The Outlaws: Jess (39 page)

"I can help with that," Mary offered. "I have
a dozen fine dresses packed away that don't fit me anymore. They're
more suited to you than to my mature figure. I'm sure we can find
something suitable. Come to my house tomorrow and try them on."

Meg sent Mary a grateful look. "Thank you.
I'm sure I'll find something appropriate."

"Will you see Mary home for me, Jess?" Zach
asked as Meg and Jess prepared to leave.

A short time later Jess helped Meg and Mary
mount their horses, then they rode off together. They bid Mary
good-bye at her house and continued on home.

The groceries Meg had ordered that morning
had been dropped off on the front porch. Jess helped carry them
inside, then left to make arrangements for the double wedding. Meg
was in the midst of cooking dinner when Jess returned.

"Everything is set," he crowed excitedly.
"The church was available for Saturday. The wedding will be held at
ten Saturday morning, and the cafe staff agreed to provide food for
the reception at the town hall. Oh, yes. The announcement and open
invitation will appear in all two newspapers for the next four
days. And," he added, eyes glowing, "I found fiddlers to play at
the reception."

Meg remained at the stove, strangely subdued.
"You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

Jess came up behind her, turned her around,
and drew her into his arms. "What's wrong? Any regrets?"

"About marrying you? No. About parading me
before people who consider me a whore? Yes."

"It will turn out fine, sweetheart, I
promise. This town is going to learn to love you like I do."

"You can't shove me down their throats,
Jess."

"I won't have to, trust me."

"I've always trusted you," she whispered,
turning her mouth up to his.

Groaning, Jess accepted her offering, taking
her lips in a deliciously intimate kiss that made her toes
curl.

"Can dinner wait?" he asked. "Suddenly I have
a more pressing need."

"I'll put it in the warming oven," Meg
murmured against his lips.

"Thank God."

Jess helped her put the food in the oven,
then literally dragged her up the stairs to their bedroom. Clothing
flew helter-skelter in their eagerness to celebrate their love.
There was nothing gentle in their lovemaking as the bed became a
battleground of wills. He took her swiftly once, then rolled her
atop him and took her again.

Dinner was all but forgotten as they rested,
arms and legs entwined, Meg's head pressed against Jess's shoulder.
When Jess remained quiet an inordinate length of time, Meg asked,
"Is something wrong?"

He touched her breast. "Do your breasts pain
you? You cried out when I suckled them."

"I..." She hesitated. "They have been more
sensitive than usual."

"When were you going to tell me, Meg?"

Meg flushed. "You know?"

His chest rumbled with laughter. "I'm a
doctor, I've known for some time. The absence of menses was the
first sign. Did you think I wouldn't be happy about becoming a
father?"

"I didn't realize it myself until just
recently. You had too many problems then to take on another
responsibility. I didn't want you to worry about me. I would have
told you soon, in any event. Before the wedding. Are you
happy?"

His hand splayed over her stomach, his
fingers caressing the place beneath her heart where his child
rested. "Ecstatic. I've always wanted a home and family. I was
merely waiting for the right woman to come along. I love you, Meg,
and I love our child. Boy or girl, it makes no difference to me.
Hopefully, in time, we'll have some of each. I think Zach is as
anxious as I am for this child."

"Zach never had any children of his own.
He'll spoil our babe rotten."

"Let him. He deserves some happiness. He
saved your life, a fact for which I'll always be grateful."

"Are you ready for dinner now? I just heard
my stomach growling."

Jess laughed and rolled away from her. "Let's
not keep you or that ravenous little being inside you waiting." He
pulled her out of bed and helped her dress. Then they descended the
stairs together.

The day of the wedding dawned cool and sunny.
Meg spun before the mirror at Mary's house shortly before the
ceremony, admiring the dress they had picked out together. The pale
blue silk had a fitted waistline and dropped sleeves, which bared
her shoulders and upper portion of her chest without appearing
vulgar or revealing. The hoops made her slim figure appear willowy
and fragile, though she had never considered herself fragile. She
had purchased slippers and hat to match the dress, which set off
the outfit perfectly.

Mary had chosen a violet brocade that
complimented her fair coloring. The dress was slightly more demure
than Meg's, befitting one of her age and maturity. Together they
were a vision such as Cheyenne had rarely seen.

Jess had gotten his wish. Nearly the entire
town was crowded into the church, waiting for the brides to walk
down the aisle. Unbeknownst to Meg, Jess had browbeat, cajoled and
strongly urged all his acquaintances and patients to attend his
wedding. He'd even threatened to refuse his services to those who
absented themselves or showed disrespect to his bride.

If some of the women showed reluctance to
attend, their husbands and fathers soon changed their minds. Those
men were wise enough to know that Jess Gentry would eventually
become a mainstay in Cheyenne society, a man in whom they could
place their trust and their lives.

Meg paused in the vestibule of the church,
her bouquet trembling in her hands. The church was crammed with
people; the same people who in the past had crossed the street to
avoid her. Mary had just started down the aisle to meet Zach, and
she was to go next. Jess must have noticed her nervousness for he
smiled encouragement at her.

Mary had reached the altar. Zach stepped up
to join her. Meg drew in a steadying breath and took that first
step. She could feel curious eyes upon her and faltered half-way
down the aisle, looking wild-eyed and frightened. She would have
turned and run if Jess hadn't noticed her hesitation and sprinted
up the aisle to meet her. Meg heard a buzz of voices and knew Jess
had done something out of the ordinary, but he seemed not to
care.

"Not getting cold feet, are you?" he
whispered as he placed her arm in his and started down the aisle.
Meg had no choice but to follow. Jess had broken with tradition and
the least she could do was show how much she loved him by brazening
it out before the very people who despised her.

Much of the ceremony was a blur. Meg knew she
said the right thing at the right time, for Jess had placed a gold
ring on her finger, smiled at her, and kissed her soundly. In a
daze, she let him turn her toward the congregation. Then he raised
her hand and kissed it. No matter what happened in the future, Meg
would always remember the cheer that followed Jess's loving
gesture.

Meg recalled little of the reception, except
she remembered Mary and Zach gazing lovingly into one another's
eyes. Jess was beside her, instilling her with the courage to greet
their guests.

Meg was more than a little astonished at the
number of townspeople who attended the wedding and reception,
treating her as if she had never been the town pariah. Did marrying
Jess make her suddenly respectable?

Food and drink flowed freely. Meg ate little
and drank nothing. The fiddlers Jess found provided lively music
and soon dancers were forming reels and squares.

"You're not eating," Jess said.

"I'm not hungry."

Jess's eyes twinkled. "That's odd. Lately
you've eaten everything in sight." He leaned close. "Shall we go
home and have our own private celebration?"

"What about Zach and Mary?"

"They've already left. Or haven't you
noticed?"

"Oh, my. I haven't been very observant, have
I?"

"Let's sneak out now, while the next reel is
forming."

Hand and hand they left the town hall and
walked the short distance home. There was no time now for a
honeymoon, but Jess promised Meg one early next summer, when they
would travel to Denver to meet his brothers. Their child would
still be young, but Jess was a doctor and capable of seeing to its
welfare. When they reached the house, Jess swept Meg into his arms
and carried her over the threshold.

"I can't wait to show you and our baby to my
brothers," Jess said as he mounted the stairs with Meg in his arm.
I'm the luckiest man alive."

Jess pushed the bedroom door open and set her
on her feet.

"No, I'm the luckiest woman," Meg insisted.
"I wouldn't be alive today if not for you."

They undressed one another slowly, touching
and caressing as if discovering each other's body for the first
time. They made love tenderly, gently, savoring every nuance of
passion. He teased her, tormented her, his hands roaming hard and
demanding over her body. Jess brought her to climax twice, once
with his hands and once with his mouth, before entering her with
one hard thrust. Then she came apart again beneath the potent
onslaught of his unrestrained passion as he joined her still
vibrating body in the ultimate of all pleasures.

When the world stopped spinning, Jess settled
Meg into the curve of his body and sighed contentedly. "We're going
to be happy, love. People are already beginning to accept you. The
only dark cloud on the horizon is concern for my brothers."

"I needn't worry about Rafe. From the sound
of things, his life is in order. I hope I get to meet him and his
wife. Do you think he'll bring her to Denver?"

"If not, we'll go down to Canon City to visit
her. It's not all that far. I hope Sam shows up. I shudder to think
of the trouble he could have gotten himself into. Sam's impatient,
hardheaded, and often reckless. Clearly the most vexing of the
Gentry brothers. It wouldn't surprise me if Sam stumbled into a
situation that he can't get himself out of."

"Don't underestimate your brother, Jess. He's
a Gentry, isn't he? Need I say more?"

"You're right," Jess grinned. "You do have a
way of making me feel better. Now, Mrs. Gentry, go to sleep. That
little one inside you needs rest."

"I love you, Jess Gentry."

"I love you, Meg Gentry. Don't ever forget
it, sweetheart. Destiny brought us together, we were meant to
be."

Connie is the bestselling author of 60 books
and novellas and counting.  Her tales of passion and adventure
are set in exotic as well as in American locales.  Connie has
won awards from Romantic Times and has been listed in Who's Who of
American Women for several years.  Connie makes her home in
Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Connie is a world traveler.  She has
visited every country in Western and Eastern Europe, Greece, Asia
and Northern Africa.  Also, countless islands in the
Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas.  Connie enjoys spending time
with her three children, nine grandchildren and three
great-grandchildren.  Visit her Website and
www.conniemason.com
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