New Frontier of Love (American Wilderness Series Romance Book 2) (36 page)

“Sam, wasn’t that the most wonderful wedding?” Catherine grinned as she stepped out of the saddle. In fact, her jaw was
beginning to hurt from either laughing or smiling all day. She glanced around. Sam had selected a lovely spot near a brisk creek for the evening’s campsite. Their first night together. Imagining what would happen later, her pulse leapt with anticipation.

“I admit our nuptials greatly exceeded my expectations. I actually found the entire affair quite enjoyable, especially every time I gawked at you in that stunning gown. Which, I admit was nearly every second. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You looked positively ravishing. I was completely entranced.” He tossed their bags down and reached for her hands.

“And there was never a more handsome groom than you. I was completely charmed.”

Sam laughed out loud. “Married only a few hours and you’re already lying to me?”

“It wasn’t a lie. You were charming.” She couldn’t believe this good-looking, virile man was her husband. “And you are
now
, my Sam.”

“For that flattery, I will be forced to kiss you. Keep it up and your punishment will grow even more severe.”

He grabbed her around the waist and kissed her until her head spun and her knees went weak. When she finally pulled away to catch a much needed breath, her lips throbbed, branded with the imprint of his passion.

“Your punishment is too lenient,” she said smiling, “I fear I deserve further chastisement.”

He pressed his lips to hers again, this time caressing her mouth more than merely kissing it. She felt her heart swell another notch. As a flower blooms in the warmth of the sun, she felt their love grow with each of his kisses.

While Sam took care of the horses and then gathered firewood, Catherine set up camp. The moon was a few days away from being full and it gave her plenty of light to work by. She had, with Jane’s help, changed out of her wedding gown and delicate slippers before they left. Now she wore her leather boots and a dark green riding habit more suitable for traveling horseback. Nevertheless, she thought her getup stylish and flattering, and she still wore her new delicate lacy undergarments underneath. She hoped Sam would like them—and enjoy taking them off her later.

As she worked, she stole secretive glances at her new husband. She could see that, as ever, he was alert to his surroundings. He carried his shoulders with latent energy, ever ready to be a warrior. Just his presence made her feel safe, protected, even here miles from anywhere. He moved with such strength and self-assurance. His well-muscled arms removed the heavy saddles and supplies from the horse’s backs as if they weighed nothing. As he wiped down the three steeds and gave them water and grain, she perceived a gentleness and a quiet calmness. He will make a kindhearted father to Little John. Yet she believed he would also set high expectations. She blinked back tears and swallowed hard, trying not to let her emotions gain the upper hand. How she wished she could give him a child. But she managed a half smile as thoughts of Little John, now just John, entered her head. He had called her Mother. She couldn’t wait to show the boy a mother’s love.

Sam sat an armload of firewood and kindling down, dusted his hands and arms off, and reached for her. She inhaled his scent deeply, letting it reach all the way to her heart. He smelled of wood, spice, and the leather of his new buckskins.

She reached up and grabbed his arms in her hands as he kissed her again. The feel of his strong muscles beneath her
fingertips sent tingles to her toes and back again. This would be an evening she would remember forever. Her prolonged anticipation of this night during the weeks before their wedding was almost unbearable. And tonight, her heart teemed with excitement.

When Sam finally pulled away, he said, “I better stop before I get carried away. I need to get this fire made. It will keep wild animals away and let me see every charming inch of you this evening.” He bent down to start his task.

Catherine could feel the hot blush on her cheeks, and was glad he probably couldn’t see it in the moonlight. Even though she’d been married before, and wasn’t some frightened virgin, the thought of Sam seeing her unclothed caused her entire body to flush with heat.

“Do you want some coffee and warm corncakes?” she managed to ask.

“Coffee would be nice. But you’re the only cake I want.”

“But Sam, you need to keep your strength up. You might need it later.”

“Later? Now, why would I need it later?” he teased.

Later, he did need his strength and she did too.

It had started slowly, a gentle kiss, a soft caress down her back. But within seconds, Sam’s desire flamed to a roaring firestorm of passion. They had both waited too long for this. Their need for each other had been delayed, put off, held back, pent-up, until, once released, there was no slowing it.

He quickly discarded his clothing while she slid her riding jacket off her shoulders and stepped out of her long skirt. When she glanced up, her lashes flew open and she felt her mouth drop. She stood there, amazed, trying to breathe.

Unclothed, he appeared even more powerful. She ached to touch him to see if the muscles defining his broad shoulders were as hard as they looked. Dark hair sprinkled across his massive chest and down the center of his rippled abdomen.

Her eyes, more daring than perhaps they should be, could not resist roaming over the rest of him. The irresistible and impressive sight made her heart tremble and her head spin.

Deliberately taking her time when she reached her stays, stockings, and lacy undergarments, his bold stare assessed her unhurriedly and seductively.

After his head-to-toe caressing gaze, he eased her down on the blankets she’d brought, the light from the fire illuminating their already hot skin.

Sam stared at her with a greedy possessiveness. His eyes grew darker, revealing the urgency of his need. He shifted his body above hers and she heard herself moan with pleasure at just the feel of his marvelous body against hers. His shoulder muscles were as hard as they looked.

She buried her hands in his hair and wrapped one leg around him, drawing him even closer while his hand lightly explored her waist and hip. The gentleness of his touch made her feel protected and valued, as though she had just entered a haven of love. She wanted to weep with joy.

He slid his hand beneath her and gripped her bottom. Her desire surged at the intimacy of his touch. Her head lolled back as his warm lips trailed a path of kisses down her throat, across the top of her shoulder, and descended her chest to her burning breasts. If she weren’t already laying down, she would have swooned with sheer amazement. Her eyes bulged and she gasped, at the wondrous sensations Sam made her feel for the first time in
her life.

He nuzzled her neck as she held him as tightly as she could. He was all muscle, head to toe, and his sheer masculinity made her heart beat even faster. Every place she touched made her ache for him, for the love she waited her entire life for.

Even more astounding, he was her husband. “Husband,” she breathed, her heart full.

“Wife,” he whispered the word reverently.

Then he recaptured her lips and her world changed forever.

It was heavenly ecstasy.

Only God could design love this powerful, this exquisite, this meaningful. In his arms, she felt valued and cherished by his soul. She had never known such happiness. Such love. Such tenderness. It was exactly what her life had been missing.

He was her champion, her knight in buckskins, and he saved her from a loveless life. Yet, as powerful as he was, he never tried to control or dominate her, but rather supported her strengths with his own.

And, at last, love shattered the hard wall that he had built so carefully around his heart. Now they could share their destinies in a future together. She could tell that he had stored up a lifetime of love for her. And she sensed the strength of that soul-reaching love in every kiss, every tender caress, and every urgent breath she had to take as explosive bolts surged through her.

As their passion raged, the bolts became lightning, flashing through every vein, and she surrendered completely to the thunderous joy.

She wanted to match his ardor with her own, to take him to a
place he had never been. A place where no pain existed. No doubts and no fears.

Only pleasure. And love.

She ran her fingers slowly across his chest. The golden glitter of sweat made his muscles and dark hair shine in the fire light. Her fingers prickled with the heat radiating from his skin. She savored the feel of him, as her hands and lips continued their hungry exploration of his magnificent body. Then her lips traced a sensuous path to pleasure. The intensity of his response to her seduction stunned her.

His heartbeat pounded against her ear as his hard body covered hers and they met flesh against flesh. Heart against heart.

And soon they experienced the unbridled glory of love’s fulfillment.

CHAPTER 35

A
few days before the wedding, Lucky McGintey had quietly suggested a place to Sam to take his new bride for a honeymoon. Lucky said it was one of the prettiest spots in Kentucky and that it was relatively safe. Sam quickly decided to take Catherine there so they could more privately get to know one another. And they both needed some time to recover fully from their wounds and the ordeal they had just experienced. It would also be a chance to see more of Kentucky.

The couple would meet up with the rest of their group at Fort Harrod in two weeks.

Lucky recommended a place called Cumberland Falls on the Cumberland River, south of Boonesborough in southern Kentucky. Lucky thought that the presence of the Fort at Harrodsburg made the area reasonably safe from Indian attacks. Organized attacks in the area had ended with the Battle of Blue Licks, fifteen years ago, in 1782.

It took them nearly three days to get there, but Sam decided it was well worth it. Cumberland Falls was one of the most scenic places he had ever seen. The 125-foot wide curtain of water,
framed by verdant woods on both sides, was a dramatic backdrop both day and night for their campsite near the river’s edge. The constant sound of the water, rushing over the nearly seventy-foot high sandstone bed, provided an appealing and soothing backdrop for lovemaking and for healing.

Every evening they basked, with upturned faces, in the soft beams of the moon—its silvery rays caressing their souls like a healing balm. And last night, the now full moon had played an extraordinary and dramatic role in their romantic surroundings. As the moon glowed against the clear sky, they witnessed a spectacular lunar rainbow.

According to Lucky, local settlers called it a Moonbow. After he realized Sam and Catherine would arrive at Cumberland Falls shortly before the full moon, Lucky had excitedly described the rare phenomenon to Sam. Sometimes elusive, the lunar rainbow failed to show itself to everyone who tried to view the amazing sight. Some believed it only showed itself to those who possessed a good heart. When it did choose to reveal itself, Lucky explained, the Moonbow formed when moonlight glowed through the mist emanating from the waterfall.

Sam had hoped they would be lucky enough to see the lunar rainbow and, without telling her why, positioned them that evening so that they sat in a perfect viewing spot on a soft fur rug he had brought.

“My wedding gift,” he had told her when the Moonbow appeared out of the blue, as if by magic. The magnificent arch of light started at the base of the falls and continued downstream.

Spellbound, Catherine looked as if she might faint at the stunning sight. He would never forget the wide-eyed look of awe on her moon-gilded face if he lived to be a hundred. And he
would never forget, no matter where they finally lived, the blessing the bow from above bestowed on their love that night.

As he made love to her under the glowing arch of the Moonbow, it seemed to carry them to some mystical other world. This hard world could never be this special—this remarkable and wonderful. Yet it was. He had held her in his arms and felt her tender affection pour into him, cover him as completely as the moonlight.

He still couldn’t believe, even after nearly a week together, what the sight of her bare body did to him. Feelings he thought long dead now sizzled within him, and they were there more often than not. In truth, he wanted to hold her constantly. His need for her touch seemed insatiable. He was glad they would have a lifetime of being able to love and hold each other. And no matter what the passage of time did—whether it greyed her beautiful black hair or thickened her slim waist—he would still love her as much as he did now.

This morning, the air felt fresh and crisp and the rising sun gilded the limestone cliffs and hills around them with gold light. The water rushing over the falls looked like silver sheets of glassy ice in places and sparkling snow in others.

As the water struck the river below, it sounded like the pounding hooves of a hundred running horses. And further down the river, the water loped and cantered over rocks and trotted through mats of cane and vegetation along the shoreline. The lush woods behind them teemed with birds soaring, fluttering, and hopping about in the cool breeze.