The Sheriff (Historical Romance) (23 page)

A
patient lover, Travis suppressed the natural impulse to swiftly seek his own release. Had she been only a beautiful courtesan with whom he could slake his lust, he wouldn’t have waited. He would have already been buried deep inside her.

But this was Kate.

His Kate. The woman he loved.

So he waited.

And he contented himself with gazing at the two of them in the mirror. It was a vision he knew he would never forget. Kate’s head on his shoulder, her cheek against his chest, her eyes closed. A slender arm was draped across his waist and her pale, limp body was pressed warmly against his side.

It would have a been sweet, peaceful moment in time if not for the fact that he was so achingly aroused it was painful. Still, he was not going to rush her.

Travis was looking into the mirror when, without opening her eyes, she laid a gentle hand on his straining masculinity. He jumped, startled, then tensed and held his breath as she eagerly, but ineptly, toyed with him.

When finally she opened her eyes and lifted her head, she said with childlike innocence, “Show me, Travis. I don’t know how to…”

His hand quickly covered hers. “Something more like this, sweetheart.” He guided her fingers slowly up and down the length of his erection, from base to head and back again. “It’s easy. Nothing to it, really.”

Kate quickly caught on. “I’ve mastered it,” she said. “Now take your hand away and let me show you.” He reluctantly obeyed. Stroking him, exciting him, she repeated his own words back to him, “I’d never do anything you don’t want to do.”

“Now, Kate…”

“Shh,” she warned. Releasing her hold on him, she slipped down off the sofa in one swift, agile movement and turned about to kneel before him.

Her eyes flashing blue fire, she gripped his knees and pushed them apart. She looked up at him with a mischievous smile and said, “Tell me to stop and I will.”

Travis didn’t tell her stop. He didn’t trust his voice. It was hard to breathe, much less speak. As Kate’s golden head slowly lowered to him, Travis couldn’t keep from lifting his eyes and glancing into the mirror. He watched like a captivated voyeur.

He felt Kate’s hands clasping his thighs, felt her silky hair tickling his bare belly. Felt her soft lips, burning hot, on the inside of his right knee. Kate kissed him there, then moved her mouth in a deliberate path up the inside of his steely, hair-dusted thigh.

And all the while Travis watched in the mirror.

An inch away from the raven curls of his groin, she stopped, raised her head, tossed her hair back from her face and said, “Kiss me, Travis.”

He leaned down and kissed her, but when he tried to draw her up onto the sofa, Kate tore her lips from his and again bent to him. She kissed his left knee and teasingly nipped and licked her way up to the edge of the crisp midnight coils.

Travis’s entire body became rigid with eager expectancy when he felt Kate’s breath against his surging erection. She blew that warm, moist breath on him and his passion-glazed eyes again lifted to the mirror. He almost had a coronary when he felt Kate’s soft lips tentatively settle on the throbbing tip of his erection.

He allowed himself only a few fleeting seconds to enjoy the erotic sight of her kneeling between his spread knees, her head bent to him, the glorious golden hair spilling over his lap and thighs. When he felt her mouth begin to slide hesitantly down over him, Travis groaned, bit the inside of his cheek and urged her head up.

“Stop, sweetheart. I want you to stop.”

“I want to love you like you loved me,” she said.

“Another time.”

“But you’re still…you haven’t…”

“No, but I will once I’m inside you,” he said. Taking hold of her upper arms, he pushed her to her feet, then drew her astride his lap.

She cupped his tanned cheeks in her hands. “If that’s what you want.”

“It is, sweetheart.”

She kissed him and said against his lips, “Know what I want?”

“Tell me.”

She lifted her head. “I want to do this myself. You’re not to make a move to help. Let me put…” Her words trailed away.

“It—and I—are all yours. Do with us what you will.”

Kate nodded, pushed her tangled hair behind her ears, scooted back on his hard thighs and again gently took him in hand. Then, biting her lip in fierce concentration, she carefully guided the swollen tip up inside her.

Resting her hands atop his shoulders, she looked steadily into his eyes as she slowly, surely slid down onto him.

“May I move a little now?” he asked when she was fully impaled upon him.

“Mmm,” she replied in a silky voice as she looped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his.

At first his movements were slow, deliberate, the languid flexing of his buttocks, the leisurely surging of his pelvis. His hands filled with the pale cheeks of her bottom, he rhythmically drew her down on him as he rose to meet her.

But her soft, yielding body was too sweet and he had waited too long for release. He couldn’t hold out much longer. He increased the tempo of his thrusts and, blinded by passion, he no longer looked into the mirror. His eyes closed, his heart hammering, he pumped into Kate with an almost savage hunger. Fearful he would hurt her, but unable to slow the pace of his fevered lovemaking, he slipped his arms under her bent knees to clasp her more firmly to him.

The position more fully tilted her pelvis and afforded deeper penetration. At once the pleasure, both his and hers, spiraled upward, and they gasped at the escalation of ecstasy.

For a few frenzied seconds more they made primitive, passionate love this way, their enjoined bodies damp with sexual perspiration, flesh slapping against flesh in a wild, exhilarating ride.

It might have lasted a few moments longer if Kate hadn’t asked breathlessly, “Can you see us in the mirror?”

Travis’s dark eyes lifted.

He saw them.

And it brought on a draining, pulse-pounding climax unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It was
the same for Kate. An orgasm so powerful overtook her that she screamed and clung to him as wave after wave of ecstasy washed over her.

When the tempest finally passed, she sagged against him, too weak to move. They stayed like that for several long minutes, warmed by the afterglow of incredible lovemaking.

Finally Travis said, “You’re gonna be the death of me yet, baby.”

“But you’ll die happy.”

Laughing, they hurriedly dressed.

The fire had gone completely out. The big room was chilly. They realized they had stayed at the mansion much longer than intended. Twenty minutes had turned into two hours.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Leaving the citizens of Fortune unprotected all this time,” Kate teased as she drew a woolen dress over her head. “You might lose your job over this, Sheriff.”

“Could be,” he replied, unconcerned. “I might very well get booted out of town.”

“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised,” she said with a smile.

“If so, will you come with me?”

“When you like. Where you like.”

“W
hen did you get back, Doc?”

His white eyebrows lifting, Dr. Ledet replied, “I might ask you the same question, Sheriff.”

The doctor had arrived in Fortune while Travis and Kate were at the mansion. He’d hardly had time to unlock his office and put down his black bag before hearing the shocking news that Kate had been shot and the sheriff had removed the bullet. She was, he was told, convalescing in the sheriff’s quarters.

Deeply concerned, the doctor had immediately hurried to the jail. And found it empty, save for a big calico cat dozing on a bunk in one of the cells. He had hurried on through the jail and pounded on the door of Travis’s private quarters. No answer. Really getting worried then, wondering if Travis had been called away to handle a disturbance, leaving the injured
Kate alone, the doctor went directly to the sheriff’s desk. He pulled out a drawer, hoping to find a key to Travis’s quarters.

He found no key.

Growing increasingly frustrated, he had hurried back outside and slipped through the alley to the rear of the building to bang on the back door and call Kate’s name. To no avail. Finally he returned to his own office, where he had paced the floor, imagining all kinds of dire possibilities.

Two long hours had passed when finally he saw Travis step out onto the sidewalk in front of the jail. Muttering under his breath, the doctor snatched up his black bag and rushed right over.

Now, as the two men faced each other, the frowning physician told Travis, “Soon as I got back, I heard about the shooting and came over, but nobody was here.”

Travis looked a little sheepish. “Yes, well, Miss VanNam was feeling so much better she insisted I take her up to the mansion to get some clothes.”

“You couldn’t have gone up by yourself and…”

“She wanted to go, Doc.” Travis shrugged broad shoulders. “You know how women are.”

“So you took it upon yourself to pronounce her able to walk all the way—”

“Keep your shirt on, we didn’t walk. We rode my stallion up.”

Dr. Ledet again shook his head. “I want to see the
patient immediately! Who knows what lasting harm may come from her being jolted up and down on the back of a horse!”

Thankful the scolding physician didn’t know what he and Kate had really been up to, Travis said, “You’ll see for yourself that she’s mending remarkably well.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” the doctor replied testily. He stepped inside and started toward the back quarters.

“Fine, but wait here a minute,” Travis said, following on his heels. “I’ll just check to see if she’s awake. She might be napping, and we wouldn’t want to disturb her.”

“She’s likely worn out from you allowing her to—”

“Have a seat, Doc,” Travis interrupted, indicating a chair.

Travis went to the rear and, opening the door just wide enough to slip through, quickly put his finger to his lips when Kate looked up, smiled and started to speak.

Fresh out of a bath, she was seated cross-legged on the floor in front the fire, brushing her long golden hair. She wore only her lace-trimmed pantelets. Travis came to her, crouched down and whispered, “Doc Ledet is here.”

“Here in Fortune? Or here at the jail?” she whispered back, brush poised in her hand.

“Both,” he said, helping her to her feet. “He wants
to have a look at your shoulder. Now, hurry and get in bed while I fetch you a nightshirt.”

Nodding, Kate anxiously crossed the room while Travis briefed her on the fact that the doctor had come by the jail earlier and found them both gone. “I told him you insisted on going up to the mansion to get some clothes.”

Kate nodded again. Once she was in bed, Travis helped her into the nightshirt, then drew the covers up over her. “Ready?”

“Yes. Send him in.”

“Don’t let anybody know what a good job Travis did,” Doc Ledet said, after carefully examining the healing bullet wound. His eyes twinkled when he added, “You do and I’ll be out of a job.”

“It’ll be our secret,” Kate assured him.

After ten minutes with his patient, the physician closed his black bag. “I might as well go,” he said. “Obviously, you don’t need me.”

“I’m glad you’re back, Doctor, and I appreciate you looking in on me.”

The physician smiled, patted her good shoulder and glanced curiously around the room. He noticed the wooden tub of soapy water, with a couple of damp towels and a hairbrush beside it. A blue woolen dress was tossed over the arm of Travis’s easy chair. Other articles of feminine attire were scattered about the spacious room.

He didn’t comment, but he wasn’t fooled. When he rejoined Travis, he said, “You did an excellent job, Sheriff.” His eyes twinkled with mischief when he added, “In fact, Kate’s in good enough shape to go on home.” He looked at Travis and waited for a response. He got none. “I see no need for her to stay at your place any longer. I’m sure you must be tired of sleeping in the jail.”

Travis didn’t take the bait. As enigmatic as ever, he ushered Doc Ledet to the door, following him out. They stood for a few minutes on the sidewalk in the fading autumn sunshine, talking about the sudden snowstorm and how quickly it had melted. About the Goldbug mining accident. About the chances of Jiggs and the posse finding Kelton and Spears.

Finally Doc Ledet said, “Well, I’m tired and I’m hungry, so I’ll be getting on home, Travis.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll likely stop by tomorrow, check on Kate. That is, if she’s going to be here at your place.” Again he quizzically lifted his eyebrows.

“Good evening, Doc.”

Travis stayed where he was for a couple of minutes after the doctor had gone. He was just turning to go back inside when the muscular, mustachioed Sam Barkley, bartender and bouncer at the Golden Nugget, came out of the saloon carrying a large wooden sign.

Travis squinted as Sam leaned the big placard
against the wall just right of the bat-wing doors. He began hammering it in place, and Travis read the two-word sign: For Sale.

As Sam was finishing up, Valentina Knight walked through the saloon’s swinging doors. She stood before the sign, examining it. She said something to Sam and shook her head approvingly. The big man went back inside while Valentina stayed a moment longer.

Travis stepped down off the sidewalk.

He crossed the street. Valentina turned as he approached.

“Evenin’, Val.”

“Travis.”

“What’s all this?” he indicated the sign. “You actually meaning to sell the Nugget?”

“I am.” She smiled. “Want to buy it?”

“Why sell? You told me yourself you’re making a fortune.”

“Ah, well that’s just it. I have all the money I need so there’s no reason for me to stay.” She looked at him half hopefully. “Is there, Travis?” When he gave no reply, she quickly added, “The truth is I’ve grown tired of these backward gold camp towns. I miss the elegance of New Orleans. I’m going home.”

“I wish you all the best, Val,” he said. “You’ll say good-bye before you leave?”

“Why you know I will.”

Both knew she would not.