The Touch of Sage (23 page)

“
Go on in and give her a hand, will you, Reb?
”
she said, patting Reb
’
s knee affectionately.
“
She
’
ll be in a tizzy all night long if those cobblers burn.
”

“
Well, we don
’
t want Sage in a tizzy, now do we?
”
he chuckled, rising from his seat on the sofa and striding toward the kitchen.

“
Need some help?
”
Reb asked as he entered the room.
Sage had just opened the oven door to see the cobblers were, indeed, finished baking.
They weren
’t over
baked, but another moment in the heat of the oven would find the top crusts too brown.

“
Quick!
”
Sage said, snapping her fingers at him as she realized she had taken her apron off when the first supper guests had arrived earlier.
“
Hand me somethin
’
to take them out with.
Should be a towel hangin
’
somewhere or an apron.
”
Almost immediately Reb handed her a wad of white cloth
,
and Sage quickly took the first cobbler from the oven, setting it on the stovetop.
Then she removed the others.
“
Thank you,
”
she told him as she went to the table and set the cobbler on a wooden cooling rack.
Returning to retrieve the other cobbler from the stovetop
,
she added,
“
One more minute and they
’
d have been ruined.
Completely ruined!
”

Sighing as she studied the perfectly golden crusts of the cobblers
,
she wiped her hands on the cloth Reb had handed her.
“
Now for a little butter and sugar and…
”
But her words caught in her throat as she turned to see Reb standing before her completely bare from the waist up. Gasping, she held up the cloth she had used to retrieve the cobblers from the oven blocking her view of him.
Oh, she had seen Reb Mitchell wit
hout his shirt plenty of times—
even been kissed by him in the barn when he was in a similar state of undress.
But
in the kitchen of her own home—
with the Reverend
Tippetts in the very next room—
it was indecent!

“
Let
’
s just skip the butter,
”
Reb said.
Then dropping his voice, he leaned forward, pulled the top of the cloth down
,
and smiling at her said,
“
…and head straight for the sugar.
”

Sage could not stop the crimson blush rising to her cheeks as she stammered,
“Where
on earth is your shirt, Reb Mitchell?
”

Reb chuckled, pulling the cloth from her hands.
“
Ya said to hand ya somethin
’
to get the cobblers out with.
”

Sage blushed, realizing the cloth she’d been holding was, in fact, his shirt. “
I meant a towel, an apron
,
or the like,
”
Sage explained
,
putting a trembling hand to her throat and trying not to stare at his muscular chest and arms.
Somehow his st
anding in her kitchen in such a
state unsettled her far more than it did when he was out at the ranch
house working.

“
Well, I don
’
t know where ya keep yer towels and aprons
,
and you were in such an all
-
fired
-
up hurry…I just grabbed the first thing that come to mind,
”
he explained.

“Well
, for pity
’
s sake, put your shirt back on before someone comes in here and sees ya like this,
”
Sage ordered, unable to meet his gaze.

However, when Reb chuckled, she g
lanced up at him to find an all too
amused grin on his handsome face as he said,
“
Did ya get it all sticky with peach cobbler juice?
”

“
For cryin
’
in the bucket, Reb!
”
Sage exclaimed in a whisper as she hurried to the window that faced the street and pulled the curtains closed.
“
You can
’
t run around the
boarding house
half…
”
Again Sage
’
s scolding words were silenced as she turned to see Reb had advanced on her.
He now stood directly in front of her, so close she could feel the warmth of his breath in her hair as he looked down at her.
Trying t
o calm her quickened breathing—
trying to still the mad rhyt
hm her heart had begun to beat—
she took two steps sideways
,
intending to step around him.
But it was apparent he was enjoying her discomfort far too much
,
a
nd he simply matched her steps—
even going so far as to take another step toward her.
A mere inch of emptiness spanned the space between his body and her own
,
and Sage
’
s began to tremble.
Visions of the kiss he had given her in his barn began to fill her mind
,
and her entire being began to burn warm at the memory.

“
What…what
’
re you doin
’
, Reb?
”
she asked him, though still unable to look up and meet his gaze.

“
Oh…I
’
m like that ol
’ mountain lion.
I
’
m just stalkin
’
my prey, that
’
s all,
”
he mumbled.

Sage
’
s body was trembling so violently she was certain Reb could see it.
Rebel Mitchell was far too improper.
To say such things to her!
And in her very own kitchen!
Whatever was he thinking, anyway?
Hadn
’
t they just that very day made their peace about the kiss in the barn?
Had he already forgotten his regret at having kissed her then?
             

“
You are a terrible tease, Reb Mitchell,
”
she said, finding the courage to look up into his face.
“
Now…now put your shirt on before someone walks in here and thinks
—”

“
I
’
ll put my shirt on when I
’
m darn good and ready, Miss Willows,
”
he said in
a whisper. As he reached back, stuffing
the shirt in the waist of his trousers, Sage made a quick attempt to step around him.
But Reb was quicker and took hold of her arm, pinning her gently against the wall.
Sage
’
s breath quickened,
and
she felt dizzy and weak as he whispered,
“
Now…what were ya sayin
’
about sugar?
”
Reb
’
s hands slid caressively up and over her shoulders to her neck until he held her face between their strength.
Sage was surprised at the excess m
oisture gathering in her mouth—
as if anticipating the taste of a sweet summer peach.
Her cheeks bur
ned pleasantly under his palms—
his touch sending her flesh into ripples of tingling goose
bumps. Reb
’s gaze
locked with her own, and Sage held her breath as his head began to descend toward hers
—
slowly.
Panic was rising in her.
Oh, how she had dreamed of another moment like this!
As before, the moment was far more intense than her dreams
,
and she feared she might not be able to remain conscious were Reb to actually kiss her again.

Sage reached to her side, pulling a peach from its place in the basket on the cupboard shelf.
A moment before Reb
’
s lips would have met her own, she pressed the peach to his lips and choked,
“
Peach?
”

Reb smiled, obviously amused by her nervous attempt to stall him.
“
All right,
”
he chuckled
,
taking a bite out of the juicy piece of fruit.
But this gave her only a moment of reprieve.
Once h
e had swallowed the bite of pe
ach, he pushed the peach aside—
his lips finding hers in a tender, lingering kiss.
Sage
’
s h
and slowly dropped to her side—
the peach falling to the floor.

It seemed to Sage Reb was being more careful with her this
time—
easing her into a deeper kiss rather than simply beginning with the driven sort of kiss he had administered to her in the barn.
She realiz
ed he was teaching her as well—
leading her into returning his kiss in a way she wasn
’
t able to in the barn.
The kiss in the barn had been driven and far too unexpected for Sag
e to have returned it properly—
even if she had owned more experience, which she did not.
This manner of kissing, however, was different.
Although it quickly mounted to the same temperatur
e—the same driven fierceness—
it had begun differently.

All manner of bright colors seemed to explode in Sage
’
s mind
,
and sh
e found it difficult to breathe—
for the delightful flutter in her bosom increased as Reb
’
s kiss grew in intensity.
His hands found her waist, pulling her body flush with his own
,
and Sage had no choice but to let her hands rest at his shoulders.
The smooth warmth of his skin beneath her palms both relaxed and impassioned her
,
and Sage let herself return the man
’
s masterful kiss.
Encouraged by her response, Reb
’
s mouth began to work an affectionate spell about her, coaxin
g her into a deeper involvement—
moist, heated kisses, laced with the flavor of summer peaches.
Sage re
veled in the scent of his face—
the feel of his whiskery mustache and goatee on the se
nsitive flesh around her mouth—
in every detail of kissing him.
Reb
’
s kiss was flawless
,
and Sage was astonished at how perfectl
y their mouths melted together—
as if this hadn
’
t been merely their second kiss but one of many familiar kisses shared before.

Suddenly, Sage felt a sharp pain in the vicinity of her heart.
She knew
Reb was only playing with her—
teasing and toying with her to unsettle her.
As much as
she longed to stay in his arms—
drink mor
e deeply of his perfect kisses—
Sage knew the only way to endure the life
that
stretched out before her was to face it.
Dreams of Reb Mitchell were nothing but
make-believe
,
and she must keep her feet firmly on the ground.
After all, she had a boarding house to run—
and supper to serve to guests.

Reb drew away from her, breaking the seal of their kiss as Sage stiffened in his arms and pushed at his shoulders.

“
I
’
m…I
’
m late gettin
’
supper on,
”
she
said
as she smoothed her skirts and pushed past him. Reb caught her hand
,
and she looked at him, trying to withhold the tears begging to escape her eyes.