Change of Heart (9 page)

“Would you like to see the parlor?” he asked,
waving his hand toward the door.

“Of course.”

He showed her his entire house, upstairs and
down, promising he’d give her a tour of his outbuildings in the
morning. Marietta was amazed at the beauty of his home. Its décor
was simple, but the rooms were as homey and as comfortable as any
she’d seen in Chicago. Staying in Jase’s house would be as
comforting as being in her own home. She knew it the minute she’d
stepped into the radiant kitchen.

The first week on the ranch went by quickly.
Jase spent most of his time working, and he took Zack with him
everywhere he went. During the day, Marietta busied herself with
sewing. Zack had nearly outgrown all his shirts and pants which
presented her with the perfect opportunity to hone the seamstress
skills she’d laid aside when she’d increased her hours of work at
the library. Jase gave her some of his old things to refashion into
new things for Zack. Mabel had a bolt of goods for her to use as
well. In the evenings, Marietta would join Jase and Zack for a
stroll or a child’s story or game by the fire.

One afternoon during the second week of her
stay, Jase came into the parlor where she was sewing. The big man
held Zack against his shoulder. “He finally wore out. He fell sound
asleep ahead of me in the saddle. I was going to take him to see my
favorite place on the ranch, but he just drifted off to sleep.”

“We’d better lay him down in his bed.”
Marietta put her sewing aside and went with Jase to Zack’s
room.

Jase laid the boy on the bed and gently
covered him with his quilt.

“He looks like an angel,” Marietta whispered
as she gazed upon the sleeping child.

“He’s a great boy, Marietta. You’re lucky to
have him in your life.”

She looked up at him and found a fatherly
love radiating from his gaze as he stared at her nephew. “We’d
better go before we wake him.”

Jase glanced at her and pressed his hand to
her back as he urged her out of the room. His warmth seeped inside
her. She loved the touch of him, the sheer awesome masculine magic
of him. She’d never known a more wonderful man.

When they were back in the parlor, he took
hold of her arm before she could sit and return to her sewing.
“Would you like to come with me since Zack can’t? I’d love to show
you the special place I intended to show him.” Before she could
reply, he added, “I know you don’t think much of the prairie, but
what I want to show you is an enigma in the vast openness. I think
you’ll enjoy it. We’ll ride out on Beaumont and Fancy.”

Marietta stared up into Jase’s compelling
gaze. In that instant, he could have asked her to go just about
anywhere and she’d have said yes. What kind of spell did he hold
over her?

She cleared her throat and gave him a
tentative gaze. “I’m afraid I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

He ran his fingers through his thick, dark
hair. “That could be a problem. We can take a buckboard part of the
way, but the land gets too rough for anything but a horse, mule, or
foot traffic before we reach our destination.”

“Maybe I could ride with you?” The words were
out of her mouth before she could censor the thought. Her
suggestion hung in the air as thick as fog, and her cheeks began to
warm with embarrassment over her bold suggestion.

A grin played with the corner of Jase’s
mouth. “I don’t see why not. Beaumont is a strong mount. He can
easily carry us both.”

She got ready for her outing and met him in
the barn. Within minutes, they were mounted on Jase’s stallion,
moving west toward a rise in the plain. She sat ahead of Jase, his
arms surrounding her as he effortlessly guided his stallion over
the rough terrain. She could feel the heat of his body penetrate
through her clothing into her back. She decided she could live the
rest of her life inside Jason Kent’s strong arms. The thought had
barely crossed her mind when her mother’s oft-repeated warning
intruded on the very pleasant notion:
Don’t ever let infatuation
with a man cloud your judgment.

It took twenty minutes to reach their
destination--twenty minutes that passed far too quickly. Marietta’s
breath caught in her throat when they reached the rim of the
landform he wanted to show her. She could hardly believe her eyes
as Jase guided Beaumont down the steep grade.

Where had such an odd mixture of earth come
from? Huge rocks lay haphazardly around the giant semicircle. Pine
trees, invisible during their ride, rose from the floor of the
low-lying gully--but it wasn’t really a gully. It was more like a
big semi-circle of a hodgepodge of trees, rocks, and rises coming
from the ground. A spring-fed stream ran through the odd space as
far as Marietta could see.

“It truly is an enigma, Mr. Kent. I’ve never
seen such contradiction in nature nor a sight more lovely.”

“It’s called Pine Rock Hollow.” Jase
dismounted near one of the large boulders and lifted her from the
horse. When her feet reached the ground, he kept a tight hold on
her hand. “Watch your step. The land is very uneven.”

She stared at the sight around her. “You
watch my step for me. I can’t take my eyes off the rocks and
trees.” She took two steps forward. “And the brook, Mr. Kent. I
want to go drink from it.” She felt his grip on her hand tighten as
she moved toward the stream.

He had to lift her a time or two as she tried
to manage her long skirts over the rugged ground. When they reached
the brook, she let go of his hand and dropped to her knees. She
pulled off her gloves and dipped her cupped hands into the water.
The second she touched the crystal liquid, she inhaled sharply and
turned to look at Jase. “It’s warm. Why isn’t it cold? Is this a
hot spring?”

“Not exactly. It isn’t as warm as you think;
your hands are cold from the crisp air. It’s warm for a spring that
isn’t a hot spring, but it’s still just a spring.”

She dipped her hands into the water once more
and raised them to her lips to drink. She stood and smiled at Jase.
“It’s sweet.”

He nodded crookedly. “Like I said, it’s a
mystery place. Everything about it is strange and beautiful.”

“Have you ever seen anything as beautiful as
this?” she asked, looking around.

Jase stepped closer to her. He pulled off his
gloves, shoved them into his pocket, and took her into his arms.
“I’ve seen much greater beauty than this strange landform, Miss
Randolf.” He stared at her a long moment. “I’m looking at that
beauty right now.” He lowered his lips to hers.

She wasn’t expecting him to kiss her.

She had no idea he would kiss her.

She was glad he was kissing her.

She slid her arms around him and let him know
it was all right to hold her and kiss her the way he was doing.

He held her closer, his kiss lingering on her
lips until she was sure she’d faint from the sheer pleasure of
their union. When he broke their bond and pulled away from her, he
stared down at her and held her face in one of his hands.
“Marietta, you are so lovely.”

Words were lost somewhere between her mind
and her throat. It took an eternity for him to press his lips to
hers once again, but when he held her and kissed her as he had a
moment before, the world made sense. Her heart rid itself of its
burden of pain. She kissed him as she’d never kissed any man
before, not that she’d kissed more than one or two.

Was this what it felt like to be in love? Her
head swam and her heart roared. She wanted more, and she let Jase
know it. When he abruptly pulled away, she felt her heart stop. The
instant he took two steps away from her, she knew she wanted him
back so she took two steps toward him.

“Jase, what’s happening to us?” she asked as
she searched his eyes for some knowledge of the magic or mysticism
that existed between them.

He looked away. “I’m sorry, Marietta. I’ve
wanted to kiss you for a long time, but I was wrong to be so
forward. I want you to know I didn’t bring you here just to kiss
you.”

He gazed at her, his brown eyes wild with an
emotion she’d never seen in a man’s eyes before. Yet, somehow, she
understood the strange emotion completely, because it coursed
through her own body as well: the strange, wonderful emotion had to
be the holy desire shared by people in love. Committed love.

But there was no commitment between them, and
there never would be. That was why Jase had expressed regret over
what he’d done.

She reached toward him and touched his
cheek.

“You’re a wonderful man, Mr. Kent. I’m glad
for the time we’ve had together, but you’re right. We mustn’t
indulge in this kind of behavior. It’s not for people like us,
strangers who meet then never see each other again.” She glanced
around the living mystery once more. “Perhaps we should return to
the ranch house.”

He took her hand. “Not just yet, Miss
Randolf… Marietta.” He stared down at her. “Marietta,” he said on a
whisper as he trailed his fingers through her hair. “Let me call
you by your given name. Let’s have at least that much between
us.”

Her heart beat wildly. “Jase, I wish we could
have more than that.”

“But could we, Marietta?” He cupped her cheek
with his palm. “Are you saying--”

She quickly placed her fingers over his
mouth. “I’m saying that we both know we can have nothing more than
a stolen moment. But Jase...” She had to look away before she went
on. “Jase, I’m glad you kissed me.”

He touched her chin and turned her face
toward him.

She looked up at him and smiled.

“Once more, Marietta, and we’ll live on it
for the rest of our lives.” His voice was low and husky. He gazed
intently into her eyes an eternal moment before he once again took
sweet possession of her lips. Her heart thundered in her ears as
happiness coursed through her veins. She knew she would remember
this precious moment the rest of her life.

When he’d kissed her breathless, he pulled
back and smiled down at her. He gave her one more gentle kiss
before taking her hand and tugging her forward. “I have something I
want to show you.”

He urged her toward an indentation in one of
the large rocks, lifted her down to a hollow and knelt beside a
piece of stone about three-feet high and two-feet wide. “I’m making
this marker for Kathy and Clint.”

Marietta knelt next to him and read the words
etched into the stone slab. “
Kathy and Clint Morgan. Beloved
mother and father of Zack Morgan.
” She’d never been so deeply
touched by anything in her life. “Mr. Kent... Jase, it’s
beautiful.”

“I intend to carve the Lord’s Prayer on this
stone too. Kathy prayed it often. She had a deep, abiding faith. I
think that would be a fine tribute to a woman who gave us so much.
I wanted you to know how deeply we all loved your sister.”

Just when she’d thought she couldn’t care for
this man any more than she did as he’d kissed her and filled her
with joy, he’d brought more happiness to her heart. She had to turn
away from him before he caught her shedding the tears she was
struggling to hold back. “Jase, I don’t know what to say. Your
generosity overwhelms me.”

He stood behind her and placed his hands on
her shoulders. “I’m not generous, Marietta, but I’ve learned to be
grateful for the comforts we receive in life. Kathy was a great
comfort to Clint, Zack, and to all those who knew her. This marker
is a token of my gratitude.”

She turned and looked up at him. “Thank you,
Jase, for loving and caring for Kathy and Zack.” She kissed his
cheek and pulled back.

He grazed her cheek with the backs of his
fingers. “It’s been my great pleasure.”

She gazed into his eyes, unable to look away
for fear she’d break the perfect bond between them. Beaumont
whinnied, breaking the mystical spell that had engulfed her. She
turned toward the horse. “We’d better get back,” she said, glancing
at Jase.

“Are you sure you want to leave?” He touched
her cheek and sent her another of his intense, irresistible
gazes.

The last thing she wanted to do was leave.
She’d suggested they return to the ranch because, if they didn’t,
she was afraid she’d throw herself into his arms and never leave.
“I think we should go, Jase.”

“I suppose all good things must end.” He
cupped her cheek with his hand. “And today, Marietta, has been good
beyond anything I could have imagined. I’m glad you came here with
me.”

She had no doubt that if they didn’t leave
immediately, she’d never be able to leave at all. The magic of the
place and the man could steal all of her common sense. She’d never
in her life felt so vulnerable. “Zack will be waiting for us.”

Jase took her hand and led her over the rocky
ground to Beaumont. He clasped his hands around her waist and
hoisted her onto his horse. “Zack probably won’t be too happy with
me when we get back. He’ll be disappointed that he didn’t come
along with us, but I can bring him here another time.” He mounted
Beaumont behind her and circled her with his arms as he took
control of his mount. “I’m glad we came here alone, Marietta. I’ll
never forget this day.”

“Neither will I, Jase.” She closed her eyes
and sank her back into Jase’s chest. She knew she shouldn’t let
herself feel what she felt for him. She’d be leaving soon, and, if
she let herself care too much, it would only hurt all the more when
she had to go. But right now she didn’t care about later.

No matter what the future might bring, she
was going to let herself love being in Jase’s arms, and she would
allow herself to love him just a little too.

The days following their trip to Pine Rock
Hollow kept Jase on edge. How could he have taken advantage of
Marietta the way he’d done? His behavior was despicable, yet she’d
been so kind. He truly hadn’t taken her out to the isolated area to
take her in his arms, no matter how much the thought of doing just
that had taunted and tempted him for weeks. He’d taken her there to
show her a beautiful spot on a vast prairie and to show her the
stone marker he was making for the Morgans.