Savage storm (24 page)

After some reluctance, Gabrielle confessed. "I was one of the best of them, or the worst, depending upon whether you shared my view or my aunt's."

"I'm certain you are ever so much more interesting for having been the child you wished to be regardless of what your aunt wanted." The sunlight sparkled in her auburn hair, making it radiant, and he was more than content simply to sit and talk with her because they'd had no such opportunity since the day he'd sent Scream of Lightning on his way.

Gabrielle found the warm softness of his gray eyes most disconcerting. They were the color of smoke that day, dark and yet inviting. She never knew how any of her comments would strike him, but she, too, wanted simply to be with him while they had this unexpected chance. "How do you manage to live the life you do, Jason? This trip is every bit as difficult as you warned us it would be, how can you bear taking it again and again.''

Surprised by the serious turn of her thoughts, Jason shrugged. "I've been out on my own since I was fourteen, travehng most of that time although I always seem to return to the Willamette Valley. What little excuse I have for a home is there, I guess."

"You have no family living there?" Gabrielle inquired softly her curiosity too sincere to give offense.

"No, my parents are both dead. Their other children died during infancy." Seeing the concern in her azure gaze he hastened to reject any words of sympathy she might offer. "I prefer to live this way, Gabrielle. It is very pleasant to drift with the wind and have no tedious responsibilities which draw

me back to any place where I don't wish to go."

Shocked by the coldness of his words when his expression was so inviting, Gabrielle could not help but disagree. "You cannot honestly regard a home and family as a tedious responsibility, Mr. Royal, for the carefree life you describe is a meaningless one, without any goal or anyone to share it.''

"Is it?" Jason looked long at her as if her pretty features were the most fascinating of sights; then his glance grew cold and he turned away. "It matters little what you think. It is my life to live as I see fit, not yours."

Hurt by his curt rebuff, Gabrielle did not respond. She sat by his side and watched her friends as they called to one another. They were still reading the many names painted upon the immense rock. "Still, you painted your name here too, didn't you? As if the fact you'd passed this way would mean something to someone, as if it mattered."

Jason laughed out loud at that comment, his mood again a light one as he admitted the truth of her words. "All right. Miss MacLaren. I am as vain as everyone else, I want to be remembered too."

As Gabrielle stood up to go, she whispered softly, "I for one will never forget you, never." She rejoined her wagonmates and when they had at last found what they considered the perfect spot she printed her name neatly in block letters with the sharpened stick Paul had provided. She did not once look up at Jason, but all the while she felt his glance upon her, making the emptiness in her heart all the more painful.

Their rest a brief one, the wagon train continued upon its way the next morning at first light. The incline of the trail grew steep, the journey tortuous and Gabrielle was far too tired at the end of each day to think the hours monotonous. She had already lost weight, but now she became even more slim, her beauty bordering on the ethereal, and when they at last crossed the South Pass through the Rocky Mountains, making their way over the Continental Divide, she could not bear to think they had come but halfway on their journey.

It was Jason's responsibility to see to everyone's welfare so he had noted the changes in Gabrielle's figure. However, all the young women had lost weight. They had been fortunate not to have lost anyone yet, but there were few small children among the families. The little ones were always the first to succumb to the rigors of the trail. The wagon train was making good time. Indeed, it was ahead of schedule so, knowing the emigrants deserved and needed a few days' rest, Jason was making plans to give it to them. They traveled at night to avoid the sun's scorching rays, then followed the Big Sandy River through the Green River Valley, and when they arrived at Bear Lake, Jason called a halt. Here the grass reached a tall man's knees and the trout leaped from the water, just waiting to be caught. It was one of Jason's favorite places along the trail, and when he announced they would remain there for several days, he was greeted with loud cheers of gratitude.

Gabrielle was delighted to have an opportunity to relax for she had never been so tired. There were still animals to look after and chores to perform, but now there was no need to rush. She could launder all her clothing rather than washing it piecemeal in the evening when she hardly had any energy left after a hard day's ride. It was no accident that the trail followed the path of one river and then another whenever possible; the emigrants' need for fresh water was great. With one of the worst stretches of the trail behind them, Gabrielle was happy to simply lie down upon the soft grass and watch the clouds traverse the sky. The valley was so beautiful, she wondered why anyone had ever gone farther.

The rest also did wonders for Jason's outlook. He'd had more than enough of Gabrielle's sultry glances and whispered promises when he needed far more tangible proof of her feeling for him. She was a woman of extraordinary passion, and as he frequently reminded himself, he meant her to be his alone. Why he'd wasted so much time waiting for her to come to that conclusion herself, he did not know. But he put aside that strategy now. Perhaps it was the lush beauty of the valley that

made it impossible for him to maintain his former resolve to remain aloof, or perhaps the sudden sense of urgency which gripped him was a premonition he would be a fool to ignore. They had traversed some of the roughest parts of the trail, but the dangers which lay ahead were impossible to overestimate. He could no longer wait to claim the prize he considered rightfully his. Clay had ceased to question his motives where Cabrielle was concerned since he'd maintained a respectable distance for so long, and he hoped his partner would be too busy hunting or fishing to observe that he and the lovely redhead had again disappeared together. Morning was the ideal time, he decided. It was a remarkably innocent time of day when no one would suspect his purpose. That night he could scarcely close his eyes because he was so delighted with his own cleverness. He had only a few more hours to wait, and then Gabrielle would be his for the taking once more.

Cabrielle was down at the lake's edge, rinsing out the last of her stockings, when Timothy Duffy came skipping lightly over the sand. He stopped only long enough to whisper a secret in her ear, and then he was gone, the day too full of promise to be wasted on the intrigues of adults. Startled, Cabrielle watched him go, then she returned to her wagon to hang her wash upon the line. She was too curious to ignore Timothy's message so she walked back to the river which fed the lake and followed it upstream. She climbed over the rocks in her path as easily as if she were sprinting through an obstacle course designed to amuse children. She was agile, the way not difficult. Everyone else had gone to the lake to fish so she met no one along the way. At last she came to a deep pool and found Jason silently sitting upon the bank, fishing very earnestly for trout as if he expected that his catch must feed the entire wagon train.

"Timothy said you had found a climb which would interest me. Whatever did you mean?" She went to his side to see what success he'd had and found more than a dozen good-sized fish, a line through their gills keeping them captive at the edge of the pond while he fished for more.

Jason could not suppress a teasing grin. ''You've already covered most of it since the way up here is an incline^ but I want you to go just a bit farther with me."

Not in the least bit suspicious, Gabrielle looked around them. ''It is a very good day for climbing, but I should think youVe doing too well here with the trout to want to leave."

'These fish will be delicious for supper, Gabrielle, but they are no more than an aUbi." He pulled his line out of the water and laid it upon the rocks. Removing the worm he'd used for bait, he tossed it back into the pond. "Fve known Indians to use mouse ribs for fishhooks, how's that for ingenious?"

"Is that what you're using?" Moving closer to inspect his hook, Gabrielle found it was made of gleaming metal.

"No, I had no time to catch any mice prior to coming up here this morning." He found it difficult not to laugh out loud; he was so pleased she had come to meet him without even understanding why he was so eager to see her. "The fish will wait for our return. Let's go just a little bit higher."

Gabrielle went first, glad she had worn one of her oldest garments that day because she'd thought she'd be doing little more than laundry. The green print on the cotton fabric had once clearly been ivy growing upon a trellis, but she had washed the dress so frequently on the trip it was now a soft, pastel green, the intricate design only faintly visible upon the white background.

They made their way through low-hanging branches, then up a steep cliff to another pool that was slightly larger than the one where Jason had been fishing. Taking her hand, he led her across the smooth stones which formed a bridge at the narrow end of the pond. Then, moving past a cluster of pine trees, they arrived at a small clearing where a blanket and a picnic basket lay awaiting them, and he motioned for her to sit down beside him. "I discovered this place two years ago. I have to get away from the people in the train once in a while or I'd be a poor wagon master, as tired and irritable as any of my charges. I hoped you would not mind if I spirited you away for an ho^r or

two to keep me company."

Cabrielle laughed at his remark. "You're making no sense, Jason. How can you want to get away from everyone and at the same time want my company?" She thought the grassy glade delightful and she certainly had no objection to passing the time with him; yet she could not resist teasing him.

"Does that seem like such a contradiction to you?" he asked softly. 'There is a great difference between being surrounded by a noisy crowd and being alone with a beautiful woman. Isn't that obvious or must I explain it to you?"

Instantly Gabrielle's sweet smile was replaced by a look of considerable apprehension. They were most certainly alone, some distance from the others, and while she knew he would not press for an advantage she would not gladly give him, she felt betrayed by her own weakness where he was concerned. "If you want only to speak with me, I will be happy to stay, but if it is much more that you want, then—"

"Must you be so melodramatic?" Jason turned her question aside without answering it. "I have a bottle of wine here, and some cheese I have been saving as well as a few fresh biscuits. I even picked some berries while I was waiting for you. Does that sound like the act of a man with evil intentions?" he inquired with a devilish wink. He poured the rich, red wine into two tin cups and handed her one. "I do hope you will forgive my lack of suitable crystal, but I have yet to find any that travels well."

Relieved to find him in so playful a mood, Cabrielle took a sip of the wine and, with only a little urging, a piece of cheese and a biscuit. The berries were sweet yet tangy, and she thought the meal a most delicious one. Complimenting him frequently on the repast, she soon lost track of how many times he'd refilled her cup so she set it aside, determined to accept no more of the flavorful wine. Enjoying the enchanting mood of the secluded spot, she saw only the warmth of Jason's smile and she thought him even more handsome than when they'd first met.

"I rather like your beard, I don't believe I've ever had an

opportunity to say so, but I think it is quite handsome/' She had spoken very deliberately, but the words sounded slightly slurred in her ears and she wondered if he had understood her.

*Thank you, but I will shave it off tonight if you are merely being polite and truly do not like it/' Jason set his cup aside and moved closer, his warm breath now brushing her cheek as he spoke.

**Jason . . ." Gabrielle whispered softly, bringing her hand up to caress the curls at his nape when he drew closer still. He leaned across her then, forcing her down upon the woolen blanket which had once before served as their bed. She could not recall what it was she had wanted to say, and when his mouth covered hers she gave up the effort to speak. His lips were soft as he kissed her, barely lingering upon her slightly open mouth before he began to lavish light kisses upon the long sweep of her lashes and then along the curve of her flushed cheek. All the while his hands were undoing the buttons of her dress, then slipping her lingerie from her shoulders, not stopping until her splendid body was exposed to his view. She was far more slender, but her subtle contours were none the less perfect and the tenderness of his mood changed abruptly, bursting into the fire of passion too long denied. His kisses were hot now, searing her fair skin with a tongue of flame as he slipped from her embrace. Intent upon savoring the beauty of her delicate body to the fullest, he traced the swell of her smooth cool breast then spread slow sweet nibbles across her flat stomach. His hunger for her drove him to seek still more, the ultimate intimacy, for he would allow her to keep nothing hidden. He wanted her very soul, his deep, probing kiss eagerly consuming all she could give of her very essence until her surrender was so complete he could not demand more. Waves of ecstasy poured through her loins and flooded her slender thighs with tremors; still he did Hft his mouth from her until she lay perfectly still, her breath coming in hoarse gasps as she whispered his name so softly he was not even certain she had spoken. This was all he had wanted, this splendid pleasure he

had never sought to give any other woman, and he drew her into his arms, content to hold her in a fond embrace until she drew a deep breath and pulled away, the blue of her eyes brighter than that of the summer sky as she gazed down at him. It was not pleasure which lit her glance now but as furious an anger as he had ever seen her display.