Mail Order Bride: Westward Christmas Novel (Montana Mail Order Brides, Book 11) (5 page)

              Sasha saw the admiration in his eyes and heard it in his voice.  Appreciation was something else she was starved for, and she had to watch herself carefully so she didn’t get overly excited about his words.

              “You are just full of flattery, this evening,” she said lightly.

              Ben smiled as he saw her blush slightly.  “All right.  I won’t embarrass you anymore, but I did mean what I said.”

              Sasha smiled and fell silent.  She was suddenly nervous and hated it.  Ben saw her brow pucker and wondered at the cause.

              “Did I say something wrong?” he asked.

              “No, of course not,” Sasha said.  “I’m afraid that I’m out of practice with this sort of thing, Ben.”

              He nodded.  “There’s no rush, Sasha.  Neither one of us is going anywhere.”

              “Oh, no.  I don’t feel as though you are rushing me.  Not at all.  I’m afraid it’s me who’s in a rush,” Sasha said.  “That didn’t come out right.”

              Ben saw she was becoming flustered and looked up and down the hall to make sure it was empty.  “Would you like to talk inside?  Just talk?”

              “All right.  I suppose that would be okay.”  Sasha unlocked her door and they entered her room. 

              She lit a lamp and then removed her coat.  The room was nice and toasty.  She sat in one of the chairs and Ben sat down opposite her.  He didn’t take off his coat.

              “Ben, you can take your coat off and get comfortable,” Sasha said.

              “You’re sure?” Ben said.  He wasn’t normally this hesitant around a woman, but something about the way she was acting threw him off.

              Sasha began laughing.  “Oh, Ben, do you think I’m afraid of you?”

              “I’m not really sure what to think right now, Sasha,” Ben admitted.

              This made her laugh again before she said, “I think it’s the other way around, Ben.  It might be
you
who’ll be afraid of
me
.”

              Ben smiled.  “I don’t understand what you’re saying here, sugar.”

              Sasha sobered as she contemplated where to start and how much to tell him.  She wanted to be honest, but she didn’t want to scare him off or appear needy.  She straightened her spine and said, “Ben, after the first year or so, my marriage was in name only.  Ken, my late husband, was a cold-blooded, lifeless man who wanted nothing to do with me at all.”

              Ben was quiet for several moments as what she’d said sank in.  “You mean…”

              “I mean he did not touch me, we barely spoke, and we slept in separate rooms,” Sasha said.  She fidgeted with her skirt a little as she waited for his response to her admission.

              His black brows drew down and his green eyes held her gaze.  He couldn’t believe that any red-blooded male wouldn’t want a woman like Sasha.  Her figure was tantalizing and he already knew how sweet her lips tasted.  Her hair color reminded him of honey and those soft gray eyes had haunted him for several months.

              Sasha watched his face tighten and some kind of primitive light shone in his eyes.  At first she thought she’d somehow angered him.  In a soft yet rough voice, Ben said, “I think it only fair to warn you that I intend to touch you, converse with you, and if we marry, we will never sleep in separate rooms.”

              His words spoke to her in ways that she would never really be able to articulate to anyone.  Ben must have seen it in her eyes, however, because suddenly he stood before her and pulled her to her feet.  He didn’t ask, he didn’t announce, he just kissed her.  Those strong arms of his closed around her and his mouth settled on hers firmly.  It took Sasha a few moments to catch up, but when she did, her response was fierce.

              Ben hadn’t been expecting that, but wasn’t put off by it in the least.  He liked the passion he sensed existed inside her and welcomed it.  It was not a gentle kiss, and it was not tender; it was animalistic and Sasha had never behaved so wantonly.  She was getting a taste of the fierceness inside him and wanted more.  And it scared her that she was willing to cast aside her inhibitions so easily and yet it excited her, too.

              Sasha’s willingness enflamed Ben’s desire to a fever pitch and he wanted her with a shocking intensity.  He felt her caress his arms and slide her fingers up into his hair and growled as her fingernails lightly scraped over his scalp.  In the deep recesses of Sasha’s mind, reason began to prevail and she fought her way out of the haze of passion in which she floated.

              She pressed her hands against Ben’s hard chest and pushed.  At first there was no give in his embrace, but when she pushed harder, it got through to him and the kiss was broken as he drew back.  His eyes gleamed like the eyes of a predatory cat and she shivered in excitement at the sight.

              Ben looked into her eyes and saw the fear there.  He understood without speaking that it was not fear of him, but of herself and what she was feeling at the moment.  Ben gave her a last brief kiss and grabbed his coat.  He never took his eyes from hers as he smiled.  Neither did he speak.  His smile and eyes said it all and there was no need for words.  Sasha watched as he opened the door of her room, gave her one more stare, and was gone.

              Sparrow hummed as she hung clothes on the line around the side of their little house by the stream.  Danny was bundled up and put in his cradleboard. She had propped it up against a nearby tree so that he could see his mother and she could keep an eye on him.  Although she really needn’t have worried because Roscoe, Marcus’ wolf-dog, lay right by the child.  The huge canine would have died protecting the baby. 

              Danny babbled something at the dog and Roscoe woofed softly at the baby in response.  Sparrow laughed at the two of them.  Watching their healthy, happy, baby boy gave her such joy.  Jack came out on the porch and smiled as he took in the sight of his beautiful wife, sweet boy, and good old Roscoe. 

Not for the first time he wished he had one of those cameras so he could take pictures of his family.  He would have liked to have photographs of their everyday life together and not just formal portraits.  Maybe someday someone would invent cameras that could be used by anyone and not just a professional. If they ever did, he’d be first in line to get one.

He pinned his deputy’s badge to his jacket and jumped off the porch.  Sparrow said that they didn’t need stairs on the porch because he never used them.  Neither did any of the males in his family.  Jumping on an off the porch was something they’d always done, Jack had told her.  It was one of those things where no one knew why or how it had started, but it was continued over the years.  Jack knew it would be the same with Danny.

Jack ducked as Sparrow threw a clothespin at him.  She was always throwing things at him and her aim was very accurate.  He stood up again only to be hit in the chest by two more in rapid succession.

“Sparrow!” Jack protested, and was hit in the forehead by another.  “Hey!  All right. You asked for it, wife!” he said in Lakota.  He gathered up the clothespins she’d hit him with and started throwing back.  “Roscoe, guard!”

Immediately the dog got up and put his big body between the baby and their horseplay, even though they were throwing in different directions from Danny.  They never took any chances when it came to their son.  Clothespins would simply bounce off Roscoe’s heavy coat or he would catch them.  It was a game that was played often and the dog was used to it.

Sparrow and Jack threw their small missiles at each other with force and laughed when they connected with their opponent.  When they were both out of ammo, a mad dash ensued to scoop up as many clothespins as they could before the other started throwing again.  Sparrow rushed to collect several that she saw close by when she saw Jack coming at her out of the corner of her eye.  She turned, but he was already on her and they fell to the ground and rolled. 

Sparrow enjoyed wrestling with Jack and he was happy to be her sparring partner.  Jack was always surprised by how strong Sparrow was.  Her appearance was deceptive, he knew.  She was also quick with her hands and had a knack for knowing her opponent’s weakness.  Leaning forward, Sparrow bit Jack’s earlobe and was rewarded by his groan and the tightening of his arms around her.

“Sparrow, stop, I have to go to work,” Jack said laughing.  He sat up with her straddling him. 

Her dark eyes laughed at him.  “Are you sure?”

“You should have thought about that a little earlier this morning,” Jack said.  “Rolling around with you then wouldn’t have been a problem.”

“So make sure you come home early tonight,” Sparrow said as she rose to her feet again.

Jack grinned at her and said, “I’ll do that.”

The sound of hoof beats interrupted their playing and Jack stood up.  Both of them brushed leaves from their clothing.  Sparrow picked a couple pieces out of Jack’s hair and he smiled at her.  “Thanks.”

Roscoe barked at the horse and rider, wagging his tail the whole time.  This was a sign that he knew the rider and that all was well.  If it had been someone he was unsure of, he would have growled and stood with his tail stiffly erect.

Sparrow grinned and let out a cry of delight when she saw Sasha sitting atop the horse.  She ran over to the horse as Sasha dismounted and enveloped her friend before Sasha was fully turned to her.  Sasha hugged her back and laughed. 

“I have missed you so much,” Sparrow said. 

“And I have missed you, too.  I’ve missed everyone so much,” Sasha said as she drew back.  “You look wonderful.  Being married agrees with you, I think.”

Sparrow’s smile grew as she looked at Jack.  “Yes.  It does.”

Sasha went to Jack and he embraced her.  Sasha said, “How’s my favorite deputy?”

“I’m good,” he said as he grinned.  “Great, in fact.  There’s someone you need to meet.”  He hurried over to the cradleboard and took Danny from it.  He kissed his son and brought him over to Sasha.  “Danny, this is your Aunt Sasha,” Jack said.  He held Danny out to Sasha, who eagerly took the baby.

Sasha looked into Danny’s sweet face and watched his lively black eyes as his brows puckered in confusion.  Her face was new to him and he studied it carefully.  Sasha smiled at him and he smiled back. 

“He’s beautiful,” Sasha said as she inhaled his baby scent and held him a little tighter as she kissed his forehead.

Danny seemed to like this and laughed and waved his arms around.  Sasha took one of his hands and kissed it.  “You are so precious.  Do you know that?” she asked.  Danny responded by blowing bubbles at her.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a happy baby.”

Jack said, “He’s always like that, except when he’s hungry.  It’s amazing how easy he is to get to sleep at night.  We’re lucky.”

“Yes, we are,” Sparrow said as she leaned against Jack.

He kissed the top of her head and said, “I gotta get going, but you ladies have fun catching up.  Make sure you go to the ranch.  They’ll get mad if you don’t go visit, Sasha,” he said.

“Oh, don’t worry.  I planned to go see them,” Sasha said.

She watched as Jack took a clothespin from his pocket and pinned it to Sparrow’s long, silky hair. 

“You’re it,” he said, and danced away from her.

Sparrow stared openmouthed at him.  “That was sneaky!”

“Who’d I learn that from?” Jack said as he laughed.

Sasha had trouble reconciling this laughing, teasing Jack with the one who’d killed a Lakota brave right in front of her and all his family.  Unfortunately, it had been necessary, but the images of that terrible time had stuck with her.

Sparrow pretended to pout and said, “Don’t worry about coming home early.”

Jack laughed.  “That’s what you say now, but I know how to change your mind.  Remember, you have to wear that all day.  Sasha, I’ll see you later.  Good to have you here again.”

“Thank you, Jack,” Sasha said.

Jack went over to Sparrow and kissed her.  Then he came to give Danny one last kiss before he ran out back to the barn for his horse.  In a moment, he trotted around the house, waved at them and rode off.

Sasha smiled as she watched Sparrow look after her husband with such love in her eyes.  Knowing how long Sparrow had waited to be with Jack, Sasha was very happy for the Lakota woman.

Danny let out a squeal and Sparrow turned to Sasha and said, “Would you like to have some coffee?  Are you hungry?  I will make you breakfast.”

Sasha said, “That would be lovely.”

Still holding the baby, Sasha followed Sparrow into the house.  Some of the décor had changed, she noted.  There was more Lakota art on the walls and on a few tables.  It was neat and dust free, which didn’t surprise her.  Sparrow had always been a stickler for keeping things orderly. 

Sparrow took Danny from Sasha and, speaking Lakota to him, put him in his cradleboard.  Then she propped it up against a wall so he could watch everything going on in the kitchen.  This was customary for the Lakota people.  They wanted their children to be a part of what was going on, but not to be made to feel as though they were the center of attention.

“So how is Ben?” Sparrow asked as she set about making pancakes.  Jack had been teaching her how to make all kinds of food and she knew that pancakes were one of Sasha’s favorites.

Just the mention of his name made her smile.  Memories of being in his arms the previous night rose in her mind and she blushed.  “He’s fine.”

Sparrow sent her a knowing smile and said, “I think he is more than fine.”

Sasha laughed and said, “Yes.  He’s wonderful, in fact.”

She told Sparrow about their dinner the previous night and the bet that the two men had made.

Sparrow said, “Joe is going to lose.  I always hear from the men how he can’t help betting on things.  He once bet that an ant that was carrying a piece of bread would drop it.  He won a pair of moccasins from White Horse.”

Sasha laughed.  “He’s what I would call a lovable scamp, I think.”

Sparrow sat a cup of coffee in front of Sasha and gave her a cup with cream in it.  Jack had brought one of the dairy cows down from the ranch so they could have a ready supply of milk.  Sasha fixed her coffee and took a sip. 

“Mmm.  Delicious,” Sasha said.

“Thank you.  Jack has been teaching me to cook.  It’s fun,” Sparrow said as she gave Sasha a plate of steaming pancakes and sausage.  She also put a small jug of maple syrup close to Sasha.

Sasha watched Sparrow and saw how happy and contented she was to serve Sasha.  Sasha knew that Lakota women prided themselves on being gracious hostesses and seeing to their guests’ every need.  Sparrow excelled at this and Sasha marveled, not for the first time, how talented her friend was at such things.

Sparrow made a plate for herself and sat down with Sasha.  “Ben is a good man.  He’s also a very good doctor,” Sparrow said.  She sent a coy glance Sasha’s way.  “It also doesn’t hurt that he is a very handsome man.”

Sasha sighed and said, “Yes, he is.  Those green eyes of his just turn my insides to jelly.”

Sparrow chuckled at the dreamy expression on Sasha’s face.  “Are you in love with him?”

“I don’t know what I am with him.  I admire his intelligence and his skill as a doctor.  He’s strong and cultured.  He has excellent manners and yet isn’t afraid to kiss me senseless,” Sasha said.

Sparrow laughed.  “So you have been kissing him?”

“Oh yes.  There is no denying that we are very attracted to each other,” Sasha said.  “After Ken, it’s very nice to have a man want to touch me like that.”

Sparrow blushed a little as she said, “I understand.  It is the same with Jack and me.”

Sasha laughed.  There was no other person with whom she would speak so candidly.  “I’m so happy that you’re finally with the man of your dreams, Sparrow.  And Danny is adorable.  I can see how much Jack loves him, too.  His eyes lit up when he was holding him.”

Sparrow nodded.  “Yes.  He is a very good father and loves his son.”  Sparrow flashed an impish smile at Sasha.  “You need to hurry up and get married so you can have a baby, too.”

“I’m working on it, but I don’t want to rush anything.  Oh, Sparrow, I’m afraid of the feelings I have for Ben.  He makes me feel things that I haven’t in so long,” Sasha said.

Sparrow frowned.  “Why should you be afraid?  If he feels the same for you, I don’t see the harm.  Does he feel the same for you?”

“I think so.  I’m talking about passion,” Sasha said.  “I don’t know if I can resist him for very long.”

Sparrow smiled.  “Yes, that can be a problem.”

Sasha said, “It definitely is.”  She sighed and turned the subject to other things to distract herself.  “The house looks very pretty.”

“Thank you.  Until I met Jack, I never thought I would like living in a house, but I do.  I think it is because it’s not too big.  His grandparents’ house is much too big for me.  Ours is just perfect,” Sparrow said, smiling.

They talked about how funny Jack was with the baby and how he had adjusted easily to fatherhood.

“I think it is because he had to help take care of his siblings,” Sparrow said.  “He doesn’t mind changing diapers and always wants to hold Danny.  I keep telling him that he’ll spoil him, but he doesn’t listen.  He can be very stubborn.”

Sasha chuckled.  “I can see that about him.”

Sparrow cleared the table and washed their dishes.  They headed to the ranch, where she was warmly welcomed back.  Dean hugged her, planted a playful kiss on her cheek, and said to Tessa, “Here’s my other woman!  Doesn’t she look great?”

Tessa and Sasha laughed.  When Sasha had first come to Dawson last December, Tessa had been jealous of her in the beginning, but her fears were quickly put to rest by Dean and Sasha.  Ever since, Dean had teased Tessa about Sasha being his “other woman”.  Tessa took Sasha from Dean and they went in the house to visit.

Early in the afternoon, a rider came down their lane and Tessa looked out the window to see who it was.  She turned to Sasha and smiled.  “It’s for you.”

“For me?” Sasha said as she rose from the sofa.

“It’s a certain handsome doctor, and I don’t mean Marcus,” Tessa said with a teasing smile.

Sasha’s stomach immediately did flip flops and her pulse skipped along merrily.  Her hands began smoothing the skirts of her dress.

Tessa smiled at her actions and said, “You look lovely, Sasha.  Not to worry.”