Guardian Bride (26 page)
"Thank you." A pink blush covered her cheeks. The sight
made his heart, already overflowing, swell again. A more
beautiful, wonderful woman didn't exist, and he wondered
just what he'd done in his life to deserve her. He took a
moment, remembering the day she sat beside Ma on the
wagon bench with Maisy sitting on her plump mule rump in
the middle of his wheat field. Funny thing, just when a man
thought he had it all figured out—what he wanted and what
he didn't—something happened to prove him wrong.
Tickled pink, as Ma would say, he leaned down and kissed
the soft hair at one of Summer's temples.
"I'll be right back."
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A Kansas summer-morning sun met him with all her heat
and glory. The homestead was alive with activity, and though
he knew the others witnessed him leaving the tent, no one
turned to acknowledge him. The grin on his face remained.
His family, for all their teasing and joking, knew when a little
discretion was needed, and he appreciated it.
In the next tent, a trunk had been pulled near the door.
Ma no doubt, letting him know which one was Summer's.
Snake hoisted the trunk and made his way back to his tent
where he found Summer wearing his shirt and tucking the
blankets in neatly around the edges of the bed.
He set the trunk down, and unable to control the urge,
wrapped both arms around her middle. She stood but didn't
pivot about; instead she leaned back against him. Nuzzling
the side of her neck and nibbling on her ear lobe, he stated,
"I love you."
"I know," she giggled, scrunching her neck as if his teasing
tickled. "I love you, too." She spun then.
The way she looped her arms around his neck made her
breasts tease his chest right through the material of the shirt
she wore.
"And it's wonderful," she said, her breath floating over his
lips. "So very, wonderful."
He slipped his hands under the long tails of the shirt, and
cupped the firmness of her backside with both hands, wishing
it was evening instead of morning. The night they'd spent in
each other's arms was so exhilarating, he could barely wait to
repeat it.
"We really need to get dressed."
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"I know," she answered, growing still in his arms.
He leaned back, looking down. Her big, dark eyes
glimmered, and he noted a hint of apprehension. A chill
tickled his spine as he recognized fear mingling in her gaze.
"Hey," he coaxed. "There's nothing to be afraid of."
She nodded.
"We are married."
"I know," she said, slipping out of his arms. "It's just..."
"Just what?" He followed her to the trunk he'd hauled in.
She opened the lid and lifted clothing out. "I don't want
the spell to break."
"Spell? What spell?"
Her gaze was on the tent flap. "Once we walk out that
door, we'll enter the real world again."
"We've never left the real world." He stepped in front of
her and cupped her cheeks. "What we shared here is real. We
are husband and wife."
"I know." She patted his hands and then tugged away,
setting her dress and other garments on the bed. "I'm sorry.
I'm just being silly."
Against his better judgment, he didn't push her for a
deeper answer and gathered his socks and boots while she
dressed. The leather of his boots was still wet, but there
wasn't anything he could do about it. He gathered up the shirt
she'd removed, shrugged into it, and then kept busy with
menial tasks while she completed her dressing. He knew his
family, no one would comment on their sleeping together, nor
would they do anything to insult or cause Summer
embarrassment.
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"They all love you, you know." He nodded toward the tent
door.
She finished buttoning her boots and then glanced up.
He couldn't read her expression, so he walked over and
offered his hand to assist her to stand. When she wrapped
her fingers around his, he asked teasingly, "Are your boots as
wet as mine?"
A hint of a grin formed on her lips. "Yes."
"Sorry." He engulfed her into a hug.
"I forgive you." Summer laid her head on his chest,
hugging his solid frame close. It helped to ease the fear
working hard to fill her mind. The beautiful night they'd spent
together wouldn't prevent the inevitable from happening.
Maybe she should just flat out tell him about her part in
Jonas's death. It would be a chance, a gamble if he'd forgive
her, but anything would be better than the heavy weight
hanging around, threatening to engulf her again. Or would it?
Could she stand losing him? Losing all of the Quinters?
"Come on." Snake broke the hug and took her hand,
tugging her toward the doorway. "I've got a lot of work to
complete today. If we're lucky, we could be moving in by this
weekend."
Despite the dread building deep in her soul, excitement
bubbled. "Really?"
"Yes, really." He flipped open the doorway and led her into
the bright sunshine.
The yappy-yap of the puppy instantly drew their attention.
August ran in a wide circle with the yellow ball of fluff right at
his heels. September sat nearby with baby Winifred sitting on
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her lap. Both of them clapped at the show. The brothers,
along with a few men from town, worked away on the house,
and the women, her sisters-in-law and Ma, were busy near
the makeshift, outdoor kitchen. Everything looked normal, yet
at the same time, it all looked different. The clarity was
impeccable. As if her vision had been blurred and now crystal
clear.
Summer turned to Snake. He winked and then kissed her
cheek before letting go of her hand and making his way
toward the house. She watched for a moment longer. There
was barely a limp in his swagger. The wide brimmed hat
covered the golden curls she'd ran her fingers through last
night. Her belly stirred at the remembrance.
A carefree giggle drew her attention, and eyes, from his
departing shape. Turning, she witnessed September playfully
fighting off kisses from Jerome. Hitching her skirt, she quickly
made her way across the yard to rescue Winifred from
September's lap. Jerome instantly took the baby's place, and
September stretched out, letting the puppy romp on her
stomach as he licked her face. The wholesome, genuine,
laughter rippling the air was contagious, and Summer sat
down, rubbing the pup's back with her free hand, giggling
right along with her little sister.
"Isn't he wonderful?" September asked. Her blue eyes
sparkled brighter than Summer had ever seen them.
"Yes, he's wonderful."
"He was the biggest of the batch," September continued.
"And took to August right away."
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Summer spotted August carrying a bowl. Water sloshed
over the edges as he carefully picked a pathway back to the
pup. "He seems to have taken a liking to you, too."
September grinned. The sight was breathtaking. "August
said he asked and you said we could keep him," September
said while still dodging Jerome's tongue.
"He did, and I did."
"Thank you, Summer. He's the best present we ever got."
September sat up and settled the dog in her lap. Panting,
Jerome rested his head on her arm. "Life sure has gotten
good for us lately, hasn't it?"
Summer's attention automatically went to the house,
where she instantly found Snake climbing a ladder, hammer
in hand. "Yes, it has."
"It's not going to change, is it? We aren't going to have to
leave, are we?"
The worry that overtook September's face stabbed her
chest. Repositioning Winifred who was contently snuggled in
her arm, Summer wrapped her other arm around September.
"I'll do everything I can to make sure we don't have to
leave." Kissing the air above her sister's head, she silently
vowed,
Everything I can to make sure they never learn the
truth.
If it was just her, she'd take the chance and tell Snake the
truth, but when it came to the children—came to seeing they
never again went cold, hungry, or unloved—she'd hold her
secret until the day she died.
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The work accomplished in the next two days was
astonishing, and the love she found in Snake's bed each
night, even more so. Bug had moved his belongings into the
barn and created himself a palette to sleep on in the hayloft.
Summer tried, though half-heartedly for she didn't want to
return to Ma's tent, to convince him the move wasn't
necessary.
August, on the other hand, was more than happy to join
Bug in the barn, for there he didn't need to worry about
Jerome leaving a puddle in the middle of the night. The pup
seemed to grow every minute—at the rate he was going, he'd
catch up to his paws within a week—and his connection with
August multiplied as quickly as his size. The two were
practically glued to one another.
The now common sound of puppy paws on the new
floorboards of the house echoed behind her. Summer paused
in sweeping the sawdust off the floor of the kitchen caused by
the construction of the cupboards lining one wall to let the
pair race past her. Together, the boy and his dog bound out
the doorway. Bug, carrying the door for the framed in area,
hoisted the large planked wood over his head and spun about
as August and Jerome dashed under his arms.
"Sorry, Bug!" August called, "Jerome has to puddle."
"No problem, Buddy. Can't have an accident in the new
house," Bug replied cheerily while he finagled the door back
down and carried it across the porch deck. After propping it
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against the house, he walked in the space, each footstep
echoing off the newly built walls. "So? What do you think?"
"I can't believe how big it is." Summer pointed around with
one hand. The kitchen walls had been covered with lath and
plaster, and one entire wall held upper and lower cabinets. "I
watched it rise from the ground, but until I started sweeping,
I didn't realize its true size."
Bug pulled the hammer out of his back pocket. "Yeah. I
bet we could fit our old house in the kitchen and dining room
alone." After grabbing a handful of nails from the bucket on
the counter, he walked back out the doorway.
"Don't forget the indoor plumbing."
Snake's voice had her pivoting. The broom handle slipped
from her grasp and clattered to the floor. He moved from the
arched doorway that led to the front rooms of the house and
picked up the broom before she gathered enough sense to
bend down to retrieve it.
"I thought you went to town," she said.
"I did," he answered, leaning the broom against one of the
cupboards. "I'm back." His hands cupped her elbows, and her
knees quivered, as they took to doing every time he was
near. She wasn't afraid of him, but the fear of losing him was
something she thought about regularly.
"Did you miss me?"
She locked her knees, guaranteeing she wouldn't topple
like the broom had, and met his gleaming eyes. "If you must
know. Yes, I missed you."
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His laugh ricocheted about the empty room. "I missed you,
too." Drawing her closer, he added, "Come here, so I can
show you how much."
Her heart thudded faster and harder than the hammers
had the past weeks. His lips, soft and warm, touch hers
briefly, and she, wanting more, slipped her hands around his
waist and clutched onto his shirt.
"Mmm..." His lips vibrated against hers. "You did miss
me."
She pressed her mouth against his, needing a deep,
thorough kiss as badly as a wilted plant needed water. He
teased her, dodging her lips and nuzzling her neck and ear
lobe. His hands trailed down her sides and then back and
forth across her back.
Heating up, from tip to top, she moaned.
He chuckled.
Her control snapped. She leaned back and grasped his
cheeks with both hands, but when she stretched on her toes
to meet his lips, he tilted away. "Do you want me to kiss
you?" he teased.
"Yes," she groaned.
His lips touched the tip of her nose. "Why?"
"Why?" she managed to ask without screaming.
He continued to tease and tempt, brushing his lips over
her eyebrows, cheeks, and the tip of her chin. "Yes, why do
you want me to kiss you?"
She moaned as his lips fluttered over the top of hers to
land on her other cheek.
"Is it because you like me?"