Wild Is My Heart (47 page)

Shortly afterwards, a glowing Laura and beaming Jake left for New Orleans to begin their honeymoon. Phil Smith was named overseer in Jake’s place, and upon their return the couple planned to settle on their own land which Jake had recently purchased. Colt and Sam were happy just to return home and be alone at the ranch. They had had enough traveling for awhile. Besides, with a baby on the way Sam wanted no more excitement for a good long spell.

Sam hugged Laura exuberantly before she boarded the stage. “Take care of my brother, Sam,” Laura said and laughed happily. “And my little nephew-to-be.” Sam had already told Laura about the baby, just as Colt had told Jake. Of course Will also had been informed. “Perhaps when I come back I’ll have some good news also.”

Sam and Colt returned to the ranch that night, making love tenderly and with great passion in the privacy of their own bedroom, not once, but twice. Then, just before dawn, Colt kissed her awake.

“Ummm,” Sam protested mildly, “again, my love? Greedy varmint, aren’t you?”

“I am where you’re concerned. Besides, I haven’t given you your weddin’ present.”

“Wedding present?” wailed Sam, distraught. “But I haven’t a thing for you.”

“You’re givin’ me my child.” He said it with such overwhelming tenderness it brought tears to Sam’s eyes. “I wanted to do somethin’ for you even though nothin’ could compare with your gift.”

His enthusiasm was infectious as he leaped from bed and padded over to the chair where he had carelessly draped his clothes the night before. A lamp left burning provided sufficient light to guide his steps in the early dawn. Sam experienced a delicious naughtiness as she watched the muscles of his taut buttocks flex and unflex. She thought his legs superb, strong and lithe, as sturdy as twin oaks. Corded tendons rippled beneath the smooth skin of his back, and Sam was amazed that such perfection existed in one man. Abruptly he turned, and her eyes were drawn to his manhood, impressive even at rest. Colt was fully aware of the effect he had on her as he approached the bed, his lips curved in a crooked grin.

“If you keep lookin’ at me like that, darlin’, you’ll never get your present.”

Sam flushed, reluctantly raising her eyes. Vaguely she wondered if all men were so magnificently endowed. Somehow she doubted it.

A puzzled frown furrowed Sam’s brow when Colt placed a folded sheet of paper in her hand.

“What’s this?”

“Your gift. Read it.”

Holding it close to the light, Sam scanned the contents. Exhaling softly, she said, “It’s the deed to the Circle H made out to Will.” The heavy lashes that shadowed her cheeks flew up. Then she began to cry.

“I hoped you’d be pleased,” Colt said, his lips pursed in a pout. “I knew how much you wanted your brother to inherit the ranch. We’ll hold it in trust for him and continue to live here until he’s old enough to manage on his own. I’ve purchased several hundred acres just west of here. It’s prime land, darlin’, and we can build a house to your specifications. I … I wanted to make you happy.”

“Make me happy? Oh, my love, you’ve made me deliriously happy. I love this ranch, but I wanted to keep it intact mainly for Will. I’ll be happy anywhere as long as we’re together. We’ll found a new dynasty for our children, and the Circle H will be preserved for Will. Thank you, Colt. But how did you manage it? Where did you get the money to buy land?”

“I still had money left in the bank, and the land was bein’ offered dirt cheap. It’s damned ironic that the railroad people decided on a more northerly route and all the land Calvin Logan acquired is bein’ offered for a song by the bank. I approached the trustees and bought the best of the lot.”

Sam sighed wistfully. “The Logans’ underhanded dealings earned them nothing but painful death. Greed is a terrible thing. It spawns ruination and destruction.”

“But love brings peace and joy,” Colt countered, his eyes pools of golden flame. “And new life.”

“Colt, I never knew you were poetic,” Sam exclaimed, delighted.

“I’ve been many things, Sam, but never a poet,” Colt said and grinned, taking her in his arms. “I’d like to be remembered as a lover, and the best damn husband and father in the state of Texas. Now hush up and let me love you again.”

She did—and he did—and in six months Sam fulfilled Spirit Dancer’s prophecy. She gave birth to her first son.

About the Author

Connie is the bestselling author of 60 books and novellas and counting. Her tales of passion and adventure are set in exotic as well as in American locales. Connie has won awards from Romantic Times and has been listed in Who’s Who of American Women for several years. Connie makes her home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

Connie is a world traveler. She has visited every country in Western and Eastern Europe, Greece, Asia and Northern Africa. Also, countless islands in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas. Connie enjoys spending time with her three children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Visit her Website and
www.conniemason.com
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