The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances (15 page)

She refused to leave the piano and Mr. Swanson refused to leave her. So here they were. It was old and in need of repair but if she could fix it, maybe Mr. Swanson would let her play it in the evenings. She could work for tips. She inquired to Mac of Mr. Swanson’s whereabouts and was informed he was out of town. He’d taken his wife to visit her sister for a while and had left Mac in charge. She knew that Mac would never agree to the idea. He was as stubborn as Brock when it came to her safety. Not that there was anything dangerous about playing a piano; it was the saloon part that would worry him. Frowning, she thanked him for the meal and begged a carrot to feed Justice.

She mounted and headed out of town, giving Justice his lead and letting him open up. She laughed in delight as the terrain flew past her; she felt so free. Not wanting to wind him she slowed him to a walk until they came upon the stream where she and Brock had washed out his curtains, oh, so long ago and she moped.  She came out here to clear her mind of Brock but he was all she could think about. Her hand hurt from clutching the reins and she dipped it in the cool water ‘til it was numb. Justice was grazing nearby and she again thought of the horse. He must have been expensive. She had given Brock her reward money to cover her debt to him. She was sure a horse like that would cost much more. Maybe she could pay him back another way. Smirking, she headed back home.

Seeing Brock waiting outside the house with Troy she headed to the barn. She was very tired from her morning excursion. Still not back up to speed, her body was rebelling. She tied Justice to a post and struggled to remove his saddle. Strong arms reached past her and lifted it easily. She turned to see Brock putting it away. He turned to her angrily.

“Are you crazy? You need to rest! Do you want to get sick again? I stopped by the saloon for lunch and had Mac telling me how you were out running around the countryside.”

“Mac talks too much. I just wanted to take Justice out for a run. I don’t like being cooped up and told what to do,” she said, stubbornly crossing her arms in front of her. She knew she was being unreasonable but she couldn’t help it. She was tired, hungry and did not feel well.

Brock was exasperated. How could anyone be so stubborn? Didn’t she know what was best for her? He looked at her closely, noticing the dark circles under her eyes. He felt guilty. He knew she had gotten very little sleep last night. He also knew that if he had lain down with her, neither of them would have gotten any sleep. He was also concerned that she was not thinking clearly. He did not want to put her in a predicament that she would regret later. She was an heiress for Pete’s sake! She was rich and beautiful and could have any man she wanted. He doubted she really wanted him. Why would she want a poor half breed when she could have a rich doctor like Thomas?

He stepped up, grabbing her hand. It was red and irritated but not bleeding. He was surprised when she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him. He held her to him. He leaned down and kissed her cheek. She turned her head, seeking a kiss on her lips as well. He kissed her softly and she reluctantly pulled away.

Without saying a word she grabbed her package from the store and hurried to the outhouse. Puzzled Brock finished rubbing down Justice in her stead.

Sabrina returned from her feminine business and entered the house. She eyed Brock’s bed wearily but her determination set in and she started slowly up the ladder. She had made it two rungs before a steel arm swept around her waist and lifted her down. Setting her on her feet, he frowned down at her.

“You’re right, ok?  I am tired. I’m going to lie down.”

“I told you, you can have my bed.”

Boldly she stated, “Perhaps I don’t want your bed unless you are in it.”

A small smile tugged at his lips. “You want me?”

Sabrina stopped. She wasn’t sure what to say next. For the girl who was used to blurting out how she felt and damn the consequences, she hesitated, treading carefully. To love Brock, to share her life with another she would have to give up some of herself. Putting someone else first or at least considering their feelings was all new to her. All she knew at that moment was that she felt awfully good when she was in his arms. So maybe she would be giving up a little; she would be getting so much more in return.

“
Yes,” she said.

Brock grabbed her and kissed her deeply.  Wrapping her arms around his neck she returned the kiss just as passionately. She again felt his hand sliding down to her hip and pressing her against him. This time she realized what the hardness was pressing against her pelvis. Groaning in regret she pulled away.

“I can’t.”

“I’m sorry, I thought….”  He trailed off as he stepped back from her.

She sighed at his misunderstanding. “No, I want to, but I can’t. It’s my curse.” She whispered the last part, her face turning red in embarrassment. Brock’s face went from confusion to quiet understanding.

“Oh.” He wanted to tell her that he did not mind but she obviously did, so he took slow deep breaths trying to get himself under control.

“I had to go into town to get some wrappings. I didn’t want to have to ask you to get them for me," she explained, making him feel even worse for being angry with her.

“Um.”

She allowed a slight grin. He was speechless.  She lay her hand against his smooth face. “Will you lie down with me?”

He nodded and settled on the bed with her in his arms. Feeling safe, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Chapte
r
15

T
he week passed very slowly for Sabrina; she had promised Brock to stay home. Of course the homestead was a fairly big place. She wished she could tackle the garden but knew her hand was not up to pulling thousands of troublesome weeds. She was able to pick through the mess and rescue some tomatoes, potatoes and squash.

She wanted to cook a meal all by herself and surprise Brock when he came home. She had set out some snares earlier and hoped to catch a rabbit or squirrel.

Her hand was almost completely healed. She had been practicing the exercises that Thomas had given her to help with the stiffness. Her menses had also stopped. This made her excited and nervous at the same time. Brock had been especially doting to her during the last week. She enjoyed it and hated it all at the same time. They had continued to share a bed. They had also shared several kisses as well, each one etched into her mind forever. Nevertheless, she wanted more. Yes, she had big plans for tonight. Grinning, she took her basket and headed down to the creek to wash up.

Yikes, was the water cold! Gritting her teeth, she soaped every inch of herself twice. She wished she had bought the scented soap at the mercantile when she went last week but that would have raised suspicions with the clerk. As it was she was forced to tell him the bandages were for her hand. Oh well. She stepped out, and dried off as her teeth chattered so hard she thought she was going to chip them.

Dressing quickly, she went to check her trap and found she had caught a rabbit. Her initial excitement soon sunk into reality as she realized she had to clean  the thing. She had seen people clean animals before, of course. She had just never done it herself, nor had she ever killed animals before---unless you counted fish. But fish weren’t cute and fuzzy. She sighed and steeled herself for the unwanted task.

When Brock arrived, he thought he had stepped into the wrong home. A wonderful aromatic stew was bubbling on the stove and Sabrina was standing in front of it wearing his shirt---and nothing else, he hoped.

She turned to look at him. “Did you have a good day?” She remembered her mother always asking her Father that when he came home after work. Thinking of her parents would usually make her sad but not this night. In fact, she was sure that they would have liked Brock.

She went up and greeted him with a warm kiss that lingered. He checked her hand even though it had been healed fully for days. He then kissed her palm. That was different; it sent tingles throughout her body.

“You cooked?”

“Of course I cooked. I caught a rabbit,” she said proudly.

Brock looked around for the carcass to judge her skill at cleaning and skinning a rabbit. “And where is it?”

Sabrina looked dumbfounded. “I buried it outside.”

Shaking his head, he hugged her again. She pulled away, getting him a plate of food. He took a hesitant bite and then another. It was surprisingly tasty. “Very good,” he said as she stood by hopefully.

“Really?”

“Really.” Contentedly, she filled her own plate and took a couple of bites. She had done a lot of tasting earlier to make sure the seasoning was right so she was not very hungry. Her stomach was twisting. She was afraid he would reject her. She forced another bite and set about cleaning up. Brock raised an eyebrow, watching her move about anxiously. He quickly ate another bowl before she grabbed the plate out of his hands and went to wash it, but he stopped her.

“Why don’t you go lie down? I’ll finish up and join you in a bit.”

Sabrina wrung her hands nervously and, unable to gather her own thoughts, she followed his suggestion. She lay flat on her back stiffly, staring at the ceiling. She had worked out an entire seductive scenario in her head earlier today but her mind had abandoned her. She could think of nothing to say or do so she just lay there waiting. She barely registered the light being blown out or the blanket lifting.  She did recall Brock’s warm arms encircling her and hugging her close like he did every night.  He gave her strength and she cuddled into his chest trying to get up the nerve to say or do something.

“Um…” she began softly, her voice cracking slightly.

“Yes, my love?” he said and she paused. He had never called her that before. At least not out loud.

“Well, I just wanted….” She was blushing deeply and she was glad for the darkness. She wanted to let him know that she was ready to give herself to him. Her voice obviously was not working, so she took his hand and placed it on her bare bottom. She heard him exhale sharply and she held her breath.

Even though they were very much alone, he leaned down to whisper to her. “Are you sure?”

Still not able to answer verbally, she twisted her head, finding his mouth in the dark and kissing him softly on his lips. When he still did not move, she pulled away, unsure.

“I need to hear you say it,” he said, there was tightness in his voice she had never heard before.

“Yes, I’m sure.” She tensed up a little, expecting him to perhaps throw her on her back and ravish her fiercely. She was pleasantly surprised when he continued to hold her close and kissed her mouth gently. He kissed her lips, moving over her cheeks and kissing each eyelid. He moved his hands up, gently running his fingers through her hair and massaging the nape of her neck. He knew she was scared and wanted to help her relax.

As he kissed down her neck, she pushed away a bit as he found a tickle spot. He kept his arm around her back as his other hand worked on the buttons of her shirt. He deftly released them one by one. He moved his mouth back up to her lips as his hand gently roamed over her breasts. She moaned into his mouth at the sensations he was awakening in her. She placed her hands on his chest dismayed to find he was still wearing his long johns. She growled in frustration, wanting to feel his flesh against hers as she none too gently pulled at his buttons. Chuckling, he pulled away a bit and swiftly removed the offending garment. Sabrina almost moaned as she ran her hand over his bare chest. She could feel the taut muscles underneath and traced every striation with her hand.

Not sure what to do next she followed Brock’s lead and began kissing his neck and chest before moving lower. She felt his member pressing against her chest as she moved lower and paused. She slowly moved her hand down to touch it. Surprised
at the softness of the skin surrounding his hardness she traced it with her finger. She heard Brock hiss as he bent down to draw her back up in the bed next to him. He rolled her onto her back and lay gently on top of her. He kept his weight off her by leaning on his elbows.

Sabrina lay still. She felt him against her thigh and closed her eyes tightly even though it was dark. She felt him move her legs further apart with his knees and she held her breath as she waited.

“You need to breathe, Sabrina,” he whispered in her ear.

Again no words would form in her befuddled mind. She did take a deep breath , though. Brock kissed her again, deeply this time, and she was so caught up in the moment she barely noticed him shifting above her.  However, she did notice when he thrust quickly and she felt a burning pain deep inside her. Cursing like a pirate, she pushed against his chest for him to stop but he already had.

He whispered to her as he held her, waiting for her to settle down. After a while, she moved her hands from his chest to his shoulders.  She trailed them up his neck to his hair and pulled him down in a demanding kiss. Feeling more in control, she flexed her hips tentatively, giving him permission to proceed. Brock moved very slowly as if waiting for her to stop him again. She was very tight and moist. He trembled as he fought to keep himself in check.

He was using long slow thrusts as he felt her walls stretching to accommodate him. Moving his hand between them he found her nub and rubbed it as she gasped into his mouth. She wrapped her legs around his as he continued gyrating her core. At her insistence, he quickened his pace as her world spun. Overcome by sensation, she clawed at his back as she gasped out his name. He felt her trembling around him as he thrust inside of her deeply, spilling his seed. He felt a shudder and wasn’t sure if it came from him or her. Holding her to him he rolled onto his back, letting her rest on top.

Sabrina shivered as she lay on top of him, still impaled. She was exhausted and gasping for air. She felt Brock settle the covers over them and she looked up, trying to see through the darkness.

“Are you okay?”  he asked with concern in his voice.

Not having the strength or ability to speak, she just nodded as he gathered her up in his arms and they slept.