Unconventional Series Collection (9 page)

"Can we open presents now?" Jenny
asked excitedly.

"Yeth, presents," Ty echoed.

Brant laughed. "Jenny, why don't you pass
out everyone's gifts?"

"Okay!" Reaching for the presents Abby
had made, she found the name tags attached to the brown wrappings and handed
them out.

"Go ahead, Jenny, open yours first,"
her father encouraged.

She ripped the paper open, exclaiming at the
pretty pink neck scarf and matching socks, "Oh, I love this color!"
Immediately she began pulling off her old socks and putting the pink ones on.

Ty opened his present and copied his sister by
pulling off his own socks and saying, "Mama make socks."

Luke opened his gift and said without his normal
resentment, "Thank you, Abby."

After the children opened their gifts, Brant
opened his and exclaimed over his own scarf and socks. "Honey, this scarf
is going to keep me warm while I chase cows, and the socks are perfect because
I hate having cold feet. Thank you." He leaned over from his rocking chair
to hers and kissed her cheek. So much happiness bubbled up in Abby's chest she
thought she might explode like a volcano.

Next, Jenny grabbed the big bone with a bow for
Wally. Giggling, she teased him before untying the bow and giving him his gift.
After that she passed out the presents she and Ty had made. They had drawn
pictures and fastened a ribbon at each corner to create a hanger.

Jenny pointed to her pa's picture. "See,
that's you on your horse rounding up cows."

"Jenny, you're very talented." He
looked at Ty. "And so are you, son." Ty grinned and climbed onto his
father's lap.

Jenny walked to Abby's side. "This is you
and Pa and me and Luke and Ty. I pretended we was all having our picture taken
as a family. And see, I drew a baby in your arms so you can have one of your
own."

The room went silent and Abby swallowed thickly.
"This is a picture I shall forever cherish, Jenny. Thank you, my darling
girl."

Abby lifted her eyes from the picture to glance
at Brant. He was staring at the fire.

Jenny said, "And I drew Luke in one of his
adventure stories. He's the prince protecting the beautiful princess and he's
happy all the time." Luke cleared his throat and said softly,
"Thanks, Jenny."

Suddenly, Brant said, "Luke, go to the barn
and start bringing in our gifts."

Luke jumped up like he wanted to escape the
room. "Sure thing, Pa."

"You got something in the barn for
us!" Jenny exclaimed.

"My lips are sealed. You'll just have to
wait and see. In fact, I better go help Luke." He handed Ty to Abby.

A few minutes later, the cabin door opened and
Brant carried in a small vanity, followed by Luke carrying a stool. "This
is for you, Jenny. A place for you to store all your girlie things. Me and Luke
made it."

Jenny ran and threw her arms around her father
and then hugged Luke.

Luke said, "Aw, cut it out, Jenny."

"Thank you. Thank you," she gushed.

After the vanity was placed in Jenny's bedroom,
Luke returned to the barn. This time he came back with a wooden wagon for Ty.
Sitting him in it, he actually chuckled and pulled him around the room. The
baby laughed delightedly.

The next trip to the barn, Brant and Luke
carried back a desk for Abby. It was small with one drawer, but perfect for her
little classroom. After they set it in place, she also threw her arms around
Brant and kissed him unabashedly. He returned her kiss with the same enthusiasm
and she heard Jenny and Ty laughing. She also heard the front door close on
Luke before she had a chance to thank him.

The remainder of the day became a happy blur of
more carols, a lovely Christmas dinner of venison, corn mush, corn bread,
boiled eggs, boiled potatoes, and steamed pudding. Christmas stories were told
around the fire, and lots of laughter ensued. When the children started falling
asleep during story time, Brant and Abby tucked them into bed. Luke said a
quiet goodnight and climbed to his loft. For another hour, Abby and Brant sat
in front of the fire drinking hot sweetened milk and enjoying occasional bouts
of conversation. After that, they made sweet love.

On a cold, stormy day in late February, Abby had
a sudden inspiration while teaching class. "Luke, since you read so much,
have you ever thought about writing?"

"No."

"Well, I have a project for you."

Abby heard him groan, but persevered.
"There's a writing contest sponsored by the Philadelphia Inquirer each
year that I always asked my students to participate in. I'd like for you to
enter by writing at least a ten-page adventure story. The entry deadline is May
fifteenth. If you have the story ready in two weeks, that will ensure plenty of
time for it to reach Philadelphia. What do you think?"

"I think I don't want to do it."

"Is there a reason why you don't want to?
Or is it just because
I'm
asking you to?"

Luke looked away and stared out the window.

A voice from the doorway said, "He'll do
it."

Both Abby and Luke jerked their heads toward
Brant.

"Won't you, son." It wasn't a
question.

Luke didn't respond.

"Hmm?"

"Yes, sir."

Abby gave Brant a tentative smile.

"Can I do it, too?" asked Jenny.

Abby smiled at her eagerness. "Honey, it's
only for participants between the ages of fourteen and nineteen. When you turn
fourteen, for sure you can enter."

Ty picked up the paper he was drawing on.
"Papa, see." He jumped off his stool and ran to the doorway. Brant
scooped him up and said glowing words over his scribbles.

For the next two weeks, Luke worked on the
writing project during class and Abby encouraged him. Often, she would see him
write something and smile, which made her happy. He also used the dictionary
quite frequently. In the evenings, of his own volition, he would sit at the
dining table and write.

At the end of the two weeks, he voluntarily
handed the story to Abby. "Here it is."

A big smile lit her face. "May I read
it?"

"Yeah, I guess. Ah, maybe you could check
for misspelled words."

"Luke, I'd love to."

While the children worked on lesson assignments,
Abby read Luke's story.

The Land of Forever

The dark jungle surrounded the boy and girl. The
boy said, "I think we're lost."

"Sam, please don't say that. We haven't
walked far from camp."

"I know. But now I don't know which way to
go. I'm sorry Marybeth for getting us lost. My temper got the best of me."

"You know, Sam, you should stop fighting
with Pa. He's doing his best to take care of us."

"I know. But sometimes I just can't help
myself."

"What do you think we should do now?"

"Remember how Pa's always telling us to
stay put if we get lost? I guess that's what we should do."

"Okay, if you think it's best."

Sam and Marybeth sat on nearby rocks and
listened to birds and jungle sounds. Suddenly, the air glowed around them.

"What's happening?" asked Marybeth.
"This is weird."

"I don't know."

Marybeth shrieked when a bright light shot
through the trees and hovered in front of her. Sam placed his body in front of
hers to protect her. The light circled them. They turned and ran, but the light
moved in front of them. When they turned another direction, the light darted
there, too.

Panting, they stopped and clung to each other,
waiting for the unknown. The light flashed brilliant and they closed their eyes
against it. When they opened them again, a beautiful woman stood in front of
them. She lifted her hands and said, "Come with me and I will show you the
Land of Forever."

Abby turned the page and looked up, wonder and
amazement lighting her face. "Luke, this is incredible!"

He glanced up from his schoolwork, shrugged, and
went back to his lesson.

 She continued reading the adventure of a
brother and sister in a fantasy land where loved ones lived on forever. The
fact that Luke was addressing his heartache over his mother in this story gave
Abby hope that he could now say goodbye and move on—like Jenny had done at the
grave.

 When she finished reading, she said,
"Luke, I really think you have a chance of winning the competition. We'll
get this mailed off next time we're in town. You'll need to copy it in ink, and
other than a few grammar corrections that I'll mark for you, it looks great.
I'm so proud of you. You have a wonderful talent. Maybe you'll want to read
your story to the family some evening. I know your father would love to hear
it." Abby knew she was rambling, but she couldn't help herself. She so
wanted to express her feelings to Luke.

All Luke said was, "Can I be excused now?
Pa needs my help."

Trying to hide her hurt, Abby smiled. "Ah,
yes, class is over."

That night Luke sat at the kitchen table by the
light of a kerosene lamp and copied his story in ink onto the expensive paper
Abby had brought with her.

After a winter that seemed to drag on, and Brant
said was one of the harshest he'd ever been through, the approach of spring and
Jenny's and Ty's birthdays brightened everyone's moods. Both children had been
born at the end of April and Abby wanted to have a combined surprise birthday
party. When she'd gotten the idea to have the party after church and approached
Brant about it, he'd given her a look that sent warmth all the way to her toes.

"Abby, that's a wonderful idea."

"I figured we could ask Pastor Merriweather
this Sunday. If he gives the okay, I can talk to Mrs. Merriweather and ask her
advice for planning the surprise."

Pastor and Mrs. Merriweather were overjoyed by
her suggestion and set about secretly inviting the other parishioners.

The week before the party, Abby caught Brant
alone in the barn before he rode out. She wanted to discuss what they should
give the children as gifts. Because of his aversion to accepting any of her
money, and the fact that he had little to spare, she said hesitantly,
"Jenny is so creative, I have a set of chalk crayons that I brought from
Philadelphia. I'd love to give them to her."

Brant studied her face and she fidgeted. He said
softly, "How about I buy the art paper to go with the crayons?"

His response thrilled her and she threw her arms
around his neck. Laughing, he tripped her feet out from under her, caught her,
and lowered her onto a heap of hay.

"Brant, what are you doing?" she asked
breathlessly.

"Behaving like a teenage boy."

She giggled, and when he was distracted by one
of the horses, jumped to her knees and started to crawl away. He caught her by
the waist and hauled her back beneath him.

"Now, that was right ornery, Mrs.
Samson," he said low and husky.

She smiled and reached to smooth her hand across
his forehead. "I can be right ornery, Mr. Samson. Do you want me to show
you?"

His gaze roamed her body. "Yeah, why don't
you do that."

Abby lifted her mouth to his and when he closed
his eyes, she rolled out from under him, laughing and jumping to her feet. He
caught her and hauled her backwards into the hay again.

"Oh, you're going to pay for that."
His voice sounded playful.

Abby was laughing so hard she couldn't stop even
when his mouth touched hers. Soon, however, her laughing ceased and incredible
feelings for her husband overwhelmed her. When their kisses and caresses turned
sensual, she said, "Brant, the children could walk in on us."

Sighing, he rolled onto his back. "I
know." He turned his head sideways to study her face, his lips still moist
from her kisses. "We'll continue this tonight. In fact, I want you to soak
in the tub after the children go to bed–"

She gave him a questioning look and his
responding smile promised a night of delights. The flames dancing in his eyes
filled her stomach with butterflies.

"–because I'm joining you," he
finished.

Abby's mouth formed an "o".

Brant jumped up and held his hand out to her.
When he pulled her upright and moved his mouth sensually over hers, she almost
begged him to drop her into the hay again.

Cupping her bottom, he pulled her tightly
against him and said with a wink, "Tonight." Retrieving his hat from
where it had fallen in the hay, he turned and repeated, "Tonight, Miz
Abby."

Several times throughout the day, Jenny and Ty
had to repeat themselves. Abby couldn't concentrate. Her body tingled just
thinking about the coming night with her husband. She placed her hands on her
flaming cheeks.
He's going to join me in the bathtub.
For months, she'd
shied from allowing him to see her naked in the light of day, and the thought
of him doing so made her flash hot and then cold. Her body was anything but
perfect. She wasn't tiny like Molly had been; she still had generous hips and
breasts, even after losing weight. Maybe she could feign a headache and divert
Brant from his intention.

Diverting Brant was not to be, however. While
she told the children their bedtime story, she heard him pumping water and
carrying buckets back and forth from the kitchen to the bedroom.
I can't do
this.

When both children fell asleep, she remained on
the stool beside their bed, staring at their sweet faces.

"Abby, it's time. I've added hot water from
the stove so the bath temperature is perfect," Brant said softly from the
doorway.

She turned her head slightly until he saw her
profile. "I'll be there in a minute."

Scolding herself for her feelings of inadequacy,
when her husband had always made her feel physically desired, she inhaled a
calming breath and kissed her children's cheeks.

Brant sat at the table drinking a cup of coffee
when she entered the living area. With the cup to his lips, he watched her
face, not saying anything.

"Brant, I really don't–"

"Abby, its okay. Trust me."

Abby knew that if she insisted, he wouldn't
require this of her, but something deep inside told her she needed to do this
for herself, more so than for him.

Nodding, she walked into her bedroom, quickly
undressed, and slipped into the soothing water. Laying her head back, she
closed her eyes and relaxed. She heard the door open, but didn't open her eyes.
When she heard a shuffling above her, she peeked from beneath lowered lashes to
see Brant removing his shirt. He'd turned the lamp down, casting a magical glow
throughout the room. The dark hair on his chest mesmerized her and she felt
languid in the warm water. Naked to the waist, he knelt beside the tub and she lifted
her eyelashes so she could meet his gaze. She'd piled her hair on top of her
head and long strands had escaped, floating in the water and covering parts of
her body. Brant reached to move one of the strands aside. The heat in his eyes
set Abby aflame. He moved his gaze from her eyes down the length of her body.
Playing with the strand of hair, he said low and deep, "You're beautiful,
Abby."

Abby closed her eyes again, the sincerity in his
words finding their way into her heart. How she loved this man. When she opened
her eyes, he was removing the rest of his clothing, and she boldly watched.
She'd often seen him dress and undress, but secretly. Now she didn't lower her
lashes or turn her head. Seeing his glorious body, and the way he was looking
at her, made her eternally thankful she hadn't shunned this encounter with her
husband.

"Scoot forward, honey," he said. And
when she did, he climbed in behind her, placing his hands around her middle and
straddling her backside with his legs. Water sloshed on the floor and two
bodies in the tub made for a tight squeeze. Abby closed her eyes and leaned her
head against his shoulder. His breath felt hot on her neck when his teeth
lightly teased her ear. She made a little sound and turned her head until their
lips met. Gently they kissed and then he increased the pressure. She felt his
body harden even more against her back. When his hands moved from her stomach
to other sensitive areas, little pants of pleasure escaped her chest.

"Abby, Abby," he whispered over and over.

The rest of the night became a glorious journey
of sensual pleasure. By morning, Abby knew she could never lay claim to being
an innocent again. Brant had well and truly taught her how to love her man.

A kiss on her lips woke her. Brant was bending over
her. "Honey, I'm headed out. I'll be back for breakfast. You should sleep
in. Jenny can take care of things.

Abby stretched and languidly opened her eyes.
Half asleep she asked, "Can we bathe together again?"

Brant moved his lips to her ear. "Oh, yes, baby,
we're gonna bathe together again, and soon."

Abby's eyes popped open when Brant cupped her
bottom. Slanting his lips over hers he kissed her thoroughly. He lifted his
mouth barely. "If I don't leave soon, I'm gonna climb back in bed with
you."

Abby giggled and he gave her a gentle pinch.
"I'll see you later, honey."

She watched her husband leave the room and
closed her eyes, drifting back to sleep.

* * *

The day of the surprise birthday party dawned
cloudless and promising of warmer weather. During the ride to church, the
family sang hymns, and Ty chatted nonstop. Luke had been informed about the
party and Abby glanced around once to see him mouthing the words to one of the
songs. Everything in Abby's world was right and beautiful and she had never been
happier.

After the service, Lita Brandon carried Ty
outside and Jenny's friends distracted her by pulling her away from the church.
Quickly, Abby, Brant, Luke, and other parishioners set up the sanctuary for the
party. Mina Priestly had made a cake and some folks even brought gifts.

When Brant secretly signaled that everything was
ready, Jenny's girlfriends made an excuse to bring her back inside the building
and Lita held Ty's hand leading him toward the entrance. Abby positioned
herself so that she could see the expressions on the children's faces. Standing
beside her, Brant bent to kiss her cheek and whisper, "Thank you,
love." Abby entwined her fingers in his and wanted to shout for joy that
he'd called her "love."

The surprise, wonder, and happiness that
flickered over Jenny's and Ty's expressions when they entered the building to
shouts of: "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Jenny and Ty!" became a living
photo in Abby's mind to be revisited for the rest of her life.

Ty laughed and ran to the cake table.

For the next week, Jenny and Ty talked about
little else but their birthday party. The laughter they inspired in Brant
filled Abby with overwhelming joy.

* * *

Brant reined Sugar to a halt on a rise and
surveyed his herd. Another month and it would be time to move the cattle to Ft.
Worth to be sold at auction to one of the large cattle barons who would then
move the herd to the rails in Abilene, Kansas. The harsh winter had robbed him
of a good portion of his cattle. Money was also tight and he still had to hire
a couple of hands to help with the drive. He blew a breath and watched Luke
round up a stray. If he couldn't make his yearly mortgage payment, he'd be
faced with losing his ranch, and then what would he do? Worry creased the sides
of his mouth.

Pushing his hat back, he glanced at the blazing
sun and a sudden thought made him smile and forget his troubles for the time
being. Maybe he'd pull the tub out and soak with Abby tonight. Laughing aloud,
he remembered his first impression of her—prissy, virginal schoolmarm. She may
have been a schoolmarm, but she had never been prissy, and she certainly wasn't
virginal anymore. She lit a fire in him that burned daily. Yep, a soak with
Abby was just what he needed.

The first day in June, Brant sat atop his horse
and bid Abby and the younger children goodbye. His hired hands and Luke waited
for his orders to leave. The tears he saw in his wife's eyes made him want to
jump off his horse, gather her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. Instead, he
tipped his hat, smiled, and said, "I'll see you in three weeks, Miz
Abby."

Jenny said, "Bye, Pa. I'll take good care
of Ma," and wrapped her arms around Abby's waist. Ty wrapped his arms
around her legs. "Me, too," he told his pa with a serious look.

Brant grinned at them and then reined his horse
around. "Com'on boys, let's get this herd to market."

* * *

Abby sniffed and watched Brant and the others
until they were out of sight and then she hugged Ty and Jenny. "Let's skip
class today and have a picnic."

Jenny's mood brightened. "That sounds like
fun. Can we have it out by Ma's grave so I can talk to her?"

A lump formed in Abby's throat at the unexpected
request. "Of course, Jenny, if that's what you want. Let's finish our
chores and then walk over mid-morning."

Abby carried a basket with fresh bread, fried
chicken, boiled potatoes, and sliced cucumbers to the small gravestone. Jenny
and Ty ran ahead, playing tag. The day was already turning hot and pristine
clouds floated slowly across an azure sky. Just knowing Brant would be gone for
three weeks made Abby want to cry again, but she needed to stay strong for the
children. Then she smiled thinking about how all their relationships had grown
over the past months. Brant's forlorn looks were appearing less often and he
laughed freely and kissed her frequently. As for Luke, he'd even started to cut
loose with smiles and laughter. Jenny and Ty were happy and carefree. Yes,
everything was right in her world. She'd even received word from her
Philadelphia attorney that her home had sold for more than expected. She hadn't
been inclined to tell Brant about the sale just yet, however.

I'll just put the proceeds in the bank and save
for a rainy day. If the family needs money, he'll just have to get over his
stubbornness.

Jenny reached the oak and spread their blanket
under its strong branches. Ty walked to the gravestone and laid wilted flowers
on the ground that he and Jenny had picked. Jenny moved to stand beside him.
"Hi Mama," she said.