Chapter Eleven

Annie knew she was being reckless. Knew she would probably pay for it later. But that was then, and this was now.

She’d never realized that wanting a man in the fullest sense a woman could want him, as she yearned for Brady Malone in this moment, would be something so totally compelling. Something not to be resisted, whatever the consequences. Because only then, only when their bodies were united and he made her his, would she feel complete.

And that, Annie understood, was what it meant to be a woman.

Did Brady understand this? She prayed he did as she gazed up into his smoldering, brown eyes and saw there a raw hunger that reflected her own hunger. The long moment that she waited so anxiously for his response seemed forever.

When his answer finally came, it was issued in a husky whisper that had her shivering with eager anticipation.

“Do you know what you’re asking of me, Annie? Because once I cross that line with you, there won’t be any holding back. I’m not that strong. Not where you’re concerned.”

“I don’t want you holding back. I don’t want me holding back.”

With a daring she had never before been capable of, never wanted to be capable of, she demonstrated her candor by taking his face in both hands and bringing it down to hers. With the tip of her wet tongue, she stroked his mouth, caught his lower lip between her teeth, nibbled on it slowly. And felt his whole body shudder with unmistakable lust.

That a woman had the power to bring a man to such a helpless state of arousal was a revelation that awed her.

“I guess you do know what you want,” he said, breathing hard.

“I guess I do.”

He complied by kissing her again repeatedly. Searing kisses that seemed to devour her and which she answered with her own eager mouth. But not for long. Both of them experienced too much urgency for that. An urgency that had them tumbling off the bunk and swiftly shedding their clothes.

Annie gasped when she saw him standing naked before her. His body was every bit as splendid as she’d ever imagined in her late-night fantasies. Sleekly muscled, with wide shoulders, narrow hips, long legs and above his strong thighs the evidence of his manhood in a proud, hard shaft that had her swallowing another gasp.

He gave her no chance to express her approval. He robbed her of that with his admiration of her own body. “My God, Annie, but you’re beautiful!”

She’d never thought of herself as beautiful and didn’t now. But any woman took pleasure in hearing a compliment like that from the man who was about to become her lover. And Annie did just that.

If she’d ever thought it would be awkward or embarrassing to stand completely naked in front of a man while his hot gaze took possession of her, she needn’t have worried. Not with the right man. Not with this man.

And take possession of her is what Brady did, scooping her up into his arms and laying her on the bunk. Stretching out beside her, he thoroughly kissed her again, his beard against her face rough but somehow pleasing. When his mouth finally left hers, it traveled in slow stages to her throat, down across her collarbone, and finally to her breasts.

He paused there to allow his hands to cup the fullness of her breasts, to fondle them, to tease her nipples into hard, yearning peaks before his mouth captured each of those nipples in turn. His torture, with a tongue that swirled and tugged and licked, was so exquisite Annie could hardly breathe.

She stopped breathing altogether, or so it seemed, when his mouth drew one breast deep into his mouth where he suckled strongly on it before he moved on to the next breast with an equal treatment that punished her senses on every level.

What followed, as his mouth trailed down across her navel to settle between her thighs, was pure torment. A tongue that probed into the very center of her womanhood, demanding its essence. And getting it as he lifted her into a blinding oblivion that made her want to scream with pleasure.

“What—” she managed to gasp, “—what are you doing to me?”

He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. She knew what he was doing. He was preparing her for his entry. And she was ready for him, wet and slick and quivering.

Drawing back, he took her hand and carried it to his swollen erection. “Can you feel how much I want you?”

Yes, she could feel it in the pulsing length she clasped with wonder. That and a sudden trepidation deserving a warning.

“Brady, I—I’ve never been with a man before. Not in that way.”

“I’ll make it as easy for you as I can, but it may hurt. Just a little at first,” he promised, positioning himself between her thighs, guiding his hardness into the core of her being.

She was glad it was Brady who was initiating her, even when that core resisted his penetration. Even when, as tenderly as possible, he pushed against the barrier he encountered without success. In the end, it needed one strong thrust before she was open to him. The pain was sharp but brief. After that, she felt herself stretching to accommodate his full length.

He rested, permitting her to adjust to him. She more than just accepted him then. Because the sensation of his body joined with hers was incredible. He felt it, too, and said as much.

“Can you feel it, sweetheart? How right we are together like this? You all tight and wet for me, and me...”

But the rest was lost in the mindless haze of their lovemaking. The slow strokes of his hardness that would no longer be denied. His whispered endearments in her ear. Her hands clenched on his back feeling the ridges of scar tissue there and thinking they, too, were precious to her. Annie gloried in all of it.

Brady prolonged the pinnacle as long as it was humanly possible. In the end, though, he was unable to delay the peak of their lovemaking. His now rapidly surging hips carried her to another climax as she strained against him. A climax this time that raged throughout the length of her body, tearing a cry from her throat. Until this moment she had never believed that such intense pleasure was possible.

His release followed hers. Then, sealing their success with a kiss on her lips, he sank down against her side, his body sheathed in sweat. Annie could feel her own body flushed with the heat of sex. Arms around her, Brady held her close as they cuddled there in a long, glowing silence.

She remembered just before she drifted off to sleep that they never did have supper.

****

Annie awakened at daylight. A daylight so radiant that she put the back of her hand over her eyes to shield them against the glare. She lay there for long seconds, recalling last night’s miracle. She would have been content to go on huddling in the warm bunk, treasuring with a secretive little smile every intimate detail of their lovemaking.

Brady had roused her sometime in the night, his renewed hardness nudging her hip, his teeth gently nipping the lobe of her ear. Unmistakable signals that he wanted her again. She was ready for him. This time their lovemaking had been a wild, wanton business, although no less satisfying even if it did leave her a bit sore. An easy price to pay for all the joy he had given her.

But now...

Removing her hand from her eyes, she reached out for him. He was no longer there beside her. Feeling the loss, she risked the glare by turning her head to search for him.

Sunlight. That was the explanation for the glare. Sunlight was pouring through the window. The first sunlight she had seen since the blizzard had struck. Did that mean—?

The door banged open. Brady came into the cabin, whistling cheerfully. He must have been out already seeing to the animals. His gaze went immediately to the bunk where she was now propped up on one elbow.

“Morning, sweetheart,” he greeted her.

He had washed, shaved and dressed, looking so fresh it made Annie aware of just how grubby she felt.

“You’re not wearing your coat.”

“Didn’t need it. The temperature climbed during the night. It’s almost as warm as summer out there. No wind either, and the snow is melting fast.”

She heard it then, the drip, drip of water from the cabin’s eaves.

“The trail should be clear before long,” he said. “We ought to be able to start down the mountain by noon.”

“That soon?”

Just as he’d predicted, she recollected when he nodded. The prospect of leaving had her feeling sad. She would be sorry to turn her back on this place where she had found such happiness. On the other hand, it was probably much better to get back to the ranch and the reality that waited there. Sooner or later, she would have to confront that reality and deal with it. But not at this moment. She didn’t want to spoil the idyll they had shared.

“Better get up,” he urged. “We have a lot to do before we can leave.”

She started to throw back the blanket when she remembered she was entirely naked. It somehow didn’t seem right when he was standing there fully clothed. He didn’t miss her hesitation. His lips curved in a wicked smile.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to turn shy on me after last night?” he teased.

“A gentleman wouldn’t remind a lady of that.”

“I’ve never been a gentleman, Annie. Hell, if you didn’t know that before you should know it now after—”

“Don’t say it. Just turn your back and get busy making us coffee and oatmeal. I’m famished.”

He laughed, but he obeyed her request, allowing her a modicum of privacy to wash and dress.

On one of the occasions she had played her guitar in saloons, Annie had overheard a woman of easy virtue remark that the morning after a gent had spent the night with her could be a devilishly awkward business. But it wasn’t that way with Brady and her. They were perfectly relaxed with each other over breakfast, discussing what they had to accomplish before they could depart. She felt this was another pleasant memory for her to take away from the place. And memories would probably be all she did have.

The rest of the morning they were occupied with the chores they divided between them. Brady cleaned out the ashes from the stove and dumped them outside. Then he got busy mucking out the shed and the pen while she did the dishes, made up the bunks, and swept the floor. When she was finished, the cabin was all tidy and ready for next spring.

It was almost noon before they were able to get away. Brady had both horses saddled and ready when Annie emerged from the cabin for the last time. The snow hadn’t entirely vanished, but the loss of it amazed her. However, it was the sight of the calf straddling the back of the roan that really astonished her.

“What on earth?”

Brady grinned at her reaction. “No choice about it. He isn’t strong enough yet to make it down the mountain on his own. Besides, this way, with her calf on board, the cow will follow without giving us any trouble.”

Brady led the horses and cow out of the pen, leaving Annie to secure the gate behind her. He had already swung himself into the saddle behind the calf when she mounted Jasper.

She had been too busy cleaning the cabin for any regrets. Nor did she allow herself any now, refusing to look back as they started down the trail. But she knew she was leaving a part of herself behind, something vital she might never recover.

Little rivulets of melted snow drained down the trail, requiring them to pick their way with care. As Brady had promised, the cow ambled willingly behind them.

By the time they reached the wide band of aspens, there were only occasional patches of snow. And when they emerged from the ranks of the trees, the snow was only a memory. The air was warm and sweet with the scent of grass as they descended the last gentle slopes to the floor of the valley.

“There’s a rider out there coming toward us,” Annie observed.

“And coming fast. Looks like Casey.”

They reined in, waiting for him. Brady was right. It was Casey. The young cowboy stood in the saddle, waving his Stetson and whooping with boyish exuberance.

When he reached them, he greeted them with a rapid, breathless, “Hey, boss, it sure is good to see you back and looking all safe and in one piece. From the look of the clouds up there, we figured you and Miz Johnson musta got stuck up on that ol’ mountain in a snow storm.”

Brady was amused by the cowboy’s concern. “Were you worried about us, Casey?”

“Sure was. All of us was worried. ’Ceptin’ Mister Walter, that is. Only thing he had to say was, ‘None of you has any call to worry. Brady’s got a head on his shoulders. They’ll make out just fine.’”

Brady exchanged looks with Annie. She knew what he must be thinking. That her grandfather couldn’t be happier they’d ended up stranded in the cabin than if he had planned it. But she couldn’t be certain that Brady realized the old sinner wanted a match between them. For that reason, if no other, she had no intention of mentioning it.

“Looks like the calf got hisself born,” Casey said.

The calf, which had been docile enough throughout the trip, was squirming now. Brady dismounted and lifted the animal down from Napoleon’s back. “See that the cow and her calf get joined with the herd, will you, Casey?”

While Brady had a last word with the hand before they rode on to the ranch, Annie permitted herself to turn in the saddle and look back up the mountain. It was only then she dared to admit to herself what she had known since last night and could no longer deny.

Brady Malone had captured not just her body but her heart as well. She was in love with him, and she didn’t know what she was going to do about it.

****

Like the Colorado town in which it was located, the hotel was called the Enterprise. A name that bothered the law-abiding citizens of the community, because the place had been a bordello before its madam had gone legitimate and turned the large house into a hotel.

The girls had cleared out long ago. With the exception of Judd Halter, the place catered only to respectable guests now. But the locals were reluctant to forgive either the reputation of the house or the ex-madam who still operated it. Belle McDonough no longer practiced her former trade, but she had welcomed her old friend, Judd Halter, into both her bed and her hotel.

He had a small room of his own at the end of the hall on the second floor. It had offered a snug, quiet refuge in which to recover from his gunshot wound, something that had taken much longer than he’d anticipated since the damn thing had become infected.

It was pretty much mended now. Judd would soon be in shape to leave Enterprise behind him. However, until then, he seldom left the hotel. He didn’t want to draw any attention to himself that might end up piquing the interest of the local sheriff. Not that he’d heard there were any posters circulating wanting him for the attempted robbery of the train. But Belle had made it clear to him that she wanted no trouble in her place.

This afternoon, however, he’d risked an errand to the general store down the street. He was clean out of the cheroots he craved, and he’d figured a brief outing couldn’t hurt.

He was coming away from the mercantile and getting ready to light up one of the cheroots when someone on the street behind him hailed him.

“Judd! Judd Halter, is that actually you?”

Damn it all to hell! One of the rare times he’d ventured out, and he had to go and be recognized! And just who was this bastard shouting at him for everyone to hear?

Spinning around on his heel, he saw a short man wearing spectacles hurrying toward him. He seemed familiar to Judd, but he couldn’t place him. He sensed there was no danger here, though, so he waited for the fellow to catch up to him.

Judd was greeted with a friendly, “You remember me, don’tcha, Judd? Frank Schultz?” Judd’s hand was seized and pumped vigorously.

Oh, yeah, he remembered Schultz now. The harmless little drummer who had sold him wares for his traveling medicine show in the old days.

“It sure is a treat seeing you again, Judd.”

“That so? You still selling remedies?”

Schultz shook his head. “Still traveling, but it’s men’s wear these days.”

“Staying in the hotel here on your stopover?”

“No, a boarding house down the street. It sure is funny, though, running into you like this.”

Judd leaned back against a hitching rail and lit up his cheroot, drawing on it deeply and exhaling a stream of smoke into the air before asking, “Oh? Why is that?”

“Because just a coupla weeks back guess who else I also went and run into?”

Judd shook his head. “No idea.”

“Annie Johnson. Isn’t that something, Judd?”

Judd hoped the excitement that gripped him wasn’t registering on his face. “Yeah,” he said casually, “that’s something.” Something? It was more than that, a helluva lot more.

“So, just where was this, Frank? See, Annie and me have been out of touch.”

“She mentioned that.”

“Did she?”

“Asked ’bout you, too. Seemed interested in knowin’ where you was these days, but a’ course I couldn’t tell her anything. It was at this dance in Banning, Judd. Banning, Wyoming.”

Banning. Judd recalled Lydia and Annie mentioning the town and the old man, Walter Johnson. His ranch was near there. From what Judd could recollect, Lydia and Annie had hated both the ranch and the grandfather. And yet Annie had gone back there, probably had been on her way to Banning when he and his gang had stopped the train.

“Guess I’ll have to write and tell her then.”

“You do that, Judd. I bet she’d be real glad to know.” Schultz consulted his pocket watch. “Looks like I’d better be off. Got a sale to make.”

The little salesman tossed him a fast goodbye and disappeared around a corner, leaving Judd thoughtfully smoking his cheroot.

Well, well, wasn’t this a piece of handy news? Real handy.

He’d spent his weeks of recuperation wondering how he was going to track down Annie Johnson in order to make sure she never testified against him in a court of law. And now Frank Schultz had innocently told him where he could find her.

Trouble was, it would be a problem getting at her. If she was living at that ranch, she’d have all kinds of cow hands to protect her. And cow hands carried guns.

No, going to Banning wasn’t such a good idea. But what other choice did he have?

Wait a minute. Hadn’t Schultz told him Annie wanted to know where he was? Why?

Judd pondered that for a moment before deciding that Annie might just feel she had a score to settle with him. Yeah, knowing the tough little bitch as he had, it made sense she’d want to get even with him for ridding himself of Lydia and the squalling brat. So why not provide Annie with what she wanted to know? Lure her back here to Colorado where he could eliminate her on his own ground?

How? How could he manage to do that?

Grinding the cheroot underfoot, Judd sauntered back to the hotel deliberating the problem.

Guess I’ll have to write and tell her then. He hadn’t meant what he’d said to Schultz, of course. But suppose he did send Annie a letter letting her know he was staying here in the hotel in Enterprise? Naturally, he couldn’t write such a letter as if it came from him. But posing as the drummer maybe? Yeah, that could work.

He’d have to be careful, disguise his handwriting. Would she come? It was worth a try. And when, and if, she did show up, Judd would be ready for her.

****

A woman in love wasn’t supposed to resent the man who had bound her to him heart and soul. At least that’s what Annie had heard, although her mother who had forever been falling in love and out of love wasn’t the best teacher. Not on that subject, anyway. Not when Annie knew there could never be any other man for her but Brady Malone.

She realized it wasn’t fair of her to resent him, not when he had no idea how she felt about him in that respect. Just as she had no clue how he felt about her. Nor did she have the courage to ask him. Maybe because she feared his answer, the humiliating, painful possibility that he didn’t share her love.

That last magic night they had spent in the cabin should have told her everything she needed to know, but it didn’t. Wonderful sex didn’t have to mean that love was attached to it, did it?

Of course, if Brady didn’t want her in that way it would be the solution to her dilemma. It would make it easier for her to leave him when the time came. Because as it stood now, she could feel that terrible love she suffered eroding the vow she had made over her mother’s grave to destroy Judd Halter. And whatever happened or didn’t happen between Brady and her, that promise must never be abandoned.

If nothing else, they were friends now if not lovers. She supposed that being back at the ranch made it too difficult to repeat that night at the cabin. Besides, Brady was too busy these days getting the cattle on both spreads ready to be shipped to market to have much time for her.

But although there were no further physical intimacies for them, there were emotional ones. Snatched interludes, usually when Walter was taking his afternoon naps and they were both free to ride the range together on their horses. They exchanged their feelings for everything but each other on these outings. Yes, they were pleasant hours, but they, in no way, helped Annie’s deep uncertainty.

It was Walter’s sudden death that changed all that.