Twice a Texas Bride (25 page)

Rand put a finger under her chin and raised her face. “I understand everything clearly now. Why you carried this deep sadness that no sunlight could reach. Why you reacted so strongly when Emily Winters came and begged us to take Wren. But you can't blame yourself. You did the best you could to find her, of that I'm certain. The overwhelming love for your daughter lay beneath every action.”

She searched his eyes, afraid of the hurt she'd see there. “I didn't want to tell you this, but I ached to be a real wife. There's more, and it's what I've been so terrified to tell. This may change everything, but you need to know exactly what you've gotten. If you send me away, I understand. You're such an honorable man, and I—”

“I will never send you away.” He lifted her hand and kissed the soft underside of her wrist. “Just trust me. Let's get rid of the secrets between us so we can move on.”

“I'm broken, Rand. There is something wrong with me.” The tortured words hung thick in the air. Her heart stilled as though waiting for a blow. She looked away, fearful of what his face would reveal. “I'm only half a wife. I almost died during my daughter's difficult delivery. I was bedridden for months afterward. I still remember the pain of the birth. Of losing her.” A sob broke free. “I'm terrified of making love and maybe experiencing all that again, and that is why I made you promise that I'd never have to share your bed.”

He caressed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. The immense gentleness must be how the brush of angel wings felt. Raising her face, he stared into her eyes. His fingers slid to her mouth and traced the curve of her lips.

“I'm sorry you've never known the joy of becoming one with someone. I'm sorry that you've only had pain. Given what you've endured, it's no wonder that you're frightened. Making love can bring great pleasure, though. If you're willing, I promise to be very gentle and vow to never force you to do anything. And should you get with child, I vow to guard you and care for you and never let anyone take our children from us.”

She smoothed back a lock of hair that had fallen onto his forehead. Gazing into his blue eyes, she saw love shining in the depths, a love that he'd once vowed to never speak of. She trusted him more than anyone. He held her heart in his hands. Deep commitment in the lines of his face said he'd stand with her no matter the outcome of this night. Now it was time to share all of her with this wonderful man.

“I know you will. You've demonstrated that. Maybe it's time to let go of my fear and face up to the thing that scares me most. I know you'll take your time and let me find my way.”

“You can count on that, darlin'. I promise to take it slow and easy, and if I hurt you in any way, I'll immediately stop. But why did you decide to take this step? I'm curious.”

“You've filled me with so much yearning that I can't stand another night apart. I've been miserable because I want it all. I want all of you, not just your kisses.” She stroked the side of his face. “I want to shower you with every drop of my love.”

“Do you think we should hold off until you can visit with Doc Yates to make sure you have no physical problems? I would never do anything to hurt you. Losing you would be the last straw. I can't imagine what it would be like to live alone again, nor do I wish to find out. Maybe we should just lie here in each other's arms for now. And kiss, of course. I can't be near you without needing your lips on mine.”

Callie shook her head. “I don't want to waste one more second. Life doesn't come without risk. I want you, Rand Sinclair. All of you. No half measures.”

“Lord knows I sure don't want to keep a lady waiting.”

Delicious shivers danced up her spine. “Make me feel—”

He silenced her with a burning kiss that stole her breath. When he finally removed his lips from hers, he covered her face and neck with kisses. Someone had taught Rand very well how to make a woman feel cherished.

Happiness curled inside her chest. She'd known her husband was a keeper but hadn't been aware of the extent of his commitment to her, to their marriage, until now.

In the soft lamplight, she saw a shimmer of tears in his eyes. She gently kissed each eyelid.

When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. “I convinced myself that I didn't need anyone, but I find I cannot live without you, Callie. You are my life. Never be afraid to tell me anything. I'll not judge. I meant my wedding vows. I want permanence. I want a forever marriage, and I'll accept nothing less.”

“I'm sorry I didn't trust you enough. I just didn't want to ruin what I'd found here.”

“Darlin', nothing on this earth will ever make me turn away from you.” He rose on an elbow and tenderly smoothed back her hair. “As soon as we send Nate Fleming to the hangman's noose, I'll find your angel girl. Even if I have to kill Edmund Powers, I
will
get her back for you. That's a promise.”

Drugging her with his kisses, Rand unfastened her dress one button at a time. He whispered in her ear, left a trail of kisses down her neck, and removed her clothing piece by piece until she lay bare.

He quickly shed the long johns she'd insisted he wear while recovering. Finally, with no barriers between them, he pulled her to him, crushing her breasts against his chest.

Touching the expanse of all that satiny skin made the heat from his belly spread through him like wildfire, consuming everything in its path.

But he wanted more. Lots more.

He needed to be inside her, feel her warmth around him, feel the hum of her body, and taste her desire.

Running a hand down the shapely curve of a long leg, Rand pressed his lips to the inside of her thigh and watched her satiny skin tremble.

Her shivery moan fed his hunger for her. With each touch, each caress whispering his love, he returned to her luscious mouth, pouring out his heart into a kiss that was long and deep.

Under feathery touches that encompassed every inch of her, he had her feverish body straining for release, toward the completeness that comes from giving all you have to the person you love. He just prayed she was ready for all he yearned to give her. He longed to show her that lovemaking wasn't anything to fear but something to savor.

Raking his teeth gently across her breast, he drew the tip into his mouth. Slipping his finger into the soft folds between her legs, he stroked. She responded with moans, plunging her hands into his hair and tugging him tightly to her.

He wanted Callie more than he wanted anything else on earth. As he'd written in the note, she was his life.

Callie Quinn Sinclair was his everything.

He'd never known what it was to love someone with all his heart and soul and mind.

When the slick wetness told him she was ready, he moved on top and eased into her. The pleasure stole his breath, his mind, his purpose. Fighting the desire to give passion free rein, he stilled his body until he regained control.

“Are you in pain, Callie?”

“No. Please don't stop. I never knew this could feel so good.”

A few moments later, he began moving again and found that she instinctively matched his rhythm. His wife was a constant surprise—all proper on the outside and a tigress within.

He felt the beginning quickening of her release. She cried out, pulling him to her. The waves became stronger, rising ever higher. When he could stand no more, he shattered into a million pieces, becoming fragments of his old self.

As they came back together, he was reborn into a stronger, more determined man. Panting, he collapsed on top of her—then, not wanting to crush her, he rolled off to the side.

A fine sheen covered their bodies, the proof of their love.

Though Rand had been with countless women during his life, Callie truly was his first. She was certainly the only one who mattered. The others had been merely women to pass the time with.

After several minutes, he rose to plant a kiss on her eyelids. “Thank you, Callie. I lock your gift into a special place in my heart.”

She'd suffered greatly, had her babe ripped from her arms. He made a solemn vow. No one would ever take anything else from her. If they tried, they'd find themselves six feet under and providing the worms with food.

Callie settled beside the hard planes of his body and laid her palm on his face. “I never knew what lying with someone could be like. Is it always like this?”

Resting his chin on the top of her head, Rand smiled. “Only with someone you love, I'm told.”

“Do you love me, Rand?”

His old self would hedge. But the new one answered forthrightly and without reservation. “I once foolishly told you that I'd never give my heart to you. I was wrong. You had it a long time ago. Darlin', I love you more than my own life.”

She raised up and kissed him long and hard. Rand accepted what she gave and felt a familiar stirring inside once more. But he needed a bit of rest first.

They belonged together. Their lives were like a canvas that was only half-painted. Love would complete it in glorious, vibrant hues.

“I love you too, Rand,” she murmured against his mouth. “I have for a while, but I wouldn't let myself say the words, because I felt unworthy of you.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “We're going to be all right, aren't we?”

Rand smoothed her hair. “Yes. We're going to be better than all right. I'm going to fill your life with so much happiness and love that you grow dizzy from it.”

“That sounds like a promise.”

“It is, darlin', and I aim to deliver.”

* * *

Later, lying there with Callie in his arms, listening to her soft breathing, Rand thought back on all he had learned and shook with rage. A powerful yearning to knock Callie's stepfather's teeth out rose up inside. Rand wasn't going to let Edmund Powers or his son, David, get away with such a heinous, unspeakable crime. They would answer to him. Before he got through with them, they would know what exacting retribution was and that Callie would always be protected from the likes of them. It was all Rand could do to keep from springing from bed and saddling Blue.

“My daughter would be seven years old now,” Callie said softly. “She wouldn't remember me. I guess it's the mother in me, but I like to think that she's happy wherever she is. Just once before I die, I'd dearly love to see her.”

“Never fret about that. You
will
get your wish just as soon as I can make it happen.” Rand hated the gruffness of his voice. The anger coloring it was too strong to hide. “Tell me, why did you come back here when you were running from Fleming?”

“My mother's treasure chest. She hid the chest somewhere on this property, and I came for it. Mama never said what was in the box, but she told me and Claire, when our lives needed to look up, to find and open it. I thought it might have some money inside, and I needed something to sustain Toby and me.”

He shivered with longing as she brushed back a stubborn lock of hair from his forehead. Though they'd just made love, he felt the heat already building again.

“I never knew the greatest treasure would be finding you.”

Rand lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. “And I you. Until you came along, I had given up on love and family, focusing instead on protecting my heart. You gave me purpose. I take it you were unable to locate the box.”

“I searched everywhere with no luck. Even the key that went to it was missing from where I'd buried it by the woodpile. You have it on your brass key ring. The fancy scrolled one you found.”

“Why didn't you tell me? I would give it back in a heartbeat.”

“I know, but it does me no good without a lock to put it into. I think Edmund must've taken the treasure box. It's the only conclusion I can come to.”

They discussed that, then Rand told her that Toby had shared a secret of his own while sitting beside him. “Remember what Toby said about his father making him do horrible things?”

“I recall that very clearly, and how troubled I was.”

“He told me how Nate forced him to kill small animals, then later used him to gain unsuspecting victims' trust, luring them into a trap where Nate robbed and gunned them down. That's a big burden for a little boy to carry. I assured him that he would never have to do anything like that ever again. Not as long as I'm alive.”

“I'm sure that relieved Toby's mind. Thank you, Rand.” She raised her head from his shoulder and kissed his cheek, her soft breath brushing his.

“Darlin', keep doing that and I'll have to forget all about my aching head.”

“I'm sorry. I know you're not feeling well.”

“Hey, don't apologize. You can kiss me all you want. I can be dead and buried, but one kiss from you and I'll pop right up from that dirt. You should patent your kisses as some kind of new medicinal tonic. Make a fortune.”

Her eyes twinkled. “I'll bet you tell all your ladies that.”

Rand kissed the tip of her nose. “You're the only lady in my life and the only one I'll ever want, both in this lifetime and the next.”

Slowly, he traced every line, indentation, and curve of her body and committed them to memory. He felt a raging storm coming and he didn't know what, if anything, would be left once it passed. He wasn't leaving anything to chance.

He knew from experience how fragile and fleeting good fortune was.

Closing his eyes, he drew Callie's sweet fragrance deep into his heart.

The depth of his love for her shook him to the core. If this was to be their only time to lie together, he didn't want to forget a single detail.

* * *

Callie kept close watch over Rand for the next two days and slept beside him at night. It grew increasingly hard to keep him from getting up and doing chores. She only managed, with Toby's help, by keeping him distracted and entertained.

On the third day, she woke to find an empty bed. From the height of the sun outside the window, it was well past daybreak. Rand had left her sleeping. He must be seeing to the needs of the children. She threw back the covers, intent on dressing and rushing downstairs. Her men, as well as the baby, must be starving.

Despite the compulsion to leap up, she lay there a moment, remembering the night spent in her husband's bed. Rand didn't hate her for what she'd kept from him. He loved her, showing her in his touch, his kisses, and the light in his eyes.

“You're a lucky, lucky woman, Callie Sinclair,” she murmured.

She stared up at the cracked, leaky ceiling of the partially renovated room. Over in the corner came a strange glint. She rose and moved closer.

There, in a nook where the wall and ceiling met—revealed thanks to the renovations—was a box of some kind. After throwing her clothes on, she pulled a chair beneath the space. Climbing up, she carefully lifted the box from its hiding place.

A layer of dust and cobwebs covered the top. Wiping it clean, she stared at the initials.
NQ
. Nora Quinn. This was her mother's treasure chest. Callie's fingers trembled. She'd found it.

Giving a happy cry, she stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen, where she drew to a halt, stunned at the sight. Flour covered every inch of the counter in addition to the floor. In the midst of the floury mess everywhere was a raw egg with the broken shell and a large puddle of milk.

“Good morning, darlin'.” Rand grinned, looking up from his attempt at making biscuits. Toby stood beside him, and both had flour on their faces and hair. “Before you get mad…we're making breakfast for you. Our first effort seems to have failed, but I have confidence we'll get the hang of it.”

“I'm helping,” Toby said happily.

“I'll clean everything, don't worry.” He came closer, dropping bits of dough to the gooey mess beneath his feet. Leaning in, he kissed her. “I love you, Callie.”

“I love you too, Rand. And I appreciate the thoughtful gesture, truly, but you should've woken me.” Her gaze swept to the baby, where she lay in her cradle. Rand had tied a bottle to Wren's hands using a strip of flour sack and had it propped on a wadded-up shirt. It took every bit of self-control Callie had to keep from erupting into gales of laughter. Her sweet, darling, blue-eyed husband.

“What is that you're holding?” Rand tried to wipe away the flour he left on her face, but Callie could feel he'd only smeared it all over her.

She glanced down, remembering her find. “It's my mother's treasure box I told you about last night. I found it tucked into a corner of your bedroom ceiling.”

“You don't say. Wonder what's in it?”

“Haven't a clue. Let me assist with this breakfast, then we'll see if we can find the key.” She gently shooed him outside to wash off, cleaned Toby as best she could, and set to work.

An hour and a half later, she took the treasure box from a shelf where it had silently beckoned and set it on the table in front of Rand. He took out his ring of keys, selected the scrolled one he'd found on the property, and slid the teeth into the lock. The lid came open.

“There you go, darlin'.” He pushed the chest to her. “See what your mama left inside.”

Callie lifted out an old Bible and peered underneath. There didn't appear to be anything else inside. She opened the Bible and found a tintype of a beautiful woman with white hair. She had a ring on her finger and wore an ornate brooch on her dress. A piece of paper under the likeness simply stated, “Your legacy.”

“Who is that?” Rand asked.

“I think it's my grandmother. I saw one picture of her a long time ago. She died before I was born.”

“Anything else in the box?”

She felt around and discovered the bottom was loose. “I think this has another layer.”

Taking the chest, he lifted out a piece of thin board. Nestled on a cushion of black velvet lay an emerald ring and an emerald-and-ruby brooch.

Callie's breath caught. “These must be worth a small fortune.”

“They're certainly stunning,” Rand admitted. “But what do they signify?”

“Rand, these must've belonged to my grandmother and probably her mother before that. They're the same as the ones in the image.”

“Could be, darlin'.”

Lifting out the jewels, Callie discovered several sheets of yellowed paper. Unfolding them, she saw it was a property deed. “Rand, where do you suppose this land is located?”

He took the deed from her and studied it. “It's the section right next door. Seems you own it, my dear.”

“If that's true and this is legal and binding, I'm giving the deed to you.” Callie touched his face and stared into the eyes that could make her knees as weak as milk toast.

“Darlin', that's sweet, but this belongs to you. I can't take it.”

“Don't you want it? You can triple the size of your land.”