arm propelled her forward.
Lorna walked calmly beside him, trying to blot from her mind the physical awareness of him. She rebelled against it, sensing in it a threat. It wouldn’t do to let the hunger that drew her to come here control her now. Yet even as she cautioned herself, she wanted to turn to him and find shelter in his arms as she had on Light’s Mountain.
They passed the smokehouse and the privy and walked on toward the shed where she had seen the man working on the forge. Cooper drew her inside and released her arm, but fenced her in by placing a hand on the wall on each side of her. She pushed against his chest.
“Move back, please,” she said with quiet disdain. “You were not treated as a prisoner when you came to Light’s Mountain.”
“I didn’t go sneaking in there in the middle of the night, either.”
“This isn’t the middle of the night and I’m not here because I want to be.”
“I realize that… now. At first I thought you’d—well, never mind about that. You’ve got yourself into a heap of trouble, haven’t you?”
“What do you mean? If I was in trouble I’d certainly not come to you.”
“How about Griff? Were you looking for him?”
“Heavens, no! I’ve been looking for Volney. Billy let it slip to Pa that they’d hurt him.”
“They did that, all right. How did you know he was here?”
“I didn’t until Bonnie told me. I wanted to see how she was doing, too.”
“Bonnie’s doing fine. She took to Ma right off.”
“That’s just dandy!” Lorna was trying so hard to keep from crying that she let her guard down and the words came out sarcastically.
In the silence that came down between them Cooper’s inscrutable eyes tried to penetrate the darkness to reach into Lorna’s. After a long time, he moved his hands from the wall, but remained close to her.
“Bonnie’s getting some pride back. She’s not acting like a whipped pup anymore.”
“I’m glad.” Lorna’s voice trembled.
“Are you?”
Lorna’s head came up defiantly. “Of course I am.”
“She and Griff are going to marry and settle over on the Blue.”
“She told me. It’ll be the end of both of them. If old Clayhill doesn’t kill them, Brice Fulton will.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s the truth! You know it.” Her patience was waning.
“Lorna, Lorna. I don’t know what to do with you!”
There was gentleness and affection in his voice and Lorna had to hold onto her anger and keep it as a shield between them.
“I’m no concern of yours,” she snapped.
“Yes, you are. You know you are.” He rested one hand against the wall beside her head and with the other he fingered the hair that had come loose and was lying against her neck. “Why didn’t you wait for me and Griff to finish our business here? On our way back to the Blue we’d have come to Light’s Mountain and settled with Fulton for Volney—and for Bonnie, too.”
“I don’t wait for anybody to come kill my snakes. Brice deserved more than a whipping. He killed my dogs, Ruth and Naomi, besides hurting Volney. He treated Bonnie like she wasn’t even human. He’s not fit to live! I thought of killing him. I could’ve done it easier than whipping him, but I’ve not killed a man.”
“It would have been better if you’d killed him and had your pa drag him off the mountain. A man can take a lot of things, but being whipped by a woman isn’t one of them.”
Cooper’s caressing hand moved to her cheek, and his fingers stroked her soft skin. For a moment she was unable to move or speak, trembling with humiliation because she wanted nothing as much as she wanted to lean into that caressing hand, but she stood perfectly still. She could feel his breath stirring the hair on the top of her head, and he moved still closer until her breasts slightly touched his chest. He smelled smoky, tangy, and of freshly washed clothes.
“Will you please move back and give me room… to breathe?”
Cooper drew a deep breath and moved back a step. “Stay here with Ma and Bonnie, and I’ll go settle with him.”
“He’s gone. He took Hollis and Billy with him.”
“I’ll make sure.”
“No! I don’t want you interfering in my business.”
“Come on up to the house. We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
“No!” She tried to slip under his arm, but he grabbed her and pulled her against him. “Let go or I’ll cut you with my knife!”
“You don’t have it. I took it when I jerked you off the horse.”
“You—” Lorna’s hand went to the sash around her waist. It was empty. She had not been without that knife since she was a child. What had her infatuation for this man done to her? “Give it back. It was my Grandpa Light’s.”
“I reckon it’s safe enough—now,” he said with a trace of laughter in his voice. He took it from his scabbard where he had slipped it in alongside his and handed it to her. “You couldn’t cut me any more than I could cut you. Come on, sweetheart. Come to the house and meet my mother, visit with Bonnie and get a good night’s rest. We’ll hash this over tomorrow and decide what to do.” His voice was soft and persuasive now.
Sweetheart. Her heart trembled and her thoughts milled around in wild disorder. In the end she knew that she couldn’t go in the house. She had come in the middle of the night, an uninvited backwoods girl in ragged shirt and britches. No! She couldn’t face that woman with the neatly piled hair and freshly ironed dress who couldn’t possibly understand her and the way she lived.
“I’m not a bit tired,” she said spiritedly. “And I’ve had my visit with Bonnie.” Cooper’s arm was around her and he was urging her out of the shed. She dug in her heels. “I’m not going in there, Cooper. I’d be obliged if you’d stop shoving me.”
“Why not? What have you got against my mother? You’ve not even met her.”
“And I’m not going to, either. I’ll not have her looking at me as if I’m something that crawled out from under a rock.”
“What gave you the idea she’d do that?” Cooper was clearly dumbfounded. “Was it what Volney said about Ma being bossy? He was just talking to hear his head rattle. He likes her. He fusses at her like he fusses at you. That’s how I know he likes her.”
“I don’t care if he likes her or not. I’m not going in and that’s the end of it.” Lorna felt the vacant feeling in the pit of her stomach expand to her heart. Everything had gone wrong. The only thing to do was to play out the hand and wait for her chance. “I’ll stay until daylight, if it will set your mind to rest.” She added the last scornfully. “But I’ll sleep in the bunkhouse with Volney.”
“No, you can’t stay there. Louis and Sam and Griff would have no place and I’ll not ask them to go to the barn. Come on.” The grip on her arm had loosened, and now his hand merely guided her.
Lorna walked beside him feeling the frantic clamor of her heart. She wished she hadn’t come here. Didn’t he say that he was going back to Light’s Mountain to settle with Brice for Volney? That’s what he said, but was he going back to see her, too? Oh, yes, she remembered suddenly. He was going back to see if she looked like she’d swallowed a watermelon!
“I’ve got to see about Gray Wolf.”
“I’ll light a lantern.”
“I don’t need it.”
She pulled away from him and went into the barn. Cooper followed. He knew the barn like the back of his hand and seldom needed a light, but wondered how she found her way to Gray Wolf’s stall. She must have eyes like a cat. He leaned against the heavy timbers of the stall while she loosened the cinch on the saddle, pulled it off and dropped it on the floor in the corner. There was a long silence. Cooper could see the blur of her white face. She looked so small standing beside the big horse. She began to murmur to Gray Wolf; soft unintelligible sounds. The horse tossed his head, but stood quietly.
“Come on out, Lorna.”
Silence.
“Don’t think for a minute that I won’t come in after you if you don’t come out.”
“Gray Wolf would fight you if I told him to.”
“I know that, and I’d have to shoot him.”
There was a long pause.
“Yes,” she said, and there was quiet resignation in her voice.
She climbed through the bars and before she could straighten, Cooper swung her up in his arms. He went to the back of the barn, stood her on her feet, and kicked fresh cut grass into a mound.
“You can sleep here.”
“I’ll need my blanket.”
“I’ll keep you warm.”
“No!”
Cooper chuckled. “No? That’s all you’ve said since you’ve been here. Lie down. I’m just going to hold you, that’s all. I deserve it after what you’ve put me through.” He pushed her down into the soft grass and followed to stretch out beside her.
“Please… don’t,” she said in a voice muffled against his shoulder.
“Don’t what? I’ll never force you to do anything you don’t want to do. Don’t you know that?” he murmured with his lips in her hair, and wrapped his arms around her. “Although there have been times, several in fact, when I wanted to strangle you and then twist this pretty little head of yours right off your shoulders. Right now I want to kiss you and see if I like it as much as I did the other times.” His breath was a warm tickle in her ear.
“Don’t!” She strained away from him, but his arms possessed an incredible strength and he bound her still closer to his hard sinewy body until she felt she must be crushed to death. Slowly, lingeringly, he kissed her mouth before releasing it. She felt a sharp stab of pleasure and a weakening in her determination to resist him.
“Hmm… I like it even better. Your mouth is sweet.” He kissed it again, gently.
Tears filled Lorna’s eyes. “Why do you want to kiss me? You don’t even like me. You said so—”
“No, I didn’t. I didn’t say that at all. I said you were stubborn, bullheaded beyond reason, and a take-over woman who needed a strong hand. I also said you were spunky and willful, but pretty as an angel. I want to add that you’re also the sweetest woman I ever kissed, and you can carry a pretty good tune, too, when you get all wound up.” His voice teased; his lips caressed her face, his hands her back and hips.
“You were awfully mad that morning.”
“I sure was. I was so mad I was halfway down the mountain before I knew it.”
“You’re not mad at me now?” She snuggled her face in the curve of his neck.
“Sure, I am. I’m madder than a hornet, but I’m willing to call a trace for awhile.” He nuzzled her jaw and ran his fingers into her hair at the back of her neck to hold her face against him. “Ah… girl, you feel so good. Take off that damn coat. I’ll keep you warm.”
She slipped out of the coat and her arms wrapped around his neck. She snuggled in his arms and felt his heart beating as wildly as her own. He did care for her! He did! She tried to speak, but failed. Instead she stroked his face and hair with trembling hands and tenderly kissed his lips before resting her head on his shoulder.
“I love you, Cooper. I love you so much it hurts me here.” She brought his hand around to her heart and his fingers closed possessively over her small breast as if they were coming home.
“Ah… sweetheart.” His voice was the softest of sounds.
All the emotional bruising of their parting and the weeks that followed flowed and melted away under the balm of his lips. Her mouth clung to his in a moment of incredible sweetness.
Very softly she said his name. “Cooper.”
He lifted his head and rested the tip of his nose against hers for a moment, then drew back, waiting, letting his eyes, soft with love, drink in her face. He didn’t say a word, but kissed her mouth fiercely, passionately. Lorna closed her eyes and moved sensuously closer to him and braided her leg between his.
“Careful, pretty girl. Careful,” he cautioned.
His hair was a soft glow in the dark. She felt the feathery touch of it against her skin, then the warm caress of his lips in the curve of her neck. Sudden tears ached behind her eyes. She moved her hand to the back of his head and gently stroked his hair.
“Don’t you want to mate with me, my love?” she whispered into the cheek pressed to her lips.
“Ahh… More than anything.” His voice sounded as if he were strangling. “But… I’ll wait till we’re wed. I’ll wait… if it kills me. Then, after you’re mine, I’m going to drown in you.”
Lorna’s heart almost burst with joy at knowing how much he wanted her. Her arms tightened and she held him to her with all her strength while she murmured soft words of love against his lips.
“You won’t have to wait, my love. I’m as much yours now as I’ll ever be. I’m your woman. Hold me, love me, drown in me if you want to.”
His hands roamed over her rounded hips in the heavy duck britches and cupped her small breast in his palm. His mouth closed fiercely over hers, parting her soft lips, urgent in his need. Her body felt boneless as he fitted every inch of it against his, pressing her down into the soft grass. This was Cooper, her mate, her lover. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. She felt herself being swept away on a cloud where nothing mattered but satisfying their need for each other.
“I can’t do it! I can’t risk it again! I’ve got to get you to the preacher,” he muttered hoarsely. “Oh, God, my sweet, pretty woman! I want you so much—”
“Cooper…” His name melted on her lips and when she tried to speak, her words kept fading, swept away by his kisses. “Cooper…”
“Shh… don’t say anything.” His lips covered hers before she could speak and she forgot what she was going to say. His voice was a whisper when finally they broke the kiss.
“There are things I’ve got to tell you. You won’t have to share the house with my mother, if that’s been bothering you, sweetheart. Arnie wants to marry her and take her to Morning Sun to live.” He lifted his head and her arms fell from around his neck. “I’ve got to put a stop to this while I can! Turn over, sweetheart. I’m afraid I don’t have the willpower I thought I had.” She turned and he pulled her back to his chest and her hips into the cradle he made with his thighs. “I deserve an extra star in my crown for this,” he whispered in her ear, nuzzling her hair with his chin and kissing her on the neck.
His words had left Lorna frozen inside. He wasn’t even considering coming to Light’s Mountain. He was planning on this being her home. Did he know he had taken her heart? Of course, he did. She had told him she loved him. Did he know he had crushed it? Would his heart be broken, too? He had held her and kissed her as if he loved her, but he had never said the words.
“Do you love me, Cooper?” Her breath came out light and gasping.
His laugh was low and tender. He hugged her and nipped her earlobe lightly with his teeth. “Oh, sweetheart, you’ve been under my skin since the day I met you, tormenting me, driving me crazy.”
“But do you love me?” she insisted in a breathy whisper. She clamped her lips shut and swallowed repeatedly. She was afraid she was going to cry.
“If loving you means thinking about you all the time, and worrying about you so I can’t sleep at night. If it means getting crazy mad at you when you’ve done something foolish, and wanting to beat the daylights out of you and love you at the same time, I guess I do love you.”
“You sound like you don’t want to.”
“I admit that I’d rather have had a more manageable woman,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’ll settle for the one I’ve got.” He lifted his head and his lips teased at the side of her face. “I know you’re disappointed that I won’t live on Light’s Mountain, but you’ll get used to it here, sweetheart. You can pick out some good mares to put to Gray Wolf and watch his offspring grow along with ours. We’ll get some hounds to replace Ruth and Naomi. Your pa will be welcome anytime, and maybe when he sees you settled here and happy, he’ll not be so sour. I’ll take you over to Morning Sun to meet my brother and his wife, Rosalee. And even if you don’t think so now, you’ll like Ma. She’s always wanted a daughter. After awhile you’ll not miss Light’s Mountain at all.”
No! Lorna screamed silently. She would not leave Light’s Mountain. This would never be her home, because she’d not stay here and let her grandmother’s house go to wrack and ruin. She was a part of Light’s Mountain and Light’s Mountain was a part of her. Not even for Cooper, her love, would she leave it. He’d come to her, if he loved her. And if he didn’t, it was best to know it now. But if he did come, he’d love it, and after awhile he’d not miss this place.
