Ruby's Song (Love in the Sierras Book 3) (27 page)

It was cold as ice and she swallowed a gasp. She pushed against his hand, fighting to rise above the water, but he was stronger. Her chest burned, shards of hot pain slicing upward into her throat, which began to spasm. Just when the thick black fear closed in on her, he pulled her above the water, where she coughed and sputtered, sucking in air and droplets from her air at once.

“Please,” she gasped. “Please…”

“Shut up, bitch!” he screamed before plunging her under again.

She had less fight this time. Every instinct screamed at her to push, to rise, to breathe, to live, but he was unmoveable, and soon she gave into the cold caressing her face and neck. Her lungs pushed to open. Darkness closed in on her, drowning out the clear blue water. She couldn’t take it any longer. She had to breathe.

Chapter 29

Dalton spurred his horse into a breakneck speed until they soared over a hedge and into the camp. He had a revolver in each hand and fired in mid-air. Two of the bodies molesting Sarah fell to the ground. He scanned the area and found Shakespeare drowning Marlena and he leapt from the horse. The sound of a cocking gun hammer from behind drew his attention to the other man, but before he could raise his arm to fire, Indigo charged from the bushes and latched his teeth onto the man’s trousers, right between the legs.

The man howled and dropped his gun, giving Dalton enough time to loose a bullet into him before turning on Shakespeare, who was already swiveling on his feet, brandishing his gun. Dalton kicked out and sent it flying into the water. Shakespeare stood with his arms raised in surrender.

Dalton spared a glance down at Marlena to see she was alive and coughing on the riverbank. Hot red rage burned through him as he raised the gun to Shakespeare’s face and stared down the barrel. His breath heaved through bared, clenched teeth. If he could kill him a thousand times it wouldn’t be enough.

“Now, hold on, Dalton,” Shakespeare began. “Just listen to me, boy…”

Dalton cocked the hammer. “Shut up, bitch.” And fired.

Once the body was on the ground, Dalton fired another round for good measure before he dropped to Marlena’s side. By then, she was through coughing, but still heaving full, deep breaths. He grasped her face in his hands until her eyes focused on him. When he saw their violet depths warm and fill with tears, he knew she was all right and he pulled her against him, holding her tight to his chest, filling his palm with her wet hair. Tears stung his eyes and he shut his lids against them.

“Thank God,” he whispered. “I thought I was too late.”

She coughed to clear her throat and pulled back. “I love you, Dalton. I want you to know that before anything else happens. I’ve loved you since I was thirteen, and I’m sorry for not believing you or trusting in your love for me.”

He cleared his throat, catching her teardrops with his thumbs. “I love you, too. More than anything. And I’m sorry for leaving you in Boston. It was the worst mistake of my life.”

Their lips met in a tender, yet fiery, clash. Tears slid down her cheeks, and he felt them trickle over their joined lips. Now that it was over, that she was safe, his body shook, wracked with fears he hadn’t allowed himself to acknowledge. He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers, stroking her face with his thumbs. They rested like that for a long time, letting their love, their heat, blend together where their bodies touched. A low rumble of thunder pulled them apart.

“We’ve got to take shelter,” Dalton said, looking at the sky. “I know a place nearby.”

She nodded as he helped her stand and pulled a knife to cut her bindings. “How did you find us so quickly?” she asked. “He said you couldn’t track at night, that he messed up the trail.”

“Indigo,” he said with a proud grin before glancing in the direction he’d last seen him. The dog was lying on the ground, unmoving. Dalton’s smile faded and his eyes filled afresh with tears. “No.”

He ran to his dog, sliding on his knees before him. “Indigo?” he whispered as he stroked the animal’s fur. When the dog’s ears perked and he lifted his head, Dalton collapsed onto his back on the ground and pulled Indigo into his arms, chuckling wearily.

“Ah, good boy. I knew you wouldn’t leave me. Good, good boy.”

Indigo licked his face before resting his head on Dalton’s shoulder. Soon, Marlena, Sarah and Hazel were standing over them. There wasn’t a dry eye among them. Dalton struggled to his feet and collected all of the horses, helping each woman mount after cutting the other two’s bindings. Hazel asked to ride with Sarah, so he handed her up. Before he climbed atop his horse, he took his coat off and handed it up to Marlena. She pulled it on with a grateful sigh.

Rain began to fall. Indigo stood shakily beside the stream, lapping at the water. Dalton hoisted him up and Marlena held out her hands. “Give him to me,” she said. I’ll keep him warm and off his feet. He deserves it.”

Dalton smiled and handed Indigo up into Marlena’s lap. She pulled the coat over him and hugged him close. The dog licked her neck while she stroked his head, cooing to him. The rain on Dalton’s skin was cold but his heart was warm enough to heat his entire body. He climbed onto the saddle and led the way.

His homestead was only two miles away and they reached it in half an hour as lightning flashed over Lake Tahoe, purpling the sky and water. He helped the ladies dismount and pulled the key from under a rock to open the house for them. Marlena shot him a questioning gaze.

“Are you sure we’re all right going in someone else’s house?”

He smirked and winked. “I know the fellow. He won’t mind.”

Her face turned curious but she shuffled into the house without a word. By the time he returned from stabling the horses, they had a fire going in the hearth and the ladies huddled before it. Indigo was curled up beside Marlena, his head resting on her lap. Little Hazel shivered and Dalton stepped further into the room, removing his hat.

“Would anyone like a hot bath?” he asked and all three turned to him. He cleared his throat. “There’s hot water. That is, there will be when I light the furnace. There’s a bathroom down the hall. And the kitchen is fully stocked with an array of canned goods if you’re hungry.”

He went to the kitchen and opened a tin of beans and another of cubed beef, pouring them into a bowl for Indigo. The dog’s nails tapped over the wooden floor as he trotted in for his meal. Dalton set down another bowl of water he’d pumped from the sink.

“Sorry, boy,” he said. “It’s gonna have to be canned beef today. I’ll get you that deer, though, as soon as possible.”

After another pat on Indigo’s head, Dalton stood and locked eyes with Marlena.

“I’d love a hot bath,” she said. “Is there a lady who lives here with your friend that we might borrow some clothes?”

Dalton pressed his lips in a thin line and shook his head. “It’s only a single fella, but you’re welcome to anything of his. Robe, blankets…trousers.” He laughed and she looked down at her wet gown.

“My chemise is dry. It’ll have to do ‘til morning, as long as I can have one of those blankets you spoke of as a covering?”

“Of course.” He removed a wool blanket from a trunk and handed it to her, along with a lit lamp. “I’ll light the furnace now to heat the water.”

“Thank you.”

She disappeared down the hall and the door shut softly behind her. He turned to the other two. “Blankets?”

Sarah stood and went to the trunk with him, pulling two out. “I’m sure one of the man’s shirts would do fine for Hazel to sleep in, and I’ll follow Marlena’s example. If we lay our dresses out by the fire they should be dry by morning.”

He nodded and left to grab one of his shirts, changing into dry clothes in the process. Sarah thanked him as he handed over the garment and he nodded.

“I’m not talking about the shirt,” she said. “Thank you for rescuing us. If you hadn’t come along…I shudder to think what would have happened.” Before he could respond, she reached out and placed a hand on his arm. “I know you came for Marlena. I was wrong about you, and I’m sorry. You’re a fine match for her. More than worthy.”

He nodded his thanks just as Marlena emerged from the bathroom in her chemise, the blanket wrapped around her. Her hair was damp and hung down to her waist.

She strode around the room, studying the furniture, running her hands along chair backs, over the beveled edges of the bookshelves, accent tables and horse heads he’d carved into the flanks of the fireplace. She caressed them as if committing them to memory.

“You have a fine home,” she finally said.

He sighed and his shoulders drooped. “How did you know it was mine?”

She leveled her eyes at him. “You think I don’t recognize your handiwork? Your little touches? Your love and dedication crafting every perfect line or curve?”

His throat thickened warmly and he took a hard swallow. If she only knew how he’d imagined her body as he built this furniture. Every loving stroke of his hand, every gentle moment of bowing wood, knowing when to apply more pressure and when to pull back, etching it, molding and burning his imprint into it, was done with him imagining her supple form as pliant as the wood. When he looked at the room, he saw fourteen months of bottled lust, and all for the woman naively calling it to the surface again with her bedraggled and pure beauty, her flawless, wonderfully-beating heart.

Sarah cleared her throat and stood. “I will help Hazel in the bathroom.”

They left and it seemed like an eternity passed before Marlena walked toward him, closing the distance.

“Show me the rest of the house,” she whispered.

His heartbeat sped as he turned and gestured toward the staircase, stopping to grab another lamp on the way. Her appraisal meant everything to him. If she hated the place, hated all of his sweat and blood and hard work, it would cut him to the core. Her face scanned everything, every corner, every nook, every savored knot of wood or unusual grain pattern. He showed her the two smaller bedrooms, each with a simple bed and chest of drawers.

“I haven’t had a chance to add much character to these rooms,” he said, almost apologetically. “I’ve spent more time on…” He chewed the inside of his cheek, not wanting to seem as physically eager as he was.

She turned and raised her eyes to his. “On what?”

He wet his lips. “The master bedroom.”

Her eyes roved his face before locking onto his. “Can I see?”

Managing a nod, he turned and led her into the next bedroom, the last on the second floor. His hand curved around the knob and he took a deep breath before pushing the door open and allowing her to enter first. He followed with the lamp and set it down on the washstand so he could wipe his sweaty palms on his pants.

Her eyes went first to the elaborate headboard and studied it intently before she walked around the room. When she finally turned to him her eyes brimmed with tears, and he shut his eyes with a sigh.

“It’s like seeing a part of your soul,” she said. “And it’s beautiful. Every inch of it.”

“It was all for you,” he said, locking eyes with her again. “I wanted this to be your home,
our
home. Every design, not just of furniture but of floorplan, the kitchen,” he chuckled. “Even the plumbing was constructed with your comfort and tastes in mind.”

She nodded. “And you know me well. In fact, no one has ever known me better. Not even my sister.” Her throat moved over a swallow. “You’ve always seen the real me.” She let the blanket fall to the floor. “And now I want you to see
all
of me.”

The cap sleeves of her camisole hung off her shoulders and she reached up to slide them down her arms, one at a time, holding his gaze the entire time. He watched her fingers shake, wondering if she trembled with desire, nervousness or from the cold. If her condition was anywhere near his, it was all three. His throat went painfully dry and the drum of his heart pounded all the way down to his feet.

His gaze left her eyes and followed the path of her hands as she slid the garment over her ripe breasts, inching past her slim waist before stretching over the gentle flare of her hips; down beyond the golden thatch of curls between her thighs and along the sleek lines of her legs until he reached her ankles. Then, he retraced the path back up, admiring every bare inch of her until he met her eyes again.

Bright, violet eyes waited with worry, with hope, with full and complete trust and vulnerability. Dalton studied her in silence. He had no words, knew no words that could articulate all that moved through his mind, his body. There was only one way to communicate what he felt, what he wanted.

Chapter 30

A tiny tremor shook Marlena’s body beneath his roving gaze. She’d never felt so exposed, so at-risk. Dalton loved her heart, but he had yet to see her body. Would he love that part of her as well? Would her form please him? Would she measure up to the beautiful flesh he’d been raised around, the voluptuousness of Rosa?

    He studied her without a word or any indication of his thoughts. Just when she would have knelt to retrieve her covering, he finally raised his gaze to hers, and the blazing desire she read in those blue irises stole her breath. His thoughts, his intentions, were all blaringly clear in that single moment, but if she’d had any doubts, his next actions would have dispelled them.

In three paces, he crossed the room and took her mouth in a fiery kiss, plunging his tongue boldly into the hot readiness she offered. His hands went first to the roundness of her hips, but soon swept over every inch of flesh within reach. Rough, calloused palms climbed up her spine and down again, caressing the narrow part of her waist before diving down to cup her bottom.

Her hands moved through his hair, relishing the soft silken feel of his dark waves, sliding her fingernails over his scalp. His hand caressed her bottom, inching further down until the tips of his fingers slid over her center. A hot breath of air sucked sharply through her teeth at the flood of pleasure racing from the spot. Slow and smooth, he worked his fingers over her wet core, pressing and kneading, sliding away only to come back and tease the spot again. She leaned her head back and shut her eyes until a single digit moved up and inside her.

Her gaze flew to his and her body tightened around his finger. He drank of her mouth again, sending his tongue to stroke and circle in a slower, soothing speed until she was lost in the drunken sensation of his ministrations. Relaxing against his mouth, against his hand, her limbs went numb and the only feeling to surface was disappointment when he removed his hands from her womanhood and smoothed them down the backs of her thighs.

He pulled his mouth from hers and lowered his knees. Soon, her feet left the ground as he lifted her to place her legs around his waist. She gasped, wrapping her arms around his neck. His face was level with the base of her throat and he suckled the spot as he walked forward until her back pressed against the wall.

In wanton fascination, she watched him work his tongue over her skin across her collarbone before he dipped down and took her nipple in his mouth. Her head fell back against the wall and she moaned. A wave of hot ecstasy spread like tongues of flame from her chest down to the sweet clenching between her thighs and she pressed her hips against his until the rock hard evidence of his desire moved against her in teasing fashion.

“Dalton,” she breathed. “Let me see you.”

He looked up with that smirk that always made her melt, and carried her to the bed. Gently, he deposited her against a pile of pillows before removing his shirt. His chest was covered in a thin patch of dark hair, but through it she saw the twin mounds of muscle that stretched out into equally strong shoulders and arms. Tight and corded, his torso was a beautiful landscape of dips and rises, ridges and swells, sculpted beneath the sweat of hard work and bronzed by the sun.

With deliberate slowness, his fingers worked the buttons of his trousers until they were free enough to slide down, and her breath caught at the sight of his erection. Longer and thicker than she’d imagined, a slight trepidation had her nibbling on her bottom lip. It was impressive. It was intimidating.

He climbed onto the bed and lay beside her, combing his fingers through her hair. “Are you nervous?” he asked.

She laughed softly. “I’m always a little nervous around you.”

He laughed in return. “Still?”

A shrug lifted her shoulders. “Different reason this time.” She couldn’t speak her fears, the insecurities that plagued her in such a moment. But Dalton cupped her cheek and warmed her with the love in his gaze.

“I’m nervous, too,” he said, and she raised a skeptical brow. “This is my first time making love to someone.”

   There was such tenderness, such sincerity and love in his eyes. She reached up to caress his cheek before she touched her lips to his.

“Make love to me,” she whispered, and felt his knee urging her legs apart a moment later. He moved atop her and broke their kiss long enough to whisper.

“Always you, only you.”

Tears rushed to her eyes and they kissed warmly again as he slid inside of her. The pain was brief, and paled in comparison to the feeling of their bodies being wholly connected. As one, they lay together, kissing and touching until he began a slow undulating movement that stroked more of her pleasure sensors to life. He moved in and out of her, pulling and plunging in a slow, pleasing rhythm until she moved her hips to match his.

A low moan escaped her throat and she gripped his tight buttocks, filling her hands with the muscles as they flexed. His hand slipped between their bodies and reached down to stroke her center again. In an instant, she was inundated with pleasure, waves and waves of it until it became too much to bear, too much feel.

Pressure and pleasure converged inside of her, building and building until it finally collapsed upon her, seizing her lungs and even her voice. She gasped, clenched, shook and then flooded with the sweetest sense of relief as she sank into the mattress. But Dalton wasn’t finished. He continued to kiss and caress as he maintained his rhythm, and when she finally saw his jaw clench and felt his hot, stilted breath wash over her face, she knew he had found his own release.  

He collapsed beside her, panting yet still planting tiny kisses upon her arm and shoulder. “Good God, woman, you’re worth waiting for.”

She laughed, even as she filled with pride. “I didn’t do anything, although I hope you’ll help me remedy that very soon.”

He raised up on his elbows and cupped her face. “You did everything, Marlena. I can’t tell you how much you mean to me...how much…” He swallowed several times and she reached up to grip his face.

“Hey. It’s just you and me. Two kids from Virginia City.”

He laughed and wiped at the sudden wetness in his eyes and she smiled, having noticed it. His fingers clasped around the ruby necklace and he lifted it to inspect it.

“You were
my
ruby. Now, you’re the world’s ruby.”

She frowned. “Is that why you never called me Ruby in Virginia City?” He nodded and she laughed before she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her. “I’ve always been your ruby. You should be proud to call me that. It wasn’t me pretending to be someone else. It was me announcing to the world that I’m yours.”

His face twisted in confusion and she took the pendant from him to lift it into the lamplight. “You told me that real rubies are cracked, that they are made more valuable by their fissures. But you were wrong. Real rubies are not cracked at all. What appears to be cracks are actually infusions of another mineral, named rutile. So, you see? A real, valuable, ruby is that which is fused together with another mineral, making it stronger, more vibrant and everlasting. Marlena and Dalton fused together make Ruby. Your ruby. Always yours, only yours.”

A slow smile crept along his lips until he lavished a soft kiss upon her lips. “I like that.” He rolled over onto his back, bringing her with him to nestle against his side. “I hope you don’t mind, love, but I could sleep like the dead right now.”

A soft chuckle shook her shoulders and she placed a kiss on his chest. “Love? Is that another nickname? Have you replaced Little Miss finally?”

He held her close and looked on her with tired, red eyes. “Not yet, but I was hoping to soon. I was thinking of...Little Mrs. What do you think?

A rush of tingles spread across her body. “Now, that I like the sound of.” He smiled as his eyes closed and she ran her hands through the fur of his chest. “Sleep, my love. You’ve earned it.”

Within moments, Dalton’s snores whispered across the room and Marlena’s stomach rumbled with hunger. She rose and put her clothes on, stealing the lamp to guide her way back down to the kitchen. Sarah and Hazel sat at the table, eating plates of potatoes, beans and ham. Marlena’s eyebrows rose at Sarah.

“I’m surprised. I expected you to starve before finding your way around a kitchen.”

“I didn’t,” Sarah replied with a sheepish grin. “Hazel made this.”

Marlena rustled Hazel’s hair as a flash of lightning lit up the home. The thunder came seconds later. “Well done, Hazel. Is there enough left for me?”

“Plenty,” she said as she scooped a bowl full.

Marlena shoveled a spoonful into her mouth. “There are two guest bedrooms upstairs. You can each have one if you’d like or you can share a bed.”

“Please, can we share?” Hazel asked, eyeing Sarah, who nodded eagerly.

Marlena noticed Hazel’s bowl was empty, so she took her dishes and handed over the lamp. “Here. There are three rooms upstairs. Two of the bedroom doors are open. The third, the master, is closed. Choose one of the open rooms for you two.”

Hazel nodded and went upstairs, leaving Marlena with only Sarah and the thick tension between them. Indigo was out cold before the fire, stretched out on his back, bandaged paws sticking straight up in the air. Marlena noticed the bandages were clean and she nodded toward them.

“Thanks for changing his bandages,” she said.

Sarah shrugged. “Hazel did that, too.”

A smirk tugged at her lips and she didn’t force it away. “That girl is going to be good for you. I can already see it.” They laughed briefly before Marlena pinned Sarah with a direct stare. “Are you going to tell her the truth?”

Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know. She adored her adopted parents. They were all she spoke of on the ride here. I can’t imagine destroying her reality.” An awkward silence fell until Sarah broke it. “Marlena, I’m so sorry…”

“I was wrong,” Marlena interjected. “I shouldn’t have said what I said about you. You are a good woman. You just...make some really poor decisions sometimes.”

“And I’m aware of it, believe me. But I’m going to do better. I’ve got a second chance sleeping upstairs and I’ll make the most of it. Nothing means more to me than her, I want you to know that.”

Marlena nodded, watching a curious shift in Sarah’s eyes.

“There’s something else,” Sarah said. “I’m releasing you from the contract.”

“What?” Marlena shook her head, flummoxed.

“You heard me. I’m giving you your life. Live it with Dalton. I was wrong about him, as I was about a great many things. He’s the man for you. He’ll give you a life of love and happiness, and I won’t let my contract stand in the way of that. So, I’m freeing you from it. It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me and Hazel. You almost died saving her. I’ll never forget that.”

A great weight lifted from Marlena. Her breaths came easier and lighter. “I don’t know what to say, Sarah.”

“Say that you and I can be friends,” she replied tremulously. “I have a feeling you’ll be sticking around these parts, and I hope our paths can cross often.”

Marlena reached across the table to grasp Sarah’s hands. “The dearest of friends, but I want a promise from you in return.”

Sarah chuckled. “No more interference in your life?”

Marlena shook her head back and forth. “Write to Peter. Tell him you have Hazel and that you’re living in Virginia City.”

A deep breath filled Sarah’s lungs and she sat back in her chair, shaking her head. “He won’t want to hear from me. He wants nothing to do with me.”

“You may be right,” Marlena said with a single nod before she sat forward and put her elbows on the table. “But what if you’re wrong? Don’t you think it’s worth finding out? I wish I would have written Dalton a year ago instead of wasting all of that time fighting my heart. Promise me you’ll write him.”

Sarah covered her mouth with a shaky palm and took another deep breath before nodding. Marlena scraped the last bite from her bowl and set the dishes in the sink. “Shall we head upstairs?”

With lamp in hand, they ascended to the second floor, where Sarah crept silently into the room Hazel had chosen. Marlena went into the master bedroom and stood staring at Dalton’s naked form spread across the bed, his face relaxed in peace and contentment. Her lips spread in a smile as she scanned over every inch of him. And when a certain part of him began to rise and harden, she glanced up to find his tired eyes open. Blood rushed to her cheeks, but he smiled and beckoned her to the bed with the crook of his finger.

“Take your clothes off and come here.”

She complied with a giggle, snuggling against him. “I didn’t mean to wake you. You should go back to sleep. It’s been a long few days for you.”

“It’s been a longer year and a half without you,” he replied. “Don’t be surprised if I lock you in this room for a few weeks.”

“No objections here,” she said, yelping when he grabbed her waist and lifted her, settling her over his hardened flesh. Her body melted around his shaft, sheathing him in a tight grip. They moaned as one before he moved her up and down, stroking him, stroking her. She took over the motions, arching her back and resting her palms on his thighs as she slid up and curled down.

He kneaded her breasts, turning her nipples in between his thumbs, pressing, rolling, teasing until her body clenched around him even tighter and she quickened the pace of her passion. Her head fell back. Her head fell back, scattering her tresses over her hands and his legs. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, claiming her mouth.