The Barefoot Bride Page 23

  “Maybe I am,” Patch agreed.

  “That's the first sign I've seen that you're starting to grow up,” Ethan said. “Now give me another hug and say good-bye.”

  Patch put her arms around Ethan's waist and held on until he removed them.

  “Good-bye, Patch.”

  “Good-bye, Ethan. Don't forget I love you.”

  He smiled. “I won't.”

  He turned his back on her and walked away.

  Seth's path back to the house from the barn crossed Whit's door. He knocked, and when Whit called out to him, he stepped inside.

  “I thought I'd check to see that you were tucked in for the night.”

  “Mother was already here,” Whit said.

  “All right. Sleep well, then.”

  When Seth turned to leave, Whit said, “I wouldn't mind if you tucked me in too.”

  Seth sat down beside Whit and performed what had become a ritual for them over the past weeks. Then he did something he hadn't done before. He leaned over and kissed Whit on the forehead.

  Whit stared at him with probing eyes. “What did you do that for?”

  “Because I wanted to show that I love you,” Seth said.

  “I'm not your son. Why do you care?” Whit challenged.

  Seth smiled. “I don't think I can give you a reason. Love just is. I want to help you grow up to be a good man. And I want you to be happy.” Seth shrugged. “I can't explain it any better than that.”

  Whit cleared his throat. “I might love you too.”

  Seth smiled again. “I wouldn't mind if you did.” He leaned over and blew out the lantern beside the bed. “Go to sleep, son.”

  Whit turned over and did as he was told.

  Seth wasn't consciously avoiding the coming confrontation with Molly. But when he headed through the connecting doorway, it seemed a good idea to stop and say good night to Patch and Nessie, too.

  The instant he walked through the door, Nessie stood up on the four-poster bed and leaped for him. He barely caught her before she hit the floor.

  “Whoa there, girl! What're you doing jumping out of bed like that?”

  Nessie wrapped her arms around Seth's neck and laid her head on his chest. “I knew you'd catch me.”

  Seth's heart was still pounding from the near miss. “Just give me a little more warning next time,” he said with a chuckle.

  Nessie was easy to love, Seth thought, because she gave love so freely. He should have mentioned that to Whit, but he hadn't thought of it at the time. “It's bedtime, little one. Lie down now and get some sleep.”

  He laid her down and pulled the quilt up to her chin, then leaned over and kissed her teasingly on the nose.

  Seth looked over at Patch, who was leaning on her elbow watching him. Before Annarose died, when Patch was still a baby, he had spent time with her like this every night. He had forgotten about that until now.

  As Seth crossed to Patch, she lay down flat and pulled her own covers up, leaving nothing for him to do.

  He sat down beside her anyway. He felt awkward with his daughter, not sure how he should treat her. She seemed too grown up for the kind of teasing he had done with Nes-sie. In fact, the expression on her face dared him to try something like that with her. Which was how he knew that was exactly what he should do.

  He leaned over and kissed her on the nose, but as he sat up, he licked his lips. “Mmmm. Those freckles tasted distinctly of brown sugar.”

  “Oh, Pa!” Patch said. “Don't be ridiculous.”

  “Maybe I was wrong. Let me see.” He kissed her nose again. “Definitely brown sugar,” he said. “And you know how I love sweets.” He began kissing Patch all over her face, everywhere he could find a freckle.

  Soon she was laughing, fighting him off— not too hard—and loving every breathless minute of it.

  “What is all the noise in here?”

  Seth stopped what he was doing and grinned at Molly, who was standing in the doorway. “I was just kissing all the brown sugar off Patch's face.”

  Molly smiled. “Pretty sweet, is she?”

  Seth looked at Patch and said, “The sweetest.”

  Patch turned a bright shade of scarlet and pulled the covers up over her head. “Paaaa.”

  “Come on out, Patch,” Seth whispered to the covers that hid her face.

  Only her twinkling blue eyes appeared. “Huh-uh.”

  He held up his hand and said, “I promise to swear off brown sugar for the rest of the evening.”

  The blanket came down, revealing a shy smile on Patch's face.

  Seth carefully tucked the blanket around her as though she weren't already a young woman with budding breasts. “Sleep well, Patch. I'll see you in the morning. I love you.”

  He blew out the lantern and joined Molly at the door.

  “Good night, Da,” Nessie said.

  “Good night, Pa,” Patch whispered. And then, very quietly, “I love you too.”

  Seth slipped an arm around Molly's waist and headed for the front door. “Let's go sit on the porch,” he said. “I have some things I want to say to you.”

  But when they were settled on the front porch, Molly on the top step and Seth on the bottom, it was Molly who asked the first question.

  “Where have you been on the nights when you were supposed to be with Mrs. Gulliver?”

  “With Dora Deveraux.”

  Molly groaned. “Why, Seth?”

  “She was giving me information about where Bassett set up his whiskey-selling operation so the Masked Marauder could raid and destroy it. Also, Bassett had someone in Virginia City tipping him off when miners carrying gold were taking the stage to Fort Benton. He'd leak that information to Black-foot renegades, who robbed the stage. Dora gave me the same information—”

  “—so the Masked Marauder could ride to the rescue,” Molly said in amazement.

  “There was never anything between me and Dora after I married you.”

  ‘Tike said he saw you in her bed.”

  “There were extenuating circumstances.”

  “This I have to hear,” Molly muttered.

  “Remember the rumor going around at the christening party that Pike had shot the Masked Marauder?”

  Molly nodded.

  “Well, he did. I just had a flesh wound, but it was pretty bloody. I couldn't come home to you like that. When Pike showed up at Dora's room, the only excuse I had for being there was that I was making use of her services.”

  Molly frowned. “So that's why you grabbed my hand that night when I touched your ribs!”

  Seth grinned crookedly. “It hurt.”

  “Wouldn't it have been simpler if you'd just explained everything to me in the first place?”

  Seth brushed at some dust on the toe of his boot. “I didn't know you very well when I married you, Molly. I had no idea how you'd react if I told you the truth.”

  “But later—”

  “I couldn't stop until I'd finished the job. I thought you wouldn't worry if you didn't know the truth. But it looks like you worried anyway. I'm sorry for that.”

  “Does what happened to Annarose have anything to do with the Masked Marauder?”

  “No.”

  “Then why wouldn't you tell me how she died?”

  Seth took a shuddering breath and covered his face with his hands. “I didn't want to talk about it.”

  Molly scooted down to the bottom step to sit beside Seth. She laid a comforting hand on his knee. “I'm sorry. You must have painful memories. It's none of my business how she died.”

  Seth dropped his hands and said, “I shot her. I killed Annarose.”

  Seth waited for Molly to cringe away from him. But her hand stayed on his knee, and her eyes never wavered from his agonized face.

  He found himself explaining, seeking her understanding and absolution from the horrible nightmare that had plagued him for the past nine years.

  “Nine years ago I was a Texas Ranger, Molly.”

  “A
Ranger!” she exclaimed. “With all that talk of killing, I thought you'd been an out-lawl”

  “I chased enough of them,” Seth said grimly. “Once I was ambushed, shot in the back by some rustlers and left for dead. An-narose nursed me back to health and never said a word about my quitting the Rangers.

  “Not that I would have. I loved the danger. I loved the challenge of tracking down desperados, of pitting my wits against theirs.

  “Nine years ago, when Patch was three, I went after some Mexican bandidos who had robbed a stage and killed the driver. There were three of them. They fled toward the nearest town, a place not far from my ranch. It was dark by the time I rode into town. I knew I should have waited till morning. They had the advantage in the dark.

  “But one of them started talking to me, taunting me, saying I was chicken-livered, afraid to fight. When I stepped out of the shadows, they were waiting for me.

  “If I hadn't tripped, the first shot would have killed me. I fired at the powder flash and killed one of them. Then I heard someone move behind me.

  “You don't forget being backshot, Molly. I wasn't about to let it happen again. I turned and fired into the darkness—toward the noise I'd heard. There was another flash of gunfire in front of me, and I turned and shot at that.

  “The next thing I heard was a horse galloping away. I would have gone after him, but I was still shaking. I went to check on the two bodies I'd seen fall. One of the bandidos was dead. The other body—the one behind me— was Annarose.

  “I had shot her twice in the chest, but she was still breathing. She was in town to find a doctor because Patch was sick. She'd come running toward me to warn me about the ambush.”

  There were tears on Seth's cheeks, and he turned away from Molly to wipe them away with his sleeve.

  “It wasn't your fault,” Molly said. “It was an accident.”

  “Yeah. I've been telling myself that for nine years. I wanted to die with Annarose. For a couple of months after that, I did my best to get killed. I'm a notorious man in Texas, Molly. An outlaw killer. The meanest, most deadly Ranger around.

  “I would probably be long dead now if it hadn't been for Ethan. He convinced me I had something—someone—to live for.”

  “Patch,” Molly whispered.

  Seth nodded. “I quit wearing a gun and learned how to heal folks instead.”

  “So why did you create the Masked Marauder?”

  Seth shrugged. “Drake Bassett and his henchman had to be stopped. I didn't want to be known as a gunman, Molly. I didn't want to be dragged back into the life I'd left behind.”

  “Did you have to let people think you were afraid to fight?”

  He shrugged again. “I couldn't kill anyone else if I walked away.”

  Molly put a hand on Seth's cheek, which was rough with a day's growth of whiskers. “As I said once before, you're an unusual man, Doctor Kendrick. And for the record, I love you very much.”

  Seth dragged Molly into his arms and hugged her tight. “And I love you.”

  “Seth, I can't breathe,” she laughed. “The baby—”

  He turned her in his lap so he could put his hand on her womb. “Were your other two births easy, Molly? Will having this baby be hard on you?”

  “I'll be fine, Seth. I get a little sick in the beginning—”

  “I'll say!”

  “—but in a few months I'll feel wonderful, I'm sure.”

  “If anything happened to you—I love you so much, Molly.” He kissed her until they were both breathless.

  Molly laid her head against Seth's chest and gasped for air. “Is that quilt still in the loft, Seth?” she asked.

  “It was the last time I looked,” he said with a crooked grin.

  “Let's go.” She entwined her fingers with his and led him toward the barn.

  He lit a lantern, and she raced ahead of him up the ladder to the loft. She was shaking the blanket out when he lifted her into his arms and kissed her hard.

  She laughed and thrust her hands into his hair to hold him close. “You crazy, crazy man! Put me down.”

  “I want to hold you in my arms forever.”

  “You're going to get awfully tired over the next nine months,” she said, “as I get bigger.”

  Seth grinned. “I'll look forward to it.”

  He set her on her feet and took the blanket from her. “I'll do that.”

  But as he shook the blanket to spread it on the straw, he heard a growl and saw two golden eyes reflected in the lamplight.

  “Is that you, Rebel?” Seth said. He started to shoo the mountain lion away. “You may have gotten here first, but I've got the better claim.”

  When Rebel growled another warning, Molly put her hand on Seth's arm. “Seth, look.” She lifted the lantern and held it so it shed more light on the corner of the loft. There in the corner was a litter of tiny cubs.

  “Oh, Seth,” Molly said. “Aren't they adorable. Wait until Patch sees them!”

  Seth swore under his breath. “I had plans for that stack of hay,” he muttered.

  “Let's leave her alone. We can go down to the pond. It's lovely there,” she said. “Come on. Grab the quilt, and let's go.”

  Seth hadn't forgotten their night together down by the pond, under the stars. If they couldn't make love in the loft, the soft grass by the pond was a good substitute.

  They ran nearly the whole way, and Molly couldn't breathe because she was laughing so hard. She sought out the spot where they'd made love once before. Seth had both hands on the blanket, shaking it out, when Molly teasingly reached up between his legs from behind.

  Seth let the blanket hang from his hands, just stood there and waited to see what she would do.

  Molly cupped him in her hand and felt him growing, felt the softness pulse and harden. She put her other hand around him so she held him from before and behind.

  Seth gritted his teeth to keep from groaning, but he lost the battle, and a long, low moan issued from his lips.

  And was answered by a moan from the shadows under the trees.

  “What was that?” Seth said.

  “What? I didn't hear anything.”

  He pulled Molly's hands off him and put her behind him. “Who's out there?” he demanded.

  Something moved out from the shadows.

  “Maverick!”

  The dog-wolf sat down in front of Seth, cocked his head and looked up at him.

  “Scat!” Seth said, waving the beast away.

  Maverick ran a little bit away and came back with a stick. And sat down in front of Seth.

  Molly giggled.

  “This isn't funny,” Seth said.

  “I know,” Molly said, and giggled again.

  Seth took the stick and threw it as far out into the pond as he could. “That ought to take care of him for a while. Now, where were we?”

  He took Molly's hands and put them on the front of his jeans and rubbed them up and down. Then he left her to her own devices while he returned the favor.

  While their hands teased, taunted, aroused, Seth leaned down and joined his mouth to Molly's. They played with each other, lips and hands, until their knees were weak. They sank to the quilt, and Seth pushed her skirt up out of the way and let his hands glide up her legs.

  “Molly, Molly, let me love you/’

  “Seth, I—”

  Maverick barked to announce his arrival. It was all the warning Seth and Molly got before the wet dog shook himself, spraying them with a whole pond's worth of water. Then he sat down beside Seth and let the stick drop on the quilt.

  Molly looked at Seth.

  Seth looked at Molly. He grabbed her and roared with laughter. They rolled around the quilt, laughing until their ribs hurt.

  “I can't believe he did that,” Molly said through gusts of laughter. “I'm soaked.”

  “So am I,” Seth said, stripping himself out of his shirt and using it to wipe their faces dry. “I give up. Let's go inside and go to bed.”


  Maverick followed them all the way to the kitchen door, but Seth shut him firmly outside. They tiptoed past Patch's door to their own bedroom.

  “Shall we light a lantern?” Molly said.

  “I don't need any light,” Seth said. “I'm perfectly willing to feel my way around.” He promptly demonstrated by cupping Molly's breasts in his hands and letting his thumbs brush the tips, which immediately hardened into pebbled tips.

  Molly gasped in pleasure. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she said. She leaned over and kissed her way across Seth's chest until she found a male nipple. She closed her teeth around it and nipped him, then used her tongue to soothe the hurt.

  Seth mimicked her action, taking her breast in his mouth, teasing the nipple with his tongue, biting just enough for her to feel his teeth, then sucking until Molly moaned her pleasure and thrust her hands into his hair to hold him there.

  Slowly, taking their time, they stripped each other bare. In the dark, every sensation was magnified. They were lovers, celebrating their love for each other. Gentle touches, adoring caresses, teasing hands and laughter. Lots of laughter as they searched in the dark for the edge of the quilt and sheets and pulled them down.

  Then Seth lifted Molly into his arms, held her close, and kissed her gently. “Come to bed, wife, and let me love you.”

  He laid her down, and Molly slipped her feet under the covers—and leaped back up into Seth's arms with a screech.

  “There's something down there!”

  “Where?”

  “Under the covers. Something alive!”

  Seth tried to put Molly down so he could light the lantern, but she was having no part of that. “Molly, if you'll just let me put you down—”

  “I'm not setting one foot on the ground until you get that thing out of here!”

  Seth finally managed to get the lantern lit. Sure enough, there was a lump under the covers, about in the spot where Molly's feet had been, Seth reached over and yanked the covers away in one fell swoop.

  Bandit was curled up in a ball. As soon as the covers were pulled away, he began to chatter angrily.

  “You think you're upset,” Seth muttered under his breath. “Patch!” he yelled. “Patch, get in here!”

  Enough was enough. A frustrated man could take only so much. Then, of course, he realized that both he and Molly were stark naked. He dragged his jeans on, while Molly grabbed a robe and drew it around her.