The Outlaws: Sam (36 page)

Suddenly Rusty sobered. "What about Andy? Any
clues to where Cramer hid the boy?"

Sam's arm crept around Lacey's waist,
bolstering her with his strength. "No, but we haven't given up. Not
by a long shot. I won't give up the search until I find him."

"You'll find him," Rusty concurred."

"Where are you gonna make your home, Miz
Lacey? You own two ranches now," Amos called out.

"That's easy, Amos. I'm not giving up the
B&G. My home is here."

"There's something else you should know," Sam
said, beaming down at Lacey. "Lacey and I were married today."

"Well I'll be a flop-eared jackass," Rusty
guffawed. "Keeping up with you two is nigh on impossible. Married,
not married, married. After all that, I'd say you two belong
together. Congratulations. Andy will be tickled pink to have his
parents together."

The mention of Andy's name seemed to dampen
the enthusiasm. Lacey's smile faltered. "Andy will be thrilled with
the way things turned out." She squeezed Sam's hand. "Shall we go
up to the house and tell Rita our good news?"

Hand in hand they walked to the house,
surprising Rita in the kitchen.

"Senor! Dios!" She made the sign of the
cross. "I thought, we all thought, you were in jail."

"It was all a misunderstanding, Rita," Sam
said, giving the rotund woman a hug. "I'm home now, and I'm not
going anywhere, except to find Andy and bring him home." He gave
Lacey a wink. "Do you want to tell her or shall I?"

"I'll tell her," Lacey said. She grasped
Rita's hand. "Sam and I were remarried today."

A delighted grin spread across Rita's
handsome features. "Dios. That
is
good news. Now Senor Sam
cam look after you and Andy. Senor Sam is strong. He will find
Andy. I will cook a festive supper tonight to celebrate your
marriage."

Sam had other plans. "Thank you, Rita, but I
think we'd prefer something on a tray. Lacey is exhausted and
clearly in need of rest. Andy's disappearance has taken a toll on
her. Don't fix anything fancy. Set the tray outside the door before
you leave for the night."

Rita's eyes twinkled. "I understand. Good
night, Senor, Senora."

Lacey didn't argue when Sam scooped her up in
his arms and ascended the stairs. With Sam's comforting arms around
her, she had no difficulty believing he'd find Andy and they'd live
happily ever after. He was so strong, so vital, so indestructible,
and she loved him desperately. Neither years nor distance had
destroyed that love, and she knew now that Sam felt the same
despite the way he'd fought against loving her when fate reunited
them.

This was the man with whom she intended to
spend the rest of her life. There would be other children to keep
Andy company. She smiled dreamily. Perhaps she was already carrying
Sam's child.

Sam carried Lacey to their room and closed
the door behind him. He removed his hand from beneath her knees and
set her carefully on her feet. Lacey scarcely had time to draw in a
breath before his mouth took hers in a deeply sensual kiss that
made her toes curl. He kissed her until she couldn't breathe, until
her body sang and a heady rush of blood pounded through her
veins.

"I want to make love to you, Lacey, but if
you'd rather not tonight, I'll understand."

The seductive timber of his voice stirred
her, making her aware of her own mounting desire. "This is our
wedding night."

Sam nodded slowly. "I want to make it one
you'll remember forever."

"I haven't forgotten, not once, any of the
times we made love in the past. You've
always
made it
memorable, my love. Even when we were too young to appreciate the
passion we shared."

A groan rumbled from Sam's chest as he
carried her to the bed and followed her down. He kissed her with so
much feeling Lacey felt surrounded and protected by his love. She
broke off the kiss, wanting, needing more.

"Make love to me, Sam. I've never needed you
more than I do now."

Sam's eyes glowed with mounting desire.
"Making you happy will always come first with me," he whispered. "I
need you as badly as you need me."

Lacey wound her arms around his neck and
pulled him against her. Passion swirled around them so thick it was
impossible to breath without inhaling it. She moistened her lips,
felt them trembling. She heard a low sound rumble from his chest as
his mouth came down over hers. His kiss was hard and ravishing; one
of fierce possession. His breath scorched her; his mouth tasted of
ambrosia.

She couldn't think past her next breath, her
next heartbeat as Sam broke the kiss and slowly undressed. Then,
with remarkable haste, he released his gunbelt and stripped off his
own clothing. He stood over her, his body resplendent in its
nudity, a powerful figure in full arousal. Her breath caught as her
gaze traveled the length of his powerful form. Her wits scattered
abruptly as the bed shifted beneath his weight. He kissed her
again, cupping her breasts, plucking the ends into ripe buds. A
hiss left Lacey's throat. The pads of his thumbs felt rough against
her swollen nipples.

Lowering his head, he took the heavy weight
of one breast into his mouth. Smoldering fire seared along her skin
as hard hands stroked, teased and caressed her body. An eternity
later he pressed her down into the soft mattress and spread her
legs. She felt the hot, rigid length of him pressing against her
opening. But instead of thrusting mindlessly, he kissed her again,
and yet again, making her breasts ache and her womanhood throb.

She watched in growing dismay as his dark
head moved down. He kissed and sucked her nipples, pausing for a
moment on his downward trek to lick her navel before sliding lower.
One errant finger sifted through the thatch of blond curls at the
base of her thighs, then slipped inside her.

Lacey moaned, thrashing mindlessly. "Now,
Sam. Please."

"God, yes," he moaned, moving upward and
thrusting forward, sheathing himself to the hilt. Her hips arched
to meet his driving loins. She clutched the sheets lest she fly off
the bed and moaned his name over and over. With a growl, he plunged
his tongue into the waiting warmth of her mouth, clasping her head
and burying his fingers in her lush mass of hair to hold her still
for his ravishing tongue.

Lacey refused to be restrained as waves of
pleasure radiated from her core to every sensitive part of her
body. A scream welled up in her throat and burst forth. Ecstasy
seized her and carried her away.

"Sweet God," Sam muttered thickly. He flung
his head back, his eyes sliding shut. "Not even heaven could taste
this sweet."

Suddenly Sam was desperately rampant, like a
volcano about to erupt. When he felt Lacey tighten around him, felt
the contractions pulsing against him, he could wait no longer.
Lifting his head, he shouted out his joy. Unmoving, he lay atop her
a blissful moment before lifting himself and rolling away. His eyes
were closed, his breathing harsh and heavy. From a great distance
he heard Lacey's voice.

"Sam."

With great effort he turned his head toward
her. "Hmmm?"

"That was..."

"I know, I feel the same way. Words can't
describe what I'm feeling right now. I don't deserve you, Lacey.
I've hurt you terribly. I was wrong about you from the beginning.
How can you love a flawed creature like myself?"

"Don't you know, Sam? Sometimes the things we
value most are flawed. That's part of what makes them loveable.
Like you, Sam. You're not perfect but you're exactly what I need,
what I want."

Sam gave a shaky laugh. He prayed that Lacey
never changed her opinion of him. He couldn't survive without her
love. While he and his brothers were together as a family, he'd
been able to function, but he'd always known that one day his
brothers would find wives and have families of their own, leaving
him the odd man out.

His brothers had overlooked his reckless
ways, laughing at his uncanny ability to get into trouble. He
realized now that his recklessness was his way of compensating for
what he had left behind in Pennsylvania. God, he'd been such a
fool.

"Let's just say we're perfect for one
another," Sam said.

He closed his eyes, utterly exhausted. He
would have fallen asleep if Lacey hadn't trailed her fingertips
over his chest, tormenting him with the promise of another bout of
erotic pleasure. She began to kiss down his throat to his
shoulders, continuing in a meandering line down his chest.

"Damn!" The curse exploded from his lungs
when Lacey's lips tugged at his flat male nipple. Scorching heat
lashed him when she ran her tongue down the furrow of dark hair on
his chest. Her probing tongue paused to explore his navel and a
shock of raw pleasure shot through him.

Suddenly she rose on her knees and leaned
over him, her greedy eyes fastened on that part of him that stood
at rigid attention. Shock waves roiled through him when she touched
her hot mouth to the tip of him, then swirled her tongue over the
tight, aching head.

Sam fought desperately for control as his
wife tasted him thoroughly, teasing him beyond human endurance.
"Enough!" he roared as he grasped her about the waist, pulled her
over him, and impaled her. Propelled by urgency, he plunged deeply,
again and again, groaning as she clenched around him, driving him
nearly insane. His pistoning hips drove faster, deeper, reaching
for her soul. He released his seed into her shuddering womb moments
after she stiffed and cried out.

Sam fell asleep with Lacey lying atop him,
his softening sex still embedded inside her. He murmured a protest
but didn't stir when Lacey moved off him and settled into the curve
of his body. Pangs of hunger awakened Sam later that night. He
padded to the door, opened it, and found the tray Rita had left for
them. He carried it to the bed and lifted the cover. A delicious
aroma reached the sleeping Lacey's twitching nose. She opened her
eyes, stretched, then lurched upright when she saw Sam with the
tray of food Rita had prepared.

"Ummm. I smell fried chicken!" she exclaimed.
"I hope you like it cold."

"I can eat it raw right now," Sam assured
her.

Rummaging further, Sam found tortillas, baked
beans rich with molasses and generous slices of apple pie.

"Rita didn't forget a thing," Lacey said. "Do
you want to wash up first?"

"Ladies first," Sam said.

He watched avidly as Lacey walked naked to
the washstand, poured water into a bowl and made her ablutions.
When she finished, she tossed the water out the open window and
refilled the bowl with fresh.

"Your turn."

Sam needed no further encouragement. The
sooner he washed the sooner he could get back to the food. Lacey
had already dug in when he returned to the bed. Rita had included
plates, glasses and silverware on the tray, along with a pitcher of
lemonade.

"Ummm. The chicken is good," Lacey said
between mouthfuls.

"So are the beans," Sam added. He leered at
her bare breasts. "I'm not sure I can sleep on a full stomach."

Lacey gave him an impish grin. "What can you
do on a full stomach?"

"I'd be happy to show you after you're
through eating."

They made love again, their passion slowly
building to a tumultuous explosion.

"I'll never forget our wedding night, Sam,"
Lacey sighed when they finally settled down to sleep. "Only one
thing would make this the happiest day of my life."

Sam knew exactly what she meant for he felt
the same way. He and Lacey would never be truly happy until Andy
was restored to them.

Sam arose before Lacey had awakened the
following morning. He wanted to speak to Rusty and the hands before
he begin his search for Andy. He'd promised Lacey he'd find their
son and he intended to keep his promise.

The cold wind sucked the breath from Sam as
he made his way to the cookhouse, where the hands had gathered for
breakfast. The thought of Andy suffering cold and hunger while he
was warm and well fed made him physically ill. What if Cramer had
turned Andy loose in the wilds of Texas to fend for himself?

"What are you doing up so early?" Rusty
teased when Sam entered the cookhouse.

"I can't afford to linger in bed while Andy
is still missing," Sam answered as he walked over to the cookstove
to warm his hands. "I'll need every available hand to join in the
search."

"Everything here is pretty much done," Rusty
said. "We've been mending fences and repairing some of the
outbuildings during the cold spell. You and Miz Lacey will be
wanting to add to your herd and me and the boys were putting things
in good repair. But that can wait. We need to bring our Andy back
home."

Sam sat down heavily. He hadn't let Lacey see
his fear, but it was there nevertheless. Andy was just a small boy,
with little or no survival skills. The boy wasn't mature enough to
cope with Cramer's evil machinations. What if Andy was already
dead? Placing his elbows on the table, Sam dropped his head into
his cupped hands and gave in to his despair.

Rusty cleared his throat. "We'll find him,
Sam. You gotta keep your spirits up for Miz Lacey's sake."

Sam raised his head. "I'm sorry, Rusty.
Giving in to despair won't bring my son back. I'm riding out to the
Cramer place this morning and question the hands myself. Perhaps
they'll remember something they forgot when Lacey and the sheriff
questioned them."

"There's plenty of food left over from
breakfast," Luke said. "Are you hungry?"

"No, but I sure would appreciate a cup of
coffee."

Luke poured Sam a cup of steaming coffee and
placed it before him. "Hot and black, Sam, just the way you like
it."

"Time's a-wasting, boys," Rusty said,
rising.