Destiny's Embrace (10 page)

“Word is she’s very lovely.”

He wouldn’t look at her. “I suppose, but she was hired to clean and cook, nothing more. Alanza said Reverend Dennis asked after, so maybe he’ll find her to his liking since he’s looking for a wife.”

“Quite possible. Do you think the two might do well together?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“Well, we can only hope. He’s a nice man and deserves to find someone who’s nice as well.”

Logan doubted the reverend would know what to do with such a headstrong woman, but he kept that to himself. “How about dinner after you’re done for the day?”

“I’d like that. Been a while since we’ve seen each other. I’ve missed you.”

“Missed you, too.” He’d been in San Francisco for two weeks previous for a horse auction. He’d returned to the ranch only a day before the arrival of the spellbinding Mariah Cooper.

“How about I cook us a nice meal at my place so we won’t be disturbed.”

“Great idea. Do me a favor.”

“Sure.”

“Will you order the things on this list for me?” He handed over the numbers he’d written down.

She took a moment to read it over. “I know the numbers by heart and this is a pretty fancy stove, Logan. Very expensive, too.”

“I know but I don’t have one in the house.”

“China, too?” she asked looking up from the paper with surprise.

“Nothing proper to eat off, either.”

“Never known you to care about these types of things before.”

“Blame it on the housekeeper.”

She studied him for such a long moment he almost squirmed, but she finally refolded the paper and stuck it into the pocket of her skirt. “Do you want everything shipped here or to the house?”

“The house, please.”

“Okay. Consider it done. I’ll wire the store in San Francisco. Should take no more than a week.”

“Thanks.”

M
ariah was in her room basking in the afterglow of her long soak in Logan’s tub when she heard the door pull. She hurried to answer it and found Alanza Yates on the porch holding what appeared to be a napkin covered plate. As she held the door open to let her enter, Alanza said, “Logan stopped by on his way out and said to make sure you have dinner.”

“Mrs. Yates, you keep acting as if you’re the help instead of me.”

“You don’t have a stove. Should I let you starve?”

“No, ma’am,” Mariah replied with amusement. “I do appreciate your kindness.”

“That’s better. You and Logan are better as well.”

Mariah took the plate from her hand. “Yes. He promises to be more patient, and I promised to holster my weapons.”

“Good. When he gets back from his
concubina,
maybe he can show you how fine a man he really is.”

Mariah could pretty much guess from the sound of the Spanish word what it translated to in English, but just to be sure, she asked, “And that word means?”

“Mistress. Paramour.”

“I see.”

Alanza shrugged. “You may as well know what he’s about. Her name is Valencia Stewart. She owns the general store in town, and although she is very lovely and cultured, I prefer he marry someone else.”

“And the reason being?”

“No
caliente.
”

“Which means?”

“Heat. They’ve know each other for years, but for me, she lacks the passion and toughness Logan will need in a wife.”

Mariah wondered if Alanza had a candidate in mind that she did prefer, but was too polite to ask.

Alanza moved back to the door. “Enjoy your dinner and your evening. How are your hands?”

“Still a bit sore from the reins, and my arms are weary from the strain, but I’ll be fine.”

“All right. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

Alone again, Mariah took her food out to the bench of her little courtyard and ate the meal of rice, beans, and
tortillas
filled with spicy beef. So Logan had a mistress. She supposed with his looks and wealth she shouldn’t be surprised, but she hadn’t expected to have the fact revealed to her by his stepmother. Alanza, with her fancy Spanish riding clothes and plain way of speaking, was a decidedly unconventional woman. Then again, she’d have to be, in order to run a ranch and raise three sons without the benefit of a husband.

Mariah turned her attention back to her plate and told herself that Logan having a mistress meant nothing to her, but a small voice inside shouted
,
“
Liar!
”

L
ogan was seated on the edge of Valencia’s bed with his head in his hands. She knelt behind him and stroked his back gently. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Logan. Maybe you’re coming down with something.”

He was both embarrassed and angry. He’d never had this happen before. Never.

“I’m sure things will be right in a little while.”

He’d heard about this happening to other men, but he was Logan Yates and in his prime, not a doddering old fossil who took his teeth out at night, and needed a horn for hearing. What type of man takes his mistress to bed only to be unable to . . . perform. He’d be mortified if he wasn’t so furious. As it stood, he was grateful for the darkness because he couldn’t look Valencia in the face.

She came and sat beside him. “I’ve been wanting to talk with you about something and I suppose now is as good a time as any.”

“What is it?”

“I’m leaving town.”

“I know. You told me about your mother.”

“That isn’t what I mean. I’m leaving California.”

“To go where?”

“Boston.”

“For how long?”

“Hopefully forever. I’m going there to marry.”

Logan stilled. “What?”

“I’m getting married.”

“To whom?”

“His name is Daniel Roberts.”

Logan dragged his hands across his face.

“I met him last year in San Francisco. He was there visiting. We’ve been corresponding ever since.”

“He doesn’t know about us, I take it?”

“No,” she replied quietly. “He believes I’m a widow living with Mother.”

He sighed aloud. He’d been hit by rocks, turned inside out by dreams of a woman he swore he didn’t even like, and now? He wondered if this day could get any worse.

“He’s asked me to marry him, and I said yes.”

Logan sat silent.

“It’s not like you’ve ever made me an offer,” she pointed out crossly.

“Because you told me you didn’t want to marry.”

“Every girl wants to get married, Logan. If I’d told you that in the beginning you’d’ve jumped on Diablo and never come near me again.”

She was correct. He had no desire to marry. As he’d explained to Alanza, he was content with his ranch and horses, and because Val expressed a similar contentment with her own life, she’d been the perfect choice for his mistress. Angry and yes, hurt, he stood and gathered his clothes from the chair near the bed. “Then I hope you’ll be happy, Val. I truly do.”

Ten minutes later, he was riding home. He felt the need to blame someone. He blamed Val for not being truthful and playing him for a fool. He blamed himself for thinking life was supposed to function the way he wanted it to, and he blamed Mariah Cooper for being so bewitching he couldn’t make love to another woman.

T
he night was warm and Mariah’s small room was hot. Tossing and turning, she kicked aside the sheet, hoping that would bring her some relief. It didn’t. Before going to bed, she’d tried to open the lone window but it was sealed shut because of the many layers of paint on the jamb. Now, with no breeze to cool the air, she was sweltering. Getting up, she sat on the edge of her mattress and sighed resignedly. Moonlight streamed in through the curtainless window, filling the room. Guided by it, she dug through the drawers of her dresser until she found another nightgown to replace the damp, twisted one she was wearing. That accomplished, she padded over to the door that led outside and opened it. The night air drifted in, bathing her humid face and skin, bringing with it the relief she’d been seeking. She stepped out onto the wooden walk that connected her room to the kitchen’s back door, and looked up at the giant moon. The surface was dappled with shadows. Against the night sky, it looked close enough to reach out and touch. She couldn’t remember ever seeing such a beautiful moon in all her years growing up back East, and was once again glad she’d made the decision to change the circumstances of her life. The faint scent of sweet smoke drifted to her nose. Puzzled, she turned, and the sight of Logan Yates seated on the bench in the dark stole her breath. The smoke flowed from the cheroot in his hand. Although the night masked his features, she felt the potent power in his eyes as if it were full day.

“Evening,” he said quietly.

Willing herself to breathe, Mariah nodded and replied, “Evening. I—didn’t know you were back.”

“Change of plans.”

She fought to master the trembles suddenly racking her skin, and felt the need to explain why she was outside in her thin nightgown. “My—room was hot. I came out to get some air.” And because she couldn’t seem to master wits either, added inanely, “I—couldn’t get the window open.”

“I’ll look at it in the morning.”

What Logan really wanted to look at was her bent over his arm with the nightgown undone and her breasts lit by the moon. He noted that although his body refused to rise to the occasion with Val, he was instantaneously erect the moment Mariah Cooper stepped into view. He realized he had two choices—either pursue her and hope a taste of her loveliness would finally cure his desire, or continue to deny his need and thus make himself insane. “You should probably go back inside, Mariah, because if I stand, I’m going to eat you up.”

Mariah’s knees turned to water. The heat in his voice flowed up from her thighs, tightened her breasts and whispered over her lips until they parted of their own accord. Over her pounding heart, she once again forced herself to breathe. No man had ever whispered such a thing to her before, and she sensed he meant each and every word. Rather than attempt to fight a battle she had no weapons against, she responded shakily, “Good night,” and fled like a hare before a wolf.

In the dark, a small smile crossed Logan’s lips
.

A shaken Mariah crawled back into bed. Lying there, she willed herself to calm and revisited his warning. Why on earth had he said that? According to Alanza he’d gone to visit his mistress, so shouldn’t he be reserving such talk for her?
Change of plans
. Had he not gone? There were no answers, but the overpowering force of his warning continued to haunt her, mainly because she’d never experienced anything like it before. The potent remembrance resonated inside again, and only in the dark would she admit that parts of herself were curious and that her body had been left restless and awakened in a strange new way.

She turned over to get away from her racing thoughts. Was he still outside? Had he said what he had just to vex her in retaliation for the battles they’d been having? She didn’t put it past him, but there’d been something in his tone and manner that made her think something more serious was afoot. She just wished she knew what.

Chapter 10

A
fter her fretful night, Mariah was grateful for the pink rays of dawn because it meant she could get up. The window would definitely have to be fixed; she didn’t want to spend another night tossing and turning. In truth, the heat hadn’t been the only deterrent to a restful sleep, but she refused to dwell on it. Whatever last night meant would eventually be revealed. The only question remaining was Did she have the confidence to handle the outcome? and she answered herself with a rousing yes.

A sharp rap on her hallway door made her glance up. “Yes?”

“Are you awake?”

Logan.
She leapt from the bed and quickly dragged on her robe to hide her nightgown. “Yes.”

“Just want to let you know that the bathing room is all yours.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m going to Lupe’s to get some eggs so I can cook breakfast.”

“That’s supposed to be my job.”

Silence held for a few seconds. When the door opened, she drew back with surprise and dragged the belt of her robe tighter.

He studied her from the doorway with a look of amusement and part exasperation. “Do you get up every morning spoiling for an argument?”

“Of course not.”

“Good morning by the way.”

She nodded. “Good morning.”

“Do you know how to cook over an open fire?”

“No, but I’m willing to learn.”

“So if I promise to teach you, is it okay for me to cook today so we don’t starve?”

Her smile peeked out. “I’m sorry, I just want to earn my salary.”

“You’ll get your chance. I ordered your stove yesterday and an icebox.”

“You did?” She was elated by the news all the while terribly uncomfortable standing there talking with him in her nightgown.

“What’s the matter?”

“You shouldn’t be in my room when I’m in my nightclothes.”

“Another one of those gentleman rules?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry.” But he didn’t leave and the longer he stayed the more her nervousness was replaced by that strange awakening.

“Should I apologize for what I said to you last night?” he asked quietly.

Mariah’s heart pounded. The conversation was so unlike any she’d had before, she had no idea how to respond.

In a tone equally as soft he confessed, “Not sure what I’m supposed to do about you, Mariah.”

Trembling, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“You’ve kicked me, thrown rocks at me, and all I want to do is slide you into my arms and kiss you until the mountains turn to dust.”

She was going to faint—she just knew she was going to faint.

“And you’re an innocent, too, so that complicates matters, but my attraction’s rising, and I think yours is, too.”

He was right, though well-raised women weren’t supposed to acknowledge such things. “Are you telling me all this just to vex me?”

“No,
querida
. It’s to keep myself talking so I don’t come over there and kiss you the way I want to.”

The sensuality in his eyes and low-toned voice turned her insides into warmed lazy streams of response. She didn’t know what
querida
translated to, but the parts of herself now attuned to him wanted to be named so again.

And then he walked over to where she stood shaking.

“I lost,” he whispered and ran a finger down her cheek. He was standing so close that the heat of his big body penetrated the thin fabric of her nightclothes to her skin as if she had on nothing at all.

“Have you ever been kissed?” He lowered his mouth to hers and pressed a slow series of opening kisses against her lips that stole her reason.

“Once, maybe twice . . .”

He continued to tease her lips lightly, brushing the sealed corners until they parted from the coaxing. “I want to love you in a field of wildflowers beneath the sun and breeze, then take you again outside in the moonlight, but I can’t . . .”

She moaned and her legs turned to sand. His strong arm gently braced her back and pulled her in flush against him. The contact sent them both soaring. She’d never felt so boneless; he’d never tasted a mouth so sweet. She wanted to remain unmoved, he was determined she would be, so her lips parted to allow the heated delving of his tongue.

Someone whispered, “Oh my Lord . . .” and when Mariah realized the words were hers, she backed away, breathless and dazzled.

Logan gazed down at her passion-lidded eyes and traced a finger over her kiss-swollen lips. She made such an alluring picture, all he wanted to do was tip her back on the bed and spend the rest of the day making hot carnal love and whispering
querida,
but he needed to leave. He’d already lost one battle with himself. If he lost the one he was fighting now, she would end up on the bed. “I’ll get the eggs and meet you out back.”

Treating her to a soft kiss of parting, he exited and the shaken Mariah dropped to the edge of the bed and fell back against the mattress.
Goodness!
she thought over her racing heart. The few kisses she’d shared with Tillman had never left her pulsing or throbbing so scandalously. Kaye shared with Mariah the details of the marriage-bed talk Kaye’d been given by her mother, and it was the only lesson Mariah had ever received on man-and-woman things. According to Winnie, all a woman need do was lie there and think about the next day’s household chores, and that
it
would be over quickly. Mariah knew that kisses could lead to
it
, but Kaye hadn’t mentioned anything about throbbing or wildflower meadows. She suddenly felt as ignorant as a squirrel in a classroom. How in the world was she going to face him for the rest of the day? Would the throbbing in her blood soon cease? Lord, she hoped so, because at the moment, all she wanted was to call him back and ask him to kiss her again. Shocked at the direction of her thoughts, she sat up and grabbed her things. Maybe by the time she took care of her needs in the washroom, her body would return to its normal state and she’d be able to remember that he had a mistress.

When Logan rode up, the Gutierrez boys were seated on the grass under their olive tree eating breakfast. Offering them a wave he continued on to the coop, where he found Lupe and Alanza talking.

“Morning ladies.”

They both offered him greetings in return.

“Lupe, I need about a half dozen eggs, please.”

“Certainly. Is Senora Cooper cooking breakfast this morning?”

“No I am. She doesn’t know how to cook over an open fire, at least not yet.” Logan knew he’d be recalling the sound of her breathless,
oh my lord
for the rest of his days.

Alanza asked, “Have you ordered the new stove?”

“Yes. Should be here in a week or so.”

Lupe said, “I’ll go and get your eggs.”

“
Gracias.”

She departed leaving him and Alanza alone.

“I didn’t expect to see you so early,” she said. “Is Valencia well?”

His lips thinned for a moment. “She’s so well she’s heading back east to marry.”

“Marry? To whom?” Alanza looked stunned.

He shrugged. “A man she met in Yerba Buena last year and corresponded with since.”

“Oh, Logan, I am so sorry.”

He waved her off. “Water under the bridge now.” He hadn’t loved her but he had cared and thought she’d cared for him in return. Obviously, he’d been wrong.

“You and Mariah are well?”

“Yes.”

“You aren’t turning your eye to her now are you?”

“I don’t seem to be having much choice. Dreamt about her.”

“Logan. Dios! She hasn’t even been here three days. You haven’t seduced her already have you?”

“No.”

“But you’re thinking about it, I can tell.”

Whenever Alanza got upset or exasperated she slipped back into her native Spanish and did so then. “I should never have allowed you and your brothers to go to Mexico City with Francisco. The three of you have been cocky and arrogant as stallions ever since.”

Her fussing made him smile at her with tender amusement. He’d been sixteen years old the first time he was allowed to go and traveling with her cousin Francisco had been an eye-opener. For a month, he was entertained by some of the finest courtesans in the city. Everything Logan knew about pleasing a woman could be directly attributed to Francisco’s patronage. When Drew and Noah became old enough, they, too, began spending summers with him. Sadly, five years ago, he was laid to rest as a result of a duel over the ruining of the eldest daughter of a wealthy Mexican Don. Alanza might regret allowing her sons those visits, but Logan would be grateful for the rest of his life. “What are your plans for the day.”

Still giving him the evil eye, she replied. “I’m going over to the Wiyot
rancheria
to help with the preparations for Green Feather’s Brush Dance.”

Green Feather was his goddaughter and a young woman in the Wiyot tribe. The Brush Dance was being performed in honor of her leaving home to attend Hampton Institute in Virginia. “Do they need my help with anything?”

“Can you ride over and talk to her sometime today. She’s getting a small case of cold feet and Sweet Water’s worried she may back out and not go.”

Sweet Water was her mother. “Sure.”

“Thank you, and do me another favor?”

“And that is?”

“Leave Mariah alone unless you plan to make her your
eposa.”

Since he doubted taking his housekeeper as his wife would be an outcome, he said nothing.

Lupe’s return saved him from more motherly directives. He took the basket she’d placed the eggs in, and after giving the silent Alanza a parting peck on the cheek, he rode off. On the way back to his place, he stopped in to see Bonnie, who gave him bacon, a few steaks, and the last of the morning’s biscuits. Loaded up, he finally headed home.

W
hen Mariah joined him outside, he had a small fire going in a pit bordered by stones. Above the flames was a piece of metal upon which sat two black skillets similar to the ones she’d used back home to fry chicken. One skillet held thick slabs of fragrant-smelling bacon and the other a very large steak.

“What do you usually eat in the mornings?” he asked, turning the bacon over with a long-handled fork.

Grateful he hadn’t referenced their kissing, she replied readily, “A couple pieces of toast and tea.”

He shook his head. “Not enough to keep a tadpole alive. It’s a wonder you haven’t blown away.”

“It suits me.” She took a look at all he had cooking, and at the bowl holding what appeared to be the yolks of at least a half dozen eggs. “I see you eat much more.”

“Yes, I do. Man has to keep up his strength.”

His eyes moved over her and her stomach fluttered as if there were tiny wings inside. To distract herself, she studied the height of the flames and how the skillets were placed in hopes of duplicating the setup tomorrow morning. “What are your plans after breakfast?”

“Soon as we’re done here, Eli and I will ride the perimeter.”

“And that is?”

“The ranch’s borders. Need to make sure the fences are intact so our cattle won’t stray, and those that aren’t ours stay out.”

“Is that a big problem—other people’s animals?”

“It can be when you own the largest stand of fresh water and the most grass like we do. Got a neighbor who thinks he should be able to graze his herds on Yates land because he doesn’t have enough of his own.”

She looked out at the ranch’s vast grassland. “Seems like you have enough to share.”

“We don’t.”

His tone made her sense she’d hit a nerve.

He went on to explain. “When I was growing up, there were no fences, but when the settlers moved in they squawked about the herds moving over their land, so the government made us put up fences. Now that most of the water and best grass is fenced in, they’re squawking again about wanting access. They can’t have it both ways.”

Mariah guessed she understood his point.

Logan was just about to explain more but he paused at the sight of Reverend Paul Dennis walking in their direction.
Dammit.
He genuinely liked the man, but he hadn’t planned on sharing Mariah’s company.

“Morning, Logan.”

“Reverend. What brings you out so early this morning?” The way the man’s eyes kept straying to Mariah, Logan was pretty sure he knew the answer.

“I came to discuss a need for the school but who might this lovely lady be?”

“Mrs. Mariah Cooper. Reverend Paul Dennis. She’s my new housekeeper.”

“Good morning, Mrs. Cooper. I’m pleased to meet you.”

“As am I.”

He appeared to be so awestruck by her, you’d’ve thought he was a miner who’d just found a fist-sized nugget in his pan. Logan wondered how he’d react if he knew she kicked like a mule and threw rocks.

“In speaking with Senora Yates, she said you are a widow?”

“I am.”

“My condolences on your loss.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

Logan noticed that she made it a point not to look his way, but he’d promised to keep her secret and he would.

“Are you a churchgoing woman?” the reverend asked.

“I am. Attended Mother Bethel in Philadelphia my entire life.”

“Ah, one of the most famous houses of worship in the nation. Bethel’s role during abolition is the stuff of legend.”

“Yes it is.”

Logan removed the bacon from the skillet and set it on a tin plate. He hoped Dennis didn’t want to be fed, too.

“Have you had breakfast, this morning, Reverend?” she asked.

Logan went still and gave her a look, which she ignored.

“Yes, I have, thanks.”

Before Logan could exhale his relief and begin an attempt to hurry Dennis on his way, Eli rode up. “Morning. I could smell that bacon a mile out.”

“Go away. This isn’t for you.” The other hands were out working the horses. He hoped they didn’t come looking for handouts, too.

Again, Logan was ignored. “Morning, Mrs. Cooper. Reverend. You step in a bear trap this morning, Logan? See how he treats me?” he asked Mariah.

“I do. Would you like some breakfast?”

Wondering if she planned to feed everyone around, Logan poured some of the milk he’d gotten from Bonnie into the bowl of eggs and beat them with a fork. “Don’t encourage him. He’s like a mongrel. Feed him once and you’ll never get rid of him.” He poured the eggs into the hot skillet.